Ripped off? Why the EU is paying a premium for new Covid shots

The bloc had a tricky start to its vaccination campaign, and things haven’t become any easier since, writes Francesco Guarascio

File photo dated 19/02/21 of a Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine being prepared. 

  WED, 04 AUG, 2021 - 

The European Union has agreed to pay a premium on new orders of Covid-19 vaccines because it is requiring tougher terms to be met, European officials said, as the bloc tries to protect supplies after a rocky start to its vaccination campaign.

The higher price is less than the US has agreed to pay in its latest order in July.

On Sunday, the Financial Times reported the EU has agreed to pay Pfizer and BioNTech €19.50 ($23.10) for each of their Covid-19 vaccine shots under a contract signed in May for up to 1.8bn doses, up from the €15.50 per dose under two initial supply contracts for a total of 600m vaccines.

The price for Moderna shots went up to $25.50 a dose, the newspaper said, referring to a 300m-vaccine deal, up from $22.60 in its initial deal for 160m jabs.

EU lawmaker Tiziana Beghin, a member of Italy’s ruling 5-Star party, said the EU was being been ripped off.

It’s inexplicable,” she said.

Moderna’s price is still at the lowest end of the $25-$37 range indicated by the company last year, but Pfizer and BioNTech had previously said prices would be lower for bigger-volume deals.

Others said there were good reasons to pay more, and that circumstances had changed greatly from when initial deals were struck with drugmakers last year.

France’s European affairs minister Clement Beaune told French radio station RFI that the likely higher prices were still under negotiation, and were the result of stricter clauses on variants, production, and deliveries.

One European official familiar with negotiations with vaccine makers said the value of the drugmakers’ shots had risen since evidence had emerged of their efficacy and of the positive impact they had on helping the economy to recover from a pandemic-induced recession.

“Several factors played a role,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A bottle of Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.

All the vaccines used in Europe have been shown to have a beneficial impact, but those made by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson have faced restrictions on their use in the EU because of concerns they can in rare instances lead to blood clots.

Those two vaccine makers have also suffered supply problems, which in the case of AstraZeneca have led to legal challenges by the EU.

While the bargaining power of Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna has increased, additional EU demands are likely to raise the costs of making and delivering vaccines.

A spokesman for Pfizer declined to comment on the European prices, but said the latest contract with the EU was different from the initial ones, including on matters concerning production and delivery.

Moderna did not respond to a request for comment.

The European Commission, which co-ordinates negotiations with vaccine makers together with EU governments’ representatives, also declined to comment, citing confidentiality clauses.

Earlier this year, lawmakers, media, and some analysts criticised the bloc for paying too little for the early supplies of vaccines, saying that had contributed to initial delays in the vaccination drive.

“It’s easy to criticise the EU because it spends little and late or because it spends too much,” said Giovanna De Maio, non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution, a US research group.

"Reality is much more complicated, and perhaps it is correct to give priority to access to vaccines rather than costs given the pace at which the Delta variant is spreading,” she added, referring to the more transmissible variant that was first detected in India.

On July 23, Washington bought an additional 200m vaccines from Pfizer at a price of $24 a dose (€20.10), the company said, up from $19.50 the US paid for its first 300m shots.

Pfizer said the higher US prices reflected investment needed to produce, package, and deliver new formulations of the vaccine, as well as extra costs in producing smaller pack sizes suited to “individual provider offices, including paediatricians”.

When the EU agreed its third supply deal with Pfizer in May for up to 1.8bn doses, the commission said the new contract required the vaccines to be made in the EU and the essential components to be sourced from the region.

In its first supply deals, the EU had required that only vaccines were made in the EU, not their components.

Concentrating production in Europe can help guarantee supply now that production lines are well established and there is less need for leeway, but it is also likely to increase costs.

The EU Commission also said in its statement that under the new contract “from the start of the supply in 2022, the delivery to the EU is guaranteed”, whereas under the first contract Pfizer was only required to make its “best reasonable efforts” to ship pre-agreed volumes by set deadlines.

Pfizer has so far respected its commitments to the EU, and has delivered slightly more than initially planned in the first quarter of the year.

Another big change since the early contracts is the emergence of variants and concerns that vaccines may not be effective against them.

EU officials said governments could refuse to buy shots that did not protect against variants, while companies will be expected to quickly adapt their vaccines, potentially at a significant cost.

Reuters

 #METOO   GAMERGATE 2.0      

Steve Gaynor 'steps back' from Fullbright after allegations of toxic work environment emerge

August 4, 2021 |

 By Bryant Francis

Fullbright co-founder Steve Gaynor is stepping back on his role in the development of Open Roads, the company’s next narrative title. The news comes right as Polygon reports that Gaynor has allegedly faced complaints from employees for years for fostering a toxic work environment.

The news first dropped by way of a cryptic statement on the Open Roads Twitter account, which did not spell out the reason for Gaynor’s role shift but did say it was in the name of “fostering a work environment that is healthy and collaborative, where we can work with transparency, autonomy, and trust.”

Shortly after this was Tweeted, a Polygon report emerged stating that Gaynor’s step back actually occurred in March, and followed years of allegedly creating a toxic, “controlling” work environment.

Polygon’s report stressed that Gaynor is not accused of outright sexual harassment or sexism. Instead, former employees allege that the studio used a “veneer of inclusivity” to hide a toxic culture driven by microagressions.

“This is going to sound like a joke, but I’m completely serious: Working for him often felt like working for a high school mean girl," one source told Polygon. “His go-to weapon was to laugh at people’s opinions and embarrass them in front of other people.”

Gaynor is apparently still employed at Fullbright, transitioning from his role as creative lead and manager to working as a writer, though Polygon states that Gaynor "has no day-to-day collaboration with the rest of the team." Publisher Annapurna Interactive is apparently acting as a "mediator" between Fullbright and Gaynor.

You can see Fullbright’s full statement in the tweet below, and read Polygon's full report here

   

How the founder’s toxic culture tore apart Fullbright, the studio behind Gone Home

Co-founder Steve Gaynor has stepped down following complaints from employees

By Nicole Carpenter
on August 4, 2021 8:55 pm

Screenshot from Gome Home (2013)
Image: Fullbright

Fullbright co-founder Steve Gaynor, known for his work on Gone Home and Tacoma, has stepped down from his role as creative lead on Open Roads following multiple allegations regarding his treatment of Fullbright staff.

Development on Open Roads, which was announced in December 2020 and expected to star Keri Russell (The Americans) and Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart), is behind schedule. Fifteen employees left the studio since development on Open Roads began in 2019; around six staff members remain. Speaking with Polygon, 12 former employees said their departure was at least in part due to Gaynor’s behavior toward workers, specifically women on the team. At least 10 of the employees who left since Open Roads production began were women.

Multiple former employees, who spoke with Polygon anonymously out of fear of retaliation, described the Fullbright work environment as “controlling,” a place in which staffers felt undermined and demeaned by Gaynor. Because of Gaynor’s status as the co-founder of a beloved indie darling, some former employees say they were worried about being blacklisted from the industry — though some ended up leaving the industry entirely, anyway. These former employees said they did not experience or witness sexual harassment or explicit sexism; instead, they said, the studio’s toxic culture hid behind the veneer of inclusivity, as women were allegedly repeatedly broken down by microaggressions.

A Fullbright representative confirmed to Polygon that Gaynor stepped down in March due to the “pattern of women leaving” the company. “Steve stepped down in March 2021 after it became clear that the steps that were already being taken to improve his interactions with the team were only yielding temporary results,” the representative said. “More drastic action was needed for the health of the team.”

The representative also noted that “Annapurna is aware of the situation at Fullbright and has been instrumental in helping the Open Roads team make changes to its structure.” A representative for Annapurna told Polygon it supports the Open Roads team. Following the publication of this story, Gaynor issued a statement to Polygon.

Hi all. I have a statement to share about my role at Fullbright.

Earlier this year, I stepped back from my role as creative lead on Open Roads. My leadership style was hurtful to people that worked at Fullbright, and for that I truly apologize.

Stepping back has given me space and perspective to see how my role needs to change and how I need to learn and improve as part of a team, including working with an expert management consultant, and rethinking my relationship to the work at Fullbright.

I care deeply about Open Roads and the Fullbright team. I’m sad to have stepped back from day-to-day development of Open Roads, but it’s been the right thing to do. The Open Roads team has my full faith and support as they bring the game to completion.

Fulbright has always been a small independent studio. Just four people — three of which were studio co-founders — created Gone Home (2013), a BAFTA award-winning narrative game that influenced the industry. For the studio’s next game, Tacoma (2017), the number of staffers increased by more than double. Following the success of these two games, Fullbright continued to grow, taking on more employees and contractors.

In the development of Open Roads, Fullbright partnered with publisher Annapurna Interactive, which provided full funding and additional support staff. The number of core Fullbright employees remained under 20 at any given time. Former employees described the studio at that time as close-knit and supportive of each other. They took pride in creating games that resonated with marginalized people, like Gone Home, a coming-of-age story about a teenage lesbian. But at the same time, former employees say they also felt stifled by Gaynor’s “controlling” and “demeaning presence” — someone who allegedly saw Open Roads not as the team’s game, but as his game. That Gaynor, himself, was Fullbright.

On Twitter, at least, Gaynor “was” Fullbright for quite some time: He held the @Fullbright Twitter account as his personal handle for over a decade. When he stepped down from his position as creative lead, sources said he was required to change his Twitter account to @SteveGaynorPDX. The @Fullbright account now serves as a placeholder, and the studio now uses @FullbrightGames for official updates. A Fullbright representative confirmed to Polygon that “employees were uncomfortable with the official Fullbright account doubling as Steve’s personal Twitter account.”

Women in leadership positions told Polygon that they experienced constant micromanagement that made it difficult for them to do their jobs, having to get even the smallest details approved by Gaynor. This was compounded, they said, by Gaynor’s tendency to disparage and discredit the contributions of female staffers in particular, oftentimes directly to leadership. Some of the former female staffers said they often worried about how Gaynor characterized them to other employees.

“This is going to sound like a joke, but I’m completely serious: Working for him often felt like working for a high school mean girl,” one former employee in a leadership position told Polygon. “His go-to weapon was to laugh at people’s opinions and embarrass them in front of other people.”

Six other former employees corroborated this characterization.

Employees told Polygon that they had wanted to report Gaynor’s behavior but had no actual process to do so. The company had no dedicated human resource employees, other than the occasional third-party consultant. “There’s no infrastructure to escalate,” a former employee said. Several former employees said they confronted Gaynor directly while they were still employed at Fullbright, telling him their concerns about how they believe his behavior negatively impacted the staff.

“HOW DO WE ENSURE WE ARE CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT THAT RESULTS IN WOMEN FEELING RESPECTED. HR, ACCOUNTABILITY, TRAINING, SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE?”

One former employee said she approached Gaynor after reading a GamesIndustry.biz report regarding Season developer Scavengers Studio. She told Polygon she saw similarities between Scavenger Studio creative director Simon Darveau and Gaynor. (While the allegations regarding Darveau include sexual harassment and groping, no claims of physical conduct have been made against Gaynor.) The former employee said she warned Gaynor that a similar report could eventually surface about him.


“[The team was] already in consultation training for communication for the team due to [another former employee] quitting because of him,” she said. “And I told him, I have these concerns. When I read this article, I saw a lot of parallels. Not one-to-one, but a lot of parallels.”

She said she told Gaynor that she was struggling to commit to Open Roads because she was worried the game would be canceled if an article came out about him. “I did expect it to be an emotional discussion,” she told Polygon. “I don’t think that’s something anyone ever wants to hear.”

Gaynor told her that publisher Annapurna came to him to ask about Fullbright’s attrition problem — particularly, that women were leaving the company on what seemed like a monthly basis. The next day, the employee who had approached Gaynor said he sent her with a link to a Wikipedia article on “availability heuristics.” On Wikipedia, availability heuristics is described as “a mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method or decision.”


“He sent me the link [...] to explain to me that when there’s a shark attack on the news, people start to get more scared that they might get attacked by a shark,” she said. “So I wasn’t actually valid in worrying that we could have an article about his behavior.” She reported this interaction to the consultant, who reportedly said that Steve’s impact did not match his intent.

A family portrait from Gone Home
Image: Fullbright

Employees found other ways to raise these concerns. Several left anonymous digital Post-It notes on the company server as part of a “team building exercise” in late 2020, helmed by a third-party consultant to help communication on the team. “This sprint marks the 4th woman to leave Fullbright in the last year,” one employee wrote. “How do we ensure we are creating an environment that results in women feeling respected. HR, accountability, training, something needs to change. We all have a part to play in creating a safe working environment, change doesn’t happen without discomfort.”

Other employees used exit interviews to report the studio culture that they said Gaynor perpetuated. (Exit interviews were conducted as a series of questions sent to departing staff, reviewed by department leads.) At least two employees reached out to Annapurna directly. “My personal experience of having Steve as my manager was a toxic and unhealthy dynamic,” this former employee wrote in a correspondence to Annapurna that was reviewed by Polygon. “I can confidently say that I do not want my career to be associated with him.”

Another employee, in a letter to Annapurna, described it as “the worst professional experience [she’d] had in games.”

Co-founder of Fullbright, Steve Gaynor
Photo: Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic via Getty

Other former employees spoke about how they felt the behavior at Fullbright was dangerous. Fullbright, with games like Gone Home and Tacoma that focus on female characters, tends to attract women as prospective employees. It’s a studio that’s perceived to be inclusive and friendly to groups of people who have historically been marginalized. It’s a studio that amplifies these voices rather than stifling them — at least when it comes to its games and the stories they tell. People might expect a toxic culture at triple-A studios, but not at a studio like Fullbright, former employees recalled. Yet these allegations were reported consistently, and, because of it, the studio has lost a large portion of its staff over the years, they said.


Following the mass exodus of Fullbright employees in 2020 and 2021, the leads remaining at the company were tasked with hiring new employees. Two sources told Polygon that they were hesitant to hire the qualified, talented women who applied for the roles out of fear of how they’d be treated by Gaynor. Former employees had seen what they perceived as a pattern of young women, early in their careers, being broken down by their time under Gaynor at Fullbright. Multiple sources told Polygon they feared that even more promising talent would be driven out of the industry, like the others.

Some former employees described themselves as “changed” following their time at Fullbright. Many have questioned their abilities, describing their experience with Gaynor as having been “gaslit,” and have sought out therapy to deal with the trauma associated with development on Open Roads and company culture. Former employees in leadership described “intense guilt” in leaving the company, “leaving [the] team to fend for themselves.”

“I WANT WOMEN TO NOT HAVE TO FEAR RETALIATION FROM A POWERFUL ‘AUTEUR’ FIGURE FOR SPEAKING UP.”

“[We] were constantly acting as a buffer between Steve and the rest of the team just so they could actually get any sort of work done without being pulled into hours of meetings where everything was nitpicked to death or ultimately reversed.”

With so few employees left at Fullbright, the state of Open Roads now looks challenged. In January, Gaynor told Polygon that Open Roads was expected out in 2021. Several former employees told Polygon they believe there’s no way that will happen, noting that production timelines had been disrupted by convoluted decision-making processes and the constant state of flux within Fullbright’s staff. A Fullbright representative told Polygon that the game will not be out in 2021.

Although Gaynor is no longer a creative lead on Open Roads, he is still working on the game as a writer. He currently has no day-to-day collaboration with the rest of the team. Instead, Annapurna Interactive is operating as a mediator between the studio developers and Gaynor, as development continues with a fraction of the company. Multiple former employees expressed concern that Gaynor was even operating in this capacity — that it was weird for a man to be writing a story about a mother and daughter, particularly a man that has allegedly demeaned several female employees.

Despite the bad experiences that multiple former employees described to Polygon, many also said they still felt passionate about the stories Fullbright has been able to tell when other major studios weren’t doing so. But they often felt conflicted given the low morale at the studio and the effect it had on developers who worked on these games.

“It turns my stomach to think that he still gets to write these games about women’s stories when this is how he treats them in real life, with presumably no sign of stopping,” one former employee said. “I want women in the industry and this studio to feel valued. I want vulnerable young women who are new to the industry to be supported, not preyed upon. I want women to not have to fear retaliation from a powerful ‘auteur’ figure for speaking up. I want women to feel safe here. I want women to know that this is not normal. More than anything, I just want him to stop. He shouldn’t be allowed to keep getting away with this.”

Update: This story has been updated to include a statement from Steve Gaynor.

 ANOTHER COLLECTOR ADULT BARBIE

This Toronto doctor now has a Barbie made in her image to honour her work as a health-care hero

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'What is even more beautiful about this opportunity is that the Barbie is a Black female doctor'

Adina Bresge · The Canadian Press · Posted: Aug 04, 2021 

Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa is seen holding her Barbie likeness in Toronto's discovery district in an undated handout photo. The 27-year-old physician, spoken word poet and advocate is not only living out her childhood dreams, but has a Barbie made in her image to show for it. (HO-Barbie/The Canadian Press)

Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa remembers dressing up her Barbies as doctors, poets and performers when she was a young girl, but none of the dolls looked quite like the woman she aspired to be.

Now, the Canadian physician, spoken word poet and advocate is not only living out her childhood dreams, but has a Barbie made in her image to show for it.

Oriuwa hopes the creation of a one-of-a-kind doll celebrating her success will show kids there aren't any limits on their play or their potential.

"What is even more beautiful about this opportunity is that the Barbie is a Black female doctor that is made in my image," said Oriuwa, a psychiatry resident at the University of Toronto.

"That really speaks to my core value and my core belief that you can truly become anything and you can truly occupy any space and thrive."

Oriuwa is one of six women who inspired Mattel's special collection of Barbies honouring health workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis.

Recognized for work against systemic racism in health care

Also among the female scientists being celebrated are U.K. vaccinologist Sarah Gilbert, who co-developed the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, and Brazilian biomedical researcher Dr. Jaqueline Goes de Jesus, who is credited with leading the sequencing of the genome of a COVID-19 variant in Brazil.

Only one doll was made for each of the real-life "role models" and will not be available for sale, a Mattel spokeswoman said.

In this undated photo issued by Mattel, Britain's Professor Sarah Gilbert holds a Barbie doll made in her image, in honour of the Oxford vaccine co-creator. The toy company has created models in honour of five other women working in STEM around the world. (Andy Paradise/Mattel via AP)

The toymaker recognized Oriuwa for her advocacy against systemic racism in health care.

The 27-year-old has spoken openly about the discrimination she faced as the only Black student in her class during her first year in medical school in 2016, and helped spearhead efforts to diversify the program.

She became the first Black woman to be selected as sole valedictorian for University of Toronto's faculty of medicine upon graduation last year.

From a young age, Oriuwa said she strained against the "subconscious messaging" that she didn't fit the mould to work in the medical field.

'Changing the narrative of what a doctor looks like'

Even as she played out her fantasies of adulthood with Barbies, Oriuwa said the brand didn't offer many Black dolls, particularly ones with her skin tone and Afro-textured hair.

"Not only did I not necessarily have a Barbie that looked like myself in the field I wanted to pursue, but I actually didn't know any Black female doctors at all until much later on in life," she said.

"It would have been so pivotal for me to have had a Barbie that can really help to solidify more of my dreams and letting me know that it really is something that is tangible."

Oriuwa worked with the Barbie team to design a doll that depicts her features accurately, complete with medical accessories including a white coat and a stethoscope.

"A part of this is also changing the narrative of what a doctor looks like," she said.

"I really wanted to be able to send that messaging back to the younger generation of girls to inspire them and let them know that truly any one of them can occupy this field or any field that they aspire towards."

• Chika Oriuwa named valedictorian of U of T's faculty of medicine

BETTER THAN THE CURRENT NAME
Petition to name downtown Edmonton park 'Nathan Fillion Civilian Pavillion' gains star support
Author of the article:Postmedia News
Publishing date:Aug 04, 2021 • 

Edmonton born and raised Nathan Fillion stars in The Rookie, to be seen on ABC and CTV in October 2018. PHOTO BY SUPPLIED /Postmedia

“Is this real?” Hollywood star Idris Elba asks rhetorically of a petition to name a future downtown Edmonton park after actor Nathan Fillion.

Yes, it is. And now Hollywood has cast its bright spotlight our way.

Radio show host Lauren Hunter of Sonic 102.9 created the petition two years ago after the city moved forward with plans to create a 1.25-hectare park out of parking lots north of Jasper Avenue between 106 and 108 Streets.

Now, more than 18,000 people have signed the online plea to name the park the Nathan Fillion Civilian Pavillion. It’s temporarily labelled the Warehouse Campus Neighborhood Central Park by the city.

Fillion, 50, is a native of Edmonton who has starred in U.S. television shows including The Rookie, Castle and Firefly (as well as the latter’s related Serenity movie). He is among the ensemble cast of the latest Suicide Squad film, which is slated to open in Canadian theatres Aug. 6.

A video featuring his Suicide Squad co-stars on support for the petition was posted to YouTube yesterday.

“I 100 per cent support this … completely,” Margot Robbie, who plays Harley Quinn in the DC Universe film, says in the video while chuckling. “I really, really hope you succeed in this mission, Edmonton.”

“There needs to be a Nathan Fillion Civilian Pavillion somewhere,” director James Gunn says, perhaps half-jokingly. “And if it exists in Edmonton, it’s far enough away that it doesn’t have to be too close to my house.”

“I’m so in support of this,” says actor David Dastmalchian, who plays Polka-Dot Man. “I want to go and have a picnic and a barbecue and celebrate at the Nathan Fillion Civilian Pavillion.”

IN MY HOOD

'That hit the stadium!': Videos show lightning strike near Edmonton Elks' stadium


CTV News 

EdmontonStaff
Wednesday, August 4, 2021

EDMONTON -- Lightning hit near the Edmonton Elks' stadium during Tuesday night's storm, several viewer videos show.

"That hit the stadium," a shocked viewer yelled as thunder was heard coming from Commonwealth Stadium.

"I was really shocked," said Richard Wood, one of the people who shot lightning video. "It was a lot more than we typically get out of these storms."

It looks like it was close to Commonwealth Stadium, but the city told CTV News there are "no signs found at this time that lightning struck the stadium."



Environment Canada told CTV News there were nine lightning strikes within a kilometre of Commonwealth Stadium between 9:30 and 10 p.m. Tuesday.

"We've seen over 8,600 lightning strikes in the Edmonton area so far this year," said Environment Canada meteorologist Kyle Fougere. "It's not uncommon to have thunderstorms that have widespread lightning and move across the city."

Lightning caused power outages in the area according to EPCOR, but it added it is not aware of any damage to its equipment.

With files from Dan Grummett

A year after Beirut blast, Lebanese diaspora in Canada demands accountability

Activist group brings together Lebanese people in 35 cities around the world

Michelle Ghoussoub · CBC News 

· Posted: Aug 04, 2021 

Julnar Doueik is a member of the United Diaspora Network — also called Meghterbin Mejtemiin — a group based in 35 cities around the world including Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa, that seeks to support Lebanon from abroad. 

(Antonin Sturlese/CBC)

A year after a massive explosion in Beirut killed 214 people, destroyed much of the city and sank Lebanon's economy further into despair, Lebanese Canadians are calling on Ottawa to redirect its financial assistance away from Lebanon's government while demanding a complete investigation into the blast.

On Aug. 4, 2020, a fire at the Port of Beirut ignited a stash of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been stored for six years in a warehouse, without proper safety measures, after having been confiscated by the Lebanese authorities from an abandoned ship.

It was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. Two Canadians, including a three-year-old girl, were among those killed.

Documents have since shown that high-level officials were warned multiple times of the risk but failed to act.

An investigation has so far failed to determine who ordered the shipment of chemicals and why officials ignored those warnings.

Parents of Canadian child killed in Beirut blast say lack of justice is 'enraging'

Julnar Doueik, who moved from Beirut to Vancouver just weeks before the explosion, says there has been little to no accountability, making it impossible to move on.

"Our wound is still open, our emotional and psychological bruises are as painful as they were a year ago — but we're also very furious because justice is nowhere to be found in Lebanon. The political class that is the cause of the Beirut blast, because of criminal negligence, they're still obstructing the investigation," she said.

"A lot of lives were lost. A whole city was destroyed. Canadian lives were lost as well during this explosion and we don't have answers."

People in Beirut carry pictures of some of the victims of the blast in the city's port district, during a march on Wednesday, as Lebanon marks the one-year anniversary of the explosion. (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

Doueik is part of the United Diaspora Network — also called Meghterbin Mejtemiin — a group based across 35 cities around the world including Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa, that seeks to support Lebanon from abroad.

The group is calling on the Canadian government to provide technical assistance in the investigation, to halt humanitarian assistance to the Lebanese government and to, instead, redirect funds to civil society groups.

Over the past year, Canada has provided around $50 million toward early recovery efforts, humanitarian assistance and long-term reconstruction of the city.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said Wednesday that Canada continues to call for a full and transparent investigation.

"We continue to firmly stand with the Lebanese people and are ready to support them further. Canada will continue to reiterate that Lebanon's leaders must act now to form a government that can and will begin the reforms the country so desperately needs," Garneau said in a statement.

Thousands of Lebanese call for justice 1 year after massive explosion
Economic crisis deepens

Since the explosion, Lebanon has fallen further into economic crisis while trying to rebuild, leading to a devastating currency crash, hyperinflation and widespread shortages.

Doueik says the United Diaspora Network is fundraising to send supplies, including life-saving medicines, in suitcases with people travelling back to Lebanon.

"We're trying here to mobilize the Lebanese community in Canada. We need to gather our energy to support the people back home," she said.

"We get calls every day from our families back home, from friends, about how hard it is the get the basic supplies. Mothers cannot find milk for their babies. Sick people cannot find medicine. There's a shortage of electricity and fuel. It is heartbreaking."

A vigil for the victims of the blast will be held at UBC Robson Square in downtown Vancouver at 6 p.m. PT on Wednesday.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michelle Ghoussoub is a television, radio and digital reporter with CBC News in Vancouver. Reach her at michelle.ghoussoub@cbc.ca or on Twitter @MichelleGhsoub.

OPINION
Lebanon is edging toward the abyss, suffering from existential divisions stoked by sectarian leaders

DANY ASSAF
CONTRIBUTED TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL
PUBLISHED  AUGUST 4, 2021
Dany Assaf is a Toronto-based lawyer and author and member of the Lebanese Canadian Coalition, which helped organize relief efforts for the Beirut explosion.

On this first anniversary of the devastating explosion in Beirut, it’s important to assess the broader damage suffered in Lebanon and the global implications. In the aftermath of the disaster, I worked with Lebanese Canadians and people from many other backgrounds to get humanitarian aid to Lebanon.

Yet a year on, the larger issues for Lebanon’s rebuilding and its progress remain unresolved as the country edges toward the abyss, threatened by forces of institutional corruption and outdated sectarian government structures.

At the time of the explosion, Canadians of all stripes and our government jumped to help because of the strong connections built over the past century. Many of us see Lebanon as an ancient crossroads of civilization and, like Canada, a place of accommodation between peoples of different faiths and family histories, and one that has contributed much beauty in poetry, the arts, fashion, food and culture.

Indeed, Lebanon is a place where Christians and Muslims share life and love of country. Yet today, sadly, it suffers from existential divisions. These divisions have been stoked and manipulated by sectarian leaders in the wake of the devastation of the explosion and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Lebanese joie de vivre is renowned, but today the country’s indelible spirit has been weakened and Lebanon is aching for a hand up. Sometimes in helping friends, we can also help ourselves by engaging globally in responsible ways to champion shared values. In this case, “we” means not only Canada, but the West generally as the values that are important to us are important to most Lebanese, who are fiercely independent people who cherish the value of freedom.

This is why the West can’t lose Lebanon. With recent failures to bring sustainable security and beat back threats to freedom in Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine and elsewhere, it becomes only more critical today for the West to prioritize help to save Lebanon. If, as U.S. President Joe Biden has stated, “America is back,” Lebanon is the place to unite the West to push back against the erosion of freedom we see in many corners.

While we have seen the folly of unwise military adventures, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a continuing role for leaders of freedom and inclusive progress to support liberal values in this increasingly multipolar world. Times change, but it remains constant that humans are born free, yet many people then spend their lives struggling to resist the efforts of others to control them. Regardless of what we see in any headline or government news release, humanity always yearns for freedom.

The loss of Lebanon and what it represents to its region and beyond would be a sad chapter in the current global climate. The country should be a model for religious accommodation, the advancement of women’s rights in Asia and entrepreneurial energy in the digital age.

Yet Lebanon is being threatened by a sectarian government framework that substitutes loyalty to sect for merit as the operating principle to run its vital functions. In short, Lebanon is an extreme example of a country no longer run in the interests of a large majority of its population, and it is incapable of self-correction.


So how can the country be fixed? Today, the U.S. is in the midst of renegotiating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran’s government, and a hard term of settlement should include support for the demilitarization of all militias in Lebanon and the consolidation of all military power in the hands of the Lebanese army.

This is an essential starting point, as the very definition of a nation is that the state controls its sole military power. As well, no significant investments can be made in a country with more than one military force.

Lebanon also represents key U.S. and Western interests as home to a large refugee population, and the collapse of Lebanon would trigger another wave of refugee migration to Europe. Successful efforts by the U.S., Canada and others may also improve Lebanese-Israeli security, and help set the stage for more effective future Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

Today, Canada should draw upon on its Lester B. Pearson moment in the Suez Crisis of 1956 to reinvigorate our diplomatic tools and rally global efforts to help save Lebanon and secure a win for freedom and hope in these messy times. It has often been said the world needs more Canada. The question today is whether Canada will deliver.

Thousands of Lebanese call for justice 1 year after massive explosion

214 people were killed in last year's blast, which was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever

The Associated Press · Posted: Aug 04, 2021 

Protesters crowd Beirut's streets on anniversary of fatal explosion
Thousands joined demonstrations Wednesday calling for justice on the one-year anniversary of a major explosion in Beirut that killed 214 people. Some demonstrators threw rocks and molotov cocktails, and were hit by security forces with tear gas and rubber bullets. 




United in grief and anger, victims' families were among several thousand Lebanese who marked one year since a horrific explosion at Beirut's port Wednesday — joining for a moment of silence and prayers at the foot of the silos that were shredded by the blast.

A few blocks away, near parliament, stone-throwing protesters clashed with security forces who fired water cannons and tear gas at them. At least six people were injured in the vicinity, a security source told Reuters.

The protesters accuse the security forces of blocking the investigation into the port blast by refusing to lift immunity of senior politicians implicated in negligence that led to the explosion.

The grim anniversary comes amid an unprecedented economic and financial meltdown, and a political stalemate that has kept the country without a functioning government for a full year.

The explosion killed at least 214 people, according to official records, and injured thousands.

Demonstrators hold photos of victims of last year's port blast during a march in Beirut on Wednesday. (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

The blast was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history — the result of hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate igniting after a fire broke out.

The explosion tore through the city with such force it caused a tremor across the entire country that was heard and felt as far away as the Mediterranean island of Cyprus more than 200 kilometres away.

It soon emerged in documents that the highly combustible nitrates had been haphazardly stored at the port since 2014 and that multiple high-level officials over the years knew of their presence and did nothing.

Protesters throw stones during a demonstration near parliament as Lebanon marks the one-year anniversary Wednesday of an explosion in Beirut. (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

A year later, the investigation has yet to answer questions such as who ordered the shipment of the chemicals and why officials ignored repeated internal warnings about how dangerous they were.

The chemicals arrived on a Russian-leased cargo ship that made an unscheduled stop in Beirut in 2013. An FBI report seen by Reuters last week estimated around 552 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded, far less than the 2,754 tonnes that arrived.

"It is shameful that officials evade the investigation under the cover of immunity," Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Lebanon's most senior Christian cleric, said during a mass at the port on Wednesday.

"All immunities fall in the face of the victims' blood, there is no immunity against justice."

Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai leads a mass in memory of the victims of the explosion at the port in Beirut on Wednesday. (Aziz Taher/Reuters)

"We want to know who brought in the explosives … who allowed for their unloading and storage, who removed quantities of it and where it was sent."

French President Emmanuel Macron said Lebanese leaders owed the people the truth.

What critics are calling a lack of accountability around the explosion, which destroyed and damaged thousands of homes and businesses, has added to tensions and anguish in a country reeling from multiple other crises, including an economic unraveling so severe it has been described by the World Bank as one of the worst in the last 150 years.

A demonstrator holds the Lebanese flag during a protest near parliament as Lebanon marks the one-year anniversary of the explosion in Beirut. (Aziz Taher/Reuters)

The crisis has led to a dramatic currency crash and hyperinflation, plunging more than half the country's population below the poverty line.

On Wednesday, demonstrators chanted slogans against the country's political class, which is widely blamed for the port disaster and years of corruption and mismanagement that plunged Lebanon into bankruptcy.

WATCH | 'We miss her more and more every day,' says mother:

Parents of child killed in Beirut explosion say 'pain doesn't ease'

One year after their three-year-old daughter was killed in the explosion that devastated Beirut's port, Tracy and Paul Naggear say they're furious with Lebanese officials. 1:17

'We are all victims of this system'

"This is too big of a crime for it to be swept under the carpet," said Sara Jaafar — an architect whose house opposite the port was destroyed — as she marched toward the rally there.

"It's important for foreign countries to know we are against this murderous ruling class," Jaafar said. A year later, she has not been able to go back to her home, which like so many remains in ruins.

During Wednesday's demonstrations, families of the victims carried posters with photographs of their loved ones, as crowds lined up on both sides of the street applauded. During a memorial inside the port — which still holds the ruins of the giant silos — names of each person killed were read out. A huge metal gavel with the words "Act for Justice" was placed on a wall opposite the port.

"We are all victims of this system," said Paul Naggear, who's three-year-old child, Alexandra, died in the blast. He spoke on a podium outside the port.

Flags flew at half-staff over government institutions and embassies. Medical labs and COVID-19 vaccination centres were closed to mark the day. Reflecting the raw anger at the country's ruling class, posters assailing authorities were hung on the facades of defaced buildings across from the port.

"This is a day of pain and grief," said Ibrahim Hoteit, a spokesperson for victims' families who lost his brother in the blast. "It is the day we lost our loved ones and relatives and children. We hope all those coming down [to the streets] in solidarity with us to respect our pain,"

A year after the gigantic explosion at the port of Beirut, the investigations and rebuilding by the Lebanese government have not advanced, while one in three families in Lebanon has children still showing signs of trauma, UNICEF said Tuesday. 

(Marwan Tahtah/Getty Images)

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, the Lebanese army said it arrested a number of people who were on their way to take part in anniversary commemorations. The army said the people who were arrested had a large number of weapons and ammunition in their possession.

In Beirut's eastern neighborhood of Gemayzeh, a fist fight broke out between supporters of the Lebanese Communist Party and others who support the right-wing Christian Lebanese Forces. Several people were lightly injured by the exchange of stone throwing, before security forces opened fire in the air and dispersed the two sides.
'Tainted with blood'

In an extensive investigative report, Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday called for an international probe into the port blast, accusing Lebanese authorities of trying to thwart the investigation.

HRW said a lack of judicial independence, constitution-imposed immunity for high-level officials and a range of procedural and systemic flaws in the domestic investigation rendered it "incapable of credibly delivering justice."

Meanwhile, an international conference co-hosted by France and the United Nations on Wednesday raised over $357 million US in aid required to meet the country's growing humanitarian needs, including $118.6 million pledged by France, the former colonial power in Lebanon.

LISTEN'We are on survival mode': Lebanon's financial crisis limiting basic supplies including medicine, says doctor

Q&AChampagne surveys Beirut, says 'people are fed up' after the explosion

At the Vatican, Pope Francis recalled the suffering of Lebanese people, as he held his first weekly audience with the public since surgery a month ago.

"A year after the terrible explosion in the port of Beirut, Lebanon's capital, that caused death and destruction, my thoughts go to that dear country, above all to the victims, to their families," the pontiff said.

"And so many lost the illusion of living."

A relative of one of the victims of last year's port blast reacts while carrying his photo during a march in Beirut on Wednesday. (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

With files from Reuters

MANITOBA 

ANOTHER CONSERVATIVE PROVINCE 

Canadian province will lift many restrictions a month before expected after hitting vaccination milestone

By Raja Razek and Christina Maxouris, CNN

Updated 9:49 PM EDT, Tue August 03, 2021

(CNN)With now at least 80% of eligible residents in Canada's Manitoba province having received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose, local health leaders said Tuesday they will implement the least restrictive health orders since the pandemic's start -- a month earlier than they expected.

"Thanks to the remarkable efforts of Manitobans, we are now in a position to reopen more, sooner, as we have achieved our highest vaccination rates yet," Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said in a statement.

About 75% of residents are expected to have received their second vaccine dose in the next week, according to a news release from the provincial government.

Canada fines two travelers nearly $20K over false Covid information

The announcement -- and what it will mean for Manitobans -- is in stark contrast with what's happening in the neighboring US, where lagging vaccination rates in many communities have fueled a dangerous surge that is showing no sign of slowing down. As a response, some local leaders have brought back restrictions and mask mandates in hopes of curbing the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

The new Manitoba orders, which will go into effect August 7, will allow gyms, libraries, personal services like nail salons, day camps and retail businesses to operate without any restrictions, the release said. Indoor and outdoor gatherings at homes will also have no restrictions.

Masks will no longer be required in indoor public places, but officials said in the news release they "strongly recommend" that anyone who is not fully immunized, including children under 12, should continue to wear masks indoors and social distance in those settings.

"We are slowly but surely approaching a post-pandemic Manitoba, but this does not mean COVID-19 will disappear. We need to remain cautious and vigilant in our efforts to stop the spread of this virus," Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba's chief provincial public health officer, said in a statement.

At a news conference, Roussin said that some sectors -- including the most high-risk transmission environments -- would continue to see some restrictions.

Restaurants and bars will no longer have to restrict the size and space between tables and dining won't be restricted to members of the same household or vaccinated individuals. But people will need to avoid congregating between tables, the news release said.

Indoor and outdoor sports will reopen with spectator capacity limits, while casinos, professional sporting events and concert halls will be able to expand to 100% capacity but continue to be limited to vaccinated people.

Museums, galleries and movie theaters will remain limited to 50% capacity but will no longer be restricted to vaccinated individuals.

Roussin said that public health recommendations and guidance rather than restrictions will continue to play an increasing role in battling the pandemic.

"We have to learn how to live with Covid," Roussin said. "We need to take those public health recommendations to heart and ensure we're all reducing the risk to ourselves and to the people around us and to other Manitobans."

The new public health orders will expire on September 7 and will be reassessed at the time depending on vaccination rates and the Covid-19 situation in the province, officials said.

"We are very close to hitting that final milestone in our reopening path and reopening fully and completely," Pallister said. "We need everyone on 'Team Manitoba' for this final stretch. Get vaccinated -- not once, but twice -- and follow the public health orders and guidance designed to bend our COVID curve down, and keep it down."

GOOD TROUBLE

For Missouri congresswoman, eviction fight is personal

WASHINGTON (AP) — Roughly two decades before she was elected to Congress, Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri lived in a Ford Explorer with her then-husband and two young children after the family had been evicted from their rental home.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

So for Bush, a freshman Democrat from St. Louis, the debate over whether to revive the moratorium on evictions during the pandemic is deeply personal. To dramatize her point, she started to sleep outside the U.S. Capitol last Friday to call attention to the issue as part of the effort to pressure President Joe Biden and Congress to act.

On Tuesday, she won. After coming under intense pressure, the Biden administration issued a new eviction moratorium that will last until Oct. 3, temporarily halting evictions in counties with “substantial and high levels” of virus transmissions, which covers areas where 90% of the U.S. population lives.

Bush's experience sets her apart from the more conventional partisan sniping and grandstanding in the capital because of her direct connection to an urgent problem affecting millions of Americans.

“I know what it’s like to be evicted and have to live out of my car with my two babies,” Bush said in an interview Saturday. "As long as I am a sitting U.S. congressperson, I will not keep my mouth shut about it.”

Bush was a prominent part of a larger push among progressives to stop evictions. Her Capitol campout resonated: She was thrust into meetings with top congressional leaders and administration officials and sought after for interviews.

She met Monday with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and had a brief chat with Vice President Kamala Harris — attention that punctuates a political rise that took Bush from leading protests against police brutality in Ferguson, Missouri, to the halls of Congress in little more than five years.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday gave a salute to Bush "for her powerful action to keep people in their homes.”

Before reversing course, the Biden administration initially argued it didn't have legal authority to extend the moratorium again, pointing to a Supreme Court opinion in June that suggested Congress should pass legislation to do so.

A last-minute attempt to pass a bill through the House also came up short Friday. Then the chamber adjourned and lawmakers left town for an extended August recess — a response Bush says "failed to meet this moment."

On Tuesday, before the administration's announcement, Bush said: “Am I supposed to just go home? No, I’m an organizer. I am an activist. So I fell back into what I know how to do.”

It is activism borne of personal experience.

In 2001, Bush became ill while pregnant with her second child and had to quit her job at a preschool. The lost income led to their eviction.

For about three months the couple lived out of their Explorer with two playpens in the back. She said that, at the time, she was working in a low-wage job. Eventually, her family, already struggling themselves, was able to help her find a home.

“I don’t want anyone else to have to go through what I went through, ever,” Bush said while wiping away tears.

The couple later divorced and Bush went back to school, earning a nursing degree. She also became a pastor.

Her life changed in 2014 when a white police officer fatally shot Michael Brown, a Black and unarmed 18-year-old, in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri.

Bush joined the thousands of activists in the protests that followed the shooting and quickly became a leader of the movement that sought police and criminal justice reform in Ferguson and throughout the St. Louis region. She was back on the streets again three years later after a white St. Louis police officer was acquitted in the shooting death of a Black suspect.

Her activism fueled an interest in politics. She ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in 2016, followed by another losing primary race for a St. Louis’ congressional seat in 2018, in which she was defeated by roughly 20 percentage points.

Two years later, her supporters sensed a change in the political landscape in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. With backing from the progressive group Justice Democrats, she sought a rematch against longtime Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay — and won.

“They counted us out,” Bush said after her primary win. “They called me — I’m just the protester, I’m just the activist with no name, no title and no real money. That’s all they said that I was. But St. Louis showed up today.”

She won easily in heavily Democratic St. Louis in November.

The Rev. Darryl Gray, a political adviser to Bush, said her tenacity was apparent early in her failed 2016 bid for Senate, when she was willing to campaign in rural and very conservative corners of the state.

“She wasn’t afraid to show up and speak for justice in places where people would warn us about going, some of these ‘sunset towns,’” Gray said. “She knew she wouldn’t get support, but people respected the fact she showed up.”

Still, there are some who questioned the decision to pick a fight with congressional leadership and the president from her own party. Administration and congressional officials also noted that much of the money Congress had allocated to provide housing assistance has not been distributed by states.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said he was "sensitive" to Bush's aim, but suggested she may be waging the wrong battle.

“It’s not the federal government that’s doing it,” Clyburn said. "If you’ve appropriated $46 billion for the country, and only $3 billion has been used, then that’s not Congress. ... It’s on whoever has got the money tied up.”

Tuesday evening, after the administration made its announcement, Bush tweeted out a photo of her and others sitting on the Capitol steps with a one-word caption: Grateful.

___

Salter reported from O’Fallon, Missouri. Associated Press writers Kevin Freking in Washington and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, S.C., contributed to this report.

Brian Slodysko And Jim Salter, The Associated Press

GOOD NEWS
First flight of Afghan refugees who helped CAF arrives in Canada


A military plane sits on the tarmac at Pearson Airport on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.

Ben Cousins

CTVNews.ca Writer

Published Wednesday, August 4, 2021 

OTTAWA -- The first “of a number of flights” carrying Afghan refugees who helped Canadian military personnel while deployed in Afghanistan has arrived in Canada.

In a statement on Wednesday evening, the federal government did not disclose how many refugees were on an evacuation flight that landed in Canada, but that more flights will be arriving in the coming days and weeks.

“We committed to do right by the Afghans who supported Canada’s mission in Afghanistan. With the arrival of the first resettled Afghan refugees in Canada, we are making good on that promise,” a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada wrote in a news release.

CTV News cameras at the Toronto Pearson International Airport spotted more than three dozen Afghan refugees leaving a military transport on Wednesday evening, including several children and seniors.

The government said that each of the refugees have met the “eligibility, admissibility and security screenings” required to enter Canada. They have all been tested for COVID-19 and will follow Canada’s quarantine requirements.

“To help the Afghans adjust to life in Canada, service provider organizations in communities across Canada are preparing to welcome them,” the statement read. “Settlement organizations will help them to find permanent housing, language training, a job and connections with established immigrants and Canadians and provide them with the information that they need about life in Canada.”

SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN ‘DIRE’

The Afghans arriving in Canada helped the Canadian military during a 10-year deployment in the country during the Afghanistan war, but are now in danger due to a resurgent Taliban threat.

“The government has been seized with the urgency on the ground and is working as quickly as possible to resettle Afghan nationals who put themselves at great risk to support Canada’s work in Afghanistan,” the IRCC statement read. “We have been working around the clock to identify individuals eligible to come to Canada under this special immigration program.”

The Taliban claims it controls about 80 per cent of Afghanistan after the U.S. began taking troops out of the country. U.S. President Joe Biden has set a goal of having all its troops out of Afghanistan by Aug. 31. The U.S. welcomed its first planeload of refugees into their country over the weekend.

“We are experiencing a dire situation,” Hassan Soroosh, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Canada, said in an interview with CTV News. “We are basically fighting an enemy who’s not committed to any rules of humanitarian law.”

“They continue using civilians as human shields.”

Ahmad, a former Afghan interpreter in Canada who’s identity is being protected for his family’s safety, said the situation has become so dire in his home country that his family has received a threatening letter from the Taliban.

“They're really scared because, for how long they can live there? And they can't even get out of the house,” Ahmad said.

Soroosh said reports have indicated the Taliban killed more than 5,000 civilian Afghans in the first six months of 2021, but he’s confident in his country’s ability to handle the situation in the long term.

"Our security and defense forces have shown both courage and dedication in terms of defending our country,” he said. “They’ve been able -- for instance -- to recapture some of the districts.”

"We are very much hopeful that the overall situation will get improved to the extent that no one will have to leave the country in the months to come."

GOVERNMENT FACED MOUNTING PRESSURE TO ACT

The Canadian government has faced mounting pressure over the past days and weeks for not resettling the refugees sooner.

The government said two weeks ago that it would expedite the process of bringing the interpreters to Canada, but the process has suffered several set backs, including in deciding who is eligible for the assistance.

Last week, the federal government announced that those wishing to come to Canada only had 72 hours to do apply, which Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan later said was a “mistake.”

Corey Shelson, a Canadian veteran from Kingston, Ont., who’s been pleading with the government to help out the Afghans, news of the first airlift is a relief, but concern remains for those who are still in Afghanistan.

"We have to ask ourselves: ‘Are the people who are relocated now the stranded interpreters that we have been advocating for, or is this a group of people who had to get out of dodge because the situation is getting so bad?’" he said.

Shelson said it’s believed most of the Afghans who arrived are embassy staff and their families, rather than the interpreters, cooks, drivers and other support staff who’ve been desperately pleading for help.

For security reasons, it’s not being disclosed where they are being transported for quarantine.

With files from CTV National News Senior Political Correspondent Glen McGregor, CTVNews.ca Producer Sarah Turnbull and The Canadian Press