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Holy See calls for joint efforts to combat trafficking in persons

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Holy See calls for joint efforts to combat trafficking in persons - Vatican News

By Vatican News staff writer

“Trafficking in persons and other contemporary forms of enslavement are a worldwide problem that needs to be taken seriously by humanity as a whole.”

These were the words of the Holy See’s Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Monsignor Janusz Urbańczyk, during a meeting of the body’s Permanent Council.

He pointed out that there are “more than 40 million victims of trafficking or exploitation in the world.” Of that disturbing number, 10 million are younger than 18 years old, and 1 out of 20 are children under eight years old who are victims of sexual exploitation.

Msgr. Urbańczyk commended the OSCE’s efforts in this regard so far, and expressed appreciation in particular for its 4P approach: Prosecution, Protection, Prevention and Partnerships.

The OSCE meeting, which was held on Thursday, focused on the fight against trafficking in human beings.

Poor prosecution rates

One failure Msgr. Urbańczyk noted with concern is the poor prosecution rate of human traffickers.

He added that the decline in the number of prosecutions “adds insult to injury” as only a few of the victims see their traffickers prosecuted by criminal justice.

Organ trafficking

Another area of concern, said Msgr. Urbańczyk, is the trafficking of human beings for the organ trade. This crime, he noted, apart from being underestimated, is widespread – even in the OSCE area.

To combat this, there is a “need for an agreed, concrete procedures for alerting professionals, appropriate authorities and agencies to organ trafficking,” he said.

“Health professionals and authorities can no longer turn a blind eye to the need to regulate travel for transplantation and to prevent and combat transplant-related crimes,” he added.

Appeal

Msgr. Urbańczyk remarked that through policies, educational campaigns and programs, significant progress has been made in identifying and addressing factors that make people susceptible to trafficking. He, therefore, encouraged joint efforts in the fight against trafficking, “starting by addressing what drives it.”

However, he noted, armed conflicts and forced migration have worsened some of the social, economic, cultural and political factors that make people vulnerable to trafficking. Further compounding the situation is the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic which, due to its restrictions, has transformed human trafficking into an “ever-growing internet business.”

In light of all of this, Msgr. Urbańczyk proposes that priority be given to ensuring “access to social protection, to education, to jobs, to health care and to the justice system” because the lack of these is often exploited by traffickers to recruit new victims.

Likewise, for survivors’ rehabilitation and reintegration, he said “they need access to physical and mental health services, education, training programs and employment opportunities so that they can have “a new start and legal protection from those who would compel them back into slavery.”

Trafficking victims: human beings with faces and stories

In all the efforts against trafficking in persons, Msgr. Urbańczyk stressed the importance of keeping in mind that “victims and survivors are human beings” and they should “always feel that they are being treated with dignity and respect.”

“It is easy in discussions to present numbers,” he noted. “However, we must keep in mind that every number has a face, a name and a story to tell.”

Reiterating Pope Francis’s words in the Encyclical letter Fratelli tutti, Msgr. Urbańczyk said that trafficking in persons represents a “shame for humanity” which international politics “must no longer tolerate.”

COVID-19, rule of law, EU programmes: The wrangling over the EU budget

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COVID-19, rule of law, EU programmes: The wrangling over the EU budget

The European Union’s current Budget negotiation has been one of the longest and most contentious to date.

What started out as a seemingly normal Commission proposal back in May 2018, turned into a battle between two of the EU’s three institutions, after the pandemic swept through the continent and rewrote the rules of nearly everything it touched.

Despite long-term concerns always being there over the respect for rule of law in countries like Hungary and Poland, the issue has now become key to MEPs demands in moving forwards with the EU’s long-term budget for 2021-2027.

This has meant that the future of the continent’s economic health is being held hostage to negotiations, which are at loggerheads, between the European Parliament and European Council.

All of this can at times be difficult to understand, so what is actually going on with it?

Well, in July, after four days of wrangling, European leaders finally reached an historic agreement on how much the EU can spend over the next seven years.

This total was set at €1.8 trillion, of which, €750 billion is for the coronavirus recovery fund, otherwise known as Next Generation EU.

The rest of the money, €1.074 trillion, makes up the EU’s long-term budget – the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

The European Parliament, however, fears that the current proposal is draining resources from the bloc’s other initiatives, such as education, innovation, and the flagship Erasmus program for students.

MEPs have instead presented an increase to the Budget’s ceiling by €39 billion, which Spanish MEP, Jonas Fernandez, believes is a fair compromise.

“I believe that European citizens support the position of the European Parliament. I think it is possible to have an agreement by the end of the year, but we need to know to what extent the Council intends to stick to the proposal that was agreed in July, instead of opting for a more ‘Europeanist’ stance that Parliament is aiming for,” Fernandez explained.

But many EU governments are reluctant to put more money on the table, especially since the Budget agreement in July was made after intense negotiations.

That leaves the thorny issue of the rule of law.

MEPs are asking that money from the recovery fund is linked to the respect by governments to the rule of law and Europe‘s democratic values.

But Hungary and Poland, are threatening to block the whole package if this conditionality is attached to any EU funds, as they believe they are respecting the rule of law.

This is where the deadlock lies, so how can this problem be solved?

Marta Pilati, a policy analyst at the European Policy centre explained to Euronews how it might be overcome.

“Usually the way the EU works is that there are tweaks and changes to the language of this mechanism, so that everyone can claim victory, let’s say. But it’s true that this time around the European Parliament is very proactive in sending its position, so I can see that these negotiations will be complicated for a little while,” Pilati said.

The budget and recovery fund won’t officially be on the table during October’s EU leaders’ summit, but the longer an agreement is stalled, the longer European citizens will be without the vital money they need to help them through this pandemic.

Greek Minister of Health makes first visit to WHO/Europe

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Vassilis Kikilias

WHO’s Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, and the Greek Minister of Health, Dr Vasileios Kikilias, spoke about a number of health matters, including quality of care and patient safety, during the Minister’s first visit to WHO/Europe in Copenhagen.

Quality of care and patient safety

Greece has undertaken a range of important developments in recent years related to the issues of quality of care and patient safety. Combined with the high quality of Greek health institutions and its top-class researchers in the field of health and well-being, the country is showing strong leadership in the context of the WHO European Region and beyond.

In a joint statement, WHO/Europe and the Ministry of Health of the Hellenic Republic expressed a shared ambition to achieve the highest level of health, well-being and health protection in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Discussions included initial exchanges regarding the possibility of opening a new WHO Centre of Excellence for Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens which, if confirmed, would focus on the provision of technical assistance, support and leadership for quality of care and patient safety.

Linked to the European Programme of Work (EPW), which was recently adopted by Member States at WHO/Europe’s 70th Regional Committee, there is an opportunity to consider the coherence of policies, structures and resources for quality health care. This includes highlighting the importance of quality care and taking a life-course approach, leaving no one behind in health.

Ongoing cooperation

The visit of Dr Kikilias offered the opportunity to speak about broader areas of collaboration between Greece and WHO, including non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This includes Greece’s recent proactive efforts in the areas of tobacco control, such as banning smoking in public places, and the launch of the National Action Plan Against Smoking. This is in addition to improvements in the quality of health care, primary health care reform and health system strengthening.

WHO and Greece have also collaborated on other priority areas in recent months, including the COVID-19 response and migrant health. A recent fire at the Moria refugee camp in Lesvos left thousands without shelter. Representatives from WHO’s country office in Greece undertook a rapid assessment to map resources and work with national authorities. At the request of the Greek Government, emergency teams from Norway and Belgium were deployed through WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) to provide access to health services.

WHO established a country office in Athens in 2018 to facilitate cooperation and continuous technical support in relevant areas. A biennial workplan has been agreed between WHO and the Greek Ministry of Health and is currently being implemented.

EU Lawmakers: Fossil Fuels Have No Place In EU Recovery Fund

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EU Lawmakers: Fossil Fuels Have No Place In EU Recovery Fund

Air Quality


Published on October 15th, 2020 |
by Zachary Shahan

October 15th, 2020 by Zachary Shahan 

If you’re just tuning into 2020, the short summary is a nasty little virus spread across the world, killed 1.1 million people (probably considerably more, actually), and led to economic shutdowns that threw an enormous amount of hurt on societies across the globe. One of government’s core roles is to bail out its citizens in such a crisis, which means pumping money into the economy in various ways.

The interesting thing about this crisis is that it presents an opportunity to accelerate industries of the future and drop industries and companies that are just dragging everyone down. Consider it an economic spring cleaning. In the US — well, let’s not go there, since there’s billions if not trillions of dollars worth of corruption swimming around in 20-time con man Donald Trump’s reality TV show (aka the White-House-turned-family-business-and-mafia-for-corporate-welfare garbage fire). In the EU, though, there’s some smart movement underway.

EU lawmakers are pushing to keep fossil fuels out of the €670 billion recovery pot the Union is handling. They’re also pushing for more of that considerable cash money to be put into “green” projects. “The European Parliament’s environment committee voted to raise the amount of green spending from 37% to 47% of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, and to exclude fossil fuel projects from receiving any recovery investments,” Transport & Environment media manager Eoin Bannon writes.

Electric vehicles have been soaring in the EU, reaching approximately 10% market share this year, about 5 times the share they had in 2019. Renewables are also highly competitive. But we’re on a race against time in which every extra month of gigatons too much climate pollution threaten the future of humanity. Also, if the future of industry is greentech, and you want to be a leader in the future, now is a good time to accelerate investments in greentech.

Luca Bonaccorsi, sustainable finance director at Transport & Environment (T&E), said: “The Next Generation EU fund is supposed to rebuild an EU economy ravaged by the pandemic, and will be entirely paid by the next generation of taxpayers. It’s only fair that their money is invested in a sustainable economy. MEPs have rightly voted for the blanket exclusion of fossil fuels from the recovery fund, and their colleagues on the economic and budgets committees should follow suit.”

I don’t know what this is talking about, but if you really want to get into the weeds of European law and jargon, Transport & Environment adds: “MEPs also voted for spending to be classified as ‘green’ based on the EU’s new sustainable finance law. The Taxonomy Regulation and its technical criteria would replace the current classification, the Rio Markers, which are dated, inadequate and allow massive greenwashing.”

Next in line to weigh in on this matter of helping finance the recovery of the future or the past are the economics and budgetary committees of European Parliament.

Naturally, we here at CleanTechnica think that it makes a lot of sense to invest more (47%) into cleantech in this economic recovery effort and leave fossil fuels to fend for themselves as they are certainly still well equipped to do. It makes no sense to subsidize fossil fuels in 2020.

The potential for this large cleantech stimulus push is exciting on one hand. On the other hand, as an American, given that much of this country has decided it’s fine to let a career con man loot the country and subvert our positions on the world stage (in numerous harmful ways), it is depressing to see how far behind we are and just how badly we have defined deviance down. Under the Obama/Biden stimulus package pulling us out of the Great Recession, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the “green” portion of the recovery was not 47%, but it was considerable. We had a lot of money go into jumpstarting the solar, wind, and electric vehicles industries — and that money went a long way and is still bearing fruit today. There is no discussion on the table today as we sit in the middle of a potentially even bigger economic crisis. In fact, Republicans in the Senate don’t even want to provide the basics of a generic economic recovery. Mitch McConnell let Nancy Pelosi and the House’s second stimulus package sit untouched for several months, only jumping to work at last when he had a tiny amount of time to hypocritically ram a judge through an ignoble Supreme Court confirmation.

The USA once was great — not long ago even. I hesitate to admit it, but what people around the world are now thinking is — my, how the mighty have fallen!

Photos of biking in Groningen and Tesla Supercharging in Amsterdam by Zach Shahan

 
 


 

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Tags: co2 emissions, EU, EU Recovery Fund, Europe, greenwashing





About the Author

Zachary Shahan is tryin’ to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director, chief editor, and CEO. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao.

Zach has long-term investments in NIO [NIO], Tesla [TSLA], and Xpeng [XPEV]. But he does not offer (explicitly or implicitly) investment advice of any sort.









Ardern, Collins answer question on religion and politics –

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Ardern, Collins answer question on religion and politics -

Responding to a question from a member of the public, National Party leader Judith Collins described herself as a liberal Anglican with a sense of humour during tonight’s leaders’ debate.

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                    The Labour and National leaders answered a viewer’s question on their faith and politics. 

                        Source: 1 NEWS</div>
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Undecided New Zealanders were given the opportunity to put a question to the leaders of the National and Labour parties during the final debate.

                <div class="storyPage"> <p>An undecided voter asked both Collins and Labour's Jacinda Ardern what role their faith would play in their governance.</p></div>
                <div class="storyPage"> <p>First to answer the question was Collins, who said her faith already played a role in her job.</p></div>
                <div class="storyPage"> <p>“I am exactly who I was. I’ve always been a liberal Anglican.”</p></div>
                <div class="storyPage"> <p>She did admit she sometimes wished that she’d done better as a woman of faith. However, she was one who had a sense of humour.</p></div>
                <div class="storyPage"> <p>When asked about her stance, Ardern reiterated that she doesn’t have a faith but was raised Mormon and said that has shaped her view on religion.</p></div>
                <div class="storyPage"> <p>“I hope what people can see is that I respect people no matter their belief, no matter their upbringing because I had a similar start in my life.</p></div>

                <div class="storyPage"> <p>“But one of the reasons I’m agnostic now is, for me, I wanted to make sure my religious beliefs didn’t get in the way of anyone else practising what they chose to believe themselves.”</p></div>
                <div class="storyPage"> <p><b>VOTE COMPASS - With the election campaign coming to an end, take this opportunity to participate in Vote Compass, a survey tool which lets you see how your views match up with party policies - go to <a adhocenable="false" href="https://votecompass.tvnz.co.nz/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">tvnz.co.nz/VoteCompass</a></b><br /></p></div>

Can the European Union learn to love a common culture?

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Can the European Union learn to love a common culture?

BAUHAUS AND Brussels are an uneasy mix. Walter Gropius, the founder of the Bauhaus art school, which shaped design in the 20th century, declared that a building “must be true to itself, logically transparent, and virginal of lies or trivialities”.

A short stroll around the EU quarter in Brussels reveals buildings that happily violate all these rules. Post-modern monstrosities butt against merely ridiculous buildings with nicknames such as the Space Egg. Inside, things are often little better, with lurid colour schemes providing an absurd backdrop for serious discussion and layouts straight out of Maurits Escher’s paintings of “impossible constructions”. Bauhaus principles led to the iPhone, a triumph of simple design. EU design principles led to a building with floor numbers that go: 02, 01, 00, 10, 20, 35, 50, 60, 70, 80.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, believes a bit of Bauhaus spirit is exactly what the EU needs. As part of the bloc’s flagship “green deal” reforms, the EU will found a European Bauhaus movement to ape the influential design school that ran from 1919 to 1933 in Germany. “It needs to be a new cultural project for Europe,” said Mrs von der Leyen, speaking last month in the European Parliament, which is nicknamed Le Caprice des Dieux due to its resemblance to a cheese of that name. Although it was still nebulous, Mrs von der Leyen spelled out a vision of architects, artists and engineers combining as they did a century ago in Weimar Germany, except this time to help stave off climate change as well as designing natty buildings. “We need to give our systemic change its own distinct aesthetic,” she declared.

Such forays into the world of culture had become relatively rare for EU leaders. When European federalism was in its pomp, Jacques Delors, the commission president who oversaw the creation of the single market and the introduction of the Maastricht treaty in the 1980s and 1990s, warned that economic integration was not enough. “You cannot fall in love with the single market,” he put it, repeatedly. But a decade of crisis then led to leaders trying to avoid divorce rather than increase romance. Until Mrs von der Leyen’s speech, calls for a common culture were unusual. Officials in Brussels hide under the desk when someone mentions the C-word. Within the EU institutions, culture is often a punchbag. In “The Capital”, a satire by Robert Menasse set in the Brussels bubble, the main characters are frustrated officials in the commission’s culture department. The EU’s cultural efforts are easy to lampoon and the new Bauhaus is no exception. It can trigger a cartoonish image of fashionable men in expensive spectacles designing ecologically sound window frames in exchange for tax-free salaries.

For others, cultural projects are the missing part of an at-times-bloodless project. The EU was set up in part to stop proud European nations murdering each other. It did so via technocratic, economic and, frankly, rather dull means. When it comes to culture, there is a feeling of caution bordering on cowardice among European officials. For an example, pull out a wedge of euro notes. Rather than founding fathers or recognisable monuments that may inflame national jealousies, citizens are left with pictures of windows and bridges that do not exist (or did not until one enterprising town in the Netherlands recreated each bridge over a canal as a tourist attraction). It is better to have a row about who goes on bank notes than a pallid, purely economic relationship with an increasingly powerful institution, argues Giuliano da Empoli, director of Volta, a think-tank.

Worrying about the appearance of bank notes rather than their value can appear divorced from reality. Yet the EU’s critics have few qualms about fighting a culture war. In relative terms, the country that spends most on culture is not France, with its world-class museums and general fetish for intellectualism, but Hungary. Viktor Orban, the prime minister, rails against art that is pro-gay or anti-ruling party. His government spends a colossal 3% of annual GDP on “recreation, culture and religion”, often on things such as the swanky football stadium next door to Mr Orban’s country estate. For eurocrats to bang on about culture from an ugly building in Brussels during a pandemic may seem like a parody of disconnection. But if they avoid the topic, the EU’s enemies will happily fill the gaps, argues Mr da Empoli. “A realist in Europe knows that it is not rationality that wins elections,” he adds. “A realist is someone who knows that symbols are what carry the day.”

Don’t let the devil have all the best tunes

An emphasis on culture can come with a dark side. Hungary and other small countries, such as Estonia, which ranks second in the spending stakes on culture, invest so much because they worry about disappearing. Strip out language and culture and there is little left of small nations, points out one diplomat. They are no longer alone in this petrified world-view, which is found at the EU’s highest levels. Eurocrats veer between hoping that the EU will be a global superpower and worrying that it will become an irrelevant peninsula. “This civilisation—Europe is a civilisation—could be clearly threatened by this geopolitical evolution,” warned Josep Borrell, the bloc’s foreign-policy chief, in a recent speech. It is a sentiment with which Mr Orban would agree. And that should make leaders pause. After all, a paranoid bloc is not a wise one.

If the EU is determined to embroil itself in a clash of civilisations, its leaders must ponder some simple but fundamental questions. What exactly is European culture? How, exactly, can transnational politics shape it? And what, exactly, is the point? After six decades of integration, the EU has created a relatively homogenous economic bloc. But creating a shared European culture is a completely different kind of challenge. Brussels can tinker, setting standards for buildings, shovelling money into theatres and helping small countries preserve their languages. But culture is a living thing, that evolves from the bottom up. It is beyond the capacity of any superstate to control. ■

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Learning to love the c-word”

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BYU religion professor Guy Dorius remembered after death

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BYU religion professor Guy Dorius remembered after death
Guy Dorius died on Oct. 13, 2020, after teaching religion at BYU For 26 years. (BYU Religion Department)

Longtime BYU religion professor Guy Dorius, 61, died on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020. He is remembered by many students and faculty as a life-changing professor and friend.

