Two global church groupings representing around a billion Christians, the World Council of Churches and the World Evangelical Alliance have both denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for Moscow to resolve any grievances it may have by peaceful means.
WEA said on Feb. 24 it is “condemning the violation of international law by Russia and calling for an immediate end to the attacks on Ukraine.”
Both the WEA and WCC urged people to pray for peace in Ukraine.
The BBC reported on Feb. 24 that Russian forces launched a military assault on neighboring Ukraine, crossing its borders and bombing targets near big cities.
In a pre-dawn TV statement Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia did not plan to occupy Ukraine and demanded that its military lay down their arms.
WEA, its European counterpart and the WCC called upon churches around the world to pray for restoration of peace.
The invasion of Ukraine is both unjustified and unprovoked said WEA.
“It has been claimed that the attack is necessary to protect ethnic Russians within Ukraine and to stop Ukraine from threatening Russia,” said the WEA in a statement.
“These claims are untrue. This disaster has been provoked into being by President (Vladimir) Putin for wider geopolitical purposes.”
The WEA noted that Russia and Ukraine are both sovereign nations that must be able to live in peace with each other, respecting each other’s borders and internal and geopolitical affairs.
“We are gravely concerned to yet again witness armed conflict that will inevitably lead to tragic loss of human lives, including innocent civilians who only desire to live in peace,” said WEA Secretary General Bishop Thomas Schirrmacher.
“We call for an end to the hostilities, an immediate ceasefire and respect for Ukrainian territorial integrity.”
The World Council of Churches called for an immediate end to the current armed hostilities around Ukraine.
“The World Council of Churches denounces any and every use of deadly armed force to resolve disputes that could be resolved by dialogue,” the council which includes the Russian Orthodox Church among its members.
“We firmly believe that dialogue – based on the principles of international law and respect for established national borders – was and is the proper path for the resolution of tensions surrounding Ukraine.”
The WCC called for an immediate end to the current armed hostilities, and for the protection of all human lives and communities threatened by this violence.
We urge all member churches and all people of good will around the world to join us in prayer for peace for the people of Ukraine and the region.
(PHOTO: REUTERS / Yves Herman)People gather outside an European Union emergency foreign ministers meeting to protest against Russian troops in Ukraine, in Brussels March 3, 2014.
Maputo (Mozambique), 23 February 2022 – Increasing activity by armed groups in Southern and Eastern Africa brings new and growing threats to the region of terrorism, terrorism financing and violent extremism. Some of the groups have pledged allegiance to Islamic State, which makes them particularly dangerous.
This growing transnational threat requires renewed commitment from Member States to cooperate across borders to detect terrorist activity and bring terrorists to justice.
In cooperation with its partners, UNODC has brought together 35 criminal justice practitioners from the regions to explore good practices promoted in other regions in Africa and identify ways to support stronger cooperation based on mutual trust.
During a two-part training course, participants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, and South Africa discussed specific challenges they have faced working on judicial cooperation matters, including those based on differences in languages and legal systems.
They noted the importance of enhancing mechanisms of cooperation in order to share information, intelligence, and evidence between States and build strong cases for prosecution.
UNODC Director for the Division of Operations, Miwa Kato, highlighted the importance of assisting Eastern and Southern African Member States in countering terrorism, terrorism financing and violent extremism, while fostering security and stability in these regions.
Ms. Kato noted that “military intervention alone would not resolve the terrorism-related security challenges being faced by the regions.” She said it was essential “to strengthen governance and ensure those who have committed these grievous terrorism acts, and those who are supporting and funding them, are held accountable to ensure sustainable peace and security in the regions.”
Ms. Kato also highlighted UNODC’s Strategic Vision for Africa 2030 which was launched earlier this year, noting that “the moment to address and tackle these challenges facing the continent is now.”
“Mozambique was delighted to host this event” said Amabélia Chuquela, Deputy Attorney-General of Mozambique. She further stated that “the workshop helped reinforce formal and informal transboundary cooperation towards the detection, prevention, investigation and prosecution of terrorism offences in Eastern and Southern Africa.”
The training series was organized by UNODC in cooperation with the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO), the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), and the Office of the Attorney-General of Mozambique, with the generous support of Germany.
The training series built upon the terrorism prevention assistance that UNODC has been providing to Eastern and Southern Africa through its Terrorism Prevention Branch, Global Porgramme on Money Laundering, regional offices for Eastern and Southern Africa, and Programme Office for Mozambique.
This assistance, delivered in close partnership with SADC, EAPCCO, and the African Union, focuses on building the capacity of criminal justice officials to detect, investigate, and prosecute terrorism and terrorism financing-related offences, including through strengthened cross-border cooperation.
European Commission Press release Brussels, 23 Feb 2022 The report is prepared in the context of the enhanced surveillance framework which serves to ensure continued support for the delivery of Greece’s reform commitments following the successful completion of the financial assistance programme in 2018.
On Wednesday, an EP delegation ended its three-day visit to Poland, where MEPs met politicians, judges, civil society and journalists, to assess the rule of law situation.
They met parliamentarians, members of the judiciary (the latter included several judges who have been disciplined under legislation contested by the EU Court of Justice), and victims of illegal surveillance using the Pegasus software. MEPs also spoke with representatives of the media and NGOs focussing on justice, the rule of law, women, and LGBTI and migrants’ rights. Finally, they met with representatives of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Polish Commissioner for Human Rights.
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Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D, ES), Chair of the Civil Liberties Committee, stressed that “the situation of rule of law in Poland has further deteriorated since our last visit in 2018. Our objective is to support the clear majority of the Polish population who strongly believe in European values. We have heard about the personal experiences of different citizens, judges, scholars and activists. The Polish authorities must understand that only by respecting and applying all criteria set out by the European courts on the independence of the judiciary will the situation improve. The Commission cannot tolerate having judges being harassed, persecuted and sanctioned by disciplinary measures in a European member state for simply applying EU law. Moreover, we have serious concerns about the lack of transparency regarding the situation at the border with Belarus, where politicians, journalists and NGOs are not allowed access while human lives are at stake.”
“We visit Poland at a time of grave crisis in its immediate neighbourhood, facing a contest between democracy and authoritarianism. This is why it is more important than ever to be crystal clear about our commitment to our founding values: democracy, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms. Adherence to these values is not an abstract matter. It requires the full application of the judgements of the EU Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights by the Polish authorities, without delay. We request that the Commission makes the complete application, one hundred percent, of these judgements a precondition for the release of funding from the EU Recovery Fund”, said Othmar Karas (EPP, AT), EP first Vice-President.
Gabriele Bischoff (S&D, DE), first Vice-President of the Constitutional Affairs Committee, added: “The situation of the rule of law in Poland is not only a national issue, but a European question. The primacy of EU law is at the foundation of the European project and it is enshrined in the Polish constitution. We have heard with deep concern testimonies about attacks on judicial independence. The European values of equality and non-discrimination are not respected, especially towards migrants, women and the LGBTI+ community. We also discussed the recent revelations on Pegasus spying and its consequences for media freedom and fair elections. This information will be important as we get ready to set up an EP inquiry committee on the use of this spyware in the EU. We also call on the Council to move beyond just holding hearings on the Article 7 procedure and take the appropriate next steps.”
In 2017, the Commission initiated a procedure under Article 7 to address a possible risk of breach of EU values in Poland. Parliament has since repeatedly asked the Council to act, and in 2020 warned about further backsliding. The situation has deteriorated further since, including through the criminalisation of sexual education and a de facto ban on abortion.
Next steps
MEPs taking part in the delegation will now draft a report summarising their findings, which will be discussed publicly in the two committees.
