Friday, September 24, 2021


Radicals vs realists: Should French Greens look to Germany for tips on electoral success?



French Greens begin choosing their candidate for next year's presidential contest this weekend, with an eye to how the 'Grünen' led by Annalena Baerbock fare in Germany's general election. © Odd Andersen, AFP
Text by:Romain BRUNET

Green candidates for the French presidency are often at pains to prove they are radical enough for the party’s base. But Germany’s “Grünen” have long opted for the opposite path: persuading the broader electorate that they can compromise and be trusted as a party of government.

France’s Greens begin choosing their next presidential candidate on Sunday in a second-round primary pitting a moderate party stalwart against a self-styled radical “eco-feminist”. By the time the primary closes on September 28, German voters will have cast their ballots in a general election that could propel the local Green party into government.

On paper, the timing is ideal for EU lawmaker Yannick Jadot, the moderate candidate in France’s Green primary, who has made no secret of his proximity with Germany’s Grünen. His trouble is convincing his own party’s grassroots supporters, who have frequently opted for the more radical option when offered the choice.

“Our responsibility is to make it into power and govern,” Jadot said on Wednesday in a televised debate with his opponent Sandrine Rousseau, who hit back by describing his brand of ecology as lacking in daring.

It’s a familiar dilemma for supporters of France’s Greens, traditionally torn between a highly vocal radical wing and a moderate camp keen to tout its pragmatism and electability. Should they be uncompromising on their principles? Or should they adopt a more flexible stance like the Grünen, who accept to govern with the conservatives?

The German model

When it comes to electoral success, the French Greens’ record clearly pales in comparison with that of their German counterparts.

At the national level, the Grünen were key players in Gerhard Schröder’s coalition government between 1998 and 2005, when their leader Joshka Fischer served as vice-chancellor and foreign minister. While they have been in the opposition ever since, they are part of ruling coalitions in 11 of Germany’s 16 Länder (regions) – teaming up with a range of parties from the far-left Die Linke to the conservative CDU – and have been in sole control of a 12th Land, Bade-Wurtemberg, for the past decade.

At the last European elections in 2019, the Grünen came second with 20.5% of votes. Until a few weeks ago, their candidate for chancellor, “realist” Annalena Baerbock, was seen as a serious contender to succeed the outgoing Angela Merkel.

“The Grünen have succeeded in normalising their image in Germany’s political landscape,” says Annette Lensing, a lecturer in Germanic studies at the University of Caen-Normandie. “They are now an established and credible party, having proven their ability to govern.”

‘Realos’ vs ‘Fundis’


The French Greens, however, argue that comparing electoral records in France and Germany is inherently unfair, owing to the two countries’ widely different political systems.

“Under Germany’s proportional system, each vote is represented and the coalition system means parties are obliged to work together,” says Sandra Regol, the deputy leader of Europe Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV), France’s main Green party. She adds: “If German Greens had to contend with the French system, it is quite possible they would score lower than us.”

Such arguments are missing the point, counters François de Rugy, a former environment minister under President Emmanuel Macron, who quit the Greens in 2015 over what he termed their “leftist drift”.

“The main difference is the Grünen’s party platform, which is far less radical than that of the French Greens,” he says. “German Greens understand the need to be in power. In their mind, being shut out of government signals failure.”





According to Lensing of the University of Caen-Normandy, the German Greens have succeeded in overcoming a long-standing internal division between “realos” (realists) and “fundis” (radicals).

“The party has rallied behind a clearly stated pragmatic line,” she explains. “They are clearly in favour of a socially responsible market economy.”

>> From radical to mainstream: A closer look at Germany's Green Party

In contrast, so-called “realists” are traditionally a minority among French Greens. Many of those who pushed hardest for power, like de Rugy and the current environment minister, Barbara Pompili, have ended up quitting the Greens to join Macron’s LREM party.

“I could see that the desire to be a party of government was not shared by [other Greens],” says de Rugy, for whom “radicalism is a rite of passage” among French ecologists. He points to Jadot’s attempts to sway more radical voters ahead of the second round of the primary.

“Jadot had previously cast himself as a moderate, but since the first round of voting he has done all he could to appear more radical, constantly referring to his past as an activist and GMO crop reaper,” the former minister explains. “Unfortunately, this kind of attitude means they remain a fringe party.”

Small-steps politics


“Realists” may have a better track record at the ballot box, but have they been able to deliver once in power?

While France’s Greens are careful not to criticise their German counterparts, they also stress that participating in government does not necessarily translate into concrete action against climate change.

In an interview with the environmental news site Reporterre, EELV head Julien Bayou said Macron’s government had failed to understand that the transition to a green economy is impossible “without a rethink of our productivist model”.

“There can be no ecological transition without a political flip. The point is not to influence Macron, but to replace him,” Bayou wrote, citing another former environment minister, prominent Green activist Nicolas Hulot, who resigned from Macron’s government in protest at its lack of ambition for the environment.
During Wednesday’s primary debate, Rousseau, the radical candidate, also took aim at the “écologie de gouvernement”, stressing that it had achieved very little despite “being in power for the past 20 years”. She went on to blast the “politics of only taking small steps”.

In Germany, the Grünen have helped raise awareness of environmental issues among the public and pushed the fight against climate change to the top of the political agenda, says Lensing. Despite their best efforts, the German Constitutional Court ruled in April that the government’s actions were insufficient to meet its commitments to cut greenhouse emissions.

Baerbock, the Grünen’s candidate for chancellor, has pledged to accelerate Germany’s exit from coal, to boost renewable energy sources and increase the country’s carbon tax, while maintaining a moderate stance on social policy.

True to form, France’s Greens have promised to go much further in both fields. Whether they pick a “realo” or a “fundi” in their primary, they will be hoping a strong showing by the Grünen on Sunday can boost their own chances in next year’s all-important presidential contest.

This article has been adapted from the original in French.
AOC says House leadership's 'reckless' rush to vote on an extra $1 billion for Israel's 'Iron Dome' was 'deeply unjust' and 'created a tinderbox of vitriol'

bmetzger@insider.com (Bryan Metzger,John Haltiwanger) - 

© Provided by Business InsiderRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Drew Angerer/Getty Images

On Thursday, the House passed a bill providing an extra $1 billion for Israel's "Iron Dome."

AOC voted "present" as 8 other Democrats voted against the bill, and was later seen crying after the vote.

She blamed House leadership for creating "a tinderbox of vitriol" after Hoyer ignored her request to delay the vote.


In an email to constituents Friday afternoon, Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York called out House leadership for rushing a vote to provide $1 billion in additional funding for the Iron Dome defense system and explained why she was crying following the vote.

Calling the process for bringing the floor to a vote "deeply unjust," Ocasio-Cortez said that she'd asked House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to delay the vote for 24 hours to "bring down the temperature" but was ultimately rebuked.

"The reckless decision by House leadership to rush this controversial vote within a matter of hours and without true consideration created a tinderbox of vitriol, disingenuous framing, deeply racist accusations and depictions, and lack of substantive discussion on this matter," Ocasio-Cortez said. "I want to be clear that the decision to rush this vote… was both intentional and unnecessary."



In an emotionally charged debate on Thursday, the House overwhelmingly approved the new funding for Israel's Iron Dome after House Democrats stripped the funding out of a government-funding bill due to progressives' objections.

At one point during the debate, Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who is of Palestinian descent, cited Human Rights Watch and Israeli human rights group B'Tselem in labelling the Jewish nation an "apartheid state."

Iron Dome is an Israeli-developed air defense system that targets rockets in-flight with missiles. It has played a critical role in defending population centers in Israel from projectiles fired from Gaza, although militants during the conflict in May discovered a weakness in the system's ability to shootdown large numbers of rockets fired simultaneously.


Tlaib's remarks prompted an angry reaction from Democratic Rep. Ted Deutsch of Florida, who suggested that she was anti-Semitic.




The bill ultimately passed 420-9, with 8 Democrats - including the rest of the "Squad" - and 1 Republican voting no. Democrat Hank Johnson joined Ocasio Cortez in voting "present." After the vote, Ocasio-Cortez cried on the House floor as some of her Democratic colleagues sought to comfort her.



"Yes, I wept," wrote the congresswoman. "I wept at the complete lack of care for the human beings that are impacted by these decisions, I wept at an institution choosing a path of maximum volatility and minimum consideration for its own political convenience."

