\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

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\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

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\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

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Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

He also explained that in the Gaza Strip, buying gold is a tradition especially for weddings. \u201cAccording to customs and traditions, the bride would purchase gold using part of her dowry, which ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on the family\u2019s economic situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Habboub, who has been managing his shop for over 30 years, said, \u201cPeople in general \u2014 and not only in the Gaza Strip \u2014 like to invest in gold<\/a> especially during hard times. In Gaza, we had to reprocess gold and manufacture it locally to meet the local demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also explained that in the Gaza Strip, buying gold is a tradition especially for weddings. \u201cAccording to customs and traditions, the bride would purchase gold using part of her dowry, which ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on the family\u2019s economic situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

He said, \u201cWith the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, however, the local gold industry began to boom and now covers 100% of the market\u2019s needs.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub, who has been managing his shop for over 30 years, said, \u201cPeople in general \u2014 and not only in the Gaza Strip \u2014 like to invest in gold<\/a> especially during hard times. In Gaza, we had to reprocess gold and manufacture it locally to meet the local demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also explained that in the Gaza Strip, buying gold is a tradition especially for weddings. \u201cAccording to customs and traditions, the bride would purchase gold using part of her dowry, which ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on the family\u2019s economic situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

\u201cSince the onset of the blockade in 2007, gold manufacturing has increased in Gaza to cover about 40% of the local market\u2019s needs. This is due to restrictions on gold imports, which do not exceed 60% of the gold products in the local market,\u201d Habboub told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cWith the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, however, the local gold industry began to boom and now covers 100% of the market\u2019s needs.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub, who has been managing his shop for over 30 years, said, \u201cPeople in general \u2014 and not only in the Gaza Strip \u2014 like to invest in gold<\/a> especially during hard times. In Gaza, we had to reprocess gold and manufacture it locally to meet the local demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also explained that in the Gaza Strip, buying gold is a tradition especially for weddings. \u201cAccording to customs and traditions, the bride would purchase gold using part of her dowry, which ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on the family\u2019s economic situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

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\n

Abu Alaa Habboub is the owner of the Habboub jewelry shop, who purchases gold products from local manufacturers in Gaza, including the Badrasawi factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the onset of the blockade in 2007, gold manufacturing has increased in Gaza to cover about 40% of the local market\u2019s needs. This is due to restrictions on gold imports, which do not exceed 60% of the gold products in the local market,\u201d Habboub told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cWith the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, however, the local gold industry began to boom and now covers 100% of the market\u2019s needs.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub, who has been managing his shop for over 30 years, said, \u201cPeople in general \u2014 and not only in the Gaza Strip \u2014 like to invest in gold<\/a> especially during hard times. In Gaza, we had to reprocess gold and manufacture it locally to meet the local demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also explained that in the Gaza Strip, buying gold is a tradition especially for weddings. \u201cAccording to customs and traditions, the bride would purchase gold using part of her dowry, which ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on the family\u2019s economic situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

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The Egyptian authorities, in agreement with Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip, have closed the Rafah border crossing<\/a> with Gaza since March 2020; it was reopened in February<\/a> under strict measures from Hamas to allow the passage of urgent humanitarian cases only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abu Alaa Habboub is the owner of the Habboub jewelry shop, who purchases gold products from local manufacturers in Gaza, including the Badrasawi factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the onset of the blockade in 2007, gold manufacturing has increased in Gaza to cover about 40% of the local market\u2019s needs. This is due to restrictions on gold imports, which do not exceed 60% of the gold products in the local market,\u201d Habboub told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cWith the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, however, the local gold industry began to boom and now covers 100% of the market\u2019s needs.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub, who has been managing his shop for over 30 years, said, \u201cPeople in general \u2014 and not only in the Gaza Strip \u2014 like to invest in gold<\/a> especially during hard times. In Gaza, we had to reprocess gold and manufacture it locally to meet the local demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also explained that in the Gaza Strip, buying gold is a tradition especially for weddings. \u201cAccording to customs and traditions, the bride would purchase gold using part of her dowry, which ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on the family\u2019s economic situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

