Parents Sue Call Of Duty Maker, Alleging Sexual Harassment Led To Daughter’s Suicide

Ethan Gach
Mon, March 7, 2022

The Activision Blizzard logo sits in front of a neon grid background.

Parents of an Activision Blizzard employee who died by suicide on a 2017 work retreat at Disneyland are now suing the Call of Duty publisher alleging workplace sexual harassment contributed to their daughter’s wrongful death. Activision Blizzard had previously dismissed the tragedy as having “no bearing whatsoever” on allegations of misconduct at the company.


Content warning: suicide, harassment.

Janet and Paul Moynihan filed the lawsuit on March 3 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming sexual harassment faced by Kerri Moynihan during her time at the company was “a substantial factor in causing her death by suicide.” Moynihan, who was 32 and a finance manager at Activision at the time, was found dead in her hotel room at the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa in Disneyland in April 2017.

According to the lawsuit, which was first reported by The Washington Post, the Moynihans were not aware of allegations of widespread sexual harassment and discrimination at Activision Blizzard until the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit last summer. Thought at first extremely dismissive of many of the allegations, Activision has since entered into a pending $18 million settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over similar claims.

“We will address the complaint through the legal process as appropriate, and out of respect for the family we have no further comment at this time,” a spokesperson for Activision Blizzard told The Washington Post.

Without directly naming her at the time, the July 2021 DFEH lawsuit referenced Moynihan’s suicide and the alleged sexual harassment that preceeded it:

In a tragic example of the harassment that Defendants allowed to fester in their offices, a female employee committed suicide while on a company trip due to a sexual relationship that she had been having with her male supervisor. ...Another employee confirmed that the deceased female employee may have been suffering from other sexual harassment at work prior to her death. Specifically, at a holiday party before her death, male co-workers passed around a picture of the deceased’s vagina.

The Moynihans’ lawsuit now names Greg Restituito as the supervisor Kerri Moynihan was in a sexual relationship with. It also alleges that he originally lied to investigators about the relationship and removed items from Moynihan’s apartment after her death. According to the lawsuit, Activision Blizzard did not fully cooperate with the police investigation either, refusing to turn over Moynihan and Restituito’s work-issued laptops as well as Restituito’s cell phone, which the company claimed had been “wiped.”

At the time, Activision called it “reprehensible” for DFEH to “drag into the complaint the tragic suicide of an employee whose passing has no bearing whatsoever on this case and with no regard for her grieving family.” The Moynihans’ lawsuit now argues the opposite. It describes a pattern by Activision of going to “ extraordinary efforts” to “suppress and cover up evidence” of alleged misconduct at the company. According to a November 2021 investigation by The Wall Street Journal, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick intervened to prevent Treyarch studio co-head Dan Bunting from being terminated for sexual harassment.

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said he was “deeply troubled” by the allegations in The Wall Street Journal report, and over 1,000 Activision Blizzard employees called on Kotick to resign. Instead, Microsoft entered talks to purchase the embattled publisher for $68.7 billion, and after the deal was announced in January praised Kotick’s leadership and “commitment to real change.”

Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Los Angeles Police Department had been subpoenaed for any police records related to Kotick and other senior people at Activision.

The National Suicide Prevention Hotline in the U.S. is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-273-8255. A list of international suicide hotlines can be found here.

SEE LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for ACTIVISION 

ЗОМБИ АПОКАЛИПСИС

ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE 

Why the letter 'Z' has become 

Russia’s pro-war symbol during

its invasion of Ukraine

Nicole Darrah

·Breaking News Editor

Tue, March 8, 2022, 

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military invasion of Ukraine, the letter “Z” — even though it is represented with a different sign in the Cyrillic alphabet — has popped up in curious places: on Russian tanks, trucks and cars, on a gymnast’s leotard, in a formation of terminally ill Russian children who were seemingly told to show their support for the nation.

The “Z” has also been seen in other places throughout Russia, including in newspapers, on billboards and on merchandise, after RT, Russia’s state-owned media network, announced in February that it was selling T-shirts and hoodies featuring the symbol.

Military and foreign policy experts say the letter has become an apparent rallying cry for the “military operation” that Putin’s government has undertaken and forbidden citizens to call a “war” or “invasion.” Here’s a rundown on what we know about the use of “Z” in recent weeks.

What does the 'Z' stand for?

A protester holds a "Z" sign, in reference to Russian tanks marked with the letter, at a rally organised by right-wing Serbian organisations in support of Russian attacks on Ukraine, in Belgrade on March 4. (Milos Miskov/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

There are several theories on what the use of the letter actually represents, including a theory that it is a “state-induced meme.”

That’s according to Vasily Gatov, a Russian-American media analyst, who told the New York Times: “There are always people receptive to this kind of message.”

Russia’s defense ministry has not explicitly commented on the use of the letter in its current context, but did post on Instagram last week that the pro-war symbol stems from the Russian phrase "За победу," which starts with a “Z” sound and means “for the victory.”

It’s been speculated that the symbols could have been painted on military tanks and other gear to avoid friendly fire given that Ukrainian military hardware was also manufactured in Russia.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Tyson Wetzel explained to the military news outlet Task & Purpose that “‘Z’ markings (and others like it) are a deconfliction measure to help prevent fratricide, or friendly fire incidents,” because military equipment used by Russians and Ukrainians is often indistinguishable.

Others have suggested the letter could stand for the “Z” in the last name of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — who has described himself as “target No. 1” for Putin.

Where has 'Z' been seen?

Service members of pro-Russian troops in uniforms without insignia are seen on an armored vehicle with the letter "Z" painted on its sides in the separatist-controlled settlement of Buhas (Bugas) in the Donetsk region of Ukraine on March 1. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

One of the first appearances of the letter in connection with the conflict in Ukraine came on Feb. 19, five days before Russia began its invasion, when Russian military tanks and other trucks massing at the Ukrainian border were emblazoned on their sides with a large white “Z.”

In Doha, Qatar, on Saturday, a Russian gymnast, Ivan Kuliak, taped a “Z” symbol to his leotard when he appeared on the medal podium at a World Cup event next to a Ukrainian, Illia Kovtun. Kuliak won the bronze medal, while Kovtun took the gold.

