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☆ The Best Book Judy Blume Ever Got as a Gift? ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover.’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I’m about to start Rebecca Makkai’s “I Have Some Questions for You.” I just finished “Still Pictures,” by Janet Malcolm. Yesterday afternoon I read a graphic memoir, “Gender Queer,” by Maia Kobabe, the most banned book in the country right now. Books I’ve finished but still in the pile: “Ms. A train is good but how often am I on a train these days? So maybe the best place for reading is sitting on my balcony overlooking the ocean (I know, right?).

In Southeast Asia, some countries posted their highest ever recorded temperatures this week, while searing heat in the Indian subcontinent has killed more than a dozen people. Neighboring Myanmar set an April temperature record on Monday as Kalewa, in central Sagaing region, reached 44°C (111°F), Herrera tweeted. April and May are typically the hottest months of the year for South and Southeast Asia as temperatures rise before monsoon rains begin and bring some relief. On Monday, more than 100 weather stations in 12 provinces broke their April temperature record, according to climatologist Jim Yang. Extremely hot temperatures across South and Southeast Asia are expected to continue.

☆ In Pakistan, Economic Crisis Mutes Ramadan Celebrations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Zia Ur-Rehman | Christina Goldbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

They swell through the day as hundreds of men and women swathed in bright purple and pink scarves wait outside the charity’s gates in Karachi, Pakistan. Many sit for hours, desperate to collect enough flour, rice, sugar and cooking oil to break their daily fast for the holy month of Ramadan. “It is the most expensive and unaffordable Ramadan of my life.”Across Pakistan, the season of Ramadan — a time of daily fasting and nightly feasts with family — is in full swing. But this year, an economic crisis that has sent the price of goods soaring to record highs has muted celebrations for millions of families struggling to buy the dates, rice and meat needed to break their daily fast. The South Asian nation — home to more than 230 million — is facing one of the most daunting economic challenges of its history.

☆ Iran violations may amount to crimes against humanity, UN expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Iran has been swept by protests since the death of a young Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in custody last September. Addressing the Geneva-based council, Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteur on Iran, said he had evidence that Amini died "as a result of beatings by the state morality police". Rehman, an independent expert, added that the scale and gravity of crimes committed by authorities as part of the repression following her death "points to the possible commission of international crimes, notably the crimes against humanity". People hold flags during a demonstration against the Republic of Iran in the Place des Nations during the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, February 27, 2023. Evidence assembled by other investigations set up by the U.N. rights council has sometimes been used before international courts.

Faced with a shortage of US dollars, Pakistan only has enough foreign currency in its reserves to pay for three weeks of imports. Long lines are forming at gas stations as prices swing wildly in the country of 220 million. Pakistan’s currency, the rupee, recently dropped to new lows against the US dollar after authorities eased currency controls to meet one of the IMF’s lending conditions. The country has been spending more on trade than it has brought in, running down its stock of foreign currency and weighing on the rupee’s value. Pakistan's usually bustling ports, like this one in Karachi, have ground to a halt as the country grapples with a severe shortage of foreign currency.

☆ Davos 2023: Key takeaways from the World Economic Forum
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/4] NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Poland's President Andrzej Duda and Canada's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland take part in the World Economic Forum session on "Restoring Security and Peace. REUTERS/Arnd WiegmannDAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Global leaders and business executives departed a freezing World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting on Friday after a frank exchange of views over how the world will tackle its biggest issues in 2023. Here's what we learned:ECONOMY: Gloom and doom heading into Davos turned into cautious optimism by the end with the global economic outlook for the year ahead looking better than feared. On the inside, political leaders like Kier Starmer railed against new oil investments and Pakistani climate minister Sherry Rehman pushed for loss and damage funding. The lesson I have learned in the last years ... is money, money, money, money, money, money, money."

☆ The Year in Pictures 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +57 min

Every year, starting in early fall, photo editors at The New York Times begin sifting through the year’s work in an effort to pick out the most startling, most moving, most memorable pictures. But 2022 undoubtedly belongs to the war in Ukraine, a conflict now settling into a worryingly predictable rhythm. Erin Schaff/The New York Times “When you’re standing on the ground, you can’t visualize the scope of the destruction. Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 25. We see the same images over and over, and it’s really hard to make anything different.” Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb 26.

CNN —United Nations member states have removed Iran from a key UN women’s rights group just months after it joined. The Commission is the premier UN body for promoting gender equality and empowering women. Iran condemned the US resolution, calling it an “illegal request” and said it weakens the rule of law in the United Nations. Iran had only just begun its four-year term on the 45-member Commission on the Status of Women – which was created to advocate for gender equality globally – after being elected to the body in April. Reacting to news of Iran’s removal from the body, Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch said it was a “welcome step,” but remained a “far cry” from true accountability.

☆ Iran state body reports 200 dead in protests, Raisi hails 'freedoms'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A top state security body meanwhile said that 200 people, including members of the security forces, had lost their lives in the unrest, a figure significantly lower than that given by the world body and rights groups. Amirali Hajizadeh, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander was quoted as saying on Monday that 300 people, including security force members, had been killed in the recent unrest. Javaid Rehman, a U.N.-appointed independent expert on Iran, said on Tuesday that more than 300 people had been killed in the protests, including more than 40 children. Rights group HRANA said that as of Friday 469 protesters had been killed, including 64 minors. "The people's protest has shown that the policies of the last 43 years have reached a dead end," he said in late November.

☆ Pakistani embassy in Kabul attacked, one injured
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A spokesperson for Kabul police said the embassy compound was targeted by gunfire from a nearby building. Pakistan's Foreign Office said the attack had been aimed at the head of mission, Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani. It said Nizamani was safe, but a Pakistani security guard, Sepoy Israr Mohammad, was critically wounded in the attack while protecting the ambassador. A spokesperson for Pakistan's foreign office said they had no plans to evacuate the embassy after the incident. "(The) Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns the attempted shooting and failed attack on the Pakistani embassy in Kabul," spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi said on Twitter, adding that Taliban security agencies would investigate.

☆ UN Iran expert concerned about death sentences for protesters
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, Nov 29 (Reuters) - A U.N.-appointed independent expert on Iran voiced concern on Tuesday that the repression of protesters was intensifying, with authorities launching a "campaign" of sentencing them to death. "I'm afraid that the Iranian regime will react violently to the Human Rights Council resolution and this may trigger more violence and repression on their part," Javaid Rehman told Reuters, referring to a UN Human Rights Council vote to establish a probe into the crackdown last week. "Now (authorities) have started a campaign of sentencing (protesters) to death," he added, saying he expected more to be sentenced. The U.N. human rights office confirmed in an email that one of those indicted for "corruption on earth for publication of lies on a large scale" was famous Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi, citing a judicial official. Its judiciary chief last month ordered judges to issue tough sentences for the "main elements of riots".

☆ US reverses position and agrees to put money towards a fund that would help poorer nations address climate change
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Developed countries at the UN COP 27 summit agreed to create a "loss and damage" climate change fund. The fund would compensate less developed countries bearing the brunt of climate change. It also adds a stipulation that developing countries cannot sue developed countries for these payments. COP 27, or the Conference of the Parties, is an annual summit put on by the UN to address the adverse impacts of climate change. Since the 1992 convention, developing countries have demanded that a "loss and damage fund," facilitated by the UN, be implemented.

☆ What are people saying about the COP27 deal?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I urge you to acknowledge when you walk out of this room, that we have all fallen short in actions to avoid and minimise loss and damage. "Too many parties are not ready to make more progress today in the fight against climate crisis." PAKISTAN CLIMATE CHANGE MINISTER SHERRY REHMAN"We have struggled for 30 year on this path and today in Sharm el-Sheikh this journey has achieved its first positive milestone ... MALDIVES CLIMATE CHANGE MINISTER AMINATH SHAUNA"I recognise the progress we made in COP 27 particularly on...the funding arrangements for loss and damage. And we were able to prevent a backslide behind the consensus of Glasgow and Paris (climate summits).

Here's what you need to know about the agreement:WHAT IS 'LOSS AND DAMAGE'? In U.N. climate talks, "loss and damage" refers to costs being incurred from climate-fuelled weather extremes or impacts, like rising sea levels. Loss and damage funding is different, specifically covering the cost of damage that countries cannot avoid or adapt to. A few governments have made relatively small but symbolic funding commitments for loss and damage: Denmark, Belgium, Germany and Scotland, plus the EU. Some existing U.N. and development bank funding does help states facing loss and damage, though it is not officially earmarked for that goal.

A false claim that Iran is planning to execute thousands of people has gone viral in the wake of the first death sentence for a protester tied to the ongoing demonstrations against the country’s clerical rulers over women’s rights. An image that has circulated widely on social media falsely states that 15,000 protesters have been sentenced to death. Like much viral misinformation online, the claim about the 15,000 death sentences appears to have started with a kernel of truth. Independent reporting is suppressed in Iran and it is not possible for NBC News to confirm these numbers. “The rumors of a new round of mass executions is likely fueled by memories of what happened in 1988.”

☆ Curbs on rights weaken Egypt's climate talks, campaigners say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Dominic Evans | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] People walk outside of the Sharm El Sheikh International Convention Centre during the COP27 climate summit opening in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt November 6, 2022. Climate action "requires more people on the street, more voices, more independent research, more independent reporting, more accountability when climate obligations are not met," said Tirana Hassan, Human Rights Watch's acting Executive Director. "That's not going to happen under governments such as the Egyptian government which is excluding civil society, independent journalism and academia," she told a meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh this week. Despite those criticisms some delegates argued that there was a benefit to holding the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh to shine a light briefly on Egypt's record. "This is a huge opportunity," Egyptian journalist and human rights advocate Hossam Bahgat said.

☆ Pakistan at COP27 demands climate aid, says 'dystopia' already here
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Valerie Volcovici | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Pakistan will not be satisfied unless U.N. climate summit negotiators unlock emergency cash for the country to rebuild after this year's devastating floods, its climate minister said Thursday. "The dystopia has already come to our doorstep," the country's climate minister, Sherry Rehman, told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the COP27 summit in Egypt. Pakistan is playing a high-profile role at the COP27 summit in Egypt this year, serving as one of two co-chairs invited by conference host Egypt, with the other being Norway. Pakistan also represents the G77 umbrella group of developing countries, pushing for a doubling in finance to help poor nations adapt to climate impacts. "There is a recognition [at COP27] that we are facing a new climate normal for the world," she said.

The United States on Wednesday called for Iran to be expelled from a U.N. commission on women, citing the regime’s “systematic oppression” of women and its violent crackdown on street protests. Iranian women have been at the forefront of protests across the country since a 22-year-old woman from the country’s Kurdish region, Mahsa Amini, died in police custody in September. Human rights groups have made similar allegations and issued detailed accounts of the crackdown. Two rights groups, Norway-based group Iran Human Rights and the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, said last week that more than 250 protesters have been killed since the protests began. “It’s time for us to stop abetting the Islamic Republic of Iran and start supporting the freedom-loving people of Iran,” said Boniadi.

☆ Exclusive: United States to put United Nations focus on Iran protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Soodabeh Saeidnia/via REUTERSUNITED NATIONS, Oct 28 (Reuters) - The United States will next week put the United Nations spotlight on protests in Iran sparked by the death of a young woman in police custody and look for ways to promote credible, independent investigations into Iranian human rights abuses. The United States and Albania will hold an informal U.N. Security Council gathering on Wednesday, according to a note outlining the event, seen by Reuters. "It will identify opportunities to promote credible, independent investigations into the Iranian government's human rights violations and abuses." Independent U.N. investigator on human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, is also due to address the meeting, which can be attended by other U.N. member states and rights groups. Iran has been gripped by protests since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in police custody last month.

☆ Deadly floodwaters begin to recede in Pakistan’s south worst hit by the disaster
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Floodwaters are receding in Pakistan’s worst-hit southern Sindh province, officials said Friday, a potentially bright sign in an ongoing crisis that has left hundreds of thousands of people homeless in the impoverished South Asian country. Volunteers from the Saylani Welfare Trust distribute food among flood-affected families, in Pakistan's Sindh province on Tuesday. Authorities say it will take months to completely drain the water in Sindh. Nationwide, floods have damaged 1.8 million homes, washed away roads and destroyed nearly 400 bridges, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. The deluge has killed 1,508 people since mid-June, inundated millions of acres of land and affected 33 million people.

☆ Pakistan Sees Climate-Fueled Floods, Barely Contributes to Emissions
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-31 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rising temperatures due to climate change lead to heavy rainfall and floods in many parts of the world. Wealthy industrialized countries have pumped far more greenhouse gas emissions — a key driver of climate change — into the air than Pakistan, a low-emitting nation. Children swim in flood waters along with buffalo on the outskirts of Sukkur, Sindh province, on August 30, 2022. Brick kiln workers carry their belongings and move following flash flood in Hyderabad southern Sindh province Pakistan, on August 30, 2022. "Let's stop sleepwalking towards the destruction of our planet by climate change," he said, adding, "Today, it's Pakistan.

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