EU to unveil reforms for cheaper drugs

AFP
Issued on: 26/04/2023 

The proposed reforms are intended to make pharmaceutical drugs cheaper, prevent shortages and speed up delivery of new compounds 

© Louisa GOULIAMAKI / AFP/File

Brussels (AFP) – The EU on Wednesday is to unveil a long-awaited proposed reform of legislation governing pharmaceutical drugs to make them cheaper, prevent shortages and speed up delivery of new compounds.

The overhaul aims to bring "timely and equitable access for patients to affordable drugs" in the bloc, EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides tweeted.

The reform is the biggest in two decades, and has in part been informed by Brussels' swift, concerted action during the Covid pandemic that underscored the benefits of less-burdensome procedures, greater transparency and joint measures.

The pharmaceutical industry has been intensively lobbying ahead of the presentation of the proposals.

A leak in February of a draft version of them sparked criticism from companies worried that the exclusive period they had over selling new drugs could be shortened from 10 years to eight.

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations warned against steps that could constrain innovation.

While the European Commission aims to bring down the cost of medicines, it doesn't have the power to set prices in the European Union.

That is the prerogative of national governments who negotiate with pharmaceutical groups.

The EU executive is also intent on tackling shortages of drugs for rare diseases, and unequal access to medicines across the 27-nation bloc, especially in eastern member states.

Another challenge to be tackled is increasing microbial resistance to existing antibiotics, which each year leads to 35,000 deaths in the European Union.

Because antibiotics are meant to be taken in moderate, defined doses they are less lucrative to pharmaceutical companies than blockbuster drugs.
Voucher system

To address that problem, the commission is looking at introducing transferable vouchers that would allow a company coming up with a new, effective antibiotic to apply a lengthened period of exclusivity to another more profitable drug, or to sell that right to another company.

Around half the EU member states, including France, Belgium and the Netherlands, are wary of that idea though, worried it would weigh on national health systems.

The pharmaceutical industry has expressed concern that the changes could constrain innovation

 © Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP/File

The European Consumer Organisation has also come out against that proposal.

"But so far, no one has proposed a better system," said one EU lawmaker, Peter Liese, who is also a medical doctor.

He said that virtually no new antibiotic had been produced in 20 years. On this issue and the others the commission is proposing, "innovation-friendly regulation is indispensable," he said.

The commission also wants a faster approval process to get new drugs to market faster, as happened with Covid vaccines.

And it is suggesting a measure to force companies to be more transparent about the stocks of drugs they have, so that any looming shortfalls can be tackled earlier on.

For Pauline Londeix, co-founder of OTMeds, a French group monitoring levels of transparency on drugs policies, "a centralised system of alerts on shortages goes in the right direction but is not enough in itself".

She argues that the EU should consider "coordinated action at the European level for the part-public production of essential medicines".

UK children receiving food aid spikes to over one million: charity

AFP
Tue, April 25, 2023 


More than a million children in the UK received food aid in the past 12 months, an increase of 300,000 from a year earlier, as the country battles a cost of living crisis, latest figures showed Wednesday.

Out of the nearly three million food parcels distributed in the year to the end of March 2023, more than 1.1 million went to children, according to the Trussell Trust charity which supports some 1,200 food banks nationwide.

The number of emergency packages going to children the previous year was over 800,000, it said. In 2017-18 the figure was less than 500,000.

The figures come as the UK -- a G7 member and one of the world's richest countries -- grapples with the biggest surge in prices in decades with fuel, heating and food and housing costs all soaring.

Food banks have become a feature of life as increasing costs combined with wage stagnation have pushed many to seek help for the first time -- even those in work.

"We are experiencing an unprecedented rise in the number of people coming to the food bank, particularly employed people who are no longer able to balance a low income against rising living costs," said Brian Thomas, chief executive of South Tyneside food bank in northeast England.

"We're also seeing a really high number of families needing support as people struggle to afford the essentials."

- Under strain -

The cost-of-living crisis has seen sectors across the economy from doctors, nurses and teachers to dock workers and lawyers strike in the past year.

Thomas added that the situation had hit donations as more people struggled to meet basic costs for themselves.

"Food donation levels are not keeping up with the significant increase in need and this is putting us under a lot of strain, it's a real pressure cooker situation for food banks," he added.

Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said food banks were set up to provide short-term support to people in an emergency but had now become the norm for low-paid workers and people receiving welfare payments.

"They are not a lasting solution to hunger and poverty, and more than three quarters of the UK population agree with us that they should not need to exist," she said.

The Trussell Trust is urging the Conservative government to increase welfare payments to a more realistic level so that they cover essential costs.

The current chairman of the Conservative party, Lee Anderson, has sparked outrage by saying that people struggling with rising prices should budget better and questioned whether food poverty was real.

According to the charity's figures, more than 760,000 people used a food bank for the first time in the past 12 months -- a 38 percent increase on the previous year.

har/phz/giv

TOXIC MASCULINITY

'Be a Real Man': Russian Army Launches Recruitment Drive

April 25, 2023 
Agence France-Presse

A billboard promoting contract army service and reading "Our job, defending the homeland" sits on the outskirts of Moscow on April 24, 2023.

MOSCOW —

A slick new video that has gone viral on Russian social media platforms shows a taxi driver, a security guard and a fitness coach at work.

"Did you really dream of being this kind of defender?" the footage released by the Russian defense ministry says.

The video, set to dramatic music, then depicts armed men in full combat gear walking across a battlefield in thick fog.

"You're a real man! Be one!" says the ad, encouraging Russians to sign a contract with the defense ministry.

A man walks in front of a poster promoting contract army service and reading "Our job, defending the homeland" in Moscow on April 12, 2023.

Moscow has launched an aggressive military recruitment campaign complete with videos and ubiquitous billboards as Kyiv gears up for a counter-offensive after months of stalemate in eastern Ukraine.

"Our job is defending the motherland," reads one of the billboards in the capital, showing three soldiers under a big blue sky.

"An honorable job and a decent salary," says another slogan.

New Russian Campaign Tries to Entice Men to Fight in Ukraine

Last September, President Vladimir Putin announced a "partial" military mobilization — Russia's first since World War II — sending shockwaves across the country and prompting tens of thousands to flee.

Unwilling to announce a second mobilization drive, Moscow has instead opted for a massive PR campaign, hoping to lure Russians with financial incentives.

Tapping into macho culture

The authorities have not disclosed their target but various estimates say Moscow could be trying to recruit 400,000 volunteers.

"The authorities are almost certainly seeking to delay any new, overt mandatory mobilization for as long as possible to minimize domestic dissent," British military intelligence said this week.

Those who sign a contract with the Russian defense ministry are promised a monthly salary of at least 204,000 rubles ($2, 450).

A notice on the Moscow mayor's website specifies that servicemen will be paid "at least 204,000 rubles" in "the zone of the special military operation", the Kremlin's official term for the offensive in Ukraine.

Those who take part in offensives are promised a daily bonus of 8,000 rubles (around $100) and at least 50,000 rubles (around $615) for capturing or destroying enemy weapons and military equipment.

Some praised the recruitment drive.

"In Russia, this is a good amount to support your family, and even your parents," Pyotr Lipka, a 21-year-old student from the southern city of Volgograd, told AFP.

"This makes sense: if a person defends his motherland, why shouldn't he get paid?" Lipka said, adding that signing a contract was better than being mobilized.

A billboard promoting contract army service and reading "Serving Russia is the real job" sits in Saint Petersburg on April 23, 2023.

The PR campaign in support of the army builds on Russia's macho culture, promoting the image of a "real man" as strong and patriotic.

Last year, the authorities admitted embarrassing mistakes in their troop call-up for Ukraine, after some public outrage over students, older or sick people being mistakenly ordered to report for duty.

Russia's Year of War: Purge of Critics, Surge of Nationalism

'Avoiding a new shock'

Yevgeny Krapivin, 41, served as a professional soldier when Russia fought Chechen separatists in 1999-2002 and would like to sign up again to fight in Ukraine.

He said recruitment officers first turned him away, pointing to his age. "Then they told me: 'Wait. You can get a call at any moment'," he told AFP in central Moscow. "I am ready."

The launch of the new recruitment drive has coincided with preparations for May 9 celebrations marking the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, which has reached a cult status under Putin.

This month Putin approved a controversial bill to create a digital draft system that could stop men from leaving the country.

Putin Signs Bill Allowing Electronic Conscription Notices

Kremlin critics say the bill will greatly facilitate mobilizing men to fight and clamp down on those avoiding the draft as the assault on Ukraine stretches into a second year.

Political observers say the Kremlin is keen to keep a tight lid on social discontent in Russia as economic troubles mount.

After a Year of Sanctions, Moscow Tries to Appear Normal

"Authorities clearly want to avoid a new shock, a new stress for society," Denis Volkov, head of independent pollster Levada Centre, told AFP, referring to a military mobilization.

"And they've opted for a different scenario: to recruit volunteers," he said.

A poster promoting contract army service and reading "Our job, defending the homeland" adorns the door of a shop, with the U.S. embassy seen on the left, in central Moscow on April 22, 2023.

The campaign could be successful, especially in Russia's small, poverty-stricken towns, he added.

The new approach seemed to be working, Volkov said.

"We are not seeing any of the panic that there was in autumn," he said.

"No one is queueing up to go across the border."

Massie, 18 Democrats vote against resolution to honor US-Israel relationship, expand Abraham Accords

Mahmoud Illean/Associated Press

Israeli authorities project an image of the Israeli and U.S. flags on the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City in honor of July Fourth, Monday, July 4, 2022.


BY MYCHAEL SCHNELL - 04/25/23 - THE HILL

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and 18 House Democrats on Tuesday voted against a resolution that honored the U.S.-Israeli relationship on Israeli Independence Day and expressed support for expanding and strengthening the Abraham Accords — the 2020 agreement establishing diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

The resolution — which had bipartisan sponsorship — cleared the chamber in a 401-19 vote. This year marks 75 years since Israel declared its independence.

Massie, who frequently votes against legislation pertaining to international matters, was the only Republican to oppose the measure.

“Ultimately it didn’t make sense for me to vote for a bill that praises the foreign aid that I’ve voted against for the past ten years,” he said in a statement.

He was joined by 18 Democrats, 17 of whom are members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Progressives who voted against the measure included Reps. Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), Cori Bush (Mo.), Andre Carson (Ind.), Mark DeSaulnier (Calif.), Jesús “Chuy” García (Ill.), Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.), Jared Huffman (Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), Hank Johnson (Ga.), Summer Lee (Pa.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Mark Pocan (Wis.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Delia Ramirez (Ill.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and Nydia Velázquez (N.Y.).

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), who is not a member of the Progressive Caucus, also opposed the resolution.

It was not immediately clear why the House Democrats voted against the legislation. But progressives have regularly criticized the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians, particularly under the tenure of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, resolutions similar to the one brought up on Tuesday have been introduced every five years to mark Israel’s Independence Day, known as Yom Ha’atzmaut. This year’s version, however, reportedly broke with previous editions because it did not reference a two-state solution.

The measure considered on Tuesday specifically calls for “encouraging the expansion and strengthening of the Abraham Accords to urge other nations to normalize relations with Israel and ensure that existing agreements reap tangible security and economic benefits for the citizens of those countries and all peoples in the region.”

The Abraham Accords, signed under the Trump administration, normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, making Abu Dhabi the first Arab country to establish relations with Tel Aviv in more than two decades. Bahrain also signed onto the accords after pronouncements from Sudan and Morocco to strengthen relations with Israel.

The resolution also said the House encourages Washington and Tel Aviv “to continue to deepen and expand bilateral cooperation” on economic, security and civilian matters. It “expresses continued support for security assistance to Israel as outlined in the United States-Israel Memorandum of Understanding to ensure that Israel can defend itself by itself.”

Additionally, the resolution stated that the House “supports Israel’s robust involvement as an active member of the community of nations to benefit Israel and the United States as partners who share common values and a commitment to democracy.”

The resolution’s sponsors hailed House approval of the measure.

“The United States and Israel have stood together as partners since Israel’s founding 75 years ago to overcome shared challenges and global threats,” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement. “Together, we’ve achieved major milestones, such as the signing of the historic Abraham Accords. I look forward to continuing the longstanding tradition of friendship and partnership between our two countries.”Woman pleads guilty in ‘Killer Clown’ caseThese are the GOP lawmakers to watch in debt fight

Rep. Kathy Manning (D-N.C.) highlighted the history of the “extraordinary and enduring alliance” between Washington and Tel Aviv.

“For 75 years, the United States and Israel have built an extraordinary and enduring alliance based on our shared interests and fundamental values. Together, our two countries have championed democracy, partnered on technological achievements, increased regional security, and celebrated our shared fundamental values,” Manning said.

“On the 75th anniversary of Israel’s independence, I’m proud of the accomplishments our countries have achieved together, including the historic Abraham Accords, and I look forward to strengthening both the historic, bipartisan U.S. Israel relationship, and a two-state solution in the years to come,” she added.

Robert Reich urges secretaries of state to refuse to put Trump’s name on 2024 ballots

BY LAUREN SFORZA -THE HILL -  04/24/23 5

Robert Reich, labor secretary under former President Clinton, urged secretaries of state to refuse to put former President Trump’s name on 2024 ballots, saying Trump “committed treason.”

In an opinion piece published in The Guardian, Reich argued Trump violated the Constitution by participating in an insurrection against the country, referencing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. He wrote that Trump’s reported attempts to pressure state officials to “change their tallies,” to persuade former Vice President Pence to not certify the election results and his calls for his supporters to march on the Capitol were all examples of “treason.”

“This, my friends, is treason,” he said.

“But Trump is running for reelection, despite the explicit language of section three of the 14th amendment to the constitution, which prohibits anyone who has held public office and who has engaged in insurrection against the United States from ever again serving in public office,” Reich continued.

