AUSTRALIA

Clive Palmer’s proposed open-cut mine could have ‘far-reaching impact’ on Great Barrier Reef, study finds


Study finds tidal currents could introduce pollution from coalmine into seagrass meadows and dugong sanctuary in marine park

Scientists attempted to model the dispersal of sediment and the potential impact on the world heritage area, including sensitive marine ecosystems. 

Photograph: Reuters


Ben Smee
THE GUARDIAN. AU
Wed 27 Apr 2022 

Billionaire Clive Palmer’s proposal to build an open-cut coalmine 10km from the coast of the Great Barrier Reef would have a “far-reaching impact” on the world heritage area, say scientists, whose modelling shows concentrated pollution from the mine could reach sensitive marine ecosystems within weeks.

The Queensland government last year deemed the Central Queensland coal proposal by a subsidiary company of Palmer’s flagship entity, Mineralogy, “not suitable” and said it posed “a number of unacceptable risks” due to its location, the prospect of polluted water discharge and a lack of effective mitigation measures.

Despite the state government’s rejection, the project remains viable and is on the desk of the federal environment minister, Sussan Ley, awaiting a determination.


Matt Canavan declares net zero by 2050 is ‘all over bar the shouting’ after PM tries to quell divisions

A new study, published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin by scientists at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium and James Cook University in Townsville, sought to model the dispersal of sediment and derive their potential impact on marine ecosystems.

The study found that, within a few weeks, intense tidal currents could transport finer sediments more than 35km from the Styx River and into areas of the marine park, including dense seagrass meadows and a dugong sanctuary.

“Our study suggests that the proposed … open-cut coalmine could have a profound and far-reaching impact on some iconic species and ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area,” the study found.

“We also showed that sediment transport and dispersion in Broad Sound is not an isotropic process that would uniformly spread sediments throughout the bay and hence quickly reduce their concentration.

“Instead, sediments are mostly transported in the western part of the bay, where they overlapped with ecologically sensitive regions such as areas of a high predicted probability of seagrass, the Clairview dugong sanctuary, and turtle nesting beaches on Avoid Island.”

The study said the loss of seagrass meadows had already been observed around Australia and that species like dugongs and turtles were already threatened as a result.

The study follows a 2020 report from the national Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development (IESC) had raised “extreme concern” about the potential for ecological damage from the project in particular the release of “mine-affected water”.

The extent of the risk posed by the potential discharges, however, has not previously been revealed. The authors of the report have called for the mine’s environmental impact assessment – currently being assessed by Ley – to include downstream and “broader cumulative” impacts.

Attempts have been made to contact the proponent for comment.


Budget papers show Morrison government to reduce annual climate spending over next four years


Dr Lissa Schindler, the Great Barrier Reef campaign manager for the Australian Marine Conservation Society, said the research provides evidence that approving the mine would post too much risk to the world heritage area.

“This research confirms that the Queensland Government’s EIS assessment released in late April 2021 was correct in saying the mine is ‘not suitable to proceed’ on environmental grounds,” Schindler said.

“It also backs the conclusions of expert scientists appointed by the federal Government who warned in early 2021 they could not envisage any mitigation measures by that could safeguard nearby environments.”

Schindler said Ley should have rejected the application 12 months ago.

“As we near the election, we call on all parties to follow the scientific advice, including from the federal government’s own independent scientific expert panel, and reject this mine.

“Approving a mine that will only add to the heating stress and water pollution on our reef would be an astonishingly bad decision for any government which wants to protect our global icon.”

PERU

Excusive-China-owned Las Bambas mine weighs plan to evict protesting communities

© Reuters/ANGELA PONCE

By Marcelo Rochabrun

LAS BAMBAS, Peru (Reuters) - Chinese-owned MMG Ltd's huge Las Bambas copper mine in Peru is considering a plan to evict indigenous communities that have camped on the property and forced a production halt, according to an executive and a document seen by Reuters.


© Reuters/ANGELA PONCE

Peru communities reject latest proposal to end Las Bambas mine conflicts

Under Peruvian civil law, property owners can attempt to evict trespassers by force during the first 15 days after they have settled in the property. If that time period lapses, then they need to go through a lengthier legal process.

People from the Fuerabamba and Huancuire communities entered the mine on April 14 and pitched tents inside the property, including near the mine's massive open pit. Las Bambas, which produces 2% of global copper, halted operations on April 20.


© Reuters/ANGELA PONCEPeru communities reject latest proposal to end Las Bambas mine conflicts

"It's still in the process of being decided," Carlos Castro, Las Bambas head of corporate affairs, said in a text message, when asked about the eviction plan on Tuesday. "The repossession defense can be exercised within the 15 days established by law."

Getting production started again at Las Bambas would add to global supply, potentially dampening prices, though the mine has faced recurring disruptions from impoverished local communities demanding higher financial contributions from the mine.

According to a letter from Peru's official ombudsman seen by Reuters, Las Bambas is planning to attempt the eviction on Wednesday.

The document, which is addressed to Peru's chief of police, asks that law enforcement officials abstain from engaging in violence if the eviction attempt takes place, considering the presence of women, children and elderly people.

A government source confirmed that the eviction had been discussed but he said a final decision was likely to be made on Wednesday. Peru is the world's no. 2 copper producer.

On Tuesday the Fuerabamba and Huancuire communities were preparing for a potential eviction, community leaders told a Reuters reporter who visited the site. Rumors had circled throughout the day about a potential attempt.


© Reuters/ANGELA PONCEPeru communities reject latest proposal to end Las Bambas mine conflicts

The Fuerabamba community was resettled to make way for Las Bambas, one of the word's largest copper mines, around a decade ago. The Huancuire community has sold land to Las Bambas.


© Reuters/ANGELA PONCEPeru communities reject latest proposal to end Las Bambas mine conflicts

(Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Global mystery hepatitis outbreak spreads to Asia and Canada

Japan reports child with acute liver disease of unknown origin, and Canada investigating similar cases, with nearly 200 now recorded worldwide

Severe hepatitis of unknown origin has been recorded in children in a dozen countries around the world. 

Photograph: Rost-9D/Getty Images/iStockphoto


Guardian staff

Wed 27 Apr 2022

A mysterious liver disease that has infected children in a dozen countries around the world has reached Asia, with a case reported in Japan.

The case in Japan of acute hepatitis – or inflammation of the liver – of unknown origin was flagged by local authorities on 21 April in a child who had tested negative for adenovirus – a possible cause being investigated worldwide – and Covid-19.

The patient had not had a liver transplant, the health ministry said on Monday, without giving further details.


At least one child has died from mystery strain of severe hepatitis, WHO confirms

Canada’s Public Health Agency said on Tuesday it was investigating reports of severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin in young children. It did not reveal the number of cases or their location.

