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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/massacre-157-villagers-mali-spurs-u-n-investigation-n988176 The above story is horrible to read. It's been getting to me all evening. This song is for everyone involved; especially the mothers and children.

Sad to hear indeed. I've got some friends who were in a band that supported The Beat a few times when they came and played Brighton. Apparently he was a friendly guy full of advice and wisdom.

In exactly one month, the world will come together to commemorate the third annual CCI initiated Naciones Unidas Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day. Today we're taking a moment to remember Sasha's heartfelt message ahead of the first commemoration in 2017. This video, which Sasha filmed in our Independent Living Unit, touched the heart of the nation and went on to feature on RTÉ News. Thank you, Sasha, for this incredible video and for using your voice to advocate for others affected by Chernobyl. #UNChernobylDay

66 CULTURE 5 statements from Mandela that we should all be inspired by 17 July 2018 6:06PM UTC | By: ROBYN DETORO JOIN Join the fight against extreme poverty EmailJoin Share on Facebook Save on Facebook Share on Twitter Share by Email Nelson Mandela accomplished more in his lifetime than most people even dream of and his legacy is built upon the persistent messages of hope, encouragement and wisdom he shared with the world. Perhaps most importantly, Mandela’s gift of speech and ability to inspire continues to unite people in the belief that they too have the power to take action and create change. On what would have been his 100th birthday, we’re doing our part to make sure his legacy lives on by sharing some of the most inspirational things he said. via GIPHY Here are the five quotes we reflect on time and time again to motivate us in our fight to change the world! 1. “Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation.” 2. “Freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression.” 3. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” 4. “Our children are the rock on which our future will be built, our greatest asset as a nation.” 5. “As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality exist in our world, none of us can truly rest.”

ENVIRONMENT A Plastic-Eating Robot Shark Was Just Deployed off the UK Coast The shark can gather 15.6 tons of waste per year. Why Global Citizens Should Care Plastic pollution is causing immense harm to the world’s ecosystems, and governments around the world are beginning to curb plastic production in accordance with the United Nations’ Global Goals. You can join us in taking action on this issue here. A marine drone called the WasteShark is busy cleaning up plastic waste off the coast of Devon in the United Kingdom, according to the Independent. The “shark,” an electric vehicle that traverses waterways, can autonomously gather up to 132 pounds of plastic waste at a time. If it’s deployed five days a week, it can remove 15.6 tons of plastic waste from a body of water per year, according to the machine’s creator, the Dutch technology company RanMarine. RanMarine “WasteShark is cheaper, greener, more effective, and less disruptive than other methods of dealing with marine litter,” said Oliver Cunningham, chief commercial officer at RanMarine, told the Independent. “We hope to see our drone in cities and towns — wherever humans live on water — around the world,” he added. Take Action: Protect Our Oceans! Prevent Ocean Plastic Pollution The WasteShark has been deployed in five countries already and the first iteration in the UK was spearheaded by the environmental nonprofits World Wildlife Fund and Sky Ocean Rescue. The two groups have long advocated against plastic waste in marine ecosystems and see the WhaleShark as a useful tool in preventing animals from being injured and otherwise harmed. RanMarine Each year, at least 8 million tons of plastic waste enter bodies of water, and more than 5 trillion pieces of microplastic currently contaminate the oceans. All of this plastic waste has been shown to harm everything from turtles to whales to coral to tiny amphipods that live at the bottom of the deepest marine trenches. Read More: Why You Should Probably Never Use a Plastic Straw Again “The marine protected areas in north Devon are home to some of the country’s most incredible coastlines and marine life, but plastic is having a devastating effect on our oceans,” Jenny Oates, UK seas program manager at WWF, told the Independent. “The WasteShark will help us fight the rubbish that enters the harbour, snapping it up before the tide takes it out to sea and it ends up threatening wildlife in other precious marine areas,” she added. WWF and Sky Ocean Rescue hope that the WhaleShark gets deployed in other bodies of water throughout the UK, but regard the machine as a minor player in a much broader effort to rid the oceans of plastic. View image on Twitter 93 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Read More: Why Global Citizen Is Campaigning to Reduce Plastic Waste in the Oceans The most important component in that effort, the groups argue, involves governments taking action to restrict how much plastic is produced in the first place. After all, if plastic had never entered bodies of water in the first place, then the WhaleShark wouldn’t need to exist. So far, more than 60 countries have restricted plastic production and companies around the world are working on sustainable alternatives. For example, major consumer good brands are trying to revolutionize the takeout cup, transition to a “milkman model” of containers being returned and cleaned after use, and eliminate plastics altogether. Other organizations are working to clean up the world’s oceans, rivers, and lakes. Massive beach clean-ups have been staged by everyday citizens in India, Norway, and Thailand. An ambitious project to eliminate the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been spearheaded by a college dropout. And companies like Ikea are deploying their own plastic-collecting machines. As news of the WhaleShark spreads, it will likely be deployed in rivers, lakes, and coastlines around the world.

CITIZENSHIP 5 Powerful Tributes to Love and Acceptance in the Wake of the New Zealand Terror Attack Art therapy transforms pain into beauty. Why Global Citizens Should Care A noticeable rise of Islamophobia in recent years has manifested into far-right terrorism and extreme acts of violence against innocent people. Global Citizen works to support the United Nations’ Global Goals, which call on all nations to promote peace and justice and fight hate wherever it exists. You can join us in taking action on this issue here. On Friday, 50 people were shot to death across two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, by a white supremacist to spread fear and ignite hatred. The terror attack is the worst mass shooting in the nation's history. In the days following the attack, the initial sense of horror soon gave way to an outpouring of grief. Mourners worldwide stood in solidarity with Muslim communities, with vigils and flowers left at places of worship across the globe — proving time and again that diversity, kindness, and compassion trumps racism and bigotry. Many mourners have also begun processing the trauma through art. Read More: The New Zealand Terror Attack Is an Urgent Reminder There's No Room for Hate in This World Below, check out five powerful and artistic tributes that have gone viral from people attempting to heal and make sense of last week's horrendous attack. 1. View image on Twitter 7,606 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Twenty-five-year-old New Zealand artist Ruby Rose drew this stunning depiction of two women hugging. The illustration has been shared hundreds of thousands of times on social media, including by model Gigi Hadid and New Zealand-born director of the Thor: Ragnorak film, Taika Waititi. The illustration has also been left on the steps of mosques throughout New Zealand and portrayed on vigil messages across the world. 2. New Zealand cartoonist Shaun Yeo decided to draw a cartoon of a kiwi crying just 30 minutes after hearing the news of the attacks from New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, according to Stuff News. The image was initially shared to Yeo's Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram account. The Facebook post has been shared — as of Wednesday — 42,000 times. 3. Across the pond, Australian illustrator Rebel Challenger drew a koala hugging a kiwi, representing Australia consoling New Zealand. The image has been shared by thousands of Australians, many of whom consider the relationship between New Zealand and Australia to be that of siblings. As news of the Friday attacks unfolded, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced: "Australia and New Zealand are not just allies, we’re not just partners, we are family.” 4. Schoolchildren in the New Zealand capital of Auckland expressed their condolences and sorrow by using their bodies to form a large heart on the oval of their school. Above the heart, students arranged themselves to form the words “kia kaha,” which translates to “stay strong” in Maori — the language spoken by the Indigenous population of New Zealand. 5. New Zealand artist Paul Walsh painted a mural of teacher Naeem Rashi to honor the victim who was killed as he attempted to take down the gunman and protect his son. The painting, located in Christchurch’s Avondale Art Park, features the words “remember the heroes." Rashi was originally from Pakistan, and Walsh explained in the copy of his Facebook post that the murals green and black coloring represents Pakistan and New Zealand "united in mourning." "I wish I didn't know who Naeem was. I wish he were back at his job as a teacher today, and I wish I were painting something else,” Walsh further stated in the caption. "But some coward changed everything, and I have had to respond in the only way I know how; by honoring the lives of my fellow New Zealanders who didn't make it home on Friday. We will not forget you.” TOPICSCitizenshipRacismNew ZealandInclusionTerror AttackTributeShootingTollerance COMMENTS

CITIZENSHIP New Zealand's PM Called for a Global Fight Against Racism. What Would That Look Like? It starts with acknowledging the deep roots of racism. Why Global Citizens Should Care The United Nations’ Global Goals call on countries to promote inclusivity and tolerance. The recent terror attack in New Zealand shows how deeply entrenched xenophobia remains around the world. You can join us in taking action on this issue here. Following the Mar. 15 terror attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called for a global effort to root out racism and bigotry, according to the BBC. She said that the background of the terrorist, who was born and raised in Australia and traveled the world, shows that bigotry is an international threat that requires international coordination to overcome. "What New Zealand experienced here was violence brought against us by someone who grew up and learned their ideology somewhere else,” she said in the interview. “If we want to make sure globally that we are a safe and tolerant and inclusive world we cannot think about this in terms of boundaries." Take Action: This Inequality Cannot Go On. Ask the World’s Richest People to Help End Extreme Poverty Actúa: Sign Petition 1 punto United StatesUnited KingdomGermanyCanadaAustraliaAfghanistanÅland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo (the Democratic Republic of the)Cook IslandsCosta RicaCôte d'IvoireCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands [Malvinas]Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambia (The)GeorgiaGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly See [Vatican City State]HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia (the Federated States of)MoldoviaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRéunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint BarthélemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands (British)Virgin Islands (U.S.)Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe En asociación con: Move Humanity Since the shooting, Ardern has repeatedly condemned bigotry and she announced a ban on assault rifles on Thursday. Defeating racism at a global level is another matter altogether — but Ardern could instigate progress. “I hope she’s serious, because her representatives at the UN could call on both the General Assembly and Security Council to have a special session on the matter,” Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston who has written numerous books on the history of racism in the US, told Global Citizen. “Experts could be brought on, and an action plan could be developed if she’s serious.” The United Nations has long campaigned to eliminate racism and xenophobia, and recently adopted a new resolution that outlines a strategy for achieving this outcome. The global organization releases reports on the various forms of xenophobia, invites everyday people to fight racism in their daily lives, and advises governments on policies that promote tolerance and inclusivity. Read More: The New Zealand Terror Attack Is an Urgent Reminder There's No Room for Hate in This World As the UN acknowledges, defeating racism, wrapped up as it is in nearly every aspect of society, is no easy feat. But there are broad steps that can be taken in the short and long term to get there. The first step, according to historians who spoke with Global Citizen, is to actually acknowledge the depth of racism in modern life and its historical precedents. Ardern was right in pointing out how the terror attack in Christchurch reflects the pervasive nature of bigotry, according to Kari Winter, professor of American Studies at the University of Buffalo. “It’s so clear in New Zealand that the problem is not a local problem,” she said. “This is a terrorist from Australia who’s heavily influenced by a Norwegian terrorist and who also cites people like Donald Trump. We’re not looking at an isolated locality, we’re looking at a global phenomenon that touches on global conditions.” Racism has deep roots in modern society and it’s up to governments and people to reckon with this history on a regular and ongoing basis. Read More: Women Who Wear Headscarves Are the Most Frequent Targets of Anti-Muslim Attacks: Survey Horne used the US, where white supremacist violence has surged in recent years, as an example. “The US was the first apartheid state,” Horne said. “We should not see it as incidental or accidental that Africans were enslaved, that Native American land was taken, that immigrants fresh off the boat from Europe got benefits and there only recently has been a global struggle to change that. “Until we face the mirror and confess to our own sins, with regard to the ugly history of this country, I don’t think we can move forward,” he added. Acknowledging this history also means recognizing how it actively shapes the present moment. All around the world, racial and other inequities take many forms. Racism on a structural level means that marginalized communities are more likely to face poverty, environmental pollution, violence at the hands of the state, and discrimination in health care, the workplace, and education. On an interpersonal level, racism shows up all across social media and in the daily real-life interactions people have. The terrorist who killed at least 50 people in New Zealand was heavily influenced by white supremacist subcultures online, according to the New York Times. YouTube, in particular, has become a clearinghouse for white supremacist and other bigoted views, and demands for the social media channel to more effectively regulate hate speech have increased recently. Other social platforms such as Facebook have been shown to fuel real-world violence, including the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, and Twitter is often accused of being slow to remove hateful language. Read More: What You Should Do If You Witness an Internet Hate Crime While social media often creates opportunities for hate, it can also be used to challenge racism by calling out overt acts of bigotry and highlighting instances of discrimination. That’s a step in the right direction, according to experts. Contending with racism means seeing the connection between everyday instances of discrimination and racist rhetoric and larger acts of violence. In New Zealand, for example, Muslims are routinely subjected to discrimination and racist insults. But fully tackling racism requires legislative action at all levels of government in all countries, according to Horne. The United Nations calls for numerous policy changes to combat racism. Oftentimes, these suggestions involve improving the material conditions of people living in poverty — improving access to education, health care, and nutrition, for example. They also include much stronger protections for marginalized groups and greater law enforcement against hate crimes. In the US, for example, Horne said that a congressional hearing could be opened up to investigate the infiltration of white supremacists into police departments and the military. Better oversight of law enforcement, meanwhile, could end the seeming impunity of officers accused of killing unarmed black men, he said. Throughout the US, progressive district attorneys have been working to end racial inequities in the criminal justice system. Read More: How South African Students Woke the World to the Brutalities of Apartheid Although racism takes different forms in every country, bigotry everywhere shares key features. As a result, it’s important for countries to draw lessons from each other. The fight against apartheid in South Africa, for instance, showed how a system of extreme racial hierarchy and state-sanctioned violence can end when countries around the world come together to demand change. Racism is still pervasive in South Africa, but a pernicious system was dismantled. Today, countries need to once again step up and declare that white supremacy and xenophobia have no place in modern society, experts say. But this time, according to Horne, they have to mean it. “I don’t think we have a deficit in ideas," Horne said. "The problem is a lack of political will and political strategy to unflinchingly face the ugly reality." TOPICSCurrent eventsCitizenshipRacismNew ZealandJacinda ArdernBigotryXenophobiaHatredNew Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern COMMENTS

Red hill mining town

REUTERS/SIPHIWE SIBEKO Stranded. DEVASTATION Cyclone Idai has left 500 people dead and devastated southern Africa’s most vulnerable By Lynsey ChutelMarch 22, 2019 Cyclone Idai has devastated the Mozambican city of Beira and turned it into an inland lake. The city of 500,000 people is at the epicenter of one of the worst natural disasters to hit southern Africa in decades. Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe are still coming to terms with the immediate impact and aftermath of the storm, a week after it made landfall on southeast Africa’s coast, ripping through the region at speeds of up to 194 km (120 miles) an hour. An estimated 1,6 million people are believed to be affected, towns and villages remain submerged, and the death toll in the three countries has surpassed 500. Idai’s timing and target could not have been worse, hitting already vulnerable communities in some of the continent’s poorest countries just before harvesting season. EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY/COPERNICUS SENTINEL 1 The extent of the inland flooding from Beira. Floodwaters spilling out from the region’s Pungue and Buzi rivers now cover a massive 2,165 sq km-area (834 square miles), according to the UN, far exceeding the width of the initial storm. The water levels created inland islands, marooning hundreds of people across the region, and stretching rescue operations. Flooding from Idai has almost completely submerged Beira, cutting it off from the rest of the country. The emergency wing of its central hospital is non-operational, a major grain terminal has been damaged, and dam has collapsed outside of the city, according to the UN’s Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System. “Beira is pretty much paralyzed, with many…going hungry, and without food and shelter,” resident Samuel Fenis told the UN Environment agency. At least 242 people have died in Mozambique alone. As the extent of the damage unfolds, it’s becoming clear that president Filipe Nyusi’s estimate that as many as 1,000 people are dead could be confirmed. AP PHOTO/TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI Cut off in Mozambique. AP PHOTO/TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI Destruction in Beira. After making landfall in Mozambique, Idai travelled more than 300 km (186 miles) to Zimbabwe, killing at least 139 people, with dozens more still missing. It travelled across Sofala and Manica provinces, leaving behind flooding so severe that entire villages have been wiped out. The area remains inaccessible, with an estimated 100,000 people stranded, according to the UN, making it difficult to ascertain the true extent of the damage. As rescue workers wade through the disaster zone, there are reports of people still huddling on rooftops, waiting to be rescued. Families have resorted to digging through mudslides to find their relatives still trapped. Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared two days of national mourning. Already facing a protracted economic crisisand food shortages, Zimbabwe has issued desperate calls for aid and assistance in rescue missions. “Whatever crops that were being grown despite the drought have now been destroyed in the floods, and these districts will need the help of the international community now more than ever,” Paolo Cernuschi, Zimbabwe country director at the International Rescue Committee, said in a statement. The cyclone did not cross into Malawi, but the resulting floods killed at least 56 people, and displaced 82,700. AP PHOTO/TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI A family dig for their son in Zimbabwe. AP PHOTO/TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI Rescuers in Zimbabwe. Aid agencies have made desperate appeals for funding, revealing the extent of the devastation. The World Food Programme says it needs $121 million to help those affected in Mozambique alone. The UN aid agency’s operations in Malawi will require $10.3 million for just two months of assistance. In Zimbabwe, $5 million will be needed to provide food, logistical support and a response in the affected districts where 90% of property has been damaged. UNFPA and Unicef have also dispatched teams to the region to assist women and children, whose vulnerability is exacerbated in disasters such as this. REUTERS/CARE INTERNATIONAL/JOSH ESTEY Most vulnerable. The storm’s impact shows the need for better preparedness and warning systems, the UN environment agency has said. As the extent of the damage wreaked by Idai is revealed, state and non-governmental agencies are flocking to the affected region to help, and discovering that Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe will need far more than expected. Sign up to the Quartz Africa Weekly Brief here for news and analysis on African business, tech and innovation in your inbox