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Beim Impftempo scheint sich in der Schweiz eine Trendwende anzubahnen: Erstmals seit Mitte Juni ist die Impfkadenz letzte Woche wieder gestiegen.

Fast ein Drittel der Schweizerinnen und Schweizer konnte aus Kabul evakuiert werden. Düster sind hingegen die Aussichten für die Afghanen, die in Kabul für die Schweiz gearbeitet hatten, und ihre Familien.

Roger Federer (40) wird mehrere Monate pausieren müssen. Das hinterlässt auch bei seiner Konkurrenz Spuren.

A family runs across a dusty street in Herat, Afghanistan. Credit: UNAMA/Fraidoon Poya

By Alon Ben-Meir
NEW YORK, Aug 20 2021 (IPS)

President Biden’s decision to finally withdraw US forces from Afghanistan was the correct decision and certainly overdue. However, the lack of preparation to do so orderly and safely was yet another terrible mistake in a string of mistakes that have plagued the US from day one.

Righting the wrong

In his address to the nation last Monday, President Biden used the majority of it to try to justify the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, which needed hardly any justification given that after 20 years the US has not come any closer to defeating the Taliban permanently.

The vast majority of the American people supported his decision when he first announced his intention to end the war based on the agreement concluded between Trump and the Taliban last February.

Biden’s decision to withdraw was certainly the right one and was overdue by 19 years. His determination not pass the war onto a fifth president was wise, as it would spare the country from continuing to invest blood and treasure in an unwinnable war.

The problem was not the need to withdraw, but the manner in which it was conducted. Why on earth did he begin to pull out troops without the proper preparation to ensure that US and other foreign diplomats and civilians, along with thousands of Afghan interpreters and other support staff and their families, departed orderly and safely?

To subsequently dispatch thousands of troops to secure the airport to ensure safe passage for the departees was certainly necessary. But this happened only following the chaos that swept Kabul and sent shivers down the spines of tens of thousands of Afghans and foreign diplomats and civilians.

As I see it, this last sorry chapter is continuing a string of mistakes committed by Biden’s predecessors Bush, Obama, and Trump. They have learned nothing about the nature of Afghan society nor from the Soviet Union’s experience in the 1980s, when it departed Afghanistan after ten years of fighting with its tail between its legs.

Miscalculation from the onset

Following the defeat of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in less than a year, former President Bush rushed to invade Iraq in 2003 through the concerted effort of his Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney. He failed to make any arrangement with the then-transitional government led by Hamid Karzai over the prospect of continuing Taliban resistance.

He lost focus on the unfinished Afghanistan campaign and subjected American troops to an uncertain future, as neither he nor his military brass had any plans as to how to conclude the campaign once the main objective of removing the Taliban from power was accomplished.

Imposition of democracy

The decision to introduce democracy and engage in nation-building was doomed from the start. Yes, progress was made, a democratically-elected government was installed, and human rights and social reforms provided the hallmark of the American enterprise. But then the US ignored the fact that the imposition of a western-style democracy on a country that lived for millennia as a tribal society would be short lived at best.

The US should not be in the business of spreading democracy by force. We seem to have learned nothing from Vietnam, let alone the US’ long history of instigating and interfering in regime changes. Instead of providing a model of a functioning democracy and human rights through the use of soft power to influence other countries, we come in charging with massive military to change the political landscape, only to end up retreating and delivering the country straight to insurgent forces.

Military miscalculation

Three successive presidents before Biden made their decision on the continuing efforts in Afghanistan based on the recommendations of military leaders who insisted that the war was winnable and wanted to secure a total victory.

Troop surges have continuously been sent on the promise that victory over the Taliban was in sight, which obviously was proven to be completely misguided. In addition, the military strength of the Afghan National Army was grossly overstated; thousands deserted over the years and many sold their weapons to the Taliban. Over 2,300 American soldiers were killed and more than a trillion dollars were spent with little to show for it.

Mis-assessing the source of the Taliban’s resiliency

All three administrations preceding Biden’s never fully appreciated or understood the nature of this tribal country, its culture and history, and the Taliban’s resolve to resist regardless of the heavy toll it would sustain. The Taliban are indigenous to Afghanistan, fighting for their country and their culture guided by a deeply religious way of life, following Sharia law using a strict interpretation of the Quran.

As they see it, no power would be allowed to exercise any prerogatives in their land and they have no reason to tolerate any foreign intrusion, not to speak of conquest. They are patient and know how to persevere.

Sadly, Biden has shown no better understanding of the Taliban’s resolve and tenacity. In his press conference only a week and a half ago, Biden declared that the Taliban’s takeover was not inevitable, as “the Afghan troops have 300,000 well-equipped [soldiers] and an air force against something like 75,000 Taliban,” later stating that “the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely.”

However, Biden’s announcement of the withdrawal three months ago only gave the Taliban time to prepare for their takeover. Intelligence agencies warned the administration of the rapid collapse of the Afghan military and the extreme likeliness of a Taliban victory, and the Afghan government itself was simply unprepared for the Taliban’s onslaught.

Failure to engage the tribal chiefs

Another mistake common to all four administrations is that they did not involve the chiefs of the Afghan tribes, who hold tremendous sway in the country, alongside the central government. A tribal leader with whom I spoke a while ago was adamant that without the tribal chiefs’ participation, the war will go on.

After all, the Taliban come from these tribes and tribal leaders can pose a much greater influence on their tribespeople than the Taliban. Had the US engaged the chiefs in the negotiations, the outcome might have been different.

Rampant corruption

In spite of the US’ efforts to reform the country and establish a legitimate government that responds to the public’s needs, corruption by top officials and the military consumed the country from within. The US knows only too well that unless corruption is weeded out, little social, economic, or political reforms can be made and sustained.

Sadly, the US did not insist that the government make every effort to systematically weed out corruption. Billions of dollars have been squandered, bribes were rampant, and as a result many social programs have suffered.

No cohesive and goal-oriented policy

Through mission creep, the US’ goal became to create a functional and stable democracy, but there was no mechanism in place to secure this outcome once the US withdraws from the country. Although several sets of negotiations took place between Taliban representatives and US officials regarding the eventual withdrawal, the US failed to establish a policy of carrot-and-stick.

The US could have committed to providing the Taliban financial assistance should they adhere to a certain level of human rights, especially in regard to girls and women, yet failed to implement any sort of arrangement in this regard.

Now that the US is coming to the end of a war that should have ended 19 years ago, the question is, what have we learned from this bitter experience. Leadership bears major responsibility and foresight. We should not be the policeman of the world, but must use our soft power to address injustices and human right abuses wherever they may occur. Our experiment in democracy should be emulated voluntarily, and not forced down the throats of other nations.

Finally, now that the Taliban will govern Afghanistan once again, it’s time to heal the wounds and extend to them a helping hand, which may well be the only way we can persuade them to treat their people humanely and with dignity. If nothing else, if we can affect even such a limited outcome, we can look back and take comfort that the longest war in American history and our sacrifices were not totally in vain.

 

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Excerpt:

The writer, a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University (NYU), teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.

Es zeichnet sich die nächste Corona-Welle ab und im Thurgau spitzt sich die Lage zu: Die Pfleger sind am Limit. In der Branche kam es bereits zu zahlreichen Kündigungen.

Trotz eines Rekords täglicher Neuinfektionen lockern die Philippinen in der Region um die Hauptstadt Manila die Corona-Beschränkungen.

Illegális leszállás miatt emelt vádat a kanadai rendőrség egy helikopterpilóta ellen, aki fagylalttortavásárlás céljából landolt egy kanadai kisváros központjában.

A Saskatchewan tartománybeli Tisdale lakóit meglepte, amikor július 31-én egy élénkpiros helikopter ereszkedett le a város egyetlen Dairy Queenje – fagylaltot és gyorsételt kínáló amerikai étteremlánc – melletti parkolóba, hatalmas por- és szemétfelhőt kavarva maga körül – számolt ba a The Guardian.

Sokan eleinte azt hitték, hogy a tartomány légimentőinek színét viselő helikopter valamilyen vészhelyzet miatt érkezett a helyszínre. Amikor azonban a város polgármestere meglátta, hogy a jármű utasa egy fagylalttortával a kezében hagyja el az éttermet, rájött, hogy a helikopter egészen más küldetésen van.

“Úgy voltam vele, hogy valaki biztosan nagyon éhes. Ugyanakkor arra gondoltam, hogy ez valószínűleg nem helyes” – idézte fel a történteket Al Jellicoe a CBC Newsnak. A helyi rendőrség osztotta a polgármester véleményét.

A hatóság szerdai közlése szerint a nyomozók megállapították, hogy a Dairy Queenbe tett kiruccanás “nem volt vészhelyzet” és vádat emeltek a 34 éves pilóta ellen, akinek személyazonosságát nem hozták nyilvánosságra. A Leroyból való férfi rendelkezik helikoptervezetési engedéllyel, azonban illegális helyen parkolt le a járművel.

A vád ellene veszélyes művelet végrehajtása légijárművel, ami miatt szeptember 7-én kell megjelennie a bíróságon Melfortban.

The post Helikopterrel ment fagylaltot venni egy pilóta Kanadában, vádat emeltek ellene appeared first on .

UN-Flüchtlingskommissar Filippo Grandi rechnet nicht mit einer unmittelbar bevorstehenden grossen Fluchtbewegung von Menschen aus Afghanistan nach Europa.

