Fury as Tory MPs vote to allow water companies to dump raw sewage into Britain's rivers and seas

MPs voted to allow water companies to dump raw sewage into rivers and seas

Just 22 Conservatives rebelled against the Government on Wednesday

Amendment to bill sought to stop companies pumping raw sewage in waterways

Last year, raw sewage was discharged into waters more than 400,000 times

By JACK WRIGHT FOR MAILONLINE
 UPDATED: 04:25 EDT, 25 October 2021

MPs are facing a backlash after voting against amending a bill to stop water companies dumping raw sewage into Britain's rivers and seas.

Just 22 Conservatives rebelled against the Government last week by voting for an amendment to the Environment Bill which sought to place a legal duty on water companies not to pump sewage into rivers.

Sewage pollution is a key component of what MPs have heard is a chemical cocktail of pollutants going into rivers, with raw sewage being discharged into waters more than 400,000 times last year.

It coes seven weeks after wastewater plants were told by the government they may dispose of sewage not fully treated due to a shortage of chemicals caused by the lorry driver crisis.

The amendment, introduced in the House of Lords by the Duke of Wellington, would have also forced water companies and the Government to 'take all reasonable steps' to avoid using the combined sewer overflows, which regularly release untreated waste into rivers and seas.

Campaign groups including Surfers Against Sewage said it was crucial to ensure action to tackle sewage pollution started now.

But Environment Secretary George Eustice recommended MPs reject amendments to the bill, just days before Boris Johnson hosts world leaders at the Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow.

The vote caused a huge backlash on social media, with Twitter users posting images of the MPs who shot down the amendment.


MPs have voted against amending a bill to stop water companies dumping raw sewage into Britain's rivers and seas (stock image)


This map from The Rivers Trust shows where sewage enters local rivers. The trust advises people to avoid entering the water immediately downstream of these discharges and avoid the overflows (brown circles), especially after it has been raining


This map from Surfers Against Sewage, part of its Safer Seas and Rivers Service, tracks real-time combined sewage overflows and pollution risk forecasts, and monitors the water quality at over 400 locations around UK rivers and coastlines



A close-up of the Surfers Against Sewage map shows where swimming is advised against on a stretch of the south coast

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a visit to the Covid vaccine centre at the Little Venice Sports Centre in west London, on October 22, 2021















The vote caused a huge backlash on social media, with Twitter users posting images of the MPs who shot down the amendment

One person questioned: 'What sort of person votes to allow water companies to pump raw sewage into our water?'

Supply chain issues affect levels of sewage treatment chemicals

Wastewater plants were told by the government last month that they may dispose of sewage not fully treated due to a shortage of chemicals caused by the lorry driver crisis.

Some of the chemicals used in the sewage treatment process became one of the products left in short supply by the driver shortage, caused by a combination of Brexit and the Covid pandemic.

Plants were told they may dispose of effluent not fully treated because of disruption caused by 'supply chain failure' in a regulatory position statement issued at the start of September.

The statement came from the Environment Agency, which introduced a waiver that would allow some companies to bypass the third stage in the treatment process if they are not in possession of the right chemicals.

Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) said the waiver specifically related to a shortage of ferric sulphate, an acidic solution used to suppress the growth of algae.

The government agency said the regulatory position statement (RPS) would apply until the end of the year, after which companies would required a permit in order to continue the practice.

Another wrote: 'I just emailed me MP asking her to outline the benefits of raw sewage being dumped into our waterways.'

A government source told MailOnline: 'Tory MPs have categorically not voted to allow water companies to dump raw sewage into our rivers and seas. The provisions in the Environment Bill will deliver progressive reductions in the harm caused by storm overflows. The Environment Bill requires us to set a target to drive progress on water quality, and we are already taking significant action to address water quality more widely. Claims to the contrary are simply wrong.'

The measure is now set to return to the Lords on Tuesday, where peers are expected to send it back to the Commons later next week - possibly on Thursday - and force another vote among MPs.

The Duke of Wellington, a crossbench peer, said he believed the amendment would stimulate investment in improving the systems, which date back decades and are in severe need of upgrades.

It comes as figures collected by charity the Rivers Trust show that all of England's rivers are currently failing to pass cleanliness tests, with 53 per cent of them in a poor state at least partly because of water companies releasing raw and partially-treated sewage.

In England, just 14 per cent of rivers have good ecological status and none have good chemical status because water companies are currently allowed to release raw sewage into rivers and seas as part of a 'combined sewer overflow', a legacy of Britain's Victorian drainage system, The Telegraph reported.

This means rainwater and liquid waste are combined in the same tanks and overflows into waterways as an escape valve, rather than backing up into homes and streets.

Among those campaigning to clean up British waterways is former Undertones singer Feargal Sharkey, who last year announced plans to start legal action over the Environment Agency's management of England's rivers.

