Palestinian officials welcome US condemnation of Israeli minister’s call to “wipe out” West Bank town


RAMALLAH, Thursday, March 02, 2023 (WAFA) – Palestinian officials Wednesday welcomed US condemnation of an Israeli minister’s call to “wipe out” Huwwara town, south of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.

The US State Department Wednesday condemned Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich’s comments in which he called for the Palestinian village of Huwwara to be "wiped out", and said the remarks were "repugnant, irresponsible and disgusting".

US State Department spokesman Ned Price called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials to "publicly and clearly" disavow Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's comments.

"I want to be very clear about this. These comments were irresponsible. They were repugnant. They were disgusting," Price told reporters on Wednesday.

He added that Smotrich’s “provocative” remarks “amount to incitement to violence”.

“We welcome the statement of the US State Department, which considered the statements of the terrorist Smotrich to wipe out #Huwara as irresponsible, disgusting, and calls for violence,” Secretary-General of the PLO Executive Committee Hussein al-Sheikh tweeted.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh also welcomed the US condemnation of Smotrich’s remarks, and called for the US to combine its condemnation with action that would bring Israeli crimes to a halt and pave the way to a political horizon that would bring an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories that began in 1967 in line with United Nations resolutions and international law.

On Wednesday, Smotrich, who in addition to being finance minister is responsible for Israel's civil administration in the occupied West Bank, said Israel should "wipe out" the Palestinian village of Huwwara in the wake of a violent rampage by settlers on Sunday.

“The Palestinian village of Huwwara should be wiped out. I think that the State of Israel needs to do that – not, God forbid, private individuals,” he said.

This genocidal call came just days after hordes of Israeli settlers, protected by the army, attacked the occupied West Bank village, burning Palestinian homes and cars and ransacking businesses.

One Palestinian was killed in the rampage, which was the settlers’ revenge for the killing of two of their fellow colonists in the village on Sunday by unknown assailants.

Smotrich is a senior Israeli minister who has just been handed sweeping powers over the occupied West Bank.

His call for wiping out Huwwara came in response to a question on an Israeli television show about why he had “liked” a tweet from another settler leader who had urged that “the village of Huwwara should be wiped out today.”

And in a similar spirit, Zvika Fogel, an Israeli general and a lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition, had praised the pogrom in the Palestinian village.

“A closed, burnt Huwwara – that’s what I want to see,” Fogel said.

And on 26 February, the day of the Huwwara pogrom, Smotrich himself incited Israel to “mercilessly” attack Palestinian cities with tanks and helicopters for the killing of the two settlers.

He urged that Israel should show through vengeful violence that “the owner of the house” – meaning Jews – “has gone mad” in order to deter Palestinians from any sort of resistance.

And wiping out whole towns and villages isn’t new either: Zionist militias destroyed hundreds of them during 1948, as they expelled and murdered Palestinians during the Nakba in order to establish Israel over the ruins of their lives and society.

Ever since, the Israeli settler-colony has been destroying Palestinian homes and communities and stealing their land under the guise of “legal” procedures that have no legitimacy whatsoever.

K.F.

Netanyahu denounces ‘anarchists’ after protest outside wife’s hair salon

2 March 2023, 10:24

Israel Politics. Picture: PA

Demonstrators outside the salon chanted ‘shame, shame’ at the end of a day of demonstrations against the government’s plan to overhaul the judiciary.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies have denounced protesters as “anarchists” after they massed outside a Tel Aviv salon where his wife was getting her hair done at the end of a day of demonstrations against the government’s plan to overhaul the judiciary.

Sara Netanyahu has long been a polarising figure in Israel, and the incident late on Wednesday in a posh neighbourhood in Tel Aviv reflected Israel’s emotionally charged divide over the overhaul, seen by opponents as an existential threat to the country.

Demonstrators outside the salon chanted “shame, shame” but did not try to force their way inside. Hundreds of police were sent to the scene and eventually escorted her into a limousine.

Meanwhile, Mr Netanyahu and his political partners showed no signs of easing up on a push to pass a series of bills to overhaul Israel’s judiciary. These moves have further inflamed an already deeply riven country and drawn the largest protests in over a decade.

Israelis wave national flags during a protest against plans by Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government to overhaul the judicial system (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP)

Protest organisers planned more demonstrations on Thursday, a day after their self-proclaimed “day of disruption” turned violent when police used a heavy hand against participants at a Tel Aviv rally.

Thursday’s demonstrations in Jerusalem are expected to include speeches by former government ministers and senior security officials.

Former top economists, including two former Bank of Israel heads and a Nobel Prize laureate, were set to speak at a conference in Tel Aviv about the economic fallout from the overhaul.

