Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
Police can now release the name of the man who died in a crash on Kakaramea Road, Ngāhinapōuri on 9 February.
He was 60-year-old Peter Brett Van Syp, of Dinsdale.
Police extend our sympathies to his friends and family.
Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Elissa Slotkin (MI) are leading bipartisan legislation to extend federal funding and protections for the Great Lakes. The senators introduced the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2025 to reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) through 2031 and increase the program’s annual authorized funding levels from $475 million to $500 million. The GLRI is the most significant investment ever made to restore and protect our Great Lakes. The GLRI combines federal and nonfederal efforts to stop the spread of carp and other invasive species, restore coastline and habitats connecting our streams and rivers, clean up environmentally damaged Areas of Concern, and prevent future contamination. While providing vital support for these efforts, the GLRI also helps ensure we can address new and emerging threats to the Great Lakes.
“The Great Lakes are a national treasure and central to our economy, environment, and way of life in Michigan. Since its creation, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has made significant headway in cleaning up Areas of Concern, protecting vital habitats, and restoring coastlines around the Great Lakes Basin,” said Senator Peters. “This bipartisan legislation will provide GLRI with the resources needed to build on that success and help protect and preserve the Great Lakes for future generations of Michiganders. I’m proud to again help lead the charge to strengthen this essential program.”
“Our Great Lakes power our Michigan economy, and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative ensures we are protecting our Lakes for generations to come,” said Senator Slotkin. “From controlling invasive species to responding to algal blooms to building up our waterways infrastructure – the GLRI is a critical tool. Time and time again the Trump administration has tried to zero out this program, and it’s more important than ever we protect it. It’s why I am honored to take up the mantle from Senator Debbie Stabenow, and work alongside Senator Peters to get this bill done.”
Since its inception, the GLRI has spurred tremendous progress in Michigan and throughout the Great Lakes region including nearly half of a million acres of habitat protected, restored, or enhanced, a five-fold increase in the successful cleanup and delisting of Areas of Concern, a ten-fold increase in the remediation of environmental and public health impairments, and reducing the threat of harmful algal blooms. The GLRI’s efforts have also resulted in economic returns of more than 3 to 1 across the region.
“The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is the most successful effort to protect and clean up our Great Lakes in U.S. history,” said Lisa Wozniak, Executive Director of Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “Our Great Lakes face emerging challenges, like toxic PFAS contamination, invasive species, rapidly warming temperatures and the impacts of climate change, which makes the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Act of 2025 more important than ever. Protecting our treasured Great Lakes, the source of drinking water for millions of people, is something all Michiganders can get behind, and we look forward to working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to get this legislation signed into law.”
“The simple fact is the GLRI funds critical projects that make life better for the millions of Americans that depend on the Great Lakes. It also delivers a positive economic return on the government’s investment in cleaner water and healthier communities. Senator Peters and Senator Young along with other Great Lakes senators have our gratitude for introducing this important bill,” said Joel Brammeier, Alliance for the Great Lakes President and CEO.
“The GLRI is a landmark program that is making significant progress in restoring the waters, ecosystems, economies, and communities that make up the Great Lakes region,” said Erika Jensen, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Commission. “The Great Lakes Commission applauds Senators Peters and Young for introducing this important legislation, which will safeguard the economic and environmental health of the Great Lakes region for generations to come.”
“This bill is a winner for millions of people in the region,” said Laura Rubin, Director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We thank Sens. Gary Peters and Todd Young for their bipartisan leadership and commitment to tackle the serious threats to our region’s drinking water, public health, jobs, and quality of life. Federal investments to restore the Great Lakes have been producing results, but serious threats remain. We look forward to working with the Great Lakes congressional delegation to pass this bipartisan bill that supports common sense solutions. If we scale back investments now, the problems will only get worse and more expensive to solve.”
“The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative provides critical investments in the health of the Great Lakes and the communities and businesses that rely on clean water. Communities across the region realize the lasting benefits of clean and healthy lakes, which attract visitors, create jobs, and sustain the Great Lakes way of life,” said Peter Laing, Great Lakes Business Network Co-Chair.
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2025 is also supported by the League of Conservation Voters, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association, Council of Great Lakes Governors, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, American Great Lakes Ports Association, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, American Sportfishing Association, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, National Audubon Society – Great Lakes, Environmental Law & Policy Center, and other key stakeholders in Great Lakes protection.
Peters and Slotkin have been champions for the GLRI. Peters and Slotkin helped enact the single-largest-ever investment in the GLRI through the bipartisan infrastructure law to accelerate the restoration of nine high-priority areas in Michigan whose lakes, rivers and watersheds flow into the Great Lakes.
Source: United Nations MIL OSI b
Migration patterns continue to be shaped by conflicts, climate disasters, and economic pressures, with 2024 marking record levels of internal displacement, the UN reported on Wednesday, marking International Migrants Day.
Tragically, the year also saw the highest death toll of migrants in transit.
“These challenges are made worse by the rising tide of mis- and disinformation and hate speech which sows division and distorts the valuable contributions migrants are making each and every day,” said Secretary-General António Guterres.
The potential of safe and well-managed migration remains clear, as migrants boost economies, address labour shortages in aging societies and drive innovation globally.
The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration third report underscores the urgency of addressing migrant safety. Since 2014, nearly 70,000 migrants have died or gone missing, with the true numbers likely higher.
The report calls for stronger international cooperation to prevent migrant deaths, enhance identification efforts, and support affected families.
Meanwhile, the issue of migrant smuggling continues to pose severe risks. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), smugglers exploit barriers to legal migration, profiting from the desperation of those fleeing conflict or poverty.
The UN Protocol against Smuggling of Migrants serves as the primary legal framework to combat this crime. Efforts by UNODC include supporting countries to implement the protocol, prosecute smugglers, and protect migrants’ rights.
This year, two UN Committees stressed the urgent need to address the compounded challenges faced by migrants with disabilities, often overlooked by available policies and services.
As migration remains a global reality, these initiatives emphasise the need for collective action to create pathways that prioritise safety and opportunity, the UN says.
Hunger in the Arab region has intensified amid escalating crises in 2023, according to a new report released by the UN on Wednesday.
The report, titled 2024 Near East and North Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition, was launched by several UN agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
It reveals that 66.1 million people, or approximately 14 percent of the Arab region’s population, faced hunger in 2023.
Access to adequate food remains a significant challenge, with 186.5 million people experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity, an increase from the previous year. Alarmingly, 72.7 million people faced severe food insecurity.
Conflict is identified as the primary driver of food insecurity and malnutrition in the region, the report says.
Economic challenges, high income inequalities, and climate extremes further exacerbate the situation. Rising food prices have also worsened the crisis, with undernourishment rates in conflict-affected countries soaring to 26.4 per cent, compared to 6.6 per cent in non-conflict areas.
The report warns that food security and nutrition indicators are likely to deteriorate further due to ongoing conflicts and persistent droughts.
Economic access to healthy diets remains a critical issue, affecting over one-third of the population. In 2022, 151.3 million people could not afford a healthy diet, with the highest rates in conflict-affected countries.
The Arab region continues to suffer from the triple burden of malnutrition, including rising trends in obesity, wasting, and nutrient deficiencies. Despite some progress in reducing stunting rates, achieving nutrition targets remains a challenge.
Adult obesity rates in the Arab States are also alarmingly high, the report warns, with a prevalence of 32.1 per cent in 2022, more than double the global rate. Upper-middle-income countries, particularly Egypt, Qatar, and Kuwait, have the highest rates of obesity.
The report underscores the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to address food insecurity and malnutrition across the region.
South Sudanese women and girls who are refusing to accept an arranged marriage are among those being arrested and detained unlawfully, UN human rights investigators said on Wednesday.
A new report from the UN human rights office, OHCHR, and the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNSMISS) found that a total of 1,140 civilians were arbitrarily arrested and detained between January 2023 and May this year; most were men, but that number also included at least 162 women and 87 children.
In many cases their detention was on the orders of a customary court presided over by a traditional chief, for refusing an arranged marriage, seeking divorce, or for alleged adultery, the report’s authors said.
Women and girls are often detained to compel the bride’s family to return her dowry to her future husband.
Other detainees have included those with disabilities – who “have often been detained without having committed an offence – and political opposition members.”(?) End quote was missing, so I asumed it coes here.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, appealed to the South Sudanese authorities to release all those held arbitrarily and to continue efforts to reform the country’s judicial system.
“It is concerning that individuals have been arrested and detained – in many cases for alleged conduct that does not amount to criminal offences,” the UN rights chief said.
The report’s authors highlighted how the rule of law remains “weak” in South Sudan where State institutions “have been weakened” amid ongoing targeted killings, conflict-related sexual violence that disproportionately affects women and girls, along with looting and movement restrictions.
Most of the arrests were carried out by Government security agencies – the National Security Service, the National Prison Service and the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces.
Other arrests were carried out by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army – In Opposition and the National Salvation Front armed groups, as well as on the orders of state and county officials.
Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction
Mission
The mission of the Mayor’s Office of Guaranda, Sucre, is to plan the municipality’s socioeconomic advancement and manage its resources responsibly.
The objective is for Guaranda to become a safe, environmentally sustainable municipality, producer and provider of goods and services.
DRR activities
Guaranda carries out disaster risk management, which includes knowledge, reduction and management of disasters, as included in Law 1523 of 2012, which adopts the national policy for disaster risk management and establishes the national system for disaster risk management in Colombia.
Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
Police are upping reassurance patrolling in Birkenhead, as investigations continue into the aggravated robbery of a Cash in Transit van.
A scene examination was completed at the ATM machine on Birkenhead Avenue yesterday evening.
North Shore Relieving Area Commander, Inspector Mike Rickards, says Police visibility is increasing in response.
“We are increasing reassurance patrolling for businesses and residents through that busy public space in Birkenhead,” he says.
“It is anticipated this will be carried out over the coming days alongside other demand.”
Meanwhile, investigations continue into Tuesday’s aggravated robbery as well as a wounding of a man on 4 February.
“The public will appreciate we won’t be able to discuss the specifics of both investigations underway,” Inspector Rickards says.