While the International Gymnastics Federation has since said it’s investigating the gymnast for his “shocking behavior,” Kuliak has said he doesn’t regret it, telling RT: "If there was a second chance, and I had a choice whether to go out with the letter 'Z' on my chest or not, I would do the same.”

Maria Butina, a Russian member of parliament who was jailed in the U.S. after being convicted for acting as a Russian agent and trying to infiltrate conservative politics near the 2016 election, recently shared a video of herself drawing a white “Z” on her blazer. "Keep up the work, brothers. We are with you. Forever,” she says in the clip. Butina shared another photo of herself with colleagues donning black T-shirts emblazoned with the white letter.

In a recent photograph taken at a children’s hospice center in Russia, kids were seen lining up in a “Z”-shaped formation. "Our patients and entire team took part in it, about 60 people in total,” Vladimir Vavilov, who runs a cancer charity that operates a hospice in Kazan, said of the photo.

"People lined up in the form of the letter 'Z,’” he was also reported to have said of the photo. "In our left hand, we held leaflets with the flags of the LPR, DPR, Russia and Tatarstan, and we clenched our right hand into a fist."

LPR and DPR stand for Luhansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People's Republic, two pro-Russian areas of Ukraine that declared their independence in 2014.

Venezuela frees two Americans after talks with US

The release release followed talks with socialist President Nicolas Maduro on March 5, 2022. 

PHOTO: AFP

CARACAS/WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - Venezuela released two jailed US citizens on Tuesday (March 8) in an apparent goodwill gesture toward the Biden administration following a visit to Caracas by a high-level US delegation.

One of the freed prisoners was Gustavo Cardenas, among six Citgo oil executives arrested in 2017 and convicted on charges the US government says were fabricated. The other was a Cuban American, identified as Jorge Alberto Fernandez, detained on unrelated charges.

"Tonight, two Americans who were wrongfully detained in Venezuela will be able to hug their families once more," President Joe Biden said in a statement.


"We are bringing Gustavo Cardenas and Jorge Fernandez home," he said. He gave no more details about their release.

The weekend visit by the US delegation focused not only on the fate of detained Americans but on the possibility of easing US oil sanctions on the OPEC member to fill a supply gap if Biden banned Russian oil imports in response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine - something he did on Tuesday. Venezuela is Russia's closest ally in South America.

Washington has sought the release of at least nine men, including those known as the "Citgo 6", two former Green Berets and a former US Marine.

The freeing of the two could set a more positive tone for talks between the United States and Venezuela, which have had hostile relations through successive American administrations.

The US delegation, the highest-ranking to travel to Venezuela in recent years, met the detainees on Sunday in a Venezuelan prison. US hostage envoy Roger Carstens was part of the group, and he was believed to have stayed behind to finalise the release.

Tuesday's release followed talks with socialist President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday as the Biden administration sought ways to stave off the impact of soaring US gasoline prices spurred by efforts by the West to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Biden ramped up the pressure campaign on Moscow on Tuesday with his announcement of a US ban on Russian oil and other energy imports. The ban could further increase prices at the pump for American consumers, adding to inflationary pressure.

Engagement with Maduro, a longtime US foe, was also aimed at gauging whether Venezuela is prepared to distance itself from Russia.

But the Biden administration faced strong criticism on Capitol Hill for its contact with Maduro, who is under US sanctions for human rights abuses and political repression.

Senator Robert Menendez, a Democrat and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged the White House not to pursue a deal with Venezuela.

Maduro, he said in a statement, "is a cancer to our hemisphere and we should not breathe new life into his reign of torture and murder".

The United States in 2019 recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate president following Maduro's 2018 re-election, which Western governments dismissed as a sham.

MORE ON THIS TOPIC

Venezuela's Maduro says he is willing to establish 'new path' with US

Sticking point

Cardenas was one of six executives of US-based Citgo Petroleum, owned by Venezuela's state-own oil company PDVSA, arrested during a business trip to Caracas in 2017. A Venezuelan court in November 2020 sentenced the men, who were accused of crimes including embezzlement, money laundering and conspiracy, to prison terms ranging from eight to 13 years.

The executives - five naturalised US citizens and one permanent US resident - have been in and out of prison and house arrest in recent years, their circumstances often appearing to depend on the state of US-Venezuela relations.

Their detention has been a major sticking point between Caracas and Washington, which has repeatedly demanded their release and called their detention unlawful.

Among the Americans still held in Venezuela is Matthew Heath, a Marine veteran charged with terrorism and arms trafficking. Heath denied the charges. US officials said Heath was not sent by Washington and accused Venezuelan authorities of holding him illegally.

Two other Americans still detained are former US special forces members, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who were arrested in 2020 in connection with a botched raid aimed at ousting Maduro.

US reaches out to Maduro in energy talks with Venezuela

A Venezuela opposition protester holds up a poster of President Nicolas Maduro and his Russia counterpart Vladimir Putin (Photo: AFP/File/Federico PARRA)

08 Mar 2022 

WASHINGTON: A US delegation met with Venezuelan government officials in Caracus at the weekend for talks that included a discussion of energy supplies, the White House said Monday as Washington looks for ways to reduce its imports of Russian oil.

Venezuela's opposition also said it had met with the high-level US delegation, whose trip to Caracas came as Washington seeks to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

President Nicolas Maduro, with whose regime the United States broke off relations in 2019, has been among the few international figures to assure Russian President Vladimir Putin of his "strong support" in the wake of the invasion.

"As it relates to Venezuela, the purpose of the trip that was taken by administration officials was to discuss a range of issues including certainly energy, energy security," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.

Maduro confirmed the meeting in a televised appearance late Monday, describing it as "respectful, cordial and diplomatic" without going into detail about the issues addressed.

"We did it in the presidential office," he said. "We had almost two hours talking."

"It seemed very important to me to be able, face to face, to discuss topics of maximum interest to Venezuela," he said.

VENEZUELAN OIL

The United States has imposed a battery of sanctions on Caracas in a bid to force Maduro from power, with one 2019 measure preventing Venezuela from trading its crude oil - which accounted for 96 per cent of the country's revenues - on the US market.