Last year, raw sewage was discharged into waters more than 400,000 times. Pictured: Pollution in the Jubilee River at Eton Wick, Berkshire last year

He previously said: 'As a nation, we're going to have to face a very simple situation. Do we want our rivers full of our own human waste?

Hertfordshire's River Mimram turns PURPLE with pollution, just hours after environment ministers posed in front of it to announce plans to protect and restore England's rare chalk streams

River Mimram in Hertfordshire turned purple with pollution, just hours after environment ministers posed in front of it over plans to restore rare chalk streams.

When environment Minister, Rebecca Pow and members of the Chalk Stream Restoration Group visited the river, it was a clear looking stream.

Not long after they left, the chalk stream, that runs through North Hertfordshire from Hertford, turned a shade of purple, according to pop star and clean river campaigner Feargal Sharkey, who shared an image of the stream on Twitter.

Campaigners said this highlights the dire state of Britain's rivers, where 53 per cent are in a poor state, and only 14 per cent are in 'good ecological condition.'

The Environment Agency said the river had already returned to normal when it returned to investigate, and found no evidence of any harm to fish from the incident.

They can't say what caused it to turn purple, but campaigners speculate it could be anything from an algae bloom to dyes seeping into water from industry.

'The truth is, unfortunately, there's been a long term issue about failure of regulatory oversight, lack of political leadership, most of that, driven by concerns about the price of water, and now we've reached the situation through incompetence that every river is now basically full of sewage.'

In April this year, MPs were told that water companies poured raw sewage into rivers for three million hours last year, while paying shareholders billions in dividend payments.

The environmental audit committee heard that the huge Mogden treatment plant sent the equivalent of 400 Olympic swimming pools worth of raw effluent into the Thames over two days last autumn.

Sewage is allowed to be discharged only during periods of heavy rain, but Mr Sharkey told MPs the River Chess and Chesham plant in Buckinghamshire 'was discharging sewage for 35 days, one continuous discharge'.

Peter Hammond, retired former professor of computational biology at University College London, said his analysis of sewage treatment works had found 160 breaches of permits granted by the EA to allow sewage discharges.

He said the watchdog has only prosecuted 174 cases of illegal discharges in the last decade.

'My research has found that many of the treatment works do not continue to treat a minimum rate of sewage when they are spilling and many of these illegal spills are not identified by the EA,' Hammond told MPs on the environmental audit committee.

'My research found 160 breaches of permits in 2020. I believe they are in order of magnitude that I think is 10 times more … than the agency have identified.'

The EA revealed there were 403,171 spills of sewage leaked into England's rivers and seas in 2020 due to 'storm overflows'. It also said that there were more than 3.1 million hours of spillages in 2020.

The data was published 'proactively' for the first time as part of a pledge to increase transparency around the issue.

US Pacific Northwest deluged with rain, snow due to ‘Bomb Cyclone’

Two people killed in greater Seattle; heavy rain and snow pound alil major cities of California, Washington and Oregon, recently plagued with wildfire

 By DTE Staff

Published: Monday 25 October 20

 The 'Bomb Cyclone' off the US Pacific Northwest. Photo: @NWSWPC / Twitte

The United States Pacific Northwest, consisting of the states of Washington, Oregon and California, has been deluged with rain and snow as a ‘bomb cyclone’ took effect and unleashed a storm October 24, 2021.

The USA Today daily reported that over 160,000 homes and businesses in California, more than 170,000 in Washington and over 28,000 in Oregon had been left without power October 24 due to the extreme weather.

USA Today further reported that the storm had been most severe in the northern and central portions of California and parts of southern Oregon. Two people were killed when a tree fell on a vehicle in the greater Seattle area.

Almost all the big cities of the US west coast including Seattle, those in the San Francisco Bay Area, including San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland and San Rafael as well as the capital of California, Sacramento, received heavy rain. In fact, Sacramento was well on its way to breaking a precipitation record.

USA Today quoted Jon Porter, a meteorologist, as saying that a bomb cyclone forms when air pressure rapidly drops as the storm explosively strengthens. The bomb cyclone has been pulling deep tropical moisture from the Pacific, creating an “atmospheric river”, according to Porter.

He described the river as a “firehose of moisture in the sky” capable of unleashing intense rain and mountain snow.

American climate scientist Daniel Swain expressed amazement at the bomb cyclone as seen in satellite photographs.

California and the Pacific Northwest of North America are witnessing the rain after having been through a brutal heatwave this summer.

The rain and snow are expected to extinguish the various wildfires that have been burning in California since the summer. These include the Caldor fire that started August 14 in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, east of Sacramento and had burned 221,775 acres till October 24. The fire has now been contained, according to reports

However, the fires created another problem in the lead-up to the bomb cyclone. They had stripped a large part of the landscape of foliage, stripping the ground naked. Experts had predicted that such burnt areas would be more prone to mudlsides.

Several parts of California, including the Santa Cruz mountains and parts of western Santa Barbara county, had instated evacuation orders because of their proximity to burnt areas.

In photos: Drought-ravaged 

California lashed by major storm

Rebecca Falconer


Workers try to divert water into drains as rain pours down on Oct. 24 in Marin City, California. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A major storm system was pummeling Northern California and parts of the Pacific Northwest with heavy rains overnight.

The big picture: The "atmospheric river" storms, associated with a record-strong "bomb cyclone" offshore from the Pacific Northwest, have brought flooding and mudslides to parts of California that were razed by recent wildfires and in severe drought. It's also caused widespread power outages in California and Washington state.

A pedestrian walks on a flooded street on October 24, 2021, in Kentfield, California. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Tree workers cut up a tree that fell across a road in Ross, California, on Oct. 24. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The swollen San Anselmo creek touches the bottom of businesses on October 24, 2021, in San Anselmo, California. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images  

A truck driving through a flooded street in Mill Valley, California, on Oct. 24. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Image

"Atmospheric river" swings Northern California from drought to flood

Rebecca Falconer, Andrew Freedman


Satellite view of the bomb cyclone swirling off the coast of the Pacific Northwest and the atmospheric river affecting California on Oct. 24.

 Photo: CIRA/RAMMB

A series of powerful "atmospheric river" storms are delivering historic amounts of rainfall across parts of drought-stricken California and the Pacific Northwest.

Why it matters: The atmospheric river, packing large amounts of moisture, was causing Northern California to whiplash from drought to flood, as it slowly moved south overnight. It's triggered widespread power outages, flooding and mudslides.

The storm system claimed the lives of two people in Washington state after a tree fell on a vehicle amid powerful winds Sunday.

Threat level: The storm is associated with a record-strong "bomb cyclone" off the Pacific Northwest, which was forecast to remain at sea. But it's bringing wind gusts of up to 60-70 mph and greater than 40-foot waves off the coasts of northern California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.
A bomb cyclone refers to a non-tropical storm whose pressure drops at least 24mb in 24 hrs. This one more than doubled that rate, and is likely to become the strongest low-pressure area on record off the coast of the Pacific Northwest.

Widespread flooding was reported in the San Francisco Bay area amid potentially record rainfall.
The atmospheric river in this region was elevated to a Category 5 — the highest level on a scale based on strength and duration, per the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

By the numbers: Over 116,000 customers had lost power in California and 72,000 others in Washington state were also without electricity early Monday, according to utility tracking site poweroutage.us.

The big picture: The storm was hitting with historic intensity, dumping 8-10 inches of rain across the region Sunday — and has already triggered potentially life-threatening flash floods and mudslides near the Dixie Fire and Calder Fire burn scars, per the National Weather Service.
Other burn areas during the devastating fire seasons from 2018 to 2021 were also under flash flood warning.

Evacuation orders were announced for the Santa Cruz Mountains ahead of the storm's expected arrival early Monday amid concerns the rain could cause debris flows in the CZU Lightning Complex Fire burn scar.

Tho NWS warned residents near burn scars in Sacramento to be prepared to evacuate if ordered to do so, noting that in some areas it may be too late for evacuation and residents should shelter in the highest parts of their homes.

California's Department of Transportation said mudslides in Colusa and Yolo counties caused state highways 16 and 20 to close.

Of note: Sacramento, which just experienced its longest dry spell ever recorded, after breaking a record set in 1880, saw 5.44 inches of rainfall by Sunday evening.

This broke the all-time record for the city's highest 24-hour rainfall total, the NWS Sacramento office noted in a statement.

Reno, Nev., meanwhile, set a new October rainfall record, with 2.82 inches of rainfall by 5 a.m. PDT Monday. That includes 2.59 inches of rain that fell in the past 24 hours, according to NWS Reno.
The previous October record was set in 2010 when 2.65 inches of rain fell in the city.
"The rain hasn't ended!" NWS Reno tweeted Monday.

Between the lines: That turnaround marks an example of the extremes that are known to buffet California, with precipitation going from "feast to famine" and back again — except the odds are stacked even further in favor of extremes now with climate change.

Yes, but: The extreme rainfall won't be enough to end the drought for most places, though it will help.
Not all of California was forecast to be hit by this rainfall, and fire season was set to continue in the south part of the state.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Strongest Storm In a Quarter Century, In a Century? Bomb Cyclone Surpasses Bay Area Predictions, Causes Havoc All Over

While meteorologists on Sunday morning were still predicting large, but not record-breaking rain totals, a storm system rolled in off the Pacific and pummeled the Bay Area with way more rain than most of us were expecting, causing flooded roads, neighborhoods, and more.

It seems to be a story that fits with the climate-change narratives about extreme weather that defies historical precedent. And Sunday's "bomb cyclone" and atmospheric river event, centered off the Pacific around the Alaska and and Pacific Northwestern coast, looked a lot more like the Category 3 and 4 hurricanes that we've watched from afar drenching the South and the eastern seaboard.

While meteorologists had predicted that the North Bay and San Francisco would see the heaviest rains earlier in the day Sunday, the weather system actually moved slower toward the south than predicted, leading to more steady rainfall accumulation and a somewhat different storm trajectory Sunday than originally predicted.

This resulted in flooding across most Bay Area counties — and flooding that was not relegated to just extremely low-lying areas. Also, parts of San Francisco, including I-280 where it crosses Mission Street, experienced flooding.

The storm that came to drench Northern California on Sunday continues to break records, and we'll likely still be tallying the numbers well into Monday and Tuesday. But here are are a few:

The San Francisco-based Golden Gate Weather Services, which maintains the Bay Area Storm Index, said Sunday that this was the strongest storm to hit the Bay Area in 26 years.

The area of low pressure on the Pacific Coast that helped create the atmospheric river is being called the deepest in decades.

Just after noon on Sunday, a wind gust was recorded at SFO at 60 miles per hour.

The Russian River in Sonoma County, running at extremely low levels all summer, went from a level of less than 6 feet to over 12 feet at 2 p.m. on Sunday, per the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Meteorologist Daniel Swain pointed back to his own 2018 article that predicted that more extreme precipitation events like this one were likely to hit the California coast due to climate change — and here, in October, well ahead of the traditional "rainy season", we have one.

In San Francisco, small floods formed throughout the city, including this one in the Outer Richmond that was being battled by residents with brooms.

Climate scientists have continued to try to tell the globe that extreme, unseasonable events likes these are likely to become the norm, even if we still see them as new and abnormal. And parts of the Bay Area are now going through the whiplash of a very tense fire season that gave way to record-setting rain, flooding, mudslides, and a historic and fire-season-ending storm.

It's a lot to take. But welcome to the 2020s

.

 

Timing of climate summit ‘probably worst’: Devi Sridhar

• Chandrashekar
 
• 24 October, 2021

Artists paint a mural on a wall next to the Clydeside Expressway near Scottish Events Centre which will be hosting the COP26 UN Climate Summit later this month, on October 13, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. COP26 will officially begin on Sunday October 31 with the procedural opening of negotiations and finish on Monday November 12. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

By: Chandrashekar Bhat

AN Indian American health expert has warned that the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference to be held in Glasgow could potentially risk a spike in coronavirus cases.

Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at Edinburgh University and member of the Scottish government’s Covid-19 advisory group, said the event where some 25,000 delegates from 200 countries are expected to attend could lead to the spread of the virus.

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According to the Miami-born health expert, the timing of the conference was not right “as we are heading into winter”.

“And (I am) not underplaying at all the significance of climate change, but I’m concerned about the impact of #COP26 in Glasgow on COVID control as we head into winter. Probably worst timing ever in a pandemic”, she tweeted.

Her concerns arise from the fact that the in-person event will be held indoors with less ventilation as windows at the venues will likely be closed to retain heat.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi is among global leaders who will attend the climate summit, also known as COP26 which will be held from October 31 to November 12 under the co-presidency of the United Kingdom and Italy.

Full text: Xi's speech on 50th anniversary of restoration of PRC's seat in UN

CGTN


Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday hailed the restoration of all the rights of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the United Nations (UN) 50 years ago as a victory of the Chinese people and the people from all countries around the world.

President Xi made the remarks in Beijing at a commemorative meeting marking the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the PRC's lawful seat in the UN.

Below is the full text:

Speech by H.E. Xi Jinping

President of the People's Republic of China

At the Conference Marking the 50th Anniversary of the Restoration of the Lawful Seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations

October 25, 2021

Your Excellency Secretary-General António Guterres,

Your Excellencies Diplomatic Envoys and Representatives of International Organizations,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Comrades,

Fifty years ago today, the 26th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted, with an overwhelming majority, Resolution 2758, and the decision was made to restore all rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations and to recognize the representatives of the Government of the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations. It was a victory for the Chinese people and a victory for people of the world.

Today, on this special date, we are here to review the past history and look to the future, and that makes our gathering all the more significant.

The restoration of New China's lawful seat in the United Nations was a momentous event for the world and the United Nations. It came as the result of joint efforts of all peace-loving countries that stood up for justice in the world. It marked the return of the Chinese people, or one-fourth of the world's population, back to the UN stage. The importance was significant and far-reaching for both China and the wider world.

On this occasion, I wish to express, on behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, heartfelt gratitude to all countries that co-sponsored and supported UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, and to pay high tribute to all countries and people that stand on the side of justice.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Comrades,

The past five decades since New China restored its lawful seat in the United Nations have witnessed China's peaceful development and its commitment and dedication to the welfare of all humanity.

— For these 50 years, the Chinese people have demonstrated an untiring spirit and kept to the right direction of China's development amidst changing circumstances, thus writing an epic chapter in the development of China and humanity. Building on achievements in national construction and development since the founding of New China, the Chinese people have started the new historical era of reform and opening-up, and successfully initiated and developed socialism with Chinese characteristics. We have continued to unleash and develop productivity and raise living standards, and achieved a historic breakthrough of leaping from a country with relatively low productivity to the second largest economy in the world. Through much hard work, the Chinese people have attained the goal of fully building a moderately prosperous society on the vast land of China, and won the battle against poverty, thus securing a historic success in eradicating absolute poverty. We have now embarked on a new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country and opened up bright prospects for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

— For these 50 years, the Chinese people have stood in solidarity and cooperation with people around the world and upheld international equity and justice, contributing significantly to world peace and development. The Chinese people are peace-loving people and know well the value of peace and stability. We have unswervingly followed an independent foreign policy of peace, stood firm for fairness and justice, and resolutely opposed hegemony and power politics. The Chinese people are a strong supporter of other developing countries in their just struggle to safeguard sovereignty, security and development interests. The Chinese people are committed to achieving common development. From the Tazara Railway to the Belt and Road Initiative, we have done what we could to help other developing countries, and have offered the world new opportunities through our own development. During the trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic, China has been active in sharing COVID response experience with the world, and has sent large quantities of supplies, vaccines and medicines to other countries, and deeply engaged in science-based cooperation on COVID-19 origins tracing, all in a sincere and proactive effort to contribute to humanity's final victory over the pandemic.

— For these 50 years, the Chinese people have upheld the authority and sanctity of the United Nations and practiced multilateralism, and China's cooperation with the United Nations has deepened steadily. China has faithfully fulfilled its responsibility and mission as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, stayed true to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and upheld the central role of the United Nations in international affairs. China has stood actively for political settlement of disputes through peaceful means. It has sent over 50,000 peacekeepers to UN peacekeeping operations, and is now the second largest financial contributor to both the United Nations and UN peacekeeping operations. China has been among the first of countries to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals. It has taken the lead in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, accounting for over 70 percent of global poverty reduction. China has acted by the spirit of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and earnestly applied the universality of human rights in the Chinese context. It has blazed a path of human rights development that is consistent with the trend of the times and carries distinct Chinese features, thus making major contribution to human rights progress in China and the international human rights cause.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Comrades,

The trend of the world, vast and mighty, prospers those who follow it and perishes those who go against it. Over the last 50 years, for all the vicissitudes in the international landscape, the world has remained stable as a whole, thanks to the concerted efforts of people of all countries. The world economy has grown rapidly, and innovation in science and technology has kept breaking new ground. A large number of developing countries have grown stronger, over a billion people have walked out of poverty, and a population of several billion are moving toward modernization.

In the world today, changes unseen in a century are accelerating, and the force for peace, development and progress has continued to grow. It falls upon us to follow the prevailing trend of history, and choose cooperation over confrontation, openness over seclusion, and mutual benefit over zero-sum games. We shall be firm in opposing all forms of hegemony and power politics, as well as all forms of unilateralism and protectionism.

— We should vigorously advocate peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, which are the common values of humanity, and work together to provide the right guiding philosophy for building a better world. Peace and development are our common cause, equity and justice our common aspiration, and democracy and freedom our common pursuit. The world we live in is diverse and colorful. Diversity makes human civilization what it is, and provides a constant source of vitality and driving force for world development. As a Chinese saying goes, "Without achieving the good of one hundred various schools, the uniqueness of one individual cannot be achieved." No civilization in the world is superior to others; every civilization is special and unique to its own region. Civilizations can achieve harmony only through communication, and can make progress only through harmonization. Whether a country's path of development works is judged, first and foremost, by whether it fits the country's conditions; whether it follows the development trend of the times; whether it brings about economic growth, social advancement, better livelihoods and social stability; whether it has the people’s endorsement and support; and whether it contributes to the progressive cause of humanity.

— We should jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and work together to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity. The human race is an integral community and Earth is our common homeland. No person or country can thrive in isolation. Humanity should overcome difficulties in solidarity and pursue common development in harmony. We should keep moving toward a community with a shared future for mankind, and jointly create a better future. To build a community with a shared future for mankind is not to replace one system or civilization with another. Instead, it is about countries with different social systems, ideologies, histories, cultures and levels of development coming together for shared interests, shared rights and shared responsibilities in global affairs, and creating the greatest synergy for building a better world.