Justice minister Yariv Levin, one of the architects of the judicial overhaul, said on Wednesday night that despite the mounting public outcry, Mr Netanyahu’s government “will not stop the legislation”.

The proposed bills would give politicians and parliament control over judicial appointments, the power to overrule the Supreme Court and the ability to pass laws impervious to judicial review.

Critics of the plan include a growing number of former senior military figures, academics, economists and business leaders.

They say the changes will erode the country’s delicate system of checks and balances and erode democratic institutions.

Mr Netanyahu and his ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies say the changes are necessary to rein in the power of unelected judges.

Police handcuff an Israeli woman detained at a protest in Jerusalem (Maya Alleruzzo/AP)

The battle over the judiciary overhaul comes as Netanyahu’s trial on charges of accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust drags on.

Israel’s leader has dismissed the charges against him as part of a “witch hunt” by biased law enforcement, judiciary and press.

On Wednesday, tens of thousands of Israelis took part in demonstrations across the country against what they saw as an attempt by Mr Netanyahu’s new government to weaken the Supreme Court and concentrate power in the hands of the ruling coalition.

Protesters blocked highways and major intersections in Tel Aviv and massed outside the prime minister’s official residence in Jerusalem.

For the first time since protests began two months ago, the scene on the streets turned violent after public security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a hardline nationalist settler, ordered police to take tougher action against demonstrators he claimed were “anarchists”.

At least 11 people were treated in hospital and police arrested dozens.

Wednesday’s events reached a crescendo outside a north Tel Aviv salon where the prime minister’s wife was getting her hair done.

Moshe Butbul, a hair stylist from the salon, told the Israeli news site Ynet that another client posted a selfie with Mrs Netanyahu. He claimed that “within minutes thousands arrived”, though the actual number of protesters may have been smaller, judging by videos posted online.

Reporters at the scene said the crowd kept its distance and did not attempt to break into the salon.

Mr Ben-Gvir then dispatched large numbers of security forces to the salon, saying on Twitter that he had ordered police to “save her life” from the demonstrators “besieging” the salon.

Hundreds of police officers, including mounted police, broke a path through the demonstration to let a car approach. Protected by a phalanx of police, Sara Netanyahu was escorted out of the salon and into the vehicle, which drove off under heavy police escort.

“The anarchy has to stop,” Mr Netanyahu said in a Facebook post accompanied by a picture of him embracing his wife. “This can lead to the loss of life.”

By Press Association

What’s driving the players behind Israel’s legal overhaul?

By Tia Goldenberg

The Associated Press
Thu., March 2, 2023

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — In Israel’s divisive debate over the government’s planned legal overhaul, proponents claim that curtailing the power of judges and courts is good for the country.

But, as their opponents often counter, other factors may be in play: Some of the leading politicians clamoring for these changes either face legal problems or believe the courts are obstructing their ideological agendas.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s allies say the overhaul will rein in an unelected judiciary. Critics warn that it will upend Israel’s system of checks and balances, give too much power to the premier and push the country toward authoritarianism.


Here is a look at the key players who are pushing ahead with the overhaul, despite mass protests and opposition from business leaders, security chiefs and legal officials, as well as concern from Israel’s international allies.

NETANYAHU ON TRIAL

Netanyahu is on trial for corruption, charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of scandals involving media moguls and wealthy associates.

While he was once seen as a defender of the courts, since being indicted, he has blasted the system for carrying out what he says is a witch hunt against him.


His detractors say Netanyahu is seeking an escape route from his trial. One part of the overhaul would give the government control over the appointment of judges. If that passes, Netanyahu, through his government, could install sympathetic judges who could decide his fate. Netanyahu denies the overhaul is linked to his trial.

Israel’s attorney general has barred Netanyahu from dealing with the overhaul, citing potential conflict of interest. But that isn’t expected to slow progress on it.

Netanyahu’s justice minister, Yariv Levin, is barreling forward. Levin has even said the charges against Netanyahu helped spark the need for the overhaul.

REPEAT OFFENDER

A Netanyahu ally in his coalition government is also burdened by criminal charges. Aryeh Deri was convicted and put on probation last year in a plea bargain for tax offenses. He also sat in prison for 22 months in the early 2000s for bribery, fraud and breach of trust for crimes committed while he was interior minister in the 1990s.

Deri was at the fulcrum of the country’s battle over the power of the courts earlier this year when Netanyahu was forced to fire him after the Supreme Court determined that it wasn’t reasonable for the repeat offender to serve as a Cabinet minister.

After the setback, the coalition doubled down on legislating Deri back into the government. In the meantime, he remains a force in parliament.

“Deri is driven by his own interests and vendetta,” said Yohanan Plesner of the Israel Democracy Institute think tank. “There is no way he can serve in the government unless the court’s authorities are dramatically cut down or reduced.”

