The first radiotherapy machine to treat cancer arrived in northwest Syria over the weekend, the UN’s aid coordination office (OCHA) said on Tuesday.
It marks a “monumental step” for cancer treatment in the region said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, briefing reporters in New York.
Radiotherapy sessions have historically not been available in local health facilities, forcing Syrian cancer patients to become dependent on cross-border referrals to Türkiye, he added.
The announcement comes on the heels of multiple advocacy efforts led by the UN and its partners, with the support from the Government of Türkiye.
Syria has been in the grip of brutal civil war for more than 12 years, and the northwest is home to the final pockets of opposition and resistance to the Government in Damascus.
Previously, 90 to 100 Syrian cancer patients each week were crossing from Syria into Türkiye for treatment, via the referral system.
This system was severely disrupted following the devastating earthquakes in February, emphasising the need for local radiotherapy capabilities.
The machine – which can provide more than 40 radiotherapy sessions a day – is now set up in the largest hospital in Afrin.
The hospital is adjusting to meet the operational standards and safety requirements of a radiotherapy centre.
Once ready, the facility is expected to meet the needs of up to one-third of all cancer patients in northwest Syria.
Turkish support
Turkish health authorities have pledged their support for the effort, with Turkish technicians and oncologists operating the machine on-site and training Syrian health workers.
Since the devastating earthquakes struck, there has been an uptick in cancer cases reported in the region. Mr. Dujarric urged the international community to do more to support OCHA’s efforts.
“We are gravely concerned about the situation in Ethiopia and the potential for future atrocities,” said Mohamed Chande Othman, Chairperson of the Commission.
“Our report shows that the overwhelming majority of risk factors for future atrocity crimes are present in Ethiopia, including ongoing serious violations, widespread violence and instability, and deeply entrenched impunity.”
The warning follows another Commission report, presented to the UN Human Rights Council last month, which concluded that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Ethiopia since 3 November 2020.
That was the date that hostilities began between Government forces and forces of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front, which spread to much of northern Ethiopia. A ceasefire was agreed in November 2022.
According to the commission, “the latest detailed findings are based on an assessment of the risk factors for atrocity crimes, which are the most serious crimes against humankind,” highlighting that “these crimes – including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity – are identified in the UN Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes.”
The Commission’s report found that all eight of the common risk factors are now present in Ethiopia.
“There is a very real and imminent risk that the situation will deteriorate further, and it is incumbent upon the international community to ensure that investigations persist so human rights violations can be addressed, and the worst tragedies averted,” said Steven Ratner, one of the independent experts.
Atrocities against civilians
Despite the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, the Commission has determined that serious violations are continuing in the Tigray region.
It has confirmed the ongoing presence of Eritrean forces in Ethiopia, and continuing atrocities against civilians, in particular rape and other forms of sexual violence.
The Commission has also expressed alarm about the deteriorating situation in the Amhara region, including emerging reports of extrajudicial killings and mass arrests. Most, if not all, of the structural drivers of violence and conflict remain unaddressed.
Human rights violations
“One of the Human Rights Council’s most important roles is to help prevent human rights violations and respond to human rights emergencies,” said commission member Radhika Coomaraswamy. “The situation in Ethiopia clearly merits such attention and it is vital that this continues.”
When Christopher Columbus returned from one of his trips to America, back in the 16th century, he brought with him a fruit completely unknown in Europe and which was named pineapple because of its resemblance to the pine cone.
Its scientific name is Ananas Comosus, and in South American countries it is known as “ananas”, translated as “delicious fruit” in Portuguese.
In Spain, the cultivation of this fruit occurs entirely in the Canary Islands.
Originally from Brazil, currently, according to experts, the best pineapple in the world is produced in Costa Rica in the “plane pineapple” variety.
For those inexperienced in choosing a pineapple, it must be said that the ripening point is known when, gently pulling on the leaves, and if they come off, it means that it is perfect for consumption. We can also see the pointed green tip, known as the frond and there, depending on its darker color, it will be ripe.
Pineapple deteriorates at temperatures below 7ºC, so it is not advisable to leave it unopened in the refrigerator, since a cool, dry place is ideal to preserve it. Now, if it is peeled and cut, we should leave it in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap and consume it as soon as possible.
