Detained Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha released by Israeli forces

A friend of the writer says he was beaten while in Israeli detention and was receiving medical treatment in Gaza

Julian Borger in Washington

Tue 21 Nov 2023 

The Palestinian poet and author, Mosab Abu Toha, has been released after he was rounded up by Israeli forces along with scores of other Palestinian men trying to leave northern Gaza, according to his friends and Israeli officials.

A close friend of Abu Toha, the Palestinian-Canadian lawyer Diana Buttu said on social media he had been beaten while in Israeli detention and was receiving medical treatment after being returned to his family.

David Remnick, the editor of the New Yorker magazine, for which Abu Toha is a contributor, confirmed that the poet was back in Gaza and reunited with his family.

“We are relieved and grateful at the news that poet Mosab Abu Toha has been released and will be reunited with his family,” PEN America said in a statement. “Poets and writers must be free to speak truth without fear.”

According to his friends and family, Abu Toha was seized by Israeli troops at a checkpoint on Sunday, as part of a mass detention of Palestinian men, while he was attempting to reach Gaza’s southern border. He was making the trip with his wife and children after hearing from the US embassy in Israel that he was on a list of US citizens and their families allowed to cross into Egypt. One of his children was born in the US and is an American citizen.

Abu Toha had been writing in the New Yorker magazine about his experiences under bombardment in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. A collection of his poetry published in English in the US was a finalist in the National Book Critics Circle award and won an American Book award this year.

“He’s one of our most prolific writers,” Buttu said. “To be so widely published at such a young age and to have got all these awards and acclaim for his writing, it shows you just how powerful a writer he is.”

“He’s an incredible poet,” Laura Albast, a Palestinian journalist, editor and friend of Abu Toha, said. “The poetry he writes is very accessible, but it’s also a representation of what happens to us, describing how he rode his bike to try to reach home while the bombs were falling.”

Abu Toha and his family had taken refuge in Jabalia, where they heard their home in Beit Lahia had been bombed. In a New Yorker article published on 6 November, he described cycling to the house to try to salvage something from his small book collection.

“I hope to at least find a copy of my own poetry book, maybe near my neighbor’s olive tree, but there is nothing but debris. Nothing but the smell of explosions,” he wrote.

“Now I sit in my temporary house in the Jabalia camp, waiting for a ceasefire. I feel like I am in a cage. I’m being killed every day with my people. The only two things I can do are panic and breathe. There is no hope here.”

FASCIST EUROPE
Anti-migrant firebrand Geert Wilders leads Dutch polls on eve of knife-edge election

James Crisp
Tue, 21 November 2023 

The spotlight is on Geert Wilders, a divisive figure in the Netherlands but one who could become the country's next prime minister if the polls are correct - Shutterstock /Robin Utrecht

Geert Wilders, the anti-migrant firebrand known for his fierce rhetoric against Islam, has taken a shock lead in the polls before a knife-edge general election in the Netherlands on Wednesday.

The veteran leader of the hard-Right PVV was on Tuesday predicted to win 28 seats, enough to potentially make him prime minister in a country where nearly one million people, more than five per cent of the population, are Muslims.

“In the latest poll we are the biggest party in the Netherlands!,” the shock haired populist said. “Make it the truth tomorrow.”


It would be a seismic victory for Mr Wilders, who has been an MP since 1998 but never a formal part of any Dutch government.

The election is being held to replace Mark Rutte, the former VVD leader and the longest-serving prime minister in Dutch history.

Mr Wilders increased his support by two seats in 24 hours, to lead by one, while his rivals in the three-way race remained tied in second place in Tuesday’s poll. Some 63 per cent of voters were still undecided.

Polls on Monday evening showed Mr Wilders had moved from fourth to third place before taking the lead over the pro-business VVD and Groenlinks-PvdA, an alliance of green and left wing parties led by Frans Timmermans, the former EU climate change chief.

Mr Wilders has moderated his inflammatory rhetoric in a campaign dominated by migration, the cost of living and a housing crisis, amid reports he could be kingmaker in a future coalition. Victory in the election would give him the first attempt to form a government.

Wilders has toned down his inflammatory rhetoric recently - Shutterstock /Koen van Weel

As momentum built behind his campaign in the final days before the vote, aided by a strong performance in a televised leaders’ debate at the weekend, he has soaked up the anti-establishment vote from populist rivals. That support has shifted from the BBB, the Dutch farmer’s party which triumphed in regional elections earlier this year, to the radical centrist New Social Contract party, founded by the hugely popular Pieter Omtzigt just three months ago, before alighting on the PVV.

Wilders faces fight with ‘pitbull in high heels’

But the Eurosceptic Mr Wilders, 60, will face stiff opposition from Dilan Yesilgöz, the 46-year-old leader of the VVD, who was tied at the head of the polls with Mr Timmermans before the PVV’s latest surge.

Ms Yesilgöz, an Ankara-born former refugee nicknamed a “pitbull in high heels”, had earlier appeared to be on course to become the first female prime minister of the Netherlands after vowing to crack down on migration. She still could head a conservative coalition if the divisive Mr Wilders proves unable to form a government, keeping her party in power after 13 years under “Teflon Mark” Rutte’s leadership.

The latest polls have her taking 27 seats, the same as Mr Timmermans, who has warned Left-leaning voters he is their only chance to prevent a Right-wing coalition.

Ms Yesilgöz moved to the Netherlands as an eight year old in 1984 with her mother and sister to join her father, a Kurdish human rights activist who had fled Turkey three years earlier. She was Mr Rutte’s uncompromising justice minister, earning comparisons to former UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman, whose parents moved to this country from India and who spearheaded the controversial Rwanda plan.
Yesilgöz rules out coalition with Wilders

Mr Rutte’s coalition government collapsed in July when his partners bridled at his push for tougher migration rules after a crushing March defeat at the hands of the BBB in a regional vote dominated by tractor protests against his green policies.

Ms Yesilgöz stands to benefit from widespread support for other Right-wing parties promising limits on migration who may baulk at entering an alliance with Mr Wilders, who goes everywhere with bodyguards because of his frequent criticism of the Koran.

Mr Omtzigt, a possible ally who had led in the polls but has lost support after suggesting he might not want to be prime minister, is predicted to win 21 seats. The BBB, which also backs a cap on asylum seeker numbers, is set to take five.

Early in the campaign, Ms Yesilgöz declared she would not exclude Mr Wilders from coalition negotiations, unlike her predecessor Mr Rutte. Mr Timmermans accused her of opening the door for Mr Wilders to enter government, who he accused of treating a million Dutch Muslims as “second class citizens”.

On Tuesday, however, Ms Yesilgöz said she would not enter into coalition with Mr Wilders if he was to be prime minister and that she did not think the PVV would win the election.

“I am not going to do that,” she said, “This country needs a leader who can connect.”

Dilan Yesilgoz (R) says she will not enter into a coalition with Wilders (L) if he was to become prime minster - Shutterstock

Andre Krouwel, who teaches political science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, said Ms Yesilgöz had tried to split the anti-establishment vote between the PVV and NSC by not explicitly ruling out any coalition. The associate professor told the Telegraph that encouraged voters to turn to the PVV because it had a chance at government, unlike in the past.

COMMON FRONT REDUX
Hundreds of thousands of civil servants go on strike in Quebec

AFP
Tue, 21 November 2023 


Public sector workers protest in Montreal, demanding better pay and working conditions (Mathiew LEISER)

Several hundred thousand school, hospital and social services workers in Canada's Quebec province walked off their jobs Tuesday for the first day of what is billed as a historic strike to demand better pay and working conditions.

In total, some 600,000 civil servants in the French-speaking province plan to strike this week, with some calling for a lengthy general strike after months of fruitless negotiations with the Quebec government.

In one location, a crowd gathered outside a school in Montreal, waving union flags and placards that read: "Inflation is making us poorer, employers are getting richer," and "My batteries are dead," lamenting that teachers are being worked to exhaustion.


"We have the impression that the government makes choices, but does not choose public services," Valerie Fontaine, president of the Federation of Higher Education Support Staff, told AFP.

"The main sticking point is salary," she said. "We have a salary gap in the public service which is growing."

Primary school teