Brussels [Belgium], November 26 (ANI): Two prominent Members of European Parliament (MEP) wrote to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, condemning Islamabad for not yet having brought to justice those who orchestrated the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.
In a letter to Khan on November 24, Polish MEP Ryszard Czarnecki and Italian MEP Fulvio Martusciello requested to know what action has Pakistan “taken against Lashkar-e-Taiba, the terrorist organisation, based in Pakistan, known to have carried out the multiple shooting and bombing attacks that happened in Mumbai in 2008?”.
They further asked, “what action has, and is, Pakistan taking against terrorist groups operating within the country in general?”On November 26, 2008, ten terrorists trained by the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) carried out a series of coordinated attacks against multiple targets in Mumbai including the Taj Mahal hotel, the Oberoi hotel, the Leopold Cafe, the Nariman (Chabad) House, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus train station, killing 166 people.
In these gruesome attacks, nine terrorists were killed and the lone survivor, Ajmal Amir Kasab, was caught and was sentenced to death at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune in 2012. On November 11, 2012, Kasab was hanged in Yerawada Jail in Pune.
Pakistani authorities continue to deny culpability and are yet to take action on the multiple dossiers shared by India. A trial underway in a Pakistani anti-terrorism court against seven suspects has made little headway in more than a decade, as Pakistani officials serially question the sufficiency and legitimacy of evidence against them.
In a reminder to Khan, a Prime Minister who delivered a eulogy to Osama Bin Laden, hailing him as a “martyr” in May this year, the two MEPs said: “Terrorism is the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, often in pursuit of political or ideological aims,” EU Chronicle reported.
They added that as “European politicians, we are committed to fighting against terrorism and extremist violence. We all have a responsibility to condemn terrorism and bring to justice those who perpetrate such actions.”Czarnecki and Martusciello highlighted in their letter to Khan: “On 26 November 2008, an extremist terrorist organisation, Lashkar-e-Taiba, based in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the Mumbai bombings in which 166 innocent people were murdered, nine attackers killed, and more than 300 individuals sustained injuries.””Subsequent documented evidence from United States intelligence reports, from India’s intelligence services including DNA, photographs and identification of the origins of the attackers; and an admission by Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s of the country’s involvement in the crimes; highlight the engagement of accomplishes in Pakistan. However, to date, the senior coordinators and promoters who orchestrated the attacks remain at large,” he added.
As Europe also suffers from the impacts of horrific acts of increasingly radical and extremist jihadi attacks, the politicians said it was “essential that justice is served on those who have carried out, instructed or supported such terrorist activities. It is equally important that leaders of countries publicly condemn these acts of violence and proceed to ensure justice is done for the victims, by apprehending and sentencing the perpetrators.” (ANI)
WHO THEY WAS by Gabriel Krauze (Fourth Estate £14.99)
LITERARY FICTION
ANTHONY CUMMINS
WHO THEY WAS
by Gabriel Krauze(Fourth Estate £14.99)
I’ve had more conversations about this novel than any other this year. Drawn on the author’s troubling past as a university student running with London gangs, it’s thrillingly visceral and endlessly rich. Longlisted for this year’s Booker, it should have been shortlisted.
MONOGAMY
by Sue Miller (Bloomsbury £16.99)
This U.S. writer isn’t as well known here as she should be — if you like Anne Tyler or Elizabeth Strout, check out this wise, witty page-turner about the wife of a secretly philandering bookseller who suddenly drops dead after ditching his latest mistress.
REPRODUCTION by Ian Williams (Dialogue Books £16.99)
REPRODUCTION
by Ian Williams (Dialogue Books £16.99)
I had a ball with this extremely funny Canadian debut about the decades-long fallout from an ill-advised hook-up between a young Caribbean student and an older white businessman, each grieving the loss of a parent. Pure pleasure, line after pitch-perfect line.
AUGUST
by Callan Wink (Granta £14.99)
This outdoorsy coming-of-age debut, written by a fly fishing guide from Montana, has been on my mind ever since I devoured it this summer. Beautifully understated, it charts the growing pains of a farmer’s son in post-9/11 America.
STEPHANIE CROSS
SHUGGIE BAIN
by Douglas Stuart (Picador £14.99)
A worthy Booker prize winner, this 1980s, Glasgow-set novel belongs not to the titular character, but his mother: the porcelain-dentured, mink coat-wearing alcoholic Agnes. Be warned, her rollercoaster addiction makes for harrowing reading. But she’s a toweringly magnificent creation.
THE FIRST WOMAN by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (Oneworld £16.99)
THE FIRST WOMAN
by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (Oneworld £16.99)
Kirabo, the heroine of this rangy, Ugandan-set novel, was the character I most enjoyed spending time with this year. We first meet her aged 12 in 1975, desperate to find her absent mother — who has her own dramatic tale. Makumbi braids Ugandan feminism, history and folklore into an utterly absorbing story.
