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                                                                                         world news Diahuebs 24 september 2020

                             Lebanon asks world's help 'trying to rise from its rubble'



            (AP) — Facing an economic  neighborhoods  and  facili-
            meltdown  and  other  cri-   ties.”
            ses,  Lebanon’s  president  on  The  massive  Aug.  4  explo-
            Wednesday  asked  for  the  sion  happened  when  about
            world's  help  to  rebuild  the  3,000 tons of ammonium ni-
            capital's main port and neigh-  trates — which had been rot-
            borhoods  that  were  blown  ting in a port warehouse for
            away  in  last  month’s  cata-  more than six years — ignit-
            strophic explosion.          ed.  Nearly  200  people  were
                                         killed,  6,500  injured  and  a
            President Michel Aoun made  quarter  of  a  million  people
            the  plea  in  a  prerecorded  were  left  with  homes  that
            speech to the U.N. General  were not fit to live in.
            Assembly’s  virtual  summit,
            telling  world  leaders  that  The  cause  of  the  blaze  that
            Lebanon's  many  challenges  ignited  the  chemicals  still
            are posing an unprecedented  isn't  known,  but  the  explo-
            threat  to  its  very  existence.  sion is widely seen as the cul-
            Most  urgently,  the  country  mination  of  decades  of  cor-
            needs the international com-  ruption and mismanagement
            munity’s  support  to  rebuild  by Lebanon's ruling class.
            its economy and its destroyed  It  came  on  top  of  an  un-
            port. Aoun suggested break-  precedented  economic  crisis
            ing up the damaged parts of  which has seen the local cur-
            the  city  into  separate  areas  rency lose up to 80 percent of
            and  so  that  countries  that  its value and decimated peo-  ticularly  soil  samples  and  mation of a government to be  Guterres  said  the  disastrous
            wish  to  help  can  each  com-  ple's savings, feeding despair  satellite images from the mo-  followed by tangible steps to  port  explosion  “must  be  a
            mit to rebuilding one.       among a population that has  ment of the explosion.       implement  economic,  social  wake-up call.”
                                         long ago given up on its lead-  “Teams  from  several  coun-  and political reforms.   “Without  such  action,  the
            “Beirut today is trying to rise  ers.  Poverty  and  unemploy-  tries  came  for  technical  as-                    country’s  ability  to  recover
            from its rubble, and it is with  ment are soaring, made worse  sistance and to carry out the  Lebanon’s  government  re-  and  rebuild  will  be  jeopar-
            the solidarity of all the Leba-  by the coronavirus pandemic.  necessary  research  and  we  signed under pressure in the  dized, adding to the turmoil
            nese and your support that it  A local investigation into the  are still waiting for their in-  wake  of  the  port  explosion,  and hardship of the Lebanese
            will heal its wounds and rise  blast is underway, but no one  formation...  as  well  as  the  and  Prime  Minister-desig-  people,” Guterres added.
            as it has previously risen re-  has been held accountable so  satellite  images  to  clear  the  nate Mustapha Adib has been  Guterres  made  his  remarks
            peatedly throughout history,”  far.                       ambiguity in this part of the  unable to form a new govern-  during  a  meeting  of  the  In-
            Aoun said. “There is a great                              investigation,”  he  added.  ment amid a political impasse  ternational  Support  Group
            need  for  the  international  Aroun said Lebanon had re-  Earlier  Wednesday,  U.N.  over  which  faction  gets  to  for Lebanon held on the side-
            community  to  support  the  quested  technical  assistance  Secretary-General  Antonio  have the Finance Ministry, as  lines of the U.N. General As-
            reconstruction  of  destroyed  from  certain  countries,  par-  Guterres called for swift for-  well as other disputes.  sembly meetings.


