A student-loan company involved in a major lawsuit against Biden's debt relief just got hit with a cease and desist over accusations of 'interfering with student loan borrowers' right to loan cancellation'

asheffey@businessinsider.com (Ayelet Sheffey) - Yesterday.


College graduates. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images© Provided by Business Insider

Advocacy groups AFT and SBPC sent a cease and desist letter to student-loan company MOHELA.
They said the company's involvement in a lawsuit against relief violates consumer protections.
Specifically in California, the groups claim the company is violating the state's bill of rights for borrowers.

Advocates aren't letting a student-loan company involved in a lawsuit against debt relief off easy.

On Tuesday, advocacy groups the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC) sent a cease and desist to student-loan company MOHELA that accused it of "interfering with student loan borrowers' right to loan cancellation" that President Joe Biden announced at the end of August, according to the letter.

At the end of September, six Republican-led states filed a lawsuit against Biden's up to $20,000 in debt relief under the argument it would hurt their states' tax revenue, along with the business operations of MOHELA, which is housed in Missouri where the lawsuit was filed. A federal judge is set to hear oral arguments on Wednesday on whether the relief should be paused. Biden's administration already issued its defense as to why the conservative lawsuit does not have standing, and advocates want to ensure MOHELA does not further harm borrowers during this process.

"Student loan giant MOHELA has grown fat on federal contracts and back-room deals with big banks. Now its executives think they are above the law and are using the courts to put their profits above the interests of student loan borrowers," SBPC executive director Mike Pierce said in a statement.

The groups also noted that MOHELA's actions could be a "potential liability" under the California Student Borrower Bill of Rights and the Consumer Financial Protection Act. Specifically, California has a bill of rights for student-loan borrowers in the state that prohibits student-loan companies from engaging in certain practices that could harm borrowers, and companies that violate that prohibition could face a lawsuit on behalf of all affected borrowers that could leave it liable for over $175 billion in damages.

The cease and desist letter noted that seeking to block debt relief and understaffing call centers could constitute such behavior.

"Our investigation revealed that MOHELA has understaffed its call centers: borrowers report wait times of many hours with no reply and receiving busy signals from the phone line or a message that the number does not exist," the letter said. "Borrowers with critical questions about student debt relief, such as how to apply, whether to consolidate their loans, or otherwise, cannot receive the information they are legally entitled to receive from their servicer."

Should the lawsuit progress, AFT and SBPC estimate the cost of injury to borrowers in California would amount to over $55 billion.

MOHELA could not immediately be reached for comment, but the Republican lawsuit on behalf of the company — which also manages the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program — noted that when borrowers' balances go to zero, it will suffer revenue loss from servicing those loans.

The Biden administration said in its legal defense that the case does not have any standing, but the advocates want to ensure that whether or not it prevails, borrowers are left unscathed.

"MOHELA's scheme isn't just a betrayal of the trust it owes millions of student loan borrowers, it is part of a larger pattern of illegal behavior and must end now," Randi Weingarten, President of the AFT, said in a statement. "People with student debt in California and across the country have a right to life-changing debt relief and we will not let a rogue student loan company stand in the way."

Annual south Edmonton Thanksgiving feast pays tribute to late laundromat owners

Caley Gibson - Global News

It's a tradition nearly 30 years in the making. The 29th annual Thanksgiving luncheon was held at Leefield Community Hall in south Edmonton on Monday, and this year the meal was held in honour of the people who started the tradition decades ago.


The 29th annual Thanksgiving luncheon, originally started by the late owners of Millbourne Laundromat, was held at Leefield Community Hall in south Edmonton on Monday, Oct. 10, 2022.

The Thanksgiving feast is the passion project of former Millbourne Laundromat owners Don and Shirley Tripp, both of whom passed away in the last year and a half.

"I know they're here. I can feel it," daughter Nicole Tripp said. "They're here in spirit and they're so pleased and honoured. I think this is the biggest honour — their legacy is continuing with these wonderful, wonderful people.

"I don't think they ever expected it to get this big and for this tradition to carry on. I know it's everything and that's all they wanted."

The community tradition started 29 years ago, when two men from Newfoundland were at the cleaner and Shirley asked what they were doing for Thanksgiving. The men told Shirley they had no plans, as their families were back east. That's when Shirley insisted the men stay at the laundromat and she would bring them some Thanksgiving food.

Since then, the dinner has grown to serve hundreds of meals to those in need, those with nowhere else to go and those without families around during the holiday.

"Mom made a Thanksgiving dinner for these guys and realized just how many people didn't have anything to do for Thanksgiving dinner — no family, were down on their luck. And it spread and spread," Nicole said.

"My siblings and myself, we were all there. We were helping make these dinners. My mom would plop 100 pounds of potatoes in front of my dad and say, 'start peeling.'"

Read more
Annual Thanksgiving dinner provides hot meal to Edmontonians: ‘It’s absolutely mandatory’

Nicole said her mother came from humble beginnings. Growing up in a small village in Nova Scotia, their family was poor. But one thing Shirley learned at a young age was that if you have something to give, you should. It's a moral she passed down to her children.

"When she was growing up, anytime they had something, they gave whatever they had. They would give. So for my mom, Thanksgiving has and always will be the most special thing to her to give back," Nicole said. "For dad as well. It was always a matter of giving. They didn't care what they received, it was always a matter of giving."

Read more:
Food inflation sending more individuals to community centres this Thanksgiving


The pair sold the laundromat years ago, but the Thanksgiving tradition has continued with the help of the new owners and several community partners who donate food and the hall to serve the meal. This year, organizers say they will serve 800 meals at the hall, as well as another 200 meals that were delivered to university students.

"There's so many people who need food," said Jane Wang, the current owner of Millbourne Laundromat.

"I like to share the passions, help the people and especially at Thanksgiving, people stay home alone. So better together, share the good."

Read more:
Cooking for Thanksgiving? These items will cost more as inflation bites

She too said it's important to continue with the Tripp's traditions.

"They are just so nice. Every time she came to the laundromat and hugged me," Wang said. "She's just so, so warm and she loved other people."

"This is a nice community project. To see the smiles and camaraderie among people no matter what their religion, race or colour," said Victoria Ewert with the Rotary Club of Edmonton Southeast, which helps organize the meal.

"Some of them, they come every year and this is where they meet their friends. They become buddies and they know that every year they're going to meet each other."

Ewert started volunteering at the luncheon long before the club took over organizing the event. She got to know Don and Shirley and said she wants to make sure people know about their legacy.

"It's become my goal also to continue with this."

Video: Annual Millbourne Laundromat Thanksgiving sees over 1,000 attendees

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi was also at the luncheon Monday.

"This tradition of giving back and community coming together and sharing food together on Thanksgiving Day is just phenomenal. It's a sense of community that I have been blessed to be part of," he said.

Sohi has taken in part in the event for years and got to know Don and Shirley, calling them good friends.

"They were just phenomenal individuals; always thinking about the community, always finding a way to give back. Their business thrived as well as struggled because of the changing nature of the laundromat business, but they never gave up on the community," he said.

"We can absolutely take a lesson from their life on how we can give back individually to make our city and our communities better."

After losing her parents, that's exactly what Nicole hopes to achieve as the meal continues for years to come.

"I know how proud my parents were and are. As kids and grandkids and great-grandkids, we're thrilled that this has continued for them. It's such an honour," she said.

"This one really has hit home for me the most out of every year since the day they started it. This one, I think, has the most meaning because this one is showing their legacy. Their entire legacy is continuing on and it will continue for however many years."

Cap on international students' working hours should be lifted permanently: advocates


OTTAWA — A new pilot project to lift the cap on the number of hours international students can work should be made permanent, say advocates who have spent years asking for the change.



Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced last Friday the federal government would temporarily remove the 20-hour cap on the number of hours international students can work off-campus to address labour shortages.

The cap will be lifted from Nov. 15 until the end of next year.

The International Sikh Students Association has long been calling for this change, and launched a petition early this year to move that cap from 20 to 30 hours to up the quality of life for students.

Jaspreet Singh, who founded the association, said the government's decision to temporarily lift the cap came as a surprise.

"We were expecting something permanent," he said in an interview. "Not for something in response to a labour shortage, instead of genuine effort to help to improve lives of international students."

The 20-hour cap has never made much sense given most employers in Canada offer eight-hour shifts, said Singh, who graduated as an international student two years ago from Sheridan College in the Greater Toronto Area and has since become a permanent resident.

The cap has put stress on students facing ever increasing costs while living in Canada.

"The rent within the last five years is almost double," he said. "So everything has gone up."

The government plans to treat the temporary policy as a pilot project, Fraser said at a press conference Friday.

"We’re going to be able to learn some lessons over the course of the next year, and we’re going to be able to determine whether this is the kind of thing we can look at doing over a longer period of time."

This is not the first time the cap has been lifted.

In April 2020, the cap was temporarily removed for international students who served essential roles during the COVID-19 pandemic, including those with jobs in energy, health, finance, food services, transportation and manufacturing.

The exemption for students serving as front-line workers was later ended, and Singh said students are worried the same could happen again if the latest labour shortages are resolved.

NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan is also pushing for a more permanent change.

"This change is absolutely necessary, and is necessary for the students' survival," Kwan said in an interview.

International students face tuition fees that are as much as three times those of domestic students and must still support themselves while they're studying.

Kwan said she welcomed the news about the pilot, but worried about the motivations behind it.

