THIRD WORLD USA

How a homeless man lost federal aid by trying to move into a new apartment and start contributing rent

asheffey@businessinsider.com (Ayelet Sheffey) 

© Provided by Business Insider Activists talk about the best ways to reinforce the barricades with the material available to them near the entrance to Camp JTD in Philadelphia on September 9, 2020. Cory Clark/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Only one in four eligible families who apply for housing vouchers end up receiving them.

Derrick Henderson told Insider he had a voucher but lost it, even though he was just looking to move.

Experts said HUD's housing voucher program needs increased funding and a more streamlined process.

On February 3, Derrick Henderson, 49, was going through his mail when he saw a rent bill addressed to him, saying he owed $2,368. On April 1, the bill increased to $5,788.26.

Henderson was surprised, not because he didn't know his rent was due, but because he thought somebody else was helping him pay for it: the government. He was counting on a federal housing voucher to keep him from being homeless again, and he told Insider he was worried he'll soon be homeless in the future.

A year ago, Henderson's rent was being paid partially by Avenue 360, a Houston, Texas-based housing program, and partially by a voucher from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). They've both stopped contributing anything to his rent, even though he hasn't moved. The reason he lost his funding is because he wanted to move into a new place for him and his 14-year-old daughter and start contributing to his own rent. "That's when everything went downhill," he told Insider.

Now his bills are mounting and the federal relief he was expecting has vanished.

"When I decided I wanted to take my voucher and go somewhere else," Henderson said, "then I became void of a voucher, void of the possibility of remaining in the Avenue 360 program, void of everything."

The problem isn't that Henderson moved into a property that HUD wouldn't cover; he was still eligible. Experts say it has to do with the voucher program itself.
'Something is awfully wrong' with housing vouchers

Henderson was released from prison in 2019 on aggravated robbery charges and was homeless for half a year, during which time he lived in his mother's house with his daughter. In January 2020, he moved to an Avenue 360 location and was told the program would pay his rent in full for 18 months. After just eight months, Henderson decided he wanted to move to an apartment of his own choosing.

© Derrick Henderson Derrick Henderson. Derrick Henderson

According to HUD's website, local public housing agencies distribute housing vouchers to very low-income families who qualify for the program, and the family is then free to choose any housing that meets the requirements of the program.

In accordance with the voucher's guidelines, Henderson said, he found a property that was willing to accept his voucher. But the voucher for his Avenue 360 location expired before his HUD case manager got back to him about the new apartment, despite what he said were repeated attempts on his part to get through. He was told in February that the moment he decided to use his voucher to go toward a new apartment in October, Avenue 360 had stopped paying his rent.

In order to get his voucher reinstated, he needed a probable cause as to why it lapsed, and "nine times out of 10, they're going to hold that person whose name is on that voucher accountable," Henderson said, meaning that it was essentially his word against his case manager's.

"A lot of people that are in these programs illegally get sent right back to the street, and if you're like me and you had a voucher, you know something is awfully wrong, especially when you see it happening to yourself," Henderson said.

So now, Henderson is still living in the housing that Avenue 360 originally provided for him, but he's not getting any help with his rent, and once the CDC eviction ban expires, he expects to once again be homeless.

President Joe Biden extended the CDC's eviction moratorium through the end of June to protect renters struggling to pay their rent during the pandemic. But the 10 million renters behind on their payments may face eviction sooner than that, after a federal court overturned the eviction ban on Thursday. The Department of Justice has requested a stay of that ruling, but another court decision could put millions at risk of eviction very soon.

"I'll be sitting here until June when they come out with another CDC [Center for Disease Control and Prevention] moratorium or something of that nature," Henderson said. "But as of right now, I'm in a screwed place because of a corrupted system."
Vouchers only reach 1 in 4 eligible families

An analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released in April found that while housing choice vouchers are "highly effective" at reducing homelessness, only one in four eligible families receive vouchers due to funding limitations.

"This shortfall is one of the biggest gaps in the nation's economic support system and causes families with pressing housing needs to face long waiting lists, sometimes years long, to receive vouchers," the analysis said.

While vouchers deliver benefits to millions of people nationwide, the analysis found they could make a much more significant impact if they were made available to the millions who are eligible, like Henderson, but do not receive assistance due to shortfalls within the system.

Greg Brown, senior vice president of government affairs at the National Apartment Association, told Insider that the waiting list for housing vouchers is "exceedingly long," and it could be years before someone who applies for a voucher actually receives one.

"If you're on the waiting list, then you're essentially on your own until that voucher comes through, unless you can find another resource to help," Brown said.

He added that not only is there a lengthy process for eligible applicants to receive vouchers, but the administrative burden on housing providers discourages them from accepting vouchers in the first place.

© National Apartment Association National Apartment Association: The process to use a HUD housing voucher. National Apartment Association

Brown cited a HUD survey that found 68% of housing providers said they don't participate in the voucher program, even though they used to, and a large part of why is a lengthy inspection process that can take "weeks and weeks," during which the owner is not receiving any rent.

"It's not an attractive proposition for some owners, especially those smaller owners that just don't have the capacity or the resources to be able to manage that much administration," Brown said.

On top of the long inspection process, there's an issue with the number of public housing authorities out there, Brown said, meaning that someone who is a regional owner could be burdened with managing a number of different housing authorities with different rules and procedures, which is "highly inefficient."

HUD and Avenue 360 did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

However, Brown said he is optimistic that many policymakers are looking at how to make the voucher program more efficient and accessible. Biden included $5 billion for emergency housing vouchers in his recent budget proposal, and progressive lawmakers last month introduced legislation for more green, affordable housing.

"You're supposed to just be quiet. Just shut up and take it," Henderson said. "But I don't care if I got to stand on national TV to tell this story. I will."

HANG OVER OF STALINIST PARANOIA
Chinese safari park 'sincerely sorry' for failing to tell public leopards were on loose

Amy Sood and Nicole Yang and Isabel Wang 

They say a leopard can't change its spots. Unfortunately for a safari park in eastern China they can, however, escape.

© Provided by NBC News

Locals were demanding answers Monday after a safari park in eastern China failed to inform authorities and residents for weeks that three of its leopards had gotten out of their enclosure.

One of the leopards was still on the loose, Hangzhou Safari Park in the city of Fuyang said. According to local media, a search team is on the leopard's trail after paw prints believed to be left by the feline were found on Sunday.

The vice mayor of Hangzhou City said the police found that the leopards had escaped on April 19, several weeks before the first reported sighting. The safari park also admitted to the police that they did not report the incident over worries it would impact the flow of tourists coming into the zoo during China’s May Day public holidays in the first week of March.

© AFP - Getty Images Image: Searcher hunt for the escaped leopards on Sunday.

Local police said that five people in charge of the park, including its general manager, had been detained, and that the police had launched an investigation into the incident.

Residents of nearby neighborhoods said they had spotted the leopards in different locations as early as May 2, according to Chinese state-backed newspaper Global Times, causing fear and confusion.

After the leopards were spotted roaming residential areas and tea plantations near the park on Saturday, residents contacted authorities to report the sightings, according to a statement from the Fuyang District government.

Search teams, using drones and hunting dogs, were dispatched to look for the animals. Two of them have been found and captured, with park officials saying they are in good health.

On Saturday morning, the safari park merely announced that they would be suspending operations citing safety issues, in a now-deleted post on their official WeChat platform. They made no mention of the escaped leopards.

However, after a surveillance video showing a leopard in the high-end residential Jinyuan Villa area went viral online Friday, the park was forced to finally inform the public of the escaped leopards. They released an apology on Saturday evening, saying they were “sincerely sorry” for not alerting the public sooner, insisting that the leopards were only juveniles and that they were worried the announcement would cause panic.

Rare snow leopards seen prowling near Kazakh city during lockdown

The park has also come under fire after Chinese state-backed broadcaster CCTV reported seeing the leopards injured after they had been captured by authorities. Local authorities responded saying the leopards were healthy, but Chinese social media users expressed their disdain online.

On China’s Twitter-like Weibo, one user said: “The zoo should be heavily fined. This incident imposed great threat to the safety of people’s lives and property.”

Other users also expressed concern towards the treatment of animals at the zoo , saying: “The behavior of the zoo should be thoroughly investigated. Don’t just investigate why the animals could escape, but also whether the animals are being properly managed and treated."

Fear of climate change rust belt has governments considering carbon border levy

Don Pittis CBC

© Eric Thayer/Reuters Graffiti in an abandoned Detroit factory in 2011. Governments are anxious to prevent a new round of shutdowns and layoffs like the industrial decline of the Rust Belt as business moves to places where climate rules are less…

If you thought Canada's domestic carbon tax was controversial, just wait for its new global equivalent now being negotiated behind closed doors, say Canadians who have been following its progress.

It's not a secret. In fact the new charge got its own subheading in the recent federal budget.

The plan is to "make sure that regulations on a price on carbon pollution apply fairly between trading partners," said the budget document. "This levels the playing field, ensures competitiveness, and protects our shared environment."

It's prompted, in part, by fear of a Rust Belt repeat. Then, industries hollowed out in rich countries as manufacturing chased cheaper labour. This time, the draw would be from countries with climate regulations to those without.

So far, the border charge, which is officially not a tax at all but "border adjustments" has garnered little attention outside specialist circles. But according to Aaron Cosbey, one of Canada's foremost experts on the subject, that is about to change.

Cosbey, an economist with the Winnipeg-based International Institute for Sustainable Development, was just last week putting the finishing touches on a comprehensive IISD report on the subject when we spoke.
Don't say carbon taxes

The idea of a border charge is to address concerns that in countries with a price on carbon, like Canada, domestic players making, say, aluminum are at a disadvantage compared to imported goods from countries without those regulations. The fear is, that could entice companies that need aluminum to source it from the U.S. or somewhere else that doesn't have a carbon tax because it's cheaper than Canadian-made aluminum.

The "border adjustment" would be a levy to make sure imports are subject to something similar.

"Maybe don't say cross border carbon taxes," Cosbey said in an email following our conversation, clarifying how to describe the content of the forthcoming report. "From a WTO-legal perspective a tax, a tariff, and a regulation are really different things, and the current Canadian regime is probably not a tax – it's a regulation."

So far, the few news reports there have been in places like Bloomberg Green and the Financial Times, journalists have not always been so careful of their wording. "EU industry calls for urgent carbon border tax as prices soar," declared one recent headline.

While crucial for squeezing the new provision within World Trade Organization rules, exactly what to call it may be one of the lesser worries for those trying to hammer out an international agreement on the scheme that is expected to raise stiff opposition from countries, including China, asked to pay the levy.

But what is almost certain is that without a new set of rules to equalize the economic cost of fighting climate change across national boundaries, countries like Canada and the U.S. or trade blocks like the European Union will be at a huge trade disadvantage to those like Russia or Brazil where climate rules are light or non-existent.

Called "carbon leakage," the term can apply to the carbon-dense goods produced in unregulated parts of the world, allowing the carbon to "leak" back into Canada as imports. It is also used for the industries that relocate production to escape expensive carbon regulation and carbon pricing.

As with Canada's domestic carbon tax, the battle over whether to impose a border charge will inevitably be political, said Osgoode Hall legal scholar Gus Van Harten, an early proponent of carbon equalization payments. But he said opponents will find it harder to convince voters that preventing carbon cheating by foreign producers is bad for Canadians and Canadian jobs when the alternative is to create a new rust belt caused by climate change rules.

"A [domestic] carbon tax is more easily misconstrued as picking from someone's pocket," he said.

'Really really complicated'

In fact, according to University of Calgary economist Jennifer Winter, who studies carbon pricing, some industries "would be happy about it" because it would protect them from foreign competition, including from poorer countries that don't have stiff carbon rules.

It could also affect consumer prices. While things like cars made in Germany would be no more expensive, the new charge would raise the cost of goods imported from less regulated countries, including many of the world's poorest. Without a carefully agreed structure, such rules could be used for plain old protectionism, leading to tit-for-tat countermeasures, hurting world trade. But Winter thinks the biggest challenge is figuring out a fair way to compare.

"It's complicated," she said. "Really, really complicated."

That was a common view from everyone I spoke to regarding the new border carbon charge, and why, despite objections from Canada's Green Party, the levy was not included in the environmental Bill C-12 that passed second reading in Parliament last week.

Among the complications will be comparing and trying to put an equivalent carbon cost on different countries' climate change rules.

Canada has a national carbon tax but the U.S. does not. Europe uses a system of trading carbon credits that has become increasingly expensive for its domestic producers. The cost of flexible regulations, which some say are a more effective tool, are difficult to quantify.

Trying to determine the carbon content of every imported part or ingredient will be difficult and could lead to mountains of documentation. That is why the first version of the levy will likely only apply to products like steel, aluminum and cement, where the carbon content is relatively easy to determine. But there are further difficulties.

For example, how would you credit China's large investment in electric transport? How would you offer credits for the cost of U.S. President Joe Biden's plan to invest in a green economic transformation?

© B. Rentsendori/Reuters A snaking line of coal trucks heading from Mongolia to China, where it is estimated more than 60 percent of power comes from cheap and plentiful coal and giving Chinese industry a carbon price advantage.

Biden campaigned in favour of border adjustments and two weeks ago expressed renewed interest, reported Bloomberg Green, something that worries those U.S. trading partners such as Australia with weaker carbon rules.

Such complications and the need for international negotiations may be one of the reasons for Europe's repeated delay of its border levy plan. First scheduled for release in April, then moved to June, last week there were rumours that date has now been stretched to July 14.

While Europe is the clear leader on the issue, everyone I spoke to said the defeat of Donald Trump, who famously called climate change a hoax, and the election of a pro-climate Biden, has transformed the issue.

"If you've got an administration that will engage in a positive climate change debate you don't have to, you know, draw lines in the sand," said Maria Panezi, who teaches trade and environmental law at the University of New Brunswick and keeps in close contact with Europeans working on the proposal.

Even if there are no further delays and Europe unveils its carbon adjustment proposal in July, that is expected to be just the first step, leading to a long period of internal and international negotiation. Canada is already in international talks with what the budget calls "like-minded partners," and plans to start consultation with provinces and territories this summer.

But according to Angelo Katsoras, a geopolitical analyst and author of the recent National Bank of Canada report titled Is a carbon border tax inevitable?, despite the complications, the answer to that question is increasingly, "yes."

"For Europe it's a matter of economic survival," Katsoras said in a phone interview last week. And he said that applies to other countries like Canada and the U.S. now tightening greenhouse gas rules.

"I think it has become politically unsustainable to continue to put in stringent targets without a carbon border tax."

Follow Don Pittis on Twitter @don_pittis

Suncor Energy and Atco working together on potential hydrogen project


Suncor Energy and Atco Ltd. are working together on a potential hydrogen project near Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., that would help reduce the province's carbon dioxide emissions

.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The companies say the project would produce more than 300,000 tonnes per year of hydrogen.

Suncor would build and operate the hydrogen production and carbon dioxide sequestration facilities and Atco would construct and operate associated pipeline and hydrogen storage facilities.

They expected 85 per cent of the gas would be used to supply existing energy demand including in refining processes and cogeneration of steam and electricity at the Suncor Edmonton Refinery, reducing refinery emissions.

In addition, the gas could be used in the Alberta natural gas distribution system, also reducing emissions.

They say the facility would be located at Atco's Heartland Energy Centre near Fort Saskatchewan and could be operational as early as 2028. A sanctioning decision is expected in 2024.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:SU, TSX:ACO.X)

Investor Legal & General backs activist in Exxon proxy battle
By Jennifer Hiller 3 hrs ago

© Reuters/Brendan McDermid FILE PHOTO: Darren Woods, Chairman & CEO, Exxon Mobil Corporation attends a news conference at the NYSE

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Britain's biggest asset manager, Legal & General, on Tuesday said it will vote for an activist hedge fund's board slate at Exxon Mobil's shareholder meeting later this month, fueling a pitched fight over the oil major's future.

Top U.S. oil producer Exxon is battling hedge fund Engine No. 1 over four seats on its 12-member board and the direction of the company. The fund has criticized Exxon's poor returns, spending on fossil fuels and lack of clear plans for the energy transition.

Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) owns Exxon shares worth nearly $1 billion, according to Refinitiv data. It disclosed its voting plans in a blog on Tuesday. Exxon's annual shareholders meeting will be held on May 26.

LGIM also opposed the reelection to the board of Exxon's chief executive, Darren Woods, and lead independent director Kenneth Frazier, and backs the separation of the CEO and chairman roles, John Hoeppner, head of U.S. stewardship and sustainable investments at LGIM, said in an interview.

LGIM will vote for Engine No. 1's nominees - Gregory Goff, Anders Runevad, Kaisa Hietala and Alexander Karsner - he said. The Engine No. 1 slate also has support from large pension funds in California and New York.

"We think they have a good, complementary set of experiences that would be in the best interest of the long-term shareholders," Hoeppner said.

Exxon's current board is full of "incredibly accomplished CEOs" but lacks people who understand oil and gas and the energy transition, and who have overseen business transformation, Hoeppner said.

LGIM has "very rarely, if ever," spoken with Exxon's directors and has not found that its board offers "the same level of board-level buy-in that we see in other organizations," Hoeppner said.

LGIM last year voted against CEO Woods and in favor of an independent chairman. It has signed onto the Net Zero Asset Managers  Initiative, which vows to press portfolio companies to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner.

Exxon has not set 2050 net zero targets as European peers have done. To try to address investor concerns on climate, in recent months it has expanded its board, pledged to increase spending on lower-carbon initiatives and said it would lower the intensity of its oilfield greenhouse gas emissions.

(Reporting by Jennifer Hiller; Editing by Leslie Adler)

How 'Star Trek' legend Nichelle Nichols helped shape a diverse future for NASA

By Breeanna Hare, CNN

Start a conversation about the power of Afrofuturism, and it won't be long before "Star Trek" legend Nichelle Nichols's name is dropped.

© Provided by CNN united shades black to the future star trek mlk _00002330.png

As the iconic Lt. Uhura, the actress made television history with her portrayal of a 23rd-century communications officer aboard the "Star Trek" USS Enterprise. It was one of the first times a Black woman was cast in a position of power on TV -- and it was in a science fiction series, no less.

The result was radical, says Atlanta-area comic book creator and game designer Dedren Snead. "Seeing her as a Black woman on the show ... that was ... who was that?" Snead tells W. Kamau Bell on Sunday's "United Shades of America." "It was just, I never saw Black people in fantasy in that sense."

A mission from Dr. King

Lt. Uhura may have been a fictional character, but her on-screen authority in a futuristic world held immense influence at a time when Black Americans were fighting for civil rights.

Nichols, who grew up near Chicago and began performing as a teen, had her heart set on Broadway. As the first season drew to a close in 1967, Nichols was ready to move on.

As the story goes, Nichols was at an event when she was told a "Star Trek" fan wanted to meet her. "She's thinking it's going to be this pimply-faced kid," comic book designer Afua Richardson recounts to Bell. "But it turned out to be Martin Luther King Jr. He said, 'Your show is the only show that I will allow my kids to watch.' She eventually told him that she was planning on leaving the show, and he gave a command, and he said, 'No, you cannot leave the show, it is too important.'"

King shared with Nichols how her work was impacting generations of Black Americans who were watching her play a non-stereotypical role. Nichols took King's words to heart, staying with "Star Trek" through its end in 1969.

"That was the greatest thing," Nichols told CNN in 2014 of her encounter with the civil rights movement icon. "That was greater than anything else, to be told that by Dr. Martin Luther King, because he was my leader. So I stayed and I never regretted it."

Recruiting for NASA

By choosing to stay, Nichols didn't just remain in an influential part. She set in motion a chain of events that would alter the course of history.

The same year "Star Trek" came to a close in 1969, the United States successfully landed two men on the moon. All eyes were on the future of space flight, but the growing field also had a glaring deficiency.

"There were no women, and there were no minorities in the space program -- and that's supposed to represent the whole country?" Nichols told CNN in 2014. She recalled thinking, "Not in this day and age. We just absolutely cannot have that. I can't be a part of that."

Enlisted by NASA in the late 1970s, Nichols set out on a new mission to help recruit women and people of color into the space race. "I am going to bring you so many qualified women and minority astronaut applicants for this position," Nichols has recalled saying, "that if you don't choose one ... everybody in the newspapers across the country will know about it."

Her work helped bring aboard Guion Bluford, the first African American to go into space, and Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space. Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space, also points to Nichols as the source of her inspiration.

"Science is not a boy's game, it's not a girl's game. It's everyone's game. It's about where we are and where we're going," Nichols told CNN. "Space travel benefits us here on Earth. And we ain't stopped yet. There's more exploration to come."


© CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Myanmar coup: 100 days of turmoil

Myanmar's military seized power on February 1, ousting the civilian government and arresting its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

© STR The 100 days in Myanmar have seen mass street protests, bloody crackdowns by the junta, economic turmoil and growing international concern

The 100 days that have followed have seen mass street protests, bloody crackdowns by the junta, economic turmoil and growing international concern.

© STR Resistance to the coup began with people banging pots and pans -- a practice traditionally associated with driving out evil spirits

A recap of events:

- Back to the old days -

The generals stage a coup on February 1, detaining Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi and her top allies in pre-dawn raids.

© STR Myanmar's military seized power on February 1, ousting the civilian government and arresting its leader Aung San Suu Kyi

It ends Myanmar's decade-long experiment with democracy after close to half a century of military rule

.

© STR The junta has defended seizing power and said it will not tolerate "anarchy" wrought by protesters

The generals claim fraud in November's elections, which Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party won by a landslide.

The putsch draws global condemnation, from Pope Francis to US President Joe Biden.

- Walkie-talkies -

Two days later 75-year-old Suu Kyi is charged with an obscure offence over unregistered walkie-talkies at her home.

- Internet blocked -

Resistance to the coup begins with people banging pots and pans -- a practice traditionally associated with driving out evil spirits.

© John SAEKI Chart showing the deaths in Myanmar since the February 1 coup

The junta tries to block social media platforms including Facebook, which is hugely popular in Myanmar. Nightly internet blackouts are later imposed.

© STR A UN envoy has called for Security Council action to stop Myanmar from spiralling into civil war

- Bold defiance -



Popular dissent surges over the weekend of February 6 and 7, with tens of thousands of people gathering on the streets calling for the release of Suu Kyi.

Workers begin a nationwide strike on February 8.

- Police fire on protesters -

A young woman, Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, is shot in the head and another person is wounded after police fire on crowds in Naypyidaw on February 9.

- International sanctions -

The next day Washington announces sanctions against several military officials, including Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the army chief now in charge.

More rounds of sanctions follow in the subsequent weeks from the United States, Britain and the European Union.

- New Suu Kyi charge -

On February 16 Suu Kyi's lawyer says she has been hit with a second charge, this time under the natural disaster management law.

- First protester dies -

Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, the woman shot 10 days earlier, dies on February 19, becoming a symbol of opposition to the junta.

- More charges -

Suu Kyi is hit with two new criminal charges on March 1. Her lawyer says she is now accused of inciting unrest and breaking telecommunications laws.

Ten days later the military accuses her of accepting illegal payments of cash and gold.

- Atrocities alleged -

On March 11 rights group Amnesty International says it has documented atrocities by the junta including the use of battlefield weapons on unarmed protesters.

A day later a UN rights expert on Myanmar accuses the military of crimes against humanity.

- Junta defends coup -

The junta defends seizing power on March 25 and says it will not tolerate "anarchy" wrought by protesters.

- Bloodiest day -

Armed Forces Day on March 27, the military's annual show of strength, turns into a bloodbath with more than 100 civilians killed in protest crackdowns -- the deadliest single day since the coup.

- 'Civil war' warning -

Violence escalates in border areas between the military and Myanmar's numerous ethnic rebel armies -- several of which have declared their support for the protest movement.

On March 31 a UN envoy calls for Security Council action to stop the country spiralling into civil war.

- Secrets charge -

On April 2, Suu Kyi's lawyer announces the most serious charge laid against her -- of breaching the official secrets act.

- Shadow government -

Ousted civilian lawmakers, forced into hiding, announce the formation of a shadow "National Unity Government".

- ASEAN summit -

Leaders from regional bloc ASEAN hold a summit on the Myanmar crisis in Jakarta, and invite junta leader Min Aung Hlaing.

They agree a five-point statement calling for dialogue, an end to violence and the appointment of an envoy.

