AFGHANISTAN BEARS THE BRUNT OF CLIMATE CRISIS

May 13^th 2022

By Adejide

AFGHANISTAN BEARS THE BRUNT OF CLIMATE CRISIS

From drought and hunger to disastrous flooding, this is the terrible experience of Afghans in the last few weeks.

Afghanistan suffers a climate disaster with reports of flooding sweeping lives, animals and farmland in an area already facing serious food shortage.

It all started with turbulent wind through the neighbourhood areas, then later developed into heavy rainfall on Friday. Hours later, the situation became extremely dangerous.

Evidently, three children were rescued in the mud. The kids were at home with their siblings and parents in Folo, Bulka district of Baghlan when the flood broke in. In Folo, more than 100 believed to have died in this disaster, mostly women and children.

Climate crisis continues to rear its ugly head as Afghanistan joins a long list of other countries affected by floods this year.

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CATALONIA INDEPENDENCE DEALT A BIG BLOW

The dream of securing independence for Catalonia suffered a setback as Spain socialists won the largest vote on Sunday’s Catalan’s election.

Salvador Illa Roca, the candidate for socialists, had 42 seats in the 35 seats chamber with 99% of the counted vote while the Separatist Party came second with 35 seats and the incumbent party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) had 20 seats.

In 2017, there was an illegal declaration of Catalonia’s independence which caused crisis in Spain but the energy for the movement has gradually reduced.

Socialist candidate, Illa hailed a “new era” for the region and celebrated the victory with members of his team and party colleagues.

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BOOING AND CONTROVERSY OVERSHADOWED EUROVISION CONTEST FINAL

Protest over the presence of the Israel delegation degraded one of the most watched events in the world as the organizers struggled to manage the fury anti-Israel protesters vented.

Switzerland’s Nemo won the event over crowds with a stunning rendition of “The Code” a genre-bending anthem exhibiting their journey towards accepting their non-binary identity.

The Swiss says” I hope this contest can live up to its promise and continue to stand for peace and dignity for every person”.

Meanwhile, Russian-Israeli singer Eden Golan was booed by some members of the crowd during her performance. She finished fifth out of the 25 competitors during the final. Next year event will take place in Switzerland, after Nemo’s win.

Switzerland’s Nemo performing during Eurovision contest in Malmo

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ISRAEL MARKED MEMORIAL DAY AT CEMETERY

Mount Herzl National Military Cemetery hosted the State Memorial Ceremony for fallen Israel soldiers in Jerusalem on Monday.

The Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu delivered an emotional speech before the crowd reflecting on Israel’s value, remembering the front-liners in defending the country and explaining the reason to continue their fight against Hamas.

Netanyahu’s speech focused mainly on the October 7 massacre and the heroic lost souls. Netanyahu stressed his determination to crush Hamas for their crimes. “The pain is everywhere, but so is the light. The torch of our existence, which spreads a great light, cannot be extinguished” said Netanyahu. His words lit the hearts of Israelites.

Ironically, a man was seen holding an Israel flag with the red emblem signifying Netanyahu’s refusal to stop the Rafah incursion. He was also interrupted toward the end of his speech with chants of “you took my children” from some attendees.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BAN LIFTED ON SYDNEY CHURCH STABBING

Social media platforms such as Meta X’s Instagram have been granted permission by the court to post videos relating to the Sydney church stabbing in Australia.

On Monday, Federal Court Judge, Justice Geoffrey Kennett said an application by Australia’s cyber-safety regulator to extend a temporary injunction blocking the video granted last month, had been refused. The ban was due to the unrest created by the terror incident in the Australian city.

X was reportedly insistent on free speech following the removal of the film from social media. In reference to the above, Elon Musk resisted and cleverly turned the issue into a censorship debate.

Tracking back to memory lane, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed during a livestream sermon in Sydney on April 15, 2024.

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