Tag Archives: aid

Israel wants voucher system for foreign aid to Gaza

Israel is considering a voucher system for foreign aid to be disbursed to Gaza, as a safeguard against donations being diverted to bolster the Palestinian enclave’s Hamas rulers and their arsenal, Public Security Minister Omer Bar Lev said on Tuesday. 

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett envisaged “a mechanism where what will go in, in essence, would be food vouchers, or vouchers for humanitarian aid, and not cash that can be taken and used for developing weaponry to be wielded against the State of Israel,” Bar Lev told Army Radio.

Bar Lev did not rule out continued donations from Qatar, and raised a possibility of European Union assistance.

“The Qatari money for Gaza will not go in as suitcases full of dollars which end up with Hamas, where Hamas in essence takes for itself and its officials a significant part of it,” the minister added, echoing recent statements by Bennett.

“Should the mechanism be like this, I have no doubt that Israel would help in the improvement of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip,” he said.

Humanitarian agencies put the latest reconstruction costs for the impoverished Gaza Strip at $500 million following 11 days of cross-border fighting in May.

Qatar bankrolled more than $1 billion worth of construction and other projects in Gaza, some of it in cash, after Operation Protective Edge in 2014. The payments were monitored and approved by Israel, and Doha pledged another $500 million in late May of this year.

A source close to Bennett said the funds to rebuild Gaza must be distributed via the UN and a voucher system is one option that they are considering. Israel also has yet to decide whether it would agree to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, to delivery the aid, or another agency that has less of a history of working with Hamas.

“We are looking for the UN to be the middle man,” the source said. “We want documentation and supervision of what’s happening. It won’t be perfect, but it’s better than sending untraceable bills into Gaza and not knowing what’s going on.”

Hamas did not immediately comment.

Mohammed al-Emadi, the Qatari aid envoy to Gaza, could not immediately be reached for comment.

A Palestinian official told Reuters: “Nothing is final yet.”

The EU, United States and some other countries have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said last week that the US is “committed to providing the Palestinian people with the humanitarian assistance that they need both in the aftermath of the most recent violence, but from years of mismanagement, of neglect, of abuse by Hamas, the de facto governing authority.”

Asked if the US will send aid to Gaza via the UN, Price responded: “What is what is very clear is that US funds will not be going to Hamas, and we will work with partners to see that it’s distributed effectively.”



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Forces from Ethiopia’s Tigray region say they are pushing south

A tank damaged during the fighting between Ethiopia’s National Defense Force (ENDF) and Tigray Special Forces stands on the outskirts of Humera town in Ethiopia July 1, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

ADDIS ABABA, July 12 (Reuters) – Forces from Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray said on Monday they were pushing south and had recaptured a town from government forces, underscoring their determination to keep fighting until the region’s pre-war borders are restored.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm the claim because communication links to the region are down.

Conflict erupted in Tigray eight months ago between central government forces and the region’s ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The government declared victory three weeks later when it took the regional capital Mekelle, but the TPLF kept fighting.

On June 28, the TPLF recaptured Mekelle and now controls most of Tigray. But some parts in the west and south are also claimed by neighbouring Amhara region, which has sent fighters to the contested areas.

TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda told Reuters on Monday that Tigrayan forces controlled Korem, a town 170 kilometres (105 miles) south of Mekelle, and were pushing to seize control of the major town of Alamata, 20 kilometres further south.

A former resident of Korem now living in the capital Addis Ababa told Reuters that a family member fleeing their home had reached an area with cell service and confirmed fighting.

Ethiopian military spokesman Colonel Getnet Adane did not comment on who was in control of the town but said in a text message “we had declared a ceasefire,” referring to a unilateral ceasefire declared by the Ethiopian government after its troops pulled out of Mekelle. The TPLF has called the ceasefire ‘a joke’.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the head of the government’s task force on Tigray did not respond to requests for comment.

Getachew, the TPLF spokesperson, said the group wants its pre-war borders restored and transport links open to allow people and humanitarian aid to move. read more

The conflict has forced nearly 2 million people to flee their homes and forced around 400,000 people into famine conditions. read more

On Monday, the United Nations’ World Food Programme said that the first humanitarian convoy to enter the Tigray region in two weeks had reached Mekelle. Major roads into Tigray have been blocked by government forces and their allies and at least two bridges destroyed.

Tigray’s leaders accuse the central government of blockading the region. Telecoms and banking have been down since the Tigrayan forces seized Mekelle.

Ethiopian authorities deny blocking aid to Tigray and say they are rebuilding infrastructure.

Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw in Addis Ababa and Maggie Fick in Nairobi
Writing by Maggie Fick

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Anthony Davis Rushes to Motorcycle Crash Site to Aid His Security

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Biden reversing Trump policy, quietly ramping up Palestinian aid

The Biden administration is quietly ramping up its financial assistance to Palestinians, in the latest reversal of former President Donald Trump’s foreign policy.

The State Department, along with the US Agency for International Development, notified Congress of their intent to deliver nearly $75 million in aid to the region just one day after announcing a $15 million commitment publicly to vulnerable Palestinian groups.

The State Department declined to say whether the $15 million was included in the $75 million mentioned to Congress, or if the two were separate payments.

The funds do not require further Congressional approval, as they were largely appropriated in the 2020 fiscal year budget.

President Joe Biden, center, walks from Marine One to board Air Force One, with son Hunter Biden, left, as he carries his son Beau, Friday, March 26, 2021, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Biden is en route to Delaware. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

BIDEN’S $2T SPENDING PLAN, BILLED AS INFRASTRUCTURE BILL, SPENDS LESS THAN HALF ON INFRASTRUCTURE

They weren’t spent prior to President Biden taking office, however, because of the Trump administration policy blocking nearly all aid to Palestinians.

Then-President Trump severed ties with the Palestinian Authority in August 2018, amid heightened tensions over the then-commander-in-chief’s decision to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The decision to block aid resulted in the Palestinians losing out on over $200 million.

The Biden administration did not go out of it’s way to publicize the payment renewals, likely an effort to not cause concern among pro-Israel Americans over his Middle East positions.

Reached for comment, State Department spokesman Ned Price reiterated the Biden administration’s support for resuming aid to the Palestinians.

BIDEN LABLED RECIDIVIST BY WASHINGTON POST FACT CHECKER FOR REPEATING TRIO FALSE CLAIMS

“We continue to believe that American support for the Palestinian people, including financial support, it is consistent with our values. It is consistent with our interests. Of course, it is consistent with the interests of the Palestinian people,” Price told reporters.

“It’s also consistent with the interests of our partner, Israel, and we’ll have more to say on that going forward,” he continued.

While Biden may not support the Trump doctrine on all aspects of foreign policy, he has welcomed one effort by the previous president: the Abraham Accords.

The Abraham Accords were signed in September of last year, normalizing relations between Israel and two Gulf countries in a deal spearheaded by the Trump administration.

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Biden pledged at the time to build on the work of his predecessor, praising the diplomatic achievements that brought together Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Israel.

This story first appeared in the New York Post.

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Rite Aid, Coherent, RH, Nike & more

Take a look at some of the biggest movers in the premarket:

Rite Aid (RAD) – Rite Aid expects to report a loss for its just-concluded fiscal year, compared to analysts’ forecasts of a $125 million profit. The drugstore chain was hit by a 37% drop in sales of cold, cough and flu-related products, as people suffered from these maladies far less due to pandemic-related lockdowns. Rite Aid shares plunged 18.6% in premarket action.

Walgreens (WBA) – The drugstore operator’s stock fell 2% in the premarket, possibly in sympathy with Rite Aid. Deutsche Bank also labeled the stock a “catalyst call buy idea,” noting short-term issues but saying the Covid vaccine could provide a positive opportunity for Walgreens in both the near and longer-term.

Darden Restaurants (DRI) – The parent of Olive Garden and other restaurant chains reported quarterly earnings of 98 cents per share, well above the consensus estimate of 69 cents a share. Revenue beat estimates as well, and although same-restaurant sales tumbled 26.7% from a year ago, that was a smaller drop than the 31.2% anticipated by analysts polled by FactSet. Darden shares rose 4.2% in premarket trading.

Coherent (COHR) – Coherent accepted a takeover proposal by optical components maker II-VI (IIVI), ending a long bidding battle between II-VI and optical fiber company Lumentum (LITE). Coherent – a provider of lasers and related technology – approved the bid of $220 per share in cash and 0.91 II-VI shares for each Coherent share, and will pay Lumentum a breakup fee of $217.6 million. II-VI tumbled 8% while Lumentum jumped 7.2% in the premarket.

RH (RH) – RH reported quarterly earnings of $5.07 per share, beating the consensus estimate of $4.76 a share. The Restoration Hardware parent also saw revenue beat analysts’ forecasts. RH reported strong demand for its high-end furniture and other luxury products, and expects current-quarter revenue to grow by at least 50%. RH shares surged 8.4% in premarket action.

KB Home (KBH) – KB Home beat estimates by 10 cents a share, with quarterly profit of $1.02 per share. The home builder’s revenue missed analysts’ projections despite a 23% rise in net orders and a 4% increase in deliveries. KB Home shares dropped 1.9% in premarket trading.

AstraZeneca (AZN) – The drugmaker said an updated analysis of its Covid-19 vaccine’s U.S. trial showed 76% efficacy, compared to 79% in a report earlier this week. The earlier report had not included more recent infections and came under some scrutiny from an independent data monitoring board.

Nike (NKE) – Nike is the target of criticism on Chinese social media for a statement in which the athletic footwear and apparel maker said it was “concerned” about reports of forced labor in Xinjiang. Nike also said it does not source products from the region. The shares fell 4.5% in premarket trading.

H.B. Fuller (FUL) – H.B. Fuller reported quarterly profit of 66 cents per share, 19 cents a share above estimates. Revenue also topped Wall Street forecasts. The maker of adhesives, sealants and other industrial products saw particular strength in health and hygiene-related products, although it saw weakness in construction adhesives. Fuller shares surged 6.2% in premarket action.

Royal Philips (PHG) – The health technology company struck a deal to sell its Domestic Appliances unit to investment firm Hillhouse Capital for about $4.4 billion. The transaction includes the right for Hillhouse to use the Philips brand name for 15 years, with the possibility of renewal. Philips shares added 1.6% in the premarket.

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) – The chip maker’s stock rose 1% in premarket trading after Northland Capital Markets upgraded the stock to “outperform” from “market perform.” Northland called Intel’s (INTC) move to re-enter the foundry business as a “strategic faux pas” and said AMD stood to benefit as a result.

ViacomCBS (VIAC) – The media company’s stock remains on watch after a more than 30% tumble over the past two sessions. That followed the company’s announcement that it would raise $3 billion through stock sales. It fell another 1.1% in the premarket.

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With virus aid in sight, Democrats debate filibuster changes

WASHINGTON (AP) — With President Joe Biden on the verge of his first big legislative victory, a key moderate Democrat said Sunday he’s open to changing Senate rules that could allow for more party-line votes to push through other parts of the White House’s agenda such as voting rights.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin stressed that he wants to keep the procedural hurdle known as the filibuster, saying major legislation should always have significant input from the minority party. But he noted there are other ways to change the rules that now effectively require 60 votes for most legislation. One example: the “talking filibuster,” which requires senators to slow a bill by holding the floor, but then grants an “up or down” simple majority vote if they give up.

“The filibuster should be painful, it really should be painful and we’ve made it more comfortable over the years,” Manchin said. “Maybe it has to be more painful.”

“If you want to make it a little bit more painful, make him stand there and talk,” Manchin added. “I’m willing to look at any way we can, but I’m not willing to take away the involvement of the minority.”

Democrats are beginning to look to their next legislative priorities after an early signature win for Biden on Saturday, with the Senate approving a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan on a party-line 50-49 vote.

Final passage is expected Tuesday in the House if leaders can hold the support of progressives frustrated that the Senate narrowed unemployment benefits and stripped out an increase to the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Over the weekend, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, representing around 100 House liberals, called the Senate’s weakening of some provisions “bad policy and bad politics.” But Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., also characterized the changes as “relatively minor concessions” and emphasized the bill retained its “core bold, progressive elements.”

Biden says he would sign the measure immediately if the House passed it. The legislation would allow many Americans to receive $1,400 in direct checks from the government this month.

“Lessons learned: If we have unity, we can do big things,” a jubilant Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told The Associated Press in an interview after Saturday’s vote.

Still, the Democrats’ approach required a last-minute call from Biden to Manchin to secure his vote after he raised late resistance to the breadth of unemployment benefits. That immediately raised questions about the path ahead in a partisan environment where few, if any, Republicans are expected to back planks of the president’s agenda.

Democrats used a fast-track budget process known as reconciliation to approve Biden’s top priority without Republican support, a strategy that succeeded despite the reservations of some moderates. But work in the coming months on other issues such as voting rights and immigration could prove more difficult.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., pledged that Senate Republicans would block passage of a sweeping House-passed bill on voting rights. The measure, known as HR 1, would restrict partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts, strike down hurdles to voting and bring transparency to the campaign finance system. It would serve as a counterweight to voting rights restrictions advancing in Republican-controlled statehouses across the country in the wake of Donald Trump’s repeated false claims about a “stolen” election.

“Not one Republican is going to vote for HR 1 because it’s a federal takeover of elections, it sets up a system where there is no real voter security or verification,” Graham said. “It is a liberal wish list in terms of how you vote.”

The Senate is divided 50-50, but Democrats control the chamber because Vice President Kamala Harris can cast the tie-breaking vote. With 60 votes effectively needed on most legislation, Democrats must win the support of at least some Republicans to pass Biden’s agenda.

When asked about the voting rights bill, Manchin on Sunday left the door open to supporting some kind of a workaround to allow for passage based on a simple majority, suggesting he could support “reconciliation” if he was satisfied that Republicans had the ability to provide input. But it was unclear how that would work as voting rights are not budget-related and would not qualify for the reconciliation process.

“I’m not going to go there until my Republican friends have the ability to have their say also,” Manchin said.

On Sunday, the anti-filibuster advocacy group “Fix Our Senate” praised Manchin’s comments as a viable way to get past “pure partisan obstruction” in the Senate.

“Sen. Manchin just saw Senate Republicans unanimously oppose a wildly popular and desperately-needed COVID relief bill that only passed because it couldn’t be filibustered, so it’s encouraging to hear him express openness to reforms to ensure that voting rights and other critical bills can’t be blocked by a purely obstructionist minority,” the group said in a statement.

Manchin spoke on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” “Fox News Sunday,” CNN’s “State of the Union” and ABC’s “This Week,” and Graham appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”

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Associated Press writers Alan Fram and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

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Democrats Agree to Trim Jobless Aid to Keep Stimulus Plan on Track

With the vote still pending on Friday because of the impasse over the jobless aid, the measure to increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2025 had attracted only 42 supporters — and 58 opponents. It was unclear when the vote-a-rama would resume, with text not yet available for the new plan.

“If anybody thinks that we’re giving up on this issue, they are sorely mistaken,” Mr. Sanders told reporters. “If we have to vote on it time and time again, we will — and we’re going to succeed.”

While Republicans had made it clear they were ready to draw out debate on the stimulus package with all manner of amendments that were doomed to fail, it was also clear on Friday that there were issues far more significant than a minority united in opposition. Lawmakers in both parties quickly focused on Mr. Manchin, who has repeatedly called for the overall bill to be more targeted and who singled out the unemployment provision as an example.

With the existing $300-a-week payments set to lapse next weekend, Mr. Biden’s stimulus plan and the House bill that passed last weekend to implement it proposed to increase the aid to $400 a week and extend it through the end of August.

But Mr. Manchin and other moderates worried that was too high, and leading Democrats had devised an alternative that would keep the weekly benefit at $300 but extend it until early October. They also added a sweetener: a new provision that would forgive up to $10,200 in taxes on unemployment benefits received through in 2020.

Believing they had a deal, the Democrats prepared for a vote on the proposal, but Mr. Manchin balked. And after hours of negotiating, they announced a new plan. The weekly benefit would remain at $300, but the new end date would be Sept. 6, lasting only a week longer than Mr. Biden had proposed. The tax sweetener would be available only to those earning less than $150,000.

The entire exercise was aimed at persuading Mr. Manchin not to endorse an alternative amendment by Senator Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio, that would keep the jobless payments at $300 and cut back the duration of the program, setting an end date through July 18. If adopted, the proposal would likely sap Democratic support for the stimulus plan.

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Live Updates: Biden meets with Republican senators on coronavirus aid

President Joe Biden on Monday night said that he’s unwilling to settle on an insufficient coronavirus aid package.

He made his remarks to Republican senators during a lengthy two-hour meeting. They recently pitched a slimmed down $618 billion proposal, which was far less than the $1.9 trillion he was seeking.

FAST FACTS

    • Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., on Monday questioned the “hurry” among Democrats to pass Biden’s “American Rescue Plan” in the Senate
    • The visit marked the first significant talks between the two parties on the issue, as Scott and several Republicans have been quick to dismiss Biden’s expensive proposal.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that despite some areas of agreement, “the president also reiterated his view that Congress must respond boldly and urgently, and noted many areas which the Republican senators’ proposal does not address,” according to the Associated Press. 

Follow below for more updates on the Biden White House. Mobile users click here. 

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