WHAT’S LEFT OF ME IS YOURS
by Stephanie Scott (W&N £14.99)
This ticks every Christmas must-read box: totally transporting, with oodles of haunting atmosphere and an original, page-turning plot. Set in Japan, it’s the story of trainee lawyer Sumiko and her quest to understand the murder of her mother; it’s also a riveting insight into the world of Japanese professional marriage ‘breaker-uppers’.
DJINN PATROL ON THE PURPLE LINE
by Deepa Anappara (Chatto £14.99)
When children start to go missing from an Indian shanty town, nine-year-old Jai and his pals turn amateur sleuths. But what begins as a game turns deadly serious. Former journalist Anappara brings her setting’s smog-choked lanes and teeming bazaar brilliantly to life in a terrific debut.
CLAIRE ALLFREE
A THEATRE FOR DREAMERS by Polly Samson (Bloomsbury £14.99)
A THEATRE FOR DREAMERS
by Polly Samson (Bloomsbury £14.99)
Samson’s sun-saturated novel set on the Greek island of Hydra might be just the escapism you need right now. Leonard Cohen, his lover Marianne Ihlen and a bunch of other boozy creatives lived on Hydra in the 1960s and Samson captures the darkness, emerging fractures and the beauty of their lives in a sharply feminist novel.
LOVE
by Roddy Doyle (Cape £18.99)
Two men, old school friends, meet for a drink or seven one night in a Dublin pub, and talk. Love, regret, fatherhood, friendship, mortality: it’s all covered in a tangled and mesmeric novel that consists entirely of conversation which is all about the things that don’t need to be spoken and the things that can’t be said.
THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS
by Elena Ferrante (Europa Editions £20)
Ferrante once again gets under the skin of a 12-year-old girl on the cusp of adulthood in 1990s Naples. Little in her family is what it seems, while Naples is a city teeming with seemingly irresolvable contradictions. This doesn’t have the finesse of the My Brilliant Friend quartet but few probe the seething mess of female adolescence so forensically as Ferrante.
SISTERS by Daisy Johnson (Cape £14.99)
SISTERS
by Daisy Johnson (Cape £14.99)
Two sisters, almost unnaturally close, are holed up with their mother in a dilapidated Suffolk coastal cottage. Something awful happened at school and their mother has taken to her bed, so the girls become feral. Told from the perspective of the younger sister, this is a haunting, emotionally acute novel with a terrific twist.
CONTEMPORARY
SARA LAWRENCE
GHOSTS
by Dolly Alderton (Fig Tree £14.99)
Work is going well for food writer Nina Dean but her love life is non-existent. She signs up to a dating app with no expectations but meets marvellous Max on date one and it’s not long before they’re a couple. When he disappears she can’t fathom what’s happened. Brilliant.
ONE YEAR OF UGLY by Caroline Mackenzie (Borough Press £12.99)
ONE YEAR OF UGLY
by Caroline Mackenzie (Borough Press £12.99)
This dark comedy stars the Palacio family who fled the socialist regime in Venezuela for a happier existence in Trinidad.
When a beloved aunt dies it transpires she was in debt to a crime master called Ugly. Chaos ensues when he forces the family to work for him. Fabulous.
CONTACTS
by Mark Watson (HarperCollins £14.99)
Sacked by his best friend, dumped by his girlfriend, estranged from his sister and grieving his dad, protagonist James is heading to Edinburgh on the sleeper train. So unhappy he doesn’t want to live any more, he sends a text to all his contacts saying goodbye. A compelling emotional rollercoaster.
QUEEN BEE
by Jane Fallon (Penguin £8.99)
After Laura’s marriage breaks down she rents an annexe from an extraordinarily wealthy couple who live in an exclusive gated community. All that glitters is not gold and Laura is soon ostracised by the queen bee of this glitzy gang. They eventually form an unlikely alliance. Fascinating.
BIG GIRL, SMALL TOWN by Michelle Gallen (John Murray £14.99)
KEEPING MUM by James Gould-Bourn (Trapeze £14.99)
THE MARGOT AFFAIR by Sanaë Lemoine (Sceptre £16.99)
DEBUTS
FANNY BLAKE
BIG GIRL, SMALL TOWN
by Michelle Gallen (John Murray £14.99)
Majella O’Neill is autistic, has bags of attitude and works in the Aghybogey chippie in Ireland. Being in her company is nothing less than a treat as she details her world in her distinctive voice — hilarious, mundane and touching in turns.
THE DISCOMFORT OF EVENING
by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld (Faber £12.99)
Winner of the 2020 Booker International Prize, this is a powerful and disturbing novel about a Dutch farming family overtaken by grief after the death of the oldest son. Told by ten-year-old Jas, we watch the family unravel as each struggles to cope.
KEEPING MUM
by James Gould-Bourn (Trapeze £14.99)
I couldn’t resist this delightful feel-good novel about a man trying to reconnect with his young son who hasn’t spoken since his mother’s death. A bear costume provides an unexpected answer but of course nothing’s that straightforward . . .
THE MARGOT AFFAIR
by Sanaë Lemoine (Sceptre £16.99)
Margot is the secret 17-year-old daughter of a married politician and his actress mistress. Her decision to reveal her father’s true identity to a journalist has serious repercussions. With well-realised characters and beautifully descriptive, this is an astute and gripping portrayal of complex family relationships.
HISTORICAL
EITHNE FARRY
THE MIRROR & THE LIGHT
by Hilary Mantel (4th Estate £25)
The final instalment of Mantel’s life of charismatic Thomas Cromwell is magnificent. Packed to the gills with intrigue, plot and counterplot, this richly detailed, epic sweep of a novel tells the story of Cromwell’s downfall at the hands of capricious King Henry VIII, who rules over a country that is sullen with suspicion and secrets. A masterpiece.
HAMNET
by Maggie O’Farrell (Tinder Press £20)
Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, this outstanding study of love and loss explores the death of Shakespeare’s son Hamnet from the perspective of his wife, Agnes. Gifted with second sight, adept at herbal cures, but unable to save her son, Hamnet’s death unmoors her from everything she knows and loves in this lyrical study of grief.
MISS BENSON’S BEETLE
by Rachel Joyce (Doubleday £16.99)
It’s England, 1950, and prim teacher Margery Benson is on a mission to discover a mysterious golden beetle in faraway New Caledonia. Accompanied by the irrepressible Enid Pretty, they embark on a grand adventure, which is as much about second chances and emotional courage as it is about trekking through dangerous terrain.
ACTRESS
by Anne Enright (Cape £16.99)
Katherine O’Dell is the starry heart of Enright’s elegant novel. It follows Katherine’s career trajectory, from her youthful heyday in Hollywood to depression in Dublin, as seen through the eyes of her daughter. It brilliantly explores the corrosive nature of celebrity, while taking a candid look at the complexities of maternal affection.
FINDERS, KEEPERS by Sabine Durrant (Hodder, £14.99)
PSYCHO THRILLERS
Christena Appleyard
FINDERS, KEEPERS
by Sabine Durrant (Hodder, £14.99)
A Smart, young woman and her family take pity on the lonely lady next door with explosive ramifications. Neighbourly relationships quietly descend into a toxic psychological battle that only one of them will win. Perfect domestic noir.
INVISIBLE GIRL
by Lisa Jewell (Century £14.99)
This is a brilliant mash-up of contemporary themes from the dangers of therapy to the rise of organised groups of incels — men who have serious problems relating to women. Seventeen-year-old Saffyre is the focal point of a tale packed with psychological insight and menace.
DEAD TO HER
by Sarah Pinborough (HarperCollins £12.99)
Glamour, money, powerful men and two beautiful trophy wives, one black and young, one white and older, are hiding big secrets that could destroy themselves or each other. Set in the American Deep South, this book has Netflix series written all over it.
THE OTHER PASSENGER
by Louise Candlish (S&S, £14.99)
The relationship of two ambitious young couples with wobbly moral boundaries is challenged when one of the men suddenly goes missing. Candlish expertly explores the underlying tensions and jealousies that often motivate these friendships. Nobody writes so incisively about couples.
THE TROUBLE WITH PEACE by Joe Abercrombie (Gollancz £20)
SCI FI AND FANTASY
JAMIE BUXTON
THE TROUBLE WITH PEACE
by Joe Abercrombie (Gollancz £20)
In Part 2 of this grippingly brutal series, the dandyish King Orso is both finding his feet and losing his grip while rivals do their darnedest to bring him down. Fabulously written, nail-bitingly plotted, it lays bare the best and worst of human nature.
THE UNSPOKEN NAME
by A. K. Larkwood (Tor £16.99)
Just a perfect fantasy debut, crammed with everything we love: cruel gods, icy priest-cults, trans-dimensional warship chases and a gorgeous priestess assassin, complete with tusks and a spot of dysmorphia. Suffice to say, Csorwe battles through and wins the day, and we’re with her all the way.
THE SUNKEN LAND BEGINS TO RISE
by M. John Harrison (Gollancz £20)
Dreamy and sharp, murky and clear, this is a psycho-geographic, paranoid tour de force.
Its quiet hero is beset by emotional, watery mysteries, while sensing the emergence of new semi-aquatic Britain, just lurking beneath the surface of the familiar world.
THE BOOK OF KOLI by M.R. Carey (Orbit £6.99)
THE BOOK OF KOLI
by M.R. Carey (Orbit £6.99)
A voyage of survival and self-discovery in a post-apocalyptic Britain. Exiled from his village with a bit of chatty, hi-tech hardware, Koli has to battle inner demons, giant rats and very bad people.
Funny and frightening, you’ll cheer Koli on all the way.
CLASSIC CRIME
BARRY TURNER
MIDWINTER MURDER
by Agatha Christie (HarperCollins £14.99)
The hardest challenge in crime fiction is to produce a convincing short story. Agatha Christie had the talent in abundance.
With tight plotting and sharply defined characters, she never fails. This collection of fireside mysteries comes in a handsome presentation edition.
HOWDUNIT
Edited by Martin Edwards (HarperCollins £25)
If you have wondered how a crime novel comes to be written, or thought of writing one yourself, this is where you start.
Tapping into the experience of past and present members of the Detection Club, Martin Edwards has put together an instructive and entertaining collection of essays.
After a chance meeting with a troubled stranger, Lotte Meerman of the Amsterdam police reopens a 30-year-old murder case.
Finding the truth proves easier than facing up to it for both Lotte and the families involved. This is the best police procedural of the year.
THE SEARCHER by Tana French (Viking £14.99)
CRIME & THRILLERS
GEOFFREY WANSELL
THE SEARCHER
by Tana French (Viking £14.99)
A Burnt-out former Chicago cop in his late 40s retreats to an isolated house in southern Ireland to try to restore himself, only to be drawn into the hunt for a missing young man by his mysterious younger brother. Beautifully told and deeply moving.
SNOW
by John Banville (Faber £14.99)
A former Booker Prize-winner underlines his impressive ability as a crime writer with this dark tale of a murder in County Wexford. A Catholic priest is killed and castrated to the horror of the community, and a DI from Dublin is sent to investigate. Exquisite.
BOX 88 by Charles Cumming (HarperCollins £14.99)
THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB
by Richard Osman (Viking £14.99)
TV presenter Osman reveals himself as a crime fiction star with this story of four elderly residents of a retirement village who like to solve cold cases of murder — then get two fresh ones on their doorstep. Elegant and witty, it is delightful.
WRITTEN IN BLOOD by Chris Carter (S&S £16.99)
BOX 88
by Charles Cumming (HarperCollins £14.99)
The talented Cumming comes up with a spy for the 21st century in Lachlan Kite, recruited to the shadowy intelligence agency, Box 88, straight from boarding school. But Kite is no George Smiley; he’s in the thick of the action with a hint of Bond.
WRITTEN IN BLOOD
by Chris Carter (S&S £16.99)
LA-based pickpocket Angela Wood steals the bag of a man sitting by her in a bar only to discover in it a diary detailing a string of murders. The serial killer wants his list back, while a detective attempts to save her. Superb.
AN INCONVENIENT WOMAN
by Stephanie Buelens (Quercus £12.99)
One of the thrillers of the year, this story of a divorced woman who discovers that her ex-husband is about to marry again, to a woman with a teenage daughter — when her own daughter drowned after confessing her father had abused her — never loses its grip.
THE DEVIL AND THE DARK WATER by Stuart Turton (Raven £16.99)
POPULAR
WENDY HOLDEN
THE DEVIL AND THE DARK WATER
by Stuart Turton (Raven £16.99)
Stunning historical fantasy set at sea in the 17th century. Evil stalks the decks of a Dutch East Indiaman, leaving gory death and a sinister symbol behind it.
Unlikely detectives Arent and Sammy join forces with aristocratic Sara to tackle the mystery. Holmes and Watson meets Treasure Island.
THE BOY IN THE FIELD
by Margot Livesey (Sceptre £17.99)
In this superb family drama, a badly injured teenager is found in a field by three siblings. They start their own investigation into who, how and why, but it leads them to unsuspected places, including their own lives. Best and cleverest character is Lilly the family dog.
V FOR VICTORY by Lissa Evans (Doubleday £14.99)
V FOR VICTORY
by Lissa Evans (Doubleday £14.99)
It’s all boarding houses and bomb shelters in this brilliant comedy drama. Vee and Noel (a kind of 1940s Adrian Mole) are posing as aunt and nephew, but who are they really?
Packed with wonderful characters and so full of wartime atmosphere you can practically hear the sirens.
JEEVES AND THE LEAP OF FAITH
by Ben Schott (Hutchinson £13.99)
This cracking homage to P.G. Wodehouse is set in 1930s Cambridge and abounds with varsity high spirits.
Bertie and Jeeves face the dark forces of the Oswald Mosley-esque ‘Blackshorts’ and need all their spiff to overcome them. Aunts, drones and fiancées all figure.
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(Photo: ADF International)Julia Rynkiewicz, a student at the University of Nottingham in the U.K.
A 24-year-old Catholic undergraduate student in a midwife program was barred from placement in a hospital, reportedly due to her pro-life beliefs at the University of Nottingham in England but that decision was overturned last week.
The Telegraph newspaper reported that Julia Rynkiewicz, was blocked from entering her program’s hospital placement phase at Nottingham University after the institution learned of her pro-life beliefs and her leadership in a pro-life student group.
The newspaper said that Rynkiewicz underwent a “fitness to practice” hearing by the school.
The university overturned its decision and will allow Rynkiewicz to continue as a midwife student, but the investigation and temporary ban from the placement set her back a year in her studies.
‘FITNESS TO PRACTICE’
Concerns were raised by school officials about Rynkiewicz’s fitness to practice as a midwife after they saw her tending a booth at a school fair in her position as president for Nottingham Students for Life (NSFL), an approved pro-life student group that supports life from conception to natural death
The pro-life midwifery student, who faced suspension from midwifery studies and a fitness-to-practise investigation, also won an apology and a payout from her university.
Although university officials later back-tracked on their decision and dismissed the case against her, Rynkiewicz filed a formal complaint with the university, after believing that she was unfairly targeted for her beliefs.
“What happened to me risks creating a fear among students to discuss their values and beliefs, but university should be the place where you are invited to do just that,” Rynkiewicz said.
The Students’ Union had initially denied affiliation to NSFL, but overturned its decision in July 2019 following the threat of legal action.
Rynkiewicz said that she received a letter from officials at her midwifery school days after the fair, saying that a formal complaint had been filed against her.
A University of Nottingham spokesperson said: “While all universities take fitness-to-practice considerations extremely seriously, the university has offered an apology and settlement to Ms Rynkiewicz and is considering how we might approach such cases differently in future.
“The university and Students’ Union supports the rights of all students to bodily autonomy and access to safe, legal abortion services, which is the position in law.
“Universities should be spaces to debate, discuss and disagree points of view, and with more than 200 student societies, covering the full range of beliefs and perspectives, we are confident this is the case at Nottingham.”
The Supreme Court said Wednesday night that NY state restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic are a violation of the First Amendment’s protection of free religious exercise. After the ruling the Bishop of Brooklyn, whose diocese was a plaintiff in the suit, said that religious worship should be considered an essential during the coronavirus pandemic.
“It is time — past time — to make plain that, while the pandemic poses many grave challenges, there is no world in which the Constitution tolerates color-coded executive edicts that reopen liquor stores and bike shops but shutter churches, synagogues and mosques,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in a concurring opinion in a Wednesday night decision, which temporarily bars restrictions on religious worship that were enacted Oct. 6 by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The court’s ruling is temporary, as lawsuits filed by the Diocese of Brooklyn and by Orthodox Jewish synagogues in New York will continue, though the Supreme Court’s Nov. 26 decision is likely to weigh heavily in the outcome of those cases.
The state’s restrictions forbade the attendance of more than 10 people at religious services in state designated “red zones, and 25 people in “orange zones.”
“In a red zone, while a synagogue or church may not admit more than 10 persons, businesses categorized as ‘essential’ may admit as many people as they wish. And the list of ‘essential’ businesses includes things such as acupuncture facilities, camp grounds, garages, as well as many whose services are not limited to those that can be regarded as essential, such as all plants manufacturing chemicals and microelectronics and all transportation facilities,’ the Court’s majority opinion found.
“These categorizations lead to troubling results,” the decision added.
“Not only is there no evidence that the applicants have contributed to the spread of COVID–19 but there are many other less restrictive rules that could be adopted to minimize the risk to those attending religious services. Among other things, the maximum attendance at a religious service could be tied to the size of the church or synagogue,” the court wrote.
“…even in a pandemic, the Constitution cannot be put away and forgotten. The restrictions at issue here, by effectively barring many from attending religious services, strike at the very heart of the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty,” the decision concluded.
The 5-4 decision found newly confirmed Justice Amy Coney Barrett deciding with the majority, while Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court’s three liberal judges in dissent.
In a statement Thursday, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio said he is “gratified by the decision of the Justices of the United States Supreme Court, who have recognized the clear First Amendment violation and urgent need for relief in this case.”
“I am proud to be leading the Diocese of Brooklyn and fighting for our sacred and constitutional right to worship.”
““Our churches have not been the cause of any outbreaks. We have taken our legal battle this far because we should be considered essential, for what could be more essential than safely gathering in prayer in a time of pandemic.”
BRUSSELS, (Sputnik) – In the resolution adopted by 631 votes in favour, 3 against, and 59 abstentions, MEPs condemned Turkey’s illegal activities in Varosha and warned that its partial “opening” would weaken prospects of a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem, exacerbating divisions and entrenching the permanent partition of the island, the resolution published on the European Parliament’s website read.
“A sustainable solution to reunify the island of Cyprus and its people can only be found through dialogue, diplomacy, and negotiations, MEPs stress. They call on the European Council to maintain its unified position on Turkey’s illegal actions and impose tough sanctions in response,” the document said.
Following the 1974 military operation by Ankara to allegedly protect the Turkish Cypriot population, Cyprus has been essentially divided, with the Turkish part recognized solely by Turkey.
Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the northern Cypriot town of Varosha to mark the 37th anniversary of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Varosha, a once-popular tourist destination, was transformed into a ghost town following the Turkish invasion. In October, Erdogan announced the town’s reopening, saying he would go there for a “picnic.”
United Nations Security Council resolutions 550 and 789 condemn all resettlement attempts in the area.
On November 26, 2019, Albania woke up to the most severe natural disaster in recent history. A 6.3 magnitude earthquake left 51 people dead, injured at least 913 others and affected 220,000 people — roughly 10 percent of the population.
The earthquake devastated the Albanian economy and exacerbated the existing poverty rate by 2.3 percent and GDP dropped by more than one percent.
One year on, destruction is still visible, offering a stark reminder that life has irrevocably changed for many.
Based on the findings of the Post Disaster Needs Assessment, undertaken by the European Union, World Bank, United Nations (with UNDP as the technical lead) and the Albanian Government, UNDP’s long-term support has focused on investing in rebuilding public infrastructure, including education facilities, strengthening the country’s disaster preparedness, and helping local economies.
Education — the best investment for the future
Moza Shehu, her husband Jetim, and their two sons, have been living in a rented apartment for almost a year, while the Durres Municipality reconstructs their house. The family still remembers how the house started shaking near dawn, and then having to run for their lives.
The earthquake turned Moza’s son Liku’s usual excitement to go to kindergarten into anxiety and distress.
Fortunately, their rental apartment is close to “1Qershori” kindergarten.
“Two months ago — about one or two weeks before the new school year started — Liku and I were passing by the ‘1 Qershori’ Kindergarten and the colorful EU4Schools logo surrounding the kindergarten grabbed his attention. We were told that children in this neighbourhood will get a completely new and modern kindergarten, built to the highest international standards. When I explained this to Liku, he immediately said he wants to go there. Hearing him speak excitedly again could not make me happier,” she said.
The kindergarten is one among the 58 education facilities in the EU4Schools Programme, being implemented by UNDP in Albania. Funded by the European Union to the amount of US$77 million, and complemented with a contribution of $905,000 from UNDP, the programme will repair or reconstruct 58 education facilities in 11 municipalities, home to around 20,000 students, children and teachers. Around 440,000 will benefit from the construction work.
UNDP has held rounds of consultations with community members to get their ideas about the #SchoolIWant. Over 7,000 people took active part in the consultations. The communities have asked for the schools to be equipped with labs, gyms, libraries, access for people with disabilities and communal environments.
To promote transparency, a public online platform showcasing results and updates on construction works is ongoing.
The first 22 of these educational facilities will be available to safely welcome students and serve the community within this academic year.
Helping small businesses recover
On November 2019, Anilda Kostreni, the manager of the ‘Xhulio & Bora’ Shop, in Durres, lost her husband and then their business.
If the earthquake made one thing certain, it was that Anilda needed to adopt a new approach to revive her business so that she could look after her family. She became one of the 15 beneficiaries of UNDP’s pilot ‘In-Motion’ which aimed to stabilize the economic conditions of small businesses, help them to recover business infrastructure, and re-establish their economic activities in the market.
In-Motion brought together Anilda and 14 other small business owners and helped them improve their entrepreneurial skills and commercial image and to purchase new equipment.
They were trained by UNDP in situation diagnosis, accounting, marketing, and administration. All improved their commercial image through brand development, advertising and updated their infrastructure and inventory.
Consultants guided Anilda and the other owners to underscore the sales of local products and then applied promotions on these products to increase sales and attract new customers. To get a better idea of her profit, she began recording sales based on product classification and by putting a pricing policy in place, something critical for every business, but which she had never done before.
One year later, the 15 businesses have re-conceptualized their enterprises and enjoy a 10 percent increase of profits.
Small businesses account for more than 94 percent of all companies in Albania, and they employ around 38 percent of all private sector workers, making ‘In Motion’ an important programme which assisted the country’s most vital workforce.
Preparing the country to cope with natural disasters and putting people at the forefront
Following the earthquake, the country’s emergency response capabilities were overwhelmed, making clear the need to strengthen preparedness, prevention and recovery.
The Municipality of Lezhe is the representation of such risks, with hydrological, meteorological, climatological, seismic and geophysical dangers threatening its inhabitants, its nature, and economic prospects.
“Most Lezhe residents have problems with floods — they make a living through their crops and they never tire of sowing them. Sadly, these crops are not reaped due to regular floods. This house was built over 500 years ago on this hilltop, so we have not experienced floods, but we have reconstructed the house four times due to earthquakes. The Nov. 26 earthquake was the last blow, it made the house non-habitable,” said Mark Palaj, who lives in Spiten village.
UNDP, in partnership with Lezha Municipality and a think-tank specializing in urban development, established three instruments for adequately facing natural hazards: an assessment of natural disaster risks, a document setting out strategic priorities for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction and a local civil emergency plan. The participatory Risk Assessment of the municipality has been completed, the Geographic Information System platform has been updated with relevant data to create the municipality’s multi-risk profile and a draft municipal Civil Emergency plan is already in motion. The Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategy for the municipality has been produced.
To ensure an all-inclusive approach and that the voices of all concerned were heard, UNDP held consultations with local government, businesses, civil society organizations, and citizens. The newly-established Commission for Civil Protection was a direct result of this process.
UNDP also initiated a national-level support programme. In the long-term, this will ensure Albania has in place a National DRR Platform for institutional dialogue, a National DRR Strategy and a National Emergency Plan, while at the same time providing a blueprint for local DRR instruments and organizational approaches which will be replicable to all 61 Albanian municipalities.
Post-earthquake
The same earthquake that caused destruction and hardship brought about strengthened partnerships, unwavering support for those in need and the opportunity to #BuildForwardBetter.
Modern-day democracies have transformed civilization by introducing innovative and powerful ideas, both about our personal lives as well as about the type of society we aim to establish. Overwhelmingly, the values of democracy harmonize with traditional Jewish religious values.Without question, the most indispensable value of democracy for Jews is the principle of freedom of religion. For the first time in two millennia, Jews have been allowed – under the protective eye of modern democracy – to freely worship our God and practice our rituals without fear of persecution or reprisal.Additionally, by guarding basic human rights, democracy preserves the dignity of human life in general – a sacred value within Judaism. Man is God’s masterpiece and the dignity of the human condition must be upheld as a tribute to God’s “investment.”Democracy also delivers a bold social vision: by allocating political authority through popular elections, democracy hopes to craft a more equal and fair society. This vision of a “level society of equal citizens” reflects the Torah’s mandate to craft a society of justice and ethical behavior.The many overlaps between democratic values and religious values have inspired Jews to overwhelmingly embrace the concept of democracy, actively participate in the democratic process and deeply engage in the general culture of democracy.This week Americans celebrated the holiday of Thanksgiving. This holiday enshrines numerous principles of democracy and morality. The values of Thanksgiving feel almost religious or sacred, and Jews across the religious spectrum deeply identify with this holiday and its cultural practices.At its root, Thanksgiving is founded upon the value of gratitude and of acknowledging the assistance we received on the road to our triumphs and successes.
if(window.location.pathname.indexOf(“647856”) != -1) {console.log(“hedva connatix”);document.getElementsByClassName(“divConnatix”)[0].style.display =”none”;}Famously, Rabbi Bahya ibn Pakuda, an 11th-century Spanish thinker, identified gratitude as the gateway to all religious thought and experience. Entitled people view their good fortunes as deserved and rarely sense their dependency on outside factors or the generosity of others; it is difficult for them to express gratitude to others. Their success is merely a “cashing in” on their natural entitlement.Stalin once wrote that “gratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs”; certainly a moral degenerate and mass murderer such as Stalin would disdain the trait of gratitude. By contrast, humble and modest individuals appreciate the fragility of the human condition and the underlying state of dependency under which we all operate. Admitting our dependency heightens our reliance upon God and intensifies our faith in God. Additionally, on an interpersonal plane, gratitude helps us better treasure our successes and hopefully more freely share them with others. Entitlement often leads to greediness, while gratitude pries open the doors of selfishness and egocentrism. On Thanksgiving people aren’t just grateful for personal prosperity; many also express gratitude for modern democracies in general. From its inception, the United States was a modern experiment in building a “city upon a hill.” Consequently, the success of this experiment has ripple effects across the globe, validating the value of democracy. Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to be thankful that we live in our world of relatively enlightened forms of government. Beyond the trait of gratitude, Thanksgiving is pivoted upon the value of family; traditionally, families convene to celebrate this holiday.Sadly, the professional and cultural stressors of the modern world often afflict healthy family life. Life in our pressure-cooker known as the modern “city” is tense and frazzled, and the reassertion of family values on Thanksgiving is crucial.This Thanksgiving message about family also resonates deeply for Jews, who have perennially consecrated the family setting as a site of sanctity and service of God. By highlighting these numerous quasi-religious values, Thanksgiving and its life-affirming values remind us of the enduring power of Judaism to enrich the human condition and ennoble our lives. Thanksgiving can help us better appreciate the manner in which our religion improves our station in life. IS THAT all? Do we embrace religion solely because of the human value it offers? Do we embrace the service of God only because it improves the human condition?In addition to improving our lives, religion is meant to be transcendent – an encounter with a higher being on His terms. Judaism is a thrust into a higher realm – a leap into Heaven in ways that can’t be articulated or justified solely for their human value.Perhaps the most iconic image of the entire book of Genesis appears in this week’s parasha: a ladder, anchored to earth but scaling the Heavens, while angels ascend and descend. Have we pruned this ladder, retaining the lower rungs which are riveted to earth but cropping the upper tiers which penetrate the Heavens? Have we succeeded too well in anchoring religion to earth while amputating the steps of the ladder that are meant to catapult us to Heaven? Have we lost the transcendence of Judaism? In many ways our generation has been guilty of leveling or grounding religion.In the wake of the Holocaust, God seemed distant and fearsome. Additionally, the rapid technological changes of the post-World War II world cast religion as ossified and irrelevant in a bristling new world of transportation, communication, science and space travel.Responding to these dual challenges – a God who felt distant and religion that seemed detached from our world – we reformed the way people viewed Judaism by redefining religion as beneficial to our lives and enriching to human interest. After all, Judaism could provide meaning, values, nobility, moral behavior, community, purpose, vision and family life. Judaism and Torah study were showcased as a manner to fill the void in our modern lives, to reinforce family bonds, and to catalyze robust communal life. Judaism would heighten our moral conduct and improve our married life. In short, we dragged Judaism down from the Heavens and firmly fastened it to this world and to our human lives.Thankfully, we were highly successful, and Judaism became popular, and religious ambition more widespread. However, we paid a steep price, as religion became an endless Thanksgiving meal! What have we lost in this process? Have we lost the moments of transcendence, when we take leave of this world and search for something higher and something beyond? Has our entire language of Judaism been converted into mundane human terms? Does the term “avodat Hashem” – which literally means serving God – resonate as loudly as the agenda of tikkun olam, the prospect of employing Judaism to redeem the world at large? Do we think of Heaven and dream of angels, or are we trapped in the human sphere?Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to ponder the “human value” of Judaism and the supplementary values of modernity – each of which advances human progress. Parashat Vayetze reminds us not to flatten Judaism and to walk up the entire ladder until we reach the Heavens and encounter God in His sphere. Shabbat shalom and happy Thanksgiving!The writer is a rabbi at Yeshivat Har Etzion, a hesder yeshiva. He has semicha and a BA in computer science from Yeshiva University as well as a master’s degree in English literature from the City University of New York.
As unrest continues, the UN Children’s agency UNICEF is urging “parties to the conflict in Ethiopia to spare children from the impact of hostilities in the Tigray region.”
In a statement, the Executive Director of the agency, Henrietta Fore, says that “UNICEF is deeply alarmed that the two parties’ threat of a further escalation in the fighting would put their lives and well-being at immediate risk.”
Appeal to halt fighting
“We call upon parties to the conflict,” she says, “to cease the fighting and reach a peaceful settlement. Humanitarian agencies should be allowed urgent, unimpeded and sustained access to all affected areas.”
The Executive Director also expresses her concern at “the safety of hundreds of humanitarian workers” who are still in Mekelle and elsewhere across Tigray. “We call upon all parties to the conflict to take all necessary measures to ensure their protection,” she says.
Malnutrition
At present some 2.3 million children in the Tigray region need humanitarian assistance and cannot be reached due to restricted access and the current breakdown in communications.
UNICEF has expressed alarm at the rates of malnutrition in the region.
Acute malnutrition increased by one-third between 2019 and 2020 mainly due to Desert Locust infestation and Covid-19.
Refuge in Sudan
The Ethiopian Prime Minister announced a military offensive on Nov. 4 against the regional government in Tigray in response to an attack by Tigray forces, and since then tens of thousands of people have fled to neighbouring Sudan.
According to UNICEF, thousands of children – many without parents or relatives – are among those who have sought refuge in camps and registration centres and are at risk. Conditions for these children have been described as extremely difficult.
