‘Extraordinary’ museum of censored art opens in Spain


By AFP
October 28, 2023

A visitor looks at 'McJesus' by Finnish artist Jani Leinonen at a new Barcelona museum dedicated to art that has been censored - Copyright AFP Ludovic MARIN

Rosa SULLEIRO

A crucified Ronald McDonald clown, prayer mats adorned with stilettos and sketches by former Guantanamo prisoners take pride of place at a new museum in Spain devoted to previously censored art.

The private Museum of Forbidden Art, which opened to the public in Barcelona on Thursday, features 42 works from around the world that have been denounced, attacked or removed from exhibition.

Works by artists such as Spanish master Francisco de Goya, US cultural icon Andy Warhol and Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei are spread over two floors.

The objects are part of a collection of 200 such works belonging to Tatxo Benet, a Catalan businessman.

While they push boundaries and often sparked controversy, Benet said this was not enough to be included in the museum, located in the centre of the Catalan capital, one of the world’s most visited cities.

“We don’t collect or show scandalous or controversial works in the museum. We show works in the museum that have been censored, assaulted, violated, banned,” he told AFP.

“Works that have a history behind them, without that history they wouldn’t be here,” he added.

– ‘Always have a place’ –

Many works deal with religion, such as Finnish artist Jani Leinonen’s “McJesus” of a Ronald McDonald sculpture crucified to a wooden cross, which was withdrawn from a museum in Israel.

The museum also showcases a photograph of a crucifix submerged in the urine of New York artist Andres Serrano, which was vandalised during an exhibition in France and sparked an uproar when first shown in the United States in 1989.

Another highlight is a work by French-Algerian artist Zoulikha Bouabdellah featuring 30 Muslim prayer mats, each adorned with a pair of sequinned stilettos, which was pulled from an exhibition in France in 2015 following complaints from a Muslim group.

Benet, one of the founders of Spanish multimedia group Mediapro, said he started building his collection in 2018 when he bought an installation called “Political Prisoners in Contemporary Spain”.

It consisted of black-and-white photos with pixellated faces of people who had broken the law, among them Catalan separatist leaders who faced legal action over a failed 2017 secession bid.

The work, by Spanish artist Santiago Sierra, was pulled from a Madrid art fair just two hours after Benet bought it. It is now on display at another museum in the Catalan city of Lleida.

The museum also displays paintings and sketches by former prisoners at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, including one of the Statue of Liberty submerged in water with only the hand holding a torch and top of the crown visible.

The US government ordered that art made by inmates at the detention centre would have to be destroyed when they are released after an exhibition of works in New York in 2017 sparked controversy.

“Any artist who can’t show their work because someone prevents them from doing so is an artist who is censored, and therefore will always have a place in this museum,” Benet said.

– ‘Amazed’ –

Benet was speaking a few metres from a self-portrait of late US artist Chuck Close, known for his massive photorealistic portraits.

The National Gallery of Art in Washington gave up dedicating an exhibition to Close’s works after several women accused him of sexually harassing them several years earlier when they came to his studio to pose.

Benet said having so many controversial works together caused visitors’ “levels of tolerance to widen and the level of scandal of the work to be lowered”.

Corinna Dechateaubourg, a 56-year-old German who was visiting from Hamburg on the exhibition’s opening day, said she kept looking up more information on the works on her mobile phone.

“I’m amazed, it’s extraordinary, it’s really interesting,” she told AFP.

Montserrat Izquierdo, a 67-year-old Spaniard, said “it is good to be able to see what is forbidden, what you are not allowed to see normally”.

HALT THE HUNT

Australia to restart aerial shooting of wild horses

By AFP
October 26, 2023

A woman holds a placard during a protest over the proposed culling of wild Australian horses in 2020 - Copyright AFP Omar El-Qattaa

Australia approved on Friday the aerial shooting of wild horses in one of the country’s largest national parks, resuming a contentious practice that authorities described as “essential” to protect native wildlife.

An estimated 19,000 wild horses — known locally as “brumbies” — live in Kosciuszko National Park. New South Wales state authorities want to cut that population to 3,000 by mid-2027.

The national park already traps, re-homes and shoots horses from the ground, but the state’s environment minister Penny Sharpe said this was not enough.

“Threatened native species are in danger of extinction and the entire ecosystem is under threat,” she said. “We must take action.

“This was not an easy decision — no one wants to have to kill wild horses,” she added.

Aerial shooting from helicopters was used for a brief period in 2000, when more than 600 wild horses were shot over three days.

But a fierce public backlash resulted in the method being banned.

Those against culling say the horses are part of Australia’s national identity, a nostalgic reminder of the days when tough stockmen and women worked in the country’s rugged Snowy Mountains.

Brumbies were celebrated by the Australian “bush poet” Banjo Paterson, who waxed lyrical about a “wild, unhandled” creature who roamed the mountains “‘neath moon and star”.

