Day: August 9, 2022

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US not trying to ‘outdo’ world powers in Africa, says visiting Sec of State Blinken

The United States is seeking a “true partnership” with Africa and not trying to “outdo” other world powers in vying for influence on the continent, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

Blinken arrived in South Africa for an official visit on Sunday during a three-nation African trip which follows hot on the heels of an extensive tour of the continent by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Speaking in the South African capital Pretoria on Monday, Blinken said the United States did not see the region as the “latest playing field in a competition between great powers”.

“That is fundamentally not how we see it. It’s not how we will advance our engagement here,” Blinken told a press briefing, speaking alongside his local counterpart Naledi Pandor.

“Our commitment to a stronger partnership with Africa is not about trying to outdo anyone else.”

For his first stop, the US top diplomat chose South Africa, a leader in the developing world which has remained neutral in the Ukraine war.

Pretoria has refused to join Western calls to condemn Moscow, which had opposed apartheid before the end of white-minority rule in 1994.

His comments came ahead of a policy announcement on the US government’s new Africa strategy, which Blinken is expected to lay out in a speech at the University of Pretoria later on Monday.

“What we seek most of all is a true partnership between the United States and Africa. We don’t want an imbalanced or transactional relationship,” Blinken said.

Vulnerable countries in Africa and elsewhere in the world have been hard hit by the fallout from the Ukraine war that has sent prices of fuel and food soaring.

Powerhouse South Africa belongs to a group of emerging economies called BRICS.

In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — to cooperate in the face of “selfish actions” from the West.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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US Will Stretch Monkeypox Vaccine Supply With Smaller Doses

WASHINGTON —

U.S. health officials on Tuesday authorized a plan to stretch the nation’s limited supply of monkeypox vaccine by giving people just one-fifth the usual dose, citing research suggesting the reduced amount is about as effective.

The so-called dose-sparing approach also calls for administering the Jynneos vaccine with an injection just under the skin rather than into deeper tissue — a practice that may rev up the immune system better. Recipients would still get two shots spaced four weeks apart.

The unusual step is a stark acknowledgment that the U.S. currently lacks the supplies needed to vaccinate everyone seeking protection from the rapidly spreading virus.

That includes 1.6 million to 1.7 million Americans considered by federal officials to be at highest risk from the disease, primarily men with HIV or men who have a higher risk of contracting it. Vaccinating that group would require more than 3.2 million shots.

White House officials said the new policy would immediately multiply the 440,000 currently available full doses into more than 2 million smaller doses.

“It’s safe, it’s effective, and it will significantly scale the volume of vaccine doses available for communities across the country,” Robert Fenton, the White House’s monkeypox response coordinator, told reporters.

The Biden administration declared monkeypox a public health emergency last week in an effort to slow the outbreak that has infected more than 8,900 Americans.

The FDA authorized the approach for adults 18 and older who are at high risk of monkeypox infection. Younger people can also get the vaccine if they are deemed high risk, though they should receive the traditional injection, the agency said.

FDA officials stressed that the second dose is critical to ensuring protection.

“We feel pretty strongly that the two doses are necessary because, in part, we don’t have any evidence that three, six, eight months later people will be adequately protected by a single dose,” said Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA’s vaccine chief.

Regulators pointed to a 2015 study showing that inoculation with one-fifth of the traditional two-dose vaccine generated a robust immune-system response comparable to that of the full dose. About 94% of people receiving the smaller dose had adequate levels of virus-fighting antibodies, compared with 98% of those receiving the full dose, according to the study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The NIH is planning an additional trial of the technique. And Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said her agency is starting to track real-world vaccine effectiveness in U.S. communities.

But some experts and advocates worried that with little data to support the policy, it could backfire if it reduces vaccine effectiveness.

“We have grave concerns about the limited amount of research that has been done on this dose and administration method, and we fear it will give people a false sense of confidence that they are protected,” said David Harvey of the National Coalition of STD Directors in a statement.

The smaller doses require a different type of injection that penetrates only the top layer of skin, rather than the lower layer between the skin and muscle. That’s a less common technique that may require extra training for some health practitioners.

“Intradermal administration is certainly something that has been used for other vaccines, including the smallpox vaccine, which was administered to hundreds of millions of people during the 20th century,” said Anne Rimoin, director of UCLA’s Center for Global and Immigrant Health.

The shallower injection is thought to help stimulate the immune system because the skin contains numerous immunity cells that target outside invaders.

Rationing vaccine doses is common in Africa and other parts of the world with limited health resources. In recent years the World Health Organization has endorsed the strategy to address outbreaks of yellow fever, polio and other diseases.

Both the U.K. and Canada have adopted a single-dose vaccine strategy prioritizing people who face the highest risk from monkeypox. And health departments in several large U.S. cities adopted a similar strategy amid limited supplies, including New York, San Francisco and Washington.

Officials said Tuesday that anyone who previously received a full first dose can get the smaller amount for their second dose.

U.S. officials have shipped more than 625,000 full vaccine doses to state and local health departments.

The Biden administration has come under fire for not quickly marshaling millions more doses from the strategic national stockpile.

The FDA approved the Jynneos vaccine in 2019 to prevent smallpox and monkeypox based, in part, on studies in monkeys.

Additional human studies showed people who received Jynneos had an immune response similar to those who received an older smallpox vaccine. But Jynneos hasn’t been tested in humans with either monkeypox or its relative smallpox, which was eradicated decades ago.

Source: Voice of America

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United States Announces $15 Million for the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund

Today, the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), announced that it is providing $15 million to the United Nations (UN) Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). This is the Agency’s largest contribution to date to the CERF, the UN’s global humanitarian fund that enables the rapid delivery of life-saving assistance whenever and wherever crises strike and ensures that underfunded or prolonged crises are not left behind.

With its critical role in responding to the needs of the most vulnerable, the CERF helped UN agencies and partners provide life-saving assistance to 51.5 million people across the world in 2021 alone. This year, the CERF is helping respond to severe food insecurity in the Horn of Africa, the Sahel region of West Africa, Yemen, and other countries facing worsening hunger crises.

Today, the world faces unprecedented needs, as countries continue to deal with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, increasingly protracted conflicts and the ripple effects of Russia’s war against Ukraine. As a result of the war, it is projected that up to 40 million more people could be pushed into poverty and food insecurity worldwide in 2022.

USAID is proud to support the CERF as part of the United States’ global efforts to respond to these historic humanitarian needs and encourages other donors to join us in contributing urgently to the humanitarian community’s collective efforts to save lives and ease suffering around the world.

Source: US Agency for International Development

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Ensuring greater protection for victims of GBV

President Cyril Ramaphosa says three important laws that will strengthen the fight against gender-based violence (GBV), give greater protection to victims of domestic violence.

The new laws, namely the Criminal and Related Matters Amendment Act, the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act and the Domestic Violence Amendment Act were signed into law earlier this year.

Addressing the National Women’s Day event held in Richmond, KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday, President Ramaphosa said the new laws empower the police to enter premises without a warrant and, if necessary, arrest a suspect.

Under the new laws, police can also remove dangerous weapons from a suspect and complainants will be able to apply for protection orders online.

“New provisions expand the scope of the National Register of Sex Offenders, and place a legal responsibility on us all to report any sexual offences committed against vulnerable persons. There are now far stricter conditions under which a suspect may be granted bail [and] perpetrators will get harsher sentences,” President Ramaphosa highlighted.

The President said GBV is a stain on the day’s celebrations adding that hardly a day goes by without a report of women being attacked, being violated, and being killed by men.

The President argued that this should not be seen as a women’s problem, “when it is in fact, a men’s problem”.

“It is a problem of men with no respect for women, who feel they can do what they like with their girlfriends or partners because they buy them airtime or groceries. It is a problem of men who lack the maturity to accept the end of a relationship, and hunt down their ex-wives or ex-girlfriends.

“It is a problem of men who think culture, custom and religion empowers them to hit their wives, sisters, and daughters and to deprive them of their rights. It is a problem of men who hold positions of influence and authority who prey on women and take advantage of them.”

Silence is no longer an option

The President called on every South African to play their part in the fight against gender-based violence and femicide by speaking out.

He warned that silence is no longer an option, and encouraged citizens to break the silence.

“Silence is the dark corner in which women and children are abused, beaten, raped, and killed. Silence is the dark cloud under which men allow their friends to ill-treat women, children, and members of the LGBTQIA+ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual+] community as a display of their manliness.

“Silence is the cancer that eats away at women who protect their husbands, sons, partners, and boyfriends who abuse them, their children, and other women because they are financially dependent.”

Enabling women to participate in the economy

President Ramaphosa said that government is working to enable women to participate in the economy.

He said gender equality will not be achieved unless women are financially secure and independent.

He highlighted that in the uMgungundlovu District Municipality, government is providing temporary work opportunities to women through the Community Works Programme, the Expanded Public Works Programme and by supporting community caregivers and community health workers.

He said female entrepreneurs, especially small business owners, are supported through the province’s Rural and Township Economies Revitalisation Strategy.

“The provincial government, through the Radical Agrarian Socio-Economic Transformation programme, is also helping women access land for farming and get their produce to market. So far, it has assisted over 3500 farmers, with the majority being women and youth from rural areas like uMgungundlovu.”

Assisting women-owned businesses

Meanwhile, the President announced that government has committed to set aside 40% of public procurement spend to women-owned businesses.

“We have been holding workshops countrywide to equip women with skills to do business with both government and the private sector. Between September this year and January next year, we plan to reach all 11 districts in KwaZulu-Natal.”

To ensure better access to finance, President Ramaphosa added that government wants entities, including the Industrial Development Corporation, Public Investment Corporation and National Empowerment Fund to make further resources available to women-owned businesses.

Source: South African Government News Agency

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Killarney International Raceway gearing up as Cape hub for global motorsport

Statement by the Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos

In yet another milestone boost for economic growth, jobs and destination Cape Town, the City’s Mayoral Committee has recommended the approval of a new lease for Killarney International Raceway operated by Western Province Motor Club (WPMC).

While this recommendation to approve the lease must still be tabled at full Council for a final decision on 18 August 2022, the proposed transaction aims to secure the future of motorsport in Cape Town and celebrates the heritage of 75 years of motor racing success on the site. I am particularly pleased to make this announcement at Killarney on National Women’s Day. The retention of racing as the predominant use of the site is a tribute to women’s car and motorbike racers and women working behind the scenes without whom racing would not happen here. They are an integral part of Killarney’s success story.

Killarney is the most used multi-purpose event venue in Cape Town with a pre-Covid total of 200 events per year, with 70 of those being charity events for worthy causes. It hosts a range of motor and motorcycling events for all people in the Western Cape, but also non-motorised sporting events like cycling, duathlons and marathons.

The sport contributes R357 million to Cape Town’s economy while supporting an extensive industry and thousands of jobs in race manufacturing, trading, servicing, repairs, parts and accessories. It also draws international and South African competitors, manufacturers, fans, and sponsors who come for extended stays and investments.

Western Province Motor Club (WPMC) is a non-profit amateur sporting facility. Its operations model is to break even and retain enough income to maintain and improve the extensive facility. I believe that this new lease gives WPMC the ability to do long-range planning and actively recruit key international motorsport events for the benefit of racing fans, the industry, Cape Town’s economy and the tourist destination. Motorsport at Killarney is a key component in making Cape Town Africa’s event capital.

Source: City Of Cape Town

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Police open inquest after the body of a missing man was recovered in Mogalakwena River

The Police in Mahwelereng have opened a case of inquest after the body of a missing man, Brian Rammutla (21) who was residing at Maruteng village, Mohlabeng Section was retrieved from the Mogalakwena River in the Mahwelereng policing area yesterday, on Monday 08 August 2022 at about 13:00

The SAPS Search and Rescue Unit officers were dispatched to the scene after fishermen discovered the lifeless body of a man floating in the river. The body was retrieved with assistance of the local police and in the presence of the local community.

The shocking discovery was made after the deceased went missing on 16 July 2022.Consequently, his family reported the matter at the Mahwelereng Police Station. According to reports he left home at about 18:30 to visit his grandfather at Moshate village in the same policing area but never arrived. Police immediately started with investigations and search operation which ultimately led to the discovery of the body yesterday.

It is not clear at this stage how the deceased got into the river but the unfolding police investigations will ultimately reveal the cause of death. Police appeal to community members to give them space to fully investigate the matter.

Anyone with information regarding this incident may contact the crime stop number 0860010111 or the nearest police station or MySAPSApp.

Police investigations continue.

Source: South African Police Service

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Remarks at a South African Women’s Day Event

SECRETARY BLINKEN: (In progress) do what we did just to go around and see this. A few extraordinary things here today. First of all, extraordinary innovation here in South Africa that is going to have a powerful impact not only in South Africa but, I think, around the world.

Second, women at the heart of that innovation and in our lives. And here we are celebrating Women’s Day in South Africa – it’s particularly fitting to be here to do that and to see the critical role that women play in events and science and technology, to making sure that they have every opportunity to do that, because when they do, we see the results. We see literally life-changing results. And life-changing results – again, not just for South Africa but for the continent and the for the world. These are things that will benefit Americans too. And I’m particularly pleased to be here with my friend and colleague, the foreign minister, who in a previous experience had the science and technology portfolio. So she actually understands everything —

MINISTER PANDOR: Quite. (Laughter.)

SECRETARY BLINKEN: — (inaudible) in ways that I don’t. But it’s just incredibly inspiring to be here today. I just want to thank everyone for sharing the incredible work that they’re doing. If you ever need to get a dose of hope and optimism for the future, it’s right here and it’s women who are leading the way, not surprisingly. Thank you. (Inaudible.)

MINISTER PANDOR: Absolutely. I think you’ve said it all. This is probably an opportunity for me to thank you for the visit. I think it’s been excellent. We really welcome the strategy that you announced yesterday and look forward to working more closely together.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you.

MINISTER PANDOR: And I wish to thank all of the women researchers, and particularly President Gray here as well, just to say thank you for all the work that you do, and I’m so grateful that you’re training young women scientists who will follow in your excellent tracks.

I want to share, Tony, a story with you. We have a program called the South African Research Chairs program, which the doctor just indicated she’s got a research chair. We were very concerned when we first introduced the program that women were not being appointed as research chairs. So we checked the numbers, and women were a minority. So I said, no, no, we have to create more and all of them will go to women researchers. I was told by my colleagues – males – in the science fields and in the leadership of higher education, “You’re going to embarrass yourself, Minister. There aren’t women who meet the criteria.”

So there was one fantastic person who was head of the National Research Foundation, a Dr. Qhobela – I think he’s a professor now – and he said to me, “Minister, I think you should go ahead.” We advertised and said only women should apply. We had 21 positions. We had 67 competent candidates, and all those posts went to women. Some of them you see here today.

So I think what women scientists have taught us is we need to be bold, we need to be active and practical in terms of ensuring that women enjoy equal opportunity. If you take your eye away, you will find that they don’t. So it’s very important that we follow through, and I have always been really, really proud of women scientists in our country and the work that they’re doing, and especially optimistic about young women scientists. I think you won a young women in science award. Your face is so familiar. (Laughter.) I gave you that award. (Laughter.)

So fantastic to see you here, and congratulations to all of you. Thank you very much.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you.

MINISTER PANDOR: And Happy Women’s Day.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Happy Women’s Day. Thank you. (Applause.)

Source: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE