World
- Reuters
UPDATE 1-UK calls on EU to show pragmatism over N.Ireland trade
Britain called on Tuesday for the European Union to show pragmatism over the issue of Northern Irish trade, which has been disrupted by rules imposed since a Brexit deal agreed between London and Brussels at the end of last year. "We’re committed to working through the issues with the EU urgently and in good faith," British negotiator and junior minister David Frost said in a statement. "I hope they will take a common sense, risk-based approach that enables us to agree a pragmatic way forward that substantially eases the burdens on Northern Ireland."
The TelegraphFrench ports lift ban on Jersey fishermen landing their catch
France has lifted a ban on Jersey fishermen landing their catch after the Channel Island granted a two-month delay to the controversial post-Brexit fishing licences. Last week the Council of La Manche, Normandy, prevented Jersey vessels from landing their catches in Granville, Barneville-Carteret and Dielette. The fleet was stopped from landing for around five days, fishermen told The Telegraph, with one actively prevented from landing in Carteret on Thursday. Welcoming the news, the Jersey government said the action was “not compliant” with the terms of the Brexit trade deal – the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). But on Tuesday night, the Normandy Fishing committee threatened to block a Jersey freight vessel, the Normandy Trader, from leaving the port of Granville on Wednesday if it attempted to land. Didier Leguelinel, from the committee, told The Telegraph "it won't be allowed to leave", suggesting the fishermen intended to take the law into their hands with or without a ban. Chris Le Masurier, skipper of the Normandy Trader, said that he decided not to land in Granville on Tuesday but instead went to Saint Malo, Brittany. He told The Telegraph the harbourmaster at Granville said he would not be allowed in. "I just want to carry on and work. I’m tired of all this toing and froing, it’s driving me absolutely potty," he said. The Jersey government defended its decision to issue new restrictions on fishing licences for French vessels, which caused outcry in Paris and Brussels last week. A flotilla of 60 French fishing boats blockaded Jersey’s main port of St Helier on Thursday in protest.
The Daily BeastPutin Orders New Gun Laws After School Shooting Kills 9
NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty ImagesMOSCOW—President Putin immediately ordered an overhaul of laws allowing civilians access to semi-automatic weapons after the latest tragic example of Russia’s outbreak of U.S.-style school shootings.At least nine people were killed after an attack using a semi-automatic shotgun in the city of Kazan on Monday. Children—who have become accustomed to deadly ‘Columbiner’ rampages across Russia over the last ten years—were so terrified that they leapt from classroom windows to escape the shooting.Horrifying video circulating on social media shows students plummeting from third floor windows. Local outlets reported that at least two students died from the fall. At least seven students and two school staffers were killed in total. The suspect, identified as Ilnaz Galyaviyev, 19, was arrested at the scene.Columbine-Inspired Shootings Surge Among Young RussiansThe alleged shooter posted a selfie on Telegram before the massacre, posing in front of a mirror wearing a blood-red face mask and an armored vest with pockets loaded and zipped. On May 6, he posted: “I will kill a huge number of biological garbage.” It is not yet clear if the attacker’s social media profiles were linked to the dystopian online world of Russian Columbine school shooting fans known as Columbiners.It was supposed to be a day of celebration at school #175 in the semi-autonomous Republic of Tatarstan in southern Russia. The kids were dressed up in white shirts and preparing to mark Victory Day, remembering the veterans of WWII.The weapon used in the shooting—a Hatsan Escort semi-automatic shotgun—was manufactured by the same Turkish company as the pump action shotgun used to kill 21 students during the Kerch Polytechnic College massacre in Crimea in 2018.The Kremlin said it would move to introduce further restrictions on gun ownership, in a country where the rules are already much tighter than the U.S.“The president gave an order to urgently work out a new provision concerning the types of weapons that can be in civilian hands, taking into account the weapon [used today],” said Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov.Russians own more than 20 million guns, under permits for hunting and sport. Weapons with magazines that have more than ten cartridges or fire bursts of bullets are already outlawed. In order to be granted a permit, citizens must obtain a mental health certificate from a medical professional.The Russian parliament has already considered a law designed to punish doctors for misdiagnosing patients or giving firearms permits to people with mental health issues. The trouble is, you can also buy a psychologist's medical certificate for less than $20 online.Alexander Verkhovsky, head of SOVA Center—which monitors radical youth groups—told The Daily Beast that his organization has tracked several social media groups created by Russian teens devoted to fetishizing the Columbine high school massacre.Crimea Attack Teen ‘Dreamed’ of Giving Russia Its Own Columbine Massacre“Russian Columbiners are just people haters. They are not politically motivated,” he said.Whatever their motivation, their actions have ended the lives of dozens of young people across Russia.On October, 17, 2018, an 18-year old college student, Vladislav Roslyakov, killed 21, injured 61 people at school in Crimea. Last year, another teenager, 18-year-old Danila Monakhov, killed seven before committing suicide in the city of Nizhny Novgorod. Before embarking on his rampage, Monakhov posted on social media: "The day of resurrection is coming soon.” The shooter listed his birthday as the same day of the Columbine massacre: April, 20, 1999.Heartbroken families who were impacted by this latest attack demanded to know why the school had such poor security. Officials explained that there are at least 40,000 schools in Russia, and that it would be impossible to provide armed security to each school.By one account, the alleged shooter wanted exact revenge on a former teacher: “She told him he would fail in high school, that he had to leave after the 9th grade, which he did,” one peer told a Russian radio station, adding that the suspect was a quiet student and did not have many friends.Verkhovsky explained that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Kazan suspect had been egged on in Russian Colombiner chatrooms. “I think the Kerch shooter, who killed more than 20 people, impresses them,” he said.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
The WeekThe Biden administration's failure to appoint an ambassador to Israel is 'a serious problem,' analyst says
As the Israel-Palestine conflict escalates, the lack of a U.S. ambassador to Israel or a consul general in Jerusalem for Palestinians is becoming more glaring, Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said Tuesday. I realize the Administration has lowballed and deprioritized the Middle East and Israeli-Palestinian issue. But the lack of an Ambassador to Israel and a consul general in Jerusalem is a serious problem during a crisis. — Aaron David Miller (@aarondmiller2) May 11, 2021 In an earlier tweet, Miller wrote that the Biden administration's decision to remain mostly out of the fray has resulted in Israel and Hamas emerging as the "key decision-makers" at the moment, which is "not an uplifting thought." Walla News' Barak Ravid seemed to agree that the unhurried approach is befuddling amid a "huge crisis," noting that the Biden administration has appointed envoys for Iran, Libya, the Horn of Africa, and Yemen. "This doesn't make any sense," he tweeted. While the Biden administration clearly wants to play a more restrained role in the Middle East than past administrations, it does seem that moving more quickly on tapping diplomatic officials could be necessary. On Monday, Gilad Erdan, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., tweeted (in Hebrew) his displeasure with the State Department's current messaging, Politico reports, suggesting the need for more direct engagement. More stories from theweek.comMcCarthy is reportedly gambling that dumping Liz Cheney will get Trump to help make him House speaker5 scathingly funny cartoons about anti-vaxxers jeopardizing herd immunityTed Cruz walks out of gun violence hearing after failing to change the subject
The GuardianTrillions of brood X cicadas move closer to emergence as soil temperatures rise
Great Eastern Brood set to emerge in the last two weeks of May and into early June, with hordes of bugs to push up from underground Brood cicadas emerge in Fairfax, Virginia. Nowhere will the hatching be more intense than around Washington. Photograph: Carol Guzy/Zuma/Rex/Shutterstock Brood X, otherwise known as the great cicada hatching of 2021, is drawing closer as soil temperatures in some parts of America move closer to 64F (18C) – the trigger, according to scientists, for trillions of the insects to push up to the surface and into the trees to mate. It is a remarkable 17-year-life cycle for the hordes of bugs, who form different broods that emerge at different times and who remain underground for almost their entire lives before briefly emerging to mate and then die. Brood X – or the Great Eastern Brood – is the group of cicadas that spread over tracts of the north-east of the US, including New York and Washington, as well as parts of the midwest and West Virginia. Their emergence is a bonanza for predators, including copperhead snakes, who are also eagerly awaiting Brood X’s return to the surface. Birds, squirrels, bats, wasps, mantises, spiders and robber flies are also set to feast on the swarm. But this time, some US chefs and bug enthusiasts are looking to adopt traditions of entomophagy – the consumption of insects – in both ceremonial and nutritional terms. Nowhere will the hatching be more intense than around Washington. “Maryland is at the epicenter of the cicada emergence, so there will be spectacular numbers of cicadas emerging very heavily,” Michael Raupp, professor emeritus of entomology at the University of Maryland, known for his Bug Guy blog, told WJLA. “But the big ‘cicada-palooza’ is going to happen the last two weeks of May and into early June. So in some areas, there will be 1.5 million cicadas per acre emerging from the ground,” Raupp added. According to a recent report in Indian Country Today, the Indigenous Food Lab in Minneapolis is preparing to revive cicadas as a food source. Sean Sherman, founder and chief of the Sioux Chef and member of the Oglala Lakota, told the outlet that the non-profit wants to put insects on the menu at his new restaurant, Owamni, opening this month. “We have all sorts of amazing, diverse proteins across North America. If you’re looking at food from an Indigenous perspective, you really have to include insects,” Sherman, who won the 2018 James Beard award for best American cookbook, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, told Indian Country Today. “Edible insects such as grasshoppers are still used in Mexico today; the history of colonialism has stripped away our Indigenous foods, depicting them as inferior,” Sherman said, adding that “people should be open to exploring protein options beyond cows, chicken and pigs.” The recommendation comes amid increased awareness of the environmental costs of beef, hog and poultry production. In aquaculture, too, the depletion of wild fish stocks and attendant damage from farmed substitutes is forcing the industry to consider other sources of nutrition. According to “Edible insects: Future prospects for food and feed security,” a 2013 report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “edible insects contain high quality protein, vitamins and amino acids for humans. Insects have a high food conversion rate, e.g. crickets need six times less feed than cattle, four times less than sheep, and twice less than pigs and broiler chickens to produce the same amount of protein.” Besides, the paper continued: “They emit less greenhouse gases and ammonia than conventional livestock.” Other chefs are planning to follow suit. Joseph Yoon, executive director of Brooklyn Bugs, told the Washington Post he wants to try them at every point in their four- to six-week life cycle. “There’s so much beauty in the unknown,” he said. Gene Kritsky, author of Periodical Cicadas: the Brood X Edition, said he had tried cicadas sauteed, blanched, in pies and stir fry, though battered and fried with cocktail sauce is best.
The TelegraphMichel Barnier calls for non-EU immigration into France to be suspended for up to five years
Michel Barnier has called for all non-European Union immigration into France to be banned for up to five years. The EU’s former Brexit negotiator said immigration was “not working” in what is seen as a pitch to lead the centre-Right Republicains into next year’s presidential elections. “I think that effectively we need to take some time, between three to five years, and suspend immigration,” he said in comments aimed at sapping support from rival candidate Marine Le Pen. “I’m not talking about students, I’m not talking about refugees who must be treated with humanity and strength. But we need to rebuild the whole process,” he told French television. Mr Barnier has previously warned that France could follow the UK out of the EU amid “social unrest and anger” over immigration and Europe’s failure to defend its borders. He said Paris should hold talks with its EU allies about how to strengthen the bloc’s border controls and about the passport-free Schengen Zone. “The problems with immigration are not moderate ...We need to talk to our neighbours about the Schengen Agreement, we possibly need to put in stricter border controls,” Mr Barnier said. Mr Barnier criticised Nigel Farage for his use of immigration in the Brexit referendum campaign in his recently published diary of the negotiations.
ReutersPM Johnson promises to 'level up' UK with post-pandemic plans in 'Queen's Speech'
LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to tackle inequality and "level up" the country on Tuesday with a post-pandemic raft of laws presented by Queen Elizabeth to parliament. In a ceremony stripped back because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the queen, who wore a day dress instead of the usual robes and crown, read out the bills the government hopes to pass during the next year on everything from job creation and healthcare to stripping back post-Brexit bureaucracy. After travelling to parliament by car rather than the traditional horse and carriage, the queen, in her first major public appearance since the death of her husband Prince Philip last month, read out the government's agenda for the new parliamentary year.
AxiosWashington Post names AP's Sally Buzbee as executive editor, replacing Marty Baron
The Washington Post has named Associated Press executive editor Sally Buzbee as its new executive editor, effective June 1.Why it matters: Buzbee replaces legendary editor Marty Baron, who retired at the end of February. She will be the first woman to lead the newsroom in The Post's 144-year history.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.What they're saying: "Sally Buzbee has an exceptional record of achievement and a tremendous wealth of experience in leading a global news organization," Washington Post Publisher Fred Ryan wrote in a memo to staff.“In an extensive search that included many of the best journalists in America, Sally stood out as the right person to lead The Post going forward. She is widely admired for her absolute integrity, boundless energy, and dedication to the essential role journalism plays in safeguarding our democracy.”Between the lines: While Baron's retirement wasn't a surprise, his departure seemed rather abrupt to media insiders, especially given that The Post hadn't yet hired an editor to replace him. The Post named managing editor Cameron Barr as interim editor in late February, just before Baron stepped aside. Be smart: Baron's successor has been the subject of intense speculation for months. Sources told Axios that the decision was made by a very tight-knit group of top executives, including The Post's publisher Fred Ryan and its owner Jeff Bezos. Other names that were floated for the role, as Axios previously reported, include former Post managing editor and ESPN executive Kevin Merida, who was recently named executive editor at the Los Angeles Times, and National Geographic editor in chief Susan Goldberg.The big picture: Buzbee will be tasked with continuing to grow The Post's reputation for strong, investigative journalism, while also being open to experimentation with new technologies and ideas. She will also need to navigate the Post's newsroom through difficult questions around the role of activism in journalism, especially at a time when news companies are expected do more to address diversity and inclusion.The Post has been able to successfully transition its brand into the digital era under Bezos' ownership and Baron's editorial leadership. Under Baron, The Post launched a major video unit and hired a full-time TikTok reporter. It expanded its tech and business coverage and made new investments in data journalism. What to watch: The AP announced it will immediately begin its search for a new executive editor, which it expects to take a few months."As AP’s top editor, Buzbee has directed AP’s global news report throughout the Trump administration, the #MeToo movement, Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, protests over racial injustice and the 2020 U.S. election," AP said in a press release. "This is bittersweet news for the AP. Sally has been an exceptional leader, guiding AP’s journalists and news report through some of the most pivotal news events of our time," said AP president and CEO Gary Pruitt.Go deeper: Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post editor Marty Baron retiresLike this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.
GlobeNewswireKingspan Insulated Panels North America Incorporates New Sustainability Initiatives at California Plant
Kingspan’s upgraded Modesto, California manufacturing facility now uses upcycled plastic bottles in manufacturing, adding PV solar roofDELAND, Fla., May 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kingspan Insulated Panels North America announces new sustainability initiatives as part of the company’s global Planet Passionate program, an ambitious, decade-long commitment to cutting carbon emissions between 2020 and 2030. Through upcycling, renewable energy and a PV solar roof, a large investment in Kingspan’s plant in Modesto, California, puts Kingspan a step closer to meeting its global target with a focus on three areas: Energy: powering 60% of all Kingspan operations directly from renewable energy with a minimum of 20% of this energy generated on manufacturing sitesCarbon: achieving net zero carbon manufacturing and a 50% reduction in product CO2 intensity from primary supply partnersCircularity: upcycling of 1 billion PET bottles per annum into insulation products plus zero company waste to landfill across all sites The Modesto plant is using upcycled PET plastic water bottles as a key raw material input for manufacturing Kingspan’s QuadCore® insulation, as part of the global effort to meet Planet Passionate goals of upcycling a billion water bottles a year worldwide. This is a critical step toward cleaning up the world’s beaches and oceans, while providing between 9% and 12% recycled content to Kingspan’s insulation foam, depending on panel thickness. According to the United Nations, the world produces 300 million tons of plastic waste each year, which is equivalent to the weight of the entire human population. Even more alarming is that 8% ends up in the world’s oceans. The UN estimates that by 2050, if nothing changes, the oceans could contain more plastic than fish. Kingspan is also reducing its own carbon footprint by installing a PV solar panel roof at its Modesto plant to generate roughly 1.4 MW of on-site electricity. When finalized this summer, the Modesto plant will be on the road to meeting Kingspan’s global Planet Passionate goal of 60% direct renewable energy, while contributing to 20% on-site renewable generation. As of 2018, electricity production accounted for more than 26% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The reliance on clean energy cuts both carbon emissions and pollution. “We need to address every aspect of sustainability when it comes to the built environment. With each plant, we are finding new ways to meet and even exceed our goals in order to fulfill our commitment to tackling climate change,” said Brent Trenga, Kingspan’s Director of Sustainability. “It is critical to our planet that we assess carbon emissions in every step of the manufacturing process. We must examine every aspect from the energy sources to the materials used.” In addition to being more energy efficient, the plant can manufacture insulated panels at almost double the speed of its predecessor and has a state-of-the-art autonomous online conditional monitoring system, making it Kingspan’s most advanced insulated panel manufacturing plant globally. The 138,500 sq. ft. plant employs a staff of 85 and is the City of Modesto’s third largest employer. Total investment for the plant is around $23 million and it is one of Kingspan’s five plants in North America. Kingspan has been operating in Modesto, California, since 2008. To learn more about Kingspan, visit www.kingspanpanels.us. About Kingspan Insulated Panels – North America Kingspan Insulated Panels – North America is a business unit of Kingspan, a global company operating in more than 60 countries, with over 140 manufacturing facilities. Kingspan Insulated Panels – North America manufactures and markets three groups of products at its U.S. and Canadian facilities: insulated metal wall and roof panel systems for commercial/industrial construction; insulated architectural panel and façade systems for design-driven projects; and controlled environment panels and doors for cold-storage and climate-controlled warehousing. In addition to its commitment to quality and innovation, the company is on the leading edge of the sustainability movement, offering best-of-class products produced in state-of-the-art, eco-friendly facilities. To learn more visit www.kingspanpanels.us. Media Contact: Alyssa CohenUproar PR for Kingspan Insulated Panels North America 321-236-0102 x233acohen@uproarpr.com
The ConversationPutting a dollar value on nature will give governments and businesses more reasons to protect it
Sunrise over Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota. NPS/FlickrPresident Joe Biden calls climate change “the existential crisis of our time” and has taken steps to curb it that match those words. They include returning the U.S. to the Paris Agreement; creating a new climate Cabinet position; introducing a plan to slash fossil fuel subsidies; and announcing ambitious goals to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. But climate change is not the only global environmental threat that demands attention. Scientists widely agree that loss of wildlife and the natural environment is an equally urgent crisis. Some argue that biodiversity loss threatens to become Earth’s sixth mass extinction. But unlike efforts to fight climate change – which center on clear, measurable goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – there is no globally accepted metric for saving biodiversity. As an expert on budgeting and public finance, I know that governments and private businesses alike pay much more attention to resources when they have a well-defined price tag. I believe that overhauling society’s concept of wealth to include “natural capital” – the value nature provides to humans – is a critical step for slowing and reversing the loss of precious ecosytems. Economist Dieter Helm offers strategies for establishing natural capital policy. What is natural capital? Natural capital can be defined as the world’s stocks of natural assets – soil, air, water, grasslands, forests, wetlands, rocks and minerals – and all of its living things, from mammals and fish to plants and microbes. Conservation experts estimate that these resources contribute more than US$125 trillion to the global economy every year. Humans depend on nature’s contributions for survival. For example, forests absorb carbon and filter the water we drink. Wetlands and coral reefs mitigate flooding. Bees and other insects pollinate crops, enabling us to grow food. But human societies don’t formally recognize the economic value of these services. This oversight encourages people to recklessly deplete the natural environment. A recent review of the economics of biodiversity, commissioned by the U.K. government and led by Cambridge University economist Sir Parth Dasgupta, warns that human prosperity is growing at a “devastating cost to nature” and estimates that it would take 1.6 Earths to maintain the world’s current living standards. The report calls for the world to treat nature like an asset to be reported in financial statements and national accounts. The Capitals Coalition, a global consortium of 380 initiatives and businesses, is trying to “change the math.” The organization seeks to persuade at least half of the world’s businesses, financial institutions and governments to incorporate natural capital into their decision-making by 2030. Globally, researchers estimate that public and private spending that harms natural assets is significantly higher than spending to protect and enhance them. Dasgupta Review, CC BY-ND Valuing ecosystems Current accounting methods used by corporations and governments largely ignore what ecosystems and their services contribute to the economy and to human social well-being, jobs and livelihoods. As a consequence, modern societies spend far more on investments that deplete or exploit natural assets than they do to preserve them. Under the current model, short-term economic gains typically win out against longer-term ecological benefits. For example, failing to maintain forests can spark wildfires. And constructing homes on fragile coastal wetlands can erode soil and reduce fish stocks, destroying local communities. A recent study by the Paulson Institute, a research institute founded by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, estimated that global investments that degrade nature exceed conservation efforts by $600 billion to $824 billion per year. Natural capital accounting would require businesses and governments to calculate how human activity affects nature, much as they assess depreciation of buildings or machinery. Analyzed in this way, nature is a financial asset, and damage to it becomes a liability. This approach creates incentives to conserve natural resources and restore others that have been degraded or depleted. Land cleared for a palm oil plantation in Indonesia in 2016. Experts say that valuing assets like tropical forests will spur greater protection of nature. Ulet Ilfasanti/Getty Images Global recognition of this issue is growing. In March 2021 the United Nations updated a statistical framework for standardizing ecosystem accounting, which was first published in 2012. These guidelines help countries track changes in ecosystems and their services and provide leaders with a baseline with which to compare their stocks and flows when making policy decisions. Some 90 countries have adopted this System of Environmental Economic Accounting and produced baseline “national capital accounts.” They include European Union members, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and more than 40 developing countries. The U.S. is planning to implement this approach but has not done so yet. Assessing nature’s value Placing values on natural assets is really no different from government assessments of the benefits of new roads, bridges and other infrastructure. People intuitively understand that natural resources are precious. And the COVID-19 pandemic has made clear how closely human health is intertwined with the health of the planet. In response to the biodiversity crisis, President Biden has aligned the U.S. with the global 30x30 campaign, a plan to protect at least 30% of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030. Multiple scientific studies have shown that achieving this goal would conserve species, store carbon, prevent future pandemics and boost economic growth. The year 2021 marks the start of the U.N. Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which aims to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide. Today, according to a recent study, less than 3% of the world’s land remains ecologically intact with healthy wildlife populations and undisturbed habitat. [Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.] The U.S has lost decades of potential progress since Congress suspended fledgling efforts by the Bureau of Economic Analysis to develop environmental accounting methods in 1995. Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey and other federal agencies are now urging the U.S. to adopt national capital accounts using the U.N. framework. In contrast, the U.K. created public environmental accounts and set up a Natural Capital Committee in 2012, led by its finance ministry, to help corporations develop natural capital accounts. Today, the U.K. maintains these accounts, which capture data on the size, condition, quantity and value of habitats and ecosystem services. President Biden could empower the U.S. Treasury Department to spearhead a similar initiative. Adopting metrics to measure and track the benefits people receive from wildlife and ecosystems would clarify how human activities affect nature and show how much investment is needed to reverse humanity’s current destructive trajectory. Conservation advocates will be much better positioned to protect our planet’s resources with a strong balance sheet to back it up.This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Linda J. Bilmes, Harvard Kennedy School. Read more:Bringing scientific rigor to ‘ecosystem services’To solve climate change and biodiversity loss, we need a Global Deal for Nature Dr. Linda J. Bilmes has served as the United States member of United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration since 2017. She has previously received funding from the National Park Foundation for research related to the economics of National Park assets.
- Associated Press
UN: Bodies of 10 Europe-bound migrants wash up in Libya
At least 10 bodies of Europe-bound migrants washed up ashore in western Libya on Tuesday, a U.N. migration official said, after two shipwrecks this week left some 30 people presumed drowned. The bodies were found near the western Libyan towns of Zuwara and Garaboli, said Safa Msehli, a spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration. A boat carrying over 65 migrants capsized off Libya on Monday, leaving at least two dozen presumed dead.
- GlobeNewswire
Middle East Long and Flat Steel Products Market Report 2021: Market Value Size and Forecast 2016-2026 - Producers Must Focus on improving the Supply Chain Process
Dublin, May 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Middle East Long and Flat Steel Products Market (Value, Volume) - Analysis By Product Type, End User, By Country (2021 Edition): Market Insights, Covid-19 Impact, Competition and Forecast (2021-2026)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Middle East Long and Flat Steel Products Market was USD 19.2 billion by value and 38.8 million tonnes by volume in the year 2020. Strong governmental expenditures, buoyed by high energy prices will continue to spur construction-led steel demand for the region. In addition, with all eyes on the Middle East, it has great potential to develop their manufacturing industry which will pull the demand in subsequent years. GCC Steel producers must focus on improving the supply chain process and reduce operation costs besides improving customer service in order to be efficient producers and overcome the market challenges which includes the global protectionism, surge of raw material prices, sluggish demand and drop in selling prices. Moreover, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is making major efforts towards non-oil diversification and manufacturing sector growth.The construction industry in the GCC has suffered much in 2020 with economic shocks of COVID-19 and tumbling oil prices that left demand for construction materials such as rebar weaker for most of the year.Companies including Qatar Steel, Emirates Steel, SABIC Steel, and Bahrain Steel are reinforcing their competitive advantage in steel business and focusing on securing new growth engines driven by innovative technologies including IoT, AI, and big data, which has been forecasted to infuse a robust growth in the Long and Flat Steel market during the coming years.Additionally, rapidly rising population would lead to growth in infrastructure development, with special emphasis on public services, transportation and housing in urban centers which will further facilitate the market growth. Further, escalating investment in various construction and infrastructure projects with steel manufacturers focusing on improving their production capacity, will drive substantial growth in the market in future. Key Topics Covered: 1. Report Scope and Methodology2. Strategic Recommendations3. Long and Flat Steel Products Market: Product Overview4. Middle East Long and Flat Steel Products Market: An Analysis4.1 Middle East Long and Flat Steel Products Market by value (USD Million): Size and Forecast (2016-2026)4.2 Middle East Long and Flat Steel Products Market by volume (Thousand Tonnes): Size and Forecast (2016-2026)4.3 Impact of COVID-19 on Middle East Long & Flat Steel Products4.4 Middle East Long Steel Products Market - By Value, Volume4.4.1 Middle East Long Steel Products Market, By Product Type, By Value4.4.2 Middle East Long Steel Products Market, By Product Type, By Volume4.4.3 Middle East Long Steel Products Market, By End User, By Value4.4.4 Middle East Long Steel Products Market, By End User, By Volume4.5 Middle East Flat Steel Products Market - By Value, Volume4.5.1 Middle East Flat Steel Products Market, By Product Type, By Value4.5.2 Middle East Flat Steel Products Market, By Product Type, By Volume4.5.3 Middle East Flat Steel Products Market, By End User, By Value4.5.4 Middle East Flat Steel Products Market, By End User, By Volume4.6 Middle East Economic & Industrial Outlook4.7 Middle East Long and Flat Steel Products Market: Prominent Companies4.8 Middle East Long and Flat Steel Products Market: Country Analysis 4.9 Market Opportunity Chart of Middle East Long and Flat Steel Products Market - By Country, By Value (Year-2026)4.10 Competitive Scenario of Middle East Long and Flat Steel Products Market - By Country (2020 & 2026)5. Saudi Arabia Long and Flat Steel Products Market: An Analysis6. U.A.E Long and Flat Steel Products Market: An Analysis7. Qatar Long and Flat Steel Products Market: An Analysis8. Kuwait Long and Flat Steel Products Market: An Analysis9. Iran Long and Flat Steel Products Market: An Analysis10. Oman Long and Flat Steel Products Market: An Analysis11. Bahrain Long and Flat Steel Products Market: An Analysis12. Middle East Long and Flat Steel Products Market Dynamics12.1 Middle East Long and Flat Steel Products Market Drivers12.2 Middle East Long and Flat Steel Products Market Restraints12.3 Middle East Long and Flat Steel Products Market Trends13. Competitive Landscape13.1 SWOT Analysis - Middle East Long and Flat Steel Products Market13.2 Porter Five Force Analysis - Middle East Long and Flat Steel Products Market14. Raw Material Pricing Analysis15. Raw Material Supplier Landscape16. Company Profiles (Business Description, Financial Analysis, Business Strategy) Al Ghurair Iron & Steel L.L.C.Al-lttefaq Steel Products CompanyEmirates Steel Company LLCMobarakeh Steel CompanyQatar SteelRajhi SteelSABIC HadeedUnited Steel Industrial Company (KWT Steel) For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/80efvg CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900
Associated PressPoll: Most in US who remain unvaccinated need convincing
Fewer Americans are reluctant to get a COVID-19 vaccine than just a few months ago, but questions about side effects and how the shots were tested still hold some back, according to a new poll that highlights the challenges at a pivotal moment in the U.S. vaccination campaign. Just 11% of people who remain unvaccinated say they definitely will get the shot, while 34% say they definitely won't, according to the poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Corbett helped lead development of the Moderna shot, and she spends hours giving plain-spoken answers to questions from Americans — especially Black Americans like her — to counter misinformation about the three vaccines used in the U.S.
AxiosPutin orders new gun control regulations after school shooting kills 8
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered the Russian Federal Service of National Guard Troops to start working on new gun regulations following a school shooting that left at least eight people dead, according to the Kremlin.Driving the news: A gunman on Tuesday morning attacked a school in the city of Kazan and killed seven students and one teacher, while leaving 21 other people hospitalized, AP reports.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.The suspect was 19 years old and the firearm used was registered in his name, said Rustam Minnikhanov, governor of the Tatarstan republic where Kazan is located, per AP. It is not yet known what type of firearm was used."While school shootings are relatively rare in Russia, there have been several violent attacks on schools in recent years, mostly carried out by students," AP notes.The big picture: The new gun regulations will be focused on the types of firearms that are available for civilian use. "Applicants for a firearm’s license must pass psychological exams and own a smoothbore shotgun for a trial period before obtaining a rifle," The New York Times writes.Putin also expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.He directed government officials to provide medical psychological assistant to the victims. The Russian Emergencies Ministry sent an airplane with doctors and medical equipment to Kazan. Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.
The GuardianBiden picks ex-Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel as US ambassador to Japan
Selection ends months of speculation over whether Obama’s first chief of staff would be nominated to an administration role The former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. Photograph: Kiichiro Sato/AP Joe Biden has picked the former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel to be his ambassador to Japan. The selection ends months of speculation over whether Barack Obama’s first chief of staff, a former congressman and longtime Democratic operative, would be nominated to an administration role. In the first days of the Biden presidency Emanuel, 61, was mentioned as a possible secretary of transportation. Biden ended up picking Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who ran strongly in the Democratic presidential primary. Some progressives view Emanuel as a major antagonist within the party. He is often criticized among liberals, for example, for his handling of a shooting of an African American teenager during his time in Chicago. Emanuel served two terms as mayor but opted not to run a third time, in the face of a potentially brutal campaign. His selection as ambassador was first reported by the Financial Times. The Guardian confirmed it on Tuesday. The selection, which will be officially announced later this month, is one of a number of appointments Biden plans to make in full ambassadorial roles. There has been grumbling among Democratic donors that the president has not followed in a longstanding tradition of appointing major donors to plush diplomatic posts. Biden has reportedly eyed major American political figures for diplomatic jobs. In April, for example, Axios reported that he plans to pick Cindy McCain, the wife of the late Republican senator and presidential nominee John McCain, to be ambassador to the United Nations World Food Programme. Biden reportedly plans to nominate Ken Salazar, a former cabinet secretary and senator from Colorado, as ambassador to Mexico.
Associated PressIran rejects US claim that speedboats sparked encounter
Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard on Tuesday rejected the U.S. Navy's claim that fast-approaching Iranian speedboats in the Strait of Hormuz sparked a tense encounter in the already sensitive region. A day earlier, the U.S. said the Revolutionary Guard sent 13 armed speedboats too close to U.S. Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. The Americans said a Coast Guard cutter fired warning shots when two of the Iranian boats came dangerously close.
- GlobeNewswire
Insights on the Agricultural Microbial Global Market to 2026 - Increasing Demand for Sustainable Agricultural Practices is Driving Growth
Dublin, May 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Agricultural Microbial Market - Forecasts from 2021 to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global agricultural microbial market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12.61% over the forecast period to reach a market size of US$9,087.791 million in 2026 from US$3,956.654 million in 2019.Agricultural microbial refers to the microorganisms used in agriculture to enhance crop productivity and quality of yield. Microbial inoculants used in agriculture have target specific functions, and thus are suitable for use in various crops. They consist of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses that are beneficial for assisting various agricultural practices such as crop protection and soil improvement. Microbes act as an important active ingredient in various biostimulants that help improve crop yields. In recent times, they have emerged as an effective substitute for synthetic agrochemicals. Moreover, they have functional superiority that encourages crop development by complementing the soil microbiota by enhancing nutrient uptake and increasing soil fertility. The growing trend of adopting organic farming as an alternative to conventional farming practices to achieve sustainability and lower the negative impact on the environment has contributed to driving the market growth. The promising growth potential of organic agriculture practices is anticipated to complement the growth of the agricultural type of microbial. This is also expected to drive natural plant growth regulators and crop protection products in the forthcoming years. According to a 2019 Organic Survey by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, there has been a rise of 17% in the certified organic farms in the U.S. between 2016 and 2019. The strong emphasis of the government to adopt organic farming has led to increased acceptance of such microbial globally.However, the major factors hampering the market growth and adoption of agricultural microbial are the high application cost and delayed effects of microbial inoculants as compared to conventional chemical agrochemicals. Manufacturers are witnessing several challenges in their growth due to the presence of several counterfeit products in the market and the implementation of government regulations.Growth Factors. Rising population and increasing demand for food security The growing need to feed an ever-growing global population, coupled with the increasing demand for sustainable agricultural practices and the concern of the general public over environmental safety is one of the leading drivers for the agricultural microbial market. An increase in urbanization and less availability of arable land are motivating farmers to adopt efficient crop-protection techniques. There has been a broader acceptance and recognition of the increasing benefits of microbial. With the amount of arable land per person declining and the expansion of population, global crop yields must increase to meet the food production needs. As a result, an increase in the demand for microbial products and agricultural production is being witnessed. Along with this, the high demand for microbial to achieve sustainable crop intensification is expected to favor market growth. This has boosted their popularity and demand as a biological source to improve production, and their incorporation in integrated farming practices is likely to narrow the yield gaps. Increasing awareness regarding the harmful effects of synthetic chemicals The use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers has shown various detrimental effects on the environment and human health. According to the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization, synthetic fertilizers account for 13% of the total agricultural greenhouse gas (GIG) emissions. There have been numerous efforts to improve agricultural management practices as synthetic fertilizers cause widespread damage to the ecology. The prominent players in the market and various government and non-government organizations support sustainable agricultural practices by providing funds and subsidies on agricultural microbial. They help mitigate the efforts and act as a valuable ingredient for enabling sustainable agriculture practices. Restraints. Low Adoption Besides the various benefits of agricultural microbial, it is witnessed to have relatively low adoption rates than synthetic chemicals. This is mainly due to the lack of awareness and low commercialization of biologicals. Along with this, there are considerable challenges with the utilization of microbes and their mode of application. For instance, the microbial culture used for seed treatment o impairs the convenience of sowing seeds. Furthermore, the storage-stability of microbial hinders their effective utilization as they have low on-seed survival rates. Hence, the farmers often refrain from using microbes.Key Developments April 2020 - Sumitomo Chemicals Company successfully acquired four South American subsidiaries of Nufarm Limited - in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia, respectively - to expand its global footprint in the crop protection business in various regions around the world.April 2020 - Sumitomo Chemicals invested USD 30 million into a joint venture with Conagen, a US biotechnology company. Through this, the company aimed to promote its strategic business alliance with Conagen further and develop innovative high functional products and processes by way of innovative use of biologicals.March 2020 - a new automated greenhouse facility was developed in Marana, Arizona, US, by Bayer CropScience, for providing growers with the most innovative, sustainable, and technically advanced agricultural solutions, focusing on crop protection solutions.January 2020 - BASF SE, for its Agricultural Solutions business in Singapore, developed a multipurpose facility designed to handle six different formulation technologies and supply the company's patented crop protection products to farmers across the fast-growing Asia Pacific region.October 2019 - Bayer CropScience launched its latest biological innovations, collectively known by the brand name, Biologicals, by Bayer at 2019 Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting (ABIM). Impact of COVID - 19.The COVID - 19 pandemic is expected to hurt the growth of the agricultural microbial market as due to the pandemic, supply chains around the globe were disrupted leading to an inadequate supply of microbial to farmers in need. Moreover, restrictions imposed on the movement and gathering of people led to a decline in agricultural activities, thus, reducing the demand for microbial.Competitive InsightsProminent/major key market players in the global agricultural microbial market include Certis USA, BASF SE, Novozymes, Sumitomo Chemical, and Bayer CropScience among others. The players are implementing various growth strategies to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors in this market. Major market players in the market have been covered along with their relative competitive strategies and the report also mentions recent deals and investments of different market players over the last few years. The company profiles section details the business overview, financial performance (public companies) for the past few years, key products and services being offered along with the recent deals and investments of these important players in the Global Agricultural Microbial Market.Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction1.1. Market Definition1.2. Market Segmentation2. Research Methodology2.1. Research Data2.2. Assumptions3. Executive Summary3.1. Research Highlights4. Market Dynamics4.1. Market Drivers4.2. Market Restraints4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis4.3.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers4.3.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers4.3.3. Threat of New Entrants4.3.4. Threat of Substitutes4.3.5. Competitive Rivalry in the Function4.4. Function Value Chain Analysis5. Global Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Type5.1. Introduction5.2. Bacteria5.3. Protozoa5.4. Viruses5.5. Fungi6. Global Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Crop Type6.1. Introduction6.2. Cereals and Grains6.3. Fruits and Vegetables6.4. Oilseeds and Pulses6.5. Others7. Global Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Function7.1. Introduction7.2. Crop Protection7.3. Soil Amendment8. Global Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Mode of Application8.1. Introduction8.2. Soil Treatment8.3. Seed Treatment8.4. Foliar Spray9. Global Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Formulation9.1. Introduction9.2. Dry Formulation9.3. Liquid Formulation10. Global Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Geography10.1. Introduction10.2. North America10.2.1. North America Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Type10.2.2. North America Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Crop Type10.2.3. North America Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Function10.2.4. North America Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Mode of Application10.2.5. North America Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Formulation10.2.6. By Country10.2.6.1. United States10.2.6.2. Canada10.2.6.3. Mexico10.3. South America10.3.1. South America Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Type10.3.2. South America Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Crop Type10.3.3. South America Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Function10.3.4. South America Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Mode of Application10.3.5. South America Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Formulation10.3.6. By Country10.3.6.1. Brazil10.3.6.2. Argentina10.3.6.3. Others10.4. Europe10.4.1. Europe Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Type10.4.2. Europe Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Crop Type10.4.3. Europe Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Function10.4.4. Europe Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Mode of Application10.4.5. Europe Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Formulation10.4.6. By Country10.4.6.1. Germany10.4.6.2. United Kingdom10.4.6.3. France10.4.6.4. Others10.5. Middle East and Africa10.5.1. Middle East and Africa Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Type10.5.2. Middle East and Africa Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Crop Type10.5.3. Middle East and Africa Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Function10.5.4. Middle East and Africa Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Mode of Application10.5.5. Middle East and Africa Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Formulation10.5.6. By Country10.5.6.1. Saudi Arabia10.5.6.2. South Africa10.5.6.3. Others10.6. Asia Pacific10.6.1. Asia Pacific Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Type10.6.2. Asia Pacific Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Crop Type10.6.3. Asia Pacific Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Function10.6.4. Asia Pacific Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Mode of Application10.6.5. Asia Pacific Agricultural Microbial Market Analysis, By Formulation10.6.6. By Country10.6.6.1. China10.6.6.2. Japan10.6.6.3. India10.6.6.4. South Korea10.6.6.5. Others11. Competitive Environment and Analysis11.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis11.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness11.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations11.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix12. Company Profiles.12.1. Certis USA12.2. BASF SE12.3. Novozymes12.4. Sumitomo Chemical12.5. Bayer CropScience12.6. Queensland Agricultural Seeds12.7. Syngenta AG12.8. Dow AgroSciences12.9. Novagreen Inc.12.10. XiteBio TechnologiesFor more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hquj72 CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900
The WeekRussia: 19-year-old gunman killed at least 7 students, teacher at middle school
Russian officials say a 19-year-old gunman attacked a school in the city of Kazan on Tuesday morning, leaving at least seven eighth graders and one teacher dead, and 21 other victims hospitalized, some with critical injuries. "The terrorist has been arrested," said Rustam Minnikhanov, president of the Tatarstan republic, where Kazan is the capital. "A firearm is registered in his name. Other accomplices haven't been established, an investigation is underway." Minnikhanov called the mass shooting a "tragedy" and Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would review the country's gun laws. "While school shootings are relatively rare in Russia, there have been several violent attacks on schools in recent years, mostly carried out by students," The Associated Press reports. More stories from theweek.comMcCarthy is reportedly gambling that dumping Liz Cheney will get Trump to help make him House speaker5 scathingly funny cartoons about anti-vaxxers jeopardizing herd immunityTed Cruz walks out of gun violence hearing after failing to change the subject
Associated PressAIDS virus used in gene therapy to fix 'bubble baby' disease
A gene therapy that makes use of an unlikely helper, the AIDS virus, gave a working immune system to 48 babies and toddlers who were born without one, doctors reported Tuesday. Results show that all but two of the 50 children who were given the experimental therapy in a study now have healthy germ-fighting abilities. “We’re taking what otherwise would have been a fatal disease” and healing most of these children with a single treatment, said study leader Dr. Donald Kohn of UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital.
The GuardianHomeless Oaklanders were tired of the housing crisis. So they built a ‘miracle’ village
Under a highway, beautiful structures offer food, healthcare, showers and a free ‘store’ – as well as a strong sense of community The Cob on Wood homeless community in West Oakland. Photograph: Gabrielle Canon/The Guardian Tucked under a highway overpass in West Oakland, just beyond a graveyard of charred cars and dumped debris, lies an unexpected refuge. There’s a collection of beautiful, small structures built from foraged materials. There’s a hot shower, a fully stocked kitchen and health clinic. There’s a free “store” offering donated items including clothes and books, and a composting toilet. There are stone and gravel paths lined with flowers and vegetable gardens. There’s even an outdoor pizza oven. The so-called “Cob on Wood” center has arisen in recent months to provide amenities for those living in a nearby homeless encampment, one of the largest in the city. But most importantly, it’s fostering a sense of community and dignity, according to the unhoused and housed residents who came together to build it. They hope their innovative approach will lead to big changes in how the city addresses its growing homeless population. Xochitl Bernadette Moreno and Dmitri Schusterman outside the community clinic at Cob on Wood. Photograph: Gabrielle Canon/The Guardian Miguel ‘Migz’ Elliott points to plans to expand Cob on Wood, including a new sauna, fruit trees, and ‘cobins’ that can house community members. Photograph: Gabrielle Canon/The Guardian “It is about uniting everybody,” says Dmitri Schusterman, a nearby resident who also serves as the Director of Innovation for Artists Building Communities, one of the organizations that helped build the center at the end of last year. Cob on Wood was brought to life with help from local advocacy arts and food groups who teamed up with Miguel “Migz” Elliott, an expert in the ancient technique of making cob structures. Together with teams of volunteers and residents, they built each component by hand. Now, roughly five months since they broke ground, a community has coalesced around the space that not only hosts events and workshops but also offers food, hygiene and skill-sharing to the estimated 300 people who live in nearby encampments. “It is working,” Schusterman says, smiling broadly. “This is the vision we had and it is working like a miracle.” Tackling a pair of crises Cob on Wood was born of parallel crises – Oakland’s rising rate of homelessness and the Covid pandemic. The city is home to more than 4,000 unhoused people, a figure that has jumped 86% over a four-year period, according to a 2019 report. Homelessness disproportionally affects Black Oaklanders, who make up 24% of the general population but 70% of the unhoused population. Xochitl Bernadette Moreno and Ashel Seasunz Eldridge, co-founders of Essential Food and Medicine, one of the organizations behind Cob on Wood, distributed food and hygiene products to those who couldn’t “shelter in place” during California’s lockdowns. That’s when they learned about just how dire the situation had become. “[Covid] exposed those pre-existing cracks in the infrastructure of how we take care of our people, our communities, our neighbors,” Eldridge says. Elliott, an expert in the ancient technique of constructing cob structures, helped bring the vision to life. Photograph: Gabrielle Canon/The Guardian Moreno demonstrates how the Cob on Wood pizza oven works. Photograph: Gabrielle Canon/The Guardian Moreno adds: “Knowing that the issues people in these communities face around hunger and access to water, access to places to cook – these issues existed before the pandemic and they will continue to exist after the pandemic.” There are at least 140 homeless encampments in Oakland, according to a recent city audit, which found the city had mismanaged its response to the crisis. Building on findings from the United Nations general assembly, which, after visiting the Bay Area in 2018, reported that treatment of the unhoused was “cruel and inhumane”, Oakland’s audit reported that many unhealthy and unsafe conditions have persisted, including a lack of access to clean water, sanitation, and health services. City officials have tried to address the growing issues with new programs, including the “tuff shed” project that provides clusters of small structures as temporary housing solutions and so-called “Safe RV Parking” sites that include access to electric hookups, portable toilets and security. But critics – who include some of the unhoused participants – say the programs are plagued with safety issues and do little to address underlying causes of housing instability. Some have also expressed concerns that the programs have given the city more political leeway to crack down on encampments and increase sweeps, an often traumatic process for unhoused people who can end up losing their few belongings. “People are not only being evicted from homes they once had, but then they are being evicted from the homes that they create – communities they’ve built for themselves when they had nowhere else to go,” Moreno says. A model ‘cobin’, built for long-term living, overlooks materials used to build new ones under the Interstate 880 overhang. Photograph: Gabrielle Canon/The Guardian After growing frustrated with the city’s interventions, several other communities have attempted to create their own solutions, including a group of women who started a safe encampment in vacant lots, and an advocacy organization called the Village, which has built tiny homes on empty areas of public land across the city. Cob on Wood organizers are also hoping to empower unhoused residents to solve the problems they think the city hasn’t adequately addressed – from fire prevention to sanitation access – while organizing to collectively engage with officials and limit the sense of “otherness” and disenfranchisement which residents say is an all-too-common side-effect of homelessness. They broke ground in December. Clearing needles and trash from an area near Wood Street – a half-mile area lined with makeshift structures, RVs and tents – a crew of volunteers and camp residents under Elliott’s guidance used pallets to frame the structures. They were insulated with scavenged materials before being coated in “cob”, a mixture made from organic materials including sand, subsoil, water and straw. Each structure is lined with a “living roof” – featuring a garden – that creates an attractive aesthetic while insulating the inside from the abrasive city sounds and the elements. “There are cob structures that were built 700 years ago that are still being lived in,” Elliott says. He hopes to prove that “cobins”, as he calls them, could serve as a quick and affordable addition to other encampments, to offer shelter and house other services. “I am trying to demonstrate a structure that can be built for as cheaply as possible, as naturally as possible, as beautifully as possible and as movable as possible,” he says. “They can have a lock on the door, some shelves on the wall, a little garden on the roof, and the people living in them can actually help build them.” Cob on Wood organizers also plan to host educational opportunities, including nutrition and cooking classes, skill-shares and career development. “We believe that this place can serve as a model.” Moreno says. “That this city and other cities can adopt to be able to replicate these ideas and create workforce development programs.” ‘Making us feel good about ourselves again’ So far, the city has expressed support for the project. Or at least interest. Carroll Fife, a city council member, has been visiting the encampment and meeting with residents. And while Cob on Wood was built without a permit on land belonging to the state’s transport agency, Caltrans, the agency says it has no immediate plans to remove the structures – though it hasn’t ruled out eventually doing so. Residents and organizers are still concerned. They have experienced sweeps conducted by the city and Caltrans before, and there are rumors that clean-up crews could be deployed to clear the area in the coming weeks. But they hope that this time, things will be different. The group has already raised more than $24,000 through GoFundMe, and there are plans in the works to expand Cob on Wood. Elliott would like to build a chicken coop to house egg-laying hens, a pond full of water-loving plants to collect the runoff from the shower, and a gray water system that will recycle water so that a washer and dryer can be installed. They’d also like to build residential “cobins” that people could live in long term – that is, if the community is able to stay. Those involved say the project has already had a positive impact – and are determined to build a future for it. Leajay Harper is the kitchen manager at Cob on Wood. Photograph: Gabrielle Canon/The Guardian Inside the Cob on Wood kitchen. Photograph: Gabrielle Canon/The Guardian Leajay Harper, who serves as the kitchen manager, is among them. Born and raised in Oakland, Harper lost her housing after losing her job at a non-profit during the 2008 financial crisis. She sent her children, now 14 and 18, to live with her mother, hoping to shield them from life on the streets. Since she began collaborating with Cob on Wood, she says, there is a place where she feels that they can safely and comfortably spend time with her. Her work here has also helped inspire her to pursue new opportunities. “It has been a journey and it’s been hard,” she says. “But being a part of this and doing this work is getting me motivated.” She plans to launch a zine in the coming months, called From the Gutter, that she hopes will be a platform for unhoused people to share stories and tips. “This is empowering us and making us feel good about ourselves again,” she says. “Helping us earn our living, and not have to beg for it, or steal it, or commit crimes.” Mostly, though, like Dmitri Schusterman, she says it’s all about coming together. “It is like a big family,” she says. “We have to make do with what we got. And if we have each other’s backs we can do that.”
BBCCoronavirus: New variants are causing growing concern in Africa
A lack of specialised genome sequencing is making it difficult to track new mutations in Africa.
- Reuters
UPDATE 5-UK PM Johnson promises 'jobs, jobs, jobs' with post-pandemic plans
Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised on Tuesday to "level up" Britain by tackling inequality and driving an economic recovery from the pandemic with a raft of laws presented to parliament by Queen Elizabeth. In a ceremony pared back because of COVID-19, the queen, who wore a day dress instead of the usual robes and crown, read out the bills the government hopes to pass during the next year on everything from job creation and healthcare to stripping away post-Brexit bureaucracy. At her first major public appearance since the death of her husband Prince Philip last month, the queen travelled to parliament by car rather than the traditional horse and carriage, addressing socially distanced ermine-clad lords.
ReutersU.S. military ship fires 30 warning shots after encounter with Iranian vessels
The confrontation was sparked when 13 vessels from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy came close to American Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the Pentagon said on Monday.
Associated PressAP PHOTOS: Jumbo Mumbai COVID-19 hospital treats thousands
Inside Mumbai's BKC jumbo field hospital, a health worker adjusts the oxygen mask of a COVID-19 patient as doctors, nurses and specialists keep a close eye and monitor hundreds of sick people. The pop-up mega hospital in India’s financial capital is mounted with tents and metal partitions and looks like a war room. It has a capacity of more than 2,000 beds with state-of-the-art medical facilities, including intensive care units and beds with oxygen and ventilators.
Associated PressRegistration opens for hopefuls in Iran's presidential vote
Iran opened registration Tuesday for potential candidates in the country's June presidential election, kicking off the race as uncertainty looms over Tehran's tattered nuclear deal with world powers and tensions remain high with the West. President Hassan Rouhani can not run again due to term limits, yet with the poll just a month away no immediate favorite has emerged among the many rumored candidates. Whoever wins the June 18 vote will take over from Rouhani, a relative moderate within the Islamic Republic whose two four-year terms began with Iran reaching the nuclear deal.
“If Facebook lets Trump back on Facebook and Instagram, he'll assuredly restart his assault on democracy.”
“Facebook should have known better than to believe that it could limit speech on its platform without setting a terrible precedent.”
“Providing a microphone and an amplifier for deceit isn't fighting the good fight for free speech.”
“It’s no defense of Mr. Trump’s conduct to say that the digital public square shouldn’t suppress speech by political leaders.”
“The former president no longer gets the ‘head of state’ exception to terms of service.”