A storied rugby team in the country’s capital Canberra are named after the animal.

But conservationists are less romantic about a “pest” that they say destroys native plants through grazing and trampling, increases soil erosion, fouls waterholes, and competes with native animals for food and shelter.

“The unique and complex ecosystems of the Australian Alps have been trampled for too long,” said Jacqui Mumford, head of the Nature Conservation Council, an environmental group.

She said brumbies’ activities damaged “at least 25 threatened alpine flora and 14 threatened alpine fauna species, including the iconic corroboree frog, the broad-toothed rat and rare alpine orchids”.

‘Time bomb’: Tree-killing bugs threaten France’s lush forests


French authorities are battling an invasion of tree-killing bugs that are devouring the weakened pines of La Teste-De-Buch in southwestern France after the devastating wildfires - Copyright AFP SAUL LOEB

Jean DECOTTE
AFP
October 26, 2023

Last year, ferocious wildfires destroyed thousands of hectares of one of France’s most picturesque forests.

Now French authorities are battling an invasion of beetles that are devouring the weakened pines of La Teste-de-Buch, in the southwestern region of Gironde.

“The year 2023 is as cruel and dramatic as the wildfires,” said Matthieu Cabaussel, one of the trustees managing the private forest of La Teste-de-Buch. “It’s a double punishment.”

The stenographer bark beetle, a brown, airborne insect measuring half-a-centimetre, primarily attacks pines damaged by fire or storm.

The parasite lays its eggs in the bark, and when these hatch, the larvae tunnel down into the trunk of the tree until it dies.

Where 250-year-old maritime pines once stood, machines now hum as workers fell, prune, saw and evacuate trees infested with parasites.

Along track 214, which crosses the forest of La Teste-de-Buch, thousands of logs pile up, the symbol of a new environmental threat in a region where wildfires destroyed around 30,000 hectares (74,100 acres) of forest last year.

– ‘Disastrous management’ –

Experts say that tree felling is necessary to fight the outbreaks of bark beetles, which also affect forests in the east of France, as well as in Eastern Europe.

“Cutting affected trees is the only way to fight this,” Francis Maugard, natural risks manager at the National Forests Office (ONF), a government agency, told AFP.

Maugard said pheromone traps were used to measure the extent of infestation.

Close to the famous Dune of Pilat, Europe’s tallest sand dune, ONF immediately launched a campaign of tree-felling in the national forest of La Teste, half of which had gone up in flames.

Around 80,000 cubic metres of wood have been removed, the equivalent of 20 years of harvest.

But in the private forest, where the nearly 3,800 hectares fell victim to the wildfires, officials were not so quick to act and trees only began to be cut in January.

For Herve Jactel of the French National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE), such an approach amounted to “disastrous management.”

Jactel, research director at the institute’s BioGeCo laboratory, also criticised the storage of infested wood in the forest.

“It was the ideal breeding environment,” he said, noting that bark beetles have also reproduced faster due to the high summer temperatures.

“This is a real time bomb,” he said. “If we do nothing, spring 2024 will be a thousand times more dangerous.”

Cabaussel, who helps manage the private forest of La Teste-de-Buch, admitted a number of “difficulties”, including the hot weather and sluggish demand that has slowed down the evacuation of the affected trees.

– ‘We are afraid’ –

In late October, some 270,000 tonnes of wood have been evacuated from the private forest and at least twice as much remained to be cut.

Cabaussel hopes to take all the necessary measures, including the felling of the trees during the winter months, when the parasites are inactive, to “save the neighbouring forests.”

The bark beetle has already infiltrated La Teste’s urban areas, forcing people to cut down pine trees in their gardens.

“There is a risk of population explosion,” said Francois Hervieu, Regional Directorate for Food, Agriculture and Forestry (DRAAF), but added that the threat was manageable.

“We are in a situation which requires the greatest vigilance to evacuate the trees in due time.”

ADDUFU, a local association of inhabitants holding a medieval right to collect wood in the forest, has called for the creation of dedicated wood evacuation and storage sites.

“There is still a huge amount of wood to be taken out and we are afraid,” said Philippe Fur, vice president at ADDUFU. He feared that the problem would only worsen in the future.

“The disaster that we’ve suffered is serious because we will not see an old forest in our lifetime again,” Cabaussel said.

“But the forest ecosystems will recover very well.”

In the decimated woods of La Teste-de-Buch, nature is already reclaiming its rights — small pine saplings have popped up amid the charred tree stumps and ferns.

Panama bans new mining deals, but fails to quell protests


Panamanian protesters march against a government contract with a Canadian mining giant in Panama City on October 27, 2023 - Copyright AFP LUIS ACOSTA

Panama’s President Laurentino Cortizo on Friday announced a ban on new metal mining concessions, but maintained a contract with a Canadian company that has sparked massive protests in the country.

In a televised address, the president said the government had issued a decree “declaring a ban on granting new metallic mineral concessions throughout the country.”

Cortizo made no mention of the controversial contract with First Quantum Minerals, the Vancouver-based company whose Caribbean copper mine sparked demonstrations over potential environmental impacts and in which protesters have clashed with police.

“All new metal mining applications and also those that are currently in process will be rejected outright,” the president said, adding that “this ban will be effective as of today.”

Cortizo, who signed the decree before television cameras, said he made this decision “taking into account the different positions of society in relation to the issue of mining.”

But his announcement did little to quell tempers at a protest by thousands of people that was taking place in the financial center of the capital even as he spoke.

– ‘They’re robbing you’ –

Thousands of Panamanians marched again Friday to demand that the contract with the Canadian company, which operates the largest copper mine in Central America, be repealed.

“You who are watching, yes, they are robbing you too,” protesters chanted as they banged pots and pans and waved Panamanian flags.

The demonstrations began a week ago and have drawn thousands of people, an unusual occurrence in this country of 4.2 million inhabitants.

“The government has not been listening to us, it has used all means to repress us and to suppress information,” said activist and protest organizer Felipe Chon.

“The mine has been a bad deal for the nation, because of the ecological damage they have done,” protester Alfredo Fonseca told AFP.

In the past week, the protests have grown, with street blockades set up in the capital and other cities, including some blocking the Pan-American highway that connects the country with the rest of Central America.

Schools were suspended all week and in some areas clashes broke out between stone-throwing protesters and police who fired tear gas at the demonstrators.

Protests intensified last Friday after Cortizo signed a bill establishing the mining contract. The demonstrators have been calling for that law to be repealed.

The Supreme Court had declared the original contract unconstitutional in 2017, but the government has argued that the new version sets out a minimum annual contributions from the mining company to the state of $375 million, 10 times the amount of the initial agreement.

In addition, the company and the government point out that the mine generates 8,000 immediate jobs and 40,000 indirect jobs, and will contribute four percent of the Panamanian GDP.

The contract allows the mining company to operate on Panama’s Caribbean coast for 20 years, with the chance to extend for another 20. Since February 2019, the open-pit mine has been producing about 300,000 tons of copper concentrate per year.

By AFP
October 27, 2023

Siemens Energy seeks state help as wind unit crisis deepens


Technical problems with some wind turbines is one reason lenders are reluctant to take on additional risk with Siemens Energy

 - Copyright AFP SAUL LOEB

Sam Reeves
By AFP
October 26, 2023

Siemens Energy said Thursday it was in talks with the German government about receiving financial help as it battles problems in its wind power unit, sending the firm’s shares crashing.

Siemens Energy has faced long-running issues at its Gamesa unit, which led the group to report a record third-quarter loss earlier this year due to costs related to fixing technical problems with onshore wind turbines.

In the latest development in the saga, Siemens Energy confirmed that it was “in preliminary talks with different stakeholders, including banking partners and the German government, to ensure access to an increasing volume of guarantees.”

The group had seen strong growth in orders, which had led to a need for more financial guarantees for long-term projects, it added.

Its shares plunged over 30 percent on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange following the announcement.

Der Spiegel reported the company was in talks with the economy ministry about receiving help to the tune of several billion euros in guarantees. The ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The firm has abundant reserves of cash, but guarantees are needed to help it continue financing major new contracts such as the construction of power grids, the report said.

Usually the company would turn to banks for such guarantees, but due to the problems in its wind power unit, lenders have been reluctant to take on further risk, it said.

In August, Siemens Energy reported a net loss of 2.9 billion euros ($3.1 billion) in its fiscal third quarter, weighed down by a 1.6-billion euro hit to repair issues with wind turbines.

In Thursday’s statement, the company reiterated it was “working through the quality issues” with its products.

It said that with Gamesa not currently concluding new contracts for some onshore projects and being selective with offshore projects, “order intake and revenue are expected to be lower than market expectations for fiscal year 2024”.

Meanwhile, “net losses and cash outflow are expected to be higher than market forecasts”, it added.

The long-running woes at Gamesa prompted Siemens Energy to take full control of the Spain-based subsidiary last year, but a hoped-for turnaround has yet to materialise.

The specific issues plaguing Gamesa come at a challenging time for the wind power sector in general in Europe.

Despite growing demand for clean energy, the sector has been battered by higher prices for materials, persistent supply chain disruptions and strong competition from China.

Bumper profits ebb at US oil giants as they tout big fossil deals


John BIERS
By AFP
October 27, 2023

ExxonMobil and Chevron describe recent transactions as a balanced approach, but critics say they are locking the companies into fossil fuels for the long-term

- Copyright AFP LUIS ACOSTA

ExxonMobil and Chevron reported lower profits Friday compared with the year-ago blowout quarter as the oil giants touted recent acquisitions they said balance economic and environmental priorities.

