European companies cut jobs as economy sputters

(Reuters) - Decades-high inflation and the impact of war in Ukraine have forced companies across Europe into lay-offs or hiring freezes.


The logo of H&M is on display outside a store in Moscow© Thomson Reuters

Here are some of the companies that have announced cuts:

AIRLINES, AUTOS, TRAVEL

* AIR FRANCE: France's flagship carrier was in talks to shed nearly 300 ground-staff positions through voluntary redundancies, newspaper Le Figaro reported in June.

* FINNAIR: the Finnish airline will cut about 150 jobs, of which 90 are in its home country, as part of a plan to return to profitability.

* MICHELIN: the tyre maker plans to cut up to 1,600 jobs in France, fewer than the 2,300 estimated in its initial voluntary redundancy plan as it seeks to safeguard production.

* STELLANTIS: the world's fourth largest carmaker indefinitely laid off an unspecified number of workers at its stamping plant in Michigan to mitigate supply chain impacts.

INDUSTRIALS AND ENGINEERING

* ALFA LAVAL: the Swedish engineering group launched restructuring drive at its energy and marine units affecting around 500 employees.

* HUSQVARNA: the garden equipment and tools maker will cut 1,000 jobs, the vast majority of them related to the shift from petrol to battery-powered tools.

* SIEMENS GAMESA: the Spanish wind turbine maker plans to cut 2,900 jobs, mostly in Europe, as part of a plan to return to profitability

* VALMET: Valmet launched negotiations in May for temporary layoffs at its valve factory in Helsinki of up to three months, affecting about 340 employees, due to reduced orders caused by the war and China's COVID-19 restrictions.

FOOD, GENERAL RETAILERS AND CONSUMER GOODS

* CLAS OHLSON: the Swedish hardware store chain said it would cut about 85 full-time jobs amongst other measures to deliver cost savings and reduced depreciation.


* H&M: the Swedish fashion giant, which employs roughly 155,000 people, will cut some 1,500 jobs as part of a 2 billion crown ($189.5 million) savings drive.

* ICA Gruppen: the Swedish retailer said it would cut about 200 jobs due to rising costs, inflation and decreases in disposable income in order to save some 1 billion Swedish crowns annually.

* GETIR: the Turkish fast grocery delivery firm plans to cut 14% of its staff globally due to rising inflation and costs, a source told Reuters.

* SALMAR: the Norwegian fish farmer announced temporary layoffs of 851 employees as the Norwegian government plans to hike taxes on salmon farms to aid its fight with inflation.

* HENKEL: the German company behind Schwarzkopf will cut about 2,000 positions due to low demand for its products, as well as rising costs and global supply chain issues.

BANKS AND FINANCIALS

* KLARNA: the Swedish payments company is slashing 10% of its 7,000-strong workforce after rampant inflation and the war in Ukraine hit business sentiment

* MONTE DEI PASCHI DI SIENA: the Italian state-owned bank has agreed with unions to cut 4,125 staff, out of a total of 21,015, by the end of the year through a costly, voluntary early retirement scheme

TECH

* PHILIPS: the Dutch medical equipment maker will cut around 4,000 jobs, or 5% of its workforce, to counter falling sales and after a massive recall of its respiratory machines

* SINCH: the Swedish cloud communications company will lay off 150 staff, almost 4% of its workforce, as it targets gross savings of at least 300 million Swedish crowns per year.

OTHER

* BASF: the German chemicals maker announced a new savings programme that will include an undisclosed number of job cuts, and later said its European operations needed to be "permanently" reduced.

Source: Regulatory filings, Reuters stories and company websites

($1 = 10.4142 Swedish crowns) (This story has been refiled to fix a typographical error in the headline with no changes to text)

(Compiled by Agata Rybska and Louise Breusch Rasmussen in Gdansk; Editing by Milla Nissi and Alexander Smith)

European energy firms capture most leases in California offshore wind auction

Story by By Nichola Groom • TODAY

(Reuters) -The Biden administration's sale of offshore wind development rights off the coast of California drew $757.1 million in high bids, mainly from European developers seeking a foothold in the domestic industry's expansion to the Pacific Ocean.

Related video: Bidding underway for wind energy leases off Morro Bay 

Duration 0:38  View on Watch

Winners of the five leases were primarily divisions of European energy companies that are already developing projects in the U.S. offshore wind market.

The winners included Norway's Equinor ASA, Denmark's Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Germany's RWE AG, Ocean Winds, which is a joint venture between France's Engie and Portugal's EDP Renewables, and U.S. developer Invenergy LLC.

