Fade to blue: Mountain lakes lose unique colour due to climate change, says study

The distinctive milky turquoise of mountain lakes is going the way of the glaciers that feed them, according to new research.


© Provided by The Canadian Press

Fade to blue: Mountain lakes lose unique colour due to climate change, says study

"A lot of the turquoise glacial lakes in the Canadian Rockies are clearing up," said Rolf Vinebrooke, who studies such lakes at the University of Alberta. "They're turning more the blue colour that people think of as normal lakes."

The delicate, translucent celadon that says "alpine" to mountain-lovers everywhere comes from glacial meltwater. Even small glaciers are massive rivers of ice that can pulverize rock into flour-fine particles and it's those particles that tint the lakes.

"The sunlight reflects off these white particles," said Vinebrooke, who published his finding in the latest State of the Mountains report for the Alpine Club of Canada. "Because of the scattering of the light as it hits these particles, the lake takes on this turquoise colour."

Glaciers, though, have been hard hit by climate change. And not just the big ones.

"Between the '70s and the '90s, when nobody was talking about global warming, a lot of these smaller glaciers had already melted and disappeared."

Vinebrooke took archival pictures of many lakes shot in the middle of the last century and compared them to modern images. Even in the black-and-white of the earlier pictures, the change was evident.

Then, the researchers took sediment cores from the bottom of the lakes. Sediment cores reveal a lake's history much like the layers of growth in a tree trunk.

"We were looking for clear blue mountain lakes," Vinebrooks said. "We found them, then we realized when we took these sediment cores that they had only been a clear blue colour for the last couple decades.

"We found a lot of lakes that are clear now, but just a few decades ago were turquoise. Their small glacier had melted."

The colour change didn't happen everywhere, but it happened frequently. It also appears to have happened fairly quickly.

"In the span of a few years, it shifts over and the lake goes clear," said Vinebrooke.

He said it's happening right now in places like Geraldine Lakes, a series of alpine lakes in Jasper National Park.

"We've got multiple lines of evidence that show all that pretty convincingly."

Vinebrooke said a clear blue lake admits much more sunlight into depths than a lake clouded with glacial flour. That's likely to bring in a much different local ecology, he said

"You increase the potential for that lake to be more productive because there's more microscopic algal growth in those lakes."

But there are winners and losers.

Organisms adapted to the low light of milky waters are unlikely to survive what would be to them a harsh new glare of ultraviolet radiation. The problem is especially acute because of the speed of the transition.

"If you take that sunscreen away, some organisms may not be able to tolerate that increase in UV radiation. It doesn't give organisms time to adapt."

Vinebrooke suspects some lakes, at least temporarily, may be left "biologically impoverished" -- especially since so many are remote and in austere settings.

Ultimately, he said, it's one more example of climate change already working to alter familiar touchstones.

"It captures the here and now effects of global warming."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2021

-- Follow Bob Weber on Twitter at @row1960

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

Julian Castro knocks Biden administration over refugee policy

Jordan Williams - 

Castro said that public health experts and doctors have pushed the Biden administration to end the policy, arguing that the policy was more politically motivated.

"Hundreds-or even thousands-of asylum-seekers fleeing desperate conditions have been deported back to those same places, only to be kidnapped, tortured, raped, or murdered. This is why asylum is an international human right-this is why it exists," Castro said.

Castro's comments come as Democratic anger grows over the administration's treatment of Haitian migrants that camped out under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Friday that the bridge had been completely cleared out, meaning that the agency had processed about 15,000 migrants who were under the bridge.

"In the past week alone, the administration has used Title 42 to deport 15,000 Haitians who fled disasters, poverty, and political turmoil," he continued.


Castro said the Biden administration has made "great strides" to control the pandemic. He further said that President Biden has reversed course on "many important" policies.

However, on the issue of asylum, "Trump's policies appear to be becoming default."

"Joe Biden was elected to turn the page on Trump's cruelty, recklessness, and incompetence-especially on immigration," Castro said. "Voters EXPECT him to not only end these policies, but build our immigration system back better-with compassion and common sense, as he promised."

Visit The Hill

CANADA

Meat packers call for changes to foreign worker cap to address labour shortage crisis


CALGARY — Canadian meat packers say they are dealing with a labour shortage crisis and must be allowed to bring in more temporary foreign workers.

The Canadian Meat Council says there are more than 4,000 empty butcher stations at packing plants countrywide.

That works out to an average job vacancy rate of more than 10 per cent. Two plants in Quebec are near 40 per cent, while one in Alberta has a 20 per cent vacancy rate.

The Canadian Meat Council is asking Ottawa to raise the cap on the percentage of foreign workers a plant can employ to 30 per cent. Right now, temporary foreign workers can make up no more than 10 or 20 per cent of a meat plant's workforce, depending on the facility.

Canada brought in major reforms to its temporary foreign worker program in 2014. The changes were meant to crack down on reported abuse of the program by some employers.

But the Canadian Meat Council says it can't find enough Canadians who want to be butchers. It says an ongoing shortage of labour gets in the way of growth for Canada's agriculture industry.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2021.

The Canadian Press

Canadian railways could run out of grain to transport due to drought: analyst




TORONTO — Canada's two largest railways may run out of grain to move and face revenue challenges in the coming year as the domestic grain crop is expected to decrease 37 per cent due to drought conditions across the Prairies despite a slight improvement in August.

Statistics Canada said Friday that 3.07 million tonnes of grain was delivered in August. That's up 4.5 per cent from July's four-year low but deliveries were 31 per cent below the level in August 2020.

Wheat, Canada's largest grain crop, was four per cent higher in August than July but down 25.6 per cent in the year.

Oats, barley, rye, flaxseed and canola had varying performances. Canola and flaxseed were down sharply in both periods, barley deliveries were strong while rye and oats were mixed.

The bleak crop forecast for the coming year will be particularly difficult for Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. because 24 per cent of its total freight revenues in 2020 came from grain, its largest segment, compared with just 15 per cent for CN, Cameron Doerksen of National Bank Financial wrote in a report.

Canadian grain accounted for 72 per cent of all grain revenues last year for both railways with U.S. grain accounting for the rest.

Doerksen said the net result will be a revenue headwind of about six per cent over the next 12 months for CP and about four per cent for Canadian National Railway Co.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and Statistics Canada estimate that the total production of major grain crops will fall to 49.3 million tonnes in 2021-2022, from last year's record of 78.5 million tonnes.

Wheat is projected to be down 38.3 per cent to 21.7 million tonnes because of a 32.6 per cent reduction in yields and an 8.5 per cent less harvested area.

Canola is expected to be down 34.4 per cent to 12.8 million tonnes, the lowest level since 2010.

Barley should fall 33.5 per cent to 7.1 million tonnes as a higher anticipated harvested area is not expected to offset a 38 per cent drop in yields.

Although smaller, crops of oats and peas will be even harder hit, falling 43.6 and 45 per cent, respectively.

Such low production levels haven't been seen in more than a decade and grain exports will fall 41 per cent, the lowest total since 2006-2007.

The federal government said 99 per cent of all agricultural land in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, which account for the overwhelming majority of production for wheat, canola, oats and barley, were under drought conditions.

CN's rail network is concentrated in northern regions of the Prairies where growing conditions were slightly better, while CP is more exposed to southern regions.

While drought also affected U.S. grain-growing, the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects near-record production of corn and soybeans, the two most important U.S. crops for CN and CP, due to more planted acres.

Corn and soybean production is expected to approach record levels. Corn output is forecast to grow four per cent to 14.7 billion bushels while soybeans should be up 4.9 per cent to 4.34 billion bushels.

In Canada, increased output in Ontario and Quebec will boost corn production 5.9 per cent to 14.4 million tonnes while soybean product is projected to decrease 7.4 per cent to 5.9 million tones.

CN is more exposed to grain in Illinois while CP has more exposure in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa — areas that are expected to see a decrease in grain production.

"As such, CN looks to be better-positioned for U.S. grain than CP this year," Doerksen said.

He added that U.S. grain volumes may be more tied to pricing and exports than production because there is significantly more storage in the U.S. than in Canada.

CN and CP acknowledged the challenge from drought, warning investors last month that they are unlikely to repeat the record grain shipments they posted in 2020 when they each moved about 31 million tonnes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CNR, TSX:CP)

Ross Marowits, The Canadian Press

MY RIDING MY MP

'I'm proud to say it can happen': Desjarlais speaks on the importance of representation following election win in Edmonton Griesbach

Kellen Taniguchi 

© Provided by Edmonton JournalBlake Desjarlais, new NDP pember of Parliament for Edmonton Griesbach, poses for a photo Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. Desjarlais defeated Conservative incumbent Kerry Diotte.
Blake Desjarlais is making history in more ways than one.

The new member of Parliament turned Edmonton Griesbach orange for the first time this week.
He is also the first Métis MP elected in the province.

But to him, the most important part of his win is getting the chance to bring new representation to Ottawa as the first two-spirit MP in Canadian history.

“Being an Indigenous young person that’s two spirit, being elected in many ways was like shattering a huge barrier that so many folks whether they’re young, Indigenous, two spirit or all of them have to think about, can we participate in society? Can we do these things? These questions of ifs, but I’m proud to say it can happen,” Desjarlais told Postmedia in an interview Thursday.

“And don’t ever let them tell you it can’t because I think I stand at least some testimony to the value of Indigenous people, to the hard work that we do and to our love of the country and so I think it’s in many ways a very proud moment.”

Desjarlais unseated incumbent Conservative MP Kerry Diotte — who had held the riding since its 2015 inception— after a neck-and-neck race in Monday’s federal election, edging out the Conservative by 1,468 votes after all mail-in ballots were counted.

Waiting for the official results was “torture,” he said, but the team was pushed into celebration once they realized they’ve done something historic.

Desjarlais’ win earned the NDP a second orange seat in the city, joining Heather McPherson who was re-elected in Edmonton Strathcona.

The 27-year-old, who identifies as having both a masculine and a feminine spirit, said representation seemed to matter to some voters in the Edmonton Griesbach riding. As he was door knocking, he met some Indigenous voters who voted for the first time.

“It was so cool to just see Indigenous people’s faces light up,” said Desjarlais. “Many of them had questions like, ‘Ive never voted before, how do I vote?’ And leading up to election day, particularly the advanced polls, that’s when I had a really good sense things were going to be dramatically different, that Indigenous people, people of colour, people who are typically marginalized in our society wanting to vote.”

Heading into his new position, Desjarlais said supporting those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic is his first priority.

“Right now, it’s about defending workers in public health care,” he said. “It’s been a tremendous issue this pandemic and COVID-19 in Alberta. We’ve seen such failure of representation from Jason Kenney, failure of leadership from the Alberta caucus at the UCP to actually deal and manage with the health crisis that we’re currently experiencing.”

NDP opposition Leader Rachel Notley congratulated McPherson and Desjarlais during a media availability on Tuesday.

“I think Blake is one of the first, if not the first, two-spirited Indigenous MP to be elected to the house of commons and I think that’s really exciting and I think both he and Heather will be really good voices for Albertans when it comes to standing up for health care, for childcare, for pharmacare and for 

Opinion: Fighting Islamophobia goes beyond government


Jordana Salma , Shara Wajih -
Edmonton Journal

There is renewed attention over the past year to violent Islamophobic attacks in our home city of Edmonton. Sadly, Islamophobia in Canada and across provinces has been steadily on the rise and older Muslim women are wondering who will speak up and demand change.


© Provided by Edmonton Journal

Demonstrators demanding action and protection for Muslim women gathered in solidarity during the Enough is Enough rally at Churchill Square in Edmonton, on Friday, June 25, 2021.

Islamophobia is the disproportionate fear and/or hatred of Islam, Muslims, and people who are perceived to be Muslims, leading to systemic discrimination, aggression and violence. Canadian data shows that hate crimes in Canada more than tripled in recent years with some of the highest percentages perpetrated against Muslim women.

The true numbers are much higher as two-thirds (66 per cent) of hate crimes go unreported due to fear of retaliation, shame, and other systemic barriers. Recent violent physical and verbal attacks on racialized Muslim women in Edmonton occurred in broad daylight in everyday community spaces while doing daily activities like shopping or going for a walk. Many targets of such aggression are older women.

We are members of the Muslim Seniors Research Committee (MSRC), an advisory group that supports, through research, healthy aging in Muslim communities. As Muslim women in Canada, we have passed the phase of being apologetic or defensive for our beliefs, our visible differences, our apparent contrasts, or our clothing — and we challenge the anti-Muslim hostility and discourses that permeate our society. The voices of other women like us are loud and clear in rejecting Islamophobia and the practices that fuel it.

In an ongoing research study (funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council), older Muslim women in Edmonton have been sharing pictures of their lives and telling their stories over the past year. What we hear is a strong sense of contribution and belonging to Canada, and pride in their identities as Muslims, mothers, professionals, elders, and community members.

There are, however, persistent stressors underpinning their lived-experience in Canada that disrupt their self-identity and challenge the normalcy of daily life. Some women have become hesitant to walk outdoors, or carry on with daily activities unaccompanied due to fear of violent attacks, while mosques (spaces for women to find friendship, support, solace and comfort) are viewed as potential targets of violence.

As we enter a period of post-municipal and federal elections, we ask our policymakers and leaders for concrete actions on Islamophobia. We need to continue to press for actionable plans at the federal, provincial and municipal levels of government that respond directly to the 61 recommendations made by the National Council of Canadian Muslims. These comprehensive recommendations present a holistic approach and include human rights legislation, supports for survivors of hate crimes, anti-racist training, and opportunities for capacity building within Muslim communities.

The solution, however, goes beyond policy, to the conduct of individuals who are elected and entrusted to represent their constituents, and to the very systems they operate within. The solution must be one that actively prevents re-entrenchment that challenges, erodes, or neutralizes developments and headway made in addressing Islamophobia. We encourage responsible conversation, as words not only matter but can be deadly when used to justify violence against others.

Finally, we need to see more BIPOC and Muslim women in the public eye, at the decision-making table, and at the helm. Muslim women in our city of Edmonton, in Alberta, and across Canada are engaged in activism and community service, although their work is not always made visible. MSRC is just one example of Muslim women coming together to advocate for aging with dignity which necessitates feeling safe in our communities and welcome in our public spaces.

Dr. Jordana Salma is a researcher and educator at the University of Alberta faculty of nursing, Her program of research (IREA: Implementing Research for Equity in Aging) focuses on the health and well-being of immigrant and racialized older adults in Canada.

Shara Wajih is the co-owner of Constructschon Sustainable Urban Development Inc., and a passionate project manager with a love for mixed-use and multi-generational builds that transform lives and build community.

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.