Residents ordered to evacuate building near to site of Miami condo collapse

Second building ordered evacuated in North Miami Beach since collapse of Champlain Towers South last June in nearby Surfside, which killed 98 people

Rescue personnel work in the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo on 25 June 2021 in Surfside, Florida. Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP

Associated Press in North Miami Beach
Tue 5 Apr 2022 14.03 BST

Residents of a five-storey apartment building in North Miami Beach have been ordered to evacuate after officials deemed the building “structurally unsound” during its 50-year recertification process, officials said.

The residents were ordered out on Monday by city officials. It is the second building ordered evacuated in the city since the collapse of Champlain Towers South last June in nearby Surfside, which killed 98 people.

In a 1 April report, engineer Brownie P Taurinski wrote that the building “must be evacuated immediately”, the Miami Herald reported.

The building, which has 60 units, had been undergoing repairs since July as part of the recertification process, the city said in a statement on Monday.

The city manager, Arthur “Duke” Sorey, told the Herald he just learned of the engineer’s report because officials received it in their emails after working hours on Friday.

“I was told while I was walking my dog that we had to be evacuated from the building,” resident Sebastian Rojas told WSVN.

He and his family have lived in the building for about 25 years.

“It’s astonishing, you know. This is where I grew up, having to take all of your stuff. You have to figure out what’s important to you, what’s not,” Rojas said.

“They said, ‘Grab anything light and get out of here,”’ resident Clara Ulffe told WPLG.

City officials said residents would be able to return later this week to gather more belongings.

Many residents told news outlets they were notified by phone and given little notice to leave. They were allowed to enter the building through 11pm on Monday, showing IDs to get inside.

They were given three-day hotel vouchers and the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust and the American Red Cross will help with housing if they have difficulty finding accommodations, said the mayor, Anthony Defillipo.

Shortly after the Surfside collapse, North Miami Beach officials ordered the evacuation of the 10-storey Crestview Towers Condominium. Residents of that building have not yet been allowed back. That building is about five miles from the collapsed Surfside site.

IPCC: We can tackle climate change if big oil gets out of the way

Experts say criticism of oil and gas’s ‘climate-blocking activities’ cut from final draft, reflective of industry’s power and influence

The report made clear that the obstacles to action over the climate crisis are politics and fossil fuel interests. 

Photograph: Alain Pitton/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock

Amy Westervelt
THE GUARDIAN                                 

Tue 5 Apr 2022 

The fossil fuel industry and its influence over policy was the major elephant in the room looming over the release of the third and final report, out this week, from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s leading climate authority. The major source of contention: how do you talk about mitigating climate change without confronting the fossil fuel industry? “It’s like Star Wars without Darth Vader,” says environmental sociologist Robert Brulle, of Brown University.


Climate action has been ‘a calamity’, says Senate Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse

The first two reports, both released over the last year, highlighted the physical science on climate effects and countries’ vulnerability to further warming. But this third report deals more with the potential solutions, which have been a focal point of controversy in recent years for both the fossil fuel industry and the governments of oil-rich nations.

Social scientists were successful in pushing for more of their research to be included in the IPCC’s reports, with chapters that touch on everything from debunking claims that less developed countries need fossil fuels to help tackle poverty to a rundown of efforts to block climate policy. The report made one thing abundantly clear: the technologies and policies necessary to adequately address climate change exist, and the only real obstacles are politics and fossil fuel interests.

The role of the fossil fuel industry is highlighted throughout the report’s nearly 3,000 pages, but researchers note it was mysteriously absent from the “Summary for Policymakers” – traditionally the first part of the report that’s released and often attracts the most media attention. An earlier draft of the summary leaked to the Guardian, however, described the fossil fuel industry and others invested in a high-carbon economy as “vested interests” that have actively worked against climate policy, noting: “Factors limiting ambitious transformation include structural barriers, an incremental rather than systemic approach, lack of coordination, inertia, lock-in to infrastructure and assets, and lock-in as a consequence of vested interests, regulatory inertia, and lack of technological capabilities and human resources.”

Brulle, whose research is cited multiple times in the report, was dismayed to see the cut. “The scientists clearly did their job and provided ample material on climate obstruction activities in the report,” he says. “The political process of creating the Summary for Policymakers ended up editing all of this information out.”

Unlike the research-heavy chapters, which are controlled entirely by the scientists who research and write them, the Summary for Policymakers must be approved by government representatives from 195 countries around the world; the approval process for this year’s mitigation report was the longest and most contentious in the history of the IPCC. According to leaked reports, representatives from Saudi Arabia in particular argued for multiple references to carbon capture and storage and the watering down of language on shutting down fossil fuel production.

Oil company representatives were also included in this process as both authors and editors of the report, which has been the case since the IPCC began. For the latest report, a senior staffer for Saudi Aramco – Saudia Arabia’s state-owned oil and gas company – was one of the two coordinating lead authors, a position of considerable influence, for the chapter on cross-sector perspectives. A longtime Chevron staffer was also the review editor for the chapter on energy systems.

“Obviously, none of this was secret,” notes Julia Steinberger, professor of ecological economics at the University of Lausanne, and a lead author of the section on mitigation pathways compatible with long-term goals. While authors and contributors are required to disclose their affiliations, Steinberger says that contributions from oil industry insiders represent an untenable conflict of interest.

“Just because a person fills out forms does not mean that they don’t have other interests at heart that are not reflective of the science and the public interest, but more reflective of their employer.”

Despite the influence of oil companies and oil-rich nations, the report does still highlight the fossil fuel industry’s influence on policymaking, and eviscerates some of the industry’s favorite myths. In the new chapter on “Demand, Services and Social Aspects of Mitigation”, for example, researchers challenged the long-held belief that fossil fuel consumption is entirely driven by demand. “What we were able to demonstrate was actually the contrary: there is no sustainable development or development, full stop, possible without climate mitigation,” said Steinberger, who was a contributing author on the chapter.

“Unless you mitigate climate, the impacts are going to catch you every step of the way and just make people’s lives increasingly hard and miserable, especially in the global south.”

The connection between social justice and climate mitigation is one that runs throughout the report. “People are beginning to realize how serious the climate crisis is, and that the ways to meet the challenges of the climate crisis – moving to low-carbon energy, looking after the environment, shifting transport – tend to also improve energy security, justice, social concerns, there are a lot of win-wins and co-benefits,” says Catherine Mitchell, professor of energy policy at Exeter University, and one of the two coordinating lead authors on the chapter focused on policy.

Social scientists hoping to make further inroads into not only the IPCC process, but policymaking more broadly, have a chicken-and-egg problem, according to Dana Fisher, director of the program for society and the environment at the University of Maryland and a contributing author to chapter 13. Fisher’s research focuses on the impact that activism has had on climate policymaking.

“We have insufficient funding to support the sort of large-scale research that enables you to have high confidence in your findings,” she says, which limits the amount of social science research that can be used in the report.

Less than 1% of research funding on climate from 1990 to 2018 went toward social sciences, including political science, sociology, and economics. That’s despite the fact that even physical scientists themselves agree that inaction on climate will probably not be solved by more scientific evidence.

“Back in the 80s, we believed in the information deficit model of social change, and that if we could only get the information to policymakers they would do the right thing,” says atmospheric scientist Ken Caldeira, senior scientist for Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy. “And now we see that really it’s not about information deficit, it’s about power relations, and people wanting to keep economic and political power. And so just telling people some more climate science isn’t going to help anything.”

That’s not to say there’s no further need for atmospheric models, or a better understanding of various aspects of climate science. But what this report makes abundantly clear is that acting on climate is not being restricted by a lack of scientific knowledge or technological options, but by entrenched power structures and an absence of political will. To effectively address that, and act in time to avoid the worst impacts of warming, social scientists agree: we’re going to need more than climate models.


This story is published as part of Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of news outlets strengthening coverage of the climate story

Planet’s Data Helps Amnesty International Tackle Deforestation In Cambodia

PlanetScope image of logging along the eastern boundary of the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia on January 10, 2022. © 2022, Planet Labs PBC. All Rights Reserved.

Shreya Reichelt | April 1, 2022
Graphics by Leanne Abraham, analysis and annotations by Amnesty International.

In the ancient forests of Cambodia, Amnesty International relies on Planet’s daily monitoring to help fulfill its mission of ending human rights abuses worldwide. Our satellite data, along with a “tip and cue” strategy, help Amnesty International identify and shed light on environmental abuses to slow or stop them before they irreversibly harm people and the ecosystem.

Map showing the location of the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia (Data Sources: Planet monthly mosaic, Natural Earth, Open Development Cambodia)

Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary is southeast Asia’s largest lowland evergreen forest. The sanctuary spans approximately 500,000 hectares across four provinces of Cambodia. Designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 2016, Prey Lang is government-protected land, containing diverse flora and fauna. This land plays a vital role in the traditions, local customs, and beliefs of indigenous people and local communities. Yet, recent events have weakened the sanctuary’s natural defenses and degraded its borders. The sale of timber rights on land just outside the sanctuary’s eastern border has negatively impacted Prey Lang.

Amnesty International began monitoring illegal logging in Prey Lang, and Micah Farfour, a Special Advisor in Remote Sensing for their Crisis Response Program, has a long history of working with GIS and satellite imagery to monitor change globally. She and her team have effectively used Planet’s satellite data to identify and track illegal activity within the sanctuary’s borders.

After the government sold the timber rights to the land bordering Prey Lang, the winning company actively and legally clear-cut and harvested its concession, but with unintended consequences for Prey Lang. The disappearance of trees bordering the sanctuary eased access for people and vehicles. Easier access and high timber prices for certain tree species contributed to the illegal logging of the sanctuary’s old resin and other trees.

Given the vast size of the sanctuary, monitoring the area is difficult for Farfour and her team. The high level of cloud coverage over the region hinders remote sensing. And degradation happens at the individual tree level, which requires a high level of detail for effective monitoring.

Every year, Farfour’s team assesses an annual dataset of Cambodia’s forests to see the deforestation of the past. Although valuable, this data, Farfour says, “is not stopping trees from being cut. It’s just showing that the tree has been cut and obviously getting ahead of the problem is our goal.”

To counter these challenges, Amnesty International has adopted Planet’s satellite imagery. Using our data, Amnesty can now identify and address areas of rapid deforestation within the sanctuary in real-time and work to prevent further harm.

Our satellite images help Farfour’s team monitor Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary for environmental abuse by remotely monitoring, capturing, and inspecting the entire sanctuary expanse using our PlanetScope constellation. Along with this data, Farfour effectively employs a “tip and cue” strategy, which uses medium resolution, high-frequency PlanetScope images to identify areas of concern in order to task a high-resolution SkySat satellite for more detail.

New road construction leading into the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary captured in PlanetScope imagery between January 2020 and January 2021. Planet SkySat on February 5, 2021 then captured high resolution imagery of the new clearing, showing piles of logs and loaded trucks. While this clearing is outside of the sanctuary, some of the tracks from this clearing lead directly into Prey Lang. Annotations courtesy of Amnesty International.

Amnesty relies on PlanetScope data to monitor Prey Lang. Image details are scrutinized, and Farfour’s team is alerted to potential areas of deforestation. The daily frequency improves the chances of getting a cloud-free picture. Spatial resolution of approximately 3 meters per pixel can quickly pick up deforestation over a large area. From there, a high-resolution SkySat is then tasked to focus on those targeted areas for a closer look at the forest, individual trees, and even machinery.

Farfour shares, “High-resolution imagery is actually quite rare over these wildlife sanctuaries in Cambodia, so we’ve had to be resourceful with the lower resolution imagery and develop areas of interest to task with high resolution since the protected areas are very large.”

In addition to deforestation, Planet data helps detect land clearing for road development or agriculture. For example, Farfour used our satellite imagery to identify a new road on the other side of the sanctuary’s eastern boundary. She says, “a lot of the access comes from the edges, the boundaries, where there are roads already established, but sometimes potentially from the villages. The new road not only increased access to the area, it provided an easy route for the illegal logging and transport of timber outside of the sanctuary.”

Today, we are working with Amnesty to refine the data analysis even further. Farfour comments, “We’re doing things like testing radar imagery to be able to detect through cloud cover and testing road detection algorithms with Planet.” As these capabilities expand, satellite images will help Farfour and her team better protect Prey Lang on the ground.

This critical work with Amnesty provides a blueprint for greater transparency and better monitoring of potential illegal activities. Many civil governments and NGOs can benefit from Planet satellite imagery and a “tip and cue” strategy to monitor environmental damage. Our data helps organizations form an objective picture and build greater transparency to move beyond monitoring and to move beyond responsive monitoring to results-driven advocacy. become proactive advocates for human rights.

Good occupation, bad occupation

 

By: Mohsen Pakaein

TEHRAN, Apr. 05 (MNA) – The reversal of concepts and realities under the guidance of powerful governments and their mass media is a new phenomenon in the international system.

During Obama's presidency in the United States, new terms such as "good terrorism" and "bad terrorism" entered the world's political literature. With this approach in the case of Israel's invasion of Palestine, the Western media described the oppressed Palestinians as an example of "bad terrorism" and called the Zionist regime's crimes against Palestine "a defense of the rights of the Jews." After the creation of ISIS and al-Qaeda, the Americans described takfiri groups as a kind of "good terrorism" fighting against the dictatorship in Syria to justify their presence in this country.

The division of terrorism by the West into good and bad groups was a dangerous distance that led to the growth and development of terrorism even in Europe. Naturally, the issue of terrorism and terrorism is condemned and irrational in every way, and at that time, Iran, which is at the forefront of the fight against terrorism, condemned the false concepts of good and bad terrorism.

With the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, the concepts of "good occupation" and "bad occupation" are entering the world political literature. The United States, which has never condemned the Israeli occupation of Palestine and has supported the Saudi-led invasion and occupation of Yemen, has raised the banner of opposition to the occupation of countries, including Ukraine, and supports Ukraine's territorial integrity. Interestingly, the occupying regime in Jerusalem, which has been committing crimes against the occupation of Palestine for many years, also declares its opposition to the occupation of Ukraine. More interestingly, Turkey, which has occupied northern Cyprus since 1974 with a military offensive, also condemns Russia's occupation of Ukraine. In another double standard, Turkey opposes the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh in the Caucasus, while considering itself an occupier of Northern Cyprus. The US and NATO occupation of Afghanistan were one of the good occupations under the pretext of fighting terrorism, which led to the destruction of Afghanistan and the humiliating defeat of NATO.

But more disgusting is the occupation of territories, the division of occupation into good and bad, and the dual attitude of Western countries and their allies and international organizations, including the United Nations, in support of the territorial integrity of countries. In their view, if a European country is occupied by mobs and whites, it is a "bad occupation" and should be dealt with severely. But if Palestine or Yemen and other West Asian countries are occupied, it is a "good occupation" and should be supported.

In the Ukraine crisis, Western countries and international institutions deprived Russia of its rights. In this crisis, FIFA ignores the "non-political nature" of sports matches, and Russia, as a "bad occupier", can not participate in the Qatar World Cup. While Saudi Arabia is present in these games as a "good occupier" and the UAE has reached the playoffs as a "good occupier". The Zionist regime, Turkey and Armenia are also good occupiers who are present in all European and world games.

What is certain is that the occupation of independent countries by any other country is disgusting and contrary to international standards. For this reason, the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a principled position, never supports the occupation of territories. Iran has not supported the occupation of northern Cyprus by Turkey or the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenia, as it has condemned the occupation of Palestine by Israel or the occupation of Yemen by the Saudi coalition. In the Ukraine crisis, Iran has also supported the country's territorial integrity and has not even voted in favor of Russia or the occupation of Abkhazia and Georgia in international forums, including Crimea.

It seems that the world, after dividing terrorism into good and bad, should also experience the division of "good and bad occupation". Today, the dual treatment and unfair division of internationally accepted concepts and values ​​are one of the main reasons for the emergence of various wars and the world moving away from just peace. Until international organizations, especially the United Nations, can end the current divisions between "good and bad terrorism" and "good and bad occupation", we must see the growth of terrorism and the occupation of countries in future.

SINGAPORE

MPs including those from Workers' Party call for more parental leave

Several MPs called for a more equal split of leave between mothers and fathers. 

ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

Amelia Teng
Education Correspondent

SINGAPORE - Several MPs called on Tuesday (April 5) for the Government to provide more parental leave, and for a more equal split of leave between mothers and fathers.

Workers' Party (WP) MP Louis Chua (Sengkang GRC) urged the Government to adopt a shared parental care leave scheme that would entitle parents to a total of 24 weeks of government-paid leave, in lieu of the current 16-week maternity and two-week paternity leave entitlements.

The proposal, which is in WP's manifesto, will result in a more equitable distribution of statutory parental leave and help reshape societal perceptions about gender roles and stereotypes, said Mr Chua, who was speaking in Parliament during the debate on the White Paper on Singapore Women's Development.

Mr Chua said the WP's proposal would see mothers and fathers share the 24 weeks of government-paid leave as they choose, but with a minimum of four weeks to be granted to the father and 12 weeks to the mother.

As an incentive, an additional bonus number of weeks could be awarded to the shared pool if fathers use the full four weeks of parental leave they are entitled to, he added.

"The hope is that over time, these increased entitlements become entrenched as social norms - as has happened in countries like Germany - as more parents utilise their full entitlement, initially to benefit from the bonuses, and over time because it is simply the thing to do," said Mr Chua.

"These new social norms will encourage fathers to spend more time with their children and take on a greater role in the child's development, take on their fair share of household chores, and lead to an overall uplift in our society's perception of gender roles."

Fellow Sengkang MP Associate Professor Jamus Lim said that having a minimum number of weeks being granted to fathers - instead of a maximum of four weeks under the existing shared parental leave scheme - will help families where women may be the primary breadwinner.

He added that mothers who utilise more of their leave entitlement - even when fully justified and accounted for - end up bearing a cost, such as having their career progression delayed.

"This is another reason why minimum paternity leave requirements can also indirectly help limit the gender wage gap from rising even further," said Assoc Prof Lim.


People's Action Party MP Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC) urged the Government to set a target year, perhaps 2030, by which Singapore could see an equal share of paternity and maternity leave.

"We can increase paternity leave in phases, giving our employers time to plan ahead, while also providing a clear signal of our intentions to reduce gendered perceptions of parenthood," he said.

The current low amount of paternity leave entrenches gender stereotypes, said Mr Ng, who referred to a 2019 Institute of Policy Studies research paper that found that family policies in Singapore signal that childcare is a woman's responsibility.

"The worst part of the problem is that it is self-reinforcing. Because we give fathers less leave, they don't get to develop the skills and confidence needed to care for their kids. This, the IPS study finds, causes them to leave childcare to mothers."

He also cited research that showed that fathers' involvement at home has long-term benefits, such as lower family conflict, lower maternal depression, and fewer behavioural problems for the child.

Mr Ng added: "Some have said that mothers need more leave than fathers because mothers need to physically recover from childbirth. But this is all the more reason why paternity leave needs to be equal with maternity leave.

"The father needs to be there as well, otherwise mothers will spend their 16 weeks of leave single-handedly caring for the newborn - and that is no rest at all."

Progress Singapore Party Non-Constituency MP Hazel Poa also called for equal parental leave between mothers and fathers, with couples having the flexibility to reallocate the amount of leave based on mutual agreement and a minimum period for each parent.

"The default equal share of parental leave between the couple underlines the belief that parenthood is a responsibility that should be shared equally by both parents. Equal parental leave would also give less reason for employers to discriminate against female employees," she said.

In response, Minister of State for Social and Family Development and Education Sun Xueling said that any leave enhancements will need to balance parents’ caregiving needs with employers’ manpower and operational needs.

How leave ought to be shared between parents would also depend on other factors like individual families’ considerations, societal mindsets and norms about the role of fathers, she said.

Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information, added that providing more leave does not automatically lead to more leave being taken.

There is no simple answer as to whether paternity and maternity leave benefits should be equalised to better reflect the desire for equal sharing of responsibilities between fathers and mothers in caregiving, said Mrs Teo.

“At which point would mindsets have shifted sufficiently, such that the equal provision of parental leave would in fact result in the equal sharing of responsibilities?” she said.

Several MPs like Ms Poa also said more work needs to be done to understand why not all fathers take up paternity leave. Latest figures show that 55 per cent of new fathers used their leave in 2019.

Nominated MP Shahira Abdullah cited a study by the National University of Singapore last year which showed that men with lower incomes were less likely to use paternity leave. This was especially so for those involved in manual labour.

Suggesting that provisions be made to allow for some amount of paternity leave to be compulsory, she said: "This will be a strong signal to the community regarding the importance of shared gender responsibilities as well as towards enhancing the support of women in low-income families as well."

During Tuesday's debate, some MPs like PAP's Rachel Ong (West Coast GRC) and WP's Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) called for family care leave to be legislated.

"This will help in recognising that caregivers' contributions are on par with that of parents with young children," said Mr Giam.

All Singaporean employees should have up to six days of leave to look after young children or immediate family members with long-term illnesses or disabilities, he said.

"The first three days should be paid by the employer, with the remaining days paid by the Government," he suggested. An extra two days could be granted if the employee has more than one recipient to care for, he added.

Likewise, Ms Ong said that childcare leave should be convertible to family care leave, besides being made mandatory.

Respite options for caregivers was another topic covered by MPs such as Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar GRC) and Ms Tin Pei Ling (MacPherson).

Both MPs proposed expanding institutional capacity for respite care across Singapore, while Ms Tin sought more flexible financing options, including using extended family members' MediSave to pay for such services.

Recognising this, Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Communications and Information, said the Government will enhance the options for respite care to ease the caregiving load, through plans like broadening the Household Services Scheme to include basic elder-minding and childminding services.

"MOH is reviewing the respite care landscape to better meet the needs of caregivers, and make respite care more accessible, affordable, and available," she said, adding that more details will be shared later.

Minister of State for Community, Culture and Youth, and Trade and Industry, Ms Low Yen Ling said that from next month, community-based peer support networks will be formed to connect caregivers of persons with mental health conditions for mutual support.

A buddy programme will also be set up to match experienced caregivers of individuals with disabilities with new ones, she said.

"With greater respect and partnership in caregiving, men, as well as women, can contribute towards this important role which cannot afford to be neglected, or society and families may suffer," she added.

MORE ON THIS TOPIC
S'pore must not shy away from dealing with daily battles that women face: Josephine Teo

Raise age limit for elective egg freezing from 35 to 40: Tampines GRC MP Cheng Li Hui

See things from a woman's point of view, stop mansplaining: Ong

White Paper has 'moved us further along the path' to gender equality: Shanmugam

New dads working in S'pore-based Swedish firms cheer campaign to double paternity leave

Parliament backs White Paper to improve equality, opportunities for S'pore women after 9.5-hour debate

Beef up support and care for new mothers, says WP MP He Ting Ru

Higher grant among initiatives to give more support and respite to caregivers

Woman, 71, is sole caregiver of daughter and sister with mental disorders, and husband who had cancer

SINGAPORE

MPs discuss flexiwork implementation, gender pay gap in White Paper debate on S'pore women's development

Some MPs proposed that the Government accelerate the pace of entrenching flexiwork arrangements as a workplace norm. 

PHOTO: ST FILE

Chin Soo Fang
Senior Correspondent

SINGAPORE - With the Covid-19 pandemic showing that it is possible for some workers to work from home full time, some MPs have proposed that the Government accelerate the pace of entrenching flexible work arrangements as a workplace norm.

Others said more can be done to close the gender pay gap, which they felt was not addressed adequately in the White Paper on Singapore Women's Development.

The White Paper was presented to Parliament by Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo on Tuesday (April 5).

On flexiwork arrangements, Mr Melvin Yong (Radin Mas), who is NTUC's assistant secretary-general, said: "While I understand that it takes time to engage the industry and ensure that there is consensus on the Tripartite Guidelines, we should strike when the iron is hot... and roll out the guidelines when many employers are still fresh from having the majority of their workforce telecommuting."

Others like Ms Jessica Tan (East Coast GRC) and Dr Wan Rizal (Jalan Besar GRC) also asked for an earlier implementation of flexible work arrangements.

Responding, Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang said a calibrated approach is needed in implementing flexiwork arrangements. Employers have to be equipped with capabilities to manage a more flexible workplace, while employees also have to understand the roles that they play in making flexible arrangements sustainable for business operations.

She pointed out that over 10,000 companies have adopted the tripartite standard on flexible work arrangements, covering more than one in four employees in Singapore today.

The White Paper proposed that by 2024, employers must consider staff requests for flexible work arrangements fairly and properly, under a new set of guidelines for such arrangements. But employers can consider their business needs when assessing whether or not to grant approval.

The gender pay gap was raised by Workers' Party MPs He Ting Ru and Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC), as well as Nominated MP Shahira Abdullah.

Ms He said: "While this pay gap is on the decline, it nonetheless still exists, and it is disappointing the White Paper does not make addressing this an action item. Our efforts at reducing this pay gap must persist, until women in Singapore achieve equal pay to their male counterparts for equal work."

In response, Ms Gan said a practical approach is needed to close the wage gap, pointing out that even in countries like the United States and Canada that have legislated equal pay for equal work, the adjusted pay gap remains higher than Singapore's.

"The main reason for the gender wage gap in Singapore is occupational segregation," she said, adding that some women who disrupted their careers because of caregiving responsibilities are not able to earn as much as their partners.

Besides flexiwork and the gender pay gap, MPs also made suggestions on how to help more women to grow their careers and balance their homemaking roles.

To help women become home-based entrepreneurs, Mr Yong suggested a Home-Based Business Grant to help defray the start-up cost of equipment, and tie up with schools such as Shatec to provide subsidised training courses for baking, cooking and safe food preparation.