We all know it and have eaten its refreshing pulp, or drank the juice obtained by squeezing it, even the most daring have perpetrated a dialectical struggle with it over tastes, specifically whether it is appropriate to use it or not as an ingredient in a pizza. But for tastes…
What not all of us know is the amount of benefits that its intake brings us. Thus, we must know that 86% of its weight is made up of water, which makes pineapple an important source of hydration and that its calories are minimal, tending to deceive its sweet flavor.
For every 100 grams, pineapple provides us with about 50 kcal, 13.12% carbohydrates, but be careful, these are slow absorption and are beneficial for the body; It has 18% ascorbic acid and 9.85% sugars, these being sucrose, glucose and fructose and which depend on the ripening time of the fruit. The more time in the tree, the more caloric intake. We will have verified this when eating a pineapple that is rather tender to the touch, its flavor is much sweeter, from which we can deduce that the proportion of sugar has increased in the fruit.
Pineapple has minerals such as potassium, calcium and magnesium, as well as vitamin C. In addition, its consumption is excellent for people with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer.
What we don’t usually use about this fruit is its rind. From this part of the pineapple you can obtain dietary fiber and phenols. It is good to know that pineapple peel, boiled and infused after meals or between meals, serves to reduce inflammation and also pain and combats constipation. This will not provide us with fiber, but its moisturizing action helps to soften stools.
Thanks to pineapple we can regulate our intestinal transit, due to its high fiber content compared to other fruits. It is also beneficial for improving the digestive system, avoiding intestinal problems such as diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome. Of course, it should be taken fresh, since heat cancels the action of bromelain, which is a proteolytic enzyme present in the stem and fruit of pineapple and that helps us lose weight.
There are aspects of pineapple that are often unknown, such as the fact that it is anti-inflammatory and, therefore, very good for cases of tendinitis and rheumatic conditions with edema in the limbs.
It improves eye health, thanks to the beta-carotenes that this fruit has, and helps keep bones strong due to the calcium it provides and the regeneration of its cells.
It is recommended for the liver if consumed regularly and helps eliminate the water that we retain in the body’s tissues and that can cause pain in our legs and hands, gout or weight gain or cellulite.
If you are cold and have mucus, do not stop taking pineapple, as it helps eliminate it. It is also indicated for the good condition of blood vessels and thus helps us avoid blood circulation problems, increased blood pressure and the formation of clots or the risk of embolisms.
It protects our skin by helping the healing of skin ulcers and burns.
Finally, we will highlight that it interferes with the development of malignant cells and reduces the risk of metastasis of some types of cancer. Its help in chemotherapy treatments is being investigated, and it seems to have a positive effect by enhancing its effects.
It must also be taken into account that there are risks in consuming this food, especially for people who suffer from gastroduodenal ulcer and gastritis, due to its acid content and its ability to increase the production of gastric juices.
The full-fledged Saudi Arabia will have the heaviest smoke in the world of fossil fuels for many years to come. The company invests in technologies and expands its geopolitical influence through the internet and oceans. It is expected to take a little more than 15 years to fulfill its purpose.
There is only one problem. Big problem – no water.
For years, the full-fledged monopoly has been making the public drinkers sick, but they have a contract, and together with them – and the problems for the environment, writes “France Press” in its material, a response to alternative technologies that can save Saudi Arabia not just from thirst, but also from the ecological catastrophe.
Context: The site does not have a basement, but the rains on the ground and the renovation have always caused problems with the stickiness of the drinking water. Prince Mohammed al-Faysal is the inventor who first seriously considered the idea of supplying antartic ice, but then in 1970 he began to lose an unprecedented in terms of scale and infection type for the desalination of sea water.
Today, it produces 11.5 million cubic meters of water through 30 installations, through which households and agricultural producers are supplied at any time of the day and year. ata. The process, however, is not cheap. According to data from 2010, it required 1.5 million barrels per day – or 15% of today’s production. New data have not been presented to the public and the media.
The big challenge is the increasing population, which Prince Moxamed wants to be 100 million souls by 2040 to 32.2 million days. The capital city of Piedmont consumes 1.6 million cubic meters of water per day, and according to local estimates, by the end of this decade, this figure will increase to 6 million cubic meters.
Details: The rapid and large-scale hacking of immigration systems is a matter of “life and death” for Saudi Arabia, writes the historian Michael Christopher Low from the University of Uttah the one who researched the water supply problems of the city.
This is precisely what the West is doing, and it is possible that it will reach a conflict between water needs and ambitions for carbon neutrality in the world by 2060.
One of the ways to avoid this is the gradual replacement of the installations of fossil fuels with those that work on the principle of reverse osmosis. This is “Jazla” near the city of Jubail. It uses loop energy and is the first on the floor.
The goal is to save around 60,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Solar power will increase 6-fold by 2025 – from 120 megawatts per day to 770 megawatts.
This will again be expensive, experts admit, but at least there will be a smaller effect on the surrounding area. And Caydite Apabia is not isolated from climatic changes and they can easily turn into such a big problem for the national security, as well as the lack of water.
Photo by Aleksandr Slobodianyk: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-water-drop-989959/
Concerns also remain for those unable to leave the Karabakh Region town of Khankendi – known as Stepanakert among Armenians – which the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said was close to empty.
Its priority remains finding those too vulnerable to help themselves.
“The city is now completely deserted. The hospitals, more than one, are not functioning,” said Marco Succi, ICRC Head of Rapid Deployment.
“The medical personnel have left. The water board authorities left. The director of the morgue…the stakeholders we were working with before, have also left. This scene is quite surreal.”
Mr. Succi confirmed that electricity and water were still available in the city and that the priority was to find those “extremely vulnerable cases, elderly, mentally disabled people, the people left without anybody”.
Helpless and alone
This included an elderly cancer patient, Susanna, who had been found in the last few days in a fourth-floor apartment building “alone and unable to get out of her bed.
“Neighbours had left her food and water several days beforehand but their supplies were running out. While she waited for help, she had started to lose all hope. After ensuring she was stable, she was evacuated by ambulance into Armenia.”
Among the humanitarian relief destined for the city, the ICRC official reported that some 300 food parcels were expected to arrive on Tuesday from Goris, a key point of entry from the Karabakh Region, to provide essential commodities to those left behind.
“Many people left their houses and shops open for those who may be in need,” said Mr. Succi, reporting how an elderly lady had cleaned her fridge and house, “leaving the door open to ventilate the house, you know, for the newcomers”.
Massive influx
Echoing the urgency of the situation in neighbouring Armenia, the UN World Health Organization’s Dr. Marthe Everard, Special Representative of the WHO Regional Director to Armenia, said that the country’s health system needed to be strengthened to cope with the “massive” influx of refugees.
Speaking to journalists in Geneva via Zoom after returning from the town of Goris, Dr. Everard said that infectious diseases needed to be monitored and treated, while measles vaccination gaps should also be addressed.
Mental health and psychosocial support remained “critical”, she insisted.
Additional urgent needs among the new arrivals beside shelter included treatment for chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and cancer, the WHO official continued, noting the agency’s commitment to support the “extensive” efforts of the Armenian Government.
Integrating health workers
“This includes supporting the integration of more than 2,000 nurses and over 2,200 doctors into the Armenian health system,” Dr Everard said.
The WHO official also noted that the UN agency had scaled up emergency support to Armenia by providing supplies to help treat more than 200 adults and children who received terrible burns in the fuel depot explosion in Karabakh last week, which also claimed 170 lives.
A specialist burns team had also been deployed as part of WHO Emergency Medical Teams Initiative and arrived in Yerevan over the weekend, Dr. Erevard said. “We have issued a wider call for further specialist teams to complement this workforce and to support moving some of these most critical patients to specialized centres abroad.”
700 babies close to term
UNFPA, the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, is mobilizing health and protection services for tens of thousands of women and girls that have fled Karabakh.
Among the refugees, there are an estimated 2,070 women who are currently pregnant and nearly 700 are expected to give birth over the next three months.
In collaboration with Armenia’s health ministry, UNFPA said it would be delivering 20 reproductive health kits that will meet the needs of a population of up to 150,000, including equipment and supplies to help women deliver safely and to manage obstetric emergencies.
The agency has also distributed 13,000 dignity kits, which include sanitary pads, soap and shampoo.
Photo credits: 2023 European Parliament and COMECE. - Roberta METSOLA, EP President receives the 'IN VERITATE' award 2023
Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament was honoured with the “2023 In Veritate Award” for her commendable efforts in integrating Christian and European ideals as reported by COMECE. The award ceremony took place on Friday, September 29 2023 during the XXIII International Krakow Conference. Fr. Barrios Prieto commended Metsola’s commitment to democracy Christian values and advancing European integration as a true inspiration to many. This year’s conference theme focused on “Consequences of the War. What will Europe be like? What will Poland be like?” explicitly exploring “The Role of Christians in the European Integration Process”.
The In Veritate Award serves as a tribute to individuals who have demonstrated skill in harmonizing Christian and European principles. It is named after H.E. Mgr Tadeusz Pieronek, a Polish prelate and one of the founders of the International Krakow Conference.
Photo credits: 2023 European Parliament and COMECE. – Roberta METSOLA, EP President receives the ‘IN VERITATE’ award 2023
In her acceptance speech upon receiving the “2023 Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek In Veritate Award” Roberta Metsola emphasized the importance of upholding our values in a world plagued by war crimes and human rights violations. She highlighted how Christian and European values serve as a foundation for shaping a future European Union that includes like-minded democracies such as Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and countries, in the Western Balkans.
Metsola emphasized the importance of shared beliefs and interests as well as the responsibility to support them.
“Our Christian and European values anchor us, they will help us prepare for a future European Union in which like-minded democracies such as Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and the Western Balkans will be included. We share common beliefs and interests, and it is our responsibility not to let them down”
Father Manuel Barrios Prieto, Secretary General of COMECE expressed his gratitude to President Metsola and reiterated her commitment to democracy, Christian values and the promotion of European integration as an exemplary model.
The prestigious In Veritate Award was also presented to Reverend Andrzej Boniecki MIC, the Honorary editor-in-chief of the publication “Tygodnik Powszechny.”
A video message from His Excellency Monsignor Janusz Stepnowski, Bishop Delegate of the Polish Episcopate to COMECE and President of the COMECE Commission on Culture and Education conveyed congratulations to both recipients.
Father Barrios Prieto highlighted the significance of this Conference as a platform for dialogue among politics, academia, media, Church representatives and civil society during his opening remarks. He echoed Pope Francis’s aspirations for unity and peace in Europe today while calling for a revival of the European spirit that goes beyond immediate concerns or national boundaries. He emphasized diplomacy that fosters unity rather than exacerbating divisions.
This event was an endeavour by multiple organizations including the Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek Foundation, COMECE (Commission of Bishops Conferences of the European Union) The Robert Schuman Foundation, The European Peoples Party Group, in the European Parliament and its Polish delegation.
Photo credits: 2023 European Parliament and COMECE. -Roberta METSOLA, EP President receives the ‘IN VERITATE’ award 2023
Abdoulaye Bathily, who is also UN Special Representative, said that plans floated by different institutions and leaders for reconstruction, run the risk of deepening the existing rift between the internationally recognized Government and rival administration in the east.
He added that rebuilding could be impeded without an agreed plan going forward, and that failure to unify was “at odds with the outpouring of solidarity, support and national unity shown by Libyan people from all corners of the country in response to the crisis.”
“UNSMIL calls on all relevant Libyan national and local authorities and Libya’s international partners to facilitate agreement on a unified and coordinated Libyan national mechanism to direct the recovery and reconstruction efforts and to ensure transparency and accountability”, the UNSMIL chief said.
Oil rich Libya has been in turmoil since the overthrow of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, which gave rise to rival power centres across the country and crises on multiple fronts, which have sucked in other regional powers to the simmering conflicts.
Urging Libya’s leaders “to rise above divisions and come together to agree on a unified response to the reconstruction needs”, the UN Special Representative said the disaster caused by Storm Daniel – which has killed thousands and destroyed swathes of the northeast – “also underscores the imperative to expedite negotiations on breaking the political stalemate.”
In Myanmar, conflict and monsoon floods continue to cause new displacement, civilian casualties and destruction of civilian properties, worsening the already dire humanitarian situation there, the UN said on Monday.
According to the UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA), nearly two million people are internally displaced “in precarious conditions” and require lifesaving assistance. More than 63,000 people remain displaced across borders into neighbouring countries since the 2021 military takeover.
OCHA said that the threat to civilians from explosive ordnance is spreading and that for the first time, anti-personnel landmine casualties have now been recorded in every state and region, except the capital Nay Pyi Taw.
At least 1.8 million people have been reached with aid in the first half of the year, but OCHA warned that access and administrative restrictions are causing “prolonged delays or postponements of scheduled relief efforts”, adding to the suffering of affected and displaced communities.
To date, the humanitarian response plan and the flash appeal launched following May’s deadly Cyclone Mocha, for a combined amount of $887 million, remain “critically underfunded” at only 28 per cent, OCHA said.
Over 6,000 schools still closed in Burkina Faso: UNICEF
UNICEF on Monday alerted that with the new school year starting, more than 6,000 schools remain closed because of violence and insecurity in parts of the country.
That means that one in four schools in Burkina Faso are closed, impacting some one million children.
In addition to this, at least 230 schools also currently serve as temporary shelters for more than 52,000 displaced people.
UNICEF said that more than 3.8 million girls and boys are still managing to attend school, including in regions impacted by conflict.
“Our colleagues are working with the Ministry of Education and have helped over 760,000 children through formal education, accelerated schooling strategies, vocational training and education by radio”, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
Around 5.5 million men, women and children need humanitarian assistance in Burkina Faso – 3.2 million of them children.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva on her first official day as head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Amy Pope said that migrants were “people first” who should not be seen as a problem.
That distinction was more critical than ever today, the IOM Director-General added, noting that it is almost 10 years since a migrant shipwreck off the Italian coastline on 3 October 2013 claimed more than 368 lives. It was the agency’s biggest fear that such tragedies “have been normalized”, Ms. Pope said.
“These are people first before we label them as migrants or asylum seekers or anything else, and valuing their human life, recognizing their dignity is key to everything we say and do and whichever Member State we work with,” Ms. Pope said.
“Especially as we are reaching the anniversary of Lampedusa, it’s an important moment to recognize and recall that ultimately this isn’t about a problem, this is about people.”
Migration was not about to end any time soon, Ms. Pope continued, given the huge impact of climate shocks, conflict, persecution and other destabilizing influences on fragile communities around the world, from Latin America to Europe, Asia and Africa. There are some 280 million migrants worldwide.
“We know already that there have been tens of millions of people who are on the move just this year as a result of climate impact. There are hundreds of millions more who live in extremely climate vulnerable communities,” she said.
Because of this dramatic status quo endured by so many individuals, the IOM Director-General insisted that unless wealthier nations helped them to withstand drought and other climate shocks, while also embracing the opportunities offered by migration, it was very likely that the world would see more “desperate people” on the move.
“Whether it’s climate change, whether it’s conflict, whether it’s the inability to find a job or a future at home, or violence within neighbourhoods or communities, more and more people are looking to find a better life somewhere else in the world.”
Asked whether US President Joe Biden’s decision last month to allow some 470,000 unregistered Venezuelans to work legally might encourage migration, the IOM chief responded that if there weren’t jobs, “they wouldn’t come”.
Get real
The UN migration agency’s goal was therefore to call for more “regular, realistic pathways for people”, Ms. Pope said, before highlighting the findings of a World Bank report that underscored how migration was a “powerful force” for poverty reduction.
Today, no less than 30 of the world’s biggest economies struggle to fill posts in healthcare, agriculture, construction, hospitality, “you name it”, the IOM chief said. “Frankly, while there have been tremendous developments in artificial intelligence, it does not move at the pace to remedy those labour shortages. And many, many of those jobs will not be done well by a machine.”
Spanish model
Noting how the Spanish Government had embraced the labour solutions offered by migration, Ms. Pope insisted that economies that had seen a significant influx of migrants over the years had seen “overwhelmingly that people tend to be better off as a result of migration, whether it’s because it’s fuelling innovation, it’s fuelling labour supply, whether it’s fuelling the renovation or revitalization of aging communities. Migration, on the whole, is a benefit.”
As an indication of the IOM chief’s priorities, this coming Sunday she heads to Addis Ababa to meet African Union representatives, followed by a visit to Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti.
Over 80 per cent of migration takes place in Africa, Ms. Pope told reporters, adding that in addition to governments, she intended to pursue discussions for migration solutions with local communities, civil society and the private sector.
“You have to have the private sector at the table, because the private sector is saying, ‘Look, we have the jobs, we just don’t have people to fill them. Help us get through the red tape’”.
As few as 50 to 1,000 ethnic Armenians are reported to be left in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan after the exodus of recent days saw more than 100,000 flee, the first UN mission to the region in 30 years reported on Monday.
