Partout de salutaires appels, des tribunes, des textes : après devra être différent, nous ne retournerons pas à la normale, il faut ne pas redémarrer comme avant. C'est bien. L'ennui peut-être, c'est qu'on ne trouve pas la première analyse des conditions concrètes dans lesquelles ce « il faut » aura à se mouvoir. Disons-le tout de suite, elles sont adverses. En fait même : hostiles. Les Castors Juniors de 2022 Des pour qui le problème n'existe même pas comme une possibilité d'inconvénient, ce sont les gens (...)
- La pompe à phynance / France, Mouvement de contestation, Politique, Stratégie, Économie, Finance, Lordon - Perspectives 2020Following his appointment by the EDA Steering Board on 5 March, Jiří Šedivý has officially taken over on 4 May as the Agency’s new Chief Executive for an initial 3-year mandate, extendable for two additional years.
“It is a great honour and privilege for me to take up the position of Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency. As European defence cooperation has made significant progress over recent years with the establishment of new EU defence tools, the importance of the Agency has considerably grown. The current global COVID-19 pandemic and its economic, budgetary and security-related repercussions make EU defence cooperation even more indispensable. New challenges notwithstanding, we must preserve the continuity and dynamics in the area of collaborative defence capability development. Therefore, and perhaps more than before, we need a strong, effective and reliable Agency supporting its Member States, enhancing cooperation with all relevant EU bodies and institutions as well as partners”, Jiří Šedivý stated when taking up his duties.
Mr Šedivý has extensive experience in the defence domain, having served as Defence Minister of the Czech Republic (2006-2007), Deputy Defence Minister (2010-2012), NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning (2007-2010) and Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to NATO (2012-2019).
By Osamu Kusumoto
TOKYO, May 5 2020 (IPS)
The new coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to wreak havoc across the world, as the number of infections and deaths rapidly rise. It has the potential to infect anybody regardless of age or gender. There are grave concerns that the economic fallout from COVID-19 may be comparable to that of the Great Depression. According to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, there are 2,064,668 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 137,124 deaths due to SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID-19). In Japan as of noon April 15, there were 8,100 cases of COVID-19 , 119 deaths, and 901 patients discharged from hospitals.
Osamu Kusumoto
Responding to cases showing acute symptoms caused by this virus requires an extremely high level of emergency medical care. Observance of basic preventive measures such as wearing masks, washing hands, gargling, and practicing physical distancing is proving to be effective. While rapid progress is being made in the development of a vaccine, our healthcare systems are on the brink of collapse as the number of patients increases.This situation is related to population issues because the spread of infection increases exponentially relative to population density. The outbreak in Wuhan quickly spread because it is a mega city of 11 million people.
The Ebola hemorrhagic fever is another infectious disease that caused global fear because it gripped regions of Africa intermittently from 1976 to March 2019 with 30 regional outbreaks. Until the outbreak in West Africa in 2014, the majority occurred in rural areas with relatively small populations.
The current COVID-19 pandemic is far greater in scale. Globalization breaches physical gaps which means that whatever occurs elsewhere inevitably becomes our own problem. However, attendant challenges such as reproductive health (RH) and family planning attract little attention despite its enormous contribution to the spread of Covid-19.
Although it may not be possible to verify the following 1994 US data (since no results from other studies of a similar scale are available), it represents current world averages. It shows birthrates from planned and unplanned pregnancies and the rate of abortions, which were 50.4%, 23.0%, and 26.6%, respectively. This shows that about half of the number of lives born into the world were planned, the other half unplanned, and about the same number of lives as the number of all births were lost to abortion.
Using these ratios, a simple estimate can be made applying statistical data of the UN Population Division. If the annual average number of births is 139.53 million from 2020 to 2025, then 95.81 million of these births would be planned, 43.72 million unplanned, and 50.57 million will end up in abortion. Tragedies like this occur every year. It will have a cumulative impact which continues to affect the very foundations of society.
COVID-19 instills a genuine fear in society because we never know when we will fall victim to the disease. On the other hand, the cited issues evoke only a sense of indifference because of the notion that “it has nothing to do with me.” This fails to raise a sense of social concern.
After COVID-19, the world will appreciate more that when it comes to infectious diseases, there is no such thing as “someone else’s problem”. The principle should be the same for problems concerning the environment and the population. It may be difficult for people to realize this now but, from a long-term perspective, they will have a decisive impact on our world. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) clearly demonstrate keen awareness on inter-dependence in today’s world.
The singularity of AI is likely to accelerate separation in production and labor and precipitate changes that are more far-reaching than the capitalist revolution. In the free market, brought about by information revolution, an oligopoly of wealth represented by GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon) has emerged, but consumers with purchasing power may disappear. If social norms that underpinned our society until recently are lost, despite the notion of “being able to have a rewarding life by working diligently”, social disorder may emerge.
COVID-19 is forcing our society to change. We must view this as an opportunity to rise to the occasion and build a new society to achieve the SDGs.
(The author is Secretary General and Executive Director, Asian Population and Development Association (APDA)
The post Global Impact of New Corona Virus and Population Issues appeared first on Inter Press Service.
Une traversée de la Turquie, confinée dans un bus par temps de Covid-19
Turquie : la machine AKP d'Erdoğan est-elle en panne ?
Turquie : à Istanbul, « le jour se lève » dans le quartier balkanique de Yıldırım
Turquie : triomphe sans appel pour l'opposition à Istanbul
Une traversée de la Turquie, confinée dans un bus par temps de Covid-19
Turquie : la machine AKP d'Erdoğan est-elle en panne ?
Turquie : à Istanbul, « le jour se lève » dans le quartier balkanique de Yıldırım
Turquie : triomphe sans appel pour l'opposition à Istanbul
Credit: County of Los Angeles
By David Medine
WASHINGTON DC, May 5 2020 (IPS)
In the Philippines, Peru, India, Kenya, South Africa and many other developing countries, poor people who are already struggling with the health impact of the coronavirus pandemic have been targeted by online fraudsters trying to take unfair advantage of them.
There is the risk that these scams could undermine confidence in digital technologies that are proving so very important in keeping people informed and connected during the pandemic.
In particular, trust in digital financial services, which have been useful in advancing financial inclusion efforts, could be damaged at the very time that they have proven to be an effective means of getting payments to poor people quickly and efficiently.
Here are some examples of virus-related scams:
There have even been false claims that the coronavirus is related to exposure to new technologies (such as 5G, which can be used to deliver money mobiles services). There are measures authorities can take in response to better protect consumers.
Regulators, providers and consumer protection agencies can alert people to the risks; providers can make sure they have adequate consumer complaint mechanisms in place; and law enforcement can coordinate firm action, not only in country but across borders.
Credit: United Nations
Preying on vulnerable populations in developing countries at a time of crisis is unconscionable. A multi-pronged effort is needed to protect more people from becoming victimized at a time when many are struggling with lost income as a result of being forced to stay at home to combat the illness.
A concerted effort by the public and private sectors is needed to protect customers through educational efforts and high visibility law enforcement actions.
In the short term, education is key, and governments are often best positioned to take the lead. For instance, the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) has been warning bank customers about criminals exploiting the virus to engage in phishing.
Similarly, the Philippines Department of Information and Communications Technology has asked Filipinos to be mindful of their safety online and to be wary of unverified COVID-19 websites or applications that require consumers to provide their personal data.
There is a need for governments to continue to identify consumer protection threats — initially, by reaching out to banks, microfinance institutions, fintechs, NGOs and other entities to find out what they are seeing in their markets. Efforts should then be made to warn people how to identify potential scams.
The Central Bank of South Africa has stated that neither banknotes nor coins have been withdrawn from circulation, so anyone offering to “recall” currency should be met with a skeptical eye.
While there is a natural instinct to provide financial support for friends and family in need of medical care, it is important to follow INTERPOL’s warning and confirm that unknown callers are really acting on their behalf. Such consumer warnings could be sent via SMS, WhatsApp or along with other governmental communications.
The private sector must also play a critical role in protecting consumers during the crisis. In the course of providing financial services, trusted firms can educate customers about how to avoid pitfalls, such as responding to fraudulent communications.
There is also the need for digital financial services companies to have effective consumer complaint and resolution centers so that customers who have been scammed have some recourse.
Prosecuting digital scam artists promptly and meting out harsh punishments will send a strong message. One recent example is the response to a brazen attempt by a fraudster in India purporting to sell the world’s tallest statue, the Statue of Unity, for $4 billion to raise money for the Gujarat state to fund its fight against coronavirus.
This action led the Indian police to lodge a case. Similarly, Indian police have registered cases against fake offers of discounted Jio and Netflix services. Such enforcement actions help further educate members of the public about protecting themselves against fraudulent actors.
In the connected world in which we live, it is often easier to commit fraud across borders than inside one’s own country. There is no better time than now for governments to work with their neighbors and go after criminals in each other’s countries.
Such an effort has been led by INTERPOL, an inter-governmental organization with 194 member countries, including many developing countries. INTERPOL has been receiving information from member countries on a near-daily basis regarding coronavirus fraud cases, along with requests to help stop fraudulent payments.
While targeted victims have been primarily located in Asia, criminals have used bank accounts in other regions such as Europe. INTERPOL has helped national authorities to block some of the payments, assisting with some 30 COVID-19 related fraud scam cases.
Where cooperative agreements between countries do not exist, perhaps a silver lining of the current crisis would be to promote such cross-border consumer protection efforts.
Collectively, we can combat the outrageous attempts by some to take advantage of this crisis for their financial benefit. Of course, to survive many people will need more medical and financial help, not just tips on how to avoid scams.
Many countries have undertaken wide-ranging relief efforts. Digital financial services, such as mobile money, are proven mechanisms for getting financial aid quickly to the poorest and neediest in times of crisis.
Let’s take steps now to ensure digital technology is used as a force for good.
The post Financial Scams Rise as Coronavirus Hits Developing Countries appeared first on Inter Press Service.
Excerpt:
David Medine is Senior Financial Sector Specialist at the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP). He is also CGAP’s lead on data protection and security and works to develop novel, consumer-oriented approaches to data protection and to encourage the creation of cyber security resource centers for developing countries.
The post Financial Scams Rise as Coronavirus Hits Developing Countries appeared first on Inter Press Service.