The auction, which began on Tuesday and stretched into Wednesday, is part of the administration's plan to put wind turbines along every U.S. coastline to tackle climate change and create jobs.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Alexander Smith, Aurora Ellis and Nick Zieminski)

California offshore wind auction bids top $460 million on day two

(Reuters) - The first ever auction of offshore wind development rights off the coast of California entered its second day on Wednesday, with high bids topping $460 million.


FILE PHOTO: French President Macron visits the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm© Thomson Reuters

The Biden administration's sale is a major milestone in the its goal to put turbines along every U.S. coastline and a critical test of developer appetite for investment in floating wind turbines, an emerging technology necessary in locations where the ocean floor is too deep for fixed equipment.

The Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is auctioning five lease areas equal to a combined 373,267 acres (151,056 hectares) off the state's north and central coasts. Previous federal offshore wind auctions have all been for leases in shallower waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Related video: “Offshore Wind Farm has Massive Gravity-based Foundations” (DeFiance)
Duration 1:11  View on Watch

After 22 rounds of bidding, high bids totaled a combined $462.1 million. Two leases off the central coast had commanded high bids of more than $100 million, with the remaining leases attracting high bids in a range of $62.7 million to $98.8 million, according to live auction results on the BOEM web site.

The identities of the bidders are not disclosed during the auction, but 43 companies had been approved to participate.

They include established offshore wind players like Avangrid Inc, Orsted and Equinor, which are all developing projects on the U.S. East Coast, as well as potential new entrants including Swedish floating wind developer Hexicon and Macquarie unit Corio.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Alexander Smith)

Five companies will pay the feds $750 million for the opportunity to build huge floating wind turbines off the West Coast

Story by Ella Nilsen • 

The Biden administration’s first-ever offshore wind energy lease sale for federal waters off the West Coast generated more than $750 million, as energy companies competed for five areas that could eventually be home to massive floating wind turbines.

Five companies, including Equinor and Invenergy, bid on five lease areas totaling more than 370,000 acres off the coast of Northern and Central California. The two-day lease sale concluded on Wednesday.

When developed, the leased areas near Morro Bay and Humboldt County have the potential to generate enough green energy for up to 1.6 million homes over the next decade, administration officials said last year.

The deep-water regions off the West Coast – and other coastal areas, including the Gulf of Maine – will require turbines to be installed on floating platforms and tethered to the sea floor. The platforms will also allow turbines to be installed farther from the coast.

In all, floating wind turbines off US coastlines could unlock up to 2.8 terawatts of clean energy in the future – more than double the country’s current electricity demand, US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm estimated in September.

This week’s auction was ultimately not as lucrative as February’s offshore wind lease sale off the coast of the New York Bight, which drew a record $4.37 billion from six companies.

Related video: Bidding underway for wind energy leases off Morro Bay (KSBY Santa Barbara-San Luis Obispo, CA)

Duration 0:38 View on Watch

The New York lease sale “was just a perfect storm of all the right factors coming together to create a very, very expensive auction,” said John Begala, vice president for state and federal policy at nonprofit the Business Network for Offshore Wind. “I don’t see that happening again anytime soon.”

The lower bids in this week’s lease sale were due in part to the unique challenges of developing wind energy off the West Coast, Begala said. Because of the much deeper waters in Pacific, technology for floating offshore wind platforms is still being developed and tested.

But even with the challenges, Begala said there is massive potential with floating offshore wind – and an opportunity for the US to compete with Europe, which is also starting to develop floating offshore technologies.

“Not only is the potential massive for decarbonization on the West Coast, but there’s a huge economic potential here,” Begala said. “We have a lot of expertise here in the US when it comes to building floating offshore energy platforms; this is something we can do really well.”

The Biden administration has set a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030, as well as 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind capacity by 2035. In addition to the Pacific coast, the Gulf of Maine is being eyed for floating offshore projects.

White House national climate advisor Ali Zaidi said in a statement that the lease sale is part of “an unprecedented expansion in American clean energy production” and a “massive opportunity for the US economy.”

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

UK
Winter snow warning as Polar Vortex threatens most savage December for 11 years

Story by Nathan Rao • Yesterday

Government forecasters have issued the first cold weather alert of the season amid warnings this week for dangerous Arctic air spreading over the UK. Temperatures could plummet to -15C in the Highlands of Scotland ahead of the weekend while up to four inches of snow is forecast for the region.

VIDEO
Duration 2:43
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Britons have been urged to 'take action' to prepare for the cold blast, which threatens to hold out until mid-December.

Jim Dale, a meteorologist for British Weather Services, said: "This is not about panicking, but being ready and prepared in the run-up to Christmas.

"It is important to make sure you are stocked up for the cold weather to prevent a panic when it happens.

"This is especially important this close to Christmas and with other factors that could leave shelves not very well stocked during the cold period."

Freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall in parts later this week will lead to icy pavements and dangerous driving conditions, he warned.

He said: "There will be hazards in parts of the country in terms of snowfall and ice on the roads and pavements.

"This will bring the risk of slipping and will make for dangerous driving conditions.

"The key is to be prepared for if this comes off and do things a little bit ahead of time."



‘Polar Vortex' threatens most savage December freeze for more than a decade

© WX Charts


Snow risk this week© WX Charts

Northern Scotland is braced for blizzards on Wednesday to dump up to four inches of snow across the region

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning across Grampian, the Highlands, Orkney and Shetland, and Central Tayside and Fife.

Severe cold weather could hamper railway services and other travel networks while triggering delays on the roads.

Elderly and vulnerable people have been warned to take extra care while others have been urged to keep an eye on neighbours as the cold strikes.

The Met Office with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a level three 'severe weather action' alert which will stay in force between Wednesday and the start of next week.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, consultant in public health medicine at UKHSA, said: "Cold weather can have serious consequences for health, and older people and those with heart or lung conditions can be particularly at risk.

"If you have a pre-existing medical condition, you should heat your home to a temperature that is comfortable for you."



Polar vortex moves across the UK© WX Charts

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Rebekah Sherwin added: "Temperatures will start to dip this week, with daytime temperatures struggling to get above freezing in many places from mid-week onwards.

"However, the cold air from the Arctic will also bring brighter conditions, with some dry, sunny spells in many areas, particularly away from the coast."

Keep-fitters with underlying health conditions are warned to take extra care exercising in extreme cold.

Health and wellness coach Ryan French, founder of Military Outdoor Fitness (MOFit), based in London, Greenwich, said: "Training in cold weather, as in very hot weather, does carry some risk, so it is important to prepare.

"This is especially true of people with asthma because studies show cold weather can increase bronchoconstriction-a narrowing of the airways.

"If you are training outside in the cold weather, make sure to have your inhaler to hand."

As temperatures plummet, bookies have once more slashed the odds on festive snow with Ladbrokes offering 11-10 from 6-4 on a White Christmas.

Spokesman Alex Apati said: "White Christmas punters look set to get their wish this year, if the latest odds are anything to go by."

Netweather meteorologist Nick Finnis warned a 'chunk of the tropospheric Polar vortex' will 'drip south towards the UK bringing Arctic air'.

He said: "A chunk of the tropospheric polar vortex will push out from the Arctic southwards over Scandinavia and the Norwegian Sea before moving across Britain later [this] week.

"Winds will turn northerly by mid-week and will introduce colder air from the arctic across all parts through the second half of the week."

Exacta Weather's James Madden added: "In addition to the snow, it is also going to become exceptionally cold and widespread frosts will develop across the whole country and deliver problems/warnings for ice in places from midweek.

"This will also allow the fallen snow to persist in many places while temperatures drop as low as -10C or lower in the coldest spots."

The last time Britain was hit by heavy snow in December was 2010 which also brought the last widespread White Christmas.

USA

Monstrous storm could bring tornadoes, blizzard conditions to central US next week

Story by Alex Sosnowski • TODAY

A much more dynamic and volatile weather pattern is looming for the United States as the atmosphere begins to shift gears following a quieter start to December. By early next week, numerous small, weak disturbances will be replaced by one massive storm that could wreak havoc on cross-country travel as well as pose a significant threat to lives and property, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.

"The stage is being set for extreme weather conditions over the U.S. next week, especially for the middle of the nation," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.



Monstrous storm could bring tornadoes, blizzard conditions to central US next week

© Provided by AccuWeather

The orientation of the jet stream will play a big factor in the development of the major storm.

This week's weather will feature impacts from a series of weak storms that will deliver drenching rain from the south-central region to the Atlantic coast and stripes of snow from the Rockies to the Upper Midwest and interior Northeast.

One of the foundational pieces of next week's storm was located thousands of miles west of North America on Wednesday. A large storm loaded with moisture over the northern Pacific was forecast to swing toward Alaska late this week then southeastward toward the western United States this weekend.


Monstrous storm could bring tornadoes, blizzard conditions to central US next week© Provided by AccuWeather


From this weekend to next week, the jet stream will change from its current nearly west-to-east configuration to a very convoluted setup that favors at least one major storm.

The first phase of that storm will unfold this weekend, as it brings a substantial amount of rain to coastal areas and lower elevations and mountain snow to the Pacific coast. As the storm then moves across the Rockies, it will remain potent before it eventually reorganizes into a monstrous system by early next week over the Great Plains and Mississippi Valley.

As warm and moist air begins to flow northward from the Gulf of Mexico, shifting and strengthening winds above the ground to the jet stream level will spark powerful thunderstorms over portions of the South Central states during the first part of next week.

As warm and moist air begins to flow northward from the Gulf of Mexico, shifting and strengthening winds above the ground to the jet stream level of the atmosphere will spark powerful thunderstorms over portions of the South Central states during the first part of next week.





Winter Storm Prompts Blizzard Warnings In Northern Plains

The Weather Channel

"Not only is there likely to be an outbreak of severe thunderstorms with this [weather pattern], but multiple tornadoes are possible," Rayno said. "The setup could bring a greater number of tornadoes, compared to last week's outbreak in the Southern states as it seems there will be just too much energy available in the atmosphere for that not to occur."


Monstrous storm could bring tornadoes, blizzard conditions to central US next week© Provided by AccuWeather


There is a significant chance of tornadoes to be on the ground from Tuesday afternoon to Tuesday night over portions of the interstate 20, 30, 40 and 55 corridors, Rayno added.

Severe thunderstorms could occur west of the I-55 corridor late Monday and may extend well to the east from the Great Lakes to the Tennessee Valley on Wednesday.

Outside of severe thunderstorms, the surging moisture can produce locally heavy rain in parts of the same area. While the downpours are likely to bring yet another boost to river levels on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, too much rain may fall too fast for small streams and artificial drainage systems to handle, which could result in some flooding around urban areas.

The dynamic storm will have a cold and wintry side as well.

Frigid air that has been hovering over south-central Canada for days will be pulled southward by the strengthening storm.

As this cold air is injected into the storm, a zone of high winds and heavy snow will unfold from portions of the central Rockies to the northern Plains from the early to the middle part of next week



Monstrous storm could bring tornadoes, blizzard conditions to central US next week© Provided by AccuWeather


An all-out blizzard will likely unfold in at least part of the zone from Colorado to the Dakotas and northern Minnesota from Tuesday to Wednesday, Rayno said.

"Portions of the North Central states could be dealing with a doozy of a storm," AccuWeather Long-Range Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said. "Moisture that is transported from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to the northern Plains by next Tuesday should be impressive."

The cold component of the storm will result in windswept, powdery snow with accumulation totals ranging from inches to a foot or more. Extensive blowing and drifting and difficult-to-impossible travel conditions in portions of the interstate 29, 90 and 94 corridors could occur.

But even as the storm pivots inland from the Pacific Ocean later this weekend to early next week, areas of heavy snow will break out in portions of Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming. Travel via interstates 15, 25, 40 70 and 80 could be adversely affected.



Monstrous storm could bring tornadoes, blizzard conditions to central US next week© Provided by AccuWeather

Strong winds from the storm will also develop in portions of the Southwest and the southern High Plains. These winds could kick up dust, raise the wildfire danger and lead to vehicle rollovers on area highways.

AccuWeather forecasters say where the worst conditions in terms of snow and severe weather, including tornadoes, will occur will be determined by how quickly the storm strengthens and the track it eventually takes. AccuWeather's team of meteorologists will continue to examine the latest weather data available and refine forecasts as needed in the coming days.

Another risk forecasters will be exploring in association with the upcoming massive central U.S. storm will be the possibility of a spin-off or secondary storm later next week along the Atlantic coast. This potential storm could also produce its own zone of gusty winds, heavy rain and inland pockets of ice and snow.

ICYMI
Yellowstone supervolcano due to cause 'mass destruction' when it next erupts

Story by Anugraha Sundaravelu •

The reservoir was approximately twice as large as previously thought, at approximately 1,600 cubic kilometres (Picture: Shutterstock / Lorcel)© Provided by Metro

Scientists have found that the Yellowstone supervolcano is due to cause ‘mass destruction’ when it next erupts.

The Yellowstone Caldera also known as the Yellowstone supervolcano, is a volcanic caldera and active supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park in the United States.

A team of researchers has found evidence that there is way more magma below the Yellowstone Caldera than previously thought.

Prior research has shown the volcano’s last major eruption was approximately 640,000 years ago.

It was also thought that there were two large magma reservoirs below the caldera—one just below the surface, the other a few kilometres down.

Related video: Yellowstone Supervolcano Holds Up To Twice As Much Magma As We Thought (The Weather Channel)
Duration 0:45
View on Watch





Scientists have found that the Yellowstone supervolcano is due to cause ‘mass destruction’ when it next erupts

 (Picture: Barcroft Media)© Provided by Metro

The ratio of melted rock to crystals in the top reservoir is a reliable indicator of how close a volcano is to erupting. Previous estimates showed the ratio of rock to crystal in the top reservoir was approximately 9%, suggesting the volcano was nowhere near erupting.