The two petroleum heavyweights — which in recent weeks have unveiled large takeovers of midsized fossil fuel players — both reported third-quarter profits that were big, but dwarfed by those in the year-ago period.

ExxonMobil reported third-quarter profits of $9.1 billion, less than half the level in the 2022 period of booming commodity prices, while Chevron scored profits of $6.5 billion, down 42 percent from the year-ago level.

The lower profits reflected an ebbing in commodity prices compared with the year-ago period, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine lifted oil and natural gas prices.

The results were released only days after Chevron announced a $53 billion acquisition of Hess that includes a significant stake in an oil-rich Guyana offshore territory.

That followed on the heels of ExxonMobil’s $60 billion takeover of Pioneer Natural Resources, a big player in the Permian Basin, a fast-growing petroleum region in the southwestern US.

The two large transactions have raised hopes among investment bankers of additional merger and acquisition activity involving fossil fuels, while angering progressive lawmakers and others focused on addressing climate change.

“While our homes get destroyed by climate-supercharged storms, Chevron and Exxon are betting the house on a fossil-fueled future,” Democratic Senator Ed Markey said on X, formerly Twitter, earlier this week.

“We have to make Big Oil fold their hand before our future goes bust.”

– Betting on ‘climate failure’?

In the latest quarter, ExxonMobil scored higher oil and natural gas volumes compared with the second quarter and said that 2023 capital and exploration spending would be “at the top end” of its forecast “as the company pursues value accretive opportunities,” according to its earnings press release.

“We delivered another quarter of strong operational performance, earnings and cash flows, adding nearly 80,000 net oil-equivalent barrels per day to support global supply,” said Chief Executive Darren Woods.

ExxonMobil has said it plans significant investment in Pioneer’s Permian Basin fields that would enable Exxon to more than double its current volumes from the region to two million barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2027.

In its press release, ExxonMobil characterized its approach as a balanced strategy, noting the company has also announced a $4.9 billion takeover of Denbury Inc. as a bet on carbon capture and sequestration, which the company has touted as a climate solution.

ExxonMobil said its would boost petroleum output and “accelerate Pioneer’s path to net zero” emissions.

“The two transactions we’ve announced further underscore our ongoing commitment to the ‘and’ equation by continuing to meet the world’s needs for energy and essential products while reducing emissions,” Woods said.

“Pioneer will help us grow supply to meet the world’s energy needs with lower carbon intensity while Denbury improves our competitive position to economically reduce emissions in hard-to-decarbonize industries.”

Chevron’s results also showed an uptick in third-quarter production, with the company citing the boost from it earlier purchase of PDC Energy, smaller Permian operator.

Chevron as well highlighted its comparatively small efforts in its “New Energies” division, which last month closed a transaction to acquire a majority stake in Aces Delta. The first projet in that venture will convert and store hydrogen made from renewable energy, is expected to enter commercial service in 2025.

“Chevron is delivering strong financial results while also investing to profitably grow our traditional and new energy businesses to drive superior value for shareholders,” said Chevron Chief Executive Mike Wirth.

But critics such as clean energy podcaster David Roberts ripped both deals, saying on X, “Oil companies are quite flagrantly telling the world that they don’t take decarbonization goals seriously. They are betting on climate failure, to the tun of billions.”

Shares of ExxonMobil rose 0.3 percent in pre-market trading, while Chevron fell 2.1 percent.

As Italy turns again to Africa, ‘good coloniser’ myth persists

ASK HAILE SELASI ABOUT MUSSOLINI

By AFP
October 28, 2023

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government is hoping for African partners to help with energy security - Copyright AFP Munir uz ZAMAN

Rosa SMIRAGIA and Gaël BRANCHEREAU

Italy’s government is eyeing Africa in pursuit of energy security, even as some officials defend Rome’s often-bloody colonial past on the continent — giving short shrift to historical accuracy.

Historians agree that hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed under Italian colonial rule in Libya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and what is now Somalia from the late 19th century to the first half of the 20th.

Yet Italy’s deputy foreign minister, Edmondo Cirielli, said in June that the country’s presence on the continent was “civilising”, without bloodshed or repression.

“Whether before or during Fascism… (Italy) in Africa built and created a civilising culture” in its colonies, said Cirielli, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s post-Fascist Brothers of Italy party, borrowing the “good colonisers” myth popular on the far right.

“Our ancient and thousand-year-old culture does not make us a people of pirates who go around plundering the world,” Cirielli said, in comments that raised eyebrows among historians and the left-wing opposition.

Unlike Germany reconciling with its Nazi past or France with its occupation of Algeria, Italy has been slow to embark on public soul-searching about its colonial history.

But opposition lawmakers have now drafted a bill to establish a “Day of Remembrance for the victims of Italian colonialism” in the four African countries.

The suggested date is February 19, which marks the start of a massacre of Ethiopian civilians by Italian troops in Addis Ababa in 1937.

“Other countries such as Belgium and Germany have apologised for the crimes of colonialism,” said Laura Boldrini, an MP for the centre-left Democratic Party who co-authored the bill.

“In Italy, we tend to deny and tell ourselves that ‘Italy, good people’ built roads, hospitals and schools,” she said.

Boldrini, a former head of the lower house of parliament, said right-wing newspapers had written disparaging articles about the text, “and this government does not take colonial crimes seriously”.

The bill has little chance of being adopted given the opposition of Meloni’s coalition, which has a parliamentary majority.

– ‘History of violence’ –

Alessandro Pes, a professor of contemporary history at the University of Cagliari, said the “stereotype of the ‘good coloniser’ has no significant historical foundation”.

Rather, that rhetoric “hid a desire for colonial expansion carried out through the use of violence and the forced subordination of colonised populations”, Pes told AFP.

Italy’s eyes turned to expansion after it became a unified state in 1861, with the young nation anxious to establish a toehold in Africa in competition with other European powers.

It sought “to resolve the big problems of unemployment and social malaise in Italy” by exporting workers to newly occupied territories in the Horn of Africa, said Uoldelul Chelati Dirar, a professor of African history at the University of Macerata.

Differing from its European rivals, however, Italy developed more infrastructure like roads, bridges and railways while in Africa — something right-wing politicians are quick to point out, he said.

Those investments have fuelled the “good people” myth that is deeply rooted in Italian society, “reflected in the extreme resistance to accepting the evidence that our history has also been a history of violence, exploitation and racism”, added Pes.

British historian Ian Campbell estimates that Italy’s occupation of Libya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and then-Italian Somaliland caused 700,000 African deaths.

This includes 150,000 people killed in Libya alone during the Fascist era under Benito Mussolini, Chelati Dirar said.

– Educational gap? –

In 2008, Silvio Berlusconi, then prime minister, signed a deal with Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to pay $5 billion in investments to compensate for what the premier called “damage inflicted on Libya by Italy during the colonial era”.

But little is taught in Italian schools today about this aspect of its past, prompting some historians to make a link between an educational gap and modern-day racism.

Meanwhile, Meloni has criticised Italy’s European partners and fellow colonial powers — without naming them — during speeches addressed to African nations, as she seeks new deals on energy and access to raw materials.

Earlier this month in the Republic of Congo, she called for “an approach that is not the predatory and paternalistic one that has characterised relations with certain countries in the past”.

• Speech by the His Majesty Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia, at the Assembly of the League of Nations, at the Session of June--July 1936.

• In the early 1930s, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was determined to expand Italy's African empire by annexing Ethiopia. In December 1934, a clash, provoked by the Italians, occurred between Italian and Ethiopian armed forces at Walwal on the Ethiopian side of the frontier with Italian Somaliland. Mussolini declared the incident "an act of self-defense" and thus not subject to arbitration under international agreements. Italy demanded compensation and formal recognition of the area as Italian. When Emperor Haile Selassie refused to yield to these demands, Italy began mobilizing its forces. As a member of the League of Nations, Ethiopia brought the case before the Council, but Mussolini ignored all League proposals to resolve the crisis. On October 3, 1935, Italian forces invaded Ethiopia from Eritrea and Italian Somaliland. The capital of Addis Ababa fell in May 1936. Emperor Haile Selassie, who was in Geneva at the time, went to the Assembly and asked for help, but to no avail; the League refused to act and most member countries recognized the Italian conquest. Presented here is the text of the emperor's impassioned speech to the Assembly, which he delivered on June 30, 1936. He spoke in Amharic, the text of which is on the left side of the pages. The French translation is on the right. The text is preserved in the archives of the League, which were transferred to the United Nations in 1946 and are housed at the UN office in Geneva. They were inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World register in 2010.

THE HORRORS OF COLONIALISM
Divisive legacy of a British army base in Kenya


By AFP
October 28, 2023

Lisoka Lesasuyan was 13 in 2015 when an unexploded bomb detonated on a field used for mortar practice by British and Kenyan soldiers 

- Copyright AFP Munir uz ZAMAN

Dylan GAMBA

When he was barely a teenager, Kenyan goatherder Lisoka Lesasuyan lost both arms to an unexploded bomb while crossing a field used in joint military exercises with the British army.

For decades Britain has sent its forces to train in central Kenya but their presence has long attracted controversy, with soldiers accused of rape and murder, and civilians maimed by munitions.

King Charles III is steering clear of the British base at Nanyuki during a royal visit to Kenya next week that has stirred mixed emotions in the former Crown colony.

The British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK), a permanent base around 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of Nairobi, is an economic lifeline for many in Nanyuki, but has proved a lightning rod for criticism.

Victims of alleged BATUK misconduct, including those afflicted by unexploded ordnance, had planned to march in the capital ahead of the king’s visit, but police denied them permission to hold the rally.

– Bearing the scars –

Lesasuyan was 13 in 2015 when an unexploded bomb detonated on a field used for mortar practice by British and Kenyan soldiers at Archer’s Post, a three-hour drive north of Nanyuki.

“I was grazing goats when I picked up the explosive, not knowing what it was. And I started playing with it, before it went off,” he told AFP, covering his amputated limbs with a checkered blanket.

Taken to hospital by British soldiers, Lesasuyan lost both arms below the elbow, part of his right eye, and suffered burns and hearing loss in the blast.

In 2018, the British Ministry of Defence paid him 10 million shillings (roughly $100,000 at the time) but did not admit responsibility, saying an inquiry failed to determine if the ammunition was British or Kenyan.

“But this is far from enough. He will need life-long medical care, as well as prostheses,” said Kelvin Kubai, a lawyer and activist who campaigned for Lesasuyan.

His case is not isolated.

In 2002, the British Ministry of Defence paid out 4.5 million pounds ($5.45 million) to 233 people claiming to have been injured by unexploded ordnance.

Nairobi and London dispute the origin of the munitions, as both nations’ armies train in these locations.

– ‘Only God can help us’ –

In 2003, Amnesty International claimed to have documented 650 allegations of rape against British soldiers stationed in central Kenya between 1965 and 2001, and denounced what it called “decades of impunity”.

More recently, the tragic case of Agnes Wanjiru has brought fresh scrutiny to the British military base.

In 2012, the lifeless body of 21-year-old Wanjiru, mother of a two-year-old daughter, was discovered in a septic tank in Nanyuki.

She was last seen alive with a British soldier.

In October 2021, British newspaper The Sunday Times reported that a soldier had confessed to his comrades to killing Wanjiru, and showed them her body.

The report alleged that the murder was taken to military superiors, but no further action followed.

“Only God can help us, because it (the investigation) has stagnated. We are not sure whether we’ll ever get justice,” said Wanjiru’s sister Rose Wanjiku, her eyes teary as she clutched photographs of her late sibling.

“We’ve never heard from any government official about the case,” she told AFP in Majengo, a lower-income neighbourhood in Nanyuki.

An investigation was opened in 2019 but no results have ever been made public. Kenyan police announced it would reopen the inquiry after the Sunday Times revelations.

“This case is a priority for the UK government, and we fully appreciate the seriousness and importance of justice for Agnes Wanjiru,” a British government spokeswoman told AFP.

“The jurisdiction for this investigation lies with the Kenyan Police Service, and the UK government is working closely with the government of Kenya to accelerate progress,” she said.

Neither the local governor, nor the Kenyan defence ministry, responded to requests for comment from AFP.

– Economic lifeblood –

But despite being convinced her sister was murdered by a BATUK member, Wanjiku does not advocate shutting down the base.

“I would not wish for the base to be closed down because we have locals who work there. It was only one person who committed the offence and not all of them,” she said.

According to the British government, BATUK has injected 32 million pounds ($39 million) into the local economy since 2016.

On the road approaching the camp, businesses ply their wares for the British troops stationed in town, selling Union Jack mementos, military items, and objects imprinted with Premier League football clubs.

Robinson Mutunga, who employs 10 people in one of these stores, said that 90 percent of his income comes from British army customers.

“If they go, I have to start another life,” he said.

Mary Nkirote, who runs a bar a hundred metres from the camp, went further: “The only thing important economically in Nanyuki is the British army,” she said.

“When the boys come here, I can earn up to 50,000 shillings per night, but when they don’t, only 20,000. Nanyuki as we knew it would not exist without them.”

US economy grows at fastest rate in nearly two years

THE RECESSION IS A MYTH


By AFP
October 26, 2023

US GDP growth was 4.9 percent in the third quarter, beating analyst expectations - Copyright AFP SAUL LOEB
Beiyi SEOW

The US economy heated up more than expected in the third quarter, government data showed on Thursday, as a resilient job market helped boost consumer spending, holding off the prospect of a recession.

Analysts have raised fears of a downturn as the US central bank started lifting interest rates rapidly last year to fight inflation, but the world’s biggest economy has so far defied these predictions.

A key factor is the strong labor market, which has provided healthy wage growth, allowing consumers to keep spending even as they draw down on pandemic-era savings.

Gross domestic product growth came in at an annual rate of 4.9 percent for the July to September period, the quickest pace since late 2021, according to Commerce Department data.

The latest GDP figure is a significant bump from the second quarter’s 2.1 percent expansion, and much higher than the 4.0 percent analysts expected.

It also comes as President Joe Biden works to bolster sentiment on his handling of the economy as he seeks reelection in 2024.

“I never believed we would need a recession to bring inflation down –- and today we saw again that the American economy continues to grow even as inflation has come down,” Biden said in a statement.

He called this “a testament to the resilience of American consumers and American workers,” touting the effects of an economic agenda he dubs “Bidenomics.”

The GDP pick up reflects “accelerations in consumer spending, private inventory investment, and federal government spending” among other factors, said the Commerce Department.


– Growth to slow? –


“The US economy continued to show remarkable resilience over the summer with surprisingly robust job growth and an unexpected consumer spending spree,” said EY chief economist Gregory Daco.

“While these signs of economic strength will fuel speculations that the economy is reaccelerating, we do not expect such strong momentum will be sustained,” he told AFP.

A 4.0 percent leap in consumption propelled GDP growth — contributing 2.7 percentage points to the headline number, said Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics.

But analysts expect growth to slow in the final three months this year.

“As excess savings built up during the pandemic continue to drop and wage gains decelerate, it is difficult to see how this pace of consumer spending growth can be maintained,” said economist Mike Fratantoni at the Mortgage Bankers Association.

“We are now seeing some consumer stress in the rising delinquency rates for credit cards and auto loans,” he added.

Apart from the drawdown in savings, employment gains are likely to cool while borrowing rates have risen further for consumers and businesses, said Nationwide chief economist Kathy Bostjancic.

– Downturn risk –

For now, a robust growth figure adds to hope that the country can lower inflation without triggering a recession.

But if the trend persists, it could lead policymakers to consider further interest rate hikes to rein in price increases in a sustainable way.

“A year-end recession now appears unlikely,” said Michael Pearce of Oxford Economics.

But he cautioned: “There is still a strong case to expect a sharp downturn over coming quarters.”

Bostjancic expects a “mild recession” in 2024, with the largest contraction taking place in the second quarter next year.

This comes as “tighter financial and lending conditions choke off economic activity,” she said.

A separate report on Thursday showed that durable goods orders rose 4.7 percent in September, on the back of a surge in volatile transportation orders for aircraft.

Q&A: How does financial trauma and stress impact consumers’ overall financial health?

By Dr. Tim Sandle

DIGITAL JOURNAL
October 26, 2023

Ant operates Alipay, the world's largest digital payments platform, which boasts hundreds of millions of monthly users in China and beyond - Copyright AFP Greg Baker

While the topic of financial trauma has garnered more attention recently, it is still not a widely discussed issue. Empowering consumers to move beyond their financial trauma and become financially independent arguably has a huge benefit to the overarching economy.

To understand how the stress related to financial trauma impacts consumers overall financial wellbeing, Digital Journal spoke with Rod Griffin, senior director of consumer education and advocacy for Experian and Bruce McClary, senior vice president of membership and communication for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.

DJ: How does financial trauma and stress impact consumers’ overall financial health?

Rod Griffin: Financial trauma can have both short- and long-term effects on a consumer’s mindset and relationship with money. In the short term, these experiences could leave consumers feeling anxious or ashamed about their financial situation, leading to overspending, under saving, or overcompensating by not spending enough, simply to avoid further financial insecurity. These behaviors can compound over time and put consumers in more dire situations, such as increased debt, the inability to access housing or having insufficient retirement savings.

Bruce McClary: Sometimes financial trauma can lead to poor financial decision making that can have a lasting impact on your financial wellbeing. For example, if you’re anxious or worried about paying your bills, you may opt for the quick fix, taking on high-interest loans or credit card debt. This can lead to a cycle of increasing debt that is difficult to escape.

It can also create a sense of scarcity or insecurity. You’re constantly worried about not having enough and falling back into financial instability that you become too risk averse. You might miss out on investment opportunities or saving for retirement, impacting your long-term financial success.

DJ: Are there any misconceptions about financial trauma and stress?

Griffin: Perhaps the biggest misconception about financial trauma is that it only affects consumers who have made poor financial decisions, but the reality is, anyone can experience financial trauma and stress. It could be the result of sudden job loss, divorce, unexpected home repairs, historical inequalities and the list goes on. In fact, Experian recently deployed a survey 2,000 U.S. consumers and found 68% of U.S. adults feel they have suffered from, or are currently suffering from financial trauma. In addition, 65% of adults admit to experiencing negative thoughts, flashbacks and anxiety when dealing with financial issues.

The other misconception is that people can easily overcome financial trauma by budgeting, saving, and investing, but financial trauma can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t know where to start. It can feel like the whole world is caving in on you. However, there are steps people experiencing financial trauma can take to lead more financially empowered lives.

McClary: There’s a misconception that financial trauma only affects an individual’s relationship with money. But it can also negatively impact an individual’s mental and physical health, personal relationships and even productivity. Constantly worrying about your financial circumstances can weigh heavily and make it difficult to be present with friends and family.

For instance, if an individual argues with their spouse about money, it can have a lasting impact on their relationship. Let’s take it a step further. If their children constantly witness the financial and emotional stress, it can impact their relationship with money. They may grow up with a fear of never having enough. Financial trauma can create a vicious cycle that impacts future generations.

DJ: What advice would you give someone experiencing financial trauma?

Griffin: Talk about your financial stress. Normalize conversations about money. The Experian survey found that more than half of respondents stated their family rarely or never spoke about finances, and the lack of discussion left 42% feeling like they never learned about financial planning; a significant obstacle to overcome if you experience financial trauma.

We have to break the cycle. Explore opportunities for financial literacy with friends and family. The more we acknowledge our financial challenges and openly discuss them with our trusted inner circle, particularly our children, the better positioned they are to learn from our experiences, and more importantly, they’ll feel more comfortable accessing financial education and resources in the future. Talking about our financial challenges also allows us to recognize we’re not alone.

McClary: Seek counsel from trusted and qualified experts. Many people are embarrassed or ashamed about their financial situation, and it can prevent them from getting help. Sometimes people feel like they’re the only one struggling but know that’s not the case. Financial struggles are common and seeking help is not a sign of weakness but rather strength. It can set an individual on the path toward financial success.

Getting one-on-one counseling can help consumers understand their financial situation better. For example, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) connects consumers with certified financial counselors to help them address various pain points, including debt management, homeownership, student loans or small business cash flow issues. Identifying areas of improvement and developing a plan are critical to overcoming trauma.

Beyond counsel, experts can also provide emotional support and limit the feelings of isolation when people need it most.

What steps can banks and credit unions take to help consumers overcome financial stress?

Griffin: Find ways to connect consumers with financial education tools and resources. This can go a long way. In fact, 55% of survey respondents expressed that more financial education would help alleviate their financial stressors, yet 37% of U.S. adults were unaware of where to access trustworthy information about financial literacy.

People need access to tools and resources, as well as financial knowledge to navigate the mainstream financial system. That’s how they become more engaged and active participants, and ultimately more financially successful.

Banks and credit unions are also just one piece of the puzzle. By fostering collaboration among various stakeholders, including nonprofits, community leaders, credit bureaus, and other financial institutions, consumers can gain a comprehensive understanding of the different components of the financial system. This knowledge will empower them to make informed decisions and navigate the complexities of the financial landscape more effectively.

McClary: Beyond providing products and solutions, such as payment plans or loan modifications, financial education and credit counseling are paramount. Offering workshops on debt management or financial planning combined with one-on-one counseling sessions can help consumers gain the financial knowledge needed but also apply it to their current situation.

People are eager to improve their situation, sometimes they just need a push in the right direction.

Read more: https://www.digitaljournal.com/business/qa-how-does-financial-trauma-and-stress-impact-consumers-overall-financial-health/article#ixzz8HXN5DPf4

Tesla workers strike in Sweden over union demands

By AFP
October 26, 2023

The union said that Tesla employees had 'lower wages and have lower pensions' than other industry workers 

- Copyright AFP Josh Edelson

Tesla mechanics in Sweden walked off the job on Friday to protest against the electric carmaker’s refusal to sign a collective wage agreement, the metalworkers union said.

The strike affects around Tesla’s 130 mechanics at seven workshops across Sweden, IF Metall union spokesman Jesper Pettersson told AFP.

Pettersson said Tesla employees had “lower wages, don’t have the same insurances, and have lower pensions” than other industry workers.

Negotiated sector-by-sector, collective agreements are the basis of the Swedish labour market model, covering almost 90 percent of all Swedish employees and guaranteeing standard wages and working conditions.

IF Metall — which has some 300,000 members — said the agreements also allow for companies “to operate on a level playing field”.

“Many” of Tesla’s workers in Sweden are members of IF Metall, Pettersson said, but would not disclose an exact number.

Despite being union members, they cannot benefit from industry-wide collective bargaining agreements.

Pettersson said Tesla informed them Tuesday it would not sign a collective bargaining agreement, adding that the carmaker told the union they “don’t do that anywhere in the world.”

Tesla has not responded to AFP’s request for comment.

Tesla founder and chief Elon Musk has consistently rejected calls to allow the company’s 127,000 employees worldwide to unionise.

Tesla strikers in Sweden were being paid compensation by the union equivalent to their wages, Pettersson said.

He said that unless Tesla changed its position, IF Metall would widen its strike on November 3 to cover all workshop repairs on Tesla cars across Sweden, not just those done by Tesla employees.