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Tackling hate speech at nexus of tech, government, and civil society

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Tackling hate speech at nexus of tech, government, and civil society | BWNS

BIC GENEVA — To address the challenge of increasing hate speech online, there needs to be much closer collaboration between the tech sector, government, and civil society organizations, says the Bahá’í International Community (BIC). This was the theme of a recent panel discussion hosted by the Geneva Office of the BIC as part of the RightsCon summit, an annual international forum on human rights in the digital age.

The BIC forum brought together the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shaheed, a trustee on Meta’s Oversight Board, Kristina Arriaga, and a researcher from Human Rights Watch, Tara Sepehri Far, to explore the challenges of tackling online hate speech in the context of the campaign of disinformation against the Bahá’ís of Iran.

“Hate speech ultimately creates a culture of hate, where groups are not considered to be full members of society, where social cohesion is eroded, and division is allowed to take root, impacting every aspect of relationships between individuals, communities, and governing institutions,” said Simin Fahadej, a representative of the Geneva Office.

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A BIC forum at the RightsCon summit explored the collaboration that is needed across the tech sector, government, and civil society to address online hate speech

Ms. Arriaga, a member of the Oversight Board for technology company Meta—which operates Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp—explained that while social media is an important instrument for human rights workers, it can also be used to spread hate propaganda, as in the case of the Bahá’ís of Iran.

Meta’s response, Ms. Arriaga said, has been to establish an Oversight Board which monitors content and sets policies for how material is moderated. This board has also begun to work with targeted groups and communities so that hate speech can be flagged and monitored.

Despite these efforts, participants noted that content moderation—whether manual or algorithmic—is extremely difficult. “It’s not easy to know where to draw the line on hate speech,” said Ms. Sepehri Far.

She added: “Online platforms need to invest more in resources to understand not only [non-English] language content, but also societal context.”

Ms. Arriaga agreed, saying that “the scale of the problem… makes it a necessity for the human rights community to invest [time] in the tech community to learn how to… work with algorithms and how to inject knowledge of human rights into the tech sector.”

Panelists noted that although hate speech seeks to create division among populations, creating forums such as the one created by the BIC elevate discussions to the level of principle and can lead to stronger collaboration between different sectors to tackle the problems.

Discussions also highlighted the idea that despite the important role that online platforms and media entities must play in addressing hate speech, the problem cannot be addressed solely through technical solutions.

“[There is a] whole range of norms, ways of behaving, means of engaging, and communication, including mutual respect, that creates the kind of environment in which people can thrive,” said Dr. Shaheed.

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“We can have all the right algorithms, and the right laws… but ultimately, how we end up behaving as human beings has to do with the lived reality of our culture.” -Kristina Arriaga, Member of Meta Oversight Board

Ms. Arriaga added: “We can have all the right algorithms, and the right laws… but ultimately, how we end up behaving as human beings has to do with the lived reality of our culture.”

She added: “That’s why what Bahá’ís are doing to elevate [conversations] and engage others is so important. Ultimately, what happens online is a reflection of what’s happening in real life. And we can only fix it if we’re… changing our culture.”

Reflecting on the event, Ms. Fahandej states: “The forum represented an important moment in fostering a shared vision among social actors concerned with technology and the betterment of society. The BIC plans on holding future events on this theme in order to further enhance multi-sector relationships.”

Cardinal Parolin at Mass in Juba: ‘War and corruption cannot bring peace’

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Vatican News
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Cardinal Parolin at Mass in Juba: ‘War and corruption cannot bring peace’ - Vatican News

By Salvatore Cernuzio – Juba, South Sudan

The people of South Sudan must disarm evil with forgiveness, defuse violence with love, and resist oppression with meekness, because evil cannot be overcome by this world’s weapons and peace cannot be achieved through war.

The Vatican’s Secretary of State made that appeal in Juba on Thursday as he celebrated Mass in the John Garang Mausoleum Park.

As rain fell, Cardinal Parolin invoked God’s blessings upon South Sudan, calling it a land “rich in resources and possibilities” but one which is also “overshadowed by violence.”

“Never again violence. Never again fratricidal conflicts. Never again war.”

President in attendance

The President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, sat in the front row at the celebration, in the grandstand set up under a tent. First Vice President Riek Machar was seated beside him. On the penultimate day of his visit to the African nation, Cardinal Parolin told the roughly 15,000 people gathered for the Mass that they are a people “burdened by the yoke of oppression, poverty, and labor”, repeating the words of the prophet Isaiah, “but who desire to rejoice in freedom.”




Cardinal Parolin during the Mass in Juba

Solemn atmosphere

The Mass was held in John Garang Mausoleum Park, the memorial dedicated to the late leaders of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army and Sudan’s first vice president after the Peace Accords. The venue was the same as where Pope Francis was scheduled to celebrate Mass, before treatment for severe knee pain forced him to postpone his Apostolic Journey.

The colors of South Sudan’s flag surrounded the altar: white, red, green, and yellow. Rain, lightning, and wind did not dampen the spirits of the young people who sang and danced barefoot, wearing white T-shirts and tribal skirts and pants.

All the bishops of South Sudan were present, concelebrating with the Cardinal. The front row was also filled with Anglican, Pentecostal, Evangelical, and other Christian leaders who are members of the Council of Churches, and who met privately with the Cardinal before the Mass.

Booklets with the photograph of “His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin” were distributed, and the atmosphere was more reserved than that of the jubilation heard at Mass on Wednesday in the IDP camp in the northern town of Bentiu.

The Pope’s blessing

Yet, as in Bentiu, Cardinal Parolin began his homily by offering “the greeting and blessing of the Holy Father Pope Francis, who was very much desired to be here today for an ecumenical pilgrimage for peace and reconciliation in this young country, so full of opportunities and so gravely afflicted.”




Booklet distributed during Cardinal Parolin’s celebration

Do not return evil for evil

The Cardinal reflected on both the present of the South Sudanese people—their difficulties and challenges—while looking to their future. He pointed the path forward, which he said is that of the Gospel which offers a “different” message, namely to “refuse to respond to evil with evil.”

“Renounce revenge… Always love and forgive,” the Cardinal told South Sudanese, who have endured years of civil war. “The flesh impels us to respond to evil in certain ways,” but Jesus invites us to open ourselves “to the courage of love.” Jesus invites us to a love that “is not imprisoned in the mentality of ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’ and does not respond to evil with vengeance, nor resolve conflicts with violence.”

However, the Cardinal stressed, “this does not mean becoming passive victims, or being weak, docile and resigned in the face of violence. On the contrary, it means disarming evil, defusing violence, and resisting oppression.”




Entrance procession

Only path forward: living as brothers

“The evil of the world cannot be won with the weapons of the world,” Cardinal Parolin remarked, interrupted by applause. “If you want peace, you cannot get it with war. If you want justice, you cannot get it with unjust and corrupt methods. If you want reconciliation, you cannot use revenge. If you want to serve your brothers and sisters, you cannot treat them as slaves. If we want to build a peaceful future, then there is only one way to go: to love one another and live as brothers and sisters.”

“When we leave too much room for resentment and bitterness of heart, when we poison our memories with hatred, when we cultivate anger and intolerance, we destroy ourselves.”

Concrete actions for the peace process

“Now,” Parolin says, “is the time when God, who always hears the cry of His oppressed people, asks us to be artisans of a new future. Now is the time for responsibility and concrete action, the time to break down the walls of hatred, to break the yoke of all injustice, to wash in forgiveness and reconciliation the robes soaked in blood and violence.”

He also prayed that “the Lord may touch the hearts of all, and especially those in positions of authority and great responsibility, so that there may be an end to the suffering caused by violence and instability and that the process of peace and reconciliation may move forward quickly with concrete and effective actions.”

At the end of the Mass, there was also an impromptu greeting from President Salva Kiir, who reiterated his hope that the Pope could come to South Sudan soon and his desire for peace in the country: “People do not want wars again.”




Meeting with the speaker of the Transitional National Legislature

Meeting with the national legislature

The desire for peace was also reiterated during Thursday morning’s meeting with members of the Revitalized Transitional National Legislative Assembly, the Transitional National Legislature.

Cardinal Parolin received the invitation to visit the assembly on Wednesday afternoon.

“I accepted immediately because I am aware of your importance for democracy,” the Cardinal said, as he met in the Blue Room with a group of the approximately 500 parliamentarians, of whom, the speaker stressed, more than 20 percent are women.

“You represent the people and their interests,” the Cardinal remarked, and for the people the demands of “justice, freedom and prosperity” imprinted on the Legislature’s coat of arms must be realized.

As in his private conversation with Salva Kiir, the Cardinal repeated to the parliamentarians the Pope’s words at the 2019 Vatican retreat with South Sudanese leaders: “We know there will be difficulties but please move forward. Do not get stuck in difficulties. You must strive ahead for the good and for the security of the people.”




Parolin and representatives of the Council of Churches

Dialogue with ecumenical leaders

Ahead of the Mass, Cardinal Parolin also met with representatives of the Council of Churches, offering them three invitations.

The first: “Announce Christ who is the answer to all the expectations, desires, and dreams of people.”

Then, “unity” despite “differences.”

Finally, he urged them to “meet the people’s demands for justice, peace, freedom, and prosperity.”

“It is hard work” but it must be done and done together, said Cardinal Parolin, who spoke of his personal emotion during Wednesday’s visit to the camp of internally-displaced persons in Bentiu.

“I was really shaken by the experience. Here are people living in minimal conditions. Many children… They give us hope for the future. We have to work together and unite religious and political forces to give justice to these people.”

Ghana prepares for possible first-ever Marburg virus outbreak

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officialinstitutions
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Ghana prepares for possible first-ever Marburg virus outbreak
Preliminary findings of two Marburg virus cases have prompted Ghana to prepare for a potential outbreak of the disease. If confirmed, these would the first such infections recorded in the country, and only the second in West Africa. Marburg is a highly infectious viral haemorrhagic fever in the same family as the more well-known Ebola virus disease. 
Preliminary analysis of samples taken from two patients by the country’s Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research indicated the cases were positive for Marburg, and samples have been sent to the Institut Pasteur in Senegal, a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre, for confirmation.

The two, unrelated, patients from the southern Ashanti region showed symptoms including diarrhoea, fever, nausea and vomiting. They have both died.

WHO mobilizes health experts

Preparations for a possible outbreak response are being set up swiftly as further investigations are underway, and WHO is deploying experts to support Ghana’s health authorities by bolstering disease surveillance, testing, tracing contacts, preparing to treat patients and working with communities to alert and educate them about the risks and dangers of the disease and to collaborate with the emergency response teams.

“The health authorities are on the ground investigating the situation and preparing for a possible outbreak response”, said Dr Francis Kasolo, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Ghana. “We are working closely with the country to ramp up detection, track contacts, be ready to control the spread of the virus”.

If confirmed, the cases in Ghana would mark the second time Marburg has been detected in West Africa. Guinea confirmed a single case in an outbreak that was declared over on 16 September 2021, five weeks after the initial case was detected.

High fatality rates

Previous outbreaks and sporadic cases of Marburg in Africa have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.

Marburg is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials. Illness begins abruptly, with high fever, severe headache and malaise.

Many patients develop severe haemorrhagic signs within seven days. Case fatality rates have varied from 24% to 88% in past outbreaks depending on virus strain and case management.

Although there are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat the virus, supportive care – rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids – and treatment of specific symptoms, improves survival. A range of potential treatments, including blood products, immune therapies, and drug therapies.

Ukraine war: ‘Please, let us in,’ WHO issues plea to reach sick and injured

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officialinstitutions
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Ukraine war: ‘Please, let us in,’ WHO issues plea to reach sick and injured
The UN health agency (WHO) issued an urgent appeal on Friday for access to sick and injured people caught up in the war in Ukraine, including “hundreds” of landmine victims, “premature babies, pregnant woman, older people, many of whom have been left behind”.
More than four and half months since Russia’s invasion, civilians have continued to be targeted in explosions and missile strikes, particularly in eastern cities including Donetsk, Sloviansk, Makiivka, Oleksandrivka and Yasynuvata, but also in southern oblasts, in Odessa and Mykolaiv. 

Senior UN officials have long called for humanitarian corridors to be established to enable the safe and constant delivery of assistance to extremely vulnerable populations in Ukraine. But OCHA, the UN aid coordination wing, has frequently signalled that access in many places remains too dangerous or is blocked.

Corridor call

“I am sure that once there will be corridors, we will be there,” said Dr. Nitzan, speaking via video link in Odessa to journalists in Geneva. “So, the fact that there are no corridors speaks to itself, surely all of us, asking in (a) different form, please, let us in.”

The perilous situation continues to hamper lifesaving aid operations, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which described how medical services in many places were now “seriously stretched”.

© UNICEF

At a hospital in western Ukraine, doctors managed to remove a four-centimetre-long fragment of shrapnel and save a 13-year-old boy’s life after he was seriously wounded by shelling in eastern Ukraine.

Highly vulnerable

Speaking from Odessa, Dr Dorit Nitzan, WHO Ukraine Crisis Incident Manager, warned that others in need of immediate help included those with chronic but preventable illnesses. 

“The people who have not been able to receive early diagnosis and treatment for cancer, who now have much more advanced tumours and more critical illness,” she said. “People who have not been able to receive medications for hypertension and now have failing hearts or have suffered strokes. Diabetics who could not get treatment and whose disease is now severe.”

NGOs’ vital role

Dr Nitzan highlighted the crucial role played by the authorities, non-profit organizations and volunteers in delivering medicines and relief items on behalf of the WHO, when it is unable to secure an agreement to do so itself.

“We do not have ourselves access to all areas,” she continued. “Many areas are under fire, under attack, as I said we were supposed to go to Mykolaiv this morning, we are waiting for security clearances was okay last night but today it’s different, so things are changing.”

Nonetheless, WHO experts still need access to patients to assess their needs, give advice and assistance, the WHO official insisted.

“People have been disabled in all kinds of ways,” Dr Nitzan continued, pointing to those whose hearing or eyesight have been damaged in shelling attacks and others who have suffered burns or had to have their limbs amputated after stepping on a landmine. 

“If we cannot come with the experts to the hospitals, to the people, to those in need, we really cannot do the best of jobs,” she said. “So, what we are asking is to have humanitarian corridors to allow us to step in and to care for those in need.”

A mother and her eleven-year-old twins were one of the many caught up in the tragedy at Kramatorsk railway station in Ukraine when a missile hit and injured hundreds who were fleeing conflict. © UNICEF/Lviv Territorial Medical Union Hospital

A mother and her eleven-year-old twins were one of the many caught up in the tragedy at Kramatorsk railway station in Ukraine when a missile hit and injured hundreds who were fleeing conflict.

Mental trauma

In addition to addressing people’s immediate physical health needs, the WHO noted her serious concerns about the mental trauma of the war and the “fear, grief and uncertainty” it has created.

According to OCHA’s latest humanitarian update, while east Ukraine accounts for most of the active warfare, more missile attacks and casualties were reported in the last week in several other regions.

These include eastern Kharkiv and western Khmelnytski oblasts, where civilians and civilian infrastructure have been impacted heavily. 

Communities in both the south and the east are facing rising food insecurity, particularly where intense fighting has left them cut off from supply lines, warned Thomson Phiri from the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

“One in three families in Ukraine is food insecure, rising to one in two in the east and south,” said Mr. Phiri, who added that WFP food or cash distributions had reached 2.6 million people last month.

Latest estimates from the Ukrainian Government indicate that 25,000 kilometres of roads and more than 300 bridges have been damaged or destroyed since 24 February.

Other critical infrastructure across the country has also been hit, amounting to $95 billion in damage.
 

Urgent temporary measures for Ukrainian driver documents

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Council of the EU and European Council
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Ukranian and European flag
Commission proposes temporary protection for people fleeing war in Ukraine

The Council and the Parliament launch urgent temporary measures for Ukrainian driver documents

In response to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine, the Council and the European Parliament agreed on introducing through urgent procedure specific and temporary measures concerning Ukrainian driver documents.

The legislative proposal is linked to the reception of Ukrainian refugees and aims at reducing the administrative requirements normally applying to third country drivers when driving within the EU. This innovative measure alleviates the administrative burden on Ukrainian refugees as regards driving documents and, at the same time, provides a harmonised approach for the duration of temporary protection.

We want to unify and simplify the recognition of the driving documents in the member states for Ukrainian refugees. Hopefully, this will make their daily lives a little bit easier until this unacceptable war is finally over.”

Jaroslav Zajicek, Czech Deputy Permanent Representative

The recognition and exchange of third country driving licences is not governed by EU rules. The Commission has put forward this proposal recognising that the problem, due to its scale and effects as a consequence of the war, needs a harmonised regulatory framework. It will be strictly linked to the temporary protection to refugees from Ukraine granted initially by a Council Decision on 4 March. The aim is twofold: on the one hand, to contribute to the social and economic integration of Ukrainian refugees in the Member State of reception; on the other hand, to maintain a high level of road safety in the Union.

The regulation provides the conditions for the recognition of driving licences and driver qualification cards issued by Ukraine, the extension of the validity of expired driver documents issued by Ukraine, verification procedures in case of lost or stolen driving licences issued by Ukraine, the prevention of fraud or forgery, as well as the monitoring of its implementation by the Commission.

Table of Contents

Next steps

Following today’s vote by the European Parliament of amendments that the Council could also support, the Council will proceed to an adoption of its position in the legislative procedure as quickly as possible. Due to the urgency of the matter, the regulation shall enter into force on the fifth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Background

In the first ten weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine that started on 24 February 2022, more than five million people have left Ukraine, fleeing the armed conflict and seeking shelter in neighbouring countries, mostly in the European Union. As early as 4 March 2022, the EU established the existence of a mass influx of displaced persons from Ukraine and offered temporary protection to the displaced people. Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/382 of 4 March 2022 sets out the categories of persons entitled to temporary protection or adequate protection under national law. Temporary protection entails the right to be issued a residence permit for the entire duration of the protection and to have access, among others, to accommodation, schools, health care, and jobs. A residence permit issued by one Member State brings with it the right to travel within the Union for 90 days within a 180-day period.

A driving licence enhances the mobility of its holder and facilitates everyday life as it allows for driving power-driven vehicles on public roads. In the given context, it promotes the participation of persons enjoying temporary protection or adequate protection under national law in economic and social activities in their new environment.

The rules and procedures related to the recognition and exchange of third country driving licences differ from one Member State to another, depending among others on the specific provisions of their national legislation or in the existing bilateral agreements between the Member States and the third country in question. In the case of persons enjoying temporary protection or adequate protection under national law with a valid driving licence issued by Ukraine, it is appropriate to provide for a harmonised framework for the recognition of driving licences within the territory of the Union, for as long as the period of temporary protection lasts.

As a general rule, persons enjoying temporary protection or adequate protection under national law who hold a valid driving licence issued by Ukraine should be able to use their driving licence on EU territory for as long as the temporary protection lasts. In view of the temporary nature of the protection, there should be no need to exchange a Ukrainian driving licence for one issued by a Member State. This considerably eases the burden on the competent authorities of the Member States, as they would otherwise potentially have to exchange millions of Ukrainian driving licences. At the same time, persons enjoying temporary protection or adequate protection under national law will not have to immediately pass another theoretical and/or practical driving licence test – often in a foreign language to them – and/or undergo medical examinations in the Member State of their temporary residence.

As outlined in the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes action plan, access of professional drivers from Ukraine to employment in the European Union should be facilitated, by defining specific rules concerning the issuance of certificates of professional competence to Ukrainian professional drivers. In the context of the overall growing shortage of truck drivers, EU-Ukraine alternative logistical links and Ukraine’s continued access to its export markets ought to be strengthened in the aftermath of the current blockage of its Black Sea ports. Driving licences and certificates of professional competence are usually subject to a limited period of validity. As long as the war rages in Ukraine, however, Ukraine may likely not be able to ensure the administrative support necessary to individually renew these documents. In this extraordinary situation, the Ukrainian government could decide to extend the validity of these documents. In that case, the Union and the Member States should be adequately informed by Ukraine of such extensions. Member States should recognise an extended validity of Ukrainian driving licences going beyond their administrative period of validity, at least until the end of the period of temporary protection.

The circumstances of fleeing war often entail the loss or theft of important documents, such as driving licences or certificates of professional competence, or their leaving behind in the war zone without an immediate possibility of recovering them. In such cases, subject to verification, for instance, in the national electronic driving licence register of Ukraine, Member States should be in a position to issue temporary licences that replace the original ones for the duration of the temporary protection. Access to the Ukrainian driving licence register by the competent authorities of the Member States would facilitate such a step. Without the possibility of verifying the authenticity of the information provided by the displaced persons, Member States should refuse to issue such temporary driver documents.

Finally, the provisions of this regulation address exceptional circumstances and lay down exemptions which should not be replicated under normal circumstances. It is therefore especially important that the enforcement of this regulation is not conducive to putting road users and pedestrians at risk, by allowing people unfit to drive to do so on the EU roads. In that context, adequate measures should be implemented by the competent authorities of the Member States for the purpose of combatting fraud and forgery.

Ukraine struggling now, but winters in Ukraine are very harsh: UNHCR chief

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United Nations News
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Ukraine struggling now, but winter will be even worse: UNHCR chief
While the Russian military advance in eastern Ukraine continues to escalate, the UN refugee agency, UNCHR, on Thursday warned that the winters in Ukraine will be very harsh for the millions of people affected by the war.

Since the Russian invasion on 24 February, more than 11.5 million people have had to flee their homes in Ukraine, and some 6.3 million are internally displaced.

Speaking from bomb-shattered ruins in Irpin and Bucha near the capital Kyiv, UNHCR High Commissioner, Filippo Grandi warned that winter was only around the corner: “And winters in Ukraine are very harsh and severe, extremely cold. So, we must do everything possible to prevent the cold of winter from becoming the next challenge for people that already have to face so much in their lives.”

Homes broken, families split

The UN refugee agency warned that people are struggling to rebuild their damaged homes, reunite with their families and recover from the trauma of more than four months of war.

They are also in urgent need of financial assistance, having lost their jobs and incomes, while the price of essentials continues to rise, along with fuel shortages.

While acknowledging the major challenges facing the people inside Ukraine, Mr. Grandi also highlighted the anxiety of separation felt by so many, “of being in exile, either in the country itself and …as refugees abroad”.

Reslience and aid for millions

But after meeting and talking to some of those affected by the war, the High Commissioner also insisted that he had seen “lots of strength, resilience and determination to carry on, to recover, to rebuild here in this very building that appears so damaged, people are already working to fix it, to make it habitable again.”

According to the UN humanitarian coordination office in Ukraine, OCHA, 15.7 million people have been affected by the war and need support now, and two-thirds of them have been reached so far.

Ongoing fighting and “impediments” imposed by the warring parties have continued to seriously hamper or make impossible the delivery of assistance to the hardest-hit areas, particularly in government and non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk oblast, or region.

The insecurity has also made it extremely dangerous for civilians trying to evacuate from areas where there is active fighting.

Electricity still cut

Critical locations of concern include Kherson, Sievierodonetsk among others, while people in Mariupol have received very limited support from local actors operating in areas outside Government control in the Donetsk region.

“Access to water and healthcare there remains worryingly limited”, noted OCHA’s assessment. “Lack of access to electricity remains at an alarming level: more than 625,000 users, including families, businesses and public institutions in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, have not had electricity for weeks on end.”

OCHA’s latest update on the war indicated that 60 per cent of people forced to leave their homes have been displaced from the east, 15 per cent from the north, 11 per cent from the south and another 11 per cent from the capital.

The oblasts of Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkivsk, Kyiv, Poltava and the city of Kyiv continue to host most displaced people.

Read more

Guterres expresses solidarity as Moldova grapples with fallout of Russia’s war in Ukraine

Pope confident Vatican financial reforms will prevent new scandals

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Vatican News
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Pope confident that financial reforms will prevent further scandals - Vatican News

In the fourth part of his interview with Phil Pullella of Reuters news agency, Pope Francis discusses the reforms put in place regarding the Vatican’s financial issues.

By Vatican News

Responding to a question, Pope Francis said he believes Vatican financial reforms will avoid future scandals, such as those that have hit the headlines in recent years.

He mentioned, in particular, the scandal regarding the purchase and sale of the Sloane Avenue building in London, now under scrutiny in an ongoing trial conducted by the Vatican court*.

Speaking about the building in London, the Reuters journalist asked the Pope, “do you believe that enough controls are now in place so that similar scandals could not take place again?”

“I believe so,” replied the Pope, immediately listing all the steps that have been taken. Amongst these, he mentioned “the creation of the Secretariat for the Economy with expert, technical people, who don’t fall into the hands of ‘benefactors or friends’, who can make you slip up. I believe that this new dicastery, let’s say, which has all the financing in its hands, is a real security in the administration, because before the administration was very messy’.

The Pope then gave the example of a section chief in the Secretariat of State who had to administer finances, but since he was not qualified in financial matters, the priest, in good faith, asked friends to give him a hand. 

“But sometimes the friends were not The Blessed Imelda,” Pope Francis commented, referring to a 14th century 11-year-old Italian girl who is an example of purity. “And so what happened happened,” he added.

The Pope reiterated that the fault fell to “the irresponsibility of the structure” for past financial scandals, saying the administration of money “was not mature”.

Pope Francis concluded by recalling that “this idea for the Secretariat for the Economy came from Cardinal Pell. He was the genius”.

*This property, acquired by the Secretariat of State in 2014, is at the heart of a financial scandal for which ten people, including a cardinal, Angelo Becciu, are currently being prosecuted. The Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA) has sold the now-famous building at 60 Sloane Avenue in London for 186 million pounds sterling (or 214 million euros) to the American company Bain Capital, the Press Office announced on July 1, 2022. 

Convergence of conflicts, COVID and climate crises, jeopardize global goals

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United Nations News
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Convergence of conflicts, COVID and climate crises, jeopardize global goals   

Intersecting global crises are threatening the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and impacting food supplies, health, education, and security across countries worldwide, according to a new UN report released on Thursday.

The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022 reveals that the convergence of increased fighting, the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, and the long-term climate crisis, could push an additional 75 to 95 million people into extreme poverty this year – compared with pre-pandemic projections – and jeopardize the SDG blueprint for more resilient, peaceful and equal societies.   

“The road map laid out in the Sustainable Development Goals is clear,” stated Liu Zhenmin, UN Economic and Social Affairs chief (DESA), adding that “just as the impact of crises is compounded when they are linked, so are solutions”.

COVID-19

The pandemic has undermined countries’ effort to reach the ambitious global goals – and its impact far from over.

Deaths directly and indirectly attributable to the coronavirus, reached 15 million by the end of last year, said the report, wiping out over four years of progress in alleviating poverty as well as severely disrupting essential health services and derailing hard-won progress on SDG 3.

Moreover, since 2020, some 147 million students have missed over half of their in-person instruction.

Climate emergency

Meanwhile, the world is on the verge of a climate catastrophe where billions are already suffering the consequences of global warming and increasingly extreme weather.

Energy-related CO2 emissions rose by six per cent last year, reaching their highest level ever, completely wiping out pandemic-related declines.

To avoid the worst effects of climate change, global greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 and then decline by 43 per cent by 2030, falling to net zero by 2050.

Instead, under current voluntary national commitments (NDCs) to climate action, greenhouse gas emissions are set to rise nearly 14 per cent over the next decade.

And this year, an estimated 17 million metric tons of plastic entered the ocean – a number that is expected to double or triple by 2040.

Ukraine repercussions

Meanwhile, the Ukraine war is creating one of the largest refugee crises of modern time, according to the report.

As of May, over 100 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes; some 11.5 million in Ukraine alone.

And the crisis has caused food, fuel and fertilizer prices to skyrocket, further disrupted supply chains and global trade, roiled financial markets, and threatened global food security and aid flows.

The most vulnerable

At the same time, the most vulnerable countries and populations are disproportionately impacted – including women who have lost their jobs, and been burdened with more work at home.

And the pandemic has triggered increased violence against women and girls.

Least developed countries are struggling with weak economic growth, rising inflation, major supply-chain disruptions, and unsustainable debt, leaving in its wake, fewer job opportunities for young people, and increases in both child labour and child marriages.

In low income countries, the report reveals that the total public – and publicly guaranteed – debt service to export ratio, rose from an average of 3.1 per cent in 2011 to 8.8 per cent in 2020.

WFP/Sayed Asif Mahmud

Millions of people in Bangladesh have been impacted by climate shocks like flooding.

Follow the roadmap

The world must now decide to deliver on its commitments to assist the most vulnerable and rescue the SDGs for meaningful progress by 2030, the report says.

It calls on countries to emerge stronger from the crisis, and better prepared for unknown challenges ahead, which must include funding data and information infrastructure as a priority for both national governments and the international community.

“When we take action to strengthen social protection systems, improve public services and invest in clean energy, for example, we address the root causes of increasing inequality, environmental degradation and climate change,” reminded Mr. Liu.

Thomas W. Atzberger’s insights on History and Religion

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News desk
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Thomas W. Atzberger’s insights on History and Religion

I AM ONLY MARY by Thomas W. Atzberger

The author enables readers to have a different perspective on faith

COLUMBUS, OHIO, UNITED STATES, July 7, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — This fascinating, highly original prose meditation explores the culture of the times during the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The powerful and compelling tone of the author puts us into a prehistoric setting that frames all of history, namely, the option to choose good or evil. The author then brings us into Mary’s everyday life, showing us her childhood and family and how she made her choices in such day-to-day, normal events as worship, friendship, holidays, and challenges.In the prehistoric setting, two hunting partners, Acha and Onyo, set out to hunt from their residential caves to the grasslands in their milieu. They succeed in securing an animal for their families but do not see that they are being watched by another man, who has the choice either to find his own game or steal theirs. The resolution of this question is left to the reader.

The author then observes that, in the millions of days from those ancient times to Mary’s time, the same human nature made many changes in culture and traditions. They domesticated animals, mastered farming, developed laws and organized their communities. This passage of time has resulted in the village in which Mary lived. Even so, Atzberger observes, the ancient people are connected to the simple life of Mary through the common element of all people and all times: making moral choices.

The author then shows us how Mary’s village, her childhood events, and the community of Nazareth, akin to all communities, formed its people, including Mary. The early chapter, The Village, introduces us to the roles of people in their traditional families. Mary’s mother, and her friends, follow the cultural roles of wives and mothers, rearing their children, building their characters and personalities, and running their households.

We see young girls help their mothers make the daily bread, especially preparing for the time when their fathers may be home for the midday meal. Likewise, we see the interesting details of how the grown and little ladies performed their other household chores.

As the author delves into Mary’s everyday life, he draws her as an intelligent and curious child. She observes her natural surroundings and the incidents she encounters from day to day. For example, she asks her mother how the water gets into the well in the village and her father duly explains it to her, feeding her curious mind. Her father also eagerly teaches her their religious traditions, and she responsibly takes this education in, thus giving the reader insight into Jewish culture.

The reader learns about the House of Prayer and its religious role in the community, as well as the batlanim, who were volunteers who would devote their time to the House of Prayer in religious, educational, and community services. Through her father’s work in the local House of Prayer, she meets different religious scholars. For instance, the book talks about a renowned scholar named Azach from Zippori, who gives a powerful sermon in the House of Prayer.

The book moves on through other stages of Mary’s growth, ultimately into Mary’s Annunciation by the Angel Gabriel, and the agonizing burden and risk this created for her. It also tangibly presents the difficulties of travel in her time, as she visits her cousin Elizabeth. Yet, she courageously lives out her life, day to day, and, ultimately, looks forward to the birth of her own child.

I Am Only Mary is a book that can be read by people of any faith who have any interest in Mary as a person in her own right. The book helps the readers know Mary as a fellow traveler, emphasizing her humanity and her virtuous living of God’s call. The book reveals the elements of Mary’s life and character we have rarely thought of. Since the probable details of Mary’s biography are rarely available to the readers, this little history of her actual life brings her close to us.

This book is available on different online platforms, including Amazon.com.

About the Author
Tom Atzberger is a retired Lawyer in Columbus, Ohio, married to his wife Christina since 1970, with three adult children. Tom completed three years of college-level studies in a Catholic seminary before earning degrees from John Carroll University and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He and his wife of over forty years, herself one of the early John Carroll woman graduates, are active in their church’s programs, including marriage preparation classes, singing, teaching young people about the Old Testament, and participating in Worldwide Marriage Encounter. The parents of three adult children. Tom and Chris teach English to immigrant people at the Dominican Learning Center in Columbus.
If you need more information about the book, email at [email protected], or simply buy the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Am-Only-Mary-Thomas-Atzberger/dp/1449909957/ref=sr_1_1?crid=33HC3NGJB6WYG&keywords=i+am+only+mary+by+THOMAS+W.+ATZBERGER&qid=1657220988&s=books&sprefix=i+am+only+mary+by+thomas+w.+atzberger%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C254&sr=1-1

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Parliament pushes for greener aviation fuels

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European Parliament
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Parliament pushes for greener aviation fuels

Waste cooking oil, synthetic fuel or even hydrogen should gradually become standard as aviation fuel to help the EU use greener aviation fuels and become climate neutral by 2050, MPs said on Thursday.

Parliament adopted its position on new draft EU rules to increase the uptake of sustainable fuels by EU planes and airports, in order to cut emissions from aviation and ensure Europe becomes climate neutral by 2050.

Accelerated introduction of sustainable fuels

MEPs increased the Commission’s original proposal for the minimum share of a sustainable aviation fuel that should be made available at EU airports. From 2025, this share should be 2%, increasing to 37% in 2040 and 85% by 2050, taking into account the potential of electricity and hydrogen in the overall fuel mix (Commission proposed 32% for 2040 and 63% for 2050).

More types of sustainable fuel, including electricity and hydrogen

Parliament amended the proposed definition of sustainable aviation fuel, a term that covers synthetic fuels or certain biofuels, produced from agricultural or forestry residues, algae, bio-waste or used cooking oil.

MEPs included under their definition recycled carbon fuels produced from waste processing gas, and exhaust gas deriving from production process in industrial installations. They also suggested some biofuels, produced from animal fats or distillates, could be included in the aviation fuel mix for a limited time (until 2034). However, MEPs excluded feed and food crop-based fuels, and those derived from palm oil, soy-derived materials and soap stock, because they do not align with the proposed sustainability criteria.

MEPs also included renewable electricity and hydrogen as part of a sustainable fuel mix, as both are promising technologies that could progressively contribute to the decarbonisation of air transport. According to the draft rules, EU airports should facilitate the access of aircraft operators to sustainable aviation fuels, including with infrastructure for hydrogen refuelling and electric recharging.

New fund and green labelling

Parliament proposed the creation of a Sustainable Aviation Fund from 2023 to 2050 to accelerate the decarbonisation of the aviation sector and support investment in sustainable aviation fuels, innovative aircraft propulsion technologies, and research for new engines. The Fund would be supplemented by penalties generated by the enforcement of these rules.

In order to further promote the decarbonisation of the aviation sector and to inform the public about greener aviation, MEPs tasked the Commission with developing by 2024 an EU labelling system on the environmental performance of aircrafts, operators and commercial flights.

Quote

EP rapporteur Søren Gade (Renew, DK) said: “Aviation is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. Today we showed how to do this and sent a strong and ambitious signal to the citizens of Europe. We heard you when you called for climate action, and we are working as much as we can to achieve a truly green Europe.”

Next steps

The negotiating mandate was adopted by 334 votes to 95 and 153 abstentions. Parliament is now ready to start negotiations with member states.

Background information

Civil aviation accounts for 13,4% of total CO2 emissions from EU transport. The ReFuelEU Aviation initiative is part of the “Fit for 55 in 2030 package”, the EU’s strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, in line with the European Climate Law.

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