UNITED NATIONS, 1 May, 2021 (TON): Efforts to address the inequalities in order to bring the world back on track to end AIDS by 2030, said the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

In a report issued on Friday, UN-SG said, there has been intensive action and progress against HIV in some places and population groups, while inaction in other places has allowed HIV epidemics to expand and deaths to mount.

Six years after the UN General Assembly set an ambitious global goal to end AIDS by 2030, momentum is being lost.

The global targets for 2020, which was agreed to in 2016, were missed, he noted.

Guterres said, "The stark contrast of successes in some areas and failures in others confirms that HIV remains a pandemic of inequalities. Getting back on track will require urgent, transformative action to reduce and end inequalities, as well as increased domestic and international investment in HIV, health, social protection, humanitarian responses and pandemic preparedness and control systems."

However, the UN-SG made 10 recommendations that include; reduce and end inequalities that are obstructing progress to end AIDS; prioritize HIV prevention and ensure that 95 percent of people at risk of HIV infection have access to and use effective combination prevention options by 2025; close gaps in HIV testing, treatment and viral suppression; eliminate vertical HIV transmission and end pediatric AIDS; put gender equality and the human rights of women and girls at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the risk and impact of HIV; close the HIV response resource gap and increase annual HIV investments in low- and middle-income countries to 29 billion U.S. dollars by 2025.

BOGOTA, 1 May, 2021 (TON): On Friday, the members of the Pacific Alliance commemorated the 10th anniversary of the trade bloc founded by Colombia, Peru, Chile and Mexico.

Via a video conference from Bogota, Colombian President Ivan Duque, who holds the rotating presidency of the bloc, hosted his counterparts from Peru, Francisco Sagasti, and Chile, Sebastian Pinera, as well as Mexican Economy Minister Tatiana Clouthier.

Duque said, "Over the next 10 years, we hope that a roadmap will emerge, where markets are more integrated, trade grows, investment becomes more dynamic and, above all, the free movement of people takes place."

"To the extent that we facilitate companies in our member countries to issue debt and bonds in the respective markets, we not only diversify their diversification instruments, but also generate a regulatory culture and good corporate governance," Duque added.

With the anniversary of the bloc taking place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Duque proposed "that we seek shared solutions to the production, packaging and commercialization of vaccines and that we can seek spaces for co-investment for that purpose, since this pandemic is going to last much longer than we all anticipated."

However, the Chilean President asserted, after the Pacific Alliance was created, several countries expressed an interest in becoming associate members or observers, the Chilean president recalled.

KABUL, 1 May, 2021 (TON): The construction of a water canal in eastern Kapisa province has been completed by the Afghan Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development.

The Ministry affirmed the completion of the project on Saturday.  

With a length of 5.3 km and at a cost 3 million Afghani (1 U.S. dollar equals 77.40 Afghani) in Nawabad area, the water canal benefits 183 families in the relatively peaceful province, the statement said.

However, the ministry vowed to commit in continuing to construct more water canals and water reservoir dams to provide clean drinking water to farmers and facilitate them in irrigating more lands.

NAYPYITAW, 1 May, 2021 (TON): After three months of the junta’s coup arrest, the pro-democracy protestors in Myanmar took out to streets against the military rule on Saturday.

The military has tried to end dissent and impose its authority on a people largely opposed to the return of rule by the generals after 10 years of democratic reforms that included a government led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) advocacy group, crowds come out day after day to reject the junta, despite a relentless crackdown in which at least 759 protesters have been killed.

The AAPP says more than 3,400 people have been detained for opposing the military.

People also rallied in the second city of Mandalay and the southern town of Dawei, media reported.

There were no immediate reports of violence.

However, the media reported several small blasts in different places including Yangon late on Friday and on Saturday. There were no immediate reports of casualties and no claims of responsibility.

BEIRUT, 1 May, 2021 (TON): On Friday, a ship prepared to ferry dozens of containers of hazardous materials from Lebanon’s capital to Germany.

This was announced by the managers of a cleanup project.

German firm Combi Lift was tasked with removing dangerous substances from the port after the explosion of hundreds of tons of fertilizer there on August 4.

The last of 59 containers was lifted onto the ship on Friday.

Heiko Felderhoff, CEO of Combi Lift, said, “The ship is here and so on the weekend we are

leaving.”

Elias Assouad, the head of the Lebanese-German Business Council, said the project had cleared the port of “all toxic, cancerous, flammable and highly reactive chemicals that have been stored here for decades.”

However, the German firm had been expected to deal with only 49 containers of hazardous material.