However, a closer look at the ratio of rock to crystal in this new study suggests that it is much higher than earlier estimates showed, about 16% to 20%.

Analysing 20 years of seismic data for the area with a supercomputer, scientists created a model that simulated the reservoir, showing both the size of the reservoir and its ratios of rock to crystal.

They also found that the reservoir was approximately twice as large as previously thought, at approximately 1,600 cubic kilometres.

While the findings don’t indicate that the volcano will erupt any time soon, the ratio is still well below the threshold believed to be necessary to set off an explosion.

In 2018, a huge crack in the Yellowstone supervolcano sparked concern that it could erupt soon.

Get your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more by signing up to Metro's News Updates newsletter

BEWARE! Dangerous solar storm to hit Earth tomorrow

Story by HT Tech • Yesterday 

The Sun is confusing everyone. Just yesterday, we had an off-chance of a minor solar storm possibility due to fast-moving solar winds that were approaching the Earth. And today, as many as five different sunspots and two filaments of magnetism have emerged on the Earth-facing disk side of the Sun. This is the most active the Sun has been in months and it is directed entirely at our planet. If any explosion sets off, it would mean a massive burst of magnetic waves hitting our planet and causing all kinds of destruction. While we monitor that, a solar flare burst from the Sun's active region and it is headed for the Earth. Now, a dangerous solar storm is set to strike our planet tomorrow, December 8. How may it affect us? Read on.

According to a report by Interesting Engineering, a set of solar flares went off on the surface of the Sun and the coronal mass ejection (CME) escaping from the Sun is set to hit the Earth tomorrow. While the early prediction suggests that the solar storm can be of G1-class intensity, it will only be able to confirm this once the storm strikes our planet.

Solar storm to hit the Earth tomorrow

While G1-class solar storms are typically not the strongest, they can still cause a significant amount of problems. They are capable of causing disruption in radio waves, even a blackout. This can also impact GPS systems. As a result, flight timings can be delayed and ship transportation can be affected.

But with a number of active sunspots ready to explode, there is a chance of a G5-class solar storm. It can have disastrous consequences for Earth. The strongest solar storms can damage satellites, impact mobile networks and internet connectivity as well as cause power grid failure. Although humans will not be directly impacted by the radiation, due to disruptions to emergency services and power outages at places of high importance, it can still cause a high number of deaths.

The tech that monitors the Sun

Among many satellites and telescopes observing the Sun currently, one is the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The SDO carries a full suite of instruments to observe the Sun and has been doing so since 2010. It uses three very crucial instruments to collect data from various solar activities. They include Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) which takes high-resolution measurements of the longitudinal and vector magnetic field over the entire visible solar disk, Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) which measures the Sun's extreme ultraviolet irradiance and Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) which provides continuous full-disk observations of the solar chromosphere and corona in seven extreme ultraviolet (EUV) channels.

Sign on to read the HT ePaper epaper.hindustantimes.com

Earth has been hit by an ‘unusual, intense blast of energy’ from nearby galaxy that could change our understanding of the universe

IT ALREADY HAS

Story by Andrew Griffin • 

Low-Res_Unknown.png.png© Aaron M. Geller/Northwestern/CIERA and IT Research Computing Services

Earth has been hit by an intense, unusual blast of light that could change our understanding of the universe, scientists have said.

Late last year, scientists spotted a 50-second-long blast of energy coming towards Earth, known as a gamma-ray burst or GRB, which are the most powerful explosions in the universe. Immediately, researchers started looking for the afterglow that such blasts leave behind, with that visible light being useful to find where the blast has come from.

Repeated signals coming to earth from another galaxy, scientists say

Duration 0:58  View on Watch

But those researchers instead found something else entirely: that the blast appeared to have come from a kilonova. Those rare events only happen when a neutron star merges with another very compact object – either another neutron star or a black hole.

The study challenges our understanding of where such long-lasting GRBs come from. But it could also provide an exciting way to answer other questions about the universe, such as where its heaviest elements come from, which still remains a mystery.

And the galaxy from which the GRB came from is also strange. It is young and still forming stars – the opposite of the only other known nearby galaxy that has played host to such an event.

“This event looks unlike anything else we have seen before from a long gamma-ray burst,” said Jillian Rastinejad, from Northwestern University, who led the study. “Its gamma rays resemble those of bursts produced by the collapse of massive stars.

Given that all other confirmed neutron star mergers we have observed have been accompanied by bursts lasting less than two seconds, we had every reason to expect this 50-second GRB was created by the collapse of a massive star. This event represents an exciting paradigm shift for gamma-ray burst astronomy.”

A paper describing the findings, ‘A kilonova following a long-duration gamma-ray burst at 350 Mpc’, is published in the journal Nature today.

The blast was first spotted in December 2021, by Nasa’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Since then, researchers have been looking to categorise the explosion, and understand where it might have come from.

Among other findings, they showed that the one event produced heavy elements that amounted to roughly 1,000 times the mass of our Earth. That suggests that kilonovae are the main place that gold is produced in the universe.

And because the galaxy from which the GRB came from is relatively nearby, scientists were able to get an unusually good look at it. What’s more, that could help explain other gamma-ray bursts that do not seem to fit with our understanding of where they come from.

“This was a remarkable GRB,” said Benjamin Gompertz. “We don’t expect mergers to last more than about two seconds. Somehow, this one powered a jet for almost a full minute. It’s possible the behaviour could be explained by a long-lasting neutron star, but we can’t rule out that what we saw was a neutron star being ripped apart by a black hole.

“Studying more of these events will help us determine which is the right answer and the detailed information we gained from GRB 211211A will be invaluable for this interpretation.”

And scientists hope that the switch-on of the James Webb Space Telescope will get an even better view of kilonovae. That telescope is able to capture images of distant astronomical objects, and “sniff” their atmosphere, allowing it to see exactly what elements are present through a process known as spectroscopy.

“Unfortunately, even the best ground-based telescopes are not sensitive enough to perform spectroscopy,” Rastinejad said. “With the JWST, we could have obtained a spectrum of the kilonova. Those spectral lines provide direct evidence that you have detected the heaviest elements.”

From news to politics, travel to sport, culture to climate – The Independent has a host of free newsletters to suit your interests. To find the stories you want to read, and more, in your inbox, click here.

YANKEE POLLUTION IN CANADIAN WATERS

Coast Guard identifies oil spill south of Prince Rupert


Oil is leaking again from the sunken United States Army Transport (USAT) Brigadier General M.G. Zalinski vessel in Grenville Channel, about 100 kilometres south of Prince Rupert, the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) stated on Dec. 1.

Guardians noticed a “small amount” of oil on the water near the wreck site this September and October, the coast guard stated. They completed an assessment of the site and found three leaks releasing slow but consistent drops of oil into the marine environment.

The CCG is working with Gitga’at and Gitxaala First Nations who have created an Emergency Coordination Centre with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) along side the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change to address the spill, a social media post stated.

The wreck is in a difficult location on the edge of a rocky shelf with challenging currents, tides and weather patterns. The ship itself is also badly deteriorating in some areas. These factors create a safety risk to the coast guard that they must consider in their plans to respond to the incident, a spokesperson wrote.

“While the current amount of marine pollution upwelling from the shipwreck is minimal, it is possible the amount could increase. The Canadian Coast Guard is taking action now to assess and contain the immediate threats posed by the wreck to prevent long-term damage to the environment.”

The Zalinski ran aground and sunk in Grenville Channel in 1946 while travelling from Seattle to Alaska. The vessel lies upside down in 27 metres of water and has had multiple small oil leaks.

In 2013 the CCG led an operation with Gitga’at First Nation to remove 40,000 litres of heavy oil and 319,000 litres of oily water, a spokesperson for the coast guard stated. However, during this removal mission, they found a number of fuel tanks had collapsed and therefore, they could not pump oil out at the time.

“Since 2013, the Canadian Coast Guard has been working in partnership with the Gitga’at and Gitxaala First Nations, keeping a close eye on the wreck and area.”

The leak this fall was just the latest in a series of spills. In 2015, they removed 3,300 litres of oil and three years later, in 2018, they removed 300 litres of oil.

Kaitlyn Bailey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince Rupert Northern View

GREEN BANKING

Pressure building on suppliers to reduce emissions: BMO Climate Institute

TORONTO — Small and medium-sized businesses should start thinking about building climate plans into their operations to stay competitive, said the head of the BMO Climate Institute.



Susan McGeachie said large companies are increasingly looking at the emissions profile of their suppliers, providing both risks and opportunities for smaller players.

“It's always been on the radar, but in the last two years, it's really taken hold that the majority of their emissions are in their value chains.”

Her comments come as the institute released a survey Wednesday of more than 600 leaders of small and medium businesses in Canada and the U.S. that found 69 per cent of respondents expect climate change to disrupt operations over the next five years, while only 24 per cent of Canadian business have a plan to address it.

The survey, the first of a planned annual tally, is meant to establish a baseline to track progress as well as prompt businesses to consider how they plan to respond to the climate change challenges ahead, said McGeachie.

She said large companies are generally not yet cutting out suppliers over their level of climate action, but the trend is moving toward higher expectations.

For now a big part of the effort is just on getting better data, so that companies understand their emissions profile. Establishing a new measurement system can be costly but there are automated efforts in the works, said McGeachie.

Some corporations are also prepared to help suppliers reduce emissions by co-investing in new technology, she said.

“Big companies are actually looking strategically about the solutions that they can invest in, and how do they collaborate and work with partners.”

The survey of small and medium businesses found that 21 per cent said investor expectations influenced their decision to adopt a climate change policy, but most Canadian businesses ranked labour shortages and supply chain challenges as bigger concerns.

Only nine per cent of respondents in Canada said they feel supported by the government in their efforts to develop a climate plan.

BMO says small and medium enterprises account for about 98 of all businesses in Canada and employ about 70 per cent of the workforce.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2022.

Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press

‘Indict me too’: Will Cryptome’s call to be charged kill the case against WikiLeaks’ Assange?

Opinion by James C. Goodale, opinion contributor • 

Last week John Young, founder of Cryptome an American website, asked the Justice Department to indict his company for publishing some of the leaks for which WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange also has been indicted. Cryptome, Young asserts, published these leaks before Assange did.

There is no question that the Cryptome assertions are accurate, since they are fully documented and unchallenged in the opinion written by the United Kingdom court with respect to the extradition of Assange from Britain to the United States. Indeed, Young testified under oath in Assange’s U.K. case to this effect.

Since Cryptome published the leaks before Assange did, Assange should have no liability for such publication, many First Amendment lawyers believe. If so, this cuts the heart out of the government’s case against Assange, which is beginning to look like a piece of Swiss cheese because it has so many holes in it.

Young, an idiosyncratic architect in his late 70s with major architectural commissions to his credit, also teaches at Columbia University, from which he graduated. In the early 1990s he was among the first to scan classified materials on the internet, of which he had become an early user in connection with his architectural practice. Think of him as a brilliant, successful, highly educated, anti-war, anti-establishment activist.

It will be recalled that Army private Chelsea Manning leaked to Wikileaks classified materials consisting of diplomatic cables and Iraq-Afghanistan war logs — information from confidential sources involving the conduct of the war in those two countries. It also included a classified U.S. military video — now widely known as the “Collateral Murder” video — of two Reuters reporters being gunned down by a U.S. helicopter, an obvious war crime.

Assange published the war logs portion and the “Collateral Murder” tape. He then asked a range of U.S., British, French, German and Spanish media sites — The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, Der Spiegel and El Pais — to be his partner in the publication of the diplomatic cables.

Assange spent months scrubbing these cables of sources. But before he could publish with his partners, Cryptome published his whole file.

It turned out that two Guardian journalists mistakenly published on the internet the code for Assange’s private material which disclosed sources and which he was using his best efforts to scrub. Cryptome noted the publication of Assange’s secret code, used it to open Assange’s website, and published information which Assange did not intend to publish, including his sources. Assange, furious that he had been scooped, then published himself with his sources identified.

This in turn means that Assange may not have liability under the U.S. Espionage Act for publication of the cables but only for publication of the Iraq and Afghanistan war logs. Even so, the U.S. government has a major problem in prosecuting Assange for the war logs because it was unable to prove in the case of Chelsea Manning that such publication caused any damage to anybody.

The government, no doubt realizing that it has severe weaknesses in its espionage case, bookended its indictment with hacking violations which might keep the case against Assange alive should the Espionage Act charges be eliminated.

Only one of the hacking violations was “tried” in the U.K. extradition case, and the U.S. government had a difficult time, in my estimation, proving its case.

Yet another hacking violation against Assange is based in part on dubious testimony from a convicted criminal who was jailed after the indictment, casting doubt on these hacking violations. In short, one wonders whether the hacking violations are merely a smoke screen to jail Assange by any means possible.

When Assange published the full version of the diplomatic cables, his publishing partners (The Guardian et al.) were angry with him since they “made a deal” with him that he would not publish sources. They wrote an angry letter to him which they made public; they did not know at the time, however, that Cryptome was the real culprit.

Last week, the New York Times and the other papers issued a statement backing Assange to let the public know they still support him and urge the Biden administration to drop the espionage case against him. This statement effectively cleared the air with respect to their relationship with Assange.

Assange’s case is on appeal to the U.K. Supreme Court and will be heard sometime next month. Assange also has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, which could issue an injunction against his extradition.

It should be remembered that this case was brought by the Trump administration’s Justice Department, not by the Biden administration. Earlier, the Obama administration decided not to bring the case because it would set a precedent for suing those who publish classified information, such as The New York Times.

Despite what Cryptome says, the company really does not want to be indicted. It does, however, wish to attract attention to the illogic of the indictment of Assange. Cryptome’s Young said in an interview that “it is unfair to indict Assange” and not himself.

The whole case has a bad odor about it, inherited from the Trump administration. I have not asserted here, for example, the Trump-era CIA attempt to kidnap or kill Assange and the wiretap of his conversations with his lawyers, although I have written previously in The Hill about these events.

There is no reason Attorney General Merrick Garland should be stuck with an ill-advised case brought by the Trump administration. He would be well off getting rid of this one as soon as possible.

James C. Goodale is the former general counsel and vice chairman of The New York Times and the author of “Fighting for the Press: The Inside Story of the Pentagon Papers and Other Battles.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

Trudeau says 120 countries are ready to agree to 30 by 30 framework at COP15

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he believes at least 120 countries are ready to sign on to a COP15 nature summit target to protect nearly one-third of land and marine coastlines by 2030.



But he acknowledges the negotiations with some of the five biggest countries in the world pose a diplomatic and political challenge.

China is officially the host of this conference but because of ongoing COVID-19 restrictions there, the event is being held Montreal.

That gives Canada more influence in the negotiations, and Trudeau says it's allowed Canada to push for more than China was seeking.

He also says Canada made it clear to both China and the UN that if the conference was in Montreal it would be under local rules, with tolerance for protest and divergent opinions.

Trudeau says Russia, which is home to one-fifth of the world's forested land, is already proving to be a disruptive presence at COP15 — but Canada and other countries are determined not to let Russia prevent a successful deal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2022.

The Canadian Press

Developed countries called on to provide meaningful financial support at COP15

MONTREAL — Hard talks on hard targets for saving the world's biodiversity began Wednesday at an international conference in Montreal, with calls for rich nations to pony up to save functioning ecosystems where most of them exist — in poor nations.


Developed countries called on to provide meaningful financial support at COP15© Provided by The Canadian Press

"We need developed countries to provide meaningful financial support for the countries of the global south as custodians of the world’s natural wealth following centuries of exploitation and loss," said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as the COP15 conference began.

Delegates from more than 190 countries will try over the next two weeks to thrash out what they call a framework for preserving biodiversity with timed, measurable targets.

Prominent among them is a proposal that nearly a third of Earth's land and water should be protected by 2030. Advocates say more than 100 countries support the idea, but the draft text on conservation targets still has more brackets in it than agreed wording.

"We've made some progress," said Stephen Woodley of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a high-profile group of governments and civil society organizations advising conference delegates. "It's tough sledding."

But funding — known in COP-speak as "mobilization of resources" — is considered just as central to success.

The rationale is simple. Most remaining biodiversity is in the developing nations of the global south, while most of the money — much of which has been generated at the expense of that biodiversity — is in the rich countries of the north.

That's where the simplicity ends.

"It is one of the tricky issues of this process," said Eddy Perez of Climate Action Network Canada.

Estimates of the possible tab vary wildly.

Perez said a group of African countries is looking for about $100 billion a year. The International Union for Conservation of Nature — an influential group of scientists and non-governmental organizations — says the figure should be twice that.

"The total need is very difficult to assess," said Florian Titze of the World Wildlife Fund. "The only thing they have in common is it's in the hundreds of billions."

Related video: UN Biodiversity Conference kicks-off in Montreal (WION)
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Negotiators haven't even agreed on how the tab should be tallied.

There's money for biodiversity from governments, spent both internationally and domestically. There's money from private finance that does the same.

And there's funding from public and private sources that works against it. The UN says in 2019 major investment banks provided an estimated $2.6 trillion to sectors that governments and scientists agree are driving ecosystem destruction.

On Tuesday, Canada announced it would earmark an additional $350 million for biodiversity projects in developing countries. On Wednesday, the European Union sounded skeptical about upping its contribution from its pledge of $7 billion by 2025.

Hugo-Maria Schally, the European Commission’s Directorate General for the Environment, told the conference that the current amounts being discussed are "not realistic."

Dollar amounts aren't even the whole story.

"It is capacity building," said Perez. "It is technology transfer.

"It can't just be a number issue."

As well, mobilization of resources must be accompanied by disclosure standards, so both investors and voters can assess how their money is being used.

"That is one of the important elements of reform of the financial system," Titze said. "We don't even have the data that tells us, for example, how a financial institution is contributing to the destruction of nature."

Both he and Perez agree that talks on the financial side of preserving biodiversity aren't as advanced as those on conservation areas.

The conservation side has a defined target. Finance has a 10-point plan signed on to by a scant 16 countries.

But one can't move forward without the other, said Titze.

"If we're not setting the right ambition for the (conservation) measures that need to be taken, it's almost impossible to set the level of ambition in finance. One side of the room is waiting for the other."

Titze said one thing is certain.

"Now is the time to make progress."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2020.

— By Bob Weber in Edmonton and Jacob Serebrin in Montreal

The Canadian Press