Category: General

The World Health Organization’s European region director says that while COVID-19 cases on the continent continue to rise, he sees a plausible endgame for the pandemic in Europe in coming months.

Speaking during his weekly virtual news briefing from his headquarters in Copenhagen, WHO Europe Region Director Hans Kluge told reporters the region recorded 12 million cases in the past week, the highest weekly case incidence since the start of the pandemic, largely driven by the omicron variant.

But Kluge said, while hospitalizations continue to rise - mainly in countries with lower vaccination rates — they have not risen as fast as the rate of new infection, and admissions to intensive care units have not increased significantly. Meanwhile, deaths from COVID-19 have remained steady.

Kluge said the pandemic is far from over, but, for the first time, he sees what he called an opportunity to take control of transmission of disease because of the presence of three factors: an ample supply of vaccine plus immunity derived from a large number of people having had COVID-19; the favorable change of the seasons as the region moves out of winter; and the now-established lower severity of the omicron variant.

The WHO regional director said those factors present the possibility of “a long period of tranquility” and a much higher level of population defense against any resurgence in transmission, even with the more virulent omicron variant.

Kluge called it “a cease-fire that could bring us enduring peace,” but only if nations continue vaccinating and boosting, focusing on the most vulnerable populations, and people continue “self-protecting behavior,” such as masking and social distancing, though he added, "with lower governmental oversight to limit unnecessary socio-economic impacts.”

More nations in Europe are scaling back or removing government-imposed COVID-19-related restrictions.

Kluge said officials need to intensify surveillance to detect new variants. He said new strains are inevitable, but he believes it is possible to respond to them without the disruptive measures that were needed early in the pandemic.

Source: Voice of America

The Police has also recovered a dead body of a yet to be identified person at the home of home of Tumwine Charles and wife Naome Tumwine in Kabowa.

The discovery comes just a week after another body of Turyasingura Patrick who had been reported missing on the 26th .01.2022, was found in a septic tank on the 29th .01.2022 at the same residence.

The body was found in a rotting state and could not be readily identified.

However, there has been an ongoing inquiry at Katwe Police station into the disappearance of a Male Adult one Akandida Roland from the same home which occurred in December 2020 , and the matter has been under investigations since .

The remains will be conveyed to city mortuary Mulago for Postmortem as we await for DNA testing to confirm the identity of the remains recovered.

The suspects Naome Tumwine and Muhangi Norman who were arrested earlier this week are still in custody at Katwe Police station, while efforts are underway to uprehend Tumwine Charles .

More details will be communicated in due course.

Source: Uganda Police Force

New claims for jobless benefits fell in the United States last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday, as many employers hung on to the workers they have and searched for more.

The agency said 238,000 unemployed workers filed for compensation, down 23,000 from the revised figure of the week before. The new total was in line with the claim figures from recent weeks as the U.S. economy, the world’s largest, continues to recover from the havoc inflicted on it by the advance of the coronavirus pandemic that swept into the country nearly two years ago.

Analysts now are awaiting the government’s release Friday of January’s employment picture in the U.S., the number of new jobs created last month and the unemployment rate, which was 3.9% in December.

The U.S. economy added a modest 199,000 new jobs in December, and analysts say January’s figure may not be much different, perhaps even smaller, as the number of new omicron variant coronavirus cases surged early in January and then waned, after the employment data was collected at mid-month.

Many employers are looking for more workers, despite about 6.9 million workers remaining unemployed in the U.S.

At the end of November, there were 10.4 million job openings in the U.S., but the skills of available workers often do not match what employers want, or the job openings are not where the unemployed live. In addition, many of the available jobs are low-wage service positions that the jobless are shunning.

But overall, the U.S. economy is surging, advancing by 5.7% in 2021, the fastest full-year gain since 1984, the Commerce Department reported last week.

The sharp growth in the world’s biggest economy showed its resiliency, even as the U.S. struggled to cope last year with two new coronavirus variants that hobbled some industries, caused supply chain issues for consumer goods that at times left store shelves empty, and led to a 7% year-over-year surge in consumer prices that was the highest in four decades.

But for the year, a record 6.4 million jobs were created, and most of the jobs lost at the outset of the pandemic in early 2020 have been recovered.

Some economic analysts say that even if the January jobs number is weak, it may be a temporary setback because the number of new coronavirus cases has been dropping sharply in the U.S. to under 400,000 new cases a day, about half of what it was just weeks ago.

The country’s robust economy pushed Federal Reserve policymakers last week to announce they could boost their benchmark interest rate as early as March after keeping it near 0% since the coronavirus first swept into the United States in March 2020.

The Fed could increase the rate several more times this year, which could have a broad effect on borrowing costs for consumers and businesses.

Source: Voice of America

The IGAD Security Sector Program (IGAD SSP) has today kicked-off a two-days consultation on the third Technical Committee Meeting (TCM) as part of the development for the regional strategy on Countering Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED).

Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) are weapon of choice for terrorist organizations worldwide, posing a threat to security forces, civilians, critical infrastructure and local systems of governance. Africa has suffered gravely from the scourge of IED use, with more than 1,200 incidents recorded across the continent between June 2018 and May 2019 alone.

The African Union, Peace Support Operations Division and the Defense and Security Division, has embarked on a strategy development initiative to address the growing IED problem in Africa. A continental strategy will provide clear and cohesive guidance on Regional Economic Communities’ (REC) and Member States’ (MS) roles and responsibilities within their respective unique areas of operations.

The purpose of creating and implementing a strategy is to build enduring and sustainable solutions to a highly evolving problem that has been ineffectively addressed through short-term train and equip efforts, most of which are costly, endless, and marginally effective. Strategic and operational levels of capacity building efforts have been largely neglected. This shortfall has resulted in countless iterations of training thousands of specialists and general-purpose forces. The incorporation of strategy development into capacity building will provide greater transparency for donor nations and accountability for partner nations.

In this context, the IGAD Security Sector Program (IGAD SSP) is conducting a threat assessment in the IGAD region that leads to development of a comprehensive sub-regional C-IED strategy for IGAD and its Member States.

The opening ceremony was officiated by Commander Abebe Muluneh Beyene, Director of IGAD SSP, and welcoming remarks from distinguished guests, namely: Assistant Inspector General of Police and Head of Counter Terrorism Abas Bykagaba, Representing Uganda, H.E. Mohamed Hussein Ahmed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sudan as Chairperson of IGAD, H.E. Ambassador Engineer Mahboub Maalim, CEO of the Project, Madam Lucy Daxbacher Ondoga, the IGAD Head of Mission in Uganda. In addition, subject matter expertise as part of the project present were Mr. Gregory Robin and Dr. Whitney Grespin.

In his opening remarks, Commander Abebe on behalf of the Executive Secretary of IGAD, H.E. Dr. Workeneh Gebeyehu, welcomed and thanked the high-level delegates from all IGAD Member States. He further appreciated the presence of the guest of honors as well as the Government of Uganda for hosting this important meeting. Commander Abebe, emphasized on the threat of IEDs in the region and the importance of developing a regional response in a form of strategy that will enhance cooperation as well as the capacity of Member States given that the Region is very vulnerable to such threats through the presence of various transnational terrorists.

All the guest of honors thanked IGAD and the Member States for their presence and expressed their warm welcome to this consultation meeting by emphasizing the threat of IEDs and the importance of cooperation and coordination, enhanced capacity building, the need for information sharing mechanisms in order to prevent IED attacks. They further highlighted that the IGAD region as a whole and the Member States like Uganda, Kenya and Somalia are experiencing various types of IED attacks causing serious human and other casualties. All emphasized that meetings like this will help in the efforts made by Member States and IGAD by bringing together high-level practitioners who are responsible in all aspects of countering and preventing IEDs including policy formulations and implementations.

An IED Technical Committee comprising of Focal Points from Member States was established as part of the development of the C-IED regional strategy that will formally endorse the final Road Map for strategy development. The Technical Committee has been scheduled to convene on a quarterly basis to review the progress of work and provide additional guidance to IGAD SSP as required. The first meeting took place on 06 July 2021 in Addis Ababa and the second took place virtually on 01 November 2021 due to COVID19. This third meeting has brought together 25 senior and high-level practitioners from the relevant law enforcement agencies as well as ministry of foreign affairs that have direct role in the prevention and countering of Improvised Explosive Devises (C-IED).

Source: Peace, Prosperity and Regional Integration

U.S. intelligence agencies may have ruled out the idea that a rash of mysterious illnesses plaguing American diplomats and other officials is part of a sustained campaign by one of Washington's adversaries, but they now say that in a small number of cases the only likely explanation is the use of some sort of weapon.

A report released Wednesday by a panel of experts assembled by U.S. intelligence officials finds that the core symptoms in these cases are "distinctly unusual and unreported elsewhere in the medical literature," making it highly unlikely the cause could be natural.

"Pulsed electromagnetic energy, particularly in the radiofrequency range, plausibly explains the core characteristics," the report said.

"Sources exist that could generate the required stimulus, are concealable, and have moderate power requirements," the report added. "Using nonstandard … antennas and techniques, the signals could be propagated with low loss through air for tens to hundreds of meters, and with some loss, through most building materials."

The mystery illness was first reported in 2016 among diplomats and other employees at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba.

Since then, hundreds of cases have been reported in Russia, China, Poland, Austria and elsewhere, with symptoms ranging from nausea and dizziness to debilitating headaches and memory problems.

The U.S. government has been engaged in a yearlong effort to find the source of the anomalous health incidents, or AHI, commonly called Havana Syndrome.

An interim report issued last month by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), concluded most of the cases "can be reasonably explained by medical conditions or environmental and technical factors, including previously undiagnosed illnesses."

However, it warned that a smaller number of cases continued to defy explanation and that, in those cases, officials "have not ruled out the involvement of a foreign actor."

Wednesday's report appears to support that conclusion, though officials said the latest effort was not focused on assigning responsibility for the possible attacks.

"There are a small number of the cases we looked at that had no other plausible mechanism," according to one U.S. intelligence official familiar with the expert panel's work who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity.

Mystery remains

Exactly how the possible attacks were carried out, though, remains a mystery.

"We don't have a specific device," said a second official, who like the first was familiar with the panel's work.

But the official said the idea that some cases of Havana Syndrome are the result of a weapon of some sort is "more than a theory."

"We had accounts of people that had been around RF [radio frequency] energy inadvertently and describe symptoms like that," the official added.

The notion that a directed, pulsed radio frequency mechanism was behind key symptoms of Havana Syndrome — the quick onset of pain or problems with the inner ear, including a loss of balance, dizziness and nausea — was first raised in 2020 the National Academy of Sciences, which called such as source "the most plausible mechanism in explaining" the growing number of cases.

Wednesday's report affirmed that finding, but also left open the possibility that some of the cases could have been caused by a device using ultrasound technology, though it said an ultrasonic device would only be able to produce the right combination of symptoms if deployed in close proximity to the victim.

Making progress

In a statement Wednesday, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and CIA Director William Burns said the effort to determine the cause of Havana Syndrome is making progress.

"We continue to pursue complementary efforts to get to the bottom of Anomalous Health Incidents (AHIs) — and to deliver access to world-class care for those affected," they said in a statement.

"We will stay at it, with continued rigor, for however long it takes," they added. "Nothing is more important than the wellbeing and safety of our colleagues."

Officials familiar with the work on Havana Syndrome said Wednesday "it's frustrating" not being able to get a clear-cut, definitive answer as to what has happened to as many as a couple of dozen of their colleagues and U.S. diplomatic personnel.

But they said that despite the many unknowns, the latest findings do offer hope for those who have been impacted.

"We've learned a lot," one of the officials said. "While we don't have the specific mechanism for each case, what we do know is if you report quickly and promptly get medical care, most people are getting well."

The report also recommended the U.S. create a central database to collect information on future reported cases, develop a set of so-called "bio-markers" to better identify new cases, try to develop technology capable of detecting an attack, and improve communications.

The White House Wednesday welcomed the report's findings.

"The [experts] panel undertook a rigorous, multi-disciplinary study that has identified important findings and recommendations," a National Security Council spokesperson said in a statement.

The findings "will inform intensive research and investigation moving forward as we continue our government-wide effort to get to the bottom of AHI," the spokesperson added.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday named a top official to lead the government's interagency response to Havana Syndrome.

Source: Voice Of America

The police chief of Canada's capital said Wednesday there is likely no policing solution to end a protest against vaccine mandates and other pandemic restrictions that has snarled traffic around Parliament.

He also said there is a "significant element" of the protest's funding and organization coming from the United States.

Thousands of protesters descended on Ottawa over the weekend, deliberately blocking traffic around Parliament Hill. Police estimate the protest involved 8,000-15,000 people Saturday but has since dwindled to several hundred. But trucks were still blocking traffic.

"We are now aware of a significant element from the United States that have been involved in the funding, the organizing and the demonstrating. They have converged on our city and there are plans for more to come," Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said.

Organizers, including one who has espoused white supremacist views, raised millions for the cross-Canada "freedom truck convoy" against vaccine mandates. There was a public GoFundMe page.

The protesting truckers also have received praise from former U.S. President Donald Trump and tweets of support from Tesla billionaire Elon Musk.

Ottawa residents frustrated with the incessant blare of truck horns and traffic gridlock are questioning how police have handled the demonstration.

"There is likely no policing solution to this," Sloly said.

Many Canadians have been angered by some of the crude behavior of the protesters. Some urinated or parked on the National War Memorial. One danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A number carried signs and flags with swastikas.

The most visible contingent of protesters were truck drivers who parked their big rigs on Parliament Hill. Some of them were protesting a rule that took effect Jan. 15 requiring truckers entering Canada to be fully immunized against the coronavirus. The Canadian Trucking Alliance has estimated that 85% of truckers in Canada are vaccinated.

Meanwhile, officials said there had been some movement toward resolving a protest blockade at the United States border in southern Alberta.

Chad Williamson, a lawyer representing truckers blocking access to the crossing at Coutts, Alberta, said they spoke with police and agreed to open some blocked lanes. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Corporal Curtis Peters said there were indications that the lane openings might only be temporary.

Demonstrators began parking their trucks and other vehicles near the crossing Saturday in solidarity with the protest in Ottawa.

The tie-up stranded travelers and cross-border truckers for days. Police tried to peacefully break up the demonstration Tuesday, but demonstrators breached a nearby checkpoint.

Source: Voice Of America

A single lightning bolt that leapt across three U.S. states has been identified as the longest ever, the U.N. weather agency said Tuesday. Dubbed a megaflash, the rare low-rate horizontal discharge covered 768 kilometers (477 miles) between clouds in Texas and Mississippi in April 2020.

It was detected by scientists using satellite technology and its distance - beating the previous record by 60 kilometer - confirmed by a World Meteorological Organization committee.

"That trip by air[plane] would take a couple of hours and in this case the distance was covered in a matter of seconds," WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis said.

Another megaflash that occurred above Uruguay and Argentina in June 2020 also set a record, as the longest-lasting at 17.1 seconds, the WMO said.

While these two newly cataloged megaflashes never touched the ground, they serve as a reminder of the dangers of a weather phenomenon that kill hundreds of people a year.

"We reiterate our message: when thunder roars, when you see lightning — go indoors. Don’t seek shelter in a beach hut, don't stand under a tree," Nullis said.

Source: Voice of America

The World Health Organization warns of health care risks posed by discarded COVID-19 equipment and is calling on nations to better manage their systems for disposing of the used gear.

Tackling the COVID-19 pandemic requires the use of huge quantities of personal protective equipment or PPE and the use of needles and syringes to administer vaccines, among other essential products.

A new World Health Organization global analysis finds the quantities of health care waste generated by the goods are enormous and potentially dangerous. Maggie Montgomery is the technical officer for water, sanitation and health in the WHO Department of Environment.

She says COVID-19 has increased health care risks in facilities at up to 10 times previous volumes.

“If you consider that two in three health care facilities in the least developed countries did not have systems to segregate or safely treat waste before this pandemic, you can just imagine how much burden this extra waste load has put on health care workers, on communities, especially where waste is burned," Montgomery said.

The report finds the hazardous disposal of COVID-19 waste potentially exposes health workers to needle stick injuries, burns and pathogenic microorganisms, air pollution and many dangers associated with living near poorly managed landfills and waste disposal sites.

WHO experts analyzed approximately 87,000 tons of PPE that were shipped to needy countries between March 2020 and November 2021 through a joint U.N. emergency initiative. Most of the equipment, they say, was expected to end up as waste.

The report provides an initial indication of the scale of the COVID-19 waste problem that exists only within the health sector, which is enormous. Montgomery says it does not look at the volumes of waste being generated in the wider community.

“In terms of the waste generated by the public, in particular masks. For example, in 2020, there were 4.5 trillion additional disposable masks thrown away by the public, which led to six million tons of additional waste," Montgomery said. "So, certainly, the public is generating the most. At the same time, we feel that the health sector has a really important role and there are many concrete things that can be done to reduce, unnecessary use of PPE.”

WHO recommendations for safer and more environmentally sustainable waste practices include using eco-friendly packaging and shipping, safe and reusable gloves and medical masks, and investing in non-burn waste treatment technologies.

Source: Voice of America