Archive for August 1st, 2015

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01/08/2015

IS in Muslim Majority Syria and ‘Liberated’ Iraq Brutally Forces 8 Million People to “Assimilate, Flee or Face Death”

Human Wrongs Watch

31 July 2015 – The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has engaged in widespread and systematic human rights violations of the most serious kinds in [Muslim Majority] Syria and Iraq, brutally forcing some 8 million people to “assimilate, flee or face death,” according to a United Nations expert.

An increasing number of people, including families with children and the elderly, have encountered deadly ambushes as they try to escape areas controlled the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Photo: UNAMI

“These violations may amount to genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and widespread attacks on the civilian population,” according to Ben Emmerson, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.

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Posted in Middle East, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples, War Lords | Leave a Comment »

01/08/2015

Illegal Fishing Strips $10 Billion to $23 Billion, Accounts for 26 Million Tones of Seafood a Year

Human Wrongs Watch

Thirteen additional countries need to ratify an agreement brokered by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to combat illegal fishing by blocking ports to ships known or believed to be carrying illicit catches that account for more than 15 per cent of global output, the agency on 30 July 2015 said.

Momentum is building for a UN-backed accord, which, once operative, will bolster inspections and crack down on lawbreaking ships responsible for up to 15 per cent of global seafood output. Photo: FAO/J. Sutton

“A growing numbers of countries are ratifying an international agreement to combat illegal fishing, fuelling interest in how best to implement the instrument,” FAO said in a press release.

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Posted in Africa, Asia, Latin America & Caribbean, Market Lords, Middle East, Mother Earth, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples | Leave a Comment »

01/08/2015

‘Small Islands Need Partnerships to Battle Climate Change, Address ‘Unique Vulnerabilities’ 

Human Wrongs Watch

The global challenges facing the small island developing States (SIDS) are the international community’s collective responsibility, on 30 July 2015 stated the top United Nations official at the Security Council.

Climate change poses a threat to survival in the Southwest Pacific, and in most of the small islands around the globe. Photo: FAO/Sue Price

“Combatting climate change, promoting sustainable development and addressing the vulnerabilities of SIDS will demand partnership, capacity and leadership,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who recalled that the SAMOA Pathway is here “to guide us.”

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Posted in Asia, Mother Earth, The Peoples | Leave a Comment »

01/08/2015

‘Steady Rise’ in Rhino Poaching, Elephant Killings

Human Wrongs Watch

Recognizing that wild animals and plants are an “irreplaceable part of the natural systems of the Earth,” the United Nations General Assembly on 30 July 2015 urged its Member States to take decisive steps to prevent, combat and eradicate the illegal trade in wildlife, “on both the supply and demand sides.”*

**African elephants are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as the animals are poached for their ivory tusks. Photo: UNEP GRID Arendal/Peter Prokosch

Through the new resolution, the Assembly expressed serious concern over the steady rise in the level of rhino poaching and the alarmingly high levels of killings of elephants in Africa, which threaten those species with local extinction and, in some cases, with global extinction.

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Posted in Africa, Asia, Market Lords, Mother Earth, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples | Leave a Comment »

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