Fathoming the hidden heatwaves that threaten coral reefs

Peer-Reviewed Publication

HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 

VIDEO: AN ANIMATION OF THE SEA-SURFACE TEMPERATURES AROUND MOOREA COMPARED DURING THE 2016 AND 2019 MARINE HEATWAVES view more 

CREDIT: HKUST

    In April to May 2019, the coral reefs near the French Polynesian island of Moorea in the central South Pacific Ocean suffered severe and prolonged thermal bleaching. The catastrophe occurred despite the absence of El Niño conditions that year, intriguing ocean scientists around the world.

    An international research team led by Prof. Alex WYATT of the Department of Ocean Science at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, has investigated this surprising and paradoxical coral bleaching episode. The unexpected event was related to the passage of anti-cyclonic eddies that elevated sea levels and concentrated hot water over the reef, leading to an underwater marine heatwave that was largely hidden from view at the surface. The findings have recently been published in Nature Communications.  

    Most studies of coral bleaching patterns rely on sea-surface measures of water temperatures, which cannot capture the full picture of threats from ocean heating to marine ecosystems, including tropical coral reefs. These surface measurements conducted over broad areas with satellites are valuable, yet are unable to detect heating below the surface that influences communities living in waters deeper that the shallowest few metres of the ocean.

    Prof. Wyatt and colleagues analyzed data collected at Moorea over 15 years from 2005 to 2019, taking advantage of a rare combination of remotely sensed sea-surface temperatures and high-resolution, long-term in-situ temperatures and sea level anomalies. Results showed that the passage of anti-cyclonic eddies in the open ocean past the island raised sea levels and pushed internal waves down into deeper water. Internal waves travel along the interface between the warm surface layer of the ocean and cooler layers below, and, in a previous study also led by Prof. Wyatt, have been shown to provide frequent cooling of coral reef habitats. The present research shows that, as a result of the anti-cyclones, internal wave cooling was shut down in early 2019, as well as during some earlier heatwaves.  This led to unexpected heating over the reef, which in turn caused large-scale coral bleaching and subsequent mortality. Unfortunately for local reef biodiversity, the extensive coral death in 2019 has offset the recovery of coral communities that had been occurring around Moorea for the last decade.

    A notable observation, in contrast to the 2019 heatwave, was that the reefs in Moorea did not undergo significant bleaching mortality in 2016, despite the prevailing super El Niño that brought warm conditions and decimated many shallow reefs worldwide. The new research demonstrates the importance of collecting temperature data across the range of depths that coral reefs occupy because the capacity to predict coral bleaching can be lost with a focus only on surface conditions. Sea-surface temperature data would predict moderate bleaching in both 2016 and 2019 at Moorea. However, direct observations showed that there was only ecologically insignificant bleaching in 2016, with heating that was short in duration and restricted to shallow depths. The severe and prolonged marine heatwave in 2019 would have been overlooked if researchers only had access to sea-surface temperature data, and the resulting catastrophic coral bleaching may have been incorrectly ascribed to causes other than heating.

    “The present study highlights the need to consider environmental dynamics across depths relevant to threatened ecosystems, including those due to the passage of underwater ocean weather events.  This kind of analysis depends on long-term, in situ data measured across ocean depths, but such data is generally lacking,” Prof. Wyatt said.  

    “Our paper provides a valuable mechanistic example for assessing the future of coastal ecosystems in the context of changing ocean dynamics and climates.”

    This HKUST-led research was conducted in collaboration with a team of scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, the University of California Santa Barbara, California State University, Northbridge, and Florida State University. The data underlying this study were made possible by coupled long-term physical and ecological observations conducted at the Moorea Coral Reef Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site. The long-term analyses conducted here, and the concurrent monitoring of physical conditions and biological dynamics across the full range of depths of island and coastal marine communities, is a model for future research that aims to protect vulnerable living resources in the ocean. 

Extensive coral bleaching occurred across depths on the north shore of Moorea during the 2019 marine heatwave

CREDIT

Peter J. Edmunds

JOURNAL

Nature Communications

ARTICLE TITLE

Hidden heatwaves and severe coral bleaching linked to mesoscale eddies and thermocline dynamics

An animation of the sea levels [VIDEO] | EurekAlert! Science News Releases

Another pathway towards a better sustainable electrocatalyst for efficient hydrogen technology

Peer-Reviewed Publication

COMPUSCRIPT LTD

 

IMAGE: THE SCHEMATIC OVERVIEW ILLUSTRATES THE LIPSS FABRICATION METHOD ON NI FOAM USING FEMTOSECOND LASER TREATMENT AND THE ENHANCEMENT OF HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN GENERATION VIA FIELD LOCALIZATION (LEFT SIDE). THE SURFACE MORPHOLOGY OF THE LIPSS PATTERNED NI FOAM ELECTRODES (RIGHT SIDE). view more 

CREDIT: OEA

A new publication from Opto-Electronic Advances, 10.29026/oea.2022.210105  discusses other pathways towards a more sustainable electrocatalyst for efficient hydrogen technology.

When fossil fuels are burned, massive amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, are released into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, are to blame for global warming. Sea level rise, harsh weather, biodiversity loss, species extinction, food scarcity, worsening health, and increased poverty are all risks associated with global average warming of above 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Slowing global warming before it transforms the Earth into something unrecognizable is one of the most pressing challenges confronting humanity today. A critical part of addressing such climate changes is reducing the use of fossil fuels and shifting toward renewable energy sources with zero or negative carbon emissions. The good news is that numerous nations are already making efforts to address this issue. For example, many countries have established challenging goals for reducing their reliance on fossil fuels and converting to renewable energy. Solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, wind and biomass are examples of renewable energy sources that can produce energy without accelerating global warming.

The world was in search of a suitable substitute for fossil fuels. Meanwhile, the discovery of the element hydrogen served as a key turning point. Things started to change after the invention of the hydrogen element, researchers came to know that this element is an effective energy carrier and can be a good substitute for fossil fuels. But there was an issue: finding hydrogen in a free state is impossible. As it is a highly reactive non-metal, it never exists freely in nature and is only produced from other sources of energy.

Then a method called electrochemical oxidation/reduction of radicals at electrodes which is green, environmentally friendly, and sustainable came as a saviour in the production of hydrogen, ammonia, hydrocarbons, and other fuels. Mostly, the electrochemical fuel generation for hydrogen and oxygen is carried out through the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively.

But this hydrogen technology requires highly active and stable catalysts for the HER, and platinum (Pt), a rare element, is used in water-splitting devices. This catalyst, Pt, is making this technology much more expensive, and also, platinum production involves toxic chemicals that impact our ecosystem.

Also, due to the non-local concentration of radicals around the electrocatalyst (Pt), the speed of the reaction seems to be very slow. While speeding up this reaction is possible by bringing up the radical concentration via large electrode potential with the help of electricity and this solution again costs high.

The authors of this article have developed a physical and versatile design approach to boost the electrocatalytic fuel generation performance to a wide range through their high-performance electrodes (LIPSS). They say that "The hierarchical LIPSSs on electrodes with periodic ridges and grooves of 100-300 nm widths must be covered with spherical nanoparticles (NPs) sized 3-94 nm diameters and then the localized electric field-induced enhancement in the reagent concentration effect at these periodic ridges and NPs could considerably enhance the performance of electrochemical fuel generation of HER and OER."

In experiments to test the performance of this catalyst, the authors found out that by using this optimized morphology of LIPSS pattern, the current electrode achieves the highest hydrogen generation rate of about 3×1016 molecules cm-2s-1 at a current density of 10 mA/cm2. This value is achieved with ~45% less electrode potential than that of the Ni foam electrode without any LIPSS pattern. The precise and controlled fabrication of LIPSS on electrodes could significantly improve their performance as a sustainable electrocatalyst for efficient hydrogen generation. On the LIPSS patterned Ni foam substrate, the HER model electrocatalyst demonstrated 130 mV (40%) of lower 10 overpotentials in the HER and high stability. Furthermore, the OER model electrocatalyst on the LIPSS patterned NF substrate required 100 mV (25%) more 10 overpotentials in the OER with improved stability.

Additionally, when two LIPSS patterned electrodes were assembled simultaneously as anode and cathode in a cell, a low electric potential of 330 mV is enough to drive 10 mA/cm2 in the overall water splitting figure, compared to a similar cell made of pristine Ni foam electrodes. The patterned LIPSS electrocatalysts operate at significantly lower electrical potentials, demonstrating that the femtosecond laser patterning approach has a high likelihood of producing green catalysts.

Based on the above process, it is believed that the new insights presented in this study would pave the way for the demonstration of a single-step, fast, and better physical approach to electrode surface patterning that can be applied to any metal and semiconductor catalysts to reduce the required electrical power in various electrochemical reactions.

According to recent findings from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Li and his research group are getting closer to achieving this objective. Their technique is still in the research stage but appears to be a promising source of power. Creating a so-called hydrogen-extracting catalyst that is reliable and sustainable for the Earth is the ultimate ambition. The authors of this article look forward to seeing their method on the market in the next few years, and to see its impact grow around the world.

 

Keywords: electric field localization / hotspot formation / laser-induced periodic surface structures / electrochemical fuel generation / overall water splitting

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Dr Sajed Saraj received his PhD from the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the GPL Photonics Laboratory at CIOMP. His current research focuses on Pulsed Laser ablation in liquid using an external field to fabricate thin films/colloidal solutions of various types of nanomaterials for water-splitting applications.

Prof. LI Wei's international research group in the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences has a broad interest in nanophotonics, thermal photonics, light-matter interactions, and their applications in next-generation energy and information technologies. His work has appeared in journals such as Nature Photonics, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Review Materials, Nature Communications, Nature Materials, Science, Joule, Nano Letters, PRL, and Light: Science & Applications. His research has been widely covered in the media, including Phys.org, Science Daily, Science Beta, IEEE Spectrum, Nature Materials, CE& News, Science, Science News, and the BBC. Prof. LI Wei was named to MIT Technology Review Asia's latest list of Innovators Under 35. "Prof. LI achieved many fundamental breakthroughs in multifunctional integrated photodetection devices, photonic and thermodynamic control of thermal radiation, radiative cooling, and energy harvesting," according to the magazine, which was published in mid-November.

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Opto-Electronic Advances (OEA) is a high-impact, open access, peer reviewed monthly SCI journal with an impact factor of 8.933 (Journal Citation Reports for IF2021). Since its launch in March 2018, OEA has been indexed in SCI, EI, DOAJ, Scopus, CA and ICI databases over the time and expanded its Editorial Board to 36 members from 17 countries and regions (average h-index 49).

The journal is published by The Institute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, aiming at providing a platform for researchers, academicians, professionals, practitioners, and students to impart and share knowledge in the form of high quality empirical and theoretical research papers covering the topics of optics, photonics and optoelectronics.

 

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More information: http://www.oejournal.org/oea

Editorial Board: http://www.oejournal.org/oea/editorialboard/list

All issues available in the online archive (http://www.oejournal.org/oea/archive).

Submissions to OEA may be made using ScholarOne (https://mc03.manuscriptcentral.com/oea).

ISSN: 2096-4579

CN: 51-1781/TN

Contact Us: oea@ioe.ac.cn

Twitter: @OptoElectronAdv (https://twitter.com/OptoElectronAdv?lang=en)

WeChat: OE_Journal

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Article reference: Saraj CS, Singh SC, Verma G, Rajan RA, Li W et al. Laser-induced periodic surface structured electrodes with 45% energy saving in electrochemical fuel generation through field localization. Opto-Electron Adv 5, 210105 (2022). doi: 10.29026/oea.2022.210105 

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DOI

10.29026/oea.2022.210105 

New discovery of sunscreen-like chemicals in fossil plants reveals UV radiation played a part in mass extinction events

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM

 

IMAGE: ALISPORITES TENUICORPUS THE POLLEN GRAIN USED IN THIS WORK. NOTE A HUMAN HAIR IS APPROXIMATELY 70M SO THE SAMPLES ANALYSED ARE ABOUT HALF THE WIDTH OF A HUMAN HAIR. view more 

CREDIT: PROF LIU FENG FROM NANJING INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGY AND PALAEONTOLOGY

New research has uncovered that pollen preserved in 250 million year old rocks contain compounds that function like sunscreen, these are produced by plants to protect them from harmful ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation. The findings suggests that a pulse of UV-B played an important part in the end Permian mass extinction event.

Scientists from the University of Nottingham, China, Germany and the UK led by Professor Liu Feng from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology have developed a new method to detect plant’s sunscreen-like compounds in fossil pollen grains. The research has been published today in Science Advances.

The end-Permian mass extinction event (250 million years ago) is the most severe of the big five mass extinction events with the loss of ~80% of marine and terrestrial species. This catastrophic loss of biodiversity was a response to a palaeoclimate emergency triggered by the emplacement of a continental-scale volcanic eruption that covers much of modern-day Siberia. The volcanic activity drove the release of massive amounts of carbon that had been locked up in Earth’s interior into the atmosphere, generating large-scale greenhouse warming. Accompanying this global warming event was a collapse in the Earth’s ozone layer. Support for this theory comes from the abundant occurrence of malformed spores and pollen grains that testify to an influx of mutagenic UV irradiation.

Professor Barry Lomax from the University of Nottingham explains “Plants require sunlight for photosynthesis but need to protect themselves and particularly their pollen against the harmful effects of UV-B radiation. To do so, plants load the outer walls of pollen grains with compounds that function like sunscreen to protect the vulnerable cells to ensure successful reproduction.” 

Professor Liu Feng adds: “We have developed a method to detect these phenolic compounds in fossil pollen grains recovered from Tibet, and detected much higher concentrations in those grains that were produced during the mass extinction and peak phase of volcanic activity.”

Elevated UV-B levels can have even further-reaching and longer-lasting impacts on the entire Earth System. Recent modelling studies have demonstrated that elevated UV-B stress reduces plant biomass and terrestrial carbon storage, which would exacerbate global warming. The increased concentration of phenolic compounds also makes plant tissue less easily digestible, making a hostile environment even more challenging for herbivores.

Summarising the groups findings Dr Wes Fraser based at Oxford Brookes University commented: “Volcanism on such a cataclysmic scale impacts on all aspects of the Earth system, from direct chemical changes in the atmosphere, through changes in carbon sequestration rates, to reducing volume of nutritious food sources available for animals.”

  

Photograph of the field area the fossil samples come from.

CREDIT

Prof Liu Feng from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology

JOURNAL

Science Advances

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Dying in the Sun: direct evidence for elevated UV-B radiation at 2 the end-Permian mass extinction

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

6-Jan-2023

Fossil pollen 'sunscreen' proves role of ozone depletion in largest mass extinction

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES HEADQUARTERS

 

IMAGE: THE IMPACTS OF OZONE DEPLETION AND ELEVATED UV-B LEVELS ON THE TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM view more 

CREDIT: CONOR HAYNES-MANNERING, UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM

Scientists from China, Germany and the UK led by Prof. LIU Feng from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) have revealed that pollen preserved in 250-million-year-old rocks contains abundant compounds that function like sunscreen but are produced by plants to protect themselves from harmful ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation.

The presence of these compounds suggests that a pulse of UV-B played an essential role in the end-Permian mass extinction event.

The study was published in Science Advances on Jan. 6.

The end-Permian mass extinction event (250 million years ago) is the most severe of the big five mass extinction events, with the loss of ~80% of marine and terrestrial species. This catastrophic loss of biodiversity resulted from a palaeoclimate emergency triggered by continental-scale volcanism that covers much of modern-day Siberia. The volcanic activity drove the release into the atmosphere of massive amounts of carbon that had been locked up in Earth's interior, thus generating large-scale greenhouse warming.

Accompanying this global warming event was a collapse of the Earth's ozone layer. Support for this theory comes from the abundant occurrence of malformed spores and pollen grains that testify to an influx of mutagenic UV irradiation.

Plants require sunlight for photosynthesis but need to protect themselves and particularly their pollen from the harmful effects of UV-B radiation. "To do so, plants load the outer walls of pollen grains with compounds that function like sunscreen to protect vulnerable cells to ensure successful reproduction. Without the 'sunscreen' compounds, forests could have been sterilized, leading to the collapse of the terrestrial ecosystem," said Prof. Barry Lomax from the University of Nottingham.

"We have developed a method to detect these phenolic compounds in fossil pollen grains (Alisporites-type) recovered from southern Tibet and detected much higher concentrations in those grains that were produced during the end-Permian mass extinction and peak phase of volcanic activity," said Prof. LIU.

The researchers found an increase in UV-B-absorbing compounds (UACs) that coincided with a spike in mercury concentration and a decrease in carbon isotopes in the latest Permian deposits, suggesting a close temporal link between large-scale volcanic eruptions, global carbon- and mercury-cycle perturbations, and ozone-layer disruption.

Elevated UV-B levels exerted far-reaching and long-lasting impacts on the entire Earth system. Recent modelling studies have demonstrated that elevated UV-B stress reduced plant biomass and terrestrial carbon storage, thus exacerbating global warming.

In addition, increased concentration of phenolic compounds also makes plant tissue less easily digestible, making a hostile environment even more challenging for herbivores.

"Volcanism on such a cataclysmic scale influences all aspects of the Earth system, from direct chemical changes in the atmosphere, through changes in carbon sequestration rates, to reducing the volume of nutritious food sources available for animals," said Dr. Wes Fraser from Oxford Brookes University.

---

JOURNAL

Science Advances

DOI

10.1126/sciadv.abo6102 

ARTICLE TITLE

Dying in the Sun: direct evidence for elevated UV-B radiation at the end-Permian mass extinction

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

6-Jan-2023

Canada's Trudeau urges Alberta to contribute to carbon-capture incentives


Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at the Liberal national caucus holiday party in Ottawa

Fri, January 6, 2023 at 3:28 PM MST·3 min read
By Steve Scherer

OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday urged the government of the main oil-producing province of Alberta to use its budget surplus to help bolster tax credits meant to help scale up carbon capture and storage and reduce emissions.

After the United States passed the Inflation Reduction Act last year, which included massive tax credits to develop carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) there, the Canadian oil and gas industry has been seeking an increase to what was promised in the April federal budget.

"We've seen for a while Alberta hesitating around investing in anything related to climate change. But CCUS is one of those tangible things," Trudeau told Reuters in an interview.

"I think there's a role for provinces with surpluses, with the capacity to be investing in their future and their workers future," he said in his first media interview of 2023.

The comments follow a Reuters exclusive story from October that cited sources saying the federal government was at odds with Alberta's government over who should pay to bolster tax credits for carbon capture.

Canada is home to the world's third-largest oil reserves and is the fifth-biggest producer of natural gas, and the industry says it needs more government rebates to help scale up the technology.

Carbon capture and storage is emerging as a key plank in the fight against carbon pollution and climate change around the world. The Canadian oil and gas industry wants a level playing field as Ottawa targets net zero emissions by 2050, the same goal set by U.S. President Joe Biden.

Alberta's new premier, Danielle Smith, has passed a law allowing the province to amend federal laws it dislikes, and she has threatened to use it on legislation seen as a potential threat to the province's energy industry.

Canada has said it will introduce legislation this year that will help workers in the oil and gas sector get training and other support in order to move into green energy jobs. Smith on Thursday said she opposes the legislation because it will "shut down our energy industry".

"One of the challenges is there is a political class in Alberta that has decided that anything to do with climate change is going to be bad for them or for Alberta," Trudeau said.

"It's not about fighting a rearguard action to bring us back to the 1980s it's about making sure that the expertise that Albertans and so many Canadians have in resources in the energy sector continue to be relevant and needed."

Alberta has already invested or committed more than C$1.8 billion ($1.34 billion) into CCUS and approved 25 proposals for carbon storage hubs in the last year, Smith's office said in an email.

"We know that there is no path to net zero in Canada, Alberta, or anywhere globally without CCUS, and we are looking to CCUS to assist in the de-carbonizing of all sectors of our economy," the premier's office said.

In the interview, Trudeau also took aim at his main rival, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, for casting Canada as "broken".

Trudeau said Poilievre is "not proposing solutions," but is instead "trying to harvest a level of political anger that leads nowhere, as unfortunately we saw in the United States over the past years."

Poilievre's office had no immediate response to the comments. Polls show that the Conservatives took a slight lead over Trudeau's Liberals in national polling after Poilievre took over last year.

($1 = 1.3442 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Steve SchererEditing by Alistair Bell)

Germany's BioNTech plans UK trial of mRNA cancer therapy

Fri, January 6, 2023 


German pharmaceutical company BioNTech, which developed a trailblazing Covid-19 vaccine, will trial a cancer treatment in Britain using the same mRNA technology, the company said on Friday.

Up to 10,000 people will receive the immunotherapy tailored to individual tumours by the end of 2030, either in trials or as an approved treatment, BioNTech said in a statement.

The project is part of a new agreement with the British government focused on "cancer immunotherapies, infectious disease vaccines, and expansion of BioNTech's footprint in the UK", the company said.

BioNTech will also open a new research and development centre with around 70 staff in Cambridge, as well as setting up a regional headquarters in London.


"Our goal is to accelerate the development of immunotherapies and vaccines using technologies we have been researching for over 20 years," said Ugur Sahin, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech.

The UK "successfully delivered Covid-19 vaccines so quickly", he said, demonstrating "that drug development can be accelerated without cutting corners if everyone works seamlessly together towards the same goal".

The messenger RNA method made its debut with the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, which was the first jab against Covid to be approved in the West in late 2020.

Scientists believe mRNA vaccines, which provoke an immune response by delivering genetic molecules containing the code for key parts of a pathogen into human cells, could be a game-changer against many diseases.

They also take less time to develop than traditional vaccines.

BioNTech's Covid-19 shot was developed and approved by regulators in less than a year.

BioNTech is also working on mRNA-based vaccines against malaria, influenza and shingles.

The company has been developing mRNA-based cancer therapies since it was founded in 2008 and they have been trialled on several hundred people so far.

fec/hmn/lth

Russian cyberattacks on Ukraine halved with help from Amazon and Microsoft

Gareth Corfield
Sat, January 7, 2023

DONETSK OBLAST, UKRAINE - JAN 5: Ukrainian soldiers fire a mortar on the Vuhledar frontline in Donetsk oblast, 5 January 2023. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) - Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Frontline support from Silicon Valley giants has helped halve the number of Russian cyber attacks on Ukraine, new figures show.

Millions of dollars-worth of cyber security help given by Microsoft and Amazon to Kyiv has dramatically reduced the number of cyberattacks by making it harder for Moscow to mount digital offensives.

Statistics published by Ukraine’s government show that while the country suffered more than 2,100 separate cyberattacks last year, the frequency per month halved in the months following the outbreak of war.

It came as some of the world’s biggest technology companies mobilised to support Kyiv, with Microsoft and Amazon donating around $400m of digital support between them. Big Tech’s help was crucial in helping fend off the worst of the ongoing Russian cyber-assault.

Cyber attacks surged as Russian tanks rolled across its eastern borders in February 2022. Kyiv suffered nearly 290 separate assaults in that month alone, as Moscow deployed its digital weaponry alongside traditional firepower.

However by August the number had dropped to around 140 attacks per month, according to figures from Ukraine’s Computer Emergency Response Team.

A Ukrainian government source said Russia has been targeting “military but civil infrastructure” in a bid to undermine the resolve of Ukrainians.

Western governments and private companies alike have contributed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of digital support, with Amazon and Microsoft alone accounting for around £400m of backing.

Microsoft president Brad Smith said that his company’s support for Ukraine’s government amounted to $400m (£333.5m) since the invasion, adding that support during 2023 would be extended “free of charge”.

“The continued defence of Ukraine depends in part on a critical digital alliance of countries, companies and nonprofits,” he said in November.

Amazon said in December it has committed around $75m (£63m) in support to Ukraine, including providing some of its Snowball devices for copying vital computer files out of Ukrainian data centres, allowing people to move crucial information online.

Jeff Bezos’s company has also helped migrate Ukrainian government operations into its cloud, Amazon Web Services. Mikhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, said in December that this support had “made one of the biggest contributions to Ukraine’s victory.”

Google has organised charitable donation efforts during 2022 totalling $45m (£37.5m), it said, along with a further $5m raised by the advertising technology company’s employees.

The company has also cracked down on Russian propaganda on Google Search as well as in YouTube videos.

Russia pioneered the tactic of deploying cyberattacks alongside real-world military aggression, first showcasing this approach in 2008 when it invaded the Georgian province of South Ossetia. Russian hackers successfully targeted digital infrastructure including computer servers belonging to news agencies and government departments in a bid to paralyse Georgia.

Before the invasion, Russia and Ukraine were both home to groups of organised cyber criminals with links to the Russian government.

Industry sources said that some online criminal gangs were co-opted into attacking Ukrainian targets selected by Russian intelligence agencies following Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

US cyber security company Mandiant, which is a Google subsidiary, published research last week detailing how Russian hackers from a criminal gang nicknamed Turla had tried to compromise the computer servers of Ukrainian businesses.

Booby-trapped USB sticks planted near the buildings of targeted Ukrainian companies were loaded with malware. Hackers hoped curious staff would plug them into computers and unintentionally unleash computer viruses saved on them.

John Hultquist, Mandiant’s vice president of threat intelligence, said: “Obviously there's the relationship between state actors and criminals in Russia to consider,” adding that Russian spy agency the FSB had “teamed up with criminals it was supposed to hunt”.

Aside from major tech companies, Western governments have also provided crucial behind-the-scenes cyber security support to Ukraine.

Whitehall has contributed around £6.5m in cyber support to Ukraine, including specialised antivirus software.

Lindy Cameron, chief executive of GCHQ agency the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said when the government revealed the donations: “The NCSC is proud to have played a part in supporting Ukraine’s cyber defenders. They have mounted an impressive defence against Russian aggression in cyberspace, just as they have done on the physical battlefield.”

The NCSC is Britain’s cyber security agency, charged with using hackers’ skills to work in defence of Britain and British interests.

The US also proffered help. As well as defensive support, US Cyber Command has carried out offensive cyber operations against Russia.

General Paul Nakasone told Sky News last summer: “We've conducted a series of operations across the full spectrum; offensive, defensive, [and] information operations.”

Ukraine recently rejected a Russian ceasefire proposal timed to coincide with the Russian Orthodox Christmas, with president Volodymyr Zelensky saying the truce was an attempt to stop his country recapturing occupied territory.

Dickies, the iconic brand founded in Fort Worth a century ago, is making a big move

Jenny Rudolph
Fri, January 6, 2023 

Dickies, the world’s No. 1 work apparel manufacturer founded in Fort Worth, is moving its new global headquarters into The Tower complex in downtown after a century of operations on West Vickery Boulevard.

The workwear retail brand will make the move in mid-2023 into the top floor of the six-story building at 500 Taylor St., which is the parking garage and retail/office building next to the The Tower condominium high-rise. City records show the company plans to spend $2.5 million to renovate about 20,000 square feet of space.

“After nearly a century at 509 Vickery Blvd., we’re thrilled to share that Dickies will be moving into our new global headquarters in downtown Fort Worth in 2023,” said Lance Meller, Dickies’ global brand president.

“We have been part of this community since the infancy of the brand, and this move will allow us to collaborate more freely, build deeper relationships with makers in our own backyard, and access top talent as we continue to grow. We’re proud to call Fort Worth home and can’t wait for this new chapter to unfold.”

West Vickery Boulevard, just south of Interstate 30 and the railroad tracks, has served as the site of a Dickies manufacturing facility and adjacent retail store for decades. While the new headquarters will vacate the red-brick campus for The Tower, the company declined to comment whether the existing retail store on West Vickery will also leave. It is unclear if the new downtown global headquarters will feature its own retail store similar to the previous format.

Dickies started in Fort Worth and has operated out of 509 Vickery for almost the entirety of its 100-year existence, Meller said. Williamson-Dickie, a family-owned company, was acquired in 2017 by North Carolina-based apparel manufacturer VF Corp., which also owns the brands Vans, North Face and Timberland. VF paid $820 million in cash for the company.

“Our growth story starts with our people, and investing in creating a new cultural brand hub will drive opportunities for the Fort Worth community, as well as our global footprint,” Meller said. “As we embark on readying the new headquarters for our arrival at the mid-point of next year, we are making upgrades to the space to infuse our brand’s DNA throughout, to truly illuminate a Dickies experience that inspires our employee community, and those who spend time visiting us.”

The company declined to comment on any increased manufacturing capabilities this could bring the brand. It is also unclear if the move will bring any new jobs or additional relocations to Fort Worth. The company did not share details about any new lines of business associated with the relocation or differences in the new form of headquarters.

Meller said “many more announcements” about Dickies are expected to come in 2023, along with continued brand growth.

VF Corp. reported revenue declines in its most recent earnings statement for the quarter ending Oct. 1. Among its four biggest brands, Dickies saw the steepest year-over-year revenue declines of 19 percent in the quarter.

Steve Rendle, the chairman, president and CEO of VF Corp., pointed to disruptions in the global marketplace including COVID in China, where raw materials are sourced, and economic uncertainty for businesses.

“Our purpose built portfolio of iconic, deeply-loved brands continues to benefit from tailwinds in the outdoor, active, streetwear and workwear spaces,” Rendle said in a statement in the quarterly report.

Dickies, which is also known in North Texas for making the clothing for Big Tex at the Texas State Fair in Dallas, produced uniforms for U.S. service members during World War II. The company acquired naming rights for Dickies Arena, which opened in 2019.

CULT OF THE BLACK NAZARENE
Filipino Catholics hold big procession after pandemic eases















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Philippines Religious ProcessionDevotees participate in the "Walk of Faith" procession as part of celebrations for the feast day of the Black Nazarene, a centuries-old charred statue of Jesus Christ, on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Manila, Philippines. The Black Nazarene draws massive numbers of largely poor devotees who pray for the sick and a better life in this predominantly Roman Catholic nation. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

JIM GOMEZ and AARON FAVILA
Sat, January 7, 2023 

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Thousands of Catholic devotees, many donning protective masks and bearing candles, joined a night procession through downtown Manila early Sunday to venerate a centuries-old black statue of Jesus Christ, which was not paraded to discourage an even larger crowd amid lingering fears of COVID-19.

The more than 80,000 devotees who church officials said joined the nearly 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) “Walk of Faith” procession were a fraction of the more than a million worshippers who typically converged in pre-pandemic years to pay homage to the life-size Black Nazarene statue in one of Asia’s biggest religious festivals.

In chaotic dawn-to-midnight processions in the past, when the Black Nazarene was paraded on a carriage pulled by ropes, mobs of mostly poor, barefoot devotees in maroon shirts would squeeze their way through the crowd around the slow-moving carriage to throw towels at volunteers, who wiped parts of the statue in the belief that the Nazarene’s powers would cure ailments and ensure good health and a better life.

Without the Nazarene, Sunday’s procession from a historic park by Manila Bay to a church in Quiapo district was orderly but still intense, with many worshippers mumbling prayers and others singing and chanting "Nazareno" as they marched in the early hours of the morning. Many carried replicas of the religious icon. The procession, which kicked off after a midnight Mass, was completed in less than three hours.


Officials of the church in Quiapo, where the Nazarene is enshrined throughout the year, brought the statue to a grandstand at Rizal Park before Sunday's procession to allow worshippers to pray before it through the weekend up to Monday, when the annual feast of the Black Nazarene is celebrated. Kissing the statue was prohibited due to fears the action could spread COVID-19 infections.

Teresa Pateañe, a 51-year-old devotee who carried a Nazarene replica, said the religious gathering was not the same without the mystical statue amid a sea of worshippers jostling to touch it in a show of piety.

“We are sad because we cannot do the things we used to do, like climbing up the carriage,” she told The Associated Press. “But we are very thankful that the (Black Nazarene) is already on the grandstand. The people can see it again.”

The religious Nazarene procession was suspended at the height of COVID-19 outbreaks the last two years in the Philippines, one of the hardest-hit countries by the pandemic in Southeast Asia. Church officials decided not to parade the Nazarene this year as a precaution, even after the pandemic eased, but organized the religious march as an alternative at a time of widespread social and economic distress.

Police were on alert and deployed thousands of personnel to secure the country’s largest gathering and remind devotees not to congregate too closely for health reasons.

The Nazarene statue is believed to have been brought from Mexico to Manila on a galleon in 1606 by Spanish missionaries. The ship that carried it caught fire, but the charred statue survived. Many devotees believe the statue’s endurance, from fires and earthquakes through the centuries and intense bombings during World War II, is a testament to its miraculous powers.

The spectacle reflects the unique brand of Catholicism, which includes folk superstitions, in Asia’s largest Catholic nation. Dozens of Filipinos have themselves nailed to crosses on Good Friday in another unusual tradition to emulate Christ’s suffering that draws huge crowds of worshippers and tourists each year.

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Associated Press journalist Bogie Calupitan contributed to this report.

The South Korean draq queen raising LGBT awareness

Sophie Williams - BBC News
Sat, January 7, 2023 

Heezy Yang performs at events in South Korea as Hurricane Kimchi

"When I first tried drag, I didn't know what it would be like and how into it I would be. It gave me some sort of empowerment and liberation," says Heezy Yang.

Yang has been performing as his drag act Hurricane Kimchi for almost a decade, taking part in a number of events including Seoul Pride in South Korea's capital.

"There are thousands there in the audience at Seoul Pride and I feel like I'm a superstar. I get the tingles and a real adrenaline buzz," Yang tells the BBC. "I enjoy interacting with people and getting energy from a big crowd."

He tried drag for the first time after seeing friends do it and realised it could be a tool to combine his activism and love of the arts.

"The first few times I didn't have any agenda. I did it for fun," he says. "The more I did drag, the more I performed, I could see how I could use it and how I could enjoy it."

Drag isn't as common in South Korea compared to other countries like the UK and US. Yang admits a few eyebrows can be raised when he goes out in public dressed as Hurricane Kimchi.

"In the streets sometimes I go to a drag show with my face on, people would be confused," he says. "I've never felt physically threatened being in drag in public spaces although I am aware that people may be thinking negatively or looking at me in a negative way."

Heezy takes part in a number events to represent both the drag and wider LGBT community

South Korea has no anti-discrimination laws protecting LGBT people and same-sex marriage is not recognised. Being LGBT is often seen as a disability or mental illness. Some powerful conservative churches consider being gay or trans a sin. A report by Human Rights Watch last year found that discrimination against LGBT people in the country is "pervasive".

Yang says that both drag and LGBT culture is still new to older generations who can often be confused, but younger Koreans are more aware of drag culture.

"They grew up watching Hollywood movies and things like Ru Paul's Drag Race so they are very supportive and accepting. Even if they didn't know what drag was, they have quickly learned things. There is a gap between generations but I am very positive about what is to come," says Yang.

He sees the positive influence drag can have when attending smaller pride events in cities that might not have a widely established LGBT scene.

The crowds are smaller, but it means that young people get to experience the festivities and be a part of the LGBT community.

"It's very meaningful to be able to be there and perform for them," he says.

Yang also likes to bring LGBT issues to people's attention, choosing to take part in protests while in drag, and bringing awareness to the government's policies towards the community.

Hurricane Kimchi's drag is more on the political side, referencing Heezy's work as an activist

"I'm a bearded queen and I don't always do sexy, trendy performances. I like to do protest and political performances as well. It's also important for me to give back to the community and be supportive to other people in the community," Yang says.

"If we want to achieve things and get things done, we should raise our voice and be seen. People should be aware that we are here and we are just like them and have human rights."

Yang's love of drag and the idea of representing it on a bigger scale led him to co-create Seoul Drag Parade in 2018.

"I thought I would gather maybe 20 or 30 people and we would just have fun and hang out. At the end of the night, the number of people who had taken part in festivities throughout the day were about 1,000 people. It was overwhelming but good," he recalls.

The parade was held online during the pandemic but it is hoped that this year it will return to an in-person event. Yang aims to host it in Itaewon, an area of Seoul that has a number of LGBT-owned bars. The area has been hit financially by the pandemic and more recently, the Itaewon crush in which 159 people died. A number of LGBT businesses are struggling financially as visitor numbers diminished.

Drag and events like Seoul Drag Parade have "buoyed the LGBT community in Korea," says Todd Henry, associate professor of history at the University of California, San Diego.

"If you asked someone 20 years ago what a drag queen is, I don't think they would have had any idea what you were talking about. They probably would have mistaken that person for transgender. In this sense, activities led by individual drag queens and by drag queen communities have expanded historically binary understandings of genders and sexualities," he says.

He adds that at pride festivals, a number of allies show up to support drag acts and also support the LGBT community.

"In recent years, self-identifying 'sexual minorities' (including many drag queens) and their progressive supporters have increased to more than 100,000 a year at City Hall or wherever else the Seoul Pride Festival is hosted. I'm optimistic about what is to come," he says.

For Yang, his focus is on continuing his drag and bringing the community together.

"Sometimes on social media I get messages and comments from people thanking me for the events that I host and the fact I make my events accessible and friendly. I like to think I open doors for people and they appreciate it. It makes me happy."

DESANTIS BANANA REPUBLIC
'Don't Say Gay' feud advances with new proposed legislation

 Performers dressed as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck entertain visitors at Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on April 18, 2022. Florida lawmakers will move to increase state control of Walt Disney World's private government, according to a notice published Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, that marks the latest development in a feud over a law critics call “Don't Say Gay.”

ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
Fri, January 6, 2023 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida lawmakers will move to increase state control of Walt Disney World's private government, according to a notice published Friday, the latest development in a feud over a law critics have dubbed “Don't Say Gay.”

The notice posted on the Osceola County website says the Republican-controlled statehouse will take up legislation changing the structure and powers of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, as the 55-year-old Disney government is known.

A bill has not yet been filed detailing exactly what changes would be under consideration. The notice serves as a procedural step in what has become a closely watched process between Disney and Florida.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis last year signed legislation that would dissolve the Disney government in June 2023, a moved aimed at punishing the company for its public opposition to a law that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade and lessons deemed not age appropriate.

Additionally, Disney said it would suspend political donations in the state and that it would support organizations working to oppose the education law.

DeSantis and statehouse Republicans slammed Disney, saying the entertainment giant had become a purveyor of so-called woke ideologies that are inappropriate for children.

The squabble marked a rare moment of discord between the state and Disney, one of Florida's largest employers and a major political donor. It also provided another front in an ongoing culture war that has made DeSantis one of the nation's most popular Republicans.

The creation of Reedy Creek district was instrumental in Disney's decision to build near Orlando in the 1960s. Having a separate government allows the company to provide zoning, fire protection, utilities and infrastructure services on its sprawling property.

The language of Friday's notice aligns with assurances Republican lawmakers and DeSantis have made regarding the district's future, including a pledge that the district's debts and bond obligations would not fall to local county governments.

The notice also says the legislation would intend to increase state accountability of the district, change how its governing body is selected, and revise permitting rules and the district’s regulatory frameworks, among other things.

“Disney will no longer control its own government, will live under the same laws as everyone else, will be responsible for their outstanding debts, and will pay their fair share of taxes,” Taryn Fenske, a spokeswoman for DeSantis, said in a written statement. “Imposing a state-controlled board will also ensure that Orange County cannot use this issue as a pretext to raise taxes on Orange County residents.”

The Legislature is set to meet for its next regular session in March.

State moves to take more control of Reedy Creek, former Disney district



Jim Turner
Fri, January 6, 2023 

Lawmakers are moving forward with plans that would give the state more control over the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which Gov. Ron DeSantis targeted last year after the Walt Disney Co. criticized a controversial education law.

A notice posted Friday by the Legislature on Osceola County’s website outlined potential changes that might keep the framework of the special district but make a series of changes such as the state dictating who would run the district. Also, the changes would make clear that the district’s debt could not be transferred to nearby local governments, while raising the possibility of a new name for Reedy Creek.

The sprawling district, which covers portions of Orange and Osceola counties, was created for Disney in 1967 and essentially gave the entertainment giant control over issues such as land use, fire protection and wastewater services.

But Disney angered DeSantis last year by publicly opposing a law that restricts instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools. As a result, Republican lawmakers passed a measure to dissolve Reedy Creek and five other special districts across the state.

The bill, however, did not make the dissolutions effective until June 1, 2023, giving time for lawmakers to possibly re-establish the districts and make changes.

Detailed legislation has not been released with proposed changes to Reedy Creek. But DeSantis spokeswoman Taryn Fenske said Friday, “The corporate kingdom has come to an end.”

“Under the proposed legislation, Disney will no longer control its own government, will live under the same laws as everyone else, will be responsible for their outstanding debts, and will pay their fair share of taxes,” Fenske said in a statement. “Imposing a state-controlled board will also ensure that Orange County cannot use this issue as a pretext to raise taxes on Orange County residents.”

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, described the notice as a procedural step that “starts the legally required timeframe necessary to move forward with developing a local bill to end the self-governance of the Walt Disney World Company, while protecting local taxpayers from Disney’s debts.”

Critics of the 2022 bill to dissolve Reedy Creek argued it could result in tax burdens being shifted to residents and businesses in Orange and Osceola counties.

In a Twitter post Friday, Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, offered a prediction that “DeSantis creates some ridiculous culture war drama and then he’ll announce the negotiations w/Disney.”

“Curious how this’ll stop special treatment Disney gets,” Eskamani said. “Seems to me the main goal is to give DeSantis control over a private company.”

Adrian Lukis, a former chief of staff for DeSantis who now works for the Ballard Partners lobbying firm, told Fox News that, “while this will be painful for Disney, I expect businesses throughout the state will be proud of their governor for making it clear that he doesn’t care who you are, or how politically connected you may be — no one gets special treatment in Florida.”

Rumors of the changes have been circulating in Tallahassee for months.

The notice, in part, calls for increasing state oversight and revising the district’s authority over permitting and regulations. It also pointed to “revising the selection process, membership qualifications, and compensation for the governing body” of the district.

PIRACY!
‘CORPORATE KINGDOM’: DeSantis-backed plan to take control of Disney's land announced



Matt Leach

FOX NEWS
Fri, January 6, 2023 

A plan was announced Friday to introduce a bill into the Florida Legislature that would replace Walt Disney World's special self-governing power with a state-run board.

The notice was posted on the website of Osceola County, which houses part of Disney World along with Orange County. Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing the effort, according to sources in his office, and the intended legislation will mandate that members of the board will be appointed by the governor, according to sources in the governor's office.

"The corporate kingdom has come to an end," DeSantis' communications director, Taryn Fenske, told Fox News. "Under the proposed legislation, Disney will no longer control its own government, will live under the same laws as everyone else, will be responsible for their outstanding debts, and will pay their fair share of taxes."

"Imposing a state-controlled board will also ensure that Orange County cannot use this issue as a pretext to raise taxes on Orange County residents," she added.

The planned legislation will also ensure that the company will pay upwards of $700 million dollars in unsecured debt accumulated by Disney’s special jurisdiction — known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District — and not Orange County taxpayers, according to the sources.

Last year, DeSantis signed a measure into law dissolving Walt Disney World’s special governing power in the state after the company publicly opposed a new parental rights law in the state. At the bill signing ceremony, the Florida Republican said Disney lied about the "Parental Rights in Education" law's contents and that he viewed the company’s vow to fight it as unacceptable.

Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis after taking the oath of office waves to those in attendance at his second term inauguration in Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. January 3, 2023.

DESANTIS SIGNS BILL STRIPPING DISNEY OF SELF GOVERNING STATUS

"The governor is doing exactly what he said he would," DeSantis' former chief of staff, Adrian Lukis, told Fox News. "Disney can no longer have its own government and own taxing authority, and Disney — not taxpayers — will have to be responsible for any financial consequences."

"While this will be painful for Disney, I expect businesses throughout the state will be proud of their governor for making it clear that he doesn’t care who you are, or how politically connected you may be — no one gets special treatment in Florida," Lukis continued.

WALT DISNEY WOULD BE ‘ROLLING OVER IN HIS GRAVE,' OVER COMPANY'S ‘WOKENESS,' FLORIDA PARK GOERS SAY

The Financial Times in December reported that lawmakers were preparing to reverse course on the move to eliminate Disney World's special status. A DeSantis spokesperson denied the claim.

"Governor DeSantis does not make ‘U-turns,’" a spokesperson told Fox News in a statement. "The governor was right to champion removing the extraordinary benefit given to one company through the Reedy Creek Improvement District."

In this handout photo provided by Disney Parks, English-Irish boy band The Wanted performs "Santa Claus is Coming To Town."

"We will have an even playing field for businesses in Florida, and the state certainly owes no special favors to one company," the spokesperson continued. "Disney's debts will not fall on the taxpayers of Florida. A plan is in the works and will be released soon."

DISNEY CEO BOB IGER TELLS EMPLOYEES HE WANTS TO ‘QUIET’ DOWN CULTURE WARS, ‘RESPECT’ THE AUDIENCE

The Reedy Creek Improvement Act was signed into law in May 1967 by Gov. Claude Kirk following Disney lobbying efforts. The entertainment giant proposed building a recreation-oriented development on 25,000 acres of property in a remote area of Central Florida's Orange and Osceola counties, which consisted of 38.5 square miles of largely uninhabited pasture and swampland.

Orange and Osceola Counties did not have the services or resources needed to bring the project to life, so the state legislature worked with Disney to establish the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a special taxing district that allows the company to act with the same authority and responsibility as a county government.