According to news reports, at least 16 people have been killed along the line of contact in the worst fighting between the two former Soviet Republics in four years.
Secretary-General @antonioguterres voices extreme concern over the fresh resumption of hostilities along the line of contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, calling on the sides to immediately stop fighting.
“He condemns the use of force and regrets the loss of life and the toll on the civilian population”, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement.
This latest skirmish between the two countries, which fought a war in the 1990s as the Soviet Union was dissolving, has heightened fears of instability in the South Caucasus, a region that provides crucial transit routes for gas and oil to world markets.
Both States have declared martial law and Armenia ordered the total mobilization of its military, according to media reports.
“The Secretary-General strongly calls on the sides to immediately stop fighting, de-escalate tensions and return to meaningful negotiations without delay”, Mr. Dujarric said, adding that the UN chief would be speaking to both the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia.
Back and forth
Armenia accused Azerbaijan of carrying out early morning air and artillery attacks on the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The two fought a six-year war over the region until a 1994 truce, but over the years, both countries have blamed the other for ceasefire violations in the enclave and along the border, including in July.
In recent months, more than a dozen soldiers and civilians have been killed in the struggle.
Mr. Dujarric underscored that the Secretary-General reiterated his “full support” for the important role of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group Co-Chairs and urged the sides to “work closely with them for an urgent resumption of dialogue without preconditions”.
AMMAN — Jordan on Sunday signed a soft loan agreement and a memorandum of understanding worth 700 million euros, according to a Planning Ministry statement.
The financing granted by the EU, at a total value of 700 million euros, will be disbursed to the Kingdom in three batches, the first, at a value of 250 million euros, is expected in October, while the second 250-million euro batch, will be granted during the first-quarter of 2021, after achieving the related indicators of the second tranche.
The third installment of 200 million euros is also expected during 2021, to be disbursed after the completion of the related indicators of the third batch.
Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Wissam Rabadi and Central Bank of Jordan Governor Ziad Fariz signed the agreements.
Rabadi said that the soft financing would be provided on “very lenient terms”, at a competitive interest rate and a long repayment period of an average of 15 years.
He added that such processes would require the European Commission to borrow from the international capital markets, on behalf of the European Union, to provide assistance to its partners, at the same rate of interest set on the day of the issuance of bonds or on the date of receipt of the bank loan, according to the statement.
He stressed that the concessional funding and the memo will support a range of reforms adopted by Jordan in priority areas, including public finances, through measures to develop the electronic billing system for sectors or professions, and the adoption of regulations to enforce the Public-Private Partnership Act, increase transparency and efficiency of public investment projects through the establishment of a national register for investment projects.
They will also contribute in “increasing transparency and efficiency in the public procurement system” through operating the electronic bidding system, along with reforms aimed at reducing water waste and introducing smart metres, among other goals, the statement said.
The European Council and Parliament approved a 500-million-euro soft loan to Jordan in January 2020, which was raised by 200 million euros in May 2020 in response to measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing the total amount to 700 million euros.
The European Union is one of Jordan’s main donors, as its assistance has contributed in the implementation of programmes and projects in important sectors, as well as providing support to the public budget, besides allowing Jordan to address the economic cost of hosting Syrian refugees, as well as addressing the repercussions of the coronavirus epidemic.
Scientologists celebrate the 50th anniversary in Germany and request the UN to launch an investigation on Germany for violating their religious freedom.
Geneva/Munich, Sept 27th – As Scientologists celebrate the 50th anniversary of the German Church of Scientology and its peaceful and fruitful social actions to the benefit of German society, the representative of the European Church requests the UN Human Rights Council to launch an investigation on Germany for violating their Freedom of Religion.
Founded in a villa in the south of Munich in 1970, the Scientology community quickly became the central institution for the entire German-speaking region. To this day, the Munich “Mother Community” is one of the larger organizations of its kind in Europe.
