Thousands attend funeral of YPJ commanders Jiyan Tolhildan, Roj Xabûr and Barîn Botan

YPJ commanders Jiyan Tolhildan, Roj Xabûr and Barîn Botan, who were killed in a Turkish drone attack, were bid farewell in Hesekê by thousands with military honours.

ANF
HESEKÊ
Monday, 25 Jul 2022, 

Thousands of people gathered in Hesekê on Sunday for the emotional funeral of YPJ commanders Jiyan Tolhildan, Roj Xabûr and Barîn Botan.

The women who were commanders of the anti-terrorist unit YAT were killed a few days ago in a targeted drone attack by the Turkish state in Northern and Eastern Syria. On Sunday evening, a ceremony was held in the presence of their comrades, families and members of military and political structures at the Şehîd Dijwar Cemetery in the village of Dawudiyê. After the ceremony, the women were sent to their native towns.

The funeral service for Jiyan Tolhildan, Roj Xabûr and Barîn Botan began with a minute's silence followed by the slogan "Şehîd namirin" (Martyrs are immortal). PYD chairwoman Asya Abdullah praised the three commanders as "pioneers of freedom" and described it as a partisan duty to offer resistance to defend the revolution. "We will fight for the YPJ, all defense forces and our patriotic families."

Abdullah accused the international community of complicity in the deadly drone attack on the three women and said: "For every crime committed by the Turkish occupiers against our people, the global public bears equal responsibility. Because it persists in its silence against injustice in our regions."














MORE PHOTOS HERE ANF | Thousands attend funeral of YPJ commanders Jiyan Tolhildan, Roj Xabûr and Barîn Botan (anfenglish.com)

Rockets target Khor Mor gas field in Iraqi Kurdistan for the 4rth time

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Editorial Staff

Khor Mor gas field in Chamchamal district, Sulaimani province, Iraqi Kurdistan. 

Photo: Arabian Oil and Gas

SULAIMANI, Iraqi Kurdistan region,— Three Katyusha rockets hit a Emirati-owned gas complex in Chamchamal district of Sulaimani province in Iraq’s Kurdistan region on Saturday for the fourth time in two months, according to Iraqi Kurdish officials.

The site owned by UAE energy company Dana Gas was targeted three times by rockets in June, with no casualties or damage.

No group has claimed responsibility for either attack, but Shiite armed groups backed by Iran, according to Iraqi officials, have claimed similar strikes in Kurdistan region in the past.

Dana Gas said on Tuesday that “two small rockets landed within” the field, but that “there were no injuries and production operations continue as normal.”

The company announced on June 27, that it has temporarily halted its the KM 250 expansion project in the Khor Mor gas field in Iraqi Kurdistan after it was attacked three time by rockets.

The gas field is located between Kirkuk and Sulaimani in an area governed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Several unclaimed attacks have targeted energy infrastructure in Iraqi Kurdistan in recent months.

On June 26, 2022, six rockets had hit the Khor Mor gas field in Chamchamal district.

On June 24, 2022, a Katyusha rocket targeted Khor Mor gas field in Chamchamal district in Sulaimani governorate.

On June 22, 2022, Two Katyusha rockets targeted Khor Mor gas field in Chamchamal district.

In May 2022, sources said there was “minor material damage” at the Kawergosk refinery northwest of Erbil following a rocket attack. The refinery is owned by Iraqi Kurdish businessman Baz Karim Barzanji, CEO of major domestic energy company the KAR Group, who has close ties with ruling Barzani clan.

On April 6, 2022, three rockets landed near Kawergosk oil refiner, no casualties or material damage reported.

On March 13, Iranian forces launched 12 ballistic missiles at Erbil, claiming the attack was in response for an Israeli military attack in Syria that killed Iranian military personnel. But most of the missiles hit a villa owned by Sheikh Baz.

The assaults have come amid a simmering oil dispute between Kurdistan and the federal government in Baghdad.

On February 22, 2022, Iraq’s Supreme court deemed an oil and gas law regulating the oil industry in Iraqi Kurdistan unconstitutional and demanded that Kurdish authorities hand over their crude supplies.

According to a court ruling, the Kurdish authorities in Erbil must hand over all crude from the KRG and nearby territories to Iraq’s federal government, which is represented by the oil ministry in Baghdad.

Oil contracts between the KRG and oil firms, foreign parties, and states were declared null and void by the court verdict. Exploration, extraction, export, and sale agreements are all included, according to the court.

The KRG has repeatedly rejected the federal court ruling. In 2007, the Kurdistan region adopted an oil and gas law, allowing it to manage and develop its own natural resources.

Copyright © 2022 Ekurd.net. All rights reserved

British Airways ground staff accept new pay offers
By Rob Gill / 25 July 2022 / 


British Airways check-in and ground staff at Heathrow have accepted new pay deals, ending the threat of strike action being taken this summer.

Both the GMB and Unite unions have announced that their members have agreed to the latest pay offers from the airline.

The GMB said that three-quarters of affected BA workers at Heathrow had voted in favour of a revised pay deal offering an 8 per cent increase plus bonus. Meanwhile Unite said its members were getting a pay increase worth about 13 per cent, which will be paid in “several stages”.

Nadine Houghton, GMB’s national officer, said: “This improved pay deal came because of their efforts. Now these mainly women workers have won pay improvements for themselves – as well as forcing BA to make this offer to the rest of their staff too.”

Members of both unions had voted to take industrial action in the dispute about pay until finally accepting better offers from British Airways.

Unite's general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a great result for our check-in members at British Airways. By standing together, they have forced a corporate giant like BA to do the right thing and restore levels of pay slashed in the pandemic.”

A BA spokesperson added: “We are delighted with this positive news.”

Lufthansa ground staff to hold one-day strike in pay dispute
By Rob Gill / 25 July 2022 /


Ground staff working for Lufthansa are set to stage a one-day strike this week in a pay dispute causing more disruption for the airline’s passengers.

Around 20,000 airline workers, who are members of the ver.di union, are due to walk out from 3.45am on Wednesday (27 July) until 6am on Thursday (28 July).

The union confirmed that this week’s strike would affect all Lufthansa’s bases, including Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Hamburg, Munich and Berlin, and would cause “major flight cancellations and delays”.

Ver.di is demanding a 9.5 per cent pay increase for its members and is holding a so-called “warning strike”, ahead of further negotiations with Lufthansa in August.

“The situation at the airports in Germany is currently unbearable on many days - for the employees and the passengers,” said ver.di in a statement. “But workers are not to blame for long waits, cancelled or missed flights, and missing luggage.

“On the contrary: the ground handling services and security forces that remain after two years of the pandemic, including massive job cuts, are doing their best every day to keep air traffic going.”

The union added that its members were “out of breath” and blamed the airline for “hardly doing anything to improve their situation”.

But Lufthansa called the one-day strike “unreasonable” and said it would be an “unnecessary burden” for passengers.

Michael Niggemann, chief officer of human resources at Lufthansa, added: “After only two days of negotiations, ver.di has announced a strike that can hardly be called a warning strike due to its breadth across all locations and its duration.

“This is all the more incomprehensible given that the employer side has offered high and socially balanced pay increases – despite the continuing tense economic situation for Lufthansa following the Covid crisis, high debt burdens and uncertain prospects for the global economy.

“After the enormous efforts to stabilise our flight operations, this represents a renewed, substantial and unnecessary burden for our passengers and also for our employees beyond the strike day.”

The next round of negotiations between the two sides is scheduled to take place on 3 and 4 August.

Network Rail urges train passengers not to travel on strike day
By Rob Gill / 25 July 2022 / 


Network Rail has urged UK train passengers only to travel “if necessary” on Wednesday (27 July) as workers stage their fourth day of strike action.

An estimated 40,000 members of the RMT union are set to hold their latest 24-hour stoppage in an ongoing dispute over pay and jobs with Network Rail and 14 train operating companies.

The latest walkout comes after the RMT held three one-day strikes across the UK in June causing widespread disruption, with another two days of action planned for 18 and 20 August.

Network Rail said it planned to run around 20 per cent of normal services on 27 July with some areas having no rail services at all. The special timetable will also see trains start service later than normal, from 7.30am, and finish earlier, around 6.30pm.

Andrew Haines, Network Rail’s chief executive, said: “Despite our best efforts to find a breakthrough, I’m afraid there will be more disruption for passengers this week as the RMT seems hell-bent on continuing their political campaigning, rather than compromising and agreeing a deal for their members.

“It is frustrating to yet again ask our passengers to change their plans and only make essential journeys.”

Passengers are also being advised to expect disruption on the morning of Thursday (28 July) with a later start to services as staff return to duties.

Meanwhile, train drivers who are members of the Aslef union are due to strike on Saturday (30 July) at eight train companies in a separate pay dispute: Arriva Rail London, Chiltern Railways, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains.

Steve Montgomery, chair of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the train operating companies, added: “We are incredibly disappointed that the RMT and Aslef leadership are continuing with this action, disrupting the summer plans of millions.

“While we will do all that we can to minimise disruption to passengers, our advice is to only travel if it is necessary, and if you are going to travel, please plan ahead.”

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that its members were “more determined than ever to secure a decent pay rise, job security and good working conditions”.

“Network Rail have not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the train companies have not offered us anything new,” he added. “RMT will continue to negotiate in good faith but we will not be bullied or cajoled by anyone.”

UK MPs warn persistent understaffing of NHS in England ‘serious risk to patient safety’

by Staff Writer | Jul 26, 2022 | Briefing

THE NHS AND SOCIAL CARE in England face the greatest workforce crisis in their history, compounded by the absence of a credible government strategy to tackle the situation, say MPs. In the NHS, persistent understaffing poses a serious risk to staff and patient safety in routine and emergency care.

The Workforce: recruitment, training and retention report outlines the scale of the workforce crisis. New research suggests the NHS in England is short of 12,000 hospital doctors and more than 50,000 nurses and midwives; evidence on workforce projections say an extra 475,000 jobs will be needed in health and an extra 490,000 jobs in social care by the early part of the next decade; hospital waiting lists reached a record high of nearly 6.5 million in April.

The report finds the Government to have shown a marked reluctance to act decisively. The refusal to do proper workforce planning risked plans to tackle the Covid backlog –  a key target for the NHS.

The number of full-time equivalent GPs fell by more than 700 over three years to March 2022, despite a pledge to deliver 6,000 more. Appearing before the inquiry, the then Secretary of State, Sajid Javid, admitted he was not on track to deliver them. The report describes a situation where NHS pension arrangements force senior doctors to reduce working hours as a “national scandal” and calls for swift action to remedy.

Maternity services are flagged as being under serious pressure with more than 500 midwives leaving in a single year. A year ago the Committee’s maternity safety inquiry concluded almost 2,000 more midwives were needed and almost 500 more obstetricians. The Secretary of State failed to give a deadline by when a shortfall in midwife numbers would be addressed.

Pay is a crucial factor in recruitment and retention in social care. Government analysis estimated more than 17,000 jobs in care paid below the minimum wage.

A separate report by the Committee’s panel of independent experts rates the government’s progress overall to meet key commitments it has made on workforce as “inadequate”.

On workforce planning, experts found no evidence that targets for staff numbers were linked with patient and service need and little evidence of social care workforce planning at a local or national level. According to many stakeholders the Panel heard from, the lack of workforce planning by the government is having a negative impact on recruitment and retention in both sectors.

On building a skilled workforce, the government was unable to give a breakdown of spending for social care to demonstrate how the extra £1 billion committed annually was spent on additional social care staff, better infrastructure, technology, and facilities.

On wellbeing at work, rates of bullying, harassment and abuse in the NHS remain “concerningly high” with more than one in four NHS staff experiencing at least one incident of bullying in the preceding 12 months.

Professor Dame Jane Dacre, Chair of the Expert Panel, said: “We could not give the government any higher than an ‘inadequate’ rating on its overall progress in meeting its own targets set for the NHS and social care workforce. We were unable to rate progress on any of the individual commitments we evaluated as good.”

“Rates of bullying in the NHS are far too high, and we found measures to tackle the problem were either inadequate or require improvement. Worryingly, our evaluation found that overall progress on all the government commitments we looked at which involved social care, was inadequate.

“In terms of learning how better to support staff, the government has underestimated the complexity of the fragmented delivery model in the social care sector and failed to put a mechanism in place to listen to the their views.”

Responding to the Committee’s report, Royal College of Nursing Director for England, Patricia Marquis, said: “The findings of the Committee show in the starkest of detail the workforce crisis across the whole of health and social care in England. That persistent understaffing in all care settings poses a serious risk to staff and patient safety should shock ministers into action.

“As ministers continue to make claims about the number of new nurses, evidence submitted to the Committee found a significant lack of transparency on workforce planning and in fact that 475,000 jobs will be needed in health and an extra 490,000 jobs in social care by the early part of the next decade just to keep up with patient need.

“On pay, the Committee was very clear saying it is unacceptable that some NHS nurses are struggling to feed their families, pay their rent, and travel to work. Their recommendation that nursing staff should be given a pay rise that takes account of the cost of living crisis should make government rethink the latest pay deal that follows a decade of real terms pay cuts that will force even more to leave the profession.”

* Read Workforce: recruitment, training and retention in health and social care here.

Read: Expert Panel: evaluation of Government’s commitments in the area of the health and social care workforce in England here.

* Sources: Health and Social Care Committee and Royal College of Nursing

 CLIMATE CHANGE

Rising Sea Levels, Drought, Hurricanes and Deforestation Threaten Latin America and the Caribbean

By Alison Kentish

According to the 2021 World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean report, extreme events have worsened the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Region, especially for the small island states of the Caribbean.

Coastal view from the Kalinago Territory in Dominica. Credit: Alison Kentish/IPS

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 26 2022 (IPS) - The highest deforestation rates since 2009. The third most active hurricane season on record. Extreme rainfall, floods, and landslides displaced tens of thousands of people. Rising sea levels. Glaciers in Peru lost more than half their size. Add the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to the mix, and 2021 was a challenging year for Latin America and the Caribbean.

That’s according to the World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean 2021 report, published on July 22. It is the United Nations weather agency’s second annual report.

It states that “sea levels in the region continued to rise in 2021 at a faster rate than globally, notably along the Atlantic coast of South America south of the equator, and the subtropical North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico,” a worrying development for the small island states of the Caribbean and large populations concentrated in coastal communities.

The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season brought 21 named storms that included seven hurricanes and was the sixth consecutive above-average season.

It adds that extreme rainfall led to tens of thousands of homes being destroyed or damaged and hundreds of thousands of people displaced

The record-setting drought in Chile continued in 2021, marking the 13th consecutive year of the “Central Chile Mega-drought,” which placed the country at the center of the region’s water crisis.

“Increasing sea-level rise and ocean warming are expected to continue to affect coastal livelihoods, tourism, health, food, energy, and water security, particularly in small islands and Central American countries,” said Professor Petteri Taalas, Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization.

Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Mami Mizutori said as the second most disaster-prone region in the world, Latin America and the Caribbean are proof of how complex risks can be, adding that shocks that affect one sector can create damaging consequences in another, impacting the most at-risk communities.

“The COVID-19 pandemic offers a quintessential example of how interconnected risks can create severe upheaval, particularly when intersecting with climate change impacts. Last year, the fallout from hurricanes Eta and Iota collided with lingering COVID-19 impacts. The result was that 7.7 million people in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua faced high levels of food insecurity,” she said.

While the report outlines the dire impacts of extreme weather and climate change on the region, it is also prescriptive in its calls for long-term regional and national solutions.

One of these is a ‘risk to resilience’ goal.

The UNDRR head says the Bali Agenda for Resilience is a critical instrument in understanding the nature of risks and promoting mitigation and adaptation measures. The document promotes policies to shield communities from climate and other disasters and thwart a predicted global rate of 1.5 disasters a day by 2030.

“First and foremost is the need for risk management to become a shared responsibility across sectors. Getting on track to achieve the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sustainable Development Goals requires decision makers to adopt comprehensive climate and disaster risk management that puts people first, using current data and timely information.”

The report also recommends the expansion of access to multi-hazard early warning systems (EWS). Investment in these systems has been touted as one of the most powerful tools to adapt to climate change, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has challenged the WMO to present an action plan that ensures all people everywhere are covered by an early warning system in the next 5 years. The WMO is expected to present that plan to the 2022 UN Climate Conference in Egypt in November.

“Altogether, there is a need for a 1.5 billion US dollar investment in the next 5 years to get 100 percent coverage of early warning services and improve basic observing systems. We have major gaps in island states, Africa, and some parts of Latin America, and that needs to be improved,” the WMO Secretary-General said.

The report’s launch coincides with the impending peak of the annual Atlantic hurricane season. According to officials of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC), there is no question that countries in the region, particularly the small states of the Caribbean and Central America, remain highly vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate

“2021 was yet another very active season. Many countries experienced major flooding and landslides that were compounded by a volcanic eruption in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, causing major dislocation, damage, and loss, and there was heavy rainfall and floods across Guyana, Suriname, and regions of Central America, affecting housing, fresh water sources and increasing food insecurity,” said ECLAC’s Subregional Office Chief Diane Quarless.

Quarless added that for small states in the region, the post-disaster need to continually source or reassign already scarce resources has eroded the ability of countries to build back better. ECLAC is supporting the call to strengthen and expand early warning systems to improve forecasting and planning for multi-hazards.

The State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean report provides science-based, timely information for policymakers on the realities of climate change and weather-related events and the best course of action.

The representatives of the UN agencies involved in sourcing and compiling the report says that the region has the needed data. It is now time to act.

IPS UN Bureau Report

Canada's Centerra Approves Resolution Paving Way For Kyrgyz Takeover Of Kumtor
July 26, 2022
By RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service

Kumtor is one of the largest gold deposits in Central Asia.

Shareholders of the Canadian company Centerra Gold have approved a resolution with the Kyrgyz government and the firm Kyrgyzaltyn that paves the way for the completion of an agreement resolving a dispute that will put the Kumtor gold mine back in Kyrgyz hands.

Centerra Gold said 96.8 percent of the company's shareholders supported the resolution, while only 3.17 percent were against it.

Approval of the resolution was necessary to implement an April 4 agreement between Centerra Gold and Kyrgyzstan.

Kumtor had been the target of financial and environmental disagreements for years before turning into the subject of a control battle between the Kyrgyz state and Centerra Gold.

The Kyrgyz government has insisted that Centerra's operations endangered human lives and the environment, which the company denied.

In May 2021, the Canadian firm said it had "initiated binding arbitration to enforce its rights under longstanding investment agreements with the government."

Many Kyrgyz lawmakers have expressed concern about an alleged lack of transparency at Kumtor since the Kyrgyz government took control of the gold mine in April.

Joni Mitchell, 78, graces stage after nearly 2 decades away


By Associated Press
July 26, 2022 

NEWPORT, RI — Surprise! Joni Mitchell is back onstage.

The folk legend performed her first full-length concert on Sunday at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island, The Boston Globe reported. Mitchell has contended with health complications since suffering an aneurysm in 2015, and her last full show was in late 2002, according to reports.

Seated in a wingback chair and wearing a blue beret and sunglasses, Mitchell joined festival headliner Brandi Carlile and a bevy of other artists, including Wynonna Judd, Allison Russell and Marcus Mumford. It was Mitchell’s first Newport festival performance since 1969.

This was, Carlile explained, a recreation of the “Joni Jam” musical gatherings that have brought famous friends like Elton John to Mitchell’s Los Angeles home in recent years.

And Mitchell wasn’t there to just to sing. Halfway through the 13-song set, she played an electric guitar solo, which was her first time playing guitar in public since her aneurysm, Carlile said.

The ensemble played Mitchell’s most familiar songs (“Circle Game,” “Big Yellow Taxi”) and a few of her favorites (“Love Potion No. 9,” “Why Do Fools Fall in Love”).

After their rendition of “Both Sides Now,” Carlile was fighting back tears. Addressing the audience, she asked: “Did the world just stop?”

TURKIYE'S WAR ON KURDISTAN

UN Security Council condemns attack in northern Iraq that killed civilians

Council says it extends full support towards Iraqi government's investigation

Members of the UN Security Council. AFP

Mina Aldroubi
Jul 25, 2022

The UN Security Council has condemned the attack in the northern Iraqi province of Dohuk, which resulted in the deaths of at least nine civilians including children.

Artillery bombing hit the tourist resort of Zakho, a popular destination for Iraqis from across the country, on July 20. The strike also injured more than 30 people.

The condemnation came after Baghdad requested an emergency session of the council over the deadly attack.

"Members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of Iraq and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region," said the council.

The UN body expressed its full "support for the Iraqi authorities in their investigations" and wished "a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured."

It called on all member states to "co-operate actively with the government of Iraq and all other relevant authorities in support of these investigations."

"The members of the Security Council reiterated their support for the independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, democratic process and prosperity of Iraq," said the UN body.

Iraq has accused Turkey of the deadly bombardment, but Ankara rejected claims that it had carried out the strike.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that the attack was carried out by "terrorists" and aimed at harming Turkey-Iraq ties.

READ MORE
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UN Security Council to hold urgent session on 'Turkish aggression', Iraq says

Mr Erdogan said Turkey had informed its NATO allies, including the US, as well as Iraqi authorities, of its position on the attack.

The president called on Iraq not to fall for what he described as propaganda by Kurdish militants.

He was speaking to Turkish state broadcaster TRT Haber.

Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement after the attack extending its condolences to the victims' families.

The ministry said it was ready to "take all steps to reveal the truth" of who was behind the attack.

Ankara has for years been conducting attacks and military operations in northern Iraq, part of a four-decade battle against Kurdish separatist militias, such as the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK.

In 2016, Turkey established a permanent military presence in Bashiqa, about 75 kilometres from Dohuk.

Updated: July 26, 2022,