The Platypus—God's Little Joke—May Be Killed Off by River Dams

Pandora Dewan - Yesterday 

Platypus populations in Australia are becoming increasingly isolated as their habitats are fragmented by human-made dams. As a result, the long-term survival of this distinctive species is falling under threat.

A report in 2020 estimated that the area occupied by the beloved platypus has shrunk by at least 22 percent over the past 30 years. The species has recently been classed as "Near Threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature because of its declining populations.

Large dams, over 30 feet high, pose a major threat to freshwater species, like platypuses, by limiting their migration and altering seasonal flow patterns. In a study, published by the journal Nature Communications Biology, Luis Mijangos and colleagues used DNA analysis to study the impact of dam construction on platypus populations.

"In our study, we use genetic differentiation to give us an idea of whether platypuses are able to get around dams," Mijangos told Newsweek. "We found that genetic differentiation between groups above and below dams were much higher than genetic differentiation between populations in rivers without dams and that this genetic differentiation was increasing linearly across time.

"These results suggest that almost no, or no, platypuses have passed around the dams since they were built, so now we can be more certain that dams are likely impassable barriers for platypuses."

This fragmentation poses a serious threat to the long-term survival of the species. "When there is no connectivity between populations...the ability to recolonise available habitat or migrate to areas with more suitable conditions is restricted," Mijangos said. "Fragmentation also simultaneously reduces both local population size and gene flow, each of which is expected to lead to increased inbreeding and reduction of the genetic variation necessary for adaptation."


Photo of a platypus wrapped in a towel. Platypus populations are becoming increasingly fragmented due to the construction of man-made river dams. Gilad Bino© Gilad Bino

In the face of habitat disruption, pollution, climate change and predation by invasive species, the ability to adapt to new environments is becoming more important than ever before. However, to be able to adapt, a species needs to have a diverse, well-mixed gene pool. When populations become fragmented, this genetic mixing becomes harder to achieve.

The platypus has previously been described as "God's little joke" due to its unusual combination of features: while it has fur and produces milk like a mammal, it also lays eggs and has a bill and webbed feet like a duck; the male platypus produces venom from spurs on its hind legs which, while lethal, may have potential as a treatment for diabetes; its coat glows green under UV light and it uses electroreception to find food underwater.

"Platypuses are arguably the most irreplaceable mammal," Mijangos said.

The study's authors have recommended the introduction of strategies to promote platypus population mixing, such as developing "platypus-ways" to help the animals climb over dams. Water quality and riverbank restoration will also be important, and further research will be required to gain a better understanding of the breeding requirements of this unique species.

Platypus populations impacted by large river dams are more vulnerable to threats

by University of New South Wales

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The platypus is possibly the most irreplaceable mammal existing today. They have a unique combination of characteristics, including egg-laying despite being mammals, venomous spurs in males, electroreception for locating prey, biofluorescent fur, multiple sex chromosomes, and the longest evolutionary history in mammals.

Platypuses are a threatened species in some Australian states and their conservation is of concern more broadly, due to known decline in their populations.

A new study published in Communications Biology examined the genetic makeup of platypuses in free-flowing and nearby rivers with large dams in New South Wales. These included the free-flowing Ovens River, along with the dammed Mitta Mitta River, and the free-flowing Tenterfield Creek, along with the nearby Severn River regulated by a large dam.

The study found that large dams are significant barriers to platypus movements. This was reflected in greater genetic differentiation between platypuses above and below large dams compared to rivers without dams. Importantly, this genetic differentiation increased over time since the dam was built, reflecting the long-term impacts of the dam.

"We extracted the DNA from the blood collected by our Platypus Conservation Initiative researchers at UNSW. By using thousands of molecular markers, we were able to identify a strong signal indicating that genetic differentiation increased rapidly between platypuses below and above these large dams," said lead author Dr. Luis Mijangos, a former UNSW Ph.D. student who is now at the University of Canberra.

Professor Richard Kingsford, Director of the UNSW Center for Ecosystem Science and one of the paper's authors, said, "This is a profound result with significant implications for platypus conservation.

"We've long suspected that prey can restrict platypus movements, but this is the 'smoking gun.' These animals just can't get around big dams."

This movement restriction of platypuses separated by large dams means there is limited or no gene flow between groups, making these separate populations increasingly vulnerable to threats. There is increased possibility of inbreeding depression, loss of adaptive genetic variation, failure to recolonize areas where local extinctions have occurred, and failure to disperse to areas with more suitable conditions.

"We know that platypuses are declining in many parts of their range in eastern Australia, affected by many threats. This study identifies one of the main threats to this iconic species," said Dr. Gilad Bino, leader of the Platypus Conservation Initiative at UNSW Sydney and another author of the study.

"There is still much we don't know about the ecology of the platypus, but given its international status as a monotreme, it is increasingly vital that we understand and manage the threats to this unique species."

The authors recommend that water conservation and management planning should consider alternative approaches to large dams. These could include storing water in off-river reservoirs and implementing strategies to reduce the effects of dams, such as the artificial relocation of individual platypuses between groups above and below dams, or the construction of passage structures that increase dispersal.

More information: Luis Mijangos, Fragmentation by major dams and implications for the future viability of platypus populations, Communications Biology (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04038-9. www.nature.com/articles/s42003-022-04038-9

Journal information: Communications Biology 

Provided by University of New South Wales 

Changes to river flows are having a 'damming' impact on platypuses

DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY

Uganda's Museveni vows no national lockdown as Ebola cases rise

Fri, November 4, 2022


Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Friday reiterated his refusal to impose a nationwide Covid-like lockdown to contain the spread of Ebola despite a worrying increase in cases.

Since the health ministry first declared an Ebola outbreak in the central district of Mubende, the disease has spread across the East African nation, including to the capital Kampala.

But Museveni ruled out any plans for a nationwide lockdown, instead urging citizens to "be more vigilant" and observe measures put in place to control the spread of Ebola.

"There will be NO LOCKDOWN. Therefore, people should go ahead and concentrate on their work without any worry," he said on Twitter.

The death toll from the highly contagious disease currently stands at 49, according to the Ugandan government.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday said the country had registered over 150 confirmed and probable cases, including 64 fatalities.

Ebola is spread through bodily fluids, with common symptoms being fever, vomiting, bleeding and diarrhoea.

Outbreaks are difficult to contain, especially in urban environments.

People who are infected do not become contagious until symptoms appear, which is after an incubation period of between two and 21 days.

The outbreak was declared on September 20, and eight days later Museveni declared any nationwide lockdown was "not necessary."

In October, however, he imposed a lockdown on two districts, Mubende and Kassanda, setting a dusk-to-dawn curfew, banning travel and closing markets, bars and churches for 21 days.

He also ordered the police to arrest anyone infected with Ebola who refused to isolate.

WHO on Wednesday warned that there was a high risk of Ebola spreading further and called on neighbouring countries to boost their preparedness.

Uganda's last recorded fatality from a previous Ebola outbreak was in 2019.

The particular strain now circulating in Uganda is known as the Sudan Ebola virus, for which there is currently no vaccine, although there are several candidate vaccines heading towards clinical trials.

The worst Ebola epidemic in West Africa between 2013 and 2016 killed more than 11,300 people.

gm-ho/amu/ri

The renaissance of the world's largest pipe organ

Andréa BAMBINO
Fri, 4 November 2022 


You've never felt Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor quite like this: in Atlantic City, the largest organ in the world is coming back to life.

The pipe organ in the New Jersey city's Boardwalk Hall was constructed in the 1920s, during the seaside resort area's golden age.

But the instrument suffered the wrath of a hurricane in 1944, and wear and tear after years of quasi-abandonment for a while left it unusable. Now, through private donations and careful restoration, it is coming back to ear-pleasing functionality.

From near the stage the antique wooden cabinet looks tiny, but inside it includes a record seven keyboards and rows of keys and pedals that control the pipes, only two-thirds of which are currently in working order.

"It's an experience that's hard to really describe," said Dylan David Shaw, a 23-year-old organist.

"Every conceivable sound of the orchestra that you can think of is available at your fingertips: strings and woodwinds, orchestral trumpets, flutes," Shaw said. "Anything you can possibly think of: percussions, glockenspiel, even a full grand piano in one of the side chambers."

