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American firms and the economy as a whole could lose hundreds of billions of dollars if investment in China is halved or the two countries expand tariffs, the US Chamber of Commerce says in its latest study.

If American investors slash foreign direct investment (FDI) stock in China by half, their annual capital gains could drop as much as $25 billion, the business lobbying group said in research released on Wednesday. At the same time, the reduced investment will benefit US competitors, while America’s GDP would see a one-time loss of $500 billion, according to a report assessing the potential cost of the decoupling of the world’s two largest economies.

“Pulling two huge economies apart will be expensive,” the Chamber of Commerce said, adding that the two nations are still deeply intertwined. However, the study noted that “full, comprehensive decoupling is no longer unthinkable.”

The US-China trade deal has not eliminated all the tariffs that were imposed in the midst of the trade war between the two nations. If relations further deteriorate, and 25-percent tariffs are applied to all two-way trade, it could lead to $190 billion in annual losses for the US economy by 2025, the chamber said.

The study also estimated that a full decoupling would have an impact on the flow of people, hurting revenue from tourism and education. According to its estimates, if Chinese tourism and education spending drop by half from pre-coronavirus pandemic levels, the US could lose from $15 billion to $30 billion per year in services trade exports.

The report also focused on the potential consequences of decoupling in four industries important to US national interests. The findings show that losing access to the Chinese market by the aviation industry would lead to annual output losses of $38 billion to $51 billion, or $875 billion cumulatively by 2038.

Additionally, losing a share in China’s semiconductor market would result in $54 billion to $124 billion in lost output and put 100,000 US jobs at risk. For the chemicals industry, the imposition of tariffs alone could lead to up to $38 billion in output losses and nearly 100,000 lost jobs. Lost market share in medical devices would result in $23.6 billion in annual revenue, while lost revenue over a decade could exceed $479 billion, the group said.

“Even based on our rough assessment, we can see that the costs of anything approaching ‘full’ decoupling are uncomfortably high,” the Chamber of Commerce concluded. While the group added that alternative ways to deal with China “would complement any decoupling scenario,” it said that if Washington still wants to confront China over its practices, it should unite with “like-minded partners” to minimize the costs to the economy.

 

Source: RT.com

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A British-Syrian man living in Istanbul, Turkey, murdered his Moroccan girlfriend during Valentine’s Day celebrations, Turkish newspaper Sabah has reported.

The 50-year-old man reportedly stabbed his 38-year-old Moroccan partner in the throat after he discovered that she was cheating on him.

The crime occurred on the evening of February 14 in an apartment in the Fatih Haseki Sultan neighborhood, in the European part of Istanbul.

According to Sabah, the man found out his girlfriend was engaged in a relationship with another man, right after the couple returned home from a date to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

 

After learning about his partner’s alleged infidelity, the British-Syrian man had a nervous breakdown. He stabbed the Moroccan victim in the throat and then repeatedly stabbed her in seven different parts of her body.

Sustaining several fatal injuries and covered in blood, the woman died at the crime scene before she could receive medical help.

After he killed his Moroccan girlfriend, the man reportedly took a video of her dead body and sent it to a Palestinian man — the victim’s alleged second partner.

“This is how you end up for doing me wrong,” the murderer threatened the victim’s friend, as quoted by Sabah.

The man who received the video immediately reported the incident to the police. The murderer was arrested in the apartment two hours after the crime.

According to preliminary investigations, the British-Syrian man works in the tourism industry. He migrated to Turkey approximately six months ago.

He lived with the murdered Moroccan woman in the same apartment “for some time,” according to Sabah.

The suspect refused to talk to the police after his arrest. He will remain in custody pending the end of investigations.

 

Source: Morocco World News

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Moroccan soups make for delicious meals that are rich in nutrients to strengthen your health.

Morocco might be most famous for its delicious couscous and tajine, but many also celebrate the country for its tasty and healthy Moroccan soups.

The North African kingdom’s food is as diverse as its culture. You can find exquisite soups that will keep you warm during winter or healthy ones that will speed up your recovery and strengthen your immune system.

Based on a healthy Mediterranean diet, Morocco’s cuisine is centered around vegetables, beans, fruits, nuts, and whole grains, with a moderate amount of dairy, poultry, eggs, and seafood. Moroccan food occasionally features meat.

Morocco’s cuisine is also special with its culinary masteries that fuse between European and Amazigh gastronomy, which give it an exotic taste with rich flavors that attracts people from across the world.

 

Moroccans may serve soups for breakfast, dinner, and on occasions such as weddings, Eids, and other celebrations. These are five delicious Moroccan soups that you should integrate into your diet to keep you warm in winter and to provide you with all the nutrients you need. 

Harira

Moroccan Harira. Photo: Ali Andalousi

Harira is Morocco’s most famous soup. It features on Moroccan iftar tables every evening during Ramadan. Moroccans also enjoy it often not during Ramadan for its many health benefits and its delicious taste.

Made of tomatoes, chickpeas, celery, parsley, onion, vermicelli, turmeric, and you can even add chicken, meat, or eggs, the soup is rich in healthy ingredients that are packed with protein, vitamins, minerals.

Chickpea is rich in minerals, vitamins, and fiber with a moderate number of calories, allowing you to enjoy a healthy, tasty meal without worrying about your weight. In fact, the fiber and protein in the legume will slow your digestion and promote fullness, which can help you manage your weight.

Another important ingredient in Moroccan Harira soup is turmeric. It is simply one of the healthiest spices out there. Turmeric contains medical properties called curcumins that work as a powerful anti-inflammatory tool and antioxidant.

The ingredient also helps in lowering heart disease risks and even has benefits against depression. Besides its many benefits, this Moroccan soup is delicious and warm and there is no doubt you will ask for a second fill after you try it.

Belboula (barley soup)

Moroccan Belboula soup. Photo: Wasfa Net وصفة نيت/ Youtube

Belboula, also called Hssoua, is a barley soup that Moroccans mostly serve for breakfast, but you can also eat it whenever as a light and healthy snack.

The Moroccan soup is lightly cooked with barley grounds or semolina, water, olive oil, and cumin, while a pinch of butter and a fair amount of milk are added at the end.

Most Moroccans will associate this tasty soup with health and recovery. If you are feeling ill or running on a cold, your stomach will refuse most heavy food, which is why Belboula is the perfect meal to have in those times.

The light meal will give you the nutrients your body needs to fight off the cold, warm you up, and satisfy your taste buds.

Barley is a grain that is rich in vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial plant elements that reduce hunger and promote fullness, improve digestion, and might help reduce cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.

Loubia (bean soup)

Loubia soup. Photo: Pixabay

Almost all Moroccans love this delicious soup. You can serve it as a side or a main dish.

The white beans soak overnight before you cook them with olive oil, fresh tomatoes, ginger, paprika, garlic, and cumin. If you like spicy food you can add a harissa or chili pepper.

These healthy ingredients give the soup an exquisite flavor that you can enjoy with a loaf of soft Moroccan bread, olive oil, and a sprinkle of cumin.

The Moroccan soup’s benefits lie in the beans and its spices. White beans are rich in protein, fiber, folate, magnesium, iron, copper, antioxidants, and vitamin B6.

These elements help in energy production, improve digestive health, help transport oxygen throughout your body, and might protect against chronic illnesses including heart disease.

Bean soup is also the perfect meal for athletic people or heavyweight figures because it can promote muscle building and hormone production.

Soba (vegetable soup)

Soba soup: Photo: Pixabay

Moroccan Soba is a vegetable soup that is perfect for all seasons, but especially in winter. Because winter is the flu season, when anyone may fall victim to a harsh cold, it is important to follow a healthy diet that strengthens your immune system and keeps you healthy through cold days and nights.

Soba is packed with healthy nutrients because it consists of many powerful vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, celery, pumpkin, bell peppers, and others.

It also has legumes, which are low in calories yet rich in minerals, vitamins, and fiber to help you stay healthy, boost your energy level, and keep you warm.

The cook boils all the vegetables together then grinds them up and serves the soup with olive oil, salt, paprika, ginger, sauteed onion, and cumin.

In addition to all the healthy vegetable ingredients, the Moroccan soup’s benefits also come from the various spices the cook uses in it, especially ginger.

Ginger contains powerful medicinal properties due to its natural oil, gingerol. The oil has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. It can treat nausea, lower blood sugar, and help with weight loss.

Bissara (dry green pea soup)

Moroccan Bissara soup. Photo: Pixabay

Bissara is not only one of Moroccans’ favorite soup but also foreigners’ top choice. Moroccans often serve it for breakfast, especially in the northern region and the mountain where it can get extremely cold, but you can also serve it with other meals as a side dish.

Almost all Moroccans love to indulge in this tasty and healthy soup that keeps them warm during the chilly mornings. You can also find the meal in most traditional Moroccan restaurants.

You make this Moroccan soup with dry green peas (or dry fava beans), cooking them in water with olive oil, salt, cumin, paprika, red pepper until you achieve a thick sauce. Moroccans serve it hot with olive oil, cumin, and bread for dipping.

The benefits of bissara are plenty. The popular soup is rich in protein, fiber, iron, folate, and vitamins (A, K, and C). These nutrients balance blood sugar levels, boost digestion, and can protect against chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.

Moroccan food has earned many fans from across the world throughout the years. Moroccans and international culinary lovers alike consider it healthy with its richness in nutrients, and delicious for its diverse and delightful flavors.

Integrating these five soups in your diet can help you stay healthy in the long term without having to give up the pleasure of a tasty meal.

 

Source: Morocco World News

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Slimani argues that French media’s continuous conflation of ‘islamist’ and ‘terrorist’ is dangerous and islamophobic.

Renowned French-Moroccan writer Leila Slimani is not happy with France’s gradual descent into islamophobia and context-free generalizations when discussing Islam and Muslims.

Appearing on Clique, a popular French television show, to discuss the recent Le Pen vs. Darmanin debate on counterterrorism in France, the writer said she was disappointed that the two politicians appeared to equate Islamism with terrorism. 

The two  politicians inconsiderately and interchangeably used the words “Islamist” and “terrorist” without taking a pause to explain the difference between the two terms, Slimani charged. 

She argued that the continuous confusion between ‘islamist’ and ‘terrorist’ is dangerous and islamophobic. “This obsession with religion makes me very angry and very uncomfortable,” she expressed. 

 

Conflating Islam with terrorsim is commonplace in France’s mainstream media narrative. In an attempt to explain  the misconception, Slimani brought up the Moroccan government by calling it islamist. “The Moroccan Prime Minister is an Islamist,” she exclaimed, “but that does not make him a terrorist.” 

She also mentioned that a number of Arab countries have islamist governments. She clarified that although she disagrees with their agendas, she would not refer to them as terrorists. “What exactly is wrong with Islamist parties ruling? Isn’t it a political option like any other?” she asked. 

Slimani criticized the confusion between conservatism and fundamentalism as well. She distinguished between her dislike of fundamentalists of any kind and her disagreement with conservatives from any religion. 

France’s far-right supporters were not pleased with her intervention and the talk show host’s silence. Many tweets are calling her statement “dangerous” and the host “naive” for tolerating such speech. 

The French government is currently debating how to effectively counter terrorism. Some of the government’s measures to curb the spread of “extremist ideologies”  include the restriction of homeschooling and the intensive surveillance of Islamic associations. Critics have pointed out that most of the decisions have islamophobic undertones and specifically target and oppress Muslim minorities. 

This is not the first time Leila Slimani has spoken out against Islamophobia. In 2020, she denounced the harassment Muslims in France are subject to. She especially criticized the spread of online hate speech

 

Source: Morocco World News

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Before the pandemic, Ka Tim Chu, teacher and vice principal of Hong Kong's True Light College, looked at his students' faces to gauge how they were responding to classwork. Now, with most of his lessons online, technology is helping Chu to read the room. An AI-powered learning platform monitors his students' emotions as they study at home.

The software, 4 Little Trees, was created by Hong Kong-based startup Find Solution AI. While the use of emotion recognition AI in schools and other settings has caused concern, founder Viola Lam says it can make the virtual classroom as good as — or better than — the real thing.
Students work on tests and homework on the platform as part of the school curriculum. While they study, the AI measures muscle points on their faces via the camera on their computer or tablet and identifies emotions including happiness, sadness, anger, surprise and fear.
 
The system also monitors how long students take to answer questions; records their marks and performance history; generates reports on their strengths, weaknesses and motivation levels; and forecasts their grades. The program can adapt to each student, targeting knowledge gaps and offering game-style tests designed to make learning fun. Students perform 10% better in exams if they have learned using 4 Little Trees, says Lam.
Lam, a former teacher, recalls finding out that certain students were struggling only when they got their exam results — by which time "it's too late."
She launched 4 Little Trees in 2017 — with $5 million in funding — to give teachers a chance for "earlier intervention." The number of schools using 4 Little Trees in Hong Kong has grown from 34 to 83, over the last year. Prices range from $10 to $49 per student per course.
Lam says the technology has been especially useful to teachers during the pandemic because it allows them to remotely monitor their students' emotions as they learn.
4 Little Trees lets students earn coins for learning on the platform, which motivates them to keep studying.
 
Chu believes the technology's benefits will outlast the pandemic, because it reduces his admin load by creating and marking personalized classwork and tests. And, unlike teachers, the expression-reading AI can pay close attention to the emotions of every student, even in a large class.
 
But technology that monitors children's faces raises concerns about privacy.
In China, AI that analyzes biometric data for surveillance purposes in schools and other places has sparked controversy.
Lam says 4 Little Trees records facial muscle data, which is how the AI interprets emotional expressions, but it does not video students' faces.
The AI tracks the movement of muscles on a student's face to assess emotion. For example, if the corners of their mouth are raised, the machine detects happiness.
 
Pascale Fung, director of the Center for AI Research at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, says "transparency" is key to maintaining students' privacy. She says developers must get consent from parents to collect students' data, and then "explain where the data is going to go."
Racial bias is also a serious issue for AI. Research shows that some emotional analysis technology has trouble identifying the emotions of darker skinned faces, in part because the algorithm is shaped by human bias and learns how to identify emotions from mostly White faces.
Lam says she trains the AI with facial data that matches the demographics of the students. So far, it has worked well in Hong Kong's predominantly Chinese society, but she is aware that more ethnically-mixed communities could be a bigger challenge for the software.
 
Experts say emotional expression can vary between cultures and ethnicities.
Lam says Find Solution AI's emotion recognition works with 85% accuracy in Hong Kong. Fung says algorithms with "very good settings" can correctly identify primary emotions, such as happiness and sadness, up to 90% of the time.
However, more complex emotions, like irritation, enthusiasm or anxiety, can be harder to read.
 
"We can hope for 60% [or] 70% accuracy," says Fung, adding that most people can't identify complex emotions with a greater level of accuracy. "Human beings are not good at reading facial expressions" she says. "We would like to train machines to be ... better than the average human."
As the AI improves, Lam hopes to develop applications for businesses, as well as schools, to better understand participants' needs and increase engagement in online meetings and webinars.
Where human communication is concerned, AI "can help to facilitate a better interaction," she says.
 
 
 
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You can’t have the full Moroccan cuisine experience without indulging in some of the country’s most famous and tastiest street food.

Morocco’s cuisine is rich with diverse and delicious traditional foods that you will find in each Moroccan house, restaurant, and of course the streets of the North African kingdom.

The country’s culinary offerings vary from grilled meat and delicious soups to light snacks and fried fish to tasty pastries and incredible juices.

You can find all of these delicacies in five-star restaurants. However, if you want to have an authentic and one-of-a-kind experience then you should look for them in the traditional streets or souks (markets) of Morocco.

Posh Moroccan restaurants are a pleasure to visit, but trying Morocco’s different street foods will give you the full Moroccan experience and make for remarkable memories during your travel. You might even end up finding your favorite Moroccan dish from an outdoor vendor.

 

You can find some of the best Moroccan street food in almost all of Morocco’s old medinas, from Marrakesh’s vast open-air restaurant of Jemaa El-Fna to Fez’ narrow car-free ancient medina streets.

These are some of the best Moroccan street foods that you must try during your travel to Morocco.

Sfenj

Sfenj. Photo: Jc wik m001

Sfenj are Moroccan doughnuts, just a tad fluffier and lighter than what a Westerner might know. The pastry is made with dough, shaped into rings, and then fried in hot oil until it takes on a golden color.

Moroccans grow accustomed to sfenj starting in early childhood either in the morning before school starts or in the late afternoon after classes end.

The light snack is beloved because Moroccans associate it with exciting and sweet nostalgic memories.

The delicious sweet food is served hot with a sprinkle of sugar, usually with a cup of mint tea, and you can find it in almost all bakeries in the Moroccan streets or traditional markets.

Babouche (Snail soup)

Morrocan street food: Babouche. Photo: foudche.com

Another favorite street food in Morocco is babouche, which is Darija (Moroccan Arabic) for snails. It might seem bizarre to eat cooked snails, and you might want to stay far away from the snail soup vendors in Morocco.

However, if you do end up trying this unusual soup, you will find out exactly why many Moroccans, as well as tourists, love to indulge in the hot and spicy dish.

The soup is not only special because its main ingredient is snails, but also because it has some 15 different spices and herbs that give it an exquisite smell and rich flavor.

The spices and herbs in babouche broth include thyme, orange peel, ground mint, chili, anise, green tea leaves, salt, caraway seeds, and others. Moroccans believe that the several herbs in the soup are very healthy, effective against fever, and promote good digestion.

Tayb O’hari

Tayb O’hari. Photo: Pixabay

Tayb O’hari is a delicious and healthy snack that everyone should try during their travel to Morocco.

The dish is made with dry chickpeas or fava beans that are left overnight in water to soften up. Then they are boiled until they become completely soft and served hot with salt, cumin, and ground paprika as desired.

This street food is cheap yet rich in value due to the healthy legumes. Chickpeas are also a great light snack because they are filling and help you avoid eating unhealthy processed food.

You will find Tayb O’hari in small food stalls that vendors push to their usual selling point with big cooking pots that have both chickpeas and fava beans. You can ask the vendor to add as much cumin, salt, and paprika as you wish.

Maakouda

Moroccan street food: Maakouda. Photo: Pixabay

Maakouda are little Moroccan potato cakes and a very popular street food in Morocco. The small cakes are traditionally made with mashed potatoes and eggs, seasoned with onion, butter, garlic, cilantro, ground pepper turmeric, and cumin.

The potatoes are grated, boiled then mixed with the other ingredients, then shaped into little cakes and breaded before fried. Moroccans either have the treat alone, hot and dipped in sauce, as a filling in khobz (Moroccan bread), or as a side dish.

You can find fresh maakouda in most Moroccan bakeries or in small food stalls in medina streets or souks.

Chebakia

Moroccan street food: Chebakia. Photo: Zouhir

Chebakia is one of the most famous Moroccan foods and is definitely a cookie that anyone who tries adores. The traditional sweet food can be found in the houses of most Moroccans, especially during the month of Ramadan, in restaurants as well, and of course in Morocco’s bustling medina streets.

The delicious sesame cookie might be hard to find as Moroccan women usually require the help of their family, friend, or neighbor to make it, especially when they want to bake a large quantity for Ramadan. However, a bit of a search will be worth it.

The cookie is made with dough, orange flower water, anise, cinnamon, baking powder, olive oil, salt, and sugar. The mix is shaped into a very sophisticated-looking flower, fried until it takes a brownish or gold color, then dipped into honey, and finally sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Msemen and Harsha

Harsha. Photo: Jamaru25

Msemen and Harsha are traditional Moroccan pastries that are delicious and served either during breakfast or the late afternoon as a snack with Moroccan mint tea.

Msemen is composed of thin layers of dough folded into squares and cooked on a griddle. The pastry can come in different shapes and tastes as well: There is plain msemen, and ones filled with kefta (ground meat), onions, and vegetables.

Harsha on the other hand is a type of bread made with semolina and cooked in a hot pan. This pastry might vary from one region to the next or even from one house to another, yet all versions of Harsha are delicious and full of nutrients, especially when cooked using olive oil.

Visiting Morocco, you are bound to indulge in some delicious foods, either in the house of your Moroccan friend or in a local bakery in the streets of the old medina.

Bocadillo

Morccan street food: Bocadillo. Photo: Tamorlan

Bocadillo is a sandwich that originated in Spain. Due to colonization, the European dish became one of the most common street foods in Morocco.

The famous sandwich is usually made of either khobz, split in half, or a baguette, and its filling includes boiled eggs, tuna, olives, lettuce, and tomatoes. You can add hot sauce or any other sauce you prefer. The sandwich’s rich ingredients give it a delicious taste.

Due to its simplicity, many Moroccans pack this tasty sandwich from home for picnics or beach trips, or they buy it from sandwich shops or the many available food stalls.

Nougat

Nougat. Photo: Pixabay

Nougat is a candy that comes in many shapes, colors, and flavors. If you visit Fez’ maze-like medina you are bound to find an abundance of colorful pyramids of nougat in food stalls on almost every corner.

The tasty dessert is made with sugar, egg whites, and different nuts. You can find walnut, almond, or peanut nougat in various colors: Pink, green, blue, yellow, black, or white.

The treat is very sweet and filling as well. It is undeniably tasty and on the street foods loved by Moroccans of all ages.

Moroccan street food is not only tasty, but it also carries a rich culture of which Moroccans are very proud and love to share.

Although many restaurants might offer these authentic Moroccan delicacies, having them in the heart of Moroccan cities in local streets and traditional medinas makes experiencing these foods even more incredible.

 

Source: Morocco World News.

Charlene Savard
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Europe's oldest person has survived Covid-19 after testing positive just a few weeks before her 117th birthday.

Sister André, a nun who was born in 1904, tested positive for the virus on January 16, according to David Tavella, communications director at the Sainte Catherine Labouré nursing home in Toulon, southern France, where she lives.
André, who was born Lucille Randon, showed no symptoms, Tavella told CNN Wednesday.
Sister André, pictured in February 2020.
"I didn't know I had it," André said in an interview with CNN affiliate BFMTV. "No, I wasn't scared because I wasn't scared of dying."
André is preparing to celebrate her 117th birthday on Thursday. Although visitors aren't allowed at the home, she will receive video messages from her family and the local mayor, as well as taking part in a video Mass, Tavella said.
"We're doing all we can to make her happy," he said.
André's birthday meal will feature her favorites: foie gras, baked Alaska and a glass of red wine, Tavella added.
"She drinks a glass of wine every lunchtime," he said.
"Sister André's birthday is taking place at a good time -- it couldn't be a better time, because it will mark the beginning of big festivities that will be organized around this relaxing of our restrictions," Tavella told BFMTV. "Our residents will be able to get out of their rooms, eat together, participate in activities."
André worked as a governess and a teacher, teaching the children to be "very polite," she told French TV station CNEWS. She became a nun in 1944 and moved to the nursing home in Toulon in 2009, Tavella told CNN.
She has lived through two world wars as well as the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic -- she told CNEWS she didn't catch the deadly virus -- and remains philosophical about the coronavirus.
"It will come and go," she told BFMTV. "I don't know."
André is the second-oldest person alive today, after Kane Tanaka, a Japanese woman who was born on January 2, 1903, according to the Gerontology Research Group (GRG).
André became the oldest living person in France in October 2017 following the death of Honorine Rondello, and is the second-oldest French person ever, following Jeanne Calment, who lived to 122.
 
Source:CNN
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More data is needed to ensure hard-hit communities of colour are not left behind in vaccine drive, health experts say.

A healthcare worker administers a shot of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to a woman at a pop-up vaccination site in Manhattan in New York City [File: Mike Segar/Reuters]

When the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in the United States last year, public health officials and community experts warned that Black and other people of colour would be disproportionately hard hit.

Their warning was quickly proven true, with Black, Hispanic and other racialised communities bearing the brunt of infections, deaths and hospitalisations linked to the coronavirus in the year since it began spreading across the country.

Now, many of those experts say a dearth of data on race related to the administration of COVID-19 vaccines risks leaving those same communities behind – or worse, furthering the damage the virus continues to wreak.

“We need to make sure that the communities who need it most – that have suffered the most – have priority to getting the vaccine,” said Dr Uche Blackstock, founder of Advancing Health Equity, an advocacy group, and Yahoo News medical contributor based in New York City.

“We need to know not just racial and ethnic demographic data, but also zip codes of the people being vaccinated – there needs to be a real-time dashboard. Are we targeting the communities that really need this vaccine? And if not, if people from the neighbourhood are not coming, we need to identify why this is happening,” she told Al Jazeera.

Distribution slow, inefficient

More than 464,000 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported across the US to date – the highest total in the world by far – while more than 27 million cases have also been recorded, about one-quarter of the global total, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

The country’s distribution of COVID-19 vaccines – from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna – began in December under the administration of former President Donald Trump, whose lax and often derisive approach to the pandemic has been blamed for the virus’s uncontrolled spread.

But the process has been plagued by delays and inefficacies.

The Trump administration largely left it up to state governments to decide which citizens would be first to be inoculated, as well as where and how the vaccines could be administered. Several US states have complained about not knowing how many doses they would be receiving from the federal government, making it harder to plan distribution. Most have given first priority to healthcare workers and residents of long-term care homes.

As of February 8, more than 59.3 million vaccine doses had been distributed across the US and 42.4 million had been administered, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of that, about 9.5 million people had received two doses of the vaccines.

Farmworkers line up to receive COVID-19 vaccinations in Mecca, California on February 1 [File: Mike Blake/Reuters]

Information is limited on who is receiving the shots, however, and that poses a problem to ensuring the most vulnerable and at-risk people are being protected, said Nina Schwalbe, a professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

 

“If you want to reach vulnerable populations, and you want to understand who is most vulnerable, it’s a requirement that the government collect data on – at a minimum – age, sex and race,” Schwalbe told Al Jazeera.

 

In a report released on February 1, the CDC said race and ethnic data was available for just more than half – 51.9 percent – of people vaccinated in the US between December 14 and January 14. Of that, 60.4 percent of vaccine recipients were white and 39.6 percent were racialised or ethnic minorities, including 11.5 percent who were Hispanic and 5.4 percent who were Black.

According to 2019 US Census figures, 72 percent of people in the US were white alone, 12.8 percent identified solely as Black, 5.7 percent were Asian alone, and 3.4 percent identified as two or more races.

“The percentage of persons initiating vaccination who were Black appears lower relative to the percentage of persons who are Black among health care personnel and [long-term care facility] residents,” the CDC report stated.

As Black, Hispanic, Asian and Indigenous people in the US “have more severe outcomes from COVID-19 than persons who are White, careful monitoring of vaccination by race/ethnicity is critical”, the agency said.

According to the CDC, Black people in the US are 3.7 times more likely to be hospitalised and 2.8 times more likely to die as a result of the coronavirus than white people, while Hispanic people are 4.1 times and 2.8 times more likely to be hospitalised and to die, respectively, than white people.

‘Critical’ data

Despite these disparities, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a non-profit group that conducts research on health issues in the US, reported that as of January 19, only 17 states were reporting race and ethnic data related to vaccinations. As of February 1, that number increased to 24 states.

People of colour also are not getting vaccinations in proportion to their share of the population in some states, the report found.

Volunteers distribute fresh food boxes and hand out COVID-19 survival kits as part of an outreach programme to the Black community to increase vaccine trial participation in October 2020 [File: Lindsay DeDario/Reuters]

 

For instance, in North Carolina, white people accounted for 82 percent of those vaccinated to date, compared with just 10 percent who are Black. Black people make up 31 percent of the state population, according to 2019 US Census figures.

In Maryland, where Black people account for 31 percent of the population, only 17 percent of those who had been vaccinated are Black. By comparison, 65 percent of those inoculated were white, while white people accounted for 58.5 percent of the population in 2019.

In Florida, white people account for 40 percent of all COVID-19 cases, but received 76 percent of vaccine doses administered. Black and Hispanic people – who account for 14.6 percent and 37.3 percent of infections, respectively – received only 5.7 percent and 15.4 percent of the administered jabs.

“To date, vaccination patterns by race and ethnicity appear to be at odds with who the virus has affected the most,” the KFF researchers found.

Who is responsible?

Black communities and other communities of colour in the US have expressed some concerns around the safety of COVID-19 vaccine. Local leaders say that hesitancy is fuelled in part by decades of institutional discrimination in healthcare and other public services.

That can be playing a role in the vaccine disparities, experts said, as are accessibility issues; many elderly individuals in the US have had trouble booking appointments online or by phone, and have been discouraged by complicated processes or wait times. Human Rights Watch says 25 percent of Black, 21 percent of Latinx, and 28 percent of Native American people above 65 years do not have internet access, hampering efforts to make appointments online.

Both Blackstock and Schwalbe said race data – and in particular, knowing who is not being vaccinated – can help with outreach and public awareness efforts, which are critical to boosting distribution to communities in need as vaccinations ramp up.

“As more people become eligible and received COVID-19 vaccine, public health officials should ensure that vaccine is administered efficiently and equitably within each successive vaccine priority category, especially to those at highest risk for infection and severe health outcomes, many of whom are Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Hispanic,” CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund told Al Jazeera in an email.

But Nordlund said the CDC is not a regulatory agency and therefore it cannot mandate states collect the information. The US Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to repeated requests for comment, instead referring Al Jazeera back to the CDC.

“The ultimate distributor of the vaccines is the federal government. Whoever holds the goods makes the rules,” Schwalbe said.

Efforts to reach communities

While the early disparities continue to draw criticism, authorities at the local, state and federal levels are trying to do more to reach vulnerable groups as President Joe Biden’s administration ramps up vaccine distribution.

On Tuesday, White House COVID coordinator Jeff Zientz said the federal government plans to begin sending vaccine supplies next week to community health centres, which provide health services in underserved areas. The goal, Zientz told reporters, is to better reach the country’s “hardest-hit populations”.

At the state level, authorities in New Mexico are looking at using drive-through testing sites to reach underserved groups, while Massachusetts plans to offer vaccines through community health centres to reach people of colour, the LGBTQ community and non-US born communities, according to a report by the National Governors Association and Duke University’s Margolis Center for Public Health.

In New York City, a local healthcare network put new rules in place last month after local media reported that many people who live outside the city had booked appointments to receive jabs in Washington Heights, a neighbourhood where nearly 70 percent of residents are Hispanic.

The NewYork-Presbyterian healthcare network said all appointments at the Armory site would go to New York City residents, while 60 percent will be earmarked for residents of the neighbourhoods of Washington Heights, Inwood, Northern and Central Harlem, and South Bronx specifically.

“The Armory site was selected specifically to allow easier access to the vaccine to these communities, and a dedicated outreach team that includes bilingual staff has been created to expand community outreach efforts in Northern Manhattan,” it said.

Schwalbe said the federal government, which is distributing the vaccines, should make collecting race data a requirement for sites to receive doses. Most jurisdictions already collect basic information on anyone receiving a jab, she added, which means the question is, why is that data not being reported up and made public?

The problem mirrors that of data around coronavirus-related deaths: while the overall number of deaths is reported and accessible, more specific breakdowns of who is dying and where it is difficult to find, Schwalbe said.

“We need laser focus on reaching those people who are at highest risk, and those are the elderly and Black and brown populations,” she said. “Data should be available on every person receiving a vaccine. This is not rocket science.”

Source: AlJazeera

 

 

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Ankara indicates it may be willing to compromise on the Russian air defense system that strained ties with the US.

US says the S-400 system could be used by Moscow to secretly acquire classified information on NATO weaponry [File: Reuters]

Turkey’s proposal to not fully activate its controversial Russian S-400 missile system offers an olive branch to the new US administration to start negotiations over the issue that has severely strained bilateral ties, according to analysts.

Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said in an interview with a Turkish newspaper that his country is open to a deal similar to one with Greece, another NATO member, which was made after it bought S-300s – an older generation the Russian defence system – in 1997.

“There is no decision to use them [S-400s] constantly,” Akar was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet daily on Tuesday, adding the missiles could be deployed only if Turkey comes under threat.

Turkey’s purchase of the S-400 system has been one of the key issues that have clouded relations between Turkey and the United States, leading to the imposition of American sanctions.

Akar reiterated Ankara’s call for talks with the United States over the Russian S-400s, which has so far been ignored by new US President Joe Biden’s administration.

“We have said the negotiations could be held under the umbrella of NATO. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also said he was positive about the issue,” the Turkish minister said.

Washington says the S-400 system might be used by Moscow to secretly acquire classified information on American and NATO weaponry, posing a serious risk to the alliance.

The US also says Turkey’s procurement also provides substantial funds to Russia’s defence sector, and the S-400s are incompatible with NATO systems.

Turkey, however, insists it is not planning to integrate S-400s into its NATO armaments, and the weapons would not pose a threat to American systems or the alliance.

‘Trying to open dialogue’

Sinan Ulgen, a former diplomat and current analyst, told Al Jazeera that Akar’s comments could produce a basis for talks between the US and Turkey to resolve the festering dispute.

“Ankara is trying to open a dialogue with the US by saying that it might not keep the S-400s operational at all times,” he said.

“Greece’s S-300 missiles are not kept active and rarely used, including in some NATO military drills Greece takes part in, which actually makes the alliance know the Russian system better,” Ulgen added.

“I do not believe Turkey would use S-400s in NATO drills. This would create a crisis between Moscow and Ankara. I don’t believe not having the system active would annoy Russia. The main issue will be, if there is such an agreement, to find a monitoring mechanism between the two NATO allies to verify the status of the defence system.”

Why do countries want to buy the Russian S-400?

Greece acquired the S-300 defence system, which was originally planned to be deployed in Cyprus, during a crisis between Turkey and the Greek Cypriot government in the late 1990s.

The issue was resolved in December 1998 after the Greek Cypriot government sent the system to Greece in exchange of other weapons.

The S-300s are currently deployed on the Greek island of Crete, kept in storage, and not integrated into NATO’s defence network.

Defence Minister Akar calls for dialogue with the US over the S-400 dispute [File: Reuters]

US sanctions

Washington sanctioned Ankara over buying the air defence system in December 2020 under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

In his interview, Akar criticised the US sanctions, pointing out the law’s title literally calls Turkey “an adversary”.

“We reject Turkey – a NATO ally and US strategic partner – being called an adversary. How can this be possible?” he said.

The sanctions target Turkey’s military procurement agency, its chief, and three other senior officials. They block any assets the officials may have in the United States and ban them from entering the country.

In addition, the penalties include a ban on some export licences, loans, and credit to Turkey’s Presidency of Defence Industries agency.

US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) dance in Hasaka, northeastern Syria [File: Rodi Said/Reuters]

Backing the Kurds

US-Turkey relations have been complicated in recent years over a series of disagreements, including American support for Syrian Kurdish fighters viewed by Ankara as “terrorists”.

Turkey considers the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) an extension of the armed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been fighting against the Turkish state for decades demanding autonomy.

According to Mensur Akgun, a professor of international relations at Istanbul’s Kultur University, Turkey is likely to bring up the US backing of the Syrian Kurdish fighters in future talks with the US.

“In the past, Turkey would respond to the US criticism over S-400s at the technical level, but recently officials, including Akar, started linking the issue to the dispute over the Kurdish fighters in Syria,” said Akgun.

“Ankara argues the US criticism over the Turkish purchase of S-400s from Russia, NATO’s opponent, is void as the US itself backs the People’s Protection Units, Turkey’s enemy. Turkey seeks to see talks and dialogue with the US, not sanctions. The question is the readiness the new US administration to talk about S-400s.”

He added unlike his predecessor Donald Trump’s approach to Ankara, President Biden is likely to add human rights issues and democratic principles in Turkey into the mutual dialogue as part of his policy agenda.

Turkey was removed from the US’ F-35 programme [Yichuan Cao/NurPhoto via Getty Images]

F-35 programme

In July 2019, the US removed Ankara from its key F-35 fighter jet programme days after Turkey received the first delivery of the Russian S-400s. Turkey was a manufacturer and buyer in the scheme.

The Biden administration has said it will continue Trump’s policy of excluding Ankara from the development of the stealth F-35 jets.

“Our position has not changed,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a Pentagon news conference last week. “We urge Turkey not to retain the S-400 system.”

Ibrahim Kalin, Turkey’s presidential spokesman, and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had a phone call last week that marked the first official contact between the allies since Biden took office on January 20. The S-400 dispute was part of the conversation, according to Turkish and American media reports.

Turkey decided to buy S-400s after failing to agree on terms with former President Barack Obama’s administration about the US Patriot air defence system widely used within NATO. The S-400 deal with Russia was signed in 2017.

Trump has admitted that Turkey’s S-400 acquisition was justified, blaming Obama for the crisis.

“Obama administration said no, no, no to Turkey when they wanted to buy Patriots and they [Turkey] bought S-400s,” Trump said in a speech in 2019, saying Obama’s decision created a “mess” with Ankara.

Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a close relationship and frequent direct contact. Biden and Erdogan have not yet had a conversation.

Erdogan said last month he hoped “we can hold talks and see positive results” over the S-400 issue.

The Russian S-400 missile defence system is seen as a threat to NATO’s weaponry [Vitaly Nevar/Reuters]

Source:AlJazeera

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With artificial intelligence (AI) steadily progressing, concerns have been growing about how much innovation is too much. Cybersecurity expert Morgan Wright offers his forecast for the industry.

The quest for AI is right now “one of the biggest battles” between countries around the world, he tells Boom Bust, adding that we are dealing with two forms of AI: narrow or weak AI, and artificial general intelligence.

The first form is “very much based upon machine learning, what do we tell it, what do we instruct it. Eventually, where this goes is artificial general intelligence.”

Wright explains that “Governments are trying to get to in a sense very powerful, all-knowing all-seeing type of artificial general intelligence, which is used for military purposes, espionage, economics, banking, finance, and things like that.”

He says: “If you program biases into it, it will act in accordance with its programming, but as it gets smarter, as it gets better, you will see us move from this narrow AI to what’s called artificial general intelligence, and that’s where the real danger lies in terms of what AI can do in terms of control of population.”

Source:RT.com

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In a new excerpt from his pre-Super Bowl interview, President Joe Biden made it clear there is no chance of the US lifting sanctions on Iran unless they "stop enriching uranium first," a step Tehran is not willing to take.

Biden's stance puts him at odds with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said before the US president's comments aired that the US must lift all sanctions if it wants Iran to "return to its commitments."

"It must lift all sanctions in practice, then we will do verification … then we will return to our commitments," he stated, according to local media. 

Biden's thoughts on the matter were much briefer, but they may be expanded upon when CBS airs the wide-spanning interview with him in the hour before the Super Bowl game begins.

Asked whether the US would lift sanctions "first" to get Iran "back to the negotiating table," Biden simply responded: "No."

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With the vaccine not providing immediate immunity to the coronavirus, over two hundred Israeli citizens have been diagnosed with the disease days after getting the Pfizer/BioNTech jabs, local media reported.

The number of those who got Covid-19 despite being vaccinated was at around 240 people, according to data from Channel 13 News.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which the Israeli health authorities rely on, doesn’t contain the coronavirus and can’t infect the recipient. But time is needed for the genetic code in the drug to train the immune system to recognize and attack the disease.

The course of the US-made vaccine requires two shots. According to the studies, immunity to Covid-19 increases only eight to ten days after the first injection and eventually reaches 50 percent.

The second jab is administered 21 days from the first one, while the declared immunity of 95 percent is achieved only a week after that. And, of course, there’s still a five percent chance of getting infected even if the vaccine is at its full potential.

Israeli news outlets which reported the figures urged the public to remain vigilant and thoroughly follow all Covid-19 precautions during the month after the first shot of the vaccine is administered.

The Jewish state is currently undertaking a massive vaccination campaign, which already saw over one million people or almost 12 percent of the population getting the Pfizer/BioNTech jab. That’s the largest span per capita in the world, according to Oxford University. The first phase of the program aims to immunize medics and elderly people before expanding on to other categories.

Around one in a thousand people have reported mild side effects after the injection, including weakness, dizziness and fever as well as pain, swelling and redness in the spot where the shot was given. Only a few dozen of them required medical attention, the Health Ministry said.

Since vaccinations kicked off on December 20, at least four people in Israel died shortly after getting the jab, Kan public broadcaster reported. However, the Health Ministry said that three fatalities were unrelated to the vaccine, with the fourth case of an 88-year-old man with preexisting conditions currently being investigated.

Source: RT.com

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The British government has urged illegal immigrants to get vaccinated against Covid-19, adding that everyone can get the jab free of charge and they won’t be punished because of their immigration status.

“Coronavirus vaccines will be offered to everyone living in the UK free of charge, regardless of immigration status,” a UK government spokesman said on Monday morning. 

“Those registered with a GP are being contacted at the earliest opportunity and we are working closely with partners and external organisations to contact those who are not registered with a GP to ensure they are also offered the vaccine,” the spokesman added.

The comments come after the Daily Mail reported on Sunday that the UK would not introduce ‘immigration status checks’ on patients who come forward for vaccination. 

The paper suggests that as many as 1.2 million undocumented individuals or illegal migrants could come forward and get the jab without any repercussions. 

Natalie Elphicke, Conservative MP for Dover, told the Daily Mail that “Once people are in our country, it’s in all our interests to contain the virus. So vaccinating everyone whose turn it is on public health grounds, in the end, will protect us all.”

A 2017 study by the Pew Research Centre suggested that there were between 800,000 and 1.2 million ‘unauthorised immigrants’ in the UK.

As of Saturday, more than 12 million Britons have received at least one Covid-19 jab, as the nation looks to hit its target of administering 15 million vaccines by mid-February.

Source: RT.com

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust on Monday. His trial resumed six weeks before the country is due to hold a parliamentary election.

During his second appearance in court since May, and just over a month before the 2021 Israeli legislative election, Netanyahu confirmed his written plea of ‘not guilty’ for charges that include passing regulatory favors for a company in exchange for positive news coverage.

Last year, Netanyahu claimed that the purpose of the corruption trial was to “depose a strong, right-wing prime minister, and thus remove the nationalist camp from the leadership of the country for many years,” though many Israelis argue that the leader is no longer fit for office.

Protesters flocked to Netanyahu's official residence on Saturday to protest the prime minister, calling for him to resign over the corruption charges and his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Similar rallies have been held in Israel for months now. Netanyahu has called the protesters “anarchists,” and his son Yair mocked them as “aliens” back in August.

Netanyahu is charged with fraud and breach of trust for allegedly receiving frequent gifts, including expensive champagne and cigars, from billionaire Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer — who previously had business and personal connections to the Church of Scientology. Despite accepting the gifts, Netanyahu is alleged to have "acted for the benefit of Mr. Milchan as part of his official roles" for several years.

The Israeli PM is also charged with fraud and breach of trust for a series of meetings he had with newspaper publisher Arnon Mozes, during which he allegedly spoke about interfering against Mozes' media rivals in exchange for positive news coverage; and is charged with fraud, bribery, and breach of trust for allegedly using his position to help businessman Shaul Elovitch – also in exchange for positive news coverage.

Source: RT.com

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The path has been cleared for Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to become the first woman and the first African to lead the World Trade Organization after South Korea's candidate pulled out of the race for the job.

Yoo Myung-hee, the South Korean trade minister, announced her decision to withdraw in a televised briefing on Friday.
Okonjo-Iweala, an economist and former finance minister of Nigeria, already enjoyed broad support from WTO members, including the European Union, China, Japan and Australia.
However, the United States, under the Trump administration, had favored Yoo, complicating the decision-making process since the selection of a new leader requires all WTO members to agree. Okonjo-Iweala's formal selection may have to wait until after the United States appoints a new trade representative.
Yoo said that her decision had been reached after "close consultation" with the United States. The WTO had been without a leader for too long, she added.
The Geneva-based body, tasked with promoting free trade, has been without a permanent director general since Roberto Azevêdo stepped down a year earlier than planned at the end of August after the WTO was caught in the middle of an escalating trade fight between the United States and China.
The Trump administration was highly critical of the WTO and undermined its standing by imposing tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China and the European Union. Okonjo-Iweala will thus assume control of an organization that has struggled to prevent trade spats between its members.
While US President Joe Biden has already taken steps to restore support for multilateral institutions, he is expected to proceed with caution when it comes to signing any new trade deals.
In a speech to the State Department Thursday, Biden pledged to put diplomacy back at the center of US foreign policy, but was also careful to emphasize that foreign policy should benefit middle-class Americans.
Okonjo-Iweala, who hails from one of the few parts of the world where free trade is ascendent, told CNN in August that trade would play an important role in the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
"The WTO needs a leader at this time. It needs a fresh look, a fresh face, an outsider, someone with the capability to implement reforms and to work with members to make sure the WTO comes out of the partial paralysis that it's in," she said in an interview.
Okonjo-Iweala spent 25 years at the World Bank as a development economist, rising to the position of managing director. She also chaired the board of Gavi, which is helping to distribute coronavirus vaccines globally, stepping down at the end of her term in December.
 
Source: CNN Business
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Moroccan players monopolized the individual awards at the 2021 African Nations Championship (CHAN), receiving overwhelming commendations from both fans and commentators.

In parallel with their collective triumph, Moroccan players earned the three individual awards distributed at the end of the continental tournament: Man of the Competition, Top Scorer, and Best Goalkeeper.

Raja Casablanca winger Soufiane Rahimi won both the Man of the Competition and the Top Scorer awards. Having scored five goals in the tournament, the 24-year-old player has significantly contributed to Morocco’s triumph.

Many observers believe that the 2021 CHAN could be Rahimi’s ticket to Europe. Playing in a major European league is the ultimate goal for many local Moroccan players, but, over the years, only a few have been able to make the journey from the local Botola league to European clubs.

The Best Goalkeeper award also went to a Raja Casablanca player, Anas Zniti. Having played in continental competitions for over a decade, the 32-year-old goalkeeper expertly guided his defensive line throughout the tournament.

Zniti conceded only three goals in six games and he was able to maintain a clean sheet four times in the competition. In the final game against Mali, especially, Zniti made several saves allowing his teammates to remain confident. His performance yesterday earned him the Man of the Match award as well.

In addition to the individual awards, the tournament’s organizer, CAF, nominated five Moroccan players among the Best XI of the Tournament — the best player in each position.

The Moroccan players that appeared on the list were central defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil, left-back Hamza El Moussaoui, central midfielder Yahya Jabrane, left-winger Soufiane Rahimi, and striker Ayoub El Kaabi.

Source: Morocco World News.

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