Alex Baugh, chair of the BYU Department of Church History and Doctrine, expressed his condolences in a statement.

“Brother Dorius was a long-time faculty member of the Department of Church History and Doctrine here at BYU where he served for 26 years. He taught thousands of students over the years and specialized in teaching courses on the Eternal Family (REL C 200) and the Doctrine and Covenants (REL C 324 and 325). He was a master teacher. He will be sorely missed,” Baugh said.

Baugh added that Dorius was a friend to many student athletes. Members of the BYU football program remembered Dorius in a video they posted online.

BYU student Steven Miller expressed that although he only had one class taught by Dorius, he was impacted by his teachings. “As a member for my whole life, I usually don’t expect to learn a ton of new stuff from religious classes, but he taught me something new quite often,” Miller said.

Religion professor Hank Smith broke the news that Dorius had died on Twitter. Many former students commented on his tweet.

Former BYU student student Adam Zimmerman commented on Smith’s Twitter post. “I took his Book of Mormon classes. I did truly appreciate him. Thank you for sharing the news. Comforting to realize Brother Dorius probably got right to work teaching the Gospel in the Spirit World,” Zimmerman said.

Dorius was born in Salt Lake City and graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in fuels engineering. He later attended Brigham Young University and received a master’s degree in education administration and a doctorate in family studies. He is survived by his wife, Vicki, and their seven children. More information can be found in his obituary.

Youth in Beirut create disaster recovery network

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Youth in Beirut create disaster recovery network | BWNS

Since the aftermath of the Beirut explosion, a group of youth have been channeling capacities gained in Bahá’í community-building efforts toward relief and recovery.

BEIRUT — In the days after the explosion that rocked Beirut in August, a group of youth engaged in Bahá’í community-building efforts quickly met to make plans for assisting with relief and recovery. They created a volunteer network called the “Helping Hub” to coordinate the actions of people around them, an initiative that has evolved in subsequent months to respond to ongoing needs.

“We knew we had to help in any way possible,’” says Karim Mouzahem, one of the young people spearheading the initiative.

The youths’ ongoing activities aimed at spiritual and moral empowerment had given them experience with fostering cooperation and a sense of shared endeavor among small groups of people. Now they could channel this capacity to build a volunteer network.

“We decided to take a very small step, which was to open a messaging group and invite all of our friends and people that we met through our community-building efforts to track others who were in need of assistance and to identify initiatives that were already underway.

“When we started out, we were thinking, ‘We are only 10 youth. How can we help?’ But we wished to serve our community and our country, and felt hopeful as the 10 participants quickly grew to 80 volunteers of different ages and backgrounds joining and offering assistance.”

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Everyone involved shared a spirit of service, giving them the energy needed to work through difficult conditions.

Everyone involved shared a spirit of service, giving them the energy needed to work through difficult conditions. For over a month, they were distributing 300 meals daily as well as arranging clothing donations, helping to clean up damaged properties, covering broken windows, and carrying out other tasks. They were careful to use appropriate equipment and take safety measures to protect themselves and others from the coronavirus.

The youth at the center of the initiative knew from experience that the energy and sense of urgency that volunteers felt would be channeled most effectively through systematic action. Every morning, before going out to help on the ground, tasks would be distributed among the volunteers. In the evenings, the group would reflect with everyone involved about the experience of that day, carry out a needs assessment and come up with a new list of tasks for the following day.

Hoda Wallace, a member of the Bahá’í National Spiritual Assembly of Lebanon, says, “It was very encouraging to see how this small group of youth arose to action. Though young, they have been serving their communities for years and developing their capacities through an educational process, based on the Bahá’í teachings, that helps them see themselves as agents in addressing the needs of society. They have gained organizational skills, such as the ability to maintain basic statistics, to plan based on resources, and to operate in a mode of learning that came naturally as they organized the Helping Hub.”

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The youth at the center of the initiative knew from experience that the energy and sense of urgency that volunteers felt would be channeled most effectively through systematic action.

Those working at the core of the initiative found support in praying together with their community in online gatherings. Mrs. Wallace says, “Prayer sustained and brought many people together over those days of shock and sadness and brought hope. We are seeing the importance of a devotional spirit, which helps us strengthen social ties and deepen spiritual roots that have made us more resilient in the face of this disaster.”

Many of the volunteers were themselves affected by the crisis but found hope in service to others. Maha Wakim, a clinical psychologist, says, “My office was destroyed, and it was devastating for me. Instead of siting and feeling helpless, I joined the Helping Hub when a friend introduced me to them. It was the first step of my healing journey. It helped me get up and feel like I am doing something and helping others. Seeing how everyone came together made a big difference for me.”

Slideshow
5 images
Every morning, before going out to help on the ground, tasks would be distributed among the volunteers. In the evenings, the group would reflect with everyone involved about the experience of that day, carry out a needs assessment and come up with a new list of tasks for the following day.

Although the Helping Hub emerged in response to the immediate aftermath of the Beirut explosion, in recent weeks it has given greater attention to long-term development and has increasingly collaborated with other groups and organizations to address ongoing challenges. The youth have been in a position to gather information from the ground, which is meticulously recorded and used to bring different needs to the attention of other organizations that are in a better position to help.

Lara Mansour, who has worked with Helping Hub from its first days, states: “A core aspect of the Bahá’í educational process is the development of capacity for long-term action through increasing degrees of unity among people. When we were on the ground we saw the need for organization. For example, one area of Beirut was flooded with offers of food, water, and other assistance, while other areas received less attention, or none at all. So we have now started another initiative that helps organizations to coordinate efforts among each other.

“This has allowed different social actors to consult and act in a united way. There are now online meetings with 50 people talking about goals around which we are all united. Having developed a collective vision and a sense of purpose gives all of us greater capacity to address needs with the support of external assistance.”

Karim reflects on what this experience has meant for young people. “All of us youth have had a reality check about our true purpose in life. Those weeks when we were on the ground helping people from morning to night were very difficult, but very beautiful because we were together and our service brought us hope. As we return to our daily lives, we realize that we are not satisfied with working day to day without a sense of purpose. We have to serve our communities, because this is where true happiness comes from.”

European Union Passes U.S. in Active Coronavirus Cases

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European Union Passes U.S. in Active Coronavirus Cases
Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images 

        <p class="clay-paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/instances/ckgaze7h6000krzn7ki75lbsw@published" data-word-count="55">Over the summer, most of Western Europe had seen substantial success in its battle against the coronavirus after the initial, catastrophic first wave. Serious spring lockdowns across the continent had their intended effect: far lower case rates than the U.S. and the return of at least some semblance of normal life from Madrid to Rome.</p>

        <p class="clay-paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/instances/ckgazsi96001h3g66tmwa6w1c@published" data-word-count="55">A few months later, the story is drastically different. Much of Europe is now seeing a major coronavirus surge, to the point that the European Union countries (with 28 countries and roughly 100 million more people than the U.S.) has surpassed America — which is also seeing its <a href="https://twitter.com/COVID19Tracking/status/1316521412278902785" rel="nofollow">own sharp spike</a> — in current cases overall.</p>

      <aside data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-tweet/instances/ckgazsq0f001i3g66h36v364e@published" class="clay-tweet" data-editable="default"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Grim: European Union pulls ahead of USA in COVID19 cases. <a href="https://t.co/J5u7ptcbRr" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/J5u7ptcbRr</a></p>— Isaac Kohane (@zakkohane) <a href="https://twitter.com/zakkohane/status/1316738390772068354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow">October 15, 2020</a></blockquote>


          </aside><p class="clay-paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/instances/ckgazsq0o001j3g663p1g0f4c@published" data-word-count="56">France has emerged as a particular hot spot, with 120,000 cases over the past week. And in an echo of the spring, hospital capacity is being raised as a potential problem, with French officials warning that COVID patients could make up as much of 90 percent of intensive care unit capacity by the end of October.</p>

        <p class="clay-paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/instances/ckgazsqhl001k3g66ajxtwdbx@published" data-word-count="71">The surge in cases is also evident in newly restrictive policies around the continent this week: French prime minister Emmanuel Macron <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/we-must-react-france-s-macron-announces-nightly-curfews-control-n1243408" rel="nofollow">imposed a nightly curfew</a> for large swathes of the country; U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-12/boris-johnson-shuts-pubs-in-u-k-hot-spots-as-virus-spreads" rel="nofollow">ordered pubs</a> in hard-hit areas closed; even Germany, which saw far more success than some of its European peers in controlling the virus, is <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20201014-germany-tightens-covid-19-restrictions-and-merkel-warns-more-may-be-needed" rel="nofollow">putting in place</a> new restrictions around large gatherings and mask wearing.</p>

        <p class="clay-paragraph" data-editable="text" data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/instances/ckgazsqpo001l3g66cmtpxot0@published" data-word-count="62">It is unlikely that many, if any, countries will institute the kind of strict lockdowns that allowed Europe to make quick progress in reducing cases back in the spring. Instead, most governments will likely take incremental steps to try to slow the virus where it is spreading most, in the hopes that more drastic measures are not needed before a vaccine’s arrival.</p>

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Brexit: European Union to decide if they will continue with trade talks ‘in coming days’

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Brexit: European Union to decide if they will continue with trade talks 'in coming days'

The president of the European Council, said the European Union would decide in the coming days, based on the UK’s next proposals, whether it should continue with trade talks.

Speaking at a press briefing Charles Michel said: “It is important to take into consideration all our conclusions and I think the message we send, it is a very clear one – we are determined to negotiate, we are determined to reach an agreement, but we know that there are some difficult topics.

“It is the case for fisheries, certainly, and also for level playing field and also governance.

“We intend to continue the negotiations on the basis of the mandate we have agreed and we repeat that we trust (EU chief negotiator) Michel Barnier, trust his way of working and the transparency between us.

READ MORE: There is method in the Prime Minister’s Brexit madness: Opinion, Kirsty Hughes

“We are united and we will make an assessment in the next days, we will see if it is possible to complete a negotiation, what will be the country’s (the UK’s) proposal and based on that we will make an assessment.”

UK negotiator Lord Frost said he was “disappointed” by the response from the European Council regarding the post-Brexit trade deal talks.

He tweeted: “Disappointed by the European Council conclusions on UK/EU negotiations.

“(I’m) surprised the EU is no longer committed to working ‘intensively’ to reach a future partnership as agreed with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on 3 October.

READ MORE: Brexit: Deal in sight, says Ireland’s foreign affairs minister

“Also surprised by the suggestion that to get an agreement all future moves must come from UK.

“It’s an unusual approach to conducting a negotiation.

“Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out UK reactions and approach tomorrow in the light of his statement of September 7.”

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said at the press conference his team were determined to reach a “fair deal”.

“We will do everything we can but not at any price. My team and I will continue intensive discussions over the coming weeks,” he said.

Emmanuel Macron has also indicated that he is willing to take a hard line on fisheries, with the French President saying: “Under any circumstance, our fishermen should not be sacrificed for Brexit. 

“If these conditions are not met, it’s possible we won’t have a deal. If the right terms can’t be found at the end of these discussions, we’re ready for a no-deal for our future relations.”

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