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Die spanische Polizei hat eine infizierte Rettungsschwimmerin dabei erwischt, wie sie die Corona-Vorschriften missachtete und am Strand surfen ging, statt sich zu Hause zu isolieren.

Die französische Wettbewerbsbehörde verhängt gegen Roche und Novartis eine kumulierte Geldbusse von 444 Millionen Euro. Als Grund nennt die Behörde missbräuchliche Praktiken der beiden Firmen im Bereich «Behandlungen für die altersbedingte Makula-Degeneration».

Die Corona-Krise ist für die Schweizer TV-Auswanderer Beatrice und Marcel Buholzer eine Leidenszeit. Noch schlimmer steht es aber um die Einheimischen. Auf der Insel Kreta steht die Tourismus-Industrie vor dem Nichts.

Food systems are at threat, owing to climate change “massively interfering” with food systems around the world, leading to droughts, floods and fires. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

By Samira Sadeque
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 9 2020 (IPS)

Building inclusive and healthier food systems, and safeguarding the health of the planet will be some of the key priorities at the first-ever Food Systems Summit next year.

The United Nations is gearing up for the Food Systems Summit 2021, which will be spearheaded by Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Food Systems Summit Dr. Agnes Kalibata.

“Food is more than what satisfies our hunger, it’s more than what nourishes our bodies and brains,” Kalibata, former Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources in Rwanda, said in a passionate speech in February. “Food is…economics, politics.”

In an interview with U.N. News last week, Kalibata said being born in a refugee camp in Uganda shaped her view on food sustainability in many ways. Her family was provided land by the U.N. High Commission for Refugees, which they used to start a small farm. It opened her eyes to the different ways the agricultural sector has the potential to “provide huge opportunities for smallholder communities”.

But systems are at threat, owing to climate change “massively interfering” with food systems around the world, leading to droughts, floods and fires, she said in her February speech.

“Today’s food systems do not respond to what we need as people,” she added in her interview with U.N. News. “The cause of death for one in three people around the world is related to what they eat.”

Kalibata has ambitious plans for the Food Systems Summit. She said there’s a U.N. Task Force dedicated to the summit that will be guiding existing research “so that nothing falls through the cracks”, and it will be collaborating with experts examining scientific data from around the world.

However, her leadership has been met with resistance from some watchdogs. Since 2014, Kalibata has been president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), a Gates Foundation project that aims to address food insecurity as a means to address poverty across Africa.

Since Kalibata’s leadership of the 2021 Food Systems Summit was announced in February, a petition has been circulating to revoke her status as the special envoy.

“Given the history of AGRA, the appointment of its President to lead, prepare, and design the Summit, will result in another forum that advances the interests of agribusiness at the expense of farmers and our planet,” read part of the petition.

It claims that AGRA’s core interest remains in satiating corporate interest, and funnelling public resources in that direction.

“Their finance-intensive and high input agricultural model is not sustainable beyond constant subsidy, which is drawn from increasingly scarce public resources,” read the petition, adding that there is a large imbalance in the power dynamics between the farmers and multinational grain traders, among others, who profit off the operation, while farmers “remain trapped in cycles of poverty and debt.”

It remains to be seen how it will affect her leadership, given climate change and sustainability efforts are increasingly distancing themselves from big corporates and those aligning with them.

Meanwhile, Yemen, which has been ravished by a famine for almost five years, is once again in critical need as torrential rains and floods have created an urgent need for food and safety measures.

The spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary General announced that the U.N. and their partners have distributed emergency food supplies among other resources. Yemen remains one of the most food insecure countries in the world, ranking 111 out of the lowest ranking of 113.

For the upcoming Food Systems Summit, it would also be crucial to keep an eye on how it will address the country’s famine and food insecure concerns.

 

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The post Hopes and Challenges for the First-Ever Food Systems Summit appeared first on Inter Press Service.

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European Council President Charles Michel closed the 2020 Brussels Economic Forum with a speech highlighting the importance of the strategic independence of Europe.

European Council President Charles Michel closed the 2020 Brussels Economic Forum with a speech highlighting the importance of the strategic independence of Europe.

European Council President Charles Michel closed the 2020 Brussels Economic Forum with a speech highlighting the importance of the strategic independence of Europe.

Das Vereinigte Königreich bereitet sich darauf vor, die Bedingungen seines Austrittsabkommens mit der EU zu brechen, wenn nicht vor Ende 2020 ein neues Handelsabkommen mit dem Block erreicht werden kann.

SUMMARY

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons decreased at both BCPs compared to the previous week.

OPERATIONAL REMARKS

The OM is currently operating with 22 permanent international Mission members, including the Chief Observer (CO) and one first responder[1]. The newly selected border observers have finally arrived to the Mission between 28 August and 3 September, in line with the host country’s approval. The Mission is supported administratively by a staff member and the Chief of Fund Administration based in Vienna.

Update on COVID-19 measures

Activities have been impacted by COVID-19 and measures undertaken by the OM to ensure the safety and duty of care of its Mission members and compliance with measures set by the host country authorities. The Mission is continuing to keep the situation under review, in close contact with the OSCE Secretariat and the Chairmanship. Following the host country recommendations, the observers are applying a self-isolation regime between shifts at the border checkpoints and are adhering to social distancing. Due to the preventive measures taken by the central and regional authorities, the OM is faced with certain difficulties, but is still able to continue to fulfil its mandate without any limitations in its observation and reporting activities.

OBSERVATIONS AT THE BORDER CROSSING POINTS

Persons crossing the border                                                                                                                                                                            

The profile of persons crossing the border can be categorized as follows:

1. Adults travelling on foot or by car with little or no luggage.
2. Persons in military-style outfits.
3. Families (often including elderly persons and/or children) travelling on foot or by car with a significant amount of luggage.

The average number of entries/exits decreased from 11,216 to 9,544 per day at both BCPs compared to last week[2].

During the reporting period, the majority of border crossings were to the Russian Federation, with an average net flow of 478 per day for both BCPs. The Donetsk BCP continued to experience much more traffic than the Gukovo BCP.

Responding to the COVID-19 situation, the host country has closed its borders for the majority of foreigners starting from 18 March. Among the exceptions of persons allowed to cross the border (which entered into force on 19 March), are Ukrainian citizens and stateless persons holding passports or identification documents proving permanent residence in certain areas of Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine. In addition, reportedly, due to the threat of the spread of COVID-19, starting from 10 April, the organized passenger transport commuting between the non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region of Ukraine and the Russian Federation was temporarily suspended and restored from 25 June.

Persons in military-style outfits

During the reporting period, the number of persons in military style outfits crossing the border was ten, compared to four last week. Eight persons crossed into the Russian Federation while two crossed into Ukraine. These individuals crossed the border on foot.

Families with a significant amount of luggage

The OTs continued to report on families, sometimes with elderly persons and/or children, crossing the border at both BCPs with a significant amount of luggage, or travelling in heavily loaded cars. During this reporting week, six families were observed crossing into the Russian Federation while another two families were observed crossing into Ukraine, compared to the previous reporting period when 11 families were observed crossing to the Russian Federation, while another four families crossed into Ukraine.

Bus connections                                         

Regular local and long-distance bus connections continued to operate between Ukraine (mostly from/to the Luhansk region) and the Russian Federation. During the reporting period, the OTs observed an increase in the overall number of buses crossing the border at both BCPs (353 compared to 316 observed during the previous week). There were 177 buses bound for the Russian Federation and 176 bound for Ukraine.

On some occasions, the OTs noticed the bus drivers removing the itinerary signs from the windshields of their buses, while some buses did not display their route at all. The majority of long-distance buses commuting between the Luhansk region and cities in the Russian Federation had Ukrainian licence plates issued in the Luhansk region. Among the bus connections observed by the OTs, the following “irregular” routes or destinations were noted: Luhansk-Kyiv-Moscow, Luhansk-Sevastopol and Luhansk-Yalta.

Trucks

During the reporting period, the OTs observed a slight decrease in the overall number of trucks crossing the border at both BCPs (842 compared to 884 during the previous reporting week); 439 at the Gukovo BCP and 403 at the Donetsk BCP, 469 of these trucks crossed into the Russian Federation and 373 crossed into Ukraine. Most of the trucks observed by the OTs had Ukrainian licence plates issued in the Luhansk region; however, on a daily basis, the OTs also noted trucks registered in the Russian Federation, Belarus, Lithuania, Armenia Ukraine, and trucks with “LPR” plates.

The OTs also continued to observe tanker trucks crossing the border in both directions. During the reporting period, the OTs observed a slight decrease in the overall number of tanker trucks crossing the border at both BCPs (54 compared to 60 during the previous reporting week);. These trucks were observed crossing the border at both BCPs. The trucks had the words “Propane” and “Flammable” written across the tanks in either Russian or Ukrainian. The majority of tanker trucks had hazard signs, indicating that they were transporting propane or a mix of propane and butane. All trucks underwent systematic inspection by the Russian Federation officials, which could include an X-ray check. Due to the unfavourable observation position at the Gukovo BCP, the OTs continued to be unable to observe any X-ray checks.

During the reporting period, the X-ray vehicle at the Donetsk BCP was not operating due to the ongoing ground construction activities and no X-ray checks were observed.

Minivans

The OM continued to observe passenger and cargo minivans[3] crossing the border in both directions at both BCPs. The OTs observed minivans predominantly with Ukrainian licence plates issued in the Luhansk region; however, the OTs also saw minivans registered in the Russian Federation. During the reporting period, the OTs observed a slight decrease in the overall number of minivans crossing the border at both BCPs (128 compared to 137 observed during the previous week); 73 crossed into the Russian Federation and another 55 into Ukraine.

Trains

The OTs continued to pick up the sound of trains on the railway tracks located approximately 150m south-west of the Gukovo BCP. During the reporting week, the OTs heard trains on 35 occasions; the OTs assessed that 14 trains were travelling to the Russian Federation and the remaining 21 trains were travelling to Ukraine (more details are provided in the sections “trends and figures at a glance” below).

Visual observation was not possible because of the line of trees located between the train tracks and the BCP.

Other observations

The majority of vehicles crossing the border had Ukrainian licence plates issued in the Luhansk region or Russian Federation licence plates. A significant number of vehicles with “LPR” plates were also observed crossing the border in both directions on a daily basis. The OTs also observed cars with licence plates registered in Belarus, Georgia, and Lithuania

On 6 September at 13:40, the OT at the Donetsk BCP observed a police van with Russian Federation licence plates entering the BCP area from the Russian Federation. The vehicle drove behind the main building without stopping. At 13:45, the same van left the BCP to the Russian Federation with only the driver on board.

On 7 September at 09:06, the OT at Donetsk BCP observed a green helicopter type Mi-17 flying from the north-east in a north-westerly direction. The helicopter remained inside the Russian Federation airspace during the entire time it was visible to the OT.

For trends and figures at a glance covering the period from 4 August to 8 September 2020, please see the attachment here

[1] First responders are OSCE staff or Mission members deployed for a short period of time.

[2]Based on data received from the Regional Representation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

[3] Cargo minivans: light commercial vehicles with a maximum authorized mass of more than 3.5 t and not more than 7.5 t; with or without a trailer with a maximum mass of less than 750 kg (small cargo vehicles which correspond to driving licence C1).

Le tribunal Sidi M’hamed à Alger a rendu ce mercredi matin son verdict dans l’affaire de l’ancien député Baha Eddine Tliba, dans l’affaire de la vente des sièges lors des législatives 2017. Le principal mis en cause, en l’occurrence Baha Eddine Tliba a écopé de 8 ans de réclusion, et d’une amende de 8 millions de […]

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Depuis déjà deux ans, l'association Pépite Sexiste lutte contre les stéréotypes de genre diffusés par le marketing en France. Place maintenant à l’international : il y a tout juste trois semaine une filiale a été lancée en Allemagne. Présentation de Servus Sexismus.

Der Pharmakonzern AstraZeneca hat die klinische Studie für seinen Corona-Impfstoff vorsorglich gestoppt, nachdem bei einem der Teilnehmer gesundheitliche Probleme aufgetreten sind.

Image compiled by the author, public domain

By Juan Ortiz Freuler
CAMBRIDGE, United States, Sep 9 2020 (IPS)

Recent weeks have seen a dramatic escalation in the U.S.’ stance towards tech companies from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). After hounding the telecommunications company Huawei for years, the social networking app TikTok is the latest Chinese company to enter the firing line.

On 5 August U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo published a press release that could be seen as the master plan that explained the logic behind these policies: creating a parallel internet, defined as a place where companies from the PRC have no place. The text states that “the momentum of the Clean Network program is growing. More than thirty countries and territories are now clean countries…”

But what is the ultimate goal of this program? The press release, which is more than 450 words long, includes the term ‘safety’ only in its title, ‘Announcing the Expansion of the Clean Network to Safeguard America’s Assets’. It refers to security only four times, mostly included in the term ‘national security’. However, the word ‘clean’ is mentioned 14 times. Clean, as opposed to dirty. And, in Pompeo’s press release, dirty is defined as anything the People’s Republic of China or the Communist Party of China (CCP) is involved in.

Juan Ortiz Freuler

The press release does not provide any evidence to justify the drastic measures it proposes, nor does it include references to any technical analysis that could explain the decision to promote the creation of a parallel network over any of the other options available towards building trust (such as the development of industry-wide standards that could increase transparency and accountability, greater public oversight, and spot audits, among many others). It therefore seems reasonable to conclude that the U.S. statement is best understood as an expression of xenophobia.

 

A break away from tradition

For decades the community of internet experts and developers have worked collaboratively to solve pressing issues. This community has been key towards building trust in the internet, both in terms of process (open and consensus driven) as well as in terms of the substance (often technical standards and processes to increase the security of the internet). Pompeo’s press release shows disdain for technical debates and for consensus driven processes. It’s the equivalent of the U.S. banging its shoe on the table before storming out. The recent actions by the U.S. show a pattern: the U.S. is no longer willing to discuss technical issues pertaining technology on their merits. Pompeo and Trump insist on pivoting towards another factor: identity. This is evident in the way in which President Trump explains how his administration is going to force TikTok to sell its U.S. business to Microsoft. How Microsoft will offer privacy to its U.S. users is not part of the public debate, nor is how any U.S. based platform protects people’s privacy. The important thing in Trump’s view is that whoever takes control of TikTok is a very American company.

As an Argentine from a region of the world that has suffered documented cases of surveillance in the United States (even for commercial reasons), the idea of identity based trust feels unsatisfactory. If the world allowed U.S. companies like Microsoft, Facebook, and Google to continue operating within the global network even after evidence about their collaboration with U.S. espionage, it was because the international community agreed that security issues could and should be addressed by developing and implementing robust industry-wide standards and processes. We clearly failed to develop a set of institutions that would oversee compliance with these rules at a global level, and that might be part of the problem.

 

A missed opportunity to compete on transparency

Many of us expected that, in the absence of some form of global institutional oversight, we would at least be granted a market-based lookalike through competition. The hope was that disagreements between the U.S and the PRC would spark a race to the top on security, privacy and transparency. And for a brief moment it seemed like we would get something out of it, like when TikTok claimed it would open up its algorithms and challenged Facebook to follow it. But it seems that the U.S. was uninterested in such an approach. Instead, U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo extends an invitation to the world titled ‘Announcing the Expansion of the Clean Network to Safeguard America’s Assets.’ The subtext is clear: either join the clean network, or be sent to the leper colony.

 

Image: UI Here

 

The domino effect

Pompeo’s press release does not build upon the tradition of open discussion towards the implementation of security standards and protocols, nor does it promote competition between private entities on the basis of security. Instead, Trump and Pompeo propose a reductionist narrative: security depends exclusively on identity. This narrative does not provide tools or reasons for the governments of the world to trust any company, be they from the People’s Republic of China or the United States. In doing so, the U.S. has just put rocket boosters under the camp of public servants in every country in the world who have long advocated for the use of firewalls and the blocking or nationalization of any foreign apps, in the name of national security.

Does Pompeo really believe that countries around the world should nationalize all foreign applications and infrastructure providers? If the answer is yes, it does not appear to be in the interest of U.S. companies, which his office in some form is set to serve. If the answer is “no, the nationalist and protectionist measures promoted under the umbrella of America First should only be applied by the U.S.”, then Pompeo has just re-defined the U.S. as a neo-colonial power.

Many details regarding the scope and implications of this press release will be clarified over the next few weeks, but it is important to highlight three consequences.

First, the United States has burned the political and moral capital it had left to speak against internet shutdowns, and more generally in the name of the open Internet. And this is not just about the Snowden revelations. This statement can be seen as the most recent delivery in a series of regressive actions: the U.S. has recently rolled back net neutrality protections, dismantled the open technology fund, argued for the weakening end-to-end encryption, and more generally, has shown the systematic failure of its regulatory bodies to guarantee competition, and consequent re-decentralization of the network that would provide reassurance to other countries that the internet is a levelled playing field worth engaging with.

Second, the logical consequence of Pompeo’s press release is the fragmentation of the global information system as we know it. The 450 word press release, peppered with nationalism and xenophobia, will most likely go down in history as the beginning of the end of the open internet, and the utopias that were projected upon that narrative.

Third, we need to build a third way. The expectation in Pompeo’s press release is that countries will be called upon to make a “choice” and join one of these intranets. However, under the current paradigm, our options will remain restricted to the clogs section of machines that favor the centers at the expense of the peripheries in ever-accelerating processes of extraction.

The timing for the collapse of our global communications system couldn’t be worse: with health specialists warning that we are, at best, in the middle of this pandemic, and scientists claiming that climate collapse will cause a great pain to millions in the years to come, the interdependence of our future has never been so evident. We need a communication system commensurate with the scale and breadth of our problems as a planet and as a species. We need a system that acknowledges the powerful machinery that has become available, and re-aligns its energy towards helping us solve problems like Covid-19 and climate change.

Everything seems to indicate that we are entering a digital cold war. If this is so, it is time for the peripheries to start giving shape to a digital non-aligned movement. Such a movement could operate as a buffer between the PRC and the U.S. – striving to protect the value of an open Internet, helping us adapt the Internet to become the knowledge-sharing tool that our times demand, and offering the necessary cover so that no nation feels coerced into joining an intranet that does not work in the interests of its people.

It is time for the leaders of the non-aligned digital movement to step forward and commit to coordinating our fight for the future of the web, our species, and our planet.

 

This article was originally published by opendemocracy

The post TikTok, Trump and the Need for a Digital Non-Aligned Movement appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Excerpt:

Juan Ortiz Freuler is an affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society

The post TikTok, Trump and the Need for a Digital Non-Aligned Movement appeared first on Inter Press Service.

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