According to The New York Times, the visit by senior State Department and White House officials was linked to Washington's alleged interest in replacing part of the oil it currently buys from Russia with the oil it stopped buying from Venezuela.

The White House has indicated it is examining how to reduce Russian oil imports without harming US consumers and while maintaining global supply - although Psaki said Monday no decision had been made on a possible ban on Russian oil.

Psaki said the delegation also raised the "health and welfare" of a number of Americans detained in the country - who include six oil executives jailed in 2017 - but stressed that energy talks and the detainees' fate were "separate paths and conversations."

OPPOSITION TALKS TO RESUME

Since breaking off diplomatic relations with Caracas, Washington had refused to deal with the Maduro government, instead treating opposition leader Juan Guaido as the South American country's legitimate president.

Guaido's office said the opposition held a "sustained meeting" with the US delegation.

The United States is one of almost 60 countries to have recognized Guaido as Venezuela's acting president, having rejected Maduro's 2018 reelection in a poll widely viewed as fraudulent.

Maduro also announced Monday the resumption of talks with the opposition that stalled five months ago.

Washington signaled last month it would be willing to review its sanctions policy toward Venezuela if talks between Maduro's government and the opposition moved forward.
"RINGING THE WARNING BELL"

The announcement came after Maduro's request for a peace negotiation following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in order to avoid a "third world war."

"We are ringing the warning bell ... to the whole world," said Maduro, who called for the "humanitarian corridors" in Ukraine to be respected.

"We are gravely concerned about the possibility of a war in Europe and an extension ... of this armed confrontation, it seems to fester, a public media campaign of hatred and a set of economic measures aimed at aggravating the conditions and extending the scenario of war," added Maduro.

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has a strained relationship with the United States, was skeptical of Washington's motives.

"The US government decides who is the bad guy and who is the good guy and also when the bad guy becomes good and the good guy becomes bad," he wrote on Twitter.

Source: AFP

U.S. to meet with Venezuela as lawmakers strike deal to ban Russian oil


The price for a gallon of gasoline surpasses $5 per gallon at a gas station in New York City on Monday. Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the national average price of gasoline has just surpassed $4 per gallon in the U.S. for the first time since 2008. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo


March 7 (UPI) -- The White House has sent top officials to meet with Venezuelan leaders as lawmakers in the United States announced a bipartisan deal to ban Russian oil amid surging gas prices.

The administration of President Joe Biden is considering softening sanctions imposed on Venezuela in 2019, CNN reported. Easing the sanctions could allow Venezuela to increase its oil production and exports to meet world energy demands.

Juan Gonzalez, the National Security Council Director for the Western Hemisphere, and Roger Carstens, the U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, are among the group sent to Caracas, sources told the outlet.

It marks the highest-level visit of U.S. officials to Venezuela, an ally of Russia, since the United States closed its embassy and severed ties with the government of President Nicolás Maduro, which has a history of significant human rights abuses as noted by the State Department.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the Biden administration was considering the possibility of banning Russian oil imports. However, without a replacement for Russian oil, energy prices worldwide could soar to record levels.

"When it comes to oil, Russian oil, I was on the phone yesterday with [President Joe Biden] and other members of the cabinet on exactly this subject," Blinken said.

"We are now talking to our European partners and allies to look in a coordinated way at the prospect of banning the import of Russian oil while making sure that there is still an appropriate supply of oil on world markets."

His comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with members of the U.S. Congress on Saturday and asked lawmakers to stop buying Russian oil, which would be "even more powerful than" blocking Russia from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.

A bipartisan group of four powerful members of the House and Senate said in a statement Monday that they had reached a deal to draft legislation banning Russian oil.

The statement was released by Kevin Brady, the Republican leader of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the committee's chair Richard E. Neal, a Democrat. Sen. Mike Crapo, the Republican leader of the Senate Finance Committee, and the committee's chair Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat, were also a part of the agreement.

"As Russia continues its unprovoked attack on the Ukrainian people, we have agreed on a legislative path forward to ban the import of energy products from Russia and to suspend normal trade relations with both Russia and Belarus," the joint statement reads.

"Taking these actions will send a clear message to Putin that his war is unacceptable and the United States stands firmly with our NATO allies."

The lawmakers said that the legislation would give Biden the authority to further increase tariffs on products from Russia and Belarus and require the U.S. trade representative to seek suspension of Russia's participation in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and halt Belarus' WTO accession.

The price of Brent crude oil, the global benchmark, briefly rose above $130 per barrel on Monday to their highest level since 2008, according to NPR. Prices have been quickly rising since Russia invaded Ukraine last month.

Gasoline prices at the pump rose to a national average of $4.06, just shy of the highest level recorded in 2008, according to the American Automobile Association.

In fractured Bosnia, Croats call for change

Rusmir Smajilhodzic and David Stout
Tue, 8 March 2022
  

Like other parts of Bosnia, Mostar residents are fleeing en masse despite the cinematic beauty of its famous bridge built by the Ottomans 

Bosnia's Catholic Croats claim there are structural flaws in the electoral system that has undercut their constituency's right to choose its leader

(AFP/ELVIS BARUKCIC)

In deeply divided Bosnia, the country's Croats have unleashed new calls for sweeping electoral reforms along with threats of a potential boycott of upcoming polls, sparking fears that a new period of instability awaits the impoverished Balkan nation.

In southern Bosnia's Mostar -- considered the Croat heartland by the community -- the echo of church bells accompanies the Islamic call to prayer along the partitioned city's picturesque stone bridge connecting Croat neighbourhoods with a Muslim quarter.

But the sounds of harmony on the surface belie growing grievances among Bosnia's Catholic Croats over what they say are flaws in the electoral system that have undercut their right to choose its leader.

Mostar was devastated during the Bosnia war in the early 1990s, which fractured the country along ethnic lines.

Decades later, the upheaval among Bosnia's Croats comes as secessionist threats from the country's Serb leader are stoking concerns that Bosnia is on the verge of conflict again.

"Either we solve the problem by separating peacefully, or we make the house -- the state -- comfortable for everyone," Petar Vidic, a 48-year-old former Croat soldier, told AFP in Mostar.

- Bosnia's tripartite presidency -

Bosnia's brutal war ended with peace accords in 1995 that saw the country divided in two -- one half ruled by ethnic Serbs, the other by a Muslim-Croat federation.

The Balkan state's tripartite presidency rotates between a member from each community: Muslims, Serbs and Croats.

But the federation's Muslim population -- known as Bosniaks -- make up about 70 percent of its 2.2 million inhabitants. That gives them vast numerical superiority at the polls and de-facto control over who can be elected to lead the Croats at the presidential level.

"There are two Muslim members and one Serb member in the presidency," goes a common saying in Bosnia Croat political circles.

But for many Croats in Bosnia, the issue is no trivial matter.

After years of discontent, many of Bosnia's Croats are suggesting a boycott of the upcoming general election in October.

- 'Not logical' -

During a conference in Mostar in February, Bosnia's Croat parties gathered to plan their next steps, calling for urgent reforms. But they stopped short of announcing an all-out boycott.

"The formal conditions have not been met to organise the election until the electoral law is changed to ensure that all three ethnic groups are legitimately represented," said Dragan Covic, the head of Bosnia's largest Croat party.

Ilija Cvitanovic, another Bosnian Croat politician, took an even harder line.

"If someone thinks he can... deprive the Croatian people of legitimacy, suppress them, then he will have to answer for that," Cvitanovic told reporters.

Croat parties want a mechanism to allow the community to appoint their own representatives to the presidency and upper house -- a move fiercely opposed by the federation's ruling Bosniak party.

Bosnia's current Croat President Zeljko Komsic, who is effectively backed by Bosniak voters, has also lambasted the idea, calling it "an electoral law based on apartheid".

For many of Bosnia's Croats however, reforms are necessary to stave off further divisions or possible secession in the already deeply fractured country.

"Yes, we should all have the same rights," said Sima Pehar, a 78-year-old Croat pensioner.

"Why should someone who is not elected by Croats represent Croats? It is not logical."

- 'Everyone is leaving' -

But critics of the recent push for reforms say it would only serve the interests of the political elite in what they say is a dysfunctional country that continued to stagnate even after the war ended.

Even in peace, they say, Mostar has long been ruled by hardliners from both sides.

"Nothing will change for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the possible reforms to the electoral rules," analyst Ivana Maric told regional broadcaster N1.

"This is just another story to keep people's minds occupied and prevent them from thinking about concrete things."

Mostar still boasts the cinematic beauty of its famous bridge, built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, destroyed by Croat militia forces in 1993 and rebuilt in 2004.

But people are still fleeing the city en masse, part of a nationwide phenomenon.

"Everyone is leaving Bosnia -- Croats, Bosniaks and Serbs," said the pensioner Pehar.

"The economy is a disaster. Those who govern us brandish the threat of war and people flee."

Meanwhile, Western-backed negotiations on possible reforms have stalled, stirring fears of a boycott, renewed unrest and a possible push to dissolve Bosnia's Muslim-Croat federation.

"I am convinced that the crisis will continue if the electoral law is not changed," said analyst Zoran Kresic.

"It is bad for the whole of Bosnia and its Euro-Atlantic future, and will unfortunately reflect on the people."

rus-ev-ds/raz/jj

SOCIAL MEDIA

Lacking oversight, Telegram thrives in Ukraine disinformation battle

By AFP
March 9, 2022

A Ukrainian serviceman talks on a smartphone in a Kyiv suburb on February 25 - 

Two days after Russia invaded Ukraine, an account on the Telegram messaging platform posing as President Volodymyr Zelensky urged his armed forces to surrender.

The message was not authentic, with the real Zelensky soon denying the claim on his official Telegram channel, but the incident highlighted a major problem: disinformation quickly spreads unchecked on the encrypted app.

The fake Zelensky account reached 20,000 followers on Telegram before it was shut down, a remedial action that experts say is all too rare.

For Oleksandra Tsekhanovska, head of the Hybrid Warfare Analytical Group at the Kyiv-based Ukraine Crisis Media Center, the effects are both near- and far-reaching.

“For Telegram, accountability has always been a problem, which is why it was so popular even before the full scale war with far-right extremists and terrorists from all over the world,” she told AFP from her safe house outside the Ukrainian capital.

Telegram boasts 500 million users, who share information individually and in groups in relative security. But Telegram’s use as a one-way broadcast channel — which followers can join but not reply to — means content from inauthentic accounts can easily reach large, captive and eager audiences.

False news often spreads via public groups, or chats, with potentially fatal effects.

“Someone posing as a Ukrainian citizen just joins the chat and starts spreading misinformation, or gathers data, like the location of shelters,” Tsekhanovska said, noting how false messages have urged Ukrainians to turn off their phones at a specific time of night, citing cybersafety.

Such instructions could actually endanger people — citizens receive air strike warnings via smartphone alerts.

– ‘Wild West’ –

In addition, Telegram’s architecture limits the ability to slow the spread of false information: the lack of a central public feed, and the fact that comments are easily disabled in channels, reduce the space for public pushback.

Although some channels have been removed, the curation process is considered opaque and insufficient by analysts.

Emerson Brooking, a disinformation expert at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, said: “Back in the Wild West period of content moderation, like 2014 or 2015, maybe they could have gotten away with it, but it stands in marked contrast with how other companies run themselves today.”

WhatsApp, a rival messaging platform, introduced some measures to counter disinformation when Covid-19 was first sweeping the world.

For example, WhatsApp restricted the number of times a user could forward something, and developed automated systems that detect and flag objectionable content.

Unlike Silicon Valley giants such as Facebook and Twitter, which run very public anti-disinformation programs, Brooking said: “Telegram is famously lax or absent in its content moderation policy.”

As a result, the pandemic saw many newcomers to Telegram, including prominent anti-vaccine activists who used the app’s hands-off approach to share false information on shots, a study from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue shows.

– ‘Unverified information’ –

Again, in contrast to Facebook, Google, and Twitter, Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov runs his company in relative secrecy from Dubai.

On February 27, however, he admitted from his Russian-language account that “Telegram channels are increasingly becoming a source of unverified information related to Ukrainian events.”

He said that since his platform does not have the capacity to check all channels, it may restrict some in Russia and Ukraine “for the duration of the conflict,” but then reversed course hours later after many users complained that Telegram was an important source of information.

Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Kyiv-based lawyer and head of the Center for Civil Liberties, called Durov’s position, “very weak,” and urged concrete improvements.

“He has to start being more proactive and to find a real solution to this situation, not stay in standby without interfering. It’s a very irresponsible position from the owner of Telegram,” she said.

In the United States, Telegram’s lower public profile has helped it mostly avoid high level scrutiny from Congress, but it has not gone unnoticed.

Some people used the platform to organize ahead of the storming of the US Capitol in January 2021, and last month Senator Mark Warner sent a letter to Durov urging him to curb Russian information operations on Telegram.

Asked about its stance on disinformation, Telegram spokesperson Remi Vaughn told AFP: “As noted by our CEO, the sheer volume of information being shared on channels makes it extremely difficult to verify, so it’s important that users double-check what they read.”

But the Ukraine Crisis Media Center’s Tsekhanovska points out that communications are often down in zones most affected by the war, making this sort of cross-referencing a luxury many cannot afford.

THEOCRACTIC STATE
Guatemala Congress ramps up prison sentence for abortion, bans gay marriage

Henry MORALES ARANA
Wed, 9 March 2022, 


People protest to demand greater rights for women in Guatemala on International Women's Day 

(AFP/Johan ORDONEZ)

Guatemala's conservative-led Congress approved on Tuesday a law ramping up the prison sentence for women who choose to have an abortion, while banning both gay marriage and teaching on sexual diversity.

The so-called Life and Family Protection Law punishes women who "have induced their own abortion or given their consent to another person to carry it out" with 10 years behind bars -- more than three times the current sentence of three years.

The bill, set to come into law once President Alejandro Giammattei signs it, was passed by Congress on International Women's Day.

It also punishes anyone who induces an abortion without a woman's consent with up to 50 years in prison.

Abortion is only authorized in Guatemala when there is a threat to the mother's life.

"While other countries continue to approve pro-abortion laws as well as laws that lead to the deterioration of the original concept of the family, this initiative has now become an important law for Guatemalan society," said right-wing Congressman Armando Castillo, a key defender of the law.

But others were more critical.

"Losing a pregnancy is devastating, and this law automatically turns a woman into a suspect even as she mourns her loss. They are criminalizing and penalizing miscarriages and that is dangerous," center-left congresswoman Lucrecia Hernandez said.

- Same-sex marriage banned -

The bill introduces a reform to the Civil Code, which will now "expressly prohibit same-sex marriages" in Guatemala.

It would also ban public and private teaching initiatives on sexual diversity, which it describes as "promoting in children and teenagers policies or programs that tend to lead to diversion from their sexual identities at birth."

Those who promoted the law have said that there are "minority groups of the Guatemalan society" that propose "models of conduct... different from the natural order of marriage and family, which represent a threat to the moral balance of our society."

Left-wing Congressman Walter Felix denounced the law as "absolutely discriminatory", and said it "incites hate."

"The human rights of significant parts of the population are being violated," Felix said.

Congresswoman Hernandez also described the law as "unconstitutional," adding that it will stigmatize people and spark "intolerance" in society.

"This law should really be called a law to imprison and kill women. It is one of the most brazen things they are doing in this Legislature, and on top of it all, they are doing it on Women's Day," said center-left Congressman Samuel Perez.

-'Silly ideas' -

After the bill passed, Human Rights Ombudsman Jordan Rodas said that the law "violates" international conventions signed by Guatemala, and announced a battle to have it declared illegal by the Constitutional Court, the highest in the country.

"We are going to file an action of unconstitutionality so that this (law) has no effect", said Rodas.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets worldwide on International Women's Day to demand more rights, among them the possibility of deciding whether to have an abortion.

In Guatemala, hundreds hit the streets of the capital calling for an end to violence and corruption, and demanding justice as they marked five years since 41 girls died in a fire at a state-run shelter.

As a small group of women staged a protest outside Congress, right-wing Congresswoman Patricia Sandoval defended the law.

"Don't let them give us silly ideas. This law is constitutional, it is viable, and it is the blessing of God," she said.

hma/mva/mas/ser/dva/ssy

Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance found off coast of Antarctica

Expedition team locates wreckage of explorer’s ship which sank in Weddell Sea in 1915


Endurance: Shackleton's ship found 107 years after sinking in Antarctic – video

PA Media Wed 9 Mar 2022

The wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship has been found off the coast of Antarctica, according to the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust.

Endurance had not been seen since it was crushed by ice and sank in the Weddell Sea in 1915, and last month the Endurance22 Expedition set off from Cape Town, South Africa, a month after the 100th anniversary of Shackleton’s death on a mission to locate it.

Endurance was found at a depth of 3,008 metres and approximately four miles south of the position originally recorded by the ship’s captain, Frank Worsley, the trust said.

Dr John Shears, the expedition leader, said: “The Endurance22 expedition has reached its goal. We have made polar history with the discovery of Endurance, and successfully completed the world’s most challenging shipwreck search.

“In addition, we have undertaken important scientific research in a part of the world that directly affects the global climate and environment.

The deck of the wrecked Endurance. Photograph: Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust/National Georgraphic/PA

“We have also conducted an unprecedented educational outreach programme, with live broadcasting from on board, allowing new generations from around the world to engage with Endurance22 and become inspired by the amazing stories of polar exploration, and what human beings can achieve and the obstacles they can overcome when they work together.”

The expedition’s director of exploration said footage of Endurance showed it to be intact and “by far the finest wooden shipwreck” he has seen.

Mensun Bound said: “We are overwhelmed by our good fortune in having located and captured images of Endurance.

“This is by far the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen. It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact, and in a brilliant state of preservation. You can even see ‘Endurance’ arced across the stern, directly below the taffrail. This is a milestone in polar history.

“However, it is not all about the past; we are bringing the story of Shackleton and Endurance to new audiences, and to the next generation, who will be entrusted with the essential safeguarding of our polar regions and our planet.

“We hope our discovery will engage young people and inspire them with the pioneering spirit, courage and fortitude of those who sailed Endurance to Antarctica. We pay tribute to the navigational skills of Captain Frank Worsley, the captain of the Endurance, whose detailed records were invaluable in our quest to locate the wreck.”

Historian and broadcaster Dan Snow said the wreck was in an “astonishing state of preservation”.

He tweeted: “The wreck is coherent, in an astonishing state of preservation. The Antarctic seabed does not have any wood eating micro organisms, the water has the clarity of distilled water. We were able to film the wreck in super high definition. The results are magical Endurance22.”

He added that nothing had been retrieved from the wreck: “Nothing was touched on the wreck. Nothing retrieved. It was surveyed using the latest tools and its position confirmed. It is protected by the Antarctic Treaty. Nor did we wish to tamper with it.”

 

The ship's helm has remained intact after more than a century underwater Esther HORVATH Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust/AFP

 

The expedition left Cape Town on February 5 with a South African icebreaker Esther HORVATH Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust/AFP

Mosul's Old City rises from rubble in war-scarred Iraq

Beneath what remains of the 12th-century Al-Hadba minaret, builders work on a project to revive Mosul's Old City, reduced to rubble during Iraq's battle to retake the city from jihadists.© Zaid AL-OBEIDI An Iraqi architect exits a traditional house during renovations in the Old Town of Mosul, which was reduced to rubble during fighting to expel jihadists

© Zaid AL-OBEIDI In the maze of houses that make up the historic district, visitors gasp in awe at elegant alabaster walls with Ottoman-inspired motifs overlooking courtyards, such as this one under renovation

Mosques, churches and century-old houses are being brought back to life in the northern metropolis, which the Islamic State group seized as its stronghold before being pushed out in mid-2017

.

© Zaid AL-OBEIDI The Al-Nuri mosque, and what remains of the leaning minaret, are among the renovation projects in UNESCO's "Revive the Spirit of Mosul" initiative

"Al-Hadba is the icon of Mosul, the symbol of the city," said Omar Taqa, a supervising engineer with UNESCO, the United Nations heritage body which has launched several projects to restore the city's landmarks.

The minaret was featured on Iraqi 10,000-dinar banknotes before the jihadists flew their black flag from the top of its 45-metre (49 yards) spire.

IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his only confirmed public appearance in July 2014 at the Al-Nuri mosque, where he declared the establishment of a "caliphate".

Three years later Iraq's army and a US-led international coalition had forced the jihadists out of Iraq's second city. The Al-Nuri mosque, and the adjacent leaning minaret -- nicknamed Al-Hadba or the "hunchback" -- were destroyed in June 2017 during the battle to take back the city

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© Zaid AL-OBEIDI Al-Tahira church is also being restored

Iraqi authorities had accused IS of planting explosives there before their withdrawal.

"We found 11 mines there, ready to be activated," said Taqa. "Some were hidden inside walls."

Only the central area of the mosque remains, its dome propped up on arches supported by wooden wedges. Atop the columns of grey marble, traces of blue enhance the adjoining capitals.

© Zaid AL-OBEIDI Iraqi architects sit inside a renovated traditional house -- more than 40 are almost finished

As for Al-Hadba, only its base remains standing, protected by a sheet of tarpaulin. Having removed about 5,600 tonnes of rubble, the reconstruction of the minaret begins in mid-March -- retaining its tilt -- while work on the mosque is due to begin in the summer.

By the end of 2023, the site should be ready.

- 'Revive the Spirit' -

While awaiting reconstruction, the more fragile parts of the structures are kept in a warehouse.

These include fragments of the Mihrab, a niche indicating the direction of Mecca for worshippers, as well as pieces of the Minbar, from where the sermon is delivered and Baghdadi made his declaration in 2014.

Around 45,000 terracotta bricks from the original minaret -- about a third of those that made up the structure -- are lined up on shelves to be reused, Taqa explained.

Discoveries are still being made at the site, where in January a 12th-century prayer room was found under the mosque.

The UN agency raised $110 million for its "Revive the Spirit of Mosul" initiative, largely financed by the United Arab Emirates and the European Union.

Al-Tahira and Our Lady of the Hour churches also set to be revived, as well as about 120 houses and the local school in the Old City.

Local contractors are handling the construction which has created 3,100 jobs. About half of those are for young people who have been trained in heritage and building restoration, UNESCO said.

Azhar, 48, once sold fruit on a cart in the Old City, before joining the workforce to rebuild Al-Nuri.

"The houses, the streets, were destroyed. The people were displaced to camps," the father of five said, declining to give his family name.

"Everyone has suffered. There are those who lost relatives, those who lost their homes, their shops, their cars."

Some wounds remain close to the surface. Azhar's wife died during the battle for Mosul, but he cannot bring himself to speak of her.

- Elegant alabaster -

In the city, normality has begun to return. There are signs of a fledgling cultural revival, with libraries and museums reopening.

Even as buildings in the Old City lie half-collapsed, coffee shops, workshops and bakers have reopened their doors. At the bend in an alley, women buy their vegetables steps away from workers mixing concrete.

Rows of houses edge closer to complete restoration, some of them between 100 and 150 years old. In the maze of houses that make up the historic district, visitors gasp in awe at elegant alabaster walls with Ottoman-inspired motifs overlooking courtyards.

"There are 44 houses that are practically finished. They will be turned over at the end of March," engineer Mostafa Nadhim told AFP. Another 75 are to be completed this year.

The project will also see the rehabilitation of infrastructure including "electric cables, street lights, water pipes and pavements", Nadhim added.

Ikhlas Salim, who moved back into her home just a few months ago, heats up a lunchtime meal for her two sons. They work on nearby reconstruction sites.

When she first returned to her home, it was in ruins, but she said its restoration has had a "therapeutic" effect.

"It's my grandparents' house," the 55-year-old said. "At first, we had lost hope of coming back."

tgg/jsa/it/jfx

Protesters rally as Australian PM tours flood disaster

Author: AFP| Update: 09.03.2022


A woman kayaks with her dog around her flooded neighbourhood in the Windsor suburb of Sydney / © AFP

Scores of protesters in a flood-wrecked city in eastern Australia vented their fury Wednesday as Prime Minister Scott Morrison visited the heart of the disaster zone.

