RFK Jr. IN CHARGE

First measles death in US since 2015 as disease affects ‘close-knit’ Mennonite community

HT News Desk

Feb 26, 2025 

The US CDC is providing “technical assistance, laboratory support and vaccines as needed” to West Texas authorities

A school aged girl died late Tuesday due to measles outbreak in West Texas, marking the first such casualty in the United States since 2015. The spread, which began last month, has affected 124 people in nine counties so far.

A vehicle drives past a sign outside of Seminole Hospital District offering measles testing Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, in Seminole, Texas.(AP)

Texas Department of State Health Services said in a statement that the death was a “school-aged child who was not vaccinated”. She was hospitalised last week due to what officials described as Texas' largest outbreak in nearly 30 years.

The death was first confirmed by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center spokesperson Melissa Whitfield, AP reported. The state health agency is leading the disease investigation.
West Texas measles outbreak

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also confirmed that this is the first measles death in the country since 2015. The agency told AP that it is providing “technical assistance, laboratory support and vaccines as needed” to West Texas.

In West Texas, the outbreak is largely spreading in the Mennonite community. A health department data showed that a vast majority of positive cases are among people younger than 18.

Health department spokesperson Lara Anton cited the “close knit and under-vaccinated” nature of the Mennonite community as one of the probable reasons for the outbreak.

It has largely affected people from families who attend close-knit religious schools or are home-schooled. Gaines County with 80 cases, one of the highest in Texas, has the highest number of school-aged children who opt out of at least one required vaccine.

Earlier this month, US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that a panel would look into children's vaccine schedules to prevent measles and other dangerous diseases.

Measles, a respiratory virus, can survive suspended in the air particles for up to two hours. According to the US CDC, 9/10 people are susceptible to infection if exposed.

If infected, most people can recover from the infection, but it could lead to medical complications like pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death, AP reported.

Unvaccinated child dies from measles in first US death from virus since 2015

The death was a "school-aged child who was not vaccinated" and had been admitted to hospital last week, the Texas Department of State Health Services said on Wednesday in a statement


Wednesday 26 February 2025, 

SKY NEWS, UK

A child with measles. File pic: iStock

An unvaccinated child has died from measles in West Texas, the first death in an outbreak that broke out late last month.

It is also the first death from measles in the US since 2015.
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The death was a "school-aged child who was not vaccinated" and had been admitted to hospital last week, the Texas Department of State Health Services said on Wednesday in a statement.

Lubbock health officials also confirmed the death, but neither agency provided more details. Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock didn't immediately respond to a request for comment

The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 124 cases across nine counties, the state health department said Tuesday.

The vast majority of cases are among people younger than 18, according to Texas health department data.

There are also nine cases in eastern New Mexico.

More on Measles

Measles: Mum urges parents to vaccinate children after baby left 'struggling to breathe'


Measles cases worldwide almost double in a year - as England faces measles 'emergency'


Parents describe baby's 'scary' measles symptoms - as cases across country soar

"The loss of a child is a tragedy" and Governor Greg Abbott and his wife are praying for "the family, loved ones and the entire Lubbock community", Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said.

Gaines County, which has 80 cases, has one of the highest rates in Texas of school-aged children who opt out of at least one required vaccine, with nearly 14% of children from kindergarten to the age of 16-17 in the 2023-24 school year.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the child's death reported on Wednesday is the first measles death in the country since 2015.
Measles usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth, according to the NHS.

The measles infection can spread very rapidly and lead to serious complications, lifelong disability and even death.

It can affect the lungs and brain and cause pneumonia, meningitis, blindness and seizures.

The NHS says the best way to protect yourself against measles is vaccination.

Mother of Palestinian boy killed in US says they were targeted for being Muslim

Amid other similar attacks, there are fears of Islamophobia growing

26 February 2025 - 

By Kanishka Singh


The trial began on Tuesday for a killing that marked one of the earliest and worst alleged hate crime incidents in the US since the eruption of US ally Israel's military assault on Gaza after an October 2023 attack by Hamas.

Image: 123RF/Evgenyi Lastochkin/ File photo

The mother of a six-year-old Palestinian American boy killed in October 2023 in Illinois in a stabbing — that authorities called a hate crime — testified on Tuesday that her son's alleged attacker said they must die because they were Muslims.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

The trial began on Tuesday for a killing that marked one of the earliest and worst alleged hate crime incidents in the US since the eruption of US ally Israel's military assault on Gaza after an October 2023 attack by Hamas.

Rights advocates have noted rising Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.

The family's landlord, Joseph Czuba, 73, was charged with murder and hate crimes and had earlier pleaded not guilty.

Police and prosecutors say he targeted Wadee Alfayoumi and his mother Hanan Shaheen for their religion and as a response to the Israel-Gaza war. Shaheen was stabbed several times but survived.

KEY QUOTES

“He told me 'You, as a Muslim, must die,'” Shaheen testified, according to remarks reported by local media.

Michael Fitzgerald, prosecutor at Will County State's Attorney's Office, presented a 911 call's recording in the trial.

“The landlord is killing me and my baby,” the mother said in the recording played in court, according to CBS Chicago. “I am in the bathroom waiting for you.”

Czuba did not speak on Tuesday. Alfayoumi was stabbed 26 times with a military-style knife, prosecutors said.

CONTEXT


Other US incidents raising alarm over anti-Arab bias include the attempted drowning of a three-year-old Palestinian American girl in Texas, the stabbing of a Palestinian American man in Texas, the beating of a Muslim man in New York, a violent mob attack on pro-Palestinian protesters in California, a Florida shooting of two Israeli visitors whom a suspect mistook to be Palestinians and a Vermont shooting of three Palestinian American students.

