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Al-Ahram Weekly
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
UEFA pledges new humanitarian aid for Gaza children: A Salah effect? asks British journalist - Talents Abroad
A prominent British football writer has questioned whether UEFA's announcement of new partnerships with humanitarian organisations to support children in Gaza is a response to Egyptian star Mohamed Salah's post condemning the killing of former Palestinian footballer Suleiman al-Obeid in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza as he awaited aid. The UEFA Foundation for Children said on Tuesday it will work with Médecins du Monde, Médecins Sans Frontières and Handicap International to deliver medical care, psychosocial support, food kits and education on the dangers of explosive remnants to children affected by the war. UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said the move was part of a wider mission to help young people in conflict zones, adding: 'Children are innocent… we must do what we can to help those who are trying to make life more tolerable and normal for them.' Henry Winter, a prominent British football writer, asked whether the move was a response to Salah's pointed remarks, writing on X: 'The Salah effect? UEFA establishes partnerships with Médecins du Monde, Médecins Sans Frontières and Handicap International… providing vital humanitarian help for the children of Gaza, who are enduring what UN Secretary General António Guterres has described as 'a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions'.' The Salah effect? Uefa establishes partnerships with Medecins du Monde, Medecins sans Frontières and Handicap International, charities 'providing vital humanitarian help for the children of Gaza, who are enduring what UN Secretary General António Guterres has described as, 'a… — Henry Winter (@henrywinter) August 12, 2025 He described the aid as urgently needed and said it was 'interesting' to know if it followed Salah's criticism of UEFA's limited statement on the death of former Palestine player Suleiman Al-Obeid. On Sunday, Salah, the Liverpool and Egypt forward, reposted UEFA's brief condolence message on X to his 19.4 million followers, asking: 'Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?' The message was in tribute to Al-Obeid, known as the 'Palestinian Pele,' who, according to the Palestine Football Association (PFA), was killed last week in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza. Al-Obeid, 41, scored more than 100 goals in his career and earned 24 caps for Palestine. The PFA says 421 footballers, including 103 children, have been killed or died from starvation in Gaza since the war began, with 288 sports facilities damaged or destroyed. UEFA said its new Gaza-focused aid will run alongside existing projects in other conflict areas including Ukraine, Sudan, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
DW
29-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
Russian threat sees Eastern Europe bring back land mines – DW – 06/29/2025
Five out of six countries along the border with Russia and Belarus plan to secure their borders with land mines, aiming to protect NATO's eastern flank from a possible attack. But the plan is highly controversial. Since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, there has hardly been a more pressing issue for NATO than the defense of its eastern borders. Over the past three years, five of the six NATO countries that share a border with Russia or Belarus — Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland— have already made significant investments to better secure these borders, for example with fences and surveillance systems. But now, a new plan is in the works: land mines. Those five NATO countries recently announced their withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, the 1997 treaty which bans anti-personnel mines worldwide and prohibits their use, production and transfer. Only Norway, which shares a nearly 200-kilometer (124-mile) border of almost 200 kilometers with Russia, wants to stick to the treaty. Such mines are highly controversial, as they can be a danger for both soldiers and civilians. Uncleared mines remain a long-term threat after the end of a conflict: In 2023, nearly 6,000 people worldwide were killed or injured by land mines. Some 80% of the victims were civilians, including many children. Clearing these explosive devices is dangerous, expensive and extremely time-consuming. According to the nongovernmental organization Handicap International, 58 countries around the world and other areas are still contaminated with land mines, even if some of the underlying conflicts ended decades ago. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video From the end of 2025, these five NATO countries could restart the production and storage of anti-personnel mines near the border. In case of an emergency, these mines would then be deployed quickly. While 164 countries worldwide have signed the Ottawa Convention, 33 have not. In addition to the major powers US and China, this includes Russia. In fact, the Kremlin has by far the world's largest stockpile of anti-personnel mines, with an estimated 26 million. Many of these are already being used in Ukraine. From Finnish Lapland in the north to the Polish province of Lublin in the south, the border between the five NATO states and Russia and Belarus is around 3,500 kilometers (2150 miles) long. Most of these areas are sparsely populated and densely forested, making them difficult to monitor the area. Nevertheless, there is great concern about a possible Russian attack on NATO territory. According to a report in the British newspaper , NATO experts are already analyzing which areas could be targeted. The aim of the NATO countries is to maximize deterrence: together with other border security measures, the mines are intended to inflict such heavy losses on the advancing enemy in the shortest possible time that Moscow would refrain from a prolonged war. Several million mines and other concealed explosives would likely be necessary to effectively protect the long border. Large areas would become uninhabitable for decades, and the potential damage to people and the environment is almost impossible to predict. David Blair, foreign correspondent for , described the plan as a new, explosive "Iron Curtain," alluding to the heavily guarded border between NATO and the Warsaw Pact states during the Cold War. In addition to mines, the eastern NATO states have already initiated many other measures, erecting or reinforcing border fences and walls, installing modern surveillance and early warning systems and strengthening troop contingents. Some of the countries are also planning to deploy drone defense systems along the border, and deepen irrigation systems so that they can be used as trenches in an emergency. They also aim to plant trees along important roads to provide camouflage for civilians and soldiers. Lithuania, squeezed between the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic coast and Belarus in the east, is particularly vulnerable. A narrow, 65-kilometer land connection — the Suwalki Gap — links the Baltic states and Poland, making the area a likely target for a initial Russian attack. Vilnius, therefore, is planning to invest around €800 million ($937 million) in the production of new land mines in the coming years. Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene has defended the strategy, speaking of the "existential threat" to her country. Russia has increasingly manufactured mines in recent years, she explained, while Europe had destroyed its own stockpiles under the terms of the Ottawa Convention. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Eva Maria Fischer, head of advocacy at Handicap International Germany, believes the land mine plan is a dangerous and worrying development. "Of course, the security concerns of the Eastern European states may be justified in the current unstable international context," Fischer said in March, when Poland and the three Baltic states first announced their plans to withdraw from the treaty. "However, lasting security cannot be built on weapons that kill indiscriminately, remain in the ground long after the end of a conflict and continue to maim civilians and destroy livelihoods," she added. "There are alternatives to defending a country. These may seem more expensive, but they are not when you consider the enormous follow-up costs of using anti-personnel mines."
The Star
02-05-2025
- Health
- The Star
Millions of children to suffer from Trump aid cuts; many affected are also Rohingya children
AMMAN (AFP): When he grows up, five-year-old Ahmad wants to be "stronger than Spider-Man". But his dream clashes with a harsh reality -- the Jordanian boy has a serious disability, and major US aid cuts mean he will likely miss out on vital care. Like him, millions of children around the world are suffering from the sweeping cuts ordered by US President Donald Trump. All are grappling with hardship in one form or other: war, crime, global warming, poverty, disease and more. Ahmad, who has a spinal malformation, cannot hold his torso upright and is paralysed from the waist down. The boy was receiving physiotherapy sessions from Handicap International "to strengthen his upper limbs and enable him, later on, to walk with crutches," said his father, Mahmud Abdulrahman, a 30-year-old day labourer. Abdulrahman said the non-governmental organisation was also due to provide orthotics and prosthetics to straighten Ahmad's lower limbs -- none of which he could afford on his meagre salary. Now, none of that will happen. The Wehdat Rehabilitation Centre they attended in Jordan's capital Amman was one of the first victims of Trump's aid cuts. More than 600 patients found themselves deprived of care overnight. Prosthetics already specially designed for around 30 children, as well as wheelchairs, could not be delivered to them, on Washington's orders. "The movement that was taught will be forgotten," said Dr Abdullah Hmoud, a physiotherapist who worked at the centre, describing the potential losses as "catastrophic". There is also emotional suffering. When he realised he would no longer see his physiotherapist, "Ahmad stopped eating for three days. He didn't want to get up," said his father. With the closure of his rehabilitation centre, "I feel like they want to kill me," the boy said in a hushed voice. - Global fallout - Ahmad's story is one among many in a wave of horror accounts surfacing from the humanitarian sector since the United States said it was cutting 83 percent of its aid. USAID -- which the Trump administration has dismantled -- had supported 42 percent of all aid distributed globally, with a $42.8 billion budget. At a refugee camp in Bangladesh, home to a million Rohingya Muslims who fled persecution in Myanmar, half of them children, Save the Children has been forced to ration food. The NGO fears desperate families could be pushed to hand over daughters to traffickers or send sons on dangerous sea crossings to Malaysia for work. In Mozambique, Solidarites International had to shut down a programme providing food and water to internally displaced people, including tens of thousands of children. In Malawi, similar numbers will no longer receive free school meals, according to another NGO which requested anonymity for fear of US reprisals. Without food, many children will drop out of school -- all the more galling, the NGO said, as millions of meals are reportedly left to rot in warehouses due to the US decision. "It's like the rug is being pulled out from under their feet," said one staff member. - 'Last lifelines' - Women and girls are often the first to lose out, with their education traditionally sacrificed first. The Norwegian Refugee Council said it will have to "significantly reduce" aid to women and girls in Afghanistan because the US funds paid for many of the female staff who worked with them. "The very last lifelines for many women and girls will be taken away," said Camilla Waszink, a director at the organisation. Malnutrition already affects 150 million children under five, and the numbers could surge. "Millions of additional children will suffer stunted growth" and impaired brain capacity, said Kevin Goldberg, director of Solidarites International. In another blow to children, Washington is expected to drastically reduce funding for vaccination programmes in poor countries. Sania Nishtar, CEO of the Vaccine Alliance, warned the cuts -- if confirmed -- could result in "an estimated 1.3 million children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases". - AFP
Asharq Al-Awsat
01-05-2025
- Health
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Millions of Children to Suffer from Trump Aid Cuts
When he grows up, five-year-old Ahmad wants to be "stronger than Spider-Man". But his dream clashes with a harsh reality -- the Jordanian boy has a serious disability, and major US aid cuts mean he will likely miss out on vital care. Like him, millions of children around the world are suffering from the sweeping cuts ordered by US President Donald Trump. All are grappling with hardship in one form or other: war, crime, global warming, poverty, disease and more. Ahmad, who has a spinal malformation, cannot hold his torso upright and is paralyzed from the waist down. The boy was receiving physiotherapy sessions from Handicap International "to strengthen his upper limbs and enable him, later on, to walk with crutches," said his father, Mahmud Abdulrahman, a 30-year-old day laborer. Abdulrahman said the non-governmental organization was also due to provide orthotics and prosthetics to straighten Ahmad's lower limbs -- none of which he could afford on his meagre salary. Now, none of that will happen. The Wehdat Rehabilitation Center they attended in Jordan's capital Amman was one of the first victims of Trump's aid cuts. More than 600 patients found themselves deprived of care overnight. Prosthetics already specially designed for around 30 children, as well as wheelchairs, could not be delivered to them, on Washington's orders. "The movement that was taught will be forgotten," said Dr Abdullah Hmoud, a physiotherapist who worked at the center, describing the potential losses as "catastrophic". There is also emotional suffering. When he realized he would no longer see his physiotherapist, "Ahmad stopped eating for three days. He didn't want to get up," said his father. With the closure of his rehabilitation center, "I feel like they want to kill me," the boy said in a hushed voice. Global fallout Ahmad's story is one among many in a wave of horror accounts surfacing from the humanitarian sector since the United States said it was cutting 83 percent of its aid. USAID -- which the Trump administration has dismantled -- had supported 42 percent of all aid distributed globally, with a $42.8 billion budget. At a refugee camp in Bangladesh, home to a million Rohingya Muslims who fled persecution in Myanmar, half of them children, Save the Children has been forced to ration food. The NGO fears desperate families could be pushed to hand over daughters to traffickers or send sons on dangerous sea crossings to Malaysia for work. In Mozambique, Solidarites International had to shut down a program providing food and water to internally displaced people, including tens of thousands of children. In Malawi, similar numbers will no longer receive free school meals, according to another NGO which requested anonymity for fear of US reprisals. Without food, many children will drop out of school -- all the more galling, the NGO said, as millions of meals are reportedly left to rot in warehouses due to the US decision. "It's like the rug is being pulled out from under their feet," said one staff member. 'Last lifelines' Women and girls are often the first to lose out, with their education traditionally sacrificed first. The Norwegian Refugee Council said it will have to "significantly reduce" aid to women and girls in Afghanistan because the US funds paid for many of the female staff who worked with them. "The very last lifelines for many women and girls will be taken away," said Camilla Waszink, a director at the organization. Malnutrition already affects 150 million children under five, and the numbers could surge. "Millions of additional children will suffer stunted growth" and impaired brain capacity, said Kevin Goldberg, director of Solidarites International. In another blow to children, Washington is expected to drastically reduce funding for vaccination programs in poor countries. Sania Nishtar, CEO of the Vaccine Alliance, warned the cuts -- if confirmed -- could result in "an estimated 1.3 million children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases".