— We should stay committed to mutual benefit and win-win results, and work together to promote economic and social development for the greater benefit of our people. As ancient Chinese observed, "The essence of governance is livelihood; and the essence of livelihood is adequacy." Development and happy lives are the common aspirations of people in all countries. Development is meaningful only when it is for the people's interest, and can sustain only when it is motivated by the people. Countries should put their people front and center, and strive to realize development with a higher level of quality, efficiency, equity, sustainability and security. It is important to resolve the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development, and make development more balanced, coordinated and inclusive. It is also important to strengthen the people's capacity for development, foster a development environment where everyone takes part and has a share, and create a development paradigm where its outcome benefits every person in every country more directly and fairly. Not long ago, at the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly, I proposed a Global Development Initiative with the hope that countries will work together to overcome impacts of COVID-19 on global development, accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and build a global community of development with a shared future.

— We should step up cooperation, and work together to address the various challenges and global issues facing humanity. The international community is confronted by regional disputes as well as global issues such as terrorism, climate change, cybersecurity and biosecurity. Only with more inclusive global governance, more effective multilateral mechanisms and more active regional cooperation, can these issues be addressed effectively. Climate change is Nature's alarm bell to humanity. Countries need to take concrete actions to protect Mother Nature. We need to encourage green recovery, green production and green consumption, promote a civilized and healthy lifestyle, foster harmony between man and Nature, and let a sound ecology and environment be the inexhaustible source of sustainable development.

— We should resolutely uphold the authority and standing of the United Nations, and work together to practice true multilateralism. Building a community with a shared future for mankind requires a strong United Nations and reform and development of the global governance system. Countries should uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order underpinned by international law and the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. International rules can only be made by the 193 UN Member States together, and not decided by individual countries or blocs of countries. International rules should be observed by the 193 UN Member States, and there is and should be no exception. Countries should respect the United Nations, take good care of the UN family, refrain from exploiting the Organization, still less abandoning it at one's will, and make sure that the United Nations plays an even more positive role in advancing humanity's noble cause of peace and development. China will be happy to work with all countries under the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits to explore new ideas and new models of cooperation and keep enriching the practice of multilateralism under new circumstances.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Comrades,

A review of the past can light the way forward. Standing at a new historical starting point, China will stay committed to the path of peaceful development and always be a builder of world peace. China will stay committed to the path of reform and opening-up and always be a contributor to global development. China will stay committed to the path of multilateralism and always be a defender of the international order.

As an ancient Chinese poem reads, "Green hills immerse in the same cloud and rain. The same moon lights up towns however far away." Let us join hands, stand on the right side of history and the side of human progress, and work tirelessly for the lasting and peaceful development of the world and for building a community with a shared future for mankind!

Thank you.

UN envoy criticizes Israeli construction plans

UN envoy Tor Wennesland: "All settlements are illegal under international law and must cease immediately."

Elad Benari , Oct 24 , 2021 11:58 PM

Construction in Beit El

The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, on Sunday condemned the Israeli government after it issued tenders to market about 1,000 housing units in Judea and Samaria.

“Today, the Israeli authorities announced tenders for the construction of more than 1,300 housing units in the occupied West Bank,” said Wennesland.

“I am deeply concerned by continued Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. I reiterate that all settlements are illegal under international law, remain a substantial obstacle to peace, and must cease immediately,” he added.

The statement came after the Israel Land Authority, At the direction of Housing and Construction Minister Ze'ev Elkin, issued the tenders.

Among the tenders that are being marketed are 346 housing units in Beit El, 42 housing units in Elkana and another 50 housing units at a reduced price. In Beitar Illit, 252 housing units will be built.

This coming Wednesday, the construction of 3,144 housing units in Judea and Samaria will be approved. The Supreme Planning Council of the Civil Administration will also approve, among other things, the outline plan of Mitzpe Dani in the area of ​​Ma'ale Mikhmas in the Binyamin region

UN 'deeply concerned' by continued Israel settlement expansion


UN Special Envoy to the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland on February 17, 2009
[KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/ Getty Images]

October 25, 2021

UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, yesterday denounced Israel for opening tenders for new settlement units in the occupied West Bank.

"Today, the Israeli authorities announced tenders for the construction of more than 1,300 housing units in the occupied West Bank," Wennesland said in a statement.

"I am deeply concerned by continued Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem," he added.

"I reiterate that all settlements are illegal under international law, remain a substantial obstacle to peace, and must cease immediately."

Yesterday, Israeli occupation government invited bids for the construction of 1,355 new settlement units in the illegal Jewish-only settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The Ministry of Construction and Housing also said that it plans to double the settler population, which is currently about 6,400 settlers, in the occupied Jordan Valley by 2026, and that they will advertise 1,500 housing units in the area.

Palestine: Israeli policies aim to make two-state solution 'impossible'

‘Children going to die’: UN warns of ‘acute’ Afghan food crisis

UN says more than half of Afghanistan’s 39 million population is facing acute food insecurity and ‘marching to starvation’.

Farzana, 30, holds her one-year-old baby Omar at the malnutrition ward for infants at the Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital in Kabul

 [Jorge Silva/Reuters]

Published On 25 Oct 2021

Millions of Afghans, including children, could die of starvation unless urgent action is taken to pull Afghanistan back from the brink of collapse, a senior United Nations official has warned, calling for frozen funds to be freed for humanitarian efforts.

The World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley told Reuters news agency that 22.8 million people – more than half of Afghanistan’s 39 million population – were facing acute food insecurity and “marching to starvation” compared with 14 million just two months ago.

“Children are going to die. People are going to starve. Things are going to get a lot worse,” he said in Dubai.

“I don’t know how you don’t have millions of people, and especially children, dying at the rate we are going with the lack of funding and the collapsing of the economy.”


Afghanistan was plunged into crisis in August after Taliban fighters drove out a Western-backed government, prompting donors to hold back billions of dollars in assistance for the aid-dependent economy.

The food crisis, exacerbated by climate change, was dire in Afghanistan even before the takeover by the Taliban, whose new administration has been blocked from accessing assets held overseas as nations grapple with how to deal with the group.

“What we are predicting is coming true much faster than we anticipated. Kabul fell faster than anybody anticipated and the economy is falling faster than that,” Beasley said.

He said dollars earmarked for development assistance should be repurposed for humanitarian aid, which some nations have already done, or frozen funds be channelled through the agency.

“You’ve got to unfreeze these funds so people can survive.”

The UN food agency needs up to $220m a month to partially feed the nearly 23 million vulnerable people as winter nears.

Many Afghans are selling possessions to buy food with the Taliban unable to pay wages to civil servants, and urban communities are facing food insecurity on levels similar to rural areas for the first time.

WFP tapped its own resources to help cover food aid through to December after some donors failed to meet pledges, Beasley said, adding that with government appropriations already out, funds may have to be redirected from aid efforts in other countries.

Aid groups are urging countries, concerned about human rights under the Taliban, to engage with the new rulers to prevent a collapse they say could trigger a migration crisis similar to the 2015 exodus from Syria that shook Europe.

“I don’t think the leaders in the world realise what is coming their way,” he said, listing off several humanitarian crises in the Middle East, Africa and Central America.

Florida Senate president (R) backs Democrat after incident with Surgeon General

“It shouldn’t take a cancer diagnosis for people to respect each other’s level of comfort with social interactions during a pandemic,” Wilton Simpson says in memo to Senate

Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton [ STEVE CANNON | AP ]

By Mary Ellen Klas

TALLAHASSEE —The president of the Florida Senate called the state’s surgeon general “unprofessional” this weekend for refusing to wear a mask while visiting the office of a state senator who is being treated for breast cancer — and he suggested that visitors in the future who “fail to respect these requests will be asked to leave.”

Senate President Wilton Simpson sent out the statement Saturday after Sen. Tina Polsky, a Boca Raton Democrat, asked Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo to put on a mask when he was visiting in her Capitol office last Wednesday. When Ladapo refused, she asked him to leave, Polsky told the Herald/Times on Sunday.

Polsky, 53, announced two days before that she had been diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer. She had surgery on Sept. 27 and will begin radiation therapy this week.

After reading about the encounter, which was first reported in Florida Politics on Saturday, Simpson, a Trilby Republican, sent a note to his Senate colleagues suggesting that future behavior from the state’s top health officer will not be condoned.

“What occurred in Sen. Polsky’s office was unprofessional and will not be tolerated in the Senate,” Simpson wrote in a letter to all senators and Senate staff. “While there is no mask mandate in the Senate, senators and staff can request social distancing and masking within their own offices. If visitors to the Senate fail to respect these requests, they will be asked to leave.”

He added that “the prayers of the entire Senate family are with Sen. Polsky as she begins her treatment. However, it shouldn’t take a cancer diagnosis for people to respect each others’ level of comfort with social interactions during a pandemic.”

The Senate Democrats commended Simpson, who is running for agriculture commissioner, for his “leadership on this issue.”

The Democratic office said in a statement that Polsky met with Ladapo “in good faith with Floridian’s health in mind” and the surgeon general’s “carelessness could have led to a delay in treatment for the senator.”

After Ladapo refused to wear a mask, Polsky said Sunday that he “kept trying to negotiate and say we have other options.” He offered to move the meeting outdoors, but Polsky responded that she wanted to meet him in person in her office. “I told him, I’d like to conduct it here and if you wore a mask, we can go ahead,’’ she said. “He just wouldn’t do it.”

“This really went on a lot longer than it should — especially for those who weren’t wearing masks,’’ she recalled. “I said, ‘I guess I know everything I need to know about you. You can leave now’.”

She said Ladapo, who was accompanied by two aides, then left the office. As they were exiting, she said her aide heard Ladapo say: “Sometimes I try to reason with unreasonable people for fun.”

Polsky recalls that Ladapo was smiling throughout their encounter. “He was smug,’’ she said. “He wanted to engage me in this. And I wouldn’t engage and, unfortunately, I spoke to him too long. I should have asked him to leave a lot sooner. I was very shaken afterwards.”

Department of Health spokesperson Weesam Khoury said in an email Sunday that “the Department of Health is saddened to hear of Senator Polsky’s recent diagnosis, and wishes her well.”

“DOH will be addressing this directly with members of the Senate, rather than letting this play out publicly,’’ Khoury said. “While we weren’t aware of any specific Senate protocol, we will certainly ask members ahead of time and make necessary accommodations, such as meeting through Zoom or outdoors.”

She told Florida Politics on Saturday that Ladapo is committed to meeting with members of the Legislature “even when they do not agree on the subject at hand” and that the meetings “only get reported” when it “turns into a media headline expected from a gossip column.”

The incident is the latest controversy surrounding Ladapo, who was appointed by DeSantis to be the state’s surgeon general, replacing Scott Rivkees, whose contract with the Florida Department of Health ended in August.

During his brief time as surgeon general, Ladapo has questioned both the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as the effectiveness of lockdowns and mask mandates.

At a press conference with the governor on Thursday, in which the governor called for a special session to punish businesses that require employees to be vaccinated, Ladapo cast doubt on the efficacy of the vaccines, which have proven largely effective at preventing the hospitalization and death from the virus.

“These vaccines are not preventing transmission,’’ he said. “So sure, they reduce the likelihood of transmission, and even that is sort of questionable depending on how far out you go.”

Last year, Ladapo was among thousands of medical professionals who signed a statement known as the Great Barrington Declaration which promoted the idea that herd immunity could be reached by allowing the less vulnerable people to be infected, while at the same time shielding the most vulnerable from the virus.


He also co-authored a report that endorsed the use of hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration later withdrew emergency authorization for the anti-malaria drug, concluding that it led to heart problems and was not effective in treating COVID-19.

In a Sept. 16 op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, Ladapo criticized what he called “a zealous pursuit of public mask-wearing,” and argued that masks have had “at best, a modest effect on viral transmissions.”

That letter, and other public statements from Ladapo, as well as his vigorous opposition to schools requiring masks of students and staff, prompted more than 100 Florida physicians to sign a letter challenging him. The organization, the Committee to Protect Health Care, includes doctors are from all over the state, including three members of the faculty at the University of Florida’s College of Medicine, where Ladapo was offered a tenured professorship as part of his state employment contract that will pay him $512,000 a year.

The surgeon general must be confirmed by the Florida Senate, which will hold confirmation hearings on Ladapo during the 60-day regular session that begins on Jan. 11.

Polsky, a freshman Democrat who is a lawyer with degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University, said her decision to come forward with the Ladapo exchange has brought national media attention “and all the trolls.”


She said she has been flooded with both well wishes and hateful comments. Her district office this weekend received a vulgar, antisemitic message on their answering machine following the stories.

“I didn’t ask for this attention,’’ said Polsky, who said she is focused on trying to continue representing her district and meeting with people while managing her cancer treatment. “I can’t be scared and back away. It’s too important a story,’’ she said.

But she added, Ladapo’s behavior “just goes along with everything else that this administration is doing. I don’t want to see this man as surgeon general. Think about the next public health crisis that’s not COVID. What’s he going to do to protect us?”

Polsky is the second high profile Florida woman to come forward with her breast cancer diagnosis in the last month. DeSantis’ wife, Casey DeSantis, announced she is also being treated for the disease.

In her statement on Friday, Polsky said “the prognosis is very positive, and I know I am in excellent hands and am receiving nothing but the best care from my oncology team at the Lynn Cancer Center at the Boca Regional Hospital. I do however anticipate missing some committee weeks (undetermined at this time) and fully expect to be back at 100% for the beginning of the legislative session in January.”


Mary Ellen Klas is the state Capitol bureau chief for the Miami Herald, where she covers government and politics and focuses on investigative and accountability reporting. You can reach her at meklas@miamiherald.com and on Twitter @MaryEllenKlas.