Incidents raising alarm over anti-Semitism include threats of violence against Jews at Cornell University that led to a conviction and sentencing, an unsuccessful plot to attack a New York Jewish centre, vandalising of Jewish properties, and physical assaults against a Jewish man in Michigan, a rabbi in Maryland and two Jewish students in Chicago.

Reuters

Life expectancy in Gaza lowest in world following war

The study's authors said it likely understates the impact of the war on life expectancy because it only includes direct deaths in its analysis.

The New Arab Staff
26 February, 2025


Afghanistan, Sudan and Somalia have markedly higher life expectancies than Gaza, according to the analysis [Getty]


The population of Gaza has the lowest life expectancy in the world due to Israel's onslaught, according to a new study.

Research by The Lancet medical journal estimates average life expectancy in the strip plunged by almost half to 40.5 years during the first 12 months of the devastating war.

Before the war, the average Palestinian in Gaza could have expected to live for 75.5 years.

This means that Gaza has by far the lowest life expectancy in the world, 26 years less than Sudan and 18 years less than Somalia, according to the most recent UN figures.

Nigeria currently has the lowest expectancy in the world at 54.5 years.


The study is based on data collected by Gaza's Health Ministry, which estimates that Israeli forces have killed more than 48,000 Palestinians since 7 October 2023.

The figure rises to more than 61,000 when including the thousands believed to be buried under the rubble.

The life expectancy for males plunged to 35.6 years from 73.6 before the war – a decline of 52%. Female life expectancy dropped to 47.5 years from 77.5.

The authors said that study likely understates the true impact of the war on life expectancy because it only includes direct deaths in the analysis.

"Our approach to estimating life expectancy losses in this study is conservative as it ignores the indirect effect of the war on mortality," they wrote.

"Even ignoring this indirect effect, results show that the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip generated a life expectancy loss of more than 30 years during the first 12 months of the war, nearly halving pre-war levels.

"Actual losses are likely to be higher."

Lancet researchers have consistently warned that official figures coming out of Gaza are significant undercounts of the true human cost of the war.

Research published in January estimated that the number of Palestinians killed in the first nine months of the war is around 40% higher than the official death toll.

A separate analysis last year suggested that the death count during the first nine months could be as high as 186,000 when factoring in indirect deaths caused by the war.

Gary Lineker among 500 journalists slamming 'BBC Gaza censorship and racism'

Gary Lineker is among hundreds of media workers who have slammed the BBC's 'censorship' and 'racism' over a documentary on the war on Gaza.

The New Arab Staff
26 February, 2025

Thousands of children have been killed in Gaza due to Israeli bombing [Getty]


Over 500 media workers have signed a letter condemning the BBC for "racism" and "censorship" after the broadcaster pulled a video highlighting the horrific impact the war on Gaza has had on Palestinian children.

Gary Lineker, Khalid Abdalla, Anita Rani, and Miriam Margolyes were among the signatories of the open letter published by Artists for Palestine UK that condemned the British public broadcaster's decision to remove 'Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone' from its iPlayer platform following outrage among pro-Israeli activists.

The artists and journalists described the BBC's decision to censor the movie, which reveals the harrowing conditions children in Gaza are currently enduring, as “racist” and "dehumanising".

It comes as six Palestinian children in the enclave died of hypothermia due to the bitter cold and a lack of essential shelter and clothes available to them due to Israel's assault and siege on the enclave.

"Beneath this political football are children who are in the most dire circumstances of their young lives. This is what must remain at the heart of this discussion," the letter read.


"As programme-makers, we are extremely alarmed by the intervention of partisan political actors on this issue, and what this means for the future of broadcasting in this country."

The BBC removed the documentary as it went through additional “due diligence" checks regarding some of those featured in the film, after a campaign was launched by supporters of Israel regarding the content.

Among those targeted by pro-Israel activists was the 14-year-old protagonist Abdullah Al-Yazouri, whose father, Ayman Al-Yazouri, served as Gaza’s deputy agriculture minister, a completely civilian role.

An estimated 17,861 children are among the approximately 61,00 Palestinians killed since Israel launched its devastating assault on Gaza on 7 October 2023, which has had a particularly devastating impact on the young and old.

Whole swathes of Gaza have been left in complete ruins as Israel maintains its crippling siege on Gaza, including on supplies essential such as food and medicine, while UNICEF says that 17,000 children in the Gaza Strip are unaccompanied or separated.

At least of 12 BBC staff put their names to the letter, while filmmakers senior executives & filmmakers Brian Hill and Rich Peppiatt, and Sara Agha also spoke out against the broadcaster's decision.

"The UK film and TV industry will no longer be intimidated by those whose sole mission it is to censor the voices of the many who are defending the rights of children, the marginalised and those in desperate need," said Nada Issa, an award-winning producer/director and journalist who is part Palestinian and Lebanese.

"All stories have the right to be told and journalistic scrutiny should not be at the whim of those who deem certain lives unequal."

The BBC board will discuss the film on Thursday, with hopes that the letter will highlight the public outrage over the removal of the film about Gaza's suffering population.

As some Jewish philanthropists withdraw funding, others are standing up for Palestinian causes

(RNS) — A newer group of Jewish philanthropists has begun to challenge restrictions in funding to organizations critical of Israel.

White tents are erected among destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Yonat Shimron
February 26, 2025

RNS


(RNS) — Jewish philanthropies in the U.S. have supported a host of liberal projects through the years, including climate change initiatives, abortion care and immigrant support and advocacy.

Palestinian solidarity — not so much.

Since the war in Gaza began, after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel, some Jewish philanthropies have disciplined or withdrawn funding from social justice organizations that expressed support for Palestinians or criticized Israel. The war, which has killed some 46,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and flattened most of the enclave, led many otherwise liberal philanthropies to bow out of funding for progressive nonprofit organizations.

They’ve done so with language provisions that silence a grantee’s ability to speak out about Israel’s conduct of the war or by outright pulling support from an organization over its views on the war in Gaza.

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies ended grants to the Altanta-based Access Reproductive Care-Southeast. The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation cut off funding to CASA, an immigrant rights group based in Maryland. (Weinberg then went so far as to remove its name from two CASA buildings the foundation had helped fund.) And the Nathan Cummings Foundation did not renew a grant to The Rising Majority, a coalition of multiracial activist groups that organize around economics and labor.

The philanthropies regard themselves as Zionists, meaning they support a Jewish nation-state.

“Your words and actions are in conflict with the Foundation’s mission, which includes work in Israel, a country with personal ties to the life and legacy of our founder,” wrote the board chair of The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation to CASA’s executive director in 2023, explaining the foundation’s decision to cut ties with the group.

A full-page ad in the New York Times on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, says “Trump has called for the removal of all Palestinians from Gaza. Jewish people say NO to ethnic cleansing!” (Photo via X/@JFREJNYC)

But now a newer group of Jewish philanthropists has begun to challenge restrictions in funding to organizations critical of Israel. A recent full-page New York Times ad that condemned President Donald Trump’s plan to clear Gaza of its Palestinian residents is one of the first public statements paid for by those efforts.

RELATED: American rabbis condemn Trump’s Gaza plan in New York Times ad

The ad, published Feb. 13 and signed by celebrities and rabbis, stated boldly, “Jewish people say NO to ethnic cleansing!” Its nearly six-figure price tag was paid by In Our Name, a Jewish-led effort to raise money for organizations that support Palestinian safety and self-determination.

“This practice of defunding is actively silencing organizations and represents a major threat to democracy overall,” said Cody Edgerly, the campaign’s director.


The In Our Name campaign began with a public letter this past summer from Jewish philanthropists that derided the “dramatic ramping up of efforts in philanthropy to marginalize, discredit, and censor voices — including Jewish voices — that dissent from certain orthodoxies.”

Its 200-plus signatories said, “We will not let our faith be used as an excuse to silence the voices of progressive activists.”

The campaign has so far raised $2.8 million. About 75% of the funds raised will support Palestinian-led social initiatives in Gaza and the West Bank. Decisions on funding will be turned over to Palestinian leaders or advisory boards that reflect the communities they support. (The other 25% will remain in the U.S. to fund actions and movements in support of Palestinians.)

American Jews broadly support Israel, and funding to help with its war in Gaza has grown exponentially. The Jewish Federations of North America, an umbrella group, has raised upward of $850 million since the war began, and private foundations have topped that with at least $1 billion in aid, according to Alliance, a British philanthropy newsletter.

But some Jewish philanthropists, especially younger ones, have begun to question that support.

David Roswell, one of multiple heirs to an oil fortune, has been engaging family members of the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation based in Baltimore to reconsider aid to Israel.

Roswell, who considers himself an anti-Zionist, said the events of Oct. 7, 2023, clarified the need to push the foundation to rethink its Israel giving. Roswell, 34, is not a member of the Blaustein board but a related family foundation, the Elizabeth B and Arthur E Roswell Foundation. This past year he has been working to steer his elder relatives on the Blaustein board to change their funding strategy.

“Every time there’s been a big news moment, I’ve sort of knocked on the door of the foundation: ‘What are you gonna do about this? This is really crazy,’” he said. “Maybe if there were more Jewish foundations being clear about not being OK with what Israel is doing, that would have given cover for more nonprofits.”

Roswell, his sister, Naomi, and several other younger members of the family privately contributed about $250,000 to the In Our Name campaign.

Liana Krupp, another Jewish philanthropist who has contributed to In Our Name, wrote in an email to RNS that she was “committed to building a world that supports Palestinian self-determination as much as it does for any other people.”

Rebecca Vilkomerson. (Photo by Jess Benjamin)

Krupp, who is president of the Krupp Family Foundation, wrote: “I don’t believe bridge-building within the American Jewish community can only happen on the conditionality of bending one’s beliefs and values. …There are more Jews who support Palestine than are publicly represented. Many of us have been actively demonstrating that we listen, learn, and show up with people we may disagree with on certain issues because there are other intersections of Jewish life that we can find common ground on. ”

Rebecca Vilkomerson, co-director of Funding Freedom, a group that builds support for Palestinian freedom in the philanthropic sector, said the Jewish philanthropic space has been riven by the war.

“Most Jews think of themselves as liberal and progressive and have concerns about the way the genocide has been waged on Gaza,” said Vilkomerson, formerly the executive director of the anti-Zionist nonprofit Jewish Voice for Peace. “That’s dividing synagogues, it’s dividing Hebrew schools, it’s dividing arts institutions, it’s dividing every kind of institution you can imagine. And it’s creating enormous fractures, including in the funding world.”

Additionally, lawfare, or the use of legal systems to delegitimize an opponent’s political views, has raised the costs of working in the solidarity space.

And last month, Jewish Voice for Peace agreed to pay $677,634 to settle allegations made by a pro-Israel lawyer that the progressive Jewish organization had fraudulently received a second Paycheck Protection Program loan.

Many progressive nonprofits also fear a bill that passed in the U.S. House would enable the secretary of the Treasury to rescind the tax-exempt status of any nonprofits the secretary concludes are “terrorist-supporting organizations.”

But Vilkomerson said she was heartened by the rise of groups such as In Our Name.

“Every organization is having to make some decisions,” she said. “And obviously, some organizations are deciding that the time is now; they have to speak out.”