She argued that more time was needed to engage with constituents over the politically charged vote, saying that she felt a "real sense of panic and horror among those in our community who otherwise engage thoughtfully in these discussions."

The congresswoman also highlighted the enormity of the sum and Israel's "persistent human rights abuses against the Palestinian people," asking why such a country should by given "unconditional aid" comparing it to US aid to Saudi Arabia and Colombia.

Ultimately, she did not precisely explain why she voted "present," though she said she was opposed to the legislation. "To those who believe this reasoning is insufficient or cowardice - I understand," she said.


© Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty ImagesRep. Ilhan Omar is flanked by fellow progressives and "Squad members" Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib on July 15, 2019. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images
Speaking out


Over the past few years, there's been a growing schism in the Democratic party on US-Israel relations, as more congressional Democrats have broken the taboo of criticizing America's closest Middle East ally.

Progressive Democrats have become increasingly critical of the Israeli government's policy toward Palestinians and pushed for the US to condition aid to Israel, often putting them at odds with party leadership.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has frequently butted heads with the Squad on this issue - particularly Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Pelosi has also, however, defended Omar against allegations of anti-Semitism from Republicans.

Prominent lawmakers like Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, have also stepped forward to defend Omar against such attacks. Sanders, who is Jewish and briefly lived in Israel, has warned against equating "legitimate criticism" of the Israeli government with anti-Semitism.

The growing divide among Democrats over relations with the Israeli government was especially evident during the Israel-Hamas conflict in May. Progressive lawmakers like Ocasio-Cortez excoriated the Biden administration for defending Israeli airstrikes in Gaza amid reports of civilian casualties and residential buildings getting demolished. When President Joe Biden responded to the escalating violence by stating that Israel had a right to defend itself, Ocasio-Cortez accused him of dehumanizing Palestinians.

"By only stepping in to name Hamas' actions - which are condemnable - & refusing to acknowledge the rights of Palestinians, Biden reinforces the false idea that Palestinians instigated this cycle of violence. This is not neutral language. It takes a side - the side of occupation," Ocasio-Cortez said at the time.

During the fighting in May, Israel's Iron Dome defense system intercepted the vast majority of the thousands of rockets - more than 90% - fired by Hamas. Israel responded to the rocket fire by pummeling Gaza with airstrikes. Twelve people in Israel were killed during the fighting in May.

The 11-day conflict killed 260 Palestinians, according to the UN. "About 249 of these, including 63 children and 41 women, were seemingly killed by Israeli Forces. Over 2,200 Palestinians were injured during the hostilities, including 685 children and 480 women, some of whom may suffer from a long-term disability requiring rehabilitation," the UN said in June.

Top human rights groups have said that both the Israeli government and Hamas likely committed war crimes during the violence.

AOC blasted for ‘crocodile tears’ after voting present in Israeli Iron Dome funding debate


Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez


ISRAELI Prime Minister Naftali Bennett thanked the US for its support after Congress backed a controversial Bill to approve $1 billion (£729m) for Tel Aviv’s Iron Dome missile system.

“Those who try to challenge this support got a resounding response today,” he said in a statement after Thursday’s controversial vote.

Michigan representative Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American to be elected to Congress, has already led opposition to the Bill.

She called for a stop to “enabling Israel’s human rights abuses and apartheid government,” adding that the Palestinians are living under a “violent apartheid system.”

But Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been accused of “absolute cowardice” for changing her vote from no to present at the last minute.

The New York congresswoman appeared to cry on the floor of the house after the vote, with many accusing her of “crocodile tears.”

Mohammed El-Kurd, the Palestinian activist who led the resistance to forced evictions in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in occupied east Jerusalem, slammed her actions.

“I heard they’re selling spines on ebay,” he said.

“There is nothing defensive about giving the Israeli regime an additional $1 billion to spend on subjugation and bombarding millions of Palestinians in Gaza, a literal open-air prison.

“I highly doubt the average US taxpayer wants their money spent on ethnic cleansing abroad,” Mr El-Kurd added.

US-based writer Evan MCaris said: “Pretty heartbreaking to see the Nancy Pelosification of AOC in real time,” a reference to the Democratic speaker of the house.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald criticised her U-turn, saying that she “voted present, just like she voted present on Pelosi’s $2bn for the Capitol Police.”

The Bill passed overwhelmingly two days after pressure forced its initial removal from a broader spending Bill.

MORNINGSTAR UK

Corbyn criticises Labour leadership ahead of conference and demands party take radical action

JEREMY CORBYN demanded today that Sir Keir Starmer take more radical action to fix “our broken political and economic system” on the eve of the party’s annual conference in Brighton.

In a stinging rebuke to his successor, Labour’s former leader said that Sir Keir wants to “shut down debate and sideline members and trade unions” rather than challenge capitalist power.

Mr Corbyn’s intervention comes after Sir Keir announced proposals to hand more power to MPs in future leadership elections — at the expense of ordinary members.

Socialists have also warned of a purge of leftwingers from the party, spearheaded by general secretary David Evans, a key ally of Sir Keir.

Speaking ahead of the five-day conference which starts tomorrow, Mr Corbyn said: “We meet at a time of great change and crisis, perhaps larger than any other time in my 50-plus years of party membership.

“Our movement has the answers to the big questions of the age — but our leaders are failing to listen.

“The party leadership wants to shut down debate, with the end result that Labour props up, rather than challenges, our broken political and economic system.”

MORNINGSTAR UK

MI6 and CIA supplied Afghan mujahedeen with Belfast-built weapons

By Rory Winters, 24 September 2021


Thales is the French company which now operates the Shorts missile development base in east Belfast. Photo by Jonathan Porter, Press Eye.

IN the 1980s, forerunners to the Taliban in Afghanistan – the mujahideen – were provided with hundreds of missiles built in Belfast.

The Islamic fundamentalist fighters were supported by the USA and British governments in their war against the Soviet Union which supported the then communist regime in the south Asian country.

A plan, hatched by MI6 and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), led to hundreds of blowpipe missiles built by Shorts – a weapons manufacturing company based in east Belfast – being sent to the mujahideen.

War in Afghanistan, a book published in 1990 by Mark Urban – BBC Newsnight’s diplomatic editor, outlined how over 300 of the Belfast-built weapons were supplied to the jihadi group in the 1980s.

During this period, the Afghan mujahideen fought along with religious extremists from across the Arab world including Osama bin Laden, from Saudi Arabia, who spearheaded Al Qaeda – the organisation behind the 9/11 attacks.

Mikhail Gorbachev pulled Soviet troops out of Afghanistan in 1989 and the communist regime in the country was toppled just a few years later.

Civil war continued with the Taliban formalising in the mid-90s under the leadership of former mujahideen fighters. As the decade progressed the Taliban’s dominance in Afghanistan grew, but the group was toppled within months of the USA and UK forces going to war in the country following 9/11.

However, troops from both countries maintained a significant presence in Afghanistan until last month (August 2021) – 20 years later.

For a long time, western military action in the country was said – by the relevant governments – to be significantly focused on the notion that Osama bin Laden was hiding in Afghanistan.

However, the Al Qaeda leader was eventually killed by USA forces in 2011 in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan where he had been living – not Afghanistan.

The Taliban’s recent takeover from the Afghan government, which had previously been propped up by western forces and resources, was swift and there is now a humanitarian crisis in the country.




Eamon McCann has long campaigned against the arms trade. Photo by Kelvin Boyes, Press Eye.

Socialist anti-war campaigner, Eamon McCann, told The Detail: ”We all know the mujahideen were armed by the west who were Osama bin Laden’s first arms supplier and then, after September 11, the question was ‘how did this happen?’ The Taliban could reasonably say to the west, ‘well you started it’.”

The Derry man also referenced his ongoing concerns about the role of the arms trade in Afghanistan in more recent times.

Mr McCann said: “The western governments will say ‘we spent so much money trying to bring democracy to Afghanistan’. It’s all a fraud, that money was simply transferred from the taxpayer to the arms companies.

“Whether it’s the sale of missiles, gunships or super-modern, fancy-dan weapons which can bring down planes or drones or whatever – every arms company has a business interest in bloodshed.”

The Belfast base of Shorts missile department is now operated by Thales, a French multinational company, which earlier in the year signed a £98.4m contract with the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) to develop a short-range air defence machinery at its Northern Ireland base.

Just last week, it was announced that the company’s Belfast plant signed a deal – as part of a consortium – to produce ‘directed energy weapons’ for the MoD which will use laser and radio frequency technology, with no ammunition, which Mr McCann described as a “cleaner way to kill”.

Overall, the deal to produce these weapons is worth £72.5m to Thales and the other organisations in the consortium.

Mr McCann spoke about his work as part of a successful campaign to get Raytheon, one of the world’s largest arms manufacturers, to move out of a base in Derry which he called “without hesitation” one of the biggest achievements of his politically-active life.

He said: “No representative of any major political party or any major interest group in Derry, or anywhere else, would support the demand to get Raytheon out of Derry.

“Many of them will now say they are against war and that ‘it’s terrible what’s happening in Afghanistan, in Yemen, in Somalia’...but hardly anybody is willing to advocate for the radical measures which are necessary.

“We need a decisive shift in the pattern of investment and the pattern of production away from the arms trade, but towards renewable energy and cleaning up the environment. It needs to be right at the heart of politics.”

Neither Thales nor the Foreign Office, which is responsible for MI6, responded to The Detail’s approaches for comments regarding the issues raised in this article.

  Spanish volcano still packs a punch 5 days after eruption




TODOQUE, Canary Islands (AP) — A volcano in Spain’s Canary Islands kept nerves on edge Friday for a fifth day since it erupted, producing loud explosions, a huge ash cloud and cracking open a new fissure that spewed out more fiery molten rock.

The archipelago’s emergency services ordered the evacuation of scores of people from three villages on the island of La Palma and ordered residents to stay indoors in another. Already this week, almost 7,000 people have had to leave their homes. The prompt evacuations are credited with helping avoid casualties.

Loud bangs from the volcano’s mouth sent shock waves echoing across the hillsides. Explosions hurled molten rock and ash over a wide expanse. As a precaution, emergency services pulled back from the area.

Regional airline Binter temporarily halted flights due to a huge ash cloud that rose 6 kilometers (almost 4 miles) into the sky.

More encouragingly, Spain’s National Geographic Institute said it hadn’t recorded any earthquakes in the area for 24 hours, after registering 1,130 over the past week amid intense seismic activity before and after the eruption on the Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge.

Seismic activity at Spanish volcano intensifies

Also, the advance of the main river of lava slithering toward the sea slowed to 1 meter (about 3 feet) per hour.

Both of the main lava flows are at least 10 meters (33 feet) high at their leading edges and have been destroying houses, farmland and infrastructure in their path since Sunday.

The lava has destroyed almost 400 buildings on La Palma, including many homes, on the western side of the island of 85,000 people, a European Union monitoring program said.

It said the lava stretches over 180 hectares (almost 20,000 square feet) and has blocked 14 kilometers (9 miles) of roads. Islanders make a living mostly from farming and tourism, and some may lose their livelihoods.

On a visit to La Palma, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a package of measures to help get the island back on its feet and “rebuild lives.”

The Spanish government will provide aid for rebuilding homes and public infrastructure, such as roads, irrigation networks and schools, as well as relaunching the island’s tourism industry, Sánchez said. He did not say how much money would be made available, but said a Cabinet meeting next week would provide more details.

Scientists say the lava flows could last for weeks or months.

The Associated Press

Firefighters retreat as volcanic explosions intensify in Canary Islands


Issued on: 24/09/2021 -
Residents look from a hill as lava continues to flow from an erupted volcano, on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain, on September 24, 2021. 
© Emilio Morenatti, AP

Text by : NEWS WIRES


Intensifying volcanic explosions on the Spanish island of La Palma forced firefighters to retreat and authorities to evacuate three more towns on Friday, while airlines cancelled flights due to a cloud of gas and ash, the biggest since the volcano erupted.

Firefighters pulled out of clean-up work in the town of Todoque on Friday afternoon as a new vent opened up in the flank of the volcano and videos shared on social media showed a massive shockwave emanating from the eruption site.

A Reuters witness saw a huge grey cloud billowing from the top of the volcano on Friday afternoon, the largest since the eruption began on Sunday.

“The volcano is in a newly explosive phase ... Firefighters will not operate anymore today,” tweeted the Tenerife fire service, which has been deployed to help on La Palma.

Authorities ordered the evacuation of the towns of Tajuya, Tacande de Abajo and the part of Tacande de Arriba that had not already been evacuated on Friday afternoon, with residents told to assemble at the local football ground.
Canary Islands emergency services had initially told residents to stay indoors to avoid the dense cloud of ash and lava fragments but later decided to evacuate due to the heightened risk from explosions.

It wasn’t just people being evacuated, but animals too.

“The evacuation of people is the main priority ... although there are also other important tasks such as keeping pets safe,” the Guardia Civil tweeted, with a video showing officers carrying reluctant goats to safety.

Since erupting on Sunday, the Cumbre Vieja volcano has spewed out thousands of tons of lava, destroyed hundreds of houses and forced the evacuation of thousands of people.

No serious injuries or fatalities have been reported but about 15% of the island’s economically crucial banana crop could be at risk, jeopardising thousands of jobs.

Canary Island airline Binter said on Friday it had cancelled all flights to La Palma due to the volcano eruption, while Iberia cancelled its only flight scheduled for the day, and another local airline, Canaryfly, also suspended operations.

Binter said it was forced to halt operations to and from La Palma as the ash cloud had worsened considerably in the last few hours.

The airline, which had initially only cancelled night flights, could not say when it would resume operations.

A cloud of toxic gas and ash extends more than 4 km (2.5 miles) into the sky, the Canaries volcanology institute said on Thursday.

It has begun to drift northeast towards the Mediterranean and Spanish mainland, the national weather agency said.

Airspace above the island remains open apart from two small areas near the eruption site.

(REUTERS)

VIDEO: Huge Shockwave Explodes From La Palma Volcano

Lava flows around houses following the eruption of a volcano on the Island of La Palma - Sputnik International, 1920, 24.09.2021

The Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on Sunday, sending flows of lava down its flanks and gullies and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents of the small Atlantic island of La Palma, which has not seen an eruption since 1971.
Three more villages have been evacuated in the Canarian island of La Palma as violent explosions burst from its erupting volcano.
Regional newspaper Diario de Avisos (the Daily Advertiser) tweeted an astonishing video of a "brutal" explosion from the peak, with the shockwave clearly visible as it passes through the plume of smoke and ash.
Witnesses among a crowd of emergency service workers are heard exclaiming at the sight and sound of the distant eruption on the Cumbre Vieja (Old Peak) volcano.
Извержение вулкана на острове Ла Пальма - Sputnik International, 1920, 24.09.2021
Cumbre Vieja Volcano Erupts on La Palma Island 
The newspaper reported that the blasts prompted the evacuation of Tacande de Abajo, Tacande de Arriba, and Tajuya in the El Paso municipality to the northwest of the volcan 
A new vent on the slope of the erupting peak was spotted spewing a small plume of ash.
La Palma is one of the smallest and westernmost of the seven-island Canary archipelago, a Spanish territory in the Atlantic ocean off the coast of Morocco and Western Sahara.


La Palma Island Volcanic Eruption Sends Lava Flowing to Residential Buildings

The eruption engulfed 410 acres of land and destroyed about 350 homes

An image of a volcano on La Palma Island spewing lava near a village.
Some experts suspect that the lava's heat at a scorching 1,800 degrees could trigger landslides or explosions and release toxic gases when it reaches the ocean and collides with the ocean water.     Desiree Martin/Getty Images

On September 19, the Cumbre Vieja volcano on Spain's La Palma Island exploded into a fury of red plumes and smoke that spewed lava 14,000 feet into the air, Renata Brito and Barry Hatton report or the Associated Press.

The volcano's eruption is the first in 50 years in the Canary archipelago located off the northwestern coast of Africa, Raphael Minder reports for the New York Times. The stream-like lava flow engulfed nearby forests and homes, forcing 5,000 locals and 500 tourists to evacuate, Scott Neuman reports for NPR. The eruption followed a week of seismic activity where more than 22,000 tremors were reported, per Borja Suarez for Reuters.

"When the volcano erupted today, I was scared. For journalists, it is something spectacular, for us, it is a tragedy. I think the lava has reached some relatives' houses," Isabel Fuentes, a resident told Spanish television TVE, Reuters reports. "I was five years old when the volcano last erupted (in 1971). You never get over a volcanic eruption."

La Palma is the smallest of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Just before the eruption, a 3.8 magnitude earthquake shook the island, reports the New York Times. Since the volcano's eruption, streams of lava from five fissures on the side of the volcano continued to spill out. On the first day following the eruption, lava was moving at a whopping 2,300 feet per hour, reports the Associated Press. One 2,000-foot-wide lava stream finally slowed to 13 feet per hour after reaching a plain on Wednesday, per AP. 

La Palma Island Volcanic Eruption Sends Lava Flowing to Residential Buildings
Since the volcano's eruption, streams of lava from five fissures on the side of the volcano continued to spill out.

  Europa Press News/Getty Images

By Thursday, September 23, the lava flow's advancement slowed, along with the seismic activity, but molten rock was still spewing from the volcano, per the Associated Press. Nearly 26 million cubic meters of molten rock have been emitted so far. Some experts suspect that the lava's heat at a scorching 1,800 degrees could trigger landslides or explosions and release toxic gases when it reaches the ocean and collides with the water, reports Tereza Pultarova for Space.com

"The lava is advancing very slowly because it cools in contact with the atmosphere, through friction with the ground and building materials and, above all, because its front edge is widening out," explains Starvos Meletlidis, a volcanologist with Spain's National Geographic Institute, to the Associated Press.

In some places, as the lava flow slowed and grew thicker, it rose to 50 feet high. In total, the lava has covered 410 acres and destroyed roughly 350 homes. Scientists suspect the flows could last a few weeks or months. Also known as the Old Summit, Cumbre Vieja's last eruption persisted for three weeks, reports Nicoletta Lanese for Live Science.

Multiple videos of the lava flowing into the nearby village of El Paso have been shared on social media platforms. In some videos, homes were seen engulfed by lava, including one that shows molten rock spilling into a swimming pool. About 400 firefighters and emergency workers have been sent from other islands in the Canary archipelago to assist with any fires caused by the lava flows, reports Al Goodman and Vasco Cotovio for CNN.  

Firefighters retreat as La Palma volcanic explosions intensify

Lava flows around houses following the eruption of a volcano on the Island of La Palm

LA PALMA (Reuters) -Intensifying volcanic explosions on the Spanish island of La Palma forced firefighters to retreat and authorities to evacuate three more towns on Friday, while airlines cancelled flights due to a cloud of gas and ash, the biggest since the volcano erupted.

Firefighters pulled out of clean-up work in the town of Todoque on Friday afternoon as a new vent opened up in the flank of the volcano and videos shared on social media showed a massive shockwave emanating from the eruption site.

A Reuters witness saw a huge grey cloud billowing from the top of the volcano on Friday afternoon, the largest since the eruption began on Sunday.

“The volcano is in a newly explosive phase … Firefighters will not operate anymore today,” tweeted the Tenerife fire service, which has been deployed to help on La Palma.

Authorities ordered the evacuation of the towns of Tajuya, Tacande de Abajo and the part of Tacande de Arriba that had not already been evacuated on Friday afternoon, with residents told to assemble at the local football ground.

Canary Islands emergency services had initially told residents to stay indoors to avoid the dense cloud of ash and lava fragments but later decided to evacuate due to the heightened risk from explosions.

It wasn’t just people being evacuated, but animals too.

“The evacuation of people is the main priority … although there are also other important tasks such as keeping pets safe,” the Guardia Civil tweeted, with a video showing officers carrying reluctant goats to safety.

Since erupting on Sunday, the Cumbre Vieja volcano has spewed out thousands of tons of lava, destroyed hundreds of houses and forced the evacuation of thousands of people.

No serious injuries or fatalities have been reported but about 15% of the island’s economically crucial banana crop could be at risk, jeopardising thousands of jobs.

Canary Island airline Binter said on Friday it had cancelled all flights to La Palma due to the volcano eruption https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/canaries-volcano-blasts-lava-into-air-ash-blankets-area-2021-09-23, while Iberia cancelled its only flight scheduled for the day, and another local airline, Canaryfly, also suspended operations.

Binter said it was forced to halt operations to and from La Palma as the ash cloud had worsened considerably in the last few hours.

The airline, which had initially only cancelled night flights, could not say when it would resume operations.

A cloud of toxic gas and ash extends more than 4 km (2-1/2 miles) into the sky, the Canaries volcanology institute said on Thursday.

It has begun to drift northeast towards the Mediterranean and Spanish mainland, the national weather agency said.

Airspace above the island remains open apart from two small areas near the eruption site.

(Reporting by Guillermo Martinez and Marco Trujillo in La Palma and Emma Pinedo and Jessica Jones in MadridEditing by Nathan Allen, Raissa Kasolowsky and Giles Elgood)

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
WPP pays $19 million in bribery settlement with U.S. SEC



FILE PHOTO: Branding signage is seen for WPP, the world's biggest advertising and marketing company, at their offices in London

Katanga Johnson
Fri, 24 September 2021, 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Britain's WPP has agreed to pay more than $19 million in a settlement with U.S. authorities relating to bribery allegations and accounting controls for its subsidiaries, including in India and China.

The world's largest advertising firm did not admit or deny allegations that it violated provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act but agreed to pay the penalty, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said.


The SEC order found that WPP failed to ensure that subsidiaries it acquired implemented its internal accounting controls and compliance policies.

WPP implemented an aggressive business growth strategy that included acquiring majority interests in many localized advertising agencies in high-risk markets, it said, citing potential conflicts in India, China, Brazil and Peru during a period between 2013 and 2018.

WPP said it had changed its business practices since then.

"As the Commission's Order recognises, WPP's new leadership has put in place robust new compliance measures and controls, fundamentally changed its approach to acquisitions, cooperated fully with the Commission and terminated those involved in misconduct," the company said in a statement.

WPP founder Martin Sorrell, who declined to comment to Reuters on the settlement, led the company for more than 30 years before he quit in April 2018. He was replaced as chief executive by Mark Read, another company veteran.

WPP failed to "promptly or adequately respond to repeated warning signs of corruption or control failures at certain subsidiaries," the SEC said.

In one example cited by the commission, a subsidiary in India continued to bribe Indian government officials in return for advertising contracts even though WPP had received seven anonymous complaints relating to the conduct.

"A company cannot allow a focus on profitability or market share to come at the expense of appropriate controls," said SEC FCPA Unit Chief Charles Cain.

Friday's move comes as the nation's top securities watchdog seeks to stamp out abuses in U.S. markets due to a lack of required controls by companies.

(Reporting by Katanga Johnson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Keith Weir and Dan Grebler)

Petrofac to plead guilty to bribery after ‘deeply regrettable period’

- September 24, 2021
© Reuters.
By Yadarisa Shabong and Kirstin Ridley

(Reuters) -British oil services group Petrofac (LON:PFC) said on Friday it would plead guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery to secure projects in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the UAE between 2012 and 2015, calling it a “deeply regrettable period”.

The company indicated its plans at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court after being formally charged by the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO), drawing a line under a four-year criminal investigation. Its shares surged 25% in relief.

Petrofac, which has struggled to secure key contracts in the Middle East and has seen its shares battered during the SFO investigation, will formally enter its pleas and await sentencing at London’s Southwark Crown Court on Monday.

Petrofac said offers or payments to agents to help secure projects were made between 2011 and 2017 but that all employees involved had left.

“This was a deeply regrettable period of Petrofac’s history,” said Chairman René Medori in a statement, adding that the company’s “comprehensive programme of corporate renewal” had been acknowledged by the SFO.

“Petrofac has been living under the shadow of the past, but today it is a profoundly different business, in which stakeholders can be assured of our commitment to the highest standards of business ethics, wherever we operate,” he said.

Former executive David Lufkin, who has separately pleaded guilty to 14 charges of bribery to secure billions of dollars worth of contracts for Petrofac in the Middle East, is also expected to be sentenced on Monday.

His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In March, the UAE’s state-backed oil firm, ADNOC, barred Petrofac from competing for new contracts in the country.

It is the second corporate guilty plea secured by the SFO in five months.

Former Airbus subsidiary GPT Special Project Management pleaded guilty to corruption over military contracts for Saudi Arabia in April.