So far across the world, 190 mystery cases of acute hepatitis in children have been reported, with 140 of them in Europe, mostly in the UK (110 cases). Further cases have been found in Israel and in the United States. Seventeen children became so sick they needed liver transplants.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a nationwide health alert last week that the first US cases were identified in October in Alabama. The first UK cases were recorded in January.

On Saturday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said at least one death had been reported in connection the outbreak. The UN health agency said the cases were reported in children aged between one month and 16 years. The WHO did not say in which country the death occurred.

Hepatitis is usually caused by one of several contagious hepatitis viruses, but these have not been found in the affected children. Jaundice, diarrhoea and abdominal pain are among reported symptoms.

One theory being investigated by the UK Health Security Agency is that a lack of exposure to the common adenovirus – which usually causes stomach upsets and colds – during the coronavirus pandemic has led to more severe illness among children. Of 53 cases tested in the UK, 40 (75%) showed signs of adenovirus infection.

Public Health Scotland’s director, Jim McMenamin, told Reuters that work was under way to understand if an adenovirus has mutated to cause more severe disease, or if it could be causing the problems “in tandem” with another virus, including possibly Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

UK officials said there was “no link” between the cases and the Covid-19 vaccine, because none of the children affected by hepatitis had received a jab.

Andrea Ammon, director at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in Stockholm, said: “So far there is no connection between the cases and no association to travel.”

The disease appeared in previously healthy children, Ammon said.

Children's mystery liver disease now in Asia

By Karthikeya
| Published: Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Tokyo, Apr 26: Just days after the first death due to mysterious liver disease which is spread in over 10 countries including the UK and the US, Asia seems to have registered the first case. A young child is likely to have been infected by the disease in Japan, Bloomberg reported.

An adenovirus was detected in over 40 per cent of the global cases, the first case has tested negative, as per the authorities. However, the age of the child has not been revealed, the report adds, claiming that the infected person has not undergone a liver transplant.

The first cases were recorded in Britain, where 114 children have been sickened. "It is not yet clear if there has been an increase in hepatitis cases, or an increase in awareness of hepatitis cases that occur at the expected rate but go undetected," WHO said in a recent statement.

Experts say the cases may be linked to a virus commonly associated with colds, but further research is ongoing. "While adenovirus is a possible hypothesis, investigations are ongoing for the causative agent," WHO said, noting that the virus has been detected in at least 74 of the cases.

At least 20 of the children tested positive for the coronavirus. WHO said affected countries are stepping up their surveillance of hepatitis cases in children.

The WHO first became aware of the unusual illnesses early this month, when they learned of 10 children in Scotland with liver problems. One got sick in January and the nine others in March. All became severely ill and were diagnosed with hepatitis after being taken to the hospital.

EXPLAINER: What's known about sudden liver disease in kids

By Lindsey Tanner | AP
Today at 2:20 p.m. EDT

A puzzling outbreak of sudden liver disease in nearly 200 children has health authorities in Europe and the U.S. racing to find answers.

The illnesses have no known connection, although a possible link with a virus that can cause colds is being investigated. At least one child died and several others have required liver transplants.

What’s known so far:

THE BASICS

Previously healthy children are suddenly developing hepatitis, or liver inflammation often caused by viruses. Jaundice, diarrhea and abdominal pain are among reported symptoms. Children aged 1 month to 16 years have been affected.

Most cases have occurred in Europe. The first U.K. cases were recorded in January. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a nationwide health alert last week that the first U.S. cases were identified in October in Alabama.

THE DISEASE

Hepatitis is usually caused by one of several contagious hepatitis viruses that have not been found in the affected children. Sometimes the disease is mild and requires no specific treatment. But severe cases require hospitalization and can lead to liver failure.

THE CAUSE

Authorities are uncertain what is causing the outbreak. Nine children in the Alabama cluster tested positive for adenovirus. Some types of the virus can cause colds but authorities are also looking at a version that can cause digestive problems. It is unknown whether that virus is a cause or is somehow contributing to the outbreak.


LOCATIONS

Cases have been reported in at least a dozen countries, including Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, cases have also occurred in Illinois and North Carolina.

The CDC says all physicians should be on the lookout for symptoms and report any suspected case of what’s called hepatitis of unknown origin.


___


Follow AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner at @LindseyTanner.


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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Departmen

Mutiny! Agency staff 'go on strike' on P&O Ferry that lost power and drifted in Irish Sea for two hours before lifeboats and tug came to the rescue

The European Causeway was left drifting in the Irish sea following an emergency alert from the ferry

The float away ferry was seen bobbing about five miles off Larne Harbour after setting sail around midday

It comes after a disastrous few weeks for ferry operators P&O after mass sackings sparked public fury

 
Back at port, some of the new crew members reportedly asked unions for advice about terminating contracts

Darren Procter, of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said the incident was down to 'inexperienced crew'

By STEPHEN WYNN-DAVIES and DAN SALES and LAURENCE DOLLIMORE

 FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED 26 April 2022

Agency staff have 'gone on strike' on a P&O Ferry that lost power and drifted in the Irish Sea for two hours before lifeboats and a tug were sent to rescue it.

The European Causeway, which can carry 410 passengers, was adrift five miles off the coast of Northern Ireland for more than an hour on Tuesday afternoon, according to tracking website Marine Traffic, before being escorted to its planned destination at Port of Larne.

It was rescued by three lifeboats and a tugboat before it regained power shortly before 2.15pm, much to the relief of passengers on board who had endured blackouts.

After the ship got back to the port, a number of the new crew members asked maritime unions for advice about terminating their contracts, the Times reported.

Darren Procter, of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said Tuesday's incident was down to 'inexperienced crew' as seafarers 'familiar with the ship would have been able to keep it under power'. He also claimed P&O Ferries was holding staff to the end of their contracts and refusing to pay their travel expenses if they leave early.

A spokesperson for P&O Ferries said Tuesday's incident had been a temporary issue and the European Causeway had travelled to Larne 'under its own propulsion'.

It was yet another public relations disaster for the scandal-hit firm - just weeks after it sparked fury by firing 800 UK staff over zoom and replacing them with cheaper foreign crews.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announced earlier this month that the Insolvency Service had started 'formal criminal and civil investigations' into the company, which he said he would be 'following closely' along with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

The probe came after P&O Ferries admitted to breaking the law in the manner in which it terminated staff on March 17 to hire cheaper agency workers, a move that has caused a major backlash from politicians and workers - compounded this week by claims it wanted to cut the wages of its new workers even further.

The European Causeway had already been detained last month 'based on concerns over its safety' and to 'prevent them going to sea', the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said. The Pride of Kent was also detained in Dover on March 28 after it failed inspections to see if it was 'safe to go to sea without passengers or cargo'.

Mr Procter said crew on board the European Causeway had claimed that engine parts were changed with the firm's European Highlander 'in order to pass its inspection', the Telegraph reported.

A spokesperson for P&O Ferries said: 'Following a temporary mechanical issue, the European Causeway is now continuing on its scheduled journey to the Port of Larne under its own propulsion, with local tugs on standby, where it will discharge its passengers and cargo as planned.

'There are no reported injuries on board and all the relevant authorities have been informed. Once in dock a full independent investigation will be undertaken.'

The Marine Traffic website said the European Causeway's automatic identification system status had been set to 'not under command'.

This setting is reserved for use when a vessel is 'unable to manoeuvre as required by these rules and is therefore unable to keep out of the way of another vessel'.


A picture, believed to be taken from another ferry, shows a helicopter hovering above the European Causeway (right), which became adrift in the Irish Sea on Tuesday afternoon


P&O Ferries operated European Highlander vessel in dock at the Port of Larne, Co Antrim, after it lost power off the Co Antrim coast

Agency staff are 'refusing to work' on a P&O Ferry that lost power and drifted in the Irish Sea for two hours before lifeboats and a tug were sent to rescue it

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The European Causeway, which can carry 410 passengers, was adrift five miles off the coast of Larne for more than an hour before being escorted to its planned destination at Port of Larne

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A route tracking map appeared to show it off course and bobbing around in the Irish Sea

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The Marine Traffic website today said the European Causeway's (vessel pictured) automatic identification system status had been set to 'not under command', causing it to drift

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The European Causeway (pictured today) had been detained at Larne after an initial inspection by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) on March 25 uncovered 31 safety failings

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A RNLI spokesperson said that three lifeboats had been sent to the scene to help escort the European Causeway


The European Causeway, which can carry up to 410 passengers, is currently bobbing around


It left Cairnryan at midday - with an unknown number of people onboard - due in to Larne Harbour at 2pm

A timeline of the P&O Ferries fiasco

March 17: A P&O Ferries executive is tells 800 staff in a Zoom call that they are being made redundant and replaced with agency workers.

The firm also announces it has suspended sailings 'for the next few days.'

March 18: Staff protests break out at ports in Dover, Liverpool and Hull.

March 21: Foreign agency workers from India, the Philippines and Pakistan are pictured being transported to P&O Ferries' ships.

March 24: P&O Ferries' millionaire chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite admits to MPs that his company 'chose' to break the law when it sacked its staff and says he would do the same again.

March 25: P&O ferry the European Causeway is detained in Northern Ireland for being 'unfit to sail'.

March 28: A second vessel, the Pride of Kent, is detained in Dover by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

March 30: Transport Secretary Grant Shapps vows to introduce new law to ban P&O Ferries from British ports if crew are not paid the minimum wage.

April 1: Criminal and civil investigations are launched into P&O Ferries' mass sackings.

April 7: P&O Ferries cancellations continue to cause gridlock on motorways Kent as queues of drivers waiting to cross the Channel build up.

April 14: P&O Ferries suspends all of its passenger services across the Channel over Easter.

April 19: Several P&O agency staff are fired after testing positive for alcohol.

April 22: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency seizes a third vessel, the 700ft long Spirit of Britain.

April 24: P&O Ferries are accused of trying to pay new staff even lower wages.

April 26: A P&O boat comes adrift in the Irish Sea and has to be escorted back to safety.

The company's suspension of its Dover-Calais route has caused travel chaos on roads in Kent this month as other ferry companies have been placed under immense pressure to cope with the Easter demand.

Dealing a further blow to its reputation, it was claimed this week that ships were prevented from sailing because their new poorly paid foreign crews had been trained so badly some did not even know where the liferafts were.

A RNLI spokesperson said that three lifeboats had been sent to the scene on Tuesday.

The spokesperson said: 'Three RNLI lifeboats were requested to launch this afternoon to assist a passenger ferry in difficulty one mile south east of The Maidens.

'Larne RNLI's all-weather lifeboat launched at 2.17pm while Red Bay's RNLI's all-weather lifeboat launched at 2.35pm followed by the inshore lifeboat at 3pm.

'The ferry gained power again and was escorted back into the Port of Larne by all three lifeboats which were then stood down.'

A shipping expert said the good weather in the Irish Sea on Tuesday helped avert a potential disaster, while other experts said such breakdowns of large ships are extremely rare.

P&O said that the vessel had been affected by a 'mechanical issue'.

The company tweeted: 'Due to a mechanical issue with the Causeway in the Irish Sea, tugs from Larne and Belfast were deployed to guide it back to port.

'Once the ship is back in Port a full inspection will take place.'

One passenger told UTV: 'The engine just collapsed. Stopped working. They managed to get it working again and we were sailing for another 10 minutes. Then it stopped and completely blacked out. All the electrics. Everything was down.'

The Rail, Maritime and Transport workers' Union (RMT) said the reports were 'deeply concerning, not least for the agency crew and passengers on board'.

The European Causeway had been detained at Larne after an initial inspection by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) on March 25 uncovered 31 safety failings.

This was due to safety concerns after the company sacked nearly 800 seafarers and replaced them with cheaper agency workers.

The ship was cleared to resume serving the Larne-Cairnryan route a fortnight later following another examination.

The ferry company drew national outage last month when it illegally fired nearly 800 staff members without notice over Zoom and replaced them all immediately with cheaper foreign workers.

The agency workers who were hired to replace 786 staff say they were asked to sign new contracts on even lower pay.

The firm has not carried out a cross-Channel crossing since its mass sacking last month.

This has caused a lack of capacity on the crucial Dover-Calais route, contributing to large queues of lorries on coastbound roads in Kent.

One of its ships, the Spirit of Britain, was impounded by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on April 12 over a string of safety issues, but has now been cleared for sailing. Another ship on the Dover-to-Calais route, the Pride Of Kent, remains in detention.

Yesterday, travel expert Paul Charles said it was his understanding the ships had been impounded not due to actual physical deficiencies but because the new crews had not been trained well enough, with 'some not even knowing where the liferafts were'.

An official inspection the European Causeway, which went adrift today, listed an inability to deploy lifeboats or life rafts as one of 31 failures that had been identified. The ferry normally operates between Cairnryan, Scotland, and Larne, Northern Ireland.


P&O Ferries expects to restart sailings for freight customers by Wednesday, but does not anticipate carrying tourists until early next week, it is understood 

P&O boss 'should be jailed' over sackings: Union chief

The chief executive of P&O Ferries should be 'behind bars' after sacking 800 seafarers, a trade union president has said.

Peter Hebblethwaite replaced the workers with cheaper staff in order to protect the company, he said.

However, Pat Rafferty, Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) president, said sacking the seafarers via Zoom last month was 'gutter' and 'inhumane'.

Speaking at the annual conference in Aberdeen, Mr Rafferty said that the CEO should be put in jail to send a clear message to employers.

Mr Hebblethwaite rejected a request from Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, to reverse the decision. He also admitted his company broke the law by failing to consult unions about the redundancies. It is understood the business needed to cut costs to avoid collapse as it was losing money at a rate of £100 million per year.

Mr Hebblethwaite said re-employing the sacked staff on their previous wages would 'deliberately cause the company's collapse, resulting in the irreversible loss of an additional 2,000 jobs'.

Mr Rafferty said: 'There is something seriously wrong with our society when a company CEO like P&O can swan into a Westminster parliamentary committee and openly state that he broke the law - and worse still, he'd do it again. What that clearly demonstrates is how useless the law is. There is no deterrent to companies like P&O who are getting away with destroying people's lives.

'The law needs to change. Peter Hebblethwaite should be struck off the directors register and put behind bars. That would send a clear message to employers, act irresponsibly towards workers and face the possibility that you will be jailed.'

Mr Hebblethwaite was also accused of 'corporate terrorism' last month as he faced MSPs in Holyrood's Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee. He told MSPs he had not taken a cut to his £325,000 salary while replacing his staff with agency workers who receive less than minimum wage.

Mr Rafferty, who is also Scottish Secretary of Unite the Union, urged trade union members to boycott P&O Ferries until the dispute had been resolved.

P&O Ferries expects to restart sailings for freight customers between Dover and Calais by Wednesday but does not anticipate carrying tourists until early next week, it is understood.

On Monday morning the firm's website began selling passenger tickets for cross-Channel sailings on its ship Spirit Of Britain from Wednesday.

The website later said there were 'no sailings available for your selected dates'.

Spirit Of Britain was detained by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) on April 12 after safety issues were found, but was cleared to sail on Friday.

Meanwhile, Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union general secretary Mick Lynch claimed P&O Ferries has been 'prevented from further cutting the pay of vulnerable agency crew' by 'pressure from RMT seafarers'.

The firm, owned by Dubai-based logistics giant DP World, insisted no agency workers were asked to take a pay cut.

It came after the RMT received reports of agency workers at Dover being asked to sign new contracts with reduced payments, according to the BBC.

Mr Lynch said: 'There are no depths to which P&O and their Dubai owners at DP World will not sink to extract the maximum profit from ferry crews operating our vital maritime supply chains.

'This is underlined by the fact that, despite this U-turn, P&O are still only paying barely half of the UK minimum wage of £9.50 per hour.

'Ultimately, staffing ships with super-exploited agency staff is not just morally wrong, it undercuts those remaining ferry operators who do abide by union rates of pay and conditions, and undermines passenger safety.

'The only way out of this latest crisis at the ferry operator is for the Government to take over the running of P&O vessels and reinstate directly employed staff on union rates of pay.'

A spokesman for P&O Ferries said: 'No agency seafarers were asked to accept reduced wages.'

He went on: 'There was an administrative misunderstanding around the contract presented to one individual who appears to have been unaware of an appendix which made clear that he would be entitled to an additional £195 a month, meaning that there was no change in his overall pay.

'There are no plans to change or reduce the wages of any of our agency seafarers and we have made clear that we will continue to comply fully with any national minimum wage obligations introduced by the UK Government.'

The company's chief executive, Peter Hebblethwaite, told MPs last month that the average pay of the agency crew is £5.50 per hour.

That is below the UK's minimum wage but Mr Hebblethwaite said it is permitted under international maritime laws.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wants to create 'minimum wage corridors' on ferry routes between the UK and other countries.

In a letter to the Mr Hebblethwaite in March in the wake of the scandal, Mr Shapps wrote: 'The past week has left the reputation of P&O Ferries and, I'm afraid, you personally in tatters.

'Not only were your letters of 22 March to the Business Secretary and myself wholly unsatisfactory, your appearance at the Transport Select Committee, during which you brazenly admitted to breaking employment law, demonstrated beyond doubt your contempt for workers who have given years of service to your company.

'There is no excuse for this behaviour, and as I said publicly on Friday, I believe your position as chief executive, and indeed as a company director, has become untenable.'

Mr Shapps added: 'I will be bringing a comprehensive package of measures to Parliament to ensure that seafarers are protected against these types of actions in the way that Parliament and this Government already intended. Through that package, I intend to block the outcome that P&O Ferries has pursued, including paying workers less than the minimum wage.'

MailOnline contacted P&O Ferries for comment about the allegation some of its crew did not know where liferafts were kept. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency declined to comment.

It is claimed that if they refused to agree they faced being out of work and one agency worker emailed the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) , declaring: 'We are desperate.'

P&O's boss Peter Hebblethwaite, who earns £345,000 a year, admitted firing the workers over Zoom without notice was illegal in testimony to MPs


P&O Ferries reportedly offered some of the agency workers, who replaced the near 800 staff fired last month, new contracts with even lower wages

Some crew earn just £748 a month for a 40-hour week – barely £4.50 an hour.

In one example reported by The Mirror, workers say chefs paid £2,336 a month on temporary contracts were asked to sign new deals giving them £195 a month less.

Although it is not known who faced a cut in wages, or if staff on seven other ferries were targeted too.

Mr Procter, national secretary of the RMT says some of the new workers were brought in on just a month's contract, and when those contracts expired the staff were offered 'inferior terms'.

The RMT are campaigning for dismissed P&O staff to be reinstated, but 'irrespective of nationality' are concerned for the new staff members, Mr Procter added: 'they are just as much victims as our members.'

UK

Hundreds of P&O ferry passengers left stranded off NI coast after losing power

"I've been back and forth on this route all my life but I've never sat in the middle of the sea before with the lights off - a bit odd!"


By Lauren Harte

 26 APR 2022

P&O FERRY DOCKS AFTER LOSING POWER IN IRISH SEA

A P&O ferry went adrift for hours off the coast of Northern Ireland on Tuesday afternoon.

The European Causeway, which can carry up to 410 passengers, was about five miles away from Larne Harbour when it experienced a mechanical issue.

The vessel had left Cairnryan at around 12 noon and was due to arrive at Larne at 2pm.

But at around lunchtime passengers and crew found themselves stuck at sea due to a mechanical issue.

The ship was back in port after 4pm and P&O has said a full inspection will take place.

Passenger Jonny Wilson was travelling with his wife and two young children, aged five and two, from his home in Manchester for a short break to see his family back in Northern Ireland when the European Causeway stopped in the Irish Sea.

"We were sat in the middle of watching Peter Rabbit 2 when the lights just cut out. You're an hour and a bit into your journey and then you're just sat there in the middle of the Irish Sea. It was very frustrating and annoying," he told the BBC.

Mr Wilson said the ship lost power and the lights went off around 1.15pm before the vessel slowly came to a stop.

"I looked outside and the emergency lights were out...slowly we just came to a stop in the middle of the sea. My first thought was about the P&O and failings of the ship.

"I've been back and forth on this route all my life but I've never sat in the middle of the sea before with the lights off - a bit odd!" he said

"About 15 minutes later we were told we would get going again in about 10 mins but then there was nothing for about half an hour.

"Then it was we'll get going in 20 minutes and nothing was happening but eventually we were told the engines had failed and we can't get going.

"It was around an hour and a half after it happened that we were told we're not going anywhere anytime soon."

Less than two hours after it was due to arrive at Larne Harbour, P&O confirmed the ferry was continuing its journey "under its own propulsion".

Tugs from Larne and Belfast were deployed to guide it back to port, they added.

Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 26th April 2022 

Picture by Stephen Hamilton // PressEye A P&O ferry from Scotland to Northern Ireland has regained power after spending hours adrift in the Irish Sea. The European Causeway, which can carry up to 410 passengers, has docked at Larne Harbour. It left Cairnryan at about 12:00 BST and was due to arrive at Larne Harbour at 14:00 but got into trouble at 13:30. P&O said the incident was caused by a mechanical issue that had been resolved and a full inspection would take place when it docks in Larne.

Three RNLI lifeboats from Larne and Red Bay have been sent to the scene, an RNLI spokesperson said.

The website states the vessel's automatic identification system status is set to "not under command" which is reserved for use when a vessel is "unable to manoeuvre as required by these rules and is, therefore, unable to keep out of the way of another vessel".

Last month, this ferry was detained in Northern Ireland after being deemed "unfit to sail" around the same time that hundreds of UK staff were suddenly sacked.

The European Causeway vessel was in the Northern Ireland port due to "failures on crew familiarisation, vessel documentation and crew training", the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said at the time.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said at the time he will not compromise the safety of P&O vessels and insisted that the company will not be able to rush training for inexperienced people.

The company sacked almost 800 seafarers and plans to replace them with agency staff on cheaper salaries.

On April 8, the ferry was released from detention and cleared to sail again.

A spokesperson for P&O Ferries said: "Following a temporary mechanical issue, the European Causeway is now continuing on its scheduled journey to the Port of Larne under its own propulsion, with local tugs on standby, where it will discharge its passengers and cargo as planned.

"There are no reported injuries onboard and all the relevant authorities have been informed. Once in dock a full independent investigation will be undertaken."

Anas Sarwar: Labour would change law to avoid repeat of P&O sackings

26 April 2022
By UK News


A Labour Government would change employment law “on day one” to avoid a repeat of the mass sacking of P&O Ferries seafarers, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said.

The company prompted outrage last month by sacking 800 seafarers, before replacing them with cheaper agency staff.

Speaking to the STUC Congress in Aberdeen, Anas Sarwar said his party would immediately change regulations to ensure such a sacking could not happen again.

“Those workers kept their company going, kept our country going and demonstrated loyalty to that company and got no hint of that loyalty in return,” Mr Sarwar told delegates.

“For them to be callously sacked over Zoom, for many of them to be ambushed on ships, faced with individuals in balaclavas and handcuffs is disgusting, it is shameful, it is criminal and it cannot be allowed to happen again.”

He added: “It’s also a powerful reminder about why trade unions matter, but also a powerful reminder about why political change matters in this country too.

THE LAW NEEDS TO CHANGE. PETER HEBBLETHWAITE SHOULD BE STRUCK OFF THE DIRECTORS REGISTER AND PUT BEHIND BARS

Pat Rafferty

Mr Sarwar also called for P&O bosses to be “prosecuted”, pushing for them to “face the most severe of consequences for their actions”.

The Scottish Labour leader was speaking while a P&O-run ferry was adrift in the Irish Sea due to a “mechanical issue”

.

About 800 seafarers were fired by the company (Gareth Fuller/PA)

“There is something seriously wrong with our society when a company CEO like P&O can swan into a Westminster parliamentary committee and openly state that he broke the law – and worse still, he’d do it again,” Mr Rafferty said on Monday.

“What that clearly demonstrates is how useless the law is. There is no deterrent to companies like P&O who are getting away with destroying people’s lives.

“The law needs to change. Peter Hebblethwaite should be struck off the directors’ register and put behind bars.

“That would send a clear message to employers, act irresponsibly towards workers and face the possibility that you will be jailed.”

Ukraine says Russian forces 'stole' safety equipment from Chernobyl, 'special work' needed to repair reactor site

The IAEA Director-General says "we have to be on alert" over the situation in Chernobyl.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called Russia's temporary occupation of the Chernobyl nuclear power station "very, very dangerous" and offered to help Ukraine repair damage caused to the stricken plant.

Key points:

The IAEA chief's visit to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant coincided with the 36th anniversary of the April 26, 1986 nuclear disaster

On the same day as the anniversary, Russia fired rockets over Chernobyl and two other functioning nuclear power stations, killing at least one person

The IAEA said it would help Ukraine repair the damage caused by Russian forces to the defunct nuclear power plant

Rafael Grossi, the IAEA's director-general, was speaking on the 36th anniversary of the world's worst civil nuclear power disaster at the plant when its fourth reactor caught fire and exploded on April 26, 1986.

"The situation was absolutely abnormal and very, very dangerous," Mr Grossi told reporters outside the station 140 kilometres north of Kyiv.

"It could have developed into an accident."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced Russian behaviour at the site and said Moscow had shown total disregard for nuclear safety on the anniversary by sending rockets over Chernobyl and two other functioning nuclear power stations.

Mr Zelenskyy, in his nightly video, said the Russians' conduct after taking over the plant meant "it appears they have no understanding what Chernobyl is at all".

He said Russian troops had stolen equipment used to measure radiation at the site.

A confinement structure covers the old sarcophagus containing the damaged fourth reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.(Reuters: Gleb Garanich)

Praise for staff during Russian takeover of power plant

The IAEA chief visited the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster to deliver equipment and lay a wreath in commemoration and speak with current workers.

Mr Grossi praised the staff at the power plant and said 'worst was avoided' thanks to their efforts.

"The first credit must go to the operators, to these people here because they carried on their work in spite of all the difficulties," he said.

"In spite of the stress, in spite of the fact that they could not be working normally, they continued working as if nothing had happened so they [could] get the situation stable."

Mr Grossi warned there was still much work to be done at the plant while Russia's invasion of Ukraine went on.

"We don't have peace yet... the situation is not stable, we have to be on alert."
'Special work' needed to fix damage caused by Russian forces

Trenches dug by the Russian military are seen in an area with high levels of radiation called the Red Forest, near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

(Reuters: Gleb Garanich)

Speaking later in Kyiv after talks with Mr Zelenskyy, Mr Grossi said the IAEA and Ukraine would take on "special work" at Chernobyl to restore "all the capacities there and the infrastructure that was damaged in the past few weeks".


"It is visible that there is damage and we are assessing that," Mr Grossi said after visiting the station.
Russia fires missiles over power plants

Ukraine's state-run atomic energy company said Russian missiles flew at low altitude over Europe's largest nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, and reiterated warnings that Russia's invasion could lead to a "nuclear catastrophe".

Energoatom issued its latest warning about the risks caused by the war with Russia at the now-defunct Chernobyl plant, in what was then Soviet Ukraine.

The company said cruise missiles had flown over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Tuesday during an air strike that local authorities said hit a commercial building in the city of Zaporizhzhia, killing at least one person.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant — the largest in Europe — has been under Russian control since it was seized in early March.

(AP: Energoatom (National Nuclear Energy Generation Company))

"Missiles flying at a low altitude directly over the site of the ZNPP (Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant), where there are seven nuclear facilities with a huge amount of nuclear material, poses huge risks," Petro Kotin, Energoatom's acting chief, said.

"After all, missiles could hit one or more nuclear facilities, and this threatens a nuclear and radiation catastrophe around the world," he said in a statement issued by Energoatom.

Energoatom said Russian troops, who had occupied the plant since March 4 when a blaze broke out in a building at the site after clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces, were keeping heavy equipment and ammunition on the site.

"Thirty-six years after the Chernobyl tragedy, Russia exposes the whole world to the danger of a repeat of the nuclear catastrophe!" it said.

Chernobyl power cut

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereschuk tells the ABC's Four Corners she is concerned about a potential catastrophe if power is not restored at the plant within the next 48 hours.

Russia did not immediately comment on Energoatom's statement.

Ukraine has 15 operational reactors at four plants of which seven are currently connected to the grid, including two at the Zaporizhzhia facility which is currently controlled by Russia.

Russian troops moved into the highly contaminated "exclusion zone" surrounding the Chernobyl plant days after launching their February 24 incursion.

It has previously offered safety assurances about Ukraine's nuclear power facilities.

Russian forces withdrew from the plant late last month.

Ukrainian officials earlier complained the troops had pulled heavy equipment through the zone, disturbing contaminated territory and sending up radioactive dust.

The troops for a time prevented staff from leaving the station, where they oversee large amounts of spent fuel and other radioactive materials.

ABC/Reuters

Ukraine-Russia: What is Transnistria and why have there been attacks on the self-declared republic within Moldova?

It was a public holiday in Moldova to celebrate Orthodox Easter when the country found itself drawn into a conflict it has tried very hard to avoid.

By Jane Bradley
Wednesday, 27th April 2022

In the self-declared pro-Russian republic of Transnistria, in the south of Moldova on the Ukrainian border, two blasts struck the Grigoriopol district in the early hours of Monday morning, taking out masts broadcasting Russian radio stations.

A few hours later, the city of Tiraspol - the capital of the breakaway state – also reported a series of attacks on the building of the Tiraspol Security Service, the MGB, blowing out several windows on the upper floors.

Moldovan president Maia Sandu yesterday held an emergency meeting with her security council, where she described the situation as “complex and tense”.

Tiraspol is the capital of the self-declared breakaway republic of Transnistria.

She said: “What is happening in the last 24 hours in the Transnistrian region is an escalation of tensions. Our analysis, at this time, shows that there are tensions between different forces within the region, interested in destabilising the situation. This makes the Transnistrian region vulnerable and poses risks to the Republic of Moldova.”

Transnistria, known officially as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (PMSSR), was created in 1990 by pro-Soviet separatists, who wanted to remain part of the USSR when the rest of Moldova was vying for independence – or a possible unification with Romania.

Russian troops are still stationed there, although the region remains technically part of Moldova – and is internationally recognised as such – where the main language is Romanian. The government has, in recent years, moved closer to the West.

Yet more than 30 years on from its formation, the region is still seen as a Soviet throwback. Russian display tanks greet visitors as they enter Tiraspol, while a statue of Vladimir Lenin stands proudly in the city. Its is the only flag in the world to have retained the Communist symbol of the hammer and sickle

Footage of the border between Transnistria and Moldova yesterday saw queues of cars apparently trying to leave the region. However, locals insisted it was due to people going about their normal business, rather than a mass exodus of Transnistrians desperate to leave amid fears of unrest.

“Everything is quiet, people are going to work,” a man living in Transnistria told local media.

The attacks, the source of which are as yet unknown, have worried pro-Russian forces. They follow a series of blasts on key sites across Russia in recent days and a number of fake bomb threats phoned into schools and medical institutions in Transnistria.

It is unclear who is behind the attacks. Claims are they are “false flags” carried out by Russia itself to use as a reason for provocation against Ukraine and potentially Moldova. This has been questioned due to the high-value targets chosen.

Professor Luke March, deputy director of the Princess Dashkova Russian Centre at the University of Edinburgh, said he believed that within Russia, the attacks were likely to be resistance fighters trying to interrupt the war effort. However, in Transnistria, he thinks the attack on the security headquarters could be a “false flag”.

"We can only speculate, it could be [resistance] forces within Transnistria or Moldova itself, but it could be a provocation from the Russian side to have something that’s a pretext for intervention, to show that Russians are being oppressed there,” he said. “However, the radio mast bombing is less likely to be. I don't think that Russia would be doing anything to stop its Russian language coverage of those areas, because it's got a very tenuous hold anyway.”

The Transnistrian authorities yesterday announced a “code red” of a high risk of terrorism in the region. It claimed, without explanation, that cars seen fleeing the scene of the Tiraspol blasts had Lithuanian registration plates.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned the situation in Transnistria was a “matter of concern” for the Russian Federation.

The blasts came four days after Moldova submitted the first part of its formal membership application for the EU, although accession is not likely to take place in the near future. President Sandu, who took on the post in December 2020 after running on a pro-European ticket, has insisted she is committed to keeping Transnistria part of Moldova, despite the conflict being a barrier to EU accession.

Moldova has been criticised for its neutral stance during the Ukraine conflict, refusing to take part in any sanctions against its Russian neighbour.

Yet the country, which is one of the poorest in Europe with an average salary of less than £300 a month, has little choice. It relies heavily on Russian gas, while the government also knows it has been within Russian sights as a potential target, one of the multiple "vulnerabilities" both in terms of security and economy cited by President Sandu.

Last week, a Russian senior military general was reported to have said his country wants to take over “southern Ukraine” and open a land bridge into a pro-Russian breakaway republic in Moldova, raising fears of an incursion into the country.

Military commander Major General Rustam Minnekayev said Russia believed there was evidence of "instances of oppressing the Russian-speaking population" in the republic, in echoes of the claims made by Russia about Ukraine as justification of its invasion.

Prof March said while Russia’s plans undoubtedly include Transnistria, it would be unlikely to be in the near future due to demands on military resources in Ukraine. But he warned President Sandu should be concerned.

He said: “It’s a constitutionally neutral state and has made that choice of never asking for Nato membership and instead concentrating on the EU, so it really doesn’t want to militarise the situation. However, Moldova is very internally divided and while the pro-Europeans are on top at the moment, the pro-Russian forces are pretty strong there as well.

"Pro-Russians in Moldova are more pro-Russian than those in Ukraine. The pro-Russians in Ukraine still have quite a strong sense of being Ukrainian as well as being favoured towards Russia. Sandu will be very concerned about that political situation.

"But there is a way in which they could play this in their favour. If we are realising that Russia is an active threat and we need to harden our defences, that actually might be construed as strengthening Moldova’s case for bringing it in on this side of the barrier.”

 

Tensions are rising in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria, adjacent to Ukraine, where authorities say explosions have hit radio masts and the state security service headquarters in the space of a day. FRANCE 24's International Affairs Editor Philip Turle explains why the region is emerging as a possible new flashpoint of the war in Ukraine.

Retired Colombian soldiers confess to murdering scores of civilians

Ten retired members of Colombia’s military began admitting to victims’ families on Tuesday their roles in the assassination of 120 civilians that were later presented as rebels killed in combat.

© Schneyder Mendoza, AFP

It was the first public admission by the former soldiers that they had made people disappear before killing them in cold blood.

One general, four colonels and five officers, as well as a civilian, were due to make their confessions to the special tribunal set up as part of the 2016 peace deal that ended a half century of conflict between the government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels.

The “false positives” scandal in which murdered civilians were passed off as enemy combattants is the largest ever to have rocked Colombia’s armed forces.

“I ask you to clear our family names ... they were rural workers, not subversives, guerrillas and thugs as they were branded,” said Eduvina Becerra, the partner of Jose Ortega, a murdered farmer.

Around 50 of the victims’ family members showed up to the university theater in Ocana, close to Colombia’s northern border with Venezuela, where the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) hearing took place.

“I acknowledge and accept my responsibility as co-perpetrator” of the murders that took place between 2007 and 2008, said Nestor Gutierrez, a former non-commissioned officer in the army.

“We murdered innocent people, peasants,” said Gutierrez, promising to “clarify it here before the judgment, before the world, before the country.”

In front of an audience of sobbing family members, the soldiers gave details about how they murdered the victims, most of whom were men aged 25 to 35.

The JEP, which was set up in 2017 to try the worst atrocities committed during the conflict, said that Ocana was the site of a sinister plan thought up by a battalion stationed in the town of 100,000 and motivated by “the army’s institutional policy of counting bodies” to inflate the reporting of their successes in combating guerrillas and other armed groups.

The tribunal says more than 6,400 civilians were murdered between 2002 and 2008 after being lured to areas far from their homes.

The JEP has the authority to offer alternatives to jail time to people who confess their crimes and make reparations.

The Catatumbo region where Ocana is located is home to the largest area of illegal coca leaf crops used to make cocaine in the world, making it a hub for organized crime.

The hearing is due to last two days with former general Paulino Coronado the highest ranking officer on trial.

(AFP)

Covid-19: Investors in Big Pharma must ensure fair vaccine access for all countries

©BPS
NEWS

April 26, 2022

Investors in companies manufacturing Covid-19 vaccines must use their influence to ensure that supplies of urgently needed life-saving vaccines reach low- and lower-middle-income countries, Amnesty International said today ahead of the Annual General Meetings (AGM) of Johnson and Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer on 28 April and AstraZeneca on 29 April.

With the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global target of a 70% vaccination rate in every country by July 2022 on course to be missed by a significant margin, pharmaceutical companies continue to obstruct fair access to Covid-19 vaccines by monopolizing technology, blocking and lobbying against the sharing of intellectual property, charging high prices for vaccines, and prioritizing supplies to wealthy countries.

Amnesty International is urging all institutional investors, including Baillie Gifford, Bank of America, Bank of NY Mellon, BlackRock, Capital Group, Morgan Stanley, State Street, UBS, Vanguard Group and Wellington Management, to use the AGMs to demand that AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer meet their human rights responsibilities. They should also vote in favour of shareholder resolutions designed to facilitate the universal distribution of Covid-19 vaccines and ask the boards of each company about the steps that they are taking towards achieving the WHO vaccination target.

Institutional investors have reaped rich rewards from this profiteering and short sightedness, but are duty bound to ensure that their money does not contribute to human rights abusesMark Dummett, Head of Amnesty International’s Business and Human Rights team

“Pharmaceutical companies have human rights responsibilities yet continue to play a pivotal role in the scandalously unequal distribution of vaccines around the world. While they and their investors have enjoyed bumper profits from Covid-19 vaccines, low-income countries have received a tiny fraction of global supply and suffered a disproportionate number of deaths,” said Mark Dummett, Head of Amnesty International’s Business and Human Rights team.

“Institutional investors have reaped rich rewards from this profiteering and short sightedness, but are duty bound to ensure that their money does not contribute to human rights abuses. These AGMs represent a golden opportunity for them to correct course by bringing their considerable influence to bear on these companies. They should question each company’s board and support shareholder resolutions that could kickstart a long-awaited policy shift that puts people before profit.”

Amnesty International is calling on all institutional investors in Johnson and Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer to vote in favour of the shareholder resolution tabled by Oxfam America, which calls for the commissioning of shareholder reports on the transfer of Covid-19 vaccine technology that would enable manufacturers in low- and lower-middle-income countries to produce vaccines. This would be an important step to press the boards of each of these companies that they need to change direction and do more to ensure that vaccines reach low- and lower-middle-income countries, where vaccination rates remain very low.

According to Our World in Data, as of 25 April 2022, 65.1% of the world’s population has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, but only 15.2% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose.

Amnesty International is also calling on institutional investors to conduct comprehensive human rights due diligence on their investments, including by monitoring the impacts of the companies’ Covid-19 vaccine allocation policies on an ongoing basis. They must also take immediate action to prevent adverse impacts, mitigate risks, remedy any harm identified, and publicly disclose the results.

Background

In February 2022, Amnesty International published the report Money Calls the Shots: Pharma’s response to the Covid-19 vaccine crisis, which featured a scorecard assessment of the leading vaccine manufacturers: AstraZeneca plc, BioNTech SE, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna Inc., and Pfizer Inc. Pfizer and Moderna fared worst of all.

In 2021, Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna projected revenues of up to US$54 billion, yet supplied less than 2% of their vaccines to low-income countries. Johnson & Johnson’s record on distribution was better, with 50% of their stock reaching low- and lower-middle-income countries, although many of these doses were provided as “donations” from upper-income countries, not as part of sales agreements. The company still refuses to share its technology and intellectual property through World Health Organization-coordinated initiatives and is abandoning its not-for-profit pricing model.

In advance of the AGMs in April 2022, Amnesty International wrote to more than 30 institutional investors in Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers, calling on them to use their considerable leverage to pressure the pharmaceutical companies to remove obstacles to reaching the WHO’s 70% vaccination target. The total investments in the vaccine providers owned or managed by these ten financial institutions amounts to more than US$250 billion.

END VACCINE INEQUALITY NOW

Right now, billions of people in low and lower-middle income countries are missing out on life-saving vaccines. Send emails directly to BioNTech, Johnson&Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer and call on them to end vaccine inequality and save millions of lives now.

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Singapore executes a mentally disabled Malaysian man for drug trafficking

Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, who trafficked a small amount of heroin into the country, was hanged. His case sparked widespread criticism because he was believed to be mentally disabled.

Dharmalingam's case was controversial as he was assessed to have an intellectual disability.

Singapore on Wednesday executed a Malaysian man with a mental disability condemned for a drug offense.

Nagaenthran Dharmalingam was hanged for attempting to smuggle less than 43 grams (1.5 ounces) of heroin into Singapore.

The city-state's government has said its use of the death penalty for drug crimes is made clear at the borders.

His case sparked widespread criticism because he was believed to be mentally disabled with an IQ of only 69.

His brother Navin Kumar said the execution had been carried out and said the body would be sent back to Malaysia, where a funeral would be held in the town of Ipoh.

Dharmalingam was convicted and sentenced to death in 2010

The 34-year-old Dharmalingam had been on death row for more than a decade.

His lawyers had filed multiple appeals against his execution but a Singapore court on Tuesday had turned down a last-minute legal challenge put forward by his mother.

At the end of Tuesday's hearing, Dharmalingam and his family reached through a gap in a glass screen to grasp each others' hands tightly as they wept. 

Rights groups condemn the death penalty

"Hanging an intellectually disabled, mentally unwell man because he was coerced into carrying less than three tablespoons of diamorphine is unjustifiable and a flagrant violation of international laws that Singapore has chosen to sign up to," Maya Foa, director of non-governmental organization Reprieve told the Associated Press.

Rights group Amnesty International who previously called the trial "a travesty of justice," said it was "unspeakably heartbroken at this incredible cruelty."

lo/wmr (AP, Reuters)

Singapore: Abhorrent hangings must end as man with intellectual disability executed


@Mohd Rasfan, 

AFP via Getty
NEWS

April 27, 2022

Responding to the execution of Malaysian national Nagaenthran Dharmalingam in Singapore, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Regional Director Erwin van der Borght said:

“The execution of Nagaenthran is a disgraceful act by the Singapore government – ruthlessly carried out despite extensive protests in Singapore and Malaysia and an outcry across the world.

“The execution of Nagaenthran is a disgraceful act by the Singapore government – ruthlessly carried out despite extensive protests in Singapore and Malaysia and an outcry across the world.”Erwin van der Borght, Asia-Pacific Regional Director, Amnesty International

“Nagaenthran’s hanging highlights the deep flaws of the death penalty in Singapore and the horror of its continued use. He was executed after he was sentenced to the mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking, amid concerns about his mental health state and despite having a diagnosed intellectual disability – in violation of international law and standards.

“Having carried out two executions in the space of a month, and with another man scheduled to be hanged on Friday, Singapore’s government is pursuing a cruel path that is severely at odds with the global trend towards abolition of the death penalty.

“There is no evidence to back up the government’s claim that the punishment is the answer to tackling drug-related problems in the country. The Singapore authorities must immediately stop the current wave of executions and urgently review legislation on the use of the death penalty, with a view towards abolition, in light of this shocking case.”

Background

Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam was convicted and sentenced to the mandatory death penalty on 22 November 2010 for importing into Singapore 42.72 grams of diamorphine (heroin) in April 2009. His conviction and death sentence were upheld in July 2011. International law and standards prohibit the imposition of mandatory death sentences as these deny judges the possibility of taking into account the mitigating circumstances in the case. Moreover, international law and standards require that the imposition of the death penalty be restricted to the “most serious crimes” involving intentional killing.

Medical experts who assessed Nagaenthran in 2013, 2016 and 2017 found that he has borderline functioning intelligence and concurrent cognitive deficits, which “may have contributed toward his misdirected loyalty and poor assessment of the risks in agreeing to carry out the offence”. The Court of Appeal dismissed the concern, stating that “[h]is alleged deficiency in assessing risks might have made him more prone to engage in risky behaviour; that, however, does not in any way diminish his culpability.” The treaty bodies for the Convention of Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), to which Singapore is a party to, prohibits the imposition of the death penalty on people whose mental and intellectual disabilities have impeded their effective defence. Nagaenthran’s other motions and appeals were subsequently rejected including a last-minute appeal by his mother who filed a criminal motion on Tuesday, in the absence of a lawyer.

Nagaenthran’s case resulted in unprecedented protests in Malaysia and Singapore days before his execution. On 25 April, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Singapore’s only space for public protest, Hong Lim Park, for a three-hour vigil. On 26 April, a demonstration outside the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur also drew large numbers before it was shut down by police. Nagaenthran’s case has received widespread attention internationally, including from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and other UN experts.

Malaysian man Datchinamurthy Kataiah is set to be executed on 29 April for drug-related offences, despite a legal challenge he has pending at a Singapore court, for which there is a hearing in May. International safeguards guaranteeing protections of the rights of those facing the death penalty state that executions may not be carried out pending any appeal or other recourse procedure.

Singapore commonly cites the death penalty as a way to deter people from committing crime and solving problems associated with drugs. This claim has been repeatedly discredited, and there is no evidence that the death penalty is any more effective in reducing crime than life imprisonment. Punitive drug policies mandating harsh punishments have been shown to harm, rather than protect people from problems caused by drugs.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as a violation of the right to life and the ultimate cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment.