LEFT WING FILM MAKER
Ken Loach hits out at Starmer and questions Labour’s antisemitism stance

Martina Bet, PA Political Staff
Wed, 27 September 2023 

British filmmaker Ken Loach has voiced strong criticism of Sir Keir Starmer and Labour’s handling of disputes, especially those related to allegations of antisemitism.

A staunch supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, Loach rejoined the Labour Party in 2017 but faced expulsion in 2021 during the party’s antisemitism crackdown.

He has consistently challenged such allegations, hinting at political motivations aimed at destabilising the leadership of the former Labour leader.

Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme to discuss his new film The Old Oak, Loach expressed his profound lack of confidence in Sir Keir, suggesting he often backtracks on his statements.

He also claimed Jewish members of the Labour Party are “four times more likely to be expelled than non-Jewish members”.

Asked about Labour’s position on migration, given his new film is a story of two traumatised communities thrown together when a group of Syrian refugees is housed in a neglected former mining village in the north east of England, he said: “I have no confidence in Sir Keir Starmer whatsoever.

“Everything he says he rejects a few months later. I don’t believe a word the man says. And I don’t think people should either.

“They moved so that they are one millimetre closer to the centre than the Tories. I have no trust in Starmer personally or the clique he represents.”

On whether his criticism of Sir Keir stems from the fact that “in your own words, you said you were kicked out of the party”, the director and screenwriter, 87, replied: “It was like an abusive relationship, to be honest.

“I mean, the Labour Party is … its whole processes of dealing with disagreements is very flawed. I mean, it’s something I think BBC News should examine more closely.

“The fact that now, I think, Jewish members of the Labour Party are four times more likely to be expelled than non-Jewish members.”

The interview with BBC presenter Sarah Montague then took a particularly heated turn when she told him the Campaign Against Antisemitism complained to the BBC about their involvement in one of his other films because of his “appalling” views on antisemitism.

In response, Loach accused the public broadcaster of diverting serious conversations into “fraudulent campaigns” aimed at discrediting interviewees.

Ken Loach criticised Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (James Manning/PA)

He said: “Have you got any evidence for that?

“Because otherwise, if you have no evidence, I think you should withdraw it. You’re now purveying another misleading, insulting misrepresentation.”

He went on: “I think the way you and the BBC constantly divert serious conversations into this fraudulent campaign in order to discredit people that you choose to interview on another premise, I think that’s disgraceful.”

Ms Montague told listeners the exchange on whether the BBC should have asked him about allegations of antisemitism was “much, much longer, but as it involved a lot of heat, but not much light, we edited it down”.

She added: “We also asked Labour if Mr Loach was right when he says that Jewish Labour members are four times more likely to be expelled from the party than non-Jewish members.

“A spokesperson came back from Labour saying the implication of deliberate targeting made by Mr Loach is completely false and not based in reality. Indeed, it isn’t even clear from this quote on what statistically reliable basis Mr Loach is attempting to justify such a claim.”

The Labour Party has been approached for comment.

Armenia will be invaded again if West does not stand up to Azerbaijan, warns ambassador

TURKIYE'S CLIENT STATE
Roland Oliphant
Wed, 27 September 2023 

Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region riding in a truck arrive at the border with Armenia - IRAKLI GEDENIDZE/Reuters

Azerbaijan may launch an invasion of Armenia if the West fails to respond robustly to its takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia’s ambassador to Britain has warned.

Varuzhan Nersesyan said it was probably “too late” to prevent a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from the enclave, but said firm security guarantees might not be enough to protect the few who remain and avert another war.

“Now that they see the international community’s reaction is a soft one… it’s not excluded that they may be tempted to carry out another attack on the Republic of Armenia,” he told the Telegraph.

“It is a serious situation and here the international community has a preventive and preemptive role to play, not to allow any country that is becoming a bully in international relations to threaten neighbouring countries and to present unfounded territorial claims.”

Azerbaijan launched what it called an “anti-terrorist” operation against an ethnic-Armenian separatist controlled region of Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, on Sept 19.

The assault lasted 24 hours and ended with Azerbaijani forces claiming full control of the region for the first time since a war in the 1990s.

It has resulted in a vast refugee crisis as tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians flee down the narrow mountain road connecting the region with the Republic of Armenia.

Mr Nersesyan said there were now serious concerns in Yerevan about Azerbaijani claims to a so-called Zangezur corridor, which would cross sovereign Armenian territory to link Azerbaijan with an exclave called Nakhchivan.

“There is such a threat, because they have not seen the international community acting throughout the nine months of the inhuman blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh other than calls and statements,” he said.

“The international community needed to react to this in a very robust, harsh, harsh manner.”
Ethnic cleansing

Azerbaijan has denied ethnic cleansing in Karabakh.

Ilham Aliyev, the Azeri president, said last week that Armenians could “finally breathe a sigh of relief” and would be able to vote, receive state education and freely practise their Christian religion in mainly Muslim Azerbaijan.

Many ethnic Armenians say they do not trust such assurances and have fled, in what Armenian officials say is a clear example of ethnic cleansing.

The main road from Karabakh to Armenia has been choked for days by cars carrying refugees.

The Armenian government said 50,000 people, or more than a third of the Nagorno-Karabakh population, had crossed into Armenia as of 11am on Wednesday.

Azerbaijan said it had detained the former head of Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist government as he tried to cross into Armenia.

Ruben Vardanyan, a billionaire businessman who made his fortune in Russia where he owned a major investment bank, moved to Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022 and served as the head of the regional government for several months before stepping down earlier this year.

The crisis has highlighted increasing instability on Russia’s periphery.

Russia is Armenia’s security principal ally and sent about 2,000 peacekeepers to the region to enforce the ceasefire that ended a war in the summer of 2022.

However, the peacekeepers did not prevent Azerbaijan from imposing a nine-month blockade on Nagorno-Karabakh by closing the so-called Lachin corridor, the only road linking it with Armenia. Nor did they contest the Azerbaijani assault last week.

Some analysts have suggested Russia was simply too weak to resist the Azeri attack because it is preoccupied with the war in Ukraine.

Others have suggested the peacekeepers’ inaction points to a secret deal between Baku and Moscow ahead of the assault.

The Russian foreign ministry on Monday accused Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian prime minister of bringing the disaster on himself by flirting with the West at the expense of traditional ties with Moscow.

Armenian officials insist they continue to honour their alliance with Russia and have denied “flirting” with anyone.

But Mr Nersesyan said Yerevan would be “reassessing” its security arrangements in the aftermath of the conflict because the “current arrangements clearly have not worked.”

Baku says that it wants locals to stay and accept Azeri citizenship.

Roads have been choked with cars amid the mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh - IRAKLI GEDENIDZE/Reuters

Russia’s failure to enforce the ceasefire leaves Yerevan diplomatically isolated.

Nato is not likely to assist it because Turkey, a key member of the alliance, is a close ally of Azerbaijan.

Baku has also built close ties with other Western powers in recent years, portraying itself as a reliable security partner and energy supplier.

Western officials have demanded access for international observers to ensure Azerbaijan keeps its promises but have also shied away from harsh criticism of Baku.

Samantha Power, the head of USAID, on Tuesday refused twice to use the term “ethnic cleansing” when asked by journalists whether that was what was going on.

She said there were “very troubling reports of violence against civilians”, adding, “There are a range of options under consideration,” when asked whether Azerbaijan might face consequences for its action.

The European Commission in a statement on Tuesday expressed concern for those who “had decided to flee,” but made no mention of what they were fleeing.

It issued an amended statement on Wednesday expressing “solidarity with those who had no choice but to flee.”

Mr Nersesyan declined to criticise the Commission or Ms Power, who he called “a great friend of Armenia.”

But he added: “Of course we wish the West called things with their own name. It is ethnic cleansing, whichever way it is trying to conceal and decorate it with fake notions of reintegration.”

Revealed: Europe’s role in the making of Russia killer drones


Daniel Boffey Chief reporter
Wed, 27 September 2023

Iranian kamikaze drones used in the latest attacks on Ukrainian cities are filled with European components, according to a secret document sent by Kyiv to its western allies in which it appeals for long-range missiles to attack production sites in Russia, Iran and Syria.

In a 47-page document submitted by Ukraine’s government to the G7 governments in August, it is claimed there were more than 600 raids on cities using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) containing western technology in the previous three months.

According to the paper, obtained by the Guardian, 52 electrical components manufactured by western companies were found in the Shahed-131 drone and 57 in the Shahed-136 model, which has a flight range of 2,000km (1,240 miles) and cruising speed of 180kmh (111mph).


Five European companies including a Polish subsidiary of a British multinational are named as the original manufacturers of the identified components.

“Among the manufacturers are companies headquartered in the countries of the sanctions coalition: the United States, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Japan, and Poland,” it claims.

Firefighters work to put out a fire in a supermarket during a Russian drone and missile strike in Odesa. Photograph: Defence Forces Southern Ukraine/Reuters

According to the document, Iran has already diversified its production through the use of a Syrian factory delivering to the Russian port of Novorossiysk but the production of drones is shifting to Russia, to the central Tartar region of Alabuga, although Tehran continues to supply the components.

It says the Iranian government is trying to “disassociate itself from providing Russia with weapons” and “cannot cope with Russian demand and the intensity of use in Ukraine”.

Among the suggestions for action by Ukraine’s western allies – at which they would probably baulk – are “missile strikes on the production plants of these UAVs in Iran, Syria, as well as on a potential production site in the Russian federation”.

The document goes on: “The above may be carried out by the Ukrainian defence forces if partners provide the necessary means of destruction.”

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by the western companies whose parts have been identified. “Iranian UAV production has adapted and mostly uses available commercial components, the supply of which is poorly or not controlled at all,” the paper says.Interactive

Customs information is said by the Ukrainian report to show that “almost all the imports to Iran originated from Turkey, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Costa Rica”.

Bart Groothuis, an MEP who sits on the European parliament’s defence and security subcommittee, said there had been insufficient coordination among the EU’s intelligence services to grapple with the misuse of western components. “I think many European intelligence agencies aren’t even looking at sanctions,” he said.

The Ukrainian government document – “Barrage deaths: report on Shahed-136/131 UAVs” – provides the most up to date analysis of Russia’s changing drone tactics and production plans since the first use of Shahed drones was recorded in the Kharkiv region on 13 September 2022, in the city of Kupiansk. It claims:

A pause in attacks that lasted from 17 November to 7 December was “likely due to the adaptation of drones designed for a warm climate to the Ukrainian winter”, and this “may indicate additional cooperation between Russia and Iran in the production and modernization of the Shahed-136/131”.


Deliveries of Shahed-136/131 UAVs from Iran to Russia take place across the Caspian Sea. “From Tehran, the drones are delivered to the Iranian port of Amirabad, from where they are shipped to the Russian port city of Makhachkala.”


The markings on the electronic components on drones used in Ukraine in recent months had been destroyed, “probably with the use of a laser”, and the Russian forces have started using the names Geranium-1 and Geranium-2 for the drones, which is “likely part of an agreement between Iran and Russia to conceal Iran’s role”.


In early July, a new Shahed-136 model marked “Y002” was shot down in Ukraine, which “may have been assembled at a new production facility in Russia”. The sample is said to have had a different wing moulding, which “may also indicate production at a new location”.


Russia and Iran are “already working on a new engine for the Shahed-136, which should provide better speed and range”.

A wide range of components produced by western companies have been found in the downed drone models, according to the submission to the G7, which comprises France, the US, the UK, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada, plus the EU.

A fuel pump manufactured in Poland by the German company Ti Automotive GmbH, of which the British multinational TI Fluid Systems is the parent company, was discovered in a Shahed-136, as well as a microcontroller with built-in flash memory and a very low-voltage drop regulator with inhibitor made by the Swiss firm STMicroelectronics, according to the paper.

Also discovered in a Shahed-136, was an integrated circuit of a buffer network driver and a transistor made by International Rectifier, a subsidiary of the German firm Infineon Technologies AG.

TI Fluid Systems did not respond to a request for comment. Their equipment is freely available to buy from retailers across Europe and the company has previously said it does not sell into Iran.

A drone explodes during a Russian strike in Kyiv. Photograph: Gleb Garanich/Reuters

A spokesperson for STMicroelectronics said: “We work with more than 200,000 customers and thousands of partners around the world. We do not authorise or condone the use of our products outside of their intended purpose.

“We have a comprehensive global trade compliance programme through which we comply with all international trade rules and regulations. We have an internal export control compliance programme that contains training and procedures to assure compliance with various export controls regulations. As part of that programme, we provide guidelines to our sales channels to assure each party in our supply chain understands its responsibility to comply with applicable laws and regulations.”

A spokesperson for Infineon said it did not sell components to Iran and it had liquidated its operation in Russia in March last year.

He said: “In general, compliance with applicable laws is of utmost importance for Infineon, and we have established robust policies and processes to comply with these laws. We instruct our customers including distributors to only conduct consecutive sales in line with applicable rules.

“It proves difficult to control sales throughout the entire lifetime of a product. Still, we have taken extensive measures at our disposal to ensure compliance with sanctions against Russia aiming to not only comply with the letter but also with the spirit of the sanctions.”

In the Shahed-131 model, the Ukrainian experts identified a 14-channel, customisable integrated power management circuit and a microprocessor made by the Dutch company NXP Semiconductor and a power transistor and integrated circuit from International Rectifier.

The aftermath of a drone attack on an oil depot in the Rivne region of western Ukraine. Photograph: Rivne Region Prosecutor’S Office Handout/EPA

A 32-bit microcontroller, a 32-bit processor, a microcontroller with built-in flash memory and a very low-voltage drop regulator with inhibitor made by STMicroelectronics was also found, and a GPS tracker chip made by the Swiss firm U-blox.

A spokesperson for U-blox said: “U-blox strongly condemns the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Immediately after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, U-blox stopped all sales to Russia, Belarus and the territories occupied by the Russian army in Ukraine, irrespective of the intended use. Recently, U-blox has also decided not to sell to members of the Eurasian Economic Union (a free trade zone with Russia).

Related: The Ukrainian experts dismantling bombs for clues to Putin’s arms supply

“Since 2002, U-blox has had in place a strict company policy that its products must not be used in weapons or weapon systems – including systems for target identification.”

A spokesperson for NXP Semiconductor said it was seeking new ways to avoid the misuse of its technology.

She said: “We do not tolerate the use of our products in Russian or Iranian weapons, or any other application our products were not designed or licensed for. We continue to comply with export control and sanctions laws in the countries where we operate and we do not support any business in or with Russia, Belarus and other embargoed countries, including Iran. Our team is in ongoing contact with regulators around the world on this issue as we explore additional measures to help neutralise illegal chip diversion.”

A government spokesperson said: “We have introduced the largest and most severe economic sanctions ever imposed on a major economy, wholly or partially sanctioned over 96% of goods traded with Russia in 2021.

“We are clear that any UK company or their subsidiaries that are found to be selling or exporting sanctioned goods to Russia, directly or indirectly, could be in breach of sanctions law and could face a heavy fine or imprisonment.

“We are working closely with partners to coordinate measures and keep our sanctions under review – including addressing issues around potential circumvention.”

U$ 

Scientists linked to Wuhan lab accused of performing dangerous experiments that could cause leak


Sarah Knapton
Wed, 27 September 2023 

P4 laboratory in Wuhan, capital of China's Hubei province.

Scientists linked to Wuhan bat researchers have been accused of performing dangerous experiments on a Mers-like virus that could spark a pandemic.

A team from the University of North Carolina published a paper in Science Advances on Wednesday detailing how they had synthesised a Mers-like bat virus, and used it to infect human cells and humanised mice.

Mers is one of the deadliest viruses, killing around 35 per cent of people that it infects.

The team includes Professor Ralph Baric and Trevor Scobey who worked with Professor Shi Zhengli, of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, before the pandemic creating chimeric viruses by inserting spike proteins from bat viruses into the original Sars virus.

The new experiment used a ‘reverse genetics’ technique to recreate a Mers-like bat virus called BtCoV-422 which was collected by Shi Zhengli’s team in China in 2019.

The scientists said they had performed the latest study to test whether antivirals would work against an infection, but experts warned the experiments were needlessly risky for little gain.

‘Potentially devastating’ and ‘not justified’

Anton van der Merwe, Professor of Molecular Immunology, at Oxford University told the Telegraph: “Because coronaviruses evolve rapidly, these experiments carry the risk of generating variants which are better able to infect human cells and therefore humans.

“Human and equipment error means that infection of those performing the experiments is a risk, and the infected individual could then spread the infection outside the laboratory and initiate a pandemic.

“While the risk is relatively low, the consequences would be potentially devastating and it is not clear to me what the benefits are.

“There is no prospect of using such work to develop a vaccine or antiviral drug since these can only be tested in humans during an actual pandemic. It seems to me this experiment is simply not justified.”

Prof Baric developed the ‘reverse genetics’ technique which not only enables a virus to be brought to life from its genetic code, but allows scientists to ‘mix and match’ parts from other viruses.

In the new experiments, the team found that the virus ‘replicated efficiently’ in human airway and lung cells and caused infections in mice but that antivirals were somewhat effective.

However, experts said that the same experiments could have been carried out by inserting the spike protein of BtCoV-422 into a harmless pseudovirus.

“Pseudovirus experiments should have been the first things they did, before making this live virus,” one scientist who chose to remain anonymous said.

“They went straight to testing the live virus in human cell culture. And they performed experiments in humanised mice – which presents a higher risk of escape than just cell culture.

“If I had seen these sorts of results for pseudovirus, I would have said that it should stop there: the virus is a potential threat. Don’t proceed to using alive virus.”

Marc Lipsitch, Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard University, who has campaigned against dangerous laboratory work, also said it was unclear why they team had created a live virus.

“It is worth asking them why they created in the lab a virus that they hypothesised had the capacity to infect humans when they could have done it more safely with pseudoviruses,” he said.

“It is not clear to me why they couldn’t use pseudoviruses to answer the question, though I would be open to learning the answer.”

Experts also warned that the experiments were performed at Biosafety Level (BSL) 3 level rather than the highest BSL-4 safety level.

“Accidental releases from BSL-3 labs are unfortunately quite common,” added Prof Van der Merwe.

“Experiments on potentially pandemic organisms should only be performed if there are clear benefits to humanity and should be performed at the very highest level of containment.”

The Telegraph has approached the study authors for comment.

THE 2019 COVID VIRUS GENETIC CODE 

India ‘weaponising global anti-terror fund’ to crack down on civil society groups, Amnesty says


Arpan Rai
Wed, 27 September 2023

 People hold a cutout depicting Indian prime minister Narendra Modi during a Sikh rally outside the Indian consulate a in Toronto (AFP via Getty Images)

The Indian government has exploited the assessment reports of a global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog to target “legitimate human rights work of civil society”, a new report by Amnesty International said.

The country has abused recommendations provided internationally by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to crackdown on terrorism financing and money laundering under the Narendra Modi administration, the international human rights group said in its latest report on Wednesday.

This has been done under the “guise of combating terrorism”, Amnesty International’s India chair Aakar Patel said.


“The Indian government has leveraged the Financial Action Task Force’s recommendations (from 2010 and 2013) to tighten its arsenal of financial and counter-terrorism laws which are routinely misused to target and silence critics,” he said in a statement.

India should be held accountable by the FATF “for the persistent weaponisation of its recommendations”, he added.

Indian officials have not issued an immediate response on the charges in the latest report by Amnesty International.

Human rights groups and political opponents have accused Mr Modi of stifling dissent and introducing divisive policies that discriminate against Muslims and other minorities, in addition to the conviction of his political opponent Rahul Gandhi.

Authorities in India have brought in draconian laws in a coordinated campaign to stifle the non-profit sector, the findings revealed.

A total of 37 countries are part of the FATF, including the United States, and two regional groups, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Commission. Currently, only Iran and North Korea are blacklisted.

Data by Amnesty showed that more than 20,600 NGOs have had their licences cancelled in India in the last ten years, with nearly 6,000 of these cancellations seen since the beginning of 2022.

Indian officials have also misused these laws to bring “terrorism-related charges and, amongst other things, to prevent organisations and activists from accessing essential funds”, Amnesty said.

In its latest findings, Amnesty International found that 11 out of 16 NGOs in India working on issues of minorities, marginalised groups and climate change confirmed arbitrary renunciation of their foreign contribution licences through suspensions, cancellations and non-renewals.

This was done on the grounds of vague reasons by the Indian authorities who accused them of “bringing disrepute to public institutions”, working against public or national interest” or alluding to their human rights work.

Most of the NGOs in India have reduced their staff by 50 to 80 per cent. “Almost all our programmes have been shut down… (We are) surviving just to fight the legal cases that have been filed against us,” an activist told Amnesty International.

The latest findings also stated that Indian authorities have ignored calls by United Nations’ special rapporteurs terming India’s own anti-terrorism law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act as they flagged its provisions to be in violation of FATF’s guiding principles.

The Indian law’s provisions also violated international human rights law and standards, they said.

“The Indian authorities have ignored all such calls and have continued to apply these laws in a discriminatory manner against dissenting voices such as Muslim student activist Umar Khalid, Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez, journalist Irfan Mehraj and 16 others (in the Bhima Koregaon case), ten of whom continue to be detained since 2018 without trial on allegations of ‘funding terrorism’, amongst other charges,” the Amnesty International said.

One such law under the Modi administration – Prevention of Money Laundering Act – has been used to target Amnesty International, forcing them to halt operations in the country in September 2020.

“The FATF must not allow these laws to be used by the Indian authorities to systematically erode the rights to freedom of association and freedom of expression in the country, particularly of civil society actors and religious minorities,” Mr Patel said.

Joby has delivered its first aircraft to Air Force — months ahead of schedule

The Air Force’s big new electric taxi flies at 200 mph

Rob Verger
Mon, September 25, 2023

The Joby aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base.

Today, members of the military and an executive from Joby Aviation used a giant pair of scissors to cut a ribbon in front of an electric flying machine parked at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

The moment is significant because, with the exception of small electric drones, the other aircraft that the Department of Defense have on hand are powered by fossil fuels. Cargo planes, fighter jets, helicopters, and other flying machines that can carry people or hefty cargo all burn petroleum products. But the flying machine behind the ribbon, an air taxi from a company called Joby Aviation, is a different kind of craft—like an EV, it’s powered by batteries. The aircraft has now taken up residence at Edwards Air Force Base in California, a facility famous as a flight testing center, where it might patrol or inspect the rugged landscape.

The electric aircraft sports six large propellers that can tilt, enabling the machine to take off and land vertically and also fly horizontally, like a regular plane. Think of it as something like a small version of the military tiltrotor aircraft that already exist, such as the V-22 Osprey or the V-280 Valor. It has space for four passengers (or 1,000 pounds of cargo), one pilot, and can fly at speeds of 200 miles per hour.

[Related: The US military’s tiniest drone feels like it flew straight out of a sci-fi film]

Joby has been testing and developing electric aircraft for years; it flew a “subscale demonstrator,” or small version of the plane, back in 2015. The full-sized aircraft that Joby has delivered to the Air Force is the first production prototype to come off the company’s line in Marina, California, in June. “It’s massive” as a moment, JoeBen Bevirt, the company’s CEO, tells PopSci. “This is like a dream come true.”

All of the aircraft's six propellers can tilt, to allow it to take off 

or land vertically, but then fly like a regular airplane.

There are a couple ways that the Air Force might use the aircraft. One is to patrol the Edwards Air Force Base’s sprawling footprint, which spans more than 400 square miles. (It’s an area bigger than New York City.) Because the base is so big, says Maj. Philip Woodhull, who focuses on emerging technologies in the Air Force, the people who guard it “have quite a time doing perimeter security management.”

“One of the ideas that we’re thinking of—an experiment we can do—is using a Joby aircraft for security forces purposes to do these perimeter sweeps,” he says. Their plan is to fly the aircraft remotely at first, meaning that a pilot would be operating it from the ground, without humans inside.

The Joby craft could also monitor a giant lake bed at the base, which Woodhull says measures 12 by 20 miles in size. That area “is a great resource for doing emergency landings, but it is a natural landscape,” he says. The weather can alter the condition of the designated runways in the lake bed, and so, Woodhull says, “we always have to check whether the runways that we have designated out there are actually usable.” The Joby aircraft could help with that inspection process, as opposed to taking pickup trucks out to the site, although the initial plan is to fly the aircraft without anyone in it. If the Air Force becomes comfortable putting crew inside, though, the aircraft could also help transport people or supplies from one part of the base to another. The testing at the base will involve NASA, as well.

An aircraft that flies on electric power will be quieter than one that uses loud engines powered by fossil fuels, and that attribute could also have military appeal for other purposes. “There’s been significant interest across not only the other services,” such as the Army and Marine Corps, says Col. Thomas Meagher, who works with an Air Force program called AFWERX Agility Prime, but also “on the special forces side.”

“Low acoustic signature has lots of benefits for the DOD in some of those scenarios,” he adds.

While delivery of the Joby air taxi to the Air Force represents a milestone, Bevirt notes that it remains “a Joby asset” even in DOD hands. And another Joby aircraft should be delivered to the base next year. Joby’s long-term plan is to eventually operate an air-taxi service for regular people to hail via an app like they would an Uber, and they’ve announced plans to partner with Delta.

Meagher says that this is the first electric aircraft “of this class”—specifically, it can carry several people, has tiltrotors, and a fixed wing—that the Air Force will use for an extended period. Meagher notes that they have previously experimented with a machine from a company called Lift by remotely flying it—that aircraft is a wild-looking contraption designed to carry one person. The Air Force also has experience with flying an electric aircraft from Vermont’s Beta Technologies. Beta has started to build an electric aircraft charging station at Duke Field near Florida’s Eglin Air Force Base.

At the ribbon cutting ceremony today, Col. Douglas Wickert, who commands the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, commented about the aircraft behind him: “Just looking at that, I mean you’re looking at the future—that is obvious.”

Watch the event below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qVLQsz_YJc

African migrants bound for US use Nicaragua to bypass Darien perils

Tue, September 26, 2023 

By Lizbeth Diaz and Jackie Botts

TIJUANA/OAXACA CITY, Mexico (Reuters) - African migrants and asylum seekers heading to the United States are flying into Nicaragua to bypass the Darien Gap, a dangerous jungle isthmus connecting Panama and Colombia, according to migrants interviewed by Reuters and exclusive U.N. data.

A dozen migrants recently arrived in the Mexican northern border city of Tijuana and the southern city of Oaxaca said they had flown into the Central American country, where many African nationalities can obtain a low-cost visa.

The migrants hailed from Mali, Angola, Guinea and Senegal, and almost all said they knew about the dangers of Darien, which can only be traversed on foot.

Several said they had gone to Nicaragua after hearing macabre stories of people who had faced Darien's deadly perils.

"When I started planning my trip I told myself: I don't want to die there," said a 32-year-old migrant from western Mali, who explained he had fled the country due to war and violence.

"I want to live safely," he said from a shelter in Tijuana, claiming to have paid a trafficker more than $10,000. He asked to remain anonymous for security reasons.

Sitting outside a bus terminal in Oaxaca city, Souleymane, a 29-year-old Senegalese man who asked to be identified by his first name only, said that relatives in New York had paid for his passage to Nicaragua. Souleymane gestured that it had been exorbitantly expensive, though he declined to give the amount.

"The political crisis (in Senegal) scares us," he said.

Several migrants said they found out about the alternate route through social networks and from human traffickers.

Traditionally many people trying to reach the United States have flown into Brazil or other South American countries, but knowledge of this alternate route has spread through word of mouth.

Authorities in Nicaragua did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for information on the issue.

DARIEN BYPASS

Reuters obtained exclusive access to data from the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration (IOM), scheduled to be published Wednesday in a report, which underlines the scale of the phenomenon.

In a statement to Reuters, the IOM previewed the findings of the report, including that "African and Cuban migrants are increasingly choosing air routes to reach Central American countries, avoiding the Darien jungle."

Between January and July, some 4,100 African migrants crossed Darien, a 65% decrease compared to the same period in 2022, the statement said.

Separately, it also said 19,412 African migrants crossed Honduras - Nicaragua's northern neighbor - in the first seven months of 2023, a 553% increase from the same period in 2022.

Only 524 Cubans were reported in Darien during that period, in contrast to the 17,157 recorded in Honduras.

The data suggest that thousands of African and Cuban migrants have opted for the Nicaragua route in recent months.

Various international organizations such as the U.N. have warned of the risks migrants face crossing Darien. These can range from hunger, injury, animal bites to robbery, violent attacks and sexual assault.

Despite the shift seen among African and Cuban migrants, a record of about 82,000 people last month entered Panama overland from South America, according to the IOM.

Meanwhile, an unprecedented number of migrants have entered Mexico from other continents, as the trek to the U.S. southern border increasingly becomes a global migration route sought by people fleeing violence, economic distress and the growing impacts of climate change in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The number of African migrants registered by Mexican authorities so far this year is already three times as high as during all 2022.

(This story has been refiled to fix formatting errors)

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz in Tijuana and Jackie Botts in Oaxaca City; Additional reporting by Ismael Lopez; Writing by Isabel Woodford; Editing by Dave Graham and Aurora Ellis)

Italy to allow migrant expulsions on public order grounds - draft

Tue, September 26, 2023 

 Migrants in Lampedusa


By Alvise Armellini

ROME (Reuters) - Foreigners who live legally in Italy could in future be kicked out of the country if they pose a threat to public order or national security, according to a draft government decree seen by Reuters.

The measure, set for adoption at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, is part of a crackdown pledged by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing administration in response to a surge in boat arrivals from North Africa.

The draft decree also states that in times of large influxes of migrants, reception centres would be able to host up to twice the number of people they are normally allowed to.

With authorities struggling to accommodate the rise in unaccompanied migrant children, the draft allows for minors over the age of 16 to be held in reception centres for adults for up to three months.

It also provides for the expulsion of migrants who falsely claim to be underage, and gives police broader powers to estimate the age of incoming migrants using body measurements and X-rays.

Once approved by cabinet the decree would be immediately effective, but would need to be ratified by parliament within two months or else it would lapse. During ratification, it may be amended.

Meloni's ruling coalition swept into power last year promising to curb immigration. But in the year to date, more than 133,000 migrants have arrived across the Mediterranean against just under 70,000 in the same period of 2022.

The government last week signed off on new measures to lengthen the time migrants can be detained and increase the number of detention centres, in an effort to deter them from embarking on sea crossings.

In a move criticised by the opposition and rights groups, Meloni's administration also decreed that migrants would have to pay almost 5,000 euros ($5,288) to avoid detention while their request for protection was being processed.

