Mysterious Neptune dark spot detected from Earth for the first time

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ESO

 

IMAGE: THIS IMAGE SHOWS NEPTUNE OBSERVED WITH THE MUSE INSTRUMENT AT ESO’S VERY LARGE TELESCOPE (VLT). AT EACH PIXEL WITHIN NEPTUNE, MUSE SPLITS THE INCOMING LIGHT INTO ITS CONSTITUENT COLOURS OR WAVELENGTHS. THIS IS SIMILAR TO OBTAINING IMAGES AT THOUSANDS OF DIFFERENT WAVELENGTHS ALL AT ONCE, WHICH PROVIDES A WEALTH OF VALUABLE INFORMATION TO ASTRONOMERS. THE IMAGE TO THE RIGHT COMBINES ALL COLOURS CAPTURED BY MUSE INTO A “NATURAL” VIEW OF NEPTUNE, WHERE A DARK SPOT CAN BE SEEN TO THE UPPER-RIGHT. THEN WE SEE IMAGES AT SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS: 551 NANOMETRES (BLUE), 831 NM (GREEN), AND 848 NM (RED); NOTE THAT THE COLOURS ARE ONLY INDICATIVE, FOR DISPLAY PURPOSES. THE DARK SPOT IS MOST PROMINENT AT SHORTER (BLUER) WAVELENGTHS. RIGHT NEXT TO THIS DARK SPOT MUSE ALSO CAPTURED A SMALL BRIGHT ONE, SEEN HERE ONLY IN THE MIDDLE IMAGE AT 831 NM AND LOCATED DEEP IN THE ATMOSPHERE. THIS TYPE OF DEEP BRIGHT CLOUD HAD NEVER BEEN IDENTIFIED BEFORE ON THE PLANET. THE IMAGES ALSO SHOW SEVERAL OTHER SHALLOWER BRIGHT SPOTS TOWARDS THE BOTTOM-LEFT EDGE OF NEPTUNE, SEEN AT LONG WAVELENGTHS. IMAGING NEPTUNE’S DARK SPOT FROM THE GROUND WAS ONLY POSSIBLE THANKS TO THE VLT’S ADAPTIVE OPTICS FACILITY, WHICH CORRECTS THE BLUR CAUSED BY ATMOSPHERIC TURBULENCE AND ALLOWS MUSE TO OBTAIN CRYSTAL CLEAR IMAGES. TO BETTER HIGHLIGHT THE SUBTLE DARK AND BRIGHT FEATURES ON THE PLANET, THE ASTRONOMERS CAREFULLY PROCESSED THE MUSE DATA, OBTAINING WHAT YOU SEE HERE. view more 

CREDIT: ESO/P. IRWIN ET AL.

Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have observed a large dark spot in Neptune’s atmosphere, with an unexpected smaller bright spot adjacent to it. This is the first time a dark spot on the planet has ever been observed with a telescope on Earth. These occasional features in the blue background of Neptune’s atmosphere are a mystery to astronomers, and the new results provide further clues as to their nature and origin.

Large spots are common features in the atmospheres of giant planets, the most famous being Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. On Neptune, a dark spot was first discovered by NASA’s Voyager 2 in 1989, before disappearing a few years later. “Since the first discovery of a dark spot, I’ve always wondered what these short-lived and elusive dark features are,” says Patrick Irwin, Professor at the University of Oxford in the UK and lead investigator of the study published today in Nature Astronomy.

Irwin and his team used data from ESO’s VLT to rule out the possibility that dark spots are caused by a ‘clearing’ in the clouds. The new observations indicate instead that dark spots are likely the result of air particles darkening in a layer below the main visible haze layer, as ices and hazes mix in Neptune’s atmosphere.

Coming to this conclusion was no easy feat because dark spots are not permanent features of Neptune’s atmosphere and astronomers had never before been able to study them in sufficient detail. The opportunity came after the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope discovered several dark spots in Neptune's atmosphere, including one in the planet’s northern hemisphere first noticed in 2018. Irwin and his team immediately got to work studying it from the ground — with an instrument that is ideally suited to these challenging observations.

Using the VLT’s Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE), the researchers were able to split reflected sunlight from Neptune and its spot into its component colours, or wavelengths, and obtain a 3D spectrum [1]. This meant they could study the spot in more detail than was possible before. “I’m absolutely thrilled to have been able to not only make the first detection of a dark spot from the ground, but also record for the very first time a reflection spectrum of such a feature,” says Irwin.

Since different wavelengths probe different depths in Neptune’s atmosphere, having a spectrum enabled astronomers to better determine the height at which the dark spot sits in the planet's atmosphere. The spectrum also provided information on the chemical composition of the different layers of the atmosphere, which gave the team clues as to why the spot appeared dark.

The observations also offered up a surprise result. “In the process we discovered a rare deep bright cloud type that had never been identified before, even from space,” says study co-author Michael Wong, a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. This rare cloud type appeared as a bright spot right beside the larger main dark spot, the VLT data showing that the new ‘deep bright cloud’ was at the same level in the atmosphere as the main dark spot. This means it is a completely new type of feature compared to the small ‘companion’ clouds of high-altitude methane ice that have been previously observed.

With the help of ESO’s VLT, it is now possible for astronomers to study features like these spots from Earth. “This is an astounding increase in humanity’s ability to observe the cosmos. At first, we could only detect these spots by sending a spacecraft there, like Voyager. Then we gained the ability to make them out remotely with Hubble. Finally, technology has advanced to enable this from the ground,” concludes Wong, before adding, jokingly: "This could put me out of work as a Hubble observer!”

Notes

[1] MUSE is a 3D spectrograph that allows astronomers to observe the entirety of an astronomical object, like Neptune, in one go. At each pixel, the instrument measures the intensity of light as a function of its colour or wavelength. The resulting data form a 3D set in which each pixel of the image has a full spectrum of light. In total, MUSE measures over 3500 colours. The instrument is designed to take advantage of adaptive optics, which corrects for the turbulence in the Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in sharper images than otherwise possible. Without this combination of features, studying a Neptune dark spot from the ground would not have been possible.

More information

This research was presented in a paper titled “Cloud structure of dark spots and storms in Neptune’s atmosphere” to appear in Nature Astronomy (doi: 10.1038/s41550-023-02047-0).

The team is composed of Patrick G. J. Irwin (University of Oxford, UK [Oxford]), Jack Dobinson (Oxford), Arjuna James (Oxford), Michael H. Wong (University of California, USA [Berkeley]), Leigh N. Fletcher (University of Leicester, UK [Leicester]), Michael T. Roman (Leicester), Nicholas A. Teanby (University of Bristol, UK), Daniel Toledo (Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Spain), Glenn S. Orton (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USA), Santiago Pérez-Hoyos (University of the Basque Country, Spain [UPV/EHU]), Agustin Sánchez Lavega (UPV/EHU), Lawrence Sromovsky (University of Wisconsin, USA), Amy Simon (Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, USA), Raúl Morales-Juberias (New Mexico Institute of Technology, USA), Imke de Pater (Berkeley), and Statia L. Cook (Columbia University, USA).

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) enables scientists worldwide to discover the secrets of the Universe for the benefit of all. We design, build and operate world-class observatories on the ground — which astronomers use to tackle exciting questions and spread the fascination of astronomy — and promote international collaboration for astronomy. Established as an intergovernmental organisation in 1962, today ESO is supported by 16 Member States (Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom), along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. ESO’s headquarters and its visitor centre and planetarium, the ESO Supernova, are located close to Munich in Germany, while the Chilean Atacama Desert, a marvellous place with unique conditions to observe the sky, hosts our telescopes. ESO operates three observing sites: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its Very Large Telescope Interferometer, as well as survey telescopes such as VISTA. Also at Paranal ESO will host and operate the Cherenkov Telescope Array South, the world’s largest and most sensitive gamma-ray observatory. Together with international partners, ESO operates ALMA on Chajnantor, a facility that observes the skies in the millimetre and submillimetre range. At Cerro Armazones, near Paranal, we are building “the world’s biggest eye on the sky” — ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope. From our offices in Santiago, Chile we support our operations in the country and engage with Chilean partners and society.  

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DOI

10.1038/s41550-023-02047-0 

 

People scramble to flee from worst Pakistan flooding in decades

Issued on: 25/08/2023 

In Pakistan, 100,000 people have been evacuated after the river Sutlej burst its banks. it follows previous evacuations on another river in the eastern Punjab region in July. The latest floods have brought the river to its highest levels in 35 years

France's ex-president Sarkozy to face 2025 trial over alleged Libya funding of campaign

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy will be tried in 2025 over allegations he took money from late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to fund one of his election campaigns, prosecutors said Friday.

Issued on: 25/08/2023 -

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy prior to an interview with French TV channel TF1 at its studios in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris, August 23, 2023. 

© Emmanuel Dunand, AFP

The trial is set to hear explosive evidence that the rightwinger, along with 12 other co-defendants, conspired to take cash from the Libyan leader to illegally fund his victorious 2007 bid for the presidency.

Sarkozy, who has faced a litany of legal problems since his one term in office, denies the Libyan allegations -- the most serious he faces.

The 68-year-old has already been convicted twice for corruption and influence-peddling in separate cases involving attempts to influence a judge and campaign financing.

Sarkozy has appealed against both judgements.

Among the others facing trial over the alleged Libyan corruption are heavyweights such as Sarkozy's former right-hand man Claude Gueant, his then head of campaign financing Eric Woerth and former minister Brice Hortefeux.

The investigation was sparked by revelations from the investigative website Mediapart which published a document purporting to show that Gaddafi agreed to give Sarkozy up to 50 million euros ($54 million at current rates).

The two leaders enjoyed surprisingly cordial ties, with Sarkozy letting the Libyan strongman pitch his Bedouin tent opposite the Elysee Palace on a state visit to France just months after his election.

Sarkozy has been back in the news in recent weeks in France after publishing the second volume of his memoirs and suggesting that areas of Ukraine occupied by Russia after the Kremlin's invasion last year might need to be recognised as Russian.

He also said that the annexed region of Crimea would remain Russian and that "any return to the way things were before is an illusion."

Sarkozy took a lead role in negotiating Russia's partial withdrawal from Georgia after Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion in 2008 and he and his prime minister, Francois Fillon, enjoyed friendly relations with the Kremlin leader.

Sarkozy faces a separate probe into possible potential influence-peddling after he received a payment by Russian insurance firm Reso-Garantia of three million euros in 2019 while working as a consultant.

(AFP)

Bangladesh protests mark six years since Rohingya exodus

Cox's Bazar (Bangladesh) (AFP) – Thousands of Rohingya refugees rallied at camps in Bangladesh on Friday to demand their safe return to Myanmar on the sixth anniversary of the violence that drove them from their homes.

Rohingya refugees gather for a rally marking the sixth anniversary of the violence that drove them from their homes © Tanbir MIRAJ / AFP

Bangladesh is home to around a million members of the stateless minority, most of whom fled the 2017 military crackdown now subject to a genocide probe at the International Criminal Court.

Frustration is widespread over rampant lawlessness in the refugee settlements, along with cuts to international humanitarian aid and the lack of progress in a much-hyped repatriation deal.

"We demand citizenship back from Myanmar. It's nothing new, we were and are the citizens of Myanmar," Kamal Hussain, a Rohingya community leader, told AFP.

"They are slowly trying to wipe out our name from the history of Myanmar."

Several protests were staged across the sprawling patchwork of settlements near the Myanmar border despite monsoon downpours.

Around 10,000 refugees were present at the largest one, according to the Armed Police Battalion, which is tasked with maintaining security in the camps.

"We have insecurity and increasing frustration here," refugee Mohammad Imran, 19, told AFP. "We want to go back home with our full rights."

Budget cuts forced the UN World Food Programme to steeply reduce humanitarian aid to the Rohingya camps this year, with rations now $8 per refugee, per month.

Malnutrition was already rampant among the refugee population and rights groups say the cuts have deepened existing hardships.

Violence has continued to plague the camps, which are home to armed groups and are used as staging posts for regional drug trafficking networks.

Dozens have been killed in Rohingya camp clashes so far this year, including women and children.

"As humanitarian conditions in the world's largest refugee settlement worsen... the challenges surrounding this protracted crisis continue to increase," the UN refugee agency said in a statement this week.

Bangladesh and Myanmar are working on a pilot programme to begin returning the Rohingya to their homes, despite concerns from rights groups who say conditions are not safe for their return.

Widely viewed as interlopers from Bangladesh, Rohingya who remain in Myanmar are denied citizenship and access to healthcare, and require permission to travel outside of their townships.

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing -- who was head of the army during the crackdown -- has dismissed the term Rohingya as "imaginary".

Bangladesh has repeatedly said any repatriation would be voluntary.

The pilot scheme has not begun, and Bangladesh refugee commissioner Mizanur Rahman told AFP his country was still working out details with Myanmar authorities.

© 2023 AFP

Issued on: 25/08/2023 -

'Citizen scientists' battle to save historic UK river

Hay-on-Wye (United Kingdom) (AFP) – On the banks of the River Wye on the border between England and Wales, Pat Stirling flings a plastic measuring jug tied to a rope into the water.

Issued on: 25/08/2023 -

'Citizen scientist' Pat Stirling and others have been monitoring pollution levels on the River Wye 

Up and down the river, a team of 250 others have been doing the same, hoping to save it from an unfolding ecological crisis.

"The river is declining. The next thing is it's partially dead, then it's completely dead," Stirling told AFP between tests.

The researchers say that after years of being ignored, their data has finally forced admissions about a pollution problem caused mostly by chicken manure.

The Wye Valley and its meandering river have notably inspired the Romantic poet William Wordsworth who eulogised it in the 1798 poem "Tintern Abbey".

Stretching 250 kilometres (155 miles) from its source in mid-Wales to the Severn estuary, the Wye cuts through stunning countryside.

But in 2020 signs began to emerge that the river and its rare wildlife were under threat.

They found high levels of pollution in the river, which straddles the border of England and Wales 

People noticed that the usually smooth stones on the floor of the river had become "slimed up", said Stirling, 43, a carbon footprint consultant originally from Australia.
'Disgusting stuff'

Bird and insect life dwindled and anglers noticed that fish were struggling to grow to larger sizes.

Most noticeably, the Water Crowfoot -- an aquatic flowering plant that the river was once thick with -- was disappearing.

First thoughts turned to a nearby sewage treatment plant.

But as nothing had changed in the way the plant operated locals concluded that it was no more polluting than previously.

"You can take a shot of sewage overflow but what you can't take a photo of is the shocking amounts of animal manure coming out of the intensive poultry units," Stirling said.

Campaigners pointed the finger at waste from the proliferation of chicken farms up and down the valley 

A study of planning applications on both sides of the border pointed to the vast number of poultry units that had sprung up along the river in recent years.

Campaigners estimate that there are now 20 million farmed birds in the area of the River Wye in over 760 units.

The units supply a chicken processing plant run by Avara Foods in Hereford, which a decade ago won a huge contract to supply UK supermarket giant Tesco.

After one reported pollution incident, Stirling investigated and found "this horrendous smell and this truly disgusting stuff everywhere".
'Declining'

"Something had gone awfully wrong. I took samples and identified that it was coming from a specific farm", he said.

The manure produced by the chicken sheds contains high levels of the essential nutrient phosphorus, excessive amounts of which damage water quality.

The manure is either spread onto farmland and then washed into the river by rain or into the river directly from the ground where it is dropped by free-range chickens.

Wye phosphorus levels were "nearly 60 percent greater than the national average", Lancaster University scientist Paul Wither told MPs last year.

The units supply a chicken processing plant run by Avara Foods in Hereford 

Conservation watchdog Natural England, which advises the government, in May downgraded the water quality rating of the river, following declines in important species like Atlantic salmon and white-clawed crayfish.

Stirling said he believed the updating of the classification to "unfavourable-declining" only happened due to the noise generated by campaigners and "citizen scientists" like him.

He welcomed the body's interest but added: "We also know they would never have done anything if we hadn't (got involved in testing)."
Positive signs

If the river is to avoid the two lowest categories -- "part-destroyed" or "destroyed" -- the authorities need to urgently pull the right "levers", he said.

Some of the signs are positive.

Avara Foods deny being 'direct polluters' but have vowed to tighten up practices 

In a letter to farmers this month, Avara foods explained that contracts would be changed so their manure could not be sold within the Wye catchment area.

Its aim was to make sure that "our supply chain is demonstrably not part of the problem by 2025", it said.

The firm told AFP that although they would play their part to "mitigate the impact of our supply chain" Avara Foods were not "direct polluters".

"Farms in our supply chain use or sell poultry litter... yet we recognise the potential impact this may have," it added.

Stirling said he believed Avara's new position was linked to a law suit in the United States involving its joint owner, food giant Cargill, and other poultry producers.

A judge in January ruled that the companies were responsible for degrading the Illinois River in a similar way to the pollution of the Wye.

For now Stirling and his team of citizen scientists will carry on testing and feel hopeful they can make a difference.

The company says it would work to mitigate the impact of its supply chain 

"What gets measured gets managed and we are seeing that happen. We are getting traction because of the public data noise," he said.

PHOTOS:  Darren Staples / AFP

© 2023 AFP

Greek fires continue to rage, as toll rises to 21

Athens (AFP) – Greek firefighters struggled Friday to contain scores of wildfires stretching nationwide, as the week's death toll from the raging blazes rose to 21.

Issued on: 25/08/2023 - 

The widlfires are the biggest in the European Union this year

 © Sakis MITROLIDIS / AFP

The Greek fire brigade on Friday said they had found the body of a man in the same area in Evros, northern Greece, where the first victim of the week's fires had been found Monday.

The bodies of another 19 people believed to be migrants, two of them children, were found in the area earlier this week.

The Evros region is a regular entry point for migrants from neighbouring Turkey, and local border guards had warned that more asylum-seekers could have been trapped by the fires that erupted Saturday.

An elderly shepherd died in another fire in Boeotia, north of Athens on Monday.

"Greece is experiencing the most difficult year in terms of climate conditions since the start of the collection of meteorological data," government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said during a regular briefing.

He added that over the last week the fire brigade had to deal with 516 new outbreaks.

The Evros front, burning since Saturday, remained the most difficult challenge for firefighters on Friday.

"Unfortunately Evros is the most active part of all the fronts we are facing at the moment, and perhaps the most difficult section that we will face today," fire department spokesman Yiannis Artopios told state television ERT.

Largest EU fires

The fire was consuming the Dadia forest, one of the major sanctuaries in Europe for birds of prey.

The Alexandroupoli wildfires are now the largest in the EU on record for 2023 and the second largest since 2000, according to the bloc.

But another dangerous fire in Mount Parnitha near Athens had been placed under control, Artopios said.

A third large fire was still blazing in Boeotia, but the conditions were improved.

Artopios said investigations into the arsons now involve the national intelligence service.

A 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson Thursday.

A very high fire risk is forecast on Friday for central Greece and Athens.

Fires had scorched more than 120,000 hectares (nearly 30,000 acres) of land across Greece in 2023 until Wednesday, according to estimates from the National Observatory.

This year's burned land area is three times larger than the average annually since 2006, according to the European Observatory of Forest Fires.

© 2023 AFP

RAPIST  MENTALITY

Spain's Luis Rubiales didn't 'do the right thing' and resign when asked. Now what, FIFA?

Nancy Armour, USA TODAY
Updated Fri, August 25, 2023 

It wasn’t so long ago – only a week, in fact! – that FIFA president Gianni Infantino put the onus on women to bring about equality, saying we have the power to convince men to do the right thing. All we have to do, Infantino said, is ask.

Inane as that speech was in the moment, it looks downright foolish now after Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales’ defiant defense of his lewd, predatory behavior and the sycophantic fawning by Spain coach Jorge Vilda and others that followed.

Achieve equality and respect simply by saying pretty please? We can’t even get an arrogant misogynist to step down despite the entire world seeing him celebrate Spain’s first World Cup title by grabbing his crotch and molesting a player.

Players speak out: Spain's national team refuses to play until 'leaders resign,' Jenni Hermoso refutes Rubiales' claims

And while the many condemnations of Rubiales’ gaslighting were heartening, especially by male players and officials, it was a bit rich. Where were these folks 11 months ago, when 15 of Spain’s top players asked to be treated with dignity and respect and the federation run by Rubiales responded by chiding the women and saying they’d only be allowed back on the team if they “accept their mistake and ask for forgiveness”? Where has the outrage been all these years over abusive coaches and federations treating their women’s players as, at best, second-class citizens?

Appalling as Rubiales’ actions the last five days have been, they didn’t occur in a vacuum. Nor, unfortunately, is he an outlier. Not in society and certainly not in soccer.

Ask any woman, in any walk of life, and she can give you myriad examples of men who’ve been dismissive, abusive or both. Men who believe they’ve actually earned their advantages rather than being the beneficiaries of a social construct that gives men primacy, and think it entitles them to claim women’s bodies, souls and accomplishments for themselves.

Rubiales just had the bad luck to get caught.

But, and this is the heart of the problem, Rubiales won’t lose his job because he groped and kissed Jenni Hermoso, Spain’s all-time leading scorer, without her consent. Nor will he be ousted because he grabbed himself while standing next to Spain’s queen and her teenage daughter.

When – and it is when, not if – Rubiales goes, it will be because he made other men in the game uncomfortable and posed a threat to Spain’s bid for the men’s World Cup in 2030. Sexism is so baked into the system the mistreatment of women rarely gets addressed unless it directly affects the men around us.

We protest the harm done to us and voice our complaints about the unequal treatment we receive, to no avail. Those doors Infantino said we need to push open? We’ve shoved them, hard, and they’ve remained locked tight.

In some ways, Rubiales did women a favor with his boorish public behavior and unhinged justification of it.

Just as abuse victims are often ignored unless there’s a photo or video of their trauma, Rubiales’ crudeness and obstinacy has swung public opinion in favor of the Spanish players and, by extension, other women in the game.

Change is coming to Spain’s federation. There might even be recognition by Infantino and others at FIFA that it’s going to take more than patronizing speeches and nominal funding increases to cleanse this toxic climate.

Offensive and infuriating as Rubiales is, he's a reflection of a larger problem. He'll be gone soon, but the attitudes and indifference that have put so many women in harm's way will remain.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luis Rubiales, Spain's soccer president, is symptom of FIFA misogyny

Spain's football chief Rubiales refuses to  resign, says World Cup kiss 'consensual'

Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales refused to resign on Friday after a week of widespread criticism for his unsolicited kiss on the lips of player Jenni Hermoso following Spain's Women's World Cup triumph.


Issued on: 25/08/2023 - 13:08

Luis Rubiales has faced widespread criticism for kissing a member of Spain's winning Women's World Cup team on the lips during the medal presentation. 

© GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP/File

"I will not resign, I will not resign, I will not resign," shouted Rubiales at an emergency meeting of the football federation.

"A consensual 'peck' is enough to get me out of here? I will fight until the end," he added.

Rubiales, 46, was expected to step down as president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF) after government ministers and figures within sport demanded his resignation and world football's governing body FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against him.

He said the pressure he has received this week from politicians and clubs was an attempt "to publicly assassinate me" and said he would defend himself by "taking action" against those people.

The RFEF chief claimed his kiss on Hermoso's lips was consensual and done in the same spirit as kissing his child.

"It was a spontaneous kiss, mutual, euphoric, and consensual," said Rubiales.

The stubborn RFEF chief railed against "false feminism" and said he had been "hunted" since taking the job in May 2018.

"When I make a mistake it hurts me and I ask for forgiveness without softening it, but I do not deserve this hunt that I have been suffering for five years, every day for five years.

"I'm going to keep fighting like my parents taught me, like my coaches, my teammates."

Rubiales referred to his critics and insisted his kiss could not be compared to sexual assault.

"For god's sake, what will women think who have really been sexually assaulted?" said Rubiales.

His refusal to resign and fiery speech prompted a rapid reaction from politicians.

"What we have seen today at the federation assembly is unacceptable," wrote second deputy prime minister Yolanda Diaz on social network X, formerly known as Twitter.

"The government must act and take urgent measures: impunity for macho actions is over. Rubiales cannot continue in office."

Spain's High Council of Sport (CSD) said earlier in the week they would take measures against Rubiales if the football federation failed to do so.

The president did apologise for grabbing his crotch during the celebrations of the 1-0 win against England in the final while standing next to Spanish Queen Letizia.

"I want to say sorry for the deeds that happened in a moment of euphoria, I grabbed that part of my body and did so looking at Jorge Vilda (the coach)," Rubiales said.

"I was so emotional, I lost control and I took my hands there."

Rubiales also said he had started the process of offering controversial Spain women's coach Jorge Vilda a new deal on a 500,000 euro ($540,000) salary.

Spain arrived at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand shrouded in controversy, after 15 players refused to play because of disagreements with the federation and Vilda, although some relented and three formed part of the winning squad.

(AFP)

Spanish football chief Rubiales to quit over World Cup kiss scandal - reportsMadrid (AFP) – Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales will quit his post after being roundly condemned by the football world and beyond for forcibly kissing a Spain player on the mouth following the Women's World Cup final, several media outlets reported Thursday.Issued on: 24/08/2023

Resigning?: Spanish football president Luis Rubiales is set to step down from his position after unprecedented criticism for his unsolicited kiss and behaviour at the Women's World Cup final 

 DAVID GRAY / AFP

Rubiales, 46, will submit his resignation as president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF) on Friday at an extraordinary general assembly, according to the reports.

After Spain's 1-0 win over England in the final in Sydney on Sunday Rubiales gave midfielder Jennifer Hermoso an unsolicited kiss on the lips. He also celebrated victory by grabbing his genitals.

The RFEF did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

"Feminism is changing everything," wrote Spain's Minister for Equality Irene Montero on social media, shortly after the reports emerged.

Rubiales came under unprecedented pressure to resign, with days of criticism from figures including Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez, Spain's women's league and several men's La Liga clubs, as well as internationally.

FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales earlier Thursday. FIFA said the incident "may constitute violations of article 13 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the FIFA disciplinary code".

Spain star Hermoso released a joint statement with union Futpro on Wednesday, which called for action to be taken against the RFEF president.

"We are working to ensure that acts such as those we have seen never go unpunished, that they are sanctioned and that the exemplary measures are adopted to protect women footballers from actions that we believe are unacceptable," the statement said.

Human rights organisation Amnesty International offered their backing to Hermoso on Thursday.

"Amnesty International wants to show their support for the demands of the player, who has asked the (RFEF) to set underway 'exemplary measures' regarding the non-consensual kiss," said the organisation in a statement.

"(We) underline that this behaviour is a form of sexual violence like any other, and cannot be justified in any way."

Rubiales laughed off the incident earlier in the week, branding his critics "idiots" for reading too much into what an RFEF spokesman initially described to AFP as a "spontaneous celebration".

However he later issued an apology which was also criticised, with prime minister Sanchez saying it was "insufficient".
Mounting criticism

Earlier Thursday Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti admonished Rubiales for his conduct as the criticism continued to mount.

"It's a very delicate topic, like most people it was behaviour that I obviously did not like," Ancelotti told a news conference.

"It was not the behaviour of a president of the federation."

Further Spanish clubs joined the wave of dissent against Rubiales on Thursday, following Getafe president Angel Torres the day before.

"We must all be consistent with what we do and say, that's a fundamental thing," Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo told TV show Jugones on Spanish channel Mega.

"He will have to do what he considers appropriate, but I think that what he has to do is present his resignation."

Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay also positioned himself against Rubiales.

"This should have been over days ago, it's a shame that we are here and this has not been concluded," he told Radio Euskadi.

Rubiales became president of the RFEF in May 2018 and has since been mired in a number of controversies.

He sacked Spain coach Julen Lopetegui two days before the country began their 2018 World Cup campaign, and moved the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.

Rubiales backed controversial coach Jorge Vilda amid a wider dispute with 15 female players who refused to play for Spain, although several relented and three were called up to the World Cup winning squad.

Barcelona fans at their women's team's friendly against Juventus on Thursday evening had chanted for Rubiales to resign.

The Barcelona team featured three players -- Patri Guijarro, Mapi Leon and Claudia Pina -- who had not renounced their stance and missed out on the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

© 2023 AFP

Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali form military pact

The pact allows Mali and Burkina Faso to provide military assistance to Niger in the event of military intervention against the putschists there.

The junta in Niger, which seized power in a military coup on July 26, has formed a military alliance with the neighboring countries of Burkina Faso and Mali, whose rulers also seized power in coups.

The three countries' foreign ministers made a joint announcement in Niamey, Niger's capital on Thursday.

What have the leaders agreed?

Niger junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani has authorised the armed forces of Mali and Burkina Faso to intervene on Nigerien territory in case of attack, the foreign ministries of the three countries said in a joint statement on Thursday.

The pact in question allows Mali and Burkina Faso to provide military assistance to Niger in the event of military intervention against the putschists there. A similar agreement already exists between Burkina Faso and Mali.

The agreement also calls for the three countries to take joint action against terrorist groups active in their countries and secure their borders.

Following the July 26 coup in Niger, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) activated a standby force and threatened violence if the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum was not reinstated and constitutional order restored.

ECOWAS says troops ready for Niger intervention  02:11

Sahel region under terrorism threat

For years, the countries in the Sahel region have been threatened by various terrorist militias, some of which have sworn allegiance to Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State. Under Bazoum, Niger was considered one of the last strategic partners of the West in the fight against the advance of Islamist terrorists in the Sahel.


Niger is the fourth nation in West Africa since 2020 to suffer a coup, following Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali. The juntas in Burkina Faso and Mali have said that any military intervention in their neighbor would be considered a "declaration of war" against their countries.

ai/rc (dpa, reuters)

Lebanon to pay public sector salaries in US dollars

The dollar payments are going to be made in August, as Lebanon hopes to "pump cash into the market through public sector employees."

Lebanon's acting central bank governor Wassim Mansouri on Friday said the government would pay public sector salaries for the month of August in US dollars.

Since Lebanon's economy began to unravel in 2019, the Lebanese pound has severely devalued.
What Lebanon's bank chief said

Mansouri told a press conference the plan was to use an exchange rate of 85,500 Lebanese pounds ($5.68 € 5.20) per US dollar to "pump cash into the market through public sector employees."

The finance chief said his bank would not print money to lend to the state or cover the crisis-hit economy's projected deficit. He urged leaders to take immediate action for financial reforms.

"We affirm today that the central bank will not cover the deficit by lending to the government, neither in dollars or in Lebanese pounds. Lebanese currency will not be printed to cover the deficit," he told reporters.

Lebanon's embattled central bank governor Riad Salameh, stepped down under a cloud of investigation and blame for his country's economic crisis.

Turbulent financial sector in Lebanon

Mansouri said the draft budget for 2023 entails a state deficit of 24%, equivalent to 46 trillion Lebanese pounds, approximately $500 million, using the collapsed currency's parallel rate, as calculated by Reuters.

Mansouri took over as head of the central bank on August 1, after the previous governor, Riad Salameh, ended his 30-year tenure with his legacy in tatters over corruption allegations, which he denies, and a turbulent financial sector.

Lebanese pound devaluation

As Lebanon's currency has plummeted, depositors have been locked out of their bank savings and families have been driven into poverty.

But the country has failed to enact reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to gain access to $3 billion in aid. Mansouri said that further delaying reforms "risks isolating the country from the global financial system.”

Lebanese authorities clash over fuel subsidies  01:28

A financial crime watchdog this year warned Lebanon could be placed on a gray list under special scrutiny over unsatisfactory practices to prevent money laundering and terrorism financing unless the required reforms are enacted.

ai/rc (Reuters)

Heineken sells Russian operation for €1
The Dutch brewer Heineken says it has now completely exited Russia by selling its operations for a symbolic euro.

Heineken is the world's second-largest brewer

The Dutch brewer Heineken said on Friday it had sold its operations in Russia to that country's Arnest Group for a single symbolic euro and had now completely left the territory.

The company had already announced its intention to close down its Russian operations back in March 2022 following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

It has now acknowledged that the process had taken longer than expected.

"Recent developments demonstrate the significant challenges faced by large manufacturing companies in exiting Russia," Chief Executive Dolf van den Brink said in a statement.

Heineken has previously responded to criticism of its slow exit by saying it wanted to look after its local employees in Russia.
Heineken's Russia exit could cause exceptional losses

The deal was likely to leave it with exceptional losses of €300 million ($324.8 million), the company said.

Heineken is the world's second-largest brewer. It had seven breweries in Russia and 1,800 employees.

Under the deal, the latter will receive employment guarantees for the next three years.

The Heineken brand ceased being sold in Russia from last year, and production of Amstel beers is to be phased out within six months.

The Arnest Group is the biggest Russian manufacturer of cosmetics, household goods and metal packaging.

tj/rc (Reuters, AFP)