Reich argued that the former president tried to change the results of the election in 2020, and questioned what would stop Trump form attempting the same moves in 2024. He said that the chances of him trying to overturn the election are “greater now” than before because Trump has more supporters in local and state governments.

He said that while the recently passed Electoral Count Reform Act, which is an update to the Electoral Count Act of 1887, covers some legal concerns, Trump may still find a way to influence the results of the election. He said that it is up to the secretaries of state to determine whether Trump should be on the ballot.

“Secretaries of state — who in most cases are in charge of deciding who gets on the ballot – must refuse to place Donald Trump’s name on the 2024 ballot, based on the clear meaning of section three of the 14th amendment to the US constitution,” he concluded.Woman pleads guilty in ‘Killer Clown’ caseThese are the GOP lawmakers to watch in debt fight

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement to The Hill that it is “sad” some individuals want to keep people from voting for the former president.

“What these un-democratic organizations and individuals are doing is blatant election interference and tampering,” Cheung said. “They are not even trying to hide it anymore and it is sad they want to deprive the American people of choosing Donald Trump — the overwhelming front runner by far — as their President. History will not judge them kindly and they will have to answer for their desecration of the Constitution.”

CAPITALI$T CRISIS IS CLIMATE CRISIS

Drought threatens Panama Canal shipping traffic

Wednesday, 26 April, 2023 

Drought has forced Panama's authorities to reduce shipping traffic in the canal that links the Atlantic and Pacific as a water supply crisis threatens the future of this crucial waterway.

Two artificial lakes that feed the canal in the province of Colon have been depleted by lack of rain.

"This Lake Alhajuela has less water every day," Leidin Guevara, 43, who fishes in the lake, told AFP.

The Panamanian Canal Authority (ACP) has limited the largest ships passing through the canal for the fifth time during this drought season.

Some six percent of global maritime shipping passes through the canal, mostly from the United States, China and Japan.

Rain water is the energy source used in the Panama Canal to move ships through locks, up to as much as 26 meters above sea level.

The passage of each boat involves 200 million liters of fresh water flowing into the sea, which makes the Alhajuela and Gatun lakes vital.

According to the ACP, between March 21 and April 21, the Alhajuela level fell by seven meters -- more than 10 percent.

"The lack of rains impacts in various ways, firstly in the reduction in our water reserves," Erick Cordoba, the ACP water manager, told AFP.

That affects the canal's business with the largest vessels, which pay the highest fees, prevented from passing through, added Cordoba.

In the 2022 fiscal year more than 14,000 ships carrying 518 million tons of cargo passed through the canal, contributing $2.5 billion to the Panamanian treasury.

- 'Vital to find new water sources' -

Alarm bells were already set off in 2019 when the fresh water supplies dropped to just three billion cubic meters, some way short of the 5.25 billion needed to operate the canal.

Authorities fear that this operational uncertainty could lead some shipping companies to favor other routes, thus heightening the need to find solutions to guarantee the canal's operations over the long term.

Canal administrator Ricaurte Vasquez recently acknowledged to Panamanian website SNIP Noticias that water shortage was the main threat to shipping in the canal.

"Without a new reservoir that brings new volumes of water, this situation will remove the Canal's capacity to grow," former administrator Jorge Quijano told AFP.

"It is vital to find new water sources, especially faced with the climate change we are seeing, not just in our country but all over the world."

The Panama Canal basin also supplies water to more than half of the country's 4.3 million population.

The shortages have caused water supply problems in several parts of the country, provoking numerous protests.

Experts warn that water conflicts could arise between the canal and local populations given the disorderly urban sprawl developing around Panama City.

"We don't want to engage in a philosophical conflict over water for Panamanians or water for international commerce," said Vasquez.

The canal has suffered from "a lack of rain as we have had in the whole country, but within the parameters of what is a normal dry period," Luz de Calzadilla, general manager at Panama's meteorology and hydrology institute, told AFP.

However, the El Nino climate phenomenon will likely reduce rainfall in the second half of the year, added De Calzadilla.

"The truth is that the Canal administration is working magic to maintain business and fulfill a social responsibility such as drinking water for human consumption."

That is no solace to those facing water shortages on Lake Alhajuela.

"This year has been the most difficult I've seen for drought," said Guevara.

AMERIKA

Crisis experts: Lack of preparedness, coordination fueled unraveling of pandemic response

BY JOSEPH CHOI - 04/25/23 

AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File
A nurse prepares for a COVID-19 test outside the Salt Lake County Health Department, Dec. 20, 2022, in Salt Lake City. The declaration of a COVID-19 public health emergency three years ago changed the lives of millions of Americans by offering increased health care coverage, beefed up food assistance and universal access to coronavirus vaccines and tests.

A coalition of experts in a newly published report found that the U.S. health care system was uniquely disadvantaged when it came to handling the COVID-19 pandemic, concluding the system was too divided, outdated and disorganized to efficiently take on the crisis.

The Covid Crisis Group, an organization formed in 2021 to map the landscape of the pandemic, published its report “Lessons from the Covid War: An Investigative Report” this week, laying out a retrospective analysis of the outbreak.

In the report, the members of the Covid Crisis Group identified 10 lessons to take away from the pandemic as the U.S. approaches the end of its national public health emergency. Among these lessons were systemic issues that hampered the national response to what the group referred to as the “Covid war.”

While acknowledging “wondrous scientific knowledge” that was available to stakeholders, the group determined that “bad governance” stood in the way of applying said knowledge.

As noted in the report, the federal government’s Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) ran several exercises testing for pandemic preparedness about a year before the pandemic. The tests were called Crimson Contagion.

The exercises, however, did not account for asymptomatic spread and assumed that medicines to treat the outbreak would be immediately available, the group found.

On top of a lack of preparedness, experts from the group said that the U.S. had a 19th-century health care infrastructure that was not enough to address 21st-century problems like SARS-CoV-2.

“The CDC lives and breathes inside the old bones of the original 19th-century design. It was not ready to manage a national health emergency. It was never built to do that. It has neither the authority nor the readiness to play such a role,” they said in a statement.

The “patchwork” quilt of the U.S. health care landscape, with private and public health organizations lacking clear communication, also caused guidance on the pandemic to lag, according to the report.

These issues that affected the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic predated the Trump administration, the nonpartisan organization determined.

US aided Venezuelan opposition leader’s secret flight to Florida

Tuberville blocks Warren’s attempt to begin advancing 184 military promotions

“Contrary to media stories, the federal government had no real playbook for how to contain the pandemic. It had ‘programs.’ It did not have preparedness,” they wrote. “It had, for example, no readiness to partner with private industry to make tests, no strategy for how to use the tests it had, and no structure to bring the FDA on board with what strategy it had.”

The organization’s final lesson learned from the pandemic was that preparation is key and the U.S. “must do better next time. Because there will be a next time.”

“The pandemic has been one of the major mass traumas suffered by humanity during the last one hundred years. Yet there remains a significant gap between the size of the crisis and the scale of the reforms. None of the reforms enacted thus far would have made a difference had they been in place in 2019. This report hopes to change that.”

Big Tech crackdown looms as EU, UK ready new rules

BY KELVIN CHAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS - 04/25/23 

A worker helps set up the Google booth before CES International, in Las Vegas, USA, on Jan. 4, 2020. TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Google, Amazon and other Big Tech companies are facing rising pressure from European authorities as London and Brussels advanced new rules on Tuesday April 25, 2023, to curb the power of digital companies. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

LONDON (AP) — TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Amazon are facing rising pressure from European authorities as London and Brussels advanced new rules Tuesday to curb the power of digital companies.

They’re among those on a list of the 19 biggest online platforms and search engines that the European Union’s executive arm said must meet extra obligations for cleaning up illegal content and disinformation and keeping users safe under the 27-nation bloc’s landmark digital rules that take effect later this year.

The U.K. government, meanwhile, unveiled draft legislation that would give regulators more power to protect consumers from online scams and fake reviews and boost digital competition.

The updates help solidify Europe’s reputation as the global leader in efforts to rein in the power of social media companies and other digital platforms.

TikTok will allow European Commission officials to carry out a “stress test” of its systems to ensure they comply with the Digital Services Act, Commissioner Thierry Breton said in an online briefing.

He proposed the idea to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew when they met in Brussels earlier this year.

“I’m happy that they came back to us saying they are interested,” Breton said, but added that he’s waiting for Chew to provide a date. TikTok did not reply to a request for comment.

Twitter had agreed earlier to a stress test, and Breton said he and his team will travel to the company’s headquarters in San Francisco at the end of June to carry out the voluntary mock exercise. Breton didn’t detail what the test would entail.

Starting Aug. 25, the biggest online platforms will have to give European users more control by making it easier to report illegal content like hate speech and providing more information on why their systems recommend certain content.

There are guardrails for content generated by artificial intelligence like deepfake videos and synthetic images, which will have to be clearly labeled when they come up in search results, Breton said.

Platforms will have to “completely redesign” their systems to ensure high a level of privacy and safety for children, including verifying users’ ages, Breton said.

Big Tech companies also will have to revamp their systems to “prevent algorithmic amplification of disinformation,” he said, saying he was particularly concerned about Facebook’s content moderation systems ahead of September elections in Slovakia.

“Now that Facebook has been designated as a very large online platform, Meta needs to carefully investigate its system and fix it where needed ASAP,” he said.

Facebook’s parent company said it supports the EU’s new Digital Services Act.

“We take significant steps to combat the spread of harmful content on Facebook and Instagram across the EU,” Meta said while pointing out its efforts on content moderation and media literacy in Slovakia. “While we do this all year round, we recognise it’s particularly important during elections and times of crisis, such as the ongoing war in Ukraine.”

Violations could result in fines worth up to 6% of a company’s annual global revenue — amounting to billions of dollars — or even a ban on operating in the EU.

The European Commission’s list of very large online platforms is limited to those with at least 45 million users in Europe, which includes Google’s Search, Play, Maps, Shopping and YouTube services; Amazon Marketplace; Apple’s App Store; Microsoft’s Bing and LinkedIn; Meta’s Facebook and Instagram; plus Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, Wikipedia, Booking.com, China’s Alibaba Aliexpress and German ecommerce company Zalando.

Breton said more platforms could be added, and the commission is analyzing “four to five” others that it will decide on in coming weeks.

In Britain, the government’s Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers bill proposed Tuesday would give watchdogs more teeth to counter the dominance of tech companies, backed by the threat of fines worth up to 10% of their annual revenue.

Under the proposals, online platforms and search engines could be required to give rivals access to their data or be more transparent about how their app stores and marketplaces work.

The rules would make it illegal to hire someone to write a fake review or allow the posting of online consumer reviews “without taking reasonable steps” to verify they’re genuine. They also would make it easier for consumers get out of online subscriptions.

The new rules, which still need go through the legislative process and secure parliamentary approval, would apply only to companies with 25 million pounds ($31 billion) in global revenue or 1 billion pounds in U.K. revenue.

'Impossible To Keep Track': Spain's Gamble On Green Hydrogen

By Valentin BONTEMPS

April 25, 2023
The Barron's Daily

Madrid wants to ramp up production of emissions-free fuel like green hydrogen

Valentin BONTEMPS

Major green energy projects are sprouting up across Spain as it seeks to position itself as a future green energy leader -- but experts have urged caution over costs and demand uncertainty.

Spanish firms are ramping up production of emissions-free fuel and ploughing investment into green energy projects, despite fears over the high price of production.

"Everything is going very fast," said Miguel Angel Fernandez, technical director at the Spanish National Hydrogen Centre, a public research centre based in central Spain.

"There are so many projects, it is impossible to keep track of them all."

Most hydrogen is currently produced using polluting fossil fuels but so-called "green hydrogen" is made entirely using renewable energy such as wind, solar and hydropower.

While fossil fuels emit harmful greenhouse gases when they burn, hydrogen only emits water vapour.

Madrid launched a 1.5-billion-euro ($1.7-billion) plan in in 2021 to support green hydrogen projects, using a European Union Covid recovery fund.

Spain is now home to 20 percent of the world's green hydrogen projects -- second only to the United States.

Last year Spanish energy giant Iberdrola started operating what it says is the largest green hydrogen plant for industrial use in Europe, in the former mining town of Puertollano.

The plant uses 100 megawatts of solar panels to produce green hydrogen, which is stored in huge white storage tanks.

The initial goal is for it to provide 10 percent of the energy needed by a neighbouring factory belonging to fertiliser maker Fertiberia.

This will prevent the release of 48,000 tonnes of planet-warming carbon dioxide per year according to Iberdrola.

If the pilot project works, Iberdrola will launch a "much more important second phase" to meet 100 percent of the fertiliser plant's energy needs, said Javier Plaza, head of Iberdrola's green hydrogen division.

Rival Spanish energy firms such as Cepsa and Repsol have in recent months launched similar projects.

In Spain's sunny southern Andalusia region, three billion euros is being invested to create a "green hydrogen valley" where two large factories will produce 300,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year from 2027.

In the northern region of Asturias 15 solar power parks will be built by 2030 to enable the annual production of 330,000 tonnes of green hydrogen.


So-called 'green hydrogen' is made entirely using renewable energy such as wind, solar and hydropower

DANIEL MUNOZ

Rafael Cossent, research associate professor in energy economics at Madrid's Comillas Pontifical University, said there was an "effervescence" in the sector putting Spain in a leading role in green hydrogen production.

This is partly due to Spain's abundant sun and wind power capabilities, he added.

The Spanish Hydrogen Association estimates there are currently 50 green hydrogen projects under development in the country.

Spain could potentially produce enough green hydrogen to cover its own needs and export to northern Europe, the association argues.

A major drawback for green hydrogen, however, has been the high cost of producing it.

While the price of the renewable energy used to make it has come down due to technological advances, green hydrogen has still not proven itself to be economically viable.

Massive use of green hydrogen will also require "complex transformations" by vehicles and industrial plants which make future demand for the fuel uncertain, said Cossent.


The government is counting on a planned underwater pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille, dubbed H2Med

MIGUEL RIOPA

A green hydrogen economy will need a robust transportation infrastructure to transport it -- which Spain is currently lacking.

The government is counting on a planned underwater pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille, dubbed H2Med, which is expected to transport some two million metric tonnes of hydrogen annually.

Hydrogen is difficult to contain without leakage however, making it challenging to store and transport, so delays to the pipeline are widely expected.

But the giants of the green hydrogen market are undeterred.


Iberdrola's Plaza said it is important to get into green hydrogen early because "whoever starts first has the advantage".

"We are talking about a long-term race," he added.

© Agence France-Presse

Spanish industry kicks off EU green hydrogen race

By JENNIFER O'MAHONY

April 15, 2023

A worker walks inside an ammonium nitrate warehouse at the Fertiberia industrial complex in Puertollano, central Spain, Tuesday, March 28, 2023. Spanish energy company Iberdrola and fertilizer manufacturer Fertiberia partnered to create the first zero-carbon plant nutrients in the world. The fertilizer will one day be scattered onto malt barley, which will then be used to make Heineken's first "green malt" beverage. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

PUERTOLLANO, Spain (AP) — In Spain, the dream of an emissions-free future for heavy industry starts with a rugged Castilian hillside covered in solar panels, and ends with an ice-cold beer. When the beer will be available, and how much it will cost, depends on an intervening rollout of green hydrogen.

This Mediterranean nation wants to become the European leader in hydrogen produced exclusively from renewable energy. With plenty of sunshine and wind and wide-open countryside to host those power sources, Spain’s ambition is to export the gas to the rest of the continent.

Green hydrogen is created when renewable energy sources power an electrical current that runs through water, separating its hydrogen and oxygen molecules through electrolysis. The result does not produce planet-warming carbon dioxide, but less than 0.1% of global hydrogen production is currently created this way.

As the global price of solar power continues to fall, Spain is betting that it can rapidly build a new supply chain for sectors of the economy that require hydrogen for industrial processes, and which have been harder to wean off fossil fuels.

The Iberdrola green hydrogen plant sits in Puertollano, central Spain,

 Tuesday, March 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Critics of Spain’s ambitions have warned there isn’t enough renewable energy capacity to produce green hydrogen that can replace natural gas and coal in the making of petrochemicals, steel and agricultural products.

But supporters are relying on the country’s plans for a head start to implant themselves in the nascent green hydrogen economy. The International Energy Agency estimated in December that Spain would account for half of Europe’s growth in dedicated renewable capacity for hydrogen production

“The sense of urgency is that everyone seems to be racing to be the first to export green hydrogen,” said Alejandro Núñez-Jiménez, an expert in green hydrogen policy at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. “Once you build energy infrastructure, it’s going to be there for decades. So it’s really a game where the first one might lock in the situation for many years,”

A glimpse of the potential for green hydrogen can be seen in Puertollano, a former mining town now home to a large industrial park where Spanish energy company Iberdrola and fertilizer manufacturer Fertiberia have partnered to create the first zero-carbon plant nutrients in the world. The fertilizer will one day be scattered onto malt barley, which will then be used to make Heineken’s first “green malt” beverage.

Etienne Strijp, president of Heineken Spain, emphasized the difficulty of stripping carbon out of agricultural processing “Being carbon neutral throughout our value chain represents an enormous challenge,” he said at the announcement of the company’s plan to produce green malt.

The green hydrogen plant in Puertollano, Europe’s largest functioning facility, is currently in a pilot phase. Iberdrola owns the 100 megawatts’ worth of solar panels that power electrolyzers to separate water from hydrogen. Huge hydrogen storage tanks then feed pipes that take the gas direct to Fertiberia, where it is used to make ammonia, the foundational chemical in nitrogen fertilizers.

Synthetic fertilizers are a highly polluting product. A recent study found that fertilizers emit the equivalent of 2.6 gigatons of carbon per year, or more than global aviation and shipping combined. One-third of those emissions come from the production of fertilizers in plants like Fertiberia’s.

Hydrogen storage tanks are visible at the Iberdrola green hydrogen plant in Puertollano, central Spain, Tuesday, March 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

“We have green hydrogen for these difficult-to-abate sectors, so that we can achieve the goal of a totally decarbonized economy,” Javier Plaza de Agustín, who manages Iberdrola’s green hydrogen arm, said.

The plant has the capacity to reduce Fertiberia’s emissions by 10%, but most of the fertilizer firm’s hydrogen is still drawn from natural gas, creating so-called “gray” hydrogen. The company plans to be 100% carbon neutral by 2035.

In these early days, the challenges for Spain’s green hydrogen players are several.

The first is cost. Javier Goñi, Fertiberia’s CEO, said green hydrogen technology is not yet delivering a cost-effective final product.

Spanish firms are pushing for EU subsidies to match the recent announcement of $750 million for research and development of hydrogen projects in the United States. They argue the subsidies are essential to grow the market so economies of scale make zero-carbon products cost-competitive.

“Right now, we are at such an early stage that we need that help from the public authorities to cover the funding gap,” Plaza de Agustín said. “Without a framework (it) is difficult to invest in a plant and facility for 20, 25 years without knowing what’s going to happen.”

The European Union’s executive commission has proposed that the 27-nation EU produce 10 million metric tons of renewable hydrogen by 2030 and to import 10 million metric tons more. Last month, the European Commission announced measures to create an intra-EU hydrogen market and to assess infrastructure needs.

But the second problem is the EU’s promise of ramped-up supply with little consideration for where the demand really lies, argued Núñez-Jiménez, the hydrogen expert.

“Spain and Portugal could produce a lot of green hydrogen, and demand in Central Europe may materialize, but the connection between supply and demand does not exist yet,” he said. “Developing the infrastructure to transport that gas from the Iberian peninsula to central Europe must be a priority.”

A battery storage facility says "renewable energy storage" at the Iberdrola photovoltaic solar plant in Puertollano, central Spain, Tuesday, March 28, 2023. 

(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Hydrogen, the lightest element in the periodic table, is difficult to store and transport and is highly flammable. For this reason, Iberdrola built its hydrogen plant right next to Fertiberia’s factory, to minimize leakage. Once Iberdrola and its competitors have met Spain’s limited hydrogen needs for things like making beer, they will need to look outside its borders to keep growing.

“Everyone wants to be in hydrogen production,” said Goñi of Fertiberia. “But today, there are basically few companies and few sectors of activity that can absorb large amounts of hydrogen.”

Partnerships are key. Ammonia created at the Fertiberia plant with Iberdrola’s green hydrogen could be used to transport hydrogen in liquid form before it is reconverted into a gas.

Decarbonizing hydrogen for industry has taken on greater importance in Europe since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia is the world’s second-largest producer of natural gas, which powers most global hydrogen production.

Spain, France, Germany and Portugal have agreed to build a hydrogen pipeline by 2030 to transport some 2 million metric tons of hydrogen to France annually — 10% of the EU’s estimated hydrogen needs.

The Iberdrola photovoltaic solar plant is visible in Puertollano, central Spain, Tuesday, March 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

But not everyone in Spain wants a hydrogen plant on their doorstep. The use of land for renewable energy installations, and the 9:1 ratio of water to kilo of green hydrogen produced can be a tough sell for regions suffering from long-term drought.

Pere Virgili, the mayor of the northeastern seaside town of Roda de Bera, rejected an initial proposal from a Danish green hydrogen developer last year that would have covered 42 hectares (103 acres) of territory with a mix of solar panels and wind turbines to power its electrolyzers.

“It’s not that we are against renewable energy, but we can discuss at length if using that much water and land to create it is actually environmentally friendly or not,” he said, adding that the project would create just 100 jobs.

___

Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

___

Follow AP’s coverage of climate and environment issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

Singapore executes man convicted in plot to smuggle 1 kg of cannabis

ONE PARTY CITY STATE 

NEEDS TO OUTLAW DEATH PENALTY

AND DECRIMINALISE DRUGS

NEWS WIRES
Tue, 25 April 2023 

© Vincent Thian, AP

Singapore on Wednesday executed a man convicted of drug trafficking, a representative for his family said, despite pleas from his relatives and activists for clemency.

Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, had been convicted for abetting the trafficking in 2013 of more than 1 kg (2.2 pounds) of cannabis, double the threshold for the death penalty in the city-state, which is known for its tough laws on narcotics.

Kokila Annamalai, a Singapore-based rights activist representing the family, confirmed Suppiah had been executed by hanging after the president had rejected pleas for clemency on the eve of the execution.

The Singapore government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

British billionaire Richard Branson, a well known opponent of the death penalty, had said the verdict against Suppiah did not meet standards for criminal conviction as he was not near the drugs when he was arrested.

The government in response said Branson was peddling falsehoods and disrespecting its justice system, adding that its courts spent more than three years examining the case and Branson's claim was "patently untrue".

The United Nations Office for Human Rights had also called for Singapore not to proceed with the execution and to "adopt a formal moratorium on executions for drug-related offences".

Singapore executed 11 people last year and says the death penalty is an effective deterrent against drugs and that most of its people support the policy.

(REUTERS)