MACAU, May 21 – The Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) of the People’s Republic of China expresses strong opposition to the release of the 2021 annual report on the MSAR issued by the European Union (EU).
With regard to Macao’s successful implementation of the “One country, two systems” principle, the report contains unfounded accusations and counterfactual claims.
The MSAR Government urges the EU to stop immediately its intervention in Macao’s internal affairs, as they are part of China’s domestic affairs.
Since its return to the motherland in 1999, Macao has won worldwide recognition for its successful implementation of the “One country, two systems” principle, opening a new chapter, the best in history, for its development. Residents of the MSAR have fully enjoyed the rights and freedoms enshrined under the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the Basic Law of the MSAR. These accounts are undeniable facts.
With the strong support of the Central Government, along with concerted effort from across the community, Macao will ensure steady progress in the implementation of the “One country, two systems” principle with Macao characteristics, and welcome the fruition of further achievements.
Southern yellow-billed hornbill at study site. Credit: Nicholas Pattinson
The yellow-billed hornbill, cousins of fan-favorite Zazu from The Lion King, faces local extinction due to the climate crisis. Between 2008 and 2019, researchers investigated the effects of high air temperature and drought on the breeding success of southern yellow-billed hornbills in the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa. This study is one of the first to research the impact of the climate crisis on population-level breeding success over a longer timescale.
The climate crisis is exacerbating the harsh conditions of extreme climates, such as the high temperatures and the frequency and intensity of drought periods associated with arid regions.
In fact, the animals that inhabit these regions are already suffering the consequences. For example, previous research has shown that the breeding success of multiple bird species is affected by a warming climate. They are breeding earlier and for a shorter period of time.
“There is rapidly growing evidence for the negative effects of high temperatures on the behavior, physiology, breeding, and survival of various bird, mammal, and reptile species around the world,” said first author Dr. Nicholas Pattinson, of the University of Cape Town.
“For example, heat-related mass die-off events over the period of a few days are increasingly being recorded, which no doubt pose a threat to population persistence and ecosystem function.”
Pattinson and his colleagues have researched whether rapid climate warming influenced the breeding success of the southern yellow-bill hornbill, an arid-zone bird, over a period of 10 years. The study was published on May 19, 2022, in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.
The yellow-billed hornbill
The southern yellow-billed hornbill’s distribution includes most of southern Africa, with a large portion falling within the Kalahari Desert. It is thought that their population numbers are declining.
Known for its peculiar breeding and nesting strategy, the southern yellow-billed hornbill is a socially monogamous species. They are cavity nesters; the female seals herself into the nest cavity and stays there for an average of 50 days to brood and care for chicks. The only opening is a narrow vertical slit, through which the male feeds the female and chicks.
This type of nesting largely protects from predation, which means that breeding success depends primarily on other factors such as climate and food availability. For example, yellow-billed hornbills initiate breeding in response to rainfall, which corresponds with the hottest days of the year. This makes it difficult for them to shift breeding dates outside of the hottest periods.
Population collapse
Pattinson and his team studied a population of southern yellow-billed hornbills at Kuruman River Reserve in the southern Kalahari Desert in South Africa between 2008 and 2019. Data was exclusively collected from pairs breeding in wooden nest boxes. They looked at the breeding success at broad and fine scales (long term trends and individual breeding attempts, respectively). The team also analyzed climate trends for the region.
The results showed that breeding output collapsed during the monitoring period (2008-2019) due to the increased maximum air temperature.
“During the monitoring period, sub-lethal effects of high temperatures (including compromised foraging, provisioning, and body mass maintenance) reduced the chance of hornbills breeding successfully or even breeding at all,” explained Pattinson.
When comparing the first three seasons (between 2008 and 2011) to the last three (between 2016 and 2019), the researchers found that the average percentage of occupied nest boxes declined from 52% to 12%, nest success (successfully raising and fledging at least one chick) declined from 58% to 17%, and the average of chicks produced per breeding attempt decreased from 1,1 to 0,4.
No successful breeding attempts were recorded above the threshold air temperature of 35,7°C. Breeding output was negatively correlated with increasing days on which the maximum air temperature exceeded the threshold at which the hornbills displayed heat dissipation behavior and normal breeding and nesting behavior. These effects were present even in non-drought years.
Fast paced climate crisis
The study shows the fast pace at which the climate crisis is taking place is having severe negative effects for charismatic species over alarmingly short time periods. Current warming predictions at the study site show that the hornbill’s threshold for successful breeding will be exceeded during the entire breeding season by approximately 2027.
“Much of the public perception of the effects of the climate crisis is related to scenarios calculated for 2050 and beyond,” Pattinson continued. “Yet the effects of the climate crisis are current and can manifest not just within our lifetime, but even over a single decade.”
“Despite no striking large die-off events, our prediction in this study is that southern yellow-billed hornbills could be extirpated from the hottest parts of their range as soon as 2027.”
“Sub-lethal consequences of high temperatures may drive local extinctions by resulting in recruitment failure (ie no young animals joining the population) and changes to the ecosystems on which we all depend.”
Reference: “Collapse of Breeding Success in Desert-Dwelling Hornbills Evident Within a Single Decade” by Nicholas B. Pattinson, Tanja M. F. N. van de Ven, Mike J. Finnie, Lisa J. Nupen, Andrew E. McKechnie and Susan J. Cunningham, 19 May 2022, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.842264
As a significant portion of the recently reported Monkeypox cases has been identified among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) expressed concern on Sunday about some public media reporting and commentary reinforcing homophobic and racist stereotypes.As of May 21, the World Health Organization (WHO) received reports of 92 laboratory-confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases from 12 countries not endemic for the disease.
Some cases have been identified through sexual health clinics and investigations are ongoing.
The disease could affect anyone
According to WHO, available evidence suggests that those who are most at risk are those who have had close physical contact with someone with monkeypox, and that risk is not limited to men who have sex with men.
UNAIDS urged media, governments, and communities to respond with a rights-based, evidence-based approach that avoids stigma.
“Stigma and blame undermine trust and capacity to respond effectively during outbreaks like this one,” said Matthew Kavanagh, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director. “Experience shows that stigmatizing rhetoric can quickly disable evidence-based response by stoking cycles of fear, driving people away from health services, impeding efforts to identify cases, and encouraging ineffective, punitive measures”.
Mr Kavanagh highlighted that the agency appreciates the LGBTI community for having led the way in raising awareness of monkeypox and reiterated that the disease could affect anyone.
“This outbreak highlights the urgent need for leaders to strengthen pandemic prevention, including building stronger community-led capacity and human rights infrastructure to support effective and non-stigmatizing responses to outbreaks”, he noted.
The agency urged all media covering Monkeypox to follow WHO’s updates.
The UN health agency said over the weekend that as the situation is evolving and the surveillance expanding, it is expected that more monkeypox cases will be identified.
To date, all cases whose samples were confirmed by PCR have been identified as being infected with the West African clade.
Genome sequence from a swab sample from a confirmed case in Portugal indicated a close match of the monkeypox virus causing the current outbreak, to exported cases from Nigeria to the United Kingdom, Israel and Singapore in 2018 and 2019.
WHO said that the identification of confirmed and suspected cases of monkeypox with no direct travel links to an endemic area represents a ‘highly unusual event’.
CDC
CDC – A young man shows his hands during an outbreak of monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (file)
About the illness
monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms very similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.
There are two clades of monkeypox virus: the West African clade and the Congo Basin (Central African) clade.
The name monkeypox originates from the initial discovery of the virus in monkeys in a Danish laboratory in 1958. The first human case was identified in a child in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970.
monkeypox virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding. The incubation period of monkeypox is usually from 6 to 13 days but can range from 5 to 21 days.
With the industrial food system common to farming in the United States, from the way slaughterhouses are run to the pesticides used on crop farms, Samer Saleh found adhering to a diet based on Islamic guidelines impossible. His solution? He founded his own farm so he and his family can observe the dietary laws of Islam and he can share natural and organic food with others.
In 2013, Samer, originally from Alexandria, Egypt, founded Halal Pastures, his farm in Rock Tavern, New York, 60 miles north of Manhattan. There he and his family raise and sell grass-fed, organic halal beef, chicken, turkey and lamb, pasture-raised eggs, and organically grown fruits and vegetables.
In Islamic law, halal, which means permissible and lawful, describes what a Muslim may and may not eat or drink. For meat to be halal it must not be the meat of animals which are strictly forbidden and it must be raised and slaughtered in accordance with exact rules. For beverages to be halal they must be produced in clean conditions and must not contain forbidden ingredients such as alcohol. Halal bears some similarities to kashrut, the rules set down within Judaism that qualify foods as kosher. Kashrut and halal laws both forbid eating pork, for example.
“In our religion, food truly nourishes your body,” Samer said. “What we put in our food, or even our body, is what we get out. And if the food that we put into our body is wholesome, is halal, is pure, you believe that it turns into good deeds.”
In June 2022, Halal Pastures will begin a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, harvesting custom boxes of produce for local subscribers to pick up at the farm through the growing season.
Activists who support “food justice” work to incorporate eco-friendly standards in the farms producing halal and kashrut foods. While they work to the end of a preserved environment for the future, this aligns with the principal responsibilities of halal. “You don’t want to dirty the land that has been given to you,” Samer said. “You really have to take care of that soil … because this is the soil that will feed generations—and generations after you.”
Three-quarters of the land-based environment and about 66% of the marine environment have been significantly altered by human actions. On the International Day for Biological Diversity, the UN Secretary-General urged to end the ‘senseless and destructive war against nature’.
“Biodiversity is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, ending the existential threat of climate change, halting land degradation, building food security and supporting advances in human health”, said António Guterres in a statement.
The UN chief highlighted that biodiversity offers solutions for green and inclusive growth and, this year, governments will meet to agree on a global biodiversity framework with clear and measurable targets to put the planet on the path of recovery by 2030.
“The framework must tackle the drivers of biodiversity loss and enable the ambitious and transformative change needed for living in harmony with nature by effectively protecting more of the world’s land, freshwater and oceans, encouraging sustainable consumption and production, employing nature-based solutions to address climate change and ending subsidies that damage the environment”, he highlighted.
UNEP – An orphaned gorilla released in its new habitat, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Healthy gorilla populations are becoming increasingly isolated due to habitat loss and conflict across the region.
Living in harmony with nature
Guterres added that the global agreement should also mobilize action and financial resources to drive concrete nature-positive investments, ensuring that we all benefit from the dividends of biological diversity.
“As we accomplish these goals and implement the 2050 Vision for “living in harmony with nature”, we must act with respect for equity and human rights, particularly regarding the many indigenous populations whose territories harbour so much biological diversity”, he emphasised.
The UN chief said that to save our planet’s indispensable and fragile natural wealth, everyone needs to be engaged, including youth and vulnerable populations who rely the most on nature for their livelihoods. “Today, I call on all to act to build a shared future for all life”, he concluded.
Building a shared future for all life is precisely this year’s focus for the International Day, in line with the United Nations Decade on Restoration.
Biological diversity resources are the pillars upon which we build civilizations.
Fish provide 20 per cent of animal protein to about 3 billion people; plants provide over 80 per cent of the human diet; and as many as 80 per cent of people living in rural areas in developing countries rely on traditional plant‐based medicines for primary healthcare.
Yet, about 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction.
Loss of biodiversity threatens all, including our health. It has been proven that biodiversity loss could expand zoonoses – diseases transmitted from animals to humans- while, on the other hand, if we keep biodiversity intact, it offers excellent tools to fight against pandemics like those caused by coronaviruses.
If current negative trends in biodiversity and ecosystems are not addressed soon, they will undermine progress toward 80% of the assessed targets of 8 Sustainable Development Goals.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Uzra Zeya joining hands at the conclusion of their meeting at his residence in Dharamshala. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL
By Choekyi Lhamo
US Special Coordinator Uzra Zeya visits Dharamshala, meets Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama
The US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Uzra Zeya met with Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama at his residence in Dharamshala on Thursday. “It is quite clear that changing Tibetan minds [has] completely failed by the Chinese Communist [Party]. Meanwhile, China themselves thinking [is] rapidly changing; now socialism, Marxism [has] gone,” the exiled leader told the dignitaries. The US official’s two-day visit to Dharamshala comes weeks after the Washington visit of CTA President Penpa Tsering last month.
“Your Holiness, it is my great honour to have this audience with you. I am Uzra Zeya; I am President Biden’s Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues and it is my greatest honour to be received by you. I bring greetings from our President and the American people. Best wishes to your good health and our gratitude for your message of peace for the world,” Zeya said, emphasizing the US’ support for the Tibetan cause.
US Special Coordinator Uzra Zeya and fellow delegates during the audience with H.H. the Dalai Lama at the latter’s residence in Dharamshala on Thursday (Photo/OHHDL)
The octogenarian leader also said that both the United States of America and India are great nations where “democracy ensures complete freedom” for the people. The Dalai Lama noted that India is a noted example of flourishing democracy since all religious traditions live together in India. “That’s unity,” he remarked.
ICT Interim Vice-President Tencho Gyatso, who also accompanied the delegation, in a report prior to the visit said, “We believe this trip can and must translate President Biden’s statements of support into proactive initiatives needed to build on global support for Tibet, including lifting the veil that the CCP’s 70-year occupation is an ‘internal matter’. Negotiations between Chinese and Tibetan representatives must be started.” The State Department announced Monday that she will “travel May 17- 22 to India and Nepal to deepen cooperation on human rights and democratic governance goals, and to advance humanitarian priorities.”
US diplomat Zeya presented the religious leader with a Native American dream catcher, as a mark of solidarity among oppressed groups across borders. As an Under Secretary of State, she is a higher-ranking official than the former Special Coordinator Robert Destro who served in the Trump administration.
On Wednesday, Zeya visited the offices of the CTA including the Kashag secretariat, Supreme Justice Commission, Tibet Museum and Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, after she was welcomed by hundreds of Tibetans.
The CTA official spokesperson Tenzin Lekshay told the press that Under Secretary Zeya’s official visit to Dharamshala is of utmost significance to the cause, “Biden administration’s swift appointment of the position of Special coordinator for Tibet was in itself a notable move. Her visit ensures her will to support the cause, as it is evident by her planned interaction with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and meeting with the CTA official staff. This is indeed the first step through which the coordinator would pave the way for the US government to help the Tibetan cause.”
The US President Joe Biden had earlier promised to appoint a Special Coordinator for Tibet and meet with the revered Dalai Lama. “I’ll work with our allies in pressing Beijing to return to direct dialogue with the representatives of the Tibetan people to achieve meaningful autonomy, respect for human rights, and the preservation of Tibet’s environment as well as its unique cultural, linguistic and religious traditions,” US President Biden had said in September 2020 during his election campaign.
The current Australian Prime-Minister conceded defeat, after not being able to gain more seats than the Australian Labor Party. Anthony Albanese, leader of the ALP, has already claimed victory and is expected to form the next government.
The defeat of Scott Morrison was already expected, as the Liberal Party of Australia, and the rest of the “Coalition” that formed the about to be unseated Australian government, composed by the LPA and by the National Party of Australia, were not able to manage well the Prime-Ministers troubled government and leadership. Peter Hartcher, political and international editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, considers that Morrison wasn’t able to please the “broad church” that forms the LPA, between liberals and conservatives. In spite of describing itself as a pragmatist, Morrison’s right-wing populism alienated many voters, mainly the ones that live in the suburbs. These voters were considered to be one of the “bedrocks” of the Liberal electorate, but have now moved to independent candidates. This Independent phenomenon was particularly present in Sydney. The Green Party also saw a rise in the vote share.
Scott Morrison conceded defeat early in the election night, saying that “in a time like this,” it is “very important to have a clear understanding” of the Australian government, and wishing Albanese the “best of luck.”. Despite only having managed to get 52 seats* in the House of Representatives, Morrison won the popular vote, with 3 835 976, against Labor’s 3 554 410 votes.
“A government as courageous and hard-working as the Australian people are”
Anthony Albanese, leader of the Labor Party, and the next Prime-Minister of Australia, said in his election victory speech. The newly elected Australian PM promises swift action on the climate crisis, by making Australia a “renewable energy superpower”. In his speech, Albanese also vowed to work with all Australians to make the economy “leap” and grow, so the government can protect and expand healthcare and prioritize “equal opportunity for women”.
Labor won 71 seats*
76 seats are needed for a majority in the House.
*13 seats remain to be called, with 66.33% of the vote counted.
Cyprus low-income retirees will be able to go on vacation, fully paid by the state. The new subsidized holiday program is part of measures to support vulnerable groups, as well as to support domestic tourism.
A free 4-day holiday (with three nights) in mountain resorts with full board is provided to low-income seniors, the government has decided.
Subsidized vacations start on June 1 and will last for four months, in June-July and September-October.
The program is available to pensioners who receive the minimum guaranteed income, as well as those whose annual income is up to 15,500 euros (for a single household) and up to 20,000 euros (for families).
The implementation of the plan will cost more than 800,000 euros and will cover about 5,200 people, the social ministry said.
The aim is to support low-income retirees and provide them with quality services, while supporting and stimulating the development of domestic tourism in mountainous areas.
Another government program for subsidized summer holidays and affordable recreation is currently under way in Cyprus, targeting all permanent residents. It started on May 1 and lasts until the end of July.
Google has announced that it is on the verge of creating a comprehensive artificial intelligence. This is an opportunity to learn and manage many different tasks.
Leading researcher at Google’s DeepMind division, Dr. Nando de Freitas, boldly said that “the game is over” and that the scaling of AI will lead to a transition to AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), reports Futurism.
DeepMind is one of the places where scientists are trying to achieve comprehensive artificial intelligence. In practice, he will be able to acquire super-intelligence if he is fed up with sufficiently large and comprehensive databases.
Such artificial intelligence will be able to be used for a variety of tasks without the need for programming from scratch. He will be able to learn different things at the same time and in practice would be similar to the artificial intelligence from the movies.
Achieving AGI has been the number one goal of scientists since the last century. The implementation of such an algorithm turned out to be more difficult than expected, because according to many forecasts, comprehensive artificial intelligence should have already been achieved.
It is believed that the huge number of databases for each aspect of life will facilitate the creation of AGI. However, not everyone is so enthusiastic. Many scientists believe that such artificial intelligence could pose an existential threat to humanity.
The technical problem was reported on the first day of its launch, the Refugee Agency explained it with overload
A technical problem in the online platform for collecting data from refugees on May 21 prevented many Ukrainian citizens in Bulgaria from filling out the survey data on the first day of the system’s launch, BNT reported.
The Refugee Agency explained that the system was overloaded as many people tried to enter at the same time. Only with registration will people with temporary protection be able to be transferred to state bases or other hotels after the end of the month. The deadline for filling in the refugee questionnaires is May 25.
According to the story of Ukrainian women to state television, they failed to create their own profile in the system.
“I have not filled in the survey yet, I failed. I am waiting for the electronic system to work well, because today there were many problems to log in and fill in our data. But we definitely want to register because I am here with my son, eldest daughter and “We want to take this opportunity,” says Lina.
Refugees most often ask interviewers where they will be accommodated from the beginning of next month, but so far have not received specific answers.
“Very few people, according to information coming from the field teams, have really managed to enter the survey, create a profile with a username and password, fill out and send the survey,” said the head of the State Agency for Refugees Mariana Tosheva .
More than 50 Ukrainians have somehow managed to overcome the technical hurdle and fill in their questionnaires despite the problem with the platform.
“Once this information is processed, then it will be distributed in different places, but for now we do not have clarity,” said Petya Hristova, Labor Office – Varna.
Teams have been formed from the regional administrations of Varna, Shumen and Dobrich, which visit hotels to help Ukrainian citizens complete the survey. The registration of hoteliers, who will benefit from the government’s program for accommodation of refugees for BGN 15 (env. 7,5 EUR) per day, has also started.
