Friday, March 26, 2021

Six In The Morning Friday 26 March 2021

 

Global shipping was in chaos even before the Suez blockage. Shortages and higher prices loom


Updated 1107 GMT (1907 HKT) March 26, 2021

One of the world's most vital trade arteries has been blocked by a quarter-mile-long container ship, creating a traffic jam that has ensnared over 200 vessels and could take weeks to clear.

But even before the Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal earlier this week, global supply chains were being stretched to the limits, making it much more expensive to move goods around the world and causing shortages of everything from exercise bikes to cheese at a time of unprecedented demand.
A prolonged closure of the key route between West and East could make matters much worse. Costly delays or diversions to longer routes will heap pressure on businesses that are already facing container shortages, port congestion and capacity constraints.


Number of protesters killed since Myanmar coup passes 320

Tally comes as US and UK impose sanctions on two firms that form ‘financial lifeline for military junta’

The number of protesters killed in Myanmar since February’s military coup has surpassed 320, according to the country’s Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which said its total only included documented cases and that the real number was likely to be much higher.

The latest tally came as security forces shot and killed three more anti-junta protesters on Friday. “Two were killed by head shots,” said a witness who saw officers open fire on protesters waving black flags in the southern town of Myeik.

“We cannot pick up the [third] dead body as many security forces are there,” the witness told Reuters, adding that several other people were wounded.

Serbia vaccinates migrants amid surge in COVID-19 cases

United Nations officials say Serbia has become the first European country to vaccinate people living in its refugee camps and asylum centers against the coronavirus

Via AP news wire

Bashir Ahmad Shirzay lived through wars in Afghanistan survived a harrowing journey to reach Europe and has no intention of taking a gamble with the coronavirus.

He was among the first to roll up his sleeve for a COVID-19 shot on Friday as Serbia became the first European country to vaccinate people living in its refugee camps and asylum centers, according to United Nations officials.

”We should take the vaccine for our health,” Shirzay said. “The virus takes a lot of lives.”


Ethiopian PM: Eritrean troops to leave Tigray

Eritrean troops have faced increasing pressure to leave the Tigray region after accusations of serious rights abuses. After denying reports of their presence for months, Ethiopia has now said troops will be leaving.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has announced that neighboring Eritrea would pull its troops out of the conflict-ridden Tigray region.

Abiy's statement on Friday followed a visit to Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. Troops from both the Ethiopian and Eritrean military forces have been accused of carrying out abuses against the civilian population in the border region.

Harassed and belittled, France’s female sports journalists take on bastion of sexism

Sports journalism has long been a macho citadel in a still largely sexist profession. This week the citadel was attacked on multiple fronts, with French female journalists calling out rampant discrimination and harassment in a field where “men hire men to talk about men”. 

The fightback against sexism in the industry was a long time coming, but when it finally struck it did so on television, online and in print.

It involved an angry open letter signed by more than a hundred female sports journalists, a TV documentary revealing decades of sexism in the profession, and an ill-judged “editor’s cut” that backfired spectacularly – forcing one of France’s best-known football pundits into a rare and unconvincing apology.

UK debates Prophet Muhammad caricatures after teacher suspended

Batley Grammar School apologised after a teacher showed students the images, a move which has split opinion.

A debate is growing in the United Kingdom over whether schools should show controversial images of the Prophet Muhammad to children, after a teacher at a state high school in northern England did so and was later suspended.

The image shown at Batley Grammar School was reportedly taken from the same series of caricatures first published in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.



No comments:

Translate