Author: Amnewsworld

A group led by Rolls-Royce has pledged to create 6,000 regional UK jobs within the next five years under plans to build 16 mini nuclear power stations. The consortium said the jobs would help support the government’s “levelling up” agenda, with up to 80% of the power station components set to be made in factories across the Midlands and the north of England. These components would then be sent on to existing nuclear sites around the country for rapid assembly. COVID-19: The economic virus The plans come at a crucial time for the UK amid rising unemployment caused by the pandemic. They could…

A group of global luxury brands including Gucci and De Beers has urged the government to abandon plans to end VAT-free shopping for international visitors. An open letter to chancellor Rishi Sunak, signed by bosses of 11 global firms, warns that ending the rebate scheme at the end of the year would make the UK’s duty-free regime the “least competitive” in Europe. It builds on a retail-led campaign that claims such a move would cost £10bn in lost sales annually – leaving the taxpayer £2bn short – and 70,000 industry jobs, with scores of hospitality roles also likely to go…

For many children, the COVID-19 crisis is a food crisis: 60% of adolescents worry about falling into poverty, with Afghanistan (99%), Iraq (93%), Syria (89%) and Lebanon (73%) scoring highest. New research explores the stress children in World Vision programs in the Middle East and Eastern Europe region are under due to COVID-19. In addition to their fear that they themselves or their loved ones will catch the disease, children worry about economic hardships, the loss of their education, increased violence and social isolation. But in the midst of it all, a clear message comes through – young people are…

As malnutrition is affecting million of children in the Sahel, UNICEF calls for urgently combining emergency and development actions to address child malnutrition in a sustainable way. Children born in the Sahel today face multiple obstacles to survive and grow to their full potential, especially during their first years of life: inadequate feeding, limited access to quality healthcare, poor sanitation and limited access to safe water are just a few of the issues they live with. Facts speak for themselves. The Sahel region is now home to over 60 per cent of the children suffering from wasting in West and…

The UN Agency, which supports 5.7 million Palestine refugees in the Middle East, needs $70 million this month to pay its staff, and continue education and health services amid the pandemic. Today, Commissioner-General for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini announced that the Agency has run out of money as of today to pay the salaries of 28,000 UNRWA staff in November. The Agency needs to raise US$ 70 million by the end of the month if it is to pay full salaries for the months of November and…

Typhoon Goni caused significant infrastructure damage, put at $234 million. Sixty-seven health facilities have been damaged, including the main COVID-19 laboratory in Bicol and testing was suspended. 24M PEOPLE IN SEVERELY AFFECTED AREAS 845K PEOPLE IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE 260K PEOPLE TARGETED FOR ASSISTANCE $45.5M FUNDING REQUESTED ($US) Strategic Objectives In supporting the government-led response to Typhoon Goni, the country-based humanitarian partners under the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) umbrella will focus on life-saving and time-critical recovery needs of people, especially women and girls, living in the hardest-hit provinces, Albay and Catanduanes. In line with government’s invitation to engage in a…

The latest from the House of Lords as peers vote on the UK Internal Market Bill with the government facing defeat. The government is expected to face a heavy defeat in a vote on the bill, which is scheduled for 7pm. A minister has vowed the any parts of the bill removed by the Lords will be reinstated despite the internal Market Bill breaking international law, Downing Street insists it is a “vital safety net”. Archbishop of Canterbury adds to criticism The head of the Church of England adds his voice to concerns over the impact of the bill on…

Graphic designer Matt Wiessler says he was asked to make fake statements by Martin Bashir before the sensational royal interview. A graphic designer who created counterfeit bank statements which are alleged to have been used to persuade Princess Diana to take part in her 1995 tell-all TV interview is demanding an apology from the BBC. Matt Wiessler says he mocked up two documents at the request of Martin Bashir, the journalist who conducted the landmark Panorama interview with the Princess of Wale. The late princess’ younger sibling, Earl Spencer, is now demanding an independent inquiry into the interview, as well as…

Stock markets have responded very strongly to news from the US drugs giant Pfizer and the German biotech company BioNTech that their COVID-19 vaccine has proved to be more than 90% effective in late stage clinical trials. The positive outcome to the trials, which to date have involved almost 44,000 people globally, have raised hopes that the world economy can return to normality in 2021. The news has added to a wave of optimism following the decisive outcome to the US presidential election over the weekend that spurred sharp gains in Asian markets – with the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo…

The FTSE 100 and other global stock markets have rallied sharply on growing hopes of a coronavirus vaccine – building on gains in reaction to Joe Biden’s US election victory. The FTSE hit its highest level since August after US drug firm Pfizer announced that early data from phase three trials showed its vaccine was more than 90% effective against COVID-19. It followed overnight gains in Asia, where Japan’s Nikkei hit a 29-year high, after the confirmation of the US election result over the weekend which also bolstered values across Europe. :: Subscribe to Divided States on Apple podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Spreaker The FTSE closed…