A Deri spokesman denied the allegation, saying the politician believes the overhaul is necessary to restore a balance between the executive and judicial branches.

ULTRA-ORTHODOX INTERESTS

Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jews, who have a strong voice in the current government, have long felt that the courts threaten their way of life.

Their chief political objective is to continue exemptions for religious men from military conscription. Under a decades-old system, ultra-Orthodox men have been allowed to skip the country’s compulsory military service to instead study Jewish religious texts. That has prompted resentment from secular Israelis who have challenged the system at the Supreme Court, which has demanded the government set up a more equitable framework.

Successive governments have tried to meet the standards of the top court, which has struck down laws seen as favoring the ultra-Orthodox and has emerged as a threat to the community.

The ultra-Orthodox consider religious study — and avoiding military service — key to protecting their insular communities. Experts see military service as a way to integrate the ultra-Orthodox into the workforce. Many men in the community, which makes up 13% of the country’s population, do not work, putting a burden on the economy.

Secular Israelis and groups that promote Jewish pluralism have voiced concern that once judicial oversight is scaled back, the ultra-Orthodox will use their political clout to make the country’s character more religious. They point to attempts by ultra-Orthodox lawmakers to limit business and public works on the Jewish Sabbath as examples of what could lie ahead.

SLIGHTED BY THE DISENGAGEMENT

Pro-settler parties are an essential part of Netanyahu’s government. Simcha Rothman, a West Bank settler, is spearheading the overhaul as head of a parliamentary committee.

The courts have both sided with settlers and opposed them in past rulings, including about unauthorized outposts built on private Palestinian land. Many settlers nonetheless see the justice system as hostile to their desire to expand settlements and ultimately annex the West Bank.

Much of the settlers’ anger toward the court goes back to Israel’s withdrawal of troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip in 2005, when the justices sided with the government. At the time, settlers and their supporters demonstrated in large numbers against the withdrawal, which they felt was unfairly imposed on them. The withdrawal frequently comes up in the current heated debate, with settler leaders claiming that large segments of Israeli society that support the current protests did not back them during what they say was a deeply troubling time.

“Where were you during the disengagement,” firebrand settler leader and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reportedly asked bank chiefs earlier this year when they warned about the overhaul’s adverse effects on the economy.

Commentator Raviv Drucker said this signals the settlers’ real motivations. “The text was clear: The media and the judiciary rode roughshod over opponents of Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,“ he wrote in the Haaretz daily. ”And here’s the subtext: Now, we’re taking revenge on you.”

Smotrich’s hard-line views came up against the Israeli establishment during the disengagement. He was arrested in the lead-up to the event for reported involvement in a plot to damage infrastructure and block main highways.

Smotrich’s governing partner, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has a long list of grievances. He believes the courts have been unfair to religious Jews and settlers and sided too often with Palestinians.

For years, Ben-Gvir, a far-right settler leader, was limited to the fringes of Israeli politics. He has been arrested dozens of times and was convicted of incitement and supporting a Jewish terror group.

In Netanyahu’s new government, he is the national security minister and now oversees the country’s police force.

___

Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Earth Hour: the ‘biggest hour for Earth’


Posted on 02 March 2023

WWF’s Earth Hour is once again uniting people around the world to give an hour for Earth.

Individuals, communities and businesses are being asked to switch off their lights and spend 60 minutes doing something positive for the planet.

The next seven years are crucial for halting irreversible nature loss and climate change and hopes Earth Hour will inspire people to take notice and act.

Anyone, anywhere is being invited to join the biggest hour for Earth. From education, cooking with sustainable ingredients to planting trees - we’re providing a variety of suggestions to help you give an hour this year.

With supporters in more than 190 countries and territories spending 60 minutes doing something positive for the planet, that single hour can turn into thousands and millions of hours of action and awareness.

In December 2022, the historic Kunming- Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework came into force which commits the world to halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030.

To end this decade with more biodiversity than we have currently and stay under the 1.5°C climate threshold needed to avoid irreversible damage to the planet, Earth Hour is needed more than ever to inspire millions to take notice and act.

Earth Hour has been highlighting the issues of climate change and nature loss since 2007.

The symbolic “lights off” moment has united millions of people in over 190 countries and territories worldwide to push for change.

This collective support for the planet has featured many of the world’s most iconic buildings including the London Eye, Eiffel Tower and Colosseum in Rome.

Earth Hour will take place this year on 25 March at 8.30PM local time.

Read more:

Discover ways to give an hour for Earth

Earth Hour milestones

Discover the issues: nature loss and climate change

Living Planet Report: Wildlife populations plummet by 69%

UK
Teachers strike expected to see 200,000 walkout over three days

Picket lines will be mounted outside schools and rallies are due to be held in Cardiff, Chichester, Bristol and Plymouth






Teachers from the National Education Union on a picket line outside Lady Margaret School during a strike in Fulham, London. Reuters



Simon Rushton
Mar 02, 2023

Teachers in parts of England and Wales are on strike on Thursday — the third planned day of action demanding higher pay rises as the country is hit by rampant inflation and interest rate rises.

The National Education Union estimates that about 200,000 members will have walked out this week during three days of strike.

On Thursday, it was teachers in Wales and southern England that are on strike. On Tuesday, colleagues in northern England walked out and on Wednesday, teachers in the Midlands and eastern regions went on strike.

READ MORE
Strikes bite as UK heart patients put at risk on lengthening waiting lists

The NEU said the “majority of schools” were expected to either restrict access to pupils or fully close.

Picket lines will be mounted outside schools and rallies are due to be held in Cardiff, Chichester, Bristol and Plymouth.

“While no teacher wants to be on strike action we are grateful for the support of parents, and do not take it for granted,” said NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted.

Education workers attend a 'Save Our Schools' demonstration in Leeds on Tuesday. EPA

“Many understand first-hand the issues faced by schools and colleges and their children's teachers.

“They need no persuasion that there is disruption every day of the school year, thanks to the government's poor decision-making and short-sighted policies on education.”

A poll by Ipsos suggests that three in five (60 per cent) parents and guardians support teachers taking strike action, while 43 per cent are worried about their children catching up on work missed because of the walkouts.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan last week invited the teaching unions to “formal talks on pay, conditions and reform” provided that this week's walkouts were suspended.


Ms Keegan has called the union's decision not to suspend the regional strikes “hugely disappointing”.

Workers in a numbers of sectors, including nurses, paramedics and rail workers, have all held strike action over the last two months, generally in disputes over salary and conditions as pay offers fail to cover inflation.







Nurses and ambulance staff on the picket line outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham on Monday, February 6. PA

Further national strikes by NEU members in England and Wales are planned for March 15 and 16.

Dr Bousted said: “We urge Gillian Keegan to start negotiating with the profession to ensure we have a resolution for the sake of teachers and children's education.

“The government's continued stonewalling of talks will not improve their standing among parents and the general public.


“We need to see a substantive offer that will address the issues which are eroding this essential public service.”

The Association of School and College Leaders is the leading professional association for all school and college leaders.

General secretary Geoff Barton said: “This week's rolling series of strikes is posing further challenges for school leaders.

“While they will draw on their experiences from last month's strike, in many cases they will not know the exact number of staff taking part in the strike until the day itself.

“Leaders have been planning provision for students according to expected staffing levels and in many cases this will translate to on-site provision for vulnerable pupils, and as many year groups as can be safely accommodated, with remote learning for others.

“While they are managing the situation as best they can, there will inevitably be disruption to education.

Updated: March 02, 2023, 3:44 a.m.

"Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, Peace for the World and Stability Conference" issues final declaration

The final declaration of the "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, Peace for the World and Stability Conference" held in Cape Town was published. The conference demanded the release of the Kurdish people's Leader and all other prisoners.

ANF
CAPE TOWN
Thursday, 2 Mar 2023

The final declaration of the "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, Peace for the World and Stability Conference" held in Cape Town, South Africa, was published. The declaration said that the fact that Abdullah Öcalan was not allowed to meet with his lawyers and family members for two years constitutes a violation of international law. “We call for immediate facilitation of the meeting of 's lawyers and family," the statement said.

Underlining that the release of Kurdish people's Leader Abdullah Öcalan is of critical importance for the peace process in the Middle East, the statement said: “We demand the Turkish government to immediately release Mr. Abdullah Öcalan and all other political prisoners.”

The declaration also called on the South African government, the ruling ANC and all other political and progressive organizations to support the cause of the Kurdish people in their struggle for freedom, dignity, democracy and human rights.

The conference also called on the African Government, SACP, COSATU and all progressive political and social formations to put pressure on the Syrian government to start talks with the Kurdish people.

The final declaration, which also exposed Turkey's invasion attacks in South Kurdistan, said: “We call on all solidarity organizations and the South African government to put pressure on the Turkish government to stop its continued and systematic attacks on Kurdish areas in Northern and Eastern Syria as well as in Northern Iraq, to end putting the lives of civilians at risk, and to stop building and maintaining bases and outposts in these areas.”

Peace in Kurdistan Campaign issues statement of solidarity with Jeremy Corbyn.

ANF
LONDON
Thursday, 2 Mar 2023, 11:19

Peace in Kurdistan Campaign issued a statement of solidarity with Jeremy Corbyn, after current Labour Party leader, Sir Kier Starmer, suspended him from the party and barred him from standing as a Labour MP at the next election.

Peace in Kurdistan Campaign said: "If any political position marks out Jeremy Corbyn it is his anti-racism and fierce internationalism. He has always supported oppressed peoples everywhere in the world. The Kurds know him very well as their friend and as an ally to whom they can turn towards in their times of need. Many other communities will have the same experience of dealing with Jeremy Corbyn as an MP and during his period as Labour leader.

Jeremy’s track record speaks for itself. He has been president of Liberation, one of the oldest human rights organisations in the UK, which has an impeccable history in campaigning on international issues and was formerly known as the Movement for Colonial Freedom. Jeremy is respected as a politician of integrity throughout the world, from Latin America to the Middle East. He is a longstanding friend of Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Vietnam, Palestine and many, many other countries and peoples, not least of which are the Kurds."

The statement added: "Throughout his long political career, he has worked tirelessly to expose foreign interventions and the malign machinations of the United States and other states whose activities overseas have often been totally disastrous for people struggling to liberate themselves from colonialism and imperialism.

Since entering Parliament in 1983, exactly forty years ago, Jeremy has established a strong reputation as one of the few politicians to approach for support and his solidarity has never been in question.

We are proud to have Jeremy Corbyn as a patron of Peace in Kurdistan and would like to put on record his consistent support for the Kurdish people over many, many years.

His Islington North constituency has a large Kurdish community, and they will testify to the invaluable support that Jeremy has provided as their local MP. However, it is not because he has Kurds living in his area that Jeremy has expressed support for the Kurdish struggle. It is integral to his nature as a politician and as a human being to take a stand on the side of the oppressed and against those who abuse power in various manifestations."

The statement continued: "Jeremy enjoys a much deserved and honourable reputation as a greatly energetic and reliable Member who serves all his constituents and seeks to speak up on behalf of people all over the world.

Anyone who knows Jeremy personally will be impressed by his approachability and genuine friendliness. He genuinely likes people and treats everyone with the utmost respect. It is regrettable that he has not received the kind of respect from the media and from his own party that he has always shown to others. Jeremy Corbyn is one of us.

We therefore deplore the personalised campaign that has been waged against Jeremy as an individual, as leader of the Labour Party and since leaving office. The latest action by Sir Kier Starmer, the current Labour leader, to suspend Jeremy from the party and to bar him from standing as a Labour MP at the next election is malicious, wrongheaded and deeply disturbing. The action is malicious because it is totally unfair to Jeremy and to the thousands of voters in Islington who have returned him as their MP in successive elections. He has one of the biggest majorities in the country. It is wrongheaded because it flagrantly disregards the history of the Labour Party as a political organisation which has been sufficiently broad to encompass diverse political opinions and has been strengthened as a result. The ban on Jeremy from standing for the party signals a significant narrowing of Labour’s politics and as such marks a tremendous diminution of its appeal to people of diverse and radical opinions."

Peace in Kurdistan said that "the decision is disturbing because it is an affront to democracy and reflects a growing intolerance in the party and in the wider society. Jeremy is a socialist, but his opinions have been regarded as quite mainstream over many years and his ideas are in truth extremely popular. Jeremy stands for peace, human rights and solidarity with oppressed minorities whether they are living in this country or overseas. He makes no distinction between campaigning for his local constituents and supporting the rights of people, like the Kurds, who live in countries far afield across continents. Internationalism runs through his bloodstream, it is who he is. This is a position that reflects the best of Labour, and the best of the British radical political tradition as has been expressed by political figures over many decades."

Peace in Kurdistan continued: "Jeremy Corbyn’s politics are actually very central to what progressive British politics is all about and we cannot afford to lose them. This is why the decision to block him from representing Labour in Parliament is such an outrageous one. It is not simply an attack on Jeremy as a person. It is an assault on the entire history of political radicalism in this country and an attempt to undermine its legitimacy as a political trend. As such, Keir Starmer’s action against Jeremy Corbyn, whom he not so long ago described as his friend, is an attack on everyone. It is an attempt to undermine the possibility of progressive political change in this country. In this respect, it is a denial of hope.

We are proud to stand in solidarity with Jeremy Corbyn, a politician of the utmost integrity and an outstandingly decent human being."

UAE Rulers congratulate astronaut Al Neyadi on his pioneering mission to International Space Station

• 2 hours ago

Sultan Al Neyadi is the first Arab astronaut on a long-term mission that takes six months to the ISS.

Syed Shayaan Bakht, Staff Reporter

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, affirmed his pride in Sultan Al Neyadi and among the UAE's youth, who are working to raise the flag of the nation and enhance its contributions to the service of humanity.

Emirati astronaut Sultan Al-Neyadi along with two Nasa astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut blasted off to the International Space Station on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Thursday morning.

The SpaceX Dragon Crew-6 mission launched at 12:34 am (09.34am  UAE time) from Launch Complex 39A at Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a livestream of the launch showed.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed said, “I join the nation in congratulating Sultan Al Neyadi as he begins his pioneering mission aboard the International Space Station. His inspiring achievement is a source of great pride to the UAE and another milestone in the journey of our nation and the ambitions of our people.”

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said, “The son of the Emirates, Sultan Al Neyadi, launched into space today to be the first Arab astronaut on a long-term mission that takes six months to the International Space Station.”

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, and President of MBRSC, watched the launch of the longest Arab space mission in history from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai.

He thanked staff and experts for their tireless efforts in making the mission a success.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi tweeted, “The UAE continues to achieve Zayed's ambition by establishing an advanced space sector that records successive global achievements. Congratulations to my brother @Astro_Alneyadi who launched into space today on the #longest_Arab_space_mission for a period of 6 months to @Space_Station.”

Sarah Bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology said, “A historic and important journey full of hope. We live the details of it with the launch of the son of the Emirates @Astro_Alneyadi to board the International Space Station. All thanks to Their Highnesses for their unlimited trust and support.”

Emirati astronaut Al Neyadi thanked the wise leadership of UAE, his father, mother and family for their support and Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre for the trust in his first message from Dragon capsule after the successful launch. 

N.C. senators vote for medical pot at appropriate time

Some North Carolina legislators voted twice this week at an appropriate time — 4:20 p.m. — for legislation that would legalize marijuana for medical use in the state

Via AP news wire

Medical Marijuana North Carolina
(2021, The News & Observer)

Some North Carolina legislators voted twice this week at an appropriate time — 4:20 p.m. — for legislation that would legalize marijuana for medical use in the state.

The state Senate voted 36-10 on Wednesday for the measure for the second day in a row. The bill would create a structure to identify qualifying patients and license those who would cultivate and sell cannabis.

Roll-call documents show senators voted on the bill Tuesday and Wednesday at exactly 4:20 p.m. on both days. The number “420” makes a reference to April 20, which is also known as “420 Day,” an annual day of celebration of marijuana.

Republican Sen. Bill Rabon, the bill’s chief sponsor and the Senate’s Rules Committee chairman, said Tuesday’s vote at 4:20 p.m. wasn’t deliberate, attributing it more to happenstance.

On Wednesday, however, he said it was in the back of his mind. The session was called to order a few minutes before 4:20 p.m., and Rabon didn't debate the bill: “I was watching the clock.”

Senate leader Phil Berger, who sits at the same desk as Rabon on the floor, said Rabon learned over to him on Wednesday and said: “'We're going to do it at 4:20 again today.'" Berger said he had little idea about what “420” meant.

It’s common for the Senate to hold voting sessions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 4 p.m. And the agendas were light both days this week.

The measure now goes to the House, which declined in 2022 to take up a nearly identical measure the Senate approved then. But House Speaker Tim Moore has said there's some support within his chamber for the idea this year.

Revolut auditor waves the red flag over £477m of unverified revenues... but bosses insist they will STILL get a banking licence!

By FRANCESCA WASHTELL FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 1 March 2023

Revolut is close to receiving a UK banking licence despite its auditor highlighting major problems with its accounts.

In a long-delayed report, the £28billion firm said it made its first profit in 2021 as turnover tripled in the cryptocurrency boom.

But in a huge embarrassment for the financial services giant, auditor BDO said £477million of revenues – three-quarters of its £636million turnover – could not be verified and may have been mis-stated.

In the spotlight: Revolut is close to receiving a UK banking licence despite its auditor highlighting major problems with its accounts

Despite that, Revolut believes it will still be granted a UK banking licence ‘imminently’, potentially within days, by regulators at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA).

The news – first revealed by The Mail on Sunday last week – sparked concern among MPs and industry experts.

Baroness Altmann, a former pensions minister, said: ‘If the regulators decide not to press the pause button on granting a licence, they need to give a clear public explanation of why they have confidence in going ahead.’

Will Wragg, Conservative MP and co-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on banking, said: ‘It is extraordinary that a firm of Revolut’s size, and a financial technology company, has had questions raised about its internal IT system and that its auditor is unable to verify the source of three-quarters of its profits.

‘Being granted a banking licence comes with huge responsibility and failing to account for almost £500million is not exactly small fry.

‘I would urge the regulators to think very carefully about this.’

Revolut’s accounts for 2021 were due to be published by the end of September. This was delayed until December 31, a deadline it missed.

Yesterday, BDO said the group’s IT and accounting systems were not sophisticated enough to track its revenues for most of 2021 when the company was growing rapidly.

This meant the auditors could not confirm which parts of the business three-quarters of the revenue came from – putting it at risk of ‘material mis-statement’.

The error was put right in late 2021, a source said, and it is not expected to be a problem again. The source said regulators were ‘well aware of the issues’.

Finance boss Mikko Salovaara said Revolut ‘outgrew’ its IT systems, adding: ‘It’s a one-off. We don’t expect further delays on an ongoing basis in our accounts.’

Revolut was launched in 2015 by former Lehman Brothers and Credit Suisse trader Nikolay Storonsky, 38, and Vlad Yatsenko, 39. I

t is now a sprawling digital finance group with 27m customers worldwide offering everything from holiday home rentals to stock trading.

It has a full banking licence in the EU but can only offer some services in the UK. A licence would allow it to take deposits and lend money.

Revolut said it made a £40million profit in 2021, up from a loss of £221million in 2020. In an update on current trading, it said revenues had jumped by another third to £850m in 2022 – and were far less dependent on crypto.

Storonsky, who is also the chief executive, wants it to be the ‘Amazon of banking’.

Angela Eagle, a Labour MP on the Treasury Select Committee, said: ‘I would certainly worry about what on Earth had gone on in an organisation which can’t account for where three-quarters of its income has come from trying to become a bank.’

BDO is working on the 2022 accounts, expected to be released before this year’s September deadline.

Revolut has been on a hiring spree, taking on around 300 people a month since last summer, boosting its total headcount from 2,900 people at the start of 2022 to around 6,000.

Gaffe hits grandees on board of fintech

The Revolut debacle is an embarrassment for City big-hitters who joined its board.

Most prominent is Martin Gilbert, 67, who is founder of Aberdeen Asset Management, which merged with Standard Life to create Standard Life Aberdeen, now Abrdn.

He is Revolut chairman, and was appointed in 2019 to help boost its credentials.

Revolut chairman Martin Gilbert (pictured) was appointed in 2019 to help boost its credentials

Michael Sherwood, 57, a former top Goldman Sachs executive, is a non-executive director and chairs its remuneration committee.

He arrived in 2020 to bolster its governance after it was criticised for a potential breach of transparency rules.

Revolut’s risk and compliance committee is headed by John Sievwright, who was chief operating officer at investment bank Merrill Lynch.

Another non-executive director is Ian Wilson, who previously worked at RBS, Santander, Tesco Bank and Monzo.

Caroline Britton, who heads Revolut’s audit committee, spent 18 years as a partner at accountant Deloitte.

NZ
The origin of the vast amount of sediment moved around by Cyclone Gabrielle, and what happens to it

Michael Daly

Feb 28 2023


Mountains of silt and slash blanketing Esk Valley should stay there, resident says

Steve Wheeler has up to 2 metres of silt blanketing his property in Esk Valley. The smart move would be to leave it there, he says.

Among the most shocking sights to emerge from recent extreme weather events were the vast amounts of sediment washed down by floodwaters onto the plains of Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti.

In some of the worst cases, the sediment left behind after the water had gone completely buried houses up to their roofs.

Professor Troy Baisden, from the University of Auckland, studies the flow of carbon, nitrogen and water through ecosystems. He said the North Island’s east coast was among the world’s leading hotspots for the uplift erosion and deposition of sediment.

In areas such as the Waipaoa catchment above Gisborne, sediments from the 20th century were more than 5m deep.
What is in the sediment?

While the sediment is often generically called silt, technically silt is particles of sediment that range in size from 0.002mm (or 2 microns) to 0.063mm.



READ MORE:
* Cyclone Gabrielle: Mountain of silt engulfs Esk Valley property, no way to move it

* Silt in orchards and pastures will have to be managed, so it doesn't choke grass, trees and soils, scientist says

* Cracking the code of catastrophic floods in New Zealand


Larger particles up to 2mm are sand. Sediment particles smaller than silt – under 0.002mm or 2 microns – are referred to as clay or mud.

Baisden said much of the silt and sediment was repeating a cycle, having been deposited some millions of years ago in thick marine sediments like those washed down rivers two weeks ago.

CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF
Sediment brought down by floodwaters during Cyclone Gabrielle buries a building up to its roof in the Esk Valley, north of Napier.

It was then uplifted but only poorly consolidated, leaving the steep, soft-rock hill country of the east coast.

Where does it come from?

Three soft-rock terrains were the main sources of the deep deposits of sediment left after the flooding, Baisden said.

Of those, steep mudstone hill country covered the largest area. It was good for fertile pasture, until roughly the upper metre of soil and weathered rock became a slip. In events like Gabrielle, slips could cover roughly a quarter of the area.

To the north, in Tairāwhiti, there were terrains where gullies expanded at the top of stream channels in steep catchments, Baisden said.

Thirdly, towards the tip of East Cape, most notably in the Waiapu catchment near Ruatoria, there were massive slopes composed of harder but highly fractured rocks that generated earthflows.

“These areas have amongst the highest sediment generation anywhere in the world.”

Associate Producer Peter Almond, head of the Department of Soil and Physical Sciences at Lincoln University, said the sediment ending up on the floodplains was coming from material eroded from hill slopes, or from river channels and riverbanks.

In places, flooding rivers had also scoured sediment from floodplains, moving it to somewhere else on the floodplain, or out to sea.

"In the big picture, the fertile plains of Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti owe their origin to the kinds of events we have witnessed with Cyclone Gabrielle,” Almond said.

“However, the frequency of the large sedimentation events building the plains has increased as a result of changes to land use, primarily the clearance of native forest from the hills.”

Climate change, bringing more frequent and more intense storms, would speed up the frequency and rate of sedimentation on the plains.

“These events pose a greater hazard as populations grow, and more people are put in harm’s way."

A section of road known as ‘Devil’s Elbow’ on SH2 between Napier and Wairoa crosses what is normally a small stream. During Cyclone Gabrielle slips blocked the road, and torrents of floodwater poured down the hillside.

What happens to the eroded hills?

On hill slopes where soils had been eroded, usually the topsoil and subsoil down to the bedrock were removed by the processes of land sliding, Almond said.

Other kinds of erosion involving flowing water, including rilling and gullying, also removed all pre-existing soil.

“This stripping and reforming of soils is a common phenomenon in the rapidly eroding, steep soft-rock hill country of eastern North Island. It is common too in the Rangitikei, Manawatū and Whanganui regions.”
How is the sediment distributed?

The way different sediment types were distributed on the floodplains depended on the energy of water flows.

Close to rivers and in channelised zones, only the larger-sized material (sand) could settle because of the strong current, Almond said.

In areas where flows were lower, dominantly silt and fine sand could settle. In ponded areas clay (mud) could settle.


CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF
Sediment left in the Esk Valley after Cyclone Gabrielle.

What about the sediment that gets to the sea?

University of Waikato Professor of Marine Science Conrad Pilditch said the volume of sediment entering the coastal environment from this year’s weather events was a “big issue”.

Although the water in estuaries and coastal zones may become clear after a short period, the silt would still be around in those environments for a long time.

For some estuaries, a lot of silt was already accumulating. Material landing on the seafloor or on rocky reefs could smother animals and plants.

As that dispersed, there could be a background increase in turbidity, “which creates a longer term effect of silt being resuspended and dispersed around and generally browning those coastal waters”, Pilditch said.

“All of these ecosystems are dependent on plant growth – microscopic phytoplankton or large kelps and seaweeds.

“When you put these suspended sediments in the water column, it stops some light from hitting the seafloor.

“This cuts down the amount of food at the base of the food web, and then all the animals that feed on that, it has devastating consequences for them as well."

MARK TAYLOR/STUFF

A plume of sediment in the sea off the Hawke’s Bay coast after Cyclone Gabrielle.

What can be done where land is covered in sediment?

Almond said the sediment was usually low in organic carbon and nitrogen, phosphorus and available potassium, unless it was eroded from a nearby fertile soil and redeposited quickly.

Where sediment was thin – less than 5cm thick – many existing plants would readily grow through it. The sediment could be readily incorporated into pre-existing topsoil or direct-drilled to re-establish pasture.

For sediment up to 25cm thick, deeper cultivation could be used to achieve the same effect, although the greater concentration of fresh sediment would mean lower fertility.

With thicker sediment, where it could not be removed, a new soil would have to form in the sediment. Depending on management approaches, the new soil could be growing pasture at somewhere more than 70% of its original productivity within 18 months, Almond said.

Fertiliser additions were essential, particularly when the sediment was thick because fertility of the sediment was normally low.

”Experience from the 2004 Manawatū floods showed that despite a relatively quick recovery to productive pasture, land affected by sedimentation tended to be affected by pugging and weed problems for a sustained period after sediment deposition.”

DAVID WHITE/STUFF
Silt damage to a farm inland from Wairoa.

What could be done to reduce the amount of sediment washed down?

Satellite mapping had shown that closed-canopy indigenous and exotic forests were effective at preventing slips because roots hold the soil together, Baisden said.

Two areas to look at were whether increasingly accurate elevation and slope data could show more clearly what land was at risk. And second, how much risk were vulnerable terrains planted with exotic forests at in the years after clearcutting?

”Studies of mudstone hill country around Lake Tutira suggest that indigenous reforestation can be effective, and mānuka honey can complement carbon credits as an income source from this land.”