As Shell reports eye-watering profits, calls grow for UK to nationalise energy

Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead Today

‘Our bills are rising to £3,000 while energy companies are making a killing. Bring energy into public ownership, so we can take control of our energy for the future.’

Oil and gas giant Shell has announced it highest profits in 115 years. As households across the UK struggle with soaring energy bills, Shell made £32.2bn ($39.9bn) in profit, double the figure recorded the previous year, and smashing the former record of $31bn, made in 2008.

News of the company’s obscene profits during an unprecedented cost of living crisis, sparked anger, and fresh calls for the UK to follow in other nations footsteps, and nationalise energy.

Noting that Germany, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Austria, Finland and France, have nationalised energy, trade unionist Howard Beckett says it’s time that Britain nationalises its energy too.

Richard Burgon MP said Shell’s “sickening profits show it’s time for bold action on energy.”

“With public anger at our privatised energy system higher than ever, now is the time for all of us to be stepping up the fight for an energy system fully in public hands so we can put people and planet before profit,” said the Labour MP for Leeds East.

We Own It, campaigners for the public ownership of services that are operated for people not profit, said they are ‘outraged that Shell and BP are taking us for fools and raking in profits of £32.2bn. When in France, public ownership of EDF means their bills are capped.”

Nationalise Energy NOW petition

The campaigners have launched a ‘Nationalise energy NOW’ petition, which has already amassed almost 30,000 signatures. It calls for the chancellor Jeremy Hunt and business secretary Grant Shapps to nationalise the energy sector immediately.

“Our bills are rising to £3,000 while energy companies are making a killing. Bring energy into public ownership, so we can take control of our energy for the future,” the petition reads.

We Own It are calling for the government to tax BP and Shell permanently at 56 percent, the same rates as Norway. The campaigners explain how for every £100 Norway collects in tax on barrels of oil in the North Sea, in the UK we collect only £8. This means that in today’s energy crisis, Norway can use its $1.4 trillion sovereign wealth fund to pay 80 percent of people’s bills above a capped price.

“We need to tax companies like BP and Shell properly by copying Norway – and use the money to cut people’s bills and invest in the clean, green energy of the future,” say the campaigners.

Also this week was the news that water bills are set to get the biggest increase in almost 20 years from April. They are due to rise by 7.5 percent.

The announcement sparked censure and calls for water to be nationalised as well as energy.

As Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP for Streatham, tweeted:

“Last year, English water monopolies released 2.7m+ hours’ worth of untreated sewage into our waterways.

“This year, the same companies are going ahead with the biggest bill increase for 20 years.

“This is what rewarding failure looks like.

“Take water into public ownership.”

Sentiment shared by Kate Osborne, Labour MP for Jarrow, who said:

“Disgraceful that energy giant Shell has raked in its highest profits in 115 years whilst people are struggling with the cost of living.

“We need a windfall tax, a wealth tax, and to nationalise our essential services.

“Poverty is a political choice that the Tories keep on making.”



Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward

PM Modi Again Tops ‘Global Leader Approval’ List With 78% Rating, Beats US Prez Biden, UK's Sunak

By: News Desk
Edited By: Pritha Mallick
News18.com
Last Updated: FEBRUARY 04, 2023

PM Modi also ranked the highest on the list last year with an approval rating of 72 per cent. 

(Image: File Photo/News18)

According to the list comprising leaders from 22 countries, PM Modi ranked highest in approval ratings followed by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador at 68 per centFollow us:
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again topped the ‘Global Leader Approval’ rating list with the highest score of 78 per cent, leaving behind other leaders such as US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau among others according to survey released by American research firm Morning Consult.

According to the list comprising leaders from 22 countries, PM Modi ranked highest in approval ratings, followed by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador at 68 per cent, Swiss President Alain Berset at 62 per cent, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at 58 per cent, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at 52 per cent and Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at 50 per cent.

US President Joe Biden and Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau both had an approval rating of 40 per cent each, while Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar was at 37 per cent, Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo at 34 per cent, Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at 36 per cent, Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at 32 per cent each and Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson at 31 per cent.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer scored 30 per cent each, French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at 29 per cent each, and Czech Republic Prime minister Petr Fiala at 27 per cent.

South Korean President Yoon Seok-youl, with a 23 per cent rating, ranked second lowest in the list, and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Norway Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store shared the least approved leaders spot with 21 per cent each.

PM Modi also ranked the highest on the list last year with an approval rating of 72 per cent in its report in February 2022. Modi earned praise from world leaders, including at the United Nations General Assembly, for his “not era of war" remarks last year during his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the conflict in Ukraine. India’s formal takeover of the presidency of the influential G20 grouping of countries at the G20 Summit in Bali also likely paid a part in PM Modi’s high approval ratings

The latest approval ratings are based on data collected from January 26-31, 2023. Approval ratings are based on a seven-day moving average of adult residents in each country, with sample sizes varying by country, according to the official website.

UK
Voters have no faith Sunak will clear up sleaze, new poll finds

Voters have little confidence Rishi Sunak can take care of sleaze in British politics, a new poll reveals.

By Kit Sandeman

In the week the Prime Minister hit 100 days in office, sacked Nadhim Zahawi and faced a growing crisis over Dominic Raab, a new poll found only one per cent of voters are “completely confident” in Mr Sunak's ability to eradicate sleaze.

Six per cent said they were “confident” he could, but 55 per cent were “not confident at all”.

Among Conservative voters, only three per cent were “completely confident” that Sunak could take care of sleaze, and 82 per cent of Labour voters said they were “not confident at all”, according to the polling by People Polling for GB News,
Most Popular

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a visit to Northern School of Art 

in Hartlepool, County Durham

Meanwhile the poll indicated the Tories remain well behind Labour in terms of voting intentions.

This poll sees Labour on 46 per cent of the national vote (-4 on last week), the Conservative Party at 22 per cent (+1), the Liberal Democrats on 9 per cent (+1), the Greens on 7 per cent (+2) and Reform on 7 per cent (no change). This means the gap between Labour and the Conservatives is now 24 points and is well adrift of the opposition Labour Party.

The poll also revealed that more people support striking teachers than oppose them.

Conducted a day after teachers across the UK walked out in a dispute over pay and conditions, it found  they have the backing of nearly half of voters.

When asked for their view on the issue, 48 per cent said they support the strikes and 28 per cent said they oppose them. Twenty-four per cent said they didn’t know or prefered not to say.

Among Conservative voters, 30 per cent supported the strikes and 54 per cent opposed them. Among Labour voters, 84 per cent supported the strikes and only 7 per cent opposed them.

Commenting, politics expert Professor Matt Goodwin, of the University of Nottingham, said: “Consistent with our polling on other strikes, we find that more people support the strikes than oppose them, with almost half the country voicing their support for the teachers on strike and only a little over one in four opposing them. There is, however, significant variation in both parties. While most Conservative voters oppose the strikes, the vast majority of Labour voters support them”.

Just 7% Of Voters Believe That Rishi Sunak Can Tackle Tory Sleaze

The Nadhim Zahawi scandal seems to have taken its toll.

By Kevin Schofield
02/02/2023 

Rishi Sunak does not have his troubles to seek after 100 days as prime minister.
OLI SCARFF VIA PA WIRE/PA IMAGES

Just 7% of voters have confidence that Rishi Sunak will tackle sleaze in British politics.

The shock findings follow the sacking of Nadhim Zahawi as Tory chairman after he was found guilty of multiple breaches of the ministerial code over a probe into his tax affairs.

Sunak is also coming under mounting pressure to sack his deputy, Dominic Raab, over bullying claims made against him by dozens of civil servants.

The poll by People Polling for GB News, also shows little public appetite for Boris Johnson to return to government.

And it confirms that the Conservatives continue to trail more than 20 points behind Labour.

Those taking part in the poll were asked how confident they were that Sunak - who marks 100 days as PM today - could eradicate sleaze from British politics.

Only 1% said they were “completely confident”, with a further 6% saying they were “confident”.

By contrast, 55% said they were “not confident at all”.

Sunak’s ratings were barely any better among Conservative voters, with just 3% of them “completely confident” in his ability to tackle sleaze. Meanwhile, 82% of Labour voters said they were “not confident at all”.

At prime minister’s questions yesterday, Keir Starmer said: “The Tory Party’s addiction to sleaze and scandal has done huge damage to this country and the cost to the public keeps adding up.”

Politics expert Professor Matt Goodwin said: “Amid the fallout from Nadhim Zahawi’s resignation and ongoing stories about sleaze and bad behaviour around the Conservative Party, we find that very few voters are confident Rishi Sunak can clean up politics and remove sleaze.

“On the contrary, more than half the electorate say they are ‘not confident at all’ he will be able to take care of sleaze.”

Amid calls for Boris Johnson to replace Zahawi as Tory chairman, the poll found that 56% of voters either “strongly opposed” or “opposed” his return to cabinet, with only 21% supporting it.

Even among Tory voters, just 47% said they support him returning, with 30% opposing it.

Overall, the poll puts Labour on 46%, with the Conservatives on 22% and the Lib Dems on 9%.

Professor Goodwin said: “The Conservative Party’s share of the national vote remains as flat as a pancake, at a historic low level of support.

“There is little evidence Rishi Sunak, whose own ratings were also down last week, is turning the boat around. The party is still headed for a heavy wipeout at the general election unless things change and, before then, a bruising set of local elections in the spring.”

EXCLUSIVE:
More than half of voters want a general election now as Rishi Sunak drowns in sleaze

The Redfield and Wilton poll for the Mirror found a whopping 52% believe Parliament should call a general election now with only 32% opposed. Four in 10 think Rishi Sunak does not have a mandate to govern


By John Stevens

Political Editor, 4 Feb 2023

Voters are demanding a general election now as Rishi Sunak’s government drowns in sleaze.

More than half want to head to the ballot box to have a say on who runs the country.

The survey, conducted for the Mirror by Redfield and Wilton, shows around four in 10 (41%) believe the PM does not have a mandate to govern. Only 31% disagree.

Mr Sunak was handed the keys of No10 in October without a single vote being cast by Tory MPs, party members or the public.

He has binned the Conservatives’ 2019 election manifesto as well as the pledges he made in the leadership contest in the summer.

Asked which party they associate with sleaze, 38% said Tories compared to only 9% who picked Labour. Around a fifth (19%) said both parties, while 11% chose neither.


Rishi Sunak slammed for 'fly posting' as he leaves levelling up poster on old building

Voters want a say on whether Keir Starmer should take over as PM (
Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

The Prime Minister, who marked 100 days in office today promised to lead a government with “integrity, professionalism and accountability” at every level.

But he has faced a series of sleaze scandals.

Gavin Williamson resigned from Cabinet after just two weeks after he faced bullying claims.

Deputy PM Dominic Raab is currently being investigated over complaints he bullied dozens of civil servants.

Mr Sunak was criticised for appointing Suella Braverman as Home Secretary just six days after she was sacked from the job for leaking.

The PM last month was fined by the police for failing to wear a seat belt as he filmed an Instagram video in the back of the car.

And Conservative Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi was sacked last weekend for attempting to hide the truth about not paying enough in tax.

Nadhim Zahawi was sacked as Conservative Party chair on Sunday

 (Image: PA)

Critics have warned that the country is broken after 13 years of Tory rule.

The NHS is suffering its worst crisis in history as patients face record waiting lists and there are delays in ambulances getting to the seriously ill.

Mr Sunak has been criticised for failing to negotiate an end to the strikes across the public sector, including the health service, schools and railways.

In the poll yesterday, asked whether Parliament should call a general election now, a whopping 52% said yes with 32% opposed.

Voters don't think Rishi Sunak has a mandate to govern

 (Image: Getty Images)

Mr Sunak was beaten by Liz Truss in the race to become Tory leader in the summer.

She was forced to stand down after just 49 days when her catastrophic mini-Budget caused economic carnage.

Mr Sunak was crowned as her replacement after Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt withdrew from the contest to succeed her.

He won by default without receiving a single vote or uttering a single word in public.

During the contest, his only public statements were a 166-word written message launching his campaign and a 66-word tweet after Mr Johnson withdrew.

More than 149,000 people have now signed the Mirror's petition on the 38 Degrees website calling for a general election now.

:: Redfield and Wilton interviewed 1,500 adults in Britain online on February 2.

12 new moons discovered orbiting Jupiter

The discovery of a dozen new moons for Jupiter makes the king of planets the king of moons, too.

FEBRUARY 4, 2023 
BYAMIT MALEWAR

An illustration of the orbits of Jupiter's moons, not including its newly found 12 moons. (Image credit: Roberto Molar-Candanosa, courtesy of Carnegie Institution for Science)

Jupiter was known to have 80 moons, But a discovery added 12 more moons to the list. Hence, Jupiter has 92 moons in total, making it the planet with the most moons from the previous record holder, Saturn.

With the discovery of new moons, Saturn is found to have 83 moons, surpassing Jupiter to have the largest number of moons orbiting it. But this discovery helps Jupiter to get its title back from Saturn.

The Minor Planet Center (MPC), operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, has released the orbits of these 12 previously unreported Jupiter’s moons. The orbital calculations also confirm that the objects are in orbit around Jupiter.

The recently discovered moons are small and far away, requiring more than 340 days to orbit Jupiter. Nine of the twelve are among the 71 outermost Jovian moons, with orbits longer than 550 days. These moons were most likely caught by Jupiter, as shown by the fact that they orbit retrogradely and not the inner moons’. Only five retrograde moons are greater than 8 kilometers (5 miles).

Scott Sheppard (Carnegie Institute for Science) is the one who submitted observations of the Jovian system taken between 2021 and 2022.

He says, “The smaller moons probably formed when collisions fragmented larger objects.”

Three newly discovered moons are among 13 others that orbit in a prograde direction and lie between the large, close-in Galilean moons and the far-out retrograde moons. These prograde moons are thought to have formed where they are.

Sheppard said, “They’re harder to find than the more distant retrograde moons, though. The reason is that they are closer to Jupiter, and the scattered light from the planet is tremendous.”

“That light obscures them in the sky. Five were found before 2000, and only eight more have been discovered since then.”

Outside the Galilean moons, there are two groups of prograde Jovian moons: the Himalia group and the Carpo group.

The Himalia group, which has the name of the fifth-largest Jovian moon, Himalia, is the nearest. The group contains nine members, two of whom are among the recent discoveries, and is located between 6.8 and 7.5 million miles (11 million and 12 million kilometers) from Jupiter.

The Carpo group is far off at around 10 million miles (17 million km) from Jupiter. Out of these 12 moons, one of the moons is of Carpo’s. Before this clutch of discoveries, there was only one moon in this group besides Carpo itself, so the discovery of another doubled the population of this group.

Brett Gladman (University of British Columbia, Canada) said, “However, while Jupiter may have the most moons for now, Saturn might catch up. A search for objects with sizes down to about 3 kilometers across that are moving along with the gas giants found three times more near Saturn than near Jupiter. The more numerous Saturnian objects might have come from a collision that disrupted a larger moon a few hundred million years ago.”

“If we could count all moons measuring at least 3 kilometers across. Saturn would have more moons than all the rest of the solar system.”

Sheppard says, “More publications are expected.”

“The discovery of a dozen new moons for Jupiter makes the king of planets the king of moons, too — at least for now.”

Freight train derails in Ohio, US: Huge fire, evacuations, hazardous material on board

AP
4 Feb, 2023

In this photo provided by Melissa Smith, a fire after a train derailed is seen from 

her farm in East Palestine, Ohio, on Friday (Saturday NZ time). Photo / via AP

A train derailment and resulting large fire prompted an evacuation order and a declaration of a state of emergency in an Ohio village near the Pennsylvania state line on Friday night (Saturday night NZ time), covering the area in billows of smoke lit orange by the flames below.

About 50 cars derailed in East Palestine as a train was carrying a variety of freight from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania, rail operator Norfolk Southern said in a statement on Saturday (this morning NZ).

There was no immediate information about what caused the derailment. No injuries were reported.

Mayor Trent Conaway, of the village of East Palestine, declared a state of emergency, citing a “train derailment with hazardous materials”.

Norfolk Southern said the train was carrying more than 100 cars, 20 of which were classified as carrying hazardous materials, defined as cargo that could pose any kind of danger “including flammables, combustibles, or environmental risks”.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was “launching a go-team to investigate” the derailment, and board member Michael Graham would “serve as spokesperson on scene”.

Firefighters have been pulled from the immediate area and unmanned stream devices are being used protectively while crews try to determine which cars are still actively burning, village officials said in a separate statement.

They said they hoped to use drones to assess the scene in daylight, and warned that residents might hear more explosions as the fire burns.

The village notified residents that an evacuation order remained in place on Saturday morning (Sunday morning NZ) for people within a mile of the scene. A high school and community centre were opened to shelter dozens of people, while residents beyond that radius were urged to stay inside.

The few dozen residents sheltering at the high school included Ann McAnlis, who said a neighbour had texted her about the crash.

“She took a picture of the glow in the sky from the front porch,” McAnlis told WFMJ-TV. “That’s when I knew how substantial this was.”

Conaway told reporters that firefighters from three states responded. The derailment happened about 80km northwest of Pittsburgh and within 30km of the tip of West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle.

Freezing temperatures in the single digits complicated the response as trucks pumping water froze, Conaway said.

Hazmat crews also responded to the scene to determine whether hazardous materials were involved, and air quality in the area was being monitored, officials said.

Norfolk Southern said it had personnel on-site coordinating with first responders.

The fire created so much smoke that meteorologists from the region said it was visible on weather radar. - AP

UK
Rishi Sunak ‘plans to ban migrants crossing Channel from appealing deportation’

Jordan King

Saturday 4 Feb 2023 

Migrants may soon be unable to use using the Human Rights Act as their basis to stay 

(Picture: Getty)

The Prime Minister is reportedly drawing up plans to stop people who come into the UK on boats from appealing their deportation.

According a report seen by The Times, the Home Office is looking at several plans that could be implemented in the near future.

Migrants could be disqualified from being able to appeal against automatic expulsion from the asylum system – or may only appeal after they have been deported.

Another option reportedly being considered is to stop migrants from using the Human Rights Act as their basis to stay.

People previously used the Act to claim their right to family life to argue they should be allowed to stay in the UK close to relatives.

The Home Office would not comment on the report, seen by the Times and Sky News, specifically.

A spokesperson said: ‘The unacceptable number of people risking their lives by making these dangerous crossings is placing an unprecedented strain on our asylum system.
Sunak issues tough stance on immigration in first clip from Piers Morgan interview

‘Our priority is to stop this and prevent these illegal crossings, and our new Small Boats Operational Command – bolstered by hundreds of extra staff – is working hard to disrupt the business model of people smugglers.

‘We are also going further by introducing legislation which will ensure that those people arriving in the UK illegally are detained and promptly removed either to their home country or a safe third country.’

Rishi Sunak has long held a tough stance on immigration, making the increase in migrant crossings one of his top five priorities when he came into office.

Most recently, he told TalkTV’s Piers Morgan that illegal immigrants ‘will not be able to stay here’.

He said: ‘So, what that new law will say is, if you come here illegally, for an illegal migrant here, then you will not be able to stay here.

‘And, in fact, we will be able to detain you and then we will hear your claim in a matter of days or weeks – not months or years – and we will have the ability (in the vast majority of cases) to send you to an alternative safe country – be that where you come from if it’s safe, like Albania, or, indeed, Rwanda.’

NASA rover discovers a hefty meteorite on Mars

Curiosity, meet Cacao.

By Elisha Sauers on February 4, 2023

NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars found a one-foot-wide meteorite on Jan. 27, 2023. 

Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

After more than a decade on Mars, NASA's Curiosity rover is quite used to traversing the Red Planet in solitude.

But last week, on its 3,724th Martian day rumbling over Mount Sharp, it encountered another foreign visitor, something that also traveled an extraordinary distance through space before winding up in the dusty barren desert: a one-foot-wide meteorite.

NASA is calling the space rock Cacao(Opens in a new window), one of a handful of meteorites the plucky robot has discovered since it arrived on Mars in 2012. Using its Mast Camera, Curiosity snapped a photo showing its new find on Jan. 27, with its own Johnny-5-like shadow creating a frame. The selfie [see below] has ragged edges because it is actually composed of six images stitched together.

"There’s no way to date these," NASA said through its anthropomorphized Curiosity account(Opens in a new window) on Twitter. "But it could have been here millions of years!"

SEE ALSO: An enormous Martian cloud returns every spring. Scientists found out why.

Curiosity's shadow casts a frame around the newly discovered meteorite on Mars.

 Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

On Earth, scientists estimate about 48.5 tons of billions-of-years-old meteor material(Opens in a new window) rain down from space daily, much of which vaporizes in the atmosphere or falls into the ocean, which covers over 70 percent of the planet. More than 60,000 meteorites have been discovered on our planet. The vast majority comes from asteroids, but precious few originated on Mars or the moon, according to NASA. At least 175 identified here(Opens in a new window) hail from the Red Planet. "It could have been here millions of years!"

Curiosity, a car-size rover(Opens in a new window), and its predecessors have found meteorites before, and The Meteoritical Society is starting to keep a database of their finds(Opens in a new window). The international organization has given formal name recognition to 15 such specimens since 2005.

Want more science and tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter today.

It's not clear which planet, moon, or asteroid Cacao expatriated, but mission scientists say it's an iron-nickel meteorite. This class of space rock isn't rare among those found on Earth, but it is less common than stony meteorites. Other meteorites that rovers have discovered on their expeditions have had similar iron compositions.

Scientists speculate iron meteorites may be resistant to erosion on the Red Planet. That could explain why this big space rock appears to be sitting on flat ground rather than in a hole.

"There likely was a BIG crater in the ancient past," Curiosity tweeted(Opens in a new window). "Over time, erosion and other forces flatten the area around it, carving away everything but the hardest material."



Elisha Sauers is the space and future tech reporter for Mashable, interested in asteroids, astronauts, and astro nuts. In over 15 years of reporting, she's covered a variety of topics, including health, business, and government, with a penchant for FOIA and other public records requests. She previously worked for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, and The Capital in Annapolis, Maryland, now known as The Capital-Gazette. She's won numerous state awards for beat reporting and national recognition(Opens in a new window) for narrative storytelling. 

US military members sue 3M, accuse subsidiary of using bankruptcy as shield


n this Oct. 24, 2017, file photo, the logo for 3M appears on a screen above the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

By: Scripps News
 Feb 03, 2023

Former and current U.S. military service members are asking a judge to dismiss a bankruptcy filed by the subsidiary of manufacturing giant 3M accusing it of using the bankruptcy to shield itself.

The U.S. military members accuse 3M of producing faulty earplugs, and took the company to court. 3M's subsidiary Aearo Technologies filed for bankruptcy and the plaintiffs claim the entity is using the filing to shield itself from the litigation, Reuters reported.

The case has expanded into the largest mass tort in U.S. history.

Thousands of military service members accuse 3M's allegedly defective earplugs of causing hearing damage after not blocking loud noises on the battlefield.

The vast majority of the lawsuits haven't been resolved and successes on both sides have left uncertainty over how close the plaintiffs are to reaching a settlement, Forbes reported.

Aearo Technologies manufactured and supplied earplugs to the U.S. military between 2003 and 2015 to protect troops from loud noises during training and combat.

Cartels help Indians to illegally cross into US for $21,000: Report

The minimum being charged by a cartel for a foreign national to illegally come into the United States, through Mexico, is USD $7,000

Informing the lawmakers that the border along Mexico is not secure, sheriff Dannels said criminal transnational organisations called cartels control the south of the US border. 

PTI |Published on Feb 04, 2023 

Criminal transnational organisations called cartels on an average charge USD 21,000 from Indians to help them illegally cross over the American border, an Arizona Sheriff has told lawmakers here.

The minimum being charged by a cartel for a foreign national to illegally come into the United States is USD 7,000, Sheriff Mark Dannels of Cochise County, Arizona, told members of the House Judiciary Committee here this week.

Informing the lawmakers that the border along Mexico is not secure, Dannels said criminal transnational organisations called cartels control the south of the US border. “South of it's all controlled. They control who comes across. There's prices based on who you are. You're a terrorist coming from a different country,” he said.

“I think India was USD 21,000, for example. But the minimum is, like, around USD 7,000 right now. Most of these people don't have it,” he said in response to a question from Congressman Barry Moore.

“So, when they come across the country, though, they might go through a processing, as the honorable judges talked about, but they're servant to the cartels at the end, which is usually for sex trade, gangs, drugs, labour, you name it, I have seen no win-win in this,” he said.

#METOO REDUX

Olympic snowboarders sue coach, USOPC and ski federation over alleged abuse

Fri, February 3, 2023 


Olympic bronze medalist Rosey Fletcher is among three former US snowboarders suing their ex-coach, the US Ski & Snowboard federation, and the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee, alleging sexual abuse that they say the organizations covered up, court documents showed.

Fletcher, a 2006 Olympic bronze medalist, Erin O'Malley and Callan Chythlook-Sifsof sued former coach Peter Foley and the sports bodies in US District Court in Los Angeles on Thursday.

They allege Foley committed sexual assault and battery against them and other women for "nearly twenty years" with the "assistance, permission and endorsement" of the USOPC and the USSS.

The suit, which seeks unspecified monetary damages, alleges Foley exploited his position of trust with the athletes to "coerce sexual acts through force, manipulation, emotional abuse, intimidation, and retaliation."

"Foley's abuse was reported to executives of the USSS and the USOPC on numerous occasions by multiple athletes who were coached by Foley, yet no action was taken," the lawsuit alleges.

In a separate lawsuit filed Thursday, former USSS communications staffer Lindsey Nikola alleged sexual misconduct by Foley.

"We are aware of the lawsuits that were filed," US Ski & Snowboard said in a statement.

"US Ski & Snowboard has not yet been served with the complaint nor has had an opportunity to fully review it. US Ski & Snowboard is and will remain an organization that prioritizes the safety, health and well-being of its athletes and staff."

The federation also reiterated in its statement that it had reported allegations of misconduct against Foley to the US Center for SafeSport in 2022.

"This case is currently under investigation by SafeSport, which has full jurisdiction over such matters," the federation said.

The USOPC said it couldn't comment on the lawsuit's details because it had not yet been able to review it.

"While we haven’t yet received the complaint and can't comment on any specific details at this time, we take every allegation of abuse very seriously," the USOPC said in a statement.

"The USOPC is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Team USA athletes, and we are taking every step to identify, report, and eliminate abuse in our community."

Chythlook-Sifsof went public via social media with allegations of sexual misconduct against Foley in February 2022, when Foley was coaching the US team at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

She said on her Instagram account that "Peter Foley has taken naked photos of female athletes for over a decade" and made a sexual remark to her and a teammate when she was only 17 at Lake Louise, Canada, in 2014.

After the allegations were published in February, Foley received support from some of the snowboarders on the Olympic team.

He was fired the next month by USSS after he was temporarily suspended by the US Center for SafeSport.

bb/des