When the government changes immigration measures, Kwan said, "it's never really to support the people who need the changes, but rather, it's always driven by the economy, or by industry."

Fraser called the temporary policy a "win-win" for employers and students looking to get more work experience in Canada.

Work experience can also give students a leg up when they apply to stay in Canada permanently, said Tony Fang, Stephen Jarislowsky chair in Economic and Cultural Transformation at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

One of the major hurdles to becoming a permanent resident is lack of Canadian experience, Fang said. "This really gives them a unique opportunity to (gain) the valuable Canadian experience, which is very important for the current immigration process."

The trade-off, Fang said, is the potential for students to undermine their studies because they spend too much time working, which could in turn jeopardize their immigration status in Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2022.

Laura Osman, The Canadian Press

ALBERTA TORY JUSTICE

Court of Appeal quashes contempt conviction for Edmonton lawyer who refused judge's mask order

Hamdi Issawi - Edmonton Journal

Retired defence lawyer Peter Royal, seen in a 2012 file photo. Alberta's Court of Appeal quashed a 2021 conviction that found Royal in contempt of court for refusing a judge's order to wear a face covering.© Provided by Edmonton Journal

Alberta’s Court of Appeal quashed a contempt conviction for an Edmonton lawyer who refused to wear a mask in court last year.

Peter Royal, a prominent defence lawyer who has since retired, was cited with contempt of court during a July 2021 hearing after refusing provincial court Judge Marilena Carminati’s order to wear a face covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Another provincial court judge held a hearing the following November, found Royal in contempt and ordered him to pay a $2,000 fine.

In a decision issued Tuesday, the Court of Appeal ruled that the second provincial court judge “had no jurisdiction to entertain a proceeding for contempt before another judge,” and set aside the conviction.

Steven Penney, a professor with the University of Alberta’s faculty of law, told Postmedia the decision relies on a fairly obscure and brief Supreme Court of Canada judgment.

“The Alberta Court of Appeal found there was binding Supreme Court of Canada authority holding that — while in some circumstances a provincial court judge hearing a matter can find someone in contempt at that very proceeding — it is beyond the jurisdiction of a provincial court judge to refer a contempt proceeding to another judge of the same court.”

Superior courts, including the Court of King’s Bench in Alberta, have what lawyers call “inherent jurisdiction,” but provincial courts have limited powers governed exclusively by legislation, Penney said.

Related video: Alberta criminal defence lawyers stop taking new legal aid files in response to provincial dispute

View on Watch Duration 1:44

“According to the Alberta Court of Appeal, the law is clear that — at least as far as the Supreme Court of Canada is concerned — the proper route for dealing with contempt sanctions, where the judge who feels that there may be contempt does not want to rule on it himself or herself, is to refer it to a judge of the superior court.”

While much of the province had lifted masking measures at the time of the citation, Alberta courts continued to require face coverings in common areas and individual judges were left to decide whether or not lawyers were required to wear masks in courtrooms.

Judge Bruce Fraser, who presided over the contempt hearing in November, said at the time that Royal’s refusal to wear a mask was “willfully stubborn and disobedient” given that the lawyer also challenged Carminati by asking her “what are you going to do about that?”

However, Fraser was satisfied that Royal purged his contempt after the latter apologized for the trouble he caused and assured the court that sort of behaviour wouldn’t happen again.

Penney said the Court of Appeal’s decision was based purely on provincial court jurisdiction.

“The appeal does not say a single word about the merits of the decision, whether it was appropriate or inappropriate to find Mr. Royal in contempt,” he said.

Royal is married to Mary Moreau, the chief justice of the Alberta Court of King’s Bench who has been a proponent of masking, virtual court appearances and COVID-related courtroom remodels.

— With files from Jonny Wakefield

Law Society of Alberta conduct hearing for Tyler Shandro adjourned

Anna Junker - 

A Law Society of Alberta hearing into the conduct of Tyler Shandro while he was health minister has been adjourned to an unknown date.


Justice Minister Tyler Shandro.© Provided by Edmonton Journal

Shandro’s hearing into whether he broke the society’s code of conduct was scheduled for Oct. 17-19, stemming from incidents in 2020 when reports emerged he confronted a Calgary doctor in his driveway over a social media post , obtained personal phone numbers through Alberta Health Services to call at least one doctor , and emailed an individual who tried to contact a company operated by Shandro’s wife .

Now adjourned to an unspecified date, the hearing was called to investigate complaints about the three incidents during Shandro’s tenure as health minister, including one alleging he “behaved inappropriately by engaging in conduct that brings the reputation of the profession into disrepute.”

The change was posted on the Law Society’s website . Shandro, a lawyer, served as health minister from April 30, 2019, to Sept. 21, 2021, and immigration minister from that date until Feb. 25 of this year, when he was sworn into his current role as justice minister.

A statement emailed to Postmedia on behalf of Nancy Bains, tribunal counsel at the law society, indicates that either party involved in a hearing may request for an adjournment to the chair of the hearing committee and that the other party can consent to or contest the proposed change of date.

In deciding whether to grant an adjournment, the hearing committee may consider a number of factors, including but not limited to prejudice to any person affected by the delay; the timing of the request, prior requests, and adjournments previously granted; the public interest; the costs to the law society and the other participants of an adjournment; and the requirement for a fair hearing, the statement reads.

“Hearings may be adjourned to any other time or place, on any conditions the hearing committee may impose,” it reads. “In the interest of procedural fairness, it is not appropriate for us to comment any further. The reasons for the adjournment may be addressed in the hearing committee report issued after the hearing is held.”

The hearing will be rescheduled “as soon as practicable for all involved.”

ajunker@postmedia.com

BIDEN A SPRING CHICKEN AT 80

Aged 97, Malaysia's former leader Mahathir Mohamad is running for parliament again

Kathleen Magramo - Yesterday 

Malaysia’s 97-year-old former leader Mahathir Mohamad is to run for parliament in the country’s looming general election, but is remaining tight-lipped on whether he could be prime minister for a third time.

Mahathir, who was hospitalized earlier this year with a heart condition, said Tuesday he will defend his seat representing Langkawi, a popular tourist destination.

But he said the alliance he represents – the Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) or Homeland Movement – has not decided who would be prime minister should it win the election, expected in November.

“We (the alliance) have made a decision. In Langkawi, the candidate will be Dr Mahathir Mohamad, but not as a candidate for future prime minister, just as a candidate for lawmaker,” he told a news conference.

“We have not decided who will be prime minister because the prime minister candidate is only relevant if we win,” he added.

Mahathir, who was discharged from hospital last month after falling ill with Covid-19, has been prime minister of Malaysia twice before, his first stint running for 22 years until 2003. He came out of retirement in 2018 to lead his then coalition – the Pakatan Harapan or Hope Alliance – to a shock election win and returned to power aged 92.

That victory saw Mahathir’s former protege Najib Razak pushed out of office and ended six decades of rule by the United Malays National Organization party or UMNO. Mahathir said he had been moved to act after Najib became embroiled in the multibillion-dollar financial scandal surrounding the state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Najib has since been jailed for 12 years on money laundering, abuse of power and other charges relating to the scandal but remains a political force amid speculation he could receive a royal pardon.

Mahathir warned Tuesday that Najib could be freed if UMNO wins the election.

Malaysia’s current Prime Minister is Ismail Sabri Yaakob of the ruling UMNO party. He dissolved parliament on Monday, paving the way for the election but a date has yet to be set.

In a televised address, Ismail said that on Sunday he had presented a letter of request to Malaysia’s head of state, King Abdullah of Pahang, to dissolve the parliament.

During his address, Ismail highlighted the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent reopening of the Malaysian economy. But he warned that the political landscape in the country had become “gloomy” due to its recent high turnover of prime ministers and governments.

“The incessant bickering between political players can be stopped by bringing them to the negotiating table, to defuse the situation. We seek commonality, not difference. We seek agreement, not division,” he said.

CNN’s Angela Dewan and Niamh Kennedy and Reuters contributed to this report.

Hamilton police investigate 'white lives matter' sticker on campaign ad as hate crime

Bobby Hristova - CBC- HAMILTON

With roughly two weeks before election day, Ward 14 councillor candidate Kojo Damptey had to pause his door-knocking and campaign efforts for a moment to clean off a racist sticker covering one of his ads on a Mountain bus shelter.

"This is a reminder of the things that are wrong with Hamilton and Canada," said Damptey, who is Black, in a video posted to social media Monday.

"Someone or some group of people take the time to put up an anti-Black and white supremacist message on the face of a bus ad. This speaks to some of the things we've been trying to bring attention to in this city. It's unfortunate and we'll see if we can find out who did it."

His partner was seen in the video behind him, cleaning off the remnants of the sticker that read "white lives matter, time to take a stand, white people first."

The sticker, on a bus shelter near Upper Paradise Road and Mohawk Road West, also displayed a URL to a group on Telegram, an encrypted messaging platform.

The sticker was placed on top of part of Damptey's face.

Damptey is the former executive director of the Hamilton Centre For Civic Inclusion (HCCI) and a leader among all of those in the city who speak out against racism.

Police investigating incident as hate crime

Hamilton police spokesperson Jackie Penman told CBC Hamilton officers are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

"The incident was reported this morning. We believe it occurred sometime between Oct. 9-10," she wrote in an email.

"Hate crime in Hamilton is not acceptable. Left unchecked, hate crime can have a far reaching impact on communities. This is an ongoing, active investigation. Hate speech and all forms of racism have no place in our community."

After Damptey and the Equity Network, a local anti-racism advocacy group, posted about the sticker online, numerous responses condemning the vandalism poured in.

"There is a reactionary White backlash occurring in Hamilton where those who have perceived their power and privilege see any emerging non-white leadership as a direct threat to their white supremacy. The dog whistles from some candidates to this effect are clearly being heard," tweeted Hamilton Centre NDP MP Matthew Green.

"This is unacceptable. White supremacists in this city continue to multiply and get away with racism and hate while we see little to no action to address this by city leaders and officials. Enough is enough," tweeted HCCI.

It appears the sticker on Damptey's ad was part of a larger propaganda campaign.

An Ontario group chat on Telegram includes a post from Oct. 9 with five pictures that says "white lives matter activists have been placing pro-white material throughout Hamilton."

The city of Hamilton tweeted Tuesday afternoon it was aware of hateful and racist vandalism on city property including transit shelters and would be removed by city workers "as quickly as possible."

"We condemn racism in any/all forms and are committed to nurturing a city that is welcoming and inclusive, and where the community feels safe."

A post from the Ontario Telegram group Sept. 26 also shows posters that say "white unity at every opportunity" seemingly posted in Brantford. It's unclear if any of the material is still up.

'It's not a quest for social justice'

Peter Smith, a journalist and researcher with the Canadian Anti Hate Network, said there's no clear data on if hate crimes and incidents are more common during election season, but said the far right is more active during this time as they try to get people elected into power.

He said the group connected to the sticker has no real hierarchy but has a broad goal of spreading propaganda and growing the group.

Smith said the people in these groups are generally overt racists and neo-Nazis.

"When you look at their online spaces ... it's not a quest for social justice," he said in a phone interview. "It's an explicitly, openly racist group."

This comes as the city saw a record number of hate crimes in 2021.

Hamilton Police Services recorded 21 hate crimes last year — more than 2019, 2018 and 2017 combined.

Police also said there were 108 reported hate incidents (87 of which weren't considered crimes), a 35 per cent increase from 2020. But the figure is around average when compared to past years.

Almost all reported local hate crimes and incidents last year in Hamilton targeted Black, Jewish, Muslim and LGBTQ communities.

Police have also acknowledged the true number of hate incidents and crimes is likely higher as many instances don't get reported to police.

The rise in hate incidents is part of a national trend, with Statistics Canada data showing 3,360 of them across the country compared to 2,073 in 2017.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.

Small Yukon First Nation bans sex offender using its COVID emergency law


WHITEHORSE — A First Nation of fewer than 300 people in Yukon's north has used a law it created during the COVID-19 pandemic to bar a convicted sex offender from being sent to its community.



The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation in Old Crow issued a declaration under its Community Emergency Act banning Christopher Schafer from the fly-in community nearly 800 kilometres north of Whitehorse for at least the next 90 days.

Chief Dana Tizya-Tramm said Yukon's territorial court decision to allow Schafer to live in Old Crow came via fax to the local RCMP detachment 24 hours before he was scheduled to arrive and was made without consulting the First Nation, which has limited supports available with only two RCMP officers and no clinical health staff.

“This action shows that although we may speak about reconciliation in this country, and we may feel it's important, the work is left to our communities, (which are) understaffed and under-supported,” he said at a news conference Tuesday.

Tizya-Tramm said when news hit the small community that Schafer, whom the First Nation called a "repeat violent sex offender," may return, “the emotions and the pain were visceral."

He said the emergency declaration was the only tool available to “slow this process down.”

“I'm not here to pass judgment on Mr. Schafer. I'm here to deal with the systematic problems in our justice (system) that does not allow our people … a modicum of influence in the larger cogs of the justice system, which is continuing to fail Yukoners and our Indigenous women across the country."

He said the community has previously attempted to reintegrate Schafer into Old Crow and provided the court with details of what supports would be required.

The chief said he is in contact with Schafer’s family and there is a willingness to work on another plan, but the community needs more time and support.

For now, Schafer remains in the Whitehorse jail and will appear in front of a judge Wednesday to continue discussions about his future.

Doris Bill, chief of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation in Whitehorse, said similar situations have happened in other small communities where people are released from jail without proper supports or reintegration plans.

“It has to stop. We have to give the communities the proper resources, in order to deal with these cases,” she said.

“They cannot be left out there to fend for themselves and to take care of these individuals without the proper expertise and the resources in place."

Tizya-Tramm said he wants an apology and a public inquiry into what happened. He has sent a letter to federal Justice Minister David Lametti, territorial Justice Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee and Michael Cozens, chief judge of the territorial court of Yukon.

“We do not and will never tolerate such institutionalized indifference which denies the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, our citizens and community of Old Crow — particularly Indigenous women and girls — of our inherent rights and freedoms to survive and live with dignity, well-being, peace and security on our land,” the letter says.

In a statement, a cabinet spokeswoman said McPhee would be responding to Tizya-Tramm’s letter.

A "hub," including counsellors and a mental health nurse based 400 kilometres away in Dawson City, supports Old Crow with staff travelling regularly to the community, the statement said.

“The department is working directly with Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation to co-ordinate mental wellness education and supports, in addition to the visiting counsellors, that aim to meet the specific needs of the community as well as Vuntut Gwitchin citizens in Whitehorse,” the statement said.

- By Ashley Joannou in Vancouver

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2022.

The Canadian Press

Meta calls out news outlet, says it published stories based on fabricated documents

Oliver Darcy - Yesterday - CNN.com

It is not unusual for Meta to aggressively push back on articles. And it’s not unusual for publications to stand by the stories Meta pushes back on. But the situation that has unfolded over the past 24 hours between Meta and The Wire, a major Indian nonprofit news website, is extraordinary.

Meta has publicly made the very serious charge that The Wire irresponsibly published two widely circulated articles based on fabricated documents, and The Wire has responded by digging its heels entirely into the sand.

The dispute began on Monday when The Wire published what appeared to be an explosive story: that a top official in India’s ruling party effectively had the ability to unilaterally scrub posts from Instagram. Later that day, however, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone poured cold water on it. Specifically, Stone went as far as to say that “the underlying documentation” in the story appeared “to be fabricated.” Stone has a reputation among journalists as a spokesperson who spins on behalf of Meta (after all, doing so is his job), but not as a spokesperson who brazenly lies for the company.

But on Tuesday, The Wire suggested he had done just that. The outlet said that it had obtained an email where Stone appeared to privately acknowledge the documents were authentic. The Wire reported that Stone emailed his team asking “how the hell” the documents leaked and demanding the journalists who wrote The Wire’s story be placed on a watch list. Included in the Tuesday story was a screen grab of the supposed email.

That’s where the story took an even more bizarre turn.

Guy Rosen, Meta’s chief information security officer, issued an on-the-record statement that called the Stone email cited by The Wire “a fake.” Rosen stressed that “there is no” internal journalist watchlist at Meta. Others piled on by pointing out red flags with the supposed Stone email. (Shoshana Wodinsky of MarketWatch has a good thread on that here.)

The Wire, however, has not backtracked on its story. Jahnavi Sen, the lead author of both stories and the outlet’s deputy editor, said via email that “of course” The Wire “stands by both of its stories.” Sen added that “Meta’s claim that the documents are fabricated is preposterous” and insisted the information was provided “by sources we know and trust within Meta.”

The whole matter is quite unfortunate. Meta wields enormous power in India, particularly through WhatsApp, and needs strong news organizations to hold the company accountable. If this is indeed a case where The Wire published reports based on inauthentic documents, it is a massive setback for journalists in the country as it hinders the credibility of the country’s news media writ large.

The episode also shows that Meta has tremendous work to do to earn the trust and confidence of the public. The company’s history and track record, which ironically includes allowing bad faith actors to spread misinformation in unprecedented fashion, makes it easy for people to believe the worst of the company — and disbelieve its firm denials.

THE REAL NUCLEAR THREAT IN UKRAINE
Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant loses external power

10/12/2022


KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's biggest nuclear plant, which is surrounded by Russian troops, has lost all external power needed for vital safety systems for the second time in five days, the head of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog said Wednesday, calling it a “deeply worrying development.”




The warning from International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi came amid a flurry of developments in Russia's war in Ukraine. Ukraine's military command said its forces recaptured five settlements in the southern Kherson region, on the western fringe of a zone under Russian control, and Russia's top domestic security agency said eight people had been arrested in connection with the weekend Crimea bridge blast.

Grossi, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, said agency monitors at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — Europe's largest nuclear power facility — reported the interruption in external power, and said backup diesel generators were keeping nuclear safety and security equipment operational.

“This repeated loss of #ZNPP’s off-site power is a deeply worrying development and it underlines the urgent need for a nuclear safety & security protection zone around the site,” Grossi tweeted.

Ukraine’s state nuclear operator Energoatom said on the Telegram social media platform that a Russian missile attack on the substation “Dniprovska” in the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region to the north was damaged, leading to the shutdown of a key communication line to the plant — prompting the diesel generators to turn on automatically.

Earlier Wednesday, Ukraine's southern command said its forces recaptured five settlements in the southern Kherson region, according to the southern Operational Command.

The villages of Novovasylivka, Novohryhorivka, Nova Kamianka, Tryfonivka and Chervone in the Beryslav district were retaken as of Oct. 11, according to the speaker of the southern command Vladislav Nazarov.

The settlements are in one of the four regions recently annexed by Russia.

Also Wednesday, Russia’s top domestic security agency said it arrested eight people on charges of involvement in the bombing of the main bridge linking Russia to Crimea, while an official in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia said Russian forces carried out more strikes there.

The Federal Security Service, known by the Russian acronym FSB, said it arrested five Russians and three citizens of Ukraine and Armenia over Saturday’s attack that damaged the Kerch Bridge between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula — a crucial thoroughfare for supplies and travel whose much-ballyhooed construction under Russian President Vladimir Putin cost billions.

A truck loaded with explosives blew up while driving across the bridge, killing four people and causing two sections of one of the two automobile links to collapse.

Ukrainian officials have lauded the explosion on the bridge, but stopped short of directly claiming responsibility for it.

The FSB, the main successor agency to the KGB, alleged that the suspects were working on orders of Ukraine’s military intelligence to secretly move the explosives into Russia and forge the accompanying documents.

It said the explosives were moved by sea from the Ukrainian port of Odesa to Bulgaria before being shipped to Georgia, driven to Armenia and then back to Georgia before being transported to Russia in a complex scheme to secretly deliver them to the target.

Putin alleged that Ukrainian special services masterminded the blast, calling it “an act of terrorism,” and responded by ordering a barrage of missile strikes on Ukraine.

Russia’s onslaught continued in the Zaporizhzhia region and eponymous city on Wednesday, shattering windows and blowing out doors in residential buildings, municipal council secretary Anatoliy Kurtev said. There were no immediate reports of casualties, though Kurtev warned locals of the possibility of a follow-up attack.

Zaporizhzhia, which sits fairly near the front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces, has been repeatedly struck with often deadly attacks in recent weeks. It is part of a larger region, including Europe’s largest nuclear power plant now in Russian control, that Moscow has said it has annexed in violation of international law. The city itself remains in Ukrainian hands.

To the south, in a Russian-controlled area of the region, a powerful blast struck the city of Melitopol — sending a car flying into the air, mayor Ivan Fedorov said. There was no word on casualties.

The new clashes came two days after Russian forces began pummeling many parts of Ukraine with more missiles and munition-carrying drones, killing at least 19 people on Monday alone in an attack that the U.N. human rights office described as “particularly shocking” and amounting to potential war crimes.

Tuesday marked the second straight day when air raid sirens echoed throughout Ukraine, and officials advised residents to conserve energy and stock up on water. The strikes knocked out power across the country and pierced the relative calm that had returned to the capital, Kyiv, and many other cities far from the war’s front lines.

“It brings anger, not fear,” Kyiv resident Volodymyr Vasylenko, 67, said as crews worked to restore traffic lights and clear debris from the capital’s streets. “We already got used to this. And we will keep fighting.”

The leaders of the Group of Seven industrial powers condemned the bombardment and said they would “stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes.” Their pledge defied Russian warnings that Western assistance would prolong the war and the pain of Ukraine’s people.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the G-7 leaders during a virtual meeting Russia fired more than 100 missiles and dozens of drones at Ukraine over two days. He appealed for “more modern and effective” air defense systems — even though he said Ukraine shot down many of the Russian projectiles.

The Pentagon on Tuesday announced plans to deliver the first two advanced NASAMs anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine in the coming weeks. The systems, which Kyiv has long wanted, will provide medium- to long-range defense against missile attacks.

In a phone call with Zelenskyy on Tuesday, President Joe Biden “pledged to continue providing Ukraine with the support needed to defend itself, including advanced air defense systems,” the White House said.

Ukraine’s defense minister tweeted that four German IRIS-T air defense systems had just arrived, saying a “new era” of air defense for Ukraine had begun.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Adam Schreck And Hanna Arhirova, The Associated Press

Russia launches 7 missiles on Zaporizhzhia and outskirts overnight


Ukrainska Pravda

WEDNESDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2022

Russian forces launched around seven S-300 missiles on the city of Zaporizhzhia and its outskirts on the night of 11–12 October. Three people were rescued from under the rubble of buildings damaged in the attack.

Source: Oleksandr Starukh, Head of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram; State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) on Telegram

Quote from Starukh: "Two missiles hit a neighbourhood in the [administrative] centre of [Zaporizhzhia] Oblast but did not cause significant damage.

Another five missiles struck the [city’s] outskirts. Three of them caused damage in a village near Zaporizhzhia, partially destroying a residential building; our rescue workers rescued three people from under the rubble. The final two missiles landed in a field near another village.``

Details: Starukh said that there are no casualties. The SES reported that a family hiding in a cellar of their house was trapped as a result of the building’s collapse. The rescuers freed a woman, a man and a child [who were trapped]. Neither of them required medical assistance.

Afghans languish in hotel rooms while Ukrainian refugees are quickly settled: advocate

Bill Kaufmann - © Provided by Calgary Herald

Refugees, primarily those from Afghanistan, are being stranded in Calgary hotels due to skyrocketing rents, limits to assistance and racism, says an advocate helping newcomers.

Newcomers to Canada from Afghanistan shop for traditional dresses in a northeast Calgary store on March 1, 2022.

There’s far more willingness in Calgary to offer rental accommodation or temporary housing for Ukrainian refugees than there is for those from Afghanistan, said Anila Lee Yuen, CEO of the Centre for Newcomers.

“We’re seeing factors of systemic racism . . . When people are asked, ‘would you take in an Afghan family’ and they say ‘no,’ there’s issues with that,” said Lee Yuen.

“They’re more happy to get Ukrainian families – who often don’t speak English – than Afghan families into their homes.”

She also said that because the federal government is working with only one organization in Calgary to settle those refugees — the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) — there’s a backlog of them in two Calgary hotels being used to temporarily accommodate them.

Some of the families have been living in those hotels for several months, say advocates and the refugees themselves.

In contrast, Lee Yuen said her agency and about 20 others that form the Calgary Newcomers Collaborative have been able to work effectively in helping settle those fleeing the war in Ukraine.

“There’s only one organization that can assist Afghans and that creates barriers,” she said.

“We’re really advocating for more than one organization to help . . . If the Calgary Newcomers Collaborative were able to work with them, none of them would be held up in a hotel.”

Then there’s the cost of rent in Calgary, which has been rising more quickly than in other major Canadian centres, that stretches federal benefits paid to support refugees and temporary residents, said Lee Yuen.

According to Rentals.ca data, Calgary ranked 22nd in Canada for average rental costs, but those have risen the most over the past year with a one-bedroom suite pegged at $1,597 in September — an increase of nearly 30 per cent.

“It’s a perfect storm, especially for the Afghan refugees,” she said.

Even so, there are also challenges facing Ukrainian newcomers, who aren’t classified as refugees but as temporary residents whose lump sum benefit of a few thousand dollars doesn’t go far in an increasingly pricey rental market, said Lee Yuen.

They also don’t have the one year of federal financial support that’s accorded refugees, she added.

But individual Calgarians’ generosity and the work of faith groups have helped Ukrainians, she said, of whom about 12,000 have arrived in the city since the Russian invasion began in February, according to the CCIS.

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The cost of rent and completing immigration paperwork are creating some delays in moving Afghan and other refugees to more permanent housing, said Fariborz Birjandian, CEO of the CCIS.

But overall, he said, the CCIS process is working, though 300 to 400 of them are in temporary accommodations.

In the past year, about 3,500 refugees have arrived in Calgary, roughly 2,000 from Afghanistan after the Taliban toppled the U.S.-backed government in August 2021.

“For 90 per cent of them we’ve found permanent accommodation,” said Birjandian, adding for most refugees, that hotel stay lasts three weeks.

“But the cost of rent is always a challenge . . . affordable housing doesn’t exist, but the good news is we don’t have any going to (homeless) shelters.”

The pressure on Calgary to house refugees and other newcomers isn’t likely to ease, with thousands more expected in the coming months, said both Lee Yuen and Birjandian.

One of the reasons for that is Calgary’s still relatively affordable rental costs and more vibrant job market is becoming increasingly known among those coming to Canada, said Birjandian.

“When they get to Calgary they have a relatively good experience,” he said.

“It’s a positive thing for the economy but it also brings more challenges.”

Another is the fact there’s no federal cap on Canada accepting those newcomers, said Lee Yuen, “so (the influx) will continue.”

A man who heads an agency assisting immigrant youth said he hasn’t seen the racism mentioned by Lee Yuen “but we’re focused on children and youth.”

But Frank Cattoni of the Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth said it’s vital agencies work together in the face of simultaneous refugee crisis’ which has resulted in the largest displacements since the Second World War.

“You have to have a collaborative mindset if you want to manage this…you can’t be competitive about it,” said Cattoni.

And he said sufficient resources must be earmarked to ensure youths from vulnerable newcomer families aren’t left adrift to possibly fall into lives of crime.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has been allotted $543.5 million in this year’s federal budget to help provinces and municipalities handle the influx of refugees and other newcomers, said spokesman Stuart Isherwood.

“We recognize that housing affordability and availability are challenges for Canadians and newcomers,” he said in an email.

“IRCC will continue to support the ongoing work to address the current housing challenges many individuals are facing by working together with our federal and provincial counterparts.”

In some cases, he said, that federal support will be extended from the usual one-year limit, who are also eligible for provincial assistance after that time.

BKaufmann@postmedia.com

Twitter: @BillKaufmannjrn