FILE PHOTO: A logo of WhatsApp is pictured on a T-shirt worn by a WhatsApp-Reliance Jio representative during a drive by the two companies to educate users, on the outskirts of Kolkata, India, October 9, 2018. Picture taken October 9, 2018. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri/File Photo
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Europe’s telecoms industry on Thursday slammed proposed tweaks to planned EU rules governing Facebook’s WhatsApp and Microsoft unit Skype that would tighten the rules faced by telecoms providers to use electronic communications metadata.
The planned EU rules subject WhatsApp and Skype to the same rules as telecoms providers.
The bloc’s 27 countries have struggled to find common ground on the ePrivacy regulation drafted by the European Commission in 2017 because of disagreement on rules for cookies tracking users’ online activities crucial for targeted advertising, and consent requirements.
Germany, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, shared its proposed tweaks with other EU countries on Wednesday evening.
The document seen by Reuters reduces the legal grounds for telecoms providers to use electronic communications metadata for other purposes or to further process the data, in a blow to the telecoms industry looking to use network location data for smart transport services as a potential money-spinner.
Lobbying group ETNO, whose members include Deutsche Telekom, Orange and Telefonica, and mobile operators group GSMA were scathing about the German proposal.
“Germany’s proposed text fails to bridge the gap between protecting privacy and confidentiality and stimulating innovation in European service providers,” they said in a joint statement.
They urged other EU countries not to back the proposal unless it allows them more freedom to use metadata for legitimate purposes and for further compatible processing.
The bloc will have to agree on a common stand before thrashing out details of the rules with the Commission and European Parliament.
Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall
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.
On Wednesday, the Ethiopian government also 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.
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.
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.
It was 5 November 1943, World War II was raging and Vatican City was, and remained, a neutral state. This is partly why the attack came as such a surprise: five bombs (one of which did not detonate) were dropped into the Vatican gardens from an unidentified aircraft. Luckily no one was hurt, but many of the buildings suffered huge damage, and guards were left dazed and confused after the explosions knocked them to the ground.
One gendarme, Luigi Turchetto, wrote a note to the Vatican’s Noble Guards, in which he recounted what happened that night. He was on duty at the Vatican train station:
“I distinctly heard the continuous noise of an aircraft flying at low altitude. I could not see it, prevented by the darkness. From the noise of the engine it seemed to me that the aircraft was coming from the northeast. It flew over the Vatican Railway Station and then went a little further away and immediately turned back. I almost immediately heard a hiss and a prolonged burst that gave me the impression of the almost simultaneous explosion of several bombs. The first of them fell on the escarpment near the boundary wall of the Vatican City State on the side of St. Peter’s Station; the second one fell on the terrace of the Mosaic Studio; a third one behind the Governorate Palace and a fourth one in the Vatican Gardens in a location that I could not identify at the moment.”
Pope Pius XII commented, in private, that “there was more respect in Cairo, as the religious center of Islam, than in Rome. And more concretely, we are struck by the need to recognise… that there no longer exists, I do not say Christian conscience, but even the minimum of human understanding and a sense of loyalty in acting that should be enough to leave the successor of St. Peter in the narrow strip of land that still remains.”
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Who dropped the bombs?
Nobody took responsibility for the bombs. The Allies and Axis powers accused each other. One of the theories, following certain clues, was published in the 2010 Italian book “1943: Bombe in Vaticano” by Augusto Ferrari. It describes the possibility that the attack had been orchestrated by the Germans and coordinated by the Fascist Roberto Farinacci, whose aim was to bomb Vatican Radio, that was suspected of transmitting valuable military information to the Anglo-Americans. It is believed that the pilot was “a certain Parmeggiani”, and that the plane had been flown from Viterbo, some 50km from Rome.
This claim was contested one year later, in 2011, by subsequent research (such as that of Gregory Alegi and that of Pietro Cappellari). Ferrari claimed that the plane used was a Savoia Marchetti S.M. 79; yet Alegi and Cappellari claim that the Italian Aeronautica only possessed one of these planes and that it could not, at that time, have been geographically located in Viterbo under German control. Ferrari also claimed that the only two pilots with the name Parmeggiani were elsewhere, and working with the Allies.
In America, a new theory was developed soon after. Again, soon after that.. clues led to ideas and ideas to theories: from the idea that the bombs had been manufactured in the UK to an intercepted phone call between two priests. But each theory, still remains just a theory…
Protection through neutrality
Upon learning of the possible motivation behind the attack, Pope Pius XII asked that the reasons for the attack not be spread by the media, in an attempt to maintain the neutrality of the State.
Throught the war the Pope and the Vatican helped many members of the Italian resistance. It was not easy to hide in Rome, and the Vatican offered protection and exile to those who needed it most. The intermediary position of the Church allowed it to move better to defend and help those in need.
It still remains unclear as to who dropped those first bombs on the Vatican.
Bombs were dropped again on Vatican City State on 1 March 1944, killing one person and injuring another.
During the month of November, Pope Francis draws our attention to the epochal change that humanity is experiencing thanks to advances in artificial intelligence. He, therefore, invites us to pray that this progress always “serve humankind,” respecting human dignity and taking care of Creation.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made exponential advances, as evidenced by its many applications in different fields of knowledge. Today, 37% of organizations in the world have implemented AI in some way (which represents a 270% increase in the past four years).
In “The Pope Video” this month, Pope Francis clarifies that this progress in robotics and AI “can make a better world possible if it is joined to the common good.” In this sense, he hopes for technological progress that does not increase the inequalities in society. If it does, the Pope says, it will not be “true progress”. Such progress does not take into account the dignity of the human person and care for Creation.
Benefits
AI is capable of addressing many problems facing humanity, such as in evaluating the learning capacity of students, in order to detect opportunities for improvement. It can help people with visual or hearing impairments by developing better communication tools (such as converting text to speech or speech to text). AI can also speed up the collection, processing and diffusion of health data to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients, especially those living in remote areas.
The same applies to the field of ecology. Through AI, it is possible to analyze data on climate change and create models that can help predict natural disasters. It can also be used to create intelligent and sustainable cities by reducing urban spending, improving the resilience of highways and increasing energy efficiency. There are vast possibilities for using this technological progress for the common good, and “The Pope Video” uses images from the Italian Institute of Technology and the Italian multinational energy company, Enel, to show some of these benefits.
Serving humanity
“Innovation,” says Enel’s CEO, Francesco Starace, “has placed at our disposition extraordinary tools that we need to be capable of using in the best possible way.”
He continues, “As Pope Francis reaffirms, it is our task to ensure that the resulting benefits are distributed fairly and create opportunities and wellbeing.” Starace says, “In order to give a positive orientation to our actions and choices regarding the present and the future, we must put respect for people and for the environment at the centre, adopting a vision based on sustainability. Only in this way can technological evolution be an ally of humanity and create opportunities which, up until a few years ago, we couldn’t even imagine.”
The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is responsible for the diffusion of the Pope’s monthly prayer intentions. In comments on the Holy Father’s prayer intention for November, the network’s international director, Jesuit Father Frédéric Fornos also speaks of the need to channel these rapid technological changes for the “good of all.”
“This month’s prayer intention,” he says, “reinforces the idea that the benefit that humanity has obtained (and will continue to obtain) from technological progress must always take into account as well, and in parallel, ‘adequate development of responsibility and values’.” This, Fr Fornos says, has been underscored by the Pope in his encyclical Laudato si’ and now in his third encyclical, Fratelli tutti, where he says, “How wonderful it would be if the growth of scientific and technological innovation could come with more equality and social inclusion!”
AI, robotics, and other applications of technology, says Fr Fornos, open great challenges for ethics and social justice. “This is why the Pope’s most recent petition is important: to pray that this progress will always ‘be human.’”
The text of the November 2020 prayer intention:
Artificial intelligence is at the heart of the epochal change we are experiencing. Robotics can make a better world possible if it is joined to the common good. Indeed, if technological progress increases inequalities, it is not true progress. Future advances should be oriented towards respecting the dignity of the person and of Creation.
Let us pray that the progress of robotics and artificial intelligence may always serve humankind… we could say, may it “be human.”
WHO/Europe and the Government of Ukraine, represented by the Ministry of Health, have signed a Biennial Collaborative Agreement (BCA) for 2020–2021. Signed by Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, and Maxym Stepanov, Minister of Health of Ukraine during a virtual ceremony, the agreement strengthens cooperation to improve the health of the Ukrainian population, and accelerate progress towards universal health coverage and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
“WHO supports Ukraine in building a healthier future for its citizens. To improve the population’s health and access to high-quality health care, this Biennial Collaborative Agreement with the Ukrainian government sets out a framework for cooperation for 2020–2021. The agreement will strengthen the Ukrainian health system and health governance, and help ensure delivery of high-quality, people-centred health services,” said Dr Kluge.
Mr Stepanov added: “The Ministry of Health and WHO have a long history of effective collaboration, contributing to sustainable changes in the health of the Ukrainian population. We welcome the signing of the Biennial Collaborative Agreement with WHO, which will strengthen our cooperation and allow us to establish a long-term health strategy, continue implementing transformative changes in the health system for the benefit of the Ukrainian people and ensure access to essential health-care services, including better access to mental health services and vaccines”.
Based on the European Programme of Work (EPW), WHO’s 13th General Programme of Work (GPW 13) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the BCA aims to support Ukraine in maximizing the opportunities for improving population health, reducing health inequities and strengthening overall health governance in Ukraine.
Priority areas
Under the agreement, the 2 parties agreed to collaborate in 5 core priority areas:
continuous support for the COVID-19 response across Ukraine;
implementation of health reforms and development of a comprehensive national health strategy to achieve the SDGs;
addressing mental health needs and improving access to essential health services;
effective immunization coverage;
response to humanitarian needs in Ukraine.
“Over the past years, Ukraine has made bold steps in reforming its health system to achieve equal access to essential health services, with a focus on primary health care, and has progressed to provide access to affordable, safe and effective medicines and vaccines. In 2020, WHO/Europe is contributing to the COVID-19 response and simultaneously making efforts to continue health system strengthening. Our objective is to collaborate with numerous partners to improve health outcomes for the Ukrainian population in the coming decade,” said Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative and Head of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine.
On signing the agreement, aimed at enhancing strategic collaboration, WHO/Europe and the Ukrainian government will work together to improve access to quality essential health services, medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and devices for primary health care. They will also work towards reducing financial hardships for the Ukrainian population, accelerating the country’s preparedness for health emergencies, strengthening country capacity in data and innovation, and addressing the economic, social and environmental determinants of health.
The BCA is aligned with the European Programme of Work 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health in Europe”, adopted earlier this year with the purpose of strengthening the leadership of health authorities in the WHO European Region, while accelerating progress towards achieving the SDGs, and ensuring no one is left behind.
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. Read more
PUBLISHED: 14:04 05 November 2020 | UPDATED: 14:43 05 November 2020
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<p class="article-image-caption">UK workers still only made up 11% of the seasonal farm workforce this year, even after a widely-publicised government-led recruitment drive Picture: JAMES FOSKETT</p>
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<!--PSTYLE=SF Web Summary--><h2>A Suffolk vegetable grower warned his organic business “would finish overnight” if he had to rely on UK labour as the industry seeks clarity on how to source workers post-Brexit.</h2>
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<div id="1.6917110" class="object-465"> <em>James Foskett wouldn't be able to continue with his organic operation without his overseas seasonal workforce Picture: JAMES FOSKETT</em></div>The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) is calling on the government to explain how fruit, vegetable and flower growers in the UK will be able to recruit seasonal pickers next year.
Its industry-wide survey showed that despite the widely publicised Pick for Britain campaign, UK residents still made up only 11% of the workforce this year.
MORE – Grower hopes eastern Europeans laid off from other sectors may help to plug UK-wide hole in seasonal farm workforce James Foskett — owner of Foskett Farms, near Woodbridge, which grows a range of crops including onions, potatoes, carrots and a range of organic produce — said this year the farm had welcomed between 5% and 10% casual seasonal workers from the UK at any one time.
“Some are quite good workers for going on graders or harvesters on hourly rates but no good for weeding or picking vegetables on piece rates because they can’t do enough in an hour to earn the minimum wage and so we have to make the wages up,” he said.
NFU vice president Tom Bradshaw is calling for government clarity on where farms can source seasonal labour post-Brexit Picture: JOHN COTTLE
“If we had to rely on UK workers our organic business would finish overnight. We just desperately hope we are given an allocation of seasonal workers from Eastern Europe either from the European Union (EU) or not.”
The NFU’s Horticulture Seasonal Worker Survey 2020 was completed by 244 horticultural growers recruiting more than 30,000 people — which equates to just under 50% of the workforce.
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NFU vice president Tom Bradshaw — who farms at Fordham, near Colchester — said workers from outside the Uk were “absolutely vital” to the horticultural sector especially as the industry had ambitions to grow more fruit and vegetables.
Seasonal workers hand weeding carrots at James Foskett Farms at Bromeswell, near Woodbridge Picture: JAMES FOSKETT
“We are at a critical time in recruitment for many growers. As freedom of movement ends on December 31, those growers of iconic British daffodils, asparagus, and soft fruits still don’t know where they will recruit experienced workers from.
“The Pick for Britain campaign was a great initiative, and many have suggested we could continue to recruit a domestic workforce for the coming 2021 season and beyond. While there was a fantastic response from Brits to the call for domestic workers this year in extraordinary circumstances, we see from the survey results that they only made up 11% of the workforce. Seasonal work on farm simply isn’t a viable solution for many.
“What we’re asking of them is huge. In reality it means people needing to work in very rural areas, away from their homes and families, where they will only have guaranteed work for between three and six months.”
The survey showed first-time UK resident workers stayed for nine and a half weeks on average, compared to just over 14 weeks for first-time non-UK workers and 18 weeks for returnee non-UK workers.
“Understandably, these workers continued to look for work closer to home, meaning many left farms part way through their contract and leaving growers having to re-recruit, which impacted on overall productivity levels and increased production costs.”
The situation was “easily solved” with the implementation of a seasonal worker scheme, building upon the pilot scheme that has already operated successfully for the past two seasons.
“If this is not in place by the beginning of the year, we would be the only developed country in the world without such a scheme. It would seem remarkable for the government to take such a gamble when it will hit UK businesses at a time when economic recovery is paramount. I call on government to act now, support our ambitions to lead a horticultural revolution in this country, growing the food that is so critical as part of a healthy diet, and ensure growers have an experienced workforce recruited in time to see this ambition become a reality.”
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The National Secular Society has urged the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to ensure children’s rights in the UK are not undermined by religion.
The call came in a submission to the committee as it begins its periodic examination of children’s human rights in the UK.
The committee monitors the progress of member states’ implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Education and children’s rights
The report filed by the NSS raised concerns relating to the undermining of children’s rights in faith schools and throughout state education.
It highlighted widespread discrimination against children, some stemming from religious exceptions to equality legislation, including concerns around:
Religious discrimination against children in pupil admissions and other aspects of school life
Children being compelled to take part in religious worship
A failure to ensure religious education is objective, critical and pluralistic
Inadequate access to age-appropriate relationships and sex education which is inclusive and comprehensive.
The report also drew the committee’s attention to severe breaches of children’s rights in religious schools, including unregistered faith schools that operate outside of the law.
The submission expressed alarm at the “unacceptably slow” shift away from religiously segregated schooling in Northern Ireland, where just seven per cent of children attend integrated schools.
It urged the UN to press the UK to phase out religiously segregated state-funded schools in NI and to ensure every child in the UK has the right to access a local publicly-funded secular school.
Forced genital cutting
The submission also expressed concern over the failure to address the forced genital cutting of boys.
The committee has previously recommended that the UK ensure “no one is subjected to unnecessary medical or surgical treatment during infancy or childhood” and “guarantee bodily integrity” – but only in relation to female genital mutilation and intersex surgery.
The NSS submission called for protections from non-therapeutic genital cutting to apply to all children equally, regardless of sex.
Child sexual abuse in religious institutions
The NSS also highlighted serious failings to protect children from sexual abuse in religious settings.
It called on the CRC to recommend the UK adopts a new mandatory reporting law, requiring those in positions of trust toward children or vulnerable adults to report suspected physical or sexual abuse to the appropriate civil authorities.
Comment
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: “Too often the individual rights of children are relegated or ignored when they clash with the interests of religious communities.
“We hope this examination compels all governments in the UK to better protect and promote children’s best interests and human rights where religious interests stand in the way of their realisation.”
Notes
Every state that has ratified the convention is required to report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on how it is fulfilling its obligations. This allows the committee to assess what progress a state is making in implementing the convention. This reporting process happens once every five years.
At this stage civil society groups are invited to submit issues of concern ahead of the 88th pre-session of the CRC.
The UN last examined how well the UK is implementing the treaty in May 2016 and published its recommendations in June 2016.
The NSS has also submitted a report to the committee focusing primarily on child sexual abuse in religious institutions in Germany.
Nagorno-Karabakh, EU Bishops appeal for intensifying multilateral peace efforts
COMECE calls on the European Union to actively engage for peace in the Nagorno Karabakh region and provide concrete assistance to communities affected by recent flare-up of violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Since the end of September 2020, the Nagorno Karabakh has been repeatedly experiencing renewed waves of violence, leading to the loss of lives of many civilians and to the destruction of homes, basic infrustructures and places of worship.
COMECE expresses concerns about the situation in the south Caucasus, currently marked by fragile truces interrupted by armed clashes, causing not only grave material damage, but also spiritual suffering.
In recent weeks, Pope Francis has addressed several appeals to the parties in conflict “to stop the shedding of innocent blood and engage in sincere negotiations with the help of the international community”.
While joining Pope Francis’ prayers for a lasting peace in the region, COMECE welcomes the humanitarian assistance provided by the European Commission to cover the needs of civilians affected by the conflict, and calls on the EU to actively contribute to the OSCE-led negotiation efforts involving all conflict parties and regional stakeholders.
In this context, Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto, General Secretary of COMECE, appeals on the EU to ensure the protection of places of worship and the safety of all local communities. In the medium and long term, COMECE also enourages the EU to promote integral human development and a strategy on empowering people – especially the youth – at all levels of political, social and economic life in the region.
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