Saturday, May 22, 2021
BIPARTISANSHIP
US Senate unanimously calls for Tigray ceasefire
Resolution passes calling for end to hostilities and withdrawal of Eritrean troops from region
Eritrean forces agreed to withdraw from Tigray in March, but have failed to do so. The resolution refers to credible reports that the country's forces in Tigray have attacked civilians as well as looted and destroyed homes and religious institutions.
Ethiopia has blocked telephone and internet access in Tigray while restricting journalists from entering and has also blocked the UN from providing humanitarian aid.
Congress is also pushing the Biden administration to sanction Ethiopian and Eritrean officials involved in human rights abuses in Tigray under the Global Magnitsky Act.
The Tigray Centre for Information and Communication is also lobbying the White House to levy the sanctions and is asking the House of Representatives to pass a similar resolution.
The centre has hired Karl Von Batten, head of the consulting firm Von Batten-Montague-York, to make its case to the administration of President Joe Biden and to Congress.
“We can’t stand by and watch innocent civilians raped, shot and massacred and killed,” Mr Von Batten told The National. “This was a vote for humanity and we call on the House to put out its own strong resolution.
“We call on the White House to heed the Senate’s call and place sanctions on the actors, not as a country, but the bad actors who have committed these crimes,” he added.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has said that “ethnic cleansing” is taking place in Tigray, personally called for the withdrawal of Eritrean forces during a phone call with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last month.
Multiple sources in Congress have told The National that the Biden administration is reviewing “all options” to respond to the Tigray crisis, including sanctions. However, the State Department has declined to comment on the possibility of enacting sanctions.
Mr Biden’s envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, visited the region last week, in part to mediate the Tigray crisis, and briefed the Senate on his trip behind closed doors on Monday.
The Senate is also expected to have Biden administration officials publicly testify on the Tigray conflict next week.
During his trip, Mr Feltman addressed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Egypt and Sudan have objected to the dam, arguing it will restrict their access to Nile River water.
The Senate resolution notes the Tigray conflict “occurs within the context of complicated regional and global dynamics, including ongoing negotiations between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.”
Updated: May 20, 2021 07:20 PM
US Senate unanimously calls for Tigray ceasefire
Resolution passes calling for end to hostilities and withdrawal of Eritrean troops from region
A protester kneels during a demonstration against Ethiopia's war in Tigray. The US Senate resolution calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities in the region. Getty Images
The US Senate has unanimously passed a non-binding resolution that calls for a ceasefire in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and the full withdrawal of Eritrean troops.
James Risch of Idaho, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the resolution, which “calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities in the Tigray region of Ethiopia” and “condemns in the strongest terms all violence against civilians".
The resolution, which was passed Wednesday, also “calls on the government of Eritrea to immediately and fully withdraw its military forces from Ethiopia and condemns in the strongest terms any human rights violations, murder, looting, rape and other crimes committed by the Eritrean military or any other forces in the Tigray region or elsewhere in Ethiopia".
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US envoy calls for 'immediate withdrawal' of Eritrean forces from Tigray
UN council calls for more aid to reach Tigray
The US Senate has unanimously passed a non-binding resolution that calls for a ceasefire in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and the full withdrawal of Eritrean troops.
James Risch of Idaho, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the resolution, which “calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities in the Tigray region of Ethiopia” and “condemns in the strongest terms all violence against civilians".
The resolution, which was passed Wednesday, also “calls on the government of Eritrea to immediately and fully withdraw its military forces from Ethiopia and condemns in the strongest terms any human rights violations, murder, looting, rape and other crimes committed by the Eritrean military or any other forces in the Tigray region or elsewhere in Ethiopia".
READ MORE
US envoy calls for 'immediate withdrawal' of Eritrean forces from Tigray
UN council calls for more aid to reach Tigray
Eritrean forces agreed to withdraw from Tigray in March, but have failed to do so. The resolution refers to credible reports that the country's forces in Tigray have attacked civilians as well as looted and destroyed homes and religious institutions.
Ethiopia has blocked telephone and internet access in Tigray while restricting journalists from entering and has also blocked the UN from providing humanitarian aid.
Congress is also pushing the Biden administration to sanction Ethiopian and Eritrean officials involved in human rights abuses in Tigray under the Global Magnitsky Act.
The Tigray Centre for Information and Communication is also lobbying the White House to levy the sanctions and is asking the House of Representatives to pass a similar resolution.
The centre has hired Karl Von Batten, head of the consulting firm Von Batten-Montague-York, to make its case to the administration of President Joe Biden and to Congress.
“We can’t stand by and watch innocent civilians raped, shot and massacred and killed,” Mr Von Batten told The National. “This was a vote for humanity and we call on the House to put out its own strong resolution.
“We call on the White House to heed the Senate’s call and place sanctions on the actors, not as a country, but the bad actors who have committed these crimes,” he added.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has said that “ethnic cleansing” is taking place in Tigray, personally called for the withdrawal of Eritrean forces during a phone call with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last month.
Multiple sources in Congress have told The National that the Biden administration is reviewing “all options” to respond to the Tigray crisis, including sanctions. However, the State Department has declined to comment on the possibility of enacting sanctions.
Mr Biden’s envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, visited the region last week, in part to mediate the Tigray crisis, and briefed the Senate on his trip behind closed doors on Monday.
The Senate is also expected to have Biden administration officials publicly testify on the Tigray conflict next week.
During his trip, Mr Feltman addressed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Egypt and Sudan have objected to the dam, arguing it will restrict their access to Nile River water.
The Senate resolution notes the Tigray conflict “occurs within the context of complicated regional and global dynamics, including ongoing negotiations between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.”
Updated: May 20, 2021 07:20 PM
AFTER THEY FINISH RAPING TIGRAY
Global consortium wins Ethiopia's telecom license for $850M
Move will create jobs for 1.5M citizens, activate over $8B domestic investment
Addis Getachew |22.05.2021
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
The Ethiopian government on Saturday awarded a telecom service license to the Global Partnership for Ethiopia, a consortium of telecom companies.
The move will create jobs for 1.5 million citizens and activate over $8 billion in domestic investment, the statement said.
“Global Partnership for Ethiopia has been selected as having the potential to provide high-quality telecom services to the people of Ethiopia," it added
The country's Council of Ministers also unanimously decided to expedite tasks that would enable the issuance of the second telecom license through the Ethiopian Communication Authority.
In mid-2018, Ethiopia floated the partial privatization of the country's giant telecom through sale of two licenses for prospective international operators.
"The Council of Ministers has unanimously made a historic decision today allowing Ethiopian Communications Authority to grant a new nationwide telecom license to the Global Partnership for Ethiopia which offered the highest licensing fee and a very solid investment case," Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Twitter.
"With over USD 8 billion total investment, this will be the single largest FDI [foreign direct investment] into Ethiopia to date. Our desire to take Ethiopia fully digital is on track. I would like to thank all that have taken part in this and for pulling off a very transparent and effective process!" Abiy added.
Global consortium wins Ethiopia's telecom license for $850M
Move will create jobs for 1.5M citizens, activate over $8B domestic investment
Addis Getachew |22.05.2021
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
The Ethiopian government on Saturday awarded a telecom service license to the Global Partnership for Ethiopia, a consortium of telecom companies.
The consortium, which includes Vodafone, Vodacom, Safaricom, Sumitomo Corporation, and the CDC Group, won the bid offering $850 million, two million dollars more than the second-highest bidder, the office of the prime minister said in a statement.
The move will create jobs for 1.5 million citizens and activate over $8 billion in domestic investment, the statement said.
“Global Partnership for Ethiopia has been selected as having the potential to provide high-quality telecom services to the people of Ethiopia," it added
The country's Council of Ministers also unanimously decided to expedite tasks that would enable the issuance of the second telecom license through the Ethiopian Communication Authority.
In mid-2018, Ethiopia floated the partial privatization of the country's giant telecom through sale of two licenses for prospective international operators.
"The Council of Ministers has unanimously made a historic decision today allowing Ethiopian Communications Authority to grant a new nationwide telecom license to the Global Partnership for Ethiopia which offered the highest licensing fee and a very solid investment case," Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Twitter.
"With over USD 8 billion total investment, this will be the single largest FDI [foreign direct investment] into Ethiopia to date. Our desire to take Ethiopia fully digital is on track. I would like to thank all that have taken part in this and for pulling off a very transparent and effective process!" Abiy added.
Gaza's war is far from over for injured children clinging to life in hospital
Over 500 children in Gaza were injured during the 11 day conflict with some needing specialist care and facing life-changing injurie
At 2am on the 21st of May, Gaza’s eleven day nightmare ended after some of the heaviest Israeli airstrikes on the enclave.
But for four year old Sarah, the war was far from over.
Lying in a hospital bed in room number three of the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza city, she cried and refused any contact with her doctor, who was struggling to examine her, asking her to move her hand.
He feared she may be suffering partial paralysis from her injuries.
“She is crying all the time, she is afraid and she doesn’t want to talk to anyone,” Sara’s aunt Amal Al Mattrabi’y told The National.
Sara was sleeping in her home when Israeli warplanes bombed the house, located at Al Thalatheni street in Gaza city. Sara and her mother were injured.
“Sara unfortunately will suffer from lower hemiplegia, because of her injuries in her brain, and thoracic and cervical vertebrae,” Jordanian neurosurgeon and spinal surgery consultant Dr Rami Algroom told The National.
“Doctors carried out a number of surgeries for her to stop the bleeding, and we will put a treatment plan in place to improve her condition,” he said.
Dr Algroom arrived in Gaza a week ago to help treat a surge in injuries that was overwhelming hospitals as the conflict escalated.
Sara’s family refuses to admit that she will have to continue her life in a wheelchair, and pray to God that a miracle can avert this outcome.
“I have come to Gaza in the previous wars and treated wounded people, but this time I see most of the injuries affect children, in the brain and bone marrow. About one tenth of cases among children need to get treatment outside of Gaza,” Dr Algroom added.
Marah Albahtiti, age five, was another child laying in the intensive care unit at Alshifa hospital. She was connected to a ventilator after doctors conducted several surgical operations to stabilise her condition.
Marah came to the hospital seven days after her home was bombed by Israeli warplanes.
“Marah came to the hospital with serious injuries, and in shock. We treated her immediately while she was awake but she did not react,” Dr Jamal Al Harazeen, general doctor at Alshifa hospital told The National.
“She suffered a number of wounds to her abdomen, hands and legs. Four specialist doctors were inside the operation room, conducting a number of surgical operations, beside plastic surgery,” he added.
Dr Al Harazeen said that Marah will require life support until she can breathe by herself.
According to the heath ministry of Gaza, around 540 patients under 18 years old entered the hospital with different injuries. At least 232 Palestinians have died, 65 of them children and 39 of them women while more than 1,900 have been wounded.
Ibraheem Jineed, age six year, was lying in room number five at Alshifa hospital, waiting to be transferred to Egypt to continue his treatment.
A Palestinian girl takes selfie with her mobile amongst the rubble of the destroyed Al-Shorouq tower after a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza fighters, in Beit Hanun, northern Gaza Strip. EPA
“Losing time is not good for him, his condition could worsen if he doesn’t leave Gaza for treatment,” said Sohaib Jineed, Ibraheem’s 22-year-old cousin to The National.
Ibrahim suffered injuries to his bowels which have now become inflamed and he needs to get treatment immediately.
Ibrahim was sitting in front of his home in Jabaliya camp, north of the Gaza Strip on the first day of the war when shelling killed his brother and injured another of his brothers.
The ministry of health has launched a distress call asking international humanitarian organisations and relief institutions to aid the health sector.
The ministry says $46 million will be needed initially to provide medicines and medical equipment, after supplies have become depleted following Israel’s blockade of the enclave.
After 1,000 Israeli airstrikes, a truce came into effect on May 21 at 2am following intensive Egyptian mediation.
The end of hostilities was greeted by thousands of Palestinians in Gaza taking to the streets in celebration, a cacophony of whistles and cheers as residents of the city welcomed the announcement of what local militants called a victory over the Israelis.
Updated: May 22, 2021 07:07 PM
Over 500 children in Gaza were injured during the 11 day conflict with some needing specialist care and facing life-changing injurie
At 2am on the 21st of May, Gaza’s eleven day nightmare ended after some of the heaviest Israeli airstrikes on the enclave.
But for four year old Sarah, the war was far from over.
Lying in a hospital bed in room number three of the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza city, she cried and refused any contact with her doctor, who was struggling to examine her, asking her to move her hand.
He feared she may be suffering partial paralysis from her injuries.
“She is crying all the time, she is afraid and she doesn’t want to talk to anyone,” Sara’s aunt Amal Al Mattrabi’y told The National.
Sara was sleeping in her home when Israeli warplanes bombed the house, located at Al Thalatheni street in Gaza city. Sara and her mother were injured.
“Sara unfortunately will suffer from lower hemiplegia, because of her injuries in her brain, and thoracic and cervical vertebrae,” Jordanian neurosurgeon and spinal surgery consultant Dr Rami Algroom told The National.
“Doctors carried out a number of surgeries for her to stop the bleeding, and we will put a treatment plan in place to improve her condition,” he said.
A Palestinian child, who was wounded in overnight Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, receives treatment at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza city. Getty Images
Dr Algroom arrived in Gaza a week ago to help treat a surge in injuries that was overwhelming hospitals as the conflict escalated.
Sara’s family refuses to admit that she will have to continue her life in a wheelchair, and pray to God that a miracle can avert this outcome.
“I have come to Gaza in the previous wars and treated wounded people, but this time I see most of the injuries affect children, in the brain and bone marrow. About one tenth of cases among children need to get treatment outside of Gaza,” Dr Algroom added.
Marah Albahtiti, age five, was another child laying in the intensive care unit at Alshifa hospital. She was connected to a ventilator after doctors conducted several surgical operations to stabilise her condition.
Marah came to the hospital seven days after her home was bombed by Israeli warplanes.
“Marah came to the hospital with serious injuries, and in shock. We treated her immediately while she was awake but she did not react,” Dr Jamal Al Harazeen, general doctor at Alshifa hospital told The National.
“She suffered a number of wounds to her abdomen, hands and legs. Four specialist doctors were inside the operation room, conducting a number of surgical operations, beside plastic surgery,” he added.
Dr Al Harazeen said that Marah will require life support until she can breathe by herself.
According to the heath ministry of Gaza, around 540 patients under 18 years old entered the hospital with different injuries. At least 232 Palestinians have died, 65 of them children and 39 of them women while more than 1,900 have been wounded.
Ibraheem Jineed, age six year, was lying in room number five at Alshifa hospital, waiting to be transferred to Egypt to continue his treatment.
A Palestinian girl takes selfie with her mobile amongst the rubble of the destroyed Al-Shorouq tower after a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza fighters, in Beit Hanun, northern Gaza Strip. EPA
“Losing time is not good for him, his condition could worsen if he doesn’t leave Gaza for treatment,” said Sohaib Jineed, Ibraheem’s 22-year-old cousin to The National.
Ibrahim suffered injuries to his bowels which have now become inflamed and he needs to get treatment immediately.
Ibrahim was sitting in front of his home in Jabaliya camp, north of the Gaza Strip on the first day of the war when shelling killed his brother and injured another of his brothers.
The ministry of health has launched a distress call asking international humanitarian organisations and relief institutions to aid the health sector.
The ministry says $46 million will be needed initially to provide medicines and medical equipment, after supplies have become depleted following Israel’s blockade of the enclave.
After 1,000 Israeli airstrikes, a truce came into effect on May 21 at 2am following intensive Egyptian mediation.
The end of hostilities was greeted by thousands of Palestinians in Gaza taking to the streets in celebration, a cacophony of whistles and cheers as residents of the city welcomed the announcement of what local militants called a victory over the Israelis.
Updated: May 22, 2021 07:07 PM
The moral burden of being a Palestinian citizen of Israel
Israeli forces detain a group of Palestinian Israelis in the mixed Arab-Jewish city of Lod on May 13, 2021, during clashes between Jewish far-right extremists and Arab residents. AFP THE WOUND TO THE HEAD, BANDAGED, IS CONSISTANT WITH RUBBER BULLET WOUND
My sister is a nurse at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. She felt unsafe going to work this week even though a few months ago, she and other Arab healthcare workers like her were applauded for their work in Israel during the pandemic. My two brothers, who work in Tel Aviv, are similarly afraid. Last week, the town in which my other sister lives, Jadeidi Al Makr, was sealed off by Israeli police. My nephew, who is three, is having nightmares because he was recently with his father in our hometown of Umm Al Fahm, near Haifa, when police started throwing tear gas at protesters. The targeting of Arabs by Jewish extremists in recent weeks, often as Israeli police stand by, gives my family good reason to be afraid.
Although my family is Palestinian, we have Israeli citizenship. In the aftermath of the Arab-Israeli war in 1948, our land was included within the borders of the newly formed State of Israel. Today, about 21 per cent of the Israeli population is like us – Arabs, mostly Muslim but also some Christians and Druze. Many live in mixed cities, such as Haifa.
Growing up in Umm Al Fahm, an overwhelmingly Muslim city that is proud of its Islamic identity and Palestinian heritage, I always had a strong sense of pride in my family’s ancestry and culture. But it also taught me what it feels like to be a second-class citizen. In Israel, Arab and Jewish children are segregated during their school years. As a child, I learned about how Arab houses were demolished by the Israeli state, which is viewed in my community as a mere continuation of the annexation of Arab land that preceded Israel’s establishment. I learned about how the Bedouins, the indigenous Arab residents of the Negev desert, live in “unrecognised” villages.
I also remember the tyres burning at the entrance to Umm Al Fahm during the Second Intifada, when Arab citizens of Israel participated in protests in solidarity with other Palestinians. As young men from my town ran away from Israeli police, I felt frustration, anger and grief, and the sense that we really do not belong anywhere.
My sister is a nurse at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. She felt unsafe going to work this week even though a few months ago, she and other Arab healthcare workers like her were applauded for their work in Israel during the pandemic. My two brothers, who work in Tel Aviv, are similarly afraid. Last week, the town in which my other sister lives, Jadeidi Al Makr, was sealed off by Israeli police. My nephew, who is three, is having nightmares because he was recently with his father in our hometown of Umm Al Fahm, near Haifa, when police started throwing tear gas at protesters. The targeting of Arabs by Jewish extremists in recent weeks, often as Israeli police stand by, gives my family good reason to be afraid.
Although my family is Palestinian, we have Israeli citizenship. In the aftermath of the Arab-Israeli war in 1948, our land was included within the borders of the newly formed State of Israel. Today, about 21 per cent of the Israeli population is like us – Arabs, mostly Muslim but also some Christians and Druze. Many live in mixed cities, such as Haifa.
Growing up in Umm Al Fahm, an overwhelmingly Muslim city that is proud of its Islamic identity and Palestinian heritage, I always had a strong sense of pride in my family’s ancestry and culture. But it also taught me what it feels like to be a second-class citizen. In Israel, Arab and Jewish children are segregated during their school years. As a child, I learned about how Arab houses were demolished by the Israeli state, which is viewed in my community as a mere continuation of the annexation of Arab land that preceded Israel’s establishment. I learned about how the Bedouins, the indigenous Arab residents of the Negev desert, live in “unrecognised” villages.
I also remember the tyres burning at the entrance to Umm Al Fahm during the Second Intifada, when Arab citizens of Israel participated in protests in solidarity with other Palestinians. As young men from my town ran away from Israeli police, I felt frustration, anger and grief, and the sense that we really do not belong anywhere.
An Israeli police car burns after a demonstration following the funeral of Mousa Hassouna, an Arab resident of Lod, on May 11, 2021. AFP
But I haven’t always felt that way. There have been moments – albeit sometimes dark ones – when I have felt part of the Israeli experience. When I was 19, I left my childhood home to go to Beer Sheva, a primarily Jewish city, to study medical laboratory science at Ben Gurion University. It’s a unique university, because it houses Arab and Jewish students together. That was my first time having a direct connection to Israel’s Jewish community.
It was also the first time I experienced how it feels to be under rocket attacks from Hamas, the militant group ruling Gaza, which is not far from Beer Sheva. I heard the warning sirens for the first time during Operation Cast Lead, as Israelis call the three-week war between Israel and Hamas in 2008-2009.
The rocket attacks were constant, and the Jews and Arabs living in our dorm found themselves sharing bomb shelters – and awkward conversations about the Palestine-Israel conflict. In these moments, it was difficult not to understand the fear and frustration of Jewish Israelis. I felt, for a minute, like I was in their shoes.
But I did remind my Jewish colleagues and neighbours frequently that the Palestinians who live in the West Bank and Gaza fear attacks, too, and they do not have the privilege of sheltering in a bunker. The majority of them are helpless civilians, including women and children, stuck in the crossfire. After all, the technology and weapons Israel uses are capable of causing more damage than any rocket launched by Hamas.
One night, as I walked to a restaurant in Beer Sheva with a couple of friends, I was caught off guard by rocket fire, and panicked because we were in the middle of the street and didn’t know where to take shelter. We squatted behind a wall, listening to the explosions of the Iron Dome intercepting two Hamas rockets.
The Jews and Arabs in our dorm found themselves sharing bomb shelters – and awkward conversations
It occurred to me again that Gaza has no Iron Dome, and that even though I was Palestinian, if I had been born on the “wrong” side of the border, I would have had a very different experience in this conflict – one that is much less privileged than my experience of being born within the borders of the State of Israel. Suddenly, with that realisation, it became difficult for me to cling exclusively to my Palestinian identity and to forget about how my Israeli citizenship, and the socioeconomic and political effects that come with it, has influenced and amplified my opportunities in life.
As much as I am a Palestinian, I am a second-class citizen of Israel, and as much as I am that, I am better off than other Palestinians. These are the layers of contradiction the conflict forces into my life and the lives of others in my community, and my awareness of them shifted my sense of identity from Palestinian to Palestinian-Israeli.
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But I haven’t always felt that way. There have been moments – albeit sometimes dark ones – when I have felt part of the Israeli experience. When I was 19, I left my childhood home to go to Beer Sheva, a primarily Jewish city, to study medical laboratory science at Ben Gurion University. It’s a unique university, because it houses Arab and Jewish students together. That was my first time having a direct connection to Israel’s Jewish community.
It was also the first time I experienced how it feels to be under rocket attacks from Hamas, the militant group ruling Gaza, which is not far from Beer Sheva. I heard the warning sirens for the first time during Operation Cast Lead, as Israelis call the three-week war between Israel and Hamas in 2008-2009.
The rocket attacks were constant, and the Jews and Arabs living in our dorm found themselves sharing bomb shelters – and awkward conversations about the Palestine-Israel conflict. In these moments, it was difficult not to understand the fear and frustration of Jewish Israelis. I felt, for a minute, like I was in their shoes.
But I did remind my Jewish colleagues and neighbours frequently that the Palestinians who live in the West Bank and Gaza fear attacks, too, and they do not have the privilege of sheltering in a bunker. The majority of them are helpless civilians, including women and children, stuck in the crossfire. After all, the technology and weapons Israel uses are capable of causing more damage than any rocket launched by Hamas.
One night, as I walked to a restaurant in Beer Sheva with a couple of friends, I was caught off guard by rocket fire, and panicked because we were in the middle of the street and didn’t know where to take shelter. We squatted behind a wall, listening to the explosions of the Iron Dome intercepting two Hamas rockets.
The Jews and Arabs in our dorm found themselves sharing bomb shelters – and awkward conversations
It occurred to me again that Gaza has no Iron Dome, and that even though I was Palestinian, if I had been born on the “wrong” side of the border, I would have had a very different experience in this conflict – one that is much less privileged than my experience of being born within the borders of the State of Israel. Suddenly, with that realisation, it became difficult for me to cling exclusively to my Palestinian identity and to forget about how my Israeli citizenship, and the socioeconomic and political effects that come with it, has influenced and amplified my opportunities in life.
As much as I am a Palestinian, I am a second-class citizen of Israel, and as much as I am that, I am better off than other Palestinians. These are the layers of contradiction the conflict forces into my life and the lives of others in my community, and my awareness of them shifted my sense of identity from Palestinian to Palestinian-Israeli.
READ MORE
'Managing' the crisis in Palestine-Israel is making it impossible to solve
Will Israel’s actions in Gaza affect the Abraham Accords?
In Gaza, Hezbollah is not as relevant as it hopes
Ten years ago, I moved to the US to pursue graduate studies, and being there has further reinforced my dual identity. In America, I have encountered people from all backgrounds, and have found myself identifying as either Palestinian or Israeli, depending on what was most likely to avoid conflict. Even though I am an Arab Muslim, the US immigration and legal systems treat me as an Israeli. My Israeli passport either validates me or invalidates me in countries all over the world.
Palestinian citizens of Israel are sometimes praised by others in the Arab world on the very rare occasions in which one of us participates in an attack on other Israelis. And yet there are so many Arab and Muslim countries I cannot visit, even as an Arab, because of my passport.
A few years ago, I travelled to Turkey, and there I got another taste of how Israeli Jews are treated even in a country Israelis are allowed to visit. In Istanbul, the first thing my Turkish friends were told was not to tell anyone that I am from Israel and not to show my passport.
The connections I developed with my Jewish roommates, friends, mentors and colleagues have been stronger than any feeling that either I or they were the “other”. These relationships have helped me, in fact, to put myself in the shoes of the Jewish “other” and to learn and understand their narratives, even when I do not agree with the way they explain or respond to the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. But they have also reaffirmed my attachment to my own cultural identity as a Palestinian, and my empathy for my community across all of Palestine – inside and outside of what is now Israel. Whenever violence against Palestinians erupts in East Jerusalem, Gaza, the West Bank or in Israel, I feel it all over again.
Dr Anwar Mhajne is a political scientist and assistant professor at Stonehill College
Updated: May 21, 2021
Will Israel’s actions in Gaza affect the Abraham Accords?
In Gaza, Hezbollah is not as relevant as it hopes
Ten years ago, I moved to the US to pursue graduate studies, and being there has further reinforced my dual identity. In America, I have encountered people from all backgrounds, and have found myself identifying as either Palestinian or Israeli, depending on what was most likely to avoid conflict. Even though I am an Arab Muslim, the US immigration and legal systems treat me as an Israeli. My Israeli passport either validates me or invalidates me in countries all over the world.
Palestinian citizens of Israel are sometimes praised by others in the Arab world on the very rare occasions in which one of us participates in an attack on other Israelis. And yet there are so many Arab and Muslim countries I cannot visit, even as an Arab, because of my passport.
A few years ago, I travelled to Turkey, and there I got another taste of how Israeli Jews are treated even in a country Israelis are allowed to visit. In Istanbul, the first thing my Turkish friends were told was not to tell anyone that I am from Israel and not to show my passport.
The connections I developed with my Jewish roommates, friends, mentors and colleagues have been stronger than any feeling that either I or they were the “other”. These relationships have helped me, in fact, to put myself in the shoes of the Jewish “other” and to learn and understand their narratives, even when I do not agree with the way they explain or respond to the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. But they have also reaffirmed my attachment to my own cultural identity as a Palestinian, and my empathy for my community across all of Palestine – inside and outside of what is now Israel. Whenever violence against Palestinians erupts in East Jerusalem, Gaza, the West Bank or in Israel, I feel it all over again.
Dr Anwar Mhajne is a political scientist and assistant professor at Stonehill College
Updated: May 21, 2021
How US donors fund settler activity in East Jerusalem
Rights activists call for crackdown on US tax-exempt non-profits behind evictions of Palestinians
Rights activists call for crackdown on US tax-exempt non-profits behind evictions of Palestinians
Palestinian rights activists say evictions are made possible largely thanks to private US funding, with non-profit groups enjoying tax-free status. AP
The impending eviction of Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood has prompted Palestinian rights activists to call for more scrutiny into how tax-exempt US-based charities – and the private firms that donate to them – are funding Israeli settlement activity that is widely seen to violate international law.
US-funded settler groups have long viewed Sheikh Jarrah as a future home for Jewish families and pushed for the removal of Palestinians who have lived in the area for decades.
The expected expulsions from the historic neighbourhood are at the centre of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Activists say the evictions are made possible largely thanks to private US funding, with non-profit groups enjoying tax-free status that effectively amounts to a generous subsidy from the federal government.
“Without the donations, [these groups] don't exist,” said Hagit Ofran, who heads the settlement watch team at Peace Now, an Israeli non-governmental group.
The UN has repeatedly called for Israel to halt its settlement activity in the Palestinian territories, including in East Jerusalem.
The forced transfer of a “protected population under occupation is a grave breach of Article 4 of the Geneva Convention of International Law,” said Michael Lynk, the UN special rapporteur for the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.
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“It may well amount to a war crime under international law,” Mr Lynk told The National.
Yousef Munayyer, a Palestinian-American political analyst and non-resident fellow at the Arab Centre think tank in Washington, believes the US government should crack down on non-profit groups funding Israeli settlers.
“If people were using charitable organisations as a way to support war crimes overseas in any other context, I think our government would probably take serious steps to prevent that from happening,” Mr Munayyer told The National.
“We need an approach from the government that says American tax dollars and our charitable mechanisms should not be used” to support settlement activities, he said.
“That's really the least we should expect from a responsible administration.”
Currently, four Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah risk losing their homes to Jewish settler groups after a long-running legal battle.
Nahalat Shimon International, the organisation leading the legal fight for settlers, is owned by a company registered in Delaware, US.
US citizens are major contributors to what rights groups call Israel’s “illegal expansion” into territory that would go to Palestinians in a two-state solution.
According to a 2015 report in Israel's Haaretz newspaper, from 2009 to 2013, US-based charities donated more than $220 million to Israeli settlement organisations.
Peace Now said Israel has built more than 55,000 housing units in East Jerusalem since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, when the Israeli military occupied the area.
Meanwhile, Israeli law makes it extremely tough for Palestinians, who consider East Jerusalem the capital of their future state, to build homes.
The Israeli government has only allowed the construction of 600 housing units – and those were all built in the 1970s, Peace Now said.
The Central Fund of Israel, a US-registered non-profit organisation that is exempt from federal income tax, gave more than $36m to various Jewish charities and causes in 2019, according to its financial information disclosure that year.
The organisation, which has an address in Cedarhurst, New York, is listed as the US charity for tax-deductible donations by the Israel Land Fund, a real estate company that buys up land in East Jerusalem.
CFI president Jay Marcus said it does not fund settlement activity.
It gives money to charities “all around the land of Israel without discrimination”, he said.
“CFI’s criterion is only that the charities are worthy and they are registered charities in Israel and CFI does not discriminate or favour based on location,” Mr Marcus told The National in an email.
He did not immediately respond to a query about CFI’s connection to the Israel Land Fund.
Headed by Jerusalem's deputy mayor, Arieh King, the ILF’s mission statement is to “reclaim the land of Israel for the people of Israel".
Its website lists land it wants to buy in Sheikh Jarrah, which it refers to by the Hebrew name of Nahalat Shimon. The company calls these “ideology properties".
Since its creation in 1948, Israel has used an absentee property law to claim land that had been owned by Palestinians who fled the newly founded state.
The Israeli government has continued to use the law to obtain properties in East Jerusalem.
On the ILF's website, it claims it is running “critically low” on funding and asks for donations “to help us fulfil the commandments; help bring Jewish land back to the Jewish people".
The US charity has significant backing from major donors, including Cherna Moskowitz, the widow of the late Irving Moskowitz, an American billionaire physician and businessman who was one of the leading funders of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The Cherna Moskowitz Foundation gave just over $3m to the ILF in 2018 – the fund’s second-largest contribution.
In addition, the Irving Moskowitz Foundation gave $2.1m.
Ms Moskowitz also gave $50,000 to American Friends of Ateret Cohanim, a US-based charity established to fund the Israel-based non-profit Ateret Cohanim, which buys land in East Jerusalem with the purpose of installing Jewish tenants in the area.
The impending eviction of Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood has prompted Palestinian rights activists to call for more scrutiny into how tax-exempt US-based charities – and the private firms that donate to them – are funding Israeli settlement activity that is widely seen to violate international law.
US-funded settler groups have long viewed Sheikh Jarrah as a future home for Jewish families and pushed for the removal of Palestinians who have lived in the area for decades.
The expected expulsions from the historic neighbourhood are at the centre of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Activists say the evictions are made possible largely thanks to private US funding, with non-profit groups enjoying tax-free status that effectively amounts to a generous subsidy from the federal government.
“Without the donations, [these groups] don't exist,” said Hagit Ofran, who heads the settlement watch team at Peace Now, an Israeli non-governmental group.
The UN has repeatedly called for Israel to halt its settlement activity in the Palestinian territories, including in East Jerusalem.
The forced transfer of a “protected population under occupation is a grave breach of Article 4 of the Geneva Convention of International Law,” said Michael Lynk, the UN special rapporteur for the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.
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“It may well amount to a war crime under international law,” Mr Lynk told The National.
Yousef Munayyer, a Palestinian-American political analyst and non-resident fellow at the Arab Centre think tank in Washington, believes the US government should crack down on non-profit groups funding Israeli settlers.
“If people were using charitable organisations as a way to support war crimes overseas in any other context, I think our government would probably take serious steps to prevent that from happening,” Mr Munayyer told The National.
“We need an approach from the government that says American tax dollars and our charitable mechanisms should not be used” to support settlement activities, he said.
“That's really the least we should expect from a responsible administration.”
Currently, four Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah risk losing their homes to Jewish settler groups after a long-running legal battle.
Nahalat Shimon International, the organisation leading the legal fight for settlers, is owned by a company registered in Delaware, US.
US citizens are major contributors to what rights groups call Israel’s “illegal expansion” into territory that would go to Palestinians in a two-state solution.
According to a 2015 report in Israel's Haaretz newspaper, from 2009 to 2013, US-based charities donated more than $220 million to Israeli settlement organisations.
Peace Now said Israel has built more than 55,000 housing units in East Jerusalem since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, when the Israeli military occupied the area.
Meanwhile, Israeli law makes it extremely tough for Palestinians, who consider East Jerusalem the capital of their future state, to build homes.
The Israeli government has only allowed the construction of 600 housing units – and those were all built in the 1970s, Peace Now said.
The Central Fund of Israel, a US-registered non-profit organisation that is exempt from federal income tax, gave more than $36m to various Jewish charities and causes in 2019, according to its financial information disclosure that year.
The organisation, which has an address in Cedarhurst, New York, is listed as the US charity for tax-deductible donations by the Israel Land Fund, a real estate company that buys up land in East Jerusalem.
CFI president Jay Marcus said it does not fund settlement activity.
It gives money to charities “all around the land of Israel without discrimination”, he said.
“CFI’s criterion is only that the charities are worthy and they are registered charities in Israel and CFI does not discriminate or favour based on location,” Mr Marcus told The National in an email.
He did not immediately respond to a query about CFI’s connection to the Israel Land Fund.
Headed by Jerusalem's deputy mayor, Arieh King, the ILF’s mission statement is to “reclaim the land of Israel for the people of Israel".
Its website lists land it wants to buy in Sheikh Jarrah, which it refers to by the Hebrew name of Nahalat Shimon. The company calls these “ideology properties".
Since its creation in 1948, Israel has used an absentee property law to claim land that had been owned by Palestinians who fled the newly founded state.
The Israeli government has continued to use the law to obtain properties in East Jerusalem.
On the ILF's website, it claims it is running “critically low” on funding and asks for donations “to help us fulfil the commandments; help bring Jewish land back to the Jewish people".
The US charity has significant backing from major donors, including Cherna Moskowitz, the widow of the late Irving Moskowitz, an American billionaire physician and businessman who was one of the leading funders of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The Cherna Moskowitz Foundation gave just over $3m to the ILF in 2018 – the fund’s second-largest contribution.
In addition, the Irving Moskowitz Foundation gave $2.1m.
Ms Moskowitz also gave $50,000 to American Friends of Ateret Cohanim, a US-based charity established to fund the Israel-based non-profit Ateret Cohanim, which buys land in East Jerusalem with the purpose of installing Jewish tenants in the area.
Israelis stand on the roof of a Palestinian house controlled by settlers, during protests in Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem. EPA
The National tried to contact Friends of Ateret Cohanim for comment but did not hear back in time for publishing.
The National also called the number listed on the Cherna Moskowitz Foundation’s tax forms.
The person who answered did not identify herself but said she worked for a company affiliated with the foundation and was not in a position to comment.
Ateret Cohanim’s stated goal is to “fulfil a generations-old dream of rebuilding and securing a united Jerusalem, strengthening our Jewish roots and re-establishing the once thriving Jewish communities that were destroyed by Arab pogroms".
The organisation’s purchases have been focused in and around the Old City.
The US arm of the non-profit is run by Susan Hikind, the wife of Dov Hikind, a former New York state politician.
One of the largest funders of settlement activity in East Jerusalem is the Israel-based Ir David Foundation, often referred to as Elad.
According to its website, the foundation “is dedicated to the preservation and development of the Biblical City of David and its environs".
In practice that means purchasing land from Palestinian families and in the past two decades, the group has bought dozens of Jewish homes in East Jerusalem and developed archaeological sites in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan.
The foundation is funded in part by the US-based non-profit Friends of Ir David. Among the charity’s top donors are the Cherna Moskowitz Foundation and the Koum Family Foundation.
According to Friends of Ir David’s most recent tax returns, which are publicly available, the Koum Family Foundation donated $3m in 2018.
The Koum Family Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Jan Koum, the Ukrainian-born American co-founder of the mobile messaging application WhatsApp.
When reached by phone, Moshe Billet, the executive director of Friends of Ir David, declined to comment.
Palestinians run away from Israeli border police during a demonstration in support of Palestinian families that face eviction from their homes at Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in the Damascus gate in Jerusalem. EPA
US Internal Revenue Service rules prohibit tax-exempt charities in the US from funding activities “that are illegal or contrary to public policy”.
Mr Lynk, the UN special rapporteur, said there has been little enforcement of the rules when it comes to Israel, even though the US – alongside countries like Canada and Britain – has stated opposition to Israeli settlements.
“In Canada and the United States, charitable organisations have been allowed to maintain their status and have been able to use tax laws to be able to raise money to be able to further the Israeli settlement project,” Mr Lynk said.
“We've yet to see a decisive decision in either the courts of these countries or by changing legislation to make more definitive restrictions on these organisations.”
However, some of the pro-Israel non-profits have claimed they have been discriminated against by the IRS.
In 2010, the Z Street non-profit that claims to “educate Americans about the Middle East” sued the IRS for delaying the approval of its tax-exempt status. The organisation in 2018 won its case, along with an apology from the IRS for taking so long to grant the approval.
Lori Lowenthal Marcus, Z Street’s founder, wrote in an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal which stated that under the Obama administration, the IRS was unfairly scrutinising charities with links to Israel.
The US State Department and the IRS did not respond to requests for comment from The National.
Updated: May 19, 2021 10:05 PM
The National tried to contact Friends of Ateret Cohanim for comment but did not hear back in time for publishing.
The National also called the number listed on the Cherna Moskowitz Foundation’s tax forms.
The person who answered did not identify herself but said she worked for a company affiliated with the foundation and was not in a position to comment.
Ateret Cohanim’s stated goal is to “fulfil a generations-old dream of rebuilding and securing a united Jerusalem, strengthening our Jewish roots and re-establishing the once thriving Jewish communities that were destroyed by Arab pogroms".
The organisation’s purchases have been focused in and around the Old City.
The US arm of the non-profit is run by Susan Hikind, the wife of Dov Hikind, a former New York state politician.
One of the largest funders of settlement activity in East Jerusalem is the Israel-based Ir David Foundation, often referred to as Elad.
According to its website, the foundation “is dedicated to the preservation and development of the Biblical City of David and its environs".
In practice that means purchasing land from Palestinian families and in the past two decades, the group has bought dozens of Jewish homes in East Jerusalem and developed archaeological sites in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan.
The foundation is funded in part by the US-based non-profit Friends of Ir David. Among the charity’s top donors are the Cherna Moskowitz Foundation and the Koum Family Foundation.
According to Friends of Ir David’s most recent tax returns, which are publicly available, the Koum Family Foundation donated $3m in 2018.
The Koum Family Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Jan Koum, the Ukrainian-born American co-founder of the mobile messaging application WhatsApp.
When reached by phone, Moshe Billet, the executive director of Friends of Ir David, declined to comment.
Palestinians run away from Israeli border police during a demonstration in support of Palestinian families that face eviction from their homes at Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in the Damascus gate in Jerusalem. EPA
US Internal Revenue Service rules prohibit tax-exempt charities in the US from funding activities “that are illegal or contrary to public policy”.
Mr Lynk, the UN special rapporteur, said there has been little enforcement of the rules when it comes to Israel, even though the US – alongside countries like Canada and Britain – has stated opposition to Israeli settlements.
“In Canada and the United States, charitable organisations have been allowed to maintain their status and have been able to use tax laws to be able to raise money to be able to further the Israeli settlement project,” Mr Lynk said.
“We've yet to see a decisive decision in either the courts of these countries or by changing legislation to make more definitive restrictions on these organisations.”
However, some of the pro-Israel non-profits have claimed they have been discriminated against by the IRS.
In 2010, the Z Street non-profit that claims to “educate Americans about the Middle East” sued the IRS for delaying the approval of its tax-exempt status. The organisation in 2018 won its case, along with an apology from the IRS for taking so long to grant the approval.
Lori Lowenthal Marcus, Z Street’s founder, wrote in an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal which stated that under the Obama administration, the IRS was unfairly scrutinising charities with links to Israel.
The US State Department and the IRS did not respond to requests for comment from The National.
Updated: May 19, 2021 10:05 PM
UK
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Animal rights group blockades McDonald's UK distribution centres
Animal Rebellion activists blockade McDonald's distribution centre in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
2/4
Animal rights group blockades McDonald's UK distribution centres
Animal Rebellion activists blockade McDonald's distribution centre in Coventry
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Animal rights group blockades McDonald's UK distribution centres
Animal Rebellion protesters outside a McDonald's distribution site in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
4/4
Animal rights group blockades McDonald's UK distribution centres
Animal Rebellion protesters outside a McDonald's distribution site in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
Animal rights protesters disrupt McDonald’s distribution centres
The group are demanding McDonald’s commit to becoming fully plant-based by 2025.
By John Besley
7 hours ago
McDonald’s has apologised to customers for “any disappointment caused” due to blockades by animal rights protesters at four of the fast food chain’s UK distribution centres.
Animal Rebellion, who claim the action will impact roughly 1,300 restaurants, are using trucks and bamboo structures at distribution sites in Hemel Hempstead, Basingstoke, Coventry and Heywood, Greater Manchester, to stop lorries from leaving depots.
The group is demanding McDonald’s commit to becoming fully plant-based by 2025.
Animal Rebellion protester suspended from a bamboo structure outside a McDonalds distribution site in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, which is being blockaded to stop lorries from leaving the depot. / PA
A McDonald’s spokesman said: “Our distribution centres are currently facing disruption.
“We are assessing the impact on deliveries to our restaurants and to menu items.
“We apologise to our customers for any disappointment caused.”
Animal Rebellion said they intend to remain at the sites for at least 24 hours, causing “significant disruption” to the McDonald’s supply chain.
In a video posted on Twitter, a protester in Coventry said the demonstration “feels like the absolutely right thing to do”.
Animal Rebellion
@RebelsAnimal
BREAKING NEWS (pls share!). Around 50 Animal Rebellion activists are *right now* blockading @McDonaldsUK entire UK distribution network to its 1300 UK restaurants for its role in the climate emergency, #Amazon deforestation, and animal suffering. We must switch to #plantbasedfood
10:09 PM · May 21, 2021
She added: “We are in the middle of a climate and ecological emergency and we are still consuming huge quantities of meat on a scale that is just not sustainable for our planet.”
Greater Manchester Police said officers at a demonstration in Heywood are helping to “maintain safety whilst facilitating the right to peaceful protest” and “there is minimum disruption to the local community”
The group are demanding McDonald’s commit to becoming fully plant-based by 2025.
Protesters release a yellow smoke canister outside a McDonalds distribution site in Basingstoke, Hampshire / PA
By John Besley
7 hours ago
McDonald’s has apologised to customers for “any disappointment caused” due to blockades by animal rights protesters at four of the fast food chain’s UK distribution centres.
Animal Rebellion, who claim the action will impact roughly 1,300 restaurants, are using trucks and bamboo structures at distribution sites in Hemel Hempstead, Basingstoke, Coventry and Heywood, Greater Manchester, to stop lorries from leaving depots.
The group is demanding McDonald’s commit to becoming fully plant-based by 2025.
Animal Rebellion protester suspended from a bamboo structure outside a McDonalds distribution site in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, which is being blockaded to stop lorries from leaving the depot. / PA
A McDonald’s spokesman said: “Our distribution centres are currently facing disruption.
“We are assessing the impact on deliveries to our restaurants and to menu items.
“We apologise to our customers for any disappointment caused.”
Animal Rebellion said they intend to remain at the sites for at least 24 hours, causing “significant disruption” to the McDonald’s supply chain.
In a video posted on Twitter, a protester in Coventry said the demonstration “feels like the absolutely right thing to do”.
Animal Rebellion
@RebelsAnimal
BREAKING NEWS (pls share!). Around 50 Animal Rebellion activists are *right now* blockading @McDonaldsUK entire UK distribution network to its 1300 UK restaurants for its role in the climate emergency, #Amazon deforestation, and animal suffering. We must switch to #plantbasedfood
10:09 PM · May 21, 2021
She added: “We are in the middle of a climate and ecological emergency and we are still consuming huge quantities of meat on a scale that is just not sustainable for our planet.”
Greater Manchester Police said officers at a demonstration in Heywood are helping to “maintain safety whilst facilitating the right to peaceful protest” and “there is minimum disruption to the local community”
.
PA
James Ozden, a spokesman for the protest group, said the action is aimed at calling out the animal agriculture industry for its part in the global climate crisis.
He said: “The meat and dairy industry is destroying our planet: causing huge amounts of rainforest deforestation, emitting immense quantities of greenhouse gases and killing billions of animals each year.
“The only sustainable and realistic way to feed ten billion people is with a plant-based food system. Organic, free-range and ‘sustainable’ animal-based options simply aren’t good enough.”
James Ozden, a spokesman for the protest group, said the action is aimed at calling out the animal agriculture industry for its part in the global climate crisis.
He said: “The meat and dairy industry is destroying our planet: causing huge amounts of rainforest deforestation, emitting immense quantities of greenhouse gases and killing billions of animals each year.
“The only sustainable and realistic way to feed ten billion people is with a plant-based food system. Organic, free-range and ‘sustainable’ animal-based options simply aren’t good enough.”
Animal rights group blockades McDonald's
UK distribution centres
1/4
Animal rights group blockades McDonald's UK distribution centres
Animal Rebellion activists blockade McDonald's distribution centre in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
2/4
Animal rights group blockades McDonald's UK distribution centres
Animal Rebellion activists blockade McDonald's distribution centre in Coventry
3/4
Animal rights group blockades McDonald's UK distribution centres
Animal Rebellion protesters outside a McDonald's distribution site in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
4/4
Animal rights group blockades McDonald's UK distribution centres
Animal Rebellion protesters outside a McDonald's distribution site in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
Almost 200,000 people join ‘free Palestine’ protest in central London Saturday 22 May 2021
Read more:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MetroUK | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetroUK/
IEA's net-zero call to action raises concerns in Asia
The International Energy Agency's recommendations for reaching net zero emissions by 2050, are 'dizzyingly ambitious', according to Japan's MUFG
The report's suggestions to reach carbon neutrality "is not necessarily in line with the Japanese government's policy", he added.
The report also raised concerns in Australia, which continues to commit to coal and gas investments.
"The IEA report doesn't take into account future negative emission technologies and offsets from outside the energy sector – two things that are likely to happen and will allow vital and necessary future development of oil and gas fields," Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association chief executive Andrew McConville told the agency.
The IEA report comes as developed nations such as the US, turn their backs on fossil fuels.
The US has frozen new exploration activities on federal lands and has rejoined the Paris Agreement, which seeks to limit emissions to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. It also plans to halve emissions from 2005 levels by 2030.
A number of countries adopted positions on carbon neutrality last year after movement restrictions to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic led to a record fall in carbon emissions.
The IEA's recommendations for reaching net zero emissions by 2050, are "dizzyingly ambitious", Ehsan Khoman, director, head of emerging markets research - Emea at Japan's MUFG Bank said on Thursday.
The direct implications of the IEA's call to halt upstream projects is a shrinking of global oil supplies by more than 8 per cent annually.
"The IEA’s recommendations may prove challenging to transpire at the speed and magnitude as it’s NZE [net zero emissions] trajectory necessitates, and instead could be designed to provide clarity around the practicalities of increased climate ambition," Mr Khoman said.
However, others such as Joeri Rogelj, director of research, Grantham Institute, Imperial College London said that the IEA's roadmap is not the most ambitious.
Its call to action on reaching net-zero targets is, however, far from being the most conservative and is more than a token effort, he added.
Published: May 20, 2021 03:43 PM
The International Energy Agency's recommendations for reaching net zero emissions by 2050, are 'dizzyingly ambitious', according to Japan's MUFG
Wind turbines near a coal-fired power station in Garzweiler, western Germany. The direct implications of the IEA's call to halt upstream projects is a shrinking of global oil supplies by more than 8% annually. AFP
The International Energy Agency's calls for fossil fuel resources to remain unexploited in order to reach net-zero targets by 2050, has been rebuffed by some of the world's top oil consumers in Asia.
The Paris-based agency's roadmap to carbon neutrality calls for no new investment in fossil fuel supply projects and no further final investment decisions in new unabated coal plants, which uses the fuel without lowering its carbon impact.
However, for many of the world's fossil fuel-consuming economies in Asia, a rapid shift away from hydrocarbons comes in the way of industrialisation plans.
Japan, which pledged to go net-zero last year, is the fifth-largest consumer of crude and the world's fourth-largest importer of the fuel.
The International Energy Agency's calls for fossil fuel resources to remain unexploited in order to reach net-zero targets by 2050, has been rebuffed by some of the world's top oil consumers in Asia.
The Paris-based agency's roadmap to carbon neutrality calls for no new investment in fossil fuel supply projects and no further final investment decisions in new unabated coal plants, which uses the fuel without lowering its carbon impact.
However, for many of the world's fossil fuel-consuming economies in Asia, a rapid shift away from hydrocarbons comes in the way of industrialisation plans.
Japan, which pledged to go net-zero last year, is the fifth-largest consumer of crude and the world's fourth-largest importer of the fuel.
IEA urges countries to halt fossil fuel investments to achieve net-zero targets
IEA lowers global oil demand forecast as key consumers grapple with pandemic
The country with the world's third largest economy "needs to protect its energy security including a stable supply of electricity, so we will balance this with our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050", Akihisa Matsuda, the deputy director of international affairs at Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) told Reuters.
IEA lowers global oil demand forecast as key consumers grapple with pandemic
The country with the world's third largest economy "needs to protect its energy security including a stable supply of electricity, so we will balance this with our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050", Akihisa Matsuda, the deputy director of international affairs at Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) told Reuters.
The report's suggestions to reach carbon neutrality "is not necessarily in line with the Japanese government's policy", he added.
The report also raised concerns in Australia, which continues to commit to coal and gas investments.
"The IEA report doesn't take into account future negative emission technologies and offsets from outside the energy sector – two things that are likely to happen and will allow vital and necessary future development of oil and gas fields," Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association chief executive Andrew McConville told the agency.
The IEA report comes as developed nations such as the US, turn their backs on fossil fuels.
The US has frozen new exploration activities on federal lands and has rejoined the Paris Agreement, which seeks to limit emissions to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. It also plans to halve emissions from 2005 levels by 2030.
A number of countries adopted positions on carbon neutrality last year after movement restrictions to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic led to a record fall in carbon emissions.
The IEA's recommendations for reaching net zero emissions by 2050, are "dizzyingly ambitious", Ehsan Khoman, director, head of emerging markets research - Emea at Japan's MUFG Bank said on Thursday.
The direct implications of the IEA's call to halt upstream projects is a shrinking of global oil supplies by more than 8 per cent annually.
"The IEA’s recommendations may prove challenging to transpire at the speed and magnitude as it’s NZE [net zero emissions] trajectory necessitates, and instead could be designed to provide clarity around the practicalities of increased climate ambition," Mr Khoman said.
However, others such as Joeri Rogelj, director of research, Grantham Institute, Imperial College London said that the IEA's roadmap is not the most ambitious.
Its call to action on reaching net-zero targets is, however, far from being the most conservative and is more than a token effort, he added.
Published: May 20, 2021 03:43 PM
Fewer insurers willing to take on fossil fuel companies
By Karen Graham
Published May 21, 2021
Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) plant site in the oil sands of Alberta, Canada
THE SITE HAD TWO FATALITIES DURING CONSTRUCTION
By Karen Graham
Published May 21, 2021
Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) plant site in the oil sands of Alberta, Canada
THE SITE HAD TWO FATALITIES DURING CONSTRUCTION
Oilsands companies are finding it more difficult to insure their facilities in Northern Alberta, Canada, with insurers citing both the financial and climate risk of fossil fuel industries and the oilsands in particular.
Added to the dilemma is a recent report by the International Energy Agency that concluded there is no more room for coal, oil, or gas if the world intends to meet net-zero emissions by 2050.
The fight to stop the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion from Alberta to British Columbia, on Canada’s West Coast made national and international news recently, according to CBC Canada.
Things got dicey, with the Crown corporation behind the project seeking to protect the names of the insurance companies backing the controversial development.
The Canada Energy Regulator had to step in and side with the Crown Corporation after demonstrators blocked the entrances to a number of insurance companies in Vancouver, demanding they stop selling insurance to fossil fuel companies.
“It’s certainly a sign that the pressure on the insurance companies is working,” said Elana Sulakshana, with the Rainforest Action Network, an environmental organization based in San Francisco.
Over the past several years, three insurance companies from Europe – Axa, Zurich, and Swiss Re have announced plans to stop insuring Canadian oil sands projects, and reduce or entirely eliminate investments in the oil and gas sector.
Many insurers are backing away from oil sands projects
Allianz announced earlier this month a tightening of its coal policy globally, and new restrictions on its business with the oil sands industry, drawing praise from environmental groups.
According to the announcement, oil sands projects and new oil sands pipelines will be excluded, as well as companies that make more than 20 percent of their revenues from oil sands.
Regine Rechter, an energy campaigner at Urgewald said, “An exclusion of oil sands companies is overdue; many other insurers have already implemented this in recent years.”
And even the Crown Corporation made it clear in its application that over the years, pressure from environmentalists was making it harder and more expensive to find enough insurance, threatening the viability of the project.
The Insurance companies are quick to cite their reasons for pulling out of oil sands investments. Number one is the financial risk involved as well as climate regulations and societal pressure.
These risks “could result in significant loss of value (‘stranded assets’) for the most carbon-intensive businesses,” wrote AXA in 2017, calling the oilsands “a particularly carbon-intensive form of energy.”
In this article:Alberta Canada, climate regulations, Environmental Activism
Read more: https://www.digitaljournal.com/world/fewer-insurers-willing-to-take-on-fossil-fuel-companies/article#ixzz6vcHJ3nHo
Added to the dilemma is a recent report by the International Energy Agency that concluded there is no more room for coal, oil, or gas if the world intends to meet net-zero emissions by 2050.
The fight to stop the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion from Alberta to British Columbia, on Canada’s West Coast made national and international news recently, according to CBC Canada.
Things got dicey, with the Crown corporation behind the project seeking to protect the names of the insurance companies backing the controversial development.
The Canada Energy Regulator had to step in and side with the Crown Corporation after demonstrators blocked the entrances to a number of insurance companies in Vancouver, demanding they stop selling insurance to fossil fuel companies.
“It’s certainly a sign that the pressure on the insurance companies is working,” said Elana Sulakshana, with the Rainforest Action Network, an environmental organization based in San Francisco.
Over the past several years, three insurance companies from Europe – Axa, Zurich, and Swiss Re have announced plans to stop insuring Canadian oil sands projects, and reduce or entirely eliminate investments in the oil and gas sector.
Many insurers are backing away from oil sands projects
Allianz announced earlier this month a tightening of its coal policy globally, and new restrictions on its business with the oil sands industry, drawing praise from environmental groups.
According to the announcement, oil sands projects and new oil sands pipelines will be excluded, as well as companies that make more than 20 percent of their revenues from oil sands.
Regine Rechter, an energy campaigner at Urgewald said, “An exclusion of oil sands companies is overdue; many other insurers have already implemented this in recent years.”
And even the Crown Corporation made it clear in its application that over the years, pressure from environmentalists was making it harder and more expensive to find enough insurance, threatening the viability of the project.
The Insurance companies are quick to cite their reasons for pulling out of oil sands investments. Number one is the financial risk involved as well as climate regulations and societal pressure.
These risks “could result in significant loss of value (‘stranded assets’) for the most carbon-intensive businesses,” wrote AXA in 2017, calling the oilsands “a particularly carbon-intensive form of energy.”
In this article:Alberta Canada, climate regulations, Environmental Activism
Read more: https://www.digitaljournal.com/world/fewer-insurers-willing-to-take-on-fossil-fuel-companies/article#ixzz6vcHJ3nHo
Op-Ed: Major deal – G7 to cease coal finance this year
By Paul Wallis
Published May 22, 2021
The North Antelope Rochelle opencut coal mine. — Photo: Peabody Energy. (Creative Commons 4.0)
Well, it had to happen sooner or later, but sooner is much better. By ending finance, the G7 is effectively phasing out coal. Coal is a glutton for money, as well as a global-scale problem for emissions. China, the world’s largest polluter, wasn’t part of this deal. That said, if it sticks to 19th-century energies, that has some global ramifications, too.
Credit where it’s due – The coal agreement is a first, even if many would say it’s a few decades late. At a time of massive global upheaval, some strategic policy coherence is more than welcome. The next stage is a UN summit in November to make this a truly global initiative. If adopted, coal is gone as an energy source.
Getting rid of coal also equates to a massive hit to global pollution, the key factor in the G7 decision. Coal releases a virtual smorgasbord of pollutants. The sheer scale of this pollution is truly mindboggling, in the billions of tons per year. Coal power plants also release a lot of secondary pollution, like contaminated water, etc.
Interestingly, one of the under-mentioned comments on this new approach was that reliance on fossil fuels was a factor in the decision. “Reliance” is an old issue, but it has become much more of a working equation in the future of energy as resources dry up and/or become uneconomic.
…But what about the huge financial stakes in coal?
There’s an easy answer to that question, and it couldn’t be more obvious. As any one of millions of recyclable carbon products, coal could be very useful. Black coal is almost pure carbon. It can be turned into almost literally anything, including the non-toxic new resins, 3D printing, etc.
Carbon, in fact, is one of the most widely-researched products on the planet. From basics to advanced carbon nano products, there’s a future sitting there waiting to go when the coal industry wakes up. The value for the coal will increase, ironically. That’s because any other possible use of coal other than as fuel adds value and doesn’t destroy the resource.
Well, it had to happen sometime. Somebody got something right. Let’s hope the nuts and conspiracy morons don’t get in the way.
Read more: https://www.digitaljournal.com/world/op-ed-major-deal-g7-to-cease-coal-finance-this-year/article#ixzz6vcRQHJo4
By Paul Wallis
Published May 22, 2021
The North Antelope Rochelle opencut coal mine. — Photo: Peabody Energy. (Creative Commons 4.0)
Well, it had to happen sooner or later, but sooner is much better. By ending finance, the G7 is effectively phasing out coal. Coal is a glutton for money, as well as a global-scale problem for emissions. China, the world’s largest polluter, wasn’t part of this deal. That said, if it sticks to 19th-century energies, that has some global ramifications, too.
Credit where it’s due – The coal agreement is a first, even if many would say it’s a few decades late. At a time of massive global upheaval, some strategic policy coherence is more than welcome. The next stage is a UN summit in November to make this a truly global initiative. If adopted, coal is gone as an energy source.
Getting rid of coal also equates to a massive hit to global pollution, the key factor in the G7 decision. Coal releases a virtual smorgasbord of pollutants. The sheer scale of this pollution is truly mindboggling, in the billions of tons per year. Coal power plants also release a lot of secondary pollution, like contaminated water, etc.
Interestingly, one of the under-mentioned comments on this new approach was that reliance on fossil fuels was a factor in the decision. “Reliance” is an old issue, but it has become much more of a working equation in the future of energy as resources dry up and/or become uneconomic.
…But what about the huge financial stakes in coal?
There’s an easy answer to that question, and it couldn’t be more obvious. As any one of millions of recyclable carbon products, coal could be very useful. Black coal is almost pure carbon. It can be turned into almost literally anything, including the non-toxic new resins, 3D printing, etc.
Carbon, in fact, is one of the most widely-researched products on the planet. From basics to advanced carbon nano products, there’s a future sitting there waiting to go when the coal industry wakes up. The value for the coal will increase, ironically. That’s because any other possible use of coal other than as fuel adds value and doesn’t destroy the resource.
Well, it had to happen sometime. Somebody got something right. Let’s hope the nuts and conspiracy morons don’t get in the way.
Read more: https://www.digitaljournal.com/world/op-ed-major-deal-g7-to-cease-coal-finance-this-year/article#ixzz6vcRQHJo4
G7 countries agree to end state financing for coal power plants this year
Text by:NEWS WIRES
The Group of Seven wealthy nations on Friday agreed to end state financing of coal-fired power plants by the end of this year, and to "mostly decarbonise" electricity supplies in the 2030s.
Ahead of a leaders meeting in Britain next month, G7 countries' climate and environment ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to keep temperature rises below 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050, following a two-day virtual meeting.
Scientists say any increases beyond that will trigger uncontrollable climate change.
"Recognising that continued global investment in unabated coal power generation is incompatible with keeping 1.5C within reach, we stress that international investments in unabated coal must stop now," the ministers said.
UK lawmaker Alok Sharma, who is president-designate of the COP26 UN climate summit to be held in Glasgow in November, said the consensus was "a clear signal to the world that coal is on the way out".
The move follows a recommendation from the International Energy Agency earlier this week that all future fossil fuel projects must be scrapped if the world is to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and limit warming to 1.5C.
German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze called the agreement "an important step forward" that gave credibility to industrialised nations to urge others to follow suit.
Her French counterpart, Barbara Pompili, said it "sets the stage for a radical transition towards clean energy", hailing Japan, which had resisted, for getting on board.
The G7 countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and Britain -- are home to major carmakers, and further agreed to "significantly accelerate" the shift away from petrol in the transport industry within the decade.
Fossil fuels should also be mostly phased out from G7 countries' electricity supplies by the 2030s.
The grouping reiterated that it aimed to eliminate "inefficient fossil fuel subsidies" by 2025 and encouraged all countries to follow suit.
Meanwhile it vowed to "champion" new global biodiversity targets, including conserving or protecting at least 30 percent of global land and at least 30 percent of the global ocean by 2030 to halt, and reverse biodiversity loss.
Steam rises from the cooling tower of the coal-fired power
plant Datteln 4 of Uniper in Datteln, western Germany, May 30, 2020.
© Ina Fassbender, AFP
Text by:NEWS WIRES
The Group of Seven wealthy nations on Friday agreed to end state financing of coal-fired power plants by the end of this year, and to "mostly decarbonise" electricity supplies in the 2030s.
Ahead of a leaders meeting in Britain next month, G7 countries' climate and environment ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to keep temperature rises below 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050, following a two-day virtual meeting.
Scientists say any increases beyond that will trigger uncontrollable climate change.
"Recognising that continued global investment in unabated coal power generation is incompatible with keeping 1.5C within reach, we stress that international investments in unabated coal must stop now," the ministers said.
UK lawmaker Alok Sharma, who is president-designate of the COP26 UN climate summit to be held in Glasgow in November, said the consensus was "a clear signal to the world that coal is on the way out".
The move follows a recommendation from the International Energy Agency earlier this week that all future fossil fuel projects must be scrapped if the world is to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and limit warming to 1.5C.
German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze called the agreement "an important step forward" that gave credibility to industrialised nations to urge others to follow suit.
Her French counterpart, Barbara Pompili, said it "sets the stage for a radical transition towards clean energy", hailing Japan, which had resisted, for getting on board.
The G7 countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and Britain -- are home to major carmakers, and further agreed to "significantly accelerate" the shift away from petrol in the transport industry within the decade.
Fossil fuels should also be mostly phased out from G7 countries' electricity supplies by the 2030s.
The grouping reiterated that it aimed to eliminate "inefficient fossil fuel subsidies" by 2025 and encouraged all countries to follow suit.
Meanwhile it vowed to "champion" new global biodiversity targets, including conserving or protecting at least 30 percent of global land and at least 30 percent of the global ocean by 2030 to halt, and reverse biodiversity loss.
'Vague'
Nations around the world committed under the 2015 Paris accord to keeping the global temperature increase to under two degrees Celsius and ideally closer to 1.5C by 2050.
However, many of the largest emitters have so far failed to do so and countries have not even agreed on a unified rulebook governing how the Paris agreement works in practice.
Sharma said earlier this month that the upcoming COP summit -- the biggest climate talks since the Paris talks -- were "the last hope" of realistically keeping to the targets.
All G7 nations now have 2030 emissions reduction targets, aligned with 2050 net zero aims.
The German government recently raised the ambition on its emissions reduction targets after a landmark ruling by the country's top court declared a flagship climate protection law "insufficient".
Under the new targets, the government expects to slash emissions by 65 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, going further than the current 55 percent reduction target.
Germany is also aiming to be carbon neutral by 2045, five years earlier than previously planned.
Environmental activists broadly welcomed the commitments struck Friday, but urged wealthy countries to produce more detailed plans and timeframes.
"The commitment on ending international coal funding is a real positive and leaves China isolated globally with its ongoing international financing for the most polluting fossil fuel," said Rebecca Newsom, of Greenpeace UK.
"Unfortunately though, too many of these pledges remain vague when we need them to be specific and set out timetabled action."
Nick Mabey, chief executive of the E3G climate think-tank, said the agreements provided "real momentum" ahead of COP26, pinpointing the deals around investment in coal and other fossil fuels as particularly significant.
"It puts the burden on any fossil fuel development now to prove that it's 1.5C compatible," he told the BBC.
(AFP)
Nations around the world committed under the 2015 Paris accord to keeping the global temperature increase to under two degrees Celsius and ideally closer to 1.5C by 2050.
However, many of the largest emitters have so far failed to do so and countries have not even agreed on a unified rulebook governing how the Paris agreement works in practice.
Sharma said earlier this month that the upcoming COP summit -- the biggest climate talks since the Paris talks -- were "the last hope" of realistically keeping to the targets.
All G7 nations now have 2030 emissions reduction targets, aligned with 2050 net zero aims.
The German government recently raised the ambition on its emissions reduction targets after a landmark ruling by the country's top court declared a flagship climate protection law "insufficient".
Under the new targets, the government expects to slash emissions by 65 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, going further than the current 55 percent reduction target.
Germany is also aiming to be carbon neutral by 2045, five years earlier than previously planned.
Environmental activists broadly welcomed the commitments struck Friday, but urged wealthy countries to produce more detailed plans and timeframes.
"The commitment on ending international coal funding is a real positive and leaves China isolated globally with its ongoing international financing for the most polluting fossil fuel," said Rebecca Newsom, of Greenpeace UK.
"Unfortunately though, too many of these pledges remain vague when we need them to be specific and set out timetabled action."
Nick Mabey, chief executive of the E3G climate think-tank, said the agreements provided "real momentum" ahead of COP26, pinpointing the deals around investment in coal and other fossil fuels as particularly significant.
"It puts the burden on any fossil fuel development now to prove that it's 1.5C compatible," he told the BBC.
(AFP)
Terrifying moment wall of dust hits Russian city
Duration: 00:55
A severe sandstorm covered the southern Russian city of Astrakhan in thick dust on Wednesday. According to officials, it's the first time that the phenomenon has occurred in the region.
KameraOne
Duration: 00:55
A severe sandstorm covered the southern Russian city of Astrakhan in thick dust on Wednesday. According to officials, it's the first time that the phenomenon has occurred in the region.
KameraOne
THE CORRUPT CATHOLIC EMPIRE
Cardinal Pell eyes a Vatican scandal he suspected long ago
ROME (AP) — Cardinal George Pell is enjoying his first Roman spring since being exonerated of sex abuse charges in his native Australia: He receives visitors to his Vatican flat, sips midday Aperol spritzes at the outdoor cafe downstairs and keeps up religiously with news of a Holy See financial scandal that he suspected years ago.
Cardinal Pell eyes a Vatican scandal he suspected long ago
ROME (AP) — Cardinal George Pell is enjoying his first Roman spring since being exonerated of sex abuse charges in his native Australia: He receives visitors to his Vatican flat, sips midday Aperol spritzes at the outdoor cafe downstairs and keeps up religiously with news of a Holy See financial scandal that he suspected years ago.
© Provided by The Canadian Press
Pell, who turns 80 in June, is buoyed by the perks of being a retired Vatican cardinal even as he tries to put back together a life and career that were upended by his criminal trials and 404 days spent in solitary confinement in a Melbourne lockup
“I’ve become very Italian,” Pell tells a visitor one morning, referring to his daily routine checking coronavirus cases in Italy. “I check the stats every day. But I’m regional: I go immediately to Lazio,” which surrounds Rome.
Pell left his job as prefect of the Vatican’s economy ministry in 2017 to return home to face charges that he sexually molested two 13-year-old choir boys in the sacristy of the Melbourne cathedral in 1996.
After a first jury deadlocked, a second convicted him and he was sentenced to six years in prison. The conviction was upheld on appeal only to be thrown out by Australia’s High Court, which in April 2020 found there was reasonable doubt in the testimony of his lone accuser.
Pell and his supporters strongly denied the charges and believe he was scapegoated for all the crimes of the Australian Catholic Church’s botched response to clergy sexual abuse. Yet victims and critics say Pell epitomizes everything wrong with how the church has dealt with the sex abuse problem and have denounced his exoneration.
Pell spoke to The Associated Press ahead of the U.S. release of the second volume of his jailhouse memoir, “Prison Journal, Volume 2,” chronicling the middle four months of his term. The book charts his emotional low after the appeals court upheld his initial conviction, and ends with a sign of hope after Australia’s High Court agreed to hear his case.
“Looking back, I was probably excessively optimistic that I’d get bail,” Pell says now, crediting his “glass half-full” attitude to his Christian faith.
Pell still has many detractors — he freely uses the term “enemies" — who think him guilty. But in Rome, even many of his critics believed in his innocence, and since returning in September he has enjoyed a well-publicized papal audience and participates regularly in Vatican events.
Pell had returned to Rome to clean out his apartment, intending to make Sydney his permanent home.
But he never left. As Italy's COVID-19 resurgence hit, Pell spent the winter watching as the scandal over Vatican corruption and incompetence that he tried to uncover as Pope Francis’ finance czar exploded publicly in ways he admits he never saw coming.
For the three years that Pell was in charge of the Vatican’s finances, he tried to get a handle on just how much money the Secretariat of State had in its asset portfolio, what its investments were and what it did with the tens of millions of dollars in donations to the pope from the faithful.
He largely failed, as his nemesis in the Secretariat of State, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, blocked his efforts to impose international accounting and auditing standards. But now Becciu has been sacked, Francis has stripped the secretariat of its ability to manage the money and Vatican prosecutors are investigating the office's 350 million euro investment in a London real estate venture.
No indictments have been handed down after two years of investigation. But in court documents, prosecutors have accused an Italian broker involved in the London deal of trying to extort the Holy See of 15 million euros in fees, and they have accused a handful of Vatican officials of involvement.
Those same court documents, however, have made clear the entire venture was approved by top officials in the Secretariat of State, and witnesses say Francis himself approved a “just” compensation for the broker. Yet only low-ranking Vatican officials and external businessmen are known to be under investigation.
Pell said he is heartened that Vatican prosecutors are on the case, given the tens of millions of euros that were lost in the deal. But he expressed concerns about possible problems in the investigation and wondered if the truth will ever come out.
He noted a British judge recently issued a devastating ruling against the Vatican in a related asset seizure case against the broker, Gianluigi Torzi. The judge said Vatican prosecutors had made “appalling” omissions and misrepresentations in their request for judicial assistance, and his ruling essentially dismantled much of their case against Torzi.
“He used the word ‘appalling’ about the level of competence,” Pell said. The issues flagged in the British ruling are “a matter for concern,” said Pell, for whom matters of due process are particularly dear.
“It’s a matter of basic competence and justice," Pell said. “We must act within the norms of justice.”
Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press
Pell, who turns 80 in June, is buoyed by the perks of being a retired Vatican cardinal even as he tries to put back together a life and career that were upended by his criminal trials and 404 days spent in solitary confinement in a Melbourne lockup
“I’ve become very Italian,” Pell tells a visitor one morning, referring to his daily routine checking coronavirus cases in Italy. “I check the stats every day. But I’m regional: I go immediately to Lazio,” which surrounds Rome.
Pell left his job as prefect of the Vatican’s economy ministry in 2017 to return home to face charges that he sexually molested two 13-year-old choir boys in the sacristy of the Melbourne cathedral in 1996.
After a first jury deadlocked, a second convicted him and he was sentenced to six years in prison. The conviction was upheld on appeal only to be thrown out by Australia’s High Court, which in April 2020 found there was reasonable doubt in the testimony of his lone accuser.
Pell and his supporters strongly denied the charges and believe he was scapegoated for all the crimes of the Australian Catholic Church’s botched response to clergy sexual abuse. Yet victims and critics say Pell epitomizes everything wrong with how the church has dealt with the sex abuse problem and have denounced his exoneration.
Pell spoke to The Associated Press ahead of the U.S. release of the second volume of his jailhouse memoir, “Prison Journal, Volume 2,” chronicling the middle four months of his term. The book charts his emotional low after the appeals court upheld his initial conviction, and ends with a sign of hope after Australia’s High Court agreed to hear his case.
“Looking back, I was probably excessively optimistic that I’d get bail,” Pell says now, crediting his “glass half-full” attitude to his Christian faith.
Pell still has many detractors — he freely uses the term “enemies" — who think him guilty. But in Rome, even many of his critics believed in his innocence, and since returning in September he has enjoyed a well-publicized papal audience and participates regularly in Vatican events.
Pell had returned to Rome to clean out his apartment, intending to make Sydney his permanent home.
But he never left. As Italy's COVID-19 resurgence hit, Pell spent the winter watching as the scandal over Vatican corruption and incompetence that he tried to uncover as Pope Francis’ finance czar exploded publicly in ways he admits he never saw coming.
For the three years that Pell was in charge of the Vatican’s finances, he tried to get a handle on just how much money the Secretariat of State had in its asset portfolio, what its investments were and what it did with the tens of millions of dollars in donations to the pope from the faithful.
He largely failed, as his nemesis in the Secretariat of State, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, blocked his efforts to impose international accounting and auditing standards. But now Becciu has been sacked, Francis has stripped the secretariat of its ability to manage the money and Vatican prosecutors are investigating the office's 350 million euro investment in a London real estate venture.
No indictments have been handed down after two years of investigation. But in court documents, prosecutors have accused an Italian broker involved in the London deal of trying to extort the Holy See of 15 million euros in fees, and they have accused a handful of Vatican officials of involvement.
Those same court documents, however, have made clear the entire venture was approved by top officials in the Secretariat of State, and witnesses say Francis himself approved a “just” compensation for the broker. Yet only low-ranking Vatican officials and external businessmen are known to be under investigation.
Pell said he is heartened that Vatican prosecutors are on the case, given the tens of millions of euros that were lost in the deal. But he expressed concerns about possible problems in the investigation and wondered if the truth will ever come out.
He noted a British judge recently issued a devastating ruling against the Vatican in a related asset seizure case against the broker, Gianluigi Torzi. The judge said Vatican prosecutors had made “appalling” omissions and misrepresentations in their request for judicial assistance, and his ruling essentially dismantled much of their case against Torzi.
“He used the word ‘appalling’ about the level of competence,” Pell said. The issues flagged in the British ruling are “a matter for concern,” said Pell, for whom matters of due process are particularly dear.
“It’s a matter of basic competence and justice," Pell said. “We must act within the norms of justice.”
Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press
Lethbridge College researcher receives more than $230K for sugar beet project
Eloise Therien 16 hrs ago
Alberta Innovates, the province's largest research and innovation agency, has selected a Lethbridge College researcher as one of eight recipients of a financial award through its Smart Agriculture and Food Digitization and Automation Challenge.
Eloise Therien 16 hrs ago
Alberta Innovates, the province's largest research and innovation agency, has selected a Lethbridge College researcher as one of eight recipients of a financial award through its Smart Agriculture and Food Digitization and Automation Challenge.
© Courtesy: Lethbridge College Sugar beets at the Rogers and Lantic factory in Taber.
WHEN I WAS AT THE U OF L WE HAD A CREW THAT WORKED BUILDING THE 150 FOOT TOWER FOR THE PLANT, IT WAS UNIV STUDENTS VS THE RODEO COWBOYS WHO ALSO WORKED ON THE CONCRETE CREW WHEN EVER WE HAD SHIFTS.
"The (challenge) was launched by Alberta Innovates to really help find projects that develop smart technologies that have the potential to sustainably increase productivity on (a) farm, and reduce the cost of production for industry -- or increase the overall value of agri-food products," said Natisha Stashko, the executive director of Smart Agriculture and Food at Alberta Innovates.
"For this particular competition, we received 49 applications, which was great to see the capacity that we have in Alberta and looking at the agriculture technology space," she said.
Read more: Earlier-than-normal sugar beet harvest begins in southern Alberta
Chandra Singh, the applied research chair in agricultural engineering and technology at Lethbridge College’s Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CARIE), will use the $236,083 awarded to his project to explore how to improve sugar beet storage through automation and wireless technology.
"This wireless sensing technology will help us to collect the actual real-time sugar beet temperature data," Singh explained, adding that unpredictable southern Alberta weather can harm the product with the way it is currently stored.
"What it does -- the heating cooling cycle of those outdoor piles, they're not covered, not sealed," he said.
"It goes through the thawing (and) freezing cycle, and that damages the crop."
Singh added that the sensors will be able to notify a fanning system when to turn on in order to maintain a target temperature.
Video: Southern Alberta sugar beet farmers unable to harvest nearly half of 2019 crop
"This process will be completely automated, so you don’t have to have people going out and physically checking the piles," he said.
The total cost of the project is $404,733, and will take place over three years in collaboration with the Alberta Sugar Beet Growers (ASBG) and Lantic Inc., the country's only sugar beet processing facility located in Taber, Alta. Technical support will be provided by Calgary’s OPIsystems.
"Storage has always been a challenge for us, so our goal with this whole research is for us to better understand what's happening in the piles so that if there is spots where we're maybe seeing some deterioration of beet condition, we can actually remove those from the piles sooner," said ASBG executive director Melody Garner-Skiba.
"We're really hopeful that with this work we can see some interesting changes that will help us move the industry forward through better extraction."
Singh said he plans to have a prototype ready for this year's harvest, with the research concluding in three years.
"The (challenge) was launched by Alberta Innovates to really help find projects that develop smart technologies that have the potential to sustainably increase productivity on (a) farm, and reduce the cost of production for industry -- or increase the overall value of agri-food products," said Natisha Stashko, the executive director of Smart Agriculture and Food at Alberta Innovates.
"For this particular competition, we received 49 applications, which was great to see the capacity that we have in Alberta and looking at the agriculture technology space," she said.
Read more: Earlier-than-normal sugar beet harvest begins in southern Alberta
Chandra Singh, the applied research chair in agricultural engineering and technology at Lethbridge College’s Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CARIE), will use the $236,083 awarded to his project to explore how to improve sugar beet storage through automation and wireless technology.
"This wireless sensing technology will help us to collect the actual real-time sugar beet temperature data," Singh explained, adding that unpredictable southern Alberta weather can harm the product with the way it is currently stored.
"What it does -- the heating cooling cycle of those outdoor piles, they're not covered, not sealed," he said.
"It goes through the thawing (and) freezing cycle, and that damages the crop."
Singh added that the sensors will be able to notify a fanning system when to turn on in order to maintain a target temperature.
Video: Southern Alberta sugar beet farmers unable to harvest nearly half of 2019 crop
"This process will be completely automated, so you don’t have to have people going out and physically checking the piles," he said.
The total cost of the project is $404,733, and will take place over three years in collaboration with the Alberta Sugar Beet Growers (ASBG) and Lantic Inc., the country's only sugar beet processing facility located in Taber, Alta. Technical support will be provided by Calgary’s OPIsystems.
"Storage has always been a challenge for us, so our goal with this whole research is for us to better understand what's happening in the piles so that if there is spots where we're maybe seeing some deterioration of beet condition, we can actually remove those from the piles sooner," said ASBG executive director Melody Garner-Skiba.
"We're really hopeful that with this work we can see some interesting changes that will help us move the industry forward through better extraction."
Singh said he plans to have a prototype ready for this year's harvest, with the research concluding in three years.
MEDIA CONCENTRATION MONOPOLY CAPITALISM
Tribune shareholders approve hedge fund Alden's bid
Shareholders of Tribune Publishing, one of the country’s largest newspaper chains, approved a $630 million takeover bid by hedge fund Alden Global Capital on Friday, the company said in a brief statement. Alden, which already owned nearly one-third of Tribune, stands to take full control of the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun and other Tribune papers.
Investment firm owners are often criticized for valuing profits over the mission of local journalism, and Alden is no exception.
Confusion arose earlier in the day when a spokeswoman for Soon-Shiong said he “abstained” from the vote. According to Tribune’s April 20 proxy statement, which states that approval of the deal required the votes of at least two-thirds of shares not owned by Alden, an “abstain” vote counted the same as an “against” vote.
Neither Tribune nor its board made any public comments on vote result until late in the day Friday. In its statement, Tribune effectively confirmed earlier reporting attributed to unnamed Tribune officials that Soon-Shiong’s ballots were submitted without the “abstain” box checked, and so were counted as “yes” votes toward the Alden takeover in accordance with the instructions on the ballot. Tribune did not name Soon-Shiong directly, but said that proxies from “one of the company's largest shareholders” were submitted in this fashion.
Soon-Shiong's representative, Hillary Manning, said the billionaire viewed Tribune as a “passive investment” and that he is focused on the “revitalization” of the L.A. Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune, which he bought from Tribune in 2018. Soon-Shiong stands to gain about $150 million from his Tribune stake.
Legal experts agreed that if Soon-Shiong left his ballot blank, he likely did so deliberately.
One possibility, said Andrew Verstein, a UCLA School of Law professor, is that Soon-Shiong intended to vote yes but didn’t want to take flak for that vote. “If you say yes, people yell at you for selling out the newspaper," he said.
Alden became Tribune’s largest shareholder in 2019. The union representing Tribune’s journalists says the hedge fund’s cost cuts have already led to shrinking newsrooms and closed offices. A 2020 report from the University of North Carolina’s journalism school said the combination of Alden and Tribune would be the country’s second-largest newspaper publisher by circulation, behind Gannett.
Investment firms have played a significant role in consolidating the industry as online competition drew away readers' attention and ad dollars. Hedge fund Chatham Asset Management bought newspaper chain McClatchy in an auction last year following the company's bankruptcy, beating a bid from Alden. A newspaper company managed by private equity firm Fortress bought Gannett in 2019 with a high-interest loan from another private equity firm. The newspaper company, which retained the Gannett name and is publicly traded, has since ended the management arrangement with Fortress.
An expected higher bid for the whole company from the hotel mogul Bainum never fully materialized after he was unable to find a buyer for the Chicago Tribune. Hansjörg Wyss, a billionaire from Wyoming who had expressed interest in owning the Chicago Tribune, joined Bainum's bid, then subsequently dropped out. He did not say why.
Prior to his bid for all of Tribune, Bainum struck a side deal to buy Baltimore Sun Media from Tribune for $65 million via a nonprofit. In a statement, Bainum said that while his efforts to buy Tribune have “fallen short,” his focus now is on Baltimore and Maryland, where he is “evaluating various options” to create nonprofit newsrooms.
__
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Alden would gain control of the Los Angeles Times in a successful bid for Tribune. The newspaper is owned by Tribune’s No. 2 investor, Patrick Soon-Shiong, and is not part of the Alden deal.
Tali Arbel, The Associated Press
Tribune shareholders approve hedge fund Alden's bid
Shareholders of Tribune Publishing, one of the country’s largest newspaper chains, approved a $630 million takeover bid by hedge fund Alden Global Capital on Friday, the company said in a brief statement. Alden, which already owned nearly one-third of Tribune, stands to take full control of the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun and other Tribune papers.
© Provided by The Canadian Press
Through its Digital First Media chain, Alden owns the Boston Herald, Denver Post and San Jose Mercury News.
Tribune offered little additional detail beyond the fact that it expects the deal to close on May 25. In a statement, Alden said the move “reaffirms our commitment to the newspaper industry" and its focus on retooling publications so they can ”operate sustainably over the long term."
Through its Digital First Media chain, Alden owns the Boston Herald, Denver Post and San Jose Mercury News.
Tribune offered little additional detail beyond the fact that it expects the deal to close on May 25. In a statement, Alden said the move “reaffirms our commitment to the newspaper industry" and its focus on retooling publications so they can ”operate sustainably over the long term."
The Alden deal is just the latest major acquisition of a newspaper company by an investment firm dedicated to maximizing profits in distressed industries. The collapse of print advertising as readers migrated to digital publications has rocked the traditional newspaper business. Publishers have shut down more than 2,000 papers over the past 15 years and half of newsroom jobs have disappeared.
Investment firm owners are often criticized for valuing profits over the mission of local journalism, and Alden is no exception.
The deal drew opposition from many of the company’s journalists in an unusual spate of employee activism. They set up rallies, tried to find local buyers and begged for a rescue in their own newspapers. They had rooted for a higher bid from hotel mogul Stewart Bainum in the belief that it would be better for local journalism, although that never came to fruition. They lobbied Tribune's No. 2 investor, Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, to vote no and scuttle the deal.
In a blog post, the president of the union representing Tribune journalists lamented that Tribune's shareholders had “ let everyone down ” by approving the deal, but said the union would “continue to hold Alden Global Capital accountable.”
Confusion arose earlier in the day when a spokeswoman for Soon-Shiong said he “abstained” from the vote. According to Tribune’s April 20 proxy statement, which states that approval of the deal required the votes of at least two-thirds of shares not owned by Alden, an “abstain” vote counted the same as an “against” vote.
Neither Tribune nor its board made any public comments on vote result until late in the day Friday. In its statement, Tribune effectively confirmed earlier reporting attributed to unnamed Tribune officials that Soon-Shiong’s ballots were submitted without the “abstain” box checked, and so were counted as “yes” votes toward the Alden takeover in accordance with the instructions on the ballot. Tribune did not name Soon-Shiong directly, but said that proxies from “one of the company's largest shareholders” were submitted in this fashion.
Soon-Shiong's representative, Hillary Manning, said the billionaire viewed Tribune as a “passive investment” and that he is focused on the “revitalization” of the L.A. Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune, which he bought from Tribune in 2018. Soon-Shiong stands to gain about $150 million from his Tribune stake.
Legal experts agreed that if Soon-Shiong left his ballot blank, he likely did so deliberately.
One possibility, said Andrew Verstein, a UCLA School of Law professor, is that Soon-Shiong intended to vote yes but didn’t want to take flak for that vote. “If you say yes, people yell at you for selling out the newspaper," he said.
Alden became Tribune’s largest shareholder in 2019. The union representing Tribune’s journalists says the hedge fund’s cost cuts have already led to shrinking newsrooms and closed offices. A 2020 report from the University of North Carolina’s journalism school said the combination of Alden and Tribune would be the country’s second-largest newspaper publisher by circulation, behind Gannett.
Tribune itself is no stranger to cost cuts and shrinking newsrooms. After emerging from bankruptcy in 2012, it split from its TV broadcasting arm in 2014 and since then has bought and sold papers including the Los Angeles Times (sold), the San Diego Union-Tribune (bought and then sold) and the New York Daily News (bought, then hit with layoffs that cut its editorial staff in half ). Its annual revenue has fallen by more than half since 2015, and by the end of 2020 its number of full- and part-time employees stood at 2,865 people, just 40% of its headcount five years earlier.
Overall, publishers have shut down more than 2,000 papers over the past 15 years; half of newsroom jobs have disappeared.
Investment firms have played a significant role in consolidating the industry as online competition drew away readers' attention and ad dollars. Hedge fund Chatham Asset Management bought newspaper chain McClatchy in an auction last year following the company's bankruptcy, beating a bid from Alden. A newspaper company managed by private equity firm Fortress bought Gannett in 2019 with a high-interest loan from another private equity firm. The newspaper company, which retained the Gannett name and is publicly traded, has since ended the management arrangement with Fortress.
An expected higher bid for the whole company from the hotel mogul Bainum never fully materialized after he was unable to find a buyer for the Chicago Tribune. Hansjörg Wyss, a billionaire from Wyoming who had expressed interest in owning the Chicago Tribune, joined Bainum's bid, then subsequently dropped out. He did not say why.
Prior to his bid for all of Tribune, Bainum struck a side deal to buy Baltimore Sun Media from Tribune for $65 million via a nonprofit. In a statement, Bainum said that while his efforts to buy Tribune have “fallen short,” his focus now is on Baltimore and Maryland, where he is “evaluating various options” to create nonprofit newsrooms.
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An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Alden would gain control of the Los Angeles Times in a successful bid for Tribune. The newspaper is owned by Tribune’s No. 2 investor, Patrick Soon-Shiong, and is not part of the Alden deal.
Tali Arbel, The Associated Press
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