On Friday Turkey’s President, Tayyip Erdogan, ordered Istanbul’s Kariye Museum to be turned into a Muslim place of worship.
The decision to transform the museum into a mosque comes just one month after a similar conversion of the UNESCO World-Heritage recognised Hagia Sofia.
During his Sunday Angelus on 12 July, Pope Francis expressed his sadness following President Erdogan’s decision to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque. “I think of Hagia Sophia and I am very saddened”, he said.
The decree on the issue regarding the Kariye Museum was published in Turkey‘s official gazette on Friday.
Kariye Museum
The 1,000-year-old building was originally converted into the Kariye Mosque half a century after the 1453 conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks.
The Kariye Mosque then became the Kariye Museum after World War II as Turkey pushed ahead with the creation of a more secular new republic after the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
The church’s mosaics were then restored with the help of a group of American art historians, opening for public display in 1958.
Turkey’s top administrative court approved the museum’s conversion into a mosque in November.
MURCIA (Spain), Aug 21 — Long a staple of the Spanish diet, gazpacho — the chilled soup made from a puree of tomatoes and other vegetables — is gaining space on supermarket shelves further afield in Europe and beyond.
While the dish is a speciality of Andalusia in southern Spain, the country’s three top producers of gazpacho are all based in the neighbouring region of Murcia, which is often called “Europe’s orchard” because it is a centre of fruit and vegetable production.
Alvalle, a unit of PepsiCo which along with Garcia Carrion and AMC Natural Drinks account for nearly three-quarters of the world’s industrial production of gazpacho, was the first to make major inroads abroad.
It launched its gazpacho in neighbouring France in 2009, 19 years after it was founded.
Today the company exports over half of its production, mainly to other countries in Europe, with France its number one foreign market.
“It was Alvalle that opened the door… Then all supermarkets started asking us for gazpacho,” said Monica Perez Alhama, head of product development at rival firm AMC.
AMC’s main foreign market is France as well but it also exports to Canada, the United States and Japan.
The most frequently found gazpacho is made by pounding tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, water, vinegar, cucumbers and green peppers, with bread sometimes added to thicken the soup and soften acid from the tomatoes and vinegar.
But Spain’s big three producers have sought to expand their range by developing modern variations of gazpacho featuring rosemary, strawberries, wine vinegar, sherry, mangos and other ingredients, as well as launching brands that use organic vegetables.
The aim is to “compete with homemade gazpacho,” said Fernando Marin Romero, AMC commercial director for Spain and Portugal.
Tailored recipes
Last year, Spain produced 67 million litres of gazpacho, according to market research firm Nielsen, with the bulk of it consumed in the warmer months between Easter and September.
Machines crush, wash and filter thousands of kilos each day at AMC’s sprawling gazpacho plant in Murcia, the capital of the region that shares the same name.
Trucks loaded with barrels holding a thousand litres of extra virgin olive oil circulate between refrigerated tanks containing 25,000 litres of gazpacho.
The liquid is then poured into cardboard bricks decorated with pictures of bright red tomatoes which are folded by sophisticated machines at a frantic pace.
Spain’s top three gazpacho producers posted a combined turnover of €119.2 million (RM587 million) between April 2018 and April 2019, according to market research firm Alimarket.
To enter markets abroad, they have tailored their recipes to foreign tastes.
“In countries like France they like the product with less salt, in other countries in northern Europe they like it with a stronger tomato flavour,” said Marin Romero, of AMC.
Local produce
When marketing their products abroad, the companies highlight the fact that the soup is part of a healthy Mediterranean diet and stress they use locally sourced ingredients.
And they try to allay concerns over the use of industrial agriculture by stressing their efforts to reduce water and energy consumption.
Alvalle, for example, boasts that all of the vegetables it uses are picked within a radius of 200 kilometres from its new plant in Alcantarilla just outside of Murcia.
The company says that the 28,000-square-metre plant, which it opened in 2017, uses electricity from 100-percent renewable sources and consumes 30 per cent less water than its previous plant.
