How do you say “No Olympics” in Japanese?
The Summer Games are slated to begin on July 23 in Tokyo, and the host country is not having it. Polls show that 60%-70% of the Japanese public wants the event canceled. The world should listen and call off the Games, sports columnist Dylan Hernández writes.
Advertisement
In normal times, Japan embraces Olympics-mania. But not this year. Less than 3% of the population has been vaccinated against COVID-19, and the country remains under
extended emergency measures because of the spread of new and more contagious coronavirus variants.
Against that backdrop, the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee has made some requests that Hernández says show why canceling ought to be a no-brainer. For instance, the Japanese Nursing Assn. was asked to dispatch 500 nurses for the Games, while 30 hospitals were asked to admit infected athletes ahead of other patients.
U.S. airlifts relief supplies to help the people of Palau affected by Typhoon Surigae
Format
press@usaid.gov
The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is airlifting plastic sheeting for shelter needs, kitchen sets, and other relief supplies - to save lives and meet the urgent needs of the Palau people in response to Typhoon Surigae. Arriving in Palau from USAID s warehouse in Miami, this airlift will support emergency response efforts for more than 3,000 people, with more on the way.
This shipment of relief supplies totals approximately $56,000, and comes at a critical moment as some communities remain without access to electricity, safe drinking water, and sanitation services. Relief supplies will be provided to partner International Organization for Migration for immediate distribution.
Japan partners with Red Cross to boost humanitarian assistance in Zimbabwe
Format
HARARE, 18 May 2021 – Amid concerns that the secondary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic could exacerbate food insecurity, Japan has partnered with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) to provide assistance to over 6,000 of the most-affected families in two rural districts, Gokwe South and Gokwe North, in Midlands Province of Zimbabwe.
The Government of Japan has contributed US$ 500,000 to provide services such as healthcare, hygiene, water, sanitation, including food security in selected communities in Gokwe North and Gokwe South districts in order to enhance their resilience to COVID-19 induced shocks for 12 months.
Iranian Red Crescent responds to IFRC emergency appeal over Gaza Crisis
TEHRAN, Wednesday, May 19, 2021 (WAFA) – The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has allocated $100,000 to support the Palestinian Red Crescent to provide medical items to the affected people in the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
Writing a letter to Francesco Rocca, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), President of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) Karim Hemmati voiced the Society readiness in response to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) operation launched by the IFRC for Gaza crisis on 15 May.
The full message of IRCS president to IFRC President reads as follows: