Poland to quit treaty on violence against women, minister says
WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland will take steps next week to withdraw from a European treaty on violence against women, which the right-wing cabinet says violates parents’ rights by requiring schools to teach children about gender, the justice minister said on Saturday.
Zbigniew Ziobro told a news conference his ministry would submit a request to the labour and families ministry on Monday to begin the process of withdrawing from the treaty, known as the Istanbul Convention.
“It contains elements of an ideological nature, which we consider harmful,” Ziobro said.
Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party and its coalition partners closely align themselves with the Catholic Church and promote a conservative social agenda. Hostility to gay rights was one of the main issues promoted by President Andrej Duda during a successful re-election campaign this month.
On Friday, thousands of people, mostly women, protested in Warsaw and other cities against proposals to reject the treaty.
“The aim is to legalise domestic violence,” Magdalena Lempart, one of the protest organisers said on Friday at a march in Warsaw. Some protesters carried banners saying “PiS is the women’s hell”.
PiS has long complained about the Istanbul Convention, which Poland ratified under a previous centrist government in 2015. The government says the treaty is disrespectful towards religion and requires teaching liberal social policies in schools, although in the past it has stopped short of a decision to quit.
Ziobro, the justice minister, represents a smaller right-wing party within the ruling coalition. A government spokesman was not available on Saturday for comment on whether Ziobro’s announcement of plans to quit the treaty represented a collective cabinet decision.
The World Health Organization says domestic violence has surged this year in Europe during months of lockdown aimed at fighting the coronavirus.
Saturday, July 25, 2020
Female priests now outnumber male ones in Church of Sweden
1 of 5Rev. Elisabeth Oberg Hansen, right, of the Church of Sweden smiles to her student Rikard Kjellman as he puts on his clergy robes for the first time, ahead of his first sermon in Stockholm, Thursday, July 23, 2020. For the first time ever, there are more female than male priests inside the Church of Sweden, according to numbers released this month, a sign that gender equality has made huge strides since the first woman was ordained in Sweden in 1960. (AP Photo/David Keyton)
STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Church of Sweden has more female than male priests for the first time, according to numbers released this month, a sign of huge strides for gender equality since women were first allowed to be ordained in 1960.
The Lutheran institution, which was the official Swedish state church until 2000, now counts 1,533 women serving as priests and 1,527 men. Its archbishop and several bishops are also women.
“It’s a mirror of the society, in a way,” the Rev. Elisabeth Oberg Hansen said after giving a sermon in a small church in Stockholm. “It’s as it should be.”
Oberg Hansen became a priest more than 30 years ago, and she clearly recalls the discrimination she faced when the first parish she was assigned to didn’t accept her.
Rev. Cristina Grenholm, head of theology and Secretary of the Church of Sweden poses for a portrait in Uppsala, Sweden, Tuesday, July 21, 2020. For the first time ever, there are more female than male priests inside the Church of Sweden, according to numbers released this month, a sign that gender equality has made huge strides since the first woman was ordained in Sweden in 1960. (AP Photo/David Keyton)
But times have changed. The European Institute for Gender Equality last year ranked Sweden at the top of its annual equality index, giving the country a score of 83.6 compared to an average of 67.4 for the European Union as a whole.
“It’s a good thing, but I don’t think so much about it nowadays,” Oberg Hansen said of the gender issue in her work.
Sweden’s path towards gender parity is shared across Scandinavia, with roughly equal numbers of men and women serving in the clergy ranks of the Church of Denmark and women well-represented in the priesthood of the Church of Norway.
Rev. Elisabeth Oberg Hansen of the Church of Sweden reviews the service planned by her student Rikard Kjellman ahead of his first sermon in Stockholm, Thursday, July 23, 2020. For the first time ever, there are more female than male priests inside the Church of Sweden, according to numbers released this month, a sign that gender equality has made huge strides since the first woman was ordained in Sweden in 1960. (AP Photo/David Keyton)
Rev. Elisabeth Oberg Hansen, centre left and church assistants prepare for a short service in Stockholm, Thursday, July 23, 2020. For the first time ever, there are more female than male priests inside the Church of Sweden, according to numbers released this month, a sign that gender equality has made huge strides since the first woman was ordained in Sweden in 1960. (AP Photo/David Keyton)
Church of Sweden Bishop Eva Brunne, who retired after a decade leading the Stockholm diocese, helped push for the acceptance of women but stressed she does not think the priesthood should become an overwhelmingly female profession.
“I’ve been asked during my 10 years as a bishop, ‘Where are all the men?’ and all I can say is ‘I don’t know. I don’t know,’” Brunne said in a telephone interview. “It’s the same thing if you look at universities in Sweden — more women than men. That means more female lawyers, female doctors, etcetera.”
Sweden’s church has some 5.8 million members, representing some 57.7% of the country’s population. But many pews are empty these days, and are more likely to be occupied by women as well.
“I do think it is something we should take as a warning, always, when we see that there is an imbalance,” the Rev. Cristina Grenholm, the head of theology for the Church of Sweden, said, calling the gender imbalance among worshippers “striking.”
“I do think that men have something to discover in the church,” Grenholm said.
A church assistant installs number on a hymn board ahead of a sermon in Stockholm, Thursday, July 23, 2020. For the first time ever, there are more female than male priests inside the Church of Sweden, according to numbers released this month, a sign that gender equality has made huge strides since the first woman was ordained in Sweden in 1960. (AP Photo/David Keyton)
Anna Inghammer, 42, a mother of three studying theology and a candidate for the priesthood, said the balance of men and women in the church made sense to her, but she thinks more work is needed to bring equality in other areas.
“Jesus, in his time, was standing up for justice for people of all classes and all genders, so I think it’s time for women to even more take a step forward,” Inghammer said.
“Of course, representation is good, representation of women, but also ethnicity and class...and that’s also something that we need to work on that,” she said. “The church is for everyone.”
THE PROTESTANT CHURCH IN SWEDEN HAS BEEN PROGRESSIVE FOR THE PAST CENTURY AS SHOWN BY ITS ITINERANT TRAVELING PREACHERS LIKE THIS FAMOUS WOBBLY
Thai LGBT activists raise pride flag in anti-government rally
Thai police officers stand among demonstrators during a protest demanding the resignation of Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, in Bangkok, Thailand, July 25, 2020. REUTERS/Jorge Silva
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Hundreds of Thai LGBT activists and allies raised rainbow flags on Saturday evening as they called for democracy and equal rights, the latest in a series of youth protests calling for the government to step down.
Several youth-led demonstrations have sprung up across the country since last week, when thousands of Thai activists defied a coronavirus ban on gatherings and staged one of the largest street rallies since a 2014 military coup.
The activists on Saturday danced and sang and performed stand-up comedy sketches making jabs at the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army chief who ousted an elected government six years ago. Pride flags were waved against the backdrop of Bangkok’s Democracy Monument.
“We’re here today mainly to call for democracy. Once we achieve democracy, equal rights will follow,” said a 21-year-old activist who went by a made-up name, Viktorious Nighttime.
“The LGBT group do not yet have equal rights in society, so we’re calling for both democracy and equality,” added Viktorious, who was wearing a glittery tiara and a face mask.
The calls came after Thailand’s cabinet backed a civil partnership bill earlier this month that would recognise same-sex unions with almost the same rights as married couples.
Saturday’s gathering was the latest in a series of protests under the Free Youth movement, which has issued three demands: the dissolution of parliament, an end to harassment of government critics, and amendments to the military-written constitution.
“Even if they don’t step down from power today, we want to let them know that we won’t go anywhere, we will be here,” said a 21-year-old protestor who gave her name as Yaya. “Even if they get rid of us, our ideology will never die, we will pass this on to the next generation.”
Writing by Patpicha Tanakasempipat
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Thai police officers stand among demonstrators during a protest demanding the resignation of Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, in Bangkok, Thailand, July 25, 2020. REUTERS/Jorge Silva
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Hundreds of Thai LGBT activists and allies raised rainbow flags on Saturday evening as they called for democracy and equal rights, the latest in a series of youth protests calling for the government to step down.
Several youth-led demonstrations have sprung up across the country since last week, when thousands of Thai activists defied a coronavirus ban on gatherings and staged one of the largest street rallies since a 2014 military coup.
The activists on Saturday danced and sang and performed stand-up comedy sketches making jabs at the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army chief who ousted an elected government six years ago. Pride flags were waved against the backdrop of Bangkok’s Democracy Monument.
“We’re here today mainly to call for democracy. Once we achieve democracy, equal rights will follow,” said a 21-year-old activist who went by a made-up name, Viktorious Nighttime.
“The LGBT group do not yet have equal rights in society, so we’re calling for both democracy and equality,” added Viktorious, who was wearing a glittery tiara and a face mask.
The calls came after Thailand’s cabinet backed a civil partnership bill earlier this month that would recognise same-sex unions with almost the same rights as married couples.
Saturday’s gathering was the latest in a series of protests under the Free Youth movement, which has issued three demands: the dissolution of parliament, an end to harassment of government critics, and amendments to the military-written constitution.
“Even if they don’t step down from power today, we want to let them know that we won’t go anywhere, we will be here,” said a 21-year-old protestor who gave her name as Yaya. “Even if they get rid of us, our ideology will never die, we will pass this on to the next generation.”
Writing by Patpicha Tanakasempipat
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Hedge fund to pay $312M for McClatchy newspaper chain
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Hedge fund Chatham Asset Management says will pay $312 million to buy newspaper publisher McClatchy out of bankruptcy protection.
Chatham said Friday that it plans to offer employees at the 30-newspaper chain their current jobs with the same pay and benefits, and it will honor collective bargaining agreements.
Chairman Kevin McClatchy, CEO Craig Forman and their fellow board directors will step down when the deal closes by Sept. 30, the chain said in a statement. The deal would need the approval of a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge, and a hearing is scheduled for Aug. 4.
McClatchy Co., which is headquartered in Sacramento, California, is one of the largest newspaper companies in the U.S. It owns the Miami Herald, the Charlotte Observer and the Sacramento Bee. It filed for bankruptcy protection because of a heavy debt load stemming from its $4.5 billion purchase of the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain in 2006, just as the newspaper industry went into steep decline.
Chatham was McClatchy’s largest shareholder and debt holder. It beat out a bid from Alden Global Capital, another hedge fund that has taken a leading role in the U.S. newspaper business.
Chatham said Friday that it plans to offer employees at the 30-newspaper chain their current jobs with the same pay and benefits, and it will honor collective bargaining agreements.
Chairman Kevin McClatchy, CEO Craig Forman and their fellow board directors will step down when the deal closes by Sept. 30, the chain said in a statement. The deal would need the approval of a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge, and a hearing is scheduled for Aug. 4.
McClatchy Co., which is headquartered in Sacramento, California, is one of the largest newspaper companies in the U.S. It owns the Miami Herald, the Charlotte Observer and the Sacramento Bee. It filed for bankruptcy protection because of a heavy debt load stemming from its $4.5 billion purchase of the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain in 2006, just as the newspaper industry went into steep decline.
Chatham was McClatchy’s largest shareholder and debt holder. It beat out a bid from Alden Global Capital, another hedge fund that has taken a leading role in the U.S. newspaper business.
Exclusive: Mexico moves to launch world's largest oil hedge - sources
AMLO NEO LIBERAL
NEW YORK/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico has asked top Wall Street banks to submit quotes for its giant oil hedging program, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, while trading in crude oil options has increased this week ahead of the megadeal.
FILE PHOTO: General view shows Mexican state oil firm Pemex's Cadereyta refinery, in Cadereyta, on the outskirts of Monterrey, Mexico April 20, 2020. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril/File PhotoThe finance ministry has asked banks for price quotes, one source with direct knowledge of the matter said, signaling the beginning of the process to execute the hedge. The ministry was not immediately available for comment.
Every year, Mexico buys as much as $1 billion in financial contracts, the world’s largest oil hedge program, to protect its oil revenues. Bankers and officials on both sides of the deal expect a smaller hedge this year because the options used to protect oil profits are more expensive than last year.
The oil market crashed earlier this year, with the U.S. crude benchmark CLc1 falling to negative-$40 a barrel in April. It was trading around $43 on Friday.
Having the hedge in place protected Mexico from the plunge. The 2020 hedge, arranged in 2019, was completed at $49 a barrel, according to the country’s finance ministry, and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in April that the hedge would yield roughly 150 billion pesos ($6 billion).
Because volatility is higher this year, Mexico is expected to pay more for less coverage for the insurance policy for 2021. However, it is expected to go ahead to avoid further damaging its financial standing with international investors, sources have said. The country’s credit rating has been cut in recent months and is in danger of additional declines.
Trade shops and banks based in Europe and the United States have been active buyers of implied volatility options this week, market sources said. That is a signal that dealers are preparing for the extensive buying that comes with the finance ministry’s purchases, those sources said.
Negotiations are very secretive and limited to few participants as both sides attempt to secure the best terms in a highly competitive deal for banks.
For the 2020 hedge, sources estimated two-thirds of the options Mexico bought were indexed to the international Brent crude benchmark LCOc1, shifting away from the Maya oil Mexico mainly produces.
Average Brent crude prices for 2021 LCOCALYZ1 are currently at about $46 a barrel, their highest since early March.
Writing By David Gaffen; Editing by Marguerita Choy
AMLO NEO LIBERAL
NEW YORK/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico has asked top Wall Street banks to submit quotes for its giant oil hedging program, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, while trading in crude oil options has increased this week ahead of the megadeal.
Every year, Mexico buys as much as $1 billion in financial contracts, the world’s largest oil hedge program, to protect its oil revenues. Bankers and officials on both sides of the deal expect a smaller hedge this year because the options used to protect oil profits are more expensive than last year.
The oil market crashed earlier this year, with the U.S. crude benchmark CLc1 falling to negative-$40 a barrel in April. It was trading around $43 on Friday.
Having the hedge in place protected Mexico from the plunge. The 2020 hedge, arranged in 2019, was completed at $49 a barrel, according to the country’s finance ministry, and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in April that the hedge would yield roughly 150 billion pesos ($6 billion).
Because volatility is higher this year, Mexico is expected to pay more for less coverage for the insurance policy for 2021. However, it is expected to go ahead to avoid further damaging its financial standing with international investors, sources have said. The country’s credit rating has been cut in recent months and is in danger of additional declines.
Trade shops and banks based in Europe and the United States have been active buyers of implied volatility options this week, market sources said. That is a signal that dealers are preparing for the extensive buying that comes with the finance ministry’s purchases, those sources said.
Negotiations are very secretive and limited to few participants as both sides attempt to secure the best terms in a highly competitive deal for banks.
For the 2020 hedge, sources estimated two-thirds of the options Mexico bought were indexed to the international Brent crude benchmark LCOc1, shifting away from the Maya oil Mexico mainly produces.
Average Brent crude prices for 2021 LCOCALYZ1 are currently at about $46 a barrel, their highest since early March.
Writing By David Gaffen; Editing by Marguerita Choy
Highest temperatures for 40 years in Norwegian Arctic archipelago
Issued on: 25/07/2020 -
Issued on: 25/07/2020 -
Svalbard is known for its polar bears, which a recent study predicts could all but disappear within the span of a human lifetime due to the Climate change Kt MILLER POLAR BEARS INTERNATIONAL/AFP
Oslo (AFP)
Norway's Arctic archipelago Svalbard on Saturday recorded its highest temperature for over 40 years, almost equal to the all-time record, the country's meteorological institute reported.
According to scientific study, global warming in the Arctic is happening twice as fast as the rest of the planet.
For the second day in a row, the archipelago registered 21.2 degrees Celsius (70.2 Fahrenheit) of heat in the afternoon, just under the 21.3 degrees recorded in 1979, meteorologist Kristen Gislefoss told AFP.
The island group, dominated by Spitzbergen the only inhabited isle in the northern Norway archipelago, sits 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the North Pole.
The relative heatwave, expected to last until Monday, is a huge spike of normal temperatures in July, the hottest month in the Arctic,
The Svalbard islands would normally expect to be seeing temperatures of 5-8 degrees Celsius at this time of year.
The region has seen temperatures five degrees above normal since January, peaking at 38 degrees in Siberia in mid-July, just beyond the Arctic Circle.
According to a recent report "The Svalbard climate in 2100," the average temperatures for the archipelago between 2070 and 2100 will rise by 7-10 degrees, due to the levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
Changes are already visible. From 1971 to 2017 between three and five degrees of warming have been observed, with the biggest rises in the winter, according to the report.
Svalbard, known for its polar bear population, houses both a coal mine, digging out the most global warming of all energy sources, and a "doomsday' seed vault which has since 2008 collected stocks of the world's agricultural bounty in case of global catastrophe
The vault required 20 million euros ($23.3 million) worth of work after the infiltration of water due to thawing permafrost in 2016.
© 2020 AFP
Norway's Arctic archipelago Svalbard on Saturday recorded its highest temperature for over 40 years, almost equal to the all-time record, the country's meteorological institute reported.
According to scientific study, global warming in the Arctic is happening twice as fast as the rest of the planet.
For the second day in a row, the archipelago registered 21.2 degrees Celsius (70.2 Fahrenheit) of heat in the afternoon, just under the 21.3 degrees recorded in 1979, meteorologist Kristen Gislefoss told AFP.
The island group, dominated by Spitzbergen the only inhabited isle in the northern Norway archipelago, sits 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the North Pole.
The relative heatwave, expected to last until Monday, is a huge spike of normal temperatures in July, the hottest month in the Arctic,
The Svalbard islands would normally expect to be seeing temperatures of 5-8 degrees Celsius at this time of year.
The region has seen temperatures five degrees above normal since January, peaking at 38 degrees in Siberia in mid-July, just beyond the Arctic Circle.
According to a recent report "The Svalbard climate in 2100," the average temperatures for the archipelago between 2070 and 2100 will rise by 7-10 degrees, due to the levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
Changes are already visible. From 1971 to 2017 between three and five degrees of warming have been observed, with the biggest rises in the winter, according to the report.
Svalbard, known for its polar bear population, houses both a coal mine, digging out the most global warming of all energy sources, and a "doomsday' seed vault which has since 2008 collected stocks of the world's agricultural bounty in case of global catastrophe
The vault required 20 million euros ($23.3 million) worth of work after the infiltration of water due to thawing permafrost in 2016.
© 2020 AFP
Turtle released to sea after months recovering
A Caretta caretta turtle, which was rescued from a fishing line in April and then recovered in a conservation centre, makes its way along Cofete beach in the Canary island of Fuerteventura, Spain July 24, 2020. REUTERS/Juan Medina
(Reuters) - Free at last! Taking all the time in the world, a Loggerhead sea turtle ambles slowly back to the ocean and liberty.
Unbothered by the prying eyes of tourists on this deserted Spanish beach, the reptile seems in no rush to head for the waves.
The turtle was rescued in April after it was caught on a fishing line and its flippers were badly damaged.
After recovering from its injuries at a conservation centre for marine life in Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, it was released on Cofete Beach on Friday.
Reporting by Graham Keeley, additional reporting by Juan Medina; Editing by Christina Fincher
A Caretta caretta turtle, which was rescued from a fishing line in April and then recovered in a conservation centre, makes its way along Cofete beach in the Canary island of Fuerteventura, Spain July 24, 2020. REUTERS/Juan Medina
(Reuters) - Free at last! Taking all the time in the world, a Loggerhead sea turtle ambles slowly back to the ocean and liberty.
Unbothered by the prying eyes of tourists on this deserted Spanish beach, the reptile seems in no rush to head for the waves.
The turtle was rescued in April after it was caught on a fishing line and its flippers were badly damaged.
After recovering from its injuries at a conservation centre for marine life in Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, it was released on Cofete Beach on Friday.
Reporting by Graham Keeley, additional reporting by Juan Medina; Editing by Christina Fincher
Gazans defy taboos to rescue, neuter stray animals
1 of 3
Palestinian veterinarians neuter a dog at a clinic in Gaza City, Monday, July 13, 2020. In the impoverished Gaza Strip, where most people struggle to make ends meet amid a crippling blockade, the suffering of stray dogs and cats often goes unnoticed. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — In the impoverished Gaza Strip, where most people struggle to make ends meet amid a crippling blockade, the suffering of stray dogs and cats often goes unnoticed.
Said el-Er, who founded the territory’s only animal rescue organization in 2006, has been trying to change that. He and other volunteers rescue dogs and cats that have been struck by cars or abused and nurse them back to health — but there are too many.
So in recent weeks they have launched Gaza’s first spay-and-neuter program. It goes against taboos in the conservative Palestinian territory, where feral dogs and cats are widely seen as pests and many view spaying and neutering as forbidden by Islam.
Palestinian veterinarians treat a cat at a clinic in Gaza City, Monday, July 13, 2020. In the impoverished Gaza Strip, where most people struggle to make ends meet amid a crippling blockade, the suffering of stray dogs and cats often goes unnoticed. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
“Because the society is Muslim, they talk about halal (allowed) and haram (forbidden),” el-Er said. “We know what halal is and what haram is, and it’s haram (for the animals) to be widespread in the streets where they can be run over, shot or poisoned.”
Islam teaches kindness toward animals, but Muslim scholars are divided on whether spaying and neutering causes harm. Across the Arab world, dogs are widely shunned as unclean and potentially dangerous, and cats do not fare much better.
El-Er and other advocates for the humane treatment of animals face an added challenge in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power in 2007. Gaza’s 2 million residents suffer from nearly 50% unemployment, frequent power outages and heavy travel restrictions.
With many struggling to meet basic needs, animal care is seen as a waste of precious resources or a luxury at best. El-Er’s group, Sulala for Animal Care, relies on private donations, which can be hard to come by.
El-Er says his team can no longer keep up with the number of injured animals that they find or that are brought to the clinic. “The large number of daily injuries is beyond our capacity,” he said. “That’s why we resorted to neutering.”
On a recent day, volunteers neutered a street dog and two cats that had been brought in. There are few veterinary clinics and no animal hospitals in Gaza, so they performed the operations in a section of a pet store that had been cleaned and disinfected.
“We have shortages in capabilities, tools, especially those needed for orthopedic surgeries,” said Bashar Shehada, a local veterinarian. “There is no suitable place for operations.”
El-Er has spent years trying to organize a spay and neutering campaign but met with resistance from local authorities and vets, who said it was forbidden. He eventually secured a fatwa, or religious ruling, stating that it is more humane to spay and neuter animals than to consign an ever-growing population to misery and abuse.
The Gaza City municipality provided land for a shelter earlier this year. Before that, El-Er kept the rescued animals at his home and on two small tracts of land that he leased.
The new shelter currently houses around 200 dogs, many of them blind, bearing scars from abuse or missing limbs from being hit by cars. At least one was adjusting to walking with a prosthetic limb. A separate section holds cats in similar shape.
The group tries to find homes for the animals, but here too it faces both economic and cultural challenges. Very few Gazans would keep a dog as a pet, and there’s little demand for cats. Some people adopt the animals from abroad, sending money for their food and care.
Over the past decade, international animal welfare groups have carried out numerous missions to evacuate anguished animals from makeshift zoos in Gaza and relocate them to sanctuaries in the West Bank, Jordan and Africa.
But there are no similar campaigns for dogs and cats, and Gaza has been sealed off from all but returning residents since March to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.
El-Er’s phone rang recently and the caller said a dog had been hit by a car. Volunteers from Sulala brought it back to the shelter on the back of a three-wheeled motorbike and began treating it. El-Er says they receive around five such calls every day.
1 of 3
Palestinian veterinarians neuter a dog at a clinic in Gaza City, Monday, July 13, 2020. In the impoverished Gaza Strip, where most people struggle to make ends meet amid a crippling blockade, the suffering of stray dogs and cats often goes unnoticed. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — In the impoverished Gaza Strip, where most people struggle to make ends meet amid a crippling blockade, the suffering of stray dogs and cats often goes unnoticed.
Said el-Er, who founded the territory’s only animal rescue organization in 2006, has been trying to change that. He and other volunteers rescue dogs and cats that have been struck by cars or abused and nurse them back to health — but there are too many.
So in recent weeks they have launched Gaza’s first spay-and-neuter program. It goes against taboos in the conservative Palestinian territory, where feral dogs and cats are widely seen as pests and many view spaying and neutering as forbidden by Islam.
Palestinian veterinarians treat a cat at a clinic in Gaza City, Monday, July 13, 2020. In the impoverished Gaza Strip, where most people struggle to make ends meet amid a crippling blockade, the suffering of stray dogs and cats often goes unnoticed. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
“Because the society is Muslim, they talk about halal (allowed) and haram (forbidden),” el-Er said. “We know what halal is and what haram is, and it’s haram (for the animals) to be widespread in the streets where they can be run over, shot or poisoned.”
Islam teaches kindness toward animals, but Muslim scholars are divided on whether spaying and neutering causes harm. Across the Arab world, dogs are widely shunned as unclean and potentially dangerous, and cats do not fare much better.
El-Er and other advocates for the humane treatment of animals face an added challenge in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power in 2007. Gaza’s 2 million residents suffer from nearly 50% unemployment, frequent power outages and heavy travel restrictions.
With many struggling to meet basic needs, animal care is seen as a waste of precious resources or a luxury at best. El-Er’s group, Sulala for Animal Care, relies on private donations, which can be hard to come by.
El-Er says his team can no longer keep up with the number of injured animals that they find or that are brought to the clinic. “The large number of daily injuries is beyond our capacity,” he said. “That’s why we resorted to neutering.”
On a recent day, volunteers neutered a street dog and two cats that had been brought in. There are few veterinary clinics and no animal hospitals in Gaza, so they performed the operations in a section of a pet store that had been cleaned and disinfected.
“We have shortages in capabilities, tools, especially those needed for orthopedic surgeries,” said Bashar Shehada, a local veterinarian. “There is no suitable place for operations.”
El-Er has spent years trying to organize a spay and neutering campaign but met with resistance from local authorities and vets, who said it was forbidden. He eventually secured a fatwa, or religious ruling, stating that it is more humane to spay and neuter animals than to consign an ever-growing population to misery and abuse.
Palestinian veterinarian injects anesthetic for a neutering surgery at a clinic in Gaza City, Monday, July 13, 2020. In the impoverished Gaza Strip, where most people struggle to make ends meet amid a crippling blockade, the suffering of stray dogs and cats often goes unnoticed. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)Once the fatwa was issued, el-Er said local authorities did not object to the campaign as a way of promoting public health and safety. The Hamas-run health and agriculture ministries allowed veterinarians to carry out operations and purchase supplies and medicine, he said.
The Gaza City municipality provided land for a shelter earlier this year. Before that, El-Er kept the rescued animals at his home and on two small tracts of land that he leased.
The new shelter currently houses around 200 dogs, many of them blind, bearing scars from abuse or missing limbs from being hit by cars. At least one was adjusting to walking with a prosthetic limb. A separate section holds cats in similar shape.
The group tries to find homes for the animals, but here too it faces both economic and cultural challenges. Very few Gazans would keep a dog as a pet, and there’s little demand for cats. Some people adopt the animals from abroad, sending money for their food and care.
Over the past decade, international animal welfare groups have carried out numerous missions to evacuate anguished animals from makeshift zoos in Gaza and relocate them to sanctuaries in the West Bank, Jordan and Africa.
But there are no similar campaigns for dogs and cats, and Gaza has been sealed off from all but returning residents since March to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.
El-Er’s phone rang recently and the caller said a dog had been hit by a car. Volunteers from Sulala brought it back to the shelter on the back of a three-wheeled motorbike and began treating it. El-Er says they receive around five such calls every day.
Vietnam bans wildlife imports, markets amid new health fears
FILE - In this Aug 25, 2019, file photo, a conservationist holds up a Central Vietnamese flowerback box turtle (Bourret's box turtle) at a sanctuary in Cuc Phuong national park in Ninh Binh province, Vietnam. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Thursday signed a directive to ban wildlife imports and closes illegal wildlife markets as a response to the thread of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh, File)
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam announced Friday that it was banning wildlife imports and would close wildlife markets in response to renewed concerns about the threat from diseases that can jump from animals to humans, such as the virus that causes COVID-19.
An order signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Thursday bans all imports of wildlife dead or alive and includes eggs and larvae. It also merits tougher penalties for crimes involving the trade in wildlife.
Vietnam has been a popular destination for wildlife products — often from endangered species — that are used in traditional medicine or in preparing exotic cuisine. The move comes amid increased scrutiny of the health risks of the wildlife trade as the world deals with the new coronavirus, which is thought to have jumped from animals to humans.
FILE - In this Aug 25, 2019, file photo, a Southern Vietnamese box turtle (Cuora picturata) walks in its pen at a sanctuary in Cuc Phuong national park in Ninh Binh province, Vietnam. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Thursday signed a directive to ban wildlife imports and closes illegal wildlife markets as a response to the thread of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh, File)
“The existence of wildlife markets in many locations has been a big problem in Vietnam for a long time,” said Phuong Tham, country director for the Humane Society International Vietnam.
“This rapacious appetite for wildlife is endangering not just these species’ survival, but as we have seen with the coronavirus outbreak, it is endangering people’s lives too. So this ban can’t come soon enough,” Tham said.
The new directive includes recommendations that conservationists have been making for years, including cracking down on domestic markets, said Steve Galster, the director of Freeland, a group working on ending the wildlife trade.
“COVID-19 elevated the issue of wildlife trade, so Vietnamese lawmakers got involved with the issue in the past few months and helped push the directive forward,” he said.
The directive is not perfect as it still has exceptions that will allow some trade in wild animals to continue, but it is a good start and can hopefully made stronger over time, Galster said.
The Australian government on Saturday welcomed the decision. Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said Vietnam’s crackdown was a huge win for global public health.
“Vietnam is reducing the risk of future pandemics and showing the world how we can manage these markets into the future,” Littleproud said. “All nations have a responsibility to keep people safe from harm and regulating the production and sale of wild animals that carry diseases is a critical part of that.
He said the Vietnamese government should be congratulated for their leadership in taking “evidence-based approach to reducing the risk of animal to human diseases being spread. Australia will also continue to pursue global reforms on this issue where other opportunities exist.”
___ Associated Press journalist Tassanee Vejpongsa in Bangkok, Thailand, and Dennis Passa in Brisbane, Australia, contributed to this report.
FILE - In this Aug 25, 2019, file photo, a conservationist holds up a Central Vietnamese flowerback box turtle (Bourret's box turtle) at a sanctuary in Cuc Phuong national park in Ninh Binh province, Vietnam. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Thursday signed a directive to ban wildlife imports and closes illegal wildlife markets as a response to the thread of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh, File)
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam announced Friday that it was banning wildlife imports and would close wildlife markets in response to renewed concerns about the threat from diseases that can jump from animals to humans, such as the virus that causes COVID-19.
An order signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Thursday bans all imports of wildlife dead or alive and includes eggs and larvae. It also merits tougher penalties for crimes involving the trade in wildlife.
Vietnam has been a popular destination for wildlife products — often from endangered species — that are used in traditional medicine or in preparing exotic cuisine. The move comes amid increased scrutiny of the health risks of the wildlife trade as the world deals with the new coronavirus, which is thought to have jumped from animals to humans.
FILE - In this Aug 25, 2019, file photo, a Southern Vietnamese box turtle (Cuora picturata) walks in its pen at a sanctuary in Cuc Phuong national park in Ninh Binh province, Vietnam. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Thursday signed a directive to ban wildlife imports and closes illegal wildlife markets as a response to the thread of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh, File)
“The existence of wildlife markets in many locations has been a big problem in Vietnam for a long time,” said Phuong Tham, country director for the Humane Society International Vietnam.
“This rapacious appetite for wildlife is endangering not just these species’ survival, but as we have seen with the coronavirus outbreak, it is endangering people’s lives too. So this ban can’t come soon enough,” Tham said.
The new directive includes recommendations that conservationists have been making for years, including cracking down on domestic markets, said Steve Galster, the director of Freeland, a group working on ending the wildlife trade.
“COVID-19 elevated the issue of wildlife trade, so Vietnamese lawmakers got involved with the issue in the past few months and helped push the directive forward,” he said.
The directive is not perfect as it still has exceptions that will allow some trade in wild animals to continue, but it is a good start and can hopefully made stronger over time, Galster said.
The Australian government on Saturday welcomed the decision. Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said Vietnam’s crackdown was a huge win for global public health.
“Vietnam is reducing the risk of future pandemics and showing the world how we can manage these markets into the future,” Littleproud said. “All nations have a responsibility to keep people safe from harm and regulating the production and sale of wild animals that carry diseases is a critical part of that.
He said the Vietnamese government should be congratulated for their leadership in taking “evidence-based approach to reducing the risk of animal to human diseases being spread. Australia will also continue to pursue global reforms on this issue where other opportunities exist.”
___ Associated Press journalist Tassanee Vejpongsa in Bangkok, Thailand, and Dennis Passa in Brisbane, Australia, contributed to this report.
'Spread out? Where?' Smithfield says not all plant workers can be socially distanced
FILE PHOTO: The closed Smithfield Foods pork plant is seen as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continued, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, U.S., April 16, 2020. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Smithfield Foods, the world’s biggest pork processor, said workers cannot be socially distant in all areas of its plants, in response to U.S. senators who pressed meatpackers on coronavirus outbreaks in slaughterhouses.
Meatpackers are under mounting pressure to protect workers after more than 16,000 employees in 23 states were infected with COVID-19 and 86 workers died in circumstances related to the respiratory disease, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker last month said Smithfield, Tyson Foods Inc (TSN.N), JBS USA [JBS.UL] and Cargill Inc [CARG.UL] had put workers in harm’s way to maintain production. The senators asked the companies how much meat they shipped to China while warning of domestic shortages due to slaughterhouse outbreaks.
Smithfield, in a June 30 response made public on Friday, said it erected physical barriers and took other steps to protect workers in areas where social distancing is impossible.
The company, owned by China’s WH Group Ltd (0288.HK), balked at slowing processing line speeds to increase space between employees. It said slowdowns would back up hogs on farms, leading to animal euthanizations and higher food prices.
“For better or worse, our plants are what they are,” Smithfield Chief Executive Kenneth Sullivan said. “Four walls, engineered design, efficient use of space, etc. Spread out? Okay. Where?”
Tyson told the senators it decreased the number of employees on production lines and created barriers or required face shields in areas where employees cannot be distanced.
“These companies clearly cannot be trusted to do what is right,” said Booker. He and Warren called for new legislation to protect workers.
Smithfield, Tyson and JBS did not disclose how much meat they have exported. JBS, a unit of Brazil’s JBS SA (JBSS3.SA), said it accounted for less than 10% of U.S. pork exports to China. Cargill said it has not exported U.S. beef or turkey to China this year.
Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Leslie Adler
FILE PHOTO: The closed Smithfield Foods pork plant is seen as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continued, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, U.S., April 16, 2020. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Smithfield Foods, the world’s biggest pork processor, said workers cannot be socially distant in all areas of its plants, in response to U.S. senators who pressed meatpackers on coronavirus outbreaks in slaughterhouses.
Meatpackers are under mounting pressure to protect workers after more than 16,000 employees in 23 states were infected with COVID-19 and 86 workers died in circumstances related to the respiratory disease, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker last month said Smithfield, Tyson Foods Inc (TSN.N), JBS USA [JBS.UL] and Cargill Inc [CARG.UL] had put workers in harm’s way to maintain production. The senators asked the companies how much meat they shipped to China while warning of domestic shortages due to slaughterhouse outbreaks.
Smithfield, in a June 30 response made public on Friday, said it erected physical barriers and took other steps to protect workers in areas where social distancing is impossible.
The company, owned by China’s WH Group Ltd (0288.HK), balked at slowing processing line speeds to increase space between employees. It said slowdowns would back up hogs on farms, leading to animal euthanizations and higher food prices.
“For better or worse, our plants are what they are,” Smithfield Chief Executive Kenneth Sullivan said. “Four walls, engineered design, efficient use of space, etc. Spread out? Okay. Where?”
Tyson told the senators it decreased the number of employees on production lines and created barriers or required face shields in areas where employees cannot be distanced.
“These companies clearly cannot be trusted to do what is right,” said Booker. He and Warren called for new legislation to protect workers.
Smithfield, Tyson and JBS did not disclose how much meat they have exported. JBS, a unit of Brazil’s JBS SA (JBSS3.SA), said it accounted for less than 10% of U.S. pork exports to China. Cargill said it has not exported U.S. beef or turkey to China this year.
Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Leslie Adler
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