ANOTHER USE OF THE N95

Saharan dust expected to hit Europe again this weekend

Issued on: 19/02/2021 -

A previous dust cloud in early February darkened the skies in many regions of western Europe 

SEBASTIEN BOZON AFP/File


Paris (AFP)

Dust and sand particles whipped up from the Sahara will once again blanket skies over Europe this weekend, impacting air quality, the European Union's Copernicus satellite monitoring service said Friday.

It said wind predictions showed a "substantial plume" of Saharan dust would hit southern Europe over the weekend into next week, reaching as far north as Norway.

Mark Parrington, senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, said that like a similar event earlier in February, the dust would likely be visible to the naked eye in the skies across Europe.

"Dust plumes from the desert can cause red skies, limited visibility or stains on cars and windows from dust deposition, but these impacts are difficult to predict quantitatively as far as four or five days in advance," he said.

Parrington said it was likely that the "high concentrations" of dust would affect air quality and could have some health impacts.

A previous dust cloud in early February darkened the skies in many regions of western Europe, carrying particulate concentrations "several hundred times" more than normal, Copernicus said.

© 2021 AFP

Myanmar grieves after young anti-coup protester's death

Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing was a teenage grocery store worker in Myanmar's sparse and isolated capital until less than two weeks ago, when a gunshot turned her into a national symbol of resistance. The death of the young anti-coup protester has sent a ripple of grief through the country.

Georgia police detain dozens of 

pro-opposition protesters

Issued on: 19/02/2021 - 

Opposition protesters have camped out at the UNM headquarters, vowing to obstruct police plans to arrest

 Melia Vano Shlamov AFP/File


Tbilisi (AFP)

Police in Georgia's capital Tbilisi on Friday detained dozens of pro-opposition demonstrators demanding snap polls, as a political crisis sparked by last year's elections deepened.

Hundreds of protesters rallied outside parliament to back the opposition's calls for fresh elections after Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia resigned Thursday over the ruling party's plans to arrest a top opposition leader.

The move to detain Nika Melia -- the chairman of the United National Movement (UNM) of exiled ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili -- sparked outrage among the opposition and warnings from the Caucasus nation's Western allies.

Several protesters were beaten by police and taken away in ambulances, according to footage aired by Formula TV.

"Police lawlessness has no limits," one of the UNM leaders, Levan Khabeishvili, told journalists at Friday's rally.

"They resort to repressions despite the opposition's calls to de-escalate political confrontation," he added.

A court order to place Melia in pre-trial detention has raised the stakes in the crisis over October's parliamentary elections, which the opposition denounced as rigged after the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed a narrow victory.

Leaders of all of the country's opposition parties have camped out at the UNM headquarters in Tbilisi since Wednesday, vowing to obstruct police plans to arrest Melia.

In his resignation statement, Gakharia said a police raid on the UNM headquarters would "pose a risk to the health and lives of our citizens."

The United States and European Union have expressed concerns over the move, calling on the ex-Soviet country's government to resolve the crisis peacefully and ensure its judicial system stays free of political bias.

© 2021 AFP

Thai PM faces no-confidence debate inside and outside parliament



Issued on: 19/02/2021 - 

Protestors in Thailand put portraits of members of the government up on a truck and held a symbolic no-confidence vote outside the parliament 

Jack TAYLOR AFP


Bangkok (AFP)

Protestors outside Thailand's parliament held their own version of a no-confidence debate against Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha Friday night, as inside, opposition MPs rained a torrent of criticism upon his administration.

Friday marked the final day of a four-day no-confidence debate against former coup leader Prayut and his cabinet, and MPs will vote Saturday on their fate.

Prayut -- whose coalition government holds a majority -- is expected to survive the vote, but the proceedings could set off internal struggles within his party.

Activists from Thailand's youth-led pro-democracy movement decided to set up their own debate right by the parliament's entrance, hoisting portraits of Prayut and his ministers up on a truck.

Rally organisers set up a projection screen which played out the events going on inside the building.

"The opposition MPs weren't able to speak about everything in the parliament," said an 18-year-old protester who would only give his name as Petch.

"That's why we need to double down the efforts to speak about how bad the government has been doing."

Hundreds of protesters young and old brought pots and pans to create a cacophony of dissent -- a tactic borrowed from neighbouring Myanmar where an anti-coup movement is agitating against a military junta.

Dozens of riot police stood watch nearby, with a water cannon truck at the ready.

A woman wore a cauldron as a hat, with the words "Abolish 112" scrawled on it -- in reference to Thailand's draconian lese majeste law which shields the monarchy from criticism.

So far, more than 50 activists have been charged under the law since the movement kicked off in mid-July, though only four prominent leaders have been detained.

"We need to come out so that the key activists being detained in jail did not do everything in vain," said 13-year-old Iam.

- Covid-hit economy -

Besides demanding royal reforms -- once a taboo subject which has been pushed into public attention by the movement -- the protesters are also calling for the resignation of Prayut.

The former army general led a 2014 coup, and renewed his lease on power after elections in 2019 that were governed under a military-scripted constitution.

Critics say his administration -- staffed with former generals -- is unfit to run a country whose already faltering economy has been further weakened by pandemic-spurred border closures.

This week saw opposition MPs accuse Prayut and Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul of being responsible for a new wave of coronavirus that emerged in Thailand in December.

"It was their negligence in allowing illegal gambling and illegal border crossing to happen," said Move Forward Party MP Viroj Lakkana-adisorn.

Algeria frees dozens of activists following presidential pardons

Issued on: 19/02/2021 - 

Algerians carrying a national flag gather outside the Kolea prison near the city of Tipasa on February 19, 2021. © Ryad Kramdi, AFP

Text by: FRANCE 24


Algeria on Friday released a dozen "Hirak" protest movement activists from jail, the first batch freed under presidential pardons issued ahead of the second anniversary of a popular uprising.

A day after Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune dissolved the lower house of parliament and called early legislative elections, the National Committee for the Liberation of Prisoners (CNLD), a rights group, on Friday announced the release of dozens of prisoners in a gesture of appeasement to the "Hirak" protest movement.

The "Hirak", meaning "movement" in Arabic, swept former strongman Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power in 2019, but continued after his fall.

In his speech late Thursday, Tebboune said around 55 to 60 Hirak members would benefit from an amnesty, with their release to start immediately.

Around 70 people are currently in prison over their links with the Hirak movement or other peaceful opposition political activity, according to the CNLD.


Many of them were arrested for posting anti-government posts on social media.

The presidency said the pardon would cover "perpetrators of crimes related to information and communication technologies".

Jubilation outside prisons

On Friday, journalists and families gathered to wait for prisoners to be freed outside the jail in Kolea, a town 20 kilometres (12 miles) west of the capital Algiers.

Among the prisoners held in Kolea is journalist Khaled Drareni, sentenced to two years in prison in September, and who has become a symbol of the fight for press freedom in Algeria.

Tebboune's initiative comes on the eve of the Hirak's second anniversary on February 22, demanding a sweeping overhaul of the ruling system in place since Algeria's independence from France in 1962.

The unprecedented protest movement only suspended its rallies in March last year as the novel coronavirus reached the North African country.

Algeria is facing political and economic crises, with the pandemic adding to the woes of an oil-dependent economy.

On Tuesday, thousands of Algerian rallied in the northern town of Kherrata, where the first major protest erupted in 2019 against Bouteflika's bid for a fifth presidential term.

Protesters demanded "the fall of the regime" and "the release of prisoners of conscience".

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Facebook blocks users in Australia from sharing news. Could Canada be next?

Twinkle Ghosh 20 hrs ago

Facebook has blocked users in Australia from viewing or sharing news on the social media platform.

The move was triggered by Australia joining France and other governments in pushing Google, Facebook and other internet giants to pay publishers for news content.

While Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., announced agreements to pay publishers in Australia, Facebook announced Thursday that it was blocking users in Australia from viewing or spreading news on its platform.

Read more: Facebook says users in Australia can no longer view, share news content

This comes on the heels of Ottawa planning to introduce similar legislation this year and could spell a similar fate for Canadian users.


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Liberals propose new Canadian Broadcast Act rules for online streaming platforms



Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault has made it clear that he intends to introduce a “made-in Canada” plan by summer that includes payment for news content.

“News is not free and has never been,” he said earlier this month.

“Our position is clear: publishers must be adequately compensated for their work and we will support them as they deliver essential information for the benefit of our democracy and the health and well-being of our communities.”

While the tech giants have played a positive role in making news accessible, Guilbeault said, “we must address the market imbalance between news media organizations and those who benefit from their work.”

The minister further assured reporters Thursday that Canada will make Facebook Inc pay for news content.

"Canada is at the forefront of this battle ... we are really among the first group of countries around the world that are doing this," he told reporters.
How does this affect Canada?

Last year, Canadian media organizations warned of a potential market failure without government action. They said the Australian approach would permit publishers to recover C$620 million a year. Without action, they warned, Canada would lose 700 print journalism jobs out of 3,100 total.

Guilbeault said Canada could adopt the Australian model, which requires Facebook and Google to reach deals to pay news outlets whose links drive activity on their services, or agree on a price through binding arbitration.

Another option is to follow the example of France, which requires large tech platforms to open talks with publishers seeking remuneration for use of news content.

"We are working to see which model would be the most appropriate," he said, adding he spoke last week to his French, Australian, German and Finnish counterparts about working together on ensuring fair compensation for web content.

Play
 "Heritage minister says Canadian government has ‘no intention’ to regulate news content: Yale report"

"I suspect that soon we will have five, 10, 15 countries adopting similar rules ... is Facebook going to cut ties with Germany, with France?" he asked, saying that at some point Facebook's approach would become "totally unsustainable".

University of Toronto professor Megan Boler, who specializes in social media, said the Facebook action marked a turning point which would require a common international approach.

"We could actually see a coalition, a united front against this monopoly, which could be very powerful," she said in a phone interview.

This week, Facebook said news makes up less than 4% of content people see on the platform but contended that it helped Australian publishers generate about AU $407 million last year.

Google has signed 500 deals worth around $1 billion over three years with publishers around the world for its new News Showcase service and is in talks with Canadian companies.

Guilbeault said Google would still be subject to the new Canadian new law, since Ottawa wanted an approach that was fair, transparent and predictable.

"What's to say that Google - tomorrow, six months, a year from now - doesn't change its mind and says its doesn't want to do that any more?" he said.

Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in Internet and e-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, said Canada should aspire to Google's approach, where companies put money into content that provided added value.

"If we follow the Australian model ... we'll find ourself in much the same spot," he said by phone. "Everybody loses. The media organizations lose ... Facebook loses."

Kevin Chan, head of public policy for Facebook in Canada, said there were "other options to support news in Canada that will more fairly benefit publishers of all sizes".

The move, however, while sure to push more money into a struggling news industry, could also create a bone of contention with some of the bigwigs of the tech industry, much like it has in Australia.

What exactly is happening in Australia?

Facing a proposed law to compel internet companies to pay news organizations, Google has announced deals with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. and Seven West Media. No financial details were released. The Australian Broadcasting Corp. is in negotiations.

Google accounts for 53 per cent of Australian online advertising revenue and Facebook sits at 23 per cent, according to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.

Read more: Facebook says it’s no longer sustainable for social media giants to self-police content

Google had threatened to make its search engine unavailable in Australia in response to the legislation, which would create a panel to make pricing decisions on news.

On Thursday, Facebook responded by blocking users from accessing and sharing Australian news.

Facebook said the proposed law “ignores the realities” of its relationship with publishers that use its service to “share news content.” That was despite Frydenberg saying this week Google and Facebook “do want to enter into these commercial arrangements.”

What does this mean for the public?

Google’s agreement means a new revenue stream for news outfits, but whether that translates into more coverage for readers, viewers and listeners is unclear.

The union for Australian journalists is calling on media companies to make sure online revenue goes into news gathering.

