30 Apr
News and Analyses, A Foreign Perspective
News and Analyses, A Foreign Perspective
English Online International Newspapers
Nearly all of these are English-edition daily newspapers. These sites have interesting editorials and essays, and many have links to other good news sources. We try to limit this list to those sites which are regularly updated, reliable, with a high percentage of “up” time.
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Miriam Maluwa put on administrative leave after giving evidence to support claims against UNAids deputy director
UN headquarters in New York. UNAids has been questioned by campaigners over its handling of an inquiry into an alleged assault by its former deputy chief, Luiz Loures. Photograph: Tse Pui Lung/Alamy
A key witness in a sexual assault investigation involving a UN assistant secretary general has been suspended from her job, in a move campaigners say is a show of “pure intimidation tactics”.
Miriam Maluwa, who has worked for the UN for more than 25 years, was placed on administrative leave from her post as country director for UNAids in Ethiopia on 27 March. In a letter from the agency she was told this action did not amount to disciplinary measures, but that UNAids would be conducting a management and operational review of the country’s office during her absence.
The agency added that Maluwa, one of the most senior women within UNAids, was not allowed to enter the office or access the agency’s servers or documents without supervision. The following week, an email was sent to key partners, embassies and government ministries announcing that an interim country director had been appointed to her position.
Maluwa was also copied into emails stating that her contract had been terminated, though she said the agency later told her these were sent in error.
The campaign group Code Blue, which is supporting Maluwa, said the agency had not explained the reasons for its actions and was not following the correct processes. “The standard procedure if there’s going to be an administrative and management review is that you tell the staff member why, tell them what the claims are against them, and you give them the opportunity to respond to those claims,” said Paula Donovan, co-director of Code Blue.
Miriam Maluwa, country director for UNAids in Ethiopia Photograph: UNAIDS Ethiopia
Last year, Maluwa was a key witness in an investigation into sexual assault and harassment allegations involving the UNAids deputy director, Luiz Loures, who was alleged to have assaulted a colleague in a hotel lift. Maluwa, who spoke to the complainant after the alleged assault took place, told investigators that the alleged victim was distressed and asked to borrow a phone – evidence that supported the woman’s claims.
Loures, who denies the allegations, was not suspended during the investigation.
Donovan said Maluwa was being targeted following her role as a witness, and her refusal to contribute towards internal efforts to defend the agency’s director, Michel Sidibé, who has faced widespread criticism over attempts to interfere with the inquiry.
Sidibé appeared to be trying to send a message to staff, Donovan said. “[The message seems to be] this is what will happen to you if I feel you have been disloyal or you are going to be problematic to me in my fight to hold on to my job,” she said.
The investigation found the claims against Loures to be unsubstantiated, but its results have since been suspended. On Friday, it was announced the case would be reopened in light of additional allegations that had surfaced, and would be conducted by the UN’s investigations team, the office of internal oversight services…………………..UNAids said in a statement that it could not comment on its actions relating to Maluwa. It said: “We cannot provide specific information about the review to protect the integrity and confidentiality of the process. However, we can confirm that it is not related to the recent case of sexual harassment.”
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Diplomatic talks continue, but Europe remains in the dark about Donald Trump’s mindset
Donald Trump has imposed tariffs of 25% on steel imports and 10% on aluminium imports. Photograph: David Hecker/EPA
The EU has warned that it will not “shoot from the hip” but is fully prepared for a trade war with the US amid heightened concerns that the bloc’s last minute crisis talks are doomed to fail.
With tariffs on steel and aluminium on European exports to the US due to come into force on Tuesday, Cecilia Malmström, the European commissioner for trade, made a final diplomatic push in call with the US commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross.
A European commission spokesman declined to comment on the success of the talks, with Brussels seemingly still in the dark over Donald Trump’s mindset.
But he conceded that officials were likely to need to work through the 1 May Labour Day bank holiday in Belgium on Tuesday when the US president’s decision is expected to be made public.
“We are patient but we are also prepared,” the spokesman said. “Labour Day will be full of labour for us”.
The US administration imposed import tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium in March on the grounds of national security.
The EU, along with Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and South Korea, were granted a temporary reprieve, but that is due to come to an end on 1 May.
The main focus of the import tariffs is China, with whom the US has a $502tn (£365tn) trade deficit. However, Trump has been scathing about the current terms of trade with Europe.
He has been particularly exercised by the success of German car exports in the US. Washington imposes a 2.5% tariff on cars made in Europe and a 25% tariff on EU-built vans and trucks. Europe imposes a 10% tariff on American-made cars.
On Sunday, Theresa May, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel spoke by phone to agree that the EU would hit back in response to the imposition of tariffs on European exporters.
Merkel said Europe was “resolved to defend its interests within the multilateral trade framework”.
A Downing Street spokesman said the leaders had spoken of “the vital importance of our steel and aluminium industries and their concern about the impact of US tariffs” and “pledged to continue to work closely with the rest of the EU and the US administration with the aim of a permanent exemption from US tariffs”.
The EU has suggested it is open to discussing the wider terms of trade with the US but only once it has received a permanent and unconditional exemption to the steel and aluminium tariffs. Trump has reportedly expressed his irritation that he cannot negotiate bilaterally with the key member states, rather than work through the EU institutions.
In their previous phone call, Ross was rebuffed by Malmström after he demanded that the EU voluntarily limit exports of steel and aluminium to 90% of the average 2016-17 level, reducing European imports by 16.3%.
Speaking on Sunday in Abu Dhabi to Bloomberg TV, the Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, said a trade war would be “extremely negative” for both sides. “I admit, I am concerned that there could be some new trade barriers,” he said. “If it comes to that, I hope that we as the EU can come to agreement very quickly on a common and clear position.
“I hope that this won’t unleash any negative spiral that leads to a trade war and that, rather, the US will reconsider its ideas about trade barriers.”
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