Environmental activists killed at a rate of one every other day in 2022 – report

Colombia was the deadliest country and a fifth of the 177 recorded killings took place in the Amazon rainforest, says Global Witness

An environmental protest in Brasilia, Brazil, April 2022. Almost 90% of all killings were recorded in Latin America. Photograph: Andressa Anholete/Getty Images


Patrick Greenfield
@pgreenfielduk
Wed 13 Sep 2023 


At least 177 people were killed last year for defending the environment, according to new figures, with a fifth of killings taking place in the Amazon rainforest.

Murdered by organised crime groups and land invaders, environmental defenders were killed at a rate of one every other day in 2022, figures from the NGO Global Witness show. Colombia was the most deadly country, recording 60 murders.

Indigenous communities were disproportionately represented in the figures, making up 34% of all murders, despite representing about 5% of the world’s population. The new figures mean that at least 1,910 environmental defenders have been killed between 2012 and 2022, according to Global Witness, with most of the murders going unpunished.

Brazil, Mexico, Honduras and the Philippines were the most deadly countries in 2022 after Colombia. Nearly 88% of all lethal attacks were recorded in Latin America, including the killings of the Brazilian activist Bruno Pereira and the journalist Dom Phillips in July.

The figures are a drop from the 200 killings recorded in 2021 but remain high, prompting Global Witness to call for special protections for environmental defenders of climate-critical ecosystems.

The report highlights the scramble for resources in Latin America, Asia and Africa as a driver of the violence, including the extraction of rare earth minerals used in the production of electric cars and wind turbines.

“For too long, those responsible for lethal attacks against defenders have been getting away with murder,” said Shruti Suresh, the co-director of campaigns at Global Witness.

“Despite being threatened by irresponsible corporate and government actions, this global movement of people, united by determination and a commitment to defending their homes and communities, are standing firm – and they cannot and will not be silenced.”

The report has been produced annually for the past 11 years by Global Witness, which is urging governments to enforce existing laws to create a safe environment for people trying to protect their lands and ecosystems. It called for businesses to ensure their supply chains and activities are not involved in driving the violence.

Underreporting of attacks around the world means that the figures are likely an underestimate, especially for Africa and Asia. Non-lethal attacks to silence environmental defenders were probably far higher, but hard to record, Global Witness said.


Honduran environmental defenders shot dead in broad daylight

Laura Furones, a forest governance expert who advised on the report, highlighted attacks against Indigenous communities as a particular cause for concern.

“Research has shown again and again that Indigenous peoples are the best guardians of the forests and therefore play a fundamental role in mitigating the climate crisis,” she said. “Yet they are under siege in countries like Brazil, Peru and Venezuela for doing precisely that.

“If we are to keep the forests standing, we must recognise that this relies upon the protection of those who call the forest home.”

Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on Twitter for all the latest news and features

Descendants of enslaved people fight against ‘erasure’ of their historical land

Community of Gullah-Geechee people in Georgia protest vote for lifting protective laws, threatening a 230-year-old heritage

Edwin Rios
THE GUARDIAN

Wed 13 Sep 2023 

For more than 230 years, a small community of Gullah-Geechee people have called Sapelo Island off the coast of Georgia home. Hogg Hammock, the area on the island where these descendants of enslaved people live, is a 427-acre coastal community of 40 residents and has been designated as a historic site since 1996. That means that the construction of houses more than 1,400 sq ft and any road paving or demolition of property are strictly prohibited to preserve the island community.

On Tuesday, McIntosh county commissioners, who preside over Sapelo, voted to remove zoning restrictions in Hogg Hammock. Gullah-Geechee residents fear that wealthy transplants who want to develop larger homes and who could force a rise of property taxes there will displace them and upend their livelihoods.

The county, which is 65% white, has voted to remove official language that acknowledges Hogg Hammock as an area with “unique needs in regard to its historic resources”. It will also strike language that states it should prevent “land value increases which could force removal of the indigenous population”.

The vote represents the latest dispute between county officials and the small historic Black community. Back in 2012, Hogg Hammock residents protested against the county’s raising of property taxes – which the county then rolled back. And in 2015, the community sued the county in federal court alleging that it had racially discriminated against residents by failing to provide them with adequate services. The island’s residents had paid county taxes for schools, police and fire departments, and trash collection services – none of which extended to Sapelo Island. The county settled the lawsuit last year, agreeing to give emergency and road services and freeze property taxes for some residents.

Descendant homes on Sapelo Island. Teh community is fighting to protect against developers swooping in on their land. Photograph: Rita Harper/The Guardian

Last Thursday, dozens of residents gave hours of testimony to the county’s zoning board arguing against the proposed changes, warning that the county had hastily made changes without community consideration. Reginal Hall, a landowner whose family had roots in Hogg Hummock, told the Associated Press the county’s approval would amount to “the erasure of a historical culture that’s still intact after 230 years”.

Residents and state lawmakers called for the county to delay their vote and to reflect on proposed changes for 90 days. “We will not allow our cultural history to be erased or bought at the price of land developers,” the state representative Kim Schofield, who represents Atlanta, told reporters. “This is our history and our heritage, and we will fight to protect it.”

Hall warned the county’s vote to remove development limits would give Gullah -Geechee residents in Hogg Hammock just “two to three years at most” to survive in the county before they scatter elsewhere, as 200,000 Gullah-Geechee people have already done across the south-eastern corridor of the United States. “If you talk about the descendants of the enslaved,” she said, “90% of us will be gone.”

‘Authoritarian regimes ban books’: Democrats raise alarm at Senate hearing

Story by Mary Yang •  The Guardian

Photograph: Erik S Lesser/EPA© Provided by The Guardian

ASenate hearing on book bans and censorship on Tuesday spotlighted the growing phenomenon in America and highlighted a partisan split on the issue, with Democrats decrying censorship as Republican and rightwing activists push for many works to be taken out of schools and libraries, claiming it should be parents’ rights to do so.

Many of the most commonly banned books include topics such as racism, sexuality and gender identity. Conservatives also argue that some books, many exploring queer identity and LGBTQ+ themes, include sexually explicit content inappropriate for students. School librarians opposing such book bans have been attacked and harassed.

Other books that have long been parts of school curriculums have also been challenged after complaints that they contained racist stereotypes, such as Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird, which also includes a depiction of rape.

Between July and December 2022, the nonprofit PEN America recorded nearly 1,500 instances of individual book bans, which it broadly defines as when books are deemed “off-limits” for students in school libraries or classrooms, or when books are removed during an investigation to determine if there should be any restrictions.

“Instead of inheriting a debate over what more can be done with and for our libraries, I was confronted with a book banning movement upon taking office,” testified Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois’ secretary of state since January who also serves as the state librarian, on Tuesday.

“Our libraries have become targets by a movement that disingenuously claims to pursue freedom, but is instead promoting authoritarianism. Authoritarian regimes ban books, not democracies,” Giannoulias said.

Democratic lawmakers and education experts raised alarm bells over the spike in banned books.

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“Let’s be clear, efforts to ban books are wrong, whether they come from the right or the left,” said Dick Durbin, the judiciary committee chair and Democratic Senator of Illinois. “In the name of protecting students, we’re instead denying these students an opportunity to learn about different people and difficult subjects.”

Meanwhile, Republicans have widely backed the growing number of conservative activists seeking more control over school curriculums, including books – but also policies such as transgender students’ eligibility to use bathrooms – in the name of “parents’ rights”.

“To all the parents out there who believe there’s a bunch of stuff in our schools being pushed on your children that go over the line, you’re absolutely right,” said Lindsey Graham, the committee’s top Republican.

Graham briefly derailed the hearing, diverting the conversation to border security and migration, saying that fixing “Biden’s Border crisis” should be the committee’s biggest priority.

“The book issue is a parental awareness issue. It is not partisan to assert that children do better when their families know what’s going on in their lives,” testified Nicole Neily, the president of the conservative nonprofit Parents Defending Education.

According to its website, the group opposes “activists” who have sought to “impose ideologically driven curriculum with a concerning and often divisive emphasis on students’ group identities: race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and gender”.

Arguing that parents and institutions should have the right to ban books containing sexually explicit content, Max Eden, a research fellow at the conservative thinktank American Enterprise Institute, read aloud a short passage recounting the author’s experience with child molestation from the book All Boys Aren’t Blue, a memoir about growing up Black and queer, and is one of the most banned books.

The 71-year-old Louisiana senator, John Kennedy, also read aloud explicit passages from two of the most-banned books, All Boys Aren’t Blue and Gender Queer, during the hearing.

“Is this OK for kids?” said Eden. “Judging by the thoughts made by the media, NGOs and some Democratic politicians, it seems there is a politically significant contingent that believes this is all actually very good for kids. But personally, I’m not at all troubled by the fact that some moms believe that this isn’t appropriate, and that some school boards agree.”

But Democratic lawmakers maintain that banning books restricts childrens’ ability to think for themselves, and information access researcher Emily Knox, an associate professor at the University of Illinois, testified that books can help change a reader’s attitude toward difference, adding that campaigns to censor books are unconstitutional.

“Of course there are books that are not age appropriate. But that’s what being a parent is all about – doing your best to keep an eye on what your children read and what they consume,” said Giannoulis.

“No one is advocating for sexually explicit content to be available in an elementary school library or in the children’s section of a library,” said Durbin. “But no parent should have the right to tell another parent’s child what they can and cannot read in school or at home. Every student deserves access to books that reflect their experiences and help them better understand who they are.”

A neuroscientist explains why MAGA supporters refuse to accept Trump's 91 felony charges | Opinion

Story by Bobby Azarian, Raw Story •

Supporters of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump begin arriving at the Monument Arena on Sept. 8, 2023, in Rapid City, S.D. 

Scott Olson/Getty Images© provided by RawStory

When delving into the perplexing world of politics and the enigmatic figure of Donald Trump, we often encounter a peculiar phenomenon amongst his supporters: a staunch refusal to accept any criminal allegation or felony charge against him, no matter how compelling the evidence.

There are many neurological and psychological reasons for this irrational behavior. But today, we will focus on the mental phenomena I feel are most urgent to explore ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

First, a disclaimer: I am not a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist — I am a cognitive neuroscientist with a research focus in clinical psychology (in particular, anxiety’s effect on attention). In fact, much of my published work has appeared in psychology journals. As a science journalist, I have been covering the psychology of Trump and his supporters since he emerged on the political scene in 2015.

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?

Now that Trump is running for president again while facing 91 felony charges, I feel a moral responsibility to illuminate all the mental factors that are driving Americans to support a man who is a master manipulator, and incapable of telling the truth. Unfortunately, these are qualities that are too common among presidential candidates, but Trump is a particularly egregious example, and therefore we must be vigilant. This article is meant to inform but also to warn voters of what is to come.

Cognitive challenge of disbelief

In 2009, a study published in PLOS ONE challenged our understanding of belief systems.

Researchers placed participants into the confines of an fMRI scanner and presented them with a mixture of factual and abstract statements. The results were illuminating. Disbelief, it turns out, is cognitively demanding. It requires more mental effort than simply accepting a statement as true. From an evolutionary perspective, this preference for easy belief makes sense; a perpetually skeptical individual questioning every piece of information would struggle to adapt in a fast-paced world.

ALSO READ: How Trump could run his campaign – and the nation – from behind bars

What does all this have to do with Trump supporters? Well, it’s far less cognitively demanding for them to believe anything their leader tells them. Any challenge to what Trump tells them is true takes mental work. This means there is a psychological incentive for Trump loyalists to maintain their loyalty. (I wrote about this phenomenon in a slightly different context in the Daily Beast article "Religious Fundamentalism: A Side Effect of Lazy Brains?")

Molding of belief: neuroplasticity at play

Now, let's consider the unique predicament faced by individuals who staunchly support Trump and want him to again become president. From the moment Trump began his political career and his social engineering career, his supporters have been exposed to narratives — Trump doesn't lie, Democrats are communists, the media is an enemy of the people — that emphasize loyalty and trust in their political idol. These narratives often steer away from critical examination and instead encourage blind faith. When coupled with the brain's inherent tendency to accept rather than question, it creates an ideal environment for unwavering allegiance. No matter that Trump, time and again, has been revealed to be a serial liar, habitually misrepresenting matters of great consequence, from elections to economics to public health.

Related video: Former President Trump Warns Supporters: 'Fight Like Hell or Lose Your Freedom’ (Benzinga)   Duration 0:38  View on Watch

ALSO READ: Trump is embracing five ‘fake news’ outlets he supposedly hates

For example, in the Psychology Today article "Why Evangelicals are Wired to Believe Trump’s Falsehoods," I explain that the children of Christian fundamentalists typically begin to suppress critical thinking at an early age. This is required if one is to accept Biblical stories as literal truth, rather than metaphors for how to live life practically and with purpose. Attributing natural occurrences to mystical causes discourages youth from seeking evidence to back their beliefs.

Consequently, the brain structures that support critical thinking and logical reasoning don't fully mature. This paves the way for heightened vulnerability to deceit and manipulative narratives, especially from cunning political figures. Such increased suggestibility arises from a mix of the brain's propensity to accept unverified claims and intense indoctrination. Given the brain's neuroplastic nature, which allows it to shape according to experiences, some religious followers are more predisposed to accept improbable assertions.



In other words, our brains are remarkably adaptable and continuously evolving landscapes. For ardent Trump supporters, residing in an environment that prioritizes faith over empirical evidence can reshape the neural circuits within their brains.

Imagine these neural pathways as trails in a forest. The more one traverses the path of unquestioning belief, the clearer and more entrenched it becomes. The path of skepticism, however, grows over with doubts and becomes difficult to navigate. This cognitive reshaping primes individuals to accept, and even defend, far-fetched statements and suggestions presented by manipulative politicians.

The Dunning-Kruger effect

This cognitive bias occurs when individuals with low ability at a task overestimate their capability. Translated to the context of understanding complex legal matters, some Trumpists might believe they have a superior grasp of the former president’s predicament and dismiss expert opinions, thinking they're immune to being misled.

The Dunning-Kruger effect becomes especially concerning in the context of polarizing issues, such as climate change. A research study from the University of New Hampshire in 2017, for example, revealed that a mere 25 percent of those identifying as Trump supporters acknowledged the role of human actions in climate change. This is in stark contrast to the 97 percent consensus among climate scientists on the issue.

This troublesome cognitive bias could be making it easier for Trump to deliver unchallenged falsehoods to his more uneducated followers. In some cases, not only are these individuals uninformed, they are unlikely to seek new information on their own. In their minds, they have nothing to learn because Trump and his acolytes have already told them what they need to know.

Reevaluating our cognitive reflexes

It is important to state that these phenomena are not exclusive to Trump supporters or any particular political group; this article serves as a broader reflection on the cognitive shortcuts that our brains favor.

If we aspire to build a society less susceptible to misinformation, we must embark on a paradigm shift. Our educational approach should pivot from passive acceptance of supposed “facts” to the exhilarating pursuit of questioning authority and healthy skepticism (as too much skepticism can also lead to irrational thinking). Recognizing that belief, in many ways, is the brain's default mode rather than a conscious choice, can serve as the first step in this cerebral revolution.

In conclusion, the unwavering belief in Trump, despite the felony charges against him, is not solely a political matter but, for some, a manifestation of our brain's intrinsic tendencies. Understanding this cognitive dynamic is pivotal in addressing the challenges posed by misinformation and fostering a more critical and discerning society.

Bobby Azarian is a cognitive neuroscientist and the author of the new book The Romance of Reality: How the Universe Organizes Itself to Create Life, Consciousness, and Cosmic Complexity. He is also a blogger for Psychology Today and the creator of the Substack Road to Omega. Follow him @BobbyAzarian.

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From chargers to children's data: how the EU reined in big tech

Issued on: 12/09/2023 -

Brussels (AFP) – When Apple unveils its latest iPhone on Tuesday, the European Union will have left its mark on the US giant's flagship product.

© Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP

Now the iPhone 15 is expected to have a USB-C charger, instead of Apple's usual Lightning charger, after the EU ordered manufacturers to adopt a common connection.

Brussels said this would make customers' lives easier and reduce waste.

Apple vehemently opposed the 2022 law, arguing it would penalise innovation, but the EU's 27 countries form the world's largest single market and Brussels has big tech in its sights.

The common charger is not the only bruising battle against big tech the EU has won, and Brussels believes it will win on more fronts in the weeks and months to come.

Here are some of the ways the EU has forced digital titans to play by new rules in Europe and beyond:

'Digital rulebook'

The groundbreaking Digital Services Act (DSA) and its sister law, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), are the biggest and most recent attempts to rein in tech companies.

The DSA demands firms crack down on harmful and illegal content online as well as assess the risks their platforms pose to society.

Any company in violation of the DSA risks a fine of up to six percent of annual global turnover.

Under the rules, 19 "very large" online platforms -- including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly known as Twitter) and YouTube -- had to comply with the DSA by late August.

All platforms will be forced to comply by February 2024.

The large platforms named have already made changes including a ban on targeted advertising to children as well as providing users with a non-personalised feed.

The changes are not limited to the European Union. Snapchat said it would restrict personalised advertising to minors in Britain as well.

"There's a process of gradual change in the way these platforms do things that is going to be started, but it's not going to be an overnight change," said Sally Broughton Micova of the Centre on Regulation in Europe think tank.

The DMA is another thorn in the tech firms' side, especially for Apple. The law seeks to dilute the dominance of certain players and aims to make the market fairer.

The EU named six "gatekeepers": Google's Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Facebook owner Meta, Microsoft and ByteDance's TikTok. The rules apply from March 2024.

For Apple, it perhaps brings one of the biggest changes in its ecosystem, dominated by its App Store. The DMA will force Apple to allow third-party app stores.

"The DMA will really have an impact on how they design their structures," an EU official said.

Companies will also have to make it easier for users to send messages between apps.

But the changes come with a price. Meta's new Twitter-like platform Threads has not been rolled out in the EU yet because of the bloc's rules.
Data protection

The mammoth General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force in 2018 and was the EU's toughest and most famous law on tech, ensuring citizens give consent to the ways in which their data is used.

There has been a wave of fines for violations.

In May, the Irish privacy watchdog handed the biggest ever individual fine of 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) to Meta over its transfers of personal data between Europe and the United States.

The GDPR's impact has also been felt beyond Europe.

"Businesses hardly looked for EU-only solutions because if you are on the global market, you offer that immediately to all so consumers elsewhere can benefit from more privacy," the EU official said.
The future is AI

The EU's latest tech target is artificial intelligence after the chatbot ChatGPT showcased the technology's rapid developments last year.

Brussels hopes to green light an all-encompassing law on AI by the end of 2023.

"The AI act may be the even more daring thing to do," the EU official said, adding the challenge was even bigger for the EU than the DSA or DMA.

The official also pointed to the Data Act focused on sharing industrial data, which is expected to come into force in 2025.

UK republican group head to sue over coronation arrest

Issued on: 12/09/2023 - 

London (AFP) – The head of UK anti-monarchy group Republic said on Tuesday he was suing police for wrongful arrest before King Charles III's coronation.

Six members of the campaign group Republic were arrested before protests at King Charles III's coronation 

© SEBASTIEN BOZON / POOL/AFP

Graham Smith and five other members of the group were detained before the ceremony on May 6, leaving them unable to join planned protests.

Police said at the time the six were arrested "on suspicion of going equipped for locking on", referring to items used by demonstrators to attach themselves to one another, an object or the ground.

Officers were given the powers just days before the coronation, following repeated direct action protests by environmental activists and concerns the same could happen during the showpiece royal event.

Smith, who had liaised for several months with London's Metropolitan Police before the planned protest, wants a judicial review of the decision to hold him.

"We expect a full apology and public acknowledgement that the Met got it wrong," he said.

"There were no grounds for detaining us, searching us or arresting us. It was an appalling attack on the rights of peaceful protesters."

Smith is seeking an admission from the Met that the arrests were unlawful, damages and costs.

He and his colleagues were released more than 16 hours after they were arrested and then told that no further action would be taken against them.

The Met confirmed it had received a claim for judicial review.

"It would be inappropriate to comment on ongoing proceedings," a spokesman said.

The force previously expressed "regret" that the protesters were unable to join others who held aloft "Not My King" placards as part of their campaign for an end to constitutional monarchy.

Human Rights Watch called the arrests "incredibly alarming", likening it to "something you would expect to see in Moscow, not London".

Police arrested 64 people on the day, including three members of a local council-run women's safety group -- that the Met sponsored -- for carrying rape alarms.

The Daily Mail newspaper had previously claimed that protesters were planning to throw rape alarms to spook military horses taking part in the parade.

© 2023 AFP

UN maps out decarbonisation of polluting construction sector

Issued on: 12/09/2023 - 

Paris (AFP) – The construction sector -- the most polluting and difficult to decarbonise -- must build less, use more sustainable materials and clean up conventional ones to slash its emissions, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

Mushrooming urban environments pose serious challenges to fighting climate change and damage to life-sustaining ecosystems 

© Punit PARANJPE / AFP

The industry is responsible for 37 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and growing urbanisation is spurring the construction of new buildings made from carbon-heavy materials, especially concrete and steel.

Mushrooming urban environments -- which add new buildings in an area equivalent in size to Paris every five days -- damage life-sustaining ecosystems and pose serious challenges to fighting climate change.

A report published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Yale Center for Ecosystems and Architecture on Tuesday called on the sector to prioritise a "circular" approach that avoids waste.

Net zero by 2050 in construction is achievable if "governments put in place the right policy, incentives and regulation to bring a shift the industry action", said Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, director of UNEP's industry and economy division.

Building less and repurposing existing structures generates 50-75 percent fewer emissions than new constructions, the report said.

Switching to renewable bio-based materials such as timber and biomass could see emissions savings of up to 40 percent by 2050 in some regions, it added.

Conventional materials that cannot be replaced -- concrete, steel, aluminium, glass and bricks -- must find ways to decarbonise further, said the report.

Electrifying production, scaling up innovative technologies, and using more recycled materials would accelerate efforts to clean up these especially carbon-intensive materials.

Concrete, aluminium and steel alone account for 23 percent of overall global emissions.

The share of concrete in world construction should be cut by half between 2020 and 2060 for an effective decarbonisation of the sector, the report recommended.

Two-thirds should be "circular" -- concrete that has been recycled, reused or created using low-carbon cement.

The remainder would be new, low-emissions cement.

Anna Dyson, a lead author of the report and a professor at the Yale Schools of Architecture in the United States, said the sector needed a "revolution", including a "dramatic reduction" in new concrete production.

Concrete, aluminium and steel alone account for 23 percent of overall global emissions 

© John MACDOUGALL / AFP

"But it's going to be gradual," she told AFP.

Steel and concrete "often give only the illusion of durability, usually ending up in landfills and contributing to the growing climate crisis", said Aggarwal-Khan.
'Back to the future'

Until the mid-20th century, building materials were usually sourced locally and from renewable or organic sources such as stone and timber.

Buildings were designed "with climate conditions in mind", and only in recent decades have materials mostly used "extractive, toxic and non-renewable methods", said Dyson.

The construction industry must cooperate with the forest and agricultural sectors to manage wood and biomass resources and the materials needed for future cities, she added.

"It's a kind of back-to-the-future revolution."

Living biomass on walls or roofs can be an important low-carbon material for cities in the future, Dyson added.

There is no "silver bullet" to decarbonise the industry, said fellow lead author Naomi Keena of Canada's McGill University.

"It's about adding new materials" and "shifting the processes", she said.

The report, which drew on contributions from researchers and architects from across the world, will be presented during a climate gathering of ministers and business leaders in New York next week.

It will also play an important role in an international meeting due in Paris in March 2024 bringing together government ministers responsible for construction and climate, according to a UN source.

Some countries could make "breakthrough" commitments during UN climate talks in Dubai starting in November, just as they did for the transport, energy, steel, agriculture and hydrogen sectors in 2021, the source added.

© 2023 AFP

50 years of Hip Hop: From Bronx block parties to becoming a global phenomenon

Issued on: 12/09/2023 -

06:35

Video by Jennifer BEN BRAHIM

This week on France 24 we’re celebrating 50 years since the birth of Hip Hop. More than a musical genre, it’s a global phenomenon. Business, sport, fashion, politics – hip hop influences it all. Our culture team has recorded a four part series in New York and Paris to trace its journey from the streets of 1970s the Bronx to becoming the most popular and lucrative music genre in the world. From meeting the godfather of Hip Hop Grandmaster Flash in his Bronx studio, to rising star Kenzo B and fashion legend Dapper Dan, Jennifer Ben Brahim, the producer, tells us more.

Romania builds air-raid shelters near Ukraine border


Issued on: 12/09/2023 - 

Bucharest (AFP) – NATO member Romania announced Tuesday that it has begun building air-raid shelters for residents near the Ukraine border, after drone fragments were found there last week.

Romanian soldiers at work building a bomb shelter in the border town of Plauru on Tuesday

 © MIHAI BARBU / AFP

Romanian soldiers on Saturday found fragments of a drone "similar to those used by the Russian army" in the Plauru area across the border from Ukraine.

Bucharest has already beefed up measures to strengthen monitoring and airspace security following repeated Russian attacks close to its border.

Approximately 50 Romanian soldiers began building two shelters on Tuesday, the defence ministry said in a statement.

The concrete shelters are aimed at "protecting the residents" of Plauru and will be handed over to local authorities once completed, it added.

The move follows a decision by the Romanian National Committee for Emergency Situations to adopt "protection measures on the national territory in the immediate vicinity of the conflict zone in Ukraine".

Romanians living in the area close to the Ukrainian ports of Reni and Izmail will also be alerted on their phones in case of any "risk from the fall of elements" related to the war.

Moscow has ramped up attacks on Ukraine's southern Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, home to ports and infrastructure vital for agriculture exports following the collapse of a deal allowing grain shipments from Black Sea ports.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg discussed the drone fragment discovery on Saturday.

Stoltenberg said on X, formerly Twitter, there was "no indication of intent to hit NATO, but the strikes are destabilising".

Iohannis said the discovery indicated "there took place an absolutely unacceptable breach of the Romanian sovereign airspace".

Since Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine in February last year, NATO has been focused on preventing the war from spilling over onto its territory.

© 2023 AFP

WIDE ANGLE : IS HERCULE POIROT AUTISTIC?

Rebecca Ellis

Published September 10, 2023

Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot | Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy

Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective with the flamboyant moustache and keen eye for detail, is one of the most beloved characters in crime fiction. He was created by British writer Agatha Christie and first arrived on our bookshelves in 1920. He has since appeared in 33 novels, 51 short stories and two plays.

He has also been depicted in film and television by an array of actors, with Kenneth Branagh’s latest iteration, A Haunting in Venice, opening on the big screen this month.

Poirot’s characteristics have led us to speculate that he may be autistic, even though Christie never explicitly said so.

Headcanon and autistic representation

When audiences “headcanon” a character, this means they have interpreted it in a way which is not openly stated in the film, TV or other media in which they feature.

Here are seven clues that Hercule Poirot might be autistic

As media portrayals of autistic people are rare and often unrealistic, the autistic and wider neurodivergent communities sometimes headcanon characters who aren’t explicitly confirmed as neurodivergent (ND).

However, creating a headcanon can cause controversy. They are subjective and some people believe the process of identifying a character as ND-coded is an over-simplification of the complexities of autism and other neurotypes. But celebrating difference can be positive for those who feel under-represented in the media.

The detective

Detectives are often ND-coded in crime fiction stories. Their actions and diverse thought patterns are typically not understood by those around them. So, their personalities are labelled as “different”, or their mannerisms are classed as odd or eccentric.

Some are explicitly ND, such as Adrian Monk in the US series Monk and Saga Norén in the Nordic noir series The Bridge. Others have been headcanoned as ND — most frequently, Sherlock Holmes in his various iterations.

Here are seven reasons why Hercule Poirot is also ND-coded:

1. Social exclusion

Poirot is regularly seen as “different” by those around him. Often, this is attributed to him being Belgian, with other characters drawing attention to his “odd” behaviours. He is also described as “positively exotic” in 1937’s Dumb Witness, and is regularly referred to as being French, something which angers Poirot.

2. Scripting

Poirot scripts conversations prior to having them, planning out what he will say and how he will act towards people, much like autistic people often do.

3. Masking

He also masks, which is a phenomenon frequently reported by autistic people, in which they hide or reduce elements of themselves to fit in. Poirot does this by putting on his “foreign shield of exaggerated mannerisms” — sometimes taking advantage of his uniqueness, knowing how others will see him and behaving accordingly.

4. Psychology

Poirot is interested in psychology, a common special interest for autistic people, who often wish to have an in-depth understanding of people.

He states that his brain and mind work differently to those around him, and arguably values his enduring companion Hastings for his “neurotypical” insights, telling him: “In you, Hastings, I find the normal mind almost perfectly illustrated.”

5. Interaction

Poirot also displays a unique interaction style, which other characters often do not understand, or label peculiar. This mirrors the differences in communication preferences, and misunderstandings this can lead to, between neurotypical and ND people.

Poirot is less governed by social norms and customs, considering each character as an individual, regardless of their age, sex, gender or socio-economic status. Christie often played on the readers’ prejudice, with the detective obliged to see beyond this.

For example, in Peril at End House (1932), Hastings believes that an affable sea commander must be above suspicion, but Poirot responds: “Doubtless he has been to what you consider the right school. Happily, being a foreigner, I am free from these prejudices, and can make investigations unhampered by them.”

6. Routine

Poirot is very particular in the way he solves crimes, through order and method. He enjoys keeping a routine, typically revolving around his meals, which he is also very particular about: “For my breakfast, I have only toast which is cut into neat little squares.”

Autistic people often find comfort in familiarity and in eating the same or safe foods.

7. Sensory regulation

Poirot wears tight, patent leather shoes, as described in Hallowe’en Party (1969): “He was unsuitably attired as to the feet in patent leather shoes which were, so Mr Fullerton guessed shrewdly, too tight for him.”

This habit is arguably for sensory reasons, which is very important for autistic people and their wellbeing.

Poirot requires a particular sensory environment to think properly, and values his alone time to process what he has learnt. He also likes to keep his immediate surroundings, including his friend Hastings, neat and orderly.

Although Poirot’s neurotype is never explicitly detailed in Christie’s works, fellow ND readers who understand and recognise these codes may headcanon Poirot as part of their community.

The writer is an Assistant Researcher in Public Health at the Swansea University in the UK Republished from The Conversation

Published in Dawn, ICON, September 10th, 2023