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Saudi leaders pay tribute to ‘model of leadership’ as world reacts to death of Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and the nation's figurehead for seven decades, has died aged 96. (Supplied/Royal Family)
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Updated 10 September 2022
Arab News
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Saudi leaders pay tribute to ‘model of leadership’ as world reacts to death of Queen Elizabeth II

  • Politicians and officials react and share condolences on the death of the monarch
Updated 10 September 2022
Arab News

LONDON: Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and the nation’s figurehead for seven decades, has died aged 96, Buckingham Palace said on Thursday.

Here is regional and global reaction to the news.

SAUDI ARABIA’S KING SALMAN

“Her Majesty was a model of leadership that will be immortalized in history. We recall with appreciation her efforts in strengthening the relations and friendship between our two countries, as well as the high international status that Her Majesty enjoyed throughout her reign.”

SAUDI ARABIA’S CROWN PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN

“I am saddened by the news of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who devoted her life in the service of her country. Her Majesty was an example of wisdom, love and peace, and the world remembers today the great impact she had throughout her reign.” 

GCC SECRETARY-GENERAL DR. NAYEF FALAH MUBARAK AL-HAJRAF

Al-Hajraf expressed sincere condolence and sympathy to the Royal Family, government and people of the UK on the death of Queen Elizabeth II after a “rich life she dedicated for Britain and the world at large,” Saudi Press Agency reported.

In a cable, the Secretary General recalled the contributions of Queen Elizabeth II and her role in enhancing the GCC-British relations and friendship and partnership ties binding the GCC and the United Kingdom, underscoring the importance of the distinguished GCC-British relations citing their pivotal role in enhancing security, peace and stability and support for development, wishing the United Kingdom, its friendly people and His Majesty King Charles III every success and best wishes.

UAE PRESIDENT SHEIKH MOHAMED BIN ZAYED AL-NAHYAN

“I extend my sincere condolences to the family of Queen Elizabeth II and the people of the UK. Her Majesty was a close friend of the UAE and a beloved and respected leader whose long reign was characterized by dignity, compassion and a tireless commitment to serving her country.”

The UAE has declared a three day-mourning period, or until Sept. 12, and all flags in the Emirates and at its embassies abroad will fly at half-mast during the duration.

UAE VICE PRESIDENT SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL-MAKTOUM
“We join the world in mourning the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, a global icon who represented the finest qualities of her nation and people. Her incredible lifetime of service and duty to the United Kingdom is unparalleled in our modern world.”

JORDAN’S KING ABDULLAH II

“Jordan mourns the passing of an iconic leader. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was a beacon of wisdom and principled leadership for seven decades. She was a partner for Jordan and a dear family friend. We stand with the people and leadership of the UK at this difficult time.”

KUWAIT EMIR SHEIKH NAWAF AL-AHMAD AL-JABER AL-SABAH

The Emir expressed his and Kuwaiti government and people’s deep sorrow and sympathy for Queen Elizabeth’s death, in a cable sent to the British government. The ruler noted that “the whole world had lost with her death a great leader who was wise, experienced and far-sighted.”

Kuwait’s Crown Prince Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also expressed his “deep sorrow over the demise of Queen Elizabeth II.”

Flags in Kuwait would be flown in half-mast starting for three days to mourn the demise of the queen.

BAHRAIN’S KING HAMAD BIN ISA AL-KHALIFA

The ruler of Bahrain has mourned Queen Elizabeth II’s “passing and emphasized that the world has lost a great source of inspiration and strength whose wisdom and humanity will be missed by all.”

King Hamad has ordered that flags be lowered to half-mast for three days. Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, also sent a cable of condolences to King Charles III.

OMAN’S SULTAN HAITHAM BIN TARIK

The Oman ruler expressed “his heartfelt sympathies to King Charles, his family and people of the UK” and recalled the virtues of the late Queen and the lofty status that she was accorded by world nations.

The Sultan issued orders to fly flags at half-mast in establishments of the public and private sectors and in embassies abroad on Friday, Sept. 9.

IRAQ PRESIDENT BARHAM SALIH

“I feel deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, I offer my deepest condolences to the royal family and the people of the United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth will be remembered as a great symbol of history who served with grace, dignity and steadfastness.”

IRAQ PRIME MINISTER MUSTAFA AL-KADHIMI

“Our deep and sincere sympathies to the British people and Britain’s Royal Family. Queen Elizabeth II was respected and cherished the world over. We extend our condolences to King Charles III,  and stress the continued partnership between our two countries. We offer our condolences to King Charles III and affirm the continuity of the partnership between Iraq and the United Kingdom.”

SAUDI EMBASSY IN LONDON

“The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, on behalf of the people of KSA, wishes to express its deepest condolences to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth on the passing of Her Majesty The Queen.

“Her Majesty was a long and steadfast friend to KSA, and she will long be remembered for her endless service to her country and her people. May she rest in peace.”

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER LIZ TRUSS

“Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built. Our country has grown and flourished under her reign. Britain is the great country it is today because of her.”

US PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN

Biden said the legacy Queen Elizabeth leaves behind will “loom large in the pages of British history, and in the story of our world.”

CHINA’S PRESIDENT XI JINPING

Chinese President Xi Jinping offered “sincere sympathies to the British government and people” following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
“Xi Jinping, representing the Chinese government and the Chinese people, as well as in his own name, expresses deep condolences,” a statement said, adding: “Her passing is a great loss to the British people.”

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY KARINE JEAN-PIERRE
“(Our) hearts and our thoughts go to the family members of the Queen, (go) to the people of the United Kingdom ... Our relationship with the people in the United Kingdom, and this is something the president has said himself, has grown stronger and stronger.”

UN SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES
“As the United Kingdom’s longest-lived and longest-reigning Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II was widely admired for her grace, dignity, and dedication around the world. She was a reassuring presence throughout decades of sweeping change, including the decolonization of Africa and Asia and the evolution of the Commonwealth.
“Queen Elizabeth II was a good friend of the United Nations, and visited our New York Headquarters twice, more than fifty years apart. She was deeply committed to many charitable and environmental causes and spoke movingly to delegates at the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow.
“I would like to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II for her unwavering, lifelong dedication to serving her people. The world will long remember her devotion and leadership.”

MUSLIM COUNCIL OF BRITAIN

“We at the Muslim Council of Britain remember how the Queen devoted her life to public service and sought unity among British communities.

“Her Majesty’s reign saw extraordinary change in our country. Over seven decades, the United Kingdom has seen itself transformed into a multicultural and multi-faith society.

“Her Majesty was the first monarch to engage with newly established Muslim communities here in the UK. Though the first British mosque was seen in the Victorian era, the Queen was the first monarch to visit a UK mosque during her Jubilee celebrations in 2002. Audiences at events and ceremonies hosted by the Royal family reflect the diversity of Britain.

“All of us, of all faiths and none, will remember Her Majesty’s legacy of public service and celebrate her achievements.”

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN

Putin on Thursday offered his condolences to King Charles III following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, wishing the new monarch “courage and resilience” after his mother’s passing.

“The most important events of the United Kingdom’s recent history are inextricably bound with the name of Her Majesty. For many decades Elizabeth II rightfully enjoyed her subjects’ love and respect as well as authority on the world stage,” Putin said, according to a Kremlin statement.

PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER SHEHBAZ SHARIF

“Deeply grieved at the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Pakistan joins the UK and other Commonwealth nations in mourning her death. My heartfelt condolences to the royal family, people and government of the UK.”

INDIAN PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI
“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be remembered as a stalwart of our times. She provided inspiring leadership to her nation and people. She personified dignity and decency in public life. Pained by her demise. My thoughts are with her family and people of UK in this sad hour.”

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU
“It was with the heaviest of hearts that we learned of the passing of Canada’s longest-reigning Sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She was a constant presence in our lives – and her service to Canadians will forever remain an important part of our country’s history.”

NEW ZELAND’S PRIME MINISTER JACINDA ARDERN

“She was extraordinary,” said Ardern, ordering flags to fly at half-staff and a state memorial service to be held.

“People throughout the world will be feeling an acute sense of loss at this time and New Zealanders most certainly share that grief,” said Ardern.

“The Queen was a much respected constant through unprecedented global change,” she said, as her office stated that “the new king becomes New Zealand's new head of state.”

EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT CHARLES MICHEL
“Our thoughts are with the royal family and all those who mourn Queen Elizabeth II in the UK and worldwide. Once called Elizabeth the Steadfast, she never failed to show us the importance of lasting values in a modern world with her service and commitment.

EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF JOSEP BORRELL
“Queen Elizabeth Il’s remarkable reign oversaw key events of the 20th & 21st century. The EU pays tribute to her unique contribution to building peace & reconciliation. While her loss will be felt around the world, our immediate thoughts are with her family & the people of the UK.”

DUTCH KING WILLEM-ALEXANDER
“We remember Queen Elizabeth II with deep respect and great affection. Steadfast and wise, she dedicated her long life to serving the British people. We feel a strong bond with the United Kingdom and its royal family, and we share their sorrow at this time.”

THE ROYAL HOUSE OF NORWAY
“The Royal Family is deeply saddened to receive the news that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has passed away.”

ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER MARIO DRAGHI
“Queen Elizabeth was a major player in world history over the last seventy years. She represented the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth with balance, wisdom, respect for institutions and democracy. She has been the most beloved symbol of her country and has garnered respect, affection and warm feelings everywhere. She ensured stability in times of crisis and kept the value of tradition alive in a society in constant and profound evolution.
“Her spirit of service, her dedication to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, the profound dignity with which she has held office for such a long time have been an unceasing source of admiration for generations.”

FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON
“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II embodied the British nation’s continuity and unity for over 70 years. I remember her as a friend of France, a kind-hearted queen who has left a lasting impression on her country and her century.”

UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY
“It is with deep sadness that we learned of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. On behalf of the UA people, we extend sincere condolences to the @RoyalFamily, the entire United Kingdom and the Commonwealth over this irreparable loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.”

FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER JOHN MAJOR
’We have all lost someone very precious to us and, as we mourn, we should be grateful that we were blessed with such an example of duty and leadership for so very many years.”

* with Agencies

Topics: UK Britain's Queen Elizabeth II Death of Queen Elizabeth II

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Europe posts record year for clean energy use as Trump pulls US toward fossil fuels

Updated 5 sec ago
AP
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Europe posts record year for clean energy use as Trump pulls US toward fossil fuels

  • With another 24% of electricity in the bloc coming from nuclear power, nearly 3/4 of EU's electricity is considered clean energy
  • In contrast, economic giants China and the US still get nearly 2/3 of their energy from carbon-polluting fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas
Updated 5 sec ago
AP

A record 47 percent of the European Union’s electricity now comes from solar and other renewables, a report Thursday said, in yet another sign of the growing gap between the bloc’s push for clean energy and the new US administration’s pursuit of more fossil fuels.
Nearly three-quarters of the EU’s electricity doesn’t emit planet-warming gases into the air — with another 24 percent of electricity in the bloc coming from nuclear power, a report released by the climate energy think tank Ember found. This is far higher than in countries like the United States and China, where nearly two-thirds of their energy is still produced from carbon-polluting fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Around 21 percent of the US’s electricity comes from renewable sources.
Experts say they’re encouraged by Europe’s fossil fuel reductions, particularly as the US looks set to increase its emissions as its new president pledges cheaper gas prices, has halted leases for wind projects and pledged to revoke Biden-era incentives for electric vehicles.
“Fossil fuels are losing their grip on EU energy,” said Chris Rosslowe, an energy expert at Ember. In 2024, solar power generated 11 percent of EU electricity, overtaking coal which fell below 10 percent for the first time. Clean wind power generated more electricity than gas for the second year in a row.
Green policies and war drive clean energy growth

Illustration courtesy of EMBER

One reason for Europe’s clean power transition moving at pace is the European Green Deal, an ambitious policy passed in 2019 that paved the way for climate laws to be updated. As a result of the deal, the EU made their targets more ambitious, aiming to cut 55 percent of the region’s emissions by the end of the decade. The policy also aims to make Europe climate neutral — reducing the amount of additional emissions in the air to practically zero — by 2050.
Hundreds of regulations and directives in European countries to incentivize investment in clean energy and reduce carbon pollution have been passed or are in the process of being ratified across Europe.
“At the start of the Deal, renewables were a third and fossil fuels accounted for 39 percent of Europe’s electricity,” Rosslowe said. “Now fossils generate only 29 percent and wind and solar have been driving the clean energy transition.” The amount of electricity generated by nuclear energy has remained relatively stable in the bloc.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also spurred the move to clean energy in Europe. Gas prices skyrocketed — with much of Europe’s gas coming from Russia becoming unviable — forcing countries to look for cheaper, cleaner alternatives. Portugal, Netherlands and Estonia witnessed the highest increase in clean power in the last five years.
Europe cements its place as a clean energy leader
The transition to clean power helped Europe avoid more than $61 billion worth of fossil fuel imports for generating electricity since 2019.
“This is sending a clear message that their energy needs are going to be met through clean power, not gas imports,” said Pieter de Pous, a Brussels-based energy analyst at European think tank E3G. De Pous said the EU’s origins were “as a community of coal and steel because those industries were so important,” but it is now rapidly becoming a “community of solar and wind power, batteries and smart technologies.”
Nuclear growth in the bloc, meanwhile, has slowed. Across the European Union, retirements of nuclear plants have outpaced new construction since around the mid-2000s, according to Global Energy Monitor.
As President Trump has pulled the United States out of the Paris Agreement aimed at curbing warming and is pursuing a “drill, baby, drill” energy policy, Rosslowe said the EU’s leadership in clean power becomes all the more important. “It’s about increasing European energy independence, and it’s about showing this climate leadership,” he said.
On Tuesday, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said: “Europe will stay the course, and keep working with all nations that want to protect nature and stop global warming.”
 

Topics: Renewable Energy fossil fuels EU

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Pentagon is sending up to 1,500 active duty troops to help secure US-Mexico border

Updated 36 min 53 sec ago
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Pentagon is sending up to 1,500 active duty troops to help secure US-Mexico border

Updated 36 min 53 sec ago
AP
WASHINGTON: The Pentagon said Wednesday it has begun deploying 1,500 active duty troops to help secure the southern border in the coming days, putting in motion plans President Donald Trump laid out in executive orders shortly after he took office to crack down on immigration.
Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses said the Pentagon will provide military aircraft to support Department of Homeland Security deportation flights for more than 5,000 detained migrants and the troops will assist in the construction of barriers.
The number of troops and their mission may soon change, Salesses said in a statement. “This is just the beginning,” he said.
It remains to be seen if they will end up doing law enforcement, which would put American troops in a dramatically different role for the first time in decades.
The active duty forces will join the roughly 2,500 US National Guard and Reserve forces already there. There are currently no active duty troops working along the roughly 2,000-mile border.
Personnel started moving to the border earlier Wednesday, according to a military official briefing reporters on the condition of anonymity to provide additional details on the deployment. The troops will include 500 Marines from Camp Pendleton in California, and the remainder will be Army.
Troops have done similar duties in support of Border Patrol agents in the past, when both Trump and former President Joe Biden sent active duty troops to the border.
Troops are prohibited by law from doing law enforcement duties under the Posse Comitatus Act, but that may change. Trump has directed through executive order that the incoming secretary of defense and incoming homeland security chief report back within 90 days if they think an 1807 law called the Insurrection Act should be invoked. That would allow those troops to be used in civilian law enforcement on US soil.
The last time the act was invoked was in 1992 during rioting in Los Angeles in protest of the acquittal of four police officers charged with beating Rodney King.
The widely expected deployment, coming in Trump’s first week in office, was an early step in his long-touted plan to expand the use of the military along the border. In one of his first orders on Monday, Trump directed the defense secretary to come up with a plan to “seal the borders” and repel “unlawful mass migration.”
“This is something President Trump campaigned on,” said Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary. “The American people have been waiting for such a time as this — for our Department of Defense to actually implement homeland security seriously. This is a No. 1 priority for the American people.”
On Tuesday, just as Trump fired the Coast Guard commandant, Adm. Linda Fagan, the service announced it was surging more cutter ships, aircraft and personnel to the “Gulf of America” — a nod to the president’s directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
Trump said during his inaugural address on Monday that “I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places in which they came.”
Military personnel have been sent to the border almost continuously since the 1990s to help address migration. drug trafficking and transnational crime.
In executive orders signed Monday, Trump suggested the military would help the Department of Homeland Security with “detention space, transportation (including aircraft), and other logistics services.”
There are about 20,000 Border Patrol agents, and while the southern border is where most are located, they’re also responsible for protecting the northern border with Canada. Usually agents are tasked with looking for drug smugglers or people trying to enter the country undetected.
More recently, however, they have had to deal with migrants actively seeking out Border Patrol in order to get refuge in America — taxing the agency’s staff.
In his first term, Trump ordered active duty troops to the border in response to a caravan of migrants slowly making its way through Mexico toward the United States in 2018. More than 7,000 active duty troops were sent to Texas, Arizona and California, including military police, an assault helicopter battalion, various communications, medical and headquarters units, combat engineers, planners and public affairs units.
At the time, the Pentagon was adamant that active duty troops would not do law enforcement. So they spent much of their time transporting Border Patrol agents to and along the border, helping them erect additional vehicle barriers and fencing along the border, assisting them with communications and providing some security for border agent camps.
The military also provided Border Patrol agents with medical care, pre-packaged meals and temporary housing.
It’s also not yet clear if the Trump administration will order the military to use bases to house detained migrants.
Bases previously have been used for that purpose, and after the 2021 fall of Kabul to the Taliban, they were used to host thousands of Afghan evacuees. The facilities struggled to support the influx.
In 2018, then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis ordered Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas, to prepare to house as many as 20,000 unaccompanied migrant children, but the additional space ultimately wasn’t needed and Goodfellow was determined not to have the infrastructure necessary to support the surge.
In March 2021, the Biden administration greenlighted using property at Fort Bliss, Texas, for a detention facility to provide beds for up to 10,000 unaccompanied migrant children as border crossings increased from Mexico.
The facility, operated by DHS, was quickly overrun, with far too few case managers for the thousands of children that arrived, exposure to extreme weather and dust and unsanitary conditions, a 2022 inspector general report found.

