- The Guardian
- Issue #2121
NORWAY: Japanese atomic bomb survivors group Nihon Hidankyo is the winner of the 2024 Nobel Peace prize. The group of survivors of the 1945 US nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was awarded the prize by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for its efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons. “The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peactttttttttors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, also known as Hibakusha, is receiving the Peace Prize for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again,” the Nobel Prize Committee said in a statement.
ZAMBIA: Zambia signed a deal with China to establish its first cholera vaccine plant, an important public health development. “The implementation of this project will provide robust health protection for the people of Zambia, promote local employment and enhance Zambia’s emergency response capabilities in the face of a public health crisis,” noted the Chinese company’s deputy general manager. Zambian president Hichilema thanked his Chinese counterpart for making Zambia’s vision to start vaccine production a reality, saying the agreement will make Zambia the first African country to manufacture cholera vaccine. “The partnership will save lives, boost productivity and serve humanity,” he said. Zambia, with a population of 21 million people is a high-risk country, having faced more than 200,000 cholera cases and nearly 700 deaths during the 2023-24 outbreak. The vaccine plant will serve not only Zambia but also the border region and Africa.
CANADA: A Memorial to the Victims of Communism in Ottawa, Canada was to have been unveiled in November 2023. Now there seems to be another rather embarrassing delay. According to the local newspaper The Ottawa Citizen, the setback is due to the fact that over half of the 550 names intended to be written on the Wall of Remembrance are Nazi-affiliated, as indicated in a government statement, which reads: “between 50 and 60 list entries were likely directly connected to the Nazis, while in last year, the department recommended more than 330 names be removed as a precautionary measure due to possible links to fascist organisations or the Nazis, as well as no direct link to Canada.”
COLOMBIA: Colombia and China have set up a working group to negotiate the country’s accession to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China aims to create an international trade network through infrastructure construction through this initiative. At least 150 countries have already signed onto BRI. More than 20 Latin American countries have joined the initiative, but Colombia has not done so yet, though it has awarded significant infrastructure and mining projects to Chinese companies. One of the outstanding success stories was the Bogota metro project. In 2019, two Chinese companies were selected for the construction of the first metro line. Colombian president Gustavo Petro visited China last year. The two countries agreed to elevate bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership. President Petro and President Xi Jiping signed cooperation agreements on trade, development, science and education.
HAITI: Armed gangs continue their rampage in Haiti. Gunmen invaded another town north of the capital Port-au-Prince, shooting at people and setting houses on fire. The number of casualties was not immediately known. Residents of the town called radio stations pleading for help and asking police to come and save them. This criminal gang’s invasion followed a week after a massacre that killed at least 115 people in the country’s central region.