Executive Vice President of the European Commission for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age, Margrethe Vestager (L), and European Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton (R), give a press conference on the Data Act at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, 23 February 2022. [EPA-EFE/STEPHANIE LECOCQ]
Speech by Executive Vice-President Vestager on the Data Act
European Commission Speech Brussels, 23 Feb 2022
The Data Act as part of our human-centric Digital Strategy
Today, we adopted the proposal for the Data Act – an important step towards the creation of a single European market for data. We announced the Data Act in our European Strategy two years ago.
The data act clarifies who can access and share data, and on what terms. It provides legal certainty and it aims at removing barriers to data sharing. This is our second main legislative initiative directly related to data. The first one was the Data Governance Act. It provided the legal framework for trustworthy infrastructures needed to promote data sharing. And as you know that proposal is adopted.
We have already launched a number of initiatives to “shape Europe‘s digital future”. This includes our proposal on trustworthy AI, our work on digital platforms, as you will know it from Digital Services and the Digital Markets Acts, both now in trilogues, our “Digital Compass” and our recently proposed Declaration of digital rights and principles.
The aim of all our initiatives is two-fold: We want to unleash the huge benefits that the responsible use of data and digital technologies can bring to every one of us. At the same time, we want safe use of data and technologies. A use that works for people and respects our fundamental rights. That means addressing the risks that may be associated with the use of technologies – risks to our privacy, risk to our integrity, even risk to our physical and mental health.
Benefits of data sharing
Data is an essential resource for economic growth, for competitiveness, for innovation, and for job creation.
In the Data Act, the data we have in mind is typically generated by connected machines or connected devices. That could be a smart watch, it could be a car, or eventually even your coffee machine. These devices generate a huge amount of data in what we call the “internet of things”. So do all those sensors that automatically take in information from our environment. A lot of this data is non-personal data, and most of it is currently unused. If used, such data can provide a multitude of possibilities for new products, new services, or they can foster research. But for this to happen, we need to define who has control over such data, and who can use it for what purpose.
Our data strategy is all about putting such data into productive use, to the benefit of companies and society. The green transition can only happen if we become more energy efficient – and the use of data will help us. Just imagine how much more efficient we can become if we analyse traffic data in order to improve public transport and anticipate traffic congestion.
In order to make this possible we address remaining barriers to data sharing.
The Data Act defines who can use what data, and under what conditions. We want to ensure greater fairness in the allocation of the value created by data.
The main part: B2C and B2B data sharing
We are buying more and more products that generate data – from smart watches to connected cars. Currently, it is mainly the manufacturer of these products who holds and uses the data. In order to empower consumers, we want to change this, building on data portability.
First, consumers will have the right to access all of this data, free of charge and in real time. Second, we will have the right to oblige the manufacturer to share this data with another company – a company that we choose, a company that have chosen to provide us with additional services, could be a maintenance or repair.
This gives us greater control over our data. It also boosts competition by allowing more companies to offer their services to us. In our proposal, we are ensuring that small and medium sized businesses will be the main beneficiaries of these new opportunities. Competition in the consumer internet of things has also been analysed in the recent sector inquiry by DG Competition, and here competition is indeed needed.
Other provisions of the Data Act
Fairness test
The Data Act will also establish a fairness test for data sharing contracts across the economy. This test will help micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in situations where there are unfair contractual terms are unilaterally imposed on them.
Cloud switching
We have also been looking at the difficulties that private and public customers face when they want to move their data from one cloud service provider to another. The Data Act aims to remove commercial, technical, and contractual obstacles that still prevent customers from switching between cloud services. So enabling that switch if a costumer would want it.
This will not only empower customers. It will also allow for more competition in an area that is increasingly important for business users and governments alike.
B2G data sharing
The Data Act also identifies exceptional circumstances under which public authorities may get data from private companies. The pandemic has shown us that there are situations where companies have data that is critical in public emergencies. Data that would allow public authorities to quickly respond. The Data Act clarifies when such data sharing might be justified and when it might be needed.
Interoperability
Before I conclude, I would like to draw your attention to interoperability. Data sharing is often impossible for technical reasons. These could be the lack of standardised formats for data or metadata, or lack of relevant core vocabularies. Simply put, it is hard to communicate if you do not speak the same language. The Data Act provides for a mechanism to identify and effectively address such technical obstacles.
Throughout the proposal, we have paid particular attention to the needs and possible restraints that SMEs are facing:
On the one hand, they are the main beneficiaries of the data sharing provisions. They will have privileged access to such data, because gatekeeper companies, those who will be designated under the Digital Markets Act, they will not be eligible, so SMEs only. They will also get such data on reasonable terms, because the price they have to pay is limited to the direct costs arising to the manufacturer. SMEs will also benefit from the fairness test.
On the other hand, we kept possible compliance cost for SMEs to a minimum. Small and micro enterprises are exempted from the data sharing obligations and from the obligations to share data with public bodies.
Summing up, our proposal will be an important step towards a single market for data that empowers people and leads to a fairer allocation of value.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
From being the Republican presidential candidate, to being booed off the stage by the same people who voted for him. The now senator Mitt Romney may belong to a dying species of Republicans…
Mitt Romney was the Republican presidential candidate in the 2012 Presidential Election, he lost to incumbent Barack Obama and was then overshadowed by Trump and the new GOP. Son of Governor George Romney, a Michigan politician and Republican presidential candidate in the 1968 primaries against Nixon, businessman, millionaire, Winter Olympics organizer, Massachusetts Governor and now Utah Senator…
It seems like an age ago, maybe because it was an age ago. The Republican Party has changed solidly since 2016, things changed forever, a chapter of the GOP’s history had its end.
Trump, “for the better or for the worse” as people like to say, changed things permanently. He broke the stagnant and dormant American political system. Not in the way that many of his supporters think he did, by “draining the swamp”, no, turning it upside down…
Just look at the Republican Presidential Candidate that ran before him, 4 years earlier, and look at the difference… Mitt Romney couldn’t be more different from Trump, even in their wealth they are very very different, but only someone who didn’t pay attention to the 2012 Presidential Election did not understand that a storm was coming…
Mitt Romney ran for president, or presidential candidate, for the first time in 2008. He was a main contender for the GOP’s nomination along with Mike Huckabee and John McCain.
In the primary, he showed since the beginning an aptitude for campaign funding, spending $110 million, of which $45 million was from his own personal fortune. He also had an almost flawless organization at the campaign level, mostly because he had been planning to be a candidate since 2006, even putting his governorship of the state of Massachusetts at a secondary level to garner support inside the Republican Party all around the country.
In the end, however, it didn’t matter, John McCain built a constructive defeat since his 2000 run in the GOP presidential primary, and won the contest securing the nomination…
However, Mitt Romney built a constructive defeat too…
Mitt Romney never managed to have a grass-roots movement like many of his 2012 contenders managed to create. He even tried to sell himself as an outsider, as in a Washington D.C outsider, but his wealth, moderacy and governorship of a liberal state did not contribute to the image that the Republican Party base wanted…
Mitt Romney was viewed by many as a “flip-flopper”, a fake conservative, and his religion, Mormonism, did not help very much in trying to get the evangelical vote.
Romney seemly knew all this, and so his strategy was to run ads to make his opponents look worse, to convince people that he was the most “presidential” and the one with more chances to win against Obama and to play him as a uniting figure, obtaining votes from disillusioned Democrats, moderates and hard-line conservatives…
In 2012, Romney was lucky, the Republican Party was still in the middle of the Tea Party Movement hurricane, but the movement never managed to get a figure to rally behind against the “moderate” Romney. Many names surged in the list: Michelle Bachman, Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Herman Cain, etc. But not one managed to garner enough support to seriously compete against Romney.
If Romney thought that the main threat was from the more radical wing of the party, he was shortly proven wrong. Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum were the candidates closer to flipping the race against Romney, but one by one they fell…
Gingrich because, even though he was the face of the 1994 Republican Revolution and a very conservative candidate, was considered “too much of an insider”, and so unable to garner support from the voters who wanted an “outsider” in the White House.
Ron Paul because he didn’t have the support inside the party establishment, and was too much of a libertarian, even though he won some caucuses.
And the main threat, Rick Santorum, was also a very conservative politician and even had an appeal with blue-collar workers. However, his narrow victories and the hospitalization of his daughter made the campaign difficult and he ended his campaign in April, before Gingrich and Paul.
Having won the primary and securing the nomination, Mitt Romney went on the attack against the incumbent Obama. However, the campaign did not go as well as planned. Many mistakes like the “47%” remark, the “$ 10.000 bet”, the Super PACs, his controversial management of Bain Capital and many, many other incidents marked the Romney campaign for the White House, a campaign that failed despite high expectations.
Looking back, the Romney presidential run seemed difficult to pull off… The main themes of the campaign were hard to sell, things like fiscal-conservatism and making the Obama presidency look like a complete failure, but Romney seemed completely impotent in effectively responding against Obama’s accusations and arguments against him. It is indisputable that Mitt Romney came off the campaign looking weak, or at least weaker than Obama.
Mitt Romney, of course, lost. He managed a better result than McCain, but it was still a big loss to a Republican Party that seemed numb. 206 electoral votes went for Romney and 332 to Obama. It wasn’t even close.
However, the most interesting part about Romney and his presidential campaign is how inconsequential it was… As soon as Mitt Romney lost, the GOP asked “Ok, what’s (or who’s) next?” – the answer certainly wasn’t obvious.
Romney is now a senator, he voted in favor of both Trump’s impeachments, and is now considered a RINO (Republican In Name Only)
Many thousands of lives could be saved each year in the WHO European Region, if Member States introduced more taxes on alcohol. Across the Region, taxes on the sale of alcohol are lower than taxes on tobacco. To enhance the untapped power of health taxes, the WHO Regional Director for Europe’s Advisory Council on Innovation and Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD Advisory Council) has proposed a new signature initiative on taxation for countries to consider in their fiscal policies.
Across the Region, alcohol consumption leads to almost 1 million deaths each year from a wide range of causes, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), as well as infectious diseases and injuries. Every day in the Region, around 2500 people die because of alcohol.
Decades of research and country experiences from all over the world have shown that increasing the price of alcoholic beverages through taxation is one of the most cost-effective policies used to lower drinking levels and alcohol-attributable harm. This has been recognized as a “best buy” intervention by WHO, delivering greater health impacts in reducing illness, disability and premature death than other policy options.
However, alcohol taxation remains one of the least implemented measures, largely due to opposition from economic operators and because price increases are generally unpopular with the public.
This is why the NCD Advisory Council is launching this signature initiative that focuses on 5 key areas that will increase the untapped potential of health taxes for alcohol in the Region in an unprecedented way.
Alcohol taxation: effective but neglected health measure
“In the context of alcohol, taxation should be considered as a health measure, and not purely an economic instrument. Today, there is an important consensus among the Member States to follow WHO’s recommendation of a minimum 75% tax share of the retail price of tobacco, a goal that has already been achieved by more than half of the 53 countries in the Region. But very little is being done regarding alcohol consumption with the same measures,” said Dr Carina Ferreira-Borges, ad interim Director for NCDs, Programme Manager for Alcohol and Illicit Drugs, WHO/Europe.
“We have calculated how alcohol tax increase will impact mortality in the WHO European Region. And this data clearly demonstrates how beneficial this measure will be for people’s health,” added Dr Jürgen Rehm, member of the NCD Advisory Council, Senior Scientist at the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research and the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.
Minimum level of alcohol tax will save more than 130 000 lives per year
According to a study that was conducted by the NCD Advisory Council’s signature initiative working group, if countries of the WHO European Region were to introduce a minimum level of 15% tax on the retail price per unit of alcohol, regardless of the type of alcoholic beverage, it would save 133 000 lives each year.
This number could increase substantially with a higher percentage of tax share, meaning increasing alcohol excise duty should be considered a priority for public health.
What is important is the final price of alcohol
Any amount of pure alcohol should cost the same – no matter the alcoholic beverage, concludes the signature initiative working group.
“We need to remember that the final price the consumer pays for the bottle is important. Consumers do not buy, for example, 10 grams of pure alcohol. They buy a bottle of beer or wine or spirits – so the price levels for any beverage should be at the same level depending on the amount of alcohol inside,” explained Dr Jürgen Rehm.
The NCD Advisory Council gathers the best expertise on the topic of NCD prevention, and inspires Member States to reach the NCD-related Sustainable Development Goals.
In promoting further implementation of alcohol control measures, the Council’s activities are in line with the WHO European Programme of Work 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health in Europe”.
Many thousands of lives could be saved each year in the WHO European Region, if Member States introduced more taxes on alcohol. Across the Region, taxes on the sale of alcohol are lower than taxes on tobacco. To enhance the untapped power of health taxes, the WHO Regional Director for Europe’s Advisory Council on Innovation and Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD Advisory Council) has proposed a new signature initiative on taxation for countries to consider in their fiscal policies.
Across the Region, alcohol consumption leads to almost 1 million deaths each year from a wide range of causes, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), as well as infectious diseases and injuries. Every day in the Region, around 2500 people die because of alcohol.
Decades of research and country experiences from all over the world have shown that increasing the price of alcoholic beverages through taxation is one of the most cost-effective policies used to lower drinking levels and alcohol-attributable harm. This has been recognized as a “best buy” intervention by WHO, delivering greater health impacts in reducing illness, disability and premature death than other policy options.
However, alcohol taxation remains one of the least implemented measures, largely due to opposition from economic operators and because price increases are generally unpopular with the public.
This is why the NCD Advisory Council is launching this signature initiative that focuses on 5 key areas that will increase the untapped potential of health taxes for alcohol in the Region in an unprecedented way.
Alcohol taxation: effective but neglected health measure
“In the context of alcohol, taxation should be considered as a health measure, and not purely an economic instrument. Today, there is an important consensus among the Member States to follow WHO’s recommendation of a minimum 75% tax share of the retail price of tobacco, a goal that has already been achieved by more than half of the 53 countries in the Region. But very little is being done regarding alcohol consumption with the same measures,” said Dr Carina Ferreira-Borges, ad interim Director for NCDs, Programme Manager for Alcohol and Illicit Drugs, WHO/Europe.
“We have calculated how alcohol tax increase will impact mortality in the WHO European Region. And this data clearly demonstrates how beneficial this measure will be for people’s health,” added Dr Jürgen Rehm, member of the NCD Advisory Council, Senior Scientist at the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research and the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.
Minimum level of alcohol tax will save more than 130 000 lives per year
According to a study that was conducted by the NCD Advisory Council’s signature initiative working group, if countries of the WHO European Region were to introduce a minimum level of 15% tax on the retail price per unit of alcohol, regardless of the type of alcoholic beverage, it would save 133 000 lives each year.
This number could increase substantially with a higher percentage of tax share, meaning increasing alcohol excise duty should be considered a priority for public health.
What is important is the final price of alcohol
Any amount of pure alcohol should cost the same – no matter the alcoholic beverage, concludes the signature initiative working group.
“We need to remember that the final price the consumer pays for the bottle is important. Consumers do not buy, for example, 10 grams of pure alcohol. They buy a bottle of beer or wine or spirits – so the price levels for any beverage should be at the same level depending on the amount of alcohol inside,” explained Dr Jürgen Rehm.
The NCD Advisory Council gathers the best expertise on the topic of NCD prevention, and inspires Member States to reach the NCD-related Sustainable Development Goals.
In promoting further implementation of alcohol control measures, the Council’s activities are in line with the WHO European Programme of Work 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health in Europe”.
Storie di madri e padri autentici, sempre in bilico tra figli, lavoro e il resto del mondo. Quelli che non avrebbero mai neppure immaginato di ritrovarsi a fare i funamboli, ma che ora le provano tutte per non cadere da quella corda instabile Leggi l’anteprima
