John Hanno – Page 162 – The Tarbabys Blog

Doing This One Thing Every Day Could Lower Your Risk of Dementia

Parade

Doing This One Thing Every Day Could Lower Your Risk of Dementia

Beth Ann Mayer – March 30, 2023

Plus, the habit that comes in second—according to a neuropsychologist.

More than six million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s Disease, the most common form of dementia, according to a 2023 Alzheimer’s Association report. The report also notes that Alzheimer’s starts about 20 years or more before a person develops memory loss or other hallmark symptoms of the devastating disease.

Damage to the brain cells causes dementia. Genetics can play a role, so it’s not possible to prevent it 100 percent. But research discussed at the 2019 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference indicated that lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

“Research shows that keeping our mind sharp by continued learning and cognitive challenge can help our brains remain healthier as we age,” says Dr. Jessica Caldwell, Ph.D., the director of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement Prevention Center at Cleveland Clinic.

It’s like lifting weights—you do it to keep your muscles strong.

“Although the process of keeping your mind sharp is different from keeping your muscles strong, the phrase ‘use it or lose it’ can be applied to the brain as well as the body,” Dr. Caldwell says. “The types of thinking-based activities involved in keeping your mind sharp—for example, attending classes, learning languages and debating topics—may also offer benefits for our mental health, as we feel a sense of accomplishment, and may offer opportunities to socialize, which is another way of reducing dementia risks.”

But you may be surprised by her top daily tip for reducing dementia risk.

What Is the No. 1 Tip for Keeping the Mind Sharp?

You may have heard that exercises like crossword puzzles, word searches or Sudoku can help keep the mind sharp. And while they certainly won’t hurt, the very best way to prevent cognitive decline is a different type of exercise: physical exercise.

“Some people are surprised to hear it, but we know that exercise has both immediate and long-term brain benefits, from increasing brain chemistry that supports the health of your brain cells to reducing factors such as chronic bodily inflammation, which can be harmful to the brain,” Dr. Caldwell says.

Physical activity also has some sneaky perks for cognition.

“Exercise also has benefits for the brain that are indirect—for example, improving mood and sleep, reducing stress, supporting heart health and increasing chances to socialize, all of which, in turn, reduces risks for poor memory with age,” Dr. Caldwell says.

Beyond prevention, a 2020 study conducted on mice indicated that exercise may even reverse age-related cognitive decline, but more research is needed on duration, frequency and exercise types to fully understand how this applies to humans. A review of previous research from the same year also suggested that physical activity could reduce cognitive decline and lower behavioral issues in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. The authors suggested moderate-intensity (or greater) aerobic exercise would have the most significant effect on cognition.

How Can I Get More Exercise To Keep My Mind Sharp?

Though more research is needed on exercise and cognition, Dr. Caldwell says the American Heart Association’s guidelines provide a good baseline.

“The goal for exercise for brain health for life is at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise [per week], and for healthy adults, more is better,” Dr. Caldwell says.

If you aren’t currently exercising, talk to your doctor first. From there, Dr. Caldwell says you can increase your physical activity—and your chances of making it a habit—with two big tips.

“First, pair exercise with something you like or already do. Think stationary biking while watching a favorite program or walking while listening to a podcast episode,” Dr. Caldwell says. “Second, find a partner for accountability and motivation.”

Your accountability partner can motivate you from afar. “Even if you can’t find an in-person partner for runs or visits to the gym, checking in with a long-distance friend regularly about fitness goals can offer support and make it more likely that you will stick with your goals,” Dr. Caldwell says.

What Are Other Ways To Reduce Cognitive Decline Risk?

Regular physical activity is important, but Dr. Caldwell says fighting cognitive decline requires a multi-prong approach.

She says it’s also important to prioritize getting seven to eight hours of continuous sleep. “Sleep is when we cement new memories into long-term storage, and also when our brains have a chance to clear debris, including the types of proteins that build up in Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Caldwell says.

Research published in 2021 underscores the importance of sleep for brain health. The study, which was conducted on 8,000 British people aged 50 and over, indicated that people in their 50s and 60s who got six hours of shuteye or less per night were 30 percent more likely to be diagnosed with dementia than their peers, who were getting a least seven hours of sleep nightly.

Alcohol intake is another lifestyle habit to evaluate. “Our bodies process alcohol differently as we age, and drinking more than seven drinks per week has been linked to risk for dementia,” Dr. Caldwell says.

Finally, don’t put your mental health on the back burner. “Depression is a risk factor for dementia, and those feelings of sadness and lack of interest that can come with depression can also make it difficult to engage in other brain-healthy behaviors,” Dr. Caldwell says.

What Are Signs of Cognitive Decline?

You can’t remember if you brushed your teeth today. Should you be concerned? Probably not.

“Anyone can make a memory mistake at any age—some forgetfulness is normal,” Dr. Caldwell says. “Signs of memory decline would include forgetting what happens frequently, such as needing several reminders throughout the day about a conversation you had that morning. Another sign would be forgetting essential information, such as forgetting the name of a loved one or an event you looked forward to.”

If you notice these signs, Dr. Caldwell suggests seeing a doctor. “A primary care doctor may give you or your loved one a short memory test—one that takes about five minutes,” Dr. Caldwell says.

From there, your doctor may suggest additional testing or appointments. Dr. Caldwell says this workup may include bloodwork, a brain scan, a referral to a neurologist who specializes in memory problems, or a referral to a neuropsychologist, like Dr. Caldwell.

“This is a specialist in memory and other thinking skills, who will administer several hours of paper or computer tests to better understand if you or your loved one are having a change in your thinking compared to others your age,” Dr. Caldwell explains.

No matter what type of appointments and tests you or your loved one get, the goal is to get to a diagnosis—whether that is normal memory, some mild changes called mild cognitive impairment, or more significant changes, called dementia.

“Memory changes can appear for many reasons, and your doctor will talk with you about possible reasons for your diagnosis, though figuring that all out may take time,” Dr. Caldwell says.

Next up: This Supplement Could Lower Dementia Risk By 40%

Sources

Dr. Jessica Caldwell, Ph.D., director of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement Prevention Center at Cleveland Clinic.

Parkinson’s disease symptoms disappeared with exercise, man claims: ‘Use it or lose it’

Fox News

Parkinson’s disease symptoms disappeared with exercise, man claims: ‘Use it or lose it’

Melissa Rudy – March 29, 2023

Parkinson’s disease has no cure, but multiple studies have shown that exercise can alleviate symptoms and slow progression.

A recent review published in Cochrane Library — led by Dr. Elke Kalbe, professor of medical psychology at the University of Cologne, Germany — analyzed data for nearly 8,000 people around the world with Parkinson’s.

Researchers found that those who participated in any type of physical activity showed “mild to large improvements” in motor skills and quality of life compared to those who didn’t exercise.

IS PARKINSON’S DISEASE, ‘WORLD’S FASTEST GROWING BRAIN DISEASE,’ MOSTLY PREVENTABLE? STUDY OFFERS CLUES

For Scott Hanley, a 57-year-old native of Belfast, Ireland, the benefits have been life-changing. After two years of what he described as “stumbling in the dark with Parkinson’s,” he started a new workout routine. He credits it with completely stopping his symptoms.

When Hanley was first diagnosed, his Parkinson’s was still in the early stages — level 2, with level 5 being the most advanced. But over time, he started to notice more symptoms.

“I had something called dystonia, where multiple parts of my body would go rigid, leaving me incapacitated,” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“I would be walking along, and suddenly my right foot would just lock out or stick to the ground and I would fall over.”

Hanley’s doctors put him on medication with plans to review his symptoms every six months.

Scott Hanley (shown here) is a 57-year-old native of Belfast, Ireland, who is living with Parkinson’s disease. For him, the benefits of exercise have been life-changing.

“They said I could expect a progression of the disease and that there was precious little we could do about it,” he said. “And I found that hugely frustrating.”

After a couple of years of struggling with worsening symptoms, Hanley said his mindset shifted.

“My tolerance for putting up with Parkinson’s had run out,” he said. “I decided to try something else.”

At the time of his diagnosis, his physical health wasn’t the greatest, Hanley admits.

“I was overweight, I wasn’t active and my diet wasn’t good,” he said.

After reading a few success stories, he decided to try CrossFit classes, which incorporate strength and conditioning exercises at a high intensity.

The workouts focus on building cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy, according to the CrossFit website. Typical movements include burpees, deadlifts, rowing, squats, medicine ball throws, pull-ups and barbell presses.

For Hanley, the key was that the exercises all had a cognitive element. He had to really think about each movement.

“When we work different parts of the body, they get stronger. So I figured, why not try to make the brain stronger?” Hanley said. “I didn’t want to just go for a run or ride a bike — I wanted to challenge my brain pathways with physically intense exercise.”

PARKINSON’S DISEASE AFFLICTS THOUSANDS MORE AMERICANS THAN PREVIOUS ESTIMATES: NEW STUDY

Within six months, Hanley said his symptoms had disappeared — even without any medications.

During one period last year, Hanley injured his shoulder and couldn’t work out for four weeks. By the end of that month, he started getting tremors in his hand and his foot began to “stick” again while walking.

Scott Hanley - CrossFit — Just a few months after starting CrossFit classes, Hanley (pictured on a rowing machine) said his symptoms disappeared.

After he returned to the gym, the symptoms went away again.

“That’s what really validated the benefits for me,” Hanley said.

Blake Bookstaff, an entrepreneur in Knoxville, Tennessee, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s when he was just 47, he told Fox News Digital in an interview.

Some of his early symptoms included a change in gait, involuntary hand movements and “frozen shoulder,” which is when the tissues around the shoulder joint become inflamed and make it difficult to lift the arm.

Medications helped lessen the symptoms somewhat, but Bookstaff decided to try ramping up his exercise for greater benefits.

“I saw something on the news about Rock Steady Boxing, which is a franchise that offers workouts for people with Parkinson’s,” he said.

He contacted the owner and scheduled a personal training session — which he now does twice a week.

Scott Hanley split — “When we work different parts of the body, they get stronger — so I figured, why not try to make the brain stronger?” said Hanley, pictured here in both frames.

In the sessions, the trainer focuses on functional movements to help Bookstaff in regular day-to-day activities, such as standing up from a chair or getting in and out of a car.

“The compound exercises that combine multiple movements have been the most effective for me,” he said. “For example, when I’m boxing and I have to think about throwing different types of punches and hitting moving targets, I can actually feel my brain opening up, as if the cobwebs have been lifted.”

MICHAEL J. FOX SAYS HE DOESN’T FEEL SORRY FOR HIMSELF BECAUSE OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE: ‘NO REGRETS’

During weeks when he doesn’t work out, Bookstaff notices that his body becomes stiffer and harder to move.

Robert D’Egidio, a physical therapist at Atlantic Rehabilitation in Gillette, New Jersey, has seen firsthand how exercise can slow and modify symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

“It directly improves ease of movement for activities of daily living, reduces symptoms such as tremor and rigidity, and improves gait features for more normalized stepping and balance,” he told Fox News Digital.

Julie Pilitsis, M.D., a neurosurgeon at Marcus Neuroscience Institute in Boca Raton, Florida, agreed with that assessment.

“Exercise is the best thing that people with Parkinson’s can do to take care of themselves,” said Pilitsis, who specializes in functional neurosurgery and Parkinson’s disease, in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“It has some of the most dramatic effects on limiting disease progression. It helps with stiffness, mind-body connection and fitness, just to name a few.”

“A good mantra for all of us, but particularly for those with Parkinson’s, is ‘use it or lose it,’” she added.

The Cochrane review found that any type of physical activity — from strength training and endurance to swimming, dance and yoga — can help improve motor skills and quality of life for people with Parkinson’s.

Group fitness — The Cochrane review found that any type of physical activity can help improve motor skills and quality of life in people with Parkinson’s.

“We observed clinically meaningful improvements in the severity of motor symptoms for most types of exercise,” said Dr. Moritz Ernst, first author of the review and a member of Cochrane Haematology, in a press release on the Cochrane website.

“These included dancing, training to improve gait, balance and movement, multi-exercise training and mind-body training.”

Physical therapist D’Egidio recommends doing any aerobic exercise with moderate intensity that will elevate the heart rate 20 to 30 beats above the resting rate for 30 to 40 minutes, three times per week.

EARLY ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE COULD BE DIAGNOSED THROUGH EYE EXAMS, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS

“We have observed consistently in our clinic that more intensified exercise has a direct impact on disease symptoms,” he said. “Exercises should include a variety of functional movements, multidirectional movements and some resistance [strength] training.”

For best results, he suggests mixing up the workouts throughout the year.

People with Parkinson’s, however, should pay close attention to any adverse effects and reduce intensity as needed, D’Egidio added.

Boxing workout — Compound exercises, such as boxing, have been the most effective at alleviating the Parkinson’s symptoms for one man (not pictured).

“Exercise should be discontinued if disproportional pain results from an activity, such as sharp pain in the back, neck, knees and shoulders, or if the person has chest pain or breathing difficulties not consistent with the level of exertion being used,” he said.

Neurosurgeon Pilitsis noted that above all, good judgment should come into play. If there are balance issues, for example, high-impact activities may not make sense.

“Sometimes medications or difficulty swallowing can make the patient a bit dehydrated,” she said. “If you aren’t feeling well, are going through a period where you are recovering from illness or surgery, are dehydrated, or it is very hot outside, it is better to take it slow and adjust your routine.”

Experts agree that it’s always best to get a doctor’s clearance before starting any new exercise program.

While individual exercise may help keep symptoms at bay, having a comprehensive health care team is the optimal way to manage Parkinson’s disease over time, E’Egidio believes.

“This includes a movement disorder specialist, primary care provider, neurologist (to assist or support), physical therapist and/or occupational therapist with neurological background, speech therapist (as needed), support groups, community services directed at Parkinson’s disease and access to exercise facilities or equipment,” he said.

Nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with Parkinson’s disease, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation.

By 2030, it is expected to affect 1.2 million people. Parkinson’s is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease, after Alzheimer’s.

DeSantis has one thing in common with trump, they do nothing constructive: No One Is Talking About What Ron DeSantis Has Actually Done to Florida

Time

No One Is Talking About What Ron DeSantis Has Actually Done to Florida

William Kleinknecht – March 29, 2023

Florida Governor DeSantis Kicks Off His "Freedom Blueprint" Tour In Florida — Florida Governor DeSantis Kicks Off His “Freedom Blueprint” Tour In Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during an event spotlighting his newly released book, ‘The Courage To Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint For America’s Revival at the Orange County Choppers Road House & Museum on March 08, 2023 in Pinellas Park, Fl. Credit – Joe Raedle—Getty Images

Media coverage of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s all-but-announced candidacy for president is already in full frenzy, and so far the script is exactly as his handlers would like it to be. The governor regularly opens up new fronts in the culture wars, sowing alarm over critical race theory, transgender rights, or border policies. In response, liberal pundits fall into the trap of accentuating the very issues DeSantis has chosen to fire up his base.

Omitted from the public debate about DeSantis’s policies is almost any discussion of his actual record of governance—what exactly he has delivered to the citizens of his state, especially those without seven-figure incomes and lush investment portfolios.

Even a cursory dip into the statistics of social and economic well-being reveals that Florida falls short in almost any measure that matters to the lives of its citizens. More than four years into the DeSantis governorship, Florida continues to languish toward the bottom of state rankings assessing the quality of health care, school funding, long-term elder care, and other areas key to a successful society.

Florida may be the place where “woke goes to die”—as DeSantis is fond of saying—but it is also where teachers’ salaries are among the lowest in the nation, unemployment benefits are stingier than in any other state, and wage theft flourishes with little interference from the DeSantis administration. In 2021, DeSantis campaigned against a successful ballot initiative to raise the state’s minimum wage, which had been stuck at $8.65 an hour. Under DeSantis’s watch, the Sunshine State has not exactly been a workers’ paradise.

DeSantis weaponizes the cultural wars to distract attention from the core missions of his governorship, which is to starve programs geared toward bettering the lives of ordinary citizens so he can maintain low taxes on the wealthy and corporations. Florida is the ideal haven for privileged Americans who don’t want to pay their fair share of taxes. It has no income tax for individuals, and its corporate tax rate of 5.5% is among the lowest in the nation. An investigation by the Orlando Sentinel in late 2019 revealed the startling fact that 99% of Florida’s companies paid no corporate income tax, abetted by tax-avoidance schemes and state officials who gave a low priority to enforcing tax laws.

This is a pattern that shows up in the statistics of many Republican-led states, which on average commit fewer dollars per-capita to health care, public education, and other crucial services compared to their blue counterparts, while making sure corporations and wealthy individuals are prioritized for tax relief. Arizona cut taxes every year between 1990 and 2019, following up with a shift to a flat tax this year that will cost its budget $1.9 billion. Meanwhile, its public-school spending ranks 48 among the 50 states.

In Florida, the state’s tax revenues come largely through sales and excise taxes, which fall hardest on the poor and middle class. A 2018 study by the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that Florida had the third least-equitable tax system of the 50 states. In the state’s “upside-down” tax structure, the poorest 20% of Florida families paid 12.7% of their income in taxes, while the families whose income was in the top 4% paid 4.5%, and the top 1% paid 2.3%, according to the study.

Florida taxpayers get less for their money than residents of many other states. The Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that studies health-care systems globally, found in its 2022 “scorecard” that Florida had the 16th worst health care among the 50 states. It’s no wonder that Florida ranks below the northern blue states in life expectancy and rates of cancer death, diabetes, fatal overdoses, teen birth rates, and infant mortality.

Largely because of DeSantis’s obstinacy, Florida is one of 10 states that have refused to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, an act of political spite that has cost those states billions in federal health care dollars and cost thousands of people their lives. More than 12% of Floridians are without medical insurance, a worse record than all but four other states. Despite having the country’s highest percentage of retirees, Florida has the worst long-term care among the 50 states, according to the American Association of Retired Persons.

Public schools fare no better than health care in DeSantis’s Florida. Not only did Florida rank 49th in the country for average teacher pay in 2020, but the Education Law Center, a non-profit advocacy group based in New Jersey, found in a 2021 report that the state had the seventh-lowest per-pupil funding in the country. Education Week, which ranks states public school annually, looking beyond mere test scores, placed Florida 23rd in its 2021 report, a lackluster showing for a large and wealthy state.

It says something about the state of our political discourse that Florida’s denuded public sector was not more of an issue in last year’s gubernatorial campaign. In endorsing DeSantis’s Democratic opponent, Charlie Crist, the Tampa Bay Times spent so many column inches on the incumbent’s demagoguery, vindictiveness, and authoritarian tendencies that it never even got to the minutiae of his governance. “No matter what you think about the state of the Florida economy or its schools or its future…,” the paper wrote, “the choice really is this simple: Do you want the state governed by a decent man or a bully?”

To be fair to the media, DeSantis and his allies manned the trenches of the culture wars so ferociously that it was all reporters could do to keep up with all the bomb throwing. How do you delve into the state’s tax policy when your governor is flying planeloads of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard or declaring war on Disney for issuing a statement in opposition to the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay Law”?

But that is very much the point of wedge issues, as they have been wielded by scurrilous politicians for decades, to anger and distract voters so they won’t notice the actions of public officials that mainly benefit the wealthy and are against the public interest.

As the 2024 election draws closer, DeSantis must not be allowed to accomplish nationally what he did in his state—cloak his service to the wealthy by frightening working people with stories about transgender recruiting and “socialist” college professors. There are unmistakable signs that Americans are focused on what an activist government can do for the public good, as evidenced by Floridians’ vote to increase the minimum wage.

The failure of DeSantis to better serve the most vulnerable citizens of his state is his weak underbelly in a national campaign.

Putin running out of warm bodies for his meat grinder: Russia plans to conscript over half million people this year

Ukrayinska Pravda

Russia plans to conscript over half million people this year

Ukrainska Pravda – March 29, 2023

Russia plans to increase its army by 400,000 people this year; it is reported that in 2022, the occupiers were likely to recruit more than 500,000 people.

Source: Bloomberg, referring to the Federal Statistics Service data and sources familiar with the conscription plan in the Russian Federation

Details: Bloomberg, citing data from the Russian Federal Statistics Service, reports that the size of the Russian army last year increased by approximately 400,000 people. According to the news agency, the army of the Russian Federation probably was strengthened by 500,000.

In addition, according to Bloomberg’s sources familiar with the Kremlin’s plan, Russia plans to call up another 400,000 contract soldiers this year as Putin prepares for a prolonged war against Ukraine.

The total strength of the Russian army, as reported by the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, is planned to increase to 1.5 million from 1.15 million by 2026.

The agency notes that Putin’s drive to expand Russia’s Armed Forces is exacerbating labour shortages as the war against Ukraine draws hundreds of thousands of workers from other sectors of the economy into the army.

Background:

In the autumn, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the number of servicemen mobilized recently in the Russian Federation had reached 318,000 people, despite the previously announced limit of 300,000.

