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A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 20 January 2021
Survey: Major European allies optimistic about Biden admin

By DAVID RISING pullbacks from multilateral
Associated Press cooperation: the outgo-
BERLIN (AP) — U.S. Presi- ing president’s decision to
dent-elect Joe Biden will withdraw from the World
assume office amid a surge Health Organization, an-
in optimism among ma- nounced last year, and the
jor European allies, and at U.S. exit from the Paris cli-
home, about the future of mate agreement.
trans-Atlantic relations and The Pew survey indicated
American foreign policy broad majorities in all three
in general, a poll showed of the countries believe U.S.
Tuesday. foreign policy, its response
Four years of President Don- to climate change and its
ald Trump’s “America First” approach to the corona-
approach to foreign poli- virus outbreak will improve
cy, which included bash- under Biden. Overall, how-
ing traditional NATO friends ever, there was only a slight
and questioning the alli- uptick in views of the U.S. in
ance itself while embrac- general, with about half of
ing authoritarian leaders, the respondents in France
as well as new trade tariffs, and Britain, and only about
have frayed relations with File picture taken Friday, Feb. 1, 2013 shows German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and United four in 10 Germans, seeing
many in Europe. States’ Vice President Joe Biden at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany. Associated Press the country favorably.
But with the election of Though conducted before
Biden, well-known to many the future of their country’s were consistently nega- been cautious in their own the storming of the Capitol
in Europe already from his relationship with the U.S., tive about Trump’s perfor- optimism about the up- in Washington earlier this
years as vice president and as did 72% in Britain. In the mance on the international coming Biden presidency, month, the survey also re-
decades in the senate, U.S., 73% of respondents stage during his time in noting that Washington’s vealed there were already
wide majorities in Germany, said they were optimistic office, according to Pew stance on some con- widespread concerns
France and Britain are look- about future relations with Research Center’s polling. tentious issues like NATO about the health of U.S. de-
ing favorably to the com- Europe. When asked spe- Only about 1 in 10 Germans spending and opposition to mocracy among the three
ing years, according to the cifically about Biden, 79% expressed confidence in his the German-Russian Nord of America’s closest allies.
Washington-based Pew of Germans, 72% of French handling of world affairs in Stream 2 pipeline project Pew found that 73% of Ger-
Research Center’s survey and 65% of British respon- each of the four surveys are not likely to change sig- mans, 64% of French and
conducted late last year.In dents said they had con- conducted in the country nificantly. 62% of British respondents
both France and Germany fidence in him to do the during his presidency, for At the same time, Europe said the American political
84% of respondents said right thing regarding world example. is looking forward to Biden system needs major chang-
they were optimistic about affairs. All three countries European politicians have reversing two major Trump es or complete reform. q

Group: Billion in aid needed to help Afghan kids in 2021

By RAHIM FAIEZ Just over 18 million Af- country director, said Af- pandemic have deep- known nothing but vio-
Associated Press ghans, including 9.7 mil- ghans are suffering under ened the humanitarian lence,” he said.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) lion children, are badly in a combination of violent impact across the country. According to the U.N.,
— Some 10 million children need of lifesaving support, conflict, poverty and the Many Afghans also blame nearly 6,000 people — a
in war-ravaged Afghani- including food, Save the virus pandemic. “It’s a runaway government cor- third of them children —
stan are at risk of not hav- Children said in a state- desperately bad situation ruption and lawlessness for were killed or wounded in
ing enough food to eat ment. The group called for that needs urgent atten- the country’s poor econo- fighting in Afghanistan be-
in 2021, a humanitarian $1.3 billion in donations to tion from the international my. tween January and Sep-
organization said Tuesday pay for assistance in 2021. community,” he said. The U.N. and its humani- tember last year, Nyaman-
and called for $1.3 billion Chris Nyamandi, the or- The latest round of peace tarian partners will seek di said. The violence con-
in new funds for aid. ganization’s Afghanistan talks between the Taliban $1.3 billion in aid for 16 mil- tinues to force hundreds
and Afghan government lion Afghans in need this of thousands of people to
negotiators that began year, U.N. secretary-gen- flee their homes every year
earlier this month in Qatar eral spokesman Stephane and limit people’s access
has been slow to produce Dujarric, said this month. to resources including hos-
results as concerns grow That’s up from an estimat- pitals and clinics.
over a recent spike in vio- ed 2.3 million people last In a Save the Children re-
lence across Afghanistan. year who needed life-sav- port in December, the
The pandemic has also ing assistance. group said more than
had a disastrous impact “It’s a huge increase in 300,000 Afghan children
on millions of Afghan fami- people who need aid,” he faced freezing winter con-
lies. In 2020, the World Bank said. ditions that could lead to
estimated that the pan- Nyamandi said that with illness and death without
demic had hugely disrupt- no immediate end in sight proper winter clothing and
ed imports, including vital to the decades-long con- heating. The organiza-
household items, which in flict, millions of people will tion provided winter kits to
An internally displaced girl poses for photograph outside her turn led to rapid inflation. continue to suffer. “It’s more than 100,000 families
temporary home in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, The added health and especially hard on chil- in 12 of Afghanistan’s 34
Jan. 18, 2021. economic strains of the dren, many of whom have provinces.q
Associated Press