“Investigators from the Waitematā CIB are continuing to progress in their work to identify and hold offenders to account.”
Inspector Rickards says Police understand the concern with two serious offences occurring so close to each other.
“It’s likely to be the exception than the norm with two unrelated incidents occurring on the same road within a week of each other.”
Police acknowledge the public who have come forward with information so far and continue to ask anyone to come forward.
Please update Police online or call 105 using the reference number 250211/1336.
Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
ENDS.
Jarred Williamson/NZ Police
Source: United Nations MIL OSI
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) held historic hearings from 2 to 13 December addressing States’ obligations under international law to combat climate change, a process spearheaded by small island nations facing existential threats.
Initiated by a UN General Assembly resolution, the proceedings involved 96 countries and 11 regional organizations presenting their views on the “obligations of States with regard to climate change” under international law.
While ICJ advisory opinion will be non-binding, it is expected to shape the future of international climate law.
The hearings opened with an appeal from Vanuatu and Melanesian Spearhead Group, representing nations most vulnerable to climate change.
“The outcome of these historic proceedings will have repercussions for generations to come, determining the fate of nations like mine and the future of our planet,” said Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s special envoy for climate change.
The Pacific Island nation highlighted the catastrophic impacts of rising seas and extreme weather, calling the failures of high-emitting States “illicit”.
The country’s Attorney General Arnold Kiel Loughman argued that “the failure of a handful of high-emitting states to meet their obligations constitutes an internationally wrongful act,” as they have brought humanity “to the brink of the abyss.”
Small island developing States (SIDS), represented by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), echoed these calls.
They asked the World Court to affirm principles of international law that address sea-level rise, including the recognition of maritime zones and statehood even if territories are inundated.
Brazil highlighted its commitment to ambitious emissions reductions, stressing that despite being a developing country, it faces significant challenges like poverty eradication and extreme climate impacts.
The country’s special envoy on climate change, Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, underscored the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”, asserting that high-emitting developed countries bear the greatest burden in addressing the crisis.
China, meanwhile, urged the ICJ to avoid creating new legal obligations and focus on existing frameworks such as the Paris Agreement on climate change.
As one of the world’s largest emitters, China argued that developed nations must bear historical responsibility, while developing countries require longer timelines to meet climate goals.
UN Photo
The towers and gables of the Peace Palace, home of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
The United States acknowledged the severity of the climate crisis but argued that international treaties like the Paris Agreement are not legally binding.
Margaret Taylor, the US representative, also rejected the notion that “common but differentiated responsibilities” is a fundamental principle of international law.
On the other hand, the European Union (EU) emphasised cooperation and stressed the non-adversarial nature of the advisory proceedings.
EU representatives pointed to the importance of existing treaties in addressing climate change but stopped short of calling for enforcement mechanisms.
While the ICJ deliberates, nations and observers alike await its advisory opinion, expected to guide future legal interpretations of States’ responsibilities for the climate crisis.
For small island nations and vulnerable communities, the stakes are existential.
Source: China State Council Information Office 2
Liu Zhiqiang, a former vice minister of justice, has been indicted for suspected bribery-taking, China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) said on Tuesday.
Liu, also a former member of the Ministry of Justice’s leading Party members group, allegedly took advantage of his various positions to seek benefits for others and illegally accepted an especially huge amount of money and valuables, according to the SPP.
Prosecutors had informed the defendant of his legal rights, interrogated him and listened to the defense counsel’s arguments.
Following the conclusion of an investigation by the National Commission of Supervision, the People’s Procuratorate of Wuhu City in east China’s Anhui Province filed Liu’s case with the city’s intermediate people’s court.
Source: United Nations MIL OSI
By Kulpash Konyrova, in Kazakhstan
Babies are being sold for up to $4,500 in Kazakhstan, but the government is cracking down on traffickers with a new law adopted earlier this month.
To fight against trafficking newborns, the new legislation facilitates the criminal prosecution for such crimes as kidnapping, illegal deprivation of liberty, human trafficking, involvement in prostitution and more.
Approved ahead of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, marked annually on 30 July, the law responds to a grim reality.
Last year, 19 cases of trade in newborns were registered in the country, for which more than 15 people were brought to justice, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.
So far in 2024, six cases of trade in newborns have been registered, with the ministry reporting prices for each child range from $200 to $4,500.
© Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan
Doctors check the condition of a newborn baby who needs medical assistance at a hospital in Kazakhstan.
But, that is just the surface, said Gulnaz Kelekeyeva, head of the project Kazakhstan’s Actions in Combating Child Trafficking project at Winrock International, a United States-based non-governmental organization (NGO). Ms. Kelekeyeva said she believes that official statistics do not reflect the real state of affairs.
“Unfortunately, in Kazakhstan, there has been virtually no nationwide research on socially vulnerable children and the vulnerability of children to trafficking and exploitation,” she told UN News. “There are also no accurate statistics to assess the true scale of the problem.”
The only study on vulnerable Kazakhstani children who have been victims of human trafficking in and outside the country, as well as sexual exploitation, was conducted in 2012 by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Kazakhstan.
Since then, human and child trafficking has moved online, Ms. Kelekeyeva warned.
“Much has changed over the past 12 years, in particular, human and child trafficking is now increasingly taking place in cyberspace,” she said. “It is necessary to conduct a new analysis of the current situation in the country regarding the protection of children from trafficking and exploitation.”
Human and child trafficking is now increasingly taking place in cyberspace
Today, there is only isolated information about cases of child trafficking that gets into the media from crime reports, she emphasised.
Last fall, media reports spotlighted a case about the sale of an abandoned baby by obstetricians at a maternity hospital in Kazakhstan. The doctors were found guilty of selling a newborn for $3,000 and sentenced to eight years of imprisonment.
Another case involved a 23-year-old mother tried to sell her two children. The eldest was about a year old, and the second was less than a month old. The children are now under state protection.
Unfortunately, those tasked with caring for children are often unaware of the role they play in preventing and combatting child trafficking, Ms. Kelekeyeva said. That includes health and education authorities, maternity hospitals and schools, children’s homes, guardianship and trusteeship institutions, visiting nurses and paediatricians at clinics, emergency wards and private medical centres in Kazakhstan.
“Often, they mistakenly believe that this issue falls within the competence of purely law enforcement agencies,” she said. “Although it is precisely in this issue that there should be interaction between all interested services.”
Child trafficking is not only the adoption of children, but also sexual exploitation, forced labour and the sale of organs, she said.
The new Kazakh law is toughening penalties for human trafficking requires healthcare workers to report abandoned newborns or face administrative liability, and digital technologies are helping to identify such cases.
Since last year, a pilot project has been tested in one of the maternity hospitals Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. Each newborn was immediately given an individual identification number, which eliminates the possibility of criminal transactions.
This year, the pilot is being rolled out across the country.
Scientific achievements at the time, such as the possibility of artificial insemination, are now causing many difficulties in developing a law aimed at preventing the trafficking of newborns, explained member of parliament Sergei Ponomarev, who took part in developing the new anti-trafficking legislation.
Today, cases have been encountered where women from Kazakhstan, especially from the southern regions of the country, are used as incubators to bear other people’s children, he said.
“Regarding this matter, we are open to studying the experience of other countries,” he said.
When 21-year-old Eddy Jean (born Zhanibek) was born, he was adopted by a single Belgian woman who reportedly paid €12,000. In 2022, he came to Kazakhstan in search of his birth mother.
“I don’t need anything; I just want to see my mother’s face, hug her at least once and calm my heart,” Eddy said at the time on a popular talk show that aired on national television. “I still worry, especially when I talk about my mother.”
I just want to see my mother’s face, hug her at least once and calm my heart
Renowned journalist Kymbat Doszhan told UN News that she was so moved by Eddy’s story that she became his official representative in Kazakhstan in the search for his biological mother.
She said Eddy’s biological mother had asked to leave the maternity hospital with a receipt in 2002, but never returned. In those years, when the nation’s economy was recovering after the Soviet Union’s collapse, she said many Kazakhstani children were adopted by foreigners and taken abroad.
The Kazakhstan Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that foreigners can now pay as much as $50,000 for a trafficked newborn. But, Ms. Doszhan said “it is still very difficult to find Eddy’s biological mother.”
She said archival documents from the orphanage have either disappeared or do not contain accurate information.
“Perhaps this was done intentionally,” she continued. “There were two meetings with Eddy’s alleged mothers, but the DNA results did not confirm the relationship. When we contacted his adoptive mother from Belgium, it turned out that she had paid the orphanage staff €12,000.”
Today in Kazakhstan, issues of child adoption are regulated by law. In the event of the detection of a crime, in particular an act of purchase and sale or other transactions in relation to a minor, the fact is registered under article 135, on trafficking minors, of the Criminal Code.
Still, the search for Eddy’s birth mother continues, Ms. Doszhan said.
“We were faced with the fact that we had no one to even file claims against,” she said. “Those who sold children in those years have long since left Kazakhstan.”
Source: United Nations MIL OSI
The fight against impunity must continue in Guinea, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Thursday, welcoming the long-awaited verdict in the trial into the 2009 massacre at a stadium in the capital, Conakry.
On Wednesday, a court in Conakry found former President Moussa Dadis Camara and several other military leaders guilty of crimes against humanity. Four other men were acquitted.
Those convicted were also ordered to provide reparations to the victims and their families.
“After nearly 15 years, the victims, survivors and their families have the right to full justice and transparency,” UN rights chief Volker Türk said.
“It is necessary to continue the path that Guinea has already started towards an end to impunity and ensuring that all those responsible for human rights violations are brought to justice,” he added.
The High Commissioner also called for further strengthening of Guinea’s judicial institutions and guaranteeing their independence as key to preventing such violations from recurring.
At least 156 people were killed, many disappeared and at least 109 girls and women were subjected to sexual violence, including sexual mutilation and sexual slavery, when security and military forces attacked a peaceful political rally at the Conakry Stadium on 28 September 2009.
A number of victims were tortured to death and buried in mass graves.
In the aftermath, a UN Commission of Inquiry was mandated to establish the facts and circumstances, to identify those responsible and make recommendations.
With the support of the UN human rights office, OHCHR, the Commission concluded at the time that there was a “strong presumption that crimes against humanity were committed”, with “reasonable grounds to suspect individual criminal responsibility”.
“Those who have lost loved ones and those who have been subjected to torture and sexual violence have the right to comprehensive psychosocial as well as financial support,” Mr. Türk said.
The High Commissioner noted that it was also crucial for the Guinean Government to determine the whereabouts of all those who went missing and ensure those responsible for enforced disappearances and associated violations are held to account.
He also stressed the importance of guaranteeing the defendants’ right to appeal.
Separately, the senior UN official working to end rape in wartime also welcomed the outcome of the trial.
Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on sexual violence in conflict, said the verdict sends a powerful message that impunity will not be tolerated and reaffirms commitment to upholding the rights of survivors.
“The delivery of the first-instance verdict is a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for survivors of sexual violence and accountability for perpetrators. Sexual violence crimes have always been at the centre of this accountability process, both in investigations and trial,” she added.
The Special Representative’s Office has supported this process since 2011, when the Guinean Government and the UN signed a joint communiqué on the fight against impunity for the 28 September 2009 events, including sexual violence.
Through the Team of Experts on the rule of law and sexual violence in conflict, the Office has provided technical assistance to the investigating judges throughout the investigation phase and in the establishment of a steering committee for the organization of the trial.
Ms. Patten commended the crucial efforts by Guinean authorities in organising this nationally owned process.
She also praised the proactive role of the national judicial system and the magistrates’ professionalism in the conduct of a fair trial.
Source: United Nations MIL OSI
By Tracey Petersen
Long before the United States entered the Second World War in December 1941, American aid workers were fanning out across territory occupied by the Axis powers, attempting to help Jews escape, as their grip tightened.
A new book on their work underlines the chaos of the time, and the difficult decisions they had to make, knowing that for every person they saved, many more would be killed.
Saints and Liars, by Debórah Dwork, the Director of the Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Crimes Against Humanity at the City University of New York Graduate Center, tells the stories of rescue workers in five key cities as the situation on the ground grew increasingly dire.
At the launch ahead of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust marked annually on 27 January, Tracey Petersen, the manager of the UN Holocaust Education Outreach Programme, interviewed Debórah Dwork at UN Headquarters, and began by asking her about the book’s title.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length
Debórah Dwork: I called it Saints and Liars because that’s what these people were. They did amazing things, in a non-religious sense. They did miraculous things. They saved people either by helping them to move on, get to sea, find a safe harbour, or by feeding, clothing and sheltering them.
And at the same time, nearly all of them lied. They broke rules and played fast and loose with the truth in order to accomplish their goals.
Tracey Petersen: Why did you write this book?
UN Publications/Steven Bornholtz
Debórah Dwork (r) author of Saints and Liars.
Debórah Dwork: I wanted to tell the story of Americans who went to Europe when everyone who was worried about danger was trying to go in the opposite direction. Their first idea was relief activities, but their mandate morphed to trying to effect rescue. I wanted to know who they were and what prompted them.
We start in Prague, 1939, before the war was declared and well before the United States entered the war. What prompted Waitstill and Martha Sharp? They were a pair of married Unitarians sent to Czechoslovakia by their church.
The situation grew worse and worse for political opponents of the Nazi regime and for Jews. And yet the Sharps stayed on to help and began to engage in illegal activities in the hope of saving lives.
Soundcloud
Tracey Petersen: Did the outside world in general know what was happening in Czechoslovakia at that time?
Debórah Dwork: The loss of the Sudetenland region was part of the Munich Pact, an agreement signed by the major leaders of Europe, who gave away a whole chunk of Czechoslovakia without a single shot being fired.
As you can imagine, this was the stuff of headlines, and it was the Munich Pact which first galvanized the Unitarian leadership in Boston to say “we’ve got to do something: the Germans have taken Sudetenland. Refugees are fleeing into Prague. They need help. They need clothing. They need shelter. They need medical care. They need food”.
Tracey Petersen: How dangerous was the work of these American aid workers?
Debórah Dwork: Waitstill Sharp said that Yankees like to skate on thin ice. Just one of the ways in which his work endangered him was that he did illegal currency transactions, because raising money to pay for the rescue activities was very difficult. But if the regime had learned about this he would have been at least imprisoned and probably tortured.
Tracey Petersen: Why did refugees go to Shanghai and where were they coming from?
Debórah Dwork: Even before the war, Jews and political dissidents in Germany and Nazi-occupied Austria and Czechoslovakia sought desperately to leave Europe and to get to some place of safety.
As it happened, Shanghai was just such a place because no visa was required for them to land there. So, by the time war did break out in January, in September 1939, some 20,000 refugees had collected in Shanghai, which had been under Japanese rule since 1937.
US Holocaust Memorial Museum/Yad Vashem
Jews from Subcarpathian Rus are subjected to a selection process on a ramp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland.
The US State Department and American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) sent Laura Margolis to Shanghai to help them move on to their next destination, but the war intervened, and she ended up staying in a city under occupation with very few resources to help them meet their needs. They needed medical care, food and shelter. The children needed education. Somehow, she had to try to meet the needs of this community that was cut off from the rest of the world
Tracey Petersen: The numbers are staggering. You had women, children, refugees, incredible terror, anxiety, being turned down for visas… did the aid workers reflect on whether they were possibly being swayed by their emotions and maybe helping some people when they should have been helping others? Is there any sense of their turmoil?
Debórah Dwork: Definitely. There were thousands upon thousands of people who needed help. When you wake up in the morning, whose case are you going to attend to? What were the criteria?
The Unitarians did have specific criteria: they wanted to rescue people who would help to reestablish democratic governments after the war was over. Of course, they were mostly male, mostly middle class or upper middle class. Mostly well-educated. That was the idea. But life on the ground had its own dynamic. And in Prague Martha and Waitstill ended up helping all manner of people.
The Quakers, by contrast, had no such calculus. Their goal was to help everyone who required help. This was a sharp and distinct difference between the Unitarians agenda and the Quakers agenda. In fact, they annoyed each other with the Unitarians saying the Quakers had no principles, and the Quakers saying the Unitarians had no principles.
Tracey Petersen: In many ways these stories reveal that a successful rescue is sometimes just a question of luck and timing.
Debórah Dwork: We all know the degree to which the unpredictable and the irrational affect our lives. Luck, timing, fortuitous circumstances, passion, sympathies, antipathies. But when we think about the past, we strip those factors away. We think things happened for a reason. Sometimes they did happen for a reason, but sometimes they happened by accident.
Let’s hope that we can learn from these events and say action is possible, activities are possible, initiative is possible.
Source: United Nations MIL OSI
By Conor Lennon
The Amazonian city of Belém, Brazil, will be the global focus of efforts to tackle the climate crisis in November 2025, when it hosts one of the most significant UN climate conferences in recent years.
However, throughout the years there will be plenty of opportunities to make important progress on several climate-related issues, from the staggering levels of plastic pollution to financing the shift to a cleaner global economy.
“Keep 1.5 alive” has been the UN’s rallying cry for a number of years, a reference to the goal of ensuring that average global temperatures don’t soar beyond 1.5 degrees higher than pre-industrial levels. The scientific consensus is that a lack of action would have catastrophic consequences, not least for the so-called “frontline States”, such as developing island nations which could disappear under the ocean, as sea levels rise.
© UNICEF/Lasse Bak Mejlvang
A man fishes sitting on sandbags which protect the Pacific Ocean island nation Tuvalu against sea erosion.
At COP30, the UN climate conference scheduled to take place between 10 and 21 November 2025, mitigation (in other words, actions and policies designed to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to rising temperatures) is likely to a key focus.
The nations of the world will arrive with upgraded, more ambitious commitments to lowering greenhouse gases. This is both a recognition that existing pledges are wholly inadequate, in terms of getting temperatures down, and part of the deal that Member States signed up to in 2015 at the Paris COP (nations are expected to “ratchet up” their commitments every five years. The last time this happened was at the 2021 Glasgow COP, delayed by one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic).
Holding COP30 in the Amazonian rainforest region of Brazil is of symbolic importance. It harks back to the early days of international attempts to protect the environment: the pivotal “Earth Summit”, which led to the establishment of three environmental treaties on climate change, biodiversity, and desertification, took place in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
© Unsplash/Sreenivas
A parrot stands on a tree branch in Maharashtra, India.
The location also highlights the role that nature has to play in the climate crisis. The rainforest is a massive “carbon sink”, a system that sucks up and stores CO2, a greenhouse gas, and prevents it from entering the atmosphere, where it contributes to warming.
Unfortunately, rainforests and other “nature-based solutions” face threats from human development, such as illegal logging which has devastated huge swathes of the region. The UN will continue efforts begun in 2024 to improve the protection of the rainforest and other ecosystems, at biodiversity talks due to be resumed in Rome in February.
Finance has long been a thorny issue in international climate negotiations. Developing countries argue that wealthy nations should contribute far more towards projects and initiatives that will enable them to move away from fossil fuels, and power their economies on clean energy sources. The pushback from the rich countries is that fast-growing economies such as China, which is now the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, should also pay their share.
© UNFCCC/Habib Samadov
Activists protest against fossil fuels at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
At COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, a breakthrough of sorts was made, with the adoption of an agreement to triple the amount of climate finance paid to developing countries, to $300 billion per year, by 2035. The deal is a definite step forward, but the final sum is far less than the $1.3 trillion that climate experts say these countries need in order to adapt to the crisis.
Expect more progress to be made on financing in 2025, at a summit in Spain at the end of June. The Financing for Development conferences only take place once every 10 years, and next year’s edition is being billed as an opportunity to make radical changes to the international financial architecture. Environmental and climate concerns will be raised, and potential solutions such as green taxation, carbon pricing and subsidies will all be on the table.
When the attention of the International Court of Justice turned to climate change in December, it was hailed as a landmark moment with regards to States’ legal obligations under international law.
© UNDP/Silke von Brockhausen
Vanuatu often experiences destructive extreme weather, such as typhoons, which are being exacerbated by climate change.
Vanuatu, a Pacific island state particularly vulnerable to the crisis, asked the court for an advisory position, in order to clarify the obligations of States with regard to climate change, and inform any future judicial proceedings.
Over a two-week period, 96 countries and 11 regional organizations took part in public hearings before the Court, including Vanuatu and a group of other Pacific islands States, and major economies including China and the USA.
The ICJ will deliberate for several months before delivering its advisory opinion on the subject. Although this opinion will be non-binding, it is expected to guide future international climate law.
UN-convened talks on getting to grips with the global epidemic of plastic pollution edged closer to a deal during negotiations in Busan, South Korea.
Some key advances were made during the November 2024 talks – the fifth round of negotiations following the 2022 UN Environment Assembly resolution calling for an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.
Agreement on three pivotal areas needs to be ironed: plastic products, including the issue of chemicals; sustainable production and consumption; and financing.
UNDP India
Plastic bottles are collected for recycling in India.
Member States are now charged with finding political solutions to their differences before the resumed session begins, and with landing a final deal that addresses the full lifecycle of plastics and delivers on the growing global momentum to end plastic pollution.
“It is clear that the world still wants and demands an end to plastic pollution,” said UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Inger Andersen. “We need to ensure we craft an instrument that hits the problem hard instead of punching below its potential weight. I call on all Member States to lean in.”
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson announced that John B. Stancil, 37, of Waimanalo, was sentenced today in federal court by U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson to 240 months of imprisonment (the statutory maximum) followed by 3 years of supervised release for racketeering conspiracy. Stancil pled guilty on January 22, 2024, in the middle of jury selection, to conspiring to conduct and participate in the conduct of the affairs of a racketeering enterprise, the “Miske Enterprise,” through racketeering activity that included participating in the commission of murder-for-hire and acts relating to chemical weapons.
In his plea agreement, Stancil admitted that he and other members of the Miske Enterprise participated in chemical weapon attacks on two Honolulu nightclubs in March 2017, carried out on the orders of codefendant Michael J. Miske. Stancil provided the toxic chemical used in the attacks – a substance called chloropicrin, which can cause death, temporary incapacitation, or permanent harm to humans. Stancil also admitted to joining a murder-for-hire conspiracy with Miske and other Enterprise members. Miske put a murder contract out on an individual he believed was cooperating with law enforcement. Stancil then provided details of where the victim lived to another co-conspirator who agreed to carry out the murder until Miske eventually rescinded the contract. Stancil also admitted he served as the getaway driver for multiple assaults ordered by Miske and on behalf of the Miske Enterprise. According to other information provided to the Court, Stancil also coordinated and participated in numerous robberies on behalf of the Miske Enterprise.
Stancil was charged alongside twelve other defendants, all of whom pled guilty except for Michael J. Miske who proceeded to trial and was found guilty of racketeering conspiracy, murder, and 11 other felony charges on July 18, 2024. Seven other members and associates of the Miske Enterprise pled guilty to various offenses in related cases.
“You cannot run from the facts,” Judge Watson advised Stancil during today’s sentencing before reciting the litany of racketeering acts for which the Court found Stancil responsible. Judge Watson found Stancil to be “among the most culpable” of those in the Miske Enterprise, describing him as one of Michael Miske’s “key confidantes and lieutenants” and a “key player in terrorizing the citizenry of this city and county for years.” Judge Watson further noted that Stancil deserved an even higher prison sentence that the Court was not permitted to impose by statute.
“Today’s sentence represents the culmination of years of tireless, dogged, skilled, and innovative work on the part of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii and our outstanding law enforcement partners, the Honolulu Division of the FBI, Internal Revenue Service, and Homeland Security Investigations, among others,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “The court was deprived of the opportunity to sentence Michael Miske due to his untimely death following his guilty verdicts at trial for racketeering and other crimes. But today’s sentence, along with the 18 convictions we have secured against Miske’s henchmen and violent thugs, demonstrates our strong commitment to investigating, prosecuting, and convicting those who violate the law and endanger the safety and welfare of Hawaii’s citizens. Let today’s sentence and the convictions in these cases serve as a stark reminder to those who operate criminal enterprises in Hawaii that we have the tools, expertise, and resolve to bring them to justice.”
“Mr. Stancil was a key member of the Miske Enterprise, actively participating in a longstanding pattern of racketeering activity involving murder-forhire, robbery, and use of chemical weapons,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “This sentencing reflects years of collaboration between FBI Honolulu and our law enforcement partners. The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to dismantle violent criminal enterprises, hold their members accountable, and pursue justice for victims.”
“Mr. Stancil’s racketeering charge reminds us that organized crime threatens innocent lives for money,” said Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office. “Our agency follows the money so we can cut off organized crime at its roots.”
“HSI is committed to ending organized crime in Hawaii. The sentencing of Mr. Stancil underscores the importance of leveraging law enforcement partnerships to safeguard our community,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral-DeArmas. “Our dedication to this cause is unwavering, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that these criminals are held accountable for their actions.”
This prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligencedriven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Honolulu Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, the Cybercrime Lab of the Department of Justice Criminal Division Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center, the Honolulu Fire Department, the Hawaii National Guard, 93rd Civil Support Team, the Office of Investigations–Office of the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Inciong, Michael Nammar, KeAupuni Akina, and Aislinn Affinito prosecuted the case.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
AKRON, Ohio – A 51-count superseding indictment was unsealed today charging 17 Ohio residents of operating a large-scale drug trafficking scheme based in Akron. The Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) is alleged to be responsible for trafficking distribution quantities of controlled substances in the Summit County, Ohio area including methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, as well as Alprazolam, which is more commonly known under the brand name Xanax. Three other defendants were indicted separately for their involvement in the conspiracy.
According to court documents, the investigation that led to the indictment began in December 2023 and continued to around August 2024. The alleged leader, Joe Nathan Sanders-Taylor, 41, of Akron, was believed to be the center of the DTO that distributed illegal drugs throughout Northeast Ohio. He was regularly supplied by co-conspirators who funneled drug inventory from sources connected to the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG or Jalisco Cartel). Sanders-Taylor developed a drug distribution process that employed a number of individuals to serve as drug dealers throughout the Northeast Ohio region.
Court documents show that Sanders-Taylor used a network of associates to re-sell the drugs, assist with financial transactions, or act as lookouts while drug deals took place. Several co-defendants and other members of the conspiracy maintained and used residences in Summit County, Ohio, to store and distribute their drug supplies, or to manufacture controlled substances. Members of the conspiracy also possessed firearms to further their illegal business activities and protect their drug inventory.
Sanders-Taylor was arrested on June 10, 2024, after he engaged in a pursuit by the Ohio State Highway Patrol on Interstate 77 in Summit County. As he fled from police, he threw two loaded firearms with high-capacity magazines from the vehicle. Sanders-Taylor crashed the vehicle and then fled on foot and attempted to carjack two separate vehicles with people still inside. Sanders-Taylor was later discovered to have prior federal convictions which prohibits him from possessing firearms. Further investigation of the incident determined that he also possessed distribution amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl. The remaining defendants were apprehended in a series of coordinated arrests.
The superseding indictment charges the following 17 defendants:
The superseding indictment alleges that the defendants did unlawfully, knowingly, and intentionally combine, conspire, confederate, and agree with each other to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, all Schedule II controlled substances, and Alprazolam, a Schedule IV controlled substance.
In addition, three other defendants involved with this drug trafficking and firearms conspiracy were charged in a separate superseding indictment:
According to court documents, in July 2024, Parham had 28 firearms, which included a machine gun, distribution amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine in his possession at his apartment in Akron. Fortson and Goldbach also possessed distribution amounts of narcotics at their residences.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including each defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum, and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
The investigation preceding the superseding indictment was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI Akron Field Office, with assistance from the Akron Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Portage County Sheriff’s Office, Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Girard Police Department, Barberton Police Department, Liberty Police Department, and the University of Akron Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Dangelo for the Northern District of Ohio.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that D’METRIUS JOHNSON, formerly known as D’METRIUS WOODWARD, and also known as “Meech,” 30, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for unlawfully possessing firearms as a felon, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release that followed a prior federal conviction.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 12, 2014, Johnson was sentenced in federal court to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for his participation in a narcotics trafficking conspiracy. He was released from federal prison in January 2018. On November 21, 2022, while Johnson was on supervised release, Brookfield Police arrested him on state charges related to the theft of catalytic converters. On that date, a search of Johnson’s Waterbury residence revealed a Ruger 57 semiautomatic pistol, a Glock 31 semiautomatic pistol, a Ruger LCP handgun, ammunition, approximately 89 grams of cocaine, and pills containing MDMA (“ecstasy”).
It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Johnson has been detained since his arrest. On November 14, 2024, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Waterbury Police Department, with the assistance of the Brookfield Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren C. Clark.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
FORT WAYNE – Dontae L. Salter, 30 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to distributing methamphetamine, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Salter was sentenced to 292 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, Salter distributed several pounds of methamphetamine from June through October of 2023.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Fort Wayne Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which includes the FBI, the Indiana State Police, the Fort Wayne Police Department, and the Allen County Sheriff’s Department, with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives also assisting with the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony W. Geller.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Appli, a provider of artificial intelligence-powered financial calculators, announced that Granite Credit Union has selected its financial calculator solution to improve the digital lending experience for its members.
“In our market, which is very credit union-heavy, staying competitive technologically while maintaining our focus on member service is crucial,” said Garrett Laws, chief lending officer at Granite Credit Union. “Financial calculators are often the first step in a member’s lending journey, but traditional calculators provide limited value. Appli’s guided experience gives members the confidence to move forward with applications while helping those who might not initially qualify understand their path to approval. Even if someone isn’t ready for loan approval today, being able to show them a path forward aligns perfectly with our mission of helping people be confident in their financial future.”
A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.
Granite Credit Union will implement Appli’s technology to help members better understand their borrowing options and loan qualification potential before submitting formal applications. Starting with auto loans, including its unique “vanishing rate auto loan” program that rewards members with rate discounts for consistent on-time payments, the credit union plans to integrate the calculators throughout its digital presence – from its website and online banking portal to new member onboarding communications. Future phases will expand to personal loans and credit cards, with plans to explore mortgage and business lending applications.
“Granite Credit Union is a perfect example of the innovative, member-focused approach we designed Appli for,” said Tim Pranger, CEO of Appli. “Their commitment to serving diverse communities and helping members build financial confidence through technology makes them an ideal partner as we continue expanding our platform’s capabilities.”
About Granite Credit Union
Founded in 1935, Granite Credit Union serves over 35,000 members and has just over $800 million in assets. Committed to helping members achieve their financial goals, Granite Credit Union offers a variety of financial products and services, including competitive rates, flexible lending options, and personalized financial guidance. With a vision of “always there… so you can make life happen,” the credit union strives to empower members with the tools and support they need to succeed financially. Members enjoy access to secure mobile banking services, online tools, and personalized in-branch assistance at locations across Utah. Granite Credit Union is dedicated to making a positive impact in the communities it serves through financial education, trusted relationships, and exceptional service. Granite Credit Union is always there… so you can make life happen. Learn more at granite.org.
About Appli
Appli, founded in 2024 by POPi/o co-founder Tim Pranger, provides AI-powered financial calculators that help lenders and member service representatives create personalized, engaging shopping experiences for financial products. By combining real-time analysis with generative AI, Appli’s tools boost customer confidence and increase conversion rates for financial institutions. For more information about Appli and its smart financial calculator for credit unions, visit hiappli.com.
Media Contact:
marketing@granite.org
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Idaho James E Risch
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Angus King (I-Maine) and U.S. Representatives Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) and Jared Golden (D-Maine) introduced the Future Logging Careers Act to support America’s family-run timber industry.
This legislation would allow teenage members of logging families to gain critical, hands-on experience in the trade so they may carry on the family business. The Future Logging Careers Act would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to work in certain mechanized logging operations under parental supervision. Similar exemptions already exist for farming families.
“Idaho’s logging industry is rooted in family-run businesses, but current law is preventing them from passing down the trade,” said Risch. “The Future Logging Careers Act empowers timber families to prepare the next generation of loggers to properly manage our forests and support rural economies.”
“For centuries, logging has been synonymous with the success of Maine — creating good jobs, supporting proud, hard-working families and boosting local rural economies,” said King. “As we prepare for the next generation of Maine loggers, we should provide opportunities for young people to explore this exciting field in a safe and supervised way. The bipartisan Future Logging Careers Act would give aspiring, young loggers the option to jumpstart their career, get valuable hands-on experience, and begin critical training by logging with their parents or grandparents. I’m proud to join my colleagues in working to expand good job opportunities and further build upon our state’s rich forest heritage.”
“Pennsylvania has long been a leader in the forestry industry, and I have the great privilege of representing numerous family-owned logging businesses,” said Thompson. “By allowing young men and women to work alongside their families in this industry, we’re ensuring that the skills, knowledge, and traditions of logging can be passed down to the next generation.”
“Maine’s working forests are a distinct part of our identity, thanks to the passionate work of generations today and past,” Golden said. “To carry on that proud tradition, young Mainers need the personal investment that comes only from experiencing something with your own two hands — an opportunity that this bipartisan legislation would finally create.”
Additional cosponsors of the legislation include U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and John Cornyn (R-Texas).
The Future Logging Careers Act has received support from the American Loggers Council and the Associated Logging Contractors of Idaho.
“The timber industry is traditionally a multi-generational business where the skills and knowledge are passed on from one generation to the next. This succession process is critical to ensuring that the timber industry infrastructure remains viable to support public and private healthy forest management, rural jobs, wildfire mitigation, and U.S. made forest products. The Future Logging Careers Act will afford the timber industry sector of the agricultural economy the same opportunities and benefits currently extended to the family farm. Workforce development is critical to maintaining the resources necessary to provide the forest management services required to meet the U.S. sustainable healthy forests objectives for today and the future. The American Loggers Council appreciates the bipartisan/bicameral sponsorship of Senator Risch (ID) and Senator King (ME), and Representative Golden (ME) and Representative Thompson (PA), of the Future Logging Careers Act and their continued support of the American timber industry,” said Scott Dane, Executive Director of the American Loggers Council.
“We need this today, more than ever. With the modern mechanized logging practices of today, our contractors have invested millions of dollars in machinery which necessitates the need for equipment operators. In Idaho’s Forest Products Industry, like many others, there is a shortage of labor that is having devastating consequences for our members. We are in the process of a workforce development plan to attract, train and retain workers for our industry, but for now, we rely heavily on family. Our sons and daughters grow up in our family logging operations, visit our jobsites often and many develop a love for logging that fills us with pride. By the time they are 16, they are ready and willing to jump in and start working but are hamstrung by an archaic 1938 Law. We then lose our sons and daughters to other occupations where they are allowed to work, and sadly, many don’t return to the family logging businesses. The Associated Logging Contractors of Idaho fully supports theFuture Logging Careers Actand thank Senator Risch for introducing this important legislation,”said Clete Edmunson, Executive Director of the Associated Logging Contractors of Idaho.
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Source: United Nations MIL OSI
The United Kingdom announced on Thursday that agreement has been reached to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending decades of dispute and negotiation over Britain’s last African colony.
The agreement follows 13 rounds of talks that began in 2022 after Mauritian calls for sovereignty were recognised by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the UN General Assembly in 2019 and 2021.
The world court, as the ICJ is known, is the principle judicial organ of the UN which adjudicates disputes between nations.
Before granting independence to Mauritius in 1968, Britain was found to have unlawfully separated it to form a new colony on the Chagos archipelago named the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).
The UK had initially dismissed UN rulings and court judgements demanding it return the islands to Mauritius, arguing that the ICJ ruling was merely an advisory opinion.
In splitting the islands from Mauritius, the UK expelled between 1,500 and 2,000 islanders so that it could lease Diego Garcia, the largest of the Chagos islands, to the United States for military use which the two allies have since operated jointly.
According to news reports, the UK falsely declared that Chagos had no permanent population so that it would not have to report its colonial rule to the UN. In reality, the Chagossian community had lived on Chagos for centuries.
The UK and US governments forcibly displaced the Chagossian population between 1967 and 1973 not only reportedly on Diego Garcia, but also Peros Banhos and Salomon.
The campaign challenging British ownership of the Chagos archipelago included the Mauritian ambassador to the UN, Jagdish Koonjul, raising his country’s flag above the atoll of Peros Banhos in a ceremony in February 2022 to mark the first time Mauritius had led an expedition to the territory since the expulsions.
Under Thursday’s agreement, the UK will still retain control of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.
The UK Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said the UK government had secured the future of the military base “as well as guaranteeing our long-term relationship with Mauritius, a close Commonwealth partner”.
However, many Chagossians are still frustrated by the UK government’s lack of consultation with them before Thursday’s announcement, according to news reports.
Chagossian Voices, a community organisation for Chagossians based in the UK and several other countries where islanders have settled, deplored “the exclusion of the Chagossian community from the negotiations”, leaving them “powerless and voiceless in determining our own future and the future of our homeland”.
“The view of Chagossians, the Indigenous inhabitants of the islands, have been consistently and deliberately ignored and we demand full inclusion in the drafting of the treaty,” they added.
Source: United Nations MIL OSI
A former combatant fighting for the rights of her people on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines has been talking about how she has swapped her combat fatigues for jilbabs [outer garment] and her life in the jungle for a more peaceful rural community.
A former combatant fighting for the rights of her people on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines has been talking about how she has swapped her combat fatigues for jilbabs [outer garment]and her life in the jungle for a more peaceful rural community.
Suraida ‘Sur’ Amil joined the Bangsamoro Islamic Women Auxiliary Brigade (BIWAB) as an 18-year-old with the with the goal of achieving autonomy for the predominantly Muslim regions of Mindanao.
After an agreement was signed to end the insurrection and provide a greater autonomy and self-governance for the people of Bangsamoro, she participated in a reconciliation programme supported by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to reintegrate and rehabilitate former combatants.
© UNODC/Laura Gil
Suraida ‘Sur’ Amil is now a community peace advocate.
“From an early age growing up in Bangsamoro, I saw how difficult life was for my parents. They faced different forms of discrimination, and they witnessed the brutality of the nine-year-long martial law which was declared in 1972 and which deeply affected many communities across Mindanao, including Muslim populations.
My parents had a hard life, they lived in poverty and were not able to achieve their dreams. This has affected my life and the life of my nine other siblings. I had hoped to become a teacher but I was never able to do so as I did not finish school due to the lack of financial support.
At eighteen I realized I had to fight for the rights of our people for our self-determination, not just for my generation but also for future generations.
A friend of mine was a member of BIWAB and as soon as I heard about its goals, it made me think about the suffering my parents had experienced and what I could do to improve the situation for our community.
If you ask me whether I would choose war or peace, of course I would never choose war over peace, but we had to fight for that peace.
© Suraida Amil
Suraida ‘Amil joined the Bangsamoro Islamic Women Auxiliary Brigade (BIWAB) as an 18-year-old.
I spent time operating in the jungles as a combatant. It was a harsh environment living in the mountains alongside wild animals without the comforts of home.
But women are very strong; they have the ability to become fighters while at the same time be providers for their families.
In 2014 the peace agreement for Bangsamoro (the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, CAB) was signed and so little by little we are transforming ourselves into civilians. I have swapped my combat boots for lipstick, I carry ballpens for writing rather than a gun for shooting, I wear a jilbab and not a military uniform and I have moved out of the jungle and back into my community.
I have become a peace facilitator and work with people in my local area on issues such as gender-based violence and how to prevent violent extremism.
Islam teaches us to be kind to one another and not to harm other human beings. We have a saying in Islam that if we save one life, it is as if we have saved humanity.
I value and am proud of my role as a peace advocate in my community.
As part of the workshop discussion on modern forms of communications, which I participated in, I learned how to promote the awareness and prevention of violent extremism on social media.
I am now living a life of peace but my message to my young daughter has always been that she should always fight for her rights.
When you are fighting for a noble cause, it doesn’t matter if you gain or you lose something, because it is the cause itself which truly matters.”
Source: United Nations MIL OSI
More than 100 governments made historic commitments to end childhood violence on Thursday at a landmark event in Bogotá, Colombia.
Among the pledges, nine countries pledged to ban corporal punishment – an issue that affects three out of every five children regularly in their homes.
“Despite being highly preventable, violence remains a horrific day to day reality for millions of children around the world – leaving scars that span generations,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General.
“Today countries made critical pledges that, once enacted, could finally turn the tide on childhood violence,” he added.
Over half of all children aged two to 17 worldwide – some one billion – are estimated to suffer some form of violence, such as child maltreatment (including corporal punishment, the most prevalent form of childhood violence), physical or emotional abuse and sexual violence.
Some three in five children are regularly punished by physical means in their home, and one in five girls and one in seven boys experience sexual violence.
For some of these children, violence results in death or serious injury. Every 13 minutes, a child or adolescent dies as a result of homicide – equating to around 40,000 preventable deaths each year. Moreover, violence, often involving firearms or other weapons, is now the leading cause of death among adolescent males.
For others, experiencing violence has devastating and life-long consequences. These include anxiety and depression, risky behaviours like unsafe sex, smoking and substance abuse and reduced academic achievement.
Violence against children is also often hidden, with WHO estimates that fewer than half of affected children tell anyone they experienced violence and under 10 per cent receive any help.
At the Bogotá conference, countries committed to a range of evidence-based strategies aimed at preventing childhood violence.
Key measures include expanding parenting support programmes to encourage positive, non-violent discipline. School-based programmes targeting bullying and enhancing social skills also play a crucial role in fostering safer learning spaces.
Additionally, governments pledged to improve child-friendly health and social services to support young survivors, while new digital safety initiatives aim to protect children from online exploitation.
Research shows that implementing these strategies could reduce violence against children by 20 to 50 per cent, underscoring the importance of these new commitments in turning the tide on childhood violence.
Source: United Nations MIL OSI
Marking the inaugural International Day for the Prevention of and Fight against All Forms of Transnational Organised Crime on Friday, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has called for unified global efforts to counter these pervasive threats.
Proclaimed by the General Assembly in March 2024, the observance honours victims of organised crime – including law enforcement and judicial personnel who have lost their lives in pursuit of justice.
The inaugural theme: Organised crime steals, corrupts and kills. It’s time we pull together to push back, underscores the urgency of collective action.
Speaking to UN News, Candice Welsch, UNODC Regional Representative for the Andean Region and southernmost areas of South America, emphasised the global nature of the threat: “Almost all organised crime is transnational, it does not take place within a single country, but often crosses borders within regions and even beyond.”
“Therefore, this UN observance aims at boosting action by governments, the private sector, civil society and the public,” she said.
The UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime adopted in 2000 and ratified by 192 States, serves as the cornerstone of UNODC’s efforts to combat and eventually eliminate the scourge of transnational organised crime.
“We are working hard to strengthen cooperation between countries so that they can share information and intelligence between police forces, or so that border agencies and prosecutors can conduct joint operations,” said Ms. Welsch.
UNODC’s efforts include bolstering local, national and international capacities to better understand and combat these challenges.
In the Andean region, Colombia and Ecuador face significant challenges with transnational criminal groups. Colombia’s coca cultivation reached 253,000 hectares in 2023, yielding an estimated 2,664 metric tons of cocaine in 2022, according to UNODC data.
However, the issue is not confined to drug trafficking. Illegal mining, deforestation and wildlife trafficking – particularly in the Galapagos Islands – are also on the rise.
These activities disrupt security for communities, exacerbate gang violence and contribute to high homicide rates, impacting indigenous communities and young people who face recruitment risks. Migrant flows through the region also make vulnerable populations susceptible to human trafficking and other abuses.
To address these challenges, UNODC supports alternative development programmes for farmers reliant on coca cultivation. These initiatives promote legal crops such as coffee, cocoa, vanilla and sacha inchi, a nutrient-rich Amazonian plant.
“What we are trying to do with alternative development programmes is to offer these communities ways to move towards licit economies and a more secure future,” said Ms. Welsch.
UN News / David Mottershead
A former opium poppy farmer cultivating tomatoes in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. (file)
Despite a 2022 Taliban ban that initially reduced opium cultivation by 95 per cent, 2024 saw a 19 per cent resurgence driven by economic hardship and rising prices.
Since 2016, UNODC has aided over 85,000 households through alternative development initiatives, such as poultry farming projects that provide both food security and income generation for families affected by drugs.
Myanmar has surpassed Afghanistan as the world’s leading opium producer, with production rising 36 per cent in 2023.
Collaborating on security issues can be challenging for states, but the UN plays a crucial role in fostering dialogue
– Jeremy Douglas, UNODC
The country also leads global methamphetamine production, which has become the dominant drug according to UNODC data, with seizures quadrupling between 2013 and 2022.
Furthermore, criminal groups in the Golden Triangle – Myanmar, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Thailand – have expanded into online scams, wildlife trafficking, money laundering and human trafficking.
In response, UNODC has promoted regional cooperation through the establishment of approximately 120 border liaison offices to facilitate intelligence sharing and coordinated action.
“Collaborating on security issues can be challenging for States, but the UN plays a crucial role in fostering dialogue,” said Jeremy Douglas, former UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific and now Chief of Staff and Strategy Advisor to the Executive Director.
UN News/Daniel Dickinson
Goods being loaded onto a boat in Lao People’s Democratic Republic to be transported across the Mekong river to Thailand. (file)
The impact of transnational crime extends far beyond producer countries.
New synthetic drugs are on the rise, particularly in North America, which faces a fentanyl crisis, as well as in areas of Asia and Africa.
Western and Central European countries, particularly those with a North Sea coastline, also face considerable challenges, with their ports becoming major entry points for cocaine.
In the Sahel, illicit gold and fuel trafficking undermine governance and security and complicates sustainable development, depriving the nation of critical income.
Wildlife crimes, gold smuggling, and organised fraud are just a few examples of how these crimes converge, exploiting fragile ecosystems and vulnerable communities worldwide.
Nevertheless, UNODC remains committed to supporting global efforts.
“Despite these challenges, there is hope,” Ms. Welsch said.
She highlighted the importance of public awareness campaigns targeting youth and community programmes involving parents and teachers, as well as the need to ensure that everyone who requires treatment for drug abuse can access it.
“The only way to overcome global problems is to galvanise international action. That is why UNODC is joining forces with partners to help secure our common future,” she concluded.
Source: United Nations MIL OSI
A UN human rights expert on Friday strongly condemned the jailing of a 68-year-old paediatrician in Moscow, describing the case as another example of Russia’s “systematic suppression of dissenting voices”.
Dr. Nadezhda Buyanova was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison for allegedly making anti-war remarks concerning Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, during a private medical consultation.
“It is appalling to sentence a doctor for unproven private comment in the course of her professional duties,” said Mariana Katzarova, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation.
The case originated when the widow of a Russian serviceman killed in Ukraine filed a complaint alleging that Dr. Buyanova made derogatory statements about her deceased husband during their child’s medical appointment.
According to the complaint, the doctor allegedly described the father as a “legitimate target for the Ukrainian army” and stated that “Russia is to blame as it is the aggressor”.
The court reportedly relied on a pre-trail interview with the seven-year-old and the advanced phrasing involved suggested the testimony had likely been scripted. The child was not allowed to be cross-examined, undermining the fairness of proceedings, said the independent Human Rights Council-appointed expert.
Dr. Buyanova, who was born in Lviv, Ukraine, has rejected the allegations against her. Responding to accusations of anti-Russian bias, she stated, “I am related to three ethnicities: Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian. I don’t want to have to choose between them”.
“This rushed trial based primarily on the testimony of a seven-year-old child, is yet another example of sham trials in Russia, targeting individuals simply for their anti-war stance,” Ms. Katzarova said.
The proceedings have raised concerns regarding unfairness for relying on the child’s testimony whose statement contained advanced phrasing, while denying the defence of any opportunity for cross-examination.
The case has sparked widespread protest within Russia’s medical community, with more than 1,000 doctors signing an open letter advocating for Dr. Buyanova’s release.
Their protest emerges against a backdrop of intensifying repression, with current estimates indicating between 1,372 and 1,700 political prisoners detained in Russia, many for opposing the war in Ukraine.
“This case reflects the pattern of widespread and systemic suppression of any peaceful anti-war expression, targeting human rights defenders, political opposition and ordinary citizens for expressing views challenging state narratives,” Ms, Katzorva said.
In her September report to the UN Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur urged the Russian Government to cease using its judicial system as a political tool to silence civil society and dissenting voices.
“Buyova’s case is yet another emblematic case in Russia meant to gag war critics and instil fear among the Russian people,” Ms. Katzarova concluded.
“Buyanova must be released immediately and all charges against her dropped. Laws that stifle freedom of expression such as ‘war-censorship’ laws should be urgently repealed”.
Special Rapporteurs and other independent rights experts work on a voluntary basis, are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. The belong to no organisation or government, serving in a purely individual capacity.
Source: United Nations MIL OSI
By Vibhu Mishra
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday called on the UN Security Council to help execute arrest warrants against suspects allegedly linked to a brutal Libyan militia blamed for committing atrocity crimes in the town of Tarhuna, where mass graves were discovered in 2020.
The six who remain at large were either key members or associated with the Al Kaniyat militia that controlled Tarhuna from at least 2015 to June 2020, when government forces ousted them from the city, which is located about 65 kilometres (about 40 miles) southeast of Tripoli.
The arrest warrants against Abdurahem Khalefa Abdurahem Elshgagi “Al Khani”, Makhlouf Makhlouf Arhoumah Doumah “Douma”, Nasser Muhammad Muftah Daou “Al Lahsa”, Mohamed Mohamed Al Salheen Salmi “Salheen”, Abdelbari Ayyad Ramadan Al Shaqaqi “Al Shaqaqi” and Fathi Faraj Mohamed Salim Al Zinkal “Al Zinkal” were unsealed last month.
Since June 2020, hundreds of bodies have been exhumed from mass graves in and around Tarhuna, allegedly victims of crimes amounting to war crimes, including murder, torture, sexual violence and rape.
Briefing ambassadors on the Security Council from the Libyan capital Tripoli, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan spoke of his meetings and interactions with families of the victims.
“Today, one individual said something very simple and very true, that every household in Tarhuna has a victim. Every person that detailed a loss has suffered an end to their universe, and heartbreak was palpable and sincere,” he said.
He also relayed their “steely determination”.
“They have a clear conviction – the justice and accountability and fair processes are essential for themselves, their families, their community and for Libya at large,” he added, stressing the importance of international support to execute the warrants.
He called for the assistance of the Security Council, State Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC, and other non-State Parties to ensure that the suspects are apprehended and brought to justice, in an independent, free and fair trial.
Mr. Khan also highlighted a “new paradigm shift” that progress is possible, discernible and can be identified.
He noted significant progress in investigations related to detention facility crimes and crimes committed between 2014 and 2020, adding that further applications for arrest warrants are expected over the coming months.
Some of the applications may be secret to seize arrest opportunities, he said.
Mr. Khan also highlighted the need for continued partnership with Libyan authorities to achieve these goals, citing positive outcomes of his meetings with Libyan officials, including the Attorney General and the establishment of a new mechanism to coordinate investigations and prosecutions.
The ICC team has also intensified engagement with civil society organizations, noting that his team met with over 70 Libyan civil society groups and human rights defenders and discussed their expectations.
“[They] are not an appendage [but] at the heart of our discussions,” Mr. Khan said.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Karim Khan (on screen), Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), briefs the Security Council meeting on the situation in Libya.
In conclusion, he recalled the roadmap for completing the investigative stage of the judicial process.
“I believe, collectively through these combined activities, these plans are working,” he said, stressing that the “hopes, expectations and steely determination of victims need to be at the forefront.”
While there are many challenges and the next steps will not be straightforward, he expressed his belief that there is space to develop solutions to problem that has plagued Libya for over 13 years.
While not a UN organization, the ICC has a cooperation agreement with the United Nations. When a situation is not within the Court’s jurisdiction, the Security Council can refer the situation to the ICC granting it jurisdiction.
The situation in Libya was referred to the ICC Prosecutor by the Security Council in resolution 1970, adopted in February 2011. In March, the Prosecutor announced the decision to open an investigation.
In that resolution, the Council also imposed targeted sanctions, including a travel ban on President Muammar Al-Qadhafi and other senior figures in his administration, including some family members.
Source: United Nations MIL OSI
A UN independent human rights expert on Tuesday called for an end to Russia’s severe crackdown on the legal profession, condemning the prison sentences handed down to three lawyers last week who defended the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Mariana Katzarova, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, urged Russian authorities to release lawyers Vadim Kobzev, Alexei Liptser and Igor Sergunin, who were sentenced on 17 January to prison terms on “extremism” charges.
Their trial, held in the Petushki district court of the Vladimir region, was criticized as a sham.
“This week, when we mark the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer, the Russian Government continues reprisals against lawyers for carrying out their professional duties,” Ms. Katzarova said.
She called for the immediate release of three lawyers, and for the verdict against them to be annulled.
The sentencing of Mr. Kobzev, Mr. Liptser and Mr. Sergunin serves as a “chilling warning” to lawyers considering politically sensitive cases in Russia, Ms. Katzarova said, describing the charges as baseless under international law.
“The term ‘extremism’ has no foundation in international law and constitutes a violation of human rights when used to trigger criminal liability,” she said.
The trial took place behind closed doors, although around 50 people were allowed into the courtroom as the verdict was handed down, including journalists and lawyers, according to a news release issued by the Special Rapporteur.
Five others, four of them journalists, were arbitrarily detained, apparently to prevent them from attending the hearing. They were later released.
“The persecution of lawyers and journalists is part of an alarming pattern of targeted repression and State control that is silencing independent media and the legal profession throughout Russia,” Ms. Katzarova added.
The Special Rapporteur’s 2024 report to the UN Human Rights Council documented continuing attacks on the legal profession in Russia.
“Lawyers have been imprisoned, prosecuted, disbarred and intimidated simply for carrying out their professional duties,” Ms. Katzarova said.
She noted “widespread use” of vague legal definitions and unpredictable, often abusive, interpretations, as well as closed trials which have allowed Russian authorities to misuse and instrumentalise counter-extremism, counter-terrorism and national security legislation to stifle critics, ban anti-war speech, imprison legitimate political opponents and punish and endanger their defence lawyers.
“This practice must end,” she added.
The mandate of the Special Rapporteur was established by the Human Rights Council in October 2022, and subsequently extended.
Ms. Katzarova was appointed as the Special Rapporteur by the Council in April 2023 and assumed her function on 1 May 2023. She is not a UN staff member, does not draw a salary, and serves in her individual capacity, independent of the UN Secretariat.
Source: United Nations 2
The international community must continue to show solidarity with Ukraine, a senior UN aid official said on Tuesday, marking 1,000 days since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country.
The “grim milestone” fell as Ukraine fired long-range American-made missiles into Russia for the first time, according to media reports.
Conflict erupted in Ukraine over a decade ago following Russia’s occupation of Crimea in the east and escalated on 24 February 2022 with the full-scale assault on the country.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, detailed the death and destruction that has occurred since then.
More than 39,000 civilians have been killed or injured, and over 3,400 schools and hospitals have been damaged or destroyed, while 10 million people have fled their homes.
“These are not just numbers; each one of them represents countless stories of individual unimaginable pain for the people of Ukraine,” he said.
Although the UN “cannot erase the horrors of the war”, Mr. Schmale said it has worked with national and international organizations and the Government to address the acute needs of the most vulnerable, which includes people with limited mobility and older persons.
“As Ukrainians brace for another winter of war, the UN’s support and the solidarity of the international community must remain firm,” he said.
“I urge the international community to stand with Ukraine and to continue recognizing and supporting the heroic work of the many first responders, including volunteers.”
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, provided further information on the war’s toll in a statement marking the “grim milestone”.
OHCHR has verified that at least 12,162 civilians, including 659 children, have been killed since 24 February 2022, while at least 26,919 have been injured.
“As the High Commissioner has said, it has been 1,000 days too many of senseless pain and suffering. Violations of human rights have become the order of the day, both in the conduct of hostilities and in areas under occupation,” Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told journalists in Geneva.
© UNOCHA/Dmytro Filipskyy
Strikes in Kharkiv in September left dozens of families homeless and caused multiple injuries.
He said that over the past two days, at least 30 civilians have reportedly been killed in a series of deadly strikes in residential areas in Sumy City, Odesa and Hlukhiv.
“In the very latest attack on Hlukhiv, which occurred late last night, nine civilians, including a child, were reportedly killed, and 11, including two children, injured,” he said, noting that search and rescue operations are ongoing.
He added that the Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Danielle Bell, visited several locations in Zaporizhzhia on Monday that had recently been struck by Russian glide bombs.
The locations included an oncology centre which was hit on 7 November as cancer patients were receiving chemotherapy, and an apartment building where half the structure was destroyed by another glide bomb the same day. Ten people were killed.
“We call on all parties to ensure the safety and protection of civilians. Effective measures must also be taken to fully and impartially investigate where there are credible allegations of violations,” said Mr. Laurence.
“The violence must stop – for the sake of the people of Ukraine, the people of Russia, and the world.”
Separately, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine highlighted the immense suffering caused by Russia’s violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.
These include the indiscriminate use of explosive weapons with wide area effects, the targeting of civilian objectives, “massive waves of attacks” on energy infrastructure, and the forced transfer and deportation of children.
The Commission drew attention to its report issued last month which concluded that torture committed by Russian authorities against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war amounts to a crime against humanity.
“Such crimes are among the most serious under international law,” members said, adding that torture “has been widespread, systematic, and committed as a coordinated state policy.”
Meanwhile, 1,000 days of war have left more than 14.6 million Ukrainians in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, including 3.5 million displaced within the country, said Amy Pope, Director General of UN migration agency, IOM.
“As winter arrives, the persistent attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure – decimating 65 per cent of the country’s generation capacity – have left communities struggling without adequate electricity, heating, or water,” she said
“This is a matter of survival for millions of people and requires the international community to stand together in solidarity.”
Ms. Pope called on governments, private sector leaders, and people worldwide to sustain their support for those in greatest need.
“Together, we can ensure that even in the darkest of winters, there is warmth, dignity, and the promise of a peaceful future,” she said.
Source: United Nations 2
The UN human rights chief on Monday urged Georgian authorities to respect and protect rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, following four nights of protests marred by violence.
The legitimate protests were dispersed using disproportionate and, in some cases, unnecessary force by the police in the capital, Tbilisi, according to the statement from High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.
Dozens of protesters and media workers were reportedly injured during the demonstrations sparked by a prime ministerial announcement postponing negotiations on joining the European Union.
Security forces reportedly used pepper spray, water cannons and chemical irritants against protesters and journalists. Some were also reportedly chased and beaten by unidentified assailants.
“The use of unnecessary or disproportionate force against protesters and media workers is extremely worrying,” said Mr. Türk. “All Georgians from across the political spectrum should be able to express their views about the future of their country freely and peacefully.”
International human rights standards stipulate that States must promote an enabling environment for the exercise of right, including peaceful assembly, without discrimination, said UN rights office OHCHR.
Any use of force by security personnel must remain “an exception and comply with the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, precaution and non-discrimination.”
High Commissioner Türk also called on protesters to exercise their rights peacefully. Reports indicate rocks, fireworks and bottles were thrown at security forces, in addition to causing damage to the parliament building. The Ministry of Interior said at least 113 of its staff were injured.
The Special Investigation Service of Georgia – an independent institution accountable to Parliament that investigates allegations against law enforcement officials – announced that it has launched a probe into the abuse of official authority by police officers.
“All those found responsible for violations should be held accountable, and allegations of ill-treatment of detainees should also be investigated,” the High Commissioner said.
Individual officers from riot control squads or special police units, lack individual identification numbers or nametags – making accountability more difficult.
“These incidents underscore once again the need to address this long-standing concern when it comes to establishing individual responsibility of law enforcement officers in Georgia,” said the rights chief.
According to the Guide on Less Lethal Weapons in Law Enforcement, issued by OHCHR in 2020, authorities should ensure that “law enforcement officials be identifiable, for example by wearing nametags or individually assigned service numbers”.
Latest figures from the Ministry of Interior indicate that at least 224 people were detained during the four nights of protests. They face charges of petty hooliganism and disobeying lawful police orders. “Reports that a number of children are among those detained are particularly worrying,” Mr. Türk said. “All their rights must be fully respected.”
He added that all those detained for the legitimate exercise of their rights to freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly must be freed “immediately and unconditionally.”
“Those facing other charges should be guaranteed all their rights to due process, presumption of innocence, legal counsel, as well as the right to challenge the lawfulness of their pre-trial detention, and adequate medical care if needed.”
Source: United Nations 2
By Vibhu Mishra
As tensions mount between Pristina and Belgrade, the UN’s top official in Kosovo called for “responsible leadership” from all parties to protect human rights and foster constructive political dialogue.
Caroline Ziadeh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), briefed ambassadors in the Security Council on recent developments, calling for greater cooperation to stabilize the region and safeguard fundamental freedoms.
She highlighted the situation in northern Kosovo, where civil society groups, political figures and residents are increasingly worried about the impact of unilateral political moves that have disrupted their daily lives.
During a visit in September, local stakeholders told her that closures of Belgrade-run Post of Serbia branches and municipal offices have limited access to essential services, especially for the Kosovo Serb community.
“These community members further voiced anxiety over indications that the Pristina authorities may attempt to assert control over the Serbia-funded education and health institutions.”
Ms. Ziadeh further emphasised that advancing and safeguarding human rights “is at the very core of our mission in Kosovo,” noting a recent uptick in civic activism but also raising alarm over arrests related to freedom of expression and assembly.
The Police Inspectorate of Kosovo is investigating allegations of excessive force and mistreatment in police custody, she added, as she suggested that publishing the Inspectorate’s findings could enhance transparency and help rebuild trust in public institutions.
She also welcomed recent progress made by the Working Group on Missing Persons and continued efforts to meet the expectations of families, “whose ongoing grief deeply continues to weigh heavily on the social fabric”.
Ms. Ziadeh also addressed recent developments in the European Union (EU)-facilitated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.
She welcomed the setting up of a working group to ease the entry of certain perishable goods and to advance energy connectivity, the lifting of restrictions on Serbian goods, as well as nine key trade agreements under the Central European Free Trade Agreement.
“It is imperative that the current bottlenecks will be expeditiously addressed. This recent progress underscores the potential for deeper work toward regional integration via constructive diplomatic compromises,” she said.
With Kosovo approaching a pre-election period, Ms. Ziadeh urged political leaders to create an environment that supports the right to vote and encourages peaceful participation in public affairs.
Emphasising the need for responsible leadership, she urged the Security Council and international partners to support Kosovo in fostering dialogue, protecting fundamental rights, and promoting lasting stability.
“By working together, we can propel constructive political dialogue, protect fundamental rights and promote a more lasting security and prosperity for all,” she said.
Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
Police can now name the man who died in a crash on Christchurch Akaroa Road/SH75, Little River, on 8 December.
He was Eric Grainger, aged 27, from Christchurch.
Police extend our sympathies to his friends and family.
Enquiries into the crash are ongoing.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
February 11, 2025
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined their Senate colleagues in introducing bipartisan legislation that would make high-quality job training more accessible.
“The last thing hardworking students should have to worry about is not being able to afford a pathway to a successful career,” Wyden said. “No student should ever be denied the chance to work hard and get ahead. The JOBS Act would make the playing field fairer by giving low-income students the chance to pursue their dreams of securing a good paying job.”
“In order for every American to have a good-paying job, they need access to affordable, high-quality job training,” Merkley said. “As employers face critical shortages of skilled workers, too many people are still struggling to find opportunities that match their potential. The bipartisan JOBS Act is a win for our workforce, a win for our businesses, and a win for our economy.”
The Jumpstarting Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act would allow students to use Pell Grants, need-based federal financial aid for undergraduates from low-income households, to pay for shorter-term job training programs.
Students now can only use Pell Grants for two-year and four-year colleges and universities. Students in shorter-term high-quality job training programs are ineligible for this crucial assistance. By expanding Pell Grant eligibility, the JOBS Act would allow students to have access to job training they might not be able to afford but that they need for careers in high-demand fields.
There is also a skilled labor shortage that is expected to intensify in the coming years, in part because unemployed Americans lack access to the job training needed to fill vacant jobs. The JOBS Act would allow Pell Grants to be used for high-quality job training programs that are at least eight weeks long and lead to industry-recognized credentials or certificates.
In addition to Wyden and Merkley, the legislation is led by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, D-Va., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Roger Marshal, R-Kan. and cosponsored by Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Lisa Blunt Rochester D-Del., Cory Booker D-N.J., John Boozman, R-Ark., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W. V.a., Chris Coons, D-Del., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., John Hoeven, R-N.D., Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Angus King, I-Maine, Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Jon Ossoff D-Ga., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Dan Sullivan, D-Ark., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Mark R. Warner, D-Va., and Roger Wicker, R-Miss.
The JOBS Act is endorsed by Advance CTE, the American Association of Community Colleges, the Association for Career and Technical Education , the Association of Community College Trustees, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Business Roundtable, the Center for Law and Social Policy , the Exhibitions and Conferences Alliance, Higher Learning Advocates, HP Inc., the Information Technology Industry Council, Jobs for the Future, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, NAF, the National Association of Workforce Boards, the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals, the National Skills Coalition, the Progressive Policy Institute, Rebuilding America’s Middle Class, and the Virginia Community College System.
The text of the bill is here.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator John Hickenlooper – Colorado
Stop-work orders for wildfire risk reduction projects on public lands undermine community preparedness
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper, Michael Bennet, and 10 of their Senate colleagues from Western states wrote a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Acting Agriculture Secretary Gary Washington to raise the alarm about wildfire risk reduction projects that remove hazardous fuels on Bureau of Land Management lands, and to express concerns about the potential for a future freeze at the U.S. Forest Service.
“Catastrophic wildfires across the United States are an ongoing national crisis and responding to them must be a national priority. These stop work orders and funding freezes jeopardize communities that depend on a robust federal response to our wildfire crisis – and also jeopardize small businesses, often in frontier and rural communities, that are contracted to do the work on the ground to reduce hazardous fuels,” wrote the senators.
This follows President Trump’s illegal executive orders cutting federal funds to mitigate and fight wildfires and comes as communities in Colorado and nationwide prepare for wildfire season. Hazardous fuel removal projects cut off fuel to wildfires which increases ecosystem resilience – protecting firefighters and civilians alike. Delaying these treatments even for a short period can mean missing out on the right seasonal and weather conditions for safe removal.
The full text of the letter can be found HERE or below:
Dear Secretary Burgum and Acting Secretary Washington,
We are writing with great concern about reports from our constituents that the Bureau of Land Management has issued stop work orders for hazardous fuels reduction projects. We are further concerned that fuels projects overseen by the U.S. Forest Service will be next. These projects are integral to increased safety and resiliency and any delay in implementation puts those communities at greater risk. We urge you to immediately rescind these stop work orders, halt any further stop work orders or funding freezes, and instead work with the tools and funds Congress has provided to better safeguard our communities from the serious risk of catastrophic wildfire.
These projects are part of the Wildfire Crisis Strategy, funded by theInfrastructure and Investment in Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Investing in fuels reduction treatments is a primary recommendation in the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission Report, a nonpartisan strategy document to tackle the myriad challenges associated with wildfire across the country. We also note with alarm that this report was removed from federal websites this week.
In 2022, the Forest Service identified high-risk firesheds across the country to be prioritized for hazardous fuels reduction work through the Wildlife Crisis Strategy and Implementation Plan. The Forest Service chose 10 high-priority landscapes with the enactment of IIJA and an additional 11 landscapes with the enactment of IRA – each of these landscapes require significant investment to reduce wildfire risk. These 21 landscapes were awarded a total of $1.73 billion to protect at-risk communities, critical infrastructure, public water sources, and adjacent Tribal lands in 10 Western states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. The Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, States, Tribes, local stakeholders, and small businesses have been working together over the last three years to implement fuels reduction on these landscapes.
Catastrophic wildfires across the United States are an ongoing national crisis and responding to them must be a national priority. These stop work orders and funding freezes jeopardize communities that depend on a robust federal response to our wildfire crisis – and also jeopardize small businesses, often in frontier and rural communities, that are contracted to do the work on the ground to reduce hazardous fuels.
In addition to endangering communities, the President’s Executive Orders freezing funding are flagrantly illegal. The Government Accountability Office, the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel (including in an opinion written by future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, William H. Rehnquist), and the Supreme Court of the United States have all disavowed the notion of some “inherent Presidential power to impound,” as some in the Administration, as well as pending Administration nominees, have tried to argue without legal or textual basis.
Not only does the Constitution vest the power of the purse with Congress and provide no power to the President to impound funds, but there have been several bedrock fiscal statutes enacted to protect Congress’ constitutional power of the purse and prevent unlawful executive overreach, including the Antideficiency Act and the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (ICA). The ICA prohibits any action or inaction that precludes Federal funds from being obligated or spent, either temporarily or permanently, without following the strictly circumscribed requirements of that law, which have not been honored in this instance.
As we’ve seen with the recent fires surrounding Los Angeles, wildfire does not distinguish between homes and trees. But we do have ways to mitigate the risk. One of the most effective strategies to reduce that risk is to reduce the hazardous natural fuels that surround our communities. These fuels reduction projects save lives and property, reduce the danger to firefighters, and return our lands to a fire-adapted ecosystem that can better withstand the threat to human life, communities, infrastructure, and property.
By terminating or even pausing these projects, all of the progress made at protecting these communities is at risk. We are imploring you to rescind the order to stop work on these hazardous fuels reduction efforts, as well as any other wildland fire management programs that are working to reduce risk and safeguard communities from catastrophic wildfire.
We hope to work with you to combat the scourge of catastrophic wildfire.
Sincerely,