AN ECONOMIC STRIKE
Israel Bombards Syrian Port Of Latakia In Nighttime Strike

It’s the second time this month that the Israeli Air Force has targeted apparent weapons deliveries at the Mediterranean port.

BY THOMAS NEWDICK

DECEMBER 28, 2021
THE WAR ZONE

An Israeli airstrike on the Syrian port of Latakia early this morning targeted a cargo of “arms and munitions,” according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a U.K.-based, pro-opposition group focusing on monitoring the Syrian Civil War. The raid, which has not been acknowledged by Israel, resulted in massive explosions and a fire that burned for around 10 hours before being brought under control. So far there have been no confirmed reports of casualties.

The airstrike targeted the container terminal at the port of Latakia on Syria’s Mediterranean coast at around 3:21 am local time today. Multiple sources state that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) was responsible for the attack, its aircraft launching missiles from over the Mediterranean.

 

 

 

GOOGLE EARTH
The port facility in Latakia.

According to Syrian state media, this is the second such attack on the port this month and it fits the pattern of Israeli raids that have been conducted at a fairly high tempo since the start of the Syrian civil war. These have largely targeted Iranian weapons shipments intended for Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed forces in Syria and Lebanon.


SANA VIA AP
Firefighters work at the scene of the attack on the port of Latakia, Syria, Tuesday, December 28, 2021.

However, the IAF has apparently only turned its attention to Latakia this month, presumably in response to the shipment of arms to supply Iranian-backed forces such as Hezbollah. The first such raid was on December 7, targeting a reported Iranian arms shipment. It is unclear what munitions the IAF employed in these attacks. While some accounts describe the use of cruise missiles, the distances and target types involved would also allow for the use of Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs), or possibly Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs).

“The Israeli enemy carried out an aerial aggression with several missiles from the direction of the Mediterranean ... targeting the container yard in Latakia port,” an unnamed military source told the Syrian state news agency, Sana, in response to today’s attack. They added that the attack resulted in “significant material damage.”

According to Syria's state ran Sana media outlet, the blaze that ripped through the port after the attack was caused by containers carrying “engine oil and spare parts for cars and other vehicles.” However, SOHR reports that the “powerful explosions that were felt across the city of Latakia and its suburbs” were the result of detonating weapons shipments.

SOHR was not able to determine where these weapons shipments originated, but Iran has a track record of delivering arms to the Syrian regime and to its own proxies operating in the country and Lebanon via Syria. As well as sending arms shipments by sea, Tehran has also used cargo aircraft and the land route via neighboring Iraq. Earlier this month it became apparent that the IAF launched cruise missiles in an unusual raid against Damascus International Airport in Syria, a facility that has been used in the past to fly in supplies to support Iranian militia and affiliates and which has come under repeated Israeli attack.

The IAF now turning its attention to Latakia is a new development, however, and perhaps a direct response to Iran making greater use of maritime traffic to move its weapons shipments. That would also tally with the reported clandestine campaign of attacks waged by Israel on Iranian ships carrying oil, as well as suspected weaponry, to Syria.

Based on data published by SOHR, and which remain unconfirmed, today’s attack was the 29th that has been prosecuted by Israel this year alone, resulting in 130 fatalities, of which 125 were loyalist fighters and five civilians. Israel has admitted to hitting around 50 targets in Syria this year but does not normally comment on individual strikes.


SANA VIA AP
A missile flies into the sky near the international airport in Damascus, Syria, on January 21, 2019. 

This was a rare incident in which the Israeli military issued a statement saying it is attacking Iranian military targets in Syria.

For Israel, the campaign against targets in Syria is necessary to prevent Iran from gaining further traction in the country and using it as a springboard to launch its own attacks on Israel, often perpetrated by proxies like Hezbollah, and to interdict arms shipments that would otherwise make their way to Lebanon. Rockets, missiles, and suicide drones are some of the top threats Israel is trying to interdict.

As another major player in the Syrian civil war, Russia is known to be notified by Israel in advance of certain airstrikes and its air defenses do not engage the IAF. Russia has its main airbase in Syria at Khmeimim in Latakia province, less than 10 miles away, while it has a major naval facility at Tartus, around 50 miles further south. Russian installations are protected by S-400 air defense systems which took no action during this morning’s raid.


RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE VIA AP
Crew members leave a Russian Tu-22M3 bomber upon its landing at Khmeimim airbase in Syria in May this year.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also says it has “monitored great discontent among the public and supporters of the Syrian regime,” due to Russian unwillingness to comment on the Israeli airstrikes in general, let alone attempt to put a stop to them. In this context, the port of Latakia is particularly significant, in that it is one of the regime’s few major sea-trade ports providing a connection with the outside world, especially since part of Tartus was turned over to Russian military use.

“Citizens, public figures, and politicians who support the Syrian regime, including a deputy in the Syrian parliament, criticized the Russian position, and expressed their dissatisfaction with the Russian position,” SOHR added

Following the previous IAF raid on the port of Latakia and against Damascus International earlier this month, it seems that Israel is indeed ramping up its campaign against Iranian activities in Syria, with an apparent focus on suspected arms shipments. Israeli officials have made it clear on numerous occasions that they see Tehran’s growing influence in the Middle East, and especially in Lebanon and Syria, as an existential threat against which it will take action at will. Now it seems, we are seeing something of a spate of airstrikes to back up that position.

Russia Diplomat Blames U.S. for 'Cold War 2.0'

BY DAVID BRENNAN ON 12/29/21

NEWSWEEK

The U.S. and its Western allies are to blame for the dire state of relations between NATO and Moscow, according to a top Russian United Nations diplomat.

First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky on Wednesday accused the U.S. and NATO of "exploiting" divisions in the former Soviet Union in the 1990s, and trying to "crush" the newly emerged Russian Federation.

Russian diplomats are on a pointed public offensive against the U.S. and its NATO allies, spurred by renewed tensions along the Ukraine border where tens of thousands of Russian troops remain deployed.

