Month: December 2021

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Honorer les lauréats du Prix Yidan 2021 et favoriser un dialogue mondial sur l’éducation

HONG KONG, 6 décembre 2021 /PRNewswire/ — La Fondation du Prix Yidan, la fondation philanthropique mondiale à l’origine de la plus haute distinction dans le domaine de l’éducation au monde, a accueilli hier le Sommet du Prix Yidan 2021 et la cérémonie de remise des prix.

A toast to our 2021 laureates from our Awards Presentation Ceremony guests, including Mrs Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR and Dr Charles CHEN Yidan, Founder of the Yidan Prize

L’événement hybride mondial a rassemblé des décideurs et des experts en éducation pour débattre et discuter des questions éducatives les plus urgentes au monde et des solutions pratiques et innovantes pour un avenir meilleur. L’événement a également célébré et reconnu officiellement le travail pionnier des lauréats du Prix Yidan de cette année.

Au cours d’une série de tables rondes, les participants ont échangé de nouvelles idées pour offrir à tous une éducation juste, accessible et de qualité. Les thèmes incluaient notamment les pertes d’apprentissage découlant de la COVID-19, les solutions d’éducation évolutives et l’apprentissage par le jeu. Le rapport de l’UNESCO intitulé « Repenser nos futurs ensemble : un nouveau contrat social pour l’éducation » a également été abordé et les participants ont pu discuter de l’importance de l’éducation pour assurer un avenir prospère aux enfants.

Sommet « Créer un avenir meilleur grâce à l’éducation »

Dans un panel, le professeur Eric A. Hanushek, lauréat du Prix Yidan 2021 pour la recherche en éducation, et agrégé supérieur au titre « Paul and Jean Hanna » à l’institution Hoover de l’Université de Stanford, a souligné le rôle crucial des enseignants dans l’enrichissement de la qualité de l’éducation. Le distingué panel d’économistes a demandé plus de soutien pour les enseignants qui s’attaquent aux lacunes en matière de connaissances chez les enfants.

Professor Eric A. Hanushek, 2021 Yidan Prize for Education Research Laureate, and Dr Rukmini Banerji, 2021 Yidan Prize for Education Development Laureate

Le Dr Rukmini Banerji, lauréate du Prix Yidan 2021 pour le développement de l’éducation et PDG de la Pratham Education Foundation, a expliqué pourquoi elle pense que les enfants prennent du retard à l’école et si les programmes scolaires sont trop rapides. Elle était accompagnée des professeurs Esther Duflo et Abhijit Banerjee, lauréats du prix Nobel d’économie en 2019, pour discuter de la façon de mettre en œuvre des changements significatifs dans l’éducation, depuis l’élaboration de solutions efficaces et évolutives jusqu’à l’adaptation du programme d’études au niveau de chaque enfant.

Parmi les participants figuraient le Dr Sobhi Tawil, directeur de l’avenir de l’apprentissage et de l’innovation à l’UNESCO ; le Dr Jaime Saavedra, directeur général du pôle d’expertise en éducation au sein du Groupe de la Banque mondiale ; et le Professeur Ludger Woessmann, professeur d’économie à l’Université de Munich, entre autres.

Célébration des lauréats du Prix Yidan 2021

L’événement s’est terminé par une cérémonie de remise des prix soulignant les réalisations remarquables des lauréats du Prix Yidan de cette année. Le professeur Hanushek et le Dr Banerji ont reçu officiellement le Prix Yidan 2021 pour la recherche en éducation et le développement de l’éducation en reconnaissance de leur travail novateur visant à améliorer la qualité de l’éducation et les résultats pour les apprenants à grande échelle.

Le Dr Charles CHEN Yidan, fondateur du Prix Yidan, a déclaré : « Aujourd’hui, nous célébrons le travail du professeur Hanushek et du Dr Banerji. Dans un monde qui se remet de la pandémie, nous avons besoin d’innovations plus efficaces. Repensons l’avenir : un avenir où les innovations apportent des changements réels et percutants. C’est un avenir que nous pouvons créer et un monde dont nous serions tous très heureux de faire partie. Ensemble, nous pouvons créer un monde meilleur grâce à l’éducation. »

Candidatures pour le Prix Yidan 2022

Les candidatures pour le Prix Yidan 2022 sont ouvertes jusqu’au 31 mars 2022. Le 12 janvier 2022, la Fondation du Prix Yidan organisera un webinaire pour partager plus d’informations sur le prix, expliquera comment y participer et ce que les juges recherchent chez un lauréat. Inscrivez-vous ici.

À propos de la Fondation du Prix Yidan

La Fondation du Prix Yidan est une fondation philanthropique mondiale dont la mission est de créer un monde meilleur à travers l’éducation. Grâce à son réseau d’innovateurs, la fondation soutient les idées et les pratiques dans le domaine de l’éducation, en particulier celles qui ont le pouvoir de changer positivement les vies et la société.

Le Prix Yidan est un hommage à l’éducation inclusive qui reconnaît les personnes ou les équipes qui ont contribué de façon importante à l’éducation.

https://yidanprize.org

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Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim, South African Anti-Apartheid Icon, Dies at 84

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim, a former anti-apartheid fighter who, like the greats of the struggle he encountered, spent part of his life in Robben Island penitentiary in South Africa, died Monday at the age of 84.

He died of a long illness at his home in Johannesburg, the ruling African National Congress said in a statement.

The party hailed “a longtime ANC member, a patriot who has served his country in many capacities with humility, dedication and distinction.”

Born on July 1, 1937, the activist of Indian origin had a journey similar to that of the big names in the fight against the white racist regime in South Africa.

Switched from nonviolent protest to armed struggle under apartheid, he was arrested in 1963 for sabotage and sent to Robben Island for 15 years. He was released in 1979.

At the end of the 1980s, when he joined the ANC in exile and multiplied the missions, he was kidnapped by apartheid agents in neighboring Swaziland (now Eswatini), tortured, then sentenced for “treason” and sent back to Robben Island.

In prison, he studied with Nelson Mandela and shared a cell with Jacob Zuma, who like Mandela was a future president of South Africa.

Ebrahim was finally free in 1991. The first multiparty elections were held in South Africa three years later.

He joined the government in 2009 as deputy foreign minister, a post he held for six years.

“I am saddened by the death of a comrade and distinguished advisor who has dedicated his life to the liberation of our country and the resolution of conflicts in the world,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement, welcoming a “sweet revolutionary.”

Source: Voice of America

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Dozens Killed in Renewed West Darfur Clashes

KHARTOUM, SUDAN — Inter-communal clashes between Arabs and non-Arabs left at least 30 people dead and 40 others injured in Sudan’s West Darfur state on Sunday, according to eyewitnesses and officials.

Local militia supported by a paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, attacked internally displaced persons in Kreinik camp and torched their houses, witnesses said.

The latest wave of fighting, which has been going on for weeks, stemmed from a dispute late Saturday between a customer and the owner of a cell phone store who was shot dead.

Arab fighters known as Janjaweed attacked the camp early Sunday morning after the murder.

Thirty bodies were brought to Kreinik Hospital and more than 40 others who were wounded were treated there, Mustafa Mohammed Zain, a medical assistant at Kirenik Hospital, told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus on Monday.

“Up to now we are still receiving wounded people even though the fighting stopped at around five a.m. this morning,” he said. “Some of them are in critical condition and some might die within the coming one or two hours.”

The hospital lacks basic medical equipment and does not have enough medical workers to respond to the wounded, Zain said. He called on state and national health authorities to urgently intervene.

“This is a big, rural hospital and it cannot be managed only by medical officers,” Zain said. “The government is supposed to send us doctors to help the situation.”

The hospital has run out of supplies like gauze and cotton, Zain said.

“We used all the reserve stock,” he said. “Medical workers are not safe and cannot go to the nearest location to get more medical supplies.”

The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan said an estimated 4,300 people have been displaced from the Jebel Moon area of West Darfur state in the last week due to fighting.

Mohammed Issa Alieu, the acting regional governor for Darfur, last week called the humanitarian situation in Jebel Moon “horrific” and appealed to aid agencies to quickly intervene.

Thousands of displaced families have fled to eastern Chad and are exposed to bad weather, Alieu said.

Adam Rijal, spokesman for the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur, a local advocacy group for IDP’s, told South Sudan in Focus that some political leaders in Sudan’s transitional government are behind what he calls “systematic” attacks on indigenous civilians in Darfur.

Renewed clashes erupted between different groups across the Darfur region shortly after the joint United Nations and African Union peacekeeping mission ended its mandate a year ago.

Rijal blames the United Nations Security Council for what he calls a unilateral decision to withdraw from the area without consulting the affected population in Darfur.

“We are supposed to have a voice on this decision because we are the ones facing the pain of the situation more than any other people,” he said.

Despite a peace agreement signed between the government and armed groups in Darfur more than a year ago, the area has seen repeated clashes between different ethnic communities.

A land dispute last month between communities in the Jebel Moon area led to clashes that left at least 17 people dead.

Under the Juba Peace Agreement, various forces were supposed to deploy a 12,000-strong presence in Darfur within 90 days to secure the area and provide protection for civilians.

Source: Voice of America

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Unemployment Rate In Philippines Decreases To 7.4 Percent In Oct

MANILA, Around 3.50 million Filipinos were out of work in Oct, down from the 4.25 million reported in Sept, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) survey.

In an online briefing, PSA head, Dennis Mapa, said, the Oct unemployment rate, 7.4 percent, was the third lowest reported this year.

The lowest reported was in July, estimated at 6.9 percent, followed by 7.1 percent in Mar.

The unemployment rate was the highest in Sept, at 8.9 percent.

The country’s economic team said, the Oct labour force survey results “affirmed the soundness of the government’s push, to safely reopen the economy, restore employment, and manage the spread of the COVID-19.”

“As we relaxed restrictions, more people were able to work, while COVID-19 positivity, case fatality, and bed occupancy rates continued to improve,” said the team, comprised of Socioeconomic Planning Secretary, Karl Kendrick Chua, Finance Secretary, Carlos Dominguez, and Budget officer-in-charge, Tina Rose Marie Canda.

“Sustaining these gains will allow us to recover to the pre-pandemic level in early 2022, a year ahead of the government’s initial estimates,” the team added.

The team said, more people are employed now than in the months before the pandemic struck. “Employment creation remained positive as 234,000 more Filipinos were able to find work in the past month,” the ream said. It added that, this brings total employment to 1.3 million above pre-pandemic levels.

The team said, the government’s policies that further reopened the economy safely, such as, shifting to the alert level system and granular lockdowns from large-area and blanket quarantines and allowing more mobility for vaccinated individuals, led to better employment outcomes in Oct

Source: Nam News Network

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Three Vaccines Use Other Viruses to Protect Against COVID-19

More than 5 million people worldwide have had their lives cut short by COVID-19, and the number keeps rising as many countries experience another wave of transmission.

The best defense against this disease is a vaccine, experts say.

Since the outbreak was first reported in 2019, the best scientists all over the world have been working on a vaccine to protect against SARS CoV 2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The acronym stands for “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2” to distinguish it from the first SARS outbreak in 2003.

Historically, when scientists make vaccines, they have used a live virus that is so weak it can’t reproduce, or they use a dead virus. When these weakened or inactive viruses are injected into the body, the body recognizes them as intruders, produces antibodies and fights them off.

Polio vaccines have used both weakened live viruses as well as dead ones with enormous success. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative reports that polio cases were reduced by 99.9% between 1988, when the global effort to eliminate polio was started, and 2021. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that without the global polio vaccination program, more than 18 million people who are currently healthy would have been paralyzed by the virus.

As of December 6, three children in the entire world have contracted the wild polio virus in 2021.

Three of the vaccines developed against COVID-19 are vector vaccines. A vector is simply a delivery system. In this case, scientists use an adenovirus — a cold virus, for example — to deliver a fragment of the coronavirus. The fragment is a gene from a spike on the crown of the coronavirus. This trains the body to fight off any other similar infections, including COVID-19.

The spike cannot infect someone with the coronavirus.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine uses a chimpanzee virus, not a human one. The Johnson & Johnson and Sputnik V vaccines use human adenoviruses. J&J uses a rare adenovirus. Sputnik V uses the same virus in its first dose. In its second dose, Sputnik V uses a common adenovirus that some people might be immune to. For this reason, many scientists are concerned that Sputnik V may not be an effective vaccine.

Once injected, the viruses enter the cells and start to produce the spike protein, but not COVID-19. Then, the body mounts an attack.

Dr. Andrea Cox, a professor with a specialty in immunology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, says our bodies don’t just mount an immune response to the adenovirus, but they also produce an immune response to the spike protein from the coronavirus. In this way, the body learns to fight off the coronavirus if it sees it again.

The World Health Organization has authorized use of the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines but not Sputnik V. The WHO says it needs more data from the Sputnik V trials.

Cox says the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are preferred because they have been given to hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Scientists have more information about their side effects and their immune responses than Sputnik V’s simply because Sputnik has been used far less frequently and there are fewer international studies that have assessed it.

Another issue with Sputnik V, Cox says, is “that the data are not showing the kinds of efficacy rates that we would like to see in a vaccine.”

Some scientists expect COVID-19 to be with us for three to four years. But even with the best scientists in the world working on vaccines, they are concerned that as the virus continues to infect unvaccinated people and mutate, at some point, the vaccines we have now won’t be able to offer full protection against COVID-19.

Source: Voice of America

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F1 gets its big final Hamilton-Verstappen showdown in Abu Dhabi

Jeddah, The dust from the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix has to settle quickly over the next few days as Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team and Max Verstappen and Red Bull need to get ready for Sunday’s title-deciding season finale in Abu Dhabi.

It is the 30th occasion the title is decided in the last race but only the second time two drivers are tied ahead of the finale – the other occasion being in 1974 when Emerson Fittipaldi of McLaren won the title over Ferrari’s Clay Regazzoni.

Mercedes driver Hamilton will be bidding for a record eighth title, one more than Michael Schumacher, on the Abu Dhabi track where he has won five times in the past.

Red Bull’s Verstappen seeks a first career trophy on the Yas Marina Circuit where he came first 12 months ago, when Hamilton had already wrapped up his seventh title, said dpa international.

If both remain tied on points Verstappen will be crowned champion because he has one race win more than Hamilton, 9-8. Such a scenario could occur if both collide – which neither side wants.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “We want to win it on the track, not in the stewards’ room, not in a gravel trap … I hope it is a fair and clean race in Abu Dhabi.”

But, having lost a world title by one point to Kimi Raikkonen in his inaugural season 2007 and won it by one point a year later in the final lap in Brazil, Hamilton said he is ready for the big finale.

Hamilton has erased his deficit by winning the last three season races ahead of Verstappen, who for his part insisted he had only slowed down to let Hamilton pass after being told to do so.

Looking ahead, he named the big finale “really exciting for the whole championship and Formula 1 in general. “Hopefully we have a good weekend, so let’s see,” Verstappen said.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

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Hamilton wins Saudi GP to level with Verstappen

Jeddah, Lewis Hamilton won a crazy, twice-halted Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday to go level on points with Red Bull rival Max Verstappen and set up a winner-takes-all title showdown.

On a chaotic night in Jeddah, the first race in the Gulf kingdom took almost as many twists and turns as an already astonishing and enthralling rollercoaster season — and also left a bitter aftertaste, Reuters reports.

There were crashes and collisions, safety cars, red flags, and claims of dirty driving after seven-times world champion Hamilton hit the back of Verstappen’s suddenly slowing car on the super-fast Corniche street circuit.

Extraordinary, at times angry, radio exchanges between the race director Michael Masi and the top two teams filled the airwaves.

With a bonus point for fastest lap, Hamilton moved alongside Verstappen at the top of the standings with 369.5 points after 21 races.

Verstappen, who finished second with Valtteri Bottas third for Mercedes, leads 9-8 on wins, however — meaning that the Dutch 24-year-old will be champion if neither he nor Hamilton scores another point.

Mercedes extended their lead in the constructors’ championship to 28 points, with an eighth successive title looking more real.

The final round of the season is at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina next weekend.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

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US Condemns Militant Attack in Mali that Killed 31

The United States “strongly condemns” a militant attack on a bus in central Mali that killed at least 31 people and wounded 17, the State Department said Sunday.

Unidentified gunmen on Friday opened fire on the bus as it traveled from the village of Songho to a market in Bandiagara, 10 kilometers away.

The villages sit in the heart of the Mopti region, an epicenter of violence in Mali fueled by insurgents linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

“The United States strongly condemns the attack on civilians on Saturday near Bandiagara, Mali, which left 31 dead and 17 injured,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a written statement.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the Malian people and will continue to partner with them in their pursuit of a safe, prosperous, and democratic future,” Price said.

Jihadist attacks have surged across Africa’s Sahel region, killing thousands and displacing millions across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

Source: Voice of America

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World Petroleum Congress Starts In U.S. Houston Amid Omicron Concern

HOUSTON, The World Petroleum Congress, the largest triennial gathering for the industry, kicked off yesterday in Houston, the largest city of south central U.S. state Texas, amid the shadow of the fast-spreading Omicron variant of COVID-19 and the uncertainty of global economic activity and energy consumption.

Topics include the role of U.S. oil and gas in global energy markets, shale revolution, digital evolution of oil industry, energy transition from oil, gas and coal to wind, solar and other clean technologies, and a future vision and perception of the industry, according to the organisers.

More than 300 speakers are likely to participate in strategic programmes and technical forums, with some 4,000 registered attendees from about 70 countries and regions.

Chief executives of BP and QatarEnergy have dropped out of the conference in the last minute, over concern about the Omicron variant, the Upstream reported yesterday.

The fast spreading Omicron sent oil prices plunging recently. Crude prices lost more than 15 percent within days, falling back around 65 U.S. dollars a barrel, according to media reports.

The World Petroleum Congress is organised every three years by the London-based World Petroleum Council, which includes 65 member countries, representing over 96 percent of global oil and gas production and consumption.

The international gathering this year, which will end on Thursday, hasn’t been held in the United States since 1987, when it was also held in Houston.

Source: Nam News Network

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South Africa Readies Hospitals as Omicron Variant Drives New COVID-19 Wave

JOHANNESBURG — South Africa is preparing its hospitals for more admissions, as the Omicron coronavirus variant pushes the country into a fourth wave of COVID-19 cases, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday.

Omicron was first detected in southern Africa last month and has triggered global alarm as governments fear another surge in infections.

South Africa’s daily infections surged last week to more than 16,000 on Friday from roughly 2,300 on Monday.

Ramaphosa said in a weekly newsletter that Omicron appeared to be dominating new cases in most of the country’s nine provinces and urged more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

“South Africa now has sufficient supplies of vaccines, … vaccination is essential for our economic recovery because as more people are vaccinated more areas of economic activity will be opened up,” he said.

The government would soon convene the National Coronavirus Command Council to review the state of the pandemic and decide whether further measures are needed to keep people safe, Ramaphosa said.

Scientists in South Africa and other countries are racing to establish whether Omicron is more contagious, causes more severe disease and is more resistant to existing vaccines.

But some anecdotal accounts from doctors and experts in South Africa are reassuring, suggesting that many infections it causes are mild.

“We are keeping a close eye on the rates of infection and hospitalization,” Ramaphosa said.

Source: Voice of America

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Gambia Counts Marble Votes in First Post-Jammeh Election

BANJUL, GAMBIA — Election officials started counting marble votes Saturday in Gambia after the polls closed in the country’s first presidential election in decades that did not include former dictator Yahya Jammeh, a milestone seen as a test of democracy in the West African country.

Long lines of Gambians came to vote to exercise their democratic rights as demands for justice in the post-Jammeh era rise. Nearly 1 million registered voters were expected to drop marbles into one of six ballot bins, each adorned with the face and name of a candidate.

The candidates include incumbent President Adama Barrow, who defeated Jammeh in 2016 as an opposition leader.

Barrow’s challengers are former mentor and head opposition leader Ousainou Darboe of the United Democratic Party; Mama Kandeh of Gambia Democratic Congress; Halifa Sallah of the People’s Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism; Abdoulie Ebrima Jammeh of the National Unity Party; and Essa Mbye Faal, former lead counsel of Gambia’s truth commission, who was running as an independent.

“We will never lose this election,” Barrow said after voting in Banjul. “I am a leader who is focused on development, and that development will continue in this country. I know in the next 24 hours my people will be celebrating in the streets.”

Barrow stressed the Independent Electoral Commission must remain impartial.

Darboe voted in Fajara, a neighborhood in Bakau, near the capital, using a walker because of health problems. Flanked by a huge escort, including his wives, he added his voice to calls for peaceful elections.

“We all win if there is peaceful election,” he said.

