In the year that has passed since the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan we have seen daily and continuous deterioration in the situation of Afghan women and girls. This has spanned every aspect of their human rights, from living standards to social and political status. It has been a year of increasing disrespect for their right to live free and equal lives, denying them opportunity to livelihoods, access to health care and education, and escape from situations of violence.
Kokogul remembers the recent flood which cost her everything, standing in her tent in Kabul’s slums. Photo: Ingebjørg Kårstad/Norwegian Refugee Council
Statement by Neil Turner, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Country Director, on the one-year mark of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan:
“We have witnessed shocking levels of poverty and suffering in Afghanistan over the past year. The economic restrictions imposed on the country and the unwillingness of both the de facto authorities and the international community to effectively engage with one another have pushed millions of Afghans into despair.
Children from drought-affected households play outside of Qaydaradey IDP camp in Baidoa. Photo: Abdulkadir Mohamed/NRC
A devastating drought in Somalia has reached unprecedented levels, as the one millionth person displaced by the drought was registered this week.
More than 755,000 people have been internally displaced in Somalia because of the severe drought this year, bringing the total figure to 1 million people since January 2021 when the drought began, according to displacement figures released today by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
Finland’s top fashion event, Helsinki Fashion Week, returns this month with a crucial message about the importance of sustainability in the industry. Since its inception, Helsinki Fashion Week has blazed a trail championing ethical fashion, including its landmark decision to ban leather from its catwalks from 2019 – a move for which it received worldwide praise. As a keynote speaker at this year’s event, I will be highlighting the reasons why we at PETA urged the organisers to make this change and why it’s time the rest of the fashion world followed their compassionate lead.
NRC staff assess flood damage in Barmal district of Paktika province. Photo: NRC assessment team
Statement by Neil Turner, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) Country Director, on the situation in severely flood-hit Afghan provinces:
“This year’s unseasonal flooding is catastrophic for impacted communities in Afghanistan. The scale of destruction is unparalleled. Flash floods have swept away entire sections of roads and other critical infrastructure - bridges, wheat mills, hospitals and schools. People have lost their businesses, and the entire families have seen their homes and acres of farmland destroyed.
Homes of internally displaced people demolished in Kabul. Photo: Ingebjørg Kårstad/NRC
Up to half a million families in Afghanistan are now facing the prospect of homelessness following increasing pressure from the authorities to return internally displaced people to their areas of origin. Decades of conflict, droughts, political instability and economic collapse have driven displaced Afghans into enclaves around bigger cities that over time have grown into slum-like settlements.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is once again the world’s most neglected displacement crisis according to the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) annual analysis. For the first time, the top 10 list is comprised entirely of African countries.
The European Union is putting Palestinian lives at risk as it continues to delay disbursement of aid to vital sectors in the occupied Palestinian territory.
A large portion of EU funding committed to Palestine, valued at nearly €215 million, has been delayed since 2021 as the European Union continues to condition the release of the money on specific changes to Palestinian school textbooks.
Ukrainian refugees from 2022, crossing into Poland.
The number of people forced to flee conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution has now crossed the staggering milestone of 100 million for the first time on record, propelled by the war in Ukraine and other deadly conflicts.
American newspapers in the 18th and 19th centuries contained tens of thousands of notices placed by slaveholders attempting to capture the people who had escaped from them. In her dissertation in the field of English studies, Susanna Mäkinen examined the language and structuring of these notices. The study showed that, while the basic features of the notices remained relatively unchanged, there were some differences between various areas and changes in time.
Sana'a airport which has been closed in front of commercial flights since 2016. Photo: Nasser Abdulkareem/NRC
Every child should be living free from violence. With the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic, increasing migration, and conflicts, this reality has grown to an even greater dimension putting many families under immense pressure. Today, on the occasion of the International Day of Families, the World Future Council launches its new policy handbook for advancing institutional child protection using the One-Stop Centre model (OSC).
THE FORECAST for the weekend of the 21st Tuska Open Air Metal Festival was not looking too good the week before. Torrential rains were promised for Friday and Saturday with temperatures around 10 degrees Celsius - Finnish summer at its best. Metalheads from all around the world were praying to the weather gods and stocking up on raincoats, rubber boots and gloves in preparation for yet another wet festival.
But the gods seemed to listen: While Friday started off cloudy and temperatures did not reach proper summer heights, it stayed dry for the whole weekend with some blue skies and sun on Saturday and Sunday – summer festival atmosphere was a go!
During these three days, overall 34 000 metal heads found their way to Suvilahti with Saturday being the most popular day with 13 000 visitors. As every year, the area improved ever so slightly from the varied food selection to carts not only delivering beer but also wine and bubbly directly to you, to more seating areas and better-located beer areas. The whole festival was decorated with the various art installation and Belzebubs comics so there was always something new to discover during the weekend. Not only the area, also the festival goers were once again dressed up and decorated to the max and if one didn’t have time for that at home, a corpse paint and flower crown (or flower beard adornment) station made sure everyone could get their festival style going.
On Friday, the crowd was already going strong (just like the wind that day) for Tribulation from Sweden who played on the Helsinki Stage as the second band on there, before Turmion Kätilöt on the main stage made sure to deliver some more up-beat tunes that got the audience dancing. The evening continued with powerful shows by Mantar and Moonsorrow as well as Arch Enemy and Meshuggah who pumped the festival goes up for the grand finale: Body Count ft. Ice-T took the night away with a performance that blew the festival crowd away and will stay in many minds for a long time to come.
The dancing continued on Saturday with The 69 Eyes and Carpenter Brut, and it was noticeable that the festival was much more crowded that day. Black metal heavy weights Emperor who played on the main stage next certainly had something to do with that as well. Seeing them on a sunny day with blue skies was quite a different experience to the last time they played at Tuska when it was cold, grey and rainy aka much more black metal but the band was in a great mood and the audience of course as well – and who said you cannot enjoy some black metal with a huge smile on your sunlit face?! The mood got more gloomy and melancholic with Hallatar and tears could be seen in a many corner of an eye, before German Thrash machine Kreator made sure to up the ante again. At The Gates and Gojira caped off the official part of the day, but the party and the dancing continued until the early morning hours at the after parties.
Sunday presented itself as the warmest and sunniest day so far which helped the possibly slightly tired festival goers wake up for the last festival day. Tuska regulars Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus took many in the audience on a trip down memory lane with their classics before Emperor front man Ihsahn took the Helsinki Stage with his solo project, the tent above the stage providing some welcome wind protection. From Ihsahn’s atmospheric and groove filled show it was onward to some Sunday dancing at Kattilahalli with Grave Pleasures at Inferno Stage while Europe played on the main stage and heralded the (almost) final (festival) countdown. The evening ended with Clutch and Parkway Drive, who put on an intense, pyro heavy show including a rotating drum kit to end this year’s Tuska Festival in style.