Industrial gazpacho has a shelf life of between 60 and 70 days but in response to consumer demand for fresher products, Spain’s gazpacho producers have also put out non-pasteurised versions.
The companies have had to educate foreign consumers on how to drink gazpacho.
Alvalle’s British web page warns consumers not to heat it otherwise it is “more like a warm soup” and reassures buyers that it is suitable for children. — AFP
Food fraudsters have found myriad ways to trick shoppers—from cheap horsemeat sold as beef to conventional apples labelled as organic. But new rapid testing and tracing technologies may help turn the tables on food crime.
The stakes are high for producers of expensive foods, which are particularly vulnerable to fraud. These include extra virgin olive oil, saffron, and organic produce.
“People do not like to be cheated,” said Michel Nielen, professor of analytical chemistry at Wageningen University & Research, in the Netherlands.
“Once they start to face cases of organic products being fraudulent, for example, then they will be much more hesitant in general to pay additional money for organic products.”
It can take days or even weeks for laboratories to check for the presence of pesticides or antibiotics on samples collected in fields, abattoirs and shops.
By the time results come in, the goods may already have been sold and eaten.
“We want to create a fundamental change in the world of food monitoring,” says Prof. Nielen, who coordinates the FoodSmartphone project which is developing ways to detect food quality and safety using smartphones.
The project is finding ways to bring the laboratory to the field with technology that can be used by everyone, from food inspectors to truck drivers, retailers and shoppers.
“Even consumers should be empowered to do food quality and safety checks,” said Prof. Nielen.
Test
The team is developing a device which can be attached to a smartphone to test food for the presence of allergens and pesticides.
The device will be able to detect if a product is organic or not, and whether it is safe.
Other hand-held testing technologies are also being developed. With so many people testing food much more data will become available, says Prof Nielen.
That means governments and industry will be able to react faster to a breaking issue and know more precisely which parts of the food chain to close down.
But they will also have to respond to a lot of issues raised on social media and in the general press by non-experts who have tested food and reached the wrong conclusions.
“There is a high risk that people will develop a mistrust in (official) food testing and monitoring,” Prof Nielen said.
One way to prevent this is for designated agencies to judge the quality of smartphone measurements, as more food testing technologies come on the market, he adds.
Predict
Other researchers are also testing big data algorithms to see how well they can predict food fraud.
They monitor potential triggers for food scams, which include harvest size, climate, political situations, food markets and the value of products.
Analysing the triggers helps them predict which parts of the global food chain are most likely to be targeted by fraudsters.
Breweries for example buy barley and malt from different parts of the world depending on the weather, to avoid the risk of mold contaminating their grain. That means fraudsters targeting breweries will try to mislead buyers over the country of origin.
“You need to have excellent knowledge of global food supply chains to predict which parts of the food chain are most vulnerable’ in any given year, said Prof. Nielen.
Food safety and anti-fraud agencies should be able to start using this algorithmic technology in the next three years, he says.
Olive oil
Fruity, peppery flavours and the scent of cut grass, tomato and artichoke are some of the sensations which characterise top quality—extra virgin—olive oil.
A tingle down the back of the throat is a sign it is full of health-boosting antioxidants.
But counterfeit versions comprise one of the biggest sources of agricultural fraud in the EU, says the Oleum project which is developing ways to tackle the issue.
Sub-standard olive oils can be mislabelled as extra virgin, blended with other vegetable oils, or the country of origin faked in a market where Italian oils come at a premium.
Extra virgin olive oil from Italy costs about €340 per 100kg, compared with €197 from Spain, according to the International Olive Council.
Europe produces 70% of the world’s olive oils.
Maintaining a good reputation is vital for consumer confidence, says Tullia Gallina Toschi, coordinator of the Oleum project and professor of food science and technology at the University of Bologna.
“Crucially we need internationally agreed methods and standards for testing olive oil for fraud,” she said.
If Italy and China use different ways to test the same olive oil, for example, and have different results, then consumers will lose trust in the product, says Prof. Gallina Toschi.
Europe has strong regulations governing the production and supply of olive oil.
“But it’s not enough. We need to do more to (develop) new methods of control, to speed them up,” she said.
Laboratory controls can take hours, but Oleum is trying to develop methods that can screen an oil in minutes.
“And then in future it will be extremely important to develop a strategy using blockchain,” she added.
Traceability
Traceability is key, and blockchain technology will be important to track the oil from the olive grove to its point of sale, and include information about its quality from laboratory tests.
“We need to work with honest producers to try to agree a uniform method that will give the consumer a way to check the authenticity or quality of the product from the label,” said Prof. Gallina Toschi. “Producers are asking for this.”
Europe is starting to work on full traceability models which Prof. Gallina Toschi hopes can be rolled out internationally within the next ten years.
Many other countries—including the United States—have their own controls and regulations for olive oil.
“In this case it’s extremely important to work hard for harmonisation.
“Since we have the bulk of the market, we need to protect a lot of products. So we need to be very patient in convincing other (regions),” she said.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) and Catholic Religious Australia (CRA), the apex body of heads of women’s religious congregations in the country, on Friday released what they describe as an “important and substantial” report on the review of diocesan and parish governance and management in Australia.
An ACBC-CRA joint press release explained that the report is in response to the review recommended by the Australian Government’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
The Church accepted that recommendation, entrusting the task to the Implementation Advisory Group, which engaged the Governance Review Project Team (GRPT) to research and study Church governance and prepare the 208-page report, which includes 86 recommendations.
CRA president Br Peter Carroll, FMS, added: “As leaders in the Catholic Church responsible for hundreds of Church entities, CRA and the Bishops’ Conference are working through numerous governance reforms and practices as outlined by the recommendations of the Royal Commission.
“I am hopeful that The Light from the Southern Cross will illumine a future path of contemporary good governance for the Church in Australia, and possibly beyond.”
Official version
The GRPT had presented an earlier version of the report, marked “confidential”, to the bishops’ conference and the CRA for review in May 2020, but which unfortunately was leaked to international Catholic media and published online.
The bishops had noted a number of errors that would need to be corrected and some clarifications made before releasing the report officially. They took on the task of providing feedback to inform those corrections and clarifications.
The final version of the report was officially published online on August 21, along with an accompanying Reading Guide.
Bishops’ Plenary Council
Archbishop Coleridge said the bishops have previously asked that any feedback on the final version of the report be sent to the local bishop in each place, who will discuss it at the ACBC Plenary Council in November.
He said, “The bishops will discuss the report and the broader issue of governance at our meeting later this year, but many of the matters raised are ones that can be implemented at the local level, rather than requiring national consensus.”
“Equally, many of the issues will be best considered during the upcoming Plenary Council and what will follow from the Council in each diocese.”
The ACBC president recommended that anyone wishing to read The Light from the Southern Cross, should do so with the accompanying reading guide. He urged that the “whole report” be read, “rather than just the recommendations”.
The publication of The Light from the Southern Cross brings to completion one of the IAG’s final projects, prior to concluding its service at the end of 2020.
Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautama Buddha is missing tourists this year due to the global pandemic situation. Otherwise, thousands of Indians visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site annually.
The archaeological remains, although fragmentary, provide important evidence about the nature and intensity of the practices of Buddhist pilgrimage over nearly two thousand years (and now revived in the 20th century).” “As the birthplace of the Lord Buddha, testified by the inscription on the Ashoka pillar, the sacred area in Lumbini is one of the most holy and significant places for one of the world’s great religions.” “The number of Indian tourists (in Lumbini) stood at 93,852 last year while domestic tourists were 680,206. Around 86,531 tourists from other countries also had visited the site. Now it’s entirely silent,” said Gyanin Rai, Member Secretary at Lumbini Development Trust. “Tourists used to throng the area for family tours, annual closing celebration and many other occasions mainly between January to July every year. Businesses use to boom mostly at that time but now it is all silent. We all miss them. Our revenue also has slumped due to this COVID-19 crisis,” Rai added.
The economic crisis induced by COVID‐19 could be long, deep, and pervasive when viewed through amigration lens. Lockdowns, travel bans, and social distancing have brought global economic activities to a near standstill. Rupandehi, which lies in the southern plains of Nepal is connected with India. Thousands of tourists enter via various entry points established in between the two nations without requiring any sort of documents. The tourism places of Nepali districts adjoining India have been relying on tourists coming from the southern neighbour. Last year, Nepal had welcomed 209,611 Indian tourists out of a total arrival of 1.17 million tourists.
In view of the growing number of pilgrims visiting the site, both the Lumbini Development Trust and JBF wished to adequately protect and present the ruins of the old Maya Devi Temple site as a matter of urgency. In 1998, the 2nd Seminar on Lumbini Development, attended by various international Buddhist institutions, discussed the revision of the Kenzo Tange Masterplan and stated the need for the construction of a new temple according to “archaeological norms and traditional ritual practice”. This wish by the international Buddhist community to have a new Maya Devi Temple was reiterated on various occasions.
It would not be incorrect to state that COVID-19 triggered massive reverse migration is likely to have far reaching implications for the migrants as well as the country, unless adequate and timely measures are taken to address this issue. First and foremost, the government needs to ensure that the distressed migrants get back to their homes safely. At the same time, quarantine strategies need to be devised to prevent this migration led spread of infection to the remotest places of India. The migrants should be assured of safety and financial security and motivated to get back to work at the earliest possible time. SARS-CoV-2 is here to stay, and hence, it is recommended to follow due safety measures to combat its threat, at least till the time vaccine is developed. Let’s learn to face novel Corona virus effectively with what we have instead of running from it.
The MarketWatch News Department was not involved in the creation of this content.
Aug 20, 2020 (AmericaNewsHour) --
Kenneth Research recently added a report on ‘Global and Southeast Asia Organic Rheology Modifiers Market Report 2020-2025’ which provides an in-depth analysis of the market scenario which is based on the market size and the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of the market over the forecast period, i.e., 2020-2025. The segmentation of the Organic Rheology Modifiers Market involved segmentation by Product Type, Top Vendors, Manufacturers, Revenue Analysis, YoY Growth Forecast, Impact Analysis of COVID-19 on Demand, Distribution Channels, and others. The complete assessment of the market growth and opportunities offered by each segment and sub-segment is provided in the report as well.
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The chemicals industry in Europe is predicted to observe a significant growth in the coming years. According to the European Chemical Industry Council, Europe is the second largest producer of chemicals in the world. Out of the top 10 chemical producing countries in the world, two countries belonged to Europe in 2018, generating sales revenue of 19.1% of the total sales revenue globally. In addition to this, the sales of chemicals in Europe grew from 2017 by 2.8% in 2018.
The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis. The report then estimates 2020-2025 market development trends of Manual Pipettes industry. Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out. In the end, the report makes some important proposals for a new project of Manual Pipettes Industry before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2015-2025 global and Southeast Asia Manual Pipettes industry covering all important parameters. Request To Fill The form for Sample Copy of This Report:https://www.kennethresearch.com/sample-request-10000779 “The Final Report will cover the impact analysis of COVID-19 on this industry (Global and Regional Market).”
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Chapter One Introduction of Organic Rheology Modifiers Market
Chapter Two Manufacturing Technology of Organic Rheology Modifiers Market
Chapter Three Analysis of Global Key Manufacturers
Chapter Four 2015-2020 Global and Southeast Asia Market of Organic Rheology Modifiers Market
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Chapter Six 2020-2025 Market Forecast of Global and Southeast Asia Organic Rheology Modifiers Market
Chapter Seven Analysis of Organic Rheology Modifiers Market Chain
Chapter Eight Global and Southeast Asia Economic Impact on Organic Rheology Modifiers Market
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Chapter Ten Proposals for New Project
Chapter Eleven Research Conclusions of Global and Southeast Asia Organic Rheology Modifiers Market
Tables and Figures
Speak to Analyst for Custom Report “The Final Report will cover the impact analysis of COVID-19 on this industry (Global and Regional Market).” Business Questions answered by the report
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I take note of today’s announcement by the US regarding the so-called UN sanctions “snapback mechanism” under UN Security Council resolution 2231.
As I have repeatedly recalled, the US unilaterally ceased participation in the JCPOA by presidential Memorandum on 8 May 2018 and has subsequently not participated in any JCPOA-related activities. It cannot, therefore, be considered to be a JCPOA participant State for the purposes of possible sanctions snapback foreseen by the resolution.
As coordinator of the JCPOA Joint Commission I will continue to do everything possible to ensure the preservation and full implementation of the JCPOA by all. The JCPOA remains a key pillar of the global non-proliferation architecture, contributing to regional security.
return to school – The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF urged governments on the continent to promote a safe return to the classroom while also limiting spread of the virus.
“Schools have paved the way to success for many Africans. They also provide a safe haven for many children in challenging circumstances to develop and thrive,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
“We must not be blind-sided by our efforts to contain COVID-19 and end up with a lost generation. Just as countries are opening businesses safely, we can reopen schools. This decision must be guided by a thorough risk analysis to ensure the safety of children, teachers and parents and with key measures like physical distancing put in place.”
A WHO survey of 39 sub-Saharan African countries has revealed that schools are open in only six nations and partially open in 19. Schools are closed in 14 nations, although 12 plan to resume classroom learning in September, the start of the academic year.
The disruption to education has resulted in poor nutrition, stress, increased exposure to violence and exploitation, childhood pregnancies, and overall challenges in the mental development of children.
UNICEF found violence against children has increased in Eastern and Southern Africa. With 10 million children missing out on school meals, nutrition rates have decreased, with especially high risk among girls, particularly those who have been displaced or from low-income households.
Potential future earnings losses
Meanwhile, the World Bank has highlighted the potential long-term social and economic impact of shutdowns in sub-Saharan Africa, which could result in lifetime earning losses of $4,500 per child.
“The long-term impact of extending the school shutdown risks ever greater harm to children, their future and their communities”, said UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern & Southern Africa, Mohamed M. Malick Fall.
“When we balance the harm being done to children locked out of schools, and if we follow the evidence, it leads children back into the classroom.”
Keeping COVID-19 out of the classroom
WHO, UNICEF and the International Federation of the Red Cross recently issued guidance on COVID-19 prevention and control in schools.
It covers recommendations for physical distancing measures, such as staggering the beginning and end of the school day, spacing desks when possible, and providing handwashing facilities.
“The long-term impact of extending the school shutdown risks ever greater harm to children, their future and their communities”, said UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern & Southern Africa, Mohamed M. Malick Fall.
“When we balance the harm being done to children locked out of schools, and if we follow the evidence, it leads children back into the classroom.”
While also recommending other important measures, such as regular handwashing and daily cleaning of surfaces, a recent report by the two UN agencies found millions of children attend schools that lack water and sanitation services.
In sub-Saharan Africa, only a quarter of schools have basic hygiene services while less than half have basic sanitation.
The COVID-19 pandemic thus provides an opportunity for investment and innovative thinking to address these shortages, according to the UN agencies.
The grounding last month of the MV Wakashio in an environmentally sensitive and biodiverse area, has endangered marine life, food security, and health in Mauritius, as well as its $1.6 billion tourism industry, already hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There’s a need for universal participation in the existing international legal framework, where all nations are party to agreements, so when incidents like this occur, vulnerable countries are protected”, said Shamika N. Sirimanne, UNCTAD’s technology and logistics director.
UNCTAD said the spill is considered the worst in the history of Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean known for its spectacular beaches.
The MV Wakashio—a Japanese-owned bulk carrier flying under the Panamanian flag –was travelling from China to Brazil when it grounded on a coral reef on 25 July, close to a marine park and two internationally protected wetland sites. The cause is still unknown.
The ship was not carrying cargo and reportedly had an estimated 3,894 tons of fuel oil, 207 tons of diesel, and 90 tons of lubricant oil on board.
By 11 August, up to 2,000 tons of fuel had reportedly leaked from the ship, which split in two several days later. Most of the fuel onboard had been recovered by this time, according to the vessel’s owner.
‘An existential and developmental threat’
In an article published this week, UNCTAD outlined how the unfolding environmental crisis in Mauritius shows the importance of having an effective international legal regime for when such disasters occur.
This framework is especially critical for small island developing states (SIDS) which face “an existential and developmental threat” from oil spills in their waters.
UNCTAD is the UN agency that supports developing countries in gaining fair access to the globalized economy.
Like Mauritius, SIDS are often close to global shipping lanes. These nations also rely on the marine environment – and its biodiversity – for tourism, fishing and aquaculture.
Unsplash/Xavier Coiffic
Mauritius’ pristine marine environment is being threatened by the oil spill.
Different ships, different legislation
Although several international conventions govern the seas and how they are used, some are not ratified by all countries while others have yet to enter into force.
Furthermore, different ships are subject to different international legal conventions, which UNCTAD said presents a challenge in the Mauritius case.
While the Bunker Convention would provide for maximum compensation of around $65.17 million, the payout would be four times higher, or $286 million, under the applicable International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds regime.
Given the potentially high costs and wide-ranging environmental and economic implications of ship-source pollution incidents, UNCTAD again underlined the need for all countries to adopt the latest international legal instruments for the global good.
“Sustainable Development Goal 14 calls on us to protect life below water and this means minimizing pollution at every possible turn, including putting all necessary precautions in place to manage environmental disasters like oil spills when they do happen”, said Ms. Sirimanne.
Ten young epidemiologists from different departments at the National Public Health Agency (NPHA) in the Republic of Moldova have joined forces to review and analyse data that will allow their country to respond more effectively to COVID-19.
Over the years, WHO has helped the Republic of Moldova to detect and respond to disease outbreaks by supporting an existing network of field epidemiology training programmes. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO and its partners have conducted 132 training sessions in infection prevention and control and public health emergency management for health professionals from the Republic of Moldova.
Nicolae Furtuna, Director of the NPHA, says, “In our effort to respond to COVID-19, we fully rely on the valuable expertise of our staff, built with WHO support.” He also applauds their commitment, saying, “I am very proud of my young colleagues, who have demonstrated maturity and critical thinking and respected clear lines of communication during the outbreak.”
Working together alongside other public health professionals, the team provides accurate epidemiological data insights from the Republic of Moldova for WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The pandemic has demonstrated the importance of investing in human resource development, especially in the domains of epidemiology and public health. Doctors and nurses take care of patients in hospitals, while epidemiologists make sure that public health measures are based on available evidence, helping to prevent disease outbreaks by improving health system resource planning and public health emergency management.
Thirty-year-old epidemiologist Alexei Ceban recently graduated from the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Nicolae Testemitanu”, the Mediterranean and Black Sea field epidemiology network training programme (MediPIET) in the field of intervention epidemiology, and the School of Public Health Management. He describes how the work has affected him personally.
“The pandemic means a huge challenge for us, with white nights and no access to families. It is also an extraordinary experience in managing public health emergencies. Epidemiological data analysis must be a priority for the decision-makers – you cannot act and make decisions without qualitative information and data.”
He says that the pandemic has highlighted how crucial it is to have health workers, including epidemiologists, ready and available to assist to a high standard. He has shared his experiences at regional and global levels during training sessions with WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN).
Accurate data informs public health decisions
Another young public health specialist and doctoral student, Alina Druc, manages daily updates from 10 laboratories, sending data for verification and analysing the findings. She reports that the pandemic has forced her to demonstrate all the knowledge she has acquired to date, adding, “These 6 months of intensive work have shown us the importance of teamwork, mutual support, communication and moral resilience.”
European epidemiology network professionals and WHO say they appreciate the accuracy of epidemiological data from the Republic of Moldova. As Secretary of State of the Ministry of Health Constantin Rimis emphasizes, “A functional national surveillance system for communicable diseases relies on the availability of data, which is routinely collected by the dedicated team at the National Public Health Agency.”
He adds, “Public health measures are fully guided by accurate data processed using modern technologies, which not only serves to keep decision-makers informed, but also helps to communicate the epidemiological situation clearly to the general public.”
