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Ukraine: Imperative to ‘explore all options’ to reach civilians – UN relief chief

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United Nations News
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Ukraine: Imperative to ‘explore all options’ to reach civilians – UN relief chief

Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said that it was “imperative that we explore all options to reach civilians”, stressing that all parties to the fighting must allow and facilitate the “rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief”.

“I urge the parties to strengthen facilitation efforts so we can reach all civilians in need”, he said.

Cut off from food, water, care

He noted that many communities along Ukraine’s northeastern border with Russia and the frontline of fighting, were encircled, without access to water, food and medical care.

“Only last week in Kherson, residential buildings, a school, an outpatient hospital, and an elderly care facility were reportedly damaged, leaving scores of civilians needing shelter and healthcare. And missile strikes in Odesa hit a humanitarian storage warehouse. A Ukrainian Red Cross mobile hospital in Mykolaiv was also hit. Humanitarian supplies and vital medical equipment were destroyed.”

He said no staff or volunteers were injured but the threats persist. Civilians must not be target, he insisted, or the homes, schools, hospitals and buildings, where they live and work.

He stressed again, the need for a political solution, and importance of peace for Ukraine, with civilian casualties during Russia’s continued occupation of parts of the south and east, “rising to their highest levels in months.”

Over 20,000 dead or injured

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, “has now verified a staggering 23,600 civilian casualties since 24 February 2022; we all know the actual toll is likely to be much higher”, said Mr. Griffiths.

Despite the constant dangers, the “sheer bravery of humanitarian workers, particularly local workers”, for the UN and other NGOs, means life-saving assistance continues to be delivered nationwide.

He said nearly 3.6 million people received humanitarian assistance in Ukraine in the first quarter of 2023 with around 43 inter-agency convoys delivering food and vital supplies to some 278,000 people in frontline areas so far this year, “with local partners conducting last-mile delivery and distribution.”

But he said more is needed “to take our efforts to scale. The biggest challenge remains the impediments to reaching all areas in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia currently under the military control of the Russian Federation.”

Full access to these areas “continue to be explored through engagement with both parties.”

Martin Griffiths (on screen), Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefs the Security Council meeting on maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.

‘Recommitment’ to Black Sea Initiative

Food exported under the Black Sea Initiative, together with food and fertilizer exports from Russia, continue to make a crucial contribution to global food security, he told ambassadors.

More than 30 million metric tons of cargo have now been safely exported from Ukrainian ports, of which over 55 per cent has gone to developing countries and close to six per cent, directly to Least Developed Countries.

This includes just under 600,000 metric tons of wheat transported by the World Food Programme (WFP), in direct support of humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Yemen.

Despite the progress and falling food prices since last summer’s highs, “much more remains to be done”.

 

“Predictable supplies for humanitarian food assistance operations continue to be required. The Initiative refers to the export of ammonia, but this has not yet been possible.

Over the past month, there’s been a major reduction in exports moving through Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, due to what the UN relief chief called “increasingly challenging dynamics” within the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC), run by Russia, Ukraine, the UN and Türkiye, “and a related slowdown in operations.”

He assured that intensive talks “to secure agreement on its extension and the improvements needed for it to operate effectively and predictably”, would continue in the next few days, with UN support continuing for the “Memorandum of Understanding on the facilitation of Russian food and fertilizer exports.”

“For the reasons I have set out, continuation of the Black Sea Initiative is critical, as is recommitment by the parties to its smooth and efficient operation. We call on all parties to meet their responsibilities in this regard.”

“The world is watching”, he underlined.

A war none can afford

He ended telling the Council it was clear that neither the people of Ukraine, or millions around the world who have suffered as a result of the economic chaos and supply chain issues, “can ill afford a continuation of this war.”

Mr. Griffiths called on Security Council member and all nations, to support all efforts to end “the carnage and destruction.”

“In the meantime, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners remain committed to safeguarding the life and dignity of persons affected by the war and to the pursuit of peace – today, tomorrow, and for as long as it takes.”

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Germany brought to ECtHR for denying accreditation to a Christian school

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Juan Sanchez Gil
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Germany denied school accreditation to Christian group

Strasbourg – A Christian hybrid school provider based in Laichingen, Germany, is fighting the German state’s repressive educational system. After the first application in 2014, German authorities said that the Association for Decentralized Learning couldn’t give primary and secondary education, even though it met all of the state-mandated requirements and curricula. The Association’s school is based on a new and becoming more popular form of education that combines learning in school and at home.

On May 2, lawyers from ADF International, a human rights group, took the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

  • German hybrid school—innovative in-class and at home learning model—takes challenge to European Court of Human Rights after accreditation denied 
  • Germany has one of the most restrictive educational systems worldwide; lower court cites lack of socialization for students  

Dr. Felix Bollmann, the Director of European Advocacy for ADF International and the attorney who submitted the case with the ECtHR, stated the following:

“The right to education includes the right to embrace innovative approaches like hybrid schooling. By restricting this educational model, the state is violating the right of German citizens to pursue education that conforms with their convictions. When it comes to the requirement of physical presence, Germany has one of the most restrictive educational systems in the world. The fact that an innovative school based on Christian values has been denied recognition is a serious development worthy of scrutiny by the Court. The case brings to light the egregious issues with educational freedom in the country,”

The Association submitted its initial application for accreditation in 2014, but state educational authorities ignored it for three years. Due to the inaction, they filed a lawsuit in 2017, with the first court hearing not occurring until 2019, the appeal in 2021, and the third instance court in May 2022. In December 2022, the Supreme Court rejected the final domestic appeal.. 

Hybrid education, successful and popular, yet restricted 

The Association for Decentralized Learning has effectively operated an independent hybrid school for the past nine years, combining in-class instruction with digital online lessons and independent study at home. The institution employs state-approved instructors and adheres to a predetermined curriculum. Students graduate using the same exams as those in public schools and sustain grade point averages above the national average. 

Jonathan Erz, Head of the association for decentralized learning, stated:

“Children have a right to a first-class education. At our school, we can provide families with an education that meets their individual learning needs and allows students to flourish. It is our great hope that the Court will right this injustice and rule in favor of educational freedom, recognising that our school provide innovative and high-standard education through modern technology, individual student responsibility, and weekly attendance hours”. 

The Association was unable to establish new institutions. Due to the hybrid nature of the school, the administrative courts acknowledged the satisfactory level of education but criticized the model on the grounds that students spend little time together during breaks and between sessions. According to domestic courts, this is a crucial educational component that hybrid institutions lack.  

Germany’s educational restrictions violate international law and national law 

Germany, with a ban on homeschooling and severe educational restrictions, is in violation of the right to educational freedom as enshrined in its own constitution and in international law. International law specifically recognizes the liberty of bodies, such as the Association, to establish and direct educational institutions without interference, subject to “the requirement that the education given in such institutions shall conform to such minimum standards as may be laid down by the State”. (International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Article 13.4) 

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Article 13.3 says that governments are obliged to respect:

“the liberty of parents … to choose for their children schools, other than those established by the public authorities, which conform to such minimum educational standards as may be laid down or approved by the State and to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions”. 

With regard to the law, Dr. Böllmann stated:

“It is established clearly in international law that parents are the first authority for the education of their children. What the German state is doing to undermine education is an overt violation of not only freedom of education, but also of parental rights. Moreover, distance learning during Covid-19 lockdowns demonstrates that a complete ban on independent and digitally supported learning is out of date”. 

The German Basic Law (Article 7 of the Constitution) guarantees the right to establish private schools—however, the domestic courts’ interpretation render this right ineffective. ADF International lawyers argue that this, in turn, is a violation of the European Convention of Human Rights. “Time and again, the European Court of Human Rights has made it clear that the Convention rights must be practical and effective,” says the press statement of ADF International.  

Türkey’s elections marked by unlevel playing field yet still competitive, international observers say

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officialinstitutions
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Türkey's elections marked by unlevel playing field
Photo by Said - Pexels

Characterized by a high turnout, Türkey’s elections were well-managed and offered voters a choice between genuine political alternatives, but with an unjustified advantage for the for politicians in power.

ANKARA, 15 May 2023, Continued restrictions on fundamental freedoms of assembly, association and expression hindered the participation of some opposition politicians and parties, as well as civil society and independent media, international observers said in a statement today.

The joint observation mission from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) found that the legal framework does not fully provide a basis for holding democratic elections.

“These were competitive but still limited elections, as the criminalization of some political forces, including the detention of several opposition politicians, prevented full political pluralism and impeded individuals’ rights to run in the elections,” said Michael Georg Link, Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission. “Political interference in the electoral process is not in line with Türkey’s international commitments.”

Almost 61 million voters were registered to vote in the country as well as 3.5 million abroad, in an election that took place against the background of this year’s devastating earthquakes. Some limited steps were taken by the authorities to enable those affected by the earthquakes to participate in the elections, but despite these and additional efforts by civil society and political parties, a high number of these voters faced difficulties in voting.

“Turkish democracy is proving to be amazingly resilient. This election had a high turnout and offered a real choice. However, Türkey does not fulfil the basic principles for holding a democratic election,” said Frank Schwabe, head of the PACE delegation. “Key political and social figures are in prison even after judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, media freedom is severely restricted and there is a climate of self-censorship. Türkey is a long way from creating fair election campaign conditions.”

The election administration organized the elections efficiently and generally enjoyed trust, although there was lack of transparency and communication in their work, as well as concerns over its independence. Voting day was mostly peaceful and smooth, despite a number of incidents in and around polling stations. While the process was generally well-organized, important safeguards, particularly during the counting, were not always implemented. Family and group voting were frequent, while the layout of half the polling stations observed made them inaccessible for people with disabilities.

The campaign was largely peaceful and competitive, but highly polarized and often negative and inflammatory in tone. A number of prosecutions as well as pressure on opposition politicians and parties, including ongoing proceedings to dissolve the second-largest opposition party, hampered their participation in the elections. While the constitution guarantees the equality of women and men, women remain underrepresented in leadership positions and generally in politics, and greater efforts are needed from the authorities and political parties in this area.

“Despite the promising opportunity for choice presented in these elections, there were significant challenges for citizens to exercise the right to vote, and unfortunately, women were underrepresented as candidates,” said Farah Karimi, head of the OSCE PA delegation. “Hundreds of thousands of individuals, people affected by the earthquakes and particularly students, had to make significant additional efforts to exercise their right to vote.”

The misuse of public resources in some cases as well as announcements of significant social benefit programmes provided undue advantage to those in power, and blurred the line between party and state. There were numerous cases of officials campaigning during the inaugurations of large-scale infrastructure projects, while the current president often campaigned while performing his official duties.

The freedom of expression and the media, although protected by the constitution, are limited by a number of laws. The recent criminalization of disseminating false information, the fact that websites are frequently blocked and online content removed, and the ongoing arrests and prosecutions of journalists further weakened freedom of expression. During the campaign, the ruling parties and their candidates were clearly favoured by the majority of national TV stations, including the public broadcaster, despite its constitutional obligation to remain impartial.

“Voters had a genuine choice to make on election day, and the high turnout was a good illustration of the democratic spirit of the people of Türkey,” said Ambassador Jan Petersen, who heads the ODIHR election observation mission. “However, I regret to note that the election administration’s work was lacking in transparency, as well as the overwhelming bias of the public media and the limitations to freedom of speech.”

The international election observation to the general elections in Türkey totalled 401 observers from 40 countries, made up of 264 ODIHR-deployed experts, long-term, and short-term observers, 98 from the OSCE PA, and 39 from PACE.

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100 EUR fine for a driver who drinks water in Greece

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Newsdesk
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The driver must have freedom of movement of the hands

A fine of 100 Euros and suspension of the driver’s license for 30 days can be imposed if the traffic officer considers that the gesture of opening a water bottle or the absence of a hand on the wheel could distract the driver of the vehicle.

According to the Road Traffic Code in Greece, there is a possibility of a fine of 100 euros for drinking water while driving only under certain circumstances, the “Trud” correspondent reported.

In fact, Article 13 of the Road Traffic Code states that the driver of a car must ensure that he has full freedom of movement of his hands, so that he can freely perform any maneuvers necessary to drive safely on the road.

Hydration is essential, especially now that the temperature is rising, but it can also lead to a fine if we decide to drink water while driving.

Driving is a process that requires our full attention and dedication, as there are many external stimuli that can cause us to “lose” our attention from the road, with all that entails.

Photo by Lisa Fotios:

Sweden wins Eurovision 2023 in front of Finland

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EuropeanTimes
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Sweden wins Eurovision 2023 in front of Finland

The final of the great musical contest was played between Sweden, Finland and Israel.

The Eurovision 2023 contest offered very good performances during its 67th edition which took place this year in Liverpool. A nearly perfect vocal level for all the candidates and pictures taken by the BBC.

The Swedish singer Loreen, who had already won the Eurovision in 2012, and favourite of the contest, won the final Saturday night in Liverpool. She beat Finland, who thought for a while that they could win, and Israel, who was very well placed throughout the evening.

Finland was among the favourites. The rapper Käärijä excited the audience with his Cha Cha Cha with techno rhythms and an original fluorescent outfit. The public followed by singing along with the artist “Cha Cha Cha”.

While we had the broadcast of a music video highlighting the winners of last year, the Ukrainian Kalush Orchestra, we could attend some piano notes played by Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales. which excited the room in Liverpool.

France, represented by the Quebecer La Zarra, arrived in 16th place, a disappointment, heightened by a finger of honour of the singer at the time of the announcement of the results of the juries – she speaks of a “cultural” misunderstanding.

The LGBT flag for the Italian candidate
To introduce all the candidates at the beginning of the show, each candidate was invited to enter the stage with the flag of his country for which he was going to sing.

Marco Mengoni on his side wanted to show the flag of the LGBT community next to the Italian flag. A choice that he assumed later on his Twitter account by writing in a message two lives, two flags, in reference to the title of his song Due Vite (two lives in Italian).

Eurovision without crazy candidates would not be this song contest so appreciated. We had in particular the gothic rockers of Lord of the Lost, representing Germany.

The mystical side of the Moldavian Pasha Parfeni also made its mark.

But the performance at the end of Let 3 for Croatia was the winner. With this song, which was meant to be a satire of dictators, the group ended up in their underwear on stage in an offbeat show.

Then you also had other modernized classical, who could have also won, like Spain, with an EAEA pop/Arabic/flamenco, sung by Blanca Paloma.

Spyware – MEPs sound alarm on threat to democracy and demand reforms

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European Parliament
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Spyware – MEPs sound alarm on threat to democracy and demand reforms
Votes in Plenary © @Europan Parliament

EP spyware inquiry committee has adopted its final report and recommendations, condemning spyware abuses in several EU member states and setting out a way forward.

On Monday evening, the European Parliament’s Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware (PEGA) adopted its final report and recommendations following a year-long inquiry into the abuse of spyware in the EU. MEPs condemn spyware abuses that aim to intimidate political opposition, silence critical media and manipulate elections. They note that EU governance structures cannot effectively deal with such attacks and say reforms are needed.


Systemic issues in Poland and Hungary

MEPs condemn major violations of EU law in Poland and Hungary, where the respective governments have dismantled independent oversight mechanisms. For Hungary, MEPs argue that the use of spyware has been “part of a calculated and strategic campaign to destroy media freedom and freedom of expression by the government.” In Poland, the use of Pegasus has been part of “a system for the surveillance of the opposition and critics of the government — designed to keep the ruling majority and the government in power”.

To remedy the situation, MEPs call on Hungary and Poland to comply with European Court of Human Rights judgements and restore judicial independence and oversight bodies. They should also ensure independent and specific judicial authorisation before the deployment of spyware and judicial review afterwards, launch credible investigations into abuse cases, and ensure citizens have access to proper legal redress.


Concerns over spyware use in Greece and Spain

On Greece, MEPs say spyware use “does not seem to be part of an integral authoritarian strategy, but rather a tool used on an ad hoc basis for political and financial gains”. Even though Greece has “a fairly robust legal framework in principle”, legislative amendments have weakened safeguards. As a result, spyware has been used against journalists, politicians and businesspersons, and exported to countries with poor human rights records.

MEPs call on the government to “urgently restore and strengthen the institutional and legal safeguards”, repeal export licences that are not in line with EU export control legislation, and respect the independence of the Hellenic Authority for Communication Security and Privacy (ADAE). They also note Cyprus has played a major role as an export hub for spyware, and should repeal all export licences it has issued that are not in line with EU legislation.

On Spain, MEPs found that the country “has an independent justice system with sufficient safeguards”, but some questions on spyware use remain. Noting that the government is already working to address shortcomings, MEPs call on authorities to ensure “full, fair and effective” investigations, especially into the 47 cases where it is unclear who authorised the deployment of spyware, and to make sure targets have real legal remedies.


Stronger regulation needed to prevent abuse

To stop illicit spyware practices immediately, MEPs consider spyware should only be used in member states where allegations of spyware abuse have been thoroughly investigated, national legislation is in line with recommendations of the Venice Commission and EU Court of Justice and European Court of Human Rights case law, Europol is involved in investigations, and export licences not in line with export control rules have been repealed. By December 2023, the Commission should assess whether these conditions have been fulfilled in a public report.

MEPs want EU rules on the use of spyware by law enforcement, which should only be authorised in exceptional cases for a pre-defined purpose and a limited time. They argue that data falling under lawyer-client privilege or belonging to politicians, doctors or the media should be shielded from surveillance, unless there is evidence of criminal activity. MEPs also propose mandatory notifications for targeted people and for non-targeted people whose data was accessed as part of someone else’s surveillance, independent oversight after it has happened, meaningful legal remedies for targets, and standards for the admissibility of evidence collected using spyware.

MEPs also call for a common legal definition of the use of national security as grounds for surveillance, in order to prevent attempts to justify manifest abuses.


EU Tech Lab and a boost to vulnerability research

To help uncover illicit surveillance, MEPs propose the creation of an EU Tech Lab, an independent research institute with powers to investigate surveillance, provide legal and technological support including device screening, and perform forensic research. They also want new laws to regulate the discovery, sharing, resolution and exploitation of vulnerabilities.


Foreign policy dimension

On third countries and the EU’s foreign policy instruments, MEPs would like to see an in-depth investigation of spyware export licences, stronger enforcement of the EU’s export control rules, a joint EU-US spyware strategy, talks with Israel and other third countries to establish rules on spyware marketing and exportation, and ensuring EU development aid does not support acquisition and use of spyware.


Quotes

After the vote, Committee Chair Jeroen Lenaers (EPP, NL) said: “Our inquiry has made it clear that spyware has been used to violate fundamental rights and endanger democracy in several EU member states, Poland and Hungary being the most blatant cases. Spyware use must always be proportionate and authorised by an independent judiciary, which unfortunately is not the case in some parts of Europe. Stricter EU-level scrutiny is needed to ensure that spyware use is the exception, to investigate serious crimes, and not the norm. Because we acknowledge that it can – when used in a controlled manner – be an important tool to combat crimes like terrorism. Our committee has formulated a wide range of proposals to regulate the use of spyware, while respecting national security competences. Now the Commission and member states should do their part and transpose our recommendations into concrete legislation to protect the rights of citizens.”

Rapporteur Sophie In ‘t Veld (Renew, NL) added: “Today, the committee of inquiry concludes its work. This does not mean that the work of this Parliament is finished. Not one victim of spyware abuse has been awarded justice. Not one government has really been held accountable. The member states and the European Commission should not sleep easy, because I intend to keep on this case until justice is being done. The unimpeded use of commercial spyware without proper judicial oversight poses a threat to European democracy, as long as there is no accountability. Digital tools have empowered us all in various ways, but they have made governments far more powerful. We have to close that gap.”


Procedure and next steps

MEPs adopted a report, detailing the findings of the inquiry, with 30 votes in favour, 3 against, and 4 abstaining, and a text outlining recommendations for the future with 30 votes in favour, 5 against, and 2 abstaining. The latter text is expected to be voted by the full Parliament during the plenary session starting 12 June.

Votes in Plenary © @Europan Parliament

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Salty fines in Greece for disposing of butts in the environment

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Newsdesk
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Disposing of butts into the environment can cause a fire and is therefore absolutely prohibited in the Hellenic Republic.

Smoking while driving is not totally prohibited in the Hellenic Republic, but in a number of cases, due to the risk of accidents and other considerations, it is punishable by law with heavy fines.

The basic fine for this offense is €200, but the Fire Protection Ordinance provides for escalating fines depending on the area in which this offense is committed (with an increased risk of fire) or if it is committed systematically. In the latter cases, the fine can reach up to 5,000 euros.

Smoking while driving in the presence of a child under the age of 12 is absolutely prohibited. According to the Anti-Smoking Act (4633/2019), smoking and the consumption of tobacco products are completely prohibited in all cars, private or public, when minors under the age of 12 are traveling in them.

The fine for smoking in the presence of a child under the age of 12 in a private car is 1,500 euros, and in a public car – 3,000 euros, and at the same time the driver’s license is revoked for a period of 1 month. It is also important to note that the driver’s license is also revoked when the offense is committed by another adult passenger in the vehicle.

Photo by Irina Iriser:

TikTok’s owner ByteDance illegally scraped content from other platforms

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Newsdesk
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A former employee filed complaint about illegal activities that allegedly took place within ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, was filed.

Yintao “Roger” Yu, a former head of engineering at Bytedance in the United States, has claimed that he was terminated from his position after raising concerns to management that the company was taking user content from other platforms, primarily Instagram and Snapchat.

This dispute has arisen at a very specific time, when TikTok, an app owned by ByteDance, is facing mounting pressure from lawmakers in the United States, Australia, and some European countries due to concerns about the potential use of this platform to enact the influence from the Chinese government.

In a complaint filed on Friday in San Francisco state court, Yu has alleged that the Chinese tech company engaged in a “worldwide scheme to steal and profit from the content of others” without obtaining permission.

According to Yu, when he brought up his concerns to higher management, they disregarded them and instructed him to conceal the illicit activities, particularly from employees based in the United States, as the country had more rigorous intellectual property laws and the risk of class action lawsuits. Soon after, ByteDance terminated Yu’s employment in November 2018.

Yu’s complaint further alleges that ByteDance created “masses of fake user accounts to inflate its metrics”.

In his legal filing, Yu is requesting a court order to prevent the company from scraping content from other social media platforms.

In response, the representatives of ByteDance said these claims are baseless and the company will be defending itself. “We plan to vigorously oppose what we believe are baseless claims and allegations. Mr. Yu worked for ByteDance Inc. for less than a year,” noted company officials.

Written by Alius Noreika

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Avoiding disaster in a dangerous world

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United Nations News
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Avoiding disaster in a dangerous world
© UNICEF - People flee their homes as Cyclone Freddy hits Blantyre city in Malawi.

More people globally are being affected by disasters than ever before, despite the adoption of a UN-backed international disaster reduction agreement in 2015.

Experts from around the world are gathering at UN Headquarters to speed up efforts to fully implement that agreement to bring about a safer world.

For Malawians, Cyclone Freddy was an unmitigated disaster. In March this year, the storm ripped through the African country twice during its record-breaking month-long destructive rampage through southern Africa.

The unprecedented duration of the extreme weather event would have been difficult for any country to deal with, but for Malawi, one of the most vulnerable developing nations in the world, it was devastating. Hundreds were killed, more than half a million people were displaced, and thousands of hectares of crops were washed away.

As of early April, hundreds of people remained missing, and some 1.1 million people were in need of humanitarian support. The severe storm hit during Malawi’s worst cholera outbreak in two decades, adding to the pressures on a health system that was already severely stretched.

That same month, a group of independent UN rights experts called for more humanitarian aid, but also for Malawi to “develop durable solutions to avert, minimize, and address disaster displacement through climate adaptation measures, preparedness and disaster risk reduction.”

© UNOCHA/Jane Kiiru – Men work to repair a damaged road in the Mulanje District of Malawi in the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy.

More severe, costly, and deadly disasters

The impact of Freddy is just one example of the growing number of complex and costly disasters affecting increasing numbers of people, that prompted 187 countries to sign up to an international disaster risk reduction agreement in 2015.

The Sendai Framework, named after the Japanese city in which it was adopted, is an international UN agreement designed to reduce disaster losses. It targets substantially fewer deaths from disasters, a reduction in the disaster damage to infrastructure, and improved early warning systems – all by 2030.

However, eight years on, little progress has been made: according to the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), there has been an 80 per cent increase in the number of people affected by disasters since 2015. What’s more, UNDRR finds that many of the lessons from past disasters seem to have been ignored.

An eight-year-old girl stands near a school destroyed by floods in Quetta, Pakistan.
© UNICEF/Muhammad Sohail – An eight-year-old girl stands near a school destroyed by floods in Quetta, Pakistan.

Half-time report

From 18 to 19 May, a High-Level meeting at UN Headquarters in New York will provide an opportunity to lay out the many challenges that have stalled progress, and chart a course towards a safer world.

Delegates at the event will have pored over the report of the Midterm Review of the Framework’s implementation, which lays bare the scale of the problem. Released in April to mark the half-way point between the launch of the Framework and the 2030 deadline, it does not make for comfortable reading.

The report emphasizes the growing impacts of climate change since 2015, and the brutally unequal consequences, which are much more severe in developing countries; a case in point is the flooding in Pakistan in 2022, which affected more than 33 million people and damaged millions of acres of agricultural land, causing widespread food insecurity.

The growing interconnectedness of the world’s societies, environments, and technologies means that disasters can spread extremely quickly. The report points to the COVID-19 pandemic as a prime example, beginning as a local outbreak in China in 2019, before rapidly spreading around the world, leading to the death of some 6.5 million people by the end of 2022.

“One doesn’t have to look hard to find examples of how disasters are becoming worse’” says Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and head of UNDRR. “The sad fact is that many of these disasters are preventable because they are caused by human decisions. The call to action of the Midterm Review is that countries need to reduce risk in every decision, action, and investment they make.

Less than half of the Least Developed Countries and only one-third of Small Island Developing States have a multi-hazard early warning system.
Less than half of the Least Developed Countries and only one-third of Small Island Developing States have a multi-hazard early warning system.

Countries taking the lead

Clearly, not enough is being done: the costs of disasters continue to rise, but funding for disaster risk reduction is not going up at anywhere near the rate needed to tackle them.

Nevertheless, as the report shows, there are many examples of countries, at a national level, putting plans in place to protect their citizens from the risk of disasters.

To date, disaster preparedness plans have been enacted in 125 countries. They range from legislation in Costa Rica that allows all institutions to allocate budgets for prevention and emergency response, to Australia’s Disaster Ready Fund, which will invest up to A$200 million per year from 2023 – 2024 in disaster prevention and resilience initiatives, and Barbados’s disaster clauses that allow for debt to be immediately frozen in the event of an economic impact caused by disaster.

And, whilst the number of people affected by disasters is going up, the proportion being killed has more than halved. The disaster-related mortality rate in the decade 2005-2014 was 1.77 per 100,000 global population, and in the decade 2012-2021 it had dropped to 0.84 (barring the impact of COVID-19).

The recommendations in the Mid-Term Report, and the measures being taken at a national level will form the basis of the discussions at the High-Level Meeting: they contain proof that a safer world is achievable, between now and 2030, if the necessary investments in risk reduction are made.

Reducing the risk of disasters at the UN

  • The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) helps decision makers across the globe better understand and change their attitude to risk.
  • UNDRR’s authoritative expertise and presence in five regional offices is used to build and nurture relationships with national and local governments, intergovernmental organizations, civil society and the private sector.
  • The Office collects, collates, and shares the latest high quality technical information and data about reducing risk and building resilience more effectively. Hundreds of experts work in UNDRR’s science and tech advisory groups, essential partners for governments and other stakeholders all over the world.
  • The development and roll-out of inclusive and accessible multi-hazard early warning systems is a key part of their work. Such systems save lives: on average, when disaster strikes, fatality rates in countries without them are eight times higher than in countries that have put them in place. 

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Alicia Simpson, Stephanos Efthymiadis (ed), Niketas Choniates: A Historian and a Writer. La Pomme d’or S.A., Geneva 2011.

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Gaston de Persigny
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 Contents:

Introduction, Alicia Simpson, Niketas Choniates: the Historian and Stephanos Efthymiadis, Niketas Choniates: the Writer

Paul Magdalino:

Prophecy and Divination in the History

Anthony Kaldellis:

Paradox, Reversal and the Meaning of History

Stephanos Efthymiadis:

Greek and Biblical Exempla in the Service of an Artful Writer

Roderick Saxey:

The Homeric Metamorphoses of Andronikos I Komnenos

John Davis:

The History Metaphrased: Changing Readership in the Fourteenth Century

Luciano Bossina:

Niketas Choniates as a Theologian

Alicia Simpson:

Narrative Images of Medieval Constantinople

Titos Papamastorakis:

Interpreting the De Signis of Niketas Choniates

https://www.pommedor.ch/choniates.html

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