The crisis has dragged on for months, with Kyiv and its Western backers calling for Russian de-escalation, but the Kremlin demanding guarantees that Ukraine will never be allowed to join NATO. Joint NATO-Russia security talks are planned for mid-January.

Russian officials have been echoing President Vladimir Putin's argument that the West, not Moscow, is to blame for geopolitical tensions. The eastward expansion of NATO after the Soviet collapse is proof, they say, of Western duplicity and a plot to surround and smother Russia.

"Everybody was thinking that people in the West are our friends, that they really are giving us a hand so that we will live in some better place, a better world and nobody will ever remember about the Cold War, about East and West," Polyansky told reporters on Wednesday, according to Russia's state-backed Tass news agency.

"But eventually things have gone [the] other way very quickly."

"We saw that the intentions of our colleagues are not as innocent as it was presented at the beginning," Polyansky said. "We saw a lot of Americans and Europeans exploiting our country, trying to split it, to crush it, to split Russia further, to promote separatism in Russia, to promote divisions between Russia and newly emerged states."

Russia's initial federal history was "very difficult, very challenging," with the country "really on the brink of collapse," the diplomat added. But as the country moved through the 2000s, he said, "we have started to be perceived as a threat by the West, by the United States...What we're having now we have is kind of a remake of the Cold War, Cold War 2.0."

Polyansky suggested there is no longer any ideological basis for conflict. The U.S., its Western allies and Russia have clashed repeatedly over human rights issues, particularly Moscow's suppression of domestic political opposition. Russia's intelligence services have repeatedly been linked to successful and failed assassinations of dissidents abroad.

"There is no communist ideology that Russia or anybody else promotes, our economic structure is very close to that of the United States, or any other Western country, but confrontation is there and the efforts to portray Russia as an enemy are also there," Polyansky said. "It of course brings to your mind some conclusions that the question was not of ideology but of geopolitical struggle, which is back to existence right now, unfortunately."

At his annual Q&A press conference last week, Putin likewise accused Western rivals of stoking conflict with Moscow. The president refused to guarantee that Russian forces would invade Ukraine again, instead demanding security guarantees from the West.

"Our actions will depend not on the negotiations, but on the unconditional security of Russia, today and in the future," Putin said, referring to the planned January talks with U.S. and NATO officials.

"We have made it absolutely clear that NATO's expansion to the east is unacceptable," Putin said. "What's not clear about it?"

"We are not the ones who are threatening someone, we are not the ones who came to the border of the U.S. or the U.K.; they came to us." Putin continued. "And now they're saying, 'We will have Ukraine as well.'"

"You should come up with guarantees, right now—immediately," Putin said, addressing the U.S. and NATO.

Putin has framed the Ukraine crisis as Russia's response to NATO aggression. Russia already borders five NATO states—Poland, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia—posing serious security concerns for Moscow. Ukraine's addition to the alliance would be a severe strategic blow.

"They just cheated us," Putin said of NATO nations. "'Not a single inch to the east,' that's what we heard in the 1990s," the president added.

Putin's proposal to exclude Ukraine from NATO permanently has already been publicly rebuffed in Kyiv, Brussels and Washington, D.C.

U.S. soldiers welcome the crew of an Ukrainian tank during 'Strong Europe Tank Challenge 2017' in Grafenwoehr, near Eschenbach, southern Germany, on May 12, 2017. A top Russian diplomat said the U.S. and its Western allies were to blame for the dire state of relations between NATO and Moscow.

CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

USED DURING CULTURAL REVOLUTION

Chinese lockdown rule-breakers are publicly shamed and paraded through the streets carrying placards with their names on in bid to ensure Covid rules are obeyed

Police in Jingxi city paraded alleged violators of Covid rules through the streets

The four suspects had to carry placards displaying their photos and names

China banned such public shaming and parading of criminal suspects in 2010

But the practice has resurfaced amid extremely strict lockdown controls

It comes as 13 million in China were barred from going outside, even for food

By DAVID AVERRE FOR MAILONLINE and AFP

PUBLISHED 29 December 2021 

Armed riot police in southern China have paraded four alleged violators of Covid rules through the streets, leading to criticism of the government's heavy handed approach.

Four masked suspects in hazmat suits - carrying placards displaying their photos and names - were paraded Tuesday in front of a large crowd in Guangxi region's Jingxi city.

Photos of the event showed each suspect held by two police officers - wearing face shields, masks and hazmat suits - and surrounded by a circle of police in riot gear, some holding guns.

The public shaming was part of disciplinary measures announced by the local government in August to punish those breaking health rules.

China banned such public shaming of criminal suspects in 2010 after decades of campaigning by human rights activists, but the practice has resurfaced as local governments struggle to enforce the national zero-Covid policy.

It comes as locked-down residents in one of China's biggest cities say they are at risk of starving in their homes after they were banned from going outside even to buy food under harsh new Covid measures sparked by just a few dozen cases.

Apparatchiks running the city of Xi'an on Monday told 13 million people they are only allowed out of their homes when invited to take part in a new round of mass testing, or for medical emergencies.

Riot police publicly shame lockdown rule breakers in China

Four masked suspects in hazmat suits - carrying placards displaying their photos and names - were paraded Tuesday in front of a large crowd in Guangxi region's Jingxi city


China banned such public shaming of criminal suspects in 2010 after decades of campaigning by human rights activists, but the practice has resurfaced as local governments struggle to enforce the national zero-Covid policy

It comes as locked-down residents in one of China 's biggest cities say they are at risk of starving in their homes. Officials running the city of Xi'an on Monday told 13 million people they are only allowed out of their homes when invited to take part in a new round of mass testing, or for medical emergencies 

(pictured: A medical worker reaches through protective gloves as she administers a nucleic acid test at a private outdoor clinic on December 27, 2021 in Beijing)

The four individuals paraded through the streets of Jingxi city were also accused of transporting illegal migrants while China's borders remain largely closed due to the pandemic, Guangxi News said.

