The European Union envisages providing around one billion euros over six years to aid Ivory Coast’s cocoa sector as it adapts to EU supply chain laws due to be introduced later this year, its envoy in Abidjan said on Friday (19 February).
“In the context of our future programming for 2021-2027, the EU is envisaging a Team Europe initiative which could mobilise up to one billion euros to accompany Ivory Coast in the transition towards sustainable cocoa production,” EU Ambassador to Ivory Coast Jobst von Kirchmann said in an interview.
Kirchmann did not say when a final decision would be taken.
The European Parliament has been pushing for the 27-nation bloc to introduce laws to prevent the import of commodities and products linked to deforestation and human rights abuses.
If the laws are adopted, buyers would be required to trace their inputs through every step of their supply chains, including starting at the level of small farms.
Companies like Nestle and Danone might have to comply with these requirements as early as 2024.
“The European consumer today wants to consume a product that comes from a sustainable production and that applies to all raw materials and all countries,” von Kirchmann said.
Ivory Coast, the world’s largest cocoa producer, has begun negotiations with the EU to agree minimum standards for sustainability.
The West African country hopes the EU’s laws will help protect forests, curb child labour and end farmer poverty.
Through imports of commodities such as meat, soy, palm oil and cocoa, the EU and its consumers account for over 10% of global deforestation linked to production, according to the European Commission.
European Commission Speech Brussels, 22 Feb 2021 Today we have adopted our first ever action plan on synergies between civil, defence and space industries.
As the global race for technological leadership is ac…
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By –BT Newsdesk
Bahronpur was a well-developed city with a monastery, archaeologists confirm
Archaeologists have found a large statue of Gautam Buddha at Bahronpur village in Sitagarha, around 20 kilometres away from the district headquarters, while excavating a ninth century Buddhist Shrine and monastery.
Virendra Kumar Partha, archaeologist at the Archaeological Survey of India said that the team has found other artifacts such as pottery, walls, stairs and tools.
“Efforts are being made to take out the Buddha statue safely. The face itself is 10-inches long so we hope it’s a big sculpture,” he told The Telegraph Online on Sunday
Confirming the site as a major shrine, Partha said that the ASI team has also found a reclining Buddha statue.
The ASI started working at the site after Buddhist monk Bhante Tiswarro revealed details about Bahronpur, widely considered to be a popular monastery during its time. Many residents in the area had found ancient idols in the area while constructing their houses, leading to the discovery of the place.
We had two great discussions in my two different book clubs this month. One book I enjoyed very much, while the other I did not. The two books were The Girl who Wrote in Silk by Kelli Estes and Jane Austen’s Persuasion. After I read the books and formed my opinion about them, I went online to read other reviews. I have decided that I cannot pick a book based on online reviews. I loved The Girl Who Wrote in Silk and it got mediocre reviews, and I disliked Persuasion, and people wax poetic about Jane Austen. Each person brings their personal bias to the discussion.
The Girl Who Wrote in Silk (GWS) was divided into two stories—one historical and one current. While I normally don’t like the jumping back and forth in a book (which is all too common these days), I did not mind it in this book. In fact, I looked forward to the “old” story line featuring a Chinese-American woman named Mei Lien, more than I did the current story line featuring Inara. I did like both characters a great deal, and I learned a lot about Chinese Americans and how they were treated in the Pacific NW during the 1880’s. In several of our books, we are getting history lessons that were overlooked in our educations. I have enjoyed that immensely. I don’t think GWS was a perfect book. There were too many coincidences in the current story line to suit me, and I would have loved more development of Mei Lien’s son’s story. Once he is sent away, you really don’t get much more information about him. I am sure his story would have been fascinating. All in all, a very enjoyable book, which we all enjoyed. There were no naysayers in the bunch.
The same cannot be said for Jane Austen’s Persuasion.
Our group was quite divided on this one.
Paula thoroughly enjoyed the book, and the movie—which she has watched numerous times. Cindy and Helen were glad they had read it, while Karen and I were not as enamored. Cindy and I paid to watch the movie, (an old movie and boring to boot, and I paid $3.99 to watch it!) and I thought it was tedious too. Obviously, not my style or genre. As Karen stated, no one got killed in the book! You know the saying, you can’t see the forest for the trees? In this book, you can’t find the meaning of the sentences for the words! Talk about run on sentences with grandiose and wordy prose. I read a lot and rarely get tired reading, but Persuasion was the best sleeping pill for me. Luckily, it was not a long book, but since I often had to reread the passages to make any sense out of them, it took me quite a while to read. The main character, Anne Elliot is nice enough, but lacks spunk, and allows herself to get taken advantage of. The lead male character I also enjoyed, Captain Wentworth, but again, it took them too long to get things done. It was an interesting look back on a bygone era, which thankfully we are not a part of anymore. But it did not catch my interest or make me want to read any other Jane Austen books. As Karen said, it felt like something we had to read for school. But I do know several people who adore Jane Austen—each to their own.
With all our bad weather, I have been reading quite a bit. Some other books I thoroughly enjoyed included the newest Ian Rankin -A Song for Dark Times, My Dear Hamilton, by Stephanie Dray, and Iris Johansen’s The Ugly Duckling. A new series I think I will start working on is by Thomas King. They are a bit reminiscent of the Longmire, Cork O’Conner Joe Picket books. The main character is Dreadful Waters. I somehow had the second book in the series, The Red Power Murders, so need to go back and read the first one too. They are mysteries, with humor. I made it through these other 5 books in less time than it took me to read Persuasion—says a lot about my opinion of the book! Sorry Paula.
European Commission Brussels, 25 Feb 2021 Vice-President Schinas participates via videoconference to a political debate on migration & integration with the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR)
A coalition of Roman Catholics and evangelicals have united to urge the Scottish Government to drop part of its controversial hate crime bill as it moves closer to becoming law, particularly that in the proposed law relating to criticism of “transgender ideology.”
Representatives from Scotland’s Catholic Parliamentary Office, the Free Church of Scotland, and Evangelical Alliance Scotland wrote to Scotland’s Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf.
Their call followed the Scottish government’s decision to retract an amendment on transgender hate crimes, The Christian Institute in the UK reported.
The amendment would have protected the right to criticize radical gender ideology without fear of prosecution, but the governing Scottish National Party changes its mind after the move drew criticism from LGBT activists.
They are not alone in their fears as Scottish lawyers, police, actors and even the BBC have all expressed concern over the Bill, Christian Today reported.
The Scottish Government has so far resisted pressure to introduce a safeguard to the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill.
The church groups Church called for the ‘stirring up’ offence to be removed from the proposed law.
They warned that the offence will effectively censor any criticism of transgender ideology.
‘WRESTLING WITH IDEAS’
“Such free discussion and criticism of views is vital as society wrestles with these ideas,” they said.
In their letter, the signatories expressed concern that a generic “catch all” free speech statement would water down protections, leaving uncertainty for “prosecutors, courts and most importantly the general public”.
They highlighted the approach taken to the issues of sexual orientation and transgender identity and said that in both areas, there was a need to distinguish between “vicious, or malevolent attacks on the person on one hand, and disagreement or dispute with an ideological position on the other.”
On same-sex marriage, they noted, “When marriage between parties of the same sex was introduced in Scotland assurance was given that no religious body would be forced to conduct them, implicit in that assurance was protection for those who expressed doctrinal disagreement with such marriages.”
The petitioners also said that radical gender ideology has been the subject of “extensive and emotional public discussion” in recent years, and explained that a freedom of speech clause relating specifically to transgenderism is “vital as society wrestles with these ideas.”
They said: “While we acknowledge the difficulties and struggles experienced by those with Gender Dysphoria and are acutely aware of the sensitivities involved from our own pastoral care settings, we cannot accept that any position or opinion at variance with the proposition that sex (or gender) is fluid and changeable should not be heard.”
CRITICISM ON TRANSGENDER IDEOLOGY
The controversy on the right to offer criticism on transgender ideology has pulsed in one of Scotland’s most famous residents, J.K. Rowling the author of the Harry Potter series of books and movies.
On June 10 last year she wrote a newspaper opinion piece explaining her views and criticism, including death threats that followed.
“For people who don’t know: last December I tweeted my support for Maya Forstater, a tax specialist who’d lost her job for what were deemed ‘transphobic’ tweets. She took her case to an employment tribunal, asking the judge to rule on whether a philosophical belief that sex is determined by biology is protected in law. Judge Tayler ruled that it wasn’t.”
Rowling says people have asked her why sho has taken her stance.
“Firstly, I have a charitable trust that focuses on alleviating social deprivation in Scotland, with a particular emphasis on women and children. Among other things, my trust supports projects for female prisoners and for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse.
“I also fund medical research into MS, a disease that behaves very differently in men and women.
“It’s been clear to me for a while that the new trans activism is having (or is likely to have, if all its demands are met) a significant impact on many of the causes I support, because it’s pushing to erode the legal definition of sex and replace it with gender.
“The second reason is that I’m an ex-teacher and the founder of a children’s charity, which gives me an interest in both education and safeguarding. Like many others, I have deep concerns about the effect the trans rights movement is having on both.
“The third is that, as a much-banned author, I’m interested in freedom of speech and have publicly defended it, even unto Donald Trump.”
ABC News in Australia reported on Sept. 30 that that some people have accused JK Rowling of transphobia, while others have commended her “bravery” for discussing an issue they say is rooted in misogyny.
“One thing’s clear: what she’s said has sparked controversy and caused some pain,” ABC commented .
The commentary said it is not clear though, is how much the furor will impact sales of her upcoming book, Troubled Blood, released that week under her nom de plume, Robert Galbraith.
“Publishing insiders say her brand as a talented and versatile writer — even under her now well-recognized pseudonym — may supersede her controversial opinions.
“But a growing number of LGBTQI people and their allies are turning their backs on an author who was thought to have theirs.”
Women weavers in Gujarat, India, feared the worst for their livelihood when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and work practically ground to a halt. However, thanks to their proficiency with online tools, they have been able to thrive through this difficult period.
Self-employed rural Indian women learn how to carry out basic online transactions. Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA)
The weavers had taken part in an initiative managed by the World Bank, the Leelavati Project, which is improving the digital and financial literacy of around half a million women across six Indian states.
As well as being able to promote and sell via Instagram and Facebook, they can carry out online transactions, avoiding the need for face-to-face cash sales. These kinds of skills were becoming important for Indian workers in the informal economy before the pandemic: today they are indispensable.
In testimony to the European Parliament about efforts to end the war in Afghanistan, Crisis Group expert Andrew Watkins describes the current scale of fighting, Taliban policies and how outside actors can support the peace process.
Crisis Group’s Senior Analyst for Afghanistan, Andrew Watkins, testified to the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with Afghanistan on 12 February 2021 about how to judge the current state of the conflict, what he sees as the Taliban’s perspectives on peace efforts and how this should inform how the international community can best support the process.
Watkins notes that Afghanistan’s war has seen measurable changes in the intensity of the conflict, which have led to some drop in casualties, but it remains one of the most violent in the world. Taliban use of suicide vehicle bombings halted for a time, but was gradually resumed, and the group’s traditional assaults on provincial centres were replaced by a campaign of targeted individual killings. He explains dynamics among the Taliban that shape their views on reducing violence and ending the war, a far cry from the ceasefire that the world expected after the 2020 deal between the U.S. and the Taliban. He says that the group are the aggressors in the conflict today, and that current levels of violence are no foundation for a lasting peace process.
