Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

The EU Commission wants to intensify the fight against disinformation with a “European Action Plan for Democracy”.
Last but not least, the coronavirus pandemic has shown how much misinformation can shape public opinion, explained Věra Jourová, Vice President of the EU Commission for Values and Transparency, on Wednesday.

The Commission now wants to counter this with an action plan.

from the Greek press

New guidelines planned

In 2018, social networks and search engines such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter agreed to the commission to sign a code of conduct against disinformation.
Now the commission wants to “go over to co-regulation”, announced Jourová. To this end, new guidelines are to be created by spring 2021 that can be enforced by national regulatory authorities.

The planned Digital Services Act would create “horizontal rules” for the platforms, explained the Commissioner.

These would then have to specifically reduce the risk of spreading disinformation.
It is not about having controversial content deleted from the right or left, but there must be clear guidelines for everyone.

Jourová advocated observing actors over a longer period of time in order to find those who spread systematic disinformation.

It must be possible, for example, to use vaccines efficiently against the coronavirus pandemic.
They have already notified Google and Facebook that “we want to promote vaccination strategies” (!!!)

The EU no longer wants to tolerate “dirty methods” as in the cases of Cambridge Analytica and the Brexit referendum (!!!)

For more…at https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2020/12/05/eu-commission-take-drastic-action-against-disinforming-and-decides-what-the-truth-is/

And I mean…At the time of the translation of this article (which, by the way, has appeared on conventional media), there have been 334 comments.
Of course, I couldn’t read all of them.
I particularly liked some of them, and I’ll add them here:

It is time to accept that the EU is a thoroughbred dictatorship

… There is no more to be said.

……………………………………………………

“And above the entrance, it says: Truth sets you free (Explanation: Above the entrance of the Auschwitz concentration camp it says: “Work makes you free”)

Well finally! Then it may not be long before the headline reads: EU Commission wants to train disinformers

It is best to spend the disinformers in a place where they can better “concentrate” on the training content, ie the truth, and are not as distracted as in normal life.

Germany has a certain amount of expertise when it comes to warehouse management, transport logistics, and location selection, and above the entrance, it says: Truth sets you free”!

……………………………………………………….

“Who decides what the truth is?
Quote from the article:
“Anyone who systematically spreads false information, for example about elections or Covid-19, should be pilloried and sanctioned.”

Has anyone noticed that it is nowhere mentioned WHO is allowed to tag information as “wrong”?
So I think these regulations are excellent if I am allowed to be that person. I’m really good at it too.

I’ve ALWAYS been right in my entire life until now !! Honest!!

Then I think the pillory is ok too. And when people have gotten used to the pillory, we can then also introduce the shooting and a few years later legal shooting.

Uhmmm, didn’t we have all of this before …..?”

My comment now! By the way, we are sliding from the hygiene dictatorship to the digital dictatorship.
And all of this, says the EU, just for our protection!

Instead of developing surveillance systems to eliminate other opinions, the EU should rather deal with surveillance in slaughterhouses, animal transports, and animal farms.

And finally getting active there where it is urgently needed.

My best regards to all, Venus

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New Zealand’s prime minister declared a climate emergency, joining 32 other nations in recognizing the need for urgent government action in addressing the climate crisis.

This is what a real leader looks like
Can we send our stupid prime ministers, chancellors, and other political failures to training?

My best regards to all, Venus

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Sea Shepherd Germany

Today we congratulate Captain Peter Hammarstedt on his 36th birthday.

He has spent almost half of his life onboard our ships. Today, as Sea Shepherd’s campaign director, he leads our missions against illegal, unregulated, and undocumented fishing. And if his time permits, he leads the BOB BARKER as captain.

We wish Peter good luck, health, and strength so that he can continue to fight so passionately for our oceans. ⚓💙

Today, leave your congratulations to Peter Hammarstedt in the comments.

We wish Captain Peter Hammarstedt many more healthy years.
And we are sure, the inhabitants of the sea too

Regards and good night, Venus

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Reptiles smuggled from Mexico found at German airport stitched inside dolls

German airport customs officers have found 26 rare reptiles – 10 of them dead – smuggled inside parcels of toys and sweets from Mexico.

Some of the dead animals had suffocated as they had been stitched inside cloth dolls, a statement from Cologne Bonn airport customs said.

The endangered horned lizards, alligator lizards and box turtles were destined for private buyers in Germany.

They are among many species that the global Cites accord seeks to protect.

German officials are now trying to trace the origin of the reptiles, using DNA samples.

It is not yet clear if they came from the wild or from captive breeding programmes. They were in two packages seized on 30 October and 8 November.

The customs service is collaborating with Mexican authorities and with zoologists at the Alexander Koenig Research Museum (ZFMK) in Bonn. The smugglers could be fined, if the police can identify them.

The 16 surviving reptiles might be returned to their Mexican habitat.

ZFMK’s work with customs mostly focuses on illegal goods made from poached endangered species, such as snakeskin handbags or furs.

The 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) has been signed by 182 states and the EU, and covers about 6,000 animal species and 30,000 plant types.

Reptiles smuggled from Mexico found at German airport stitched inside dolls – BBC News

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Nature, wildlife, and scarce water supplies in a unique corner of southern Africa are being endangered by a rush to drill for oil. A Canadian company is pushing to explore for oil in the Kavango Basin, an environmentally sensitive area.

Please support the fight against a fossil fuel project that will drive the climate crisis.

Aerial View of the Okavango Delta, Botswana

“The oil needs to stay in the ground”, says Ina Shikongo.

The Fridays for Future (FFF) activist in Namibia’s capital city Windhoek is fighting a project to exploit untapped oil and gas reserves in the northeast of the country.

“The exploitation would be a catastrophe – not only for the global climate but also for wildlife, water resources and the livelihoods of local people”.

The project Ina rejects so fiercely – together with further FFF activists and a citizens’ coalition – is run by ReconAfrica, a firm based in Canada.

The company claims to have discovered an immense deep sedimentary basin. It obtained a license for oil and gas exploration in the Kavango delta, bought a second-hand oil rig in the US, and shipped it across the Atlantic.

If the drilling of the first three test boreholes – slated for December 2020 – is successful, the company plans to extract two billion barrels of oil before drilling into deeper layers of rock.

Environmentalists fear the company will use fracking despite public statements to the contrary, as its marketing materials refer to “unconventional” methods – an industry euphemism for fracking.

The ecological impacts of the projects are likely to be devastating.

It would not only threaten bodies of water in the dry savannas of Namibia, but also Botswana’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Okavango Delta, with its unique biodiversity and huge populations of elephants, hippos, rhinos, and birds.

Tourism, an important source of income, is in danger while other livelihood strategies of indigenous San and local people also hang in the balance.

We need to stop ReconAfrica’s project for the sake of the climate, biodiversity, water, and the livelihoods of the local people.

Please support our demands with your signature.

https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/petitions/1231/keep-the-oil-industry-out-of-africas-natural-treasures

And I mean…the head of the farmers’ association Kavango-Ost, Adolf Muremi, says: “Recon Africa says they informed the people here – but we are not aware of anything about this.

You can already expect malformations in babies and other diseases that this type of industry leads to agriculture will be just as affected as the groundwater, it will have negative consequences for life for everyone here “

The multinational sells the project as an “exciting future” – for whom?

1) Oil and gas extraction is a menace to wildlife. Loud noises, human movement, and vehicle traffic from drilling operations can disrupt avian species’ communication, breeding, and nesting.

2) The ecosystem will be destroyed by a criminal Canadian Company that harvests 90% of the profits. The state of Namibia is only entitled to ten percent – a hunger share.

3) The construction of roads, facilities, and drilling sites known as well pads requires the use of heavy equipment and can destroy big chunks of pristine wilderness.

4) The underground water will not only be polluted but also depleted. How can the inhabitants giving an overseas company unbridled access to their most precious resource?

There will only be damages to humans and animals, and this harm is irreversible.

Please sign the Petition: https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/petitions/1231/keep-the-oil-industry-out-of-africas-natural-treasures

My best regards to all, Venus

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Animal Equality, November 30, 2020

After four years of campaigning and negotiations, South America’s biggest grocery chain has finally committed to going 100% cage-free in Brazil by 2028.

The company, called GPA, also committed to ban gestation crates for pigs by 2028 and to improve conditions for chicken and cows raised for meat sold in the stores.

MILLIONS OF CHICKENS IMPACTED: GPA is the second-largest retailer in Brazil, so this new policy is a great step in the right direction for farmed animals.

We estimate with 5.7 million hens will be impacted by this policy, which was achieved in part by a variety of tactics, including mobile billboards and grassroots actions at 45 different GPA store locations.

“This commitment is the result of a lot of work by animal protection organizations, but it is also the result of the mobilization of consumers who joined us to demand more responsible behavior from Grupo Pão de Açúcar.”, Says Carla Lettieri, new Executive Director of Animal Equality Brazil.

“We hope that GPA’s attitude will inspire other companies because there are still millions of chickens suffering in cages around the world.”

Image: Animal Equality

A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: Chickens are sensitive animals who are able to feel emotions and pain, but unfortunately many of them still live confined and crowded into tiny wire cages where they spend their whole lives without ever stepping on the floor or being able to open their wings.

For more…at https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2020/12/04/brazil-the-gpa-company-goes-cage-free/

And I mean…It’s a huge industry!
Brazil ranks second among the largest poultry producing countries behind the USA and is the most important force in the international poultry trade.

In 2016, 5.86 billion chickens were slaughtered there. Brazil exports meat to over 160 countries.

And another number: eleven percent of water consumption in Brazil is accounted for by animal breeding.

For the European Union, Brazil is the most important country of origin of imported chicken.

Brazilian chickens make up about 60 percent of imports, of which 76.2 percent are processed and salted poultry. The majority of deliveries in the EU go to Belgium, Germany, and Great Britain.

However, these European countries are not necessarily the countries where chicken meat is ultimately sold and consumed.

The Brazilian poultry industry is dominated locally by two multinational corporations: BRF and JBS.
BRF is the largest poultry company in the country, with 105,000 employees, and is largely owned by a mutual fund.
JBS is a Brazilian public company, the largest company in the country, but also the largest meat producer in the world.

In March 2017 there was the so-called rotten meat scandal: the Brazilian federal police uncovered hygiene violations in 21 industrial plants for the slaughter of cattle, pigs, and chickens.

According to the police, the investigation found that corrupt health officials and inspectors from the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture covered the sale of rotten meat in some slaughterhouses.
The largest poultry exporting companies BRF and JBS were also involved in the scandal.

However, just a few weeks after the allegations became known, most of the major import markets – including the European Union – had resumed trading with the Brazilian poultry industry.

When you consider these meat production conditions in the country, it is really a big step that GPA abolishes the cages.
Even in 7 years, better later than never.

My best regards to all, Venus

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