Archive for ‘Asia’

25/07/2021

From Invasion to Failed State: Iraq’s Democratic Disillusionment

Human Wrongs Watch

By Lily Hamourtziadou*

Western-style democracy has failed Iraq, bringing a dystopian economy, an ineffectual government and more pain for its long-suffering people

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1024px-US_Navy_031016-N-3236B-043_A_marine_patrols_the_streets_of_Al_Faw,_Iraq

US Marines patrol the streets of Al Faw, October 2003. | Public Domain

23 July 2021 (openDemocrcay)* — Iraq in 2021 is still a state afflicted by poverty, injustice, the trauma of great loss of life, and daily fear. Iraqis still suffer from a sense of powerlessness, defeat and humiliation.

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25/07/2021

Drowning – Key Facts

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WHO/Yoshi Shimizu

  • Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths.
  • There are an estimated 236 000 annual drowning deaths worldwide.
  • Global estimates may significantly underestimate the actual public health problem related to drowning.
  • Children, males and individuals with increased access to water are most at risk of drowning.

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25/07/2021

Drowning Is among the Ten Leading Causes of Death for Children and Youth Aged 1-24 Years

Human Wrongs Watch

World Drowning Prevention Day – 25 July 2021

First World #DrowningPrevention Day calls for accelerated action to prevent drowning, offers strategies to save lives

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25/07/2021

An Uncomfortable ‘New Normal’

25/07/2021

Everything You Need to Know about Food Systems, How They Can Avert Famine, Help End Hunger

ROME, (WFP)* — Ahead of the UN’s Food Systems Summit in September, people involved in all aspects of the production, transport and consumption of food are meeting at a ‘pre-summit’ in Rome.
VIDEO: Click on image to check out how we consume, distribute and consume food

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25/07/2021

Farmers Are the ‘Lifeblood of Our Food Systems’

Human Wrongs Watch

24 July 2021 (UN News)*Farmers, especially women and indigenous people, work tirelessly to put food on our tables. UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed met on Saturday 24 July 2021 women producers at a farmers’ market in Circo Massimo, Rome, ahead of the Food Systems Pre-Summit  taking place next week.

UN Photo | UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed meets women producers at a farmers’ market in Circo Massimo, Rome.
 
Dozens of stalls were set up in the vicinity of the UN event’s venue, where heads of state and delegates will gather from Monday to discuss ways to transform food systems to tackle hunger, poverty, climate change and inequality.
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UN and government officials toured the market to meet with farmers before paying tribute to producers, particularly women, for their central role in food systems.
25/07/2021

‘Food Systems that Ignore the Needs of Poor Rural People Are Doomed to Fail’

Rome, 23 July 2021 (IFAD)* – If we ignore the challenges and needs of rural people in the world’s poorest countries, our attempts to create more equitable and sustainable food systems are doomed to fail, said the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) ahead of the UN Food Systems pre-Summit that begins in Rome on Monday [26 July 2021].
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©IFAD/ David Paqui

“Rural people have long been side-lined in food value chains. While they toil to produce much of our food, too often they receive a pittance for their efforts and are left vulnerable to shocks,” said Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD, the UN agency which leads on tackling rural poverty and hunger.

“This is a critical moment to address the inequity of our food systems. Without concrete actions that result in real changes for rural producers, hunger and poverty will only grow, and increased instability and migration will follow,” he added.

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24/07/2021

The List Is Here: Find Out How Global Defense Companies Performed in FY20

Human Wrongs Watch

By Mike Gruss | Defense News – TRANSCEND Media Service*

The coronavirus pandemic is not yet over — despite our most optimistic thinking — and this year’s Defense News Top 100 list offers hints of how the broader international defense market has coped.

The answer appears to be that national security firms have fared well. Very well.

(Martin Barraud/Getty Images)

Consider that six of the 10 largest U.S. defense companies had revenues jump by 6 percent or more — a total of about $11 billion — from fiscal 2019. And all seven Chinese firms on the list grew during the last year as well.

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24/07/2021

Satellite Mega-Constellations’ Mega-Threats

Human Wrongs Watch

By Miguel Coma*

The rise of space junk and the fall of reason

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Astronauts in the International Space Station regularly have to avoid catastrophic collisions with space debris
Astronauts in the International Space Station regularly have to avoid catastrophic collisions with space debris | Image from Wall Street International.

23 July 2021 (Wall Street International)* — Above our heads, man-made satellites wage war against the stars.

On Earth, a handful of CEOs plan to put hundreds of thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit—in addition to the 5,0001 satellites already launched.

Altogether, these satellites will outnumber the stars visible to the naked eye tenfold.

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24/07/2021

Vaccine Inequity Undermining Global Economic Recovery

New Global Dashboard on COVID-19 Vaccine Equity finds low-income countries would add $38 billion to their GDP forecast for 2021 if they had the same vaccination rate as high-income countries. Global economic recovery at risk if vaccines are not equitably manufactured, scaled up and distributed.  

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Geneva/ New York City, (WHO)* —  COVID-19 vaccine inequity will have a lasting and profound impact on socio-economic recovery in low- and lower-middle income countries without urgent action to boost supply and assure equitable access for every country, including through dose sharing, according to new data released on 22 July 2021 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the University of Oxford.