The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has airlifted emergency medical supplies to Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka to help save lives, stop the spread of COVID-19, and continue to meet the urgent health needs across South Asia.

This new airlift follows three shipments of COVID-19 relief supplies by the U.S. Government to Nepal and the delivery of seven emergency air shipments to India to help contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Maldives, this emergency assistance delivery will provide 600 pulse oximeters and 292,000 vital pieces of personal protective equipment to support frontline healthcare workers and people most affected by the current outbreak. Prior to today’s shipment, USAID has provided $9.1 million to assist Maldives’ COVID-19 response and recovery, including a donation of 60 ventilators to care for critically ill patients. This assistance has provided life-saving treatments, strengthened clinical care, and mobilized critical supplies to bolster the response and help the country recover.

In Pakistan, this flight will bring 1,200 pulse oximeters, and 340,000 pieces of personal protective equipment for healthcare professionals. The United States and Pakistan have worked together closely to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this donation is being made at the Government of Pakistan’s request. Prior to this flight, the U.S. Government allocated $40 million to Pakistan for COVID-19 response assistance, including a donation of 200 ventilators to care for COVID-19 patients. This support has benefited more than 2.5 million Pakistanis across the country, providing life-saving treatments, strengthening case-finding and surveillance, and mobilizing innovative financing to bolster emergency preparedness. For more information about USAID’s COVID-19 response in Pakistan, click here.

In Sri Lanka, this assistance includes 880,000 vital pieces of personal protective equipment and 1,200 pulse oximeters to support frontline healthcare workers and others most affected by the current outbreak. The United States and Sri Lanka have worked closely together to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic since its outset, and USAID’s assistance has benefited millions of people in all 25 districts and nine provinces across the country, providing life-saving treatments, strengthening clinical care, and mobilizing critical supplies to bolster the response. The U.S. Government has previously provided $11.3 million to assist Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 response and recovery, including a donation of 200 ventilators to care for critically ill patients.

This airlift exemplifies the United States’ whole-of-government response to ensure assistance reaches people who need it quickly. The State of California’s Office of Emergency Services generously donated commodities, USAID sourced PPE from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of State procured the aircraft being used for transport.

USAID is coordinating additional shipments for South Asia in the coming weeks.

USAID is also working closely with the private sector to help address the immediate health needs in the region. USAID will leverage its experience with a range of private sector partners—from manufacturers

to investors, from multinational companies to small- and medium-sized enterprises—to meet the critical needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fourth Trilateral Foreign Ministers Meeting of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan takes place in Beijing today (Thursday).

The Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will virtually attend the meeting.

Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Wang Wenbin has said the three foreign ministers will have in-depth exchanges of views on Afghan peace and reconciliation process and the counter terrorism and security cooperation.

The Spokesperson said China, Afghanistan and Pakistan trilateral foreign ministers meeting is an important platform to enhance mutual trust and promote cooperation.

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has asked Sudan to hand over a key suspect accused of war crimes and genocide in Darfur.

Fatou Bensouda made the call to the authorities to hand over Ahmed Haroun, a key ally of ousted president Omar al-Bashir, to face trial along with a former militia leader accused of similar crimes.

The former Janjaweed leader Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, handed himself over to the court last year.

Ms Bensouda, who spoke in Khartoum after concluding a visit to Darfur, noted the confirmation of charges against Ali Kushayb last week, adding that they “were against both himself and Ahmed Haroun” and should be tried together.

The conflict in Darfur began back in 2003 when armed groups there rebelled against the government, claiming their region was neglected.

Khartoum responded by arming Arab nomad herders, who became known as the notorious Janjaweed, and paying them to brutally supress the uprising.

The violence led to the deaths of 300,000 people and displaced more than two million people, according to the UN.

On Wednesday, Ms Bensouda told reporters that the ICC had held “positive” talks regarding the transfer of the former president, who is being held in prison in Khartoum, to face trial for charges including genocide.

JERUSALEM: Israel’s opposition leader moved closer to unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he officially told the country’s president that he has reached agreements with political allies to form a new government.

About 35 minutes before a Wednesday midnight deadline, the centrist Yair Lapid told President Reuven Rivlin in an email: “I am honored to inform you that I have succeeded in forming a government.”

Rivlin, attending Israel’s soccer cup final at the time, congratulated Lapid by phone, according to his office.

Lapid’s main partner is nationalist Naftali Bennett, who would serve as prime minister first under a rotation between the two men. Lapid, 57, a former TV host and finance minister, would take over after about two years.

Their coalition government would comprise a patchwork of small and medium parties from across the political spectrum, including for the first time in Israel’s history a party that represents Israel’s 21% Arab minority – the United Arab List.

It would also include Bennett’s Yamina (Rightward), centre-left Blue and White, headed by Defence Minister Benny Gantz, the left-wing Meretz and Labour parties, former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman’s nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party and New Hope, a right-wing party headed by former education minister Gideon Saar, who broke away from Netanyahu’s Likud.

But the fragile new government, which would command a razor-thin majority in parliament, was only expected to be sworn in about 10-12 days from now, leaving slight room for Netanyahu’s camp to try and abort it by turning lawmakers over to their side and vote against it.

Israeli political analysts widely expected Netanyahu to try every possible political manoeuvre to make this happen, seizing upon Yamina members who are unhappy about joining forces with Arab and leftist lawmakers.

“Calm down. Netanyahu’s still prime minister for a few more days until the confidence vote and he’s going to fight every inch of the way to deny the new government its wafer-thin majority. This is still very far from over,” Anshel Pfeffer, political analyst for the liberal Haaretz newspaper, wrote on Twitter.

Netanyahu, who has yet to respond to Lapid’s announcement, controls 30 seats in the 120-member Knesset, almost twice as many as Lapid’s Yesh Atid party, and he is allied with at least three other religious and nationalist parties.

‘Great hope’

During a 12-year run in top office, Israel’s longest serving leader has been an often polarising figure at home and abroad.

Netanyahu, 71, has sought to discredit the Bennett-Lapid alliance, saying it would endanger Israel’s security – an allusion to efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear programme and manage ever-fraught Palestinian ties.

Lapid, a centrist, was given the task of forming a governing coalition after right-wing Netanyahu failed to do so in the wake of a March 23 election. He campaigned under a pledge to “return sanity” to Israel, focusing on Netanyahu’s corruption trial on charges which he denies.

“This government will work for all Israel’s citizens, those who voted for it and those who did not. It will respect its opponents and do all it can to unites and connect all parts of Israeli society,” Lapid said on Twitter.

Nazir Siyal

KARACHI: IUCN and Partner Organizations arranged activity led by former Federal Minister and well-known socialist Javed Jabar as chief guest in connection with World Environment Day 2021 to celebrate for ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 internationally.

IUCN, WWF and the officials of Sindh Forest Department gave a briefing regarding climate change and marine Forest life to protect Ecosystem restoration 2021-2030.

As the global host of the World Environment Day 2021, Pakistan has made headlines across the world, gaining immense popularity and appreciation.

On the occasion, Dr. Babar Hussain IUCN Natural Resources Specialist, while giving details on the importance and usefulness of mangrove forests protection sea erosion and other marine life. He said that restoration of natural ecosystem regarding mangrove forests is a great importance in the conservation of land erosion and other breeding species and fish also.

In this regard, IUCN along with other social and governmental individuals take part in 2000 seed plantation regarding the drive of Billion Tree project officials told.

The theme of the day “Ecosystem Restoration” was attended by other partners included the  Officers of Sindh Forest Department, WWF,  Thardeep (TRDP), HANDS and climate change experts, academics, researchers and media.