THIMPHU, 1 May, 2021 (TON): On Thursday, the Japanese government announced to confer former Home Minister Dago Tshering with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.

Lyonpo Dago Tshering, former Ambassador of Bhutan to Japan, was recognized for his contributions to strengthening the relationship and friendship between Japan and Bhutan, according to a press release from the Japan Embassy in New Delhi, India.

Japan for the first time has conferred the award upon a Bhutanese national.

Dago was one of the foreign recipients of the 2021 Spring Decorations.

He served as the Minister of Home Affairs from 1991 to 1998. 

However, he not only provided support in receiving high-level visits from Japan as Minister of Home Affairs, but also played an important role in promoting cultural cooperation between Japan and Bhutan as a Commissioner of Cultural Affairs.

 He supported the Japanese researchers in Bhutanese organizations and promoted the cooperation between National Museum of Ethnology, Japan, and National Museum of Bhutan.

However, he is also recognized for boosting the high-level visits and cultural exchanges between the two countries during his tenure as the ambassador to Japan between 1999 and 2008.

DUBAI, 1 May, 2021 (TON): A hostile air-target aimed Jeddah got intercepted and destroyed by Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

The Defense Ministry tweeted, “Saudi Defense intercepts and destroys hostile air target aimed at Jeddah.”

Most of these aerial attacks have been thwarted by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, which is helping to restore the legitimacy of the internationally recognized government in Yemen.

However, the ministry did not provide additional further information nor did it say who could have been behind the attack.

BEIJING, 1 May, 2021 (TON): On Friday, the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a meeting to study and analyze current economic circumstances and related work.

The meeting was chaired by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

The meeting pointed out that the country's first-quarter economic data should be looked at dialectically, and that the current economic recovery is still unbalanced, while the foundation is not solid.

According to the media, at a time when there is less pressure to maintain steady growth, efforts should be made to advance solid and sound economic development, deepen supply-side structural reform, and remove the impediments to domestic and international circulations.

It also, underscored the importance of accurately understanding the new development stage, fully implementing the new development philosophy, and accelerating the establishment of the new development paradigm.

However, it was stressed that China should implement macro policies with precision while maintaining their continuity, stability and sustainability.

ADDIS ABABA/BRUSSELS, 1 May, 2021 (TON): The construction of more factories in the pharmaceutical sector in Africa is one of the priorities in the cooperation between the African Union and the European Union.

President of the European Council, Charles Michel said while visiting a COVID-19 vaccination centre in Luanda, that the strong European bloc is working with African countries to achieve this goal.

Michel said, "This is a priority for the African Union and the European Union is mobilized one hundred percent in moving in this direction, they are working with the European Investment Bank. I have spoken to many African leaders to get it, as soon as possible. Because it is very important in terms of the future for Africa, but also for Europe because that means diversification of the supply chain and that is also good for us. That's why we want to cooperate with governments but also with the private sector" the president of the European Council explained.”

During his short visit to Angola, Charles Michel also met with President João Lourenço.

The Angolan President assumed that the country's economy was strongly dependent on the oil sector and consequently vulnerable.

"The Angolan economy has always been strongly dependent on revenues from the export of crude oil, which is wrong and even dangerous because it is a product with very volatile prices that do not depend only on the will of the producers" Lourenço said in his address.

However, earlier, the president of the European Council met with the acting president of the African Union and also of the DRC, Félix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa, with whom he discussed the mechanisms for resolving the security crisis in the country.

BEIJING, 1 May, 2021 (TON): On Friday, during a telephonic conversation, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides vowed to enhance ties and work jointly to promote cooperation between China and the European Union (EU).

During the conversation, Christodoulides thanked China for helping Cyprus fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted that Cyprus is willing to work with China to ensure a successful celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and further enhance bilateral relations.

Cyprus firmly adheres to the one-China principle and supports the EU in actively developing cooperation with China, said Christodoulides, stressing that Cyprus would continue to play a constructive role in this regard.

Christodoulides also briefed Wang on the informal 5+1 meeting on the Cyprus issue held in Geneva, expressed appreciation for China's fair stance on this issue and hoped that China would continue to hold such a stance.

Wang said that China and Cyprus are good friends and partners of mutual respect and win-win cooperation.

Wang said, the two countries understand and support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns, and are committed to maintaining mutual trust and friendship, safeguarding the basic norms governing international relations and maintaining the overall health and stability of China-EU relations.

He added that the two sides have also injected new impetus into mutually beneficial cooperation through the Belt and Road Initiative.

However, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Cyprus, Wang noted.