                          UK says no-deal Brexit could see 7,000-truck border queues


            (AP) — There there could be lines of 7,000 trucks  The government's Smart Freight system, designed  the economic hit from a no-deal Brexit could be
            at the English Channel and two-day waits to get  to reduce the risk of cargo delays, will still be in a  three  times  the  impact  of  the  coronavirus  pan-
            into  France  immediately  after  the  U.K.  makes  testing phase in January. Work to recruit and train  demic. The British economy contracted by a fifth
            its economic break from the European Union at  50,000 new customs workers is nowhere near be-   between March and May as the country went into
            the  end  of  the  year,  the  British  government  said  ing finished.                         lockdown, though it has since recovered some of
            Wednesday,  as  it  urged  businesses  to  prepare  for  “We’ve been consistently warning the government  that ground.
            major change.                                   that there will be delays at ports, but they’re just  The EU and the U.K. say a deal must be struck by
                                                            not engaging with industry on coming up with so-  October so it can be approved and ratified before
            Michael  Gove,  the  minister  in  charge  of  Brexit  lutions," Road Haulage Association chief executive  Jan.  1.  But  negotiators  remain  at  loggerheads  on
            preparations,  described  the  border  backlog  as  a  Richard Burnett said.                    key  issues,  especially  European  fishing  boats’  ac-
            “reasonable worst-case scenario” in a letter to lo-                                             cess to U.K. waters and competition rules for busi-
            gistics firms and an oral update to lawmakers in the  Rachel Reeves, Brexit spokeswoman for Britain's  nesses.
            House  of  Commons.  He  said  that  between  30%  main opposition Labour Party, said the scenario en-  Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier is due to hold
            and 60% of trucks wanting to cross the Channel  visioned by the government would mean “concret-  talks with his British counterpart, David Frost, in
            might not be ready for new paperwork and regula-  ing over the Garden of England,” as the agricul-  London Wednesday ahead of a ninth formal round
            tions that will come into effect on Jan. 1. “They'd  ture-rich southeast county of Kent is known. The  of negotiations next week.
            therefore  be  turned  back  by  the  French  border  port of Dover is in Kent County.          The climate for the talks has been further chilled
            authorities,  clogging  the  Dover  to  Calais  cross-  “Today’s warnings are based on a reasonable worst-  by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s intro-
            ing” Gove told lawmakers, referring to the ports  case  scenario,  but  given  we  have  a  reasonable  duction of a bill that would give the U.K. the right
            in  southeast  England  and  northern  France.  Such  worst-case  government,  we  have  to  assume  that  to override parts of the legally binding withdrawal
            backups could lead to queues of up to 7,000 trucks  these  scenarios will play out  quite soon," Reeves  agreement it struck with the bloc less than a year
            on the British side, he said.                   said. The U.K. withdrew from the EU’s political  ago.
            The government said the delays could last at least  institutions on Jan. 31 but remains in a tariff-free
            three months until companies got used to the new  transition period until the end of the year while ne-  The bill has infuriated the EU, which has threat-
            systems and requirements.                       gotiators try to work out a future trade relationship.  ened legal action if Britain does not reverse course
                                                                                                            by the end of September. Johnson shows no signs
            “The consequences of a lack of business prepared-  Even with a deal, Britain will be leaving the bloc’s  of dropping the bill, which is currently making its
            ness will be not just economic opportunities missed  single market and customs union, meaning some  way through Parliament.
            for those companies that don’t prepare, but poten-  new checks and trade barriers. Without a deal there  The legislation has also caused an uproar in Britain.
            tially much wider disruption,” Gove said. Haulage  will be much greater disruption, with the U.K. and  Five  former  prime  ministers  criticized  Johnson’s
            and  logistics  companies  accused  the  government  the EU having to slap tariffs on each others’ goods.  willingness to break international law, and the gov-
            of  trying  blame  them  for  its  lack  of  preparation  A  report  by  political  research  group  U.K.  in  a  ernment’s top legal civil servant and most senior
            for the changes coming in just over three months.  Changing Europe estimated that, in the long run,  law officer for Scotland have both resigned.
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