Japan urges Myanmar forces to stop violence against protesters

“We strongly condemn the continued use of violence against civilians despite repeated calls from the international community,” Japan’s top government spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato

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Japan on Thursday urged Myanmar’s security forces to stop a violent crackdown on protests against last month’s military coup, a day after 38 people were killed in the deadliest day of demonstrations yet.

“We strongly condemn the continued use of violence against civilians despite repeated calls from the international community,” Japan’s top government spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, said in a press conference.



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CAMBIO CLIMÁTICO

Dedicado a «el Coronel».

Hoy hace un año todavía.

 

¿Os habéis fijado que antes, cuando alguien moría en un libro, siempre llovía? Y es que la lluvia ayudaba a crear ambiente. Sus tonalidades plomizas y húmedas subrayaban la tristeza y el recogimiento y amplificaban el dolor de la pérdida. El cielo lloraba y los personajes, también. Tenía coherencia.

El ritmo lo ponían las pequeñas gotas de agua golpeando insistentes como un pájaro carpintero sobre la lápida recién colocada; también sobre los paraguas, negros, por supuesto, que añadían un toque luctuoso a la escena. Los charcos, las salpicaduras de barro en la ropa y las flores húmedas sobre el túmulo hacían el resto.

Ahora, con esto del cambio climático, ya no llueve ni en los libros. Los rayos de sol reverberan impúdicos en las ventanas al paso de la comitiva fúnebre. El calor intenso seca las lágrimas en cuanto asoman entre los párpados y la piel de los dolientes se broncea mientras rezan el responso.

No hay flores, si acaso algo de romero en alguna página perdida. Y cactus, muchos cactus que te clavan sus espinas al menor descuido.

Para intentar crear un contexto más adecuado al argumento, los personajes esconden el rostro tras unas enormes gafas polarizadas que le bajan el brillo a la vida. Además, los más allegados al finado cojean levemente sobre el asfalto, como si su pie izquierdo soportase así el sobrepeso de un corazón roto.

Pero aunque intentan disimular, se les nota a todos la prisa por regresar a sus casas, sentarse a la sombra y, a falta de agua, tomarse un refresco para hidratar sus pequeñas entrañas de papel.

Nada que ver. Y sinceramente, así no hay quien escriba.

Publicada en la web Profesor Jonk

La entrada CAMBIO CLIMÁTICO se publicó primero en Escribir sobre la punta de la i.

Exploring the beauty of the Saharan Blues

Saharan Blues, a term in which the word ‘blues’ is doing a lot of work. There is no place on Earth quite as befitting of the blues as the North African region of the Sahara. It is a stretch of land where the first adjective to come to mind is ravaged; ravaged by the blistering sun, increasing climate-driven desertification, colonialism, then post-colonial disorder, socio-economic divides, political unrest, and many more horrors that I will leave out for fear of only creating further despair. However, as always, where despair resides, the tonic of music follows, and the great cultural boon of life has certainly not deserted the Saharan people.  Source: Exploring the beauty of the Saharan Blues

EU, Italy stop AstraZeneca vaccine exports to Australia

Not good – everyone suffers from vaccine nationalism…

A shipment of a quarter million #AstraZeneca vaccines destined for #Australia has been blocked from leaving the #EuropeanUnion in the first use of an export control system instituted by the bloc to make sure big pharma companies would respect their contracts.

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More COVAX COVID-19 Vaccine Shipments Arrive in Africa & SE Asia | UNICEF USA

The list of countries receiving shipments of COVID-19 vaccine doses through the COVAX Facility continues to grow, as planes filled with lifesaving vaccines touched down in Angola, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Sudan in recent days. More than 20 countries are expected to receive hundreds of thousands of vaccine doses by the end of the week.

The arrival of these initial vaccines — intended for health care and frontline workers and other high-risk individuals — marks the much-anticipated beginning of the end of the pandemic.

The deliveries are part of the COVAX initiative’s unprecedented global effort to provide 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to low- and lower-middle-income countries by the end of 2021. COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), with UNICEF as a key implementing partner, leading on procurement and supply.

Source: More COVAX COVID-19 Vaccine Shipments Arrive in Africa & SE Asia | UNICEF USA

Northern Ireland loyalists pull support for Good Friday peace deal | News | DW | 04.03.2021 (Translation:Boris blows Brexit for Northern Ireland)

Loyalist paramilitary organizations in Northern Ireland were on Thursday reported to have told London they are temporarily withdrawing support for the 1998 peace agreement, often called the Good Friday Agreement.

The decision was taken amid concerns over the UK’s Brexit deal with the European Union, Northern Irish newspaper the Belfast Telegraph reported.

A letter from an umbrella body representing loyalist groups said its opposition was because of the Northern Irish Protocol  — part of the Brexit divorce deal. They oppose the additional checks and paperwork for goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland — implemented to prevent the need for a hard border on the island of Ireland

Source: Northern Ireland loyalists pull support for Good Friday peace deal | News | DW | 04.03.2021

Myanmar protesters determined to defy military with grassroots protest | Asia| An in-depth look at news from across the continent | DW | 03.03.2021

People have been barricading themselves in their neighborhoods. Esther Ze Naw, a Kachin Peace Network peace activist, shared instructions on Facebook on how to make Molotov cocktails. “Now you guys might realize why these bastards deserve this,” she wrote. Cape Diamond, a Yangon-based journalist who has been closely covering the street protests in the city, tweeted: “I’ve been speaking/interviewing people on the street (at least ten persons a day) every day since the first day of the protests. They’ll have the common answer at the end of the conversation; ‘We will fight till the end. The revolution must succeed.'”

Source: Myanmar protesters determined to defy military with grassroots protest | Asia| An in-depth look at news from across the continent | DW | 03.03.2021

Afghan women journalists and human rights activists are being forced into hiding

A wave of violence against female journalists and human rights activists is rocking Afghanistan. As the government seems unable to protect them from attacks, many are hoping for support from the international community.

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A wave of violence against female journalists and human rights activists is rocking Afghanistan. As the government seems unable to protect them from attacks, many are hoping for support from the international community.

Germany says AstraZeneca vaccine OK for over-65’s after all

German health authorities have approved AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine for people aged 65 and older, going back on their earlier verdict. Initially they had argued it was not effective enough for the elderly.

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German health authorities have approved AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine for people aged 65 and older, going back on their earlier verdict. Initially they had argued it was not effective enough for the elderly.