Friday, April 05, 2024

Brazil Faces Highest Rate Of

Internet Data Breaches

Globally

4/5/2024

(MENAFN- The Rio Times) In an alarming revelation by NordVPN, a leader in the cybersecurity industry, Brazil has been identified as the country most affected by internet data breaches.

The report unveils that over two billion cookies containing user information were compromised last year alone.

This study, analyzing 54 billion leaked cookies worldwide, identified Brazil as the chief cyber vulnerability hotspot.

Hackers often steal sensitive data: individuals' names, emails, cities, passwords, and home addresses.

These details are usually stored within cookies. Cookies are small text files that websites send to a user's browser.

They play a crucial role in tracking online behavior and preferences, aiming to tailor the web experience more personally to the user.

However, the report identified a significant threat in the form of RedLine malware , which was responsible for a staggering 57% of the cyber offenses investigated.

This malware has not only affected Brazil but also led to considerable breaches in India, Indonesia, and the United States.

Highlighting an ironic twist, Adrianus Warmenhoven of NordVPN commented on how the ubiquity of cookie consent forms has inadvertently increased cybersecurity risks.

He recommended a simple yet effective safeguard: regularly clearing cookies from browsers to reduce the risk of data being accessible to unauthorized parties.
Background
In 2023, Latin America ranked as the fourth-highest target for cyberattacks globally, with 12% of incidents, according to the IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 202 .

This surge in cybercrime highlights advanced campaigns specifically designed for the region.

IBM's Juan Carlos Zevallos points to a widespread digital identity crisis , largely due to compromised credentials, mirroring a global trend.

The financial impact is significant. The average cost of a data breach reached $4.45 million, marking a 15% increase over three years.

Brazil, Colombia, and Chile experienced the highest number of attacks, particularly affecting the retail and energy sectors.

Cybercriminals prefer legitimate account access over network breaches, showing a strategic shift.

Mining's Toxic Legacy In

Yanomami Territory

Date

4/5/2024

(MENAFN- The Rio Times) A study by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and Socio-Environmental Institute revealed alarming mercury contamination among the Yanomami, Brazil's largest Indigenous group.

The analysis involved 287 Yanomami individuals, revealing that a vast majority faced mercury levels exceeding safe limits.

Specifically, 84% showed mercury levels above 2.0 μg/g, and 10.8% exceeded 6.0 μg/g, surpassing the World Health Organization's limit.

The study linked the highest mercury levels to communities by the Mucajaí River, affected by illegal mining.

Survival International emphasized the worsened situation due to ineffective military action and health post closures.

Dário Kopenawa from the Hutukara Yanomami Association named mining as the main cause of pollution, habitat loss, and health issues like malaria and malnutrition.

The Yanomami territory, spanning Amazonas and Roraima, houses 31,000 people across 370 communities.

This group, with six linguistic subgroups, only recently encountered non-Indigenous populations.

The study, conducted in October 2022 across nine communities, aimed to document the mercury levels following a request from the Texoli Ninam Indigenous Association.

This investigation sheds light on the severe environmental and health challenges faced by the Yanomami due to illegal mining.
Background
The Brazilian Army's move in February to deploy 3,000 troops to the Yanomami Indigenous Territory marks a significant effort to safeguar this critical region.

General Tomás Paiva leads deployment addressing urgent crisis from illegal mining, providing essential security and support.

Illegal mining has devastated the environment and endangered the Yanomami people's health, causing diseases and malnutrition.

The Army's response includes creating two outposts near key rivers and enhancing logistics and response capabilities.

Though ambitious, this plan faces financial and logistical hurdles.

This action aligns with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's broader strategy to shift from short-term fixes to lasting solutions for the Yanomami territory.

The government's commitment involves a significant investment aimed at improving health and security for the indigenous population.

Brazil Will Explore Oil until It Reaches the Level of a Developed Country, Says Energy Minister

Alexandre Silveira argues that natural resources should not be criminalized and calls out rich countries

Apr.4.2024

Even after Brazil committed to transitioning to a global economy away from fossil fuels, Minister Alexandre Silveira (Mines and Energy) says the country should continue oil exploration until it achieves the same social indicators as developed economies.

"In my opinion, [the country will explore oil and gas] until Brazil manages to reach a Human Development Index (HDI) comparable to that achieved by industrialized countries, which today can contribute very little to the environmental issue," Silveira tells Folha.

The departure from fossil fuels was agreed upon last year at COP28, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, between Brazil and over a hundred countries.

The minister agrees that the country should impose the so-called Selective Tax on oil — a tax for items that harm health or nature, currently under regulation.

However, he believes that rich countries also need to foot the bill, starting with commitments such as the Paris Agreement, which foresees the allocation of $100 billion annually to climate change-related measures in developing countries.

Chile’s Steel Industry Dilemma Amid Chinese Imports

ByJuan Martinez
April 3, 2024

In an urgent move, Chilean officials are working to save the country’s sole steel mill from closing due to the flood of low-cost Chinese steel.

This effort puts the spotlight on Chile’s dedication to free trade.

The Lower House of Congress has already passed resolutions calling on President Gabriel Boric to bolster the beleaguered steel sector.

Economy Minister Nicolás Grau emphasized the possibility of implementing stricter anti-dumping actions and appealed to mining firms to consider the steel crisis seriously.

The concern arose after Cap SA announced plans to shut down its mills, claiming the current anti-dumping measures were inadequate

Chile’s Steel Industry Dilemma Amid Chinese Imports. (Photo Internet reproduction)

Chile’s steel industry, a small player in a global market dominated by China, is at a crossroads. Raising tariffs could safeguard 20,000 jobs and ensure the mills’ survival.

Yet, this strategy might conflict with Chile‘s free-trade policies and strain relations with China, a key trade partner.

In addition, the issue extends beyond Chile. Other Latin American countries, including Brazil and Colombia, also grapple with the challenge of cheap Chinese imports.

This influx, spurred by China’s reduced domestic demand and significant tariffs in other markets, threatens local steel producers.

Steel’s role, though modest in the broader economy, is deemed critical for infrastructure and manufacturing.

“A steelworker’s protest underlines the national sentiment,” declared Jorge González, capturing the local industry’s plea for government intervention.

He emphasized, “President Boric, your commitment is to the Chilean people, not to the Chinese.”

World facing last chance to keep pandemic accord alive

Countries will return to the WHO headquarters in Geneva for a do-or-die extra round of talks from April 29 to May 10. — Reuters pic

Thursday, 04 Apr 2024

GENEVA, April 4 — Countries thrashing out a historic agreement on tackling future pandemics have one month to bridge their differences because failure cannot be an option, the negotiations co-chair told AFP.

Nations have spent the last two years drafting an international accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, but remain far apart on crucial issues such as vaccine equity and pathogen surveillance.

The planned final round of negotiations therefore missed the target of finishing the accord by Easter, so it would be ready for adoption by the World Health Organization’s 194 member states at their annual assembly starting on May 27.

Countries will instead return to the WHO headquarters in Geneva for a do-or-die extra round of talks from April 29 to May 10.

Roland Driece, who is co-chairing the negotiations, wants nations to use the time between now and then to find compromises.

“We want them to speak with each other, and not at each other,” the Dutch health diplomat told AFP.

“You need to bridge your differences.

The main sticking points include sharing access to emerging pathogens, better monitoring of disease outbreaks, reliable financing, and transferring pandemic-fighting technology to poorer countries.

Sharpening minds ahead of the April-May talks, several countries have raised the spectre of another Covid-19, which shredded economies, crippled health systems and killed millions.

“Everybody understands that failure is not really an option,” said Driece.

“It’s our duty to keep the focus and the urgency.”

Give and take

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus yesterday insisted that states were still committed to reaching a deal before the assembly.

“I think by the time they come back (in late April), they will be ready to give and take,” he told a press conference.

“Our understanding is... there could be a deal. That’s what we expect.”

Driece’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) will draw up a streamlined new draft text by April 18, honing in on areas of common ground.

One European ambassador, frustrated by the process, said success would depend on getting a concise, convergence-oriented document to work from.

“It is about giving the right impulses for better prevention, preparedness and response. It’s not about going into the deepest details on some sort of mechanism,” the diplomat told AFP, on condition of anonymity.

Jaouad Mahjour, head of the WHO secretariat to the INB, yesterday voiced optimism that “in the next meeting, the member states will get there”.

He said the INB bureau would concentrate on the main things to “agree on now, and maybe reflect on issues that need further work after” the May deadline.

Fears of empty shell deal

But some NGOs attending the talks fear a bare-bones revised draft will fudge all the tricky topics — and leave the world no less vulnerable to pandemics.

An example would be “mentioning equity, but without the measures” to make it happen, Mohga Kamal-Yanni of the People’s Vaccine Alliance told AFP.

She said rich countries were not offering the financial support for ramped-up pathogen surveillance, nor firm commitments on technology transfer even for publicly funded products or intellectual property rights waivers on tools like vaccines.

“What’s left? Maintaining the unequal status that led to what happened during Covid, and before that with HIV,” she said.

The United States on Friday said it was committed to concluding an ambitious accord.

‘We will not give up’

Alongside the African group, the 31-country Group for Equity has thus far held firm in trying to ensure developing countries are not cut adrift again.

The group wants granting access to pathogens with pandemic potential to be on a clear equal footing with receiving equitable, fair and rapid sharing of the benefits.

“A treaty with mere political rhetoric cannot be an outcome of this process,” Indonesia said on behalf of the group.

Mexico said it was concerned by the “limited progress”, while the Philippines said the talks had to acknowledge they were not succeeding.

Colombia’s negotiator said any agreement “must avoid a complete and general collapse of solidarity”.

K. M. Gopakumar, senior researcher with the Third World Network NGO, told AFP that the talks’ process started with equity promised at the heart of everything but that “politics overtook the noble ambitions”. — AFP

H5N1 ZOONOSIS

Bird flu pandemic in future? EU warns of potential spread to humans due to 'lack of immune defense’

Alert follows confirmation of rare human case in Texas

By Melissa Rudy Fox News
Published April 3, 2024

As avian influenza (bird flu) continues to spread among wild birds in the European Union, officials are warning of the potential for a future human pandemic.

On Wednesday, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued an alert noting that "transmission between bird and mammal species has been observed, particularly in fur animal farms, where outbreaks have been reported."

Although it is rare for infected birds to pass along the virus to humans, the agency warned that new strains could pose a danger in the future.

"These viruses continue to evolve globally, and with the migration of wild birds, new strains carrying potential mutations for mammalian adaptation could be selected," the alert stated.

"If avian A (H5N1) influenza viruses acquire the ability to spread efficiently among humans, large‐scale transmission could occur due to the lack of immune defenses against H5 viruses in humans."

As avian influenza (bird flu) continues to spread among wild birds in the European Union, officials are warning of the potential for a future human pandemic. (iStock)

In other words, humans don’t have immunity against bird flu — which means it could potentially spread quickly.

The flu has been found to spread between birds and mammals, the EFSA noted — "particularly in fur animal farms, where outbreaks have been reported."

To prevent the risk of a bird flu pandemic, the agency recommended taking steps to limit exposure and prevent the spread to mammals and humans.

"Key options for actions include enhancing surveillance targeting humans and animals, ensuring access to rapid diagnostics, promoting collaboration between animal and human sectors, and implementing preventive measures such as vaccination," the EFSA wrote.

"People with close or prolonged, unprotected exposures to infected birds or other animals (including livestock), or to environments contaminated by infected birds or other animals, are at greater risk of infection," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. (iStock)

"Effective communication to different involved target audiences should be emphasized, as well as strengthening veterinary infrastructure, enforcing biosecurity measures at farms, and reducing wildlife contact with domestic animals."

The agency also called for "careful planning of poultry and fur animal farming," particularly in locations with large numbers of waterfowl (aquatic birds like ducks and geese).
Human cases in the U.S.

On Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that a person in Texas tested positive for H5N1 bird flu.

"This person had exposure to dairy cattle in Texas presumed to be infected with HPAI A(H5N1) viruses," the CDC’s statement said.

"The patient reported eye redness (consistent with conjunctivitis), as their only symptom, and is recovering. The patient was told to isolate and is being treated with an antiviral drug for flu."

The CDC said this is the second case of a human testing positive for H5N1 in the U.S., after a previous case was observed in Colorado in 2022.

"If avian A (H5N1) influenza viruses acquire the ability to spread efficiently among humans, large‐scale transmission could occur due to the lack of immune defenses against H5 viruses in humans," the European Food Safety Authority said. (iStock)

"This infection does not change the H5N1 bird flu human health risk assessment for the U.S. general public, which CDC considers to be low," it added.

"However, people with close or prolonged, unprotected exposures to infected birds or other animals (including livestock), or to environments contaminated by infected birds or other animals, are at greater risk of infection."

"At present, it does not transmit readily from person to person."

The CDC said it is "working with state health departments to continue to monitor workers who may have been in contact with infected or potentially infected birds/animals and test those people who develop symptoms."

Human symptoms can range from mild (e.g., eye infection, upper respiratory symptoms) to severe illness (e.g., pneumonia), according to the CDC.
Infectious diseases expert weighs in

Erica Susky, a Toronto-based medical microbiologist certified in infection control, said she believes there is generally "not a high risk" of human-to-human transmission, given that "the natural reservoir" of H5N1 and other strains of avian influenza is birds and not humans.

"Cases of H5N1 in humans usually occur in people who have had contact with birds (slaughter, de-feathering, butchering or preparing)," she told Fox News Digital.

The EU agency called for "careful planning of poultry and fur animal farming," particularly in locations with large numbers of waterfowl. (iStock)

While bird flu has a 60% fatality in humans, Susky noted, it rarely occurs.

"At present, it does not transmit readily from person to person," she said.

The primary concern involves the influenza virus, she said, which is "excellent at mutating and recombining."

"If there are repeated contacts between species that are the natural reservoir for one type of influenza viral strain — like birds and H5N1 — and humans, the chances of this novel strain adapting to spread in this different species increases," Susky told Fox News Digital.

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"As there are more cases of H5N1, there are more chances for a crossover event into humans."

Some of the biggest sources of spread, Susky said, are industrial agriculture and modern cities, where a virus like influenza can pass readily through human and bird populations.

"Currently, birds share influenza strains less often with humans, though that can change — it is how past influenza pandemics have arisen," she said.

The CDC on Monday announced that a person in Texas tested positive for H5N1 bird flu. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

To prevent spread, Susky recommended practicing proper infection prevention techniques, which is important not only for bird flu, but also for seasonal influenza.

Those techniques include following proper and frequent hand hygiene before preparing food, eating or touching one’s face, and after using the washroom or coming in contact with animals.

Other mitigation strategies include receiving the annual influenza vaccine for those who qualify, and not going out among other people while feeling ill.

"The best way to minimize one’s risk of coming in contact with novel influenza strains is to avoid contact with birds and wild animals, if possible," Susky added.

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman contributed to this report.

COP28 introduced peace and conflict into the climate discussion. What comes next?

Analysis
April 3, 2024
Megan Ferrando

At the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (28th Conference of the Parties, COP28) in Dubai last December, 74 countries, organizations, and multinational development banks officially linked climate change and conflict for the first time in the conference’s history by signing the Declaration on Relief, Recovery, and Peace. Although not legally binding, this declaration recognizes that countries affected by conflict and fragility are significantly more vulnerable to the effects of climate change and calls for the scaling up of climate finance to help them better prepare for and respond to climate impacts. In recent years the link between conflict and climate change has been established through a growing body of literature as well as reports from actors on the ground. Experts have found that 70% of the countries that are most vulnerable to climate change are also the most fragile. Nevertheless, climate funding for countries at risk of or facing conflict is severely lacking: Those affected both by climate change and conflict receive, on average, just one-fifth of the money for climate finance that conflict-free countries do on a per capita basis. The UN’s Climate Security Mechanism even noted that the more fragile a country is, the less climate finance it tends to receive.

This is hugely problematic considering that those living in conflict contexts are the most vulnerable to climate shocks. Conflict often disrupts basic services, such as electricity, water, and health, and destroys both economic opportunities and critical infrastructure, making populations less able to respond. Climate change contributes to such shocks in different ways — with climate extremes such as recurrent fires, floods, and droughts among the most striking examples — leaving populations facing conflict without the means to bounce back. This is particularly true for those who are often already marginalized in society, such as displaced populations, women, young people, and persons with disabilities.

As one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change and a hotspot for local and geopolitical conflict, this dynamic is especially true in the Middle East and North Africa. According to the 2023 Fragile States Index, 14 of the 19 countries in the region are at least at the “warning” level for conflict fragility. MENA is the most water-scarce region in the world, and faces some of the world’s highest climate-induced temperature extremes. The combination of climate and conflict factors is putting increasing pressure on maintaining population-wide health and ensuring sustainable access to water and food. The devastating consequences of this, such as increased tensions, conflict, and inequalities, are complex to deal with and recover from. Iraq and Syria, for example, have struggled to bounce back after years of recent and ongoing conflict that has gutted their governance systems and made them more vulnerable to increasing instances of droughts, extreme heat events, and sandstorms.

Distribution patterns: Climate finance in the face of conflict

It is not surprising why the lion’s share of international climate finance goes to more politically and economically stable countries. More than 50% are private sector investments (with the rest typically coming from individual states and multinational development banks) and over 90% is allocated to climate mitigation, mostly in the form of loans. Both generally rely on projects that promise a return on investment, and therefore typically function in contexts that can provide long-term assurances and stable investment environments. Volatile and unpredictable conflict contexts, such as Syria, Libya, and Yemen, simply cannot offer this. These requirements for long-term investments and minimal risk are not unique to the private sector, however. States and multinational development banks also tend to be risk averse since they work with public money and are thus accountable to the public. In addition, populations in fragile and conflict-affected countries typically require more climate adaptation funding (as opposed to mitigation), which can support them in better anticipating and responding to climate shocks, and as a result a large part of climate finance is simply not geared toward them.

Another reason why countries in conflict often miss out on funding is a matter of procedure. As climate finance is generally development-oriented money, it is typically channeled through national and local government actors in the destination country. Lengthy funding processes make it difficult for these governments to meet donors’ bureaucratic and technical requirements over multiple years. Even worse, a government can itself be a party to the conflict, raising questions about integrity and whether the funds will reach all population groups in an inclusive and equitable manner. Other challenges that discourage funders from investing in conflict contexts include difficulties reaching certain geographical locations, a lack of reliable data and information, and both real and perceived security risks to staff. In Yemen, reaching certain remote locations, where many vulnerable people reside, is difficult as conflict actors impede access, exacerbating the population’s exclusion. In short, the way climate finance currently functions requires long-term follow-up, predictability, and limited risk, none of which a conflict-ridden context can guarantee.

The consequence is that finance institutions and other international donors have generally been reluctant to provide climate finance for fragile and conflict-affected countries. Hence the enthusiasm for a peace declaration at COP28 and its promise for political momentum that would translate into increased funding. Some signatories are hoping to implement the declaration through the recently adopted Loss and Damage Fund. This widely acclaimed fund, which is the culmination of years of negotiations by countries of the so-called Global South and is in the process of being operationalized, aims to provide financial assistance to countries most affected by climate change. Given the climate-conflict correlation, this should mean that the fund will overwhelmingly support countries affected by conflict.

There is a problem, however. If the fund is set up in the same, traditional way as other international climate funding mechanisms (like the Green Climate Fund), conflict-affected countries will still find themselves at the bottom of the priority list due to funders’ risk aversion as well as complex and bureaucratic processes. With a multitude of climate-affected countries interested in claiming financial support from the Loss and Damage Fund — which is itself underfunded and at risk of being largely filled with reallocated instead of “new” money — it would require thorough earmarking for conflict contexts to be of any support to vulnerable countries.

Such a possibility does not seem to be under serious consideration for the moment. While the Loss and Damage Fund is groundbreaking for the most climate change-affected countries, it does not yet provide any promises when it comes to rebalancing funding in an equitable manner among the countries vulnerable to climate change. Moreover, it promises neither more flexible nor more risk-tolerant approaches and fails to make a commitment to supporting conflict-affected countries.

Conclusion

Simply put, the challenge for fragile and conflict-affected countries is that the current international climate funding mechanisms, including the upcoming Loss and Damage Fund, are not set up to support them sufficiently. Even with the welcome development of more funding for climate finance, additional corrective action is needed to change the nature of the existing funding streams. The ad hoc pledges made by some signatories in the context of the Relief, Recovery, and Peace Declaration are a positive development, but by themselves they are not enough to bring about real structural change in the climate finance landscape.

That is not to say that this is not a constructive first step. While the declaration at this point is mostly symbolic, its launch did spark a broader conversation about peace and climate, and could provide a starting point for civil society actors to hold its signatories to account. This is particularly interesting as one of the signatories, Azerbaijan, will host COP29 in 2024. This push and the drive for accountability should not simply be for more pledges within the framework of existing mechanisms. Ideally, it should also include a different approach to funding altogether, by advocating for a dedicated funding mechanism (or for earmarked money within the Loss and Damage Fund) for fragile and conflict-affected countries. NGOs, which have been instrumental in pushing the climate and peace agenda, should work to ensure the topic remains on the agenda for the next COPs in Azerbaijan and Brazil, to facilitate further operationalization.

In parallel, these same actors should continue to promote integration between the climate, peacebuilding, development, and humanitarian fields. This could be achieved through funder advocacy, collaborative research on the links between climate and conflict, and joint projects on the ground in conflict contexts. Real-life examples and evidence of the need to support countries facing both conflict and climate pressures will strengthen the argument that dedicated finance should go to the countries and people that need it most.

Megan Ferrando is a Non-Resident Scholar with the Climate and Water Program at the Middle East Institute.

Photo by KHALED ZIAD/AFP via Getty Images

The Middle East Institute (MEI) is an independent, non-partisan, non-for-profit, educational organization. It does not engage in advocacy and its scholars’ opinions are their own. MEI welcomes financial donations, but retains sole editorial control over its work and its publications reflect only the authors’ views. For a listing of MEI donors, please click here.

Chinese business creating millions of jobs in Latin America

Alasdair Baverstock

China’s foreign trade grew to $5.87 trillion last year, as countries around the world increased business ties with Beijing. There’s also evidence these growing commercial ties are also creating jobs in partner nations. CGTN’s Alasdair Baverstock reports on a recently published study in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Bahrain: Marking Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace’s 1,000 days on hunger strike

Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
3 April 2024

After his release from prison for a former conviction, academic, blogger, and human rights defender Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace (L, in red) speaks with a leading Bahraini activist, upon his arrival at his home in the village of Jidhafs, near Manama, Bahrain, 26 February 2011. JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images

Rights groups continue to call on Bahrain’s King to immediately free the imprisoned human rights defender.

This statement was published on gc4hr.org on 3 April 2024. It was initiated by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD).

The following is a joint letter sent to the authorities in Bahrain on 3 April 2024, signed by 28 NGOs, asking them to release Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace, who has been on a liquids-only hunger strike for 1,000 days:

King of Bahrain, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa,

Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa,

3 April 2024

Your Majesties,

We, the undersigned, call your immediate attention to the deteriorating health of award-winning academic, blogger, and human rights defender Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace, who marks 1,000 days on a liquids-only hunger strike on 03 April 2024. We urge you to take action to immediately release Al-Singace, who is wrongfully detained, and ensure that he receives the healthcare he urgently needs.

Al-Singace began his hunger strike on 08 July 2021, in response to prison authorities’ confiscation of his manuscript on Bahraini dialects of Arabic that he spent four years researching and writing. During his hunger strike, he has been sustaining himself only on multivitamin liquid supplements, tea with milk and sugar, water, and salts.

Al-Singace, who has a disability, has been wrongfully detained since his arrest in 2011 solely for exercising his human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. He has reportedly been subject to torture during his time in detention.[1]

Since July 2021, according to UN experts, “Mr Al-Singace has been held in a state of isolation likely amounting to solitary confinement” within his room at Kanoo Medical Centre, where he has said that he has been prohibited from going outside, having exposure to direct sunlight, and receiving the adequate physiotherapy required for his disability. According to his family, he has also been deprived of necessary examinations and medical information, including results from MRI scans of his shoulder and head from October 2021. He has been denied treatment for several medical issues, including inflamed joints, impaired vision, enlarged prostate, and tremors.

Authorities continue to deny him medical items that doctors requested, including slippers to prevent slipping in the bathroom and a hot water bottle to relieve pain in his joints. Authorities have also limited his access to information by banning English and Arabic newspapers and restricting accessible TV channels. On 21 January 2024, Al-Singace’s family told the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy that they were subjected to harsh measures during visitations, which Al-Singace believes constituted a deliberate attempt to pressure him into declining visitations altogether.

On 17 April 2023, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Gerard Quinn said that “as a human rights defender with a disability in detention, Al-Singace faces additional risks. He should be given frequent medical check-ups, afforded reasonable accommodation for his disability, with assistive technologies and other specialized care and considerations. But the Bahraini authorities have not always allowed him this.”

We echo the “concern at the continuation of the violations perpetrated against Al-Singace” raised by a group of three UN special rapporteurs in September 2023, who also noted their previous communications regarding Al-Singace’s case, sent on December 30, 2021 and November 15, 2021.

We follow up on our 11 July 2023 call for your intervention and urge you to release Al-Singace immediately and unconditionally. In the meantime, we urge you to ensure that he is held in conditions that meet international standards, receives his medication without delay, has access to adequate healthcare in compliance with medical ethics, and that his arbitrarily confiscated research is immediately transferred to his family members.

[1] The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) adopted an opinion on Dr. Al-Singace’s case during its ninety-sixth session on 27 March – 5 April 2023. The WGAD “considers that the source has presented a credible prima facie case that Mr. Al-Singace suffered torture and ill-treatment”, and that his arrest was unlawful, and finds that he was “subjected to enforced disappearance”.

Sincerely,

Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders join forces to promote lower health care costs, including for inhalers

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE
April 3, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden teamed up with Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday to promote his administration’s efforts to lower the cost of inhalers and other health care needs, as the White House continues its effort to highlight Biden’s legislative achievements to voters ahead of the November elections.

“Bernie, you and I have been fighting this for 25 years,” Biden said to Sanders during an event in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door to the White House. “Finally, finally we beat Big Pharma. Finally.”

Both men touted the lower health care costs that come through the Democrats’ sweeping climate, health care and tax package that Biden signed into law in 2022. It caps various health care costs for those on Medicare, including $35 a month for insulin and $2,000 a year for prescription drugs. No Republican lawmakers voted for the law.

His aides and Democratic officials say Biden’s achievements such as lowering health care costs are popular with the public, yet the incumbent president hasn’t yet gotten the credit from voters. Sanders has a loyal following that supports his calls to reign in medical costs in the U.S. and give the government more control over the health care industry.

The top drugmaker lobby called Biden’s comments Wednesday a “missed opportunity,” saying he failed to address how some other industries, like health insurance companies, are also driving up the cost of medications.

Both Biden and Sanders also promoted their recent efforts to pressure most major inhaler manufacturers to cap the costs of the devices to no more than $35 a month. Otherwise, the purchase price of inhalers ranges somewhere between $200 to $600 without insurance, according to the White House. Manufacturers have said the price changes will take effect later this year or at the beginning of next year.

“I want to thank President Biden for what he has done on this issue up to now, and I look forward to working with the president as we go forward,” Sanders said.

Sanders, a Vermont independent, and Biden were rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. After Sanders ended his bid, his aides worked with Biden campaign officials to craft a party policy platform that would reflect Sanders’ influence.

FORCE MAJEURE

Zimbabwe declares state of disaster over drought sweeping across southern Africa

President Emmerson Mnangagwa also called for two billion dollars (£1.6bn) in humanitarian aid.

James Robinson
News reporter @thejournojames
Wednesday 3 April 2024

A farmer in Mangwe district in southwestern Zimbabwe,

stands in the middle of his dried-up crop field.

Zimbabwe has joined Zambia and Malawi in declaring a state of disaster over a devastating drought sweeping across much of southern Africa.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa made the emergency declaration in a speech on Wednesday and called for two billion dollars (£1.6bn) in humanitarian aid.

He said more than 80% of the country had received "below-normal rainfall" due to an "El Nino-induced drought".

El Nino is a naturally occurring climatic phenomenon that warms parts of the Pacific Ocean every two to seven years.

While it has varied effects on the world's weather, in southern Africa it typically causes below-average rainfall.

However, this year has seen the worst drought in decades, with El Nino amplifying the impacts of human-induced climate change, according to experts.

A delayed start to the rainy season, followed by general low rainfall, has devastated harvests in large parts of southern Africa, and, according to humanitarian groups, left millions of people in need of food assistance.

Much of Zimbabwe is on track for 'crisis' levels of food insecurity.

Pic: FEWS.NET

A huge swathe of southern Africa is suffering from abnormally dry conditions.

Pic: NOAA/USAID/ EWS-NET

An estimated nine million people have been impacted by the drought in Malawi, along with more than six million in Zambia, UNICEF said.

Both countries declared a state of emergency last month.

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Mr Mnangagwa said the top priority of the government of Zimbabwe - a country home to more than 15 million people - was to "secure food for all Zimbabweans".

"No Zimbabwean must succumb to, or die from, hunger," he said.

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Pic: Reuters

He appealed to United Nations agencies, local businesses and faith organisations to contribute towards humanitarian assistance.

Approximately 2.7 million people are at risk of hunger in Zimbabwe, according to aid groups.

In Zimbabwe, the United Nations' World Food Programme has already rolled out a food assistance programme targeting those at risk from January to March.

More than 60% of the population in Zimbabwe live in rural areas, growing the food they eat, and sometimes small surpluses that can be sold to cover expenses such as school fees.

A young boy with a donkey cart arrives to receive food aid in Mangwe district in southwestern Zimbabwe.

People carry a bag of sorghum - a cereal also known as broomcorn - during a food distribution in Mangwe district in southwestern Zimbabwe.

Mr Mnangagwa's declaration will open the way for aid agencies to mobilise international support for more aid, but many people may still fail to get assistance, which is likely to be targeted to the most vulnerable populations.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) - the US government's foreign aid agency - has estimated through its Famine Early Warning Systems Network that 20 million people in southern Africa needed food relief between January and March.

These needs could extend into early 2025 for many people in areas of highest concern such as Zimbabwe, southern Malawi, parts of Mozambique and southern Madagascar because of El Nino, USAID said.

Colombo Christian movement join Batticaloa farmers as protest reaches 201 days

03 April 2024

The Colombo Christian Cooperation Movement joined farmers of Mayilathamadu and Madhavanai, as they marked 201 days of protest calling on the removal of illegal Sinhalese settlers and the return of their rightful land.

Members of the movement, including Fr Sakthivel, Fr Rohan, Fr Gerald, Rev. Terence, Rev Nisanga and Sister Rasika held placards at the protest site yesterday as they expressed their solidarity with the farmers.

They called on the Sri Lankan government to halt the economic destruction of the farmer's livelihoods is a form of genocide.

The Mayilathamadu and Madhavanai Livestock Farmers Society have been protesting since December 2023, to highlight the longstanding grievances who have been suffering from the violent encroachment by Sinhalese settlers on the grazing lands traditionally used by the Tamil farmers.

Tamil cattle farmers have been calling on the Sri Lankan government to intervene and address their concerns, however, the state has taken little action to address their grievances.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment