It’s not too late to rein in these unaccountable armed giants, but we need to act fast
A Tier 1 Group instructor at one of the company’s training sites in Arkansas, US | The Commercial Appeal/ZUMAPRESS.com/Alamy
07/08/2021
Afghanistan at ‘Dangerous Turning Point’
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — With the war in Afghanistan now in “a new, deadlier, and more destructive phase”, the top UN official in the country appealed on Friday [6 August 2021] for the Security Council to act to avert a catastrophe.
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Special Representative Deborah Lyons, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said the advance of the Taliban in recent months, now targeting major cities, is reminiscent of the Syrian and Balkan wars.
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06/08/2021
Democracy: Enemy of the Powerful
By Robert C. Koehler | Common Wonders – TRANSCEND Media Service*
Perhaps the best possible thing we could acknowledge being is a “divided nation.” Failing to do so justifies — or at least avoids noticing — all manner of violent cruelty and repression in the name of so-called democracy, from the jailing of whistleblowers who reveal U.S. war crimes and global criminality, to the lynching of men and women of color . . . to the waging of endless war.
Oh, and so much more!
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05/08/2021
Defining Refugees in the Era of Climate Displacement
By Dewi Zarni | BIMI at UC Berkeley – TRANSCEND Media Service*
In Bangladesh’s refugee camps, evacuation due to flooding is increasingly common. Paula Bronstein/Getty Images.
July 28th marks the 70th anniversary of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. This historic document, signed by 149 nation-states, defines refugees as those with a well-founded fear of persecution if returned to their country of origin on the basis of their “race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.”¹
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05/08/2021
Protecting the Paradise of Praslin Island, Seychelles
5 August 2021 (UNEP)* — For many locals and tourists, Praslin Island in Seychelles is synonymous with paradise. From the white sands of Anse Lazio, frequently voted as one of the top beaches in the world, to the endemic species of the jungle, to the colorful coral reefs in Curieuse Marine Park, Praslin is filled with both beauty and biodiversity.
Photo by Shutterstock / 04 Aug 2021
05/08/2021
No Time or Forest to Lose
The deforestation of 10,329 hectares was detected by comparing satellite images from November 2020 to July 2021. Greenpeace aerial images from July also show bulldozers in operation, with forest destruction recorded in at least 10 places in the province.
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05/08/2021
No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference – Kylian’s Story
Vital Ocean Voices is a series of stories from people living in coastal communities around the Indian Ocean, providing first hand accounts of the impacts of destructive fishing, pollution and climate breakdown.
https://youtu.be/nGKmEqSUZOk?t=27
https://youtu.be/nGKmEqSUZOk
https://youtu.be/nGKmEqSUZOk?t=27
https://youtu.be/nGKmEqSUZOk
(Greenpeace International)* — Kylian, seven years old, has always refused to cut his lovely long hair. Visiting Aigrettes Island (Mauritius) he is fascinated by the wildlife. Hearing that oil was spilling from the sinking Wakashio, he cuts off his hair to protect the lagoon. His story will inspire others to protect the ocean too.
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05/08/2021
China Struggles with Socio-Environmental Standards in Latin America
Human Wrongs Watch
– In southeast Mexico, work on the Yucatan Solar Park, owned by the Chinese company Jinko Solar, has been halted since 2020 for lack of proper consultation with indigenous communities, after affected local residents filed an injunction against the project.
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For the construction of the suspended Yucatán Solar Park on the Yucatán peninsula in southeastern Mexico, the site was only partially cleared. Like most infrastructure projects involving Chinese companies and banks in Latin America, the plant lacks socio-environmental standards. CREDIT: Courtesy of Asamblea Múuch’ Xíinbal
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05/08/2021
Ethiopia: ‘Heartbreaking’ Devastation in Tigray
Human Wrongs Watch
4 August 2021 (UN News)* — The new UN Emergency Relief Coordinator ended a six-day mission to Ethiopia with a fresh push to get badly needed food and other supplies into the embattled Tigray region.
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“We need to change the circumstances that have led to the slow movement of aid – we need the conflict to stop”, Martin Griffiths, who also heads the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said on 3 August 2021 evening.
More than 5.2 million people across Tigray, amounting to more than 90 per cent of the region’s population, now require life-saving assistance, according to OCHA.
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05/08/2021
Heavy Rains and Flooding Push Yemenis to the Brink
Human Wrongs Watch
(UN News)* — Heavy rains and flooding in Yemen have affected at least 28,000 people, according to initial estimates released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Wednesday [4 August 2021].
In its daily noon briefing, OCHA said that humanitarian partners on the ground are conducting assessments and providing assistance, which included food, shelter and healthcare.
Meanwhile, more than half of Yemenis are facing crisis levels of food insecurity, and five million people are just one step away from famine.
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HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 