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WORLD NEWS Saturday 10 OctOber 2020
Continued from Front said. "The World Food Pro-
It continues to bring assis- gram works at the intersec-
tance to the world's most tion of those two problems
dangerous and precarious (and) it's going to face an
places, from air-dropping increasing workload in the
food in South Sudan and coming years."
Syria to creating an emer- Some, however, noted that
gency delivery service the World Food Program's
that kept aid flowing even top donors are also major
as pandemic restrictions food exporters and often
grounded commercial involved in the sale of arms
flights. to conflict zones where the
In bestowing what is argu- agency works, from Af-
ably the world's most pres- ghanistan to Yemen.
tigious prize on the World "This Nobel Prize is impor-
Food Program, the Norwe- tant to celebrate multilat-
gian committee is honoring eral cooperation, to show
an organization headed by solidarity between nations,"
David Beasley, a Republi- said Frederic Mousseau,
can former South Carolina policy director at The Oak-
governor nominated for land Institute, a progressive
the job by President Don- think tank based in Califor-
ald Trump. In this image taken from WFP video, David Beasley, Executive director of the World Food Program nia. "But we should not ig-
Beasley said the prize right- (WFP), center, celebrates with members of WFP staff in Niamey, Niger, Friday Oct. 9, 2020, after nore the hypocrisy of the
ly goes to his entire team. being awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace prize. richest nations engaged in
"I know I'm not deserving Associated Press and profiteering from the
of an award like this — but wars where they finance
all the men and women remains by far its biggest award for the U.N. or one of Officials said the unprec- WFP interventions."
around the world in the donor, the agency has its agencies. edented effort involved The award comes with a
World Food Program and been run by an American "In a world of plenty, it is nearly 130 countries and gold medal and a 10-mil-
our partners who put their for nearly 40 years, and unconscionable that hun- was key in ensuring that ion krona ($1.1 million) cash
lives on the line every day Beasley has been a rare dreds of millions go to aid for the pandemic kept prize that is dwarfed by the
to help those in need, that recent example of U.S.-led bed each night hungry," flowing in addition to other funding that WFP requires
is inspiring and encourag- internationalism. Guterres said. "Millions assistance, like the drugs for its work. So far in 2020,
ing," he told The Associated The Nobel Committee said more are now on the preci- and vaccines needed to the organization has re-
Press by phone from Niger. the problem of hunger has pice of famine due to the combat other diseases. ceived almost $6.4 billion
WFP staffers in Niger greet- again become more acute COVID-19 pandemic." As recently as this week, a in cash or goods, with over
ed Beasley with cheers and in recent years, not least The Nobel Committee WFP humanitarian convoy $2.7 billion coming from the
applause as he emerged because the pandemic called on governments was attacked in South Su- U.S. On Monday, the Nobel
to address a crowd af- has added to the hardship to ensure that WFP and dan, drawing condemna- Committee awarded the
ter the announcement. "I already faced by millions. other aid organizations re- tion from the U.S. State De- prize for physiology and
didn't win it, you won it," he WFP estimates that 690 mil- ceive the financial support partment. medicine for discovering
told them. lion people worldwide suf- needed to feed millions in There was no shortage of the liver-ravaging hepati-
The award comes as Trump fer some form of hunger countries such as Yemen, causes or candidates on tis C virus. Tuesday's prize
has pulled the United States today. Congo, Nigeria and South this year's Nobel list, with for physics honored break-
out of several U.N. bodies, "Where there is conflict, Sudan. 211 individuals and 107 or- throughs in understanding
including the Human Rights there is hunger. And where When the award was an- ganizations nominated. the mysteries of cosmic
Council and UNESCO, the there is hunger, there is of- nounced, Beasley was in The Norwegian Nobel black holes, and the chem-
cultural agency. He has ten conflict," Beasley said in Niger, following a visit to Committee maintains istry prize on Wednesday
also repeatedly criticized a statement on the agen- neighboring Burkina Faso absolute secrecy about went to scientists behind
the U.N.'s World Health Or- cy's website. "Today is a re- — two countries in the Sa- whom it favors before the a powerful gene-editing
ganization over its handling minder that food security, hel region of Africa that announcement, but WFP tool. The literature prize
of the coronavirus pan- peace and stability go to- he said is "under attack by had been on the short list of was awarded to American
demic, and his administra- gether." extremists and climate ex- Dan Smith, the director of poet Louise Glück on Thurs-
tion has said the United U.N. Secretary-General An- tremes" and going through the Stockholm International day for her "candid and un-
States will leave it in July. tonio Guterres said he was "a devastating" time. Peace Research Institute. compromising" work.
In light of that pullback, the delighted the award went A logistics juggernaut, WFP "The global problem of The Nobel Memorial Prize
choice of the World Food to "the world's first respond- this year created a global hunger is increasing and for economics, which was
Program was particularly er on the front lines of food emergency delivery ser- so is the global problem only established in 1968, will
notable because the U.S. insecurity." It was the ninth vice for humanitarian aid. of violent conflict," Smith be awarded Monday.q

U.N.: New daily record as COVID-19 cases hit more than 350,000

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organiza- even as COVID-19 continues to surge across veillance systems, testing, contact tracing and
tion has announced a new daily record high in the world, "there are no new answers." ensuring populations are engaged. As the vi-
coronavirus cases confirmed worldwide, with He said that although the agency wants coun- rus continues to surge across Europe and else-
more than 350,000 infections reported to the tries to avoid the punishing lockdowns that have where, Ryan acknowledged that restrictive
U.N. health agency on Friday. devastated economies, governments must en- measures might be warranted at some point.
The new daily high of 350,766 cases surpasses sure the most vulnerable people are protected British scientists reported this week that the CO-
a record set earlier this week by nearly 12,000. and numerous measures must be taken. VID-19 outbreak is doubling every few weeks,
That tally includes more than 109,000 cases "The majority of people in the world are still French hospitals are running out of ICU beds,
from Europe alone. susceptible to this disease," Ryan warned. He Germany may enlist the army to help contain its
In a press briefing on Friday, WHO emergencies said countries should focus not just on restric- outbreak and Spain declared a state of emer-
chief Dr. Michael Ryan acknowledged that tive measures, but also on bolstering their sur- gency in Madrid as coronavirus cases soar.q