A look at what’s coming up: Italian elections, far-right Dutch politico tours Australia, Netflix the new HBO, World Oceans Summit, Nuclear North Korea, Ecuador, Mali, Syria and Pakistan

The front page

Bunga Bunga comeback?

Italian General Elections, considered by some pundits as the most important ones in the country since the second World War, start next Sunday.

What to look out for: Absenteeism and indecisiveness are rife amongst voters. The centre left’s Pier Luigi Bersani’s chances for the top job look good although, if the 2006 elections are anything to go by, this race could throw some last minute surprises, even the very problematic return of Silvio Berlusconi into a role of king maker.

Incendiary speaker across the ditch

Anti-immigration, anti-muslim and far right Dutch MP Geert Wilders is scheduled to tour Australia starting tomorrow.

Why this matters: Wilders has referred to Islam as a “fascist ideology” and to their prophet Mohammed as a “paedophile” and “mass murderer”. This visit happens as Australia prepares for general elections and multiculturalism becomes a hot topic of discussion. All eyes are on whether Liberal Party Senator Cory Bernardi meets Wilders, as he did once before, hence giving the tour an air of political legitimacy.

HBO 2.0

A United States remake (starring Kevin Spacey) of the British political TV series “House of Cards” (called “West Wing for werewolves” by critics) enters its second week on the on-demand internet media provider Netflix this week.

Why this matters? The streaming service has commissioned and produced this show and another season of the popular American comedy “Arrested Development,” among others. The series are released using novel distribution and rating gathering mechanisms which allow producers to make creative decisions for future seasons of the shows. A potential game changer for television and film.

The wrap

Under the sea

The World Oceans Summit takes place in Singapore this weekend.

The context: The European Parliament’s main environmental committee will tomorrow hold a vote which could significantly impact on the future of the carbon trading scheme – and global warming- in the Union. The EU is also advancing rapidly toward reform of its fishery policies as well as renewed attempts to open up the Arctic Ocean for mining, fishing and trade routes.

Nuclear cat and mouse

The UN Security Council is expected to hold an emergency meeting this Wednesday to discuss further sanctions against North Korea after its recent nuclear test.

What to look out for: Reports have started to emerge that the rogue country is already planning further detonations. More sanctions to the already starving nation could hurt its population rather than its politicos. Impasse or time to rethink engagement?

Quito vs. the fourth estate

This Sunday Ecuador goes to the polls to elect a president.

Why this matters: Incumbent socialist Rafael Correa is expected to win by a landslide. At the same time he is waging and winning a very divisive legal battle against El Universo, one of the country’s largest newspapers. This case could set a precedent in a region where several heads of state regularly engage in puerile power struggles against its journalists.

Culture and war

This week UNESCO officials meet to plan the rebuild of cultural objects decimated by Jihadist militants during the recent occupation of Mali.

What to look out for: Eleven mausoleums of Sufi saints and approximately three thousand ancient manuscripts are said to have been destroyed during the occupation of Timbuktu. At the same time reports are coming out that rebel forces in Syria are trafficking in stolen artifacts to fund their campaign.

Paris of the East

In Pakistan’s second largest city, the first ever Lahore Literary Festival is scheduled to take place over the weekend.

What to look out for: Highlights include British/Pakistani writer and director Tariq Ali discussing the place where politics and culture meet; a discussion on women’s voices in local literature, and Ahmed Rashid, a former revolutionary and foreign policy author discussing “Cultures in Conflict” with British historian William Dalrymple.

[END]

Published in the New Zealand Herald.

2 Chronicles 7:14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Prayer honours God, acknowledges His being, exalts His power, adores His providence, and secures His aid.

- E. M. Bounds

A reflection on our fishing industry

Our Heavenly Father,

Thou art Almighty, thou art most Powerful and thou art Creator of all things known to Man. Thou instructed Man to safeguard and keep this world we live in and all things in this world. Heavenly Father, we are able to see that there is a threat to our oceans because of the way Man lives. Heavenly Father, we are able to see that there is a decline in fish stocks around the world and we are able to see that some of our fish species are endangered.

Many people around the world rely on fish as their primary source of animal protein. Many people around the world will find their livelihoods put at risk because of the decline in fish stocks. We are able to see that this situation can be reversed if we allow oceans to recover.

There are many instances around the world of Man defying nature. These instances are known as deforestation, and are known as pollution, and are known as land reclamation. All these instances affect our oceans and all of these instances can be addressed by Man.

Many of our fishermen have been instructed to throw back into the sea their catch which is dead. Many of our fishermen have been subsidised in order to allow them to continue to fish. Much of the regulations that are in place need to be revised so that our fish stocks can recover.

We are able to see that the works of the World Ocean Summit and the Global partnerships for Oceans http://www.globalpartnershipforoceans.org/ can minimise the damage that has been done to our oceans. We are able to see that much of the work done through our Common Fisheries Policy can be helpful, too. Many of our fishermen are able to see that there needs to be a common agreement collectively to allow sustainability of our fish stocks to be encouraged.

We are able to see that commercial fishing has affected the breeding grounds of our sea birds and we are able to see that there needs to be regulations put in place to protect the breeding grounds of our sea birds.

We are able to see that many of our fishermen around the world need protection from pirate fishery vessels. We are thankful that there are agencies such as the Environmental Justice Foundation that can support these fishermen. We are thankful that Christian Aid can help fund new and better fishing equipment for many fishermen around the world. We are able to see that there are many good works that are responsible and are worthy of acknowledgement.

Many of our fishermen are courageous as they fish in stormy and turbulent weather. Many of our fishermen need to be acknowledged for this by way of recompense. Many of our fishermen work for a wage that is considered low. Much has been discussed by Government on what is considered to be a minimum wage. We hope and pray that our fishermen are paid fairly and their wage is protected.

We are able to see that much of what has happened to our oceans has happened around our coastlines. We are able to see that much of what has happened has affected our fishing industry. We are able to see that our Government is able to help our fishing industry by putting into place regulations that will help our fish stock to increase. These regulations are ones that will benefit our local communities in Cornwall and these regulations are ones that will help business in general. We are thankful that Man is now becoming more aware of the conditions our oceans and seas are in and we are thankful that Man is trying to address our concerns.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry we have fallen short in the care of our oceans and we are sorry that we are unable to repair the damage that carbon emissions have done to our waters. We desire that our oceans and seas return to their natural state, and we desire that Man reflects carefully upon his actions and we desire that Man can see the folly of his ways, now and always.

Amen.

Gli esseri umani potevano trattare il mare come una risorsa inesauribile quando erano in pochi. Un mondo di 6,7 miliardi di persone, di 9 miliardi nel 2050, non se lo più più permettere

recitava l’invito mandato a ottobre. Oggi siamo ufficialmente in 7 miliardi, e non ce lo possiamo permettere da quasi trent’anni.

Secondo stime della Banca Mondiale, dal 1974 al 2010 lo sfruttamento insostenibile delle risorse ittiche ha fatto perdere 2,2 milioni di miliardi di dollari in termini di cibo e di reddito. Un miliardo di persone dipende dalle creature marine per le proteine animali e centinaia di milioni per guadagnare di che vivere;  pratiche sostenibili ridurrebbero le perditi di 50 miliardi all’anno.

Quanto pesce resta e quanto se ne può prelevare una questione controversa. Le cifre della FAO sembrano pessimiste, eppure si basano su dati, notoriamente ottimisti,  forniti da un centinaio di “pescherie industriali” europee e americane. Chris Costello e Steve Gaines, dell’università della California a Santa Barbara, hanno ricalcolato le riserve usando i dati di 7.000 pescherie, responsabili per circa l’80% del prelievo annuo totale. Dei territori di pesca, dicono, solo il 2% è “collassato” e avrà bisogno di molti decenni per rigenerarsi. L’85% è “sovrasfruttato”, “depauperato” o “degradato”. Quelli che si sono ripresi dopo l’imposizione di regole e limiti sono in sostanza due: la fascia costiera di raccolta del “loco” o “zampa di burro” (Concholepas concholepas) in Cile, quasi estinto dagli amatori di sushi; e i banchi di merluzzo bianco (Gadus morhua) tornati al largo dell’Islanda. Segnali positivi arrivano da alcune cooperative in America centrale e da esperimenti in corso sulla costa nord-est degli Stati Uniti. Sono però dati “molto preliminari” sulla co-gestione dei diritti esclusivi di pesca concessi dal governo a gruppi locali di pescatori.

Il presidente della Banca Mondiale Robert Zoellick ha concluso l’incontro di Singapore lanciando un S.O.S. ai governi, alle ONG e altre associazioni interessate. Se formassero una ro una coalizione, la Banca Mondiale potrebbe sostenerla con 1,5 miliardi di dollari e accrescere le riserve marine  dal 2 al 12% della superficie oceanica. Nonostante sia uno strenuo difensore del libero mercato, l’Economist è dello stesso parere, ma ricorda che aumentano sia l’inquinamento dovuto agli effluenti dell’agricoltura che l’acidificazione dovuto alle emissioni di CO2.

Né l’uno né l’altra si fermano davanti ai confini di una riserva. A quanto si sa, nel Mediterraneo non lo fanno neppure i pescherecci.

Crediti immagine: World Ocean Summit