Initially based in Munich-Harlaching, the Church of Scientology needed larger premises by August 1972 and moved to the center of the city to Sendling on Lindwurmstrasse. which soon became too small as well. In January 1982, it moved into its own building in Munich-Schwabing.
Speakers at the anniversary event emphasized the pioneering work of Scientologists from the first hour. It did not take long since its establishment in Germany, that some people in the government started to discriminate against a growing and socially involved community. Nonetheless, Scientologists did not stop the practice of their religion and continued their peaceful social endeavors such as their fight against drugs, their support of the Constitution, and the promotion of Human Rights. In defending their religious freedom rights, they have won their recognition as a religious movement by dozens of German courts at various levels.
Veteran Scientologists that participated at the celebration emphasized that “spiritual freedom – despite the well-known resistance from established “vested interests” – could never be suppressed and that all such attempts were doomed to failure”.
In the week in which this celebration is taking place, Scientologists have not lost sight of the opportunity to continue their battle for Freedom of Religion or Belief. In this regard, Ivan Arjona, the European representative of the Church, and founder of the UN-recognized Foundation of the Church [Fundacion para la Mejora de la Vida, la Cultura y la Sociedad], took the issue to the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Arjona stated last Thursday and last Friday at the HRC Session chaired by the President of the Human Rights Council, Ms. Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger (an Austrian lawyer and diplomat who has served as Austria´s representative to the United Nations and who now chairs the United Nations Human Rights Council since January 2020) that he
“invites Germany to celebrate this week the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Church of Scientology in their country, and so stop all discrimination and violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief by the authorities against Scientologists”.
Arjona also reminded the Germany representative to the UN that
“Over the past three decades, dozens of German courts have condemned the actions of the government against Scientologists at different levels and recognized their rights as per Article 4 of their Constitution”
and that
“despite the decisions of their judicial powers, for practically 50 years the German executive powers continue to ignore these decisions, and have violated, and still violate today, the rights of this religious minority”.
Scientology was founded in 1952 by humanist and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard and opened its first Church in Germany in 1970 in Munich. There are today nine Churches of Scientology in Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Berlin, Hannover, and Hamburg, along with numerous missions and smaller groups throughout the country.
The central European Visegrád group has criticised the European Commission’s planned reform of the EU’s asylum policy, which could ultimately force members to accept migrants.
This week, the EU’s powerful executive arm announced that it would be scrapping the Dublin arrangements and replacing it with a “strong new solidarity mechanism”. The proposal would also open up more routes for migration and asylum.
Euractiv reported that the mechanism would give member-states a choice between hosting migrants or being responsible for returning failed asylum seekers under the “returned sponsorship schemes”.
While it is claimed accepting migrants would not be mandatory, the website notes that under a proposed “crisis preparedness” mechanism, nations would be forced to take migrants either permanently or during the repatriation process, such a crisis being on the scale of the 2015 Europe migrant crisis itself.
The report even suggests that states which opt to simply hold illegals until deportation will ending up having to keep them, owing to the difficulty of repatriation.
The mass migration-sceptic Visegrád, comprised of Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, rejected the proposals after meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday. (Slovakia’s premier was not present, and was represented by his Czech counterpart.)
(From L) Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban pose ahead of a press conference at the Polish Permanent representation in Brussels, on September 24, 2020. – Hungary’s anti-immigration prime minister Viktor Orban said on September 24, 2020, that EU proposals for tougher new asylum rules do not go far enough. (Photo by Aris Oikonomou / AFP) (Photo by ARIS OIKONOMOU/AFP via Getty Images)
Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán said that the proposed measures do not include the option to host the migrants in “hot spots” in third countries outside of the EU, so that asylum applications can be assessed before a migrant sets foot on European soil.
“There are many changes, but there is not yet a breakthrough. A breakthrough would mean outside hotspots,” Prime Minister Orbán said after the meeting between the V4 and Mrs von der Leyen.
