I don’t know if you’ve ever been a fan of Yes, Marillion, or even Genesis, back in the times. I was. And today, I’m not coming with newcomers, but with old timers that I think deserve a big round of applause for their last release “Look To The Sky – Philly Mix”. Their name: Supa Philly. And it has that flavour of the 70’s neo prog rock that I always liked a lot.
Their name tells you where they’re from. For those who are not completely awake this morning: Philadelphia. It’s not a new band, but a legendary band formed in the 70s, made of crazy musicians used to record with The Who, perform with The Monkees, James Taylor, and others that young folks have never heard of and that’s a shame. They separated and re-formed several times; and today, since 2021 (their last re-formation) the band consists of four original members, David Christopher, Frank McDonnell, Randy Cantor, and Dick Sherwood, plus a great female singer, Michele Ricco.
Now, why would I bother you with such dinosaurs, you may tell me. Why, because they are good, and you love good music! But just before to talk music, let’s talk about the meaning of the song. Because it’s not a song that comes from nowhere. It’s about UFO. Yes, UFO, you heard me. The guys were already there in the 70s, and back then (even in the 80s), everybody knew that UFO was no BS. Minds were open (too much sometimes), and eyes were looking for life everywhere. “Look to the Sky” (the title of the song I will share today) refers to that day of 1978 when Frank McDonnell and Dick Sherwood saw a black, triangular aircraft floating across the Atlantic City Expressway at 3 am. I’ve no idea if they were on drugs that night (so many were), but I’ve no reason to disbelieve what they say that they’ve seen. And they took it sufficiently seriously to have already recorded two songs about it, that one being the third.
The idea of the track: maybe if those people coming from elsewhere (the big space) would land on Earth and decide to stay, they’d be able to bring peace by having “the planet reunite”. That may sound a bit unreal or even a weird utopia. It’s not. As science-fiction literature has always been a vector of progress and helped the creation of new realities, that kind of songs also brings about new realities. The mere idea that things could be different can make the whole difference in that world. Well, that’s my experience, and I always thank the artists, the dreamers of Earth, as if they were not here, the world would stay grim forever.
The song is a masterpiece of prog-rock, with some flavors (and more than flavors) of Gospel pop-rock. The singers have incredible voices, and as the band says, they sing without auto-tunes, they play real instruments, and they are definitely not washed up.
It’s a great composition with excellent arrangements, and honestly, it’s the kind of rock music that helps you elevate and rise to better moods. You should… You MUST listen to it:
And of course you can listen to it in the New Rock Gems Spotify playlist or your favorite blogger:
In January 2022, as the first RN (Rassemblement National – National Rally) MEP from overseas France, I conducted a disillusioned assessment of my work within the Identity & Democracy group. I highlighted the disparity between the official discourse, which was highly favourable to the French overseas territories, and the reality of certain votes that diverged significantly from the interests of our 2.2 million compatriots residing in the “outermost regions.” Consequently, I decided to depart from the Identity & Democracy Group and sit as an unaffiliated member. This choice entailed the loss of several political advantages but allowed me to rekindle my fundamental values: freedom from any “voting discipline” and the vital freedom of speech necessary for my full engagement in the causes close to my heart.
Simultaneously, I announced my endorsement for Éric Zemmour’s presidential candidacy.
This endorsement was unconditionally given, devoid of ulterior motives, and solely motivated by Éric Zemmour’s declared ambition to champion greater France, a France that doesn’t view its 12 overseas territories as historical burdens but as treasures to be polished. Éric Zemmour shared my conviction that there is a far better path for our overseas territories and their inhabitants than keeping them mired in poverty and welfare. At that time, I was convinced by his sincere and proactive message, which I saw as an enormous opportunity to gain the trust of territories that had previously held the national right in suspicion.
I experienced this presidential campaign with fervour and enthusiasm. I am profoundly grateful to Éric Zemmour for affording me the opportunity to witness the extraordinary atmosphere at his massive rallies. I encountered remarkable and selfless campaigners, deeply committed to our country’s future. This passionate grassroots base was characterized by kindness and attentiveness. Éric Zemmour deserves significant credit for uniting more goodwill and talent than the national right had ever assembled.
However, the final outcome failed to meet our expectations. In the overseas territories, despite a substantial number of activists and the valiant efforts of dedicated regional delegates, our political message remained unheard. How could it be heard when the candidate made no visits to the overseas territories? How could it be heard when the numerous proposals I submitted to the candidate were never translated into a comprehensive program? How could it be heard when the detailed plan I had crafted for overseas France was printed only 10 days before the first round, relegating it to insignificance?
I lament the fact that Éric Zemmour’s only significant presence in overseas France occurred during an interview with Outre-mer la 1ère on March 22, 2022, when the candidate, inexplicably, referred to colonization as a “blessing.” While I have no doubt that Éric Zemmour loves the French overseas territories, as he has frequently stated, he seemingly lacks a deep understanding of them. Failing to acknowledge the suffering endured during the colonial era by the various peoples comprising the Overseas Territories, whether enslaved or not, is both a moral and political failing. My friends in the French Overseas Territories, although initially well-disposed toward him, were scandalized by this statement, and the last month of the campaign in the French Overseas Territories turned into a protracted ordeal. I was on the verge of retracting my support for Éric Zemmour upon hearing his words, and it was only my concern not to harm a candidate already in dire straits that kept me from doing so.
The conclusion of the presidential campaign marked the end of my association with Éric Zemmour. Despite overtures, I never entertained the idea of joining his party or becoming involved in its structures. I cherish my freedom too dearly, and I am deeply committed to defending the best interests of the overseas territories.
Today marks the commencement of a new chapter in my political journey. I have accepted the honour bestowed upon me by Christian Vanneste, the honorary president, to assume the role of President of the “Rassemblement pour la France”. As a staunch conservative with a profound attachment to tradition, I am acutely aware of the responsibility entrusted to me in leading a movement with such illustrious roots as those of General de Gaulle and Charles Pasqua.
I pledged to the RPF Steering Committee that I would unwaveringly adhere to the Gaullist and socialist principles embraced by the party. These principles align with the ideals I have consistently championed and are reflective of the contemporary needs that continue to underscore General de Gaulle’s vision. In addition to preserving this political legacy, I aspire to introduce a new dimension. I have come to realize that as French society becomes increasingly fragmented, two categories of French citizens are consistently overlooked: the 2.8 million French individuals residing overseas under often challenging conditions, and the 3.5 million French expatriates living abroad, whose extraordinarily diverse individual situations are inadequately addressed by public authorities.
Recognizing this neglect affecting nearly 10% of our fellow citizens, I proposed to the RFP Steering Committee a name change for the party, now to be known as the Rassemblement pour les Français d’Outre-mer et de l’Étranger (RPF-OME). This transformation, while fully embracing the Gaullist heritage of the RPF, signifies our openness to all French individuals, including those residing far from our borders.
This new RPF-OME will adopt an unequivocally constructive approach. Rejecting partisan politics, it will not succumb to the facile temptation of baseless criticism, vitriolic rhetoric, or sensationalism. It views public discourse not as a battleground for defeating opponents but as a platform for forging political compromises on issues that genuinely matter to the French people.
As President of the RPF-OME, I aim to be a valuable voice for our compatriots, particularly those who find themselves distant from the centre of public action and decision-making. In all circumstances, I will strive to make General de Gaulle’s adage my own: “Always occupy the highest position, as it is typically the least crowded.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has had wide-ranging impacts on cities and may influence the transition to more environmentally sustainable cities for years to come. Added to the pandemic are other pressing crises, including new, urgent European Union policies to tackle climate change and environmental degradation and the impacts of the war in Ukraine. These, along with the energy crisis, are contributing to accelerated action but also present new challenges to ensure ambitious urban sustainability targets stay on track, according to the EEA report ‘Urban sustainability in Europe — Post‑pandemic drivers of environmental transitions.’
The report is an update on a previous EEA report on urban sustainability and is linked to a series of related studies published in 2020-2021. It seeks to compare the experiences of cities immediately before the pandemic and as they emerge from it and to assess whether there are areas where the pandemic has already led to changes in key drivers of change as well as barriers, too. Research for the report included surveys and interviews involving 64 cities across Europe.
Among the key lessons outlined in the report, the study found that the pandemic highlighted social inequalities and the need that any shift to sustainability does not leave anyone behind. Cities will need to ensure new green policies do not further alienate certain social groups. The report highlights that transitions will need to be tailored to individual cities and their unique qualities and circumstances.
According to survey results, the COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a significant trigger for environmental and sustainability efforts. The EEA report notes a shift since the pandemic, particularly around issues of sustainable mobility and green spaces. Related to this, public opinion and awareness of the environmental challenges faced also seems to be an important trigger as was the crucial role of political vision to drive sustainability action.
Air pollution, traffic, lack and loss of green space, severe storms and flooding, stormwater management and noise pollution were identified as the top six environmental challenges facing the cities in the survey and interviews. The lack and loss of green spaces was listed as the lowest challenge pre-pandemic.
Cities are also facing a wide range of socio-economic challenges. The top six most important challenges are apart from the prominence of the COVID-19 pandemic and other communicable diseases, lack of affordable housing, urban sprawl, road congestion, demographic change and social exclusion.
EEA’s work on urban sustainability
The report is part of a series of products the EEA has published over the past year on urban environmental sustainability. Work explored climate resilience, quality of life, accessibility, healthy environment, food security, circularity, clean energy and sustainable buildings — at urban level.
The main objectives of the latest report are to generate in-depth knowledge about the drivers and barriers to sustainability and explore how they may have been influenced by the pandemic, ongoing European recovery efforts and recent European policy shifts including the European Green Deal, the EU urban agenda, and NextGenerationEU.
The European Parliament adopted a set of recommendations aimed at improving the precarious situation of Roma settlements in the EU.
The Roma, in all the diversity that the term encompasses, are the largest ethnic minority in Europe and face poverty and social exclusion in several Member States, MEPs said.
The main problems that need urgent attention are the lack of decent, desegregated housing, clean drinking water, electricity, sewage, wastewater and waste treatment facilities, and the continued discrimination and segregation of Roma children in schools. MEPs also highlighted the lack of healthcare, long-term unemployment, police abuses and inadequate access to justice.
To remedy this situation, the EP calls for short- and long-term strategies supported by sufficient funding from the EU and national funds, in particular the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and national plans for recovery and resilience.
Member States should allocate funds at regional and local level to better respond to the immediate needs of Roma living in EU settlements. All obstacles, including direct and indirect forms of discrimination, which prevent the effective use of funds must be removed.
The Commission should set up an early warning mechanism to identify abuse or misuse of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) and other EU funds meant to tackle the situation of Roma, MEPs say. They also urge the Commission to phase out marginalized Roma settlements across the EU by 2030. Including members of the Roma community who do quality social work in the settlements would be a way to persuade Roma to leave them.
MEPs call for children of Roma origin to be properly included in the national action plans under the European Guarantee for Children. The enhanced Youth Guarantee and Erasmus+ should be used to promote social cohesion and employment among Roma youth. They also believe that Roma participation and leadership should be a qualitative objective in national Roma strategic frameworks to promote social inclusion and democratic participation.
Finally, they point to the untapped potential of highly educated young Roma as an engine of positive change.
The resolution was adopted with 486 votes in favor, 109 votes against and 38 abstentions.
According to the European Union survey on minorities and discrimination, 63% of Roma are not in education, employment or training, while the EU average is 12%. 80% of Roma live below the poverty risk threshold in their country. 41% of Roma in the nine EU Member States covered by the EU-MIDIS II survey feel discriminated against because of their Roma origin in at least one area of everyday life, such as job search, employment, housing, health and education. According to the European Union survey on minorities and discrimination, 63% of Roma are not in education, employment or training, while the EU average is 12%. 80% of Roma live below the poverty risk threshold in their country. 41% of Roma in the nine EU Member States covered by the EU-MIDIS II survey feel discriminated against because of their Roma origin in at least one area of everyday life, such as job search, employment, housing, health and education.
The need for a sustainable food system is already recognised in Europe, but in light of increased impacts of climate change and continued high emissions from agriculture, this shift must be accelerated, according to three related EEA briefings. The transformation of Europe’s agriculture sector and food system has never been more important amid the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and impacts of climate change, all of which raise concerns over food security and resilience.
‘Rethinking Agriculture’ looks at agriculture from different angles exploring the root causes of unsustainability and possible paths forward. The European Green Deal and its Farm to Fork Strategy treat agriculture as more than an economic sector: it also contributes to sustainability goals such as social well-being, ecosystem health, and food and nutrition security. But efficiency gains have not halted the degradation of the environment in Europe or globally, the report notes. Despite significant investment in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and other relevant EU policies, agriculture’s contribution to biodiversity loss, water overconsumption and greenhouse gas emissions continues. Notably on biodiversity, recent findings confirm the major roles climate change and intensive agriculture play in driving the decline of insect biodiversity worldwide. Moreover, rural abandonment and rural heritage loss are still challenges in Europe.
‘Reimagining the food system through social innovations’ examines how social innovation can play a pivotal role in transforming our food systems into ones that are economically and socially feasible and sustainable. The study offers insights into the experimentation taking place around alternative ways to produce, trade and consume food. It notes, however, that transforming production and consumption systems towards social, economic and environmental sustainability will require huge shifts in lifestyles and patterns of consumption and production. These changes are likely to disrupt existing investments, jobs and power structures as well.
While total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the EU have fallen by a third since 1990, reducing emissions in the agriculture sector has been a slower process and has largely stagnated since 2005.Between 1990 and 2000, the agriculture sector achieved a notable drop — of 15% — in emissions of two key greenhouse gases, methane and nitrous oxide, stemming from animal and crop production. But the rates of reductions slowed after 2000 and have been almost stagnant since 2005.
Based on EU countries’ current policies and measures, this trend is projected to continue through 2040, with only a 1.5 % decrease expected between 2020 and 2040 according to the third EEA briefing ‘Progress and prospects for decarbonisation in the agriculture sector and beyond’. Policies and efficiency gains have reduced the emission intensities of some agricultural products, but this has been offset by an increase in agricultural production. Further emissions reductions can be achieved by addressing the full lifecycle of food production, including transport, packaging, food processing and retail.
Opportunities for change
The European Green Deal and its Farm to Fork Strategy contribute to sustainability goals such as social well-being, ecosystem health, and food and nutrition security and despite the challenges, diverse social innovations proliferate across the food chain, opening opportunities for change. They include experiments with new foods, products, services, and business and governance models. Social innovations include shorter food supply chains, community-supported agriculture, urban farming, plant-based nutrition, public procurement schemes, food waste solutions, food education and community-building initiatives.
The experiments vary in maturity and novelty but are often enabled by new technologies and partnerships. These should be encouraged as we phase out unsustainable models of producing, trading and consuming food. For policy makers, understanding what social innovations are emerging, who is driving them and their potential impacts are key first steps towards taking action that contributes to the sustainability of the food system.
The engagement of farmers, consumers and the other agri-food actors also needs to be ensured. Raising farmers’ awareness of their responsibilities and the technical possibilities for reducing in emissions will be key. Technical and financial support for investments and tailored advice at farm level are available under the Common Agricultural Policy. Yet, achieving changes in agri-food systems also requires moving beyond questions of ‘how’ to farm. Engaging with a broad range of actors in society in exploring new ways of production and consumption is crucial for achieving resilient and sustainable agri-food systems.
Responsibility for a successful shift towards climate neutrality is not only up to farmers, but it must also include consumers and other agri-food actors. Implementing circular economy actions across the full value chain could help further reduce GHG emissions in the agri-food system. The potential for waste reduction, the reuse and recycling of materials and greater circularity start in the design phase; next, this persists through the production, consumption and waste management phases of the agri-food life cycle.
At a time when peace talks are in progress between the Ethiopian government and the Tigrayan rebels, the systematic and intentional massacre of Ethiopia’s oldest ethnic group, the Amharas, continues to be perpetrated with utter indifference.
While international institutions and the high names of the civil society denounce the exactions perpetrated in Ethiopia during this conflict, NGOs such as Stop Amhara Genocide are dedicated to denouncing the unspoken horror of what can unquestionably be called, according to the official criteria used by the international community and experts, a genocide.
Yodith Gideon : Human Rights Advocate / Founder & Director of Stop Amhara Genocide · Stop Amhara Genocide
Stop Amhara Genocide is established in Switzerland to fight against the genocide and all forms of discrimination against the Amhara people in Ethiopia. Stop Amhara Genocide works with other human rights NGOs to create awareness within the international community about the ongoing Amhara Genocide and stop these atrocities. Stop Amhara Genocide is an international association which was established in June 2021 when the genocide was at its peak following the scaled-up simultaneous mass killings in many regions under the Oromo-dominated Prosperity Party ruling began in 2018. Under the Tigray TPLF apartheid-type regime Amharas endured 27-years of many forms of massacres, disappearances, and systematic destructive measures taken against the Amhara people. The regime change in 2018 and subsequent war with the TPLF expanded the regions and volume of the Amhara mass killings in various places: Oromia, Benishangul-Gumuz and Metekel, Tigray, the southern SNNPR, and the Amhara regions. However, the international community and media chose not to report on this genocide which prompted human rights activists to join their force and create the Stop Amhara Genocide Association. Director and founding member of the Association Ms Yodith Gideon is at the helm of the Association since the creation of the Association while the Association has board members from various countries including Rwanda and France.
The core of the Stop Amhara Genocide Association’s mission is to advocate within the United Nations, European Union, and African Union to put pressure on member states and the different human rights institutions to take action to stop the Amhara Genocide.
Since its inception, the Association has been involved in various international advocacy campaigns including canvassing in the streets of Switzerland to create awareness among the community about the ongoing Amhara Genocide. During the campaigns, our volunteers distributed flyers depicting some of the brutal contents of the Genocide. The Association also held press conferences with Brussels Press Club, Frankfurt Press Club and Suisse Press Club.
Furthermore, in an effort to maximise its reach, the Association has an ongoing collaboration with several human rights advocacy NGOs with which the Association was able to publish and distribute several articles and reports to the international community. Recently, the Stop Amhara Genocide Association participated in a hunger strike in London and Paris to protest against the ongoing Amhara Genocide and the grave human rights violations perpetrated by the Ethiopian government.
The European Times journalist spoke to the Stop Amhara Genocide spokesperson.
Interview
Robert Johnson: There is campaigns on tweeter about Genocide in Ethiopia, like #StateSponsoredAmharaGenocide or #StopAmharaGenocide, but the broader world has not heard about the genocide in Ethiopia. Why is that?
Stop Amhara Genocide : One of the most serious human rights violations taking place now in the 21st century, is in Ethiopia. And yet the mainstream media and international human rights organizations who are responsible organizations to inform the international community have refused to report in the manner that the situation demands. This refusal to report these extreme human rights violations and name them as Genocide and request the UN to investigate the cases with the intention to bring the perpetrators of this crime to the International Criminal Court (ICC) has not happened despite the fact that the Genocide has been taking place for over 4 years as a well-planned operation with an established goal.
RJ: Genocide is a very grave crime. Do you believe that your contention fulfils the requirements established by the United Nations Convention?
Stop Amhara Genocide: Europe is fully aware of what genocide is because it experienced it during the 2nd World War. Today, seventy years after the holocaust and 29 years after the Rwandan genocide, Amharas in Ethiopia are systematically being killed in the most heinous way. When we say heinous, we mean slaughtered like animals, raped in public and in full view of family members, burnt alive, hanged upside down, cannibalized and men organs used as trophies and used as necklaces etc.
We know what Genocide means. We have studied it and discussed it with eminent lawyers and experts in this matter. “To constitute genocide there must be a proven intent on the part of the perpetrators to physically destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group “.
There are enough proofs necessary for the International Criminal Court to prove that the Amharas are being killed tortured and displaced for who they are. While the member organizations who are responsible could easily prove this by opening an investigation, they have refused to do that.
Today as we speak, hundreds are being killed and displaced and no member of the international community or member states of the UN are talking about it seriously, which leads us to a very likely conclusion of conspiracy to hide this truth.
We are here to tell you the truth and to ask you to pressure your governments to conduct their own investigation and also allow us to submit to them our own overwhelming evidence.
RJ: Why do you believe that the Ethiopian government leader Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is involved?
Stop Amhara Genocide: What is happening in Ethiopia is a state-sponsored terrorism led by the Prime Minister who refuses to prevent the Genocide and instead on days when Genocide are committed, goes to exercise his erratic behaviour of planting trees when he should be condemning these criminal actions. When he was asked why he goes out to plant trees instead of condemning the Genocide and grieving the dead and the survivors, he famously answered in parliament: “These plants will be shades to the dead”.
The death of Amharas has become so routine that it has stopped being a subject for discussion by the international community.
RJ: How do you compare it with the Rwandan genocide?
Stop Amhara Genocide: Those who have witnessed the genocide in Rwanda state that, though, the Ethiopian case has not yet reached a million like Rwanda, in its intensity and in the way, people are killed and tortured, the Amhara cases far exceed the limits of inhumanity that has ever been experienced since the Second World War.
It is similar to the Rwandan genocide because this is a genocide committed with a clear strategy of eliminating the Amharas to ensure the dominance of Oromos led by non-other than Prime Minister Abiy. In the case of Rwanda, it was the clear dominance of the minority (Tutsis) that became the root cause of the genocide.
The actors of the Genocide in Ethiopia have mixed motives targeting people of Amhara ethnic origin including Christians, Muslims and Jews, and especially Orthodox Christians. The majority of the armed groups mobilize from region to region with the collaboration of local government officials, and are from these groups:
The Oromo OLF-OLA perpetrators are also known as Shane or Shene or Oneg;
The Tigray TPLF or TDF and Samri youth groups in the annexed Amhara regions, and various places in the Amhara region;
The Gumuz extremist of the Benishangul-gumuz & Metekel region
Various actors carried out attacks on Amharas in the Southern SNNPR region and other places.
RJ: What are you asking and expecting from the international community?
Stop Amhara Genocide: We ask the international community a simple question: Would you please send investigative team to the places specified in our documents and find out the truth for yourself?
The government will certainly not cooperate, but the international community has to get the mandate or demand that the previous mandate issued by the Human Rights Council which relates exclusively to the war in the North which began November of 2020, to include all the genocide and crimes against humanity committed by the TPLF and the Genocide which takes place particularly in the Oromia region, since this Prime Minister came to power 4 years ago.
To better understand what is really occurring to the Amhara people in Ethiopia, and whether the qualification of genocide is appropriate in this case, read the article published by expert Dawit W. Giorgis where he gives his insightful views on this controversial issue.
M. Dawit W Giorgis worked in Angola during the war, in Rwanda immediately after the genocide in the recovery phase, he was in Liberia after the 14 years’ war during the recovery phase, he was in Darfur during the genocide, in South Sudan during the war, in Central Africa Republic during the internal war, in Uganda studying the war launched by the Lords army resistance , in Mali during the war launched by the terrorists (jihadists), in Madagascar during the most serious political crisis since independence, in South Africa at the university of Cape Town following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
In his own country, Ethiopia, he was the head of the largest international humanitarian operation since Second World War, he was also governor of Eritrea during pre-independence war; and many other short termsassignments for a total of 28 years in Africa with 19 years in Ethiopia including military service trained in Ethiopia and the USA.
He has studied for 8 years international law and international comparative law in the USA and Ethiopia.
Bahai, Scientology, Orthodox Church, JesusChrist of the Later Days Saints, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism, participated in the course as speakers.
Navarra, Spain. The Public University of Navarra (UPNA) organised an autumn course on “Inclusion of Religious Diversity and Interculturality, the challenge of promoting the European way of life”. The course was held from 26 to 28 September in the Salón de Grados of the “Los Olivos” building.
The course was inaugurated by Prof. Drª. Drª. Begoña Pérez Eransus, Vice-Rector of Projection, Culture and Dissemination of the UPNA; the Vice-Dean Beatriz Rodríguez Sanz de Galdeano, on behalf of Prof. Dr. Rafael Lara González, Dean of the Faculty of Legal Sciences of the UPNA; and Prof. Dr. Juan Mª Sánchez Prieto – Director of the I-Communitas Institute of the same University.
In the framework of the Call for grants for the dissemination of EU policies and strategies, the Public University of Navarra, in collaboration with EUROPE DIRECT Navarra/Nafarroa, organised this conference on Inclusion of religious diversity, in which Article 10 of the European Charter of Human Rights was studied within the theme of “The challenge of promoting the European way of life, in the light of Article 10 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights”.
The Director and coordinator of this course has been the Professor of Constitutional Law Prof. Dr. Alejandro Torres Gutiérrez, of the UPNA, and Researcher of the Institute for Advanced Social Research, of the UPNA, the I-Communitas Institute, who was also the winner of the Religious Freedom Awards in the 2020 edition.
The first day of the course began, after the institutional act, with a lecture on “The system of Agreements in the light of the principle of secularism of the State” given by Prof. Drª. Adoración Castro Jover – Professor of State Ecclesiastical Law at the UPV. Member of the Advisory Commission on Religious Freedom.
This was followed by Prof. Dr. Juan Carlos Orenes Ruiz. – Professor of Constitutional Law at the UPNA and Legal Advisor to the Government of Navarre, who addressed the subject of “Regulatory challenges of religious diversity in the light of the principle of secularism: Social Security System for ministers of worship, recognition of marriage, conscientious objections, town planning, places of worship and cemeteries”.
Prof. Orenes Ruiz was in charge of moderating the first day’s debate, entitled “The inclusion of merely registered denominations in the Register of Religious Entities: The long road to the recognition of notorious roots and the signing of an Agreement”, in which attendees were able to listen to and learn from the contributions of Iván Arjona Pelado (Church of Scientology, the religion founded by L. Ron Hubbard), Karlos Alastruey (Baha`i Community), Juan Carlos Ramchandani [Krishna Kripa Dasa] (priest and President of the Hindu Federation and Vice-President of the Hindu Forum Europe), as well as Master Shifu You Weijun (Taoist Union of Spain). They all contributed, among other things and clarifications, their views on the current system of dealing with religious denominations, which they consider “treats the different denominations and their members unfairly”, with “levels of recognition” such as the so-called “notorious rootedness”. The speakers highlighted how the regulation of notorious roots (a category that does not derive from the constitutional norm) has created first, second and third division religions, and how the “bar” of requirements demanded of religious entities is for many unattainable due to their history and idiosyncrasy, thus preventing equal treatment of all citizens, treating them unequally according to their religion of choice.
Second day of the course
On the second day of the course, Prof. Torres gave a lecture on “The legal, social and economic challenges of the inclusion of religious diversity in Spain“, followed by another lecture on “Teaching religion in public schools and inclusion of diversity in the educational system”, masterfully presented by Prof. Dr. Óscar Celador Angón, Professor of State Ecclesiastical Law at the University Carlos III of Madrid.
The day ended with a debate on “Religious diversity in schools. A perspective from the Institutes and Teaching Centres of Navarre”, moderated by Prof. Torres, with contributions from Prof. Mikel Aramburu Zudaire (Instituto Plaza de la Cruz), Prof Luis Alberto Andía Celaya (Instituto de Barañain), Prof Fernando Jorajuria Zabalza (Instituto Navarro Villoslada), and Prof Juan Antonio Ojer Ojer (Colegio Público Iturrama).
Third day of the course
The third and final day of the Autumn Course concluded with two more lectures and a debate. The first lecture was on “Religious radicalisation and violence: Prevention and indicators”, given by Prof. Dr. Sergio García Magariño (Professor of Political Science and Administration at the UPNA and Researcher at the I-Communitas Institute), followed by a series of “Proposals de lege ferenda for a better inclusion of religious diversity in Spanish society”, presented by Ander Loyola Sergio – Researcher at the UPNA.
The final debate on “The inclusion of denominations with a declaration of well-known roots” was moderated by Prof. Alejandro Torres Gutiérrez, with the participation of José Ferrer Sánchez (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), Enrique Caputo Rivera (Buddhist Federation of Spain) and David Baltaretu (Romanian Orthodox Church).
Audiovisual educational material for religious diversity
With the material from this course, explains Professor Alejandro Torres Gutiérrez, audiovisual material will be produced “highlighting the existing religious diversity… as well as the challenges and present difficulties for its full social inclusion”, with the aim of contributing to the “full realisation of the right recognised by Article 10 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights”.
The course was aimed at Members of religious minorities, staff and authorities of public administrations, parliamentarians, political parties, trade unions, foundations, associations and other entities, as well as university and secondary school students, students of the Aula de la Experiencia and the general public interested in the study of the legal regime of Religious Denominations without Cooperation Agreement.
As the UPNA website explains: “The inclusion of religious diversity is one of the great challenges in our society, in which strong social prejudices still persist, and where there is significant underlying legislative discrimination. Article 10 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights recognises the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, which poses the challenge, from the point of view of promoting the European way of life, of including the existing religious diversity in our society, where strong social prejudices still persist, and where there is still significant legislative discrimination”.
Furthermore, the website indicates that in order to analyse the main challenges existing in this field, the UPNA has counted on “university experts specialised in the study of freedom of conscience, as well as from the world of education, and the representatives of the main religious confessions that lack a Cooperation Agreement with the State”.
27 September 2022 – 58 million people employed. 214 million tonnes produced. 20.2 kg consumed per person each year.
These statistics, from the Food and Agriculture Organization’s 2022 State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, demonstrate the formidable impact and breadth of the global fisheries sector.
However, the immense scale and growth of the fisheries sector has also led to actors committing crimes in the fisheries sector. These activities – frequently transnational and organized in nature – include illegal fishing, document fraud, drug trafficking, and money laundering. Moreover, the promise of high profits and a lack of coordinated, effective domestic and cross-border law enforcement efforts mean that organized criminal organizations engage in fisheries crime with relative impunity.
Deterring transnational crime – i.e., crime that transcends national borders – requires an international response. Since its establishment in 2004, the joint initiative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)-World Customs Organization (WCO) Container Control Programme (CCP or the Programme) has been actively building international networks to help prevent and intercept illegal shipments and contraband concealed in cargo containers.
By developing Air Cargo Control Units and Port Cargo Control Units (PCU) at key transportation hubs in over 70 Member States, the CCP has increased the capacities of law enforcement and customs agencies to counter such shipments and contraband. In 2016, the CCP’s focus expanded to deter the exploitation of the containerized trade supply chain in the context of crimes in the fisheries sector. By bringing together PCUs, fisheries departments, and other relevant actors, the Programme promotes a holistic approach to counter this form of crime.
As part of the UNODC’s FishNET Project (FishNET), generously funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), the CCP has been delivering a specialized CFS training package for frontline-level officers for more than five years. FishNET has enabled twelve countries in East Africa, West Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia to benefit from CFS sessions that build capacity, raise awareness, and develop networks.
To further strengthen inter-agency cooperation against crimes in the fisheries sector in the Africa region, the CCP recently conducted an inter-regional meeting in Namibia. The African coastal region has long been regarded as one of the most diverse and fiscally significant fishing regions in the globe. However, it now faces the negative impacts of climate change and various illegal activities related to the fisheries sector.
Beyond the detrimental effect that such activities have on marine ecosystems and the food security of local populations, crimes in the fisheries sector also costs states billions in lost revenue. Namibia’s expanding fisheries sector and increasing engagement in international containerized trade made it a strategic choice for hosting the event.
The meeting primarily contributed to enhancing cooperation and operational capability among frontline customs and law enforcement officers. Following an initial overview of crimes in the fisheries sector in the regions by CCP experts, all participating countries contributed with presentations on country-specific risk indicators and the implementation of relevant agreements.
The meeting also included a tour of a large commercial fishing vessel at the Walvis Bay seaport and a visit to a fish processing plant. These activities allowed participants to learn more about vessel inspections, observe the different stages of fish processing, and interact with private sector stakeholders to identify potential vulnerabilities in the industry’s trade supply chain.
By providing such technical assistance, the CCP aims to foster sustainable and long-term engagement between participating agencies and countries.
Further information
For more information on crimes in the fisheries sector and UNODC’s response, click here.
The new method converts methane gas into liquid methanol.
A team of researchers has successfully converted methane into methanol using light and scattered transition metals such as copper in a process known as photo-oxidation. The reaction was the best achieved to date for converting methane gas into liquid fuel at ambient temperature and pressure (25 °C and 1 bar, respectively), according to a study published in the journal Chemical Communications.
The term bar as a pressure unit comes from the Greek word meaning weight (baros). One bar equals 100,000 Pascals (100 kPa), close to the standard atmospheric pressure at sea level (101,325 Pa).
The study’s findings are a crucial step toward making natural gas accessible as a source of energy for the production of alternative fuels to gasoline and diesel. Despite the fact that natural gas is a fossil fuel, its conversion into methanol produces less carbon dioxide (CO2) than other liquid fuels in the same category.
The conversion took place under ambient temperature and pressure conditions, which could enable methane, a potent greenhouse gas, to be used to produce fuel. Credit: UFSCAR
Methanol is vital in biodiesel production and the chemical industry in Brazil, where it is used to synthesize a variety of products.
Furthermore, methane collection from the atmosphere is critical for mitigating the negative consequences of climate change since the gas has 25 times the potential to contribute to global warming as CO2, for example.
“There’s a great debate in the scientific community about the size of the planet’s methane reserves. According to some estimates, they may have double the energy potential of all other fossil fuels combined. In the transition to renewables, we’ll have to tap into all this methane at some point,” Marcos da Silva, first author of the article, told Agência FAPESP. Silva is a Ph.D. candidate in the Physics Department of the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar).
The study was supported by FAPESP, the Higher Research Council (CAPES, an agency of the Ministry of Education), and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, an arm of the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation).
According to Ivo Freitas Teixeira, a professor at UFSCar, Silva’s thesis advisor and the last author of the article, the photocatalyst used in the study was a key innovation. “Our group innovated significantly by oxidizing methane in a single stage,” he said. “In the chemical industry, this conversion occurs via the production of hydrogen and CO2 in at least two stages and under very high temperature and pressure conditions. Our success in obtaining methanol under mild conditions, while also expending less energy, is a major step forward.”
According to Teixeira, the results pave the way for future research into the use of solar energy for this conversion process, potentially reducing its environmental impact still further.
Photocatalysts
In the laboratory, the scientists synthesized crystalline carbon nitride in the form of polyheptazine imide (PHI), using non-noble or earth-abundant transition metals, especially copper, to produce active visible-light photocatalysts.
They then used the photocatalysts in methane oxidation reactions with hydrogen peroxide as an initiator. The copper-PHI catalyst generated a large volume of oxygenated liquid products, especially methanol (2,900 micromoles per gram of material, or µmol.g-1 in four hours).
“We discovered the best catalyst and other conditions essential to the chemical reaction, such as using a large amount of water and only a small amount of hydrogen peroxide, which is an oxidizing agent,” Teixeira said. “The next steps include understanding more about the active copper sites in the material and their role in the reaction. We also plan to use oxygen directly to produce hydrogen peroxide in the reaction itself. If successful, this should make the process even safer and economically viable.”
Another point the group will continue to investigate relates to copper. “We work with dispersed copper. When we wrote the article, we didn’t know whether we were dealing with isolated atoms or clusters. We now know they’re clusters,” he explained.
In the study, the scientists used pure methane, but in the future, they will extract the gas from renewables such as biomass.
According to the United Nations, methane has so far caused about 30% of global warming since the pre-industrial age. Methane emissions from human activity could be reduced by as much as 45% in the decade ahead, avoiding a rise of almost 0.3°C by 2045.
The strategy of converting methane into liquid fuel using a photocatalyst is new and not available commercially, but its potential in the near term is significant. “We began our research over four years ago. We now have far better results than those of Professor Hutchings and his group in 2017, which motivated our own research,” Teixeira said, referring to a study published in the journal Science by researchers affiliated with universities in the United States and the United Kingdom, and led by Graham Hutchings, a professor at Cardiff University in Wales.
References:
“Selective methane photooxidation into methanol under mild conditions promoted by highly dispersed Cu atoms on crystalline carbon nitrides” by Marcos A. R. da Silva, Jéssica C. Gil, Nadezda V. Tarakina, Gelson T. S. T. Silva, José B. G. Filho, Klaus Krambrock, Markus Antonietti, Caue Ribeiro and Ivo F. Teixeira, 31 May 2022, Chemical Communications. DOI: 10.1039/D2CC01757A
“Aqueous Au-Pd colloids catalyze selective CH4 oxidation to CH3OH with O2 under mild conditions” by Nishtha Agarwal, Simon J. Freakley, Rebecca U. McVicker, Sultan M. Althahban, Nikolaos Dimitratos, Qian He, David J. Morgan, Robert L. Jenkins, David J. Willock, Stuart H. Taylor, Christopher J. Kiely and Graham J. Hutchings, 7 September 2017, Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.aan6515
The pastoral care of tourism has now passed from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development to the Dicastery for Evangelization. Pope Francis communicated the decision in a Rescript on Saturday following an audience on 7 September with Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Human Development.
As stated in the document, which went into effect on the same day, 1 October 2022, the Pope “decided to transfer competence for the pastoral care of the faithful who undertake travel for piety, study, or recreational purposes from the same Dicastery (for Promoting Integral Human Development) to the Section for Fundamental Questions of Evangelization in the World of the Dicastery for Evangelization.”
The Rescript recalls John Paul II’s Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus of 28 June 1988.
It said that, “drawing inspiration from the magisterium of the Second Vatican Council,” the Polish Pope had assigned “the competence both of the pastoral care of exiles, migrants, nomads, circus people, seafarers and air transport workers, and of the spiritual care of those who travel” to the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.
Transfer of competencies
With Humanam progressionem, the motu proprio published on 17 August 2016, Pope Francis had established at that time the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development, which brought under its management the merger of four Pontifical Councils: Justice and Peace, Health Care Workers, Cor Unum, and, precisely, Migrants and Itinerants.
As a result, the competencies of that Pontifical Council were transferred to the newly-created Dicastery. Later, Pope Francis with a new motu proprio, Sanctuarium in Ecclesia of 11 February 2017 ensured that some areas of responsibility of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization were transferred to the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerant People, namely those mentioned in paragraph 151 of Pastor Bonus, which states that the Dicastery ” works to ensure that journeys which Christians undertake for reasons of piety, study, or recreation, contribute to their moral and religious formation, and it is available to the particular Churches in order that all who are away from home receive suitable spiritual care.”
The new Constitution called for “a redistribution of the aforementioned competencies,” as noted in Saturday’s Rescript, and therefore the transfer of responsbility to the Dicastery for Evangelization.
