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Antarctic Orca Submarine Volcano Blasted by Swarm of 85,000 Earthquakes

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GFZ GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, Helmholtz Centre
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Antarctic Orca Submarine Volcano Blasted by Swarm of 85,000 Earthquakes

In a remote area, a mix of geophysical methods identifies magma transfer below the seafloor as the cause.

Even off the coast of Antarctica, volcanoes can be found. A sequence of more than 85,000 earthquakes was recorded in 2020 at the Orca submarine volcano, which has been inactive for a long time, a swarm quake that reached proportions not previously observed for this region. The fact that such events can be studied and described in remarkable detail even in such remote, and therefore poorly instrumented areas, is now shown by the study of an international team published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment.

Researchers from Germany, Italy, Poland, and the United States were involved in the study, which was led by Simone Cesca of the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) Potsdam. They were able to combine seismological, geodetic, and remote sensing techniques to determine how the rapid transfer of magma from the Earth’s mantle near the crust-mantle boundary to almost the surface caused the swarm quake.

The Orca volcano between the tip of South America and Antarctica

Swarm quakes mainly occur in volcanically active regions. The movement of fluids in the Earth’s crust is therefore suspected as the cause. Orca seamount is a large submarine shield volcano with a height of about 900 meters above the seafloor and a base diameter of about 11 kilometers. It is located in the Bransfield Strait, an ocean channel between the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands, southwest of the southern tip of Argentina.

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Illustration of the seismically active zone off Antactica. Credit: Cesca et al. 2022; nature Commun Earth Environ 3, 89 (2022); doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00418-5 (CC BY 4.0)

“In the past, seismicity in this region was moderate. However, in August 2020, an intense seismic swarm began there, with more than 85,000 earthquakes within half a year. It represents the largest seismic unrest ever recorded there,” reports Simone Cesca, a scientist in GFZ’s Section 2.1 Earthquake and Volcano Physics and lead author of the now published study. At the same time as the swarm, a lateral ground displacement of more than ten centimeters and a small uplift of about one centimeter was recorded on neighboring King George Island.

Challenges of research in a remote area

Cesca studied these events with colleagues from the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics — OGS and the University of Bologna (Italy), the Polish Academy of Sciences, Leibniz University Hannover, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and the University of Potsdam. The challenge was that there are few conventional seismological instruments in the remote area, namely only two seismic and two GNSS stations (ground stations of the Global Navigation Satellite System which measure ground displacement). In order to reconstruct the chronology and development of the unrest and to determine its cause, the team therefore additionally analyzed data from farther seismic stations and data from InSAR satellites, which use radar interferometry to measure ground displacements. An important step was the modeling of the events with a number of geophysical methods in order to interpret the data correctly.

Reconstructing the seismic events

The researchers backdated the start of the unrest to 10 August 2020 and extend the original global seismic catalog, containing only 128 earthquakes, to more than 85,000 events. The swarm peaked with two large earthquakes on 2 October (Mw 5.9) and 6 November (Mw 6.0) 2020 before subsiding. By February 2021, seismic activity had decreased significantly.

The scientists identify a magma intrusion, the migration of a larger volume of magma, as the main cause of the swarm quake, because seismic processes alone cannot explain the observed strong surface deformation on King George Island. The presence of a volumetric magma intrusion can be confirmed independently on the basis of geodetic data.

Starting from its origin, seismicity first migrated upward and then laterally: deeper, clustered earthquakes are interpreted as the response to vertical magma propagation from a reservoir in the upper mantle or at the crust-mantle boundary, while shallower, crustal earthquakes extend NE-SW triggered on top of the laterally growing magma dike, which reaches a length of about 20 kilometers.

The seismicity decreased abruptly by mid-November, after about three months of sustained activity, in correspondence to the occurrence of the largest earthquakes of the series, with a magnitude Mw 6.0. The end of the swarm can be explained by the loss of pressure in the magma dike, accompanying the slip of a large fault, and could mark the timing of a seafloor eruption which, however, could not yet be confirmed by other data.

By modeling GNSS and InSAR data, the scientists estimated that the volume of the Bransfield magmatic intrusion is in the range 0.26-0.56 km³. That makes this episode also the largest magmatic unrest ever geophysically monitored in Antarctica.

Conclusion

Simone Cesca concludes: “Our study represents a new successful investigation of a seismo-volcanic unrest at a remote location on Earth, where the combined application of seismology, geodesy, and remote sensing techniques are used to understand earthquake processes and magma transport in poorly instrumented areas. This is one of the few cases where we can use geophysical tools to observe intrusion of magma from the upper mantle or crust-mantle boundary into the shallow crust — a rapid transfer of magma from the mantle to almost the surface that takes only a few days.”

Reference: “Massive earthquake swarm driven by magmatic intrusion at the Bransfield Strait, Antarctica” by Simone Cesca, Monica Sugan, Łukasz Rudzinski, Sanaz Vajedian, Peter Niemz, Simon Plank, Gesa Petersen, Zhiguo Deng, Eleonora Rivalta, Alessandro Vuan, Milton Percy Plasencia Linares, Sebastian Heimann and Torsten Dahm, 11 April 2022, Communications Earth & Environment.
DOI: 10.1038/s43247-022-00418-5

UNODC discuss support for mothers and infants exposed prenatally to synthetic drugs

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Newsdesk
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The reach of the opioid crisis has extended to mothers and infants exposed prenatally to synthetic drugs
© UNODC

Neonatal abstinence syndrome: UNODC and experts discuss support for mothers and infants exposed prenatally to synthetic drugs

Vienna (Austria), 27 May 2022 – The reach of the opioid crisis has extended to the youngest and most vulnerable, affecting pregnant women and their infants who are prenatally exposed to synthetic drugs.

Some international guidance exists for managing substance use disorders in pregnant women. However, to ensure the best outcomes for children exposed in utero to synthetic drugs, we need comprehensive guidance for immediate, short and long term multi-disciplinary responses and care.

To explore the impact on infant children of prenatal exposure to synthetic drugs, in particular synthetic opioids, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) held a technical consultation online with 43 clinicians and academic experts from 14 countries and six specialized UN agencies.

Held on 1-3 February 2022, the consultation discussed the health, social, educational and legal needs of infants born with neonatal exposure to synthetic opioids. Participants identified gaps in the guidance available to health professionals for addressing the needs of infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome and recommended multi-disciplinary actions to address these gaps.

Addressing the meeting, Mr. Alexandre Bilodeau, Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada to the International Organizations in Vienna, said: “Infants experiencing withdrawal from opioid exposure can surely be counted among the most vulnerable members of our society. Canada fully recognizes the critical importance of addressing this issue and its multiple public health consequences. Canada is very proud to support the UNODC Synthetic Drug Strategy and UNODC’s work on neonatal abstinence syndrome,” he added.

A further awareness-raising gathering on this issue was held at a side-event to the 65th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs on 17 March 2022. The event included a powerful address from one panellist, Ms. Lauren Dicair, a psychotherapist and clinical social worker working with the adult children of people who have used drugs.

Ms. Dicair brought to the table her own lived experience of being born with neonatal abstinence syndrome. She explained how, as an adult, she is still suffering from the consequences: “decades of complex trauma and grief” as well as a “bizarre array of physical symptoms” resulting from her early drug exposure. She called for funding for large-scale research on the lifelong psychological and physical effects of neonatal abstinence syndrome, as well as for public education to help reduce stigma.

The keynote speaker, Ms. Carol Anne Chenard, Director of Health Canada’s Office of Controlled Substances, stressed the need for comprehensive international guidance and multidisciplinary responses to respond to this issue.

Denmark: interest in Scientology increases at 54th anniversary

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Newsdesk
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Religion proffessors students in Church of Scientology Denmark
Religion proffessors students in Church of Scientology Denmark (May 2022)

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, May 26, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Interest in Scientology increases at 54th anniversary. While Scientologists are present in Denmark since at least June 5th 1968, since the grand opening in May 2017 of the new premises of the Church of Scientology Denmark, over 4500 high school students, groups of future religion teachers and other like-minded professionals, have toured the renovated facilities to get a grasp of this emerging new religion that is establishing landmark locations around the world.

The main interest is to clear about L. Ron Hubbards ideas, concepts on life and spirituality, as well as the practice of Scientology, but of course, also the controversies about the religion, part of the interest during the guided tours is the background of their historical place.

Scientology is accepted as a religion throughout the world. Since the establishment of the first Church of Scientology in 1954, the religion has grown to millions of members worldwide. Scientologists practice their religion in virtually every country in the world.

Wherever formal Church ministries are established, the Church endeavours to register as some form of nonprofit association with religious purposes, according to the laws of that country. The legal systems of each country often differ significantly, and Denmark is a particular one. Some have official registries of religions where all groups are obliged to register and meet certain criteria. Others take the opposite view and specifically prohibit keeping official lists of accepted religions, considering that this is not a matter that falls within the jurisdiction of the State. Governments and courts of many countries recognize, explicitly or implicitly, the religious character of Scientology.

The different approaches from countries often create confusion, but for the more intellectually curious, this is often a trigger to wanting to find out more for themselves. And according to reports from the Church, Denmark is one of the main countries with intellectually curious scholars and students, “something relevant but not surprising as Denmark is one of the most multicultural/multi background nations in Europe” said Ivan Arjona, President of the European Office of the Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights.

The Danish building

A landmark Neoclassical townhouse at Nytorv 11-13, today home to the Church of Scientology, was originally constructed in 1796 by merchant and brewer Jens Lauritzen. One year earlier, fire had consumed the Nytorv/Gammeltorv district, and city planning mandated the building’s distinctive “broken corner” façade to allow long-ladder fire engines to navigate the city’s narrow streets.

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Denmark: interest in Scientology increases at 54th anniversary
Denmark: interest in Scientology increases at 54th anniversary 7
ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Denmark: interest in Scientology increases at 54th anniversary
Denmark: interest in Scientology increases at 54th anniversary 8
ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Denmark: interest in Scientology increases at 54th anniversary
Denmark: interest in Scientology increases at 54th anniversary 9
ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Denmark: interest in Scientology increases at 54th anniversary
Denmark: interest in Scientology increases at 54th anniversary 10

According to the research done by the Scientologists, the building throughout its history served a variety of uses: a paper factory, warehouse, brewery and café. The site further served as a private residence and was home to a number of prominent Danes, including the king of Nordic poetry and author of the Danish national anthem, Adam Oehlenschläger. Carl Christian Hall, a member of the original Constitutional Assembly and a 32-year member of the National Assembly, lived there too before going on to serve as Prime Minister in the mid-19th century.

After acquiring Nytorv 11-13, the Church brought new life to the landmark, restoring many historical features including preservation of the original wood staircase built in 1885.

The whole building is now dedicated as the home of the Church of Scientology since May 2017, a celebration officiated by the ecclesiastical leader of the religion, Mr David Miscavige, and “remains a significant tribute to the past and a herald of the future for Denmark” say the Scientologists in their website.

Spirituality and social action.

Back to the spiritual part, Denmark is historically (and in the present too) important for the members of Scientology, since it holds the continental headquarters of the movement, where the management of the church in Europe, but also the coordination of its social campaigns take place.

For over three decades, Church-sponsored drug education groups have reached out to the country’s youth with hundreds of thousands of copies of The Truth About Drugs booklets; The Way to Happiness organization has held neighbourhood cleanups and blanketed Copenhagen streets with the commonsense nonreligious code for moral living written by L. Ron Hubbard; all while the local chapter of Youth for Human Rights has worked to uphold their national heritage by creating an annual “Awareness March” and overall reaching more than two hundred thousand with their human rights message.

You can watch it history in this brief documentary

Council of Religious Leaders in Israel: “We are all one family”

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EuropeanTimes
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“We are all one family”: Religious leaders highlight moral education as foundation for peace | BWNS

Religious leaders highlight moral education as foundation for peace

HAIFA, Israel — The 12th Annual Conference of the Council of Religious Leaders in Israel was hosted recently at the Bahá’í World Centre, bringing together some 115 participants, including leaders of diverse faith communities, the Minister of the Interior, the Mayor of Haifa, other government officials, and journalists.

Discussions at the gathering highlighted the important role of education in promoting social harmony, nurturing moral principles, and developing the ability to engage in constructive dialogue.

The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, addressed the gathering in a video message, highlighting shared values among religions and emphasizing the importance of unity in diversity. “Unity is not uniformity and it is not meant to blur the differences between us, on the contrary, differences of tradition and culture are what make us so special.

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The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog addressed the gathering in a video message

In her opening remarks, Ariane Sabet, Deputy Secretary-General of the Bahá’í International Community in Haifa, stated: “Religion’s unique power in affirming humanity’s nobility, refining its character, providing meaning and motivation for creating a sustainable and prosperous civilization, cannot be overstated.”

She added: “May this conference serve as an invitation to all of us, as representatives of faiths and leaders in society, to discharge the responsibility for humankind to unite as members of one single human family.”

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Council of Religious Leaders in Israel: “We are all one family”
Religious leaders and government officials gathered to discuss collective efforts toward fostering peace, amity, and concord.

Haifa Mayor, Einat Kalisch-Rotem, spoke about efforts in the city of Haifa to promote social harmony. “Here in Haifa, we do not believe in merely coexisting, but rather living together as one community, all of us.”

Ayelet Shaked, Interior Minister, expressed her appreciation for the gathering, stating: “The conference is an excellent opportunity for respect and reciprocity, especially for joint action to combat violence.”

Another attendee, Sheikh Nader Heib, Chairman of the Association of Muslim clerics, stated: “We must learn how to reconnect…with warmth and [establish] a new view toward the future.

There was consensus among the religious leaders that further collaboration among them at schools and other social spaces would demonstrate their unity and dedication to peace, especially to young people.

Rabbi Simha Weiss, member of the Council of the Israeli Chief rabbinate, echoed this sentiment, saying that the diversity of the staff serving at the Bahá’í World Centre offers a glimpse of a hopeful future. “[They] show us that living together is possible.”

He added: “We are all one family… and this is what we have to teach the young people of today.”

Abu Dhabi International Book Fair hosts book fair directors from across Arab world

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News desk
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Abu Dhabi International Book Fair hosts book fair directors from across Arab world

ABU DHABI, 26th May, 2022 (WAM) — The 31st Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF 2022) hosted the latest meeting of book fair directors from across the Arab world.

The 19th Meeting of Arab Book Fair Directors discussed issues regarding the development and advancement of these fairs, the enhancement of their role in supporting the publishing sector and its workers, as well as ways to promote their position as platforms to spread knowledge among various members of the community.

Representatives of the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) attended the meeting, along with directors and officials from book fairs.

Attendees discussed the challenges facing book fairs and how to turn them into promising opportunities, in addition to exploring the current state of affairs in the Arab publishing industry and the challenges publishers face. Several additional issues also were on the table, including the role that book fairs play in spreading culture and civilised communication, as well as the impact they have in promoting books and other content to readers.

ADIBF will be heading the Meeting of Arab Book Fair Directors as the presidency of the meeting is transferred from Saudi Arabia to the UAE. For the upcoming year, ADIBF will supervise and coordinate with the General-Secretariat to track progress made on development plans, in addition to working to advance and promote Arab book fairs.

Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Acting Executive Director of the ALC and Director of ADIBF, said, “Through innovation and collaboration between the organisers of Arab books fairs, we have effectively supported the region’s publishing industry its growth. We have great faith in these fairs and the pivotal role they play in the development of communities. Arab book fairs will undoubtedly play a constructive role in enriching the cultural movement in general. We look forward to the meeting’s recommendations, which aim to bring all efforts to enable book fairs to continue to enlighten Arab minds, promote awareness and advance thought.”

Saad Al Zughaibi, Director of the Department of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities in the General-Secretariat of the GCC, welcomed the UAE’s efforts – represented by the ADIBF management – to organise and host the 19th Meeting of Arab Book Fair Directors.

“These annual meetings are in compliance with the decisions of Their Highnesses and Excellencies, the Ministers of Culture in the GCC region, to promote further collaboration in the cultural sector in the region. A wide range of topics was addressed during this meeting in order to enhance the level of organisation in GCC book fairs; pitch and coordinate new accompanying cultural events; discuss topics that support book fairs; and raise recommendations to the Committee of Ministers of Culture, which promotes joint action and advances the cultural movement,” he added.

The 19th Meeting of Arab Book Fair Directors also reviewed the progress made towards implementing the recommendations of the 18th meeting, in addition to exploring several topics proposed by member states, including the tentative dates for book fairs in GCC countries from 2026 to 2030, as well as the activities accompanying these events. Attendees also discussed the Gulf Cultural Strategy 2020-2030 and the requirements of the next meeting.

Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi).

War in Ukraine: New rules allowing to preserve evidence of war crimes

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Council of the EU and European Council
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New rules allowing to preserve evidence of war crimes

Council adopts new rules allowing Eurojust agency to preserve evidence of war crimes

To help ensure accountability for crimes committed in Ukraine, the Council today adopted new rules allowing Eurojust to preserve, analyse and store evidence relating to core international crimes, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The text is due to be signed by the European Parliament and the Council on 30 May and promptly published in the Official Journal. It will enter into force on the day following its publication.

The new rules will allow Eurojust to:

  • store and preserve evidence of war crimes, including satellite images, photographs, videos, audio recordings, DNA profiles and fingerprints
  • process and analyse this evidence, in close cooperation with Europol, and share the information with the relevant national and international judicial authorities, including the International Criminal Court

Since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, numerous reports from Ukraine have sadly indicated that crimes against humanity and war crimes have been and are being committed in Ukraine.

At the beginning of March, all EU member states, together with other partner states, decided to collectively refer the situation in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court. At the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting on 4 March, ministers encouraged Eurojust to fully exercise its coordinating role and to make itself available as required to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

In addition to the investigation by the ICC prosecutor, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has opened an investigation, as have the authorities of several member states. A joint investigation team has also been established by the judicial authorities of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, with the support of Eurojust and the participation of the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC and shortly of the judicial authorities of Slovakia, Latvia and Estonia.

Coordination and exchange of evidence between the different competent authorities is important to ensure the effectiveness of these investigations. In addition, owing to the ongoing hostilities there is a risk that evidence relating to war crimes or crimes against humanity cannot be safely stored on the territory of Ukraine and therefore it is appropriate to establish central storage in a safe location.

African nations leading the way on ‘food systems transformation’: Guterres 

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United Nations News
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African nations leading the way on ‘food systems transformation’: Guterres 
African countries are at the vanguard of a vital transformation of food systems to simultaneously address food security, nutrition, social and environmental protection – all while boosting resilience – said the UN chief on Thursday. 
António Guterres was addressing the start of a high-level policy dialogue at UN Headquarters in New York, part of the Africa Dialogue Series 2022, convened to strengthen resilience in food supplies across the continent, at a time when “decades of progress on hunger are being reversed.” 

Deep connections 

He said for too long, nutrition, food security, conflicts, climate change, ecosystems and health have been treated as separate concerns, “but these global challenges are deeply interconnected. Conflict creates hunger. The climate crisis amplifies conflict”, and systemic problems are just getting worse. 

He noted that after more than a decade of improvements, one in five Africans were undernourished in 2020, while 61 million African children are affected by stunting. Women and girls bear the brunt, and when food is scarce, “they are often the last to eat; and the first to be taken out of school and forced into work or marriage.” 

Mr. Guterres said that UN humanitarians and partners were doing their utmost to meet Africa’s needs amidst crisis, but aid “cannot compete with the systemic drivers of hunger.” 

Other “external shocks” were exacerbating the situation, such as an uneven recovery from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, with African countries among the most heavily impacted by grain shortages and rising debt.  

UN Women/Ryan Brown

A Central African Republic refugee living in Cameroon prepares food for her customers.

Climate crisis frontline 

Building resilience also requires addressing the climate crisis. 

“African farmers are on the frontlines of our warming planet, from rising temperatures to droughts and floods,” he said. 

“Africa needs a massive boost in technical and financial support to adapt to the impact of the climate emergency and provide renewable electricity across the continent.” 

He added that developed countries must deliver on their $100 billion climate finance commitment to developing countries, with the help of international financial institutions, so African countries, in particular, can invest in a strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, on the tide of renewable energy.  

Food systems, said the Secretary-General, “connect all these challenges”, as highlighted at last September’s UN Food Systems Summit. 

“Many African Member States led the call for fundamental change, through inclusive transformation pathways, which aim to address – simultaneously – food security, nutrition, social protection, environmental conservation and resilience to shocks.” 

He welcomed the African Union (AU) decision to designate 2022 as the Year of Nutrition – a pledge to act on the strong commitments made at the Summit. 

Collective expertise 

“Through national, regional and global cooperation, we must build on lessons learned and harness collective expertise. Together, we must deliver on these pathways”, Mr. Guterres added. 

“The international community must rise to the occasion”, he declared, adding that scaling back support when demand is at an all-time high, was “not an option.” 

Official Development Assistance, or ODA, based on a percentage of available public funds, is more necessary than ever, he said. 

“I urge all countries to demonstrate solidarity, invest in resilience, and prevent the current crisis from escalating further.” 

The UN chief said that during his recent visit to Senegal, Niger, and Nigeria, he had been inspired by the resilience and determination of the people he met. 

“Women and young people in particular were committed to lasting, sustainable solutions that enable them to live in peace with their neighbours and with nature.” 

“If we work together, if we put people and planet before profit, we can transform food systems, deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and leave no one behind.” 

The ambitious goals, he concluded, of ending hunger and malnutrition by the fast-approaching 2030 deadline, were realistic, and achievable. 

“The United Nations stands by your side, every step of the way.” 

China: New revelations on the repression of Uyghurs during the UN visit

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EuropeanTimes
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Uyghurs - China -_Xinjiang_camps
Uyghurs - China -_Xinjiang_camps

Michelle Bachelet is the first UN human rights official to visit China since 2005. In the midst of this strictly supervised visit, a series of edifying photos of detainees in Chinese “re-education camps”, proof of the repression of Uyghurs, were revealed by several media.

On Tuesday, a consortium of 14 foreign media outlets published documents they say came from hacked Xinjiang police computers, files received by researcher Adrian Zenz, and published by a group of international media. Beijing is accused of conducting fierce repression against Uyghur Muslims.

These documents give a precise idea of the repressive nature of the “re-education” of Uyghurs in the “vocational training centres”. Among these are thousands of photographs, which are presented as having been taken in “detention camps” and show the faces of many “detainees”, including women, minors and the elderly.

Some of his photos show the violence committed against the detainees. They sometimes appear handcuffed, hooded, interrogated, and even tortured.
The written documents support the idea of a crackdown ordered from the top of the Chinese state.

A speech attributed to Police Minister Zhao Kezhi in 2018 explains that President Xi Jinping ordered the expansion of detention centres. According to Zhao, at least two million people in southern Xinjiang are said to be “seriously influenced by the infiltration of extremist thought.”

In a 2017 speech, Chen Quanguo, the region’s then-boss, ordered guards to shoot dead those who try to escape and to “keep a close eye on believers.”

Beijing denounces “the lie of the century”

Beijing has always denied the repression of Uyghurs, denouncing “the lie of the century” and claiming that these sites are in fact “vocational training centres” intended to de-radicalize people tempted by Islamism or separatism.
The statements of Adrian Zenz, the first to accuse the Chinese regime in 2018 of having interned more than a million Uyghurs in political re-education centres, have been refuted by China

This is just “the latest example of the denigration of Xinjiang carried out by anti-Chinese forces,” Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for Chinese diplomacy, vehemently criticized Tuesday.

The day after new revelations in the press concerning the repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, Xi Jinping defended his country’s record on Wednesday. The Chinese president said that “there is no ‘perfect country’ in terms of human rights” and “each country must follow “its own path in human rights, according to its conditions and the needs of its people.”

US “outraged” and deeply concerned about UN rights chief visit to China

The United States on Tuesday expressed outrage at the revelations, saying it showed the acts were probably sanctioned at the highest level in Beijing.

“We are appalled by these shocking reports and images,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said of the leaked files attributed to Chinese police.

“It seems very difficult to imagine that a systematic effort to suppress, imprison, and conduct a campaign of genocide and crimes against humanity would not have the blessing – or approval – of the highest levels of the government of the People’s Republic of China,” he said.

The US State Department spokesperson on Friday said that the upcoming visit by the UN Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet to the so-called Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) is deeply concerning due to Beijing’s restrictions over the visit. “We have no expectation that the [People’s Republic of China] will grant the necessary access required to conduct a complete, unmanipulated assessment of the human rights environment in Xinjiang,” spokesperson Ned Price said.

“The high commissioner, we believe, must act, and be allowed to act, independently. And the high commissioner must report objectively and factually on the human rights situation,” Price further added

“During her time in office, the current High Commissioner has failed to raise any concern about the situation in occupied Tibet, which has not been mentioned as a visit location, despite being ranked as the least free place in the world for the second year in a row,” it further remarked.

The human rights report on China that the UN had said would be released earlier this year has still not seen the light of day. “Despite frequent assurances by her office that the report would be released in short order, it remains unavailable to us, and we call on the high commissioner to release the report without delay and not to wait for the visit to do so,” US spokesperson Price also noted.

Nearly half of Irish public does not trust the Government to be honest

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Newsdesk
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Nearly half of Irish public does not trust the Government to be honest

David Kearns, Digital Journalist and Media Officer of UCD University Relations published an article titles “Nearly half of Irish public does not trust the Government to be honest or tell the truth, according to new UCD study“.

He writes that “Almost half of Ireland (48%) does not trust the Government to be honest and truthful, with 58% thinking it communicates inaccurate and biased information. This is according to a new study commissioned by UCD, as part of its European Commission Horizon 2020 project PERITIA – Policy Expertise and Trust in Action.

The research, based on survey data from over 12,000 people across six countries, found the Irish public’s perceptions of their government to be more negative than other European nations, with only people in the UK and Poland rating theirs worse across several measures.“

He explains that across a range of questions designed to assess views of government trustworthiness, the Irish public were found to hold unfavourable perceptions.

“Almost six in 10 people in Ireland think the government does not communicate accurate and unbiased information, while over half (54%) are unsure whether to believe the government”.

“Some 45% of respondents think the government ignores rules and procedures, with only Poland (50%) and the UK (62%) having more negative views”.

By comparison, only one third of people in Germany (34%) and Norway (35%) say their government ignores rules and procedures.

In Ireland, the majority (53%) felt the government ignores them – with only people in the UK (61%) and Poland (66%) more likely to feel ignored, and 42% said the government acts unfairly towards people like them – again, behind only Poland (63%) and the UK (49%) but similar to Italy (42%) and Germany (41%).

The feeling that the government is not honest and truthful was shared by 48% of those surveyed across Ireland; a finding in line with the average across the six countries surveyed (50%) but notably higher than in some such as Norway (36%).

Six in 10 said they are usually cautious about trusting the government – higher than in Germany (49%) and Norway (41%), but similar to Italy (62%) and the UK (63%).

You can read the full article here.

Pope Francis prays for victims of Texas shootings

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Vatican News
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Pope Francis prays for victims of Texas shootings - Vatican News

Pope Francis prays for victims of Texas shootings

By Vatican News staff writer – Pope Francis has expressed his deep sadness in learning of the tragic shooting that took place at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

In a telegram sent to Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio and signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, the Pope assured “those affected by this attack of his spiritual closeness,” and “joins the entire community in commending the souls of those children and teachers who died to Almighty God’s loving mercy,” imploring “the divine gifts of healing and consolation upon the injured and bereaved.”

The message concludes, “with firm faith in the Risen Christ, through whom every evil will be overcome by good (cf. Rom 12:21), he prays that those tempted to violence will choose instead the path of fraternal solidarity and love.” The Pope offered his blessing, “as a pledge of strength and peace in the lord.”

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