Fury as EU use migrant crisis in Brexit talks as deal on the brink over huge fish row – The Sun

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BRUSSELS sparked fury this morning after using the fate of desperate Channel migrants as a Brexit bargaining chip - as a deal remained on the brink over a huge row over fish.

The EU is refusing to help stop small boat crossings until Britain caves on a slew of unreasonable trade talk demands, sparking a major backlash.

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The latest round of talks broke up today without any progress again, sparking a bitter war of words between negotiators Michel Barnier and David Frost.

Sources said the bloc could use the crisis - which Britain has long been pushing the EU for action on - as part of the ongoing Brexit negotiations on a future trade deal.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith fumed: '"hile Brussels plays games, migrants die in the channel because of their pathetic politicking."

Privately Ministers accused Eurocrats of having "blood on their hands" as the latest round of talks ended in a bitter war of words and sniping.

Nearly 5,000 migrants have attempted to make the dangerous crossing to Britain from France this year alone - double that of the total last year.

Britain wants the bloc to help stop the tide of attempts by taking them back to French shores. It's unclear what will happen at the end of the transition period this year when Britain wants to reclaim full control of its border.

Despite the tragic death of a young man in the Channel this month, Brussels cheifs are set to drag their feet on reaching an agreement - and could bring the migrant crisis in as leverage.

A EU diplomatic source working on migration told Reuters: "The UK has interest in this. We can wait.

"The 27 are not that worried. Of that, 25 do not really care at all. France and Belgium can be to some extent preoccupied, but far less than the UK is."

A second diplomat said: If they dont get the overall deal - they dont have a migration deal either.

If they do go for a deal - they may get something on migration as well.

But other sources stressed that fish and EU rules were likely to be more of a sticking point for both warring sides.

The French fear they will end up "on the hook" for all returns from the UK if there's no agreement on asylum as part of the wider trade deal.

British negotiators want any pact to ensure we can carry on sending back migrants to all EU countries after Brexit.

But they don't want it to entirely replicate Brussels' controversial returns rules, which the Home Office says are open to abuse by "activist lawyers".

The EU's contentious Dublin Regulation says Member States can return asylum seekers to the country where they first entered the bloc

Brexit discussions hit the buffers this week as Brussels insisted yet again on Britain signing up to the bloc's rules on state aid - or a deal can't be done.

The UK accused Michel Barnier of "unnecessarily" blocking progress on a Brexit deal as trade talks broke up in acrimony.

Both sides issued gloomy statements following the latest discussions, and a tense dinner earlier this week.

Britain blamed the EU for standing firm - effectively blocking further progress.

Unless we agree to roll over and accept their laws, a deal may not be made at all, Mr Frost suggested.

Mr Frost said today: The EU is still insisting not only that we must accept continuity with EU state aid and fisheries policy, but also that this must be agreed before any further substantive work can be done in any other area of the negotiation, including on legal texts."

He said this blocker makes it "unnecessarily difficult to make progress" and "there is a lot of detail to work through" with little time to get it done.

"Time is short for both sides," he added, vowing to work hard to reach a deal if it's possible.

And when the EU accepts Britain is seeking a free trade deal just like other countries around the world have, it will speed up talks.

A senior source close to the negotiations accused the EU of deliberately putting "obstacles" in the way of the talks.

They stressed that now was the time to move to text-based talks but Brussels were refusing to engage with the draft text they had put forward.

Michel Barnier said today he was "disappointed" by the lack of progress and lashed out at the UK for wasting time - declaring the talks are now "going backwards".

And EU rules are "non-negotiable" if Britain wants continued access to European markets, he said.

He thinks a deal is "unlikely" but Britain is more optimistic, saying its "still possible" but admitting it "will not be easy" to achieve.

The UK wants a deal wrapped up by September, but with talks on the rocks and both sides getting frustrated, it's not set to happen.

Privately British officials said they are "frustrated" with the "strange" approach taken by eurocrats.

No 10 is open to the possibility of scheduling extra rounds in the Autumn and will do "anything necessary" to get a deal over the line if one is close.

Sources said despite the fractious state of the talks and their different backgrounds the two chief negotiators get on well.

One said: "They've struck up quite a good relationship. All the meetings they have are courteous and friendly.

"Sometimes they say quite difficult things to each other, but they keep the process going."

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The next round of discussions comes on 7 September, where British officials have pinned their hope on pushing through the deadlock.

Britain will leave the transition period at the end of the year whatever happens, Boris Johnson has said.

If there's no EU deal, Britain will go onto World Trade Organisation terms with them instead - which could mean extra tarriffs.

Continued here:

Fury as EU use migrant crisis in Brexit talks as deal on the brink over huge fish row - The Sun

Syrian filmmaker recalls ‘terrifying’ journey to UK in projection on Dover cliffs – Arab News

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LONDON: Syrian refugee filmmaker Hassan Akkad recalled his terrifying journey across the English Channel and into the UK in a video projected on the White Cliffs of Dover on Friday, in an effort to raise compassionate awareness for migrants being smuggled into the country.

Hello everyone. Apologies for taking over the cliff, but I have a few words that I would love to share with you, the filmmaker and NHS worker said.

My name is Hassan, and five years ago I was on the other side of this Channel trying to cross here. These cliffs were actually visible from our makeshift camp, and they represented hope.

The video, which was organized by activist group Led By Donkeys and which went viral across Twitter and Facebook, comes at the same time that a 28-year-old Sudanese asylum seeker in Calais drowned while attempting to cross the Channel.

Crossing the sea in a rubber dinghy is terrifying and devastating, Akkad said.

Devastating because it makes you feel so helpless and insignificant. And I wouldnt wish it on my worst enemy.

Akkad continued by stating that the UK was not facing a migrant crisis, despite a local news agency reporting that nearly 5,000 migrants have successfully made their way across the border.

Last Thursday, theUK was criticizedby French National Assembly member Pierre-Henri Dumont, who said its refusal to allow asylum claims to be made outside the country had led to the tragedy.

He tweeted: How many more tragedies does it need for the British to find an ounce of humanity?

The inability to claim asylum in Britain without being physically present in the country causes these tragedies, he added.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said the incident was an upsetting and tragic loss of a young life, and a brutal reminder of the problem of people smuggling.

Akkad also warned that ministers were using the refugee plight as a distraction.

I will say it again they are using us to distract you from how badly they have managed during thispandemic.

The past few months have proved that the people who made Britain their home didnt hesitate to roll up their sleeves and keep this country running during the worst public health crisis in modern history, he added.

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Syrian filmmaker recalls 'terrifying' journey to UK in projection on Dover cliffs - Arab News

Thousands of migrants denied help in the pandemic – BBC News

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Image caption Jeremiah fell through the welfare safety net at the start of the pandemic

Poverty and destitution. That's the reality for thousands of migrants in the UK since the pandemic started.

As lockdown hit, migrants across the nation who often work in casual and low-paid roles saw their jobs disappear or incomes slashed.

But unlike the rest of the country, they have no welfare safety net to fall back on, because a controversial immigration policy known as No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) means they cannot access benefits.

Recently-released government figures show that applications to the Home Office for the ban to be lifted rose by more than 500% during lockdown compared with the first three months of the year.

That gives an indication of the unprecedented level of financial hardship that families across the country are experiencing.

There are an estimated 1.4 million migrants to the UK from outside the EU who have visas subject to this rule, according to the Migration Observatory, at the University of Oxford.

These migrants cannot receive most government-funded benefits, including child benefit, child tax credits, council tax benefit and disability living allowance. As a last resort, many migrants are having to turn to charities for help.

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) says that for the first time in its 53-year history, in addition to its advisory services, it's also providing material support such as cash, food and clothing to migrants.

"During the pandemic, people have been unable to do work that they were otherwise doing," says JCWI chief executive Satbir Singh.

"If that's been casual work or informal work or cash in hand, they obviously don't have access to job retention schemes or the support schemes for self-employed.

"So we've seen an increase in people becoming street homeless, acutely hungry and not being able to afford even basic medication because they literally have no support available to them."

Jeremiah (not his real name) is a migrant from Africa with permission to live and work legally in the UK on a temporary basis.

He has been in the UK for 16 years, working in construction helping to build new homes in and around London. He lives with his wife and three children.

His casual work in construction stopped abruptly following lockdown. Since then, he's struggled to provide for his family.

At the start of lockdown, NRPF barred him from claiming any benefits, including child benefit for all three of his British-born children, although he had been paying taxes on his income for years,

"I've not worked since March this year," he said, adding that he had been having sleepless nights, while he and his wife had had to cut back to one meal a day in order to make sure their children had enough to eat.

After the BBC spoke to Jeremiah, he got in touch to say his application for NRPF to be lifted was successful. He says he is relieved to finally get access to financial support, but is angry his family had to endure four months of poverty while waiting for a decision.

Since Covid-19 was declared a global pandemic, the Citizens Advice Bureau says it receives calls every 20 minutes from migrants desperate to access benefits.

Migrants who are applying for, or who have, leave to remain on family or private life grounds can apply to the Home Office for NRPF to be lifted. But the decision can take months.

Charities across the sector, the Local Government Association and the Work and Pensions Committee have recommended the government suspend NRPF altogether during the coronavirus crisis.

MP Stephen Timms, who chairs the committee, says: "What we need is for the 'no recourse to public funds' restriction to be suspended for the duration of this crisis.

"So that hard-working, law-abiding families can apply for universal credit, just as three million other people have done since this crisis began."

Home Secretary Priti Patel insists there are safeguards in place to support those affected and that the policy is in the public interest.

A government spokesperson said: "We have been clear that no one should find themselves destitute during this crisis due to circumstances beyond their control.

"Extensive action to support those with no recourse to public funds has been taken, such as rent protections, the Job Retention Scheme, the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, allocating more than 3.2bn to local authorities and 750m for charities to support the most vulnerable."

But charity Khalsa Aid, which normally supports international refugees, says it is not seeing that financial boost filter down to people on the ground.

It set up a food parcel delivery service soon after lockdown, responding to migrants on student visas and undocumented migrants who were struggling to feed themselves.

The charity's workers are delivering more than 200 food parcels each week. Jagdeep Khera, a 22-year-old student and full-time volunteer there, says demand for food boxes has been overwhelming and that it continues to rise as more people find out about their service.

Undocumented migrant workers without official immigration status have no option at all to access welfare.

Pavan Sharma (not his real name) arrived in the UK from India almost 20 years ago. He has been homeless for much of that time. He works for cash in hand for as little as 5 a day - because of the pandemic, that work has gone.

He has been housed by the government as part of their Everyone In scheme for the homeless, but knows the emergency accommodation will come to an end soon.

He thinks the government should give undocumented migrants temporary permission to stay and work in the country. Similar schemes are under way in Italy and Portugal.

"I don't want recourse to public funds. All I need is for the government to give me a document that says I am Pavan Sharma with permission to work," he says.

"I would be independent of the state. I could save some money, leave the shelter, rent a room. I would be able to carry on with my life working six days a week."

The Citizens Advice Bureau points out that the overwhelming majority of people affected by NRPF are people of colour. Black and ethnic minorities, Public Health England says, are also disproportionately affected by Covid-19, partly because of their over-representation in frontline key worker roles.

And without access to benefits, they are incentivised to work even if they are sick or need to shield, which makes NRPF a public health issue.

Satbir Singh, from JCWI, argues NRPF as a policy should be lifted on public health grounds alone.

"It's creating more danger by creating spaces in which people won't necessarily access health care, in which people will work in dangerous conditions," he says.

"It's a political strategy of being as performatively hostile as possible to migrants. And that's why we don't see any movement."

For the time being, those migrants fortunate enough to qualify can apply for NRPF to be lifted on a case-by-case basis.

For the thousands of migrants who don't qualify and who have been affected by coronavirus, charities say they are at heightened risk of, or are already living in, poverty.

They warn that the coronavirus crisis, alongside hostile immigration policy, will only widen existing economic inequalities in the UK.

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Thousands of migrants denied help in the pandemic - BBC News

Syrian refugee who crossed Channel and now works in NHS recalls ‘terrifying’ journey in message projected on to White Cliffs of Dover – Sky News

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The face of a Syrian refugee who arrived in Britain thanks to a people smuggler and now works in the NHS has been beamed on to the White Cliffs of Dover.

Hassan Akkad, an NHS cleaner, recalled his own "terrifying" journey to the UK in an emotional plea for compassion for migrants crossing the English Channel.

In a video projected on to the cliffs, he said: "Hello everyone. Apologies for taking over the cliff but I have a few words that I would love to share with you.

"My name is Hassan and five years ago I was on the other side of this Channel trying to cross here. These cliffs were actually visible from our makeshift camp and they represented hope."

Like many migrants arriving on the Kent coast in recent weeks, Mr Akkad said that he had to put his trust in a people smuggler because safe and legal asylum routes are unavailable.

He continued: "Crossing the sea in a rubber dinghy is terrifying and devastating.

"Devastating because it makes you feel so helpless and insignificant. And I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."

Nearly 5,000 migrants have successfully crossed to the UK in small boats this year, according to the PA news agency, but Mr Akkad said Britain was "not facing a migrant crisis".

He accused ministers of exploiting the issue for their own ends, saying: "I will say it again - they are using us to distract you from how badly they have managed during this pandemic."

"The past few months have proved that the people who made Britain their home didn't hesitate to roll up their sleeves and keep this country running during the worst public health crisis in modern history," he added.

:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

The projection on to the landmark was organised by Led By Donkeys, a group of activists famed for billboards displaying politicians' tweets.

It came as French prosecutors continued to investigate the death of a Sudanese migrant whose body was found on a beach in Calais earlier this week.

He has now been identified as Abdulfatah Hamdallah, who is understood to have decided to try to reach the UK using shovels for oars after having his asylum claim rejected in France.

The 28-year-old's body was discovered on Wednesday morning after a walker found his friend suffering from hypothermia in the middle of the night. A major search took place before his body was found at 8am.

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Syrian refugee who crossed Channel and now works in NHS recalls 'terrifying' journey in message projected on to White Cliffs of Dover - Sky News

Immigration risk is troubling for the EU and southeastern Europe – Euromoney magazine

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The Covid-19 crisis has raised the stakes worldwide, plunging the global economy into recession and creating unanticipated fiscal pressures for many countries already struggling with domestic problems, geopolitics and global trade wars.

Consequently, analysts have downgraded Bulgaria, Cyprus, Malta, Romania and Turkey in Euromoneys risk survey.

Greece is the main exception, but lying 60th in the global rankings with a legacy of debt and another economic downturn to endure, it remains one of the riskier EU member states, worse off than Italy or Spain.

For some, such as Turkey, there are domestic risks to consider, which Euromoney has detailed previously.

The lira is on the backfoot again because of concerns about policymaking and institutional risks, two factors that have been consistently downgraded (among others) in the risk survey.

Meddling in the central banks independence is scaring investors, prompting both a current-account deficit, underpinned by increased lending, and portfolio outflows, with capital withdrawn, resulting in the central bank depleting its FX reserves to prop-up an ailing currency.

However, there are also three themes with cross-country indeed, region-wide implications putting southeastern Europe under the radar, and all three are interconnected.

Covid is clearly one. Economies are struggling, not least because of the lack of tourism.

In Romania, crashing 14 places in the global risk rankings this year, to 69th out of 174 countries, political risks are rising again ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for November, to be preceded by local elections in September.

The main opposition this week called a no-confidence vote that it is close to winning amid unwanted macro-fiscal strains and tensions created by the governments handling of the crisis.

Romania also has a migration crisis of its own, with around 3.5 to four million emigrants, accounting for around a quarter of the population. Many of them work seasonally in the agricultural and tourism sectors, and in healthcare in other parts of the EU.

Gheorghe Savoiu,University of Pitesti

Since April, return migration has brought back 1.3 million Romanians from abroad, of which around 350,000 will be looking for work, putting pressure on the labour market and unemployment rate, says Gheorghe Savoiu, a contributor to Euromoneys country risk survey and a professor at the University of Pitesti.

He also highlights the background political risks with the elections approaching and the fiscal deficit.

Real GDP is forecast to decline in Romania by more than 6% in real terms this year, the unemployment rate is seen scaling up to 9% and the fiscal deficit widening to 8% of GDP, causing a rise in public debt, according to the OECD.

The organization paints a bleaker picture under a double-hit scenario, factoring in a possible second wave of the virus.

There are similar downturns in other countries, with Bulgaria and Greece enduring an 8% real-terms decline in GDP. Greek debt (in gross terms, on a Maastricht basis) will rise again to 197% of GDP, and its unemployment rate to 20% by 2021. In Turkey, the unemployment rate is seen peaking at just over 15% this year.

With tourism and trade buckling, Cyprus and Malta are struggling, and analysts have downgraded in particular the GNP-economic outlook and employment/unemployment indicators for these countries in Euromoneys risk survey this year.

However, Covid is not the only source of anxiety. In a region troubled by doorstep instability, in Libya, Syria and now Lebanon, the Middle East and North African immigration crisis is also rearing again, driving a wedge between Turkey and Greece, on the one hand, and with other countries affected, too, by the flow of refugees, stretching all the way to France and the UK.

In late February, Turkey declared it would apply an open-border policy, no longer trying to stop migrants trying to reach Europe, creating tensions with Greece, says ECR survey contributor Monica Bertodatto, a public finance consultant.

-Monica Bertodatto

The migrant flows stopped when the Covid crisis erupted, with Greece suspending asylum applications and increasing border patrols, but the situation has reverted.

The first-entry countries are facing higher costs in terms of Covid-related sanitary controls and quarantines on top of regular healthcare and identification and screening of asylum applications, she says.

For small countries, like Cyprus or Malta, the risk of outbreaks of Covid due to sick migrants is an issue, as many test positive and the healthcare systems in such states are not sufficient to cope with such sanitary emergency.

However, immigrants rarely stay and are travelling vast distances to destination countries, which also shoulder the costs in terms of housing, language skills, workforce integration and social support.

The immigration crisis is complicated by the third factor: the gas exploration dispute driving a wedge between Greece and Turkey, which are Nato members and allies of the US.

The Turkish-Greek dispute over refugees has a complex backdrop, according to country risk expert and ECR survey contributor Owais Arshad.

While Athens has been recently criticised for its apparent deportation of thousands of asylum-seekers back into the Mediterranean, its dispute with Turkey is also arguably about the exact delineation of maritime economic zones and energy, he says.

Ankaras military might has helped secure the survival of Libyas UN-backed government. As a reward for its intervention, Tripoli has inked several agreements with Turkey delineating their maritime borders and agreeing to cooperate on energy exploration.

However, Arshad adds: Greece, Egypt, Libyas rebel factions, France and the Gulf states oppose these agreements and are eager to claim their own share of these prized resources.

The proxy war in Libya will continue to drive the population overseas, but Arshad sees the economic prizes taking priority over resolving the human crisis, with Greece doing little to assist Libyas government after Nato abandoned the country.

-Alexander Heneine

Another survey contributor and country risk analyst, Alexander Heneine, believes the depressed outlook for the Middle East will continue to present a distinct challenge for countries along the Mediterranean basin.

He says: As economies juggle between containing an acceleration of Covid cases and exercising financial limitation, existing social structures are increasingly prone to buckling under pressure.

The weaponization of immigration, as Heneine calls it, and the mounting economic and political disputes will expose countries to sovereign risks [and create a] more durable paradigm shift in managing the relationship between land and people.

The fact the Middle East is feeling the full force of the global recession and souring political relations, worsening already poor standards of living, threatens to reinforce the exodus towards southern and southeastern Europes major entry points, says Heneine.

On top of that, he notes the aggressive stance of Turkey towards Greece and Cyprus, and the EU more generally.

At face value, an altercation over the rights to offshore natural gas exploration embodies the geopolitical and even cultural tug of war that has truly intensified in recent months, says Heneine.

Economies across southern and southeastern Europe are railing from Covid-19 and its economic implications, but the region is also suffering from a lack of clarity on the part of the EU when it comes to immigration.

For Heneine, the answer is clear: the EU needs to have a conversation about immigration and it needs to control its borders more effectively.

The lack of consensus on this, and other issues, is the largest source of sovereign risk.

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Immigration risk is troubling for the EU and southeastern Europe - Euromoney magazine

Delighted migrants pull gang signs & wave as theyre ferried to UK by lifeboat as Coastguard called to boats i – The Sun

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DELIGHTED migrants today made gang signs and waved while being ferried to the UK by lifeboat.

The UK Coastguard said it is dealing with a number of incidents in the Channel as more migrants made the dangerous trip across the 21-mile strait.

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This morning, a 16-year-old was found dead on a French beach after a desperate bid to reach UK shores.

The Sudanese youngster had got into difficulty in the sea on Tuesday night and was discovered at Sangatte, near Calais, this morning.

He is believed to have fallen overboard from an inflatable toy dinghy in what is thought to be the first known migrant death this year.

Today, a large group was seen waving and smiling as they were pulled into Dover, Kent, after making the journey in high winds.

One member of the group appeared to be making a gang sign as he made his way into the coastal town.

A Coastguard spokesman told The Sun Online: This morning we have been assisting Border Force with incidents off Dover.

HM Coastguard is committed to safeguarding life around the seas and coastal areas of this country.

We are only concerned with preservation of life, rescuing those in trouble and bringing them safely back to shore, where they will be handed over to the relevant partner emergency services or authorities.

It comes after the leader of Kent County Council yesterday said they cannot take any more child migrants after reaching the limit - with about 420 arriving already this year.

The county has been stretched to capacity to care for the unaccompanied minors arriving on its shores.

Roger Gough, Kent County Council's leader said: "I am deeply disappointed and concerned that, despite our many efforts to avoid this unthinkable situation, it has been necessary to make this announcement today.

"This is a huge challenge for Kent, but a relatively small challenge to solve nationally, and should have been resolved before now."

He warned on August 12 the council was just "days away" from reaching capacity.

More than 100 migrant children are expected to arrive in August - a monthly figure not seen since the last major migrant crisis in 2015.

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Recent figures showed 1,004 migrants were brought ashore by Border Force between August 4 and 13.

A total of 4,511 migrants have made the perilous journey so far this year, compared with 1,823 in 2019.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has vowed to end the illegal crossings through the Channel and crack down on criminal gangs who prey on families' desperation to find a way to get to the UK.

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Delighted migrants pull gang signs & wave as theyre ferried to UK by lifeboat as Coastguard called to boats i - The Sun

Sky News hit with 840 Ofcom complaints after live broadcast while following migrants crossing the Channel on – The Sun

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SKY News has been hit with more than 800 Ofcom complaints after its live broadcast while following migrants cross the Channel on a boat.

The telly watchdog today released its weekly broadcast report which showed 840 people complained after watching Sky News' live report on August 11.

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The huge number was 765 more than the next programme on the list Emmerdale which received 75 complaints for Monday nights episode.

Sky News footage showed its team approaching and filming small boats attempting to navigate their way to Britain.

Its team approached a group of around 10 people on a small dinghy in the English Channel.

Reporter Ali Fortescue leant over the side of the boat and asked where they were from.

One answered Iran while another migrant asked please no camera.

The live broadcast was widely slammed on social media with Labour MP Zarah Sultana comparing it to a grotesque reality TV show.

She said: We should ensure people dont drown crossing the Channel, not film them as if it were some grotesque reality TV show.

It comes as 16-year-old Sudanese migrant who disappeared at sea was found dead on a beach near Calais, a French minister has said.

Marlene Schiappa, who is in charge of citizenship in France's government, said the teenager was found on the beach of Sangatte on Tuesday morning.

This is a major news story following the governments suggestion that it needs a military response, and we will continue to cover the story in a responsible and human way."

The tragedy comes as migrants making the perilous crossing has been a focus of the UK Government amid a record number of journeys.

Last week, migrants were spotted taking selfies as they waited to be rescued from the Channel and brought to the UK.

The group of 22 men were left stranded halfway across the dangerous waterway when their dinghy's motor broke down.

Pictures show the men huddling together with their arms in the air as they wait to be rescued - while two members of the group took selfies and others lifted their arms in prayer.

Recent figures showed 1,004 migrants were brought ashore by Border Force between August 4 and 13.

A total of 4,511 migrants have made the perilous journey so far this year, compared with 1,823 in 2019.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has vowed to end the illegal crossings through the Channel and crack down on criminal gangs who prey on families' desperation to find a way to get to the UK.

A Sky News spokesperson told The Sun Online: Sky News has covered the migrant crisis in great depth and from many angles since 2015.

Our recent coverage on all Sky News platforms has focused on the human stories of refugees and their attempts to cross the channel and reach the UK.

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We have produced a range of news reports on land and at sea talking to people who are attempting to reach the UK.

This is a major news story following the governments suggestion that it needs a military response, and we will continue to cover the story in a responsible and human way.

Ali Fortescues reports have made it clear that the captain of the boat she is on calls the coastguard about every dinghy and stays with each boat to make sure it is safe as it comes to shore.

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Sky News hit with 840 Ofcom complaints after live broadcast while following migrants crossing the Channel on - The Sun

Do Bihar migrants have the choice to not go back to cities? – Down To Earth Magazine

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North Bihars unique geo-physical settings and hydro-meteorology make it one of the most vulnerable regions to environmental forcestofloods

The north Bihar plain has fertile alluvial soil endowed with surface and sub-surface water resources. The people in the region depend mostly on agriculture.

The region is, however, also plagued with low productivity, limited crop diversification, less scope for non-agricultural activities, high incidence of rural poverty, marginalisation, feudal exploitation and persistent poor governance.

There is alsoa vulnerability to floods because the region is drained by two major rivers, the Gandak and the Koshi and their tributaries, the Bagmati, Burhi Gandak and Kamla-Balan.

North Bihars unique geo-physical settings and hydro-meteorology make it one of the most vulnerable regions to environmental forces of floods and submergence.

In the past few decades,floodshave almost became a yearly phenomenon, though their intensity varies from one year to another. The flood plains aregenerally submerged during the monsoon from July to October every year and greatly affect life, physical assets andthe livelihoods of people.

Agrarian distress due to environmental forces of flood

Rural Bihar is mostly dependent on agriculture and its allied sector in terms of livelihood. This dependence is, however, gradually declining. Around 75 per cent of the rural households were dependent on agriculture as their main source of income in 2004-05. This, however, almost dropped to 50 per cent within a decade and a half.

Household dependency on agriculture and non-agricultural sectors (in per cent)

Sector

2004-05

2007-08

2009-10

2011-12

2018-19

Agriculture and allied

75.10

75.20

65.40

64.50

49.20

Non-agriculture

24.90

24.80

34.60

35.50

50.80

Source: NSSO employment and unemployment rounds, Periodic Labour Force Survey

A major reason behind this decline was the extensive damage to crops from extreme weather events. Agricultural production is quite uncertain, especially during the monsoon, as it is an area of continuous flooding.

Villagers were earlier dependent on agriculture and used to cultivate a particular variety of paddy, locally known as lathaun a low-yield, flood-resistant variety according to Sahib Khan, 36, a resident in Kathihar districts Azamgarh block.

A large section of villagers earlier worked as agricultural labourers on others land, but received wages insufficient to feed a family of five-six.

The 1987 flood was a devastating experience for them: People realised if they did not migrate to cities for work, they would not be able to survive. Several villagers including Khan said this out-migration of the rural male population essentially began after the 1987 flood.

With time, migrant workers accumulated their experiences and established a good network with their employers in urban areas. This made it easy for the next generation of migrant workers.

The flood, however, was not the only reason for a declining dependency on agricultural activities. The face of agriculture changed over the period. It became more commercialised and was yet not very profitable due to increased costs of inputs and a lack of more appropriate technology.

Employment opportunities in Bihars agricultural sector began to shrink for both men and women, with the advancement of mechanisation and increasing population.

The introduction of different types of machinery, high-yield varieties of seeds, herbicides, pesticides, etc, disempowered the agrarian community by making their skills and traditional knowledge obsolete and dispossessing them from production and decision-making processes.

Migration: A survival strategy

In a distress-driven economy, labour out-migration became a major survival strategy for rural households. The demand for cheap labour in urban areas drew men away from the farm in the open market economy. This was in contrast to the marginalisation of rural women, especially among landless households.

Labour migration in the districts of Bihar was predominantly for a short duration, cyclical in nature and also depended on the agricultural season at the source and destination.

Migrant workers either worked in construction sites in metro cities like Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai or moved to Punjab for carrot cultivation at the beginning of the sowing season. These workers then came back end of March, in time for harvesting.

The pandemic situation

Migration was not only a survival strategy for locals, but also brought prosperity with it. This year, unfortunately, the sudden lockdown to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) forced nearly 2.5 million migrant labourers to return to their homes from cities.

They did not manage to save enough this time, but instead carried heartbreaking experiences of uncertainty, fear, conquest, pain and anguish. With this traumatised experience, a large proportion of the migrants do not want to return to cities and have begun to look for employment opportunities in their neighbourhoods.

Though the state government promised to involve the labourers with its Jeevika scheme, a big question remains how this can solve their livelihood crisis.

Impact of flood on migrants

The flood situation of the state made the migrant crisis more serious. With a high intensity of continuous rain for 10-15 days, a few rivers flowed above the danger level and inundated a large area of the north Bihar plain.

Around 4.6 million people in 14 north Bihar districts were affected by the flood situation July 31, 2020, with these numbers increasing every day, according to the state disaster managements daily flood bulletin.

Standing maize crops were submerged under water and paddy seedlings were also damaged, according to the state agriculture department.

The aggravated flood situation of the state further increased the uncertainty of earning among returning migrants and raised the question of whether going back to their migration destinations was even an option for them.

Views expressed are the authors own and dont necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth.

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Do Bihar migrants have the choice to not go back to cities? - Down To Earth Magazine

How We Cover Dictators, Dissidents, and Dangerous Places – The Daily Beast

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Editors note: Our beloved World Editor Christopher Dickey wrote this ode to The Daily Beasts coverage and to his network of foreign correspondents just weeks before he suddenly passed away. It exemplifies the best of what he brought to the site, and to journalism, and to all of us, every day.

PARISAt The Daily Beast we like to say our world news coverage focuses on dictators, dissidents, and dangerous places, but when we first came up with that alliterative motto I dont think any of us imagined wed see so many reflections of dictatorship, dissent, and danger in the United States.

In fact, international news and U.S. news are perilously intertwined in ways they never have been before, feeding off of each other in a constant rush of events that The Daily Beast is covering around the globe and around the clock.

For The Daily Beasts membership drive, we're asking our reporters and editors to tell the stories behind some of their biggest stories.

One example: Since 2016, Americans have had to think about Russia a lot because Russian President Vladimir Putin clearly has thought a great deal about the U.S. and how he can unravel the fabric of American democracy. Now, thanks in part to him, its in tatters: the president of the United States has been impeached for abusing his power while following up on Putins conspiracy theories about Ukraineyet that president remains in office, more divisive than ever.

We can call the ongoing constitutional meltdown the Russian leaders mission accomplished, but we cannot call it a surprise. At every step of the way, including on the front lines of the Ukraine War, Anna Nemtsova, Michael Weiss, Julia Davis, Will Cathcart and others have brought us the story as it developed.

China has become not only a powerful economic and military competitorbut a source of frightening new diseases. Gordon Chang and Brendon Hong have cast their very clear eyes on the growing threats.

North Korea has managed to carry on a bizarre love-hate relationship with the U.S. president while showing no signs it will surrender nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles that can threaten every city in the continental United States. Donald Kirk, reporting out of Seoul, has covered every key development in this thermonuclear psychodrama.

Our correspondent in Japan, Jake Adelstein, made his rep writing about the yakuza, which turned out to be a great foundation for his coverage of the Shinzo Abe government and its slide toward authoritarianism.

For more exclusive access, insider interviews, and hot scoops, become a Beast Inside member.

Islamic State terrorists have lost their caliphate but metastasized like a cancer, embedding themselves all over the world, and just waiting for their chance to carry out a devastating attack on American soil. Florian Neuhof covered much of the fighting in Syria and Iraq while Anne Speckhard and her team of researchers conducted exhaustive interviews with captured jihadists. Spencer Ackerman, Adam Rawnsley, Rita Katz and others have tracked the continuing spread of terrorist cells and terrorist ideologies, Islamic and otherwise.

The fighting in Syria between the Russian-Iranian-backed Assad regime and Turkish-backed militias has intensified. They now appear headed for an apocalyptic dnouement and Jeremy Hodge is following developments closely.

Afghanistans Taliban may be willing to make deals helping U.S. troops leave their country, but only so they can take over again, vitiating completely whatever was achieved in the longest American war. Sami Yousafzai has extraordinary sources among the Taliban themselves.

The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has lost its most famous commander, blown away in Baghdad by American hellfire missiles, but it is calculating more ways to strike back. Nobody believes its commanders were satisfied with brain damage inflicted on more than 60 U.S. soldiers by Irans ballistic missiles. In addition to great work by our national security team, including Ackerman and Erin Banco, some of our most interesting coverage from Tehran has come through our partner publication IranWire, edited by Maziar Bahari.

The supposed deal of the century offered by the U.S. to Israels indicted prime minister makes Washington fully complicit in the denigration of the Palestinians, and opens the door to new violence, while America increasingly relies on Egypts dictator and Saudi Arabias murderous crown prince as its best buddies in the region. This, even as Saudi cadets training in the United States hatch terrorist conspiracies and kill their classmates. Noga Tarnopolsky, Neri Zilber, the national security team and I have written about all this extensively.

Indias frighteningly intolerant government, although strongly supported by Washington, has taken a very dangerous path in Kashmir, as revealed in an extraordinary series by Matthew Clayfield.

The European Union and NATO, the Wests great alliances, have been undermined repeatedly and aggressively by a hostile White House. Now Great Brexit pretends it can float out into the Atlantic and into the embrace of the United States. Nico Hines, Jamie Ross and royal watcher Tom Sykes follow developments in the sceptered, sundered isle.

On the continent, populist demagoguery is on the rise in many countries, whether at the upper reaches of government, as in Hungary, or on the mutinous streets, as in France. Erin Zaleski, Dana Kennedy, Nadette De Visser, Josephine Hetlin and I try to keep an eye on all the developments, which are part of a populist and sometimes white supremacist loop feeding and fed by the United States.

Correspondent-at-Large Barbie Latza Nadeau in Rome has reported on the migrant crisis that has affected European life profoundly, plus Italys crazy politics and beautiful culture, plus true crime stories all over Europeand the Vatican, where she has watched closely the hopes, disappointments, and political conspiracies surrounding Pope Francis.

Latin American regimes under pressure from the U.S. administration have resisted Washington, and Venezuela has humiliated it. Annika Henroth reported at the height of tensions there last year and was twice detained, at one point with a gun to her head. Eduard Freisler is on the scene for us now.

The U.S. border, meanwhile, has become a symbol of hollow promises and nauseating human rights abuses, while the drug war in Mexico just gets worse, as reported in vivid detail by Jeremy Kryt and Jason McGahan.

Africa, a continent dubbed full of shitholes, has been largely forgotten by Washington, but falls ever more deeply into the cauldron of climate change, which the U.S. administration pretends has nothing to do with human activity.

Philip Obaji Jr. in Nigeria has reported extensively on migrant flows, Boko Haram terror, and vast networks of human trafficking, some of which lead to the United States. Margot Kiser in Kenya writes vividly about wildlife as well as the rising threat of al Shabaabwhich sometimes coexist in the same forests near the Somali border. (Three Americans were killed in a Shabaab attack on a secretive Kenyan military installation just last month.)

Yeah. Its a 24/7 world of trouble, but it cant be ignored, and it better be understood.

Were able to break news on the biggest stories around the world thanks to the support of Beast Inside members. Join us today!

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Dozens of migrants found dead in shipwrecks near Canary Islands and Libya – Sky News

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Spanish authorities have found a boat near the Canary Islands with 10 dead migrants on board, while another 45 have perished in a shipwreck off the Libyan coast.

A plane spotted the first vessel while searching for a missing boat that had left Mauritania on 15 August with about 40 people on board and was believed to be heading to the Spanish islands off north-west Africa.

Two Spanish Maritime Rescue Service vessels reached the shipwreck about 85 miles south of the island of Gran Canaria.

The journey from western Africa to the Canary Islands has increasingly attracted migrants wanting to reach Europe without crossing the Mediterranean, where authorities have cracked down on boats.

It comes as 45 migrants - mainly from African countries - were found dead in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya.

The UN said it was "deeply concerned" and criticised the "sharp reduction" in efforts by European countries to respond to distress calls and carry out search and rescue operations.

"We urge states to swiftly respond to these incidents and systematically provide a predictable port of safety to people rescued at sea," the UN Refugee Agency said in a joint statement with the International Organization for Migration. "Delays recorded in recent months, and failure to assist, are unacceptable and put lives at avoidable risk."

NGO boats have stepped in to save lives "in the continued absence of any dedicated, EU-led search and rescue programme" - but this is not enough, the UN said.

When commercial vessels are the nearest boat capable of carrying out a rescue, the agency said they need to be quickly given a safe location for disembarking the rescued passengers.

They "should not be instructed" to return people to Libya, where they are at risk of "severe human rights violations" and "arbitrary detention".

Libyan authorities are increasingly taking responsibility for rescue operations, which has led to 7,000 people being returned to the country since January.

The agency welcomed the efforts of "two-thirds" of European countries who have continued to receive refugees despite the challenges posed by COVID-19.

"The pandemic should not be used as an excuse to deny people access to all forms of international protection," the UN added.

More than 300 migrants have died trying to cross the sea from Libya to Europe so far this year.

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Dozens of migrants found dead in shipwrecks near Canary Islands and Libya - Sky News

Parties see opportunity in Dalit assertion in Bihar – Hindustan Times

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Dalit leaders have been hogging the limelight in poll-bound Bihar as the state gears for assembly elections scheduled in October-November. Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Chirag Paswan has been attacking the Bihar government and chief minister Nitish Kumar over governance and management of migrant crisis and Covid-19 pandemic. Paswan has been upset over Janata Dal-United (JDU)s reluctance in accommodating LJP in the 12 nominations to the Bihar Legislative Council from the governors quota even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted to give it one seat. The result has been the nominations still remain stuck.

JD-U has maintained it does not have an alliance with LJP in the state and has become friendlier with former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi as it seeks to have a Dalit leader by its side to offset possible exit of Chirag Paswans party from the ruling National Democratic Alliance.

Former Bihar minister Shyam Razak this month defected to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) saying 99% of the leaders in JD-U were upset with the Kumar but did not have a voice. I cannot stay in a party where social justice is stripped, he said.

Also Read:RJD, Congress finalise seat-sharing deal for Bihar polls, Manjhis HAM not happy

BJPs Dalit leader, Sanjay Paswan, a former union minister, has asked Kumar to vacate his post for someone else after having served for 15 years. This also antagonized the JD-U, but Paswan termed it his personal opinion.

Sanjay Paswan said his attacks on Kumar were a kind of manifestation of the Dalit assertion. Why only Chirag, even Shyam Razaks move to resign as minister and assembly member... is a sign of growing Dalit assertion and there is nothing surprising in Dalit politics gaining momentum as it is a natural process.

Sanjay Paswan, who is a legislative council member, said the first phase of state politics was dominated by the forward castes, then came backward classes and now it was the turn of Dalits and extremely backward classes. Earlier also Bihar saw the emergence of Dalit leaders like Bhola Paswan Shastri, Karpoori Thakur, and Ram Sunder Das... Now, Dalit politics is becoming stable and self-reliant.

Sanjay Paswan said that Dalit leaders would have to make sacrifices and refrain from blackmailing for petty gains. They should not get carried away by the lure of identity politics as it will render them ineffective and defeat the larger goal.

DM Diwakar, a former director of Patnas AN Sinha Institute of Social Studies, said with over 18% of Bihars population, Dalits are a potent force that none of the political parties wants to antagonize. In the past, Dalits identified with the Left parties and then with the Congress, but gradually they too drifted towards liberal parties once the Left weakened. ...Dalits [in the 1990s] found in Lalu Prasad [Yadav of RJD] a saviour and along with Muslims formed a potent force. Today all the parties have their Dalit morcha to take advantage of identity politics among Dalits and that is the reason quite a few leaders have emerged and are in demand by one party or the other to counter one another.

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Parties see opportunity in Dalit assertion in Bihar - Hindustan Times

Despite online success Odisha rapper steers clear of Bollywood, wants to keep telling the truth to power – The Indian Express

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Written by Avantika Chopra | New Delhi | Updated: August 21, 2020 7:54:16 pmHaving closely experienced the crisis, Duleshwar Tandi was compelled to write about it through powerful rap songs.

Khane ko nhi chawal dana par bank mai khata khulvaenge

Thus begins one of Dule Rockers rap songs. But Duleshwar Tandis lines are not about youth or rebellion but of the miseries of the migrants and their struggles following the nationwide lockdown.

The 27-year-old from Odishas Kalahandi district attained fame after his rap video, Telling the Truth, went viral, making even Bollywood sit up and take notice.

Tandi was among those who returned to his hometown. But soon he realised there would be little help coming his way from the government. Thats when he decided to voice his opinion in the form of rap.

Who is the government helping? No one. Which is exactly why I am questioning them, he says. His rap Telling The Truth highlights the governments apathy towards the poor, many of whom were left penniless and without means of livelihood.

If the government wanted, they could have helped out those walking on foot. They could provide busses and food but they are not come forward to do any of this, he adds.

Implemented on March 25, the nationwide lockdown left many migrant workers in limbo, forcing them to walk hundreds of kilometres to their native places. Only less than 10 per cent of them got to travel free by governmenttransport, data shows.

Having closely experienced the crisis, the Dalit youth was compelled to write about it through powerful rap songs in English, Hindi and Kosli. Since corona, our lives have been hampered in a lot of ways. Seeing the conditions, I decided to put my thoughts into words and that is what resonated with people, Tandi told the indianexpress.com.

Citing the example of actor Sonu Sood, who has been working to help migrants return to their homes, Tandi says: I commend the work he is doing, but this work is not his. Who is supposed to do this work? The government. And if they are not doing it then why are they even in power?

However, for Tandi, fame and recognition came after almost 11 years of struggle. I have been trying to be a rapper for a very long time. After I completed my college, I had decided to become a rapper. I did a lot of other work to earn money and in-between would find time to rap, he says.

After graduating in BSc from a government college, Tandi tried several odd jobs to make ends meet and even shifted to Raipur in search of work.

Tandi developed an interest in music from an early age. I have always been interested in dance, drama and music. It was a very common thing in our family. We children would watch the elders and get together, write scripts, assign roles and act them out.

Initially, I wrote poetry. I used to write for the college magazine and take part in annual day functions. Later, I developed a habit of writing rap. At that time, I did not know that what I am writing is called a rap, he told the indianexpress.com.

With Bollywood actors such as Priyanka Chopra and Richa Chadda sharing his videos, Tandi was approached by music and film producers from Bollywood. However, he steered clear from commercial music as it didnt sync with his thought process.

There are people who have tonnes of money and then there are those who dont even have a roof over their heads or have enough food to eat. This is not humanity. I write such content and this was not liked by those in the commercial world.

With his raw videos and gritty lyrics attracting attention online, Tandi has quit his job to focus on rap. Earlier, people did not listen to such rap, but these days people are listening to me and are liking it.

Tandi feels the government should listen to the citizens, and thats his main muse. People are on the streets protesting against the government. They should analyse why this is happening and why people are unhappy.

The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

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Despite online success Odisha rapper steers clear of Bollywood, wants to keep telling the truth to power - The Indian Express

International flights to resume from September 1, but tourists won’t be allowed – The Kathmandu Post

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The government has decided to resume chartered and regular passenger flights from September 1. However, only Nepalis and representatives of diplomatic missions, the United Nations and development partners will be allowed to fly into Nepal, with restrictions on foreign tourists until further notice, according to a Cabinet decision which was made public on Friday.

The daily arrivals, too, have been capped at 500 individuals.

Minister for Communication and Information Technology Yubaraj Khatiwada, also the government spokesperson, said other than tourists, listed individuals will be allowed to come to Nepal via regular and chartered flights from Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Australia, the United States, Canada and European countries where RT-PCR tests are easily available.

People, including Nepalis, wont be allowed to take flights to Nepal from countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar where PCR tests are not easily available, according to Khatiwada. Nepalis stranded in these countries could be brought home on chartered flights, said Khatiwada.

Though the government said on July 20 that international and domestic flights will resume starting August 17, and asked the travel and tourism industry to take bookings for the autumn season accordingly, it revised its decision on July 21 in the wake of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country.

The government had also halted chartered flights, putting Nepali workers ready to return home in limbo. The new decisions, however, will provide some respite for migrant workers.

The government has also no immediate plan to allow domestic flights as there are prohibitory orders in Kathmandu Valley and dozens of other districts, according to Mahendra Guragain, secretary at the Prime Ministers Office, who is also the member secretary of the Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre.

According to Khatiwada, those coming to Nepal must produce a RT-PCR test report conducted in the last 72 hours, proof of advance booking of hotels for seven days and produce a barcode or print copy of the form they need to fill up by accessing from the Covid Crisis Management Centre website (ccmc.gov.np).

After completing seven days in quarantine, they have to give in writing that they would spend another 14 days in home quarantine, said Khatiwada.

Airlines will have to collect the expenses of hotel quarantine from their passengers and ensure that they pay the respective hotels as per the bookings. However, if they violate any rules and bring people having no PCR tests, the concerned airline will have to bear all the quarantine expenses of all their passengers, according to the Cabinet decision.

The government will take legal action if they break the rules, said Khatiwada.

The government said it will set up an Integrated Quarantine Management Committee led by the home secretary. The committee includes officials from Health and Federal Affairs and Local Development ministries, director general of the Department of Urban Development, and chief district officers of the Kathmandu valley as members. The committee will manage integrated quarantine facilities in Kathmandu Valley.

Guragain said that an integrated facility is being set up to quarantine migrant workers arriving every day at one place in the Valley so that it is easier for the authorities to manage them.

PCR tests of the returning Nepalis will be conducted within five days of their arrival and they will be sent home after seven days.

The Health Ministry will manage 6,000 isolation beds in the Valley at state-run as well as private, community and teaching hospitals and health institutes, if necessary, and the number of beds would be increased as needed, according to Khatiwada.

Outside the Valley, provincial governments will arrange for isolation beds in coordination with the Provincial Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre and District Covid-19 Crisis Management Centres.

The committee will also manage integrated quarantine facilities that will house migrant workers who return on repatriation flights. All their necessary expenses would be borne from the Foreign Employment Welfare Fund, according to the Cabinet decision.

All quarantine expenses of repatriated migrant workers would be borne from the Welfare Fund on the recommendation of District Covid-19 Crisis Management Centres. In the case of other stranded Nepalis, who are repatriated, the expenses of living in the integrated quarantine would be borne from the Coronavirus Fund at the recommendation of the District Crisis Management Centres.

Returning Nepalis, other than migrant workers, with no or partial symptoms and those who wish to stay in home isolation can do so but under the monitoring of an institution the Health Ministry designates and they must follow all necessary health and safety protocols. Only those with Covid-19 symptoms would be admitted to designated hospitals for treatment.

The government has also decided to use all the facilities of private hospitals and their resources, non-profit community hospitals and health academies for the treatment of symptomatic Covid-19 patients. Any hospital can be declared a Covid hospital, according to minister Khatiwada.

The government will take necessary legal action if any individual or hospital refuses to cooperate, said Khatiwada.

After flights resume on September 1, anyone willing to fly out will be allowed to travel.

People wanting to go abroad can go from September 1, but they should make all the necessary arrangements including visas, tests, entry to the destination country and their stay there by themselves, said Secretary Mahendra Guragain.

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International flights to resume from September 1, but tourists won't be allowed - The Kathmandu Post

COPE program continues to help children, teens deal with stress and anxiety – Daily Rocket Miner

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ROCK SPRINGS Openings are available in a program aimed at helping children, teens and young adults cope with stress and anxiety.

The providers at the Pediatrics Clinic of Sweetwater Memorial launched the COPE Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment program in the spring.

Im so excited about the results that I am seeing in the children and teens who are now completing this program, said Tamara Walker, the clinics pediatric nurse practitioner.

As current students finish the seven-week session, some afterschool openings will be available in September, according to a press release.

COPE is a seven-week cognitive behavioral therapy program designed to build resiliency skills in children and teenagers.

Managing stress at a young age can be difficult at any time, Walker said. Starting school again in the middle of a pandemic can add even more pressure, leaving many of us feeling out of our control.

The cognitive behavioral therapy-based program is aimed at helping anyone from age 8 to 21 who is struggling with anxiety and depression.

COMMON SYMPTOMS:

Depression: Irritability, sadness, sleeping too much or too little, gaining or losing weight, feeling guilty or hopeless, having trouble concentrating or making decisions, thinking a lot about death or suicide.

Anxiety: Anger, irritability, nervousness, trouble separating from family, sleep disturbance, obsessive thoughts, somatic symptoms such as regular headaches or stomachaches.

CONSIDER THIS:

CBT programs are the gold standard for mild to moderately anxious and depressed kids and teens.

1 in 4 children, teens and young adults have diagnosable and treatable mental health conditions.

Less than 25% of this population gets the treatment they need.

Depression is a significant risk factor for suicide.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in people ages 10 to 24.

We often cannot control what is happening around us, but we do have control over how we process what is going on around us, Walker said, when she launched the program in the spring. This is where the COPE program becomes influential for my patients. It gives kids and teens the foundational skills that are needed to face stress and adversity without getting stuck in negative thought patterns that often show up in our clinic as anxiety or depression.

Walker completed a pediatric mental health fellowship the Kyss (Keep Your Children Safe and Secure) Fellowship at Ohio State University.

For more information or to make an appointment with Walker, call 307-212-7717.

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COPE program continues to help children, teens deal with stress and anxiety - Daily Rocket Miner

How can gender transformative programmes with men advance women’s health and empowerment? – The BMJ – The BMJ

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Without a gender transformative approach, male engagement interventions risk reinforcing existing gender inequalities, write Shari L Dworkin and colleagues

The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development recognised that womens lack of empowerment had a negative impact on health outcomes. Due to patriarchal systems, men exercise preponderant power in nearly every sphere of life, ranging from personal decisions regarding the size of families to the policy and programme decisions taken at all levels of government.1 With the Beijing Platform for Action on Women (1995), and more recently the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), increased attention has been paid to engaging men in programmes to advance gender equality and womens health.

Masculine norms that legitimise both mens domination over women and the power of some men over other men, not only harm gender equality, but womens and mens health outcomes.2-4 Increasingly, gender transformative interventions are being implemented to challenge such harmful gender norms and power structures.5-8

Where health interventions with men are explicitly gender transformative, they can contribute to modifying inequitable gender attitudes, such as a woman must submit to sex whenever a male partner decides. They can also promote sexual and reproductive health, including reducing sexually transmitted infections and risks of HIV and contribute to preventing violence against women. The largest number of gender transformative interventions are implemented in this area.5-7

The body of evidence making the case for engaging men shows it is important to do so with the explicit intention of promoting gender equality. Key components of gender transformative interventions with men include examining the role of power relations in negatively shaping health, identifying attitudes and practices among men that harm both womens and mens health, and viewing men as active agents of change in advancing gender equality.3,5 However, most male engagement interventions do not address these components and are not intentionally gender transformative.7

Health interventions may be designed to engage men but it does not mean they seek to challenge harmful gender norms or unequal power structures. Without a gender transformative approach, male engagement interventions may risk undermining womens autonomy and reinforce existing gender inequalities. For example, interventions to engage men as allies to improve womens access to healthcare appear to be positive. However, such programmes should include components to foster shared decision making, otherwise they may reinforce cultural norms that women need to seek permission from men before accessing care.7

As we mark 25 years of the Beijing Platform with a vision of Generation Equality: Realizing Womens Rights for an Equal Future, we must consider next steps for gender transformative programming with men. First, working with males in a gender transformative way is an important complement to womens health and empowerment interventions, such as to improve womens property rights and control over resources.9,10 Such interventions must be underpinned by a supportive policy and institutional environment for gender equality.

Interventions to engage males with the objective of improving womens health must not be unintentionally harmful to womens rights, autonomy, safety, and wellbeing. In addition to clarifying the content of gender transformative programming, how to engage males in a gender transformative way must also be considered.3,5 This includes engaging men in ways that do not alienate or ignore their needs, especially to overcome potential male resistance to gender equality.3,5

More rigorous evaluations of gender transformative programming with men to improve womens health are needed to advance and scale up promising interventions. We know much more about interventions for preventing violence against women. We would benefit from more evidence for other womens health outcomes, including obesity, heart disease, cancer, mental health, birth outcomes, and trauma among others.

Lastly, there is a growing knowledge base showing that health systems are gendered in ways that reinforce inequalities.11,12 The covid-19 pandemic brings this issue into sharper focus. The global frontline health and social care workforce is predominantly female; however, males occupy the majority of leadership positions.

Special attention should be given to how the work environment may expose women to higher risk of infection as well as to their psychosocial needs. As a result of the pandemic, women are also facing a double burden of longer hours at work and additional care work at home, particularly in households marked by unequal gender relations and for women in single headed households.

Beyond covid-19, research shows that health institutions are organized in ways that reproduce harmful gender norms and impede both womens and mens access to and experience of quality care.13 Gender transformative interventions in health systems to improve both womens and mens health are rarely designed or implemented. This is an important area of future research.

Moving forward, health interventions engaging males must explicitly seek to counter unequal gender power structures and harmful gender norms. This will not only contribute to improving the health and wellbeing of women and girls and men and boys but will ensure womens empowerment and autonomy are at the center of such efforts.

Shari L Dworkin, dean and professor, UW Bothell School of Nursing and Health Studies, USA.

Magaly Marques, global SRHR coordinator, MenEngage Alliance, USA.

Oswaldo Montoya, networks associate, MenEngage Alliance Global Secretariat, USA.

Anthony Keedi, program manager and gender specialist, ABAAD Middle East North Africa, Lebanon.

Avni Amin, Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Switzerland.

Competing interests: None.

References

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How can gender transformative programmes with men advance women's health and empowerment? - The BMJ - The BMJ

Content and Content Marketing Are Not the Same. Here’s How to Frame the Top 11 Content Formats. – Entrepreneur

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August20, 20208 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

On the internet, content is anything that expresses thoughts, informationor experiences through written, visual, or audio form.

This article is content. The 95 million photos uploaded to Instagram today are content. The 500 hours worth of videos uploaded to YouTube in the last 60 seconds are all content.

The internet is built with content and always has been. It also means everyone has content, and everyone creates it all the time.

That creates some confusion when it comes to content versus content marketing. A lot of content is intended to market a brand but that doesnt mean the brand does content marketing.

Heres why.

Content marketing is a strategic approach to marketing that emphasizes the creation and delivery of valuable content to attract, retainand convert a clearly defined audience.

In other words, its using content strategically to provide solutions to problems that either your business or your readers have. Great examples abound:

Do you see a difference? All of these efforts position you as an authority in your industry, demonstrate your expertise in your topic over the long run and cultivate trust in your audience by putting their needs and interests first.

Youre doing content marketing (and not just content creation or digital marketing) if your content:

Related:How Do You Improve Email Marketing? Start by Improving Your List.

High-performing content is central to your content marketing, but the way you craft it can make or break your strategy. Its not enough to simply create eBooks, blogsand catchy social media that provide helpful information thats still biased toward your brand.

People are catching on to even that now.

Yet, with all the content creation that you will still do, it can be easy to lose your focus. Heres an overview of how to use the eleven main types of content in content marketing:

Related:What You Need to Know About the LinkedIn Stories Feature

By now, I hope Ive demonstrated how content creation is intrinsic to content marketing. However, just because youre creating content, it doesnt mean youre doing content marketing.

I want to drive things home with an example.

Lets say that were growing an athletic clothing brand and looking for ways to attract more customers to our e-commerce site. Weve decided to turn to content marketing for help. It might look like this:

1. You want to increase your brands presence on Google and social media, but you dont want to constantly annoy your readers with ads. How else can you get your brand in front of your readers?

You decide that the best way forward is to start a blog full of topics that interest your readers. A few things that come to mind include clean eating, exercising at home, and personal empowerment. You can also talk about clothes, of course,but your models can all wear your brand, which eliminates the need for more direct advertising.

2. You start your blog, set up your social mediaand let your following know about it.

Engagement metrics indicate that readers are most excited about exercising at home. Looking through their comments, you notice that things like staying focused, finding the right space, and keeping a schedule are all major pain points that they have.

3. You respond by creating an online guide to exercising at home.

You use a combination of eBooks chock-full of challenges that are available as lead magnets, and video tutorials for exercises hosted on your site. To demonstrate how popular your guides are, you create a way for users to record their progress and encourage each other.

4. To maintain engagement, you start up an email newsletter with the latest challenges, shoutouts for people who have achieved their goalsand occasionally a promo here or there.

Throughout this, you continue to grow your online community, adding more content to your blog that addresses questions or pain points. You even start a hashtag that your followers can use to highlight their fitness efforts so that they can spread the word about you.

5. At some point, you realize that you can enrich your readers experience with case studies and white papers.

You begin to include white papers about health and fitness that are relevant to your target audience. You also start to create case studies of success stories from your community.

6. As fitness centers start to notice what youre doing, you start getting offers for sponsored classesand requests to sell your brand in their shops.

Your content marketing is now extending your brands reach into the offline world. Youll continue all of the efforts above, as the results are feeding further content production.

Can you spot all eleven content types above? Look carefully. Theyre here.

(Bonus: Do you know what brand I just described? Spoiler: This is Athletas content marketing strategy. Check it out at https://events.athleta.com/)

The main difference between content versus content marketing? Content marketing involves a lot more than just content creation. In fact, the emphasis isnt content creation at all, but crafting an experience that improves the lives of your readers. If youre putting your readers first, addressing pain pointsand producing exceptional quality content consistently, then youll grow your brand while you cultivate authority and trust. Thats content marketing.

Hopefully, Ive left you with an idea or two about your content marketing strategy. Now, go forth and convert that target audience into passionate fans.

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Content and Content Marketing Are Not the Same. Here's How to Frame the Top 11 Content Formats. - Entrepreneur

Stanbic IBTC, UN Partner To Boost Women Empowerment In Nigeria – thewillnigeria

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BEVERLY HILLS, August 22, (THEWILL) Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC has partnered the United Nations on an initiative to provide seed funding for women across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory.

This is in furtherance of the banks commitment to enhancing food security and providing employment for women in Nigeria across the agricultural value chain.

The UN initiative, tagged The UN Women Project, was borne out of the need to provide economic empowerment for women and close the gender gap in agricultural productivity and incomes while increasing their access to resources and markets.

With a total budget of $40,000,000 for five years from 2019 to 2023, the initiative targets six states namely Ogun, Ebonyi, Cross River, Niger, Bauchi and Sokoto, as well as the FCT.

In line with the objectives of the Federal Governments Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP 2016-2020), the UN Women collaborated with three sister UN agencies which are the Food and Agriculture Organization, International Labour Organisation and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Key mandates of the programme include restoring growth, skills acquisition and building a globally competitive economy, through investments in the agricultural sector.

To pilot the flagship programme, Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC provided seed funding to support women working in the shea nut and rice value chains in Niger and Ebonyi States, respectively. The pilot programme is expected to reach at least 30 women-owned agribusiness organisations and cooperatives in five Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the two states.

The beneficiary LGAs include Mashegu, Munya and Katcha in Niger State as well as Ezza South and Ohoazara in Ebonyi State.

Speaking on the role of the financial institution in the project, Remy Osuagwu, Executive Director, Personal and Business Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC, said: The impact of women in the society is visible in every ramification. Being an organisation that celebrates gender balance, we recognise the call to keep empowering women, and we take advantage of every opportunity to support their endeavours.

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Stanbic IBTC, UN Partner To Boost Women Empowerment In Nigeria - thewillnigeria

TransUnion Expands People-Based Marketing Capabilities with Acquisition of Signal – GlobeNewswire

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CHICAGO, Aug. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As todays digitally savvy consumers expect more relevant and tailored marketing experiences, TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) is joining forces with Signal, a Chicago-based technology company, to expand its capabilities. Signals solutions are grounded in real-time data collection and its platform makes it easier for companies to structure, organize and leverage consumer data.

We are helping our customers use data and insights to provide a better experience for their customers, said Steve Chaouki, President, U.S. Markets, TransUnion. Signals offerings complement our existing marketing solutions, which have historically delivered powerful acquisition capabilities. Signal has great proficiency in customer retention and loyalty. In combining these strengths, we are able to bring our business customers a more complete solution.

The acquisition of Signal represents a further investment by TransUnion to establish leadership in people-based, identity-enabled marketing solutions following its 2019 acquisition of TruSignal and investment in Tru Optik.

TransUnion is well positioned to provide accurate and compliant consumer data and identity information for marketing use, said Matt Spiegel, Executive Vice President, Marketing Solutions and Head of Media Vertical, TransUnion. Were focused on marketing solutions that are people-based because its the future of marketing effectiveness and delivers value to the consumer.

For more than a decade, Signal has been a leading solution for real-time data collection and distribution, enabling marketers to better understand and react to their customers needs. The opportunity to join TransUnion and leverage our combined strengths is extremely exciting, said Lisa Weinstein, Chief Executive Officer of Signal.

About TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)TransUnion is a global information and insights company that makes trust possible in the modern economy. We do this by providing a comprehensive picture of each person so they can be reliably and safely represented in the marketplace. As a result, businesses and consumers can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good.

A leading presence in more than 30 countries across five continents, TransUnion provides solutions that help create economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for hundreds of millions of people.

http://www.transunion.com/business

About SignalAt Signal, we aim to make the intersection between brands and consumers more human by enabling true customer intelligence. Our technology empowers brands to use the first-party data they already own to more accurately understand the customer journey, personalize marketing messages and transform insight into business value. Signal leverages real-time data collection, hosts and maintains a dynamic brand identity graph and unifies profiles to enrich customer knowledge and open up new opportunities for brand engagements. Learn more at http://www.signal.co/.

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TransUnion Expands People-Based Marketing Capabilities with Acquisition of Signal - GlobeNewswire

Empowering youth to build better communities – The Herald

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The Herald

Flora Teckie Correspondent

International Youth Day celebrated globally on 12 August was a reminder of the strength and vigour of our youth, their energy, enthusiasm and flexibility and that it is within their power to contribute significantly to shaping the societies of the coming decades.

Youth have the potential to channel their energy, capacities and talents towards building better communities and advancement of civilisation.

According to the Universal House of Justice, the governing council of the Bah international community the transformation which is to occur in the functioning of society will certainly depend to a great extent on the effectiveness of the preparations the youth make for the world they will inherit.

An effective preparation is only possible through a balanced education an education that would enrich both the mind and the spirit.

An education that leads to moral empowerment, as well as intellectual development, acquiring spiritual qualities and useful qualifications.

According to the Bah Writings, This education . . . in order to be adequate and fruitful should be comprehensive in nature and should take into consideration not only the physical and the intellectual side of man, but also his spiritual and ethical aspects.

It should cultivate behaviours characterised by decency and integrity of conduct, trustworthiness, and freedom from prejudice.

An adequate education would prepare our youth to act in the long-term interests of humanity as a whole. Such education, at the same time, would help to instil in them the awareness of the fundamental oneness of humanity.

Youth would be taught to consider all humanity as members of one family and to be just towards everyone from all races, nations, religions and tribes.

An adequate education, in the Bah view, will cultivate virtue as the foundation for personal and collective well-being, and will nurture in individuals a deep sense of service and an active commitment to the welfare of their families, their communities, their countries, indeed, all mankind.

Youth contribution to empowerment of junior youth

One of the areas of service that youth can participate in is by assisting the younger members of society children and junior youth to attain the spiritual and intellectual powers they need to build better communities.

It is now becoming increasingly obvious that without proper education and guidance during adolescence, our children could easily go astray, even if throughout childhood they have received spiritual guidance.

It is during the few years before the children reach the age of 15 at the junior youth stage that fundamental concepts about individual and collective life are formulated in their minds.

It is during this stage that they apt either to align themselves with positive or negative forces in the society.

Junior youth between the ages of 12 and 15 have special needs as they go through the adolescence stage.

By developing their inherent secular and spiritual potential, they will not only become agents of change for their own generation, but will contribute greatly to the transformation of society.

During the adolescence stage, junior youth go through many rapid changes.

These changes are not only physical, but also emotional, intellectual and behavioural. It is important to note that these changes do not occur in a vacuum.

Environment, culture, upbringing, relationships within the family and elsewhere all contribute to the nature or direction of these changes, influencing young people to think, act and behave in certain ways.

Many parents and teachers believe that this is a very difficult age, one of rebelliousness, irrationality and frivolity without looking to see whether the causes of such behaviour are inherent to the stage of growth of the individual or are imposed by upbringing and social environment.

According to the Universal House of Justice, the governing council of the Bah International Community: While global trends project an image of this group as problematic, lost in throes of tumultuous physical and emotional change, unresponsive and self-consumed, the Bah community in the language it employs and the approach it adopts is moving decidedly in the opposite direction, seeing in junior youth instead altruism, an acute sense of justice, eagerness to learn about the universe and a desire to contribute to the construction of a better world.

Junior youth programmes

Junior youth of this age have a good deal to say, and if we treat them as children we will miss the opportunity to win their trust, and help them form a proper identity.

They need an environment that gives them support, an environment in which their views are respected.

Based on the understanding of the great potential of the junior youth and their needs, Bah communities organise regular programmes for this age group.

Such programmes are intended to provide them with spiritual guidance in order to lay the foundations of a noble and upright character, to enable them to live in harmony and peace, and with understanding and respect for others, and to instil in them a commitment to serve the best interests of their community.

These programmes help junior youth analyse the constructive and destructive forces operating in society and to recognise the influence these forces have on their thoughts and actions.

In addition to sharpening their spiritual perceptions and enhancing their lives, they also help channel their energy and talents towards the transformation of their communities, advancement of civilisation and building of a better world.

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Empowering youth to build better communities - The Herald

Blackbaud (BLKB) Names Michael Boulware Moore As First Diversity And Inclusion Officer – Pulse 2.0

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Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the worlds leading cloud software company powering social good, announced it named Michael Boulware Moore as its first Diversity and Inclusion Officer. Moore had joined Blackbaud in early 2020 following his tenure as the founding president and CEO of the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina which is located on the former Gadsdens Wharf where almost half of all enslaved Africans took their first steps in America.

For the museum, Moore led the $125 million capital fundraising effort and hired a talented staff base. Plus he was responsible for managing the curation of the museum experience.

Prior to serving as CEO of the International African American Museum, Moore spent over two decades as an accomplished marketing and advertising executive working with global brands, including Coca-Cola, Glory Foods, and Kraft as well as several successful entrepreneurial ventures. And Moore is also an accomplished author and keynote speaker as well as a thought leader on a number of subjects including social justice and African American history.

Blackbauds commitment to diversity is a focused and continually expanding effort spanning education, awareness, recruitment, empowerment, community involvement, and financial support. And Blackbaud has employee-led affinity groups that serve to empower and develop personal and professional growth in all employees.

Moore earned an undergraduate degree in political science from Syracuse University and holds an MBA from Duke University. And he currently serves on the boards of St. Marks School in Southborough, MA, Nation United Foundation, Reconstruction Beaufort, and Penn Center, the first school for African Americans in the Confederate south. Moore lives with his family in a suburb of Charleston, SC.

KEY QUOTES:

Our vision at Blackbaud is to power an Ecosystem of Good that builds a better world a world that is inclusive and accepting of all. Like so many companies, we are continually evaluating our progress toward fulfilling that vision and evolving our approach to ensure were creating a culture consistent with who we are as an employer, technology leader and community steward. We couldnt be more pleased to welcome Michael as our first leader completely dedicated to diversity and inclusion. He is a proven leader and advocate for social justice, who will take diversity and inclusion at Blackbaud to the next level.

Maggie Driscoll, Chief People Officer, Blackbaud

I have dedicated much of my life to social justice and telling the untold stories of our history and how its shaping our present, said Moore. I believe in Blackbauds mission of empowering and connecting people through technology to drive impact for social good and am inspired by the culture we have built. The power of diversity and inclusion and the impact it can have on the culture, values and growth of our business is exciting. I look forward to taking all that is already in place and evolving it as we continue to look deeply as a society and company at what a truly inclusive culture looks like.

Michael Boulware Moore

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Blackbaud (BLKB) Names Michael Boulware Moore As First Diversity And Inclusion Officer - Pulse 2.0