Jingxi is near the Chinese border with Vietnam.

The newspaper said the parade provided a 'real-life warning' to the public, and 'deterred border-related crimes'.

But it also led to a backlash, with official outlets and social media users criticising the heavy handed approach.

Although Jingxi is 'under tremendous pressure' to prevent imported coronavirus cases, 'the measure seriously violates the spirit of the rule of law and cannot be allowed to happen again,' Chinese Communist Party-affiliated Beijing News said Wednesday.

Other suspects accused of illicit smuggling and human trafficking have also been paraded in recent months, according to reports on the Jingxi government website.

Videos of a similar parade in November showed a crowd of people watching two prisoners being held while a local official read out their crimes on a microphone.

They were then seen marching through the streets in their hazmat suits, flanked by police in riot gear.

Panicked shoppers in Xian rush for groceries before Covid lockdown

Meanwhile, officials in the city of Xi'an on Monday told 13 million people they are only allowed out of their homes when invited to take part in a new round of mass testing, or for medical emergencies.

Previously, one member of each household was allowed out once every two days to buy food. City officials said people in 'low risk' areas will be allowed out to buy essentials once testing is complete and if their results are negative.

The tightened lockdown measures prompted some Xi'an residents to turn to social media for help, saying they are 'starving' and appealing to neighbours for supplies.

'I'm about to be starved to death,' wrote one person on Weibo, China's equivalent of Facebook. 'There's no food, my housing compound won't let me out, and I'm about to run out of instant noodles ... please help!'

'I don't want to hear any more about how everything is fine,' said another. 'So what if supplies are so abundant - they're useless if you don't actually give them to people.'

Xi'an on Tuesday reported 175 Covid cases, its highest toll of the current outbreak, pushing up China's seven-day average of cases to its highest level this year (pictured above)

Xi'an reported 175 new cases on Tuesday, a paltry figure compared to other large cities around the world but a major blow to China which is continuing to pursue a 'zero Covid' strategy even in the face of more-infectious variants.

Nearby cities have also logged cases linked to the flare-up, with Yan'an - about 185 miles from Xi'an - on Tuesday shuttering businesses and ordering hundreds of thousands of people in one district to stay indoors.

Xi'an's outbreak is being driven by the Delta variant and is believed to be linked to travel to Pakistan a week ago.

The city has been in lockdown since last Thursday when mass testing revealed a case had escaped quarantine and then spread the virus widely.

So-far this month, Xi'an has reported 810 Covid cases - China's largest outbreak since the virus first emerged in Wuhan.

The 13million-person lockdown is also China's largest since Wuhan was locked down early in 2020, which affected 11 million people.

On Sunday, city workers were dispatched to disinfect public spaces with residents warned not to touch anything until the chemicals had time to disperse.

Lockdown rules were then tightened on Monday evening as a fifth round of mass testing got underway.

City workers disinfect public spaces in Xi'an, as residents were warned not to touch anything immediately afterwards to allow chemicals time to disperse

China complains to UN after maneuvering its space station away from SpaceX Starlink satellites

The country claims it had two close calls

By Loren Grush@lorengrush  Dec 28, 2021, 

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Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming waving their hands during a spacewalk out of the space station

 core module Tianhe in August of 2021

 Photo by Tian Dingyu/Xinhua via Getty Images

China filed a complaint this month with the United Nations, arguing that it had to conduct evasive maneuvers of its space station to avoid potential collisions with two of SpaceX’s internet-beaming Starlink satellites. The country is requesting that the UN’s Secretary General remind countries of their obligations under international space law, though China did not specify exactly what actions it wants to be taken.

In the complaint, dated December 6th, China details two instances on July 1st, 2020 and on October 21st, 2021 when the nation had to maneuver the core module of its space station, called Tianhe, out of the way of two separate Starlink satellites. The three Chinese astronauts currently living on Tianhe had just arrived to the station several days before the October maneuver.

CHINA DID NOT SPECIFY EXACTLY WHAT ACTIONS IT WANTS TO BE TAKEN

China cited its responsibility to report the incidents to the UN due to its obligations under the Outer Space Treaty, an international agreement ratified in the 1960s that governs how countries should explore space. The Treaty offers up a set of loose guidelines and rules for countries to follow when launching spacecraft and people to space, such as prohibiting the placement of nuclear weapons in orbit and making the exploration of space a peaceful enterprise. The treaty also notes that participating countries are responsible under international law for all of the actions they take in space, including those by their commercial companies. And China apparently wants everyone reminded of that.

The complaint reads:

China wishes to request the Secretary-General of the United Nations to circulate the above-mentioned information to all States parties to the Outer Space Treaty and bring to their attention that, in accordance with article VI of the Treaty, “States Parties to the Treaty shall bear international responsibility for national activities in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, whether such activities are carried on by governmental agencies or by non-governmental entities...”

Starlink is SpaceX’s ambitious internet-from-space initiative, which calls for launching nearly 12,000 satellites into low Earth orbit in order to beam broadband internet coverage to the ground below. So far, the company has launched more than 1,900 Starlink satellites, with nearly 1,800 still in orbit, according to satellite tracking.

As SpaceX continues to launch large crops of Starlink satellites into orbit, space trackers have raised concerns about how the spacecraft could make Earth orbit more crowded and raise the likelihood of collisions with satellites already in space. In fact, there have already been a couple of reports of satellites having to move out of the way of Starlink vehicles to avoid collisions. SpaceX claims that its Starlink satellites have their own autonomous collision avoidance software, which allows them to move out of the way on their own if the satellites suspect they may come close to another vehicle or piece of debris.

THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME THAT A SPACE STATION HAS HAD TO MANEUVER OUT OF THE WAY OF A SATELLITE

China says that its two avoidance maneuvers with Tianhe came after two Starlink satellites changed their altitudes in space. The first one in 2020 came after a Starlink satellite moved from its long-held orbit at 555 kilometers down to 382 kilometers. China claims the second Starlink satellite that caused trouble was “continuously maneuvering,” making it hard to know where it was headed. As a precaution in consideration of the astronauts on board, China opted to do a maneuver to avoid a collision. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.

This isn’t the first time that a space station has had to maneuver out of the way of a satellite or piece of debris. The International Space Station is consistently boosting its orbiting to avoid potential collisions with objects in space. In November, the astronauts on board the ISS had to shelter in place after Russia destroyed one of its own satellites in a nearby orbit, a show of strength known as an anti-satellite, or ASAT test. The test created thousands of pieces of debris that initially threatened the space station — and may continue to pose a threat to the ISS for years.

China is also responsible for some of the International Space Station’s collision avoidance maneuvers. In 2007, China destroyed one of its own satellites during an ASAT test, creating thousands of pieces of debris. Many of those pieces are still in orbit, and the ISS has periodically had to move out of the way to avoid these leftovers over the last decade. Now with its own space station in orbit, China is getting a taste of what that experience is like.

Ahead of Brexit Anniversary, Most U.K. Voters Say Plan Turned Out Badly

BY JON JACKSON 

NEWSWEEK

ON 12/27/21 

More than 60 percent of British voters say Brexit has either "gone badly" or "worse than expected" a year after the United Kingdom withdrew from the European Union, according to a new poll.

The poll was conducted ahead of the anniversary by the research agency Opinium for The Observer. The survey found that 42 percent of people who voted to "Leave" the E.U. in 2016 now have a negative view of how Brexit has turned out.

Of those with a negative opinion, 26 percent of respondents said the plan has gone worse than they had expected, and 16 percent said they had expected it to go badly and the results proved they were right.

On the anniversary of Brexit, most U.K. voters say the plan has not turned out well, according to a new poll. In this photo, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlines his government's negotiating stance with the European Union after Brexit at the Old Naval College on February 3, 2020, in London.

FRANK AUGSTEIN/WPA POOL/GETTY

The U.K. originally voted to leave the E.U. in 2016 and officially exited the trading bloc on January 31, 2020. The two sides had an agreement, though, to continue functioning much as it had before what popularly became known as "Brexit" until December 31, 2020. During the time, a new trade deal was worked out between the U.K. and the E.U.

On January 1, 2021, the separation was more complete, and the U.K. could then negotiate its own deals with other countries. Border crossings were also no longer as open as they were before the end of the transition period.

Among those who voted "Remain" during the 2016 vote, 86 percent said Brexit went badly or worse than they expected.

Just 14 percent of all voters said Brexit had gone better than they had expected it to go.

"For most of the Brexit process any time you'd ask a question that could be boiled down to 'is Brexit good or bad?' you'd have all of the Remainers saying 'bad' and all of the Leavers saying 'good' and these would cancel each other out," Adam Drummond of Opinium told The Observer.

He continued, "Now what we're seeing is a significant minority of Leavers saying that things are going badly or at least worse than they expected. While 59 percent of Remain voters said, 'I expected it to go badly and think it has,' only 17 percent of Leave voters said, 'I expected it to go well and think it has.'"

Drummond added that "instead of two uniformly opposing blocs, the Remain bloc are still mostly united on Brexit being bad while the Leave bloc are a bit more split."

On January 1, another controversial trade rule goes into effect at U.K. borders. At that time, full customs checks will be applied to goods being exported from the E.U. to the U.K. Critics argue this move could cause issues for exporters at the border and thus further affect already disrupted supply chains in the U.K.

Boris Johnson ‘betrayed’ the fishing industry to get Brexit done – says Express

"I thought we would take back control," former Brexit Party MEP June Mummery told the paper.

by Jack Peat
2021-12-29 
in Politics



Boris Johnson ‘betrayed’ the fishing industry to get his EU deal over the line, one of Britain’s biggest Brexit-backing newspapers has said.

The EU and UK reached a deal on quotas of shared fish stocks last week, with minister Joze Podgorsek of Slovenia, which holds the EU presidency, describing it as an agreement “that provides certainty for EU fishermen and women going forward.”

The decision reverts back to last year’s trade deal between France and the UK and sets catch quotas and rights for about 100 shared fish stocks in each other’s waters.

It has been widely criticised by environmentalists, who say fish will continue to be over-exploited following the deal.

“Biggest betrayal”

Quoting former MEP June Mummery, The Express newspaper also had a thing or two to say about it.



She told the paper: “I can’t tell you how betrayed I feel by Boris.

“He has betrayed the fishing industry and coastal communities.

“But the biggest betrayal is our ocean and Mother Nature. He has betrayed them as well.

“Our ocean is in crisis. It is betrayal.”

She went on to say how when Britain departed the EU, the UK should have “taken full control back” and she had great hopes.

Take back control

Ms Mummery continued: “I thought we would take back control.

“We would rebuild our coastal communities.

“The UK could have been one of the best sustainable fishing industries in the world.

“At the moment, the problem is we have no fish. There is no fish out there.

“The Channel is barren because there are still 1,700 EU vessels trawling our waters unpoliced. No one is looking at that.”

The former MEP went on to add how she does not see any positives going into next year and said the UK still has “four more years of this”.

Ms Mummery added: “I do not see any positives going into 2022.

“We have a bunch of clowns negotiating.

“We have four more years of this.

“After four years, we are still tied to tariffs, aviation and energy.

“We are being sold out.”

These Brexiteers quotes on fuel and energy costs falling after leaving the EU have aged terribly

Ellie Abraham@ellieabraham

THE INDEPENDENT

With fuel and energy costs rising in the UK compared to the EU, a handful of quotes from Brexiteers championing the supposed fall of such prices if the public voted to leave have resurfaced.

A quote Michael Gove gave to the British public in the lead up to the EU referendum vote has resurfaced and it’s aged very badly.

In May 2016, just one month before the country voted for Brexit, the Conservative minister appeared on Sky News where he was interviewed by Eamon Holmes.

During the interview, Gove claimed that if the country left the EU, the government would be able to remove VAT on fuel, saving money for the poorest families.

In fact, British drivers now pay more for their fuel than their counterparts in many EU countries.

In 2016, Gove claimed: “If we vote to leave the European Union, we can cut VAT on domestic fuel to zero and that would save households about £60 a year.

“Now, this is something we can only do if we leave the European Union. Once we’re in the EU at VAT’s slapped on any product, it can’t be taken off.

“But if we leave the EU, we can use the millions of pounds that we would save from being outside the EU to cut VAT on fuel, and that would help the poorest families most of all.”

But, as it transpires now, British drivers are actually paying around £16 more than others in EU countries each time they fill up their car tanks.

An investigation by campaign group FairFuelUK found that on Christmas Eve, petrol in the UK cost £1.45 a litre, on average.

In comparison, that was 27p higher than in Austria, 21p pricier than in Spain and 14p higher than in Germany.

The claim that fuel and energy costs would be lower outside the EU was also peddled by other Brexiteers including Jacob Rees-Mogg, Douglas Carswell and Daniel Hannan on various television appearances.

With gas market prices rising, it’s likely fuel bills will continue to rise, but the government has failed to do what it can to assist.

If the Treasury removed VAT on gas and electricity, as Gove promised was possible outside of the EU, bills could be cut by 5 per cent.

Product testing failing to meet post-Brexit demands

The switch from the old European CE mark to the new UKCA conformity mark on construction products and machinery is not working out, government has been told.



22 Nov,2021 

The Construction Leadership Council has told minister that the transition to the post-Brexit product marking regime – which has already had to be postponed once – needs a serious re-think.

“We have identified the many complex and inter-connected issues involved in this transition,” the Construction Leadership Council co-chair Andy Mitchell says in a letter to both Michael Gove, secretary of state for “levelling up” (which includes house-building), and Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.

These include a lack of product testing capacity in the UK. There is a large pan-European network of testing facilities for CE marking but, since Brexit, the UK no longer recognises any of these. Everything has to be re-tested by a UK body authorised by UKAS, the national accreditation body for the United Kingdom. And there are too many products on the market for the UK testing industry to cope with.

The transition from Conformité Européenne, or CE, marking to the new United Kingdom Conformity Assessed (UKCA) mark had originally been scheduled for the end of 2021. In August this year it was put back to 1st January 2023 in recognition of the problems. [See our previous report here.]

Mr Mitchell writes: “Our main cause of concern is that for a significant range of construction products there is limited or no capacity for these tests to be carried out in line with the UK Construction Product Regulations. There must be a significant expansion of facilities with the incumbent recruiting and training of staff, who must all then receive authorisation by UKAS, before more products can be put through the new process. Unfortunately, this expansion of capacity is not happening quickly enough.

“We have been collecting tangible evidence from construction product manufacturers about the lack of testing capacity. The evidence makes clear that numerous common and essential products such as radiators, glass, passive fire protection, glues and sealants will be adversely affected by a lack of UK testing capability.

“If the current situation prevails, these products will not be available on the UK market after the January 2023 deadline. The inability to certify radiators in the UK, for instance, could delay the construction of over 150,000 homes in a single year and will also delay the switch to low carbon heating.

“The consequences are clearly damaging not only to the UK construction sector but also to the government’s ambitions around housebuilding, infrastructure, building safety and net zero in the built environment.”

It is only an issue in Great Britain. Northern Ireland will be allowed to keep using CE marked products.

The Construction Leadership Council offers several fixes to the problem, including allowing CE certified products onto the GB market for a longer transition period or allowing testing to be subcontracted overseas – offshoring UKCA certification.

“There are steps that can be taken to mitigate these risks, but action is needed now,” the letter concludes.

The full text of the letter is available here.

Greta Thunberg Slams Biden Over Climate Policy, Says He Is No Leader

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg holds a sign reading "School strike for Climate" in front of the Swedish Parliament (Riksdagen) in Stockholm on Nov. 19, 2021. 

(Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images)

By Brian Freeman | Tuesday, 28 December 2021 

Greta Thunberg harshly criticized President Joe Biden’s policy on the climate, telling The Washington Post in an interview that it’s "strange" he’s considered a leader in the movement.

When asked by the Post if she is inspired by any world leaders, and specifically "by President Biden," the Swedish teenager who became popular for chastising United Nations officials for a lack of focus on climate change replied, "If you call him a leader I mean, it’s strange that people think of Joe Biden as a leader for the climate when you see what his administration is doing."

Thunberg added that the "U.S. is actually expanding fossil fuel infrastructure," stressing, "It should not fall on us activists and teenagers who just want to go to school to raise this awareness and to inform people that we are actually facing an emergency."

She continued, "People ask us, ‘What do you want?’ ‘What do you want politicians to do?’ And we say, 'First of all, we have to actually understand what is the emergency.'"

Thunberg emphasized that lack of knowledge on climate change on the part of world leaders further complicates solving the problem, noting that "in Sweden, we ignore — we don’t even count or include more than two-thirds of our actual emissions.

"How can we solve a crisis if we ignore more than two-thirds of it? So it’s all about the narrative. It’s all about, What are we actually trying to solve?"

Last month, Thunberg slammed this year's COP26 in Glasgow as "a PR event" and accused world leaders of "greenwashing," according to Axios.

Axios also pointed out that the Biden administration set out ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but the president’s main tool for meeting these goals is floundering in Congress, putting them in doubt.

A large part of that reason is that Biden has been combating a sharp rise in gas prices connected to the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, which has led the president to call for a temporary increase in global oil production.

In March, Thunberg also criticized the Biden administration, urging it to "treat the climate crisis like a crisis." The Hill reported.

"They have said themselves that this is an existential threat, and they’d better treat it accordingly, which they are not," she added. "They are just treating the climate crisis as [if] it were a political topic among other topics."

SOURCE NEWSMAX, LIKES GRETA WHEN SHE IS CRITICAL OF BIDEN

SHE IS OF COURSE RIGHT

Poultry farms in southwest France gripped by bird flu

H5N1 virus has been identified at 7 farms in Landes and Pyrenees-Atlantiques

Shweta Desai |28.12.2021

PARIS

A new outbreak of highly contagious avian influenza has been detected at poultry farms in southwestern France, local media reported Monday.

The H5N1 virus has been identified on seven poultry farms -- five in Mant and one in Castelner in the Landes department and one in the Malaussanne commune in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques department of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, a report by public radio outlet France Blue said.

The infection has progressed since the first case was confirmed at a farm in Hastingues, Landes on Dec. 19.

To prevent the virus from spreading to other farms, authorities are carrying out the preventive slaughter of poultry from the infected farms, and 37 municipalities in Pyrenees-Atlantiques and 34 in the Landes department linked to the outbreak have been declared restricted areas. The transport of live birds and poultry products including meat and eggs as well as manure and slurry indoors is prohibited in these areas.

Other poultry farms have been directed to follow biosecurity rules and exercise daily surveillance in case of abnormal mortality of the birds.

The virus is generally found among wild birds and is transmitted to domestic poultry in many European countries, a statement from the prefecture of Pyrenees-Atlantiques said. The consumption of meat, fatty liver and eggs does not present any risk to humans, it added.

Around the same time last year, poultry farms in the southwest of the country were infected with the H5N8 virus, leading to the culling of over 1 million birds. The region has a high number of duck farms and is famed for the production of foie gras, the national gastronomic delicacy of the fattened liver of ducks or geese.

Bird flu: 28,000 birds culled in suspected avian influenza outbreak in Northern Ireland

Tuesday 21 December 2021, 1:28pm

Around 28,000 birds have been culled in a suspected avian flu outbreak in Co. Londonderry (stock photo)Credit: PA Archive

A bird flu outbreak has triggered a mass bird cull in Northern Ireland.

Around 28,000 birds have been culled in the latest suspected avian flu outbreak in Co. Londonderry.

It follows two previous outbreaks in a commercial poultry flock near Markethill, Co Armagh, and a commercial duck flock in Coagh, Co Tyrone, which were confirmed as positive for HPAI HN51 following results from the National Reference Laboratory.

Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots has briefed a range of key stakeholders from both the Northern Ireland and Great Briatain poultry sectors following the detection of the suspect case in Ballinderry.

This takes Northern Ireland’s number of confirmed outbreaks so far to four, with one more suspected and awaiting confirmation.

Mr Poots said the outbreak was the "worst ever" across the UK, and called for vigilance among flock owners.

This is a particularly persistent strain and it will use any lapse in biosecurity to gain access to a flock.Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots MLA

“It’s extremely disappointing that this is now the worst outbreak ever across the UK and yet another stark reminder of the importance of excellent biosecurity measures which ultimately, are the only protection we have in preventing Avian Influenza getting into our housed flocks.

"This is a particularly persistent strain and it will use any lapse in biosecurity to gain access to a flock. Everyone must not only use our biosecurity checklist to see if they’ve ticked all the boxes, but get into a routine of checking it every morning.

"Make sure there are no forgotten or damaged access points and review your procedures every day to reduce the risk.

“I would like to thank the poultry sector for working so hard to protect our valuable industry and for how willing they are to make significant sacrifices to minimise the spread of this outbreak.”

Bird flu outbreak is the biggest ever and poultry keepers must do more to keep it out says the government's chief vet

By Lauren Abbott
labbott@thekmgroup.co.uk
 21 December 2021

Bird keepers are being told to take all the action they can to keep flocks safe as the UK grapples with its largest ever avian flu outbreak.

The UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss says those keeping poultry or birds must make sure they are following all the biosecurity rules in place to try and slow the spread of the disease this winter.

There have been 60 confirmed instances since November

The country is facing its largest ever outbreak with 60 cases now confirmed across the UK since the start of November.

To help try and control the spread of disease the government introduced new housing measures last month which means anyone keeping chickens, ducks, geese or any other birds must now keep them indoors by law. This is to ensure wild birds migrating to the UK for the winter months, which often carry bird flu, do not mix with captive chickens, ducks, geese or other birds and spread the infection.

There are also requirements for keepers to disinfect clothing and footwear, which can also transport the virus into enclosures.

Defra says avian flu occurs naturally in wild birds

The UK's Chief Veterinary Officer believes that while the main source of infection comes from migratory wild birds, those failing to implement these measures risk infecting their own flocks, she says, by walking the virus into holdings.

Christine Middlemiss said: "We have taken swift action to limit the spread of the disease including introducing housing measures. However we are seeing a growing number of bird flu cases both on commercial farms and in backyard birds right across the country.

"Many poultry keepers have excellent biosecurity standards but the number of cases we are seeing suggests that not enough is being done to keep bird flu out. Whether you keep just a few birds or thousands you must take action now to protect your birds from this highly infectious disease.

"Implementing scrupulous biosecurity has never been more critical. You must regularly clean and disinfect your footwear and clothes before entering enclosures, stop your birds mixing with any wild birds and only allow visitors that are strictly necessary. It is your actions that will help keep your birds safe."

People who keep chickens must follow strict rules by law to help prevent the spread of the disease. Picture: iStock.

Avian influenza is in no way connected to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and is not carried in poultry or captive birds.

Public health advice remains that the risk to human health from avian flu is low and poultry remains safe to eat - however people are being told to not touch or pick up any dead or sick birds that they find while out walking and instead report them to the dedicated helpline.

Gaza border violence erupts after Palestinian president visits Israel

The Israeli military said it responded to the shooting with tank fire, targeting Hamas posts in the northern Gaza Strip. Gaza health officials said three Palestinian farmers were wounded.

Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz speaks during a meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin following an enhanced honor cordon arrival ceremony at the Pentagon, in Arlington, Virginia, US, December 9, 2021.


Reuters
Published at : December 29, 2021

Jerusalem

An Israeli was wounded in a shooting attack on the Gaza border on Wednesday, the military said, after a rare visit to Israel by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas drew condemnation from the enclave’s Hamas rulers.

The Israeli military said it responded to the shooting with tank fire, targeting Hamas posts in the northern Gaza Strip. Gaza health officials said three Palestinian farmers were wounded.

Israel’s Defence Minister Benny Gantz hosted Abbas in his home late on Tuesday, the Western-backed Palestinian leader’s first such visit to Israel in more than a decade, although it signalled few prospects for any resumption of long-stalled peace negotiations.

Following their talks, the Israeli Defence Ministry announced a series of what it described as “confidence-building measures” that would ease the entry of hundreds of Palestinian business people to Israel.

In Gaza, Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesman, said that by meeting Gantz, Abbas was “deepening Palestinian political divisions” and encouraging accommodation with “the occupation”, a term the Islamist militant group uses to describe Israel.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shooting attack from Gaza, which the Israeli military said slightly wounded the civilian. The border has been largely quiet since an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza militants in May.

‘Political horizon’

Abbas and Gantz last met in August, in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh said that at Tuesday’s talks they discussed the “importance of creating a political horizon” for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Gantz, in his summation of the meeting on Twitter, made no mention of a peace process, stalled since 2014 after U.S.-backed talks collapsed. Palestinians seek to establish a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“We discussed the implementation of economic and civilian measures, and emphasised the importance of deepening security coordination and preventing terror and violence - for the well-being of both Israelis and Palestinians,” Gantz wrote.

Israel’s multi-party government is deeply divided over the statehood issue. Palestinian rivalries remain strong, with Hamas, which has fought four wars with Israel, running the Gaza Strip.

In a move that could ease travel for thousands of Palestinians, the Defence Ministry said Gantz approved registration as West Bank residents for some 6,000 people who had been living in the territory, captured by Israel in a 1967 war, without official status.

Another 3,500 people from Gaza would also receive residency documentation, the ministry said.

The meeting followed several Palestinian attacks on Israelis in recent weeks in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Palestinians also complain of attacks by Israeli settlers.

https://bit.ly/3sLD0d4

Palestinian president makes rare visit to Israel for talks with defence chief

By Edmond Ng and James Pomfret

Posted on December 29, 2021

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made a rare visit to Israel for talks on economic and security issues with Israel’s defence chief, but with few prospects for any resumption of long-stalled peace negotiations.

Defence Minister Benny Gantz hosted Abbas in his home late on Tuesday, the Western-backed Palestinian leader’s first such visit to Israel in more than a decade.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Israeli Defence Ministry announced a series of what it described as “confidence-building measures” that would ease the entry of hundreds of Palestinian business people to Israel.

Abbas and Gantz last met in August, in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh said that at Tuesday’s talks they discussed the “importance of creating a political horizon” for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Gantz, in his summation of the meeting on Twitter, made no mention of a peace process, stalled since 2014 after U.S.-backed talks collapsed. Palestinians seek to establish a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“We discussed the implementation of economic and civilian measures, and emphasised the importance of deepening security coordination and preventing terror and violence – for the well-being of both Israelis and Palestinians,” Gantz wrote.

DIVISIONS ON BOTH SIDES

Israel’s multi-party government led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is deeply divided over the statehood issue. Palestinian rivalries remain strong, with Hamas Islamists, who have fought four wars with Israel, running the Gaza Strip.

In a move that could ease travel for thousands of Palestinians, the Defence Ministry said Gantz approved registration as West Bank residents for some 6,000 people who had been living in the territory, captured by Israel in a 1967 war, without official status.

Another 3,500 people from Gaza would also receive residency documentation, the ministry said.

The meeting followed several Palestinian attacks on Israelis in recent weeks in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Palestinians also complain of attacks by Israeli settlers.

In Gaza, Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesman, said that by meeting Gantz, Abbas was deepening Palestinian political divisions and encouraging accommodation with “the occupation”, a term the group uses to describe Israel.

(Reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah, Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza and Ahmed Tolba in Cairo; Writing by Jeffrey Heller in Jerusalem; Editing by Richard Pullin and Alex Richardson)

Gantz announces series of gestures to Palestinians after meeting Abbas

Defense minister says Israel will loan NIS 100 million to PA; 

9,500 undocumented Palestinians, foreign nationals to get legal status

By AARON BOXERMAN and JACOB MAGID

Defense Minister Benny Gantz (left) attends a conference in the Eshkol region, southern Israel. on July 13, 2021; Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas delivers a speech regarding COVID-19, at the Palestinian Authority headquarters, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on May 5, 2020. (Flash90)

Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced on Wednesday that Israel would implement a series of measures intended to prop up the indebted Palestinian Authority and ease Palestinians’ daily life.

The announcement followed a meeting between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Gantz in Gantz’s Rosh Ha’ayin home, near Tel Aviv, on Tuesday night. The meeting was the first working session between Abbas and a senior Israeli official inside Israel in over a decade.

Israel will provide the PA with a NIS 100 million loan ($32.2 million) on tax revenues Israel collects on Ramallah’s behalf, in an attempt to reduce the PA’s spiraling deficit. Ramallah, the PA’s seat of government, has seen dwindling foreign aid for years, and almost none from its biggest backers in 2021.

The meeting was Gantz and Abbas’s second since the current Israeli government was formed in June. Following an earlier meeting between Gantz and Abbas in late August, Israel handed the PA a similar NIS 500 million advance ($160 million) in an attempt to stave off a looming fiscal crisis.

Israel will also legalize the status of 9,500 undocumented Palestinians and foreigners living in the West Bank and Gaza, Gantz said. Tens of thousands of Palestinians and foreign nationals are believed to live in the West Bank and Gaza without proper documentation.