Economic Times
01-05-2025
- Health
- Economic Times
Millions of children to suffer from Trump aid cuts
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads When he grows up, five-year-old Ahmad wants to be "stronger than Spider-Man".But his dream clashes with a harsh reality -- the Jordanian boy has a serious disability, and major US aid cuts mean he will likely miss out on vital him, millions of children around the world are suffering from the sweeping cuts ordered by US President Donald are grappling with hardship in one form or other: war, crime, global warming, poverty, disease and who has a spinal malformation, cannot hold his torso upright and is paralysed from the waist boy was receiving physiotherapy sessions from Handicap International "to strengthen his upper limbs and enable him, later on, to walk with crutches," said his father, Mahmud Abdulrahman, a 30-year-old day said the non-governmental organisation was also due to provide orthotics and prosthetics to straighten Ahmad's lower limbs -- none of which he could afford on his meagre none of that will Wehdat Rehabilitation Centre they attended in Jordan's capital Amman was one of the first victims of Trump's aid than 600 patients found themselves deprived of care already specially designed for around 30 children, as well as wheelchairs, could not be delivered to them, on Washington's orders."The movement that was taught will be forgotten," said Dr Abdullah Hmoud, a physiotherapist who worked at the centre, describing the potential losses as "catastrophic".There is also emotional he realised he would no longer see his physiotherapist, "Ahmad stopped eating for three days. He didn't want to get up," said his the closure of his rehabilitation centre, "I feel like they want to kill me," the boy said in a hushed voice.- Global fallout -Ahmad's story is one among many in a wave of horror accounts surfacing from the humanitarian sector since the United States said it was cutting 83 percent of its -- which the Trump administration has dismantled -- had supported 42 percent of all aid distributed globally, with a $42.8 billion a refugee camp in Bangladesh, home to a million Rohingya Muslims who fled persecution in Myanmar, half of them children, Save the Children has been forced to ration NGO fears desperate families could be pushed to hand over daughters to traffickers or send sons on dangerous sea crossings to Malaysia for Mozambique, Solidarites International had to shut down a programme providing food and water to internally displaced people, including tens of thousands of Malawi, similar numbers will no longer receive free school meals, according to another NGO which requested anonymity for fear of US food, many children will drop out of school -- all the more galling, the NGO said, as millions of meals are reportedly left to rot in warehouses due to the US decision."It's like the rug is being pulled out from under their feet," said one staff member.- 'Last lifelines' -Women and girls are often the first to lose out, with their education traditionally sacrificed Norwegian Refugee Council said it will have to "significantly reduce" aid to women and girls in Afghanistan because the US funds paid for many of the female staff who worked with them."The very last lifelines for many women and girls will be taken away," said Camilla Waszink, a director at the already affects 150 million children under five, and the numbers could surge."Millions of additional children will suffer stunted growth" and impaired brain capacity, said Kevin Goldberg, director of Solidarites another blow to children, Washington is expected to drastically reduce funding for vaccination programmes in poor Nishtar, CEO of the Vaccine Alliance, warned the cuts -- if confirmed -- could result in "an estimated 1.3 million children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases".