This was echoed by Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio GRC), who suggested start-up grants or avenues of micro-financing for these "mumpreneurs", or mothers who become entrepreneurs.

Even as flexiwork takes root, some MPs spoke about the importance of protecting privacy and family time.

Mr Sharael Taha (Pasir Ris-Punggol) said that as flexible work arrangements blur the line between work and home, employers and workers have to come to a new understanding about work-life balance and respect for personal space and time.

The House members also said more can be done to encourage and support women to choose and excel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) industries.

Ms Poh Li San (Sembawang GRC) noted that only 55 per cent of the women who graduated with Stem degrees or diplomas pursued related careers, compared with 70 per cent of men.

Ms He said the green transition represents a chance to ensure that women are well and justly represented in new "green jobs", adding that the gender gap in Stem skills must not be a barrier to greater gender equality.

Indian High Court Allows Indian Journalist to Travel Abroad to Speak About Intimidation

April 05, 2022 
Shaikh Azizur Rahman

FILE - Indian journalist and author, Rana Ayyub poses with her self published book 'Gujarat Files' during the launch event in New Delhi, May 27, 2016.

The Delhi High Court has allowed prominent Indian journalist Rana Ayyub to travel abroad, six days after she was prevented from taking a flight to Europe to speak in a series of lectures there about harassment and intimidation of journalists in the world’s largest democracy.

On Tuesday, March 29, the independent investigative journalist, who writes for The Washington Post, received an emailed summons from India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED), which investigates financial crimes, 14 minutes before her flight for London was to depart from Mumbai.

SEE ALSO:
Indian Journalist Stopped From Flying to UK, Italy to Speak About Intimidation

Known as a Look Out Circular [LOC], the summons was related to an investigation the directorate is conducting into the alleged misuse of donations that Ayyub collected for relief work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Monday, the court quashed the LOC, noting that it was “mala fide,” or “devoid of merits,” and infringed on the “human right [of Ayyub] to travel abroad and exercise her freedom of speech and expression.” The court has now allowed Ayyub to travel abroad on condition that she share her detailed itinerary with the ED and return to India by April 11.

Neither the EC nor the government has commented publicly on the ruling.
Ayyub is a fierce critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Hindu nationalist ideology of his Bharatiya Janata Party and the activities of Hindu right-wing groups and political leaders. On social media, far-right Hindu supporters of Modi regularly abuse and threaten her for her articles highlighting the harassment and persecution of Muslims in India.

Attacks against Ayyub have escalated since the ED froze her bank accounts, accused her of laundering money and launched an investigation into the case in February.

Ayyub has denied the allegation that the ED leveled against her. She has called the actions by the agency an attempt to intimidate her.

Lawyer Vrinda Grover, who represented Ayyub in the Delhi court, said that her client was being harassed by the ED because she was a critic of the government.

After Ayyub was prevented from taking the flight last week, the London programs where she was scheduled to speak on April 1 were canceled. With the Delhi court lifting the ban on Ayyub’s travel Monday, she is scheduled to take part in an event, organized by the International Journalism Festival, in Perugia, Italy.

Ayyub is to deliver a lecture titled, “When the State Attacks: journalism under fire in the world's biggest democracy,” as the scheduled keynote speaker, on Friday, April 8.

Several participants of the festival expressed joy and relief on learning that Ayyub would be at the festival.

Julie Posetti, vice president of global research at the International Center for Journalists, or ICFJ, and an expert in online attacks against women journalists, said she is “thrilled that the New Delhi High Court has delivered justice and overruled the totally unjustified ban on Rana Ayyub's right to travel to speak at international events about press freedom erosion in India and threats to women journalists online.”

“The ban slapped on her as she attempted to board a flight to London at the invitation of ICFJ and UK-based human rights lawyers at Doughty Street Chambers was a bald and ham-fisted attempt to silence her critical journalism and commentary and crush her spirit - but it ultimately failed,” Posetti, who will be the moderator during Ayyub’s lecture at the journalism festival, told VOA.

It is essential that Ayyub be able to tell her stories and speak her truth within the international journalism community if the world is to believe that press freedom and genuine democracy have a future in India, Posetti noted.

“More power to her for confronting the Indian authorities and demanding her rights be upheld,” Posetti said.

Mottley, Trudeau to co-chair UN Sustainable Development Goals Advocates group

Article by
Kendy

Prime Minister Mia Mottley (GP)

United Nations – United Nations Secretary General Antonio Gueterres Wednesday named Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley and her Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau as new co-chairs of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocates group amidst the growing number of development crises facing the world.

“The Sustainable Development Goals are the world’s blueprint to build a healthier, greener and sustainable future by 2030.  With the clock ticking and multiple crises driving us further off track, we must do everything in our power to deliver the SDGs,” said Guterres.

“I’m pleased that Prime Minister Mottley and Prime Minister Trudeau will help lead advocacy to do just that,” he said.

Mottley said it was necessary to “seize the moment to move forward, together, to ensure the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the end of the Decade of Action and Delivery on the Sustainable Development Goals”.

Mottley has campaigned extensively for climate action and debt sustainability in middle-income countries and small states. In 2021, she was awarded the Champions of the Earth Award for her leadership.

Trudeau has been a strong advocate for climate action and nature protection, the empowerment of women and girls around the world, and ensuring an inclusive and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To build a better future for people and the planet, we must all place the values of inclusion and sustainability at the heart of everything we do. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals aim to create a world that is fair, equal, and peaceful, with clean air and clean water for everyone.

“As co-Chair of the SDG Advocates group, I look forward to rallying countries, governments, the private sector, and others, to come together to accelerate our progress and continue to raise our voices – and our ambition – on the path to 2030,” said Trudeau.

The SDG Advocates are influential leaders who support the Secretary-General in raising global ambition and action to keep the promise of the SDGs.

The previous co-chairs, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana and former Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg have led the group since 2016 and 2014, respectively. The Secretary-General has thanked them for putting the SDGs on the global political agenda.

They will continue to stay engaged as co-chairs of the SDG Advocates Emeritus Group, a group of alumni Advocates who continue to support the achievement of the SDGs.

The following is the list of SDG Advocates.

Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of the Belgians

His Royal Highness Muhammadu Sanusi II, 14th Emir of Kano

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser of Qatar

BLACKPINK, K-pop Girl Group

Richard Curtis, Screenwriter, Producer and Film Director

Hindou Ibrahim, Activist for Climate Action and Indigenous Rights

Graça Machel, Founder and Chair of the Board, Graça Machel Trust

Dia Mirza, Actor, UN Environment Programme Goodwill Ambassador

Valentina Muñoz Rabanal, STEM Activist

Edward Ndopu, Public Intellectual, Humanitarian and Founder of A BILLION REASONS

Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Earth Institute at Colombia University

Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Peace Laureate, Founder of Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation

Brad Smith, President, Microsoft Corporation

Forest Whitaker, Founder and CEO, Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation

(CMC)

St Lucia iguana under threat

Article by
sherrylynclarke@nationnews.com

CASTRIES – St Lucia says it is taking “decisive steps” to quell the upsurge of the invasive iguana population on the island.

“The issue of hybridisation of St Lucia’s endemic iguana has been brought to the forefront by the discovery of a pregnant green invasive species of iguana in Vieux Fort,” south of here, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Agriculture.

“This iguana belongs to a genetic group similar to the endemic St Lucia iguana, which is known to have unique bodily features including black dewlap. The invasive green iguana, on the hand, carries a greyish, orange dewlap.”

The statement said that while the species is thought to be a descendant of an escaped, smuggled pet, the recent discovery of the pregnant species indicates that alien invasive species threats have rapidly escalated in recent years.

“In this case, the invasive green iguana reproduces more quickly than the endemic St Lucia iguana, putting the native at risk of being outnumbered in the wild.”

The Ministry said that despite being classified as invasive, non-native species are protected by the Wildlife Protection Act established in 1980 and should not be harmed, but urged people to be on the lookout for these species and report any sightings of the green invasive species to the Department of Forestry. (CMC)

Q&A: The aid policy ‘limbo’ on Bangladesh’s refugee island

‘We are stuck in this situation.’

Irwin Loy
Asia Editor

Aid and Policy

Interview
5 April 2022

Rohingya refugees prepare to board a ship bound for Bhasan Char island, Bangladesh, on 29 December 2020. (Mohammad Ponir Hossain/REUTERS)

Donor reluctance to fund aid on Bhasan Char, Bangladesh’s controversial island refugee camp, is preventing basic services from scaling up and leaving refugees in limbo, says the head of a leading Bangladeshi NGO.

Authorities in Bangladesh have transferred at least 24,000 Rohingya from mainland camps to the island, where aid is provided mainly by local NGOs.

The UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, inked an agreement to support services on Bhasan Char in October 2021. A UN-led appeal for the Rohingya response, launched in late March, calls for about $100 million in funding for Bhasan Char – the first time these annual humanitarian plans have included the island.

Foreign donors still appear split on Bhasan Char, amid long-standing concerns that Rohingya are pressured to relocate there. The UK, for example, says it will contribute funding for the first time. The United States – the largest donor to the Rohingya response – says its funding “does not currently support Bhasan Char”.

Preventing funding from being used on Bhasan Char leaves healthcare and other services missing or severely inadequate, says Asif Saleh, the executive director of BRAC Bangladesh.

“We are stuck in this limbo,” Saleh told The New Humanitarian in an interview. “We are just not moving on.”

Bhasan Char remains controversial for donors and international aid groups, years after Bangladesh first proposed sending refugees to the island.

The country hosts some 900,000 Rohingya, who have fled generations of persecution in their Myanmar homeland. Bangladesh’s government has said it intends to send up to 100,000 people to the island as part of a plan to reduce the density of mainland camps in Cox’s Bazar.

Rights groups call Bhasan Char a disaster-prone “prison”. They say government efforts to convince Rohingya to move to the island are “coercive” and “misleading”, marred by threats and intimidation. Last year, at least 11 Rohingya drowned after their boat capsized when fleeing the island, Human Rights Watch said.

Saleh says there have been government “missteps”, but also genuine efforts to improve and to invest in Bhasan Char’s flood barriers and infrastructure.

In the mainland camps, meanwhile, conditions have deteriorated and government restrictions have escalated. The national mood toward the Rohingya has become “more hostile”, Saleh said.

He spoke to The New Humanitarian about how Bhasan Char has fractured the relationship between the government and international aid agencies, why he’s pushing for donors to reverse course, and why he believes this will improve conditions for Rohingya elsewhere.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The New Humanitarian: You describe an atmosphere of growing hostility toward the Rohingya. How does this affect you as a Bangladeshi NGO?

Asif Saleh: At the local level, we have to navigate the political atmosphere very carefully. The security situation has deteriorated in the camps.

For us, it’s very important that we serve the refugees wherever they are. So, from that perspective, this whole limbo situation regarding Bhasan Char – the push and pull between UN, the government, the various donors – has not really helped us.

What has happened over time has been that because of the lack of progress on this, there have been efforts to put tighter control in the camps… You have to go through a lot more approval processes and other things that require a lot of time.

It’s been three years [since] this conversation about Bhasan Char started. I think it’s really time to move on, so that everybody can start focusing on more mid-term issues. Because it’s not helping anybody. It’s not helping the people who have moved to Bhasan Char. It’s not helping the people in the rest of the camps.
The New Humanitarian: The UNHCR and government signed a memorandum of understanding on Bhasan Char last October. What do you think has gotten in the way of scaling up?

Saleh: The last six months since the MoU has been signed, the relationship between the UN and government has improved. The challenge is that the global narrative is still stuck a bit on the earlier days. As well, I think there has been some clumsy effort from the government side in terms of how some of the refugees were transferred.

Right now… we know that there have been mechanisms in place for people to visit the Cox’s Bazar camps from Bhasan Char. Government had bigger plans to move more refugees, but they are ensuring that it is completely voluntary, so the numbers have been a lot less.

But somehow there is quite a wider chatter with other human rights organisations, that has been not necessarily real-time. It’s kind of reflecting what happened in previous years.
The New Humanitarian: Let’s talk about these issues. Rights groups say recent transfers have been “coercive”, “involuntary”, and “misleading”. Fortify Rights reported refugees were threatened with aid denial. This was in January. A report in February found majhis (Rohingya leaders appointed by camp authorities) in a camp said that families would be picked randomly if there were no volunteers. That was by the International Rescue Committee, not a rights group. These and other accounts are very recent reports, all describing the same problems.

Saleh: I’m pretty sure some of the incidents that have been mentioned have happened. The question is, then, would we use this to basically completely stop this and stop the funding?

… The refugees also have mentioned to the special rapporteur [for human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews], when he was visiting [in December 2021], that if there were jobs and education and good healthcare available, they would actually prefer staying in Bhasan Char because the security conditions and the overall living conditions are better.

So this is becoming a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we take a slightly broader lens and ensure that we can actually make these services available, and then leave it up to the refugees – do you want to move or not? – that would be a bit fairer assessment.

… I think some of those things absolutely have happened. But the question is now do we get stuck on that, or do we take a broader view, and ensure that we look at the situation in a slightly more comprehensive manner?
The New Humanitarian: Why not wait until there are more assurances?

Saleh: Who’s going to give that certification? This situation is going on for almost two and a half years. I think there is a responsibility from all sides to ensure this happens. It’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation right now: Someone has to move first.

The global narrative that is out there is extremely hostile to Bangladesh and I think that’s not fair. The countries who are opposing – none of those countries is willing to take a single one of the refugees. So if you’re not willing to take them, but you’re very eager to impose all these restrictions on them, I think it’s slightly unfair.
The New Humanitarian: Some Rohingya have chosen to go to Bhasan Char. Others think that they have no choice but to go. Others are going only because the security situation in the mainland camps has become so bad. And I know others who simply do not want to go, and they say there are people who are still being forced. Are you confident that everyone who is on Bhasan Char wants to be there?

Saleh: No. I’m not confident that everybody wants to be there. But what I’m confident of is that we can make a different story in Bhasan Char by investing in it.

We are looking at the mid- to long-term. This issue is not going away any time soon. We clearly see that there is donor fatigue coming in. There’s the Ukraine refugee crisis that has started now. So this money is going to dry up sooner than later.

… Bhasan Char can be an interesting model where [Rohingya refugees] can self-sustain by taking livelihood opportunities. So once those opportunities are created, I feel confident that a lot more refugees will look at it and see – living condition-wise and opportunity-wise – this makes sense. Right now, that investment needs to happen for that to happen.
The New Humanitarian: The government already has strict limits and restrictions on livelihoods, education, even on building materials. Why would the government allow things on Bhasan Char that they have not in the mainland camps?

Saleh: They are a lot more open when it comes to Bhasan Char. They are a lot more open about livelihoods – what they’re willing to allow in Bhasan Char.

So that’s one. The second thing: There is a lot of closing down of policy negotiation exactly because of this Bhasan Char limbo. Once this gets resolved, I think we will have a lot more opening to negotiate with the government on some of these issues.

… I think there are windows of opportunities to work with the government and negotiate with the government on all of these issues. That is why it is very essential to move past this, so that we can start those negotiations: The donors can start those negotiations; UN can start those negotiations with the government. Otherwise, we are stuck in this situation.

Related articles

Aid and Policy
Why we Rohingya want to save our refugee-run schools
First person
17 January 2022

Conflict

As violence soars in refugee camps, Rohingya women speak up
News
2 August 2021