Pope Francis on Sunday joined the Italian bishops in their call for the safeguarding of water, as a common good.
Each year, on 8 November, Italy celebrates a day – dedicated to a different theme annualy – promoted by the italian Conference of Catholic bishops. This year the theme is “water, blessing of the earth”.
Water, say the italian bishops, is a gift – the first of all. They express their closeness to “the men and women of the earth, knowing that the well-being of the population depends on their generous work”, aware that the Covid-19 pandemic “has had a heavy impact on the entire world of work”
Speaking after the recitation of the Angelus Prayer, Pope Francis noted that “water is vital for agriculture; it is also vital for life!” He expressed his closeness with prayer and affection to the rural world, and “especially to small farmers”, explaining that “their work is more important than ever in this time of crisis”.
The parliament decision clears the way for the removal of the northern Tigray leadership, which Ethiopia’s federal government considers to be illegal.
Earlier this week, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia ordered the military to respond to an attack on an army camp in the regional capital of Mekele by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, known as the TPLF.
At the same time, the Ethiopian government declared a state of emergency in the Tigray district. Abiy Ahmed cited months of ‘provocation and incitement’ and insisted a red line had been crossed.
On Saturday, the Catholic Bishops of Ethiopia appealed for peaceful dialogue, urging parties to resolve their differences amicably, in a spirit of respect and understanding.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said it is becoming increasing alarmed at the escalation of violence in the country.
“Rising hostilities in the Tigray region threaten the immediate safety of hundreds of thousands of people,’ the NRC said in a statement. ‘Any increase in violence would foreshadow further regional destabilization and humanitarian disaster. We call upon all parties to resolve tensions through dialogue and to take all appropriate measures to end military action’.
The most recent figures from NRC suggest there are currently 1.80 million people internally displaced across Ethiopia and a further 790,000 refugees seeking protection from other conflicts in the East Africa region.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for immediate measures to de-escalate tensions.
He also renewed the commitment of the UN to support the government of Ethiopia in its reform efforts aimed at building a peaceful and secure future for all its peoples.
Johannesburg – Against a backdrop of the harsh realities of Covid-19 potentially deterring investment, there have been renewed calls for a review of transformation laws in South Africa, particularly the impact of B-BBEE empowerment regulations on EU companies.
Investors are concerned about the lack of clarity concerning policy and structural reforms with the B-BBEE policy, one of which has been described as often eliciting a “deer-in-the-headlights” response from even the most seasoned investors”, said the findings of a new study unveiled during a webinar attended by top European diplomats, including the EU Ambassador to South Africa, Dr Riina Kionka.
Entitled EU Investors’ Responses to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE): A Skills Enhancement Model by research expert Feroza Samaai-Abader, the study emphasised support for empowerment, acknowledging that South Africa offers many attractive assets for foreign investors, such as its diversified and advanced economy, its abundance of natural resources and its well-developed infrastructure.
Samaai-Abader, whose report was commissioned by the EU-funded “EU-South Africa Partners for Growth” Project, described the B-BBEE policy as the government’s key instrument in reconstruction and development. Through this policy, she said economic transformation has progressed from being just a strategic vision to a legislated, measurable actuality.
“But as the proponents of B-BBEE sought to increase the regulatory and measurability aspects of the legislation, the policy, primarily affected through the codes of good practice, has become rather convoluted and complex, often frustrating businesses rather than encouraging transformative practices,” Samaai-Abader said.
A Brexit deal with the EU remains “there to be done”, Boris Johnson has said, with trade negotiations set to resume next week.
The Prime Minister said the “broad outlines are pretty clear” and that European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen “totally agrees”.
It comes as the Prime Minister and Ms von der Leyen agreed during a phone call on Saturday to “redouble efforts” to reach a UK-EU trade deal and signed off on talks continuing next week.
Downing Street said the Prime Minister had told his Brussels counterpart that there remained “significant differences” in the UK-EU negotiations, with the two sides continuing to be apart on their positions over fishing rights and a level playing field agreement.
The call follows two weeks of intensified talks between the UK’s chief negotiator Lord Frost and his European Union equivalent Michel Barnier ahead of further discussions in London, starting on Monday.
Speaking about the negotiations, Mr Johnson said: “I’ve always been a great enthusiast for a trade deal with our European friends and partners, I think it is there to be done.
“The broad outlines are pretty clear, we just need to get on and do it if we can. I’ve said that to Ursula von der Leyen just yesterday and she totally agrees with me.”
Earlier on Sunday, Dominic Raab said he was “confident” that the Northern Ireland hurdles could be overcome to ensure the UK achieves a trade deal.
The Foreign Secretary added he believed the UK Government would be able to ally American fears and navigate the Irish border issue to satisfy allies in the US following president-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
Mr Biden has expressed concern about the Internal Market Bill, which would override key elements of the Withdrawal Agreement in relation to Northern Ireland, and has warned the Good Friday agreement cannot be “a casualty of Brexit”.
Mr Rabb told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show: “I’m confident we will navigate all of those issues sensitively, correctly, and, as I said, we listen very carefully to our American friends, particularly on the Hill and in the Irish lobby – they feel very invested in the Good Friday Agreement, we understand that, and I pay tribute to what George Mitchell and Bill Clinton did – but it is not the UK which is putting it at risk, it is the approach of the EU.”
But Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, urged ministers to scrap the controversial legislation if it was serious about building bridges with the new team headed for the White House.
Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer (Yui Mok/PA)
“We will soon have a president in the Oval Office who has been a passionate advocate for the preservation of the Good Friday Agreement,” Sir Keir wrote in an article for the Guardian.
“He, like governments across the world, will take a dim view if our Prime Minister ploughs ahead with proposals to undermine that agreement.
“If the Government is serious about a reset in its relationship with the United States, then it should take an early first step and drop these proposals.”
Meanwhile Mr Raab, asked about the prospect of trade deal being secured with the EU by the end of the week, told Sky News: “There is progress being made but we’ve got to see whether it is enough to get us over the line.”
Pope Francis said he is following with concern the news regarding an escalation of violence in Ethiopia and appealed to authorities there to “reject the temptation of armed conflict.”
Speaking after the recitation of the Angelus Prayer, the Pope invited all Ethiopians “to prayer and to the fraternal respect for dialogue and the peaceful resolution of discord.”
The Pope’s appeal comes as the United Nations warned that nine million people risk displacement from the escalating conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. UN observers today also said the government’s declaration of a state of emergency was blocking food and other aid.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is pressing ahead with a military campaign he announced on Wednesday, despite international pleas to pursue dialogue with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rather than risk civil war. Tigrayans dominated Ethiopian politics for decades until Abiy took office in 2018 and are reportedly fighting his efforts to remove their grip on power.
Lybian Political Dialogue Forum
Pope Francis then turned his thoughts to the quest for stability in Libya and noted that the first meeting of the Lybian Political Dialogue Forum, that includes and engages all parties, are about to begin in the Tunisian capital, Tunis.
He described the forum as an important event and said “I sincerely hope that in this delicate moment, a solution to the long suffering of the Libyan people will be found.”
Expressing his hope that “The recent agreement for a permanent ceasefire be respected and concretized, the Pope asked for prayers for the delegates of the Forum.
The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) is a fully inclusive intra-Libyan political dialogue established by the Berlin Conference Outcomes, last January, which were endorsed by United Nations Security Council resolutions.
It represents a variety of different constituencies, based on the principles of inclusivity, fair geographic, ethnic, political, tribal, and social representation.
The EU is facing a complex mess of problems: the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic shock it has caused and the chronic global challenges of climate change and vanishing biodiversity. Hard times have provoked a historical response and now the plan is to boost economic recovery and sustainable transition with a 750 billion stimulus package. The package was agreed on by the EU leaders together with the EU budget for the 2021-2027 period in July. This fall these agreements are processed in national parliaments and the European parliament, so the time is ripe for some serious debate about the policies and the direction of the union.
This far in Finland the debate has followed familiar lines. Many are counting how much we pay to the EU and how much we receive in return. As the recovery is funded with capital raised together from the financial markets accusations of looming federalism are thrown around. Some are outright declaring that this is no longer the union the Finns voted to join!
I’m in no position to dictate the debate. Anyone is free to bring in the points of view, perspectives and remarks they see relevant. Still, I feel that the EU discussion here often misses the point of the Union altogether and has quite a narrow perspective and somewhat nationalistic tone.
Assessing the net benefit of EU membership is understandable but assessing the union mainly as a box where you put money and get some of it back makes little sense. The EU is a tightly integrated political and economic union. Analyzing it and its impacts by the national bookkeeping only doesn’t really give a complete picture. It’s difficult to count the exact economic value of shared standards for example, not to mention the lasting peace and security.
As for federalism, just tossing the word around is not exactly fruitful. Depending on how you define the term, the EU has been a federation for a long time, is on the way of becoming one or under current treaties can never be one. The label is not as important as the mandate of the union in relation to its member states. We could use more clearly stated visions as to what kind of EU are different political parties and politicians striving to build. The opponents of the EU should articulate their alternative path too. Getting out of the union is by no means a simple solution (just ask the Brits!).
Now is the EU of today the one the Finns originally voted for? Of course not. Nor is Finland or the surrounding world the same as it was. We didn’t join into a changeless structure, but into a developing union in which we also have a say. Over a quarter of Finns living today weren’t even born at the time of the referendum and around half weren’t old enough to vote. For people grown up in a European Finland this part of the debate is quite distant.
The European Union or its current policies are by no means perfect. The union seems dangerously weak in protecting its core values and democracy both within and outside its borders. The climate and energy policies of the EU are weighed down by the focus on means instead of ends. The success of the recovery package is not certain at all and depends on its ambitious execution. The challenges in negotiating new treaties lead to complicated readings of current treaties. In general, the governance structure and decision-making processes are far from transparent and are not helped by the clumsy communication. Still, the EU is an invaluable community that can be thanked for much of the European freedom, prosperity and peace we are enjoying today. The union is also critically needed as a global leader in tackling the ecological crises we are facing.
The time calls for analytical, comprehensive, constructive and open EU debate with a European view. Radical ideas are welcome too, but it’s important that the forward-looking debate doesn’t get buried under populistic rhetoric and isolationism.
Atte Harjanne – MP Photographer: Marko Seuranen
This article was written for MP Talk, a regular column from the Helsinki Times in which Members of The Finnish Parliament contribute their thoughts and opinions. All opinions voiced are entirely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the Helsinki Times.
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Full statement issued by Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:
“We thank God for the blessings of liberty. The American people have spoken in this election. Now is the time for our leaders to come together in a spirit of national unity and to commit themselves to dialogue and compromise for the common good.
As Catholics and Americans, our priorities and mission are clear. We are here to follow Jesus Christ, to bear witness to His love in our lives, and to build His Kingdom on earth. I believe that at this moment in American history, Catholics have a special duty to be peacemakers, to promote fraternity and mutual trust, and to pray for a renewed spirit of true patriotism in our country.
Democracy requires that all of us conduct ourselves as people of virtue and self-discipline. It requires that we respect the free expression of opinions and that we treat one another with charity and civility, even as we might disagree deeply in our debates on matters of law and public policy.
As we do this, we recognize that Joseph R. Biden, Jr., has received enough votes to be elected the 46th President of the United States. We congratulate Mr. Biden and acknowledge that he joins the late President John F. Kennedy as the second United States president to profess the Catholic faith. We also congratulate Sen. Kamala D. Harris of California, who becomes the first woman ever elected as vice president.
We ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, patroness of this great nation, to intercede for us. May she help us to work together to fulfill the beautiful vision of America’s missionaries and founders — one nation under God, where the sanctity of every human life is defended and freedom of conscience and religion are guaranteed.”
MYSURU: Clad in a white banian and a dhoti, holding a broom by its short wooden handle, he sweeps the huge hall filled with books and papers – looking at him, you won’t think he is a possessor of one million books. This has been a routine for Anke Gowda, 72, apart from buying books and magazines over the last five decades.
His Pustaka Mane (literally meaning Book house) boasts of over 10 lakh books of various genres. This book paradise, located at a small village called Haralahalli near Srirangapatna (Mandya district), has not remained a private library of Anke Gowda but a place for research scholars, teachers, writers, critics, competitive exam aspirants and people from all walks of life to refer the books free of cost.
From a tiny book of over 10 pages to those weighing more than 3-4 kg, Anke Gowda has all of them and more. Though Kannada books have a prominent place in his library, there are books in over 20 Indian and foreign languages. Pustaka Mane has books dating back to 1832 to a new book released last month.
A woman browses through books at the Book House
And from novels to books on literature, science and technology, mythology. critiques, travelogues, research, astrology, women’s and children’s literature etc, are housed in this huge library. Anke Gowda dusts all the books every day and makes every effort to organise them for the convenience of his visitors. Born in a family of agriculturists in Mandya to Marigowda and Ningamma, Anke Gowda comes from a poor family, but had a great passion for reading books. An MA in Kannada literature, he worked as a time-keeper at Pandavapura sugar factory for about 30 years during which he spent nearly 80% of his salary on purchasing books.
Anke Gowda says, “When I was in college, I could not get access to books. This made me think and I wanted to have my own collection. I initially started reading and collecting books published by the Ramakrishna Ashram. My professor Anantharamu’s motivational words turned my passion for books into an obsession. Though I worked in a sugar factory, whenever I went out of town, I brought home books.’’ Anke Gowda started collecting books as a small venture when he was 21 years old. By early 2004, his entire house was full with over 2 lakh books.
After learning about Anke Gowda’s collection, Sri Hari Khoday, industrialist, helped him in build a huge building in an area of about 22 guntas, which has now become a must-see on every tourist’s itinerary. Gowda visits major book sellers in Majestic, MG Road, Avenue Road in Bengaluru to buy books, besides getting those discarded by libraries and households.
Even today, he and his wife Vijayalakshmi, who has been supporting him, live in this book house, sleep on the floor and cook in a corner. “My collection has helped thousands of people, research scholars and PhD students,” he says. Mahadeshwara, a research scholar in history says rare books on history are available at this book house.
NEW BUILDING Anke Gowda Jnana Pratishthana, the foundation, makes every effort to collect books. A new building is coming up next to his book house where Gowda hopes to make a classification of all the books and keep them in an organized way. As he is unable to employ the required staff for this, even today at the age of 72, he does it single-handedly. This, while more than 250 bags of books are yet to be opened and added to his collection.
10 lakh books of various genres 20 Indian and foreign language titles
French president Emmanuel Macron has called for an overhaul of the European Union’s internal border agreement after noting that terrorists have used migration flows.
The French leader said he would be proposing to the European Council next month an overhaul to the EU’s Schengen agreement, including “greater control” within the political bloc.
President Macron also stated that he would be doubling the number of police and customs staff manning France’s own borders from 2,400 to 4,800 to fight against illegal migration as well as terrorist threats to his country, France Info reports.
‘Not on French Soil’ – Macron Says Islamists Who Want to Follow Anti-Enlightenment Values Should Leave https://t.co/6RXHUiy8J3
“Terrorist actions can be carried out by people who use immigration flows,” Macron said on Thursday.
The statement comes after two terrorist attacks in the last several weeks in France, both of which involved migrants.
The first saw a Chechen migrant with refugee status murder teacher Samuel Paty in the street and behead him after he had shown cartoons of the Islamic prophet Mohammed to his class during a lesson on free speech. The drawings had previously been published by satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
The second terror attack, which took place in a church in the city of Nice, also involved a Tunisian migrant who had come across the Mediterranean earlier this year and landed illegally on the Italian island of Lampedusa.
The revelation led Italian populist Senator Matteo Salvini to ask how many other potential terrorists had come into Europe through migrant routes, saying: “How many are to disappear like him after landing? I think there are thousands of them. Yet there are mugshots and footprints of each of them.”
Since the murder of Samuel Paty, President Macron has also vowed to crack down on Islamist-linked associations. Macron has been recently joined in that call by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz following the Vienna terror attack.
Macron Govt Proposes Dissolving Major Islamist Associations After Teacher Beheading https://t.co/N90nY0RouO
Chancellor Kurz stated on Wednesday that he was in contact with Macron and called on the EU to focus on combatting political Islam.
“Now, it is important that we resolutely continue the fight. Not only against Islamist terrorism but also against the ideological basis behind it — that is, against political Islam and radical Islamism,” Kurz said.
Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJor email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com
