A chilling account of how corruption has become institutionalised at the heart of America’s war machine – with consequences for us all
Andrew Cockburn’s book offers a guide to understanding the irrationalities of the US war machine | Al Drago/Pool via CNP/AdMedia/Newscom/Alamy Live News
(openDemocracy)* — Why is Joe Biden claiming that America’s ‘forever wars’, have ended? He withdrew 2,500 troops from Afghanistan and allowed the Taliban to take over the country, but the US continues to send drones to kill alleged terrorists in Afghanistan and in large parts of Africa and the Middle East.
(UN News)* — An estimated 3.2 million Afghan children under five, are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition by the end of the year, UN agencies on 5 October 2021 warned, adding that without immediate treatment, at least a million are at risk of dying.
Acute food insecurity is affecting 14 million people in Afghanistan who are without reliable access to water, food and basic health and nutrition services, following years of conflict and the economic crisis, which has been exacerbated following the Taliban takeover in August.
The alarm was sounded following a two-day visit to the city of Herat by Hervé Ludovic De Lys, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Afghanistan and Mary-Ellen McGroarty, World Food Programme’s (WFP) Afghanistan Representative and Country Director.
SAN FRANCISCO, USA, Oct 6 2021 (IPS)* – It’s bad enough that mainstream news outlets routinely call the Pentagon budget a “defense” budget. But the fact that progressives in Congress and even many antiwar activists also do the same is an indication of how deeply the mindsets of the nation’s warfare state are embedded in the political culture of the United States.
(UN News)* — Improved water management, monitoring and forecasting are needed in the face of a looming global water crisis, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and partners said in a report published on Tuesday 5 October 2021.
The warning comes as floods, droughts and other water-related hazards increase due to climate change, while the number of people experiencing “water stress” continues to rise amid population growth and dwindling availability.
(UN News)* — The world currently faces unprecedented catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity, according to UN agencies, and around $6.6 billion is needed urgently, to support 41 million in danger of sliding into famine.
WFP/Simon Pierre Diouf | Thousands of displaced women in Nigeria suffering from hunger and food insecurity rely on the UN to survive.
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To ramp up support, the United Nations on 4 October 2021 convened a high-level event, calling for international action, before it is too late.
(UN News)* — COVID-19 has taken a toll on the mental health of children and young people, and impacts could be felt for many years to come, UN children’s agency, UNICEF, on 5 October 2021 warned.
Even before the crisis, children and youth were already carrying the burden of mental health conditions and without significant investment in addressing them, according to the latest edition of its flagship report, the State of the World’s Children.
3 October 2021 (UN News)* — A September to remember, a pivotal month for climate action commitments. From the United Nations General Assembly week to the final pre-COP meeting, last month was an important time to build momentum before the decisive UN Climate Conference COP26 in early November.
(FAO)* — With climate change, conflict, hunger and environmental crises regularly in the news and social media every day, the younger generation is more aware than ever of global issues and arguably also more active than ever. And why shouldn’t they be? It is their future at risk.
3 October 2021 (UN News)* — A Spanish artist is using a giant 40-metre-high artwork painted on the side of a building in the Belgian capital, Brussels, to pose questions about climate change and the effect it’s having on global ecosystems.
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@superkant for @StreetArtMankind | The Alchemist is a 40-metre-high mural which has been painted onto the side of a property in Brussels.
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‘The Alchemist’ by Lula Goce, has been created in collaboration with the United Nations and non-profit organisation Street Art for Mankind (SAM) and is the first in a series of 50 murals which will be painted over the next 10 years in cities across the world to encourage the ecological restoration of damaged or dying ecosystems.
The theme recognizes that cities are responsible for some 70 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions with transport, buildings, energy, and waste management accounting for the bulk of urban greenhouse gas emissions.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 