Russian Society is so broken, they must steal Ukraine’s children, to bolster the millions who fled the country: Kyiv urges Russians not to adopt Ukraine’s ‘stolen’ children

Reuters

Kyiv urges Russians not to adopt Ukraine’s ‘stolen’ children

March 28, 2023

FILE PHOTO: The Wider Image: Ukraine seeks to trace thousands of 'orphans' scattered by war — The Wider Image: Ukraine seeks to trace thousands of ‘orphans’ scattered by war

FILE PHOTO: Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin outside Moscow — Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin outside Moscow

(Reuters) – Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk urged Russians on Tuesday not to adopt children who she said were “stolen” in Ukraine during the war and deported to Russia.

The war that Russia has been waging on its neighbour for 13 months now has seen millions of people displaced, including families and children. The real number of children who have been forcefully deported to Russia is impossible to establish.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant earlier in March against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, accusing them of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine.

Vereshchuk said on the Telegram messaging app that orphans have been “stolen in Ukraine” and allegedly given up for adoption in Russia.

“I strongly recommend that Russian citizens do not adopt Ukrainian orphans who were illegally taken out of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,” Vereshchuk, in charge of social issues, said.

“Once again I remind all Russian so-called ‘adoptive parents’ and ‘guardians’: sooner or later you will have to answer.”

According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Integration of Occupied Territories, 19,514 Ukrainian children are currently considered illegally deported.

Russia has not concealed a programme under which it has brought thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia, but presents it as a humanitarian campaign to protect orphans and children abandoned in the conflict zone.

Most of the movement of people and children occurred in the first few months of the war and before Ukraine started its major counter offensive to regain occupied territories in the east and south in late August.

Russia’s defence ministry said in mid-August that 3.5 million people had been brought to Russia by then, including more than half a million children.

The United States said in July that Russia “forcibly deported” 260,000 children, from their homes to Russia.

Russian TASS agency cited Vitaly Ganchev, Moscow-installed official of Russia-occupied parts of the Kharkiv region, as saying on Tuesday that a group of children from the region was sent to Russia last year with the consent of their parents or guardians.

“The children were placed in excellent conditions, they are provided with everything necessary. And we will continue to take care of them until their parents come for their return,” Ganchev added.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne and Ron Popeski in Winnipeg; Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Stephen Coates)

ICC arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin: a king-size dilemma for South Africa

The Conversation

ICC arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin: a king-size dilemma for South Africa

Sascha-Dominik (Dov) Bachmann – March 29, 2023

Presidents Cyril Ramaphosa and Vladimir Putin at the first Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia, in 2019. Photos: GCIS

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an international arrest warrant for Russian president Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes regarding the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia. Such acts are war crimes under two articles of the Rome Statute, which established the court.

ICC arrest warrants against sitting heads of state are rare.

Putin faces arrest if he sets foot in any of the 123 signatory states to the statute. Of these, 33 are African states. The issue could come to a head in August when South Africa is set to host the 15th summit of the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) bloc in Durban.

As the head of a member state Putin has been invited to attend. But as a member of the court, South Africa is obliged under Article 86 of the ICC statute and domestic law to cooperate fully by arresting the Russian president.

This is not the first time the country has faced such a dilemma.

In 2015 Sudanese president Omar Al Bashir visited the country to attend a summit of African Union heads of state. In terms of South Africa’s ICC obligations, it was obliged to arrest Al Bashir, who had been indicted for violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law in Sudan’s Darfur region. The government, then under the presidency of Jacob Zuma, refused to arrest him, citing immunity from prosecution for sitting heads of state under international law.

The arrest warrant for Putin has put President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government between a rock and a hard place. Complying with its domestic and international obligations by executing the arrest warrant would alienate Russia. This would have bilateral consequences – the country is still considered a friend by the ruling African National Congress based on the Soviet Union’s support during the struggle against apartheid – as well as ramifications within the BRICS, given Moscow’s strong ties with Beijing.

It is not unreasonable to argue that Ramaphosa’s government would want to tread carefully to avoid any such tensions.

On the other hand, welcoming Putin, thus underscoring South Africa’s independent foreign policy, would see the country lose international credibility.

One likely effect is that South Africa might lose preferential trade terms. For example, it could jeopardise its treatment of exports to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). AGOA has been used recently as a punishing tool against Ethiopia, The Gambia and Mali for “unconstitutional change in governments” and “gross violations of internationally recognised human rights”.

Importantly, South Africa’s trade with the US far exceeds that with Russia.

The dilemma

When the Zuma administration refused to arrest Al Bashir, it landed the government in judicial hot water. South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal found that it had violated both international and domestic law.

Following the ruling of the Supreme Court of Appeal, Zuma’s government notified the United Nations secretary general of its intention to withdraw from the Rome Statute. This ill advised move was challenged in the High Court in Pretoria. It ruled that the notice of withdrawal was unconstitutional due to the absence of prior parliamentary approval. Consequently, the government “withdrew from the withdrawal”.

In 2017, the ICC found that South Africa had failed in its obligations under the Rome Statute towards the court by not arresting and surrendering Al Bashir. The court, however, decided not to pursue the matter further for pragmatic reasons. It also reasoned that to refer South Africa to the United Nations Security Council for noncompliance “would not be an effective way to foster future cooperation”.

In the event that Putin attended the upcoming BRICS summit and Ramaphosa’s government did not arrest him, it would mean that South Africa was flouting domestic legislation as well as its own constitution. Article 165 (5) of the country’s constitution makes it clear that the government is bound by court orders and decisions.

How should South Africa respond to the dilemma?

At present the government’s response is not clear. On the one hand, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson said that the country was aware of its obligations to arrest Putin and surrender him to the ICC.

On the other hand, Naledi Pandor, the foreign relations minister, confirmed the invitation to Putin to attend the BRICS meeting. She noted that cabinet would have to decide on how to respond in view of the ICC warrant.

The government would want to balance its ICC obligations, domestic responsibilities and its historically friendly relations with Russia carefully. Unless it is hellbent on defying its own court decisions and laws, there are options available to avoid another round of international condemnation, and that would help it avoid potential court battles by civil society for noncompliance with the country’s own laws and court decisions.

Options

Firstly, South Africa should continue to extend an invitation for Russia to attend the summit. But, through diplomatic channels, request that the Russian delegation be led by its foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. Lavrov has in essence become the face of Russia on the international stage since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Secondly, during the COVID pandemic, it became clear that physical presence at international gatherings for heads of states could be substituted with virtual attendance. The UN General Assembly set a good benchmark for this when heads of state submitted video statements due to pandemic restrictions. Putin could attend the BRICS summit virtually.

The need to sign summit documentation by the heads of state is not an impediment to virtual attendance. Putin can sign the documents electronically or after the summit, if a non-electronic signature is required.

The ball is now in the South African government’s court. The hope is that it makes the right decision, one which is in the best interests of the country and its people – not Russia or the likes of the US, especially as neither major power is a signatory to the ICC’s statute. Neither should prescribe to South Africa what it should decide.

Most importantly, the government must not trample on its own laws and court decisions. Compliance with the constitution must be the priority. Making a decision that is in the interests of South Africa and its people would also provide guidance to the other 32 African ICC signatory states, should they ever be faced with a similar dilemma in the future.

This article was co-authored with Sasha-Lee Stephanie Afrika (LLD), Attorney of the High Court of South Africa and former lecturer at Stellenbosch University and University of Johannesburg.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. If you found it interesting, you could subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

It was written by: Sascha-Dominik (Dov) Bachmann, University of Canberra.

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Sascha-Dominik (Dov) Bachmann, Professor in Law and Co-Convener National Security Hub (University of Canberra) and Research Fellow (adjunct) – The Security Institute for Governance and Leadership in Africa, Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University- NATO Fellow Asia-Pacific, University of Canberra

Sascha-Dominik (Dov) Bachmann does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Russian Ally Warns Putin: Don’t Visit—or You’ll Get Arrested

Daily Beast

Russian Ally Warns Putin: Don’t Visit—or You’ll Get Arrested

Shannon Vavra – March 29, 2023

Sputnik/Sergei Karpukhin/Pool via Reuters

The ruling party of Armenia has warned that if Russian President Vladimir Putin comes to Armenia, the country will have no choice but to arrest him.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest earlier this month over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, particularly his alleged involvement in the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine. But the ICC doesn’t have the power to enforce its warrants, and since Russia doesn’t recognize the court’s jurisdiction, much of its enforcement will depend on other countries’ willingness to step in if Putin travels.

“If Putin comes to Armenia, he should be arrested… It is better for Putin to stay in his country,” Gagik Melkonyan, deputy of the Armenian National Assembly, said this week, according to a Moscow Times translation of an interview with Factor.am. “If we enter into these agreements, then we must fulfill our obligations. Let Russia solve its problems with Ukraine.”

The decision from the ruling party of Armenia, which is part of a Russian-led collective defense organization, stands in stark contrast to other Kremlin allies that are not deviating from loyalty to Moscow. Hungary, which has close ties with Russia, announced it will not enforce the ICC’s arrest warrant for Putin last week.

Even though Armenia is technically a Russian ally—as part of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)—Armenia’s decision is just the latest indication that the country is willing to take matters into its own hands and hold Putin accountable. Just last week, Armenia took steps that will pave the way for it to ratify the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.

Team Putin Melts Down Over International Arrest Warrant

“If we enter into these agreements, then we must fulfill our obligations,” Melkonyan said.

The Kremlin rebuked Armenia for entertaining the idea of joining the Rome Statute, according to a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“Moscow considers absolutely unacceptable the plans of official Yerevan to accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court against the backdrop of the recent illegal and legally void ‘warrants’ of the ICC against the Russian leadership,” the source said early this week, according to TASS.

The Russian Foreign Ministry warned there would be “extremely negative” consequences for Armenia moving forward.

But Armenia is not alone, and other countries are banding together with plans to arrest Putin. Ireland, Croatia, Austria, and Germany have each said they will enforce the warrant.

The decision in Armenia suggests that Russia’s allies are growing more willing by the day to question Moscow’s judgment in the war in Ukraine over one year into the conflict.

Indian officials have expressed concern over Putin’s war in Ukraine, urging against conflict and the use of nuclear weapons in the war. Chinese President Xi Jinping has also been caught off guard by Putin’s invasion and has been dismayed at the way he is carrying it out, according to the U.S. intelligence community.

Video shows guards walking away during fire that killed 38 migrants near US-Mexico border

USA Today

Video shows guards walking away during fire that killed 38 migrants near US-Mexico border

Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Christine Fernando and Jeanine Santucci USA TODAY March 29, 2023

Surveillance footage from inside the immigration detention center in northern Mexico near the U.S. border where 38 migrants died in a dormitory fire appears to show guards walking away from the blaze and making no apparent attempt to release detainees.

The fire broke out when migrants fearing deportation set mattresses ablaze late Monday at the National Immigration Institute, a facility in Ciudad Juarez south of El Paso, Texas, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said.

Authorities originally reported 40 dead, but later said some may have been counted twice in the confusion. Twenty-eight people were injured and were in “delicate-serious” condition, according to the National Immigration Institute.

The security footage, which was broadcast and later authenticated by a Mexican official to a local reporter, shows at least two people dressed as guards rush into the frame, then run off as a cloud of smoke quickly filled the area. They did not appear to attempt to open cell doors so migrants could escape the fire.

Authorities were investigating the fire, the institute said. The country’s prosecutor general has launched an investigation, Andrea Chávez, federal deputy of Ciudad Juarez, said in a statement. Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission also was alerted.

What caused the fire?

López Obrador said the fire was started by migrants inside the facility after they learned they would be deported.

“They never imagined that this would cause this terrible misfortune,” López Obrador said.

The immigration institute said it “energetically rejects the actions that led to this tragedy,” without further explaining what those actions may have been.

Video shows guards leaving as fire starts

The video footage shows the area in the facility filled with smoke within seconds, obscuring the view of the camera. In the video, two people dressed as guards are seen rushing into the frame, then walking quickly off as migrants remain behind bars. At least one migrant is seen kicking at a cell door while flames grow.

Mexico’s interior secretary, Adán Augusto López, told local journalist Joaquín López Doriga he was familiar with the video.

Katiuska Márquez, a 23-year-old woman from Venezuela and her two children, ages 2 and 4, were looking for her half-brother in the aftermath of the fire.

“We want to know if he is alive or if he’s dead,” she told The Associated Press. She wondered how all the guards who were inside made it out alive and only the migrants died. “How could they not get them out?”

Migrants from Central, South America caught in blaze

The institute said 68 men from Central and South America were staying at the immigration facility at the time of the fire. Authorities were working with other countries to identify the dead.

Victims were identified as being from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. Guatemalans made up the largest contingent, according to the Mexican attorney general’s office.

Guatemalan Foreign Affairs Minister Mario Búcaro said 28 of the dead were Guatemalan citizens.

“We are going to look to find those responsible for this,” Búcaro said.

A migrant cries leaning on an ambulance as a person she knows is attended by medics after a fire broke out at the Mexican Immigration Detention center in Juarez on Monday, March 27, 2023.

Photos show mass law enforcement response in Ciudad Juarez

Photos showed ambulances, firefighters, Mexican soldiers and vans from the morgue swarm the scene. Rows of bodies were laid out under silver sheets in a parking lot outside the facility. Survivors were carried on stretchers into ambulances. A woman wept while leaning her head against an ambulance.

Mexico border fire sheds light on systemic issues, advocates say

Global human rights organizations called for stronger protections for asylum seekers and expressed outrage over the fire, which they said sheds light on systemic issues related to the detention and treatment of migrants.

The fire serves as a “reminder to the governments of the region of the importance of fixing a broken migration system,” said Ken Salazar, U.S. ambassador to Mexico, in a Twitter statement.

The immigration institute has struggled recently with overcrowding in its facilities. About 20 migrants, officials and human rights workers described a southern Mexico immigration detention center run by the institute as crowded and filthy, according to an investigation by The Associated Press in 2019.

The “extensive use of immigration detention leads to tragedies like this,” Felipe González Morales, the United Nations special rapporteur for human rights of migrants, said in a Twitter statement. He said immigration detention “should be an exceptional measure” and not generalized.

Human rights organizations have warned for years about the risks people from Central and South America face when trying to apply for asylum in the United States, Rafael Velásquez, Mexico director for the International Rescue Committee, a global human rights organization, said in a statement. The dangers have increased, and humanitarian infrastructures in the country have been “increasingly strained” amid “historic numbers of new asylum claims” and stricter border policies.

“The news of the fire at the migrant detention center in Ciudad Juárez is devastating,” Velásquez said. “This is proof of the extremely urgent need to ensure that there are systems in place to provide safety for people in need of international protection.”

Mounting tensions in Ciudad Juarez

Tensions between authorities and migrants had apparently been running high in recent weeks in Ciudad Juarez, a major crossing point across the border from El Paso for migrants entering the United States. Shelters in the city are full of migrants waiting for opportunities to cross or who have requested asylum in the U.S. and are waiting out the process.

On March 9, more than 30 advocacy organizations and migrant shelters wrote an open letter denouncing the criminalization of migrants and asylum seekers in Ciudad Juarez and accusing authorities of excessive force in detaining migrants.

Mexico’s migrant facilities have seen protests from time to time as the American government has pressured the country to ramp up efforts to reduce the number of migrants coming to United States.

Frustrations reached a fever pitch this month when hundreds of migrants, most of them Venezuelan, heard false rumors that the U.S. would allow them to enter and tried to cross an international bridge to El Paso. In October, migrants rioted at a Tijuana immigration center, and in November, dozens rioted at the country’s largest detention center in the southern city of Tapachula.

A girl lights candle during a vigil for the victims of a fire at an immigration detention center that killed dozens in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. According to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, migrants fearing deportation set mattresses ablaze at the center, starting the fire. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez) ORG XMIT: XMC156

Woman diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 42 shares symptoms: ‘I waited way too long’

Today

Woman diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 42 shares symptoms: ‘I waited way too long’

Andria Devlin and A. Pawlowski – March 29, 2023

Andria Devlin, 48, was shocked to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer six years ago. The early childhood educator had no risk factors and no family history of the disease. Like many people, she put off getting her symptoms checked out when they appeared. Devlin, who lives in Lawrence, Kansas, shared her story with TODAY.com and an update on how she is doing one year later.

This is not an easy topic to talk about, but it’s so important. People should not die from embarrassment, and I think people are dying because they don’t want to go to their doctor and talk about the symptoms. It took me a long time to go in and say something is not right.

I have always been a human who has lived more on the constipated side, so irregular bowel movements have been kind of my jam for forever. In 2016, I noticed mucuosy substances in my stool. It was different, but not concerning.

Then I started having intermittent bleeding with my bowel movements. That, in conjunction with my constipation, equaled hemorrhoids in my brain. I had no stomach issues, no weight loss, no fatigue and all of my labs looked fine. There was nothing that would indicate that I had a tumor growing in my rectum, other than the constipation and the bright red blood in my stool.

I hadn’t given much thought to colorectal cancer. Why would I? I was in my early 40s, I’m active, I exercise, I eat well, I don’t smoke. There were absolutely no risk factors and no family history that would make me think, “Oh, you probably have cancer.”

That’s why it took me way too long to go to the doctor. It took getting to the point where I was bleeding every time I had a bowel movement for me to just be tired of it. I remember mentioning it to my OB, who said to get it checked out.

Devlin is trying to raise awareness of the disease.

That was in May 2016, but I didn’t go to the doctor until January 2017. She did a rectal exam and didn’t feel any hemorrhoids, but gave me a suppository substance see if that would help. It slowed the bleeding down, but it did not stop it.

I was then scheduled for a colonoscopy. I remember waking up from that and hearing the doctors say, “We found something very low in your rectum. It’s pretty ugly tissue.” My dad died of esophageal cancer, so when someone says ugly tissue, I know what that looks like. There were photos along with the colonoscopy report and it was certainly not the bright pink, healthy, happy tissue that you imagine that your insides look like.

The doctor called the next day, which happened to be my child’s 15th birthday, and told me the tissue was cancerous. The tumor was significant, blocking 80 to 85% of my rectum. I was immediately sent to oncology at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

Scans revealed it was stage 4 colorectal cancer — it had spread beyond my rectum to both my lungs. I was in chemo treatments within two weeks of learning my diagnosis. Ultimately, the chemo took care of almost all of the cancer in my lungs and it shrunk the tumor. I had a rectal resection in August 2017.

But there was a spot in my right lung that didn’t get smaller, it just stayed. A subsequent scan showed that it grew just a tiny bit. I had stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) on that spot in February of 2018 — five sessions over five days. You don’t move during this therapy — they make a mold of your body so you lay in a very specific position every single time. I have two boys so I liked to think about “Star Wars” while the machine was doing its thing — like “pew pew” lasers zapping my cancer spot.

In January of 2020, I had a scan that revealed another spot in that right lung, so I went through another round of SBRT.

Devlin shares a happy moment with her sons Sean and Conor, her husband, Brandon, and Lulu the dog. (Courtesy Andria Devlin)

Today, I am just celebrating the fact that I am still alive. It’s pretty miraculous that someone with stage 4 colorectal cancer can say that at six years. I am still having clear scans and lab results in 2023.

Cancer had already impacted our family and when that happens, there is a shift because life is precious and you don’t really recognize that until you have a life-altering diagnosis.

When I was first diagnosed, I thought, “You have to see your oldest kid graduate from high school.” So I’ve been just checking these boxes. I got to see my youngest son graduate from high school and celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary.

My next checkboxes are our oldest son’s college graduation, U.S. Army graduation ceremonies for our youngest and navigating an empty nest. I’ll keep adding checkboxes to my list.

I’m just making lots of memories, raising awareness and living my life to the fullest.

The response I received since this article was published in 2022 was life-changing and a little overwhelming at times. People reached out from around the world with notes of encouragement, stories of losing loved ones and gratitude for inspiring them to call the doctor after experiencing symptoms.

People don’t want to go to the doctor and say, “I’ve got mucus in my poop. What’s that about?” But people should not die from embarrassment.

If I can talk about my experience and that gets one person to the doctor before I went to the doctor, I have done my job.

For all those readers who are newly diagnosed or in the thick of treatment, let my story be your shoulder to lean on. My story is your hope.

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.

View from above: Aerial video shows Fort Myers Beach scars six months after Ian

Fort Meyers News Press

View from above: Aerial video shows Fort Myers Beach scars six months after Ian

Mark H. Bickel and Ricardo Rolón, F. M. News-Press March 29, 2023

The News-Press has provided special coverage for the six-month anniversary of Hurricane Ian. The Category 4 storm hit Southwest Florida on Sept. 28, 2022, leaving behind catostrophic damage and killing more than 160 people.

For a different perspective, Ric Rolon, a visuals journalist for The News-Press, piloted a drone that flew high above the beach recently and captured what things are lookings. While ongoing recovery efforts continue, the view remains one of a location that was pounded unmercifully by Hurricane Ian’s storm surge and winds.

GOOD-BYE IAN: Retired: There will never be another hurricane named Ian

This perspective is a unique layer to the coverage we have been providing and will continue to provide as Southwest Florida makes strides for a full recovery.

You can check out our coverage of the six-month anniversary of Hurricane Ian HERE.