(New York) – Governments should take urgent steps to prevent racist and xenophobic violence and discrimination linked to the Covid-19 pandemic while prosecuting racial attacks against Asians and people of Asian descent, Human Rights Watch today [12 May 2020].
There is so much wrong with Donald Trump that one hardly knows where to start.
He is a bully, braggart, narcissist, racist, misogynist, habitual liar, and tax evader, in addition to being demonstrably ignorant. He has contempt for both domestic and international law, as well as for the US Constitution.
However, it is Trump’s climate change denial, withdrawal from the Paris agreement, and sponsorship of fossil fuels that pose the greatest threats to the future of human society and the biosphere.
The general support of the Republican Party for the fossil fuel industry is the reason why Prof. Noam Chomsky has called the party “the most dangerous organization in history”.
Trump’s Climate Change Denial
In a recent article, climate expert Dr. Andrew Glickson wrote:
SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 2020 (IPS) – Although Wuhan local authorities undoubtedly ostracized local medical whistle-blowers, notably Dr Li Wenliang, who suspected a new virus was responsible for flu-like infections in Wuhan in late 2019, official responses were apparently not delayed, and possibly even expedited, as the novel character of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for Covid-19 infections, was not immediately self-evident.
11 May 2020 (FAO)* — Desert Locust upsurges aren’t a new phenomenon. Locusts are one of the oldest migratory pests in the world and have wreaked havoc on crops across the globe for centuries. When huge swarms infest many countries and spread across several regions or continents, it becomes a plague. A plague of Desert Locusts, the most destructive locust species of all, can easily affect 20 percent of the Earth’s land, potentially damaging the livelihoods of one tenth of the world’s population and seriously affecting food security.
So, what are the main things to know about Desert Locusts?
12 May 2020 (UN News)* — As the coronavirus outbreak enters its fifth month, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that the health crisis is “quickly becoming a child rights crisis”, requesting $1.6 billion to support its humanitarian response for children impacted by the pandemic. And without urgent action, a further 6,000 under-fives could die each day.
With a dramatic increase in the costs of supplies, shipment and care, the agency appeal is up from a $651.6 million request made in late March – reflecting the devastating socioeconomic consequences of the disease and families’ rising needs.
(UN News)* — A new report by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) unveiled on Tuesday [12 May 2020], proposes that governments ensure immediate temporary cash transfers to help millions of people struggling to meet basic needs, as the massive fallout from COVID-19 ripples across the region’s economies.
Executive-Secretary Alecia Bárcena – launching the “The Social Challenge in Times of COVID-19” report, at a virtual press conference in Santiago, Chile – said these transfers should then be made permanent and extend to those who are at risk of being caught in the poverty trap. Such a step would pave the way towards a universal basic income, guaranteeing the basic right to survival, she said.
11 May 2020 (WHO)* — On the occasion of the International Day of the Nurse and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, the World Health Organization (WHO) joins hundreds of partners worldwide to highlight the importance of nurses in the healthcare continuum and thank nurses for what they do. The theme for this year is ”Nursing the World to Health”.
WHO
Historically, as well as today, nurses are at the forefront of fighting epidemics and pandemics – providing high quality and respectful treatment and care.
They are often the first and sometimes the only health professional that people see and the quality of their initial assessment, care and treatment is vital.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, 11 May 2020 (UNFPA)* – As countries grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, indigenous and Afro-descendant communities are among the most vulnerable, with many facing poverty, poor health-care access and limited information. In Honduras, members of these communities are joining together to ensure information and resource reach the most vulnerable.
“We have had to get creative in these times,” said Yimene Calderón, head of the Organization for Ethnic Development, which is working with the Garífuna community to raise awareness of infection control measures and provide support to households in need.
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, May 11 2020 (IPS)* – Experts across Africa are warning that as hospitals and health facilities focus on COVID-19, less attention is being given to the management of other deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, which affect millions more people.
Africa is grappling with managing diseases like malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis as health systems that are unable to cope with both this and the coronavirus pandemic. Sleeping under a net and taking antimalarial pills helps prevent malaria. Credit: Mercedes Sayagues/IPS
(UN News)* — Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges, significant gains have been made against Desert Locust encroachment in East Africa and Yemen, with an estimated 720,000 tonnes of cereal saved from the swarms of migratory pests across 10 countries: enough to feed five million people a year, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Monday [11 May 2020].
WFP/Peter Louis | A wave of desert locusts has formed swarms in parts of South Sudan.
However, agency chief Qu Dongyu stressed that more action is still needed to avert a food security crisis as the ongoing rainy season, which benefits farmers and pastoralists, also provides favourable conditions for locusts to breed.
“Our gains have been significant; but the battle is long and is not yet over”, he said. “More people are at risk of losing their livelihoods and worsening food security in the coming months.”
In this screenshot, a man helps a shop owner pick up a display stand after a group of teenagers vandalize the store in Chinatown San Francisco on March 16, 2020. © 2020 CrimesAgainstAsians/Facebook
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 