“Nobody can enter the EU without having a permission to do so because their request for asylum is accepted. Until that moment they have to stay out of the territory of the EU,” the Hungarian premier added.
Mr Orbán further said: “‘Allocation’ or ‘quota’, to change the name is not enough. Hungary is against it. The basic approach is still unchanged. They [the Commission] would like to manage migration, and not to stop the migrants. The Hungarian position is stop the migrants.”
His Czech counterpart Andrej Babiš agreed, saying: “We have to stop migration and the quotas and relocation. These rules are not acceptable for us.”
Mr Babiš added that migrants should instead be stopped at the EU border and returned to their home countries “and be given help there”.
Austrian Chancellor Speaks Out Against EU Migrant Redistribution Policy https://t.co/o4SBXTWwyd
The prime ministers were backed by Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, who told local media on Friday: “For the sake of those countries from which these people are escaping war today, they need to be as close to their borders as possible in order to have the greatest possible enthusiasm and motivation to come back and rebuild them.”
President Duda criticised plans to force EU member states to accept migrants, saying: “No dictate of the European Union, I believe, should ever force us to do so. We should never agree with that.”
The Visegrad states are not the only EU nations to reject any migrant redistribution plans. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called any such system a “failed” policy. He advocated instead for strengthening the EU’s external borders, sending aid directly to countries where the migrants are originating, and breaking up people-trafficking networks.
The collection of the museum of the former French College of St. Augustine, put together in the course of decades by the monks, will be on display at the Art Gallery in Stara Zagora until 20 October, the Bulgarian news agency BTA reports. Most of the works are copper engravings made in the studios of the Сhаlсоgrаfуе dе Lоuvrе over a period of almost 200 years – from the 18th up until the turn of the 20th century.
<p>The French College of St. Augustine was created in Plovdiv by the order of the Assumptionists on 3 January, 1884. The congregation of the Assumptionists was founded in 1850 by father Emanuel d’Alzon /1818-1880/, <span>vicar general of the diocese in Nimes, France and headmaster of Collège de l'Assomption from which the name of the new catholic order was derived. The order was blessed by Pope Pius IX to pursue an educational mission in the Eastern part of Europe, which was part of the Ottoman Empire. </span></p> <p>Before Bulgaria’s liberation, in 1863, a catholic school opened doors in the town – St. Andrew, making Plovdiv the first mission of the Assumptionists. The teachers at the school were monks who had graduated from elite educational establishments in Western Europe – the Sorbonne in Paris, the Gregorian University in Rome. Dozens of prominent figures from the arts and the world of business earned their education there – painter Tsanko Lavrenov, renowned Kapellmeister Georgi Shagunov, leading public figure and émigré Pierre Rouve (Petar Uvaliev). The St. Augustine College was closed down on 1 September, 1948. The monks, who were foreigners, were expelled from the country, and the Bulgarians were sent to the concentration camp at Belene.</p> <br/></span>
The MarketWatch News Department was not involved in the creation of this content.
The Global Organic Dyes market is forecast to reach USD 10.15 Billion by 2027, according to a new report by Reports and Data. The market is avouching a gush in demand for environment-friendly dyes. One of the major driving factors for an increase in demand for organic dyes are rising in demand for High-Performance Pigments (HPP). Also, a surge in the market for printing inks is the factor that will result in the hike in demand for organic dyes in the forecast period.
Although being obtained from the environment, organic dyes still have some environmental concerns as their major restraining factor. As when water-bodies receive a high concentration of these organic dyes, it hinders the oxygenation capacity of the water-bodies, thus affecting the biological activity of aquatic life. Transformation in emerging economies, as well as growth in the manufacturing bases, are the opportunities, and the harmful health effect due to releasing of organic dyes in water bodies is the challenge that the market is currently facing.
The report covers historical analysis with extensive coverage of the market sales volume to offers an accurate forecast of the market size and market share. The forecast also covers estimations for key regions, along with product types and applications offered in the industry. Additionally, the report also covers macro- and micro-economic factors affecting the growth of the market.
The leading players of the industry have been analyzed extensively with regards to their product portfolio, company overview, business expansion strategies, production and manufacturing capacity, R&D advancements, and others. The key companies profiled in the report are Altana Ag, Cathy Pigments Inc., DIC Crop, Clariant International Limited, Sun Chemical Group, Cabot Crop, Lanxess AG, Rockwood Holdings, Huntsman International LLC, and BASE SE, among others . The report also covers strategic business initiatives such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, partnerships, collaborations, agreements, government deals, product launches, and brand promotions. It also studies the new emerging players of the market and offers strategic recommendations to overcome entry-level barriers. Moreover, the report offers a SWOT analysis and Porter’s Five Forces analysis to help readers gain a better understanding of the competitive scenario.
The report further analyzes the segmentation of the Organic Dyes market based on product types and application spectrum with special emphasis on the manufacturing and production process and market reach. For better understanding, based on Dyeing Process, the market is segmented into Acid, Basic, Mordant, Reactive, Azo, Others, and others. Based on the application spectrum, the market is segmented into Agriculture, Textiles, Paints & coatings and others.
Furthermore, to better understand the Organic Dyes market, a thorough and extensive analysis of the key geographical regions is covered in the report. The regions are studied by examining production and consumption ratio, import/export, supply and demand ratio, market share and market size, revenue contribution, growth prospects, and analysis of the key players operating in the regions.
ROME — The Vatican’s secretary of state and foreign minister will join U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for a high-level symposium on international religious freedom on September 30.
The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See announced the meeting Saturday, as well as the participation of Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, who together with Secretary Pompeo and several panelists will discuss “Advancing and Defending International Religious Freedom Through Diplomacy” at the Rome event.
“The symposium will highlight diplomatic tools that governments, international organizations, and faith-based organizations can use to identify and confront religious persecution and encourage international cooperation to protect and promote religious freedom,” the official press release reads.
“Religious persecution and restrictions on religious freedom are among the most pressing global human rights concerns today,” the statement continues. “Promoting and securing religious freedom is a cornerstone of the United States’ diplomatic relationship with the Holy See.”
“The United States understands that upholding the right to religious freedom is not just a moral necessity, it is a national security imperative. When nations effectively promote and protect religious freedom, they are safer, more prosperous, and secure,” said U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich.
Just over a week ago, Secretary Pompeo published an article in which he urged the Vatican to use its moral authority to pressure China on the issue of human rights and religious liberty.
“The Holy See has a unique capacity and duty to focus the world’s attention on human rights violations, especially those perpetrated by totalitarian regimes like Beijing’s,” Pompeo wrote in a September 18 essay for First Things.
“In the late twentieth century, the Church’s power of moral witness helped inspire those who liberated central and eastern Europe from communism, and those who challenged autocratic and authoritarian regimes in Latin America and East Asia,” Pompeo wrote. “That same power of moral witness should be deployed today with respect to the Chinese Communist Party.”
“What the Church teaches the world about religious freedom and solidarity should now be forcefully and persistently conveyed by the Vatican in the face of the Chinese Communist Party’s relentless efforts to bend all religious communities to the will of the Party and its totalitarian program,” he added.
The Vatican is currently negotiating with officials of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regarding the renewal of a controversial secret joint agreement on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China.
In his essay, Mr. Pompeo said the Vatican hoped the accord “would improve the condition of Catholics in China by reaching agreement with the Chinese regime on the appointment of bishops,” something he insists has not happened.
“Two years on, it’s clear that the Sino-Vatican agreement has not shielded Catholics from the Party’s depredations, to say nothing of the Party’s horrific treatment of Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong devotees, and other religious believers,” Pompeo wrote.
On Thursday, the BBC reported that China has “expanded its network of detention centres for its Uighur minority despite insisting the ‘re-education’ system was being scaled back,” updating stories from last summer reporting the detention of more than a million Uighur Muslims.
There are some 380 reeducation camps in China’s Xinjiang region, about 40 percent more than previous estimates, according to a report released by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
The report “identifies 100 more detention sites than previous investigations have shown, based on analysis of satellite imagery, interviews with eyewitnesses, media reports and official documents,” the BBC stated.
“COVID-19 must not blind us. On the contrary, we must open our eyes to the weaknesses that this pandemic has laid bare to our societal models, for example,” she said in a pre-recorded statement.
Due to the pandemic, the annual debate for Heads of State and Government in the UN General Assembly Hall is mainly being held virtually.
Prime Minister Wilmès pointed to COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on people who already suffer heavily due to inequality, such as women, girls, children, the elderly and persons with a disability.
“At a time when we continue to combat this pandemic with strength and steely determination, as well as its consequences, we cannot nevertheless turn our back to the other major challenges facing us in the 21st century,” she continued.
“Geopolitical tensions are palpable, and conflicts rage or threaten to emerge across the globe. These tensions are simply exacerbated by the current health situation and they jeopardize the delicate balances reached in our world.”
For Ms. Wilmès, the situation in the Gulf remains of great concern. She called for the international community to “actively seek to preserve” the 2015 agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme.
The deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Programme of Action (JCPOA) sets out rules for monitoring the programme. It also guarantees that the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will have regular access to sites in the country.
“The JCPOA remains crucial to guarantee the exclusively peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear programme,” she said.
The Prime Minister also underlined the need for peace in the Middle East.
“There can be no solution to the conflict in the Middle East without a lasting and just solution the Palestinian question. There can be no peace in the Middle East without Israel enjoying the legitimate right to live in peace and security in internally-recognized borders. There can be no peace in the Middle East if we do not eradicate terrorism,” she stated.
Violent extremism and the climate crisis
Moving to the Sahel, Ms. Wilmès condemned the recent military coup in Mali, and extended her nation’s full support to regional and national efforts towards a civilian transition and the restoration of constitutional order.
Many of the challenges Mali faces are common to the wider region, such as terrorism, conflict between farmers and herders, and inter-communal tensions, she added, in calling for “a holistic approach” to counter violent extremism.
“Such an approach must emphasize good governance, the fight against impunity, the strengthening of democratic institutions, tackling the grievances of marginalized groups, as well as sustainable and inclusive development,” she advised.
Meanwhile, more regions of the world are now weathering the consequences of climate change. Ms. Wilmès said people are being driven from their homes due to drought and “abnormal meteorological conditions” in countries such as Somalia, Yemen and Afghanistan.
“The climate emergency is a challenge for peace. There is no more time to waste,” she said. “And this is a cause behind which each and every one of us must rally.”
Christian organizations representing nearly 2 billion people, representing around a quarter of humanity, have united in a call for more compassion in dealing with the dire situation of migrants and refugees in Europe.
“Solidarity should be the guiding principle governing migration and particularly refugee reception,” they said in a statement delivered to top European Union officials.
“We expect the European Union to reject the discourse and politics of fear and deterrence, and to adopt a principled stance and compassionate practice based on the fundamental values on which the EU is founded.”
The European Commission offices in Brussels received the ecumenical advocacy statement responding to the new EU Migrant Pact affecting migrants and refugees in Europe on Sept. 25.
Earlier in the week the UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration said that recent events in the Mediterranean have shown that the current system for refugees and migrants in the EU is unworkable and often carries devastating human consequences.
The two agencies issued a statement calling for a “truly common and principled approach” to European migration and asylum policies, asking for the same approach as the church organizations.
“The current approach in the EU is unworkable, untenable, and often carries devastating human consequences,” they said.
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said, “The Pact presents the opportunity for Europe to show that it can uphold the fundamental right to asylum, while cooperating on pragmatic policies to identify those in need of international protection and share responsibility for them.
“We will welcome genuine efforts to ensure a fast, fair and effective protection regime in Europe, and pledge our full support and expertise to the European Commission and Member States in making it a reality.
WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
World Council of Churches interim general secretary Fr. Ioan Sauca. “Every nation’s asylum policies must reflect this sense of caring and trust as a shared journey, a solemn responsibility and a common witness.”
“Our organizations represent churches throughout Europe and globally, as well as church-based agencies particularly concerned with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers,” said the statement.
“As Christian organizations we are deeply committed to the inviolable dignity of the human person created in the image of God, as well as to the concepts of the common good, global solidarity and the promotion of a society that welcomes strangers, cares for those fleeing danger, and protects the vulnerable.”
The statement refers to the recent fire at the Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, which left 13,000 migrants without a home.
Some 9,400 asylum seekers left homeless by the fire are now residing in a new government-run site, which was set, said UNHCR.
Jørgen Skov Sørensen, general secretary of the Conference of European Churches, and Dr Torsten Moritz, general secretary of the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe, delivered the statement to the EC.
“Our member churches, among other European faith traditions, remain committed to a transparent dialogue with the European Commission and the co-legislators, the council and the parliament in the context of Article 17 of the Lisbon Treaty,” he said.
“Churches also remain committed to building bridges between different opinions on migration, and certainly between refugees, migrants and Europeans.
“We believe that churches have a fundamental role in facilitating and contributing to the intercultural and interreligious encounters in Europe in order to strengthen efforts for coherent, just and peaceful societies.”
The statement handed in Brussels was co-signed by the ACT Alliance, the Anglican Communion, the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe, the Conference of European Churches, the European Region of the World Association for Christian Communication, the Evangelical Church of Greece, the Integration Center for Migrant Workers – Ecumenical Refugee Program, Non Profit Organisation of the Church of Greece, the Lutheran World Federation, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity , the World Communion of Reformed Churches, the World Communion of Reformed Churches (European Region), the World Council of Churches and the World Methodist Council.
Police, special security forces, and rescue workers rushed to a familiar location. A man armed with a meat cleaver wounded two people outside the former Paris offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
Here, 12 people were killed in 2015 after the magazine published cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad and Islam.
The man and a woman confirmed injured on Friday afternoon worked for a documentary film company. They were reportedly attacked during a smoke break outside.
The main suspect was identified as an 18-year-old man of Pakistani origin. Police detained him near the scene. But officials said six others were also in custody now and being questioned.
Friday’s attack is being treated as a terrorist incident, explained Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. “Manifestly, it’s an act of Islamist terrorism. Obviously, there is little doubt. It’s a new bloody attack against our country, against journalists, against this society,” he told French television.
The interior minister also said the assailant arrived in France three years ago as an unaccompanied minor, apparently from Pakistan.
Officials revealed that the suspected assailant had already been detained a month ago for carrying a screwdriver. But he was not on police radar for Islamic radicalization.
Prosecutors say an investigation has been opened into an “attempted murder in relation to a terrorist enterprise.”
After uncertainty, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said the lives of the two wounded workers’ lives were not in danger. He offered the government’s solidarity with their families and colleagues.
But in the neighborhood, people are stunned. They say they were reliving the nightmare of the newsroom massacre five years ago. Magazine Charlie Hebdo strongly condemned the stabbings, which came after it republished.
Tragic episode
It said on social media: “This tragic episode shows us once again that fanaticism, intolerance, the origins of which will be revealed by the investigation, are still present in French society. It added, “There is no question of ceding anything.”
This month, Charlie Hebdo republished the same cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad and Islam that prompted the magazine’s deadly attack in 2015.
Its publication coincided with the start of the long-awaited terrorism trial of people accused as accomplices in the attack.
The court procedure comes in a deeply scarred nation by what many called a horrific act of brutality.
