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SINGAPORE: Plots of land earmarked for the development of the Agri-Food Innovation Park in Kranji were "erroneously" cleared ahead of the conclusion of a commissioned study and a "stern warning" has been issued to the contractor involved, said JTC Corp on Tuesday (Feb 16).

In a statement, JTC referred to social media posts regarding the clearance of land at Kranji Road and Kranji Close, saying the area that had been cleared was earmarked for the development of the Agri-Food Innovation Park.

The Agri-Food Innovation Park is part of the Sungei Kadut Eco-District. About 18 hectares of land has been set aside for the first phase of development for the Agri-Food Innovation Park in the district to co-locate research and development, prototyping and high-tech farming operations such as indoor farming and aquaculture hatcheries.

As part of JTCs preparations to develop the Agri-Food Innovation Park, it had engaged an environmental specialist to carry out a biodiversity baseline study in December last year, and to work out an environmental monitoring and management plan for specified plots of land within the area, it said.

The study and the plan were expected to be completed around April, following which JTC would engage key stateholders, including nature groups, to discuss development plans, it said.

On Jan 13, however, JTC discovered during a site inspection that its contractor had erroneously begun clearing some plots of land prior to the conclusion of the baseline study and environmental monitoring plan for those areas, it said.

"Upon this discovery, JTC instructed the contractor to stop all clearing works immediately. Since then, no further clearing has taken place on site and the contractor has been issued a stern warning," it said.

In a separate statement, contractor Huationg said it has complied with JTC's instruction to stop all clearing works.

We apologise for the erroneous clearing of land and are working with JTC on ongoing investigations to determine the cause of this lapse, and to prevent future occurrences, said Huationg.

The company is also conducting an internal review and working with JTC to strengthen its project management processes, it added.

JTC said it "takes a very serious view of this incident" and is investigating how the error occurred before deciding whether further punitive measures need to be taken.

"Going forward, JTC will continue with the baseline study and environmental monitoring and management plan and will work closely with all relevant stakeholders, including URA, NParks, nature interest groups and the community, to ensure that the Sungei Kadut Eco-District redevelopment plans are carried out with due consultation and in an environmentally responsible and sensitive manner," it said.

The findings of the studies will be made public when ready, it added.

On Monday, the Nature Society Singapore shared a Facebook post showing cleared swathes of land in the area.

"This is a shocking and dreadful development in an important green area contiguous to the Rail Corridor," said Nature Society Singapore, referring to aerial shots of the area taken in May 2019 and February 2021.

The Sungei Kadut Eco-District is part of the Northern Agri-Tech and Food Corridor and is one of the nodes that will be connected via the 24km Rail Corridor. The land 15m to 20m to the left and right of the Rail Corridor has been "safeguarded to protect biodiversity within the belt of the existing forest", JTC said.

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Land earmarked for Agri-Food Innovation Park in Kranji 'erroneously' cleared: JTC - CNA

SINGAPORE:The error in clearing parts of the Kranji woodland area could undermine recent efforts by Singapore authorities to better engage nature groups, said conservation advocates who expressed shock and disappointment at the mistake.

The 70ha Kranji woodland area, about the size of Jurong Lake Gardens, is along a green artery known as the Rail Corridor.

About 18ha had been set aside for the first phase of development for the Agri-Food Innovation Park, but parts of it were mistakenly cleared by a contractor of JTC Corp before an environmental impact assessment could be completed.

Revealing this on Tuesday (Feb 16), JTC said it engaged an environmental specialist to carry out a study in December and to work out an environmental management plan for specified plots of land in the area.

The study was expected to be completed around April, but land was cleared before that.

JTC did not say when its contractor, Huationg, started clearing the area, but said it discovered the error on Jan 13 and instructed the firm to immediately stop all clearing work.

CNA has contacted JTC for further information, including details on the area of land that was erroneously cleared.

A CORRIDOR FOR WILDLIFE

When CNA visited the work site on Wednesday, it was quiet with construction equipment sitting idle.

Along the nature walk nearby, a glimpse can be caught of dark green hoarding, but it is not obvious that the trees and shrubs beyondhave been levelled.

Aerial photos posted byFacebook user Brice Li on Feb 14 showed swathes of land that have been cleared. Trees had been cut down on both sides with only a narrow strip of green remaining.

Following his post, some nature advocates chimed in on social media.

"This is a shocking development in an important green area of the Rail Corridor," said Facebook group We Support The Green Corridor in Singapore.

The forested area in Kranji is one of the few patches of woodland on the northern stretch of the Rail Corridor, said Mr Leong Kwok Peng, who chairs the Nature Society Singapores conservation committee.

The 24km rail corridor stretches from Tanjong Pagar in the south to Woodlands in the north of Singapore. The railway land, which belonged to Malaysia, was returned to Singapore in 2011 and it is seen as a green corridor that will link a number of future developments.

It is also a corridor for wildlife, said Mr Leong.

You can't just have a linear tree-lined area and hope that nature will just continue to move north and south. You must have some kind of forest patch in between for the animals to forage, he added.

Mr Leong said the nature society has discussed mitigation measures with JTC and hopes that the belt of green that remains can be retained and widened. Of course, it wont be the same, he said.

ONCE ITS GONE, ITS GONE

Other conservation champions CNA spoke to also expressed shock and disappointment at the erroneous clearance.

We cant afford to make this kind of mistake, said biological scientist N Sivasothi.

He added that the slip-up appeared to undermine efforts made by the authorities over the past few years to enhance consultations with nature groups.

Mr Sivasothi said once baseline studies are done, plans are usually discussed with nature groups to see how potential impacts can be mitigated or even avoided, which has been a move in the right direction.

Speaking of adetailed process of engagement, he said: The fact that this all just gets dismissed without proper consideration is quite criminal at this stage.

Conservation scientist and Nominated Member of Parliament Professor Koh Lian Pin added that baseline environmental studies help to highlight potential ecological impacts if the site is subsequently cleared or disturbed.

Since this part of Kranji woodland was cleared before the completion of its baseline study, we may never know the full extent of the ecological impacts of this clearance.

He added that these studies are key in providing policymakers with scientific insights to help them make more informed decisions and to consider the need for any mitigation actions.

This is especially important in Singapore where we have to balance the many priorities of our society, Prof Koh added.

MP Louis Ng (PAP-Nee Soon) added that he was shocked by the erroneous clearing, especially amid the recent public focus on the importance of conserving green spaces.

As (MND) put it then, any decision to clear land must be based on science, thats why these studies are important.

Now part of it is lost, and we might not know what we have lost, said Mr Ng, who is also the chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Sustainability and the Environment.

Mr Ng said he has filed a parliamentary question asking the National Development Ministry if it is investigating the error, and whether it will further strengthen the environmental impact assessment (EIA) framework to prevent any repeat of such mistakes.

The framework, first introduced in 2008, aims to determine and mitigate the potential impactof new developments on the environment.

Specifically, Mr Ng suggested codifying the framework into law.

He also said there is no use crying over spilt milk, and that it is more important to find out why it happened to make sure it does not occur again.

Prof Koh echoed this, adding that reviewing the failure would be in the interest of maintaining public trust in the integrity of the process of conducting environmental studies prior to development.

As for environmental remedial action, Mr Sivasothi warned that once (the greenery) is gone, its gone.

The next best course of action is to quickly re-examine the site for impact mitigation and this would include roping in nature groups as soon as possible, said the senior lecturer at the department of biological sciences in the National University of Singapore (NUS).

The environmental baseline would also have to be reviewed again now that the forest has been impacted, he said.

With that terrible scar, we will just have to reassess according to the current situation.

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Nature advocates call for mitigation measures after error in clearing parts of Kranji woodland area - CNA

After several early cases of COVID-19 were linked to a wet market in China, wildlife trade became central to discussions about links between public health and nature.

Some groups called for a complete ban on the consumption and trade of wildlife, with governments such as China and Vietnam acting decisively to introduce large-scale prohibitions.

The pandemic has brought humanitys strained relationship with nature into sharp focus. Its drawn public attention to links between environmental and human health, and led to calls for a green recovery that puts the environment at the heart of post-pandemic stimulus packages.

But the more pervasive environmental and health risks from animal agriculture which would probably replace wild meat have received little attention. My colleagues and I conducted a study to investigate the risks of removing wild meat from global food systems. Our results indicate large-scale prohibitions on wildlife use could have negative consequences for nature and human health.

While some wildlife trade drives biodiversity loss and increases the risks from emerging infectious diseases, these pale in comparison to the effects of animal agriculture.

Wildlife trade has been implicated in deadly disease outbreaks such as Ebola and Sars, with primates, bats and carnivores being high-risk species. But global analyses of emerging infectious diseases show that land-use changes, especially for agriculture, are the most significant drivers of zoonotic outbreaks diseases spread from animals to humans. More than half of zoonotic diseases are associated with agricultural expansion and intensification.

Human expansion into natural areas carries a greater risk of diseases crossing from wildlife into livestock or people, because of greater proximity between the two. Most zoonoses germs that spread between animals and people - are transmitted through livestock. Declines in diverse natural ecosystems help the spread of these germs. Intensive animal farming creates perfect conditions for the development of virulent strains with pandemic potential, such as animal influenzas like bird flu and swine flu.

While roughly 3,000 species are threatened by direct exploitation (hunting and fishing), wildlife trade is not all bad. Some forms of well-managed wildlife trade can be good for nature bighorn sheep in Mexico and crocodiles in Australia are two examples of this. In some cases, such as wild deer in the UK, wildlife trade can be a fundamental part of ecosystem management.

On the other hand, habitat destruction and degradation driven by agricultural expansion is the greatest threat to wild species globally. Over 13,000 species are threatened by agricultural land clearing and degradation alone, with future global food production on course to drive huge wildlife losses by 2050.

A narrow focus on wildlife trade may do more than just distract from more pressing concerns. Our study found it could create further risks for nature and human health.

Wildlife is an important food source in many parts of the world, including North America, sub-Saharan Africa and China. Heavy-handed restrictions on its use will leave a nutrition gap (reduced supply of important nutrients, such as protein and B vitamins). This gap will either be filled, most likely by increased production of domestic livestock, or people will go hungry. Both scenarios could exacerbate environmental and human health risks.

Since animal agriculture is a major driver of biodiversity loss and emerging infectious diseases risk, any increases in domestic livestock production may have serious consequences for nature and public health. For example, we conservatively estimate that over 450 million kilograms of protein would be needed each year to replace wild meat consumption globally.

This would need more than 124,000km of extra agricultural land globally (thats more than 23 million football pitches - an area almost the size of Greece). This could drive hundreds of species towards extinction, particularly in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and the US. This may also increase the risk of emerging infectious diseases, which would be highest in biodiverse forests which includes many of the countries where wild meat bans could lead to highest levels of agricultural expansion.

But if wild meat was not replaced by livestock, millions of people could be left without enough food. Estimated per capita protein intake could fall below healthy levels in several countries, which could increase the prevalence of chronic health issues related to malnutrition. This harsh reality, and limited viable alternatives, mean the costs of halting wild meat consumption will simply be too high for many people.

Previous experiences in West Africa and Vietnam suggest prohibitions can lead to the creation of informal networks of wild animal trade, with poorer monitoring and higher public health risks than legal trade.

A truly green recovery, which can save wildlife and prevent future pandemics, requires broader scrutiny of global food systems. This should include risk-based regulation of wildlife trade and a change in the agricultural sector.

Taking care of environmental and human health requires all of us to change what we eat and how its produced - especially with reductions in meat consumption in wealthy countries. Rather than acting as a cue for more scapegoating of those who hunt and eat wildlife, this is the urgent need that COVID-19 underlines.

See the article here:
We need a green recovery after COVID-19, but banning wildlife trade could do more harm than good - The Conversation UK

The Inter Tribal Association of Arizona, Inc. (ITAA), is an intertribal, nonprofit organization composed of 21 federally recognized Tribes with lands located primarily in Arizona, as well as in California, New Mexico, and Nevada. The ITAAs Member Tribes have worked together since 1952 to provide a united voice for Tribes on matters of common concern and have stood in united opposition to the Resolution Copper Mine and Land Exchange for over 15 years. The representatives of ITAA are the highest elected tribal officials from each of the Member Indian Tribes, including tribal chairpersons, presidents, and governors.

The Arizona Mining Reform Coalition is comprised of Arizona groups and individuals that work to ensure that responsible mining contributes to healthy communities, a healthy environment, and, when all costs are factored in, is a net benefit to Arizona. The Arizona Mining Reform Coalition expects the mining industry to clean up after itself, comply fully with the spirit of safeguards in place to protect Arizona, and to interact in a transparent and open manner with Arizona citizens.

The Sierra Club is one of the largest and most influential grassroots environmental organizations in the U.S., with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every persons right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. The Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club, representing 16,000 members, has a long history of public education and advocacy to protect Oak Flat and other lands affected by this proposed mine. Its members recreate in these areas and enjoy hiking, camping, backpacking, climbing, wildlife viewing, and more.

Earthworks is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the impacts of mineral development while seeking just, equitable, and sustainable solutions.

Access Fund is the national advocacy organization that keeps climbing areas open and conserves the climbing environment. Founded in 1991, Access Fund supports and represents millions of climbers nationwide in all forms of climbing: rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, and bouldering. Six core programs support the mission on national and local levels: climbing policy and advocacy, stewardship and conservation, local support and mobilization, land acquisition and protection, risk management and landowner support, and education. For more information, visit http://www.accessfund.org.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.7 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

Read more here:
Injunction Sought to Block Oak Flat Land Trade for Massive Arizona Copper Mine - Center for Biological Diversity

Satellite images of Kranji woodland show over 8ha of forested land cleared since last March.

This is almost half of the site slated for the future Agri-Food Innovation Park - the park is the size of 33 football fields - and more than 10 per cent of the 70ha woodland.

Developer JTC Corporation told The Straits Times on Tuesday that the "erroneous" clearing started last December, before environmental assessments were complete.

When contacted, JTC told ST it is still investigating.

Green patches totalling at least 8ha - or 11 football fields - were cleared by Jan 25 this year, according to satellite Sentinel-2B, used as part of the European Union's Copernicus earth-monitoring project.

Data on Global Forest Watch - a monitoring service run by the World Resources Institute that uses satellite data - also revealed forested land disappearing from March last year.

In addition, photos on Google Street View showed a sign saying "proposed site clearance and earth works at Kranji Road for Plot 9" at the deforested land next to Kranji Road last September.

On Tuesday, a JTC spokesman said the mistake was discovered on Jan 13, over a month before aerial images of the deforestation were posted on social media last Sunday.

JTC added that an environmental specialist was engaged to carry out a biodiversity baseline study last December to work out an environmental monitoring and management plan for specified plots of land within the area. These were expected to be completed in April.

Following these assessments, the statutory board said, it had "plans to engage key stakeholders, including nature groups, to discuss its development plans".

On discovering the error on Jan 13, JTC ordered all clearing works to stop and issued a stern warning to the contractor, it added.

According to a book published by Nature Society (Singapore) titled The Green Rail Corridor, the forested area cleared for the park is part of Kranji Woodland-Scrubland, spanning about 70ha.

A survey of the rail corridor found 47 species of birds - a mix of resident and migratory species - which account for 12 per cent of the total number of species recorded in Singapore.

On Tuesday, the National Parks Board said it was investigating the unauthorised clearance.

Under the Parks and Trees Act, it is illegal to fell a tree with a girth exceeding 1m growing on any vacant land, whether within or outside a tree conservation area, except with the board's approval.

See the article here:
Over 8ha of Kranji woodland cleared since March last year - The Straits Times

Large-scale land grabbing with political influenceMinister presents conservation proposals to Cabinet

By Sarah Hannan

Ongoing deforestation and the loss of forest cover to cultivation and development work continues to be a hot topic, as the Government accelerates development and continues to encourage citizens to turn to agriculture in an attempt to reach self-sufficiency in food production.

With 2020 seeing the most amount of land clearing taking place, even amidst a nationwide lockdown, the Centre for Environmental and Nature Studies (CENS) has estimated that in 2020 alone, at least 10 acres of forest land were cleared each day.

According to the Minister for Wildlife and Forest Conservation C.B. Rathnayake, conserving the environment around us is a national responsibility, and the Ministry alone is not in a position to protect the environment.

Commenting on the matter to The Sunday Morning, Rathnayake said: These deforestation and land-grabbing rackets did not commence recently. These have been long-standing issues, and there are several entities at work in destroying nature and encroaching into forest land.

Moreover, Rathnayake said that when it comes to development work, the possibility that important infrastructure would be built over sensitive ecosystems, or could pose a threat to endangered species, or disrupt natural habitats and cause human-wildlife conflicts, needs to be looked at during the environment impact assessment prior to commencing the projects.

Even if you look at the more prominent large-scale development work that took place in Sri Lanka, many sensitive areas, historically important sites, and forests were destroyed, or they were flooded by the reservoir waters. But today, we have a better process in place, and we consider all possible methods to ensure there is minimum invasion over the ecosystem of the country when development work is carried out, Rathnayake elaborated.

It has been proposed to establish a Long-Range Unit of the Police Special Task Force (STF) to assist Wildlife and Forest Conservation officers to take immediate action against deforestation.

In the meantime, the Police is to list out conservation areas, wildlife zones, and sanctuaries in the respective police divisions, as well as establish wildlife and forest conservation committees in each district.

More than 25 ecosystems, including Wilpattu, Anawilundawa, Ethawetunuwewa, Nilgala, Rekawa Lagoon, Vavuniya Mamaduwa, Rambakan Oya, Flood Plains Valley, and Galwalayaya, were destroyed. Even protected areas such as Sinharaja Forest, Sri Pada Forest, and the Knuckles Mountain Range, were not left alone these sensitive ecosystems were disturbed under the guise of development.

Centre for Environmental Justice Executive Director Hemantha Vithanage and his team have been conducting field visits to hear the villagers out on the issues they are facing in terms of environmental destruction and impact on their livelihoods.

Sharing some of his observations and the accounts of the people that they met recently, Vithanage explained to The Sunday Morning: There is a large-scale land grabbing racket going on in the Uva and Eastern Provinces, which are backed by persons and institutions with political influence. They are well organised, and have managed to forge documents and deeds along with the survey plans, and have managed to fabricate files to indicate that they held these lands for over three decades.

According to Vithanage, these incidents had been revealed to them by the participants, during a meeting held in Badulla.

On a graver note, Vithanage stated that in Pottuvil, there is a considerable amount of land grabbing taking place, and since most of these lands are released for cultivation with annually renewing permits, there is a separate racket going on where businessmen from other areas are sending people to squat in these plots that are underdeveloped in an attempt to own these lands later on using forged documents.

Meanwhile, amidst the recommencement of work on the Central Expressway Project, which was stalled for over a year, it was brought to public attention that an endangered and endemic perennial tree, scientifically named Crudia zeylanica, or Sri Lankan Legume, was under threat of being destroyed, as the layout of the expressway was to go right over the ecosystem that holds the tree in place.

Claims were made that it was the sole surviving tree and should not be destroyed. Environmentalists, forest officers, politicians, and the media recently flocked to the site of the tree to observe and make statements in an attempt to protect the endemic and endangered tree.

The Sunday Morning spoke to University of Peradeniya Faculty of Science Department of Botany Head Prof. K.M.G. Gehan Jayasuriya, who is currently conducting research on the endemic species of plants in Sri Lanka that are on the verge of extinction.

The claims that are made that the tree that was spotted in Daraluwa, in the Gampaha District, are not true. There are several other Crudia zeylanica that were planted in the Peradeniya Botanical Garden, and then at the Henarathgoda Botanical Garden as well. While our research work only provides us the necessary means to study the ecosystem in which the tree would grow, and whether it could survive in an ecosystem as a singular species, or whether it has other subspecies that supports its survival, we are unable to look at improving or reproducing these trees, Prof. Jayasuriya noted.

Even academics are puzzled as to why there is suddenly a spotlight over this single tree, whereas the matter should have been raised at the time the field observations were made; had the scientists recognised that this was an endangered species, they should have immediately classified the tree and the surrounding area to be earmarked as a protected area under the Flora and Fauna Act.

Prof. Jayasuriya also requested that a national programme needs to be in place, if we are eager to protect endangered species that are endemic to the country and save them from going extinct.

When we conducted further research about Crudia zeylanica, we came across an entry at the herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, for which the famous botanist G.H.K. Thwaites had collected and submitted specimens of plant parts such as leaves, stem(s), and flowers/inflorescence in September 1863 that were pressed and preserved for cataloguing purposes. In the entry, Thwaites had listed the area of collection as Calutara (Kalutara).

With botanists indicating that there might be more Crudia zeylanica plants in low wetland areas of the country, the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation had requested the public to supply any information about surviving Crudia zeylanica plants by contacting them via telephone 011 367 1490, fax 011 287 9051, or email [emailprotected]

Minister for Wildlife and Forest Conservation C.B. Rathnayake had recommended the Cabinet of Ministers consider conserving the Crudia zeylanica tree in its original location in Daraluwa, as any attempts to move it might damage the tree.

I have suggested that the Road Development Authority and the Highway Minister consider adjusting the layout of the Central Expressway by considering an alternative that would protect the tree in its original location, Rathnayake explained.

He also reiterated that the responsibility of protecting and conserving the environment, and educating the future generations on conserving our natural habitat, should take place through the education sector as well.

I plan to discuss this matter with the Ministry of Education and request that they get the universities involved in looking at protecting any flora and fauna that are listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In addition to that, we are also looking at setting up a teaching hospital in the wildlife veterinary care field attached to the University of Peradeniya as well, which will help us protect our wildlife and allow undergraduates to closely study the species that are endemic to Sri Lanka.

With the increasing deforestation and environmental damage taking place across the country, Ministry of Defence Secretary (Retd.) General Kamal Gunaratne recently shared his remarks with the media, indicating that the matter was taken up for discussion during a recent meeting of the Defence Council.

We are looking at implementing a task force with the assistance of the Police, the Sri Lanka Army, and the Sri Lanka Air Force to monitor the situation. While measures are in place to arrest the culprits, the clearing of vast areas continue to take place. We have received leads that some of the state officials too have been aiding these entities to carry out such exercises.

Gunaratne also added that when police, special task force, or army personnel visit the sites of areas that are subjected to deforestation, the labourers operating the machinery had permits in hand to carry out these activities. He noted that the President and the Prime Minister have been notified about such incidents, as these deforestation incidents have been taking place in the middle of reserves and thick forests.

Meanwhile, Gunaratne alleged that a Buddhist monk who was considered to be a close ally of the governing party is allegedly involved in environmental destruction in the Trincomalee area, and he had alerted the Governor of the Eastern Province and police officials to look into it and take immediate action.

I urge the media to report such incidents immediately and work closely with the Police to assist in arresting these perpetrators. It is quite unfortunate to know that there are several divisional secretaries who have issued permits and licences to such entities. Regardless of their political affiliations, no perpetrator should be allowed to get away with such offences, he explained.

More:
Deforestation and destruction of endemic species | Long-standing issue gone wild - nation.lk - The Nation Newspaper

Campaign ad from extremist candidate sparks row between right-wing leaders

A campaign ad from extremist political candidate Itamar Ben Gvir sparks a row between right-wing lawmakers Bezalel Smotrich and Naftali Bennett.

Ben Gvir, from the Otzma Yehudit faction, releases a campaign video on social media that attacks Arab and left-wing lawmakers, as well as Bennett.

Smotrichs Religious Zionism faction partnered with the extremist-right Kahanist Otzma Yehudit in a deal pushed by Netanyahu ahead of next months election.

Smotrich did not release the video, and claimed that he did not know about it ahead of its release.

The campaign ad shows a video of a fictional group text conversation between left-wing political leaders including the Arab majority Joint Lists Ayman Odeh, Meretzs Tamar Zandberg, Labors Merav Michaeli and Yesh Atids Yair Lapid.

The group jokes around in the video and adds right-wing party leaders Bennett of Yamina and Gideon Saar of New Hope.

The video shows a fictional text from Labor candidate Ibtisam Maraana, saying, I asked a Holocaust survivor one time, Whats your number? hahaha. Maraana, an Arab Israeli filmmaker, has been the subject of controversy in recent weeks.

At another point, Maaranana posts an image of Hitler with a heart emoji.

Lapid then agrees to demands from Arab lawmakers in the fictional chat, including canceling the right of return, which allows diaspora Jews to emigrate to Israel, and for establishing a Hamas Recognition Day.

Zandberg calls for a day for former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and a monthly visit to his gravesite.

At the end of the ad, Lapid writes, Believe me, were lucky theres not a government with Ben Gvir.

The ad closes with images of Ben Gvir and Smotrich and the text, Winning together.

Bennett wrote on Facebook, Bezalel, the time has come to say enough.

There is a limit. I have been quiet until now over all these attacks because I did not want to fight with you but tonight you crossed a line.

Smotrich says after the videos release, The video that was released tonight without our knowledge is a serious matter the Holocaust is out of bounds. Period.

He accused Bennett of aiming to form a government with Lapid and Michaeli, but said, The debate needs to be held within boundaries.

In another response, Smotrich says, Naftali, I already clarified that the video is a serious incident and that I dont stand behind it. Great that youre celebrating this and doing a lap. Now lets talk about values.

Continue reading here:
Thousands of IDF troops to assist in clean up of disastrous tar spill on coast - The Times of Israel

(Photo : Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh from Pexels)

The source of 95% of our food is topsoil, and theworld runs on it. Unfortunately, experts warn the with current agricultural practices,topsoils could be gone within the next 60 years.

For centuries, American farmers and agriculturalists relied on the natural fertility of the soil in order to produce food and crops. But with the boom of industrial farming in the early 20th century, farmers have relied on chemical fertilizers to maintain the fertility of the soil.

Constant inputs of chemical products such as fertilizers not only have health implications on us and the wildlife but also severely damages the topsoil.

Regenerative agriculture can be a way to reverse the damage done to both the soil and the climate.

The agriculture industry is one of the biggest emitters of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas mostly responsible for climate change. Combining with forestry and various other land uses, agriculture is responsible for roughly 25% of all human-created greenhouse gas emissions.

Regenerative agriculture is the farming and grazing practice used by American farmers for centuries before the boom of industrial agriculture. This modern name of regenerative agriculture is a sustainable farming method that replenishes the nutrients in the soil while combating the effects of climate change.

Returning to more traditional methods of farming is beginning to gain momentum in an effort to reverse damage to both the climate and the soil that we depend on for food and survival.

It works by rebuilding the topsoil's organic matter and restoring the degraded soil biodiversity.

ALSO READ: Organic Meat Is No 'Greener' Than the Rest of the Meat

Regenerative agriculture includes a wide range of practices that have been utilized by farmers and grazers for centuries.

Many gardeners and farmers have practices turning over their soil in the belief that it will expose newly planted crops to a greater abundance of nutrients. However, tillage breaks existing organic matter in the soil, thereby destroying networks of decomposers and reducing the soil's natural fertility.

Tillage is also responsible for accelerating evaporation when it exposes water to the air. In turn, what remains is a drier, less fertile soil that is subject to erosion.

Whether it's for crops or pasture, land-clearing is an instinctive first step in farming. On the other hand, agroforestry has become an increasingly used form of regenerative agriculture.

By integrating shrubs and trees into animal farming systems and crops, farmers help avoid deforestation and create a holistic ecosystem that naturally gives nutrients back to the soil and increasing yields.

Like many practices of regenerative agriculture, agroforestry has been a long tradition in farming and grazing. Breadfruit has been grown in diverse agroforests and has become a staple crop in Pacific culture.

Project Drawdown has ranked regenerative agriculture as the 11th most efficient means of combating climate change next to solar farms. Industrial agriculture heavily relies on fossil-fuels and long supply chains of chemical-based fertilizers with each step further contributing to the worrying climate crisis.

Regenerative agriculture, on the other hand, lowers carbon footprints and keeps the natural nutrients in the soil for generations more to come.

RELATED STORY: Lab-Grown Plants: MIT Makes Better Alternatives to Forestry and Farming

Check out more news and information on Agriculture on Science Times.

See more here:
Regenerative Agriculture: What is it? - Science Times

The New York Times

President Joe Biden used his first public encounter with Americas European allies to describe a new struggle between the West and the forces of autocracy, declaring that America is back while acknowledging that the past four years had taken a toll on its power and influence. His message stressing the importance of reinvigorating alliances and recommitting to defending Europe was predictably well received at a session of the Munich Security Conference that Biden addressed from the White House. But there was also pushback, notably from the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who in his address made an impassioned defense of his concept of strategic autonomy from the United States, making the case that Europe can no longer be overly dependent on the United States as it focuses more of its attention on Asia, especially China. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times And even Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, who is leaving office within the year, tempered her praise for Bidens decision to cancel plans for a withdrawal of 12,000 U.S. troops from the country with a warning that our interests will not always converge. It appeared to be a reference to Germanys ambivalence about confronting China a major market for its automobiles and other high-end German products and to the continuing battle with the United States over the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Russia. But all three leaders seemed to recognize that their first virtual encounter was a moment to celebrate the end of the era of America First, and for Macron and Merkel to welcome back Biden, a politician whom they knew well from his years as a senator and vice president. And Biden used the moment to warn about the need for a common strategy in pushing back at an Internet-fueled narrative, promoted by both Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China, that the chaos surrounding the American election was another sign of democratic weakness and decline. We must demonstrate that democracies can still deliver for our people in this changed world, Biden said, adding, We have to prove that our model isnt a relic of history. For the president, a regular visitor to the conference even as a private citizen after serving as vice president, the address was something of a homecoming. The session was crunched down to a video meeting by Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain, this years host, and the European leaders decided to do the same for a brief, closed meeting of the Group of 7 allies that Biden also participated in. The next in-person summit meeting is still planned for Britain this summer, pandemic permitting. Biden never named his predecessor, Donald Trump, in his remarks, but framed them around wiping out the traces of Trumpism in the United States approach to the world. He celebrated its return to the Paris climate agreement, which took effect just before the meeting, and a new initiative, announced Thursday night, to join Britain, France and Germany in engaging Iran diplomatically in an effort to restore the 2015 nuclear agreement that Trump exited. But rather than detail an agenda, Biden tried to recall the first principles that led to the Atlantic alliance and the creation of NATO in 1949, near the beginning of the Cold War. Democracy doesnt happen by accident, the president said. We have to defend it. Strengthen it. Renew it. In a deliberate contrast to Trump, who talked about withdrawing from NATO and famously declined on several occasions to acknowledge the United States responsibilities under Article V of the alliances charter to come to the aid of members under attack, Biden cast the United States as ready to assume its responsibilities as the linchpin of the alliance. We will keep the faith with the obligation, he said, adding that an attack on one is an attack on all. But he also pressed Europe to think about challenges in a new way different from the Cold War, even if the two biggest geostrategic adversaries seem familiar. We must prepare together for long-term strategic competition with China, he said, naming cyberspace, artificial intelligence and biotechnology as the new territory for competition. And he argued for pushing back against Russia he called Putin by his last name, with no title attached mentioning in particular the need to respond to the SolarWinds attack that was aimed at federal and corporate computer networks. Addressing Russian recklessness and hacking into computer networks in the United States and across Europe and the world has become critical to protect collective security, Biden said. The president avoided delving in to the difficult question of how to make Russia pay a price without escalating the confrontation. A senior White House cyberofficial told reporters this week that the scope and depth of the Russian intrusion was still under study, and officials are clearly struggling to come up with options to fulfill Bidens commitment to make Putin pay a price for the attack. But it was the dynamic with Macron, who has made a habit of criticizing the NATO alliance as nearing brain death and no longer pertinent since the disappearance of the Warsaw Pact, that captured attention. Macron wants NATO to act as more of a political body, a place where European members have equivalent status to the United States and are less subject to the American tendency to dominate decision-making. A Europe better able to defend itself, and more autonomous, would make NATO even stronger than before, Macron insisted. He said Europe should be much more in charge of its own security, increasing its commitments to spending on defense to rebalance the trans-Atlantic relationship. That is not a widely shared view among the many European states that do not want to spend the money required, and the nations of Central and Eastern Europe are unwilling to trust their security to anyone but the United States. Macron also urged that the renovation of NATOs security abilities should involve a dialogue with Russia. NATO has always claimed that it is open to better relations with Moscow, but that Russia is not interested, especially as long as international sanctions remain after its seizure of Crimea from Ukraine about seven years ago. But Macron, speaking in English to answer a question, also argued that Europe could not count on the United States as much as it had in past decades. We must take more of the burden of our own protection, he said. In practice, it will take many years for Europe to build up a defense arm that would make it more self-reliant. But Macron is determined to start now, just as he is determined to increase the European Unions technological capacities so that it can become less dependent on American and Chinese supply chains. Biden, in contrast, wants to deepen those supply chains of both hardware and software among like-minded Western allies in an effort to lessen Chinese influence. He is preparing to propose a new joint project for European and American technology companies in areas like semiconductors and the kinds of software that Russia exploited in the SolarWinds hacking. It was Merkel who dwelled on the complexities of dealing with China, given its dual role as competitor and necessary partner for the West. In recent years, China has gained global clout, and as trans-Atlantic partners and democracies, we must do something to counter this, Merkel said. Russia continually entangles European Union members in hybrid conflicts, she said. Consequently, it is important that we come up with a trans-Atlantic agenda toward Russia that makes cooperative offers on the one hand, but on the other very clearly names the differences. While Biden announced he would make good on an American promise to donate $4 billion to the campaign to expedite the manufacturing and distribution of coronavirus vaccines around the world a move approved last year by a Democratic-led House and a Republican led-Senate there were clear differences in approach during the meeting. Underscoring the importance that the European Union accords to Africa, Macron called on Western nations to supply 13 million vaccine doses to African governments as soon as possible to protect health workers. He warned that if the alliance failed to do this, our African friends will be pressured by their populations, and rightly so, to buy doses from the Chinese, the Russians or directly from laboratories. Vaccine donations would reflect a common will to advance and share the same values, Macron said. Otherwise, the power of the West, of Europeans and Americans, will be only a concept, and not a reality. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, on Friday also urged countries and drugmakers to help speed up the manufacturing and distribution of vaccines across the globe, warning that the world could be back at Square 1 if some countries went ahead with their vaccination campaigns and left others behind. Vaccine equity is not just the right thing to do, its also the smartest to do, Tedros said to the Munich conference. He argued that the longer it would take to vaccinate populations in every country, the longer the pandemic would remain out of control. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. 2021 The New York Times Company

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Part of the GoFundMe money raised will be used to create a scholarship at St. Laurence Catholic School, where the siblings were enrolled.

SHELLEY CHILDERS: Sugar Land firefighters were called to this home in the Lakes of Edgewater community around 2:00 AM. They were on scene within 10 minutes, but the home, they say, was already filled with smoke and flames. Inside, three children and their grandmother were found dead. The fire department says their 41-year-old mother was outside the home with burns frantic to get back inside.

- When we arrived, the woman was very distraught, emotionally upset. She had to be physically restrained because she was trying to get back into the house to save her family.

SHELLEY CHILDERS: Neighbors say this area lost power Monday afternoon. Investigators say social media posts show the family was using a chimney to stay warm, but it's unclear, at this point, if that was the cause. Neighbors are now wondering if this crushing scene could have been avoided.

- It's a horrible tragedy, and it should have been unnecessary. It shouldn't have happened.

SHELLEY CHILDERS: The mother and another friend, who also suffered burns on the scene, are both being treated at the hospital. In Sugar Land, Shelley Childers, ABC 13 "Eyewitness News."

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