He added: "It's a magical experience."


The history of the instrument, which was constructed by the Midmer-Losh Organ Company, goes hand in hand with that of Boardwalk Hall itself.

The imposing arena facing the ocean has been the site of Miss America competitions, the 1964 Democratic convention, and boxer Mike Tyson fights.

The organ was built "to fill this enormous space with music," said organ curator Nathan Bryson, who called the "enormous instrument" the "precursor of surround sound."

- 50 percent playable -

The pipe organ has a stunning 33,112 pipes, the most in the world, in wooden rooms accessible by a narrow staircase and ladders.

By comparison, the famous Grand Organ of Notre Dame in Paris has fewer than 8,000 pipes.

When the organist plays "The Star-Spangled Banner," listeners feel almost as if their bodies are vibrating with the notes of the US national anthem.

While Atlantic City holds the record for most pipes, just an hour's drive away in Philadelphia stands the "Wanamaker," the world's largest organ in working order that's inside a Macy's department store.

Since 2004 a historic organ restoration committee entirely financed through donations has been working to return Atlantic City's organ to its full sonic power.

Behind the stage, Dean Norbeck, a retired electrical engineer, patiently mounts small magnets on a board, which conduct air in the pipes to produce sound.

Some repairs are easy to identify, but "sometimes it can be tricky to figure out why the pipes are not playing," Bryson said, and "where the point of failure is along the way."

For organist Shaw, the instrument is "over 50 percent playable."

The total restoration will cost some $16 million, Bryson said. So far $5 million has been raised.

arb/mdo/md/tjj

‘No more snow’: Climate change spells end for French Alps ski resort

 A ski lift in the French Alpine town of Saint-Firmin was torn down at the end of October, more than 15 years after going out of use due to a lack of snow – a problem set to confront a growing number of ski resorts in the coming years as climate changes sees temperature rise. But an association that oversaw the dismantling of the ski lift hopes such sites can now be restored to their natural state, and sustainable, year-round tourism take the place of skiing.

NASA's Artemis moon mission rocket will roll out to launch pad tonight

After three failed attempts, NASA prepares to finally launch the Orion spacecraft in two weeks.

Written by Stephanie Condon, Senior Writer on Nov. 3, 2022



NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher as it returns to the Vehicle Assembly Building from Launch Pad 39B, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Image: NASA/Joel Kowsky

NASA is preparing for its next attempt to launch the Artemis moon mission. Beginning at 12:01am EDT on Friday, the agency will roll out the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The rollout is a major moment for the stalled Artemis mission, which now aims to launch on Nov. 14.

Also: What is the Artemis mission? Everything you need to know

The mission was initially slated to launch in late August, but the launch was scrubbed due to technical delays. A second attempt was also scrubbed due to technical issues. Then in September, NASA had to wheel the SLS back to its hangar as Hurricane Ian approached the western side of Florida's peninsula, disrupting what would have been the third launch attempt.

The Artemis program is a yearslong mission that will culminate with landing the first woman and person of color on the moon. It all starts with the Artemis I mission, which will send NASA's new rocket and spacecraft, unmanned, on a journey to orbit the moon. The purpose of the Artemis I mission is to ensure that the deep space exploration systems – the SLS and Orion spacecraft – are ready to send humans to the moon and beyond.

The November 14 liftoff is expected to take place within a 69-minute window that opens at 12:07 am EST. A launch on November 14 would result in a mission duration of about 25-and-a-half days with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, December 9.

Over the next week, NASA will be monitoring an area of low pressure in the atmosphere that could develop into a storm large enough to impact the launch.

If NASA needs to scrub the launch, its next opportunities for liftoff come on November 16 at 1:04 am and November 19 at 1:45 am. The agency would prefer a daytime launch, so it can get better visuals of the event. However, it's also running up against some deadlines.

There are a number of elements of the rocket that are on a "limited life list," NASA associate administrator Jim Free explained to reporters Thursday. Their guaranteed functionality is based on a set of assumptions that have to be re-tested after a certain period of time. The SLS boosters fall into that category.

One of the SLS rocket boosters wil have to be re-analyzed after December. 9, according to Cliff Lanham, senior vehicle operations manager for NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program. Another one will have to be re-tested after December 14.

Amazon founder Bezos, Jay-Z interested in NFL Commanders: report

Fri, November 4, 2022 


Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is interested in purchasing the NFL's Washington Commanders and music industry icon Jay-Z might join him as an investor, according to multiple US media reports.

The Washington Post and People magazine, each citing unnamed sources, said Bezos was considering a bid and Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, might partner with him.

Bezos owns the Washington Post and is executive chairman of Amazon, which is in the first season of a streaming deal for Thursday night NFL games worth a reported $1 billion.

The reports come after Commanders owners Dan and Tanya Snyder said on Wednesday that they have retained a firm to "consider potential transactions" involving the club.

Bezos was not known as a bidder for the most recently sold NFL team, the Denver Broncos, who were purchased from the trust of the late owner Pat Bowlen by a group led by Walmart heir Rob Walton for $4.65 billion, a record purchase price for any North American sports franchise.

NFL owners ratified the sale in August, making Walton the NFL's richest owner, a mark Bezos would eclipse should he purchase the Commanders.

Forbes magazine lists Walton's net worth at $59.2 billion while Bezos ranks as the world's fourth-richest person at $113.2 billion.

In August, Forbes estimated the Commanders are worth $5.6 billion.

In September, Bezos attended the first NFL game in Amazon's new telecast deal at Kansas City.

Another person the Post reported is interested in the Commanders is Byron Allen, owner of Entertainment Studios, also known as Allen Media Group.

Allen, a bidder for the Broncos, would be the first Black majority owner of an NFL team.

Dan Snyder is under investigation by the House of Representatives oversight and reform committee, the NFL and attorney generals in Virginia and Washington DC regarding allegations of financial misdeeds.

js/rcw

Climate activists hurl pea soup at Van Gogh masterpiece in Rome

Updated / Friday, 4 Nov 2022 

The painting was behind glass and was not damaged, it is understood

A group of activists threw pea soup at a Vincent Van Gogh masterpiece today in a protest they warned would continue until more attention was paid to climate change.

'The Sower', an 1888 painting by the Dutch artist depicting a farmer sowing his land under a dominating sun, was exhibited behind glass and undamaged, according to reports.

Climate activists from Last Generation said the attack carried out by four individuals was "a desperate and scientifically grounded cry that cannot be understood as mere vandalism".

"Non-violent direct actions will continue until citizens get answers from their government on the demands to stop gas and coal and to invest in at least 20 GW of renewables," they said in a statement.



A series of attacks, including by Last Generation and others, have targeted major paintings in prestigious museums by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Claude Monet, Vermeer and Van Gogh.

In October, the group Just Stop Oil threw tomato soup over Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers' at London's National Gallery. That painting, also protected by glass, was undamaged.

"Everything that we would have the right to see in our present and our future is being obscured by a real and imminent catastrophe, just as this pea puree has covered the work in the fields..." Last Generation said in its statement today.

'The Sower' is on show at Rome's Palazzo Bonaparte, part of an exhibition of 50 paintings by the Dutch master on loan from the Kroller Muller museum in Otterlo.

The exhibit organisers, Arthemisia, did not immediately respond to a request for more information on the attack.

PREPARING FOR INVASION

US blacklists two top Haiti politicians as 'drug traffickers'

Paul HANDLEY
Fri, November 4, 2022


The United States imposed sanctions on two top Haitian politicians, former Senate President Joseph Lambert and former senator Youri Latortue, accusing them of being longtime drug traffickers.

The US Treasury said Lambert, who made a bid for the presidency last year, and Latortue, formerly a top security official, "have abused their official positions to traffic drugs and collaborated with criminal and gang networks to undermine the rule of law in Haiti."

In a parallel statement placing Lambert on the State Department's blacklist, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the powerful politician was involved in "significant corruption and a gross violation of human rights."

Blinken said there was also credible evidence that Lambert was behind an extrajudicial killing.

The announcements, which said Canada was also sanctioning the two, came as the international community seeks to help the Haitian government restore order and regain control of crucial port facilities after a surge in gang violence.

Since mid-September armed gangs have virtually paralyzed Haiti, including blockading the most important oil terminal of the country, causing shortages of fuel and drinking water.

On Monday UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that it was urgent to act on a proposal to send an international peacekeeping force to Haiti to deal with the "nightmare" there.

John Kirby, spokesman for the White House’s National Security Council, said Friday that discussions were ongoing on a multinational force for Haiti.

"We're actively involved in talking with a variety of partners about what a force could look like," he said.

"No decisions have been made about any one particular state participating," he said, adding that the force would be restricted to "provision of humanitarian assistance."

- Gangs and drugs -

Both Lambert and Latortue have been accused of close associations with gangs.

A classified 2006 US diplomatic memo leaked in 2010 by Wikileaks said Latortue "may well be the most brazenly corrupt of leading Haitian politicians."

It identified him as the "first cousin once removed" of former prime minister Gerard Latortue.

The Treasury said Lambert and Latortue have long histories of drug trafficking.

Both were deeply involved in trafficking cocaine from Colombia and Haiti, gave protection to other traffickers, and ordered followers to carry out violent acts on their behalf.

"The United States and our international partners will continue to take action against those who facilitate drug trafficking, enable corruption, and seek to profit from instability in Haiti," said Treasury Under Secretary Brian Nelson in a statement.

Kirby said US authorities "stand ready to take additional action as appropriate against other bad actors."

Treasury sanctions seek to seize any assets that those named have under US jurisdiction and block any US individuals or entities, including international banks with US offices, from doing business with them.

The State Department designation generally bans them from entry into the United States. The State Department also blacklisted Lambert's wife Jesula Lambert Domond.

pmh/md

Italy allows ships carrying 179 migrants to dock

The charity rescue ships, have been at sea off Italy for more than a week waiting for permission from Rome to dock.

Layla Maghribi - 

A migrant child on board the 'Ocean Viking' in the Mediterranean Sea on November 2, 2022.

 AFP© VINCENZO CIRCOSTA

Italy will allow a ship carrying 179 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea to dock so medics can carry out health checks, the country's foreign minister said Friday.

Antonio Tajani said that Humanity 1, a German-flagged vessel, would head for Catania, Sicily, and "be able to stay in our territorial waters for the time necessary for us to examine all the emergencies on board".

More than 1,000 migrants who were trying to reach Europe are currently aboard three rescue boats, and Italy has faced mounting pressure to let the humanitarian ships dock.

The charity rescue ships, including the Norwegian flag-bearing Ocean Viking and Geo Barents, have been at sea off Italy for more than a week waiting for permission from Rome to dock.

The Norwegian-flagged vessels have more than 800 people on board and are sailing off Sicily, while the German-flagged Humanity 1 has 179 people, including more than 100 unaccompanied minors and a seven-month-old baby with her mother.

"We will accept all those people, for example because they are minors, or because, according to what we know from the media, they are pregnant women or with young children, or people with fever", Mr Tajani said.

But he warned that "all those who do not meet these criteria will have to be removed from our territorial waters by the ship".

Norway ambassador to Italy said. it will not take in almost 1,000 migrants stranded in the Mediterranean.

In an email statement to Reuters, ambassador Johan Vibe said Norway had “no responsibility” to take in the people on board two private Norwegian-flagged vessels.

The Norwegian ambassador’s response came after Italy’s new Prime Minister Georgia Meloni suggested that the countries under whose flags the ships are operating should take in the rescued migrants.

Italy sent letters last week to the embassies of Germany and Norway, saying non-government organisation (NGO) ships flying their flags were not following European security rules and were undermining the fight against illegal immigration.

"The primary responsibility for co-ordinating the work to ensure a safe port for those in distress at sea lies with the state responsible for the search-and-rescue area where such assistance has been rendered.

"Neighbouring coastal states also have a responsibility in such matters," Mr Vibe’s statement said.

The German embassy on Wednesday urged Italy to provide help swiftly, saying the NGO ships made an important contribution to saving lives at sea.

On Thursday, the charity SOS Mediterranee, which operates the Ocean Viking, said it had asked Greece, Spain and France.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told RMC-BFMTV that international law said Italy should take in the migrants, but also said that Paris and Berlin were ready to offer assistance.

"We have told our Italian friends, together with our German friends, that we are ready to take in, clearly as we have done in previous cases, some of the women and children so that Italy is not alone in receiving them," he said.

Search-and-rescue co-ordinator for SOS Humanity, Nicola Stalla, called the “blockade at sea” a “disgrace” and said delays in disembarking could have “life-threatening consequences”.

Petra Krischok, a press officer at the German NGO, SOS Humanity, who is aboard the vessel, posted on Twitter that the migrants were sleeping on the deck and could soon face rough seas after days of good weather.

In a video posted on the social media platform, a doctor on Humanity 1, said people aboard were getting sicker and suffering from skin problems, psychological stress; some showed signs of having experienced violence.

Earlier in the week, the Italian interior minister Matteo Piantedosi told the Corriere della Sera daily newspaper that Italy “cannot take in migrants who are picked up at sea by foreign ships operating without any planned co-ordination with the authorities”.

Migrant numbers have surged in Italy over the past week, with more than 6,200 people arriving since October 27 compared with 1,400 in the same period in 2021, according to government data.

The latest figures from the UN refugee agency show there have been just over 83,000 sea arrivals in Italy this year.

France attempts to match immigration policies with labour needs

Tiffany FILLON - 

The French government on Wednesday announced a bill that would create a specific residence permit to enable illegal immigrants who work in understaffed sector to legalise their status. The new measure aims to fight the exploitation of undocumented migrants and comes at a time when many European countries are experiencing labour shortages.


 Boris Horvat, AFP

Immigration took centre stage in France this week, with the issue of expulsion orders for undocumented migrants dominating the political discourse, followed by a parliamentary uproar after a far-right MP on Thursday yelled “Go back to Africa!” as a Black legislator from the far left asked a question on migrant arrivals.

The latest turmoil was sparked when Carlos Martens Bilongo of the far-left France Unbowed party (LFI) was questioning the government’s response to migrants rescued at sea in recent days.

Gregoire de Fournas, a newly elected member of the far-right, anti-immigration National Rally (RN), claimed he shouted, "They should go back to Africa!", but was interrupted.

In French, the pronunciations for the pronouns "he” and "they" are similar. The comment was perceived as a suggestion by de Fournas that his Black parliamentary colleague go back to Africa.

On Friday, de Fournas was slapped with a 15-day suspension from French National Assembly along with a pay cut.

Thursday’s parliamentary furor came a day after the French government unveiled a series of new measures that attempt to integrate immigration policies with labour market needs.

The balancing act between immigration and employment was on display in a joint interview of Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin and Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt with French daily Le Monde on Wednesday.

"If I had to summarise, I would say that we must now be tough on the bad guys and kind to the rule-abiders,” Darmanin told Le Monde.

The new immigration bill, which will be debated in parliament in early 2023, will speed up the expulsion of some undocumented migrants while creating residency permits for undocumented migrants who are already in France and who want to work in sectors suffering labour shortages.

While the ministers did not reveal which industries will be covered by the new bill, France has many understaffed sectors that are heavily dependent on foreign workers, such as construction, restaurants, hotels and agriculture.

New ‘skills in demand’ permit

The creation of the “métiers en tension” – or "skills in demand" – residence permit was inspired by a 2012 official circular that allowed migrants who have been on French soil for several years and have been working for several months to obtain a residence permit. Cases are examined on a case-by-case basis. The procedure requires a work contract or an employment letter. The duration of the residence permit depends on the duration of the work contract.

Related video: Does the racist comment in French Parliament compromise the far right party's strategy of normalization?   Duration 3:11   View on Watch

With the proposed “skills in demand” residence permit, an uncocumented worker will be able to personally apply for legal status "without going through the employer", who may have a vested interest in keeping workers in their undocumented status, explained Dussopt. Since undocumented workers are not covered by French labour law, they often work for lower pay under exploitative conditions.

The ministers have not yet specified whether undocumented migrants will have to present a work contract or employment letter (as is already the case under the 2012 circular). If this is still the case, the provision enabling migrants to apply for a permit “without going through the employer” would seem contradictory.

The creation of the “skills in demand” residence permit enables France to "fight a lot of irregularities and abuses, such as illegal work or ‘rogue' companies that regularly employ illegal immigrants, which constitutes unfair competition for companies that do business by the book," Emmanuelle Auriol, an economist at the Toulouse School of Economics, told AFP.

Economic migrants need not clog asylum system

The new immigration measures are mostly symbolic, according to Virginie Guiraudon of SciencesPo’s Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics. The government aims to "provide a political impetus or to position itself politically on the issue", she explained.

Guiraudon cited the example of Stéphane Ravacley, a baker in the eastern French town of Besançon, and his apprentice, Laye Fodé Traoréiné, a young man of Guinean origin. Their story created a media stir in France when Ravacley went on a hunger strike in January 2021 to demand the legalisation of his apprentice, who was subject to an explusion order when he, as a teenaged undocumented immigrant, turned 18.

Ravacley, a portly French baker, had to be hospitalised during his hunger strike. His petition on Change.org calling for his apprentice’s legalisation got more than 200,000 signatures and mobilised the town as well as celebrities across France.

The case of the small-town baker and his apprentice highlighted public approval for enabling migrants to access and retain employment even as the far-right RN party increases its vote share in successive elections.

Guiraudon notes that, “we may not need a law to regularise undocumented migrants" since “the real problem in France is that we have to wait months, sometimes years, to get an answer from the prefecture about our papers".

Despite the shortfalls of the immigration system, including its long delays, Catherine Wihtol de Wenden from SciencesPo’s Centre for International Studies welcomes the new measures, which she explained are realistic and could help address immigration fraud. These include numerous cases of economic migrants clogging France’s asylum system with refugee status applications. "This new residence permit will encourage people not to apply for asylum since they know that they will be able to apply for a legal work status,” she noted.

The new measures have been supported by MEDEF, France’s largest employers organisation. But conservative and far-right critics say they don’t go far enough in addressing illegal immigration.

‘Selective immigration’

In his interview with Le Monde, Darmanin noted that the government was trying to implement a policy of "selective immigration" or, more precisely, "selected regulation". The idea, the interior minister explained, was to regulate immigration in a measured, rather than a massive, scale.

The government has not specified whether the “selected” regulations will apply to new arrivals or will be restricted to undocumented migrants already in France.

Centre-right French governments over the past decade have attempted to implement policies similar to the points-based systems in Australia and Canada, where immigration eligibility is determined by an applicant’s ability to score above a threshold number of points in a scoring system that includes factors such as education level, work skills and language fluency. The US also maintains an occupations list for H-1B work visas. When he was in power, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed a “jobs in demand” residence permit as well as immigration quotas before giving up on the proposals.

In Europe, there is a growing awareness of the need to address labour shortages, according to immigration experts. "In European countries, there is an awareness of the lack of labour supplied by nationals and the need to open up the labour market to immigration. This is a good sign, because it will allow a number of people to work legally in Europe," explained Wihtol de Wenden.

When he took office in December, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz famously declared that “Germany is an immigration country”. Addressing the Bundestag, the new chancellor said it was “high time we understand ourselves. Therefore, it’s high time we make it easier for immigrants to become German citizens.”

The new German administration promised to attract 400,000 qualified workers each year, and in June, it approved a plan allowing “assimilated” immigrants without residence permits to have easier access to integration and professional language courses.

Another reform unveiled in July allows foreigners to come to Germany if they can provide proof of work experience and an employment contract in the country. Germany is also preparing to set up a points system, like Australia and Canada, to attract qualified workers.

In southern Europe, Italy, which is confronting a rapidly ageing population, makes massive use of the migrant population, particularly for low-skilled jobs in the agricultural sector, construction, and the hotel and restaurant industries. Guiraudon cites the example of "women who work in homes for the elderly in Italy" and who benefit from a specific residence permit. "In Italy, does this completely protect the employees? These are still very poorly paid jobs, so it doesn't solve all the problems," she warned.

Italy’s policy of "selected immigration" could however be challenged by extreme right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s new government, which openly opposes immigration.

(This article is adapted from the original in French.)