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Apple Looking to Expand iPhone Production to Indonesia

By Efthymis Oraiopoulos
April 19, 2024

Business News

Apple CEO Tim Cook gestures upon his arrival for a meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 17, 2024. (Achmad Ibrahim/AP Photo)

Apple is looking to manufacture more of its products in Indonesia after making investments in India and Vietnam, as a global trend of tech giants relocating production away from China continues.

Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook met Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday, and said the company will “look at” manufacturing in Indonesia.

“We talked about the president’s desire to see manufacturing in the country, and it’s something that we will look at,” Mr. Cook told reporters after the meeting.

Mr. Widodo’s administration has tried to attract manufacturing investment to Indonesia in recent years, but now Apple is also seeking to diversify its manufacturing base and transfer some manufacturing capacity away from China, where most of its tablets and iPhones are assembled. The manufacture of actual components still takes place primarily in other countries, such as Korea and Taiwan, but the bulk of Apple’s assembly takes place in China in factories run by Taiwan-based Foxconn.


The company began moving some production to countries like Vietnam, and more recently India, after shutdowns related to COVID-19 in China repeatedly disrupted the company’s shipments and supply chains.

“I think the investment ability in Indonesia is endless. I think that there are a lot of great places to invest, and we’re investing. We believe in the country,” Mr. Cook said.

Apple CEO Tim Cook (C), talks to journalists during a joint press conference with Indonesian Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita (L) and Indonesian Minister of Communication and Information Technology Budi Arie Setiadi after a meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 17, 2024. (Achmad Ibrahim/AP Photo)

The previous day, Mr. Cook met Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi, where he said Apple plans to invest more in Vietnam and increase spending on suppliers in the Southeast Asian manufacturing hub.

“Given the slowing Chinese economy as well as the Chinese government’s ongoing efforts to squeeze out foreign companies and replace them with domestic brands, Apple wants alternatives for manufacturing,” said Chris Miller, an associate professor at Tufts University, whose work focuses on technology and geopolitics.

“It has already invested more in India and Vietnam, but it is likely looking at other partners in South East Asia to [add] additional manufacturing and assembly operations,” Mr. Miller said.

Apple recently announced it is opening a fourth training academy for mobile developers in Indonesia’s Bali. In 2018, the company started the program, called Apple Developer Academy, in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta.

Apple has no manufacturing facilities in Indonesia yet, but the company says it has invested 1.6 trillion rupiah ($99 million) in its app developer ecosystem in the country.

Mr. Widodo’s government has sought to leverage the country’s reserves of nickel and other raw materials to bring in manufacturing, banning the export of raw commodities such as nickel and bauxite to oblige companies to build smelters and refineries domestically.

After the meeting with Mr. Widodo, Mr. Cook also met Indonesia’s president-elect Prabowo Subianto, who is currently the defense minister, in Jakarta. He is set to take power in October.

Indonesia’s minister of communications and information, Budi Arie Setiadi, said Wednesday that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella would visit Indonesia at the end of April.

Apple CEO Tim Cook (R) walks with Indonesia’s Minister of Communication and Information Technology Budi Arie Setiadi (L) after a meeting with President Joko Widodo in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 17, 2024. (Achmad Ibrahim/AP Photo)
Leaving China

Apple produced $14 billion-worth of its iPhones in India in the last fiscal year.

Foxconn began making the iPhone 15 in India in the summer of 2023, and the number of iPhones made in plants there is growing fast. Other technology firms, such as Dell and HP, have also expanded aggressively into India, Vietnam, Mexico, and other markets.

Apple is going to expand its iPhone assembly in India in the next two years, with a quarter of them to be made in the world’s most populous country of India, Forbes reported.

The company aims to manufacture more than 50 million devices in India in the next few years, and then to continue growing.

Taiwanese company Foxconn, one of Apple’s top subcontractors, was planning to open a plant in India in April, from which it aims to produce 20 million phones annually—and mainly iPhones.

Tata, India’s biggest conglomerate, wants to build the country’s biggest iPhone assembly plant in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It already has an iPhone assembly plant in the state of Karnataka.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

Hundreds rally in Stockholm for climate action

By

 AFP

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Friday led some 500 people in a march in Stockholm to demand politicians do more to address the issue of climate change.

Demonstrators of all ages braved chilly spring temperatures of 3C (37F), wearing parkas and woolly bonnets and chanting “International solidarity! We only have one planet!” and “(Climate Minister Romina) Pourmokhtari’s empty words won’t save our planet”, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.

The march was organised by the Fridays For Future (FFF) movement.

“We’re gathered here to fight, once again, for climate justice,” Thunberg told AFP.

“It’s now been more than five and a half years that we’ve been doing the same thing, organising big global strikes for the climate and gathering people, youths from the entire world.” 

The first global youth climate strike, started by Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement, attracted thousands of people on March 15, 2019.

Six months later, in September 2019, the movement had mushroomed, with millions of people marching around the planet for the climate.

The Swedish activist became an international name in August 2018 when she began her “School Strike for the Climate” at the age of 15, sitting outside Sweden’s parliament every Friday morning.

She still takes part regularly in marches and other events where she criticises the lack of political action to halt global warming.

“We are many people and youths who want to express our frustration over what decision-makers are doing right now: they don’t care about our future and aren’t doing anything to stop the climate crisis,” Karla Alfaro Gripe, an 18-year-old FFF activist, told AFP.

The Swedish Climate Policy Council, tasked with evaluating the government’s policy, said last month that Sweden will not be able to meet its 2030 emissions reduction target after adopting measures in 2023 that will lead to short-term emissions increases.

Climate Minister Romina Pourmokhtari said at the time she was “not particularly worried about some of the assessments” in the council’s report, noting that several of the issues raised had already been addressed with “measures” added afterwards.

"We will never accept Russian rule!" - A massive youth march in Tbilisi against the "foreign agents law"

JAMnewsTbilisi

Draft law on foreign agents in Georgia
20.04.2024

Protest against the law on foreign agents in Georgia

On April 19, participants of the massive youth march in Tbilisi chanted ‘No to the Russian law!’ protesting against the draft law ‘On Foreign Influence’, commonly referred to as the ‘foreign agents law’ or the ‘Russian law’ in society.

On April 17, the parliament passed the draft law in the first reading. It is promised to be reviewed in the third reading on May 17.

Undermining democracy: Examples of how foreign influence laws impact democratic principles

Financial control over civil society representatives indicates the political regime’s evolution toward authoritarianism



The protest in front of the parliament has been ongoing for several days, gathering between 30,000 to 100,000 people each time. Today, protesters once again blocked Rustaveli Avenue, whistled, blew horns, beat drums, and chanted: “Where are we going? To Europe!”


The young people were calling on the government to repeal the “Russian law.”

Why Georgia's government seeks to reintroduce 'foreign agents' law: Expert views

JAMnews asked local political analysts to assess this decision by the ruling party “Georgian Dream.”


Later, the rally participants moved first to the House of Justice, and then to Heroes Square. In doing so, they marched through all the central districts of the city.

The cars on the embankment, which were driving parallel to the march, greeted its participants with honks.

At Heroes Square, where a memorial to those who died for Georgia’s territorial integrity is erected, young people sang the Georgian anthem and made an oath:

“We, the citizens of Georgia, Georgian patriots, have gathered here at Heroes Square to honor their memory and pledge before their souls. We swear that we will never forsake the freedom bought with the price of your lives. We swear that we will never reconcile with the force that seeks to surrender our country to the enemy – Russia. We will stand for each other and defend the sovereignty of Georgia, our language, our heritage, and unity!

Long live independent and united Georgia!“

Then tens of thousands of protesters returned to the parliament, where they once again appealed to the deputies to abandon the consideration of the “foreign agents” bill.

“We are all here together, not just students, but also all our teachers, our parents. This is our country, and we are fighting together for its prosperity. We are on the right side of history,” said one of the rally participants from the podium, announcing the continuation of the protest the next day.

“We will stand here every day. Our struggle will continue until the authorities abandon this ugly law, until Russian influence disappears from this country,” declared another rally participant.

Another protest action is scheduled for tomorrow, April 20, at 7 p.m.

● The draft law on “foreign agents” was first initiated by the ruling party a year ago, in March 2023. It was then passed by parliament in the first reading but later withdrawn due to mass protests by citizens and sharp criticism from the West.

● On April 3, 2024, it was announced that the ruling party “Georgian Dream” had once again initiated the consideration of the draft law “On the Transparency of Foreign Influence.”

● On April 16, the second day of mass protests outside the parliament, riot police used pepper spray to disperse the peaceful demonstration. Several protesters were also beaten, resulting in injuries to dozens of participants.

● Accredited ambassadors in the country, many Western politicians, leaders of the European Union, and representatives of the US State Department, sharply criticized the draft law and recommended its withdrawal from parliament. Georgia has been openly warned that passing this law will create significant obstacles to the country’s integration into Europe.

● Despite unprecedented domestic and international resistance, on April 17, the parliament passed the agent law in the first reading during a plenary session with 83 votes in favor and 0 against. Opposition deputies abstained from voting; some left the session in protest, while others were forcibly removed from the chamber.

● The Georgian government asserts that it will not retreat and will fully enforce the law. The main argument of the government is that “Georgian non-governmental organizations operate non-transparently, posing a threat to the country’s security.”

However, independent experts, the opposition, and the broader civil society do not buy into this argument. They believe that the ruling party, Georgian Dream, is attempting to prolong its stay in power and is gearing up to suppress alternative voices in the country ahead of the parliamentary elections in October 2024.
Why this bill is harmful and has nothing to do with the American and European versions:

In their comments, government representatives consistently reiterate that critics of the “foreign agents law” cannot provide specific arguments as to why this law is Russian. However, this is not the case, as evidenced by numerous materials circulating in Georgian media for over a year.

Journalists extensively and with specific arguments explain the harmful nature of this law.

● Explanation by JAMnews: Why this law is harmful and has nothing to do with the American and European versions (in Russian, Georgian, and English).

● Georgian edition of Radio Liberty provides a detailed explanation of the dangers of this project (in Georgian).

● Why is this law called Russian? Detailed analysis by the publication “Publika” (in Georgian).

● Breakdown of the bill by points in a video by the “Project 64” team (in Georgian).

● Here is the text from JAMnews about the disasters already caused by this law adopted in other countries (in Russian, Georgian, and English).

● What makes the Russian law dangerous? 5 questions and answers in a text by Netgazeti (in Georgian).

● Simple explanation on the website on.ge.

US calls for transparency from Cambodia over China-backed canal


April 19, 2024 
By Han Noy
Sun Narin

VOA

 A ferry is shown on March 18, 2024, along the Mekong River where a proposed canal is planned.

The United States is urging Cambodia to be transparent over a proposed $1.7 billion canal financed by China that is worrying Vietnam due to its potential impact on water resource management.

"The Cambodian people – along with people in neighboring countries and the broader region – would benefit from transparency on any major undertaking with potential implications for regional water management, agricultural sustainability, and security," Wesley Holzer, a U.S. embassy spokesperson in Phnom Penh, told VOA Khmer in an email on Tuesday.

The proposed canal has alarmed neighboring Vietnam because of how the project would affect its use of water downstream.

Cambodia Tries to Reassure Vietnam That Proposed Canal Won't Affect Mekong River

Cambodia approved the 180-kilometer-long (111.8 miles) Funan Techo Canal in May. The $1.7 billion project, part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, would connect the coastal province of Kep with Kandal and Takeo provinces inland. The proposed design is 100 meters (109.3 yards) wide upstream and 80 meters (87.4 yards) wide downstream, with a consistent depth of 5.4 meters (5.9 yards). It is the latest China-financed infrastructure project in Cambodia.

Phan Rim, spokesperson of Cambodia’s Ministry of Public Works and Transport, told VOA Khmer on Tuesday that the project is expected to be built by the end of this year as planned.

Mekong River

The U.S. is urging Cambodian authorities "to coordinate closely with the Mekong River Commission [MRC] to provide additional project details and to participate fully in any appropriate environmental impact studies to help the MRC and member countries fully understand, assess, and prepare for any possible impacts of the project," according to the embassy spokesperson.

Doan Khac Viet, deputy spokesperson for Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on April 11, "Vietnam is very interested in information about the Funan Techo Canal Project and has asked the Cambodian side to coordinate closely with the Vietnamese side and the International Mekong River Commission in sharing information and assessing the impact of the project."

Brian Eyler, senior fellow and director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Stimson Center in Washington, said the canal connects with tributaries of the Mekong River, "but indeed the specifications submitted by the Cambodian National Mekong Committee to the Mekong River Commission show the first and shorter section of the canal connecting to the Mekong River in Kandal Province near the Kandal container port."

"If the canal is indeed used for irrigation, then Vietnam's concerns will intensify because the only way to provide irrigation from the canal is to take much more water out of the Mekong than what is specified in the notification document to the MRC," he wrote in an email to VOA Khmer on Tuesday.

"So much remains unclear about this project and it seems to be moving forward at breakneck speed with zero room for appropriate levels of information dissemination and regional discourse," Eyler said.

Villagers near proposed canal in Cambodia worry and wait

He added that the project seems "to be driving a wedge between Cambodia and Vietnam and forcing other countries to choose sides on whether they support Vietnam or support Cambodia."

"The 1995 Mekong Agreement and the MRC were established to avoid these kinds of negative and potentially disastrous outcomes,” he said. “The MRC needs to be involved at all levels of this project, and currently it is not."

In December, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet reassured Hanoi, saying the project "will not incur any negative impacts on the flow of the Mekong or other rivers while maintaining a stable environment, ecology and natural habitat for biodiversity."

Rim Sokvy, an independent researcher in Cambodia, said the Cambodian government "will try its best to prevent the project from failing."

"The project could contribute significantly to Hun Manet's image," he told VOA Khmer in an email on Tuesday. "If the project is going to fail, I don't think it is because Vietnam has been trying to oppose it. I think it is because of the withdrawal of China's support. However, I do not think that China will do so as Cambodia is its key ally."

VOA Vietnamese contributed to this report.

'How gold becomes guns': heist spotlights illegal US-Canada gun trade

TURNING GOLD INTO LEAD

By Nadine Yousif,BBC News, Toronto

Canadian police said the heist is not just about gold, but "how gold turns into guns"

The arrests that followed a "sensational" gold heist have shed light on the illegal gun trade between the US and Canada.

Thousands of gold bars worth C$20m ($14.5m; £11.6m) were stolen from the Toronto airport in Canada a year ago.

Police have since said the gold was sold for cash to buy guns in the US.

Officials allege the arrested suspects had planned to smuggle the guns into Canada, which has strict gun laws, and sell them on the black market.

"This isn't just about gold," said Nando Iannicca, chair of the Peel Regional Police, the force responsible for the arrest of nine suspects who were allegedly involved in the heist.

"This is about how gold becomes guns."

The smuggling of illegal guns from the US has long been a source of concern for police in Canada, where most firearms - save for shotguns and rifles - are restricted or prohibited.

The US has enshrined the right bear arms in the US constitution, which has made firearms readily accessible and gun ownership a challenging political topic in America.

But it also has created a lucrative illegal business in which smugglers bring guns they purchase in the US to Canada, said Police Chief Bill Fordy, who sits on the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police's Special Purpose Committee on Firearms.

A gun purchased in the US for $500 "can easily sell for up to $5,000 in Canada", Norman Proctor, a Toronto Police inspector, said at a news conference last year.


The issue surfaced after Canada introduced stricter gun laws a few years ago in response to the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia - the country's deadliest - in which 22 people were killed. The law included a ban on "assault-style weapons".

Some questioned the effectiveness of the ban, as the perpetrator was found to have obtained his guns illegally - three were smuggled across the US border from Houlton, Maine.

Once these American guns cross the border into Canada, police say they are frequently distributed across the country and used in violent crimes, like robberies, carjackings and homicides.

Chief Fordy told the BBC that in 2023, 90% of handguns recovered after violent crimes in Ontario - Canada's most populous province - were traced back to the US.

"Through our tracing and analysis, we know the top states (these guns come from) are Ohio, Texas, Florida and Georgia, in that order," Chief Fordy said.


Some are stolen, while others are bought using straw purchasers - an individual who buys a gun for someone who is not authorised to own it.

"Sometimes they are purchased in bulk, then sold here on the street for a handsome return on investment," Chief Fordy said.
Gold heist reveals 'sophisticated' gun smuggling efforts

Last year's gold heist out of Toronto Pearson International Airport was the largest in North America's history, police said.

Chief Nishan Duraiappah with the Peel Regional Police described it as "sensational" - one that "belongs in a Netflix series".

It involved a complicated effort, in which 400kg (880lb) of gold and cash were stolen from a cargo facility on airport grounds using a fake shipping slip, just 42 minutes after they were unloaded from an Air Canada flight that had arrived from Switzerland.


The precious goods were then loaded and driven away in a large, white cargo truck.

Peel Regional PolicePolice seized dozens of firearms as part of the investigation into the gold heist, including handguns that were intended to be sold illegally in Canada

When announcing arrests in the case, police revealed the robbery was carried out with the help of two Air Canada employees. These airline workers are now facing charges of theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offense.

Police later discovered that some of the gold was turned into bracelets that were then sold for cash.

More layers of the scheme were uncovered after the arrest of 25-year-old Durante King-Mclean, a man from Ontario who was stopped by police in Pennsylvania in September.


Authorities found dozens of guns from Florida and Georgia in his possession, and they alleged that Mr King-Mclean - who drove the getaway truck, according to police - had entered the US illegally.

Chief Fordy told the BBC that the scheme, from beginning to end, shows just how sophisticated these gun smuggling operations have become.

"You're seeing organised criminal enterprises involved," he said.

The number of guns used in Canadians crimes that can be traced back to the US has risen in the last 10 years, he added, forcing American and Canadian police officers to increasingly work together to stop these guns from coming in.

Mr King-Mclean is now in custody in the US, and faces charges in both countries.

‘No to mining’: activists demand closure of Guatemala gold mine

By AFP
April 19, 2024

Activists from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras hold a protest on Lake Guija against a Canadian-owned gold mine - Copyright AFP Marvin RECINOS
Oscar BATRES

Waving banners and shouting “no to mining,” environmental activists gathered in small boats on a lake between El Salvador and Guatemala on Friday calling for the closure of a Canadian-owned gold mine.

Residents fear that the Cerro Blanco site, which has been granted permission by Guatemala to convert from an underground to open-pit mine, will contaminate Lake Guija.

“All these extraction projects do is sell out our environment and our future,” said Claudia Rodriguez, a 41-year-old member of an association of women environment defenders.

“The goal is for Cerro Blanco to close, even if we have to give our lives for it,” she said.

The previous Guatemalan government in January gave approval to Canadian owner Bluestone Resources to turn Cerro Blanco into an open-pit mine, just days before right-wing president Alejandro Giammattei left office.

The government of El Salvador expressed “serious concern” about the move.

On Thursday, Guatemala’s new government said it was seeking to reverse the decision due to what it called “anomalies.”

Opponents say the site poses a serious threat to the environment.

“The use of chemicals in mineral extraction is greatly damaging our natural resources and the Cerro Blanco mine is no exception,” Salvadoran environmental campaigner Ricardo Navarro said.

“The use of chemicals in that mine will harm not only El Salvador, but also Guatemala and Honduras,” he told AFP.

Chemicals harmful to humans, animals and plants would pollute the Lempa river that flows through the three countries, Navarro said.

Lake Guija feeds a tributary of the Lempa River, which starts in Guatemala, crosses part of Honduras and then enters El Salvador, where it is an important source of drinking water for the capital San Salvador.

Videlina Morales, a 56-year-old anti-mining activist, said she feared for the future of the lake, which local fishermen rely on to earn a living.

“We demand the closure of the Cerro Blanco mine out of respect for our natural resources,” she said.

Turkish Flotilla to Set Sail for Gaza

April 19, 2024 | Flash Brief |  FDD | The Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Israel is bracing for potential maritime trade disruptions due to imminent seaborne aid deliveries to Gaza from Turkey by Turkish charities and pro-Palestinian activist groups. The Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IIH) — a pro-Hamas Turkish charity organization outlawed by Israel — and the Mavi Marmara Association have organized the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) alongside pro-Palestinian organizations and activists from 30 countries. The coalition seeks to “break the siege of Gaza.”

IHH recently acquired three ships for this mission and renamed them Anadolu, The Conscience, and Akdeniz. Despite recent Israeli efforts to increase seaborne aid to Gaza, these ships will carry 5,500 tons of humanitarian aid and “hundreds of international human rights observers to challenge the ongoing illegal Israeli blockade of the Gaza strip,” the FFC said on April 14. The FFC shipment would be less than the amount of aid Israel delivered on April 17 alone, according to the most recent statistics from Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories.

The coalition’s ships are expected to sail around April 21, but Israeli officials hope the flotilla will be delayed. In 2010, the IHH sent a flotilla of six ships to Gaza, leading to a lethal confrontation at sea with Israeli forces on the ship Mavi Marmara.

The 2010 Mavi Marmara Clashes Inform Israeli Security Concerns

Israel-Turkey relations deteriorated in 2010 following an armed skirmish aboard the largest ship in the flotilla organized by IHH — the Turkish-owned vessel known as the Mavi Marmara. Reportedly, Israeli forces boarded the Mavi Marmara to search for military aid and opened fire when some Turkish activists onboard attacked them with clubs, knives, and a gun. Ten Turks died from the exchange. While the incident sparked international outrage, the 2011 Palmer Report issued by the United Nations found Israel’s naval blockade was a legitimate form of self-defense. In 2016, Turkey agreed to end legal action against the Israeli officers involved in the incident.

EDITED 

Related Analysis

“Gaza Flotilla Plans Mid-April Sailing,” FDD Flash Brief

“Turkey-Based Organization Prepares to Send Flotilla to Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief

“Erdogan Pushes for Another Hamas Flotilla,” FDD Flash Brief

 

H5N1 strain of bird flu found in milk: WHO

By

 AFP

The H5N1 bird flu virus strain has been detected in very high concentrations in raw milk from infected animals, the WHO said Friday, though how long the virus can survive in milk is unknown.

Avian influenza A(H5N1) first emerged in 1996 but since 2020, the number of outbreaks in birds has grown exponentially, alongside an increase in the number of infected mammals.

The strain has led to the deaths of tens of millions of poultry, with wild birds and land and marine mammals also infected.

Cows and goats joined the list last month — a surprising development for experts because they were not thought to be susceptible to this type of influenza.

US authorities earlier this month said a person working on a dairy farm in Texas was recovering from bird flu after being exposed to cattle.

“The case in Texas is the first case of a human infected by avian influenza by a cow,” said Wenqing Zhang, head of the global influenza programme at the World Health Organization.

“Bird-to-cow, cow-to-cow and cow-to-bird transmission have also been registered during these current outbreaks, which suggest that the virus may have found other routes of transition than we previously understood,” she told a media briefing in Geneva.

It was only the second case of a human testing positive for bird flu in the United States, and came after the virus sickened herds that were apparently exposed to wild birds.

“Now we see multiple herds of cows affected in an increasing number of US states, which shows a further step of the virus spillover to mammals,” Zhang said.

“The virus has also been detected in milk from infected animals.”

Zhang said there was a “very high virus concentration in raw milk”, but experts were still investigating exactly how long the virus is able to survive in milk.

The Texas health department has said the cattle infections do not present a concern for the commercial milk supply, as dairies are required to destroy milk from sick cows. Pasteurisation also kills the virus.

“It is important for people to ensure safe food practices, including consuming only pasteurised milk and milk products,” said Zhang.

– Recent human cases mild –

From 2003 to April 1 this year, the WHO said it had recorded 463 deaths from 889 human cases across 23 countries, putting the case fatality rate at 52 percent.

Zhang noted that the human cases recorded in Europe and the United States in the past few years — since the virus surged — have been mild cases.

So far, there is no evidence that A(H5N1) is spreading between humans.

And Zhang stressed that the A(H5N1) viruses identified in cows and in the human case in Texas showed no increased adaptation to mammals.

As for potential vaccines, if required, Zhang said there were some in the pipeline.

“Having candidate vaccine viruses ready allows us to be prepared to quickly produce vaccines for humans, if this becomes necessary,” she said.

“For this particular H5N1 virus detected in dairy cows, there are a couple of candidate vaccine viruses available.”

In the case of a pandemic, there are close to 20 influenza vaccines licensed for pandemic use and they could be tailored with the specific virus strain in circulation, she said.

 

EU sanctions four ‘extremist’ Israeli settlers

By

 AFP

Te European Union on Friday imposed sanctions on four “extremist” Israeli settlers and two groups over violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, Brussels said.

The decision was the second part of an agreement among EU member states that saw Palestinian Islamists Hamas last week sanctioned over sexual violence during the October 7 attack on Israel.

The move to target violent settlers in the West Bank comes two months after the United States and Britain took similar steps. 

The EU put two “radical” organisations Lehava and the Hilltop Youth on its asset freeze and visa ban blacklist for their attacks on Palestinians.

It also included Hilltop Youth leaders Meir Ettinger and Elisha Yered, along with settlers Neria Ben Pazi and Yinon Levi. 

“The listed individuals and entities are responsible for serious human rights abuses against Palestinians,” said an EU statement. 

It said abuses included “torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” and “the violation of right to property and to private and family life of Palestinians in the West Bank.”

Separately, the United States on Friday said it was adding Ben-Zion Gopstein, the founder and leader of Lehava, to its own blacklist.

Washington also imposed sanctions on two groups involved in raising tens of thousands of dollars for settlers Yinon Levi and David Chai Chasdai, who were targeted in its earlier sanctions. 

The West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has seen a surge in violence in the past year, particularly since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in Gaza.

At least 468 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers across the West Bank since the October 7 Hamas assault on Israel that triggered the war, according to official Palestinian sources.

US sanctions entities for funding West Bank extremists targeting Palestinians

April 19, 2024 
By VOA News

A Palestinian woman reacts to damage done to her house in Qusra, near Nablus, West Bank, April 14, 2024. Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank had gone on an extensive rampage in the area; witnesses said settlers assaulted a number of communities.

The United States on Friday sanctioned two entities accused of raising tens of thousands of dollars for extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

In a statement, U.S. Treasury Department officials said the two sanctioned entities — the Mount Hebron Fund and Shlom Asiraich — generated $140,000 for settler Yinon Levi and $31,000 for settler David Chai Chasdai, respectively.

U.S. officials said they sanctioned Levi and Chasdai in February in connection with West Bank violence — Levi for leading a group of hard-line settlers who assaulted Palestinian and Bedouin civilians, burning their fields and destroying their property; Chasdai for initiating and leading a riot that involved torching vehicles and buildings in Huwara, resulting in the death of a Palestinian civilian.

"Such acts by these organizations undermine the peace, security and stability of the West Bank," said Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo. "We will continue to use our tools to hold those responsible accountable."

Also sanctioned Friday was Lehava founder Ben-Zion Gopstein, whose followers have engaged in violence in the West Bank, including assaulting Palestinian civilians.

"We are deeply concerned about the escalation of violence in the West Bank in recent days," said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement Friday.

Miller added that the U.S. was calling on Israel "to take all appropriate measures to prevent attacks by violent extremist settlers and hold those responsible accountable."

The sanctions on the three entities will freeze all U.S. assets, prevent them from using the U.S. financial system, and ban Americans from working with them.

Some information for this report came from Reuters and The Associated Press.

BOURSE BURNED DOWN

Situation ‘unstable’ at Copenhagen landmark after blaze

By

 AFP

Three days after a fire which ravaged Copenhagen’s historic former stock exchange broke out, emergency services said Friday that the situation was “unstable” due to equipment issues and a strong breeze.

In the morning, during work to dismantle the scaffolding surrounding the building, a crane’s cutters came loose for as of yet unknown reasons.

It is currently wedged between the scaffolding — put up for the renovation of the historic building that was ongoing — and what remains of the walls.

“It is affecting our efforts”, Tim Ole Simonsen, leader of the operation at the rescue services, told a press conference.

Coupled with the wind picking up, the incident, which has temporarily halted work on dismantling the scaffolding, has made the situation “unstable”.

“The wind is blowing harder and harder, and there are tarps over the scaffolding that can catch the wind,” Simonsen said.

He added that this increases the risks, in particular of further collapse of the burnt-out facade which started collapsing late Thursday afternoon.

Located close to the Christiansborg parliament and seat of government, the Borsen building was commissioned by King Christian IV and built between 1619 and 1640. It was the stock exchange until the 1970s.

The fire began Tuesday morning under the copper roof of the building, which was undergoing renovations ahead of its 400th anniversary.

The cause of the blaze was unknown and Copenhagen police said Wednesday that a major investigation had been launched.