Planting giant cactus to stave off desertification in Brazil

By AFP
June 28, 2024

Alcides Peixinho Nascimento walks through his plantation of mandacaru

 - Copyright AFP Volker Hartmann
Pablo PORCIUNCULA and Carlos FABAL with Lucia LACURCIA in Rio de Janeiro

Giant spiky cacti tower over farmer Alcides Peixinho Nascimento, 70, one of the residents of Brazil’s unique Caatinga biome who is on a mission to plant native vegetation in a bid to halt desertification.

“In the absence of laws, it is up to us to act,” said Nascimento, who is trying to regenerate his land by planting mandacaru, an emblematic cactus from the region that grows up to six meters tall.

The Caatinga stretches across ten northeastern states, a unique area boasting a tapestry of thorny shrubs, twisty trees and succulents adapted to its semi-arid conditions.

Its plight attracts little interest compared to the lush Amazon, but the vegetation of this dry forest plays a key role in absorbing carbon emissions and is rapidly disappearing.

The MapBiomas NGO reports it has lost 40 percent of its original surface area due to agriculture, mining and the installation of wind farms.

It is in the Caatinga, which has been facing increasingly severe periods of drought, that scientists recently identified the first arid zone in Brazil.

“Preserving the Caatinga means keeping the land alive,” said the farmer Nascimento.

Communities are adopting various sustainable farming methods to ensure their survival.

Nascimento’s drought-resistant cacti grow fruit that can feed both animals and humans, and protect the soil from the extreme climate.

Their thorns repel predators and are often planted around other crops and native species.

Excess mandacaru production is sold to a French cosmetics brand to make creams and soaps.

– ‘Guardians of the Caatinga’ –



Luiz Almeida Santos, of the local agricultural NGO IRPAA said the Caatinga was being preserved in areas where “traditional communities live” who adopt sustainable farming practices.

“They are the guardians of the Caatinga”.

A recent study predicted nine out of 10 species of fauna and flora in the Caatinga could disappear by 2060.

The IRPAA also teaches local communities how to stretch their water to last through severe drought.

On her land in northern Bahia, Maria Goncalves dos Santos, 60, shows how rainwater is collected and stored in a cistern.

“Here, all the water is reused,” she said. Wastewater is filtered and used to water animal pastures.

Goncalves measures the level of the 16,000-liter tank with a ruler and logs her consumption in a notebook.

The government has set up nearly a million tanks like this in the region since 2003.

Installations slowed dramatically under far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, but the program has recently been relaunched under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Another threat to the Caatinga is the rural exodus, and the IRPAA has set up a training center where it has taught some 200 young people about sustainable farming methods.

“In our region, we do not have many opportunities, we have to travel to seek knowledge. I am happy to be able to contribute to the well-being of my community,” said Anderson Santos de Jesus, 20, who traveled 200 kilometers (124 miles) to reach the training center.

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M  2 TIERED JUSTICE
Embezzlement-accused French media scion reinstated as CEO

By AFP
June 28, 2024

Arnaud Lagardere's company has eroded since he inherited it from his father - Copyright AFP Greg Baker

French media baron Arnaud Lagardere, who resigned from running the sprawling group of the same name in April over embezzlement charges, was reinstated as chief executive Friday after a favourable court decision, the company said.

Lagardere, who sold the firm built by his father to media giant Vivendi in November, had been temporarily barred from holding management positions over alleged misuse of corporate funds at some of his companies not belonging to Lagardere group.

Now he has secured the “partial lifting of the ban measure” in a court ruling, Largardere SA said in a statement.

A judicial source confirmed to AFP that the 63-year-old is within his rights to return to the top seat, despite being charged with embezzlement.

It was “a very great joy for me to resume as chief executive of the group that bears my name,” Lagardere himself said in the statement.

As well as thanking other company chiefs, he added a special note of gratitude to “our shareholders, and particularly the largest among them, the Bollore family”.

Billionaire Vincent Bollore, owner of a news station dubbed France’s Fox news among other conservative outlets, controls Lagardere SA’s owner Vivendi and is a close friend of Lagardere himself.

The November sale of the company to Vivendi completed the gradual erosion of the group Lagardere inherited from his father Jean-Luc in 2003.

Once a vast empire from publishing to aerospace, Lagardere SA still operates the profitable Relay chain of airport and train station stores, airport duty-free shops and major performance venues.

Its media operations include radio station Europe 1, Sunday paper the Journal du dimanche and France’s top book publisher Hachette.

Experts press Swiss foundation over Nazi-era art collection

By AFP
June 28, 2024

The controversial collection includes works by Renoir and other French Impressionists - Copyright AFP ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS

Christophe VOGT

A Swiss foundation must do more to trace the provenance of works in a vast art collection acquired in questionable circumstances during World War II, a team of experts said Friday.

There has long been suspicion around the Nazi-era origins of one of Europe’s most prestigious private art collections, acquired by arms dealer Emil Buhrle, who made his fortune during the war.

The German-born industrialist became a naturalised Swiss citizen in 1937. By the time he died in 1956, he had amassed around 600 artworks, including masterpieces by Cezanne, Degas, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Rembrandt, Picasso and Van Gogh.

Some had previously been looted from their Jewish owners, or sold cheaply and in haste as their owners fled the Nazis.

The Buhrle Foundation, which owns the collection, has been working to clarify the provenance of the works for years.

Its efforts came into particular focus when Kunsthaus Zurich, one of Switzerland’s most prestigious art museums, agreed to permanently house the collection. Until then, it had been displayed at a private museum on the outskirts of Zurich.

The Kunsthaus has faced especially keen scrutiny since it opened a new building to house a large part of the collection in 2021.

– ‘Insufficient’ –

A team of experts mandated by the Zurich authorities and the museum to evaluate the foundation’s research on provenance on Friday concluded that it had been “insufficient”.

“Provenance research must be continued,” said the team, led by renowned Swiss historian Raphael Gross, president of the German Historical Museum Foundation.

The Buhrle Foundation has confirmed that 13 paintings bought by the German-born industrialist had been stolen by the Nazis from Jewish owners in France.

Following a series of court cases after World War II ended, in the late 1940s Buhrle returned all 13 pieces to their rightful owners then repurchased nine of them, the foundation said.

But the foundation says its research over two decades concluded there were no signs of “problematic provenance” for any of the 203 works in the current collection.

Friday’s expert review examined the foundation’s sources, methodology, accuracy, standards and historical contextualisation.

Voicing particular concern that the foundation had categorised 90 works as unproblematic despite lacking full provenance research, the experts insisted they should all be re-examined.

The research should “concentrate on clarifying the previous Jewish ownership and persecution-related confiscation of the works”, they added.

“Without the Nazi’s persecution of Jews, the Buhrle Collection would never have reached the level it did,” Gross reporters at a new conference, the Swiss news agency Keystone-ATS reported.

– ‘Superficial’ –

The experts conducted an in-depth examination of the provenance investigation conducted on five emblematic works. They research there, they said, was so “superficial that decisive indicators (were) overlooked”.

One of the works, “Madame Cezanne with a Fan” by Paul Cezanne, had belonged to the US writer, poet and art collector Gertrude Stein, who was living in Nazi-occupied France.

“Gertrude Stein sold it to an art dealer who demonstrably exploited the plight of Jewish refugees,” it said. “The provenance of this work has not yet been sufficiently researched”.

The experts urged the Kunsthaus to set up an interdisciplinary panel to create a scheme for examining all art in its own collection and on long-term loan that could potentially be linked to Nazi-related confiscations.

The report also suggested the museum conduct a further debate, if possible a public one, about the Buhrle collection and the museum’s association with his name.

Nippon Steel fight points to industry’s uncertain future in Pennsylvania

By AFP
June 29, 2024

The Edgar Thomson steel plant in Braddock, Pennsylvania, which has been producing since 1875, would go to Nippon Steel under a proposed buyout of United States Steel - Copyright AFP Rebecca DROKE

John BIERS

Nippon Steel’s proposed acquisition of United States Steel has been a source of unease in Pittsburgh, where the metal once dominated the economy and still looms large in the collective psyche.

Critics such as the United Steelworkers (USW) see the transaction as the latest threat to come along in a years-long struggle to keep the industry alive after plant closures in 1970s and 1980s battered the American rustbelt.

“There’s just so much history here and a lot of pride that comes with that,” said the USW’s Bernie Hall, a 4th generation metals worker. “It wouldn’t be western Pennsylvania without steel.”

In December, US Steel sealed a $14.9 billion deal to sell itself to Japan’s Nippon Steel, which has promised investments to keep Pennsylvania factories competitive with foreign producers and newer “mini mills” in the American South that are less taxing on the environment.

But Hall, head of the Pennsylvania chapter for the USW, said the Japanese company had been evasive about specific plans for Pittsburgh-region plants in an area called the Mon Valley, the earliest of which dates to 1875.

Both President Joe Biden and challenger Donald Trump have vowed to annul the deal as the two compete for blue-collar votes, putting the transaction into limbo, probably until after the November election at least.

At stake are the Pittsburgh region’s last remaining steel factories, located just outside the city.

– City transformed –

For most Americans, Pittsburgh remains virtually synonymous with steel, partly owing to the prominence of the Pittsburgh Steelers American football team.

But the complexion of a metropolis once known as the Smoky City changed fundamentally after the last plants shuttered in the 1980s.

Steel “is still part of our identity, but we’re disconnected from that identity,” said former steelworker Edward Stankowski Jr., whose memoir “Memory of Steel” details his exit from the industry with thousands of others in the early 1980s.

Stankowski, whose childhood Pittsburgh home looked out onto steel plants, started in the industry out of high school in the 1970s when many young men viewed the job as a ticket to the middle class, trading hard labor in a hazardous setting for good wages and a solid retirement.

The land where Stankowski’s factory once stood in Pittsburgh’s South Side has been repurposed and now includes apartments named “Hot Metal Flats” and a Cheesecake Factory restaurant.

“I do not miss it,” said Stankowski, who went to university after leaving steel and is now a professor at La Roche University. “I like having clean air. I like having clean water.”

Steel was well suited to western Pennsylvania, a region with waterways and an abundant supply of coal, but “there’s been a fundamental, almost tectonic shift in the geography of steel,” said regional economist Chris Briem of the University of Pittsburgh.

The Mon Valley plants “have been around a long time,” Briem said. “If they don’t get a lot of new reinvestment, they probably won’t be competitive much longer.”

Locals see symbolism in the renaming of US Steel tower downtown as the UPMC building after the region’s biggest employer, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.


– Long-term commitment? –

Once owned by Andrew Carnegie, the Edgar Thomson plant in Braddock is one of three western Pennsylvania factories that US Steel manages together with a fourth plant in eastern Pennsylvania in an operation known as “Mon Valley Works.”

Nippon has promised to keep the plants open and invest $1.4 billion in USW-represented facilities through 2026 when the current labor contract expires. The company has also vowed to keep US Steel’s 1,000-worker office in downtown Pittsburgh.

“You cannot tell the story of US Steel without Pennsylvania playing a leading role, and Nippon Steel will keep it that way,” Nippon vice chairman Takahiro Mori wrote in a June 9 op ed in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

Nippon has hinted that odds for US approval could improve after November. Backers of the transaction argue that US Steel could be broken up if the deal dies, adding more uncertainty to US Steel’s 3,000 hourly workers in Pennsylvania.

But the USW says Nippon’s plans are vague and give the company an out in a downturn.

“They’re saying they’re going to invest in the plants,” Hall said. “What does that mean?”

Workers want a sign that whoever runs Mon Valley “is interested in running these mills for the long-term and really investing in this community,” Hall said. “That’s exactly what they’re not hearing from either Nippon or US Steel.”

Some Mon Valley workers interviewed by AFP slammed the deal as a money grab by US Steel management, expressing fear about their jobs. But others are open to it.

Alex Barna, a machinist at the West Mifflin plan, described himself as “on the fence” as he weighs his hopes and worries, saying of Nippon, “they might be in it for the long haul.”

Biden, Trump battle for blue-collar voters as steel merger looms


By AFP
 June 28, 2024


President Joe Biden in April unveiled steel tariffs at the United Steel Workers Headquarters in Pittsburgh after receiving the union's endorsement the prior month - Copyright AFP Emmanuel DUNAND

John BIERS

Working class voters in Rust Belt cities like Pittsburgh used to favor Democrats overwhelmingly, but years of economic hardship and the rise of social issues favoring Republicans have made them a swing constituency again in 2024.

President Joe Biden has cleared one key hurdle, winning endorsements from union presidents, including the United Steelworkers (USW), a key player in the US Steel takeover battle that has loomed over the 2024 campaign in Pennsylvania.

But just how many rank-and-file workers ignore union chiefs and vote for Donald Trump could have a decisive impact in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, where the margin could be 100,000 votes or fewer.

Biden backers point to the incumbent’s reliable support of organized labor, links to working-class Scranton, Pennsylvania and legislative accomplishments like the 2021 infrastructure law.

“We listened to four years of Donald Trump talking about infrastructure, because there was a lot of lip service,” said steelworker JoJo Burgess in a Biden ad. “Joe Biden delivered on it.”

“Right now, we have the most pro American worker president in office that we’ve ever had,” said Burgess, who is also mayor of Washington, Pennsylvania.

But Rudy Sanetta, a maintenance worker at US Steel, prefers Trump on the economy and because of his stance on gun rights.

“I like him for his resistance to the politicians,” Sanetta said of Trump. “The other guy, I have no confidence.”