Italian PM steps up crackdown on migrants with deportation decree

Angela Giuffrida in Rome
Wed, 27 September 2023 

Photograph: Yara Nardi/Reuters

Foreigners who lie about their age to benefit from a protection scheme reserved for unaccompanied minors arriving in Italy will be deported under a security decree expected to be approved by Giorgia Meloni’s cabinet on Wednesday as part of her far-right government’s crackdown on irregular immigration.

The draft decree, parts of which were published by the Italian press, includes a measure stipulating that foreigners living legally in Italy will be deported if they are considered to be a threat to public order or national security.

Related: Giorgia Meloni: I won’t allow Italy to become Europe’s refugee camp

Meloni’s ruling coalition, which came to power last October, is moving to enact more hardline measures amid a surge in the number of people arriving on Italy’s shores.

Meloni, who before being elected prime minister called for a naval blockade in the Mediterranean, admitted last week that she had hoped to “do better” on immigration after the number of refugees arriving in Italy so far this year exceeded 133,000 – more than double the same period last year.

Until now, children arriving in Italy without a parent or legal guardian have been able to benefit from a special protection regime, introduced in 2017, based on the presumption of a minority. If approved, the decree would give police powers to estimate their age using body measurements and X-rays.

The draft decree also says children over the age of 16 could be placed in reception centres reserved for adults and that such centres – criticised in the past for their appalling conditions – could host double the number of people they ordinarily would at certain times.

Last week, Meloni’s government signed off on measures giving authorities the power to keep people in pre-deportation detention centres for up to 18 months. The government has also ruled that people waiting for their asylum requests to be processed would have to pay a deposit, reportedly worth €5,000, to avoid being detained.

Meanwhile, a row between Italy and Germany over immigration is showing no sign of abating after Andrea Crippa, the deputy leader of the League, a partner in Meloni’s coalition, said Germany had gone from “invading others states with its army” during the second world war to “using illegal immigrants” to destabilise Italy and its government.

His comments came after it emerged that Berlin was funding charities to rescue people in the Mediterranean, prompting Meloni to write to the German chancellor, Olaf Sholz, expressing her “astonishment”.

Italy opens first detention centre for migrants from 'safe' countries


Euronews
Wed, 27 September 2023

Italy has set up its first centre for asylum seekers deemed to have come from so-called safe countries.

The Italian government hopes the facility in the Sicilian port city of Pozallo will accelerate the processing of asylum claims. It will house people who can't claim refugee status as they've arrived from countries not considered to be dangerous.

As part of efforts to ease the country's migrant problem, people are being relocated to various rescue centres in an effort to address both the humanitarian and logistical challenges of the current situation.

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and Italy's Premier Giorgia Meloni visit the island of Lampedusa, in Italy, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023 

- Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse

The move comes as Italy struggles to cope with severe overcrowding at its migrant centre on Lampedusa island.

The extent of the problem was highlighted earlier this month when some migrants broke out of the centre because of a lack of space and essential provisions.

EU releases €127 million in financial aid for Tunisia amid Lampedusa crisis

Brussels has a 10-point plan to tackle Lampedusa's migrant crisis. Much of it remains unclear

In an effort to reduce the number of arrivals, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's cabinet is implementing measures against young adults posing as unaccompanied minors in order to claim state protection.

US senators pressure Treasury to get more aggressive on climate crisis risks

Andrea Shalal
Updated Mon, September 25, 2023 

The U.S Treasury building in Washington.

By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and four other U.S. senators are pressuring the U.S. Treasury Department to step up oversight and offer more guidance to financial institutions on addressing climate change risks threatening the U.S. financial system.

In a letter sent to the Treasury last week, Democratic senators Warren, Martin Heinrich, Edward Markey, Sheldon Whitehouse and Jeffrey Merkley, as well as Sanders, an independent, welcomed the department's work on the issue so far but called for "added urgency" given increasing risks.

The Treasury should act now - including through its role as head of the multi-regulator Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) - to address systemic risks becoming evident in a crash in coastal property values, insurance market failures, and uninsurable wildfire risks, they said.

"As climate financial impacts grow, the Climate Hub and Treasury must pursue with added urgency all available measures to address the climate crisis and its threat to the stability of our financial system," the senators wrote in the Sept. 20 letter, which was first reported by Reuters.

A Treasury spokesperson did not respond to any specific concerns raised by the senators, but underscored the department's commitment to tackling climate change.

“Under Secretary Yellen’s leadership, the Treasury Department has been at the forefront of addressing the climate crisis. From implementing the clean energy provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act to unlocking billions in public and private financing, combating climate change remains a top priority for the department.”

The senators called on Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and newly appointed climate counselor Ethan Zindler, a climate and clean energy research executive, to do more to protect the U.S. economy from what Yellen has described as the "existential threat" posed by climate change.

Recent climate disasters and financial disruptions have underscored the rising cost and impact of climate change, with one study showing only 40% of direct weather-related costs suffered worldwide in 2022 were covered by insurance providers.

The senators said they were particularly concerned about nonbank financial institutions, which also played a critical role in the 2008 global financial crisis, and said the FSOC should finalize and immediately implement a new analytic risk framework for climate-related financial risks.

The Treasury should also develop better climate risk scenario exercises for banks, and ensure that all FSOC members can access data gathered by Treasury's Climate Data and Analytics Hub under a pilot project launched in July 2022, they wrote.

The senators welcomed the Treasury's new voluntary principles for "net-zero" financing commitments, but said there were gaps in the guidance and that the department should make clear all large financial institutions should have a credible transition plan.

They also repeated earlier calls for stronger Internal Revenue Service enforcement of rules on political activity by nonprofit organizations, citing efforts by special interests to fuel climate change denial, and investigations into how such funding could be obstructing more action on the climate crisis.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal, editing by Deepa Babington and Chris Reese)

CANADA'S  EPSTEIN

Canadian fashion mogul lured women and girls to bedroom suite at his Toronto HQ, prosecution alleges

Associated Press
Tue, September 26, 2023


- A sign is displayed above the storefront of Peter Nygard's Times Square headquarters, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, in New York. Former Canadian fashion mogul Nygard pleaded not guilty Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, to all charges against him in his Toronto sexual assault case, as jury selection for his trial got underway.

 (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

TORONTO (AP) — Former Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard leveraged his wealth, assets and status over several years to lure young women and girls to a top-floor bedroom suite at his company’s Toronto headquarters where he forced himself on them, prosecutors alleged Tuesday as arguments at his sexual assault trial got underway.

Nygard invited all five complainants in the case — whose identities are protected by a publication ban — to visit his custom-built office building under pretenses ranging from tours to job interviews, with all the encounters ending in the bedroom suite, the prosecution said. There, he sexually assaulted them at different times, sometimes trapping or intoxicating them, the prosecution alleged in opening arguments.

“Five women, it took them years to come forward. 1 Niagara St., a custom-design office building with huge letters on the front: Nygard. The Toronto headquarters of a fashion empire,” assistant prosecution attorney Ana Serban said.

“But within these walls, behind all the trappings of success and power, there is a bedroom suite with a giant bed, a stone jacuzzi, a bar and doors — doors with no handle, doors with automatic, keypad-operated locks controlled by Peter Nygard.”

Nygard has pleaded not guilty to five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement in alleged incidents dating back to the ’80s, ’90s and mid-2000s.

The 82-year-old appeared in court sporting a suit with no tie, tinted glasses and with his long white hair tied back.

Nygard also is set to be extradited to the United States to faces sex-related charges there, but only once his criminal cases Canada are completed. Nygard was first arrested in Winnipeg in 2020 under the Extradition Act after being charged with nine sex-related counts in New York.

The first complainant in Toronto, the prosecution said, will testify she met Nygard in her 20s while on a flight to the Bahamas, where he allegedly flattered her, offered her a job and a stay at his property in the Caribbean country, which she declined. After recognizing him on TV later, the woman called him and was invited to 1 Niagara St. for a job interview, court heard.

“It ends in his top-floor bedroom suite. She grows uncomfortable, she tries to leave. He tackles her onto the bed, puts his full body into it, pins her down on her back and tries to undress her, rips her clothing,” Serban, the assistant prosecution lawyer, alleged. “She’s terrified.”

Nygard then allegedly penetrated the complainant with his fingers and ripped her blouse with his teeth, only stopping when his next appointment was announced on the intercom, Serban said.

Nygard founded the now-defunct Nygard International brand in Winnipeg in 1967.


Fashion mogul Peter Nygård allegedly used firm’s head office to assault women

Leyland Cecco in Toronto

THE GUARDIAN
Tue, September 26, 2023


Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images


Fashion mogul Peter Nygård used his power and status to lure five women separately into a private bedroom suite attached to his company headquarters where he sexually assaulted them, a court in Toronto has heard.

In opening arguments on Tuesday, prosecutors said that Nygård, 82, met the women in social settings and invited them to the headquarters of his clothing empire in Toronto. All of the “tours” ended in his bedroom suite. The room had a bed, televisions and a jacuzzi. Prosectors say the doors didn’t have handles and the locks were controlled by Nygård.

Nygård has pleaded not guilty to five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement. All complainants’ names are covered by a publication ban by the Canadian courts. Most of the women were in their 20s at the time of the alleged incidents, which occurred over a 25-year period, beginning in the 1980s. One of the women was 16 years old at the time of her alleged attack.

In one case, Nygård, who was in his 40s, met a woman in her 20s on a flight to the Bahamas, where he owned a sprawling estate, said Ana Serban, a crown lawyer. Nygård later invited her for a job interview at his Toronto office. When they ended up in the bedroom, she tried to leave.

He “tackles the woman onto the bed, puts his whole body into it, pins her down on her back and tries to undress her” against her will, said Serban. “She’s terrified.”

Nygård is alleged to have given her a new blouse and skirt to replace those he tore during the attack.

“She runs out of the building,” Serban said. “This was supposed to be a job interview at an office building.”

Born in Finland, Nygård grew up in Manitoba, eventually running his own namesake clothing companies and becoming one of Canada’s wealthiest people.

In 2020, US authorities charged him with racketeering and sex trafficking, alleging decades of crimes with dozens of victims in the United States, the Bahamas and Canada.

Fifty-seven women – including 18 Canadians – have joined that lawsuit, which alleges that Nygård used violence, intimidation, bribery and company employees to lure victims and avoid accountability for decades. Nygård has denied all allegations.

Nygård also faces sex-related charges in Manitoba and Quebec, and is set to be extradited to the US to face sex-related charges there once his criminal cases in Canada are completed.