Day: September 12, 2024

A profound economic destruction has gripped the Occupied Palestinian Territory in the aftermath of the Israeli military operation in Gaza, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a report released on Thursday.

The report highlighted the staggering scale of economic devastation and unprecedented decline in economic activity, far surpassing the impact of all previous military confrontations in 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2021. Inflationary pressures combined with soaring unemployment and collapsing incomes, have severely impoverished Palestinian households.

According to the report, the military operation led to unprecedented loss of life, displacement, and widespread destruction of infrastructure. By early 2024, between 80 percent to 96 percent of Gaza’s agricultural assets had been decimated, crippling the region’s food production capacity and worsening already high levels of food insecurity. The destruction also hit the private sector hard, with 82 percent of businesses, a key driver of Gaza’
s economy, damaged or destroyed.

Gaza’s gross domestic product (GDP) plummeted by 81 percent in the last quarter of 2023, leading to a 22 percent contraction for the entire year. By mid-2024 Gaza’s economy had shrunk to less than one-sixth of its 2022 level, the report noted.

Labor market conditions in the West Bank have deteriorated significantly, a total of 306,000 jobs have been lost, pushing the West Bank’s unemployment rates from 12.9 percent before the conflict to 32 percent.

The situation in Gaza is particularly dire, with two-thirds of pre-war jobs lost by January 2024, the report said.

The report also noted that poverty has been widespread and growing in recent years. Before October 2023, 80 percent of Gaza’s population depended on international assistance. Currently, poverty affects nearly the entire population of Gaza and is rising rapidly in the West Bank.

The Palestinian government’s fiscal stability is under immense pressure, jeopardizing its ability to function effectively and provide esse
ntial services. The government’s fiscal capacity has been eroded by slow GDP growth, revenue deductions by Israel, and a sharp decline in international aid, the report said.

UNCTAD stressed in the report that prolonged occupation is a primary economic obstacle to sustainable development due to ongoing restrictions on investment, labor mobility, and trade.

The UN trade and development body called for a comprehensive recovery plan for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, increased international aid and support, release of withheld revenues and lifting the blockade on Gaza. Enditem

Source: The Namibia News Agency

Chinese telecoms company Huawei will support the efforts of Africa’s tower companies (TowerCos) to diversify their energy sources and reduce their carbon footprint, a senior executive said Wednesday at a forum in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

Li Shaolong, president of Huawei Site Power Facility Domain, stressed that tower companies play a crucial role in establishing digital infrastructure in Africa, which highlights the importance of rallying behind their green ambitions.

“As the demand for mobile connectivity continues to rise, TowerCos face increasing pressure to ensure energy reliability and sustainability, particularly in regions with limited access to stable power grids,” Li said.

Tower sites, according to Li, are often located in remote areas and heavily rely on diesel generators that are costly to operate, vulnerable to fuel supply disruptions, and harmful to the environment by emitting massive greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

“Huawei’s energy solutions are designed to address these challenge
s by integrating renewable energy technologies such as solar power and advanced energy storage systems,” Li said.

He emphasized Huawei’s long-term goal to help Africa’s tower companies transition to green energy solutions, adding that Huawei will provide the continent’s tower companies with end-to-end energy infrastructure alongside intelligent operations and maintenance solutions.

Through sustained energy diversification, African tower companies will explore new business models and expand their revenue streams, according to Li.

He observed that by deploying Huawei’s smart power solution, tower companies can centrally manage multiple energy inputs and outputs through a single power platform.

The core aims of Huawei Site Power Facility, according to Li, are to support network evolution, increase the tenancy ratio, help tower companies reduce energy costs, and hasten green development.

He said Huawei will enhance the partnership with Africa’s tower companies to innovate and align their energy infrastructur
e with a green ethos. Enditem

Source: The Namibia News Agency

The United Kingdom’s (UK) Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday that there will be “no more money without reform” for the national health service (NHS) following a critical report on its current state.

“We have to fix the plumbing before turning on the taps,” Starmer said in a speech at the King’s Fund in London, a health thinktank. “So hear me when I say this — no more money without reform.”

Lord Ara Darzi, a former Labour peer and surgeon, published a scathing, government-commissioned report earlier in the day after completing a nine-week independent investigation into the state of the NHS. He said the country’s health service is in a “critical condition” and in “serious trouble.”

Among his key findings are that the UK’s Accident and Emergency (AandE) services are in an “awful state,” with long wait times likely contributing to an additional 14,000 deaths each year. He also noted that the UK has higher cancer mortality rates compared to other countries.

Starmer described Darzi’s report as a “ra
w and honest assessment” of the NHS. He also criticized the previous Conservative government for “breaking” the healthcare system, saying, “People have the right to be angry.”

“Public satisfaction in the NHS has fallen from an all-time-high when the last Labour government left office to an all-time-low today,” he said. Starmer’s Labour Party swept into power in early July after a landslide victory in UK’s general election, ending 14 years of Conservative rule.

The prime minister promised to deliver a 10-year plan to fix the NHS. He outlined the government’s three priorities for reform: an increased focus on digital technology, enhanced emphasis on primary care, and a greater commitment to prevention. Enditem

Source: The Namibia News Agency

Crew of U.S. Polaris Dawn mission have completed a spacewalk on Thursday, marking the first time commercial astronauts have space-walked from a commercial spacecraft, according to SpaceX.

The spacewalk started at around 6:13 a.m. Eastern Time (1013 GMT). Two astronauts of the four-member all-civilian crew wore the SpaceX-newly-designed extravehicular activity suits for the spacewalk.

The two astronauts are American billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis.

Isaacman and Gillis each spent several minutes outside the capsule. The spacewalk ended at about 7:59 a.m. (1159 GMT).

SpaceX launched the new fully-commercial human spaceflight mission on a Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday.

The spacecraft has travelled to a distance of 1,400 km above Earth on Wednesday — the farthest humans have travelled since the Apollo program over 50 years ago, according to SpaceX.

The crew are also scheduled to conduct science during their multi-day missio
n to orbit, including essential health and human performance research for NASA’s Human Research Program. Enditem

Source: The Namibia News Agency

FC Barcelona’s young Spanish international midfielder Gavi returned to training with the first team on Thursday, almost 11 months after suffering a serious knee injury.

Gavi suffered a torn cruciate ligament playing for Spain against Georgia on November 19, 2023, requiring an operation and a long recovery, which also saw him miss this summer’s European Championship.

A total of 298 days after suffering the injury, Gavi was finally able to spend part of Thursday’s session with the rest of his companions, taking another important step on his long road to recovery.

Although the club will be cautious with the 20-year-old’s return to full fitness, and he has no chance of forming part of their squad for the weekend visit to Girona, there is now a good chance that he will return to action before the next international break.

With Barcelona due to play seven matches in the next four weeks, Gavi’s return will be important, especially as players such as Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Frenkie de Jong, Fermin Lo
pez and Marc Bernal are all out of action. Enditem

Source: The Namibia News Agency

General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Sitaram Yechury passed away at the age of 72 in New Delhi on Thursday.

He was admitted to a government hospital after he suffered from an acute chest infection.

A Communist leader in Indian politics for several decades, Yechury served as a lawmaker in Indian parliament’s upper house Rajya Sabha during 2005-2017.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over his demise. Enditem

Source: The Namibia News Agency