South Sudan orders temporary ban on social media over violence in neighboring Sudan

Updated 23 January 2025
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South Sudan orders temporary ban on social media over violence in neighboring Sudan

  • Many South Sudanese have been angered by footage from Sudan that purports to show killings by militia groups of South Sudanese in Gezira state
Updated 23 January 2025
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JUBA, South Sudan: South Sudanese authorities on Wednesday ordered telecoms to block access to social media for at least 30 days, citing concerns over the dissemination of graphic content relating to the ongoing violence against South Sudanese in neighboring Sudan.
The temporary ban, which could be extended to up to 90 days, will come into force at midnight Thursday, according to a directive from the National Communication Authority, NCA, to telecom companies stressing that the measure was necessary to protect the public.
“This directive may be lifted as soon as the situation is contained,” the NCA said. “The contents depicted violate our local laws and pose a significant threat to public safety and mental health.”
Many South Sudanese have been angered by footage from Sudan that purports to show killings by militia groups of South Sudanese in Gezira state. South Sudanese authorities imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on Jan. 17 after a night of retaliatory violence during which shops owned by Sudanese traders were looted.
Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union Commission, condemned “the brutal killings of South Sudanese nationals” in Sudan and urged restraint.
Civil war in Sudan has created a widening famine and the world’s largest displacement crisis. Fighting between forces loyal to rival military leaders exploded in the capital, Khartoum, in April 2023 and has since spread to other areas.
The conflict has been marked by atrocities, including ethnically motivated killing and rape, according to the UN and rights groups.
 

