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Action Urged to Ensure Safe Water, Sanitation Globally
The World Health Organization warns billions of people who lack access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene are at risk of deadly infectious diseases. The finding appears in the WHO and U.N.-Water’s Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) report issued this week. Data collected from 121 countries show billions of people are facing a health crisis and states must act urgently to improve water, sanitation and hygiene, known as WASH. The report, the most comprehensive to date, finds most countries are not on track to achieve the U.N. sustainable development goal of providing water and sanitation
THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT “Employers should not be stingy with regards to the health and safety of workers” – the President during the National Worker of the Year 2022 Award
The President of Malta George Vella encouraged all employers not to be stingy with regards to the health and safety of workers. During the ‘National Worker of the Year 2022 Award’ ceremony organised by the Parliamentary Secretariat for Social Dialogue, the President referred to workplace accidents, some of which were fatal. “Employers and the responsible authorities should drive initiatives that avoid and protect employees from tragedies that can be avoided with a little more attention and discipline,” said President Vella. The National Worker of the Year Award recognises the dedication and diligence of workers, as the President
China Trying to Fight Back US Ban on Its Chip Industry
China is spending $143 billion to combat U.S. moves to cut off its supply of semiconductor technology. The funds will be used to provide financial subsidies and incentives to help China’s chipmakers develop and acquire semiconductor technology to withstand the U.S. move. This is one of three measures, analysts say, taken by Beijing to protect semiconductor companies supporting its vast electronics, automotive and military hardware industries. “China views semiconductors as a strategic resource. Therefore, it wants to become self-sufficient in all aspects of advanced chip design and manufacturing,” said Lourdes S. Casanova, director of the Emerging Markets Institute at Cornell
Climate Change Fuels Unprecedented Cholera Increase
The World Health Organization says climate change is behind an unprecedented surge in the number of cholera outbreaks around the world this year. At least 30 countries have reported outbreaks of the deadly disease this year, about a third higher than normally seen. Philippe Barboza, WHO’s team leader for cholera and epidemic diarrheal diseases, said most of the large cholera outbreaks have coincided with adverse climate events and have been visibly and directly affected by them. “Very severe droughts like, for example, in the Horn of Africa, in the Sahel but also in other parts of the world,” he said.
THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT The President meets with Minister for Foreign Affairs and Energy Trade of Hungary
President George Vella today held a meeting with Péter Szijjártó Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary. Discussions covered a range of issues of a bilateral and regional nature, with a focus on European Union matters. At the outset President Vella, recalled hosting the President of Hungary Katalin Novak in Malta to participate at the Arraiolos meeting held in October. The President termed bilateral relations as excellent, expressing satisfaction at the recent intensification of trade, investment and air connectivity between the two countries. People-to-people relations have also experienced a positive turn with a sizeable Hungarian community in Malta and
US Monitors New Variants from China as Beijing Relaxes Zero-COVID Approach
The United States is monitoring for new coronavirus variants as it braces for a potential outbreak of COVID-19 infections following Beijing’s easing of strict controls that kept the pandemic at bay in China. “We have a very robust surveillance program that we use for travelers as people come in, in terms of identifying people who are infected, tracking variants,” Ashish Jha, White House coronavirus response coordinator, told VOA during a briefing with reporters on Thursday. “And if there are new variants that emerge, I’m confident that we will be able to identify them.” Jha said the monitoring mechanism includes testing