Independent Electoral Commission presiding officer Musa Mbye told The Associated Press that there were no major problems during the vote. IEC Chair Alieu Mommar Njie said election results would be announced by Monday.

After polls closed, several officials started the counts by laying the marbles on wooden boards to mark 100 to 200 votes per board. Political party representatives and polling station heads also sign off on the vote count. This year, it will also then be put into an app developed for Gambia’s election tracking, aptly called Marble.

All the presidential candidates vowed to strengthen the country’s tourism-dependent economy amid the coronavirus pandemic so fewer Gambians feel compelled to travel the dangerous migration route to Europe.

While the 2016 election that removed Jammeh from power after 22 years saw Gambians go from fear to elation, many are still not satisfied with the progress the nation has made.

“Since President Barrow came to power, the prices of food commodities kept rising. The average Gambian lives in poverty, so we want a candidate to be elected to address this problem,” Kebba Gaye, 23, said in the town of Wellingara. “We youths want to elect a leader that will respect and value our votes. A leader that will create employment for us.”

In a nearby neighborhood, Marietou Bojang, 24, agreed on the need for change, saying people don’t have enough to eat.

“I am voting because myself and other women are suffering silently. A bag of rice has drastically gone up,” she told the AP, adding that not enough has been done to fight corruption.

Many Gambians want certainty that the new leaders will bring the tiny West African nation of about 2.4 million toward peace and justice.

Jammeh, who seized power in 1994 in a bloodless coup, was voted out of office in 2016. After initially agreeing to step down, Jammeh resisted, and a six-week crisis saw neighboring West African countries prepare to send in troops to stage a military intervention. Jammeh was forced into exile and fled to Equatorial Guinea.

Jammeh’s two-decade rule was marked by arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances and summary executions that were revealed through dramatic testimony during Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission hearings that lasted for years.

Last week, the commission handed its 17-volume report to Barrow, urging him to ensure that perpetrators of human rights violations are prosecuted. Barrow said he would do that.

Still, many Gambians feel betrayed after Barrow’s National People’s Party reached a deal with the top figures of the former ruling party, despite Jammeh’s split with that party.

Links to Jammeh are not only an issue for the current president. Opposition candidate Kandeh has been supported by a breakaway political faction that Jammeh formed during his exile in Equatorial Guinea. While Kandeh has kept silent about Jammeh’s possible return to Gambia, his allies are unequivocally saying that Jammeh would come back if they emerged victorious from the election.

Of the other candidates, Sallah and Darboe are established politicians, but they faced challenges from newcomers Faal and Ebrima Jammeh, who are making waves in urban areas.

Source: Voice of America

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UN extends mandate for int’l forces fighting piracy off coast of Somalia

UNITED NATIONS, The United Nations (UN) Security Council renewed for an additional three months its authorization for states and regional organizations cooperating with Somalia to use all necessary means to fight piracy off the coast of the East African country.

Unanimously adopting Resolution 2608, the council decided, for a further period of three months from the date of the resolution, to renew the authorizations, as set out in Resolution 2554, granted to states and regional organizations cooperating with Somali authorities in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, for which advance notification has been provided by Somali authorities to the secretary-general.

The Security Council said that there were no successful piracy attacks off the coast of Somalia in the prior 12 months and noted that joint counter-piracy efforts have resulted in a steady decline in pirate attacks and hijackings since 2011, as well as no successful ship hijackings for ransom since March 2017.

It also recognized the ongoing threat of resurgent piracy and armed robbery at sea, making reference to the letter of Dec. 2, 2021 from the permanent representative of the permanent mission of Somalia to the United Nations requesting international assistance to counter piracy off its coast.

The council also called upon the Somali authorities to interdict, and upon interdiction to have mechanisms in place to safely return effects seized by pirates, investigate and prosecute pirates and to patrol the waters off the coast of Somalia to prevent and suppress acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea.

In addition, it encouraged the Federal Government of Somalia to accede to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and develop a corresponding legal architecture as part of its efforts to target money laundering and financial support structures on which piracy networks survive.

The council decided that the arms embargo on Somalia imposed in Resolution 733, further elaborated upon in Resolution 1425 and modified by Resolution 2093 does not apply to supplies of weapons and military equipment or the provision of assistance destined for the sole use of member states, international, regional and subregional organizations undertaking measures most recently reaffirmed by Resolution 2607.

It also urged all states to share information with the International Criminal Police Organization for use in the global piracy database, through appropriate channels.

Source: Nam News Network

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Bayern v Barcelona Champions League match to be held without fans

Munich, Barcelona’s Champions League group match away at Bayern Munich next week will be played without fans due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the German state of Bavaria, the LaLiga club said on Friday.

Barca, second in Group E behind Bayern, are due to face the German side on Dec. 8 at Allianz Arena, Reuters reports.

“Bayern Munich v FC Barcelona will be played behind closed doors,” the Spanish club said.

“The game corresponding to match day six in the Champions League will be played without fans in the stadium due to the serious increase in coronavirus cases in the German region of Bavaria in the last few weeks.”

Manchester City’s game at RB Leipzig on Dec. 7 will also be played behind closed doors after the German state of Saxony went into partial lockdown last month.

The German government on Thursday reintroduced restrictions for sports events amid rising cases of COVID-19 infections and ruled that Bundesliga matches can only have an attendance of up to 50% and up to a maximum of 15,000 spectators.