Topics: South Sudan National Communication Authority social media

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Trump administration freezes many health agency reports and online posts

Updated 23 January 2025
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Trump administration freezes many health agency reports and online posts

  • Shutting down public health communication stops a basic function of public health
Updated 23 January 2025
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The Trump administration has put a freeze on many federal health agency communications with the public through at least the end of the month.
In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, acting Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services Dorothy Fink told agency staff leaders Tuesday that an “immediate pause” had been ordered on — among other things — regulations, guidance, announcements, press releases, social media posts and website posts until such communications had been approved by a political appointee.
The pause also applies to anything intended to be published in the Federal Register, where the executive branch communicates rules and regulations, and the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientific publication.
The pause is in effect through Feb. 1, the memo said. Agencies subject to the HHS directive include the CDC, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration — entities that fight epidemics, protect the nation’s food supply and search for cures to diseases.
HHS officials did not respond to requests for comment on the pause, which was first reported by The Washington Post. Four federal health officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the issue confirmed the communication pause to the AP.
A former HHS official said Wednesday that it’s not unusual for incoming administrations to pause agency communications for review. But typically, officials working on the president’s transition team have the process for issuing documents running smoothly by inauguration day.
“The executive branch is a hierarchy,” said Steven Grossman, who now consults for food and drug companies, in an email. “Whether stated publicly or not, every new administration wants important commitments and positions to wait until new teams are in place and some semblance of hierarchy restored.”
A pause is reasonable as a changing executive branch takes steps to become coordinated, said Dr. Ali Khan, a former CDC outbreak investigator who is now dean of the University of Nebraska’s public health college.
“The only concern would be is if this is a prelude to going back to a prior approach of silencing the agencies around a political narrative,” he added.
During his first term, President Donald Trump’s political appointees tried to gain control over the CDC’s MMWR journal, which had published information about the COVID-19 pandemic that conflicted with messaging from the White House.
Fink wrote in her memo that some exceptions would be made for communications affecting “critical health, safety, environmental, financial or nation security functions,” but that those would be subject to review. The FDA on Tuesday and Wednesday posted notices about warning letters sent to companies and a drug safety notice.
A consumer advocacy group said the communications pause could still threaten public safety.
Americans depend on timely information from the CDC, the FDA and other agencies to avoid foodborne illnesses and stay aware of other health issues, said Dr. Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
“When it comes to stopping outbreaks, every second counts,” Lurie said in a statement. “Confusion around the vaguely worded gag order is likely to lead to unnecessary delay in publishing urgent public alerts during active outbreaks.”
He was echoed by Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a University of Southern California public health expert.
“Local health officials and doctors depend on the CDC to get disease updates, timely prevention, testing and treatment guidelines and information about outbreaks,” Klausner wrote in an email. “Shutting down public health communication stops a basic function of public health. Imagine if the government turned off fire sirens or other warning systems.”

Topics: Donald Trump trump administration

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Swiss prosecutors examine complaints against Israel president

Updated 23 January 2025
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Swiss prosecutors examine complaints against Israel president

  • The Swiss Keystone-ATS news agency reported that one of the complaints came from an NGO called Legal Action Against Genocide
Updated 23 January 2025
AFP

GENEVA: Swiss prosecutors said Wednesday they were examining several complaints against visiting Israeli President Isaac Herzog, as reports suggested NGOs were accusing him of “incitement to genocide” in Gaza.
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) confirmed it had received “several criminal complaints” against Herzog, who was at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos this week.
“The criminal complaints are now being examined in accordance with the usual procedure,” the OAG said in an email sent to AFP, adding that the office was in contact with Switzerland’s foreign ministry “to examine the question of the immunity of the person concerned.”
It provided no details on the specific complaints filed.
The Swiss Keystone-ATS news agency reported that one of the complaints came from an NGO called Legal Action Against Genocide.
The NGO was calling for Herzog to be prosecuted “for incitement to genocide and crimes against humanity,” the news agency said.
The complaint, it said, deemed he had played “an active role in the ideological justification of genocide and war crimes in Gaza, by erasing all distinction between the civilian population and combatants.”
Israeli officials have repeatedly denied allegations of war crimes and genocide, accusing Hamas of using civilians as human shields.
Herzog spoke at Davos on Tuesday and held meetings on Wednesday morning but it was unclear if he was still in Switzerland.
Complaints were also filed against him when he attended the Davos meeting a year ago but the OAG refrained from opening an investigation that time, Keystone-ATS reported.
The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest in Israeli history, resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
It sparked a war that has levelled much of Gaza and, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, killed more than 47,100, a majority of them civilians, figures the United Nations has said are reliable.

Topics: Swiss prosecutors Isaac Herzog NGOs

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