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Crime, corruption, maritime insecurity and the environment: why a criminal justice approach is necessary to protect our oceans

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Newsdesk
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Plastic on a beach in Mumbai, India. © UNEP
Plastic on a beach in Mumbai, India. © UNEP

Lisbon (Portugal), 27 June-1 July 2022 — The ocean provides us with half of our oxygen. It is the main source of sustenance for more than one billion people. Ocean-related industries employ 40 million people, many of whom live in developing countries.

But the health, wealth, jobs, and recreation the ocean provides are under threat due to human activities, such as pollution and overfishing. In addition, crimes that affect coastal and marine environments have serious consequences for ecosystem resilience and biodiversity loss, leading to a scarcity of natural resources.

The United Nations (UN) Oceans Conference, co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal and held in Lisbon from 27 June to 1 July 2022, mobilized action to propel science-based innovative solutions to sustainably manage our oceans. The conference pushed for the adoption of solutions on issues like combating water acidification, pollution, illegal fishing, and loss of marine habitats and biodiversity. As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted, “Sadly, we have taken the ocean for granted, and today we face what I would call an “Ocean Emergency”. We must turn the tide.”

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), through its Border Management Branch (BMB), co-hosted three side events at the Conference to highlight the importance of a criminal justice approach in addressing challenges faced by the oceans.

On 28 June 2022, UNODC, in partnership with the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS), facilitated a side event titled “Depolluting the oceans through controlling trade in plastic wastes and combatting illegal traffic under the Basel Convention”. Every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our ocean. The transboundary movement of marine plastics and microplastics is a major concern as plastic debris remain intact in the ocean for a long period of time, causing significant damage to marine ecosystems. The panellists emphasized the need for strengthened partnerships and inter-agency collaboration to control legal and illegal trade in plastic waste, as well as the need to accelerate efforts to implement obligations under the Basel Convention.

On 31 June 2022, UNODC, in partnership with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), held a side event titled “Crime, corruption, and environment: a criminal justice approach for ocean action and achieving SDG 14”. The side event outlined how crimes in the fisheries sector, marine pollution and trafficking of marine species affect the health of the ocean and economies of coastal countries by fuelling corruption and creating conditions in which further crime – including serious and organized crime- can be perpetrated. The panel discussion highlighted the need to complement integrated ocean management with a criminal justice approach and provided an overview of initiatives aimed at addressing crime and illegality.

On 1 July 2022, UNODC, in partnership with the Government of Portugal, organized a side event on “Resilient Oceans and Maritime Insecurity: Innovation and Partnerships”. Representatives from the Governments of Portugal, São Tomé e Príncipe, Seychelles, as well as experts from Skylight and Stable Seas, discussed innovative partnerships with the use of technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, as well as the sharing of expertise between countries that share similar challenges in preventing and responding to maritime crimes. The event highlighted the link between maritime security and ocean resilience, particularly the fact that maritime crime poses a major threat to ocean sustainability, and that coastal communities are most affected due to their dependence on marine resources.

UNODC’s contribution through these side events highlighted the links between Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 “Life below water,” the main theme of the Conference, and SDG 16 “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”, as current efforts to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources are undermined by crime and illegality. Achievement of SDG 14 is therefore likely to fail unless States also take action towards achieving SDG 16 – in other words, by improving criminal justice responses to crimes that affect the marine environment and mainstreaming such considerations into conservation, risk mitigation and resource management policies.

Further information on UNODC’s work related to the Ocean agenda

Crimes that affect the environment are serious organized crime with far-reaching impacts for the economy, security, the environment, and human health, contributing to biodiversity loss and climate change. Learn more about UNODC’s work on addressing crimes that affect the environment here and its Container Control Programme and Global Maritime Crime Programme.

Pirated books thrive on Amazon — and authors say web giant ignores fraud

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News desk
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Pirated books thrive on Amazon — and authors say web giant ignores fraud

Amazon is getting flooded with counterfeit versions of books, angering customers and authors alike who say the site is doing little to fight the literary fraudsters. 

Forgeries sold by third parties through Amazon range from e-books to hardcovers and fiction to non-fiction — but the issue is especially widespread for textbooks, whose sky-high sticker prices draw in scammers, publishing industry sources say. 

“The damage to authors is very real,” Matthew Hefti, a novelist and attorney who has found counterfeit versions of his own book on Amazon, told The Post. “It’s such a pervasive problem.”  

The end result is that readers are getting stuck with illegible books that bleed ink or fall apart, while authors and publishers lose revenue to the publishing pirates.

Amazon, however, takes a cut of third-party sales regardless of whether the books they ship are real or fake, giving the company no incentive to crack down on coutenterfeits, people in the publishing industry gripe. They say the site that’s typically known for speedy service is excessively slow to respond to their concerns about fakes. 

‘Pages unreadable’

Martin Kleppmann, a computer science researcher and academic, has seen one-star Amazon reviews of his data modeling textbook roll in for years, with angry customers complaining about unreadable text, missing pages and other quality issues. He blames counterfeiters, who he says have sold pirated versions.

“This book is very badly printed,” reads one angry review of Kleppmann’s book. “Ink goes everywhere after 10 minutes reading.” 

“Pages are printed overlapped,” another review reads. “About 20 pages unreadable.” 

“Pages are printed overlapped,” a reviewer said.
One the of overlapped and poorly printed pages in an alleged pirated text.

A third reviewer gripes that they had to order Kleppmann’s book from Amazon three different times before they received a usable copy. The two counterfeits had see-through paper and other defects. 

“I see lots of negative reviews complaining about print quality,” Kleppmann told The Post, adding that his publisher has asked Amazon to fix the issue but the company hasn’t done anything. 

Amazon spokesperson Julia Lee said in a statement to The Post, “We prioritize customer and author trust and continuously monitor and have measures in place to prevent prohibited products from being listed.”

Amazon spent more than $900 million globally and employed more than 12,000 people to protect customers from counterfeit, fraud and other forms of abuse, Lee said.

One Amazon reviewer said they had to buy Kleppmann’s book three times to find a non-counterfeit copy.

But Kleppmann isn’t the only author who’s struggled with counterfeits on Amazon. Google deep learning researcher Francois Chollet complained about counterfeiters in a popular Twitter thread earlier in July, accusing Amazon of doing “nothing” to crack down on widespread counterfeit versions of his textbook. 

“Anyone who has bought my book from Amazon in the past few months hasn’t bought a genuine copy, but a lower-quality counterfeit copy printed by various fraudulent sellers,” Chollet wrote. “We’ve notified [Amazon] multiple times, nothing happened. The fraudulent sellers have been in activity for years.” 

Even The Post’s own columnist Miranda Devine saw fake versions of her book about Hunter Biden, “Laptop from Hell,” spread on Amazon last year.

After Devine’s publishers notified Amazon about the issue, the counterfeits remained on the site for days, she said. 

Amazon did not respond to a request for comment on the specific examples of counterfeits in this story.

‘Endless game of whack-a-mole’

Amazon generally requires authors and publishers to comb the site for counterfeit versions of their own books, then fight through layers of bureaucracy to get the fakes taken down, according to intellectual property attorney Katie Sunstrom. 

“The burden is on the seller to get Amazon to stop the infringers and counterfeiters from selling on their system,” Sunstrom told The Post. “There’s no impetus on Amazon to take care of it.” 

Kleppmann’s publisher, O’Reilly Media, told The Post that it routinely files complaints with Amazon about fraudulent sellers, but that the company is often slow to address their concerns. 

“It is an endless game of whack-a-mole where accounts simply resurface days or weeks later,” O’Reilly vice president of content strategy Rachel Roumeliotis told The Post, adding that Amazon will respond to “individual symptoms as discovered by publishers” but does nothing to stop the “systemic flow” of counterfeits. 

An example of an alleged pirated book from Amazon.

“Amazon spends a lot of time trying to combat the perception its marketplace perpetuates fraud because it’s known that there is a problem — yet its platform and policies are built in ways that facilitate it,” Roumeliotis said. 

Counterfeits spreading unchecked can put authors’ careers at risk, according to Hefti. 

Beyond cutting into the profits authors make off books they’ve already published, counterfeit sales don’t count toward official sales figures. Lower sales figures will, in turn, make it more difficult for authors to ink future book deals, Hefti said. 

“The model is so exploitative for writers,” he said. “I don’t even know if there is any fixing it, at least not without Amazon having to spend a ton of money and lose a bunch of existing profit.”

Successful European Universities Games concluded in Lodz

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EINpresswire
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Successful European Universities Games concluded in Lodz

EUSA’s European Universities Games in Lodz, one of the largest multi-sport events in Europe this year, concluded after 15 days of competitions.

LODZ, POLAND, July 31, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — The European Universities Games in Lodz, one of the largest multi-sport events in Europe this year, concluded after 15 days of competitions with a closing ceremony, held on Saturday, July 30, at the Lodz Sport Arena. The memorable event offered 20 sports, as well as a wide programme of educational, social and cultural activities.

These were Games of equal opportunities and solidarity, the Games of hope, the Games which proved that European University Sport Community is still strong and vital; the BEST Games Ever!”
— Adam Roczek, EUSA President
ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Successful European Universities Games concluded in Lodz

The event was prepared by the European University Sports Association (EUSA), in cooperation with the local Organising Committee EUG2022, led by Lodz University of Technology, University Sports Association of Poland (AZS) and the City of Lodz, supported by key partners. The closing ceremony was held in the presence of the highest regional, city, university and university sports officials, and showed highlights of each of the 20 sports featured at the 2022 Games, as well as giving a sneak-peak what we can expect at the next European Universities Games in 2024.

In the closing speech, EUSA President Mr Adam Roczek thanked the Organising Committee and host city partners and reflected on the event: “It was amazing restarting the university sport in Europe after the pandemic. These were Games of equal opportunities and solidarity, the Games of hope, the Games which proved that the European University Sports Community is still strong and vital; the BEST Games Ever!”. He also especially thanked the volunteers for their immense work.

After the lowering of the EUSA flag and playing the academic anthem Gaudeamus Igitur, the flag was passed from the President of the Organising Committee of the European Universities Games 2022, the Rector of Lodz University of Technology Mr Krzysztof Jozwik to the organisers of the next edition of the European Universities Games in 2024, represented by the Rector of the University of Miskolc Ms Zita Horvath. In 2024, the university sports community will gather in two cities, located in eastern Hungary – Debrecen and Miskolc.

The biannual event, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, started with the official opening ceremony on July 17 at the Atlas Arena, in the Polish 3rd largest city Lodz, where over 7000 people welcomed athletes, officials, referees and volunteers of this year’s European Universities Games.

Over 6000 people were directly engaged in the event, recording 4459 participants, representing 422 universities from 38 countries. Over 800 volunteers contributed to the success of the event, and other key people making the event a reality were members of the Organising Committee, EUSA representatives and staff, as well as a strong delegation of referees and judges, many of them nominated through European sport governing bodies.

The European Universities Games target athletes enrolled in higher education studies in Europe, and this year’s edition of the Games offered them the chance to compete in 3×3 Basketball, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Handball, Beach Volleyball, Chess, Football, Futsal, Handball, Judo, Karate, Kickboxing, Sport Climbing, Swimming, Table Tennis (including Para Table Tennis), Tennis, Volleyball, Water Polo and also featuring Sitting Volleyball and Para Power Lifting as promo sports. Competitions in 3×3 Basketball and Football were also considered as European qualifiers for FISU University World Cups.

Thanks to the joint efforts of EUSA, AZS, and the local Organising Committee, 285 participants from Ukraine, representing 40 universities were able to take part in 16 sports. The Ukrainian student-athletes were also very successful, winning 62 medals in the event.

Apart from the sports competitions, the Games offered a wide array of educational, cultural and social activities. Several educational events, including conferences on volunteering, workshops on social skills, anti-doping, disabilities and inclusion, a roundtable on dual careers and other fun and educational activities have been carried out in July.

The European Universities Games in Lodz were organised under the licence of the European University Sports Association (EUSA) by the Lodz University of Technology, University Sports Association of Poland (AZS) and the City of Lodz, in cooperation with the EUSA Institute and several partners, including the Ministry of Education and Science, national and local tourism organisations, Polish Olympic Committee, national and local sports organisation, media outlets and was also supported by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

For more information, please see www.eug2022.eu and www.eusa.eu.

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Successful European Universities Games concluded in Lodz

Israel and Morocco, a new agreement on judicial cooperation

By
Lahcen Hammouch
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Israel and Morocco, a new agreement on judicial cooperation

Israel and Morocco – In a move aimed at accelerating the pace of the normalization processes between Morocco and Israel under the “Abraham Accords”, a new agreement has been signed, including “legal cooperation” between the two sides.

Morocco Israel cooperation
Morocco Israel

In the Moroccan capital, Rabat, Israeli Justice Minister Gideon Saar and his Moroccan counterpart Abdellatif Wahbi signed a memorandum of understanding on “judicial cooperation”, the new agreement being part of the “relations of friendship and cooperation between the authorities in charge of justice in the two countries.

The website of the channel “i24news” said that Sa’ar signed a “joint declaration of judicial cooperation between the two countries” with his Moroccan counterpart, in order to modernise and digitise the judicial systems and cooperation between courts…

The site stressed that the signing of the agreement came with the aim of “strengthening cooperation that will contribute to the advancement of their professional activities”.

The channel quoted the Israeli minister as saying: “I see great importance in strengthening bilateral relations with Morocco in various political fields and in strengthening the dialogue between the governments of Israel and Morocco in all political fields”.

The head of the Israeli liaison office in Rabat, David Govrin, said that Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Wahbi signed with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, a “joint declaration of judicial cooperation between the two countries, to modernise and digitise the judicial systems”.

This comes a few days after the announcement of the decision to adopt certain guidelines to manage the affairs of the Jewish community inside and outside Morocco.

The Israeli Minister of Regional Cooperation, Issawi Freij, arrived a few days ago in Rabat, for a visit that included a meeting with Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Higher Education Minister Abdellatif Mirawi and other senior officials.

It was recently noted that Morocco, which joined the normalisation agreement known as the “Abraham Accords”, which was signed by the UAE and Bahrain with Israel at the end of 2020, has recently taken further steps to develop this agreement, signing numerous economic, security and military agreements, after exchanging ambassadors.

Last week, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, General Aviv Kochavi, visited Morocco, as part of the strengthening of military cooperation, during talks he had in Rabat with several senior officials of the kingdom. The two parties, including the sale by Morocco of Israeli drones.

He also announced during the visit that preparations were underway to build a strategic cooperation framework between the two armies, which represents a precedent, the first of its kind, between an Arab army and Israel.

In Rabat in November 2021, Defence Minister Benny Gantz signed a memorandum of understanding to regulate security relations with the Arab country, which included intelligence cooperation, the development of industrial ties, arms purchases and joint training.

The agreement provided for the easy acquisition by Morocco of high-tech Israeli security equipment, in addition to cooperation in operational planning and research and development.

first published in French at Almowatin

Pope visits elderly and sick at Fraternité St. Alphonse Centre

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Vatican News
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Pope visits elderly and sick at Fraternité St. Alphonse Centre - Vatican News

By Vatican News staff reporter

Welcomed in the garden of the facility by the permanent guests and those who commonly frequent the Centre, a total of around 50 people gathered to meet the Pope on Thursday.

According to the Holy See Press Office, they included elderly, people living with various addictions and HIV/AIDS, and the director in charge, Fr. André Morency.

Pope Francis met informally with them, listening to their stories and prayers.




Pope Francis blesses a guest at the Centre

When greeting them at the conclusion of their time together, he gave them an icon of Mary, “The Most Holy Lady of Jerusalem.”

A modern religious creation, this icon of the Theotokos (Mother of God) is very popular among pilgrims to the Holy Land, because the original is placed on a highly venerated altar inside the Church of the Assumption of Mary, which is liturgically celebrated on August 15.




The Pope meeting with guests at the Fraternité St Alphonse Center

The stop at the Fraternité St Alphonse Center for hospitality and spirituality took place as he traveled from the Sainte Anne de Beuprè Shrine, where the Pope presided over Mass Thursday morning, to the Archbishopric of Quebec, where he went for a private lunch.

G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement on the Myanmar Military Junta’s Executions

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Newsdesk
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G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement on the Myanmar Military Junta’s Executions
The text of the following statement was released by the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union.

Begin Text:

We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, strongly condemn the four executions by the military junta in Myanmar.

These executions, the first in Myanmar in over thirty years, and the absence of fair trials show the junta’s contempt for the unwavering democratic aspirations of the people of Myanmar. Those executed were prominent members of the democratic opposition – democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu (known as “Ko Jimmy”), former Member of Parliament Phyo Zeyar Thaw, as well as Aung Thura Zaw and Hla Myo Aung. Our thoughts are with the families of the four victims and with those of the many others who have been killed, arrested or tortured in Myanmar since the military illegitimately took over power in February 2021.

We continue to condemn in the strongest terms the military coup in Myanmar and express deep concern about the political, economic, social, humanitarian and human rights situation in the country.

We call on the military regime to immediately end the use of violence, to refrain from further arbitrary executions, to free all political prisoners and those arbitrarily detained and to return the country to a democratic path. We continue to support efforts by ASEAN, and call for the military to meaningfully implement all aspects of the ASEAN Five Point Consensus. This includes an inclusive process of dialogue with a broad range of democratic opposition. We also continue to support efforts by the United Nations, and encourage effective coordination between the ASEAN Special Envoy and the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Myanmar.

End Text

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Entering the Way of a Bodhisattva’ – Second Day

By
Shyamal Sinha
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Entering the Way of a Bodhisattva’ – Second Day

By  — Staff Reporter

Leh, Ladakh, UT, India – As soon as His Holiness the Dalai Lama reached the pavilion at the teaching ground, Chhering Dorjey Lakruk, Vice President of the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) made the customary offering of a mandala and other representatives presented silk scarves to him. Chanting of the ‘Prayer of Three Continuous Practices’ was followed by a recitation of the ‘Heart Sutra’.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama greeting a young Ladakhi girl in traditional dress as he arrives for the second day of teachings at the Shewatsel Teaching Ground in Leh, Ladakh, UT, India on July 29, 2022. Photo by Tenzin ChoejorHis Holiness the Dalai Lama greeting a young Ladakhi girl in traditional dress as he arrives for the second day of teachings at the Shewatsel Teaching Ground in Leh, Ladakh, UT, India on July 29, 2022. Photo by Tenzin ChoejorHis Holiness informed the public that since today is the first day of the sixth month of the Tibetan lunar calendar, early this morning he offered prayers and offerings to Palden Lhamo. He then led the congregation in reciting a prayer in praise of the female Dharma Protector that he had composed.

Turning to Shantideva’s ‘Entering the Way of a Bodhisattva’ His Holiness explained that it is an effective text to follow if you wish to lead a meaningful life.

“Tibetans and people of the Himalayan region are familiar with mantras such the six-syllable mantra of Avalokiteshvara (Om Mani Padme Hung) and mantra of Arya Tara (Om Taré Tuttaré Turé Svaha), but they should also consider themselves fortunate and try to lead a meaningful life by being warm-hearted and focussed on ultimately attaining enlightenment.

“Having given a general introductory teaching yesterday, today I’ll resume my reading of the text right from the start.”

He began to read the second chapter, making the occasional comment as he gave the transmission of Shantideva’s book.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama reading from Shantideva's ‘Entering the Way of a Bodhisattva’ on the second day of teachings at the Shewatsel Teaching Ground in Leh, Ladakh, UT, India on July 29, 2022. Photo by Tenzin ChoejorHis Holiness the Dalai Lama reading from Shantideva’s ‘Entering the Way of a Bodhisattva’ on the second day of teachings at the Shewatsel Teaching Ground in Leh, Ladakh, UT, India on July 29, 2022. Photo by Tenzin Choejor“‘Entering the Way of a Bodhisattva’ is an excellent guide to the ways to cultivate the awakening mind of bodhichitta. I keep a copy beside my bed and read it whenever I can. What’s more, people interested in learning about emptiness, will benefit from studying the ninth chapter of this book.

“Followers of the Nalanda Tradition are familiar with the practice of generating the awakening mind which gives rise to both health and happiness. When we take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, we have to understand that the Dharma is something we must develop within so we can traverse the paths and grounds culminating in the omniscient state of Buddhahood.

“The mantra of the ‘Heart Sutra’ indicates the step-by-step path to Buddhahood.

When Avalokiteshvara recites the mantra, “Tadyata gaté gaté paragaté parasamgaté bodhi svaha” (“It is thus: Proceed, proceed, proceed beyond, thoroughly proceed beyond, be founded in enlightenment”), he is telling followers to proceed through the five paths.

“This is what it means: Gaté gaté—proceed, proceed—indicates the paths of accumulation and preparation and the first experience of emptiness; paragaté – proceed beyond—indicates the path of seeing, the first insight into emptiness and achievement of the first bodhisattva ground; parasamgaté—thoroughly proceed beyond—indicates the path of meditation and the achievement of the subsequent bodhisattva grounds, while bodhi svaha—be founded in enlightenment—indicates laying the foundation of complete enlightenment.

Umbrellas covering most of the crowd as rain falls during the second day of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's teachings at the Shewatsel Teaching Ground in Leh, Ladakh, UT, India on July 29, 2022. Photo by Tenzin ChoejorUmbrellas covering most of the crowd as rain falls during the second day of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings at the Shewatsel Teaching Ground in Leh, Ladakh, UT, India on July 29, 2022. Photo by Tenzin Choejor“Our final goal is the attainment of enlightenment, and to reach it we must combine the awakening mind, which is part of the method aspect of the path, with an understanding of emptiness, which consists of the wisdom aspect of the path. We need to keep these in mind and train ourselves to follow the path to enlightenment in life after life.”

Reading the 8th verse of the second chapter of the book,

Eternally shall I offer all my bodies
To the Conquerors and their children
Please accept me, you Supreme Heroes,
Respectfully shall I be your subject.

His Holiness remarked that the main purpose of offering yourself as a servant to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is to work altruistically for the welfare of all sentient beings.

As he read verses 23 and 24 of Chapter Three:

Just as the previous Ones Gone to Bliss
Gave birth to an Awakening Mind,
And just as they successively dwelt
In the Bodhisattva practices; 2/23

Likewise, for the sake of all that lives,
Do I give birth to an Awakening Mind,
And likewise shall I too
Successively follow the practices. 2/24

His Holiness reported that he reflects on the awakening mind as soon as he wakes up in the morning. These verses are used as formula for generating bodhichitta and taking the bodhisattva vows. The remaining verses of third chapter highlight the beneficial qualities of bodhichitta. His Holiness then read steadily through the rest of the book, making occasional comments on the way.

Members of the audience following the text as His Holiness the Dalai Lama reads from Shantideva's ‘Entering the Way of a Bodhisattva’ on the second day of teachings at the Shewatsel Teaching Ground in Leh, Ladakh, UT, India on July 29, 2022. Photo by Tenzin ChoejorMembers of the audience following the text as His Holiness the Dalai Lama reads from Shantideva’s ‘Entering the Way of a Bodhisattva’ on the second day of teachings at the Shewatsel Teaching Ground in Leh, Ladakh, UT, India on July 29, 2022. Photo by Tenzin ChoejorAt the beginning of the ninth chapter His Holiness noted that the instructions contained in the previous chapters are all intended to support the development of the perfection of wisdom, which is the focus of this chapter. He clarified that the way the word ‘mind’ is used in the second stanza of Chapter Nine refers to a dualistic perception. Generally speaking, there are various aspects of mind such as the omniscient mind of a buddha, the non-dualistic mind of a realized being who is totally absorbed in emptiness; as well as valid cognitions, assumptions, direct perceptions, inferential cognitions, doubts and so forth.

Having completed the transmission of the book in one session, His Holiness urged his audience to read it and use it as a basis for cultivating bodhichitta and an understanding of emptiness.

“We’ll meet again tomorrow,” he announced, “when I’ll be giving the empowerment of Avalokiteshvara, the embodiment of great compassion.

Ukraine: Prospects for end to war look bleak, despite ‘encouraging’ grain deal

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Newsroom
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Ukraine: Prospects for end to war look bleak, despite ‘encouraging’ grain deal
The war in Ukraine shows no signs of ending, more than five months after the Russian invasion, and fighting is intensifying, the UN Security Council heard on Friday. 
Ambassadors were briefed by UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo, who pointed to the recent agreement on the safe resumption of grain exports via the Black Sea as a bright light in the conflict, though acknowledging the dim prospects for peace. 

“The grain agreement is a sign that dialogue between the parties is possible in the search to ease human suffering,” said Ms. DiCarlo, officially the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. 

She added that the UN is making every effort to support implementation of the deal, which was signed last week in Türkiye. 

Diplomatic efforts needed 

The war’s impact globally is “glaringly clear”, said Ms. DiCarlo, noting that the consequences will only become more pronounced the longer fighting lasts, particularly with the onset of winter.  

“Despite the encouraging developments on grain and fertilizers, we remain deeply concerned about the lack of prospects for a shift towards a meaningful resumption of diplomatic efforts to end the war,” she told the Council. 

“Escalatory rhetoric from any side, including about expanding the conflict geographically or denying Ukraine’s statehood, is not consistent with the constructive spirit demonstrated in Istanbul.” 

UNIC Ankara/Levent Kulu

Secretary-General António Guterres (left) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the signing ceremony of Black Sea Grain Initiative in Istanbul, Türkiye..

Attacks continue unabated 

Ms. DiCarlo said that since her last briefing in late June, deadly attacks by Russian forces have continued unabated, reducing many Ukrainian cities and towns to rubble. 

The number of civilians killed, wounded, or maimed has also increased. As of Wednesday, there were 12,272 civilian casualties, including 5,237 deaths, according to the UN human rights office, OHCHR. 

“This represents at least 1,641 new civilian casualties since my last briefing: 506 killed and 1,135 injured. These are figures based on verified incidents; the actual numbers are considerably higher,” she said. 

Winter threat 

Ms. DiCarlo also warned of reported efforts to alter administrative structures on the ground, including attempts to introduce local governing bodies in Russian-controlled areas, which raise serious concerns about the political implications of the war. 

“As the conflict enters a more protracted phase, attention is increasingly turning to its longer-term humanitarian, recovery, reconstruction, and socio-economic impact. As summer wanes, the need for winterization planning is also becoming pressing,” she said. 

“Regrettably, political dialogue has virtually ground to a halt, leaving people without the hope that peace will come anytime soon.” 

UN agencies also continue to document damage and destruction to civilian infrastructure such as homes, schools and healthcare facilities.  

The impact on the health sector is “particularly alarming”, she said, as there have been 414 attacks so far, resulting in 85 deaths and 100 injuries. 

“This includes 350 attacks on facilities in areas of conflict, where on average around 316,000 patients were treated per month,” she said. 

Assistance to millions 

Since the start of the war, the UN and humanitarian partners have provided aid to some 11 million people, including in the form of food and livelihood assistance, protection services, mine clearance, and in accessing safe water and sanitation. 

Nearly six million Ukrainian refugees have found shelter across Europe. Since the war began on 24 February, border crossings from Ukraine have totalled more than 9.5 million, while crossings to Ukraine numbered 3.8 million. 

“We are concerned that winter will make it harder for the displaced or the returnee community to have access to shelter and health care,” said Ms. DiCarlo. 

A twelve-year-old boy visits his mother in hospital for the first time since she was injured a month ago, by flying shrapnel. © UNICEF/Ashley Gilbertson VII

A twelve-year-old boy visits his mother in hospital for the first time since she was injured a month ago, by flying shrapnel.

Impacts on women 

She also drew attention to the war’s specific impact on women and girls, particularly in areas such as food security and health. 

Women’s access to health services, including sexual and reproductive health, is rapidly deteriorating, as is access to newborn and child healthcare. They are also now largely responsible for home-schooling, as access to education is severely hindered due to the constant threat of bombing. 

“Further, women in Ukraine face significantly increased safety and protection risks,” she added. 

“Incidents of gender-based violence, including allegations of sexual violence in conflict have increased, but services for survivors are not provided in full. It is also likely that many victims and survivors are currently unable to report their cases.” 

Ms. DiCarlo stressed that it is especially for these reasons why women must be meaningful participants in discussions and initiatives to shape the future of the country, including peace negotiations, recovery efforts, peacebuilding and accountability efforts.  

Scientists Discover a Massacre: “Assassin” Cells Murder Innocent Cells

By
University of Haifa
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Scientists Discover a Massacre: “Assassin” Cells Murder Innocent Cells
Illustration Targeting Cancer Cells

Scientists discovered that a fourth of the progenitor cells in the testis are “murdered” by phagocytes, despite the fact that these cells are not doing anything “wrong.”


University of Haifa research has identified killer cells.

A process that involves the “murder” of living, newly-generated cells has been discovered for the first time in recent research conducted at the University of Haifa. The research, which was described in the esteemed journal Science Advances, discovered that throughout the cellular differentiation process in fruit flies, phagocytic cells consume and destroy healthy living cells.

“We found that phagocytes can function as ‘murderers.’ It is well-known that phagocytic cells swallow and dissolve dead cells, but we show for the first time that they also kill newly-created normal cells. Essentially we have characterized a new mechanism of cell death. The more we know the mechanisms of cell death, the better we understand how to cope with various diseases, particularly cancer”, explained Professor Hilla Toledano, head of the Department of Human Biology at the University of Haifa and author of the study.


The origin of several bodily tissues, including skin, hair, stomach, and testicles, may be traced back to stem cells. By continuously supplying new cells to replace the old ones, these powerful stem cells enable tissue replenishment. Each stem cell in this process splits into two cells, one of which is retained for use in the future and the other of which develops to take the place of the lost cell in the tissue.

In the current investigation, Professor Toledano, Professor Estee Kurant, and a group of scientists from the University of Haifa looked at the sex cells of fruit flies. Since many molecular processes in fruit flies and humans are similar, they can be used as an effective model in this situation.

Fruit fly studies are useful due to the capacity to monitor processes in live tissues and the simplicity of genetic alteration, which allows for the exact identification of cellular processes. Six Nobel Prizes have been given throughout the years to scientists who discovered biological mechanisms in fruit flies that are conserved in humans.


As previously mentioned, the division of a stem cell into two cells—a stem cell and a cell known as a progenitor—begins the differentiation process of sperms in male fruit flies. This process continues until functional sperms are formed. The researchers already knew that one-fourth of these progenitor cells perish and do not develop into sperms from past studies. The purpose of the present study was to better understand what happens to these cells.

The body has a well-established and crucial mechanism called cell death. Under normal circumstances, cells have the ability to “commit suicide” when a severe mutation has occurred or after they have served their purpose. Phagocytes come to “eat” dying cells, effectively taking their contents away and dissolving them. It is known that phagocytes sometimes “eat” immune system cells that have finished their job of defending the body against intruders.

In the current study, the researchers found that the phagocytes “murder” a quarter of the progenitor cells in the testis although these cells are doing nothing “wrong” and are simply in the process of differentiation; they are still new cells and they are not abnormal in all respect.

In the first stage, the researchers prevented the eating abilities of the phagocytes and found no dead cells in the tissue. In other words, the phagocytes are responsible for the death of the progenitor cells.


In the second stage, the researchers used real-time imaging to monitor live tissue and discovered that the progenitor cells are swallowed alive by the phagocyte, and only then the death process is initiated. “We found for the first time a process entailing the ‘murder’ of completely normal cells. We still do not know why this happens. Perhaps this process aims to supply nutrients to maintain a functional population of stem cells throughout the lifetime of the organism” Professor Toledano suggested.

In addition to the understanding of a new mechanism, this study can contribute to our abilities to develop drugs and means to control cell death, and particularly, of course, for treating cancer. “Tumors are characterized by constant growth and the disruption of the process of natural cell death. If we manage to introduce phagocytes in this process that are capable of eliminating the live cancer cells, we will be able to control the growth of the tumor. The more we learn about mechanisms of cell death, the better we can harness these processes to get rid of cancerous cells,” Professor Toledano concluded.

Reference: “The phagocytic cyst cells in Drosophila testis eliminate germ cell progenitors via phagoptosis” by Maayan Zohar-Fux, Aya Ben-Hamo-Arad, Tal Arad, Marina Volin, Boris Shklyar, Ketty Hakim-Mishnaevski, Lilach Porat-Kuperstein, Estee Kurant and Hila Toledano, 17 June 2022, Science Advances.
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm4937


EP leaders condemn Prime Minister Orbán’s recent racist declarations

By
European Parliament
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0
EP leaders condemn Prime Minister Orbán’s recent racist declarations

EP political group leaders adopted a statement Friday condemning the openly racist declarations by PM Viktor Orbán and underlined that these declarations are in breach of EU values.

Statement of the Conference of Presidents:

“We, the leaders of the Political Groups of the European Parliament, strongly condemn the recent openly racist declaration by Prime Minister Orbán about not wanting to become “peoples of mixed race”. Such unacceptable statements, which clearly constitute a breach of our values, also enshrined in the EU Treaties, have no place in our societies. We, as well, deeply regret the persistence in defending these inexcusable statements by Prime Minister Orbán on further occasions. Racism and discrimination, in all forms, must be unequivocally condemned and effectively tackled at all levels.

We call on the Commission and the Council to condemn urgently this statement in the strongest terms. We also reiterate European Parliament calls on the Council to finally issue its recommendations to Hungary in the framework of the procedure in Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), also addressing new developments affecting the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights and to determine that there is a clear risk of a serious breach by Hungary of the values referred to in Article 2. We remind the Council that Member States have the obligation to act together and put an end to all the attacks on the values enshrined in Article 2 of TEU and request that the issue is added to the next European Council leaders’ meeting agenda.

We urge the Commission to treat with priority the ongoing infringement procedures against Hungary’s violation of EU rules prohibiting racism and discrimination and make full use of the tools available to address breaches of values enshrined in Article 2. We also welcome the Commission’s decision to trigger the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation against Hungary and expect next steps in that regard following the second letter of 20 July. We reiterate our call on the Commission to refrain from the approval of the Hungarian national plan under the Recovery and Resilience Facility until the fulfillment of all relevant criteria.

We take the opportunity to reiterate that there is no place for racism, discrimination and hate speech in our societies. We call for further actions by EU Governments and at EU level, including against the increasing normalisation of racism and xenophobia, and underline the need for a monitoring and accountability mechanism to ensure the effective application of EU anti-racism legislation and policy.”

Read More:

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