India has the world’s worst air pollution: report

Seven of the world’s 10 worst polluted cities are in India, a new study has revealed, with wider South Asia home to scores more blighted by dirty air.

Gurugram, a city about 30km southwest of India’s capital New Delhi, had the worst pollution levels globally in 2018, the study published on Tuesday by AirVisual and Greenpeace showed.

Three other Indian cities, and Faisalabad, in Pakistan, made up the top five. Out of the 20 most polluted cities worldwide, 18 were in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

New Delhi, home to more than 20 million people, was ranked at 11, making it the world’s most polluted capital, ahead of Dhaka, in Bangladesh, and Kabul, in Afghanistan.

1. Gurugram, India

2. Ghaziabad, India

3. Faisalabad, Pakistan

4. Faridabad, India

5. Bhiwadi, India

6. Noida, India

7. Patna, India

8. Hotan, China

9. Lucknow, India

10. Lahore, Pakistan

Air pollution steals our livelihoods and our futures,” Yeb Sano, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said in a statement. “In addition to human lives lost, there’s an estimated global cost of 225 billion dollars in lost labour, and trillions in medical costs,” he added.

“We want this report to make people think about the air we breathe, because when we understand the impacts of air quality on our lives, we will act to protect what’s most important.”

‘Catastrophic level of air pollution’

The AirVisual and Greenpeace index was based on the quantity of PM2.5, registered last year in tens of thousands of air-quality monitoring stations around the world.

PM2.5 is particulate matter that has a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, which is about three percent the diameter of a human hair.

The 92 most-polluted cities all had an “unhealthy” average annual presence of the particulate matter, which can penetrate deep in the lungs and bloodstream and cause a wide range of adverse health effects, including premature death in the most extreme cases.

The World Health Organization estimates seven million people are killed every year due to air pollution, while non-fatal effects of over-exposure to PM2.5 include irregular heartbeats, aggravated asthma and decreased lung function, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Lauri Myllyvirta, a senior analyst for Greenpeace’s Global Air Pollution Unit, said there were a “number of reasons” for the high quantities of the particulate matter throughout South Asia documented in Tuesday’s report.

“The biggest sources are generally household emissions, industrial emissions … and transport,” he told Al Jazeera.

“A lot of households in South Asia rely on solid fuels, sometimes biomass, often coal, for their cooking and heating … and there are often cities with large scale industries with poor emissions controls,” he added.

Myllyvirta also attributed South Asia’s high population density as another contributing factor to the region’s poor air quality.

“You do have other places with similar levels of emissions, but because you have far fewer people [there] it doesn’t lead to this kind of… catastrophic level of air pollution,” he said.

South Asia has the highest population density of any region within Asia, which itself is the most densely populated continent on earth.

‘Our bodies are suffering’

In India, South Asia’s most populous country with about 1.3 billion people, researchers warned that current levels of air pollution represented a “public health emergency” requiring a “full emergency mode” response from local and national authorities.

“We are enduring this but our bodies are still suffering from it … [and] governments are trying to fix the blame rather than the problem,” Jyoti Pande Lavakare, president and co-founder of Delhi-based NGO Care for Air India, told Al Jazeera.

“It is horrific to live under such poor air quality conditions,” she added.

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has focused on delivering economic growth in a bid to boost employment and drag millions out of poverty.

But critics have accused his administration of failing to adequately address environmental issues, including air pollution, and criticised New Delhi’s recently-minted National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) as insufficient. 

Lavakare said the NCAP, which aims to cut concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 (larger particulate matter) throughout the country between 20-30 percent by 2024, was a “reactive” attempt to clean up India’s air and called on New Delhi to take a more “proactive approach”.

“We need year-round measures on a national scale,” she said, adding there was a need for “cleaner fuels for motorised transport, removing subsidies on dirty fuels, enforcing strict controls on open waste burning and reducing industrial emissions”.

A spokesperson for the Indian health ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

China cuts emissions

Tuesday’s report highlighted improved air quality levels elsewhere in Asia, however, with Chinese cities in particular registering a 12 percent fall in average PM2.5 concentrations since 2017.

While the Asian economic powerhouse still accounted for 22 of the 50 most polluted cities worldwide, its capital, Beijing, showed a marked improvement on 2017 levels of pollution, with the average annual presence of particulates falling by more than 13 percent last year.

AirVisual and Greenpeace said the reduction was a result of the “extensive monitoring networks” and effective “air pollution reduction policies” rolled out by Chinese authorities in recent years.

Under President Xi Jinping, China’s ruling Communist Party has pledged to wage a “war” on the country’s chronic air, water and land pollution.

Greenpeace’s Myllyvirta said China’s progress on reducing air pollution demonstrated the need for policymakers to fully “understand” the issue first, through effective data collection and measurement.

Describing Tuesday’s report as “very alarming and very concerning” for the most part, Myllyvirta praised Beijing for showing “what can be achieved when a country makes tackling air pollution a top priority”.

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Forbes gets roasted for naming Kylie Jenner its youngest ‘self-made billionaire’

Image: Angela Weiss / AFP / Getty Images

2017%252f10%252f20%252fa0%252fchloebryan11.0b114.jpg%252f90x90By Chloe Bryan

Forbes was hotly critiqued for calling Kylie Jenner a soon-to-be “self-made billionaire” back in July, when she was poised to hit the $1 billion mark. Now she’s hit it, so they did it again.

As part of its annual ranking of the world’s richest people, the magazine named 21-year-old Jenner, who founded beauty company Kylie Cosmetics in 2015, the world’s youngest self-made billionaire. (She took the throne from Mark Zuckerberg, who became a billionaire at age 23.) 

Of course, this distinction seems dubious to many people — including the folks at Dictionary.com — because the term “self-made” doesn’t square with Jenner’s status as a member of one of a famously wealthy and visible family.

And so we got another round of Kylie kommentary. 

no such thing as a self-made billionaire

— JuanPa (@jpbrammer) March 5, 2019

I’m sure Kylie Jenner works hard but she is not “self-made” and we should all stop comparing our successes in our fields to the successes of people who come from wealthy, connected families cos the playing field is at 90 degrees

— Lex Croucher (@lexcanroar) March 5, 2019

Ah Kylie Jenner, those days getting up at 5 a.m. to deliver the paper in the snow, saving up every nickel!

— Deegs (@BDeegs) March 5, 2019

SEE ALSO: Alyssa Milano’s next viral cause: women’s equality

This is not to say that Jenner doesn’t work hard or that she has no business acumen. Not every rich kid could’ve done what she did. It’s worth pointing out, though, that Jenner had an enormous leg up when it came to building, promoting, and scaling her company. That’s something we should be able to admit.

Plus, you know, the jokes are good.

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Coming Up: Dortmund Take on Tottenham

  1. Tottenham Hotspur @SpursOfficial

  2. Spurs Arrive at Signal Iduna Park 💪

    UEFA Champions League @ChampionsLeague

    ⚪ Tottenham hold 3-0 advantage from first leg…

    #UCL @SpursOfficial https://t.co/YfopplbcNR

  3. Dortmund’s UCL XI 👇

    Borussia Dortmund @BlackYellow

    🚨 #BVB STARTING XI 🚨

    They-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named ⚡

    #BVBTHFC https://t.co/Qs872ZVuOA

  4. Spurs XI for Dortmund

    Tottenham Hotspur @SpursOfficial

    #THFC: Lloris (C), Aurier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Davies, Winks, Sissoko, Eriksen, Son, Kane.

    Latest odds from @WilliamHill 👉https://t.co/DZNOyGhv0Q

    #COYS ⚪ #UCL https://t.co/P6AY5muSYZ

  5. Coming Up: Dortmund Take on Tottenham

    via Bleacher Report

  6. Standard Sport @standardsport

  7. Standard Sport @standardsport

  8. International Champions Cup @IntChampionsCup

  9. Stu, Steve and Mo Recreate Son’s Banger vs. Dortmund

    Bleacher Report @BleacherReport

    Son Heung-min nailed the goal and the celebration against Dortmund

    Can @stuholden, @stevenash and @MauriceEdu recreate his volley? 🎯(via @brfootball) https://t.co/smJ2o8JOlY

  10. 👏

    Football on BT Sport @btsportfootball

    🎶 Ohhh when the Spurs 🎶

    Tottenham fans are making themselves heard in Dortmund 🙌

    They’re looking to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for only the second time… https://t.co/bmDtepeyBL

  11. Time for Another Epic Comeback?

    UEFA Champions League @ChampionsLeague

    😍 Great #UCL comebacks…

    ⚽ Manchester United 1-1 Juventus
    😮 @juventusfc 2-3 @ManUtd (Agg 3-4)

    ⚽ Paris 4-0 Barcelona
    😮 @FCBarcelona 6-1 @PSG_English (Agg: 6-5) https://t.co/C8mpkTJjIB

  12. Jack Pitt-Brooke @JackPittBrooke

  13. The Spurs Web ⚽ @thespursweb

  14. International Champions Cup @IntChampionsCup

  15. Leicester and Dortmund Keen on Alfredo Morelos

    via Sky Sports

  16. Will They Keep Spurs Out Tonight?

    Borussia Dortmund @BlackYellow

    BVB has kept a clean sheet in all home games for this year’s #UCL campaign ⛔

    AUF GEHT’S DORTMUND! https://t.co/FjNakofjIt

  17. NBC Sports Soccer @NBCSportsSoccer

  18. Squawka Football @Squawka

  19. UEFA Champions League @ChampionsLeague

  20. The Sun – Tottenham @SunTottenham

  21. OptaJoe @OptaJoe

  22. Tottenham Hotspur @SpursOfficial

  23. talkSPORT @talkSPORT

  24. The Spurs Web ⚽ @thespursweb

  25. UEFA Champions League @ChampionsLeague

  26. John Cross @johncrossmirror

  27. Ben Pearce @BenPearceSpurs

  28. BVB English @BVB_English

  29. Archie Rhind-Tutt @archiert1

  30. Andrew Das @AndrewDasNYT

  31. talkSPORT @talkSPORT

  32. Borussia Dortmund @BVB

  33. 101 Great Goals @102greatgoals

  34. CalcioMercato (En) @CmdotCom_En

  35. E-Spurs @e_spurs

  36. Tottenham Hotspur @SpursOfficial

  37. 101 Great Goals @102greatgoals

  38. MailOnline Sport @MailSport

  39. FourFourTwo ⚽ @FourFourTwo

  40. Alasdair Gold @AlasdairGold

  41. Goal @goal

  42. UEFA Champions League @ChampionsLeague

  43. talkingbaws.com @talkingbaws

  44. Lars Pollmann @LarsPollmann

  45. Talking THFC @TalkingTHFC

  46. football.london @Football_LDN

  47. Chris Miller @WindyCOYS

  48. Alexi Lalas @AlexiLalas

  49. Ben Dinnery @BenDinnery

  50. Alasdair Gold @AlasdairGold

  51. The Spurs Web ⚽ @thespursweb

  52. The Spurs Web ⚽ @thespursweb

  53. E-Spurs @e_spurs

  54. talkSPORT @talkSPORT

  55. Sky Sports Football @SkyFootball

  56. DW Sports @dw_sports

  57. Tottenham Hotspur @SpursOfficial

  58. Rob Harris @RobHarris

  59. Alasdair Gold @AlasdairGold

  60. Guardian sport @guardian_sport

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Coming Up: Dortmund Take on Tottenham

  1. Tottenham Hotspur @SpursOfficial

  2. Spurs Arrive at Signal Iduna Park 💪

    UEFA Champions League @ChampionsLeague

    ⚪ Tottenham hold 3-0 advantage from first leg…

    #UCL @SpursOfficial https://t.co/YfopplbcNR

  3. Dortmund’s UCL XI 👇

    Borussia Dortmund @BlackYellow

    🚨 #BVB STARTING XI 🚨

    They-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named ⚡

    #BVBTHFC https://t.co/Qs872ZVuOA

  4. Spurs XI for Dortmund

    Tottenham Hotspur @SpursOfficial

    #THFC: Lloris (C), Aurier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Davies, Winks, Sissoko, Eriksen, Son, Kane.

    Latest odds from @WilliamHill 👉https://t.co/DZNOyGhv0Q

    #COYS ⚪ #UCL https://t.co/P6AY5muSYZ

  5. Coming Up: Dortmund Take on Tottenham

    via Bleacher Report

  6. Standard Sport @standardsport

  7. Standard Sport @standardsport

  8. International Champions Cup @IntChampionsCup

  9. Stu, Steve and Mo Recreate Son’s Banger vs. Dortmund

    Bleacher Report @BleacherReport

    Son Heung-min nailed the goal and the celebration against Dortmund

    Can @stuholden, @stevenash and @MauriceEdu recreate his volley? 🎯(via @brfootball) https://t.co/smJ2o8JOlY

  10. 👏

    Football on BT Sport @btsportfootball

    🎶 Ohhh when the Spurs 🎶

    Tottenham fans are making themselves heard in Dortmund 🙌

    They’re looking to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for only the second time… https://t.co/bmDtepeyBL

  11. Time for Another Epic Comeback?

    UEFA Champions League @ChampionsLeague

    😍 Great #UCL comebacks…

    ⚽ Manchester United 1-1 Juventus
    😮 @juventusfc 2-3 @ManUtd (Agg 3-4)

    ⚽ Paris 4-0 Barcelona
    😮 @FCBarcelona 6-1 @PSG_English (Agg: 6-5) https://t.co/C8mpkTJjIB

  12. Jack Pitt-Brooke @JackPittBrooke

  13. The Spurs Web ⚽ @thespursweb

  14. International Champions Cup @IntChampionsCup

  15. Leicester and Dortmund Keen on Alfredo Morelos

    via Sky Sports

  16. Will They Keep Spurs Out Tonight?

    Borussia Dortmund @BlackYellow

    BVB has kept a clean sheet in all home games for this year’s #UCL campaign ⛔

    AUF GEHT’S DORTMUND! https://t.co/FjNakofjIt

  17. NBC Sports Soccer @NBCSportsSoccer

  18. Squawka Football @Squawka

  19. UEFA Champions League @ChampionsLeague

  20. The Sun – Tottenham @SunTottenham

  21. OptaJoe @OptaJoe

  22. Tottenham Hotspur @SpursOfficial

  23. talkSPORT @talkSPORT

  24. The Spurs Web ⚽ @thespursweb

  25. UEFA Champions League @ChampionsLeague

  26. John Cross @johncrossmirror

  27. Ben Pearce @BenPearceSpurs

  28. BVB English @BVB_English

  29. Archie Rhind-Tutt @archiert1

  30. Andrew Das @AndrewDasNYT

  31. talkSPORT @talkSPORT

  32. Borussia Dortmund @BVB

  33. 101 Great Goals @102greatgoals

  34. CalcioMercato (En) @CmdotCom_En

  35. E-Spurs @e_spurs

  36. Tottenham Hotspur @SpursOfficial

  37. 101 Great Goals @102greatgoals

  38. MailOnline Sport @MailSport

  39. FourFourTwo ⚽ @FourFourTwo

  40. Alasdair Gold @AlasdairGold

  41. Goal @goal

  42. UEFA Champions League @ChampionsLeague

  43. talkingbaws.com @talkingbaws

  44. Lars Pollmann @LarsPollmann

  45. Talking THFC @TalkingTHFC

  46. football.london @Football_LDN

  47. Chris Miller @WindyCOYS

  48. Alexi Lalas @AlexiLalas

  49. Ben Dinnery @BenDinnery

  50. Alasdair Gold @AlasdairGold

  51. The Spurs Web ⚽ @thespursweb

  52. The Spurs Web ⚽ @thespursweb

  53. E-Spurs @e_spurs

  54. talkSPORT @talkSPORT

  55. Sky Sports Football @SkyFootball

  56. DW Sports @dw_sports

  57. Tottenham Hotspur @SpursOfficial

  58. Rob Harris @RobHarris

  59. Alasdair Gold @AlasdairGold

  60. Guardian sport @guardian_sport

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Every detail you missed in the new ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 trailer

PHEW. The Game of Thrones Season 8 trailer just dropped. And we are in full tin foil hat theory mode.

Take a look at the full thing here, then join us below for a second-to-second breakdown of what’s happening and what it means for the final season when it premieres on April 14.

SEE ALSO: Everything to remember from ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 1

When Arya is running, she doesn’t appear to be wearing any armor. So despite appearances, this might not actually be in the aftermath or during the Winterfell battle we know is happening. Or rather if it is, then it will be a sneak attack. But that seems counter to all the other images we see, of prepared Unsullied and Winterfell soldiers fighting the enemy. Maybe there are two White Walker attacks on Winterfell? 

Also, there is a reason behind the huge contrast between Arya’s desperate running, and her speech about wanting to see death. It’s hard to imagine she’s actually run from any fight, even if it seemed doomed. 

Don’t forget that she’s run in seeming fear from an enemy before as a trick to trap them (the Waif in Season 6 right before Arya killed her then left the Faceless Men). She won that battle, so don’t be too sure this means she’s dead. 

She’s holding a dragonglass blade in her hand while giving her speech, so we suspect she does have to tools to kill whatever’s chasing her — at least if it’s undead.

Our worst possible answer for what’s chasing her and why she won’t fight it, though, is that it is an undead King of Winter from the Crypts of Winterfell. Check out our analysis of the teaser trailer here for a more in-depth discussion. 

But the tl;dr is: There’s a lot of indication in the books that the dead Starks buried in the crypts will rise again. The Night King could do it with a flick of his wrist. So we imagine Arya would be prepared to fight and kill all the faces of death — unless it was the face of her undead father, Ned Stark. She’d probably run from that one.

Varys is down below in the crypts or some other sequestered location with the women and children. Aside, that is, from what appears to be some guy in the background who looks like he has a massive sword. I guess if everything goes to shit up above in the battle, you need someone to kill whoever’s left in a way that won’t let them come back.

Who is that on the Greyjoy ships? The blonde hair does not at all look like Euron. Those soldiers are not ironborn, but dressed all in gold. They are definitely the Golden Company, the sellsword army that Cersei mentioned she’d be sending for in Essos at the end of Season 7. Boy, do they have no idea what kind of war they just walked into.

The shot of Bran and Sam a reminder that they are tasked with telling Jon the truth of his parentage, which will be awkward for them when they see him walk into Winterfell all snuggled with Auntie Daenerys.

Then there’s Dany and Jon in what appears to be the Crypts of Winterfell, looking like Jon just found out the devastating news of their incest. Daenerys looks totes chill, while he looks suffered as always. Will Dany be a true Targaryen and accept their incestuous union as just a normal part of her lineage, only making her claim to the throne stronger by marrying Jon?

This trailer all but confirms that Gendry will be the one to teach people how to smelt more Valyrian steel. There were subtle hints of that throughout Season 7

The basic idea is that we’re pretty sure the ultra-rare Valyrian steel (which is the only thing that works against the White Walkers) is some combination of regular steel + dragonglass + dragonfire. But only a few smiths in the world are left who even know how to properly forge that into Valyrian steel. And Gendry’s blacksmith mentor in King’s Landing was one of them.

Another practically confirmed theory this trailer teases is that Jon will ride Rheagal. After all, the dragon is named after Rheagar, his real father. And his Targaryen blood makes him one of the only people qualified to become a dragon rider.

Just about the only person who looks pleased in all this misery is Cersei. She’s probably over the moon that her scheme is going according to plan: Her enemy forces have presumably been wiped out in the north, fighting the army of the dead. It’s notable that Qyburn looks kind of horrified by her, which is tough to do for a guy like Qyburn!

But there are also hints of tears when she’s sipping that wine, perhaps because she’s also learned that means Jaime is dead. Also, she must know that also means the dead are probably coming for King’s Landing next (it was in the prophecy in Season 2 when the throne room is covered in snow). 

There’s not much in the trailer to support this theory, but Cersei is definitely giving off some serious Night Queen vibes, meaning she’d actually join the army of the dead.

If you want to catch up on all the best theories and loose ends from every previous season, be sure to check out our ongoing Rewatching for the Throne series.

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Helen Mirren at RSA security conference: You’re heroes who ‘patrol a vast untamed wasteland’

Helen Mirren doing her thing in 2016.
Helen Mirren doing her thing in 2016.

Image: Lior Mizrahi / getty 

2017%252f09%252f18%252f2b%252fjackbw5.32076.jpg%252f90x90By Jack Morse

The annual RSA cybersecurity conference is officially underway in San Francisco, and things have taken a turn for the weird. 

In a packed convention hall in the city’s downtown Moscone Center, thousands of attendees gathered shortly after 8 a.m. on Tuesday for the opening keynote of an industry conference that draws security professionals from around the globe. And, because of course, Dame Helen Mirren was there to welcome them — and aggressively stroke their egos in the process. 

SEE ALSO: Cybersecurity conference exposed attendee info via a garbage app because of course it did

“Many of you patrol a vast untamed wasteland on your own,” Dame Mirren cooed to what appeared to be a mostly male crowd. “You see the hope that you radiate has been felt worldwide by many souls you may never meet. Your sense of duty and goodness, like an eternal beacon, helps others find their way through the darkness.”

The crowd, perhaps never having had their eternal beacons so publicly complimented, ate it up. But wait, it got better.  

Helen Mirren giving a pep talk to security researchers at RSA. “Together you stop the cyber underworld from growing out of control… YOU are a hero.” pic.twitter.com/RcO3xBBo3B

— Michael Kan (@Michael_Kan) March 5, 2019

“The collective brilliance of this conference has addressed major world problems, such as cyber fraud, espionage, theft, extortion, and election meddling on a grand scale,” she observed. “If you did not adapt and change, nations would drown. Our planet would be flooded by unreliable communication, and distorted by shifts in power.” 

Cms%252f2019%252f3%252f90401572 a602 aeb8%252fthumb%252f00001.jpg%252foriginal.jpg?signature= 91wrsngmjrm5vwwlhdicecr91g=&source=https%3a%2f%2fvdist.aws.mashable

Toward the end of her rousing call to cyber greatness, Dame Mirren asked the crowd to take out their phones and find a photo that “means something special.” She then instructed the bleary-eyed, coffee-slurping security experts to show those seated near them said pic and to introduce themselves. 

A surprising number did as instructed. 

“See how deeply you see we are all connected,” Dame Mirren observed as the music swelled behind her. “Don’t be cynical,” she admonished. 

Thank you Dame Mirren, we’ll try our best. And with those stirring words of surely heartfelt and genuine encouragement, we may just have a chance. 

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James Gatto, Christian Dawkins, Merl Code Sentenced to Jail Terms in CBB Trial

Former Adidas executive James Gatto arrives to court for sentencing in New York, Tuesday, March 5, 2019. Federal prosecutors have recommended multi-year prison sentences for Gatto and two other men convicted of fraud for channeling secret payments to the families of top-tier basketball recruits to influence where the players went to school. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

James Gatto, Christian Dawkins and Merl Code—who were found guilty of felony wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in October for their part in a broad college basketball pay-for-play plot—were sentenced to prison time Tuesday.

According to Pete Brush of Law360, Gatto was sentenced to nine months, while Dawkins and Code each received six-month sentences. The judge in the case also addressed former Louisville head coach Rick Pitino:

Pete Brush @PeteBrush

Judge Kaplan addresses Rick Pitino, says #HoopsTrial dfdts were trying to cover Pitino’s tracks “to the extent that they could” and give ex-Louisville coach “plausible deniability.”

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

Get the best sports content from the web and social in the new B/R app. Get the app and get the game.

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What is left of Hugo Chavez’s legacy?

When Venezuela‘s President Hugo Chavez died on March 5, 2013, it sparked a series of events that are still playing out today.

His successor, Nicolas Maduro, continued the policies that his critics say have led to hyperinflation and widespread shortages of food and medicine.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido is demanding Maduro’s resignation, but the president is refusing to go.

So, is there a way out? And what is Chavez’s legacy?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Temir Porras – former Chief of Staff for Maduro and foreign policy adviser for Chavez

Tom Long – professor in South American politics, University of Warwick

Roderick Navarro – coordinator for Rumbo Libertad, a Venezuelan opposition party

Source: Al Jazeera News

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Amazon helps fund anti-vaccination groups through charity program

Anti-vaccination groups are raising money through Amazon's charity fundraising initiative, AmazonSmile.
Anti-vaccination groups are raising money through Amazon’s charity fundraising initiative, AmazonSmile.

Image: Quinn Rooney / Getty Images

2018%252f06%252f26%252fc2%252f20182f062f252f5a2fphoto.d9abc.b1c04.jpg%252f90x90By Matt Binder

Amazon is under fire again for helping spread anti-vaccine conspiracies.

Four major anti-vaccination groups — National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), Age of Autism, Learn the Risk, and Physicians for Informed Consent — are raising money through the Amazon’s charity fundraising program, AmazonSmile, according to a report by The Guardian

Other anti-vaccine organizations such as American Citizens for Health Choice (ACHC), A Voice for Choice, Informed Consent Action Network, and the National Health Freedom Coalition are also included in the program.

Through AmazonSmile, customers can choose to donate 0.5 percent of their purchase price to a charitable group of their choice when shopping with Amazon. The fundraising initiative has donated more than $100 million to organizations such as St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Doctors Without Borders, and the ASPCA since it launched in 2013. 

SEE ALSO: Amazon pulls anti-vaccination documentaries from Prime Video

It’s unknown just how much anti-vaccination groups have raised through the program. As the Guardian points out, many of these organizations have an operating budget in the five to six figures. NVIC, the largest of these nonprofits, had more than $1 million in revenue in 2017.

These groups have promoted dangerous conspiracy theories about the safety of vaccinations, such as the belief that vaccines cause autism, which have thoroughly been debunked by scientists and medical professionals.

The Guardian report also uncovered how individuals within the anti-vaxxer movement are also raising money through Amazon’s Influencer program.

Amazon has recently undergone similar scrutiny over documentaries promoting the anti-vaxxer movement found on Amazon Prime. Last Friday, United States Rep. Adam Schiff sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos blasting the company for spreading misinformation about vaccines. In his letter, the congressman demanded to know what the company was going to do about the anti-vaccination content.

Anti-vaccination documentaries, such as Vaxxed: From Cover-up to Catastrophe, were later removed from Amazon Prime.

“Every online platform, including Amazon, must act responsibly and ensure that they do not contribute to this growing public health catastrophe,” stated Schiff in his letter.

Last month, Facebook, YouTube and other social media platforms faced its own issues with the anti-vaccination movement. 

A recent report uncovered how anti-vaccination conspiracies were proliferating on Facebook through private groups. A separate report also exposed a similar rise in anti-vaxxer content on YouTube. The company responded by demonetizing anti-vaccination videos on the platform.

Pinterest has possibly taken the most extreme measures against the anti-vaxxer movement of any major social media platform. The company recently started blocking searches relating to vaccine misinformation on its website.

Mashable has reached out to Amazon for comment and will update this post when we hear back.

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