“Slower than expected” progress on breaking apartheid spatial plan
An Operation Vulindlela report on progress in reforming South Africa’s spatial inequality says about 80% of the reforms outlined in the second phase of the plan are either delayed or off track. Following the success of the first phase of Operation Vulindlela, the joint initiative of the presidency and National Treasury to accelerate structural reforms, the second phase targeted persistent spatial inequality by shifting housing subsidies toward demand-driven models. Among the central reforms are accelerating the release of well-located public land for affordable housing and clearing title deed backlogs to secure property ownership. However, a progress report notes: “While work has been undertaken to develop a new approach to housing policy, progress in implementing new demand-side and capital subsidies for affordable housing, as well as clearing the backlog of title deeds, has been slower than expected due to overlapping responsibilities across national, provincial and local government, as well as the need to build capacity within government to implement the proposed reforms.”
Russia bans voting against Ukraine war in September elections
The Russian supreme court upheld a suit brought by a small pro-Kremlin nationalist party, Roblina, and stripped voters opposed to the war of their last option on the ballot: Yabloko, the country’s only remaining anti-war party. The court banned Yabloko’s entire list of federal election candidates from standing for the State Duma of Russia’s parliament. With most of Vladimir Putin’s opponents jailed, exiled or dead, Yabloko is the only liberal party still operating in Russia. Voting options other than Putin’s de facto party, the ruling United Russia, are only tolerated, according to The Guardian, if they are too weak to win; give their backing to the Kremlin; or serve as “spoilers” that draw votes away from anyone who might pose a threat to the regime.
Reopening Strait of Hormuz faces setback after Trump demands
US President Donald Trump’s demands that Iran pay compensation for people killed in wars, attacks and protests has appeared to complicate efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices settled 5% higher yesterday after the demands. Trump’s proposal, which had not been raised before, was a response to Tehran’s demands for compensation and an end to sanctions. Trump said at the White House: “We’re going to ask for money for the damage they’ve done over a 50-year period.” This would cover deaths among both civilian demonstrators and US forces in the region. “So if there’s damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages,” he said.
WHO warning in Ebola outbreak in DRC
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo began at least three months before it was officially declared, meaning health authorities are still playing catch-up. WHO Africa director Dr Mohamed Janabi said at a news conference in the city of Bunia, which is at the heart of this outbreak: “We are chasing the virus, the virus is ahead of us.” More than 1,900 people have died from the virus since its declaration on 15 May, making this the second-worst Ebola outbreak ever. The epicentre of this outbreak of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola is in the east of the country where insecurity has hampered control efforts. There is also no approved vaccine or any recognised therapeutic drugs, making treating Bundibugyo harder. Janabi also said that, in part because of insecurity, health workers were only reaching about 30% of the cases with the rest dying at home.
Trump warned his vaccines order is “wrong” and “dangerous”
US President Donald Trump has signed an order that calls for fewer childhood vaccines and also recommends splitting the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) shots, prompting a warning from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Trump’s order serves as guidance, not a mandate, since shots required for school attendance are set at the state level, rather than by the federal government. Trump said: “Decades ago, children received only a small fraction of the vaccines required today. In those times, people were much healthier and of course the high rates of autism now observed did not exist.” However, Dr Andrew Racine, president of the AAP, said Trump’s executive order was “dangerous” and not based on “gold-standard science”. “Delaying or skipping shots is risky, especially as measles continues to spread and children go back to school,” he said. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy labelled Trump’s executive order “wrong”.
Sources: BBC, Business Day, Reuters, The Guardian