Check out our timeline to find out how the EU is tackling the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in 2021.
Discover what action the EU is taking in 2021 for the roll-out of vaccines and treatment, to boost the economy, employment, society, travel and transport and to help its partners worldwide to fight Covid-19.
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Source : © European Union, 2021 – EP
FRA presented areas where EU funding could help address fundamental rights challenges in the field of asylum, borders and immigration. This could support Member States om their the implementation of EU law safeguards as they prepare their multiannual programmes under the new migration and security funds.
FRA gave the presentation during a European Commission workshop on 10 February. FRA highlighted issues relating to child protection, the integration of migrants and refugees, fundamental rights monitoring at borders and the implementation of EU law safeguards when setting up new large-scale information technology systems.
Regular physical activity, increasing physical education and active classrooms not only protect schoolchildren’s health but also improve their academic achievement. This is the finding of a wide-ranging review on Physical Activity and Academic Achievement carried out by WHO/Europe as part of its drive to ensure that young people get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day.
Today in countries of the WHO European Region, children and adolescents aged 5–17 years spend nearly two thirds of their time at school in sedentary activities and only five percent of school time – doing physical activities.
According to the WHO/Europe review, increasing the amount of physical activity can have a positive impact not only on children’s health and well-being, but also on their performance in the classroom.
“Physical activity is beneficial for the development of cognitive, motor and social skills, as well as and good metabolic and musculoskeletal health. There is also a knock-on effect on academic performance,” says Stephen Whiting, Technical Officer in the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and one of the authors of the Umbrella Review of Physical Activity and Academic Achievement.
Schools provide the perfect opportunity for children to reach the recommended levels of daily physical activity.
The trend, however, is for more and more activities and classes to be sedentary, and the desire for good test results in academic subjects has shifted emphasis away from physical education and sports activities at school.
But the two can go hand in hand.
“The traditional school approach has been ‘indoors for learning, outdoors for playing’, but education systems around the world are waking up to the impact of the outdoors on learning”, says Alex Harrison, a teacher and early-years coordinator at the Prague British International School in the Czech Republic.
“And it is about more than having a place to let off steam before getting back to the serious business of learning.
“When children are playing outdoors, they are having self-directed learning time. Indoors, they are learning but it is directed by the teacher. Outdoors, it is self-directed and that in itself is preparing the children for when they have to sit down and focus on something else.”
The WHO Umbrella Review collated evidence from a set of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of how physical activity affects academic achievement worldwide.
“It is hard to measure the direct impact of physical activity on academic achievement in any one child or group of children, as it can be influenced by many different factors: physiological, cognitive, social and environmental”, adds Whiting.
“But the evidence we have reviewed is compelling and provides a way forward for school authorities to take positive action.
“It is vital that children get more physical activity, regardless of the effect on academic achievement, which in any case comes as a bonus with increased emphasis on physical education.”
The Umbrella Review found that academic achievement was likely improved by increased time in physical education, a switch from seated activities to more “active” classrooms, and regular physical activity – such as walking, dance, and sports – during the week.
With this in mind, WHO has identified a number of action areas for both schools and communities.
These include training teachers in physical activity promotion, creation of appropriate spaces, materials and resources, encouragement of innovation, and partnerships with community organizations.
Another key area is providing a safe environment for active commuting, rather than being driven to school or taking public transport.
“But it is also about simply allowing children to behave according to their own nature”, says Mr. Harrison.
“A colleague once remarked to me that children seldom walk anywhere. Instead, they hop, skip, run and combine movements, often with arms whirling around erratically”, he says.
“When children are engaged in self-directed learning, watch them – they are always moving. There is always a physical aspect.
“Why? Physical activity is hard-wired into children. Trying to separate it from academic development is pointless; the two are inextricably linked.”
As the all-round benefits of physical activity become more and more accepted, new ways of meeting the levels recommended by WHO are being tested around Europe.
Taking advantage of the power of role models for children, ministers in the United Kingdom are considering a scheme to extend the school day by two hours. Backed by British star athletes, the proposal would ensure that the extra time at school is spent in sports, drama, dance, and other activities.
Among the initiatives, some are following WHO recommendations stemming from the Umbrella Review, with community partnership, and engagement with young people on social media, being a key element in promoting a healthier future for children – hand in hand with their time spent learning at school.
The American Islamic Congress, the Canadian Council of Imams, Chair of the Virtues Ethics Foundation and one of the leading Islamic scholars in the United Kingdom Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, the All India Tanzeem Falahul Muslemin, and the All India Saifi Association have all issued statements in support of the Bahá’ís in Ivel, expressing grave concern about the confiscation of the properties.
“We are calling for the Higher court in Mazandaran and all responsible personnel to take action and to help the Baha’i community in Ivel get back their properties,” reads the statement from the American Islamic Congress. Echoing these sentiments, the Canadian Council of Imams writes, “We are deeply concerned by the ruling issued by an Iranian Court to confiscate the properties of 27 Bahá’ís in the farming village of Ivel.”
Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra from the United Kingdom called on Iran’s Chief Justice, Ebrahim Raisi, “to address this injustice,” adding that “Islam does not permit a government to confiscate land from citizens just because they follow a different religion.”
Diane Ala’i, Representative of the Bahá’í International Community (BIC) to the United Nations in Geneva, says, “The sight of Muslim leaders around the world coming to the aid of their Bahá’í friends in Iran in an extraordinary wave of support is a powerful signal to the Islamic Republic that their co-religionists around the world condemn their actions.
“Statements of support from leading Muslims for the Bahá’ís in Ivel, who have lived there for more than 150 years with their Muslim neighbors, show that the Iranian government’s invocation of Islamic law is a thin veil covering its persecution of the Bahá’ís.”
In a further sign of international support for the Bahá’ís in Iran, government officials around the world have condemned the Iranian court decision. The Canadian Foreign Minister, Marc Garneau, says his government is “concerned” by the ruling, urging Iran to “eliminate all forms of discrimination based on religion or belief.” The call has been echoed by officials in Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom, Brazil, the United States, the European Parliament and the United Nations.
In Sweden, 12 members of parliament and other elected representatives have strongly called on Iran to return the lands of the Bahá’ís of Ivel. The German Federal Government Commissioner for Global Freedom of Religion, Markus Grübel, also called for Iran to recognize the Bahá’ís as a religious community in the country and to end the “discrimination and persecution of Bahá’í communities.”
South Africa’s Legal Resources Centre, an organization known for its human rights work during apartheid, has also issued a letter condemning the property confiscations.
“The world is watching and is appalled by the Iranian government’s blatant injustices towards the Bahá’í community,” says Ms. Ala’i of the BIC. “The innocence of the Bahá’ís is more evident than ever to the international community and Iran is being held accountable for the gross injustices it has inflicted on the Bahá’í community in Iran. The government must take the necessary steps to not only return the lands to the Bahá’ís in Ivel but to end the systematic persecution of the Bahá’ís throughout the entire country once and for all.”
The history of land confiscation and mass displacement of Bahá’ís in Iran is detailed in a special section of the website of the Canadian Bahá’í community’s Office of Public Affairs.
Epic Games widened its legal battle with Apple by filing an antitrust complaint against it in the European Union.
Fortnite maker Epic said it is “expanding the company’s fight to advance fairer digital platform practices for developers and consumers.”
The complaint, filed with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition, alleges that through a “series of carefully designed anti-competitive restrictions, Apple has not just harmed but completely eliminated competition in app distribution and payment processes. Apple uses its control of the iOS ecosystem to benefit itself while blocking competitors and its conduct is an abuse of a dominant position and in breach of EU competition law.”
Apple hasn’t responded to a request for comment yet. The complaint complements legal processes already underway in both the U.S. and Australia, as well as Epic’s recent filing before the United Kingdom’s Competition Appeal Tribunal.
“What’s at stake here is the very future of mobile platforms,” Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney said today in a statement. “Consumers have the right to install apps from sources of their choosing and developers have the right to compete in a fair marketplace. We will not stand idly by and allow Apple to use its platform dominance to control what should be a level digital playing field. It’s bad for consumers, who are paying inflated prices due to the complete lack of competition among stores and in-app payment processing. And it’s bad for developers, whose very livelihoods often hinge on Apple’s complete discretion as to who to allow on the iOS platform, and on which terms.”
Epic said it has been harmed by Apple’s anti-competitive restrictions across payments and app distribution. When Epic gave Fortnite players on iOS a choice between Apple payment and Epic direct payment (at a lower price than Apple charged in the app store), Apple retaliated, removing Fortnite from the app store for violating its policies. And while Apple has launched its own gaming distribution service, Apple Arcade, it has barred competitors including Epic from doing the same, Epic said.
Epic also said that the battle is much bigger than Epic versus Apple: “It goes to the heart of whether consumers and developers can do business together directly on mobile platforms or are forced to use monopoly channels against their wishes and interests. Epic has asked the commission to address Apple’s anti-competitive conduct by imposing timely and effective remedies. Epic is not seeking damages from Apple, as is the case in the U.S., Australia and the U.K. It is simply seeking fair access and competition that will benefit consumers and developers.”
Epic said that, following complaints from other app developers, the European Commission is already investigating Apple.
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LAHORE: European Union Ambassador in Pakistan Mrs Androulla Kaminara called on Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Tuesday and discussed the matters of mutual interest. Both agreed to constitute a working group for expanding bilateral cooperation. The EU ambassador expressed the satisfaction that positive headway has been made by Pakistan with regard to GPS-plus status and assured of cooperation in water waste management and other sectors.
Talking on the occasion, the CM appreciated the cooperation extended by the European Union for social sector reforms and expressed satisfaction that economic cooperation and best friendly relations exist between Pakistan and the EU countries. The EU is a major trade partner and the government wants to further strengthen bilateral relations to benefit the people, he added. While discussing the steps relating to the GPS plus status, the chief minister pointed out that a number of important initiatives have been taken. The government is committed to overcoming the menace of child labour and every citizen enjoys equal rights in the country, he said.
The government has focused on development of the backward areas as there is a lot of scope of value addition in agriculture and livestock sectors, he added. He said provision of technology in both sectors by the EU countries would be welcomed.
Meanwhile, the CM pointed out that important steps have been taken to defeat the philosophy of fanaticism at every level. Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that the parliamentarians will be given full respect and honour.
He stated this while talking to Minister of State for Housing and Works Muhammad Shabir Ali, Provincial Minister Mian Khalid Mahmood, Special Assistant Umer Farooq, Khan Sher Akbar Khan, Khurram Ijaz, Umer Aftab, Shakeel Shahid, Muhammad Latif Nazar who called on at Civil Secretariat to apprise him of the problems in their constituencies.
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While the concept of One Health – where multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes – may have once seemed simple, “it is no longer”, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, opening the 27th Tripartite Annual Executive Committee Meeting World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
“We can only prevent future pandemics with an integrated One Health approach to public health, animal health and the environment we share. Now is the time to take our partnership to a new level”, he underscored.
The WHO chief maintained that to keep people safe, One Health must be translated into local-level systems.
He pointed out that approximately 70 per cent of all emerging and re-emerging pathogens are zoonotic, jumping from animals to humans, warning that “we don’t know when the next threat – the next disease X – will emerge”.
“It is clear, however, that One Health must be about more than zoonoses”, Tedros spelled out. “We cannot protect human health without considering the impact of human activities that disrupt ecosystems, encroach on habitats, and further drive climate change”.
These activities include pollution, large-scale deforestation, intensified livestock production and the misuse of antibiotics, along with how the world produces, consumes and trades food.
As set out in the WHO Manifesto for a healthy and green recovery from COVID-19, the UN health agency supports a greater One Health emphasis on connections to the environment.
“Paradoxically, the COVID-19 pandemic is giving us a unique opportunity to drive real change”, said the top WHO official, noting that One Health will be the focus of upcoming G7 and G20 meetings.
He flagged the need for more science, better data and bolder policies across multiple sectors, “with a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach”.
“Expectations for the Tripartite, and the need for effective collaboration, have never been higher”, he said.
Citing closer collaborative efforts at regional and country levels, and progress in joint areas of work, including the launch of the United Against Rabies forum, Tedros said that advances are also being made in establishing governance structures to curb antimicrobial resistance, and noted that the Global Leaders Group held its first meeting earlier this year.
The UN health agency chief said that WHO will support and host the secretariat of a One Health High Level Expert Council, which will advise the expanded Tripartite members on action priorities, building consensus and collaboration.
“We also need to ensure that all partner organizations have the resources to play this role jointly”, he stated.
The Tripartite consists of WHO, OIE and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with the UN Environment Programming (UNEP) joining this year.
For its part, WHO will scale up investment and work through its disease programmes and technical networks to strengthen the One Health workforce for outbreak alert and response.
“We are at a critical juncture. We must build on this momentum to strengthen the One Health approach, with public health and disease prevention as its central pillar”, Tedros underscored.
The WHO chief concluded by saying: “If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we’re stronger together”.
Feb 17, 2021, 10:14PM ISTSource: ANI
Assam Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on February 17 promised a comprehensive bill in manifesto in poll-bound state which will have disclosure of confidentiality clause while engaging in a marriage ceremony. “In our manifesto, we are going to promise a comprehensive bill on disclosure of confidentiality clause while engaging in a marriage ceremony. One has to first disclose their identity, religion, income before entering into marriage with a woman,” said Sarma
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