Many arrived from abroad to marry a Palestinian and live in Palestinian cities. But Israel does not recognize a legal right for Palestinians to live with foreign spouses in territory it controls — a procedure known as “family unification.”

View from above the Manara Square in the center of the West Bank city of Ramallah, September 11, 2011. (Nati Shohat/FLASH90)

Israel says it grants visas in “exceptional humanitarian circumstances.” But in practice, the matter has been frozen for over a decade, leading to sporadic protests in Ramallah by families affected.

After Gantz’s meeting with Abbas in late August, the minister similarly pledged to issue thousands of new identity cards — but ultimately only 1,200 were handed out. Another 3,000 Palestinians living in the West Bank were allowed to change their formal place of residence from Gaza to the West Bank.

An Israeli official told The Times of Israel that the 9,500 status approvals are new identity cards, not merely address changes for Palestinians.

Dozens of senior Palestinian officials will also received prized “VIP” permits that allow them to freely cross through Israeli checkpoints, the Defense Ministry said. Another 1,100 senior Palestinian businessmen will receive commercial passes.

According to another Israel official, Gantz told Abbas that a series of economic measures are being weighed, including lowering fees for purchasing fuel and a pilot program to allow shipping containers to enter the West Bank from Jordan via Allenby Bridge.

Such steps “would likely add hundreds of millions of shekels to the Palestinian Authority on an annual basis,” said Gantz, according to the official.

Palestinians and their spouses protest to demand West Bank residency cards in front of the PA’s Civil Affairs Commission in Ramallah (courtesy: Alaa Mutair)

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is opposed to renewed peace negotiations with the Palestinians and has refused to meet with Abbas. Nevertheless, his government has pledged to support the Palestinian Authority and strengthen its ailing economy, with Gantz spearheading the move.

Gantz has said he sees Abbas’s regime as the only alternative to an empowered Hamas in the West Bank.

“If the Palestinian Authority is stronger, Hamas will be weaker. When the Palestinian Authority has more ability to enforce order, there will be more security, and our hand will be forced less,” Gantz said in late August.

Gantz and Abbas, in their Tuesday meeting, also discussed legalizing more Palestinian construction in the West Bank. In parts of the territory in which Israel exercises full administrative control, Israeli authorities rarely issue permits for Palestinians to build legally, leading to regular demolitions of illegally built Palestinian homes.

Empowering healthy, resilient cities

All levels of government should work together to develop and implement creative solutions

.

Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr
Updated at : December 23, 2021

With the recent conclusion of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, the challenge of turning words into action begins. But in capitals around the world, administrative and political hurdles are hindering governments’ ability to address the climate crisis with the urgency it requires.

I know this firsthand. In Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, local leaders are trying to address climate change in ways that will help the community become healthier and more resilient, but bureaucracy at the national level is a complicating factor.

Freetown does not make a significant contribution to global greenhouse-gas emissions, but the city wants to do more to reduce its carbon footprint, particularly in light of climate change’s impact on the health of its residents. Building a healthy city is one of the four key areas in the Transform Freetown agenda, which the local council launched in 2019 to prepare our city for the challenges we face.

The population of Freetown has expanded in recent years, driven in part by climate migration from other parts of Sierra Leone. As changing weather patterns make it more difficult to earn a living through subsistence farming, rural residents have flocked to the capital. Many of these newcomers move into informal settlements along the coast or in the hills surrounding the city. The growth of these settlements has contributed to deforestation, which in turn leads to rising temperatures during the dry season and increased risk of flooding and mudslides during the rainy season.

The extreme heat worsens Freetown’s already poor air quality and increases the incidence of respiratory disease among residents. Extreme heat also contributes to water shortages, which bring additional health risks.

To address these challenges, Freetown became the first city in Africa to appoint a chief heat officer. In this new position, Eugenia Kargbo, a member of the Mayor’s Delivery Unit whose portfolio already includes climate-related issues, will work to improve the available data on heat and housing. She will then use these data to develop policies to mitigate the impact of extreme heat on our community and suggest ways to upgrade Freetown’s informal settlements to alleviate the growing threat. For example, a significant number of residential structures in the informal settlements are made of corrugated iron sheets that trap heat. One of Kargbo’s tasks will be to identify alternative affordable building materials.

These materials also must be able to withstand rushing water, given the informal settlements’ vulnerability to frequent floods. Kroo Bay, one of Freetown’s largest coastal settlements, has been inundated every year since 2008. Flooding not only destroys property; it also places residents at greater risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera. In 2012, a cholera outbreak infected more than 25,000 people and killed over four hundred.

To reduce flooding, efforts are being made to improve and expand drainage systems in hotspots around the city. Better sanitation is also a factor in reducing cholera outbreaks, and significant strides are being made in the management of solid waste. But current dumpsites are at capacity, and an agreement on the allocation of land for a new dumpsite has yet to be reached with Sierra Leone’s central government.

Like many of Freetown’s challenges, many factors contribute to the problems caused by extreme heat and flooding. In addition to climate change, poor urban planning, poor interagency coordination, and lack of financing all play a part.

Building a healthy, resilient city requires good urban planning, particularly climate-sensitive design. But, despite the need for rapid action, cities often face high and unnecessary impediments in developing and implementing such plans. For example, Sierra Leone’s Local Government Act, adopted in 2004, gives city councils the authority to make and carry out plans for municipalities, but central government ministries remain in control of critical urban management functions like land use planning, zoning, and issuance of building permits. As a result, these processes are slow and inefficient, leaving local leaders and urban planners limited scope to make meaningful changes.

Effective climate-change mitigation and adaptation in cities like Freetown requires putting politics aside. Protecting residents from the consequences of global warming—like extreme heat, heavy rain, and increased risk of disease—requires officials at all levels of government to work together to develop and implement creative solutions. Otherwise, our citizens will continue to suffer the most significant effects of a crisis they did little to create.

—Project Syndicate



Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr  is Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone.