Historic Cruise Ship Astoria Faces Uncertain Future in 75-Year Career

Astoria sailing for CMV in 2018 (Cavernia photo - CC BY-SA 4.0)

PUBLISHED JAN 31, 2023 5:43 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

One of the last historic ocean liners and oldest ocean-going cruise ship, the 1948-built Astoria, is reportedly being sold although her owners are denying it is a sale for scrap. The pending sale marks yet another twist in the career of a ship made famous by a casualty. 

The ship, which is marking 75 years since her maiden voyage, has not operated since the pandemic shut down the cruise industry nearly three years ago. Brokers, cited in a report by Tradewinds, are saying that the vessel which is currently laid up in Rotterdam is being sold for recycling and will soon be towed out to the breakers yard. For months, there has been a rumor that she would become the first ship broken at a new operation planned at the Inchgreen Dry Dock in Scotland. A company leased the facility from Peel Ports to start a ship recycling operation. The owners of the Astoria however are denying the sale saying they are negotiating a deal with a buyer that indicates they plan to operate the ship.

The Astoria began her long career as the first post-World War II newly built Atlantic passenger liner. In the closing days of the war, Swedish American Line had begun to plan for the resumption of its passenger operations. The company’s fleet consisted of a 1904-vintage liner that they had anticipated retiring in 1940 and a 1924 liner that was operating as a mercy ship by neutral Sweden during the war. The company had ordered a beautiful Italian-built liner but was unable to take delivery due to the start of the war and the ship was sunk in 1945 while their other 1928-built liner had been taken over by the Americans and suffered significant fire damage at the end of the war.

 

1950s vintage post card view of the Stockholm

 

Limited by post-war shortages of materials and the capabilities of Scandinavian shipyards, Swedish American ordered a 525-foot liner that at 11,700 gross tons would be a workhorse carrying cargo and mostly tourist class passengers. She was designed for year-round Atlantic service and sailing to Scandinavia she was given an ice-reinforced hull and bow which would forever seal her legacy.

Introduced in February 1948 as Stockholm, she had a modern Scandinavian design and became the first new post-war Atlantic liner. With high demand for passenger travel, she was rebuilt in 1952 expanding her accommodations but she had a mostly unremarkable career. Swedish American added a new modern liner in 1953 meaning Stockholm could also occasionally sail cruises.

Her legacy came however on a fateful night July 25, 1956. Outbound from New York to Scandinavia she was near the Nantucket Lightship. Radar was in its infancy in the commercial industry and the officers misread their devices causing the Italian liner Andrea Doria to emerge out of a fogbank making a turn across the course for the Stockholm. Her ice-strengthened bow tore through the Andrea Doria causing a fatal wound. A massive sea rescue saved most of the passengers aboard the Italian ship, which sank the in the morning, while the badly damaged Stockholm limped back to New York for repairs. A total of 51 passengers and crew on the two liners were killed in the tragedy.

 

Stockholm returned to New York badly damaged after her collision with the Italian liner Andrea Doria (USCG photo)

 

Swedish American retired the liner four years later selling her to an East German group that used her as the Volkerfreundschaft for cruises to trade unionists and Community Party members. In later years she became a holiday ship in a company that was a forerunning to the modern Aida Cruises. 

Her career would likely have ended there except for the surge in the cruise industry. Retired by the Germans in 1985 she ended up in Italy where in a project reportedly heavily subsidized by the government she was rebuilt into a modern cruise ship. She was stripped to the steel and given a new diesel power plant as well as sponsons along the hull.

Mostly unrecognizable, she returned to service in 1994 as a cruise ship operating under various names including Italia Prima, Valtur Prima, and Caribe. Just when it appeared her career was over, she was acquired by a Portuguese company, Classic International Cruises (CIC) who further refitted her as the Athena. In 2013, she went to the successor Portuguese company Portuscale Cruises renamed Azores, and three years later was chartered to the UK’s Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) who changed her name to Astoria. She was continuing to cruise but CMV planned to retire her by 2020 when the pandemic brought her career to a close.

CMV financially collapsed in 2020 but unlike their other cruise ships, because she was under charter, she was not auctioned. She was sold by the bank that had owned her after the financial collapse of Portuscale in 2016. An investment group acquired the Astoria but later abandon plans to rebuild her due to advanced age. She had been listed for sale since 2021.

Note: This story was revised to reflect the owner's denial that the vessel was sold for scrap.

Near the end of her career, although heavily rebuilt, the sheer of the liner hull is still visible (Pjotr Mahhonin photo -  CC BY-SA 4.0)

 

Top photo: (Cavernia photo of Astoria in Korsfjorden in 2018 - CC BY-SA 4.0)

 

Fourth Dogger Bank Wind Farm Section Could Power Hydrogen Production

Rendering of the Dogger Bank wind farm which when completed will become the largest offshore wind farm (Equinor)

PUBLISHED FEB 6, 2023 3:55 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

With construction nearing completion on the first of three phases for the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm, partners Equinor and SSE Renewables report they are being to explore a fourth phase that might be used to power the production of hydrogen. SSE is leading the construction of the wind farm which is called the world’s largest and Equinor is scheduled to begin operations at Phase A in the summer of 2023.

The Dogger Bank Offshore Development Zone is located between approximately 75 and 180 miles
off the east coast of Yorkshire, extending over approximately 3,300 square miles and water depths range from 59 to 200 feet. The first of 95 turbine foundation monopiles Dogger Bank A was installed in July 2022, with the project due to start generating power in 2023 followed by the B phase in 2024. The project has been permitted for the first three phases each of which would produce approximately 1.2 GW of power.

Early scoping work is now underway to explore options for developing a fourth phase, Dogger Bank D. According to the partners, Dogger Bank D would be located in the eastern zone of the Dogger Bank C lease area, more than doubling the utilization of existing acreage. It would have the potential to provide an additional 1.32 GW of fixed-bottom offshore wind capacity but would require a new development consent order to progress into construction. The proposed development is located around 130 miles off the northeast coast of England and covers an area of 96 square miles.

The developers said they are exploring two options for the site. One would connect to the grid to provide power to homes while the other option being considered is the use of electricity produced by offshore wind to generate green hydrogen at a dedicated electrolysis facility in the Humber region. The facility, if developed, could become the UK’s largest green hydrogen project.

“Optimizing the Dogger Bank C lease area with an additional phase, Dogger Bank D, is in line with Equinor’s strategy to further develop offshore wind projects in clusters such as the North Sea,” said Halfdan Brustad, vice president of Dogger Bank at Equinor. “Both the grid offtake and green hydrogen production options from Dogger Bank D would contribute to the UK’s net zero ambitions.”

Equinor and SSE Thermal are currently collaborating to accelerate the decarbonization of the Humber, the UK’s largest and most carbon-intensive industrial region, through low-carbon projects such as Keadby 3 Carbon Capture Power Station, Keadby Hydrogen Power Station and Aldbrough Hydrogen Storage. As part of the Zero Carbon Humber initiative, hydrogen transmission, and storage infrastructure are planned in the Humber linked to the East Coast Cluster CO2 transmission and storage system. The green hydrogen option at Dogger Bank D the companies said could benefit from leveraging the low-carbon hydrogen value chain being advanced, including the hydrogen pipeline infrastructure and network of potential customers.

The developers will release an initial scoping report in late March outlining ongoing work to explore the technical feasibility of developing the fourth section of Dogger Bank. 
 

 

Strong Response to NY Wind Solicitation Supports Industry Expansion

GE proposed expanding its wind blade and nacelles manufacturing in New York to support the latest solicitation (LM Wind)

PUBLISHED FEB 3, 2023 7:56 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

With demand continuing to grow for offshore wind projects, GE announced that it has submitted a plan to construct two new manufacturing facilities in New York to meet demand as part of New York state’s ongoing solicitation for up to 4.6 GW of offshore wind. GE is one of many suppliers looking to participate as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) reported a record response to its latest solicitation.

NYSERDA closed the state’s third round last week reporting it had received more than 100 total proposals for eight new projects from six offshore wind developers. Among the companies that responded were industry leaders including Ørsted, Eversource, Equinor, BP, RWE, National Grid, and others either independently or in joint venture proposals. State officers were quick to say that “the high volume of quality proposals from leading global energy developers is a testament to New York’s ability to attract strong competition and significant investments in our clean energy economy, ports, and the development of a long-term domestic supply chain.”

While the results of the solicitation will not be announced till spring, suppliers are already posturing to benefit from the new projects. GE proposed building additional factories with Carver Companies at their Port of Coeymans site on the Hudson River south of Albany, New York. 

The two business units they are proposing to expand are LM Wind Power, a GE subsidiary, which is ready to build a state-of-the-art facility to manufacture offshore wind turbine blades, and GE Vernova, GE’s portfolio of energy businesses, which proposed building a facility to build nacelles. GE’s proposals, which are contingent on it receiving “a sufficient order volume,” includes specific commitments to hire and train new employees as part of the effort to expand the industry and state-wide economic development.

“As a leading manufacturer and innovator in developing renewable energy technology, GE is ideally positioned to help New York secure its vision of becoming a leading manufacturing hub for offshore wind technology,” said Scott Strazik, CEO of GE Vernova, GE’s portfolio of energy businesses. He noted the facilities would produce components for the Haliade-X offshore wind turbine.  

NYSERDA called the response to the solicitation the strong yet seen for any proposal along the U.S. East Coast. As the projects move forward they are expected to spur investments ranging from manufacturers such as GE to ports and other service providers. The build-out of the sector is also providing increased opportunities for U.S. shipbuilders to meet the demand for crafts to support both the installation and later the maintenance and operation of the wind farms.

Canada Approves North America’s First Green Hydrogen Production Plant

EverWind acquired the terminal at Point Tupper, Nova Scotia and now received environmental approval for what could become North America's first industrial-scale green hydrogen production facility (EverWind)

PUBLISHED FEB 9, 2023 7:58 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Canadian start-up EverWind Fuels reports it has received what it believes is the first environmental approval for an independent project for the large-scale production of green hydrogen and green ammonia in North America. With the approval issued by the Government of Nova Scotia, EverWind expects to commence construction in the first of 2023 for phase one of its operation projecting that it will begin producing and exporting 200,000 tons annually in 2025.

The EverWind project is part of the massive deal between Canada and Germany signed last year that calls for the development of an export operation for the alternative fuels. EverWind has offtake agreements with the German energy firms E.ON and Uniper that will acquire the production and ship it in the form of liquid ammonia aboard tankers to Germany. 

The plan calls for an investment of $6 billion for the develop of the facility at Canada’s existing port at Point Tupper, Nova Scotia. EverWind won the rights to the Crown land in a December 2022 tender and is currently applying for leases on 137,000 acres of land. They plan to develop a 2GW onshore wind farm at the time which would be used to supply the power to run the electrolyzes to produce the hydrogen. The product would be fueled by the wind turbines as well as the use of solar power ensuring that it would be certified as a green production facility.

According to the company, the Point Tupper terminal with its existing, operational marine terminal is the deepest ice-free berth on the East Coast of North America. Point Tupper is located on the Strait of Canso, in western Cape Breton Island. EverWind agreed to buy the location, which includes a 7.8 million-barrel storage terminal for $60 million from a Texas-based company NuStar Energy.

EverWind says the site has capacity to produce more than 10 million tons per year of green ammonia. With approximately C$1 billion of existing storage and logistics assets, they believe Point Tupper is an ideal hydrogen hub. They also highlight that it has existing connections via critical infrastructure including rail, road, and pipelines, in addition to its port facility.

Currently, according to the International Energy Agency, green hydrogen accounts for less than one percent of global hydrogen production. Most of the world’s green hydrogen production is happening in China but efforts are expanding around the world as part of the effort to speed the adoption of alternative fuels. 

EverWind plans to rapidly scale up production to reach 1 million tons by 2026,while in Germany efforts are also underway to develop the import terminals that will be required. Uniper and its partners have said the LNG terminal built at Wilhelmshaven would serve as the basis for developing a broader alternative energy import hub. Germany would receive the ammonia which could be converted into hydrogen or used to fuel future generations of transportation and industrial production as well as to make fertilizer.

Greenpeace Joins Suit to Block New FSRU at Italian Seaport

Piombino (Autorità di Sistema Portuale del Mar Tirreno Settentrionale)

PUBLISHED FEB 6, 2023 2:32 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Federation have joined the city of Piombino in a suit to block the installation of an FSRU at the city's seaport. The project has already been approved by the regional government, but opponents contend that it could potentially be harmful to the marine environment and to local aquaculture interests. 

State-owned gas company Snam wants to bring in an FSRU to the western Italian port of Piombino as early as April, and it is moving ahead with preparations. The project has urgency for the Italian government because of the need to reduce reliance on Russian natural gas. According to Reuteres, Italy is looking to source over eight billion cubic meters of LNG from other suppliers, primarily in Africa, Qatar and the U.S., before the next winter. Italy's existing terminals do not have that much extra capacity, but the Piombino project alone could handle five billion cubic meters. 

Piombino's mayor, Francesco Ferrari, opposes the FSRU project and filed a court challenge to block it last year. The suit sought an injunction to halt work pending further study, citing safety and environmental concerns. 

"We are aware of the energy emergency and that new gas supply measures are in the national interest, but this cannot disregard safety guarantees for the community in Piombino," said Ferrari at the time. 

WWF and Greenpeace have joined the suit as supporting parties, calling for a more thorough review of the project's impact. 

"There was a lack of risk assessment for the environment (starting from the [environmental impact assessment]) and for people, above all of an entire phase of the life of the work . . . which is certainly worrying. Very little attention was also paid to the study of emissions and pollutants," said President of WWF Italy Luciano Di Tizio and President of Greenpeace Italy Ivan Novelli in a joint statement. 

Separately, Italian trade union USB has filed a criminal complaint with the Livorno prosecutor's office, accusing Snam of "environmental crimes" in connection with the FSRU project. The union has objected to purchasing American natural gas (LNG) at a price "four times that of Russia," and it has expressed displeasure at development projects in Piombino which it considers objectionable, like the FSRU and a new landfill at Ischia di Crociano.

UN admits aid failure for Syria as quake toll hits 33,000



Sun, 12 February 2023

The United Nations denounced Sunday the failure to deliver desperately needed aid to war-torn regions of Syria, while warning the death toll of more than 33,000 from the earthquake that also struck Turkey is set to rise far higher.

A UN convoy with supplies for northwest Syria arrived via Turkey, but the agency's relief chief Martin Griffiths said much more was needed for millions whose homes were destroyed.

"We have so far failed the people in northwest Syria. They rightly feel abandoned. Looking for international help that hasn't arrived," Griffiths said on Twitter.

Assessing the damage in southern Turkey on Saturday, when the toll stood at 28,000, Griffiths had told Sky News he expected the death toll to "double or more" as chances of finding survivors fade with every passing day.

Supplies have been slow to arrive in Syria, where years of conflict have ravaged the healthcare system, and parts of the country remain under the control of rebels battling the government of President Bashar al-Assad, which is under Western sanctions.

A 10-truck UN convoy crossed into northwest Syria via the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, according to an AFP correspondent, carrying shelter kits including plastic sheeting, ropes and screws and nails, as well as blankets, mattresses and carpets.

Bab al-Hawa is the only point for international aid to reach people in rebel-held areas of Syria after nearly 12 years of civil war, after other crossings were closed under pressure from China and Russia.

The World Health Organization chief met Assad in Damascus on Sunday and said the Syrian leader had voiced readiness for more border crossings to help bring aid into the rebel-held northwest.

"He was open to considering additional cross-border access points for this emergency," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.

- Set politics aside -

Assad said he looked forward to further "efficient cooperation" with the UN agency to improve the shortage in supplies, equipment and medicines, his presidency said.

UN special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, was also in Damascus on Sunday carrying a message to set aside politics.

"We are mobilising funding and we are trying to tell everyone to put politics aside," he said.

"This is a time to unite behind a common effort to support the Syrian people."

Assad had also thanked the United Arab Emirates for providing "huge relief and humanitarian aid" with pledges of tens of millions of dollars in aid as well.

But security concerns prompted the suspension of some rescue operations, and dozens of people have been arrested for looting or trying to defraud victims in the aftermath of the quake in Turkey, according to state media.

An Israeli emergency relief organisation said Sunday it had suspended its earthquake rescue operation in Turkey and returned home because of a "significant" security threat to its staff.

- Miraculous tles -

Miraculous tales of survival still emerged, though experts caution that hopes for finding people alive in the devastation dim with each passing day.

Almost 160 hours after the quake, several more people were rescued, including an eight-year-old boy in Gaziantep, and a 63-year-old woman in Hatay, state media reported.

The United Nations has warned that at least 870,000 people urgently need hot meals across Turkey and Syria. In Syria alone, up to 5.3 million people may have been made homeless.

Almost 26 million people have been affected by the earthquake, the WHO said as it appealed Saturday for $42.8 million to cope with immediate health needs after dozens of hospitals were damaged.

Turkey's disaster agency said more than 32,000 people from Turkish organisations are working on search-and-rescue efforts, along with 8,294 international rescuers.

But, in many areas, rescue teams said they lacked sensors and other advanced search equipment, leaving them reduced to carefully digging through the rubble with shovels or only their hands.

"If we had this kind of equipment, we would have saved hundreds of lives, if not more," said Alaa Moubarak, head of civil defence in Jableh, northwest Syria.

- Anger grows -

Syria's transport ministry has said 62 aid planes had landed in Syria this week with more on the way in coming days, in particular from Saudi Arabia.

After days of grief and anguish, anger in Turkey has been growing over the poor quality of buildings as well as the government's response to the country's worst disaster in nearly a century.

Officials say 12,141 buildings were either destroyed or seriously damaged in the earthquake.

Three people were put behind bars by Sunday and seven more have been detained -- including two developers who were trying to relocate to the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

Officials and medics said 29,605 people had died in Turkey and 3,581 in Syria from last Monday's 7.8-magnitude quake, bringing the confirmed total to 33,186.

 

Lebanon's Hezbollah sends aid to Syria's quake-hit Latakia

Issued on: 12/02/2023 - 

Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid provided by Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah set out for Syria on February 12 in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake 

© ANWAR AMRO / AFP

Beirut (AFP) – Lebanon's powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah sent Sunday a convoy of 23 trucks carrying food and medical aid to Syria's quake-stricken province of Latakia, a stronghold of the group's allies.

"This the moment of support, the moment of assistance," senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine told reporters in Lebanon's capital Beirut.

It comes six days after a devastating earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, killing more than 33,000 people in total, including over 3,500 in Syria.

Latakia, located in Syria's northwestern region, is a stronghold for President Bashar al-Assad.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah is a key ally of Assad's regime and has openly been fighting alongside his forces since April 2013.

Hezbollah's involvement in the Syrian conflict has helped tip the scales in favour of Assad on many fronts.

Adnan Moqadem, general director of civil defence in Hezbollah's health authority, said this first convoy "will be followed by others".

The convoy, carrying "food, health and household supplies", will be delivered to the Red Crescent and Syrian officials, Moqadem said.

The trucks carried banners marked with both the Syrian flag and of Hezbollah.

Lebanon has adopted a policy of dissociation from Syria's years-long war but on Wednesday, it sent its first high-level official delegation and rescue team to Damascus since the start of the conflict.

The delegation met with Assad and expressed readiness to open Lebanon's air and sea ports to help send aid to Syria.

On Saturday, two Italian planes arrived at Beirut airport, carrying medical aid to be sent to Syria.

© 2023 AFP

Hope, resources in short supply as Syria rescue efforts press on

A young resident of a still standing building watches continuing search operations in the Syrian government-controlled town of Jableh - Karim SAHIB

by Hashem Osseiran
February 12, 2023 — Jableh (Syria) (AFP)

As Syria's earthquake rescue efforts near the one week mark, an unsettling silence blankets the area as a search dog sniffs around a flattened home in the coastal town of Jableh.

It has been hours since the last rescue, when two people were pulled from the rubble by rescuers with only the most basic equipment.

"There is no hope" for survivors, said Alaa Moubarak, the head of Jableh's civil defence.

"Even so, with every step, we stop and scream: is anyone alive?"

The canine trained to detect life circles the area for 30 minutes and trots back without a single bark.

There are no more survivors.

This scene plays out almost daily in Jableh, where the hopes of finding anyone alive under the rubble are quickly vanishing amid a lack of resources.

Of the 52 residents of the five-storey building being searched, only 14 have made it out alive.

They include a woman and her young son who were lifted from beneath the rubble Friday to a jubilant crowd that held out hopes that more could still be alive beneath the building.

The woman died en route to the hospital.

Jableh is located in Latakia, a province largely under government control and one of the worst hit by the earthquake.

Monday's 7.8-magnitude quake that struck near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Syrian border, killed more than 28,000 people, including at least 3,574 in Syria.

In Latakia province alone, the quake has killed at least 638 people, according to local authorities.

- 'Manual labour' -

The canine scavenging the rubble on Saturday is only one of a handful available in the region.

It was flown in by a 42-member search and rescue team from the United Arab Emirates, equipped with sensors, search cameras, special drills and fuel containers.

"If we had this kind of equipment, we would have saved hundreds of lives, if not more," said Moubarak.

Other teams on the ground lack the means and advanced search equipment, often digging with nothing but their hands or shovels.

"For 12 years we have not received new equipment... 90 percent of our stock is out of service," said Moubarak.

Depleted by war, Syria lacks the most basic resources, let alone search and rescue equipment.

A punishing energy crisis means the country can barely provide electricity and fuel for cars, forcing international rescue teams to source their own stock as part of planning efforts.

At the foot of another flattened building around 500 metres (1,640 feet) away, a construction engineer affiliated with Syria's defence ministry echoed similar concerns.

"We don't have any modern high-tech devices... like those that detect openings, or equipment for rescue and communications," said the man, who asked not be identified because he is not authorised to speak to the media.

"Our work can mainly be described as manual labour."

- 'Still a chance' -

In Jableh's dense neighbourhoods, hundreds of spectators gather at every search site, crowding around rescue teams to provide information on which victims are still unaccounted for.

Some watch from windowsills so close to the destruction that they could reach out and scoop up the debris in their hands.

The rescue dogs often run in their direction, identifying them as the closest living body.

Mohammad al-Hamadi watched from the pavement as the Emirati team dug through what was once his residence, now reduced to shreds of concrete.

The 23-year-old -- who had to be carried into the search and rescue zone because the quake nearly crushed his right leg -- is the sole survivor of his family.

Both his parents and his brother, who was sleeping in bed beside him, all lost their lives in the tragedy.

"The building caved over our heads. I was completely buried," he said, adding that only his finger poked through the concrete chunks.

"They had to lift me by the finger."

Nearby, Colonel Hamad al-Kaabi, the head of the Emirati rescue force, said the chance of finding survivors at this point was so slim that emergency teams were permitted to use excavators and heavy machinery to clear the rubble.

"We are in stage four, which is an advanced stage of rescue operations, with most survivors already pulled out," he said.

"But there is still a chance to find survivors."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/2/12/turkey-syria-earthquake-live-news-death-toll-tops-29000

Turkey-Syria earthquake live news: Death toll goes past ... - Al Jazeera 

11 hours ago ... The number of deaths in Turkey rose to 29,605 on Sunday, while more than 4,500 people have died in Syria. Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca ...

Israeli forces kill MURDER Palestinian boy 

in West Bank: ministry

Issued on: 12/02/2023 - 

The mother and relatives of a young Palestinian boy react, after he was reportedly shot dead by Israeli forces during confrontations in the West Bank town of Jenin, on February 12 

© JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP

Jenin (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Israeli forces killed a Palestinian teenager Sunday in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said, with the army reporting they came under fire during a raid.

The ministry reported 14-year-old Qusai Radwan Waked died "as a result of being seriously wounded in the abdomen by live fire from the occupation (Israel)" in Jenin, a city in the northern West Bank.

The army said Israeli forces were shot at while they were trying to arrest an alleged Palestinian militant, while "explosive devices and rocks" were also thrown at them.

"We are aware of the reports regarding a number of armed individuals who got injured during the exchange of fire," an army statement said, adding that no troops were hurt.

An AFP photographer saw the teenager's body wrapped in a sheet and being carried on a stretcher.

The latest killing comes as violence flares in the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.

This year there have been 46 Palestinian fatalities, including attackers, militants and civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official statements.

Nine Israeli civilians and one Ukrainian have been killed over the same period.

Elsewhere in the northern West Bank on Sunday, Palestinian mourners gathered for the funeral of a 27-year-old man shot dead allegedly by an Israeli settler.

Mithkal Suleiman Rayyan was shot in the head Saturday near the village of Qarawat Bani Hassan, where the army reported "heavy clashes between dozens of Palestinians and Israeli civilians".

Attia Asi, who witnessed the killing, said the shooting happened before soldiers arrived.
Jerusalem and Jenin © / AFP

"In the beginning it was in the air, then it turned towards the (Palestinian) guys, aiming to kill," he told AFP at the funeral.

The latest raid in Jenin by Israeli forces led to the arrest of Jebril Zubeidi, who the military said is accused of "terrorist activity against security forces and planning attacks".

The city's deputy governor, Kamal Abu al-Rub, said Jebril Zubeidi is the brother of jailed Zakaria Zubeidi, who headed the armed wing of the Fatah movement of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

Zakaria Zubeidi was the alleged mastermind of a daring prison break in 2021, in which he and five fellow Palestinians escaped a high-security facility in northern Israel before being recaptured.

Palestinian president urges world puts a 'stop to Israeli aggression’ amid Arab League split

Issued on: 12/02/2023 -

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Sunday accused Israel of having "crossed all red lines" in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, and urged world leaders to put an end to its actions.

The international community must "protect" the Palestinian people and "put a stop to Israeli aggression... (and) unilateral actions", the head of the Palestinian Authority told an Arab League meeting in Cairo.

"Israeli intransigence and practices have crossed all red lines", he said at the gathering attended by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Last year was the deadliest year in the West Bank since the United Nations started tracking casualties in the territory in 2005.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has seen at least 43 Palestinians -- including attackers, militants and civilians -- killed this year, according to AFP figures.

Nine Israeli civilians including three children, and one Ukrainian have been killed over the same period, according to an AFP tally based on official statements.

In a video address, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres affirmed the international body's "clear position against unilateral actions," citing "illegal settlements in east Jerusalem" in particular.

Sisi -- whose country retains its traditional role as a Middle East mediator - vowed to "continue to work with the two sides of the conflict to revive the political process and restore calm in the West Bank and Gaza".

Abdullah, whose country acts as custodian of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, said Arab leaders "must galvanise efforts to support the resilience of our brothers" in the Palestinian territories.

US President Joe Biden told Abdullah last week that Washington supports a "two-state solution" in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

"Mr. Biden tells me he supports a two-state solution, but then does nothing at all," Abbas added.

A two-state solution would mean the dismantling of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, as well as the partition of Jerusalem, which Israel refuses as it considers the city its undivided capital.

The Arab League is itself split on relations with Israel since 2020 when the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco normalised ties with the Jewish state under the US-brokered Abraham Accords, years after Egypt and Jordan had forged relations.

(AFP)

Can the ‘Slow Flowers’ Movement Make Valentine’s Day Sustainable?

Advocates shining a light on ecologically responsible bouquets want to do for the floral industry what locavorism did for food.

By: Michaela Haas
February 10, 2023


Debra Prinzing won’t get red roses for Valentine’s Day. She and her husband have been married long enough for him to know that Prinzing doesn’t appreciate long-stem roses in winter. “I don’t want to shame anybody,” she says from her home near Seattle, “but I feel bad for the men who are targeted with TV ads before Valentine’s Day and then think they need to get red roses to somehow show their love.”

What’s wrong with red roses? Quite a lot, as it turns out. “At this time of the year, you can hardly get any US-grown roses,” Prinzing says. “They are flown in from Ecuador, Kenya or the Netherlands, packed in cellophane, which is not recyclable, not to mention the pesticides that have been used to grow them. When they are imported, custom officials are only interested in ensuring they don’t bring in any pests, but nobody controls with which chemicals the flowers have been treated. To ensure that the flowers clear US customs, they definitely have been fumigated.”

Exotic flowers might look appealing, but their ecological footprint is devastating, and Prinzing has set out to raise awareness of the truth behind the pretty blooms. As the founder of the Slow Flowers Movement, Prinzing and her colleagues want the floral industry and its clients to embrace local, seasonal and sustainable flowers, grown without pesticides and under fair conditions for the workers. “We take our name from the slow food movement,” she says. “Everybody knows that this means regionally grown, nutritious and delicious food. But because people don’t eat flowers, they pay less attention to where their flowers come from..”

Debra Prinzing is the founder of the Slow Flowers Movement.

 Credit: Debra Prinzing

Buyers who do want to know the source of their bouquets can search the Slow Flowers directory, which lists hundreds of local flower farmers and florists that are part of the “farm to vase” effort. “We’re growing by about 10 percent every year,” Prinzing says of the Slow Flowers Society membership, which is 850 and counting. Or fresh flower fans can take a Slow Flowers workshop and learn to grow their own. This February, Prinzing is tending to hellebores, tulips and daffodils in her yard. “You can make a nice arrangement with some flowering winter ornamental shrubs,” she suggests.
Cutting Out ‘Fast Flowers’

Americans buy about 10 million cut flowers per day, spending between $6 billion and $7 billion every year, with the vast majority imported from monocultures in Africa, South America or Holland. Unlike with food, there are no restrictions on the quantities and toxicity of the pesticides used for the flowers that are often harvested by underpaid workers under inhumane conditions, packed in plastic and then transported over thousands of miles.

Prinzing refers to the imports as “fast flowers.” Similar to fast food, the advertising might look appealing but the products are often full of toxins and won’t contribute to anybody’s health, least of all the planet’s.

Since Amy Stewart published Flower Confidential in 2007, a scrupulously reported behind-the-scenes look into genetic engineering, exploitation of workers and pollution, awareness of the outsize impact of the international flower industry has been growing. Because the use of pesticides and CO2 emissions are not measured in most of the mass-producing countries, the true ecological cost is hard to prove. But on average, the production of 12,000 roses in greenhouses in the Netherlands, with artificial light and heat, produces roughly 35,000 kg CO2, about 10 times as much as a conventionally grown local bouquet. And according to Greenpeace, roses in Colombia are sprayed with 200 kilos of pesticides per hectare, about five times more than is conventionally used in the US.

Slow Flowers member Becky Feasby of Prairie Girl Flowers in Calgary, Alberta, is working on a master’s in sustainability at Harvard University. Her research analyzes the environmental and social impacts of greenhouse rose farming in Canada (BC), the US (California) and South America (Colombia). She points to studies that show how excessive water and pesticide use in floriculture is threatening local water supplies and wildlife in Kenya. And if the slogan “Grown not flown” is taken seriously, every flight not flown from South America to North America corresponds to the reduction of approximately 1,000 kg CO2 emissions.

The movement is self-policing, and of course, there are instances of greenwashing. Slow Flowers have become popular enough that some farmers promote their crops as US grown despite importing them from Mexico. “I tell everybody: Go to your local grower and ask questions. What do you spray against mildew? What do you do with aphids?” Prinzing advises. “Most growers are incredibly proud of their work and will happily show off their flower fields or greenhouses.”

Slow Flowers Society member Hometown Flower Collective is holding a pop-up Valentine’s Day sale at the Empire State Building, with fresh flowers from New York and New Jersey growers. Credit: Empire Trust Realty

In the end, Prinzing is convinced that clients and their wallets will decide the future of the flower market. Locally grown flowers tend to be more expensive than imported ones, so educating people on their value is crucial.

“We can’t compete with the importers,” Prinzing admits. Mass flower production tends to migrate to wherever labor is cheapest and regulations are laxest. Prinzing asks consumers to keep in mind, “The cheaper the import, the more damaging for the planet.” When they buy from local farmers, clients know that the blooms haven’t been flown thousands of miles and will last longer because they didn’t get stuck in transit for days. “There is also less waste because about 20 percent of flowers can get crushed or die in transit,” Prinzing warns.

She has noticed that the pandemic gave the slow flowers ethos a boost, and more local food farmers are offering bouquets from their fields in farmers markets. “More people decided to grow flowers or vegetables themselves or buy locally. Even if people don’t care about the toxins in flowers because they don’t eat them, many care about supporting their local economy, the mom-and-pop shops.”

The growth of the Slower Flowers Movement is in part due to the popularity of social media. Erin Benzakein, owner of Floret Flowers near Seattle, has more than a million followers on social media and her online workshops, which cost $2,000, are sold out as fast as Taylor Swift concerts. Her professionally produced images of dahlias and sunflowers invoke a dreamy wonderland of pink, orange and red shades almost any time of the year.

But Slow Flowers proponents like Prinzing and Benzakein also admit honestly that organic farming without pesticides and artificial fertilizers can be hard work and the flowers don’t always look perfect. “It breaks your heart when a late frost or a summer storm destroys everything,” Prinzing admits. Nevertheless, she says has never ever used a single toxin in 30 years of gardening.

How does she get rid of slugs and aphids?

“I use beer for the slugs and non-toxic soap to wash off aphids,” she shares. Or she might plant a “sacrificial batch of zinnias that attract the aphids, so that the aphids don’t go find something else,” she explains. “Maybe some bugs nibbled a bit at the leaves,” Prinzing says. “You might have to adjust your definition of beauty and accept that not every leaf is perfect every day.”

Just like with true love.




Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers goes behind the scenes in the flower industry.


Michaela Haas Ph.D., is a Contributing Editor at Reasons to be Cheerful. An award-winning author and solutions reporter, her recent books include Bouncing Forward: The Art and Science of Cultivating Resilience (Atria). Visit www.michaelahaas.com

BBC chairman's position is ‘untenable’ after MPs finds he made ‘significant errors of judgment’ on Johnson loan

MATT TRINDER

MORNINGSTAR UK CPGB

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2023


BBC chairman Richard Sharp (left) and Boris Johnson

BBC chairman Richard Sharp’s position is “untenable,” Labour insisted today after MPs found that he had made “significant errors of judgement” when acting as a go-between on a loan for disgraced former prime minister Boris Johnson.

Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell argued that Mr Sharp’s help, offered when the former Tory donor was applying to the government for the post in early 2021, “throws into serious doubt the impartiality and independence that is so fundamental to trust in the BBC.”

In a highly critical report published today, the digital, culture, media and sport committee, which interviewed Mr Sharp last week, said that he had not supplied the “full facts” when it was considering his suitability for the BBC role.

The former banker’s “failure to disclose his actions constitute a breach of the standards expected of individuals applying for such public appointments,” the cross-party panel of MPs added.

“Mr Sharp should consider the impact his omissions will have on trust in him, the BBC and the public appointments process.”

The fallout follows reports in the Sunday Times last month that businessman Sam Blyth, a distant cousin of Mr Johnson and a friend of Mr Sharp, had reportedly raised the idea of acting as guarantor of an £800,000 loan to the then Tory leader in 2020.

Mr Sharp told MPs last week that he did not help arrange this guarantee or give Mr Johnson financial advice, but he admitted meeting Cabinet Secretary Simon Case in December 2020 to obtain permission to pass on Mr Blyth’s details.

The 67-year-old claimed that, during the discussion held just weeks before he was announced as the government’s preferred candidate to chair the BBC, he told Mr Case that he would have “no further participation” in the loan arrangement after applying for the post at the broadcaster.

The report said that Mr Sharp had recognised the need to be “open and transparent” with the head of the Civil Service, but he had “failed to apply the same standards of openness and candour in his decision not to divulge this information during the BBC interview process.”

Mr Sharp’s spokesperson offered his apologies to the committee, saying: “He believed he had dealt with the issue by proactively briefing the Cabinet Secretary.”

Both the BBC and the watchdog that oversees public appointments are conducting reviews into the process.

INDIA
Kerala transgender couple's 'tears of joy' as baby born early


BBC Published 3 days ago

Ziya posted this photo on Instagram after the baby was born on 8 February, almost a month early


A transgender couple from the southern Indian state of Kerala, whose pregnancy photos made global news, have welcomed their baby with "tears of joy".

Ziya Paval said her partner Zahad had given birth to the baby on Wednesday morning.

Ms Paval shared the news on Instagram, posting a photo of the baby who was born nearly a month early.

They told the BBC that both Mr Zahad and the baby, whose name and gender they have not revealed, were fine.

Ms Paval and Mr Zahad, who uses only one name, have said it was their dream to become parents. The couple had paused their hormone therapy during the duration of the pregnancy.

Their pregnancy was considered a rarity in India because "no one else has called themselves a biological parent in the transgender community as far as we know", the couple told the BBC earlier this week.

The two had been at different stages of their respective gender transition processes when they decided to have a baby one-and-a-half years ago.

They had then paused their hormone therapy on doctor's advice.

On Wednesday, as they shared the baby's photo, the couple said they were thankful for the prayers and support of their well-wishers.

Since the announcement of the baby's birth, congratulations have poured in for the couple on their social media pages.

Mr Zahad, an accountant, said he planned to go back to work after two months as Ms Paval took care of the baby.

Kerala: The transgender couple whose pregnancy photos went viral

BBC Published 5 days ago

IMAGE SOURCE,ZIYA PAVAL/INSTAGRAMImage caption,
Ziya Paval (top) and Zahad expect to welcome their baby soon

By Imran Qureshi
BBC Hindi, Bengaluru

A pregnancy photoshoot by an Indian transgender couple - who paused their hormone therapy to have a baby - is being widely shared on social media.

Ziya Paval, 21, and her partner Zahad, 23, who live in the southern state of Kerala, were in the process of gender transition when they decided to have a baby.

Ms Paval, who says she always wanted to be a parent, was recorded male at birth and now identifies as female.

Mr Zahad, who uses only one name, was observed as female at birth and now identifies as male. He is currently pregnant, and the couple expect to welcome their baby soon.

Congratulations have poured in for the couple on their social media pages.


"Trans people deserve family," transgender actress S Negha commented on Ms Paval's Instagram post, where she had shared the photos.


Ms Paval and Mr Zahad say their experience may be rare in India because "no one else has called themselves a biological parent in the transgender community as far as we know".

IMAGE SOURCE,ZIYA PAVAL / INSTAGRAMImage caption,
Congratulations have poured in for the couple on social media

India is estimated to have around two million transgender people, though activists say the number is higher. In 2014, India's Supreme Court ruled that they have the same rights as other people.

However, they still struggle to access education and healthcare, and often face prejudice and stigma.

When Ms Paval and Mr Zahad met three years ago, they were both estranged from their families.

"I am from a conservative Muslim family which never allowed me to learn classical dance," Ms Paval says. "[My parents] were orthodox to the point that they used to cut my hair so that I did not dance."

Ms Paval says she left home to participate in a youth festival and never went back.

She learnt dance at a transgender community centre. She now teaches it to students in Kozhikode district.

Mr Zahad, who is trained as an accountant, is from a Christian family from the fishing community in Thiruvananthapuram city. He currently works at a supermarket.

He had left his family after coming out as transgender to them. But after he became pregnant, his family have accepted the couple and been supportive.

"They are helping Zahad during the pregnancy," Ms Paval says.

It was Mr Zahad's mother who initially asked the couple not to make the pregnancy public. They announced it on their Instagram page last week after she gave permission.

Ms Paval says her family has still not come around.

IMAGE SOURCE,ZIYA PAVAL/INSTAGRAMImage caption,
Mr Zahad is an accountant while Ms Paval is a dance teacher

The couple decided to have a baby one-and-a-half years ago, when they were both at different stages of their gender transition, Ms Paval told the BBC.

Mr Zahad's ovaries and uterus had not been removed yet, so the couple stopped the hormone therapy on their doctors' advice.

The couple's doctors are not authorised to speak to the media.

"Once the pregnancy is over, they can resume the sex hormone therapy," says Dr Mahesh DM, an endocrinologist in Bangalore city who has worked with several transgender people.

After the baby is born, the couple says they'll have to find more work to make ends meet.

"It is very difficult to survive," Ms Paval says, adding that she will have to take on more dance students.

"Zahad will go back to work about two months after the baby is born. Then I will take care of the baby."

The couple says that the transgender community has been "very welcoming" of their pregnancy.

"Of course, there are people both within the transgender community as well as outside who believe in stereotypes. They think a trans man cannot be carrying a baby," Ms Paval says.

"[But] it doesn't matter."

Update: The couple gave birth to a baby on 8th February, almost a month early. They told the BBC that Zahad and the baby were fine but didn't reveal the gender of the baby.

https://www.wondriumdaily.com/samuel-delanys-trouble-on-triton-an-ambiguous-heterotopia/