Dalai Lama calls for unified global action on climate change



Issued on: 12/09/2020 - 

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (pictured 1996) said in a video message to a virtual G7 meeting that people have more of a sense of shared interest in saving the planet David HANCOCK AFP/File

Washington (AFP)

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama called on world leaders Saturday to join forces in fighting climate change.

"Now we should pay more attention about global warming," the exiled leader said in a video message to a virtual meeting of Group of Seven parliamentary leaders.

The session was hosted by the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, a longstanding advocate for the Himalayan region.

National leaders have been meeting less frequently with the Dalai Lama due to pressure from China.

In his video address, the Dalai Lama said people today have more of a sense of shared interest in saving the planet.

"If you look (at) past history, too much emphasis individual nation, individual religion, including color," the 85-year-old Buddhist leader said, according to a statement from the International Campaign for Tibet.

"So it creates a lot of problem. Basically, you see, they are selfish, self-centered attitudes," the 1989 Nobel peace laureate said.

Climate change is affecting some of the world's least powerful people, the Dalai Lama added.

"Due to global warming, too much rain some area. Some area dry. So these people suffer,” the Dalai Lama said. "Particularly like in Africa and some area in India and China also."

The impact along economic lines is also imbalanced, he added.

"The rich people, big hotel, not much serious sort of feeling,” the Dalai Lama said. “But poor people, they really face serious problem."

Saturday's meeting brought Pelosi together with counterparts from Britain, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.

© 2020 AFP

 

Thousands protest in Mauritius over giant oil spill

Issued on: 12/09/2020 - 

  

The oil spill has inflicted untold damage on the Indian Ocean archipelago Fabien Dubessay AFP

Mahébourg (Mauritius) (AFP)

Mauritians on Saturday marched for the second time in a month as public anger festers over the government's handling of a devastating oil spill off the coast.

A sea of colourful demonstrators waving flags and chanting slogans descended on Mahebourg on the southeast coast, where a cargo ship ran aground in July and leaked more than 1,000 tonnes of fuel into the pristine sea.

Police said 25,000 attended but organisers estimated the turn-out was at least double that.

The spill has inflicted untold damage on the Indian Ocean archipelago of 1.3 million people that depends on its fabled coastline for fishing and ecotourism.

Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and his government have been accused of not acting fast enough to prevent the worst environmental crisis in the country's history.

Demonstrators thronging the coastline at Mahebourg, many with painted faces, chanted "He Must Leave!" and waved placards calling for the government to resign over the disaster.

"We are here to call on the government to pack their things and go. The people no longer trust this government," said Marie, a protester who only gave her first name.

It was the second major rally over the spill after tens of thousands marched in the capital Port Louis on August 29 in the biggest demonstration witnessed in Mauritius in 40 years.

"We will keep up the pressure on the unpopular government of Pravind Jugnauth," said Ashok Subron, one of the protest organisers

- 'Criminal negligence' -

The MV Wakashio crashed off Mauritius on July 25 with 4,000 tonnes of fuel aboard but did not begin leaking oil for more than a week.

By the time Jugnauth issued an urgent appeal for international help the slick had reached the shore, coating mangrove forests, fragile ecosystems and coral reefs.

An army of volunteers scrubbed the coastline but the stricken bulker kept leaking, even after salvage crews declared the last of the fuel aboard having been removed on August 12.

"The MV Wakashio (incident) illustrates the incompetence of this government," said Bruno Laurette, another protest organiser.

"Criminal negligence has had an impact on the flora and fauna of our country. Enough. They have to be put out of harm's way."

The ship eventually split and the larger piece was towed out to sea and sunk, further angering conservationists. The smaller section remains stranded on the reef and is visible from Mahebourg.

The washing ashore of nearly 50 dead melon-headed whales only spurred further outrage, as did the death of two sailors involved in the salvage process when their tugboat collided with a barge.

The Japanese owner of the MV Wakashio pledged this week to pay at least $9.4 million to help fix the damage caused by the spill.

It is still unclear why the Wakashio was so close to shore when the accident occurred. Jugnauth has commissioned a formal investigation and promised a full and transparent inquiry.

© 2020 AFP

Around 50 feared dead in DR Congo mine flooding

Issued on: 12/09/2020 -
 

No bodies have been recovered so far STRINGER AFP

Bukavu (DR Congo) (AFP)

About 50 people are feared dead after an artisanal gold mine flooded in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after torrential rain, a provincial governor said Saturday.

The accident in the makeshift mine occurred on Friday in the town of Kamituga, in South Kivu province, about 270 kilometres (170 miles) southwest of the regional capital Bukavu.

DR Congo's mineral-rich but volatile east faces regular attacks from a plethora of militias and rebel groups which operate freely in the region.

South Kivu governor Theo Ngwabidje Kasi deplored "the tragic deaths of 50 people, most of them young".

However, Kamituga mayor Alexandre Bundya said "we are not yet sure of the exact number" of victims.

No bodies had been recovered so far, he said, adding that "19 families have come to look for their relatives".

A local resident at the scene, Jean Nondo Mukambilwa, told AFP only one body had been found so far.

Torrential rain had flooded a river close to the mine, and dismissed an earlier report that the mine had caved in, he said.

"It was not a collapse. It was because of the rains that the accident happened," he explained.

"Water went into the three tunnels. When people tried to get out, there was no way as the water was flowing strongly, with high pressure."

Hundreds of people gathered at the entrance to one of the tunnels, a video sent to AFP by the witness showed.

Men using shovels were trying to clear the entrance to the narrow passageway, as Red Cross workers stood waiting.

The mayor decreed two days of mourning and called on locals to help extract the bodies from the ground.

"Investigations must be carried out to find out the causes of this disaster," said a representative of civil society, Nicolas Kyalangalilwa.

"The authorities must take responsibility instead of taxing" these miners.

Accidents in DR Congo's makeshift mines are common and often deadly.

- Illegal mining rampant -

In June 2019, at least 39 men died when a copper mine in Kolwezi, in the southeastern Katanga region, partially collapsed.

Because many such mines are in remote areas however, the accidents are under-reported. DR Congo has huge reserves of gold, cobalt, copper and coltan.

It is the world's largest producer of cobalt, crucial for making the batteries used in mobile phones and electric vehicles.

The illegal miners sell what they find to local traders, who sell it on to large foreign companies and are usually paid a pittance.

Mining hardly benefits DR Congo's more than 80 million people. The World Bank said in 2018 that 72 percent of the population lived on less than 1.9 dollars a day.

According to a report by London-based specialist firm Darton, up to 16 percent of the cobalt extracted in the mineral-rich Katanga province came from illegal miners.

© 2020 AFP

French Yellow Vests tussle with police as protests resume



Issued on: 12/09/2020 - 

Yellow Vests marching in Paris, September 12, 2020. © Alain Jocard, AFP
Text by:NEWS WIRES


French police fired tear gas and arrested more than 250 people in Paris on Saturday as they tussled with "yellow vest" protesters seeking to revive an anti-government movement curbed by a coronavirus lockdown this year.
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The "yellow vests", named after motorists' high-visibility jackets, emerged in late 2018 in protest against fuel taxes and the cost of living, posing a major challenge to President Emmanuel Macron as demonstrations spread across France.

By midday on Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators had gathered at the starting points of two authorised marches in Paris.

While one cortege proceeded without incident, the other march was aborted as police clashed with groups who left the designated route and set fire to waste bins and a car.

Some protesters wore black clothes and carried the flag of an anti-fascist movement, suggesting the presence of radical demonstrators dubbed "black blocks" often blamed for violence at street marches in France.


The police repeatedly used tear gas to counter small groups of roaming protesters, before they dispersed towards the end of the afternoon.


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Police had made 256 arrests by 6 p.m. (1600 GMT), with many for carrying items like tools that could be used as weapons.

A heavy police presence notably worked to prevent protesters reaching the Champs-Elysees. The famous shopping avenue was the scene of rioting at the height of the 'yellow vest' movement, and many stores there were boarded up on Saturday.

The return of the protests comes as France grapples with a resurgence in coronavirus cases that set a daily high on Thursday at nearly 10,000.

Police had called on Saturday's demonstrators to respect coronavirus measures in Paris, which is among France's high-risk "red zones" and where it is compulsory to wear a face mask in the street.

(REUTERS)

The return of the Yellow Vests provide a challenge to France’s new government



Issued on: 12/09/2020 - 

A man holds a placard reading "Tomorrow the sky will be yellow" as protesters wearing face masks gather to take part in a Yellow Vests demonstration on September 12, 2020 in Paris. © AFP - Alain Jocard


After pausing for the coronavirus lockdown and summer holidays, the Yellow Vests are bringing their anger back to the streets for a series of protests in Paris and a number of other French cities on Saturday.

In France, the schools are back and so too are the Yellow Vest protests. The first Yellow Vest protests since March in Paris and in several large provincial cities is a test for the government under its new prime minister, Jean Castex.

There is the fear of another outbreak of violence on the Champs-Elysées where all gatherings have been banned. Shopfronts have been boarded over and barricades erected even though no protests are officially allowed.

Second Covid wave or not, the Gilets Jaunes (yellow vests) plan a mass return to French streets and roundabouts today. By 11am there had been 68 pre-demo arrests in Paris, mostly for carrying weapons or missiles. Marches are also planned in provincial cities. 1/7— John Lichfield (@john_lichfield) September 12, 2020

2,300 people indicated that they still intended to take part in the rally on the Champs-Elysées, and 7,000 showed interest, according to the event's Facebook page.

According to police sources, 4,000 to 5,000 demonstrators are expected in Paris, including potentially violent ‘black bloc’ protesters.

The French capital of #Paris awaits today one of the biggest turnouts of the #GiletsJaunes movement.

Some preparations already underway for fear of the Black block which recently spreads destruction during nationwide protests. pic.twitter.com/rENLxac5H2— ISCResearch (@ISCResearch) September 12, 2020

Two demonstrations have been authorised to take place in Paris at a distance from the Champs-Elysees by the Paris Police Prefecture (PPP): one from the Place de la Bourse, in the centre of the capital; the other from the Place Wagram, in the west.

"There can be no destruction and chaos on the Champs-Elysées," police prefect Didier Lallemant said on BFMTV, calling for "calm" as the activity of the shops on the avenue has been severely disrupted during previous editions of these demonstrations, which were marred by violence and destruction.

According to the PPP, there had been 200 arrests in Paris by 3pm on Saturday.

#12septembre | A 15h00, ce sont 2⃣0⃣0⃣ interpellations et 3⃣5⃣ verbalisations qui ont été effectuées par les forces de l'ordre en marge des manifestations du jour. pic.twitter.com/bGKJQ5obVp— Préfecture de Police (@prefpolice) September 12, 2020

While other rallies are also planned in the provinces, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, presented on Friday an outline of the government's new doctrine for maintaining order, which should make it possible to guarantee both security and the right to demonstrate. From this Saturday, the forces of law and order will use a new defensive grenade known as GMD. It is said to be less dangerous than the previous one used and its use will be supervised. This weapon’s primary purpose is to break up groups of people.

The French government's stick is outlined here. Government forces may use a sub-lethal projectile firing gun (LBD) subject to the consent of a supervisor. They may also use a new hand grenade (GMD) to disperse people. So that's good! NOT! https://t.co/2FhfoAgc3p— S.C. (@sallycopper) September 11, 2020


The Yellow Vests, named after the high-visibility jackets they wear, protested every Saturday for 70 weeks until the lockdown. The movement emerged late in 2018, triggered by fuel tax rises, and swelled into a revolt against Macron’s government.

Their last major protest was on March 14, 2020, on the eve of local elections. This was just three days before the country went into lockdown for Covid-19. They were in defiance of a ban from President Macron over mass gatherings.

It is almost two years since the first Yellow Vest protest on November 17, 2018. Their numbers at first soared and then ebbed. The question now is whether they will rise again like a Phoenix from the ashes as social dissension grows over Covid restrictions.

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)

Police say 100 arrested as clashes mark Chile coup anniversary

Issued on: 12/09/2020 - 20:50

A demonstrator is hit by a jet from a water cannon during a protest in homage to the victims of Chile's 1973 military coup, in Santiago, September 2020 Martin BERNETTI AFP

Santiago (AFP)

Chilean police said Saturday that more than 100 people were arrested after clashes marking the 47th anniversary of the coup d'etat that overthrew the leftist government of Salvador Allende.

Sixteen police officers and two civilians were wounded in the clashes that erupted after ceremonies commemorating Allende, who died in the coup that ushered in 17 years of military rule under General Augusto Pinochet.

Police general Ricardo Yanez said three police barracks had come under attack, his forces had been targeted by "several attacks with incendiary devices" and vehicles had been torched.

Most of the disturbances took place in the capital Santiago, after a march to the La Moneda presidential palace to pay tribute to Allende. The clashes continued through the night and into early morning.

The date is marked annually by violent incidents between protesters and police, with residents in some neighborhoods erecting barricades.

Yanez said the number of violent incidents had increased this year but that they were less intense than previously.

Interior Minister Victor Perez told a press conference that "it is clear that there are violent groups whose only capacity is to destroy" and that needed to be confronted and brought to justice.

Most the clashes occurred in Santiago, especially around the central Plaza Italia square which was the epicenter of months of social protests that erupted in October last year and left around 30 people dead and thousands wounded.

Allende committed suicide by shooting himself during the September 11, 1973 coup, having vowed not to be taken alive as Pinochet's troops stormed the presidential palace.

© 2020 AFP

 

Lebanese rally near presidential palace to demand justice over port blast

Issued on: 12/09/2020 - 20:24Modified: 12/09/2020 - 20:23An anti-government protest movement that erupted in Lebanon in October last year has been revived since the blast, which rekindled smouldering rage against official neglect and a political class accused of corruption ANWAR AMRO AFP

Beirut (AFP)

Hundreds of Lebanese marched Saturday on the presidential palace to denounce a lack of progress in a probe by authorities into a monster blast that ravaged swathes of the capital 40 days ago.

Some marchers carried black versions of the Lebanese flag in a sign of mourning for the more than 190 people who were killed in the August 4 explosion at the Beirut port, and others demanded the president resign.

Twenty-five suspects are in custody over the tragedy that occurred when hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser that had been left unattended in a port warehouse exploded.


The blast, which wounded thousands and destroyed homes and businesses across large parts of Beirut, was one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever.

The government resigned in the wake of the disaster, but Lebanon has rejected an international investigation, saying it would carry out its own probe aided by foreign experts.

Saturday's march set off from the justice palace in Beirut to the hillside presidential palace, where there were also hundreds of supporters of President Michel Aoun and heavy army deployment.

Troops fired warning shots into the air as brawls between rival demonstrators broke out, AFP correspondents said.

"It is not possible that no one has been put on trial after an explosion like the one that happened on August 4," anti-government protester Layal Tohme said.

"The country is collapsing," she added.

Darine Hourani, a supporter of Aoun, said the president "cannot be held to account each time something wrong takes place" in the country.

"He is the president and we must respect him," Hourani added.

But Carla Moukahal, a critic of Aoun, said the president must step down.

"I came here to bring down this corrupt political system. We want to oust Michel Aoun. Enough is enough," said the 19-year-old.

The army said in a tweet that it had formed a cordon to separate the rival protests and that soldiers "fired into the air after some demonstrators pelted soldiers with stones and beat them with sticks".

A protest movement that erupted in October last year has been revived since the blast, which rekindled smouldering rage against official neglect and a political class accused of corruption.

The explosion, Lebanon's worst peace-time disaster, was followed by a fire on Thursday at the Beirut port, and came as Lebanese were already reeling from the country's worst economic crisis in decades.

Among those arrested by authorities as part of the investigation into the blast are top port and customs officials, as well as Syrian workers who allegedly carried out welding work at the port hours before the explosion.

No high-ranking political official has been arrested as part of the probe.

© 2020 AFP

The US is going backward in terms of social progress, a global survey shows

Inequality in the US is rising, a new report found. 

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

BUSINESS INSIDER 

When it comes to social progress, the US is slipping behind other developed countries.

 

The 2020 Social Progress Index, which measures maternal mortality rate, corruption, and education, found the US is declining both in absolute terms and relative to its highly industrialized peers in overall wellbeing and equality.

 

In addition Brazil and Hungary, the US is the only country that's declined since the index began nearly a decade ago.

 

Norway ranked first, Denmark second, and Finland came in third. Meanwhile, the US ranked 28th.

 

The Social Progress Index found that Americans have health statistics similar to citizens of Chile, Jordan, and Albania, while kids in the US get an education at a similar level to children in Uzbekistan and Mongolia, The New York Times points out.

 

In recent years, the average life expectancy of Americans has declined, in large part due to a dramatic spike in "deaths of despair" (suicides and drug overdoses).

 

American inequality has risen over the past few decades. While the upper class has seen regular wealth growth, the middle class is shrinking, Pew Research has found.

A government agency just warned this week's West Coast wildfires could spark a financial crisis. A top economist thinks the effects could linger for years.

Marguerite Ward
2 hours ago

Firefighters battle wildfires in Southern California on Saturday. JOSH EDELSON / Contributor/ Getty Images

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the government agency that regulates the US deriviatives markets, released a report this week that said increasing wildfires in the US could spark a financial crisis. 

Further, the CFTC said climate change 'poses a major risk to the stability of the US financial system and to its ability to sustain the American economy.' The ripple effect on home values, state tourism, and local government could be profound, per the report. 

Matthew Khan, distinguished economics and business professor at John Hopkins University, said the west could see a 'brain drain' if the perception emerges of a declining quality of life due to ever-increasing wildfires.

Khan also said the next generation is at risk of developmental problems due to air pollution, which would impact their productivity down the line. 

Workers are less productive when there's high air pollution, studies show. Rising air pollution that would impact millions could therefore impact GDP, Khan suggested.

More than 85 wildfires are ripping through California, Oregon and Washington state, and people's lives and homes aren't the only things at risk.

The historic 2020 wildfire season, which has already burned over 3 million acres, is far worse than last year's due to climate change, scientists have said. The trend has economists saying the economy for the region — and even the country — is in danger.

These climate risks could exacerbate some of the stresses brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, such as declining home values, state tourism, and local government budgets, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a government agency that regulates the US derivatives markets, stated in a recent report.

"Beyond their physical devastation and tragic loss of human life and livelihood, escalating weather events also pose significant challenges to our financial system and our ability to sustain long-term economic growth," Rostin Behnam, CFTC commissioner, said in a press release.

The West Coast — home to Silicon Valley and tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Apple — could take a dramatic hit over the next five to 10 years because of increasing wildfires, according to Matthew Khan, a Bloomberg distinguished professor of economics and business at Johns Hopkins University and a provost professor of Economics at the University of Southern California.

For one, Apple, Google, and Microsoft may not want to keep their headquarters there, if there's a perception that these wildfires are threatening their workers' quality of life.

"If there's the belief that California and the West will face a decline in quality of life because of ever-increasing wildfires, then this could actually lead to a brain drain if these companies move headquarters to higher quality of life places in the US," he told Business Insider.

This would hit the state's tax revenue stream hard, he said. And thousands of workers could potentially move with their companies, resulting in declining home values and consumer spending.

But on a more macro level, labor productivity across a major portion of the US could be at risk, which could impact GDP.

Workers are not as productive when there's high levels of air pollution, numerous studies show.

One 2019 study found that top chess players made significantly more mistakes when the indoor concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) — air pollution — increased.

Another study (conducted earlier this year by Khan and his colleagues) found that high levels of air pollution decreased outdoor worker productivity. It also lowered the day-to-day sentiment of the overall population (including indoor workers). Research has found that happier workers are more productive.


"People are less productive when it's polluted outside," Khan said.

Increasing wildfires would also be detrimental to the next generation of America's workforce: Children, particularly low-income children who live in higher risk areas and whose families may not be able to afford expensive air purifiers.

"Epidemiology has shown us that prolonged exposure to air pollution is terrible for people's health and children's development. And so if it continues, and millions of children, millions of lower-income children are exposed to this pollution, it lowers their development, their work potential," he said.

Khan added, "That would have really bad consequences."


NOW WATCH: Meet the badass fire fighters who parachute directly into the flames

https://www.businessinsider.com/cftc-economist-warn-west-coast-wildfires-could-impact-us-economy-2020-9?jwsource=cl

Whole Foods workers say a new company policy is a 'slap in the face' and a 'disgusting abuse' of people who worked during the height of the pandemic

Hayley Peterson Sep 10, 2020

A Whole Foods Market worker moves grocery carts in Durham, N.C., 

Wednesday, April 15, 2020. AP Photo/Gerry Broome

Some Whole Foods workers are slamming the company after a recent change to the company's attendance policy.

The grocer uses a point system to track attendance. If an employee is late or misses a shift, they get up to one point. Multiple points result in disciplinary action. After six months, the points normally roll-off, giving the workers a fresh start.

Recently, though, the company extended the expiration date for points that were earned before the pandemic, according to interviews with four Whole Foods employees and internal documents.

As a result, points that Whole Foods workers accrued prior to March 3 have remained on their records longer than expected, forcing some employees to face unexpected punishment for late arrivals or absences, employees said.

"All of a sudden we are being ordered by our global HR to hand out corrective action that has elongated roll-off dates for infractions in the middle of a pandemic that is still raging," said one Whole Foods manager.

Whole Foods declined to comment on the reason behind the point extension.
"During the early days of COVID-19, we temporarily paused our Time & Attendance policy as a whole, including corrective action, in order to allow Team Members to have unlimited call outs from work, during the height of the pandemic," a company spokesperson said. "The pause was extended on two occasions and was reinstated on June 22nd, which was communicated in advance to all Team Members."

Some Whole Foods employees are furious over a change to the company's attendance policy that they say is making it harder for them to call off work despite the ongoing threat of the coronavirus.

The grocery store chain uses a point system to track attendance. If an employee is late or misses a shift, they get up to one point. Accumulated points result in disciplinary action. Normally, the points roll off after six months so that they have a clean slate.

However, the company recently added an additional 111 days to the expiration date for certain points, according to four employees of Whole Foods stores in four states, and internal company documents and emails. The extension applies to points earned prior to March 3.

As a result, attendance points that Whole Foods workers racked up prior to the pandemic have remained on their records longer than expected, forcing some employees to face unexpected punishment for late arrivals or absences, employees said.


"It's a slap in the face to everyone who showed up during the height of the pandemic," said an employee of a Philadelphia Whole Foods store, who spoke to Business Insider on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. "To say those hours we came in didn't count — it's completely cruel."

Amber Schottky, an employee of a Chicago-area Whole Foods, said going to work at the start of the pandemic was terrifying, and that she and her coworkers felt like their lives were at stake every day.

She said she felt reassured, however, when Whole Foods on March 3 relaxed its attendance policy and stopped tracking absences with points.

"If we felt overwhelmed or had symptoms or were around someone with symptoms, we felt like we could keep ourselves and our coworkers safe by staying home and not having to worry about our jobs," she told Business Insider.

Whole Foods started tracking attendance points again on June 22. Employees said they discovered over the next several weeks that the company had also added 111 days — which is the period of time that the attendance policy was relaxed — to the life of points accrued prior to March 3.

Schottky discovered the point extension when she arrived 15 minutes late to work on June 27, and later had to sign a "counseling statement" due to a point that remained on her record from mid-December.

"I looked at the [attendance] sheet and saw points that were supposed to drop off and hadn't," she said. "I had worked really hard the last couple months. ...It felt like whiplash."
Whole Foods employees can face termination for too many attendance points

Whole Foods' attendance policy states that accruing 3 points in a 6-month period results in a "counseling statement;" 5 points results in a "final warning;" and 6 points results in a firing, according to a copy of the policy viewed by Business Insider. Prior to the pandemic, points would expire after six months.


Under the recent policy change, any points that would have expired between March 3 and June 21 are given the life extension of an additional 111 days.

Whole Foods declined to comment on the reason behind the point extension. In a statement to Business Insider concerning this story, the company instead addressed the temporary pause of its attendance policy.

"During the early days of COVID-19, we temporarily paused our Time & Attendance policy as a whole, including corrective action, in order to allow Team Members to have unlimited call outs from work, during the height of the pandemic," the spokesperson said. "The pause was extended on two occasions and was reinstated on June 22nd, which was communicated in advance to all Team Members."

The spokesperson added that Whole Foods has repeatedly told employees to stay home if they are feeling unwell, and that workers may call out without corrective action if they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or foodborne illnesses.


Whole Foods workers are also eligible for up to two weeks of paid time off if they are diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed into quarantine by Whole Foods, the government, or a medical professional, the spokesperson said. High-risk employees are also eligible for an unpaid personal leave of absence.
'This is a disgusting abuse'

A Whole Foods manager who has been with the company for nearly a decade said he was infuriated by the point extension, however, and did not feel comfortable enforcing it.