But state media report days later the bloc's "suggestions" will only be considered "when the situation returns to stability" in Myanmar.

burs-pdw/dhc/mtp/gle

OCCUPIED PALESTINE
Israel's Supreme Court delays hearing on Palestinian evictions from Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem

By Hadas Gold, CNN 


Israel's Supreme Court on Sunday postponed a hearing on the possible eviction of several Palestinian families from their homes in Jerusalem and will set a new date within 30 days.

© Ammar Awad/Reuters People hold flags as Palestinians gather after performing the last Friday of Ramadan to protest over the possible eviction of several Palestinian families from homes on land claimed by Jewish settlers in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, in Jerusalem's Old City, May 7, 2021. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

The Supreme Court said the hearing, which was supposed to take place Monday, was canceled at the request of the State Attorney General.


Last week, the court said it would hear an appeal by the Palestinian families against their eviction from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem, in the latest development in a decades-long legal case.

A pro-settler organization called Nahalat Shimon is using a 1970 law to argue that the owners of the land before 1948 were Jewish families, and so the current Palestinian landowners should be evicted and their properties given to Israeli Jews.

Palestinians say restitution laws in Israel are unfair because they have no legal means to reclaim property they lost to Jewish families in the late 1940s in what became the state of Israel.

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday the law is "applied in an inherently discriminatory manner," adding that the transfer of Israeli civilians onto occupied land could be "prohibited under international humanitarian law and may amount to a war crime."

The situation in Sheikh Jarrah has become a main flashpoint amid rising tensions in Jerusalem. Israeli police have clashed with Palestinians for several days, with Palestinians accusing Israeli settlers of provoking the confrontations.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that at least 100 Palestinians were injured during unrest on Saturday evening at various locations across Jerusalem, including Sheik Jarrah, Damascus Gate and the Al Aqsa mosque compound.

THIS IS THE ZIONIST LINE; SERIOUSLY, CLASSIC ANTI SEMITISM
In a statement on Saturday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry called the situation in Sheikh Jarrah a "real-estate dispute."

"Regrettably, the PA and Palestinian terror groups are presenting a real-estate dispute between private parties, as a nationalistic cause, in order to incite violence in Jerusalem," the ministry said.

Palestinian leaders and institutions, including the Palestine National Council, have described the evictions of Palestinian residents from their East Jerusalem homes as "ethnic cleansing" aimed at "Judaizing the holy city," according to Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency.

Most of the international community regards East Jerusalem as occupied territory, and Palestinians see it as the capital of a future state. Israel wants to keep the city united as part of its sovereign territory, rejecting the idea that any part of it is occupied.

The situation in Sheikh Jarrah has drawn worldwide attention, with the US State Department expressing concern over the weekend.

"We are also deeply concerned about the potential eviction of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighborhoods of Jerusalem, many of whom have lived in their homes for generations," spokesperson Ned Price said. "As we have consistently said, it is critical to avoid steps that exacerbate tensions or take us farther away from peace. This includes evictions in East Jerusalem, settlement activity, home demolitions, and acts of terrorism."

Explainer-Jerusalem tense over evictions and holidays

By Maayan Lubel

© Reuters/MOHAMAD TOROKMAN Palestinians hold anti-Israel protest over Jerusalem's tension

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - East Jerusalem has seen nightly clashes during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, with Palestinians pitted against Israeli police and settlers.

The issues and the scale of the protests have varied, covering religion, land and politics, but running through them all is the core conflict between Israelis and Palestinians over the city, which has sites sacred to Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Here are some of the factors that have brought Jerusalem to near boiling point:

When did the protests start?

From the beginning of Ramadan in mid-April, Palestinians clashed nightly with Israeli police, who put up barriers to stop evening gatherings at the walled Old City's Damascus Gate after iftar, the breaking of the daytime fast.

Palestinians saw the barriers as a restriction on their freedom to assemble. Police said they were there to maintain order.

Why did the violence flare up again?

An Israeli Supreme Court hearing was due on May 10 in a long-running legal case about whether several Palestinian families would be evicted and their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, a neighbourhood near Damascus Gate that was given to Israeli settlers.

Some settlers have already moved into the street affected - living next door to the Palestinians facing possible removal.

As the court hearing neared, Palestinians and left-wing Israelis began holding larger demonstrations, saying more evictions could cause a domino effect throughout the overwhelmingly Palestinian neighbourhood.




Video: Pope urges end to clashes in Jerusalem (AFP)

Sheikh Jarrah also contains a site revered by religious Jews as the tomb of an ancient high priest, Simon the Just, leading to frequent tensions between Palestinian living there and religious Jews visiting it.

International attention

The case, in which a lower court ruled that the land in question belonged to Jews in East Jerusalem before the 1948 War, has gathered domestic and international attention, amid criticism of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem.

On Sunday U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke to his Israeli counterpart to express “serious concerns about the potential evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood,” the White House said.

And United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed "his deep concern over the continuing violence in occupied East Jerusalem, as well as the possible evictions of Palestinian families from their homes," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Sunday.

What next?

On Sunday the Supreme Court hearing on the evictions was postponed, pushing at least one flashpoint past the end of Ramadan and allowing more time for a resolution. A new session will be scheduled within 30 days.

Monday is Jerusalem Day, Israel's annual commemoration of its capture of East Jerusalem during the 1967 war. The event usually sees a march through the walled Old City by Jewish pilgrims, including ultra-nationalists, which could be another flashpoint.

IDENTICAL TO THE ORANGEMEN MARCHING IN CATHOLIC NEIGHBOURHOODS IN BELFAST

Why is Jerusalem so sensitive?

Politics, history and religion.

At the heart of Jerusalem's Old City is the hill known to Jews across the world as Temple Mount - the holiest site in Judaism - and to Muslims internationally as The Noble Sanctuary. It was home to the Jewish temples of antiquity. Two Muslim holy places now stand there, the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest place in Islam.

Christians also revere the city as the place where they believe that Jesus preached, died and was resurrected.

Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its eternal and indivisible capital, while the Palestinians want the eastern section as a capital of a future state. Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem is unrecognized internationally.

(Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Stephen Farrell, Raissa Kasolowsky and Gerry Doyle)

'An eye opening experience': Edmonton soldier spends a week aiding staff at Opaskwayak Cree Nation care home

Dylan Short 

EDMONTON JOURNAL

9/5/202021


An Edmonton-based soldier says a November deployment to a COVID-19-ravaged seniors home in northern Manitoba was an “eye-opening” experience for his team.

© Provided by Edmonton Journal 

Onekenew Cree Nation Chief Christian Sinclair, left, receives a token of friendship from Master Warrant Officer Tim Steakhouse of 1 Field Ambulance following a smudging ceremony.

Master Warrant Officer (MWO) Tim Stackhouse was part of a team sent from Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Edmonton to Opaskwayak Cree Nation near The Pas in Manitoba to provide support at the Rod McGillivary Memorial Care Home where all 28 residents contracted COVID-19. Stackhouse’s team, made up of nine medical technicians and three nurses, assisted the care home’s staff after several of them contracted the virus and needed to isolate.


Stackhouse said it was a new experience for the medics in the group, who are trained as paramedics and typically work on soldiers who are fit and generally between the ages of 18 and 60.

Heading into a facility where every resident had contracted COVID-19, he said the team was confident in their training, as well as their PPE usage, to keep them safe while they were in an outbreak setting.

“I think we all embrace the vulnerability, and the humility of now caring not only for Canadians but caring for the First Nation community,” said Stackhouse. “Specifically caring for the elders of this community, which of course in the First Nation community are held at a very high level of respect.”

Stackhouse spent a week in the community until the facilities staff were able to return to work.

Military teams have made headlines throughout the pandemic as they have been sent into care homes across the country to provide support in the hardest-hit communities. Stackhouse said CFB Edmonton teams have recently been sent to five different communities to provide assistance.

Outside of a stint supporting flood-fighting efforts in Manitoba, Stackhouse said he has deployed abroad twice in the past decade. But this latest deployment was the first time he has provided direct, first-hand support to Canadians, rather than supporting Canadian interests abroad.

“It’s humbling to actually be serving Canadians. As I said, you know, going into their community, and your sole purpose is to serve, to serve them,” said Stackhouse.

Stackhouse said he wasn’t able to comment on any future deployments but he did mention there were members currently in Ontario where they are currently dealing with large numbers of COVID patients becoming hospitalized.