Demonstrators demanded more help and stronger climate action as Morrison toured Lismore, which endured some of the worst flooding in a near two-week deluge along the east coast that has killed at least 21 people.

"We need help!" protesters chanted as Morrison visited the city.

Many held placards with messages blaming the climate crisis including: "Coal and gas did this" and "This is what climate change looks like."

After the second major floods in a year, chunks of rubble and discarded, water-damaged furniture were piled high along the city's streets.

Many people had to clamber onto their corrugated metal roofs to escape the fast-rising water last week as floods peaked in the city in northern New South Wales.

A used car showroom is seen inundated by floodwaters from the Hawkesbury River in the Windsor suburb of Sydney / © AFP

Some waited for hours to be rescued by locally improvised boat patrols, emergency services vessels or army helicopters as the waters surged around them.

Floodwaters across much of the east coast retreated as rainfall eased Wednesday, but major flood warnings were still in force in some areas including at the Hawkesbury River west of Sydney.

- 'Hard to live in' -

Evacuation orders affecting about 40,000 people in New South Wales were in force in the morning. More than 90,000 people had been allowed to return to their homes.

The death toll from the east coast deluge rose to 21 as police discovered the body of a 50-year-old delivery truck driver in floodwaters in Sydney's west.

Facing pointed questions at a news conference in the city, Morrison defended his government's climate record by stressing its commitment to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

"We are dealing with a different climate to the one we were dealing with before. I think that's just an obvious fact," Morrison said. "And Australia is getting hard to live in because of these disasters."

Morrison, who faces an election by the end of May, has underscored his support for coal-fired power stations to provide cheap electricity throughout their lifespans.

Residents steer boats around flooded houses next to the old Windsor Bridge along the overflowing Hawkesbury River near Sydney / © AFP

Even as the floodwaters retreat, the scars on the landscape are widespread.

In Narrabeen, on Sydney's northern beaches, the rains caused landslides that cleaved chunks out of the hillside along residential streets.

Cleaning crews tried to clear away the mud and fallen trees on Wednesday.

- 'Like a bomb' -

"We've never seen it like this before and we have been here 25 years," resident Stephanie Brown said, walking along a muddy road with the family dog.

Her husband, Craig Brown, said a waterfall behind their house had been transformed into a torrent on Tuesday.

A lamp post is seen submerged in the floodwaters / © AFP

"The water that was coming down the side of the house was so strong that I had to hold on to a tree... it was bad," he told AFP.

Mid-morning, the cliff behind his neighbours' house gave way, crashing into the backyard.

"We just heard this massive noise, it was like a bomb going off," Brown said, estimating that 20-30 tonnes of soil, trees and rock had collapsed.

In Vineyard, in Sydney's west, floodwaters swirled near the roof of Paul Dimech's house after a nearby creek transformed into a lake.

"Usually all the neighbours have horses in the paddocks, and now it is just an ocean," he told AFP.

In response to the crisis, the prime minister said people in the hardest-hit areas of northern New South Wales would receive triple the normal disaster payments.

The government is already providing Aus$1,000 ($US730) for adults and Aus$400 for each child affected by the floods.

This was in addition to other measures including Aus$1 billion for grants being provided jointly by the federal government and the states of New South Wales and Queensland, he said.

Morrison, who has just emerged from a week's isolation after contracting Covid-19, said he planned to ask Australia's governor-general to declare a national emergency on Friday, a measure designed to cut red tape in response to crises.

Australia has been at the sharp end of climate change, with droughts, deadly bushfires, bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef and floods becoming more common and intense as global weather patterns change.

Australia to declare fatal floods a national emergency

Australia is set to declare a state of national emergency after floods on the country's east coast claimed 22 lives. The new status means flood victims can receive aid quicker.

People had to use boats and flotillas in the town of Lismore last week

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he would recommend a national emergency be declared after recent floods across large parts of the east coast took 22 lives. Morrison announced the news during a visit to Lismore, New South Wales, where flooding killed four people last week.

“I intend to recommend to the Governor-General to make a National Emergency Declaration covering this severe weather and flooding event across New South Wales and Queensland to ensure all our emergency powers are available and that we cut through any red tape we might face in delivering services and support on the ground," Morrison said in a statement.

What does the state of emergency change?

The declaration was made possible by a new law passed in late 2020 following the devastating Australian bushfires in the previous Southern Hemisphere summer. Some of the flooded communities in the current emergency were battling wildfires two years ago.

The new status means flood victims can bypass providing identification documents to receive support payments. Under some circumstances, the federal government will also be allowed to act independently in areas where state governments hadn’t asked for assistance.

Natural disasters making life harder in Australia

While touring the worst-hit areas of New South Wales, Morrison said on Wednesday, "Australia is becoming a harder country to live in because of these natural disasters."

Floodwaters reached their peak in Queensland’s capital, Brisbane, Australia's third-most populous city, on February 28 after it was inundated by 80% of its usual annual rainfall in the previous three days.

More than 20,000 homes and businesses had been flooded in southeast Queensland alone and 13 people died.

Flood victim Lauraine Ormondpictured outside her house in the suburbs of Goodna, Queensland

Parts of New South Wales' capital, Sydney, Australia’s most populous city, were flooded after receiving almost 75% of its average annual rainfall since January 1, enduring the wettest start to a year ever recorded. Some communities witnessed the highest floods ever recorded in their locations.

Morrison called the flooding "a major catastrophe ... of national proportions."

In the past week, the government has paid out around AU$385 million (€253 million, $281 million) to flood victims nationally with plans to increase aid in Lismore, one of the hardest-hit towns, to provide food and shelter and other support services.

Frustrated residents

But many flood victims are angry that rescue by authorities didn't come earlier and relief efforts were not enough. If it hadn’t been for community members, "we would have been seeing a death toll in the hundreds of people,'' emergency management spokesperson Murray Watt told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

"While people are grateful for the assistance they've had from the army, there's just nowhere near enough of it," Watt added.

Although rainfall has now calmed, 40,000 people around New South Wales had been ordered to evacuate their homes, including dozens in Sydney.

On Wednesday, New South Wales' death toll climbed to nine as police found the body of a 50-year-old truck driver in floodwater in Sydney's outskirts.

In Cabarita, New South Wales, the floods blocked roads

The local Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan said some areas of Sydney had been hit with sudden flash floods and multiple landslips on Tuesday, with debris still blocking many roads on Wednesday.

"Yesterday was bizarre. It was intense. It was biblical,'' Regan told Nine Network television.

'The water is rising, no more compromising'

Morrison, who is lagging in polls ahead of an election before May, kept media away from his meetings with flood victims, which he said was to protect their privacy.

Meanwhile, television footage showed some people gathered in front of an emergency operations center Morrison visited, yelling, "The water is rising, no more compromising" and "fossil fuel floods."

Late last year, the prime minister's conservative government adopted a net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050, but climate activists are demanding more aggressive action.

fh/sms AFP, Reuters

Tens of thousands flee Sydney as Australia’s deadly floods continue

Flood warnings stretched across Australia's east coast on Tuesday and tens of thousands of Sydney residents fled their homes overnight as torrential rains again pummelled the country's largest city, causing flash floods.

© via REUTERS - Stringer

A man and a woman were found dead on Tuesday near an abandoned car in a stormwater canal in western Sydney, authorities said, while Queensland police confirmed the death of a man missing in floods since Feb. 27, taking the death tally to 20 since the deluge began. Most people were found dead either in flooded homes or in cars attempting to cross flooded roads.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Dean Narramore said minor to major flooding was occurring from the Queensland to Victoria border, a distance of more than 1,555 kilometres (966 miles).

"A tough 24 hours or even 48 hours ahead," Narramore said during a media briefing on Tuesday as he forecast up to 120 mm (5 inches) of rains across Sydney over the next 24 hours, with the storm expected to clear by late Wednesday.

Heavy rains lashed Sydney overnight with some suburbs receiving up to 200 mm since Monday morning, exceeding March's mean rainfall of around 140 mm, triggering flash flooding and snap evacuation orders in the southwest of the city.



Television footage showed flooded roads and homes and stranded cars, as well as the collapse of a city supermarket roof.

Emergency services estimate around 70,000-80,000 people in Greater Sydney face evacuation orders, and urged people to follow them.

"People make decisions based on past history and I think this event has shown that there is no past history similar to this event," New South Wales Emergency Service Commissioner Carlene York told reporters.

Frustration was growing among many flood-hit residents as they struggled to clear debris and sludge, with power and internet still down in several towns. Authorities fear even more rain will hamper relief efforts as emergency crews look to clear roads to deliver essential supplies.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is trailing in polls ahead of a federal election due by May, said on Monday more defence force personnel were being sent to flood-affected areas.

(REUTERS)

Where has been hit by Australia’s ‘once-in-a-century’ floods?

Zoe Tidman
Thu., March 3, 2022,
Tens of thousands have been forced to flee their homes in Australia as a deadly storm swept through the country.

The country has been hit by days of torrential rain and flooding, with at least thirteen people being killed to date.

It has been described as a “once-in-a-century event” and the worst disaster to hit since 2011.

Here is what we know about the extreme weather gripping Australia so far:
Where has been hit?

The storm has been focused on eastern Australia, making its way down from Queensland down into New South Wales.

Lismore, a city just south of Brisbane, has been particularly badly-hit, with at least four people dying from the extreme weather. Three bodies were found in submerged homes, while another was found floating in the flooded town centre.

Areas of Brisbane, the third-most populous city in Australia, were submerged earlier this week, with thousands of properties flooded.

An abandoned car is seen in floodwaters in the suburb of Newmarket in Brisbane 

(AFP /AFP via Getty Images)

Late Wednesday, the Bureau of Meterology Australia said a “dangerous and life threatening situation” was unfolding in central New South Wales coast as it issued flood warnings.

This included Sydney, which braced for flooding and heavy rainfall on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Grant McPherson removes debris from his flood-affected car mechanic business in Lismore (Getty Images)

What has the impact been?

Town centres have been submerged, homes washed away and power disrupted during the storm.

At least thirteen people have been killed as of Wednesday.

The death toll of four in Lismore in New South Wales is expected to increase as police carry out checks on houses. Queensland has also seen deaths - including a 60-year-old whose car was submerged on the Sunshine Coast.

Tens of thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes, while families spent hours on the roofs of their properties in flooded Lismore.

Thousands of properties have been destroyed across eastern Austrlia.

Trasport networks have also been disrupted. At one point, residents and horses were left stranded on a bridge after water submerged both ends.

Discarded furniture outside a flood affected property in Lismore (Getty Images)
How much rain has there been?

A government meteorologist, Jonathan Howe, described the recent rainfall in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland as “astronomical.”

In downtown Brisbane, 792.8 mm of rain was recorded in six days. The city’s lord mayor said this was significantly higher than the previous record of 655.8mm set in devastating flooding in 1974.

A man checks the condition of his aircraft inside a flooded hanger at an air strip in Grafton (AFP via Getty Images)

Rick Threlfall, a British meteorologist now living in Brisbane, said: “Back in the UK, we do weather warnings for 20 mm of rain. My weather gauge here has recorded 950 mm in three days.”

He added: “Brisbane’s average is about 1,200 mm for the year, so we’ve pretty much had 80 per cent of annual rainfall in three days.”

Also in Queensland, more than 300 mm of rain fell within six hours near the city of Gympie last week.

Sydney has been told to prepare for a month’s worth of rainfall in just a few hours.
How long has the extreme weather been going on for?

The storm first hit in Queensland in the middle of last week and has been moving down the country since.

It was expected to continue on Thursday morning, with Sydney forecast to be hit by heavy rainfall.

How does it compare to previous events?



Queensland has experienced its worst flooding in more than a decade.

Brisbane’s lord mayor, Adrian Schrinner, said the floods were “very different” to the last major fooding event in 2011 because the rain pummeled the region for five days.

Annastacia Palaszczuk, the premier of Queensland, said the town of Gympie experienced its second-worst flooding ever.