By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Video Podcast
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN
SDNY COURT/UN GATE, Nov 22 – Amid the carnage in Ethiopia, the U.S. State Department held a background briefing on November 22. Senior State Department Official 1 encouraged Americans to leave the country. Senior Official 2 assured how much work US (and previously UN) official Jeff Feltman is doing.
Inner City Press pushed Star 1 to ask for the view of the UN's abandonment of staff, in Afghanistan and now Ethiopia. But it was not called on; nor has the State Department done anything on the UN of Antonio Guterres banning Inner City Press now 1337 days. On the issues, Senior State Department Official 1 said they have "no visibility." Maybe that's because UN censorship of independent Press, which is by contrast invited in to cover the IMF and US courts, is still banned by the UN?
When the International Monetary Fund held its biweekly embargoed press briefing on November 4, Inner City Press asked about Ethiopia and Tigray, Chad and its Glencore debt, and the IMF's status with Zambia. Spokesperson Gerry Rice responded on each. Podcast here. Short video of Q&As on Twitter here. IMF video here, transcript forthcoming.
Answering on Ethiopia, Rice for the IMF said it is "difficult to move forward with program activities" at the moment. Can you say, Tigray? His answer on Chad did not include, as Inner City Press' question had, Glencore. And on Zambia there is not time frame, but talks begin today - virtually.
Back on September 16 Inner City Press asked Rice about crypto-currency legislation in Ukraine and again El Salvador, about the coup in Guinea and the role of the Venezuela talks in Mexico on release of the SDRs. YouTube of IMF video here. Full transcript here.
Inner City Press asked, " what is the IMF's view of Ukraine's move to regulate crypto-currency? Also, the new legislation proposed in Panama, and the implementation of the El Salvador Bitcoin as legal tender bill?" When called on, Inner City Press added that Ukraine would use nuclear reactors' output for mining.
Rice cited an upcoming virtual mission to Ukraine later this month, and said that on El Salvador, the talks are under Article 4, not for a program, as least at this point.
On the Guinea coup, on which the UN of Antonio Guterres has refused to answer Inner City Press' questions, to the IMF Inner City Press asked, " After the coup in Guinea, what has changed in the IMF's approach to the country? What have been the contacts of the IMF in Guinea recently? Same question on Myanmar, and Afghanistan." Rice said the IMF is "watching" Guinea, after citing previous support to the country for COVID response.
How can the UN get away with not answering, and actively blocking, these questions? The IMF will go to Guterres' UNGA week, which is thumbing its nose at NYC with no vaccination requirement. We'll have more on this.
Back on January 8 Inner City Press asked the IMF's Helge Berger, Mission Chief, about China's so-called Belt and Road Initiative: "Your Article IV report cites China's "overseas lending projects" amid "rising geopolitical tensions and economic and trade frictions." How does the IMF think that rising debt levels among African countries, and increased skepticism about the "Belt and Road" will impact or be addressed going forward? -Matthew Russell Lee, Inner City Press. Video here.
(An aside: Inner City Press has reported on the CEFC China Energy Fund Committee's activities in Chad and Uganda and in the UN, on which the UN is UNresponsive.)
Other questions included China's digital currency (Inner City Press also reports on crypto-currency cases in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and elsewhere). Berger said when used overseas an issue is that residents could start using another country's currency, if it is easier.
We'll have more on this.
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