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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40011833

Catherine Russell of the United States took office on Tuesday as the new executive director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), becoming the fourth woman to lead the organization.

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 1 — “It is an honour and a privilege to join UNICEF and help lead its remarkable work for children at such a crucial moment,” said Russell in a press release. “At a time when millions of children globally are still reeling from the impact of the COVID pandemic and other crises, UNICEF is leading the call to protect their rights and their futures. I look forward to the work ahead.”

Russell succeeds Henrietta Fore of the United States, who resigned in July 2021 to attend to a family health issue but offered to stay on until her successor is appointed.

Before her new position at the United Nations, Russell served in the U.S. government as assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel under President Joe Biden. From 2013 to 2017, she served as ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues in the U.S. Department of State. Previously, she served as deputy assistant to the president at the White House under President Barack Obama.

Russell holds a Bachelor’s degree from Boston College and a Juris Doctor degree from the George Washington University Law School.

Published : February 02, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40011830

The milestone of 30 trillion dollars in debt should be “a giant red flag for all of us about America’s future economic health, generational equity, and role in the world,” an expert said.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 — The U.S. national debt has surpassed 30 trillion U.S. dollars for the first time, raising concerns about future fiscal sustainability, as the Federal Reserve prepares to raise interest rates to tame inflation.

The total public debt outstanding exceeded 30 trillion dollars on Monday, which included 23.5 trillion dollars in debt held by the public and 6.5 trillion dollars in intergovernmental holdings, according to the U.S. Treasury Department’s daily treasury statement.

The national debt increased sharply in recent years, in part because of former President Donald Trump’s large tax cuts and massive government spending to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, analysts said.

The milestone of 30 trillion dollars in debt should be “a giant red flag for all of us about America’s future economic health, generational equity, and role in the world,” said Michael A. Peterson, CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.

“How we got here is a long story of repeated chapters of fiscal irresponsibility on both sides of the aisle. Leaders in Washington have made imprudent decisions over decades, time and again choosing a favourite new tax cut or spending program above our collective future,” Peterson said Tuesday in a statement.

Peterson also warned that on the current trajectory, the interest on the national debt will rise to eat up nearly 50 cents of every tax dollar collected in 2050.

“It’s not only unsustainable, but it also a moral failure that will harm our children and grandchildren,” he said, urging policymakers to put the nation on a strong and sustainable fiscal path.

The rising national debt came after U.S. Congress passed legislation in December to raise the federal government’s debt limit by 2.5 trillion dollars to about 31.4 trillion dollars, averting a looming debt default.

The Fed signalled last week that the central bank is ready to raise interest rates as soon as March to combat surging inflation as it exits from the ultra-loose monetary policy enacted at the start of the pandemic.

Now traders have priced in a total of five quarter-point rate hikes this year, bringing the federal funds rate to a range of 1 per cent to 1.25 per cent by the end of the year. The rate hikes will certainly push up U.S. debt service costs.

A growing debt burden could increase the risk of a fiscal crisis and higher inflation as well as undermine confidence in the U.S. dollar, making it more costly to finance public and private activity in international markets, the Congressional Budget Office has warned. 

Xinhua

Published : February 02, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40011795

The iconic Azadi Tower in Tehran, Iran’s capital, flashed red on Monday, a colour associated with good luck and happiness in China, to mark the Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, which falls on Feb. 1 this year.

TEHRAN, Jan. 31 — With the Chinese and Iranian national anthems playing in the background, the national flags of the two countries were flying on the top of the tower, while the main body of the landmark was illuminated in red.

Slogans in Chinese and Persian, such as “happy Chinese New Year,” “warmly celebrate the 50th anniversary of China-Iran diplomatic ties,” and “ancient civilization Iran welcomes you,” appeared in turn.

Another theme of the light show was to wish the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics a success. The emblems of the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics were projected onto the tower, and a promotional video for the Beijing Olympics was played during the event.

Chinese Ambassador to Iran Chang Hua said the light show represents Iran’s good wishes for the Chinese Lunar New Year and the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics.

“It has fully demonstrated the profound friendship and bonds between peoples of both countries,” he said. 

Chinese Ambassador to Iran Chang Hua (5th R) and Iranian representatives pose for a photo in front of the Azadi Tower during a light show to mark the Chinese Lunar New Year in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 31, 2022. The iconic Azadi Tower in Tehran flashed red on Monday, a colour associated with good luck and happiness in China, to mark the Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, which falls on Feb. 1 this year. (Chinese Embassy in Iran/Handout via Xinhua)

Xinhua

Published : February 01, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40011793

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Monday that Israel will strengthen its ties with the Palestinian Authority despite no intention to negotiate a peace deal with it.

JERUSALEM, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) — Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Monday that Israel will strengthen its ties with the Palestinian Authority despite no intention to negotiate a peace deal with it.

The remarks were made at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in response to a no-confidence motion over Gantz’s meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in recent months.

Although the government of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will not negotiate a peace deal with the Palestinian leadership, Israel “must keep a diplomatic horizon” with the Palestinians and the ties with the Palestinian leadership “will get stronger and deeper,” Gantz told the parliament.

Palestinian protestors clash with Israeli soldiers during a demonstration against Israel

Coordination and frequent talks between Israel and the Palestinians “are critical for our security, for the future of our children and how our state will look,” he said.

“The years-long weakening of the Palestinian Authority … has strengthened Hamas and hurt Israel’s security,” the Israeli minister added. The Palestinian militant group Hamas ousted the Palestinian Authority forces from the Gaza Strip in 2007 and has since controlled and ruled the coastal enclave.

In late December of 2021, Gantz and Abbas met at Gantz’s home in the city of Rosh Ha’Ayin in central Israel to discuss economic and security issues. A day later, Israel made a series of gestures to improve relations with the Palestinian Authority, including the transfer of 100 million new shekels’ (31.5 million U.S. dollars) worth of tax payments that Israel has been collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.

Gantz and Abbas first met on Aug. 30, 2021, in the first face-to-face meeting between the Palestinian president and a senior Israeli official since 2010.

Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war and kept its control over the territory despite international criticism. 

Published : February 01, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40011777

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is the second one in the United States to receive full approval from the FDA.

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine received full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday.

The vaccine, named Spikevax, is approved for use in people ages 18 and older.

Spikevax meets the FDA’s rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality required for approval, said the agency in a statement.

“While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock.
 

“Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.,” she said.

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is the second one in the United States to receive full approval from the FDA. Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, was fully approved for use in people ages 16 and older in August 2021.

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine has been available under the FDA’s emergency use authorization for individuals 18 years of age and older since Dec. 18, 2020.  

Published : February 01, 2022

By : Xinhua

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In the week ahead, Winter Storm Landon could bring a mess of snow, sleet and ice from the Plains to the Midwest and Great Lakes while soaking parts of the Northeast just days after Winter Storm Kenan’s heavy snow on Saturday.

NEW YORK, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) — More than 15 million people across the U.S. Northeast, Appalachians and southern Florida are under wind chill alerts Sunday morning as arctic air filters south and east behind the departing Nor’easter, which delivered a mix of heavy snow and gale along much of the U.S. East Coast on Saturday.

Morning low temperatures are forecast to be in the single digits and teens across much of the Northeast and Appalachians. However, some interior portions of New York and New England could see morning temperatures drop below zero. Winds behind the Nor’easter could gust as high as 40 mph in some locations in the morning.

“These strong winds combined with the cold air temperatures will cause wind chills to be as cold as 10 to 20 degrees (Fahrenheit) below zero,” reported CNN. “This cold, arctic air will also impact locations as far south as Florida this morning, where several cities could see record morning low temperatures today.”

Morning low temperatures across the region will be in the upper 20s to mid-30s degrees Fahrenheit, but wind chills could feel as cold as 20 degrees Fahrenheit. This is some of the coldest air to impact southern Florida in over a decade, leading the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Miami to warn of “falling iguanas.”

On Saturday, packing raking winds, blinding snows and piercing cold, a powerful, fast-moving winter storm roared up the U.S. East Coast, bringing power outages, disrupted travel and general misery to millions of residents. “The worst of the storm was felt across the Northeast,” said The New York Times.

Power outages were still affecting nearly 62,000 Massachusetts residents as of early Sunday morning, and broader blackouts remained an ongoing concern with high winds threatening to snap snow-covered branches and cripple power lines as the storm churned offshore, according to the report.

“It’s a classic blizzard,” Glenn Field, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norton, Massachusetts, was quoted as saying. Some areas in the state had received three to four inches of snow per hour Saturday morning. Heavy snow continued through the afternoon, with wind gusts of more than 70 miles per hour.

A snow plow works at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, the United States, Jan. 29, 2022. (Photo by Winston Zhou/Xinhua)

“Indeed, the tempest’s intensity and drifting snow made even measuring the accumulation difficult, though the storm was shaping up to be the biggest of the season in some regions, and maybe one of the biggest in decades,” said the report. The NWS said the 23.6 inches on Saturday tied the single-day record for Boston, set in 2003.

In the week ahead, Winter Storm Landon could bring a mess of snow, sleet and ice from the Plains to the Midwest and Great Lakes while soaking parts of the Northeast just days after Winter Storm Kenan’s heavy snow on Saturday, The Weather Channel, an American pay television channel owned by Weather Group, reported on Sunday.

“We’re in the peak time of year for large, expansive winter storms in the United States, and the latest forecast guidance suggests the ingredients will be in place for another one of these just after we turn the calendar to February,” it said.

A fresh supply of arctic air will move into the nation’s midsection as a sharp, southward plunge of the jet stream carves into the U.S. western and central regions, pulling increasing moisture northward over the cold air, according to the report.

“As is almost always the case, all the key details, such as how much snow, sleet and freezing rain falls where and when remain uncertain. But this has the potential to be a disruptive winter storm for travel by the middle of the week,” it added.

Published : January 31, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40011742

The China-Laos Railway has transported over 1 million passengers and 500,000 tonnes of cargo since it was launched in December 2021, said the transport authorities of southwest China’s Yunnan Province.

KUNMING, Jan. 30 — The cargo transported by the railway includes 100,000 tonnes of cross-border goods, according to the China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd.

The China-Laos Railway connects Kunming in Yunnan Province with the Lao capital Vientiane. It is the first overseas railway jointly constructed and operated by the two countries.

The 1,035-km railway, a landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, started operation on Dec. 3, 2021.

“Currently, the cargo category of the railway keeps expanding, ranging from feed and fertilizer products to communications, photovoltaic, automobile and textile products. The transportation volume of rice, beer and other food and articles of daily use are also growing,” said Xu Jiefeng, an official of the company.  

Xinhua

Published : January 31, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40011724

The test-fire confirmed the accuracy, security and effectiveness of the operation of the Hwasong 12-type weapon system under production.

The evaluation test-fire of Hwasong 12-type ground-to-ground intermediate- and long-range ballistic missile was conducted Sunday, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) reported.

Under a plan of the Academy of Defence Science, the Second Economy Commission and other institutions concerned, the test-fire was aimed to selectively evaluate the missile being produced and deployed and to verify the overall accuracy of the weapon system, according to the report.

“It was conducted by the highest-angle launch system from the northwestern part of the country toward the waters of the East Sea of Korea in consideration of the security of neighboring countries,” KCNA reported.

It confirmed the accuracy, security and effectiveness of the operation of the Hwasong 12-type weapon system under production, the report said. 
 

Published : January 31, 2022

By : Xinhua

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Italian President Sergio Mattarella was elected to a second term, Lower House Speaker Roberto Fico announced late Saturday, after the parliament gathered in a joint session and concluded its eighth round of voting.

ROME, Jan. 29 — Mattarella was reconfirmed with a broad majority, namely 759 votes in favor from a total of 983 lawmakers and regional representatives actively taking part in the ballot.

“I wish to thank lawmakers and regional representatives for the faith they have put in me,” Mattarella, 80, said in a declaration broadcast live from the Quirinale presidential palace immediately after receiving the official notice of his re-election.

“The difficult days of this election, taking place during the serious health, economic, and social emergency we are still going through, call for a sense of responsibility and for the respect of the parliament’s decisions,” he said.

“These conditions require (us) to not avoid duties, which must prevail over other thoughts and different personal perspectives,” he added.

Mattarella’s candidacy emerged prominently at the end of a tense week in which the two major political blocs — the center-left and the center-right — failed to agree on a different common candidature.

As a consequence, seven rounds of voting were held since Monday, all delivering inconclusive results and exposing deep fractures within both coalitions.

After the leaders of the largest parties from center-right and center-left acknowledged the stalemate on Saturday morning, and agreed on Mattarella’s possible second term, a direct request was submitted to the president by all parties’ whips.

After a brief talk with Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Mattarella made himself available, despite having repeatedly made clear prior to the election that he would not serve a second term.

The re-election of a head of state is rare in Italy. So far, only Giorgio Napolitano, Mattarella’s predecessor, had served a second term, and only for less than two years.

All major political leaders thanked Mattarella for his availability. “This is a great news for Italians, and I am grateful to the president for choosing to oblige to the strong will expressed by the parliament to reconfirm him to a second term,” Prime Minister Mario Draghi said in a note.

Enrico Letta, leader of center-left Democratic Party, hailed Mattarella for taking a choice “of great generosity toward the country.”

Meanwhile, Letta noted the fact that parties were unable to find an alternative common candidature should not be neglected.

Right-wing League’s leader Matteo Salvini said he was “comforted” by Mattarella’s choice. “I also feel very serene, because I have made (prior to the re-election) all possible proposals.”

Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, also a leading figure of the Five Star Movement, told reporters the re-election was “a victory for the country.”

The pledging ceremony to reconfirm Mattarella is expected to take place next Thursday, when his first term officially ends.

The following is a profile of Mattarella.

Mattarella, 80, was born in Palermo, the capital city of Italian island region Sicily.

In his earlier years, after graduating in law at the University of Rome, he qualified as a lawyer and taught parliamentary law at the university of Palermo until 1983 when he was elected a member of the Chamber of Deputies, or the lower chamber, for the first time.

He became deputy prime minister in October 1998 and Minister of Defence from December 1999 to the June 2001 elections. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies until 2008 and a member of Italy’s Constitutional Court from 2011 to 2015. He was elected president of Italy on Jan. 31, 2015, and his first term will officially end on Feb. 3.

Mattarella has repeatedly showed a strong moral authority in the past seven years, during which several coalition governments collapsed.

He has proved a reassuring figure for the country during the past two difficult years of COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, he ultimately stepped in to avert early general elections after then Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigned, and appointed former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi as prime minister.

Xinhua

Published : January 30, 2022