 "Facebook calls for increased content regulation in Canada"

“Any monies from these deals need to end up in the newsroom, not the boardroom,” said Marcus Strom, president of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance. “We will be pressing the case for transparency on how these funds are spent.”

What is happening in other countries?

Australia’s proposed law would be the first of its kind, but other governments also are pressuring Google, Facebook and other internet companies to pay news outlets and other publishers for material.

In Europe, Google had to negotiate with French publishers after a court last year upheld an order saying such agreements were required by a 2019 European Union copyright directive.

France is the first government to enforce the rules, but the decision suggests Google, Facebook and other companies will face similar requirements in other parts of the 27-nation trade bloc.

Google and a group of French publishers have announced a framework agreement for the American company to negotiate licensing deals with individual publishers. The company has deals with outlets including the newspaper Le Monde and the weekly magazine l’Obs.

Last year, Facebook announced it would pay U.S. news organizations including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and USA Today for headlines. No financial details were released.

In Spain, Google shut down its news website after a 2014 law required it to pay publishers.

Why does this matter?

Developments in Australia and Europe suggest the financial balance between multibillion-dollar internet companies and news organizations might be shifting.

Australia is responding to complaints internet companies should share advertising and other revenue connected to news reports, magazine articles and other content that appears on their websites or is shared by users.

Read more: Facebook says it’s reducing political content for some users in Canada, other countries

The government acted after its competition regulator tried and failed to negotiate a voluntary payment plan with Google. The proposed law would create a panel to make binding decisions on the price of news reports to help give individual publishers more negotiating leverage with global internet companies.

In the meantime, access occasionally could suffer: Facebook’s move Thursday initially blocked some Australian commercial and government communications pages.

With files from Reuters and AP

 

CLIMATE CHANGE Three-quarters of the U.S. is covered in snow — most in 18 years BY KAREN GRAHAM     FEB 17, 2021 IN ENVIRONMENT As cold weather has infiltrated most of the country, the snow has covered more than 73 percent of the continental United States on Tuesday, according to National Weather Service data. The extreme weather pummeling the country has left 20 dead, including four family members trying to stay warm in their Houston-area home. Three more people were killed in a tornado in North Carolina. The tornado was one of several twisters spawned by cold fronts along the edge of the same system bringing below-freezing temperatures across the nation. The winter weather has shut down power grids unprepared for climate change and left millions without electricity for in some cases, several days. It has been 18 years - the last time being 2003 - since the U.S. has seen snow covering nearly three-quarters of the country. Only three states, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina are not covered by any snow. There are several states that are just not used to seeing so much snow, like Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. And it is not over, yet Over 100 million people live in areas covered Wednesday by some type of winter weather warning as the spread of the snow cover could grow in the coming days. A storm is expected to sweep through the mid-Atlantic and drop snow over parts of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Delaware that are not currently covered in snow, according to the National Weather Service. Close to 3 million customers were still without power early Wednesday in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, more than 200,000 more in four Appalachian states, and nearly as many in the Pacific Northwest, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility outage reports. “There’s really no letup to some of the misery people are feeling across that area,” said Bob Oravec, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service. The weather is also threatening the country's COVID-19 vaccination efforts. President Joe Biden’s administration said delays in vaccine shipments and deliveries were likely.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/environment/three-quarters-of-the-usa-is-covered-in-snow-most-in-18-years/article/585647#ixzz6mvpV37HE

 

Belarus reporter, doctor on trial after protester's death BY AFP     21 MINS AGO IN WORLD A journalist and a doctor went on trial in Belarus Friday, accused of disclosing the medical records of a protester who died after being detained by police during unprecedented anti-government protests. The hearing opened one day after another court sentenced two journalists to two years in prison for filming a protest last year, the first lengthy prison term in a crackdown on independent media. Last year, 31-year-old former soldier Roman Bondarenko died from head injuries after police arrested him at a protest in the capital Minsk amid a crackdown on the opposition following the disputed re-election of strongman Alexander Lukashenko. Investigators said Bondarenko showed signs of intoxication, but independent media cited a doctor as saying no alcohol had been found in his body. Katerina Borisevich, a journalist for the independent Tut.by news website that published the story and doctor Artyom Sorokin were in court Friday for releasing the protester's medical information. They are accused of "disclosing medical records, with grave consequences" and face up to three years in prison. Borisevich smiled at cameras from inside a cage for defendants and made a heart symbol with her hands, a gesture common among the opposition. Dozens of supporters gathered outside the court building and in its corridors, chanting her nickname "Katya". According to the prosecution, Borisevich, 36, convinced Sorokin, 37, to disclose information about Bondarenko and share copies of his medical documents with journalists. - 'Hoping for fair trial' - Bondarenko's mother Yelena told journalists at the start of the trial that Borisevich and Sorokin "didn't break any laws" and that they had her permission to share his information. "I am hoping for a fair trial," she was quoted by Tut.by as saying. No independent media outlets were accredited to cover the trial, which is being held behind closed doors because the case materials include medical documents. Representatives from the US, German, French embassies and of the EU delegation in Minsk were present at the court, Tut.by reported. The Prosecutor General's Office announced this week it had opened a criminal case into Bondarenko's death, but said it had no evidence of police involvement. Investigators announced Friday they will not launch a criminal probe into the death of another protester Alexander Taraikovsky, who died during the first days of the rallies in August. Police initially said that an explosive device Taraikovsky had intended to throw at law enforcement during an August 10 demonstration detonated in his hands, but witness accounts suggested he was shot by police. Investigators Friday said Taraikovsky was drunk and had "provoked" riot police to shoot at him, but added that the shots were not meant to be lethal. Huge protests erupted in Belarus in August after Lukashenko claimed a landslide election win over opposition figure Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. Authorities responded with a fierce crackdown, with police using rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon against demonstrators. Several people including Bondarenko died in the crackdown. The European Union condemned Bondarenko's death and the crackdown on protesters, imposing sanctions on Lukashenko and his allies. Fresh EU sanctions targeting Belarusian businessmen were introduced Thursday. Moscow strongly supports Lukashenko, however, with President Vladimir Putin expected to meet with him on Monday .

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/belarus-reporter-doctor-on-trial-after-protester-s-death/article/585754#ixzz6mvojMemV

 

#INTERSECTIONALITY Scientists and indigenous people unite to save Colombian condor BY JUAN SEBASTIAN SERRANO (AFP)     FEB 16, 2021 IN ENVIRONMENT Rosendo Quira silently shakes a medicinal plant to attract a condor to the bait. The bird of prey glides through the clouds over Colombia towards a mountain pass some 3,200 meters above the sea. As this scene plays out, a hidden camera clicks into gear to record the ritual. Amongst a group of some 300 volunteers, many of them indigenous people like Quira, the 52-year-old stands out for his ancestral knowledge. The volunteers deployed last weekend at 100 sites around Colombia to conduct the first-ever census of the bird that is emblematic of the Andes mountain range. Quira, a traditional doctor in the Purace indigenous reserve, leaves a piece of meat on a rock and uses a sprig of sage to drizzle it with a herbal infusion. In his other hand he holds a stick, while his backpack is filled with medicinal plants. Shortly after, a bird spanning three meters from wingtip to wingtip appears through the clouds covering the clearing and swoops down to feast on the offering. The Kokonukos indigenous people consider both the condor and the rock where it perches to be sacred. The volunteers are helping biologists count the condors, one of the largest birds of prey in the world, to help the species survive. Experts believe there are just 130 condors in the Colombian Andes, where the animal is critically endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. On a global scale, the condor's existence is close to being threatened. "We need to know how many there are in the country and what state they're in," biologist Adriana Collazos, who installed the hidden camera, told AFP. The census is the initiative of a number of NGOs, including the National Natural Parks of Colombia and the Neotropical Foundation. - The 'sun's messenger' - Indigenous people in Colombia's Purace national park are helping biologists conduct a census of condors, which are critically endangered in the country Luis ROBAYO, AFP There has never before been a census of Colombia's condors. Indigenous people from Purace in the country's southwest say there is at least one pair of these monogamous birds living in their territory, but some claim to have spotted another solitary female. The biologists hope their cameras will solve the mystery. "If it approaches it's because we're spiritually well, if it doesn't approach, it's because we're failing," said Quira after his close encounter with the condor. For his community, the condor is "the sun's messenger" -- it can warn about pending threats or predict climate change. Quira says a condor once came to him in a dream with recipes for healing the sick. The condor can be found throughout the Andes, from Venezuela in the north down to the far south of Chile and Argentina. The expansion of agriculture and animal husbandry into high mountain territories where the condor lives are the main threats to its conservation. And females lay only one egg every two to three years. In 2018, a condor couple were found poisoned in the center of the country. Conservationists managed to save them and return them to the wild a few months later. But farmers often use poison to protect their animals from attacks. Although condors, which can weigh between nine and 15 kilograms, are scavengers, they have been known to attack live animals on occasion. - Potential 'fatal loss' - Experts believe there are just 130 condors left in the Colombian Andes Luis ROBAYO, AFP "Knowing the populations of species is the starting point to propose conservation strategies," said Fausto Saenz, scientific director at the Neotropical Foundation. Saenz is hoping to get the first census results in three weeks' time. The census will allow future repopulation efforts to maintain a balance between males and females. Almost half of the condors in Colombia were reared in captivity and released in the Andes as part of these initiatives. Although the indigenous people of Purace believe the hidden cameras bother the sacred bird, they're working with the biologists out of a desire to help the condor survive. "Not having that symbol would be a fatal loss to our reserve," said Javier Jojoa, the acting governor of the Purace reserve.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/scientists-and-indigenous-people-unite-to-save-colombian-condor/article/585606#ixzz6mvmCisFi

 

Air pollution caused 160,000 deaths in big cities last year: NGO BY AFP     FEB 17, 2021 IN ENVIRONMENT Serious pollution caused around 160,000 premature deaths in the world's five most populous cities last year, even as air quality improved in some places due to coronavirus lockdowns, an environmental group said Thursday. The worst-affected was New Delhi, the most polluted capital on Earth, where around 54,000 deaths are estimated to have occurred due to hazardous PM2.5 airborne particles, according to a report from Greenpeace Southeast Asia. In Tokyo, the figure was 40,000 with the rest spread across Shanghai, Sao Paulo and Mexico City, according to the report, which looked at the impact of microscopic PM2.5 matter produced by burning fossil fuels. "When governments choose coal, oil and gas over clean energy, it's our health that pays the price," said Avinash Chanchal, climate campaigner at Greenpeace India. PM2.5 particles are considered the most harmful for health. They damage the heart and lungs, and increase the chances of severe asthma attacks. Some studies have linked PM2.5 exposure to a higher risk of dying from Covid-19. Lockdowns imposed around the world because of the coronavirus pandemic temporarily cleared the skies above big cities Ernesto BENAVIDES, AFP/File The report used an online tool that estimates the impacts of PM 2.5 by taking air quality data from monitoring site IQAir and combining it with scientific risk models, as well as population and health data. The tool is a collaboration between Greenpeace, IQAir, and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Despite the high numbers of deaths, coronavirus lockdowns imposed across the world -- that took traffic off the streets and shut down polluting industries -- did temporarily clear the skies above big cities. Delhi, for instance, underwent a dramatic transformation for a period last year when curbs were imposed, with residents revelling in azure skies and clean air. Scientists say that massive drops in some pollutants due to lockdowns are bound to have prevented deaths. Nevertheless, Greenpeace urged governments to put investment in renewable energy at the heart of plans to recover from the pandemic-triggered economic downturn. "To really clean up our air, governments must stop building new coal plants, retire existing coal plants, and invest in clean energy generation, such as wind and solar," said the group's air pollution scientist Aidan Farrow

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/air-pollution-caused-160-000-deaths-in-big-cities-last-year-ngo/article/585676#ixzz6mvkqB06x