Das Openair Gampel 2021 (-22.8.) ist eröffnet. Als erstes Festival der Schweiz nimmt das Openair unter Berücksichtigung der Gesundheitsvorschriften des Bundesrats bis zu 10'000 Personen pro Tag auf.

La chasse aux auteurs de l’assassinat de Djamel Bensmail se poursuite. L’individu ayant égorgé le défunt vient d’être arrêté par les services de sécurité à Tizi Ouzou. En effet, les services de la sécurité de la wilaya de Tizi Ouzou ont procédé, ce vendredi 20 aout, à l’arrestation de l’un des principaux auteurs du meurtre […]

L’article Tizi Ouzou : arrestation de l’individu ayant égorgé le jeune Djamel est apparu en premier sur .

Er besteht aus 971 Abbildungen auf 63 grossen schwarzen Tafeln: Aby Warburgs berühmter Bilderatlas «Mnemosyne» wird jetzt in seiner Geburtsstadt Hamburg ausgestellt.

Wir kommen nicht umhin, uns früher oder später mit Verhütung zu befassen. Verhütungsmittel und -methoden gibt es in Hülle und Fülle – vor allem für Frauen. Wie hältst du es mit der Verhütung? Und warum? Verrate es uns in der grossen Blick-Umfrage.

Die kriminelle Internet-Bande Vice Society hat sich Zugang zur Gemeindeverwaltung von Rolle VD verschafft. Während zwei Monaten hat sie Daten gestohlen und ins Darknet gestellt. Die Stadtverwaltung bemerkte angeblich nichts davon.

2021. január 1. és július 31. között a COVID-19 betegségben szenvedő, kórházban kezelt páciensek csaknem 97 százaléka nem volt beoltva. Erről az SZK Közegészségügyi Hivatala (ÚVZ SR) tájékoztatott a Facebookon.

VIENNA, 20 August 2021 - Throughout this past year we have witnessed acts of violence and hate-motivated attacks based on religion or belief across the OSCE region. Jews, Muslims, minority Christian communities, and others were targeted and endured physical and verbal abuse and even murder, solely because of their religious identification. Despite the strength and resilience many participating States have demonstrated in managing the COVID-19 crisis, the pandemic and its physical distancing restrictions have led to the proliferation of online intolerance. This includes racist discourse and incitement against members of religious and belief communities, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, and hate speech against Muslims. These developments should alarm us all.

OSCE participating States are obliged to respect the freedom of thought, conscience, religion, or belief, for all without distinction to ethnicity, sex, gender, language, or religion, as part of the OSCE’s comprehensive concept of protecting and promoting peace and security. In 1990 in Copenhagen, participating States reaffirmed their commitment to this right, which includes freedom to change one´s religion or belief and freedom to manifest one´s religion or belief, either alone or in a community with others, in public or in private, through worship, teaching, practice and observance. The participating States also stated that the exercise of these rights may be subject only to such restrictions as are prescribed by law and are consistent with international standards. In Budapest in 1994, they also expressed their will to foster a climate of mutual tolerance and respect between believers of different communities as well as between believers and non-believers.

On this day of commemoration, we strongly encourage all participating States to protect the right to religion or belief of all their citizens. Acts of violence, in particular hate speech and hate crimes on grounds of religion or belief, must be swiftly and loudly condemned. Victims must be supported. Perpetrators must be held accountable and punished. States must also promote a societal climate of tolerance and strengthen inclusion and respect for diversity.

We further encourage participating States to avail themselves of all resources available to meet these commitments, including the expert advice and capacity building offered by ODIHR. As the Personal Representatives of the Chairperson-in-Office for tolerance issues, we are also ready to assist.

Rabbi Andrew Baker, Personal Representative on Combating Anti-Semitism

Ambassador Mehmet Pacaci, Personal Representative on Combating Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims

Professor Regina Polak, Personal Representative on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination, also focusing on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians and Members of Other Religions

Dr Shafi Bhuiyan is pictured here with a team of ITMDs. Foreign-trained doctors are underutilized in Canada despite shortages of trained personnel.

By Shafi Bhuiyan and team of ITMDs
Toronto, Canada, Aug 20 2021 (IPS)

Canada is ranked number one out of 78 countries globally, with the highest marks in social purpose indicators, emphasizing human rights, social justice, and racial equity commitment, according to a recent U.S. News & World Report survey.

The country follows the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) principles, incorporating them into research and workplace environments, and it acknowledges challenges vulnerable populations face. Adopting these principles in every aspect of people’s lives makes Canada one of the most attractive places for numerous immigrants worldwide, with more than 13 000 internationally trained medical doctors (ITMDs) calling Canada home.

Canada’s health care is based on social equity fundamentals, having universal health coverage for essential medical services free of charge. Nevertheless, in 2019, about 4.6 million Canadians claimed that they do not have regular medical practitioners to seek advice or help.

In 2020, the highest record of 10.5 weeks waiting time from a family physician referral to specialist consultation was documented, with additional 12.1 weeks interval before treatment was initiated.

The COVID-19 pandemic aggravated these issues resulting in about 16 million healthcare services backlogs in Ontario alone. These will need up to almost two years to be resolved.

At the same time, Canada possesses significantly underutilized skilled healthcare professional resources trained abroad. According to the survey conducted among recent ITMDs graduates, 35% have passed the required licensing exams, including Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part I (MCCQE1), the National Assessment Collaboration Objective Structured Clinical Examination (NAC OSCE). This means they are eligible to enter the residency.

Very few will secure a residency position. The residency quotes retrieved from the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) website showed that only 325 out of 3,365 (less than 10 %) spots were available for international medical graduates (IMGs) for the first iteration of the 2021 matching process.

Out of 1,358 IMGs participants, 948 (almost 70%) were unmatched this year partly due to a lack of transparency and understanding of the process rules.

Not to mention the cost associated with licensing examination, the CaRMS application process is a significant financial burden and even a barrier in many cases for the newcomers. According to Statistics Canada report, 47% of foreign-educated health professionals are either unemployed or employed in non-health-related positions that required only a high school diploma.

Nevertheless, internationally trained medical doctors play a significant role in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting the vaccination clinics, working as contact tracing managers and mental health advisors.

Another issue that needs an urgent solution is physician wellbeing. A recent study in Vancouver showed that the burnout rate reaches 68% among doctors, with 63% feeling emotionally exhausted and 39% depersonalized. Moreover, 21% of them had resigned or have thoughts about leaving their career.

On top of that, the aging population required complex care, along with a growing diverse population of Canada, underserved racialized, and newcomers’ communities need a considerate strategy to encompass community-based, culturally sensitive approaches to health care.

The ITMDs is a culturally diverse group with rich experience in different fields of medicine and research. Thus, foreign-educated health care professionals are fit perfectly to engage underprivileged communities, promote health and disease prevention, and manage multiple health priorities. Hence, the integration of internationally trained health care professionals could be a turning point to solve the current and prospective issues.

Moreover, 80% of Canadians stated that they feel comfortable being cared for by doctors who obtained mainly their training outside Canada, with 83% claimed that it should be more action to ensure fairness and opportunities for IMGs to practice medicine.

The question is: Why are internationally trained medical doctors still sidelined? The action is for the government to bring Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) principles into the Canadian health care system.

Thus, a clear roadmap to integrate internationally trained healthcare professionals is necessary to address all existing challenges and strengthen Canada’s health care system. A move considered to be highly beneficial for all stakeholders (patients, physicians, ITMDs, government).

Collaboration is vital to move forward and make the ‘no one left behind ‘strategy a reality.

• The authors are from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and South American countries.   
• The co-authors are: Drs Bhuiyan S, Krivova A, Orin M, Azam S., Shalaby Y, Tasnim N, Badran H, Al-Chetachi W, Radwan E, Tazrin T, Biswas M, Min K. S, Mehrotra M, Anuradha, Quintanilla E, Begum N, Adhikary I, Fatima N

 

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Ein grosser Tag im Hause Lombardi-Engels: Der kleine Alessio hatte gestern seinen ersten Schultag. Auf Instagram platzen Eltern Sarah Engels und Pietro Lombardi beinahe vor Stolz.

La plateforme de recueil des choix des filières dans les universités publiques sera ouverte dès le lundi 23 août 2021. L'annonce a été faite par la ministre de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique Éléonore Yayi Ladekan à travers un communiqué en date du 20 août 2021.

Du lundi 23 août à 00 heure au dimanche 05 septembre 2021 à minuit, la plateforme https://apresmonbac.bj sera ouverte pour l'enregistrement des choix de filières dans les universités publiques. Cette première phase de recueil des trois choix de filières est réservée à tous les bacheliers de 2021, titulaires d'un baccalauréat classique (séries A1, A2, B, C, D, E, EA, F1, F2 ,F3 ,F4 ,G1, G2 et G3 ) en vue de leur sélection et de leur classement à titre de boursiers, de formations partiellement payantes et d'aides universitaires.
Les nouveaux bacheliers sont invités à bien s'approprier du guide d'orientation mis à leur disposition afin de faire des choix judicieux.

« Aucun dossier physique ne sera reçu au ministère ni dans les universités publiques au Bénin. Tout se fera via la plateforme », précise la ministre de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique.

A.A.A

China passed a sweeping privacy law aimed at preventing businesses from collecting sensitive personal data Friday, as the country faces an uptick in internet scams and Beijing targets tech giants hoovering up personal data.

The EU's two top officials will visit a reception centre in Spain on Saturday for Afghan refugees who worked for the bloc, Spain's foreign minister said.