"All of a sudden we are being ordered by our global HR to hand out corrective action that has elongated roll-off dates for infractions in the middle of a pandemic that is still raging," said the manager, who spoke to Business Insider on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. "I personally was forced to hand out corrective action documents to several of my team members knowing full well that the struggles they were dealing with during the 'pause' were by no means over and were starting in a very disadvantaged spot."

The manager and three other Whole Foods employees said the company did not widely announce the point extension. Instead, Whole Foods left it up to store managers to discuss the extension with employees, they said.

"To me this is a disgusting abuse of the Team Members who have had to struggle through a pandemic," the manager said. "I value honesty and ethics, this under-the-table change has no honesty or ethics and feels dirty to be a part of."

Experts: Revamped OxyContin hasn’t curbed abuse, overdoses

By MATTHEW PERRONEtoday

FILE - This Feb. 19, 2013 file photo shows OxyContin pills arranged for a photo at a pharmacy in Montpelier, Vt. On Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel said there’s no clear evidence that a reformulated version of the painkiller OxyContin designed to discourage abuse actually resulted in fewer overdoses or cases of addiction. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A panel of government health advisers said Friday there’s no clear evidence that a harder-to-crush version of the painkiller OxyContin designed to discourage abuse actually resulted in fewer overdoses or deaths.

The conclusion from the Food and Drug Administration advisory panel comes more than a decade after Purdue Pharma revamped its blockbuster opioid, which has long been blamed for sparking a surge in painkiller abuse beginning in the 1990s.

In a series of non-binding votes, the FDA experts said that the updated OxyContin appeared to cut down abuse via snorting and injecting, compared to the original drug. But panelists overwhelmingly ruled that data from Purdue and other researchers did not show that the reformulation curbed abuse overall or led to fewer overdoses.

Panelists said the shortcomings were due, in part, to the challenges of studying overdoses, which often involve multiple drugs.

“I think it’s very difficult to tease out cause of death and overdose,” said Dr. Lewis Nelson of Rutgers University. “Overall, I think the quality of evidence was fairly poor.”

The long-acting OxyContin tablets can still be misused by simply swallowing them, which remains the most frequent route among those with opioid addiction.

The FDA will consider the group’s opinions as it weighs whether to revisit OxyContin’s terms of approval. That could include scaling back the drug’s prescribing labeling, which currently states that it is “expected to” reduce abuse via injecting and snorting.

Purdue’s 2010 revamped OxyContin was the first of several opioids developed by drugmakers to help curb abuse. But whether the drugs met that goal remains unclear and the FDA is reviewing their use.

These so-called abuse-deterrent formulations account for just 2% of U.S. opioid prescriptions. The vast majority of opioids prescribed are generic versions of short-acting opioids like hydrocodone.

Purdue representatives said during the meeting that multiple studies showed the updated tablets are harder to crush and dissolve, making them harder to snort or inject. They said those changes represent a “meaningful incremental improvement,” over the original OxyContin launched in 1996.

Data submitted by Purdue showed both prescribing and illegal trafficking of OxyContin decreased after the company pulled and replaced the original version of the drug.

But panelists said it was impossible to decipher whether those positive trends were due to the reformulation or a host of other factors affecting opioid use, including government crackdowns on pill mills and an influx of illegal opioids like heroin and fentanyl.

Several studies suggest many people who abused OxyContin switched to generic pain pills or illicit opioids, but patterns of switching varied widely across the country and populations, further blurring the drug’s overall impact.

Purdue said in a statement following the meeting it would continue to work with the FDA as it reviewed the OxyContin studies. The company declared bankruptcy last year in an effort to settle thousands of lawsuits accusing it of over-promoting OxyContin and misleading the public about its risks.

U.S. drug overdose deaths hit a new high last year of 71,000, according to federal data, driven mainly by fentanyl and similar synthetic opioids which were involved in about half of all deaths. Deaths tied to prescription opioid overdoses have plateaued at around 15,000 annually. The slowdown follows years of prescribing restrictions and warnings aimed at physicians.

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Follow Matthew Perrone on Twitter: @AP_FDAwriter

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