Working class voters “are the most pivotal because they’re the ones who have actually demonstrated that they’re willing to select either Trump or Biden,” said Jonathan Cervas, a political scientist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Exit polling from Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania in 2020 suggests the swing to Biden of white working class voters who favored Trump in 2016 “significantly influenced the difference between winning and losing,” according to a May paper by progressive political consultant Mike Lux Media and the organized labor-backed group In Union.

But the paper pointed to recent polling that showed a drop in Biden’s support among union households in Wisconsin and Michigan, while Pennsylvania was unchanged from 2020.

“Democrats need to understand that these working-class Heartland voters have been through a lot of tough times over the last few decades,” said the paper, which urged early outreach from trusted sources that connects with voters’ “real-life experience to counter digital misinformation and social pressure.”

– Eroding support –

Since Trump’s political emergence, there has been considerable debate about the different reasons for the erosion of white working-class support for Democrats.

Some commentators view Trump’s 2016 upset as at least partly a racial backlash after the presidency of Barack Obama and Trump’s embrace of issues like illegal immigration.

Other commentators, like Ruy Teixeira of the American Enterprise Institute, have called the Democratic Party’s progressive positions on issues like police reform and transgender rights alienating to voters who are more culturally conservative.

The 2023 book “Rust Belt Union Blues,” a case study of the Pittsburgh region, points to the after-effects of the 1970s and 1980s industrial downturn that led to huge job losses and shuttered union halls, weakening labor’s bargaining hand with companies.

The downturn also diminished the community role of unions, which once held picnics and other gatherings where members would don colorful pins promoting their locals; this contributed to a solidarity oriented around issues like fair wages and health care.

While unions still hold some activities, many workers who survived industry downsizings now socialize around religion and hunting, where politically-oriented groups lean conservative, according to authors Lainey Newman and Theda Skocpol.

– Pocketbook issues –

Bernie Hall, who leads the USW Pennsylvania district, agreed that many union members have varied affiliations, but said work remains central.

“Especially in western Pennsylvania, you know people really identify with the union,” he said.

Hall, who praised Biden as a “blue-collar” Democrat who has delivered for voters, predicted Biden would win a majority of steelworkers, but acknowledged that Trump holds considerable support.

Some workers turned to Trump after decades of industrial decline to “blow up” the system, Hall said, adding, “I still think there’s an appeal to that for some people.”

Alex Barna, a machinist at US Steel, was a lifelong Democrat who voted for Obama. But since 2016, Barna has voted for Trump twice and will do so again, crediting the former president’s tax cuts with a good economy before Covid-19.

“What affected us was the pocketbook and the pocketbook” was good, said Barna’s wife, Helen, contrasting it with today’s higher inflation.

“A lot of people think of the four years of the mean tweets,” said Helen Barna. “At least we lived better.”

Is there a new generational interest in US manufacturing employment?


By Dr. Tim Sandle
DIGITAL JOURNAL
PublishedJune 28, 2024

A shortage of semiconductors hampered auto production in 2021, sending used car prices higher and fueling the spike in US inflation. — © AFP

New survey data shows that 83 percent of the so-termed Gen Z cohort are open to or likely to consider trade jobs, while 78 percent of another marketing demographic – Millennials – share the same viewpoint.

Overall, younger demographics are showing increased interest in moving into some form of trade-related occupation, unlike the Baby Boomers and Generation X cohorts.

This is based on a recent survey conducted by ARC (American Revitalization Company), a real estate and business development firm.

Data from the National Association of Manufacturers further bolsters these findings, revealing the sector’s substantial economic contribution. In Q4 2023, manufacturing injected $2.89 trillion annually into the U.S. economy, with every dollar spent in manufacturing generating a total economic impact of $2.69.

As of May 2024, the sector provided employment to nearly 13 million workers. It is also a resource hungry sector as the survey reveals: all industrial users consumed 33.25 quadrillion Btu of energy in 2022, or 33.5 percent of the total.

In terms of what areas of ‘trade’ are the most appealing, when asked to select an industry, 46 percent of respondents preferred manufacturing over other trade jobs.

There are challenges, however, as a McKinsey report points out: “Gen Z workers say they’re open to jobs in manufacturing. But getting them to take these jobs, engage, and stay will mean changing a work environment long optimized for machines, not people.”

The survey also recovered a nationalistic and protectionist element, suggesting that over 80 percent of people living in the U.S. consider manufacturing essential to the U.S. economy. This strong sentiment was followed up with views expressing the desire to see manufacturing operations, where the operation has left the U.S., to be relocated to or retained on ‘American’ soil. Some 54 percent expressed concerns about the negative implications of outsourcing manufacturing operations.

This perhaps suggests that the U.S. association with the free-trade neoliberal economic model is declining.

According to Steve Austin, partner at ARC: “Americans understand the vital role that manufacturing plays in the U.S. economy.”

He adds: “Americans recognize that manufacturing was critical to building our nation’s economy during the Industrial Revolution, its continuing importance to our current economic health, and they want to restore its presence meaningfully. At ARC, we are committed to ensuring this happens.”

Ying and yang of AI bots: How the war on hiring is being fought


By Dr. Tim Sandle
June 29, 2024

DIGITAL JOURNAL


Current AI systems, designed to be honest, have developed a troubling skill for deception, from tricking human players in online games of world conquest to hiring humans to solve "prove you're not a robot" tests, a team of scientists argue - Copyright AFP/File OLIVIER MORIN

The use of artificial intelligence in assessing job applications and in the hiring processes overall is growing within human resource management circles. For its advocates, this technology is transforming the landscape for both applicants and employers.

In additio9n, AI is also aiding those pursing work. Job seekers are leveraging AI tools to craft cover letters, résumés, and even automate job applications, while employers are deploying AI to sift through the surge of applications.

Sara Gutierrez, Chief Science Officer at SHL, sees the use of AI in hiring as something that can be beneficial, but only when used the right way.

She explains to Digital Journal: “Given that skills-based hiring is the future, using AI to both assess and evaluate candidates (on the employer’s side) and to help candidates differentiate themselves more clearly can significantly improve the hiring process for everyone involved. The key lies in shifting the focus away from the “bot vs. bot” scenario and instead leveraging AI to deploy a powerful Talent Intelligence database.”

Therefore, the benefits of AI are potentially considerable. Citing some examples, Gutierrez says: “AI holds immense potential to revolutionize hiring by leveraging Talent Intelligence data, which provides a comprehensive understanding of candidate skills, experiences, and potential. This data is derived from diverse sources such as psychometric assessments, job performance metrics, and self-reported skill proficiencies.”

Furthermore, other insights can be drawn notes Gutierrez: “Talent Intelligence may also consider job market trends and economic conditions. Analysing such a rich dataset enables AI to generate powerful insights into a candidate’s fit for various roles, moving beyond traditional résumé-based evaluations.”

Gutierrez believes that with talent intelligence, AI in hiring can be important and ease the process. Here she indicates: “Utilizing Talent Intelligence data, AI can provide actionable insights that improve the hiring process for both sides. Employers can identify key skills and competencies that predict success in specific roles, leading to better hiring decisions.”

Tracing this to a concrete example, Gutierrez finds: “For instance, as detailed in the article, Salesforce successfully used AI to identify and hire former teachers for solution engineering roles by recognizing overlapping skills. This example illustrates how AI can uncover valuable talent pools that might otherwise be overlooked, matching candidates to roles based on core skills rather than traditional qualifications alone.”

Summarising the collective benefits, Gutierrez proposes: “By harnessing the power of AI and Talent Intelligence, both candidates and organizations stand to benefit significantly.”

And in another advantage she finds: “Candidates can be proactively recruited without having to apply, and organizations can access a wider pool of talent with specific information on what each candidate can offer. This approach promises to enhance the overall quality of hires and streamline the hiring process, making it more efficient and effective for everyone involved.”

What does the UK election have in store for those with housing needs?


By Dr. Tim Sandle

DIGITAL JOURNAL

June 29, 2024

Houses taken from above. Image by Tim Sandle

When beleaguered UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a snap general election for July 4th, this took many commentators by surprise. The calling of the poll has also brought a number of important societal issues to the fore. One such issue is housing.

First-time home renters and buyers will be keen to see how the different policy platforms put forward by the parties will affect them. Notably, Google searches for ‘first-time buyer schemes’ were up by 5,000 percent within an hour of the announcement.

The frontrunner Labour Party has promised to build 1.5 million new homes over the course of the next parliament, setting itself an ambitious target on building new homes.

Speaking about those keen to enter the property market, David Thomas, Chief Executive of Barratt Developments PLC, tells Digital Journal: “It is clear that the housing crisis will be front and centre in this election campaign and we look forward to seeing positive policies from all parties aimed at increasing housebuilding, supporting people onto the property ladder and helping the industry to build strong sustainable communities.”

Amidst uncertain times, particularly for newcomers to the property market, research conducted by Thomas indicates that one in five (20 percent) first-time buyers are unaware of affordable home ownership schemes.

As cost-effective pathways to home ownership continue to be available for first-time buyers in the UK, Thomas presents the opportunities that might be overlooked due to limited awareness of different support schemes.

Scheme % of first-time buyers expressing unfamiliarity Average monthly search volumes in last 12 months

Mortgage guarantee scheme 88% 2,900
Guarantor mortgages 87% 5,400
First Homes scheme 63% 14,800
Shared ownership 58% 40,500
Lifetime ISA 51% 74,000


Despite generating an average of 40,500 monthly online searches, Thomas explains that 58 percent of first-time buyers remain unaware of the shared ownership scheme and its potential benefits for helping them enter the property market. Shared Ownership allows first-time buyers to purchase a share in a new build or resale property, where they pay a mortgage on the share they own and subsidised rent on the remaining share to a housing association.

Returning to the Labour Party, given the most probable outcomeon July 4th, first-time buyers will find interest in the party’s manifesto, which seeks to make permanent a mortgage guarantee scheme to help people onto the property ladder.

Likewise, Thomas informs, Lifetime ISAs consistently generate the highest monthly search volume (74,000 monthly searches) among the existing affordable home ownership schemes. Nonetheless, over half of first-time buyers are not taking advantage of its benefits. This scheme works differently to a normal savings account as the government adds a 25 percent bonus to your savings, up to a maximum of £1,000, per year.

Pride marches across

AMERIKA incorporate politics


Participants march down Fifth Avenue at the 2024 NYC Pride March in New York City on Sunday. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

June 30 (UPI) -- Pride month celebrations culminated Sunday with parades across the world, including San Francisco and New York, where people supporting LGBTQ identities and rights, some dressed in multi-colored, elaborate clothing and costumes, marched in the streets.

In New York, thousands of Pride revelers rallied along Fifth Avenue in an event that also marked the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising of June 28, 1969, which sparked the gay rights movement in the United States.

"For 55 years, New Yorkers have proudly carried the banner that says, 'This is the birthplace of the LGBTQ+ movement,'" Gov. Kathy Hochul, who participated in the march, told the crowd.

"And today, we continue pushing forward, recognizing the contributions from those individuals who stood up against the tides of their time, who said that 'We have rights. We have rights to gather, to socialize, to dance, and to love who we want to love.'

The event and march were held under the theme of "Reflect. Empower. Unite," selected to highlight the importance of the city's Pride march "As the intersection of Queer liberation and joy," the organizing NYC Pride said in a statement.

The march and celebrations come amid an onslaught of Republican-led bills targeting the rights of the lGBT community. The American Civil Liberties Union is tracking some 527 such bills that have been entered into state legislatures this year.

NYC Pride Executive Director Sandra Pérez said earlier in a statement that the city's march is how the community combats "all the negativity."

"This is the celebration that brings people from every borough in the city and all parts of the world together, in joy, to share the accomplishments, talents and resilience of our community," Pérez said.

"The March is where we demonstrate the strength that comes with inclusion, diversity and acceptance."

Dashawn Usher, Miss Major, Raquel Willis, Michelle Visage, Eshe Ukwell and Baddie Brooks served as grand marshals for the event.

In San Francisco, city officials kicked off the festivities Saturday by marrying more than 200 couples as part of its annual tradition celebrating marriage equality.

Its march also occurred Sunday, with the city's Pride theme being "Beacon of love."

"Yes, San Francisco is a beacon of love, but also hope," Mayor London Breed said in a statement.

"Right now, all across this country our LGBTQ+ community is under assault, with their basic rights being threatened, and we stand strong in support of this incredible community. Today is about celebrating the love that bonds individuals together and serves as the heart of the work we have ahead of us here in this City and across the nation."

There were also large Pride marches in Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago and across the globe. The Chicago march typically draws 1 million people and organizers reduced the number of floats participating in this year's festivities from 199 to 150, citing logical and safety concerns.

Biden praises 'beloved' bar's role in gay history during unveiling at Stonewall site

 Protesters gather outside at the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center grand opening ceremony in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

June 28 (UPI) -- The Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center opened its doors Friday, coinciding with the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a historic moment in the LGBTQ rights movement.

The visitors center, which is the first LGBTQ-centered monument within the National Park Service, is a project led by New York nonprofit Pride Live and encompasses 2,100 square feet at 51 Christopher St. in New York City.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden traveled to New York for the opening-day celebration.

"This beloved bar became the site of a call to cry for freedom, dignity, equality and respect," Biden told the crowd. "Rebellion galvanized LBGTQ community all across the nation and, quite frankly, around the world."

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Jill Biden said, "From today on, this visitor center and monument will tell our nation's story to the teenager who comes here and discovers she isn't alone. The activist who wants to show his children what came before. And all those who wish to learn from the wisdom of the past and use it to help chart the course for our future."

Biden was joined by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

Singers Katy Perry and Elton John also made appearances.

"I can say as a proud English, gay man, that this is one of the greatest honors of my life to be here today," he said. "The fight for freedom and equality is an ongoing one."

Former President Barack Obama designated the Stonewall National Monument in 2016 to commemorate the Stonewall Rebellion, a series of violent demonstrations against police raids on the Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969.

The project to convert the bar into a visitors center started six years ago with Pride Live co-founders Diana Rodriguez and Ann Marie Gothard.

The center will provide educational resources on LGBTQ history and culture, such as in-person and virtual tours, lectures, exhibitions and a dedicated theater space.

Mexico shelters offer safe haven for LGBTQ migrants


By AFP
June 28, 2024


Venezuelan trans woman Victoria Davila, 23, puts on makeup to go to an appointment at the Mexican foreign ministry - Copyright AFP ALFREDO ESTRELLA

Emma Guillaume with Eduardo Jaramillo in Tijuana

Shirlei Vazquez, a trans woman, fled Guatemala after being assaulted and threatened, joining a growing number of LGBTQ migrants heading north in hopes of a better life in the United States.

In Mexico, these migrants have found a safe space at shelters welcoming people facing added stigma or violence on the long journey north due to their sexual orientation or identity.

“I had two options: die in my country or leave to find safety,” the 27-year-old Vasquez told AFP from a shelter in Tijuana called Rainbow House.

Back home she was assaulted and told she would be set on fire “for being gay.”

UN Women this month warned that LGBTQ migrants “face higher risks of significant physical and sexual violence at all stages of migration.”

This includes “unsafe shelters”, lack of access to healthcare and discrimination by border agents.

Casa Frida, a shelter in Mexico City, offers legal, psychological, social and medical support, as well as food aid and housing.

“Casa Frida is a safe space. A place of freedom for certain people, for those to be able to express who they really are,” said Angelica Guzman, a 24-year-old lawyer who does social work at the shelter.

The shelter opened in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic to accommodate the growing number of LGBT migrants in the country.

It has since expanded to Tapachula, a city near the country’s southern border with Guatemala where thousands of migrants pass through, as well as Monterrey in the country’s north.

– ‘All the courage in the world’ –

Victoria Davila, a 23-year-old trans woman who fled “risky situations” in Venezuela, has been at the shelter for two months.

“To migrate is to decide to recreate another life somewhere else,” she said, adding the decision to leave her home and family had taken “all the courage in the world.”

In her first few months in Mexico, Davila ran into similar dangers to those she experienced back home.

A Mexican employer took away her documents and forced her into unpaid sex work.

At the shelter, she found a family where she is “welcomed, embraced, respected and validated.”

“I have to show who I am and that I exist, and anyone who doesn’t like it should look the other way,” Davila said.

Sandy Montoya, a 23-year-old trans woman from Honduras, blamed authorities in the conservative Central American society for allowing discrimination against trans people.

“There have been several murders and the government has done nothing to bring justice,” she said.

Montoya arrived at her shelter in May and plans to apply for humanitarian asylum in the United States.

It can take two to nine months to book an asylum appointment with American authorities, so many migrants take jobs in Tijuana while waiting.

Davila, meanwhile, has decided to stay in Mexico City because of the openness of the LGBT community, where she has found work as a drag artist.

“The drag scene in Mexico City is great and very welcoming,” she said.

Turkey: Several killed, scores injured in Izmir gas blast

An apparent gas explosion has killed several in a restaurant in the coastal city of Izmir, with nearly 60 people injured, Turkish officials say.

The Turkish interior minister said eight ambulances were deployed to the scene in Izmir

Image: Berkan Cetin/Anadolu/picture alliance

A building in Turkey's Izmir was partially destroyed in a deadly blast on Sunday, with the explosion claiming at least five lives and leaving some 57 people injured. Some of the injured are in critical condition, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in an online post.

"May God have mercy on our citizens who lost their lives, and I wish a speedy recovery to our injured," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.



Cars and surrounding houses were also damaged. People living in the area were asked to evacuate.

Early findings indicated a gas explosion, authorities saidImage: Berkan Cetin/Anadolu/picture alliance

The minister said an investigation was ongoing. Initial findings point to the blast being caused by a gas cylinder, he said.

Later on Sunday, authorities said one person was arrested over the incident. The man allegedly replaced the propane tank with a new one at the site on Saturday.

dj/msh (dpa, DW material)

Syrians in Turkey face deportation into an unknown future

Diana Hodali

06/29/2024

DW

Turkey is deporting Syrian refugees back to Syria, despite mounting international concerns. Human rights groups have condemned the plans and warned of serious ramifications for the returnees.

Hafis A. was returned to Syria after years in Istanbul, in a move that human rights organizations have decried as involuntary returns

Image: privat

Much like every morning, Hafis A. was making his way to the restaurant where he used to work. The young Syrian man had no idea his life as a refugee in Istanbul was about to change.

When Turkish security authorities pulled him over and demanded his papers which had expired two days earlier, he was taken straight to a deportation center.

A few days later he found himself together with other Syrians at the Bab al Hawa border crossing between Turkey and Syria. "They dropped me off at the border, and suddenly I was back on Syrian soil," he told DW in the province of Idlib in northwestern Syria.

Hafis A. was born in the Syrian capital, Damascus. In 2020, the then 22-year-old decided to leave Syria to avoid being conscripted into the Syrian army. "I didn't want to fight, I wanted to live," he said.

Turkey has taken in more refugees from Syria than any other country. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 3.6 million Syrians have been living in Turkey under temporary protection since the Syrian war broke out in 2011.

The high number of refugees is in part also due to the European Union's controversial deal with Turkey in 2016, which was intended to stem the flow of refugees and migration to Europe via the Aegean Sea.

Hafis A. found a new home in Turkey's capital, obtained the necessary papers to stay, managed to get a job and was even able to buy a small car after a while.

But despite his life going smoothly, Hafis A. said the atmosphere was getting increasingly tense. "You could tell that Turkey wanted to get rid of us Syrians," he told DW.

"Syrian refugees only ever had temporary protection in Turkey," said Anita Starosta from the organisation Medico International. "Syrians were and are always treated like guests. They are not supposed to settle and become Turkish citizens."

Amid dwindling aid and political unrest, civilians face tough circumstances in Syria's Idlib region under Islamist rule

Image: Omar Albam/DW

Precarious security situation awaits deported Syrians

This type of temporary refugee status, introduced specifically for Syrian refugees, has enabled Turkey to simplify deportations.

"Since 2018, there have been repeated waves of deportations," said Starosta.

According to Human Rights Watch, or HRW, Turkish authorities deported over 57,000 Syrians and other people between January and December 2023.

HRW also reported that Turkish authorities put pressure on border authorities to list the majority of border crossings as "returnees" or "voluntary".

So far, it hasn't been easy for Hafis A. to build a new life in Idlib even though he found a job in a cafe. However, he earns much less than he used to make in Turkey.

Idlib province is the last region to be controlled by Syrian rebels and Islamists. It is predominantly under the control of Islamist militias, in particular the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militia, which evolved from the al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front.

Yet the region is in a state of turmoil and there have been protests against the Islamists in recent months. Idlib province is characterized by poverty; many of the 2.9 million internally displaced persons are dependent on international aid which is becoming increasingly scarce.

The precarious supply and security situation in the region exacerbates the lives of returning refugees who also have to deal with the administration of the property they left behind in Turkey. Hafis A. still has his car in Istanbul and some money saved in an account.

"Of course, everything is much more familiar to me in Syria, the people, the language. I live in my own country, but I'm still so far away from my parents because I can't visit them in Damascus due to the political situation," he said.

Having fled his military service, he would have to expect consequences from the Assad regime if he returned to Damascus.

Idlib has been long ruled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, but there are now protests against the Islamist militia

Image: Omar Albam/DW

Syrian refugees 'used as political pawns'

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced in February that "around 625,000 Syrians voluntarily returned to Syria" because living conditions had improved. In the cities of Jarabulus, Al-Bab and Azaz (cities located in the safe zone — Editor's note), efforts had been made to stem irregular migration towards Turkey, he said.

However, Human Rights Watch recently documented that these areas are anything but safe.

"Turkey has failed to ensure the safety and well-being of the civilian population. Instead, the lives of the region's 1.4 million residents are marked by lawlessness and insecurity," HRW said in a report.

"Turkey has always used Syrian refugees as a political pawn, whether through its EU-Turkey deal and the billions of euros associated with it, or to exert influence on the reorganization of Syria if the regime were to fall," said Starosta of Medico International.

However, as the Assad regime is well-entrenched, she believes this is highly unlikely for the time being. "Erdogan is currently using Syrian refugees to pursue his colonisation policy in the Kurdish regions," she said.

So for now, Hafis A. has no choice but to stay in Idlib city.

But he refuses to give up hope. "Syrians have to start all over again so often and this makes us tired. I would love to go back to Turkey."

Syria's nightmare continues 1 year after deadly earthquakes  02:47

Elmas Topcu contributed to this article, which was originally written in German.