German authorities fear a fourth wave of COVID-19 risks overwhelming intensive care units. The countryrecorded 74,352 new infections and 390 deaths on Friday, as per Robert Koch Institute.

Two cases of the new Omicron variant were also detected in the southern German state of Bavaria last week.

Bayern said in a statement that their Bundesliga games at home to Mainz 05 (Dec. 11) and VfL Wolfsburg (Dec. 17) will also be played behind closed doors.

“It is a hard hit to play again in front of empty stands in the Allianz Arena,” Bayern board member Jan Dreesen said.

“Without fans football is only half as beautiful, not to speak of the financial consequences. But we have to accept the decision.”

Source: Bahrain News Agency.

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XCMG Completes Clean Water Project for 20 Schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Dec. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — In a joint effort to build clean water facilities for schools in the Ethiopian capital, XCMG (SHE:000425) together with 17 charitable suppliers, have donated and constructed 20 water purification systems for 20 public schools in Addis Ababa, which have now been put into operation.

XCMG Completes Clean Water Project for 20 Schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Between 2019 and 2021, with the support of XCMG and partner suppliers, a total of 23 ultrafiltration systems, 157 drinking stations and 152 handwashing stations have been successfully installed in Addis Ababa. The project will benefit more than 23,000 school children in the capital.

“Having access to clean drinking water and providing water for all is an integral part of the world that we want to live in. In the future, XCMG will continue to work with our partners to empower United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) which seeks to ensure safe drinking water and sanitation for all and benefit more people in need,” said Wang Min, Chairman of XCMG.

Ethiopia is the oldest independent country on the African continent and has the second largest population. Despite the rapid growth of its economy over the past decade, water scarcity and infectious diseases are the main causes of high infant and child mortality. In 2019, more than 580 million children were lacking basic drinking water in schools, as only 33 percent of the schools in Addis Ababa have reliable water supply throughout the school week.

To better solve clean drinking water problems in Ethiopia, XCMG and China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) launched the water cellar project for rural Ethiopian families as early as 2016 and have built 121 water cellars in two arid regions that collect and store rainwater during the rainy season and provide to the villagers in the dry season after filtering. In 2019, XCMG launched the school water purification project with the goal of providing clean water for drinking and sanitation in schools.

Zelalem Msoto, head of Addis Ababa Education Bureau, spoke highly of the water purification project saying that it not only benefits students and teachers practically, but is also an independent and sustainable approach. “The project was completed on schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I’m deeply touched and appreciated by the fact that the project completed inspections and supervision of the schools one by one,” said Msoto.

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Luxury Portfolio International publie son rapport 2022 sur l’état de l’immobilier de luxe

Le nombre de vendeurs d’immobilier de luxe augmente à travers le monde ; certains acheteurs expriment une forte crainte de passer à côté d’une occasion (phénomène « FOMO ») ; le développement durable est jugé « extrêmement important » parmi les acheteurs fortunés du monde entier.

Le dernier rapport inclut les données relatives aux 1 à 5 % de personnes interrogées de la tranche supérieure dans 20 pays, soit l’équivalent d’une population de près de 32 millions de foyers.

NEW YORK, 02 déc. 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Luxury Portfolio International® (LPI), premier réseau mondial de courtage immobilier résidentiel de luxe, a le plaisir de partager les résultats de son Rapport 2022 sur l’état de l’immobilier de luxe (SOLRE). Cette étude fait état de données relatives à des individus dont les revenus figurent parmi les 1 à 5 % les plus élevés dans 20 pays. Elle porte sur un large éventail de sujets cruciaux pour le marché mondial de l’immobilier résidentiel de luxe.

Le rapport LPI révèle plus particulièrement une poursuite des tendances dominantes liées à l’achat de logements, qui avaient débuté au cours du troisième trimestre 2020 et se sont prolongées tout au long de l’année 2021. Ces orientations indiquent que la demande en biens immobiliers de luxe stagne à un niveau élevé. Les hausses de prix devraient se poursuivre. L’offre reste inférieure à la demande. La durée de mise sur le marché des maisons unifamiliales de luxe continue de se limiter à « seulement quelques heures », tandis que le développement durable est jugé « d’une importance critique » (66 %) lors de l’achat de logements futurs.

L’étude atteste également une augmentation du nombre de vendeurs fortunés de biens immobiliers résidentiels à travers le monde : parmi les acheteurs de logements de prestige, la majorité (74 %) partage un sentiment aigu de confiance économique personnelle, quoique 75 % se montrent significativement préoccupés par le fait que leur pouvoir d’achat discrétionnaire soit prochainement mis à l’épreuve.

Si l’année 2022 est appelée à maintenir un rythme soutenu, certains signes indiquent que le marché immobilier résidentiel de luxe gagnera en stabilité, ce qui est un enjeu crucial pour éviter les complications d’un marché en surchauffe à plus longue échéance.

Avec 75 % d’acheteurs de maisons de luxe qui choisissent leur prochain logement en ayant pour principale préoccupation la durabilité environnementale, sur le large éventail de constats issus d’une étude sur les ménages aisés à travers le monde menée par Luxury Portfolio International® (LPI), l’année 2021 s’achève sur une situation du marché immobilier résidentiel de luxe qui compte parmi les plus solides de son histoire.

« Après une année record dans le domaine de l’immobilier de luxe, nous prévoyons qu’un certain équilibre sera rétabli sur le marché », a déclaré Mickey Alam Khan, président de LPI. « Il est important de considérer le marché du luxe sur une trajectoire de plusieurs années, en sachant que la moitié de l’année 2020 a été paralysée pour cause de pandémie. La flambée du marché qui s’est manifestée au cours de la seconde moitié 2020 s’est maintenue en 2021 et poursuivra sa trajectoire positive jusqu’en 2022. La différence tiendra au fait que le nombre de vendeurs de luxe sera plus élevé en 2022 qu’en 2021, et que malgré la moindre proportion d’acheteurs de luxe effectifs, il s’agira toujours d’un marché orienté sur la vente. La folie pandémique qui nous a conduits à un marché surchauffé est en train de se normaliser. La demande restera forte, et une nouvelle normalité saine commencera à s’instaurer dans l’immobilier de luxe en 2022 ».

Selon l’étude, la durabilité est désormais un facteur de différenciation majeur dans l’immobilier de prestige, et les acheteurs sont prêts à payer plus cher pour disposer de caractéristiques et de commodités qui les préparent mieux à l’avenir. 75 % des personnes interrogées indiquent qu’elles choisiront leur prochaine maison en tenant compte du développement durable, et un pourcentage sans précédent de 90 % d’entre elles répond par l’affirmative en ce qui concerne la prise en compte de la durabilité dans la recherche d’une maison en tant que « prochain chapitre de vie ». Toujours selon cette étude, la recherche d’un logement pour le « prochain chapitre de vie » concerne les personnes qui déménagent dans le but de se rapprocher de leur famille, ou en raison des études de leurs enfants, d’un changement de carrière et d’autres facteurs modérateurs.

Les personnes intéressées par le développement durable en tant que critère majeur lors de l’achat d’un bien immobilier sont 71 % plus susceptibles de considérer leur achat comme une maison qui sera transmise à leurs héritiers. En outre, à mesure que l’intérêt pour la durabilité augmente, la qualité de l’acheteur s’améliore au profit du vendeur, dans la mesure où le premier souhaite conclure une transaction plus rapidement et pour un budget relativement plus élevé.

Le prhénomène FOMO, ou la peur de manquer une occasion (Fear of Missing Out), désigne le sentiment d’anxiété qu’un événement excitant ou intéressant puisse se produire ailleurs au même moment. Souvent, il est engendré par les messages vus sur les réseaux sociaux.Au terme d’une année confinée à domicile et de gros titres vantant l’ardeur du marché, cette peur de passer à côté est devenue une préoccupation significative pour 26 % de la clientèle de l’immobilier de prestige. Elle se manifeste de différentes manières, tout d’abord comme un véritable sentiment d’avoir « raté le train » lorsque les prix deviennent hors d’atteinte. Une deuxième préoccupation, tout aussi importante, consiste à organiser le financement des achats importants.

Si la COVID-19 demeure une préoccupation majeure, l’étude révèle que le marché a déjà pris en compte une grande partie de ses effets. L’année dernière, en revanche, la tendance la plus marquée en matière d’immobilier de luxe était de trouver une maison qui accueillerait la famille pratiquant le télétravail.

Cela dit, selon l’étude, le travail à domicile constitue un fardeau pour un pourcentage substantiel d’acheteurs de maisons de luxe. L’enquête révèle que 27 % des acheteurs de logements haut de gamme considèrent le travail à domicile comme une « préoccupation significative ». Le télétravail, ainsi que la frustration et le stress qui l’accompagnent, continuent de jouer un rôle important dans le processus guidant la décision d’achat.

Les acheteurs soucieux d’éliminer le stress de leur environnement de télétravail accordent une importance à des distractions telles que les divertissements domestiques, la vie nocturne avoisinante, ainsi que des équipements favorisant la relaxation, tels qu’une baignoire ou un jacuzzi, une machine à cocktails ou des salles spécialisées pour le multimédia et les jeux.

Les autres conclusions de l’enquête sont les suivantes :

  • À l’échelle mondiale, la classe aisée reste très intéressée par l’achat de biens immobiliers résidentiels quel qu’en soit le prix, avec une hausse de 33 % en glissement annuel. Il ne fait aucun doute que 2021 se terminera avec un arriéré d’acheteurs, établissant 2022 comme une autre année solide pour l’immobilier de luxe.
  • Plus de 14 millions de foyers aisés continuent d’être intéressés par l’achat d’une résidence, dont 6,4 millions dans la catégorie haut de gamme. En outre, 1,2 million de propriétaires de résidences de luxe ont manifesté leur intérêt pour la vente au cours des trois années qui viennent, soit une augmentation de 32 % par rapport à l’année précédente. Les valorisations d’un niveau record jouent sans conteste un rôle déterminant dans cette décision.
  • Ensemble, ces facteurs indiquent que la stabilisation des prix mondiaux et la normalisation du marché sont en vue pour 2022 et au-delà. Ce qui semblait jadis un large fossé entre le nombre d’acheteurs et de vendeurs potentiels (10,3 millions d’acheteurs contre 4,0 millions de vendeurs) se rapproche de l’équilibre (6,4 millions d’acheteurs pour 5,2 millions de vendeurs).
  • La tendance mondiale de la demande d’immobilier résidentiel va continuer de croître en 2022. Le pourcentage d’individus souhaitant acquérir un bien immobilier résidentiel d’ici fin 2022 est passé de 19 % en 2021 à 39 % en 2022 en Europe, et de 30 % en 2021 à 37 % en 2022 en Asie/Pacifique. 46 % des personnes interrogées au Moyen-Orient, notamment la clientèle de l’Arabie saoudite et des Émirats arabes unis, sont les plus intéressées par l’acquisition de biens immobiliers résidentiels, dans la mesure où elles continuent de diversifier leurs actifs. L’Amérique du Nord affiche une croissance modeste, passant de 21 % en 2021 à 25 % en 2022.
  • Les propriétaires de maisons de luxe se décident à vendre. Les nouvelles constructions ayant été retardées en raison des défis causés aux biens et aux services, un intérêt constant se manifeste en faveur des logements existants. Du reste, les propriétaires n’étaient pas nécessairement présents sur le marché de la vente l’an passé, aussi le manque d’inventaire a-t-il été un facteur de prix significatif sur la plupart des marchés de prestige. Aujourd’hui, il semble que les propriétaires de luxe soient convaincus que le fer est chaud, et leur intérêt pour la vente a plus que doublé (passant de 11 % à 28 %). 71 % des propriétaires sont d’ailleurs convaincus que la valeur de leur bien résidentiel augmentera dans l’année, ce qui les incite fortement à vendre. Le propriétaire moyen d’une maison de luxe prévoit une plus-value d’environ 4 à 5 %, contre seulement 3 à 4 % l’année dernière.
  • Psychologiquement, la tendance reste celle d’un marché de vendeurs. En pratique, on peut s’attendre à un rapport plus équilibré entre acheteurs et vendeurs au cours des années qui viennent. Alors que les consommateurs aisés participent au marché résidentiel, les demandeurs de résidences de luxe sont en baisse de 58 % en 2021 (passant de 34 % à 20 % de l’ensemble des personnes aisées), tandis qu’à l’inverse, dans ce délicat exercice d’équilibre, le nombre de vendeurs d’immobilier de luxe progresse de 26 % (passant de 13 à 16 % de l’ensemble de la clientèle fortunée).
  • Si l’exode vers les zones périphériques a été l’un des grands enseignements de la COVID, l’étude révèle que l’immobilier résidentiel de luxe en centre-ville est bien vivant. Ainsi, plus de la moitié (55 %) des acheteurs de biens haut de gamme dans le monde envisagent d’acheter leur prochaine résidence en milieu urbain, et 77 % d’entre eux se trouveront à proximité de leur lieu de travail. Il est à noter que les acheteurs fortunés d’Asie/Pacifique sont nettement plus susceptibles d’opter pour le centre-ville que leurs homologues du reste du monde.
  • La popularité des maisons unifamiliales dépasse les frontières de l’Amérique du Nord. L’étude indique que la popularité des maisons individuelles augmente à l’échelle mondiale, 40 % des acheteurs d’Europe/Moyen-Orient et 29 % en Asie/Pacifique étant à la recherche d’un espace et d’une intimité supplémentaires. D’année en année, la demande visant ce type de logement augmente car, collectivement, les espaces de vie partagés deviennent moins attractifs pour la clientèle fortunée. L’Amérique du Nord reste le principal moteur de la demande concernant ce type de résidence.
  • Une nouvelle catégorie d’acheteurs de luxe d’entrée de gamme arrive sur le marché.Sur l’ensemble du spectre des consommateurs aisés, on constate un intérêt accru pour l’achat de biens immobiliers d’une valeur inférieure à 1 million de dollars. Cette tendance est le signe d’une résurgence des acheteurs issus de la classe moyenne supérieure, qui ont retardé leur achat en raison de la pandémie, ou qui sont désormais disposés et capables d’acquérir un bien. Il en résulte une hausse du nombre d’acheteurs de luxe d’entrée de gamme, qui bondit jusqu’à 44 %, contre 39 % dans la tranche de 1 à 1,9 million USD. Cet effet démocratique du luxe pour le plus grand nombre est davantage prononcé en Amérique du Nord qu’en Asie/Pacifique et en Europe/Moyen-Orient, où la classe aisée tend à se concentrer sur des groupes relativement restreints de personnes très riches.

Pour plus d’informations et pour accéder au rapport, cliquez ici : État de l’immobilier de luxe en 2022.

À PROPOS DE LUXURY PORTFOLIO INTERNATIONAL® (LPI)
Luxury Portfolio International (luxuryportfolio.com) est le premier réseau mondial de courtiers en immobilier de luxe et de leurs meilleurs agents, offrant des services de marketing et de renseignements inégalés à travers le monde. Cette structure représente la branche luxe du réseau mondial des plus grandes sociétés immobilières indépendantes, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, qui compte 550 sociétés et 150 000 agents commerciaux dans 70 pays. L’année dernière, les membres du réseau ont participé à plus de 1,3 million de transactions mondiales. LPI attire chaque mois un public mondial de visiteurs issus de plus de 200 pays et territoires et commercialise chaque année plus de 50 000 maisons de luxe. Well Connected™.

Source : Luxury Portfolio International®

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Contact : pr@luxuryportfolio.com