\u201cIsrael, however, also bans the importation of several machines that are used to make more fashionable jewelry designs, such as the CNC technique<\/a>, which is a computerized digital control technology to design new shapes. This is not to mention the laser machines to create new molds and get creative in our designs,\u201d Badrasawi added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian authorities, in agreement with Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip, have closed the Rafah border crossing<\/a> with Gaza since March 2020; it was reopened in February<\/a> under strict measures from Hamas to allow the passage of urgent humanitarian cases only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abu Alaa Habboub is the owner of the Habboub jewelry shop, who purchases gold products from local manufacturers in Gaza, including the Badrasawi factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the onset of the blockade in 2007, gold manufacturing has increased in Gaza to cover about 40% of the local market\u2019s needs. This is due to restrictions on gold imports, which do not exceed 60% of the gold products in the local market,\u201d Habboub told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cWith the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, however, the local gold industry began to boom and now covers 100% of the market\u2019s needs.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub, who has been managing his shop for over 30 years, said, \u201cPeople in general \u2014 and not only in the Gaza Strip \u2014 like to invest in gold<\/a> especially during hard times. In Gaza, we had to reprocess gold and manufacture it locally to meet the local demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also explained that in the Gaza Strip, buying gold is a tradition especially for weddings. \u201cAccording to customs and traditions, the bride would purchase gold using part of her dowry, which ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on the family\u2019s economic situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Gazan merchants rely on imported ready-made wax molds from Turkey, which help in modernizing designs and diversifying the available products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsrael, however, also bans the importation of several machines that are used to make more fashionable jewelry designs, such as the CNC technique<\/a>, which is a computerized digital control technology to design new shapes. This is not to mention the laser machines to create new molds and get creative in our designs,\u201d Badrasawi added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian authorities, in agreement with Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip, have closed the Rafah border crossing<\/a> with Gaza since March 2020; it was reopened in February<\/a> under strict measures from Hamas to allow the passage of urgent humanitarian cases only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abu Alaa Habboub is the owner of the Habboub jewelry shop, who purchases gold products from local manufacturers in Gaza, including the Badrasawi factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the onset of the blockade in 2007, gold manufacturing has increased in Gaza to cover about 40% of the local market\u2019s needs. This is due to restrictions on gold imports, which do not exceed 60% of the gold products in the local market,\u201d Habboub told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cWith the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, however, the local gold industry began to boom and now covers 100% of the market\u2019s needs.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub, who has been managing his shop for over 30 years, said, \u201cPeople in general \u2014 and not only in the Gaza Strip \u2014 like to invest in gold<\/a> especially during hard times. In Gaza, we had to reprocess gold and manufacture it locally to meet the local demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also explained that in the Gaza Strip, buying gold is a tradition especially for weddings. \u201cAccording to customs and traditions, the bride would purchase gold using part of her dowry, which ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on the family\u2019s economic situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

Despite the great success in the gold industry in Gaza, some challenges are expected, mainly \u201cthe Israeli blockade that prevents the entry of raw materials, considered as dual-use materials [civilian and military] such as nitrate that helps us filter impurities from the gold,\u201d Badrasawi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gazan merchants rely on imported ready-made wax molds from Turkey, which help in modernizing designs and diversifying the available products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsrael, however, also bans the importation of several machines that are used to make more fashionable jewelry designs, such as the CNC technique<\/a>, which is a computerized digital control technology to design new shapes. This is not to mention the laser machines to create new molds and get creative in our designs,\u201d Badrasawi added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian authorities, in agreement with Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip, have closed the Rafah border crossing<\/a> with Gaza since March 2020; it was reopened in February<\/a> under strict measures from Hamas to allow the passage of urgent humanitarian cases only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abu Alaa Habboub is the owner of the Habboub jewelry shop, who purchases gold products from local manufacturers in Gaza, including the Badrasawi factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the onset of the blockade in 2007, gold manufacturing has increased in Gaza to cover about 40% of the local market\u2019s needs. This is due to restrictions on gold imports, which do not exceed 60% of the gold products in the local market,\u201d Habboub told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cWith the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, however, the local gold industry began to boom and now covers 100% of the market\u2019s needs.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub, who has been managing his shop for over 30 years, said, \u201cPeople in general \u2014 and not only in the Gaza Strip \u2014 like to invest in gold<\/a> especially during hard times. In Gaza, we had to reprocess gold and manufacture it locally to meet the local demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also explained that in the Gaza Strip, buying gold is a tradition especially for weddings. \u201cAccording to customs and traditions, the bride would purchase gold using part of her dowry, which ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on the family\u2019s economic situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

Page 3 of 5 Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next

\n

\u201cWe now supply gold jewelry to all stores in and outside the gold market in the Gaza Strip,\u201d Badrasawi told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the great success in the gold industry in Gaza, some challenges are expected, mainly \u201cthe Israeli blockade that prevents the entry of raw materials, considered as dual-use materials [civilian and military] such as nitrate that helps us filter impurities from the gold,\u201d Badrasawi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gazan merchants rely on imported ready-made wax molds from Turkey, which help in modernizing designs and diversifying the available products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsrael, however, also bans the importation of several machines that are used to make more fashionable jewelry designs, such as the CNC technique<\/a>, which is a computerized digital control technology to design new shapes. This is not to mention the laser machines to create new molds and get creative in our designs,\u201d Badrasawi added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian authorities, in agreement with Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip, have closed the Rafah border crossing<\/a> with Gaza since March 2020; it was reopened in February<\/a> under strict measures from Hamas to allow the passage of urgent humanitarian cases only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abu Alaa Habboub is the owner of the Habboub jewelry shop, who purchases gold products from local manufacturers in Gaza, including the Badrasawi factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the onset of the blockade in 2007, gold manufacturing has increased in Gaza to cover about 40% of the local market\u2019s needs. This is due to restrictions on gold imports, which do not exceed 60% of the gold products in the local market,\u201d Habboub told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cWith the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, however, the local gold industry began to boom and now covers 100% of the market\u2019s needs.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub, who has been managing his shop for over 30 years, said, \u201cPeople in general \u2014 and not only in the Gaza Strip \u2014 like to invest in gold<\/a> especially during hard times. In Gaza, we had to reprocess gold and manufacture it locally to meet the local demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also explained that in the Gaza Strip, buying gold is a tradition especially for weddings. \u201cAccording to customs and traditions, the bride would purchase gold using part of her dowry, which ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on the family\u2019s economic situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

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\n

The shop owner, Mohammad al-Badrasawi, 48, began working in the gold business about 30 years ago. He then shifted to gold manufacturing in 2000 to meet the market demands. Badrasawi now has five employees who are skilled in manufacturing gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe now supply gold jewelry to all stores in and outside the gold market in the Gaza Strip,\u201d Badrasawi told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the great success in the gold industry in Gaza, some challenges are expected, mainly \u201cthe Israeli blockade that prevents the entry of raw materials, considered as dual-use materials [civilian and military] such as nitrate that helps us filter impurities from the gold,\u201d Badrasawi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gazan merchants rely on imported ready-made wax molds from Turkey, which help in modernizing designs and diversifying the available products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsrael, however, also bans the importation of several machines that are used to make more fashionable jewelry designs, such as the CNC technique<\/a>, which is a computerized digital control technology to design new shapes. This is not to mention the laser machines to create new molds and get creative in our designs,\u201d Badrasawi added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian authorities, in agreement with Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip, have closed the Rafah border crossing<\/a> with Gaza since March 2020; it was reopened in February<\/a> under strict measures from Hamas to allow the passage of urgent humanitarian cases only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abu Alaa Habboub is the owner of the Habboub jewelry shop, who purchases gold products from local manufacturers in Gaza, including the Badrasawi factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the onset of the blockade in 2007, gold manufacturing has increased in Gaza to cover about 40% of the local market\u2019s needs. This is due to restrictions on gold imports, which do not exceed 60% of the gold products in the local market,\u201d Habboub told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cWith the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, however, the local gold industry began to boom and now covers 100% of the market\u2019s needs.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub, who has been managing his shop for over 30 years, said, \u201cPeople in general \u2014 and not only in the Gaza Strip \u2014 like to invest in gold<\/a> especially during hard times. In Gaza, we had to reprocess gold and manufacture it locally to meet the local demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also explained that in the Gaza Strip, buying gold is a tradition especially for weddings. \u201cAccording to customs and traditions, the bride would purchase gold using part of her dowry, which ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on the family\u2019s economic situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

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The shop has gradually developed its gold industry, which climaxed during the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. This was when all crossings with the Gaza Strip were closed as part of the precautionary measures to stem the spread of the virus, which affected the gold imports \u2014 thus encouraging local industries to work on replacing the gold products usually imported from the Gulf, Turkey and other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shop owner, Mohammad al-Badrasawi, 48, began working in the gold business about 30 years ago. He then shifted to gold manufacturing in 2000 to meet the market demands. Badrasawi now has five employees who are skilled in manufacturing gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe now supply gold jewelry to all stores in and outside the gold market in the Gaza Strip,\u201d Badrasawi told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the great success in the gold industry in Gaza, some challenges are expected, mainly \u201cthe Israeli blockade that prevents the entry of raw materials, considered as dual-use materials [civilian and military] such as nitrate that helps us filter impurities from the gold,\u201d Badrasawi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gazan merchants rely on imported ready-made wax molds from Turkey, which help in modernizing designs and diversifying the available products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsrael, however, also bans the importation of several machines that are used to make more fashionable jewelry designs, such as the CNC technique<\/a>, which is a computerized digital control technology to design new shapes. This is not to mention the laser machines to create new molds and get creative in our designs,\u201d Badrasawi added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian authorities, in agreement with Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip, have closed the Rafah border crossing<\/a> with Gaza since March 2020; it was reopened in February<\/a> under strict measures from Hamas to allow the passage of urgent humanitarian cases only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abu Alaa Habboub is the owner of the Habboub jewelry shop, who purchases gold products from local manufacturers in Gaza, including the Badrasawi factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the onset of the blockade in 2007, gold manufacturing has increased in Gaza to cover about 40% of the local market\u2019s needs. This is due to restrictions on gold imports, which do not exceed 60% of the gold products in the local market,\u201d Habboub told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cWith the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, however, the local gold industry began to boom and now covers 100% of the market\u2019s needs.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub, who has been managing his shop for over 30 years, said, \u201cPeople in general \u2014 and not only in the Gaza Strip \u2014 like to invest in gold<\/a> especially during hard times. In Gaza, we had to reprocess gold and manufacture it locally to meet the local demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also explained that in the Gaza Strip, buying gold is a tradition especially for weddings. \u201cAccording to customs and traditions, the bride would purchase gold using part of her dowry, which ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on the family\u2019s economic situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

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In a corner of the ancient gold market, opposite the Omari Mosque<\/a> \u2014 also known as the Great Mosque of Gaza \u2014 that dates back to the fifth century, sits al-Badrasawi jewelry shop, which began making gold in 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shop has gradually developed its gold industry, which climaxed during the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. This was when all crossings with the Gaza Strip were closed as part of the precautionary measures to stem the spread of the virus, which affected the gold imports \u2014 thus encouraging local industries to work on replacing the gold products usually imported from the Gulf, Turkey and other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shop owner, Mohammad al-Badrasawi, 48, began working in the gold business about 30 years ago. He then shifted to gold manufacturing in 2000 to meet the market demands. Badrasawi now has five employees who are skilled in manufacturing gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe now supply gold jewelry to all stores in and outside the gold market in the Gaza Strip,\u201d Badrasawi told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the great success in the gold industry in Gaza, some challenges are expected, mainly \u201cthe Israeli blockade that prevents the entry of raw materials, considered as dual-use materials [civilian and military] such as nitrate that helps us filter impurities from the gold,\u201d Badrasawi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gazan merchants rely on imported ready-made wax molds from Turkey, which help in modernizing designs and diversifying the available products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsrael, however, also bans the importation of several machines that are used to make more fashionable jewelry designs, such as the CNC technique<\/a>, which is a computerized digital control technology to design new shapes. This is not to mention the laser machines to create new molds and get creative in our designs,\u201d Badrasawi added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian authorities, in agreement with Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip, have closed the Rafah border crossing<\/a> with Gaza since March 2020; it was reopened in February<\/a> under strict measures from Hamas to allow the passage of urgent humanitarian cases only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abu Alaa Habboub is the owner of the Habboub jewelry shop, who purchases gold products from local manufacturers in Gaza, including the Badrasawi factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the onset of the blockade in 2007, gold manufacturing has increased in Gaza to cover about 40% of the local market\u2019s needs. This is due to restrictions on gold imports, which do not exceed 60% of the gold products in the local market,\u201d Habboub told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cWith the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, however, the local gold industry began to boom and now covers 100% of the market\u2019s needs.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub, who has been managing his shop for over 30 years, said, \u201cPeople in general \u2014 and not only in the Gaza Strip \u2014 like to invest in gold<\/a> especially during hard times. In Gaza, we had to reprocess gold and manufacture it locally to meet the local demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also explained that in the Gaza Strip, buying gold is a tradition especially for weddings. \u201cAccording to customs and traditions, the bride would purchase gold using part of her dowry, which ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on the family\u2019s economic situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

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\n

The market first served as a hub for merchants who flocked in on their horses, which were tied up to stables that later became gold shops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a corner of the ancient gold market, opposite the Omari Mosque<\/a> \u2014 also known as the Great Mosque of Gaza \u2014 that dates back to the fifth century, sits al-Badrasawi jewelry shop, which began making gold in 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shop has gradually developed its gold industry, which climaxed during the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. This was when all crossings with the Gaza Strip were closed as part of the precautionary measures to stem the spread of the virus, which affected the gold imports \u2014 thus encouraging local industries to work on replacing the gold products usually imported from the Gulf, Turkey and other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shop owner, Mohammad al-Badrasawi, 48, began working in the gold business about 30 years ago. He then shifted to gold manufacturing in 2000 to meet the market demands. Badrasawi now has five employees who are skilled in manufacturing gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe now supply gold jewelry to all stores in and outside the gold market in the Gaza Strip,\u201d Badrasawi told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the great success in the gold industry in Gaza, some challenges are expected, mainly \u201cthe Israeli blockade that prevents the entry of raw materials, considered as dual-use materials [civilian and military] such as nitrate that helps us filter impurities from the gold,\u201d Badrasawi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gazan merchants rely on imported ready-made wax molds from Turkey, which help in modernizing designs and diversifying the available products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsrael, however, also bans the importation of several machines that are used to make more fashionable jewelry designs, such as the CNC technique<\/a>, which is a computerized digital control technology to design new shapes. This is not to mention the laser machines to create new molds and get creative in our designs,\u201d Badrasawi added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian authorities, in agreement with Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip, have closed the Rafah border crossing<\/a> with Gaza since March 2020; it was reopened in February<\/a> under strict measures from Hamas to allow the passage of urgent humanitarian cases only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abu Alaa Habboub is the owner of the Habboub jewelry shop, who purchases gold products from local manufacturers in Gaza, including the Badrasawi factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the onset of the blockade in 2007, gold manufacturing has increased in Gaza to cover about 40% of the local market\u2019s needs. This is due to restrictions on gold imports, which do not exceed 60% of the gold products in the local market,\u201d Habboub told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cWith the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, however, the local gold industry began to boom and now covers 100% of the market\u2019s needs.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub, who has been managing his shop for over 30 years, said, \u201cPeople in general \u2014 and not only in the Gaza Strip \u2014 like to invest in gold<\/a> especially during hard times. In Gaza, we had to reprocess gold and manufacture it locally to meet the local demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also explained that in the Gaza Strip, buying gold is a tradition especially for weddings. \u201cAccording to customs and traditions, the bride would purchase gold using part of her dowry, which ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on the family\u2019s economic situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip \u2014 Al-Qaysariyya gold market<\/a> is regarded as one of the oldest historical monuments in Gaza City, and is a hub for gold trading that was established during the Mamluk period by Sheikh Shams al-Din Zanki al-Himsi, a Gazan judge, who ordered its construction in 1476.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The market first served as a hub for merchants who flocked in on their horses, which were tied up to stables that later became gold shops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a corner of the ancient gold market, opposite the Omari Mosque<\/a> \u2014 also known as the Great Mosque of Gaza \u2014 that dates back to the fifth century, sits al-Badrasawi jewelry shop, which began making gold in 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shop has gradually developed its gold industry, which climaxed during the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. This was when all crossings with the Gaza Strip were closed as part of the precautionary measures to stem the spread of the virus, which affected the gold imports \u2014 thus encouraging local industries to work on replacing the gold products usually imported from the Gulf, Turkey and other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shop owner, Mohammad al-Badrasawi, 48, began working in the gold business about 30 years ago. He then shifted to gold manufacturing in 2000 to meet the market demands. Badrasawi now has five employees who are skilled in manufacturing gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe now supply gold jewelry to all stores in and outside the gold market in the Gaza Strip,\u201d Badrasawi told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the great success in the gold industry in Gaza, some challenges are expected, mainly \u201cthe Israeli blockade that prevents the entry of raw materials, considered as dual-use materials [civilian and military] such as nitrate that helps us filter impurities from the gold,\u201d Badrasawi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gazan merchants rely on imported ready-made wax molds from Turkey, which help in modernizing designs and diversifying the available products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsrael, however, also bans the importation of several machines that are used to make more fashionable jewelry designs, such as the CNC technique<\/a>, which is a computerized digital control technology to design new shapes. This is not to mention the laser machines to create new molds and get creative in our designs,\u201d Badrasawi added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian authorities, in agreement with Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip, have closed the Rafah border crossing<\/a> with Gaza since March 2020; it was reopened in February<\/a> under strict measures from Hamas to allow the passage of urgent humanitarian cases only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abu Alaa Habboub is the owner of the Habboub jewelry shop, who purchases gold products from local manufacturers in Gaza, including the Badrasawi factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the onset of the blockade in 2007, gold manufacturing has increased in Gaza to cover about 40% of the local market\u2019s needs. This is due to restrictions on gold imports, which do not exceed 60% of the gold products in the local market,\u201d Habboub told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cWith the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, however, the local gold industry began to boom and now covers 100% of the market\u2019s needs.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub, who has been managing his shop for over 30 years, said, \u201cPeople in general \u2014 and not only in the Gaza Strip \u2014 like to invest in gold<\/a> especially during hard times. In Gaza, we had to reprocess gold and manufacture it locally to meet the local demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also explained that in the Gaza Strip, buying gold is a tradition especially for weddings. \u201cAccording to customs and traditions, the bride would purchase gold using part of her dowry, which ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on the family\u2019s economic situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

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originally published:<\/em> 13 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.al-monitor.com\/originals\/2021\/04\/gold-industry-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip \u2014 Al-Qaysariyya gold market<\/a> is regarded as one of the oldest historical monuments in Gaza City, and is a hub for gold trading that was established during the Mamluk period by Sheikh Shams al-Din Zanki al-Himsi, a Gazan judge, who ordered its construction in 1476.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The market first served as a hub for merchants who flocked in on their horses, which were tied up to stables that later became gold shops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a corner of the ancient gold market, opposite the Omari Mosque<\/a> \u2014 also known as the Great Mosque of Gaza \u2014 that dates back to the fifth century, sits al-Badrasawi jewelry shop, which began making gold in 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shop has gradually developed its gold industry, which climaxed during the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. This was when all crossings with the Gaza Strip were closed as part of the precautionary measures to stem the spread of the virus, which affected the gold imports \u2014 thus encouraging local industries to work on replacing the gold products usually imported from the Gulf, Turkey and other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shop owner, Mohammad al-Badrasawi, 48, began working in the gold business about 30 years ago. He then shifted to gold manufacturing in 2000 to meet the market demands. Badrasawi now has five employees who are skilled in manufacturing gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe now supply gold jewelry to all stores in and outside the gold market in the Gaza Strip,\u201d Badrasawi told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the great success in the gold industry in Gaza, some challenges are expected, mainly \u201cthe Israeli blockade that prevents the entry of raw materials, considered as dual-use materials [civilian and military] such as nitrate that helps us filter impurities from the gold,\u201d Badrasawi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gazan merchants rely on imported ready-made wax molds from Turkey, which help in modernizing designs and diversifying the available products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsrael, however, also bans the importation of several machines that are used to make more fashionable jewelry designs, such as the CNC technique<\/a>, which is a computerized digital control technology to design new shapes. This is not to mention the laser machines to create new molds and get creative in our designs,\u201d Badrasawi added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian authorities, in agreement with Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip, have closed the Rafah border crossing<\/a> with Gaza since March 2020; it was reopened in February<\/a> under strict measures from Hamas to allow the passage of urgent humanitarian cases only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abu Alaa Habboub is the owner of the Habboub jewelry shop, who purchases gold products from local manufacturers in Gaza, including the Badrasawi factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince the onset of the blockade in 2007, gold manufacturing has increased in Gaza to cover about 40% of the local market\u2019s needs. This is due to restrictions on gold imports, which do not exceed 60% of the gold products in the local market,\u201d Habboub told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cWith the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, however, the local gold industry began to boom and now covers 100% of the market\u2019s needs.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub, who has been managing his shop for over 30 years, said, \u201cPeople in general \u2014 and not only in the Gaza Strip \u2014 like to invest in gold<\/a> especially during hard times. In Gaza, we had to reprocess gold and manufacture it locally to meet the local demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also explained that in the Gaza Strip, buying gold is a tradition especially for weddings. \u201cAccording to customs and traditions, the bride would purchase gold using part of her dowry, which ranges between $1,000 and $4,000, depending on the family\u2019s economic situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habboub noted that the Israeli blockade and the deterioration of the economic situation has had an adverse impact on purchasing and dealing in gold, compared to the period prior to the blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBuyers now purchase gold to hoard it. Amid the deteriorating economic conditions the gold trade has drastically decreased. Due to the political sanctions imposed on the Palestinian Authority-appointed government employees in Gaza have been getting 70% of their monthly salary only since 2018, while the Hamas-appointed public servants receive 40%. People mostly buy gold for hoarding and not for ornamental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bader Tarazi, a member of the Palestinian Union of Precious Metals<\/a>, told Al-Monitor, \u201cThe gold industry in Gaza has boomed during the coronavirus crisis in terms of enhanced quality and variety of products compared to past years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cDespite all the challenges facing gold manufacturers \u2014 including power cuts \u2014 the absence of government support and compensation for damages caused by the wars, this sector has remained resilient and continues to provide job opportunities for many unemployed skilled workers in the industry.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarazi explained that Gaza has about 20 small workshops and factories for gold jewelry manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoldsmiths in Gaza lack modern capabilities and are banned from traveling abroad to train and develop their skills, but given the needs in the markets many are trying to import the necessary available tools to be able to develop their industry albeit within limited capabilities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"gold-industry-in-gaza-booms-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5127","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":5115,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-02 19:55:31","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 31 January 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/parstoday.com\/en\/news\/west_asia-i133308-israel_looting_resources_on_yemen%27s_socotra_island_under_uae_cover_minister<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister of Transport in Yemen\u2019s National Salvation Government, Zakaria al-Shami, says Israel is plundering natural resources on the strategic Island of Socotra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Zionist regime, under the cover of the UAE, is operating in Socotra, looting and plundering its natural resources, and taking advantage of its geographical location, crude oil as well as medical and tourism capacities besides its other riches,\u201d Shami said at a meeting in the capital Sana\u2019a on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister stressed the urgent need to safeguard the remote Arabian Sea archipelago which is a candidate for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site for its biodiversity and natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socotra has been a source of tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have been vying for control of the resource-rich island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year in June, UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) took control of Socotra in a move described by the administration of Yemen\u2019s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi as \u201ca full-fledged coup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French-language news outlet JForum said in a report last August that Israel, in cooperation with the UAE, was planning to build intelligence-gathering bases on the Socotra island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the bases, according to the report, is to electronically monitor Saudi-led forces waging a war on Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel and the UAE are currently making all logistical preparations to establish intelligence bases to collect information from across the Gulf of Eden, including Bab al-Mandab and south of Yemen, which is under the control of forced backed by the UAE, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also said to establish military bases on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bases are the latest challenge for conservationists. They have long been trying to preserve Socotra, which rivals the Galapagos and Mauritius for endemic plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN officials, highways already built on the island which bypass villages rather than connect them are hugely damaging the environment.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Israel looting resources on Yemen\u2019s Socotra Island under UAE cover: Minister","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"israel-looting-resources-on-yemens-socotra-island-under-uae-cover-minister","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:35:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=5115","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4918,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:55:32","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 24 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-turkey-government-and-politics-middle-east-europe-dbe6bc9ddac90c1393e6c33ff2220781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) \u2014 The systematic killing and deportation of more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces<\/a> in the early 20th century was \u201cgenocide,\u201d the United States formally declared on Saturday, as President Joe Biden used that precise word<\/a> after the White House had avoided it for decades for fear of alienating ally Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey reacted with furor, with the foreign minister saying his country \u201cwill not be given lessons on our history from anyone.\u201d A grateful Armenia said it appreciated Biden\u2019s \u201cprincipled position\u201d as a step toward \u201cthe restoration of truth and historical justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he made a year ago Saturday \u2014 the annual commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day \u2014 to recognize that the events that began in 1915 were a deliberate effort to wipe out Armenians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While previous presidents have offered somber reflections of the dark moment in history, they have studiously avoided using the term genocide out of concern that it would complicate relations with Turkey, a NATO ally and important power in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Biden campaigned on a promise to make human rights a central guidepost of his foreign policy. He argued last year that failing to call the atrocities against the Armenian people a genocide would pave the way for future mass atrocities. An estimated 2 million Armenians were deported \u2014 1.5 million of whom were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,\u201d Biden said in a statement. \u201cWe affirm the history. We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a letter to Biden that recognition of the genocide \u201cis important not only in terms of respecting the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims, but also in preventing the repetition of such crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish officials struck back immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement of the President of the US regarding the events of 1915 made under the pressure of radical Armenian circles and anti-Turkey groups,\u201d the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted that \u201cwords cannot change history or rewrite it\u201d and Turkey \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d Biden\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes before Biden\u2019s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to the Armenian community and patriarch of the Armenian church calling for not allowing \u201cthe culture of coexistence\u201d of the Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians to be forgotten. He said the issue has been \u201cpoliticized by third parties and turned into a tool of intervention against our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued a demonstration alert, and announced their offices would be closed for routine services on Monday and Tuesday as a \u201cprecautionary measure.\u201d They cautioned Americans to avoid areas around U.S. government buildings and exercise caution in locations where foreigners gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a telephone call Friday, Biden had informed Erdogan of his plan to issue the statement, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements following Biden and Erdogan\u2019s call, made no mention of the American plan to recognize the Armenian genocide. But the White House said Biden told Erdogan he wants to improve the two countries\u2019 relationship and find \u201ceffective management of disagreements.\u201d The two also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Armenia on Saturday, people streamed to the hilltop complex in Yerevan, the capital, that memorializes the victims. Many laid flowers around the eternal flame, creating a wall of blooms two meters (seven feet) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Avet Adonts, speaking at the memorial before Biden issued his statement, said a U.S. president using the term genocide would \u201cserve as an example for the rest of the civilized world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s call with Erdogan was his first since taking office more than three months ago. The delay had become a worrying sign in Ankara; Erdogan had good rapport with former President Donald Trump and had been hoping for a reset despite past friction with Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erdogan reiterated his long-running claims that the U.S. is supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, known as the PKK. The PKK has led an insurgency against Turkey for more than three decades. In recent years, Turkey has launched military operations against PKK enclaves in Turkey and in northern Iraq and against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters. The State Department has designated the PKK a terrorist organization but has argued with Turkey over the group\u2019s ties to the Syrian Kurds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden, during the campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with The New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey\u2019s opposition against \u201cautocrat\u201d Erdogan. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2014, when he was vice president, Biden apologized to Erdogan after suggesting in a speech that Turkey helped facilitate the rise of the Islamic State group by allowing foreign fighters to cross Turkey\u2019s border with Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers and Armenian American activists had lobbied Biden to make the genocide announcement on or before remembrance day. The closest that a U.S. president had come to recognizing the World War I-era atrocities as genocide was in 1981 when Ronald Reagan uttered the words \u201cArmenian genocide\u201d during a Holocaust Remembrance Day event. But he did not make it U.S. policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, lamented that \u201cthe truth of these heinous crimes has too often been denied, its monstrosity minimized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory teaches us that if we ignore its darkest chapters, we are destined to witness the horrors of the past be repeated,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Adam Schiff, also a California Democrat, praised Biden for following through on the pledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was \u2014 the first genocide of the 20th Century,\u201d Schiff said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California is home to large concentrations of Armenian Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salpi Ghazarian, director of the University of Southern California\u2019s Institute of Armenian Studies, said the recognition of genocide would resonate beyond Armenia and show Biden\u2019s seriousness about respect for human rights as a central principle in his foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the United States and outside the United States, the American commitment to basic human values has been questioned now for decades,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is very important for people in the world to continue to have the hope and the faith that America\u2019s aspirational values are still relevant, and that we can in fact do several things at once. We can in fact carry on trade and other relations with countries while also calling out the fact that a government cannot get away with murdering its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee reported from Washington and Bilginsoy from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Biden recognizes atrocities against Armenians as genocide","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biden-recognizes-atrocities-against-armenians-as-genocide","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4918","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4908,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-25 20:37:02","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 20 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2021\/4\/20\/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase aid and save more than 34 million people on the brink of starvation this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an open letter<\/a> addressed to world leaders on Tuesday, groups working to fight against inequality said up to 270 million people are acutely food insecure with millions \u201cteetering on the very edge of famine\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe combined impacts of conflict, climate change and inequality, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, have led to an acute food insecurity situation around the world,\u201d the letter, whose key signatories include Oxfam, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee, read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeeds already cannot be met, and we are increasingly likely to face multiple famines if we do not respond now,\u201d the letter, which came in conjunction with the UN\u2019s call for action to avert famine, added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a joint statement, the aid groups noted that a year on since the UN warned of \u201cfamine of biblical proportions<\/a>\u201d, donors have only funded five percent of this year\u2019s $7.8bn food security appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement<\/a> said that the amount of additional funding called for by the UN\u2019s World Food Programme amounts to $5.5bn, which is equivalent to less than 26 hours of the $1.9 trillion that countries spend per year on the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe richest countries are slashing their food aid even as millions of people go hungry; this is an extraordinary political failure,\u201d Oxfam\u2019s executive director, Gabriela Bucher, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey must urgently reverse these decisions. And we must confront the fundamental drivers of starvation \u2013 global hunger is not about lack of food, but a lack of equality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought about suicide\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While at least $5.5bn is needed in urgent food and agricultural assistance to avert the imminent risk of famine, millions more is needed to provide health care, clean water and other essential, basic services, the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of last year, the UN estimated that 270 million people were either at high risk of, or already facing, severe levels of hunger. Some 174 people in 58 countries have reached that level and are at risk of dying from malnutrition or lack of food, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that this figure will likely increase in the coming months if no actions are taken, and noted that conflict is the biggest driver of global hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Northern Nigeria are forcing millions to the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint statement included testimonies from people living in conflict zones and dire humanitarian conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fadya, from Lahj governorate in Yemen, recalled how she considered suicide \u201cseveral times\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen humanitarian workers came to my hut, they thought I had food because smoke was coming from my kitchen. But I was not cooking food for my children \u2013 instead I could only give them hot water and herbs, after which they went to sleep hungry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about suicide several times but I did not do it because of my children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open letter further warned that funding alone is not sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires urgent action, at a scale we are simply not seeing. If no urgent action is taken, lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries need to take immediate political action to stop these conflicts from continuing, and need to address rising inequality, the groups said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is imperative that we raise our collective voices to secure the international attention this cause deserves before it is too late,\u201d they said in closing remarks.<\/p>\n","post_title":"NGOs call for urgent aid as millions on brink of starvation","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ngos-call-for-urgent-aid-as-millions-on-brink-of-starvation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4908","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":4787,"post_author":"7","post_date":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-18 21:19:06","post_content":"\n

originally published:<\/em> 18 April 2021<\/strong> | origin:<\/em> https:\/\/www.jordantimes.com\/news\/local\/ramadan-sales-lowest-10-years-%E2%80%94-acc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMMAN \u2014 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who  is also the Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan (GAFJO), on Saturday said that the current Ramadan sales are at their lowest in 10 years, after witnessing a 50 per cent drop due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Haj Tawfiq said that the commercial sector has been \u201cstaggered\u201d by low sales since the first days of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed this to the partial curfew hours that exhausted merchants, and the decline in purchasing food and basic products despite existing price reductions and offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the prices of food, supplies and basic materials are stable, except for the high prices of local poultry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the offers on products were the largest this Ramadan, as a result of the increase in the number of shops, and their use of social media for promotion and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stressing merchants\u2019 concern over the continuation of the partial curfew, he called for allowing home delivery after Iftar from food stores, bakeries and water stations.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Ramadan sales lowest in 10 years \u2014 ACC","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ramadan-sales-lowest-in-10-years-acc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-02 08:36:34","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/dctransparency.com\/?p=4787","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":3},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

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originally published: 20 April 2021 | origin: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/20/without-urgent-aid-ngos-warn-millions-at-brink-of-famine More than 250 NGOs have urgently called on international governments to increase...

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