Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moïse assassinated in his home – Vatican News

By Vatican News staff writer

Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moïse, has been shot dead by unidentified armed men in his private residence overnight in an attack that also left his wife seriously injured.

A statement from the country’s interim prime minister – Claude Joseph – called the killing a “hateful, inhumane and barbaric act”.

He said that an “armed commando group” reportedly attacked Moïse’s residence around one o’clock during the night of Tuesday 6th to Wednesday 7th July and fatally injured the head of state.

First Lady, Martine Moïse, who was also injured in the attack, has been hospitalized. Her condition is not immediately clear.

Reassuring Haitians, Joseph insisted that “the country’s security situation is under the control of the National Police and the Armed Forces of Haiti.” He further pledged to uphold democracy and the republic.

Tragic news

Speaking to Vatican News, Bishop Alfonse Quesnel of Fort-Liberté in Haiti expressed shock at the tragic news.

“We could not have expected this,” he said. “Although it is true that there was a lot of tension around the president, we could not have thought it would get to this point.”

He said that the president had just appointed a new prime minister who might not even be able to take office, and expressed concern that the country is in “a chaotic situation.”

Bishop Quesnel however noted that the situation is relatively time for the time being, even though we cannot tell what the people’s reactions will be.

“We cannot say that the situation is under control,” he said.

Haiti

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, was already in a precarious political situation before the assassination. The assassination is likely to plunge the impoverished Caribbean nation into further turmoil after years marked with political unrest and violence.

In recent times, the situation had grown even more unstable and the people had increasingly been expressing dissent under Moïse, with intermittent periods of protests and a rise in violence.

53-year-old Moïse ruled by decree for more than a year after the country failed to hold legislative elections. The opposition demanded his resignation in recent months claiming that he should have stepped down in February.

The country’s Catholic bishops have been denouncing the instability and lack of security in the nation for months.

Pizzaballa: Pilgrimages are in Jerusalem’s DNA – Vatican News

By Vatican News staff writer

“The return of the pilgrims means for Jerusalem to breathe with two lungs again” said Archbishop Pizzaballa in an interview with Vatican radio.  After joyfully opening  the doors of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem to the faithful, priests and journalists who are in the Holy Land as the first group of the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, Archbishop Pizzaballa  renewed his invitation to come to the Holy Land.

A different experience

The meaning of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land “allows us to experience with our eyes”. It is always an extraordinary experience, which this first group is living in an even more special dimension of recollection: in the sacred places, in fact, there are not the usual queues to enter or the normal hubbub of tourists. It is a time of sorrow for the absence of pilgrims, the patriarch emphasizes, but also an occasion for reflection:

We do not need crowds, says Archbishops Pizzaballa, explaining that this time of emptiness, after having brought so many problems to everyone and especially to the many families who live from tourism in this land, can be an opportunity for rethinking. We can try to rethink the rhythm and mode of travel to ensure that they respond better to the needs of pilgrims but also of those who make religious tourism and may be touched spiritually by the encounter with the places, with the facts of Jesus and therefore with the person of Christ.

The welcome

After the Mass at Gethsemane and the visit to Bethlehem, the moment of prayer at the Holy Sepulchre arrived, with the ideal embrace between the friars of the Custody and Cardinal Feroci who is leading the group of pilgrim.

They were greeted upon their arrival with a prayer sung by the Friars Minor of the Custody. In particular, Friar Sinisa recalled that the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre has never been truly closed. He underlined this by explaining that he was surprised and hurt by the news given by the media of an alleged reopening with the end of the lockdown. There has never been a lockdown of the Holy Sepulchre either day or night, the friar explained, assuring that prayer is constant for all Christians around the world and asking that prayers be said for the Holy Land.

New EU guidance on protection of places of worship: a first step in the right direction

New EU guidance on protection of places of worship: a first step in the right direction

The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) welcomes the adoption by the European Commission of the Quick Guide to support the protection of places of worship. COMECE: “It is a good first step. The Catholic Church is ready to further contribute to its enrichment and improvement”.

The European Commission has finalised a new Quick Guide to support the protection of places of worship. The text is part of the EU Counter-Terrorism Agenda and aims to support small/medium sized places of worship in the EU with basic steps to assess vulnerability and improve awareness and security preparation without altering the sacred nature of such places.

COMECE contributed to the elaboration of the text in the context of the EU Operators’ Forum on the protection of public spaces. COMECE welcomes the idea of a non-binding document based on a detailed set of questions to help assess risks and need for protective measures. COMECE is pleased to promote this important document among its member Bishops’ Conferences.

While highly appreciating the Commission’s involvement on a matter that directly touches upon the daily life of the Church, COMECE would have appreciated a more explicit integration of certain elements suggested in its contribution.

The EU guide emphasizes the link between the symbolic character of places of worship and the need to protect them. “However – states COMECE – this is an incomplete picture: the protection of places of worship should mainly be ensured due to the fact that these places are one of the physical contexts where, primarily, people exercise their fundamental right to freedom of religion, especially in its community dimension”.

According to COMECE, some of the terminology used in the final EC document is also questionable – e.g. the secular reference to “seasonal events” instead of “religious festivals” or “key religious celebrations”. Furthermore, the implementation of the EU Guide should ensure a balanced combination between security and the crucial element of maximum fruition, as the elements of ‘welcome’ and ‘openness’ are essential for the functioning of churches and other worship places.

The Commission’s idea of a living document to be regularly updated in consultation with Churches and religious communities is positive and COMECE is ready to further contribute to its enrichment and improvement.

On protection of places of worship, COMECE is also delighted that the Consortium ProSPeReS(Protection System for large gatherings of People in Religious Sites) was selected for access to EU funding. The project is also the fruit of COMECE exchanges with its member Bishops’ Conferences in the context of its Legal Affairs Commission. COMECE was involved in the elaboration of this project and will be integrated in the relevant activities.

Through a cooperation between scientists, security experts, public services (police and firefighters) and Churches and religious communities, the 2-years Consortium ProSPeReS project will prepare an integrated protection system to increase the safety and security of religious sites in EU Member States. Actors will share good practices and gather insights on needs and requirements, with recommendations and training/awareness materials. Activities should also lead to the creation of a permanent network.

Media

Read the EU guidance

New study by WHO/Europe and ECDC examines variations in antibiotic consumption in European countries between 2014 and 2018

The WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have released a report on the consumption of antibiotics in countries across the WHO European Region. The report highlights changes in consumption of antibiotics in many countries, but it also highlights the need for more detailed data to improve strategies to reduce antimicrobial consumption across the European Region.

Overuse of antibiotics raises the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), where infections become resistant to treatment and potentially life-threatening. The report found some differences in the use of antibiotics between two sets of countries, the ECDC’s European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption Network (ESAC-Net) and WHO/Europe’s Antimicrobial Medicines Consumption (AMC) Network.

The findings show a significant decrease in the consumption of antibacterials in eight ESAC-Net countries: Denmark, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. However, figures for the AMC Network were less clear, reflecting the more complicated nature of data collection.

Interpreting the data

The report used overall consumption to measure antibiotic use. However, the study also warns that relying on consumption alone can miss important nuances and is inadequate to assess overall national performance.

The study calls for more detailed analysis of specific groups and individuals within countries. This can help identify useful national interventions to improve the use of antibiotics and promote alignment of clinical practices with international guidance on their responsible use.

The study highlights one example, explaining that where certain antibiotics are not registered, this may affect prescribing practices and cultural preferences of treatment among health professionals.

Gaining a better understanding of these behavioural and cultural factors in health is an important part of the European Programme of Work, 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health in Europe”, which includes behavioural and cultural insights as one of its core flagship areas.

Looking ahead

The development and implementation of effective national policies to deal with AMR vary across countries in both ESAC-Net and WHO/Europe’s AMC Network. Reliable data are key to monitoring the evolution of AMR. While quantitative research is important, qualitative analysis is essential to provide a full and accurate picture of AMR.

However, this report does show the value of harmonized data collection and analysis to underpin strategies to tackle antimicrobial resistance.

EU Should Use GSP+ to bring about the political solution for the Tamils in Sri Lanka

A political solution can be achieved with the blessing of the Biden administration. This solution can be achieved through a Referendum.

SCARSDALE, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, July 7, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — The secretary of the Vavuniya Families of the Disappeared association, Gopalakrishnan Rajkumar, called on the European Union to “repeal the GSP+” trading preference and work with the US to achieve a just “political solution”.The statement on Friday comes ahead of Monday’s protest to mark 1,600 days of continued demonstrations in Vavuniya by the families of the disappeared. During the statement, Rajkumar highlighted that since the implementation of Sri Lanka’s draconian 1978 Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), thousands of Tamils have been imprisoned as political prisoners.

Here is Mr. Rajkumar’s statements in detail:

Talk of stopping the EU’s GSP+ makes Sri Lanka Nervous. We can see this by Sri Lankan actions.  There are thousands of Tamil political prisoners in Sri Lankan jails being held without trial.

Only now because of the warning by the European Union a mere 14 Tamils were released along with 76 Sinhalese.

EU should use the GSP+ (the Generalized Scheme of Preferences trade arrangement) not only to help remove the Sri Lankan Terrorism law, but also to bring about the political solution that the country had promised to the UN and the Sri Lanka Donor Group Co-Chairs in 2009 during the war.

A political solution can be achieved with the blessing of the Biden administration. This solution can be achieved through a Referendum.

Any solution should be based on a secured and protected Tamil homeland. The Tamils have learned over and over again for the last 74 years in painful ways that Tamils can live safely only within a secure homeland.

The Tamils were silenced by Sinhalese oppression and the Tamil parliamentarians were silenced by Colombo’s perks.
We urge the EU to push for a political solution for the Tamils with EU and US mediation.

Thank you,
Rajkumar,
The secretary of the Vavuniya Families of the Disappeared association

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EU Should Use GSP+ to bring about the political solution for the Tamils in Sri Lanka

Improving routine health information systems in the European Region

Routine health information systems (RHISs) have the potential to dramatically improve decision-making among health-care professionals in the WHO European Region. However, a new study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health has identified challenges which make staff reluctant to adopt new technology that may help improve patient outcomes.

The study, “Routine health information systems in the European context: a systematic review of systematic reviews”, analyses 20 reviews published between 2007 and 2020 in 12 journals, covering between 3 and 14 countries.

To take full advantage of the potential of RHISs, an international strategy is required. WHO/Europe has identified behavioural and cultural insights that can help us to understand the drivers of and barriers to the uptake of health information systems and digital health. Behavioural and cultural insights and digital health are 2 of the 4 flagships of the European Programme of Work 2020–2025, and are helping to shape the future of health in the Region.

Strategies for improvement

The authors of the study identified challenges such as the lack of a strategy for RHIS implementation and evaluation, as well as insufficient equipment and financial and human resources. These conditions make it impossible to collect data capable of providing the best results, which may in turn discourage health workers from using the technology.

The authors used the PRISM framework to suggest strategies for improvement according to 3 determinants: technical, organizational and behavioural.

To improve technical strategies, records must be simplified to make data entry easy. Ideally, this is done by creating intuitive software that increases user acceptance and improves data availability in a usable format. Moreover, interoperability between RHISs should be enabled. 5G technology is a helpful solution to connectivity and bandwidth problems.

In terms of organizational strategies, it is important to manage financial and human resources effectively. A protocol that includes monitoring and evaluation, particularly during implementation, is essential. Here, leadership plays a role in guiding and resolving any issues that team members may encounter.

Finally, behavioural strategies are fundamental to RHIS implementation, as these systems rely on acceptance by potential users such as health-care professionals and the general public. Such strategies seek to strengthen staff members’ ability to collect, extract and use data effectively.

The review suggests that physicians should also receive training in digital skills, for example, to accurately input data into electronic health records, as well as transformational leadership and management. It is also important to incorporate professionals’ opinions on the timing of RHIS implementation.

Adapting to emerging trends

RHISs represent major cultural changes for health-care professionals and the general public. They are becoming effective instruments within organizations and health-care policies to promote citizen empowerment. Consequently, an expansion of social research into the health, organizational and policy impacts of RHIS use is recommended.

Big data and data-driven management are great opportunities for RHISs. More accurate and robust information allows for better management of acute situations such as the coronavirus pandemic, as well as disease prevention and expense reduction.

The combination of RHISs and big data is especially useful for analysing and evaluating the health problems of, and policies for, vulnerable groups. During a transition period when many people, including older people, continue to seek traditional services, RHISs can be useful for adapting information technology to specific needs.

Furthermore, issues of privacy, confidentiality and security of the data used in RHISs are vital.

Strengthening RHISs has become a global priority for tracking and achieving national health goals. Even if they present initial problems, RHISs can help to strengthen policy decision-making in local health systems, especially in low-income countries. It is therefore necessary to develop a suitable strategy based on the digitization of data processing, which can lead to a modern data-use structure and, ultimately, better health outcomes.

To facilitate the work of those assessing RHIS resources, an Excel file of Annex 2 of WHO/Europe’s support tool to strengthen health information systems is available for download via the link below.

EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Kate Middleton’s cousin Lucy is embroiled in Zhivago book plagiarism row 

Lucy Middleton, who’s said to be the Duchess of Cambridge‘s favourite cousin and is godmother to Prince Louis, is involved in a bitter legal dispute with royal historian Anna Pasternak.

Middleton is head of legal affairs at publishing giant Penguin Random House, which is being sued by Pasternak over allegations of plagiarism by one of its authors, American novelist Lara Prescott.

Pasternak claims that Prescott, in her bestseller The Secrets We Kept, which told the story of Doctor Zhivago’s publication, plagiarised her book Lara: The Untold Love Story That Inspired Doctor Zhivago. Anna is the great-niece of Russian author Boris Pasternak, who wrote Doctor Zhivago, which was turned into an Oscar-winning epic.

Middleton is head of legal affairs at publishing giant Penguin Random House, which is being sued by Anna Pasternak (pictured) over allegations of plagiarism by one of its authors, American novelist Lara Prescott

Prescott’s literary agent is said to have told Pasternak’s husband, psychotherapist Andrew Wallas, three times that the publisher intended to ‘crush your wife in court’.

At a procedural court hearing last week, the publisher was represented by no less than seven lawyers. And they claimed recoverable legal costs of £1.2 million, which the judge promptly reduced substantially.

Pasternak has accused Penguin Random House of ‘cheque-book litigation’ and wonders if their tactic is to bully her into submission. By coincidence, Pasternak wrote an infamous article for Tatler on Kate Middleton last year, over which the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge threatened to sue the magazine’s publisher, Conde Nast.

Pasternak claims that Prescott, in her bestseller The Secrets We Kept (left), which told the story of Doctor Zhivago’s publication, plagiarised her book Lara: The Untold Love Story That Inspired Doctor Zhivago (right)

The author tells me: ‘I have always felt that Lara Prescott and Penguin Random House were trying to force me out of this dispute by bullying me with cheque-book litigation, and by unnecessarily inflating the cost of it.

‘Penguin has swept in and used its corporate power to try to beat me into submission. Surely the days of the big corporate bully threatening their financial might are now over?’

A spokesman for the publisher tells me: ‘Ms Pasternak elected to bring proceedings, in the full knowledge that they would be defended by Lara Prescott and her publisher, both of whom consider the claim to be unfounded and entirely without merit. At Penguin Random House UK, we have a long and proud history of supporting our authors against unfounded claims and we will continue to do so in this case.’

Seeing double with Meghan’s pal’s suits

Duchess of Sussex’s best friend, Jessica Mulroney, has designed a range of women’s suits and shared a photo this week

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the Duchess of Sussex’s best friend, Jessica Mulroney, has paid a huge compliment to Ralph & Russo — the designer behind Meghan’s £56,000 engagement dress.

Mulroney, whose twin sons were page boys at Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding, has designed a range of women’s suits and shared a photo this week.

But a follower was quick to point out its striking similarity to a suit from Ralph & Russo’s 2018 collection, costing more than £3,000.

But a follower was quick to point out its striking similarity to a suit from Ralph & Russo’s 2018 collection, costing more than £3,000

‘First suit drop. What do you think?’ Canadian stylist Jessica wrote in the caption, which she later edited to include: ‘Inspired by my favourite designers, Ralph & Russo. Without the designer price!’ 

A spokesman for Jessica, whose husband is the former Canadian Prime Minister’s son, TV host Ben Mulroney, says the image is an ‘inspiration picture’.

Fans are also scratching their heads over how the new suit line is already ‘sold out’ and has a waiting list, even though there’s no clear method of purchase…

Archers star reveals secret cancer battle 

Devoted listeners of The Archers were alarmed when veteran character Lynda Snell was involved in an explosion earlier this year which left her with ‘serious injuries’ and nearly claimed her life.

Now, Carole Boyd, who has played the snobby but well-meaning Snell in Radio 4’s rural soap opera since 1986, has revealed she’s been secretly fighting a brave battle against cancer in real life.

‘Doctor theatre takes over,’ Boyd tells Michael Berkeley on a forthcoming edition of the Radio 3 show Private Passions. ‘You have to have this self-survival thing, that you are going to be OK.’

The actress, 74, says her main concern was the well-being of her husband, Patrick Harrison, whom she’s cared for since he suffered a stroke in 2003.

‘My real worry is, ‘Will my health hold out? Will I be OK? Will I go on being OK to look after Patrick, and for how much longer?’

Is all rosy for farmer Jeremy?

Perhaps I made a mistake when I approached Jeremy Clarkson as he queued for Vietnamese noodles at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival

Jeremy Clarkson was sacked by the BBC after he punched a Top Gear producer who failed to give him a hot dinner, so perhaps I made a mistake when I approached him as he queued for Vietnamese noodles at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

And he did seem slightly off his oats, despite the success of his Amazon TV show, Clarkson’s Farm. It documents his efforts to farm 1,000 acres in the Cotswolds. ‘My second series hasn’t been confirmed yet, annoyingly,’ he told me. The motormouth, 61, was with his girlfriend, Lisa Hogan, 47, (right).

‘I’m just looking around for my garden,’ he told me. ‘I’m not very good at flowers, but I’m taking pictures for my gardener. He’ll get them for me.’

The theme of the show is eco-friendly gardening, but Clarkson happily admitted that he ‘sprays [the herbicide] glypho- sate everywhere’.

Well-connected landowner Henry Pelly is embroiled in an astonishing second row with locals over a footpath near his £1.25 million mansion.

He caused uproar in 2016 when he shut the footpath ‘where locals had walked for up to 100 years’ after buying the house in Wiltshire. But following 81 objections, a planning inspector told him it must be reopened.

Now, Pelly’s asked Wiltshire Council for permission to divert part of it, principally to protect his ‘privacy’. Defiant local Katherine Beaumont declares: ‘I have already put in my objection. It belongs to the village.’

TV buzz for Jude’s girl

Jude Law’s daughter Iris will be making her acting debut in a Sex Pistols TV series

Jude Law’s daughter Iris will soon make her acting debut in a Sex Pistols TV series directed by Oscar-winner Danny Boyle.

The punk drama’s clearly made a big impression on the Burberry model, 20, as she’s transformed her long, brown hair into a 1970s-style blonde buzz cut.

She says she was initially offered a wig to play the part of punk icon Soo Catwoman. ‘I wanted to do something that felt liberating,’ she explains. ‘The day I shaved my head, I changed my life.’

While many celebrities love pontificating about ‘woke’ issues online, Anthea Turner prefers to get her hands dirty. 

The former Blue Peter presenter took part in our Great British Spring Clean campaign and has already made Transport for London remove litter and graffiti. ‘Putting something on Twitter doesn’t get much done,’ she tells me. 

Boston.com Book Club’s next read is ‘Summer on the Bluffs’ by Sunny Hostin

As we get knee deep into the surf of summer, we head out to Martha’s Vineyard for the 10^th pick of the Boston.com Book Club with Sunny Hostin’s “Summer on the Bluffs”! We have a unique approach with this book that we’re very excited about. First though, let’s talk about the book.

This book, which came out on May 4 and is already a New York Times bestseller, has layers upon layers. It ping-pongs between its four principal characters, Ama – matriarch, investor, and billionaire Amelia Vaux Tanner – and her three goddaughters, Perry Soto, Olivia Jones, and Billie Hayden (with brief interludes to other characters as well). When they were children, the three sisters spent every summer on the Vineyard, but now they’re grown, and rarely make it out for more than a week or two each summer, and not always at the same time. This summer is going to be different though.

When you’re as powerful as Ama is, you get to call in a few favors. And so it is that Perry’s law firm, Olivia’s Wall Street firm, and Billie’s Woods Hole lab have all agreed to give Ama’s goddaughters the whole summer off. So they all reconvene at Chateau Laveau, the “cottage” on Oak Bluffs – the most exclusive Black beach community in the country – that Ama and her husband Omar built 30 years ago. At the end of the summer, Ama will give the house – which has hosted American presidents, Wall Street titans, and cultural icons – to one of the goddaughters. All three want the house.

It feels like an ending. But so much of the girls’ lives here have never been adequately explained to them. Ama has kept many secrets. Painful secrets. And the girls have a few secrets of their own. As they all come out through the course of the summer, each threatens to fracture this family unit for good. But each paints a fuller picture of the four women, and with it comes an opportunity to bask in the full glory of each character before the book ends. If you’re like me, you’ll find yourself wanting more of each character even right to the end. Which is good news, because “Summer on the Bluffs” is the first book in a trilogy!

While we generally pair a New England bookseller with an author for a discussion about the book, this time we’re calling in a ringer. Deesha Philyaw is not a bookseller nor a New Englander, but she is a featured author at the upcoming Martha’s Vinyard Book Festival. She is one of the 21 authors featured at the festival this year because her book, “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies,” was one of the biggest phenomenons of 2020. The book was a finalist for the National Book Award, and won the Pen/Faulkner Award, the Story Prize, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, among other accolades. Oh, and it was the very first project that actress Tessa Thompson chose to produce for HBO when she started her production company earlier this year. We thought it would be great to highlight this festival, and there’s no one we’d rather have do that than Philyaw.

Speaking of production deals, Hostin recently landed her own, and in partnership with ABC/Disney and actress Octavia Spencer, will be turning “Summer on the Bluffs” into a TV show of its own, which is beyond exciting. Of course, Hostin is no stranger to the television spotlight herself. As one of the co-hosts of “The View,” – ABC’s popular daytime talk show – you can see her on TV just about every day of the year, not to mention on ABC News as their senior legal correspondent. A federal prosecutor, Hostin has also hosted shows or appeared on Court TV, Fox News, Food Network, and Investigation Discovery.

Beyond their books themselves, the backdrops of being Black creators, making the literary world and TV more diverse, and Martha’s Vineyard and its upcoming festival should make for a fascinating discussion. “Summer on the Bluffs” was called “aspirational escapism” and “summer incarnate” by The New York Times Book Review, and earned praise from Publishers Weekly, The Boston Herald, Essence, Shondaland, and Kirkus Reviews, among others, and as previously mentioned, has already landed on the NYT bestseller list.

Join our virtual Book Club discussion

Join the Boston.com Book Club Wednesday, July 28 at 6 p.m. for a virtual discussion with Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival featured author Deesha Philyaw featured guest Sunny Hostin on her novel, “Summer on the Bluffs.”

Register to join Hostin and Philyaw on Wednesday, July 28 at 6 p.m.

Buy “Summer on the Bluffs” from: Bookshop | Bunch of Grapes

Learn more about the Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival here.

Boston.com Book Club picks:

Equitable distribution of vaccines, equipment only way out of pandemic: WHO chief

Italy, US armies give food assistance to communities in AMISOM liberated areas

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The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has received seven tons of relief assistance from the Italian Contingent of the European Union Training Mission in Somalia, EUTM-S, the US Army Civil Affairs Team. The food will be distributed to vulnerable families and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Lower Shabelle region.

The EUTM-S Force Commander, Brig. Gen. Zinzone said essential support to vulnerable communities as part of their mission in Somalia. In addition, they were committed to assisting more communities battling climate shocks and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are a coalition that supports and works with the Somali people. It is fundamental for the Somali people to tell us what they need, and we will always be ready to help in whatever way we can,” said Brig. Gen. Zinzone, during the handover, was attended by various officials, including from the Somalia Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management.

During the handover, AMISOM Deputy Force Commander in charge of Operations and Plans, Maj Gen. William Kitsao Shume, who represented the Head of AMISOM, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, commended the collaboration between different partners in supporting communities living within AMISOM’s area of responsibility.

“Your generous donation has allowed AMISOM, in conjunction with the Federal Government of Somalia and the South West State, to help make sure the vulnerable people do not go hungry,” said Maj. Gen. Shume.

“I am glad that you recognize the significant role of AMISOM’s provision of relief assistance in Somalia, and I hope that this constructive partnership with you can continue,” added Maj. Gen. Shume.

Col. Bruce Terry of the US Army Civil Affairs Unit said it is through the support and collaboration of the international partners that Somalia’s challenges will be overcome.

“Let us each take pride in the part played by our organizations in assisting Somalia, and also for the collective action that continues this endeavor that our nations have sent us to fight and win,” said Col. Terry.

In her remarks, the Somalia Federal Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Khadija Diriye, applauded AMISOM and partners for coming to the aid of vulnerable communities.

“AMISOM has on numerous occasions supported the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management in responding to various humanitarian needs of our people. All of us very much appreciate these efforts in helping vulnerable communities in your areas of responsibility,” said Minister Khadija.

The Governor of Lower Shabelle, Abdikadir Murshid Sidi, said due to increased community policing and better working relationships between locals and security agencies, Al-Shabaab has now resorted to sabotaging main supply routes in a bid to curtail humanitarian response.

“Since there are no more hiding places for them and there is more collaboration between the security forces and the public, the terrorist group has resorted to targeting civilian populations,” noted governor Abdikadir.

“I would like to commend the international community for standing with the people of Southwest State,” he added.

According to the Federal Government of Somalia, the impact of the flooding, desert locust, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed 2.7 million people across the country towards a major humanitarian emergency.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union Mission in Somalia.

Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Pillars of main edifice completed | BWNS

BAHÁ’Í WORLD CENTRE — Many of the distinctive architectural features of the design of the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are becoming visible as work progresses.

The eight pillars of the central edifice have now been completed. The folding walls on the west side of the central plaza are also complete and are being joined with one of the portal walls of the south plaza.

At the same time, preparations are beginning for the work of building an intricate trellis across the central plaza.

Progress on these elements is featured in the gallery of images below.

This panoramic image shows six of the eight pillars that are a key structural element of the main edifice before all were completed.

The eight pillars of the main edifice are now complete, and scaffolding is being set up in the space between the pillars and the completed folding walls for work on the trellis that will span the central plaza.

A semi-circle of folding walls now encloses one side of the central plaza. The second set of folding walls is now being built, mirroring the first on the opposite side of the plaza.

The completed set of folding walls are being joined with one of the portal walls of the south plaza. Also visible on the left of this image are the foundations constructed for the path encircling the Shrine. The space between the path and the walls will eventually be filled with a sloping garden berm.

Progress on garden planters in the north plaza area is seen here. The space between the two sets of completed planters shows where the encircling path will pass through the north plaza.

An aerial view from the northwest looking toward the Riḍván Garden.

Despite vaccinations, more than 25 percent of US churchgoers not planning in person attendance: Survey

When the novel coronavirus swept the world, people stopped going to church and many started attending religious services online.

But as the world gets vaccinated against COVID-19 and many stream back to in-person services, a significant number seem in no hurry to get back into the pews, Christian Headlines reports.

It cited a recent poll by AP-NORC of Chicago University that found that over 25 percent of people who attended religious services at least once a month prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States have no immediate plans to return to their church, synagogue, or mosque.

The nationwide poll was conducted June 10–14 with 1,125 adults and found that a big majority (73 percent) of people who attended religious services at least monthly before lockdowns plan to attend such services in-person in the next few weeks.

Overall, 39 percent of those polled are satisfied with the speed in which local restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus have been rescinded.

At the same time, nearly as many, 34 percent, are concerned that the restrictions have been lifted too quickly, while 27 percent feel things haven’t been relaxed soon enough.

But people in urban areas are much more likely to say restrictions have been lifted too quickly than those in the suburbs or rural areas.

Meanwhile, 34 percent of respondents in general plan to return to attending religious services in person in the coming weeks, but 27 percent do not plan to go back just yet, Christian Headlines reported.

Scott McConnell, executive director of the evangelical research firm Lifeway Research, told the Associated Press that churchgoers are lost in limbo after many churches lost steam when in-person services were shut down during the pandemic.

“That’s a lot of momentum to lose and a lot of people stepping out of the habit” of weekly worship, McConnell said.

At this point in the pandemic, just a quarter of Americans are very concerned that lifting restrictions will lead to increased rates of infection in their area, though 34 percent are somewhat concerned.

Forty-one percent are not very or not at all concerned that rescinding local restrictions will cause more infections. In May 2020, 54 percent were seriously concerned that lifting restrictions would lead to more people getting sick.

Even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has relaxed guidelines regarding the wearing of masks, Americans continue to report high levels of mask wearing and social distancing. Vaccinated people are more likely to take these precautions against the coronavirus than those who are not vaccinated.

Earlier this year, a Gallup analysis showed that for the first time in nearly 80 years, more than half of Americans reported having a formal membership in a house of worship.

In 1937, when Gallup first measured formal membership at houses of worship, 73 percent of respondents reported having a membership at a house of worship.

Membership numbers remained steady until 1998 when numbers began to decline. As of 2020, 49 percent of American’s report having a formal membership at a house of worship.

The decline in church membership is primarily a function of the increasing number of Americans who express no religious preference,” said Gallup senior editor Jeffrey M. Jones

“Over the past two decades, the percentage of Americans who do not identify with any religion has grown from 8 percent in 1998-2000 to 13 percent in 2008-2010 and 21 percent over the past three years,” said Gallup senior editor Jeffrey M. Jones in March.

A new Act gives athletes the right to unionize and collectively bargain over health and safety

Jordan McNair Foundation is working with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) to make sure a health and safety component is added to the College Athletes Bill of Rights

BALTIMORE, MD, UNITED STATES, July 5, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Jordan McNair Foundation was created to honor the life of the late Jordan McNair, a University of Maryland football player who died at the age of 19 in June 2018 after he suffered exertional heatstroke during a team workout. One of the main points the Foundation fights for is to educate and also assure the safety of student-athletes when playing any sport. Right now, The Jordan McNair Foundation is closely working with Senator Cory Booker to add a health and safety component to the NCAA’s Division I Council’s decision to suspend the policy that prohibits college athletes from profiting from their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) via bylaw 12.Recently, the Jordan McNair Safe and Fair Play Act were passed in the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates. The Act gives athletes the right to unionize and collectively bargain over issues related to health and safety. On May 18th, the Jordan McNair Safe and Fair Play Act was signed by Gov. Larry Hogan. This past December, Booker, and Blumenthal introduced the College Athletes Bill of Rights to guarantee fair and equitable compensation, enforceable health and safety standards, and improved educational opportunities for all college athletes. The College Athletes’ Bill of Rights will allow college athletes to market their Name, Image, and Likeness, either individually or as a group, with minimal restrictions.

“A baseline standard notable provision of student-athlete safety should be equally as important as economic freedom of all collegiate student-athletes across the nation. How can we pay a student-athlete if we can’t keep them safe,” asked Martin McNair, father of Jordan McNair and founder of the Jordan McNair Foundation.

In December of 2020, Booker and Blumenthal introduced the College Athletes Bill of Rights to guarantee fair and equitable compensation, enforceable health and safety standards, and improved educational opportunities for all college athletes. The College Athletes’ Bill of Rights will allow college athletes to market their Name, Image, and Likeness, either individually or as a group, with minimal restrictions. By working with Martin McNair, Cory Booker is showing his support for not only equal and fair monetary treatment of student-athletes, but also acting as an advocate for the health and safety of all student-athletes.

Members of the media are invited to speak with Jordan McNair’s father, Martin McNair, upon qualified request. The Jordan McNair Foundation’s purpose is to diminish the number of heat-related deaths that occur in student-athletes. The foundation also sponsors programs aimed at community involvement and engagement.

About: The Jordan McNair Foundation was established in June 2018 by Tonya Wilson & Martin “Marty” McNair following the death of their beloved son Jordan Martin MacNair, an offensive lineman for the University of Maryland. Jordan’s untimely death was the result of a heatstroke he suffered during an organized off-season team workout

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p class=”contact c6″ dir=”auto”>Tonya L. Moore
TLM Public Relations
+1 443-925-9220
tonya.moore@tlmpr.com

New book lends artistry to trauma of Japanese internment

Were someone to create the ballet of the Japanese internment during WWII, it wouldn’t be any more meaningful than “Balancing Cultures,” the book created by Japanese American artist and photographer Jerry Takigawa, to convey his family’s experiences and confront the racism
perpetuated by the confinement. While there is nothing beautiful about the American concentration camps, giving artistry to such a project invites viewers into the story and keeps them from turning away from the truth.

Jerry Takigawa should have been born on the West Coast. Instead, he was born in Chicago, where his parents moved following their release from internment in Arkansas. In 1950, when he was 5 years old, his parents returned with him to Monterey.

Although he was never interned, although his parents never discussed their experiences with him, although he did not discover the photographs that chronicled his parents’ years in Arkansas until he was grown, Takigawa was raised by people who had endured the indignity.

He learned something of the camps in school and through other sources as he grew older, but he had never associated the stories with the look in his mother’s eyes. Takigawa’s growing-up years were influenced and affected by something he hadn’t experienced. There is sentiment in silence.

Once he studied the photographs his mother had stored, he understood she needed no symbol or reminder to keep her memories present. Not all scars are visible. He also began to understand aspects of himself — why he is so driven to make a difference where change is warranted, to speak up for those that can’t stick up for themselves, to heal injustice with equity, keep plastics and other “false food” out of the mouths of sea life, and become a photographer who makes pictures of how people feel.

“My whole family was in prison for two years because of racism, hysteria, and economic opportunity,” Takigawa said. “This kind of emotional trauma doesn’t go away, doesn’t have a statute of limitations, and doesn’t have to be voiced to exist.”

Silence can serve as a stealth transmission of trauma. Not talking about it, he says, eventually transfers the effects of the very thing we’re trying to conceal.

Takigawa ultimately used his parents’ photographs to embark on an investigation that would become “Balancing Cultures,” part of an award-winning artistic installation unveiled in January, through which he explored the uneasy space between an idea or experience and its
understanding. This summer, he released the project as a 96-page book, using collaged photographs, artifacts, documents, and text, to explore his family’s journey from immigration to incarceration to reintegration and, ultimately, to some degree of reassimilation.

“As I got further into the project,” he said, “I began to develop an expressive vocabulary by making pictures that mean something to me, gradually building the strength and stamina that would enable me to say something personal about the ‘elephant in the room.’”

Throughout his process, Takigawa sought to find out more about what happened to his family to help him understand more about himself while recognizing that his statement piece about racial subjugation dovetailed with ongoing national politics.

“I started the project in 2016,” he said, “during a revival of racist talk and encouragement for people to hate each other. I didn’t plan that; I had been working up the courage to do something that was very much a part of the bigger panorama.”

Positive feedback gave him confidence that he should pursue his project if only to learn and to teach about what had happened during WWII and its lasting impact on society and sentiment.

“Jerry tells a story that’s really important and visceral and, in some cases, political,” said Helaine Glick, who curated his exhibition at the Center for Photographic Art in January. “But he doesn’t hit us over the head with it. Instead, he presents it in such an aesthetically beautiful way, it gets
in subliminally, while we appreciate his images.”

When Takigawa invited his high school friend and college roommate, author and poet John Hamamura, to write the foreword to his book, his friend wasn’t sure he had the time or the perspective to do so. In the end, he found he had both, recognizing he “did not choose these
stories but was born into them,” as he developed his piece into a long-form poem.

“Jerry Takigawa and I,” he wrote, “are Japanese-American, now more often written without the hyphen as Japanese American. Even before we learned to read and write, we felt like we stood balanced on that wire-thin hyphen. Minus a hyphen, we became the bridge, with a foot on each
side, more or less weight on one or the other, depending on the situation.”

Hamamura’s poetry precedes Takigawa’s photographs yet introduces its own images, as he used his own artistry to interpret what Takigawa’s photographs represent.

“So much of our family histories were lost,” he wrote, “because our families could not bear the pain of telling the stories. Our mothers, lovely and gentle, deeply sensitive women, were barely out of their teens when they were sent to the camps. The war shattered their spirits like grenades
thrown against their hearts. . .”

As Takigawa considers the book that has given both imagery and verse to his family’s experience and legacy, he appreciates that the whole collection of his parents’ pictures is now in one place, paired with his prose and Hamamura’s poetry.

“The book is not an end in itself. It is a conversation,” he said, “which, I hope, will continue during upcoming exhibitions, as the book and ‘Balancing Cultures’ installation remain on tour during the next five years.”

“Balancing Cultures” is available at BookWorks in Pacific Grove and Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Center for Photographic Art, The Weston Gallery, Pilgrim’s Way, and Riverhouse Books in Carmel.

Belarus: ‘Full-scale assault’ ongoing against civil society amid massive human rights violations