RELATED: House passes anti-terror financing bill that may punish nonprofits

Serbian police raid NGOs funded by USAID

Carl Deconinck

BRUSSELS SIGNAL
26 February 2025

Serbian police have raided several major non-governmental organisations in search of evidence of financial malfeasance.

The move on February 25 came as four organisations were accused of embezzling funds from the US development agency USAID.

According to the NGOs, which have supported the ongoing protests against the current President Aleksandar Vučić, the police action was an attack on their civil rights.

In a statement to the press, Nenad Stefanovic, Belgrade’s prosecutor general, accused the four NGOs searched of possible “embezzlement of American taxpayers’ funds”.

He cited the “doubts about USAID’s work” expressed by “US President Donald Trump and the US Department of Government Efficiency [DOGE], led by Elon Musk”.

Stefanovic said the Special Anti-Corruption Department had contacted the US Justice Department for information concerning USAID over the possible abuse of funds, money laundering and the improper spending of US taxpayers’ funds in Serbia.

All USAID-related documents were seized from the four NGOs by the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office, which also questioned those in charge of spending.

Several non-governmental organisations in Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia described these raids as an attempt to intimidate these groups.

In a reaction in French newspaper Le Monde on February 26, Radovan Kupres, a representative of the Centre for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA), said: “It’s the first time we’ve been subjected to something like this, we have more and more the impression of living like in Belarus.”

The CRTA described itself as an independent, non-partisan civil society organisation committed to developing democratic culture and civic activism.

Other NGOs in the crosshairs of the police were the watchdogs Gradjanske Inicijative (Civic Initiatives), Trag and the Policy Centre.

Maja Stojanovic, director of Civic Initiatives, told Reuters that 20 detectives raided its offices “without a court order”.

“Today’s intrusion by the police … represents a brutal demonstration of force and continued pressure on civil society in Serbia,” Stojanovic said.

Since 2001, USAID has donated close to $1 billion (€950 million) to Serbia. Officially, this was to “strengthen the rule of law and improve good governance” but some, including the Serbian Government, have doubted these intentions.

In recent years, Serbia has seen multiple protests against Vučić, driven by accusations of corruption, electoral fraud and growing authoritarianism.

A significant trigger was the November 2024 collapse of a train station canopy in Novi Sad, killing 15 people, which demonstrators blamed on government negligence and graft tied to a Chinese-led reconstruction project.

This sparked major student-led protests, starting in November 2024 and growing into the largest protest movement in Serbia’s history by early 2025, with tens of thousands demanding governmental accountability and Vučić’s resignation.

In late January, he resigned, stating he did not want to fuel social tensions further.

For years, the European Union had been critical of Vučić’ and his “illiberal democracy”.

Brussels scolded him for his consolidation of power, suppression of media freedom and erosion of judicial independence.

Vučić’s ties with Moscow, exemplified by his refusal to impose sanctions on Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, drew particular ire. The European Parliament explicitly condemned Serbia’s stance in resolutions that tied its EU accession to stricter compliance.

The war in Ukraine and the EU’s growing need for critical resources, especially lithium, then prompted an apparent change of attitude.

Brussels started to see Serbia’s Jadar Valley, home to one of Europe’s largest lithium deposits, as key for its “green” transition.

By mid-2024, the EU’s tone had softened as it sought to secure Serbia’s lithium through a deal it signed with Serbia in July with then-German chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič, granting European carmakers exclusive access to the reserves.

That was despite the popular protest in the valley, fuelled by environmental concerns, on top of the national protests against Vučić’s regime.

Erosion of multilateralism threatens global stability: South Africa leader

Agence France-Presse
February 26, 2025 

President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the opening of G20 finance talks

 (RODGER BOSCH)

The erosion of multilateralism threatens global growth and stability, President Cyril Ramaphosa warned Wednesday at a G20 finance meeting in South Africa marked by the absence of the U.S. Treasury secretary.

Two days of talks by finance ministers and central bank governors from the world's leading economies opened a week after a meeting of G20 foreign ministers was snubbed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who complained of its "anti-Americanism".

"The erosion of multilateralism presents a threat to global growth and stability," Ramaphosa said in his opening address.

"At this time of heightened geopolitical contestation, a rules-based order is particularly important as a mechanism for managing disputes and resolving conflict," he said.

The G20, a grouping of 19 countries as well as the European Union and the African Union, is divided on key issues from Russia's war in Ukraine to climate change, with world leaders scrambling to respond to drastic policy shifts from Washington since the return of US President Donald Trump.

"Multilateral cooperation is our only hope of overcoming unprecedented challenges, including slow and uneven growth, rising debt burdens, persistent poverty and inequality, and the existential threat of climate change," Ramaphosa said.

South Africa this year holds the rotating G20 presidency and has chosen the theme "Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability".

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on February 20 that he would not attend the Cape Town meeting because he was too busy.

Just days before, Rubio had accused the G20 hosts of an "anti-American" agenda. It followed criticism from President Donald Trump about land reforms in South Africa aimed at redressing inequalities perpetrated during the apartheid era.


"South Africa is doing very bad things. Expropriating private property. Using G20 to promote 'solidarity, equality, and sustainability,'" Rubio wrote on social media.

The Group of 20 brings together the world's largest economies, which together represent around 85 percent of global GDP, to discuss international economic and financial stability.

- 'Dangerous world' -


The Cape Town meeting was attended by finance ministers from Britain, Switzerland and France as well as deputy ministers and other senior central bank and finance officials.

Britain's Finance Minister Rachel Reeves would stress at the talks that bolstering defense spending was necessary for economic growth, the UK Treasury said in a statement.

"It's clear we are facing a more dangerous world," Reeves was quoted as saying. "National security will always be the first responsibility of this government and is the bedrock economic growth."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged Tuesday to boost defence spending to 2.5 percent of the economy by 2027, as uncertainty reigns over Trump's commitment to European security while he pursues talks with Russia over its war in Ukraine.

Ramaphosa said South Africa's priorities for its year at the helm of the G20 included strengthening the resilience of poorer countries to cope with natural disasters.

"The increasing rate of climate-induced natural disasters is disproportionately affecting countries that can least afford the costs of recovery and rebuilding," he said, calling for "innovative financing and insurance mechanisms" to boost funding for disaster prevention and reconstruction.

Another priority is to help developing economies cope with debt repayments, he said.

"In recent years, low- and middle-income countries have seen their levels of sovereign debt and the cost of servicing that debt rise substantially," he said.

"Debt service costs are increasingly crowding out spending on education, healthcare and other social services, as well as infrastructure needed for economic development."


The UN Development Programme said in a statement ahead of the meeting that ballooning debt service payments in the poorest countries had reached alarming levels and called for "bold, immediate" action to overhaul the borrowing system.

Interest payments exceed 10 percent of government revenue in 56 developing countries, nearly double the number from a decade ago, it said.

© Agence France-Presse

Absences and disputes disrupt G20 talks on global poverty amid foreign aid cuts

After US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed he would not attend, finance ministers from Japan, India and Canada also pulled out  WTF?!

Reuters Published 26.02.25
 

People walk at the Cape Town International Convention Centre during the G20 Finance Ministers meeting in Cape Town, South Africa February 25, 2025.Reuters

South Africa sought to salvage international talks on tackling global poverty on Wednesday as finance chiefs of several leading economies skipped a gathering of Group of 20 nations in Cape Town held against a backdrop of foreign aid cuts.

The two-day meeting comes after the Trump administration announced plans to gut its USAID arm and Britain slashed its aid budget by 40% to divert funds towards defence spending.

Disputes over trade, the Ukraine war and how to tackle climate change have long made it hard for the G20 grouping to make serious progress on global challenges, but the latest no-shows risk further undermining its credibility.

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China backs Trump’s Russia-Ukraine deal at G20, says it supports efforts for peace

After U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed he would not attend, finance ministers from Japan, India and Canada also pulled out. Others cut short their presence and the European Union's top economic official chose to stay away.

"It is now more important than ever that the members of the G20 work together," South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in opening remarks appealing for multilateral cooperation.

"It is vital to ensuring that the rights and interests of the vulnerable are not trampled beneath the ambitions of the powerful," he said.

The high-profile absences further reduce chances of agreement on a meaningful communique at the end of the meeting.

There also seemed little hope of major progress on issues that Ramaphosa as host wanted to target: scant climate finance from rich nations and reform of a financial system that penalises poor countries, as well as widening inequalities.

South Africa's central bank governor, Lesetja Kganyago, noted that a number of recent G20 meetings had finished without agreement on a communique and that the fact that some countries were being represented by deputy ministers was not a problem.

"There is no one in the room then saying ... 'I'm going to make this point, but I think I am too junior so they might ignore it'," he told Reuters.

British finance minister Rachel Reeves defended her country's diversion of foreign aid funds towards greater defence spending.

"It's clear we are facing a more dangerous world, and I will not hide from this reality," she said in a statement, adding that investment, free trade and reforms were the best ways of achieving sustainable growth.

Alex van den Heever, political scientist at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, said the absence of the United States from G20 talks - it also declined to send its top diplomat to a meeting of G20 foreign ministers last week - "makes it very difficult to see how people will move forward".

Climate woes

South Africa had hoped to make the G20 a platform for putting pressure on rich countries to do more to tackle climate change, and to give more towards poorer countries' transitions to green energy and adaptation to worsening weather.

Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa told Reuters the climate change scepticism of U.S. President Donald Trump would "reconfigure the conversation" on green energy.

"Where it leads is anyone's guess," he said, adding that some countries might reconsider the scale and pace of their transition from fossil fuels to green energy as a result.

Some analysts said the retreat of the G20's biggest economy from the discussions raised questions about its relevance. Others saw an opportunity for moving ahead without the United States.

"There could very well be synergies between large portions of what's left by excluding the U.S. on particular issues," said Daniel Silke, director of the Political Futures Consultancy.

"It's an opportunity for South Africa to take its leadership role."

S Africa's G20 presidency to prioritise climate finance as US cuts support

Africa, which has about 30 percent of the world's critical minerals reserves but attracts only three percent of global energy investments each year, wants to rely on that wealth to fund climate action.


"Significantly more funding is required to limit (the) global temperature rise in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement", Ramaphosa says. / Photo: Reuters


South Africa's G20 presidency this year will prioritise efforts to help developing countries finance their shift to a low-carbon economy, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said, even as the United States radically scales back its support.


President Donald Trump's administration, whose top officials have skipped two meetings of the Group of 20 nations held in South Africa this week and last, has cut overseas aid programmes, raising concerns of a potential clean energy funding shortfall.


"Significantly more funding is required to limit (the) global temperature rise in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement, and to do so in a manner that is equitable and just," Ramaphosa said on Wednesday at the opening of a G20 finance ministers and central bankers' meeting in Cape Town.

Despite being the first country to agree to a so-called Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) deal, to help it shift away more quickly from burning climate-damaging coal for energy, South Africa has struggled to get the money it needs.

Launched at the UN climate conference in 2021, JETPs aim to bring together money from governments, multilateral lenders and the private sector to renewable energy projects in a way that benefits local communities.

Similar deals have been struck with countries including Indonesia and Vietnam.

However, the US move to cut development funding, and similar actions in Europe where some governments including the United Kingdom are redirecting overseas development cash to defence budgets, has been weighing on minds at the gathering in Cape Town. Major energy companies are also slashing investment in renewables, refocusing on oil and gas.

Annual global climate financing has risen since 2018, but the share going to poorer nations in, for example, Africa has lagged, with officials estimating the continent's share at under 5 percent.

Ambitious targets for COP30

South Africa will push G20 members to spearhead the drive to set ambitious targets for climate action for the next round of UN climate talks in Brazil later this year, Ramaphosa said.

"We continue to advocate for greater concessional and grant funding to support the energy transition in developing economies," he said.

As droughts, floods and other extreme weather events pick up in frequency and severity, he called for more funding to cushion the least-polluting countries from the worst impacts of climate change, and further development of carbon markets.

South Africa will also push for an agreement to harness critical minerals - which are key to the world's energy transition - to support economic growth and decarbonisation, Ramaphosa said.

Africa, which has about 30 percent of the world's critical minerals reserves but attracts only 3 percent of global energy investments each year, wants to rely on that wealth to fund climate action.

"As minerals extraction accelerates to match the needs of the energy transition, the countries and local communities endowed with these resources must be the ones to benefit the most," Ramaphosa said.

24 February 2025

Index Number: IOR 30/9070/2025

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL 

Joint letter: Tax the super-rich for a green and just future for everyone

This open letter calls on G20 Finance Ministers to engage cooperatively to ensure that ultra-high-net-worth individuals are effectively taxed. This means investing in more progressive taxation for individuals and corporations, closing tax loopholes, and supporting a more inclusive platform for international tax negotiations that is rooted in equity and justice.

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Can robots fall in love? A sci-fi musical from South Korea is now a hit on Broadway.


“Maybe Happy Ending” is an intimate science fiction story that has been performed many times in Seoul, South Korea. Now, its adapted version is playing on Broadway. The story, about a pair of robots, sheds light on the human condition in this digital age.

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“Maybe Happy Ending” has established itself as a stealth hit. Unlike many current shows, it’s not based on well-known intellectual property and doesn’t feature big Hollywood stars.

Courtesy of Polk & Co.

The World
February 26, 2025
Updated on Feb 26, 2025By Jeff Lunden

Broadway musicals often try out in citis like Boston and Philadelphia before debuting in New York. But a new show has traveled a much farther distance. “Maybe Happy Ending” has been produced six times in South Korea over the past decade.

The performance opened on Broadway last fall and has established itself as a stealth hit. That means, unlike many current shows, it’s not based on well-known intellectual property, and it doesn’t feature big Hollywood stars.

“Maybe Happy Ending” is an intimate science fiction story about two retired robots who fall in love. Their situation is an attempt to shed light on the human condition in this

 digital age.“Maybe Happy Ending” debuted on Broadway last fall after being performed in Seoul, South Korea, for years.

When director and choreographer Michael Arden was approached to work on the production, he said the basic premise of the idea didn’t appeal to him.

“It’s not a great elevator pitch,” he recalled. “When I first received the script and read the tagline, I thought, ‘Oh no.’ And then, by the time I finished reading and listening to it, I was completely devastated and overcome with emotion.”

The show’s authors, South Korean-born Hue Park and American Will Aronson, began working on the script over a decade ago. Park, who has written lyrics for Top 20 K-Pop hits, said he was inspired by Damon Albarn’s song “Everyday Robots” while sitting in a Brooklyn coffee shop.

The song started with, “We are everyday robots on our phone in the process of getting home,” Park explained. “And I was like, ‘Oh, I want to see a little quiet, intimate show about who we are becoming in this digital era.’ But the protagonists are human-like robots.”

“Maybe Happy Ending” attempts to shed light on the human condition in the digital age.

Courtesy of Polk & Co.

He texted his writing partner, Will Aronson, and they got to work. The pair has premiered several musicals together in South Korea, and Aronson also speaks Korean fluently.

“Maybe Happy Ending” is set in Seoul, where the show had a tryout production in 2015, with several subsequent productions since.

“Shows in Korea don’t do open runs generally,” Aronson explained. “They’re usually two- to three-month runs. And then, if it’s going well, it’ll come back a year or two years later. We’ve been very fortunate that the audience did respond and it’s come back consistently.”

Even as the show became a hit in South Korea, Aronson said the team had plans to perform in the United States. There was a reading of the English language script in 2016. “And at that point, we paired with our current producers,” Aronson said. “And there are several new songs. We took some Korean songs out and put some new songs into this version.”

The Korean version is about 15 minutes longer, but the story is basically the same: A pair of retired Helperbots — humanoid servants Oliver and Claire — embark on a surprising romantic relationship

Darren Criss, who starred in the “Glee” series, plays Oliver in the Broadway production. He draws on everything from Commedia dell’arte to Kabuki styles and even silent film stars like Buster Keaton to create his mechanical man.

“In order for me to make it seem like this person is clearly not a human being, it has to be over-expressive,” he explained. “Overexaggeration, like you would with a child: This is happy; this is sad; this is scared.”

Helen J. Shen made her Broadway debut as Claire. “I have found since opening, since previews, my portrayal of Claire has really evolved,” Shen said, “and gotten more ‘roboty’ [or] less ‘roboty’, kind of seeing how going through that spectrum can help tell the story better.”

The two robots discover they really need each other. Claire has to borrow Oliver’s charger since hers is on the fritz. They eventually go on a road trip to an island off the coast of South Korea.

Helen J. Shen holds up an electronic chip during her performance in “Maybe Happy Ending” on Broadway.

Courtesy of Polk & Co.

Composer Will Aronson added that sometimes the characters’ emotions come out in the music that’s not actually sung.

“We knew that because they were robots, they couldn’t really sing, say, power ballads because it just would not be in character,” he said. “It would break the world of the show. But of course, we want big moments in theater, right? The show has several big musical sequences that have no dialog that are purely staging and music.”

Darren Criss performing in “Maybe Happy Ending” on Broadway.

Courtesy of Polk & Co.

One example is a magical moment where Claire and Oliver see fireflies — which they call tiny robots. And despite themselves, they fall in love. Co-author Hue Park said writing “Maybe Happy Ending” was a “self-meditative journey.” He started it after breaking up from a long-term relationship, losing a close friend to cancer and turning 30.

“It was around the time of my life, I was sort of like growing up or coming out of a certain age,” Park recalled. “And I got to thinking … ‘Why am I putting myself in that situation, depending on my significant other or sharing my life with a friend?’ Because it’s really painful when they inevitably have to end.”

In “Maybe Happy Ending”, a pair of retired Helperbots embark on a surprising romantic relationship.

Courtesy of Polk & Co.

But robots, like humans, have a shelf life — their batteries run out, their components wear out. And, after having a romantic, goofy love affair, Oliver and Claire decide to wipe their memories. Or do they?

“There’s nothing cynical about this piece, and I think that’s key to it,” said director Michael Arden. “That actually, I think we’re desperate to go to the theater to feel things that, hopefully, when we leave, cause us to kind of make the more loving, more hopeful, more generous choice. And I think I have to believe that that’s what’s happened here.”

India tunnel collapse sparks race to find 8 trapped workers, but chances of survival deemed "very remote"


By Arshad R. Zargar
 February 26, 2025 

CBS News

New Delhi — Rescuers in India were still racing Wednesday to save eight workers four days after they were trapped underground by a collapse in a tunnel under construction in the southern state of Telangana. Rescue crews had not managed to established contact with the trapped men for more than 100 hours, and the efforts to reach the men have come up against a series of challenges.

A portion of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel collapsed Saturday morning, causing water and mud to rush into the huge tunnel, which has a diameter of about 33 feet. Officials have said that about 50 workers were inside the tunnel when part of its ceiling caved in. Forty-three of them managed to escape, but eight were left trapped.

There has been no confirmation on the condition of the trapped men as no contact has been made with them by rescuers. Personnel with several agencies, including the Indian Army and the National Disaster Response Force, have been involved in the rescue efforts.

They have faced repeated setbacks due to loose soil and mud inside the tunnel.

Members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) carry equipment during a rescue operation outside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel after a portion of the tunnel collapsed, in Nagarkurnool district in the southern state of Telangana, India, Feb. 24, 2025.STRINGER/REUTERS

Work on the 27-mile-long tunnel, which would be one of the world's longest irrigation tunnels if it is completed, has been delayed several times since construction began in 2005.


On Tuesday, the rescuers worked to clear a train track inside the tunnel so it can be used to transport equipment to pump water out from around the site of the collapse. A path was also being cleared to take earthmoving machines into the tunnel.

"As of now we are dewatering and going forward. But for the last 40 or 50 meters (yards) we are not able to go," B Santhosh, administrative head of the Nagarkurnool district, where the tunnel is being constructed, told India's PTI news agency.

A team of "rat miners" who successfully rescued 41 workers who were trapped in a Himalayan highway tunnel for 17 days in 2023 joined the rescue operations Monday.

About 20 miles of the new tunnel has been excavated so far, with about seven miles left to go, officials said Tuesday.

On Monday, a state minister overseeing the rescue work told journalists near the site that the chances of the eight men being found alive were slim.

"To be honest, the chances of their survival are very, very, very, very remote," Jupally Krishna Rao, a senior official in the Telangana state administration, said Tuesday. "I went up to the end, almost just 50 meters short [of the collapse site]… When we shouted their names, there was no response."

"I can't predict the chances of survival, but the chances are not very good," Rao said, adding that "even if there is the slightest chance, we will try to save them."

Why Canada must look beyond the U.S. to Africa’s economic boom

The economic surge of a youthful Africa offers Canada a chance to diversify trade beyond the erratic United States.

20 YEARS AGO PM CHRETIEN MADE AFRICA

A CANADIAN TRADING PARTNER


Workers unload cargo at Lamu Port in Kenya shortly after it opened in 2021. It was built by the China Communications Construction Company ZHANG NANFANG /XINHUA/THE CANADIAN PRESS)


by Zack Ahmed 

February 26, 2025

POLICY OPTIONS


As Canadians prepare to choose their next government in the face of a protectionist and unpredictable White House, Canada risks turning inward as it stands on guard for its economy and jobs.

While this might seem like the intuitive move when facing such an unfamiliar and erratic landscape, Canada may be overlooking a largely untapped economic behemoth staring at us from across the Atlantic.

No matter who wins the next election and whether they form a majority or a minority in Parliament, debates surrounding the economy and immigration will shape the national dialogue. All the while, much attention will unavoidably continue to be directed south of the border.
A rising economic power

All these events and their intended and unintended consequences provide a unique moment to up Canada’s engagement with Africa – for mutual benefit.

Initiatives such as the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) and Canada-Africa Economic Cooperation Strategy (CA-ECS) were introduced by the current Liberal government. Still, Canada’s engagement with African nations remains limited in breadth, nuance and co-ordination.

Africa’s rapid demographic and economic boom presents an extraordinary opportunity as well as corresponding challenges.

Africa’s population boom is one of the most striking developments in the 21st century. According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the continent will be home to roughly 2.5 billion people by 2050, many of whom will be under the age of 25.

This represents not only a vast consumer base, but also a burgeoning pool of entrepreneurial talent and a potential workforce that could spur innovation across multiple sectors. At the same time, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that Africa is already grappling with disruptions tied to climate change – from droughts and floods to resource scarcity – which invariably fuels conflict and displacement at large scales.

Economic data paints a clear picture that Africa merits closer attention and greater cooperation. In recent years, countries such as Ethiopia and Côte d’Ivoire have posted GDP growth rates that outpace the global average, showing that African economies are poised to become drivers of global prosperity.

And while free trade in North America appears to be coming apart at the seams, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), an ambitious initiative uniting 1.5 billion people within a single market, is projected to be worth more than US$3.4 trillion, radically transforming Africa’s trade and economic landscape.

For Canada, which has traditionally relied on the United States as its chief trading partner, these developments suggest that failing to open greater dialogue with Africa runs the risk of missing out on valuable opportunities for trade, investment and innovation.
Trade diversification and climate

With protectionist currents rising not just in the U.S. but around the world, a future-oriented approach to trade diversification is in Canada’s best interest. This has been further amplified by the re-election of a mercantilist President Donald Trump and his tariff rattling threats.

A more balanced approach that actively incorporates emerging African markets can help reduce Canada’s exposure to such risks.

Such an initiative could involve a specialized task force within Global Affairs Canada that focuses on opening up new trade partnerships with AfCFTA member states. Collaborating with Export Development Canada would help ease financial risks and provide support for Canadian businesses seeking entry into these dynamic new markets.

Climate security is another realm in which Canada has much to gain by working collaboratively with African nations.

Climate change already influences migration patterns, fuels resource-driven conflicts, and strains humanitarian systems – challenges that extend far beyond national borders. By forging consensus on climate adaptation, water resource management, and renewable energy, Canada could bolster regional stability while also opening new market possibilities for its clean-energy and tech sectors.

These joint efforts might take shape under a Canada-Africa Climate Security Partnership, bringing together government agencies, NGOs, businesses, and academic institutions to share knowledge, build capacity and develop early warning systems for climate-related emergencies.
The power of the African diaspora

Equally pivotal is the role of the African diaspora in Canada. Immigration has been a cornerstone of this country’s growth, and Africa offers unique avenues for cross-continental innovation and collaboration.

Skilled professionals in fields such as healthcare, engineering and technology can help Canadian businesses tailor products and services to local markets and navigate potential cultural and regulatory barriers. Encouraging diaspora-led trade missions and entrepreneurial accelerators, supported by local and provincial governments, could foster meaningful alliances that benefit both Canada and African economies.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada might explore more specialized pathways and scholarship programs to bring African professionals and students to Canada, thereby enriching our talent pool and strengthening bonds between the two regions.

Ultimately, viewing Africa solely through the lens of economic potential or humanitarian assistance is too limiting. Its youthful population and evolving institutions point to great untapped potential for transatlantic collaboration.

By respecting African ownership of local development priorities and by engaging in long-term, capacity-building partnerships, Canada can position itself not just as a donor or a market-seeker but as a genuine long-term ally in Africa’s ongoing transformation.

Looking ahead, the next government has a rare opportunity to recalibrate Canada’s foreign policy strategy in a way that better aligns with a rapidly changing global order. By diversifying trade beyond traditional partners, strengthening ties through climate security initiatives, and fully harnessing the power of the African diaspora, Canada can safeguard its own economic and geopolitical interests while becoming a key contributor to Africa’s development goals.

Zack Ahmed is a SSHRC doctoral fellow in global governance at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and a researcher with MIFOOD Networks. With more than 14 years of experience in public policy, global governance and international development, he has worked on cross-sectoral projects - spanning private, public, and non-profit organizations across Africa and Canada.

 

Pioneering work generates feline embryonic stem cells in boon for cats

Advancement in veterinary regenerative medicine can help domestic and endangered wild cats alike

Osaka Metropolitan University

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New advancements in veterinary regenerative medicine plausible with these pluripotent cells.

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Credit: Osaka Metropolitan University

As different as they may seem, humans and cats have similar ailments, but in terms of health care, veterinary regenerative medicine is not as advanced.

A possible solution rests in embryonic stem cells, which can differentiate into various types of cells and be transplanted to restore internal damage. Further, they are characterized by their near-natural state similar to induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Recent research has successfully generated feline iPS cells, but not embryonic stem cells, so research on these cell lines is essential to improve the quality of iPS cells.

Osaka Metropolitan University Professor Shingo Hatoya led a Graduate School of Veterinary Science team in pioneering the generation of feline embryonic stem cells using lab-grown blastocysts. The team performed in vitro fertilization of sperm and oocytes taken from discarded reproductive organs during feline sterilization surgeries.

Through the isolation of inner cell mass from blastocyst stage embryos and culturing them, the researchers succeeded in generating high-quality feline embryonic stem cells. These can be maintained in an undifferentiated state and can differentiate into the three germ layers endoderm, ectoderm, and mesoderm.

“Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent cells, so we believe that comparative studies with iPS cells will further promote veterinary regenerative medicine research,” stated Professor Hatoya. “The successful establishment of feline ES cells in this study can advance veterinary regenerative medicine by enabling comparative studies with feline iPS cells. Moreover, the potential to derive sperm and oocytes from feline ES cells could contribute to the conservation of endangered wild cat species.”

The findings were published in Regenerative Therapy.

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About OMU 

Established in Osaka as one of the largest public universities in Japan, Osaka Metropolitan University is committed to shaping the future of society through “Convergence of Knowledge” and the promotion of world-class research. For more research news, visit https://www.omu.ac.jp/en/ and follow us on social media: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.

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Journal

Regenerative Therapy

DOI

10.1016/j.reth.2024.11.010 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Establishment of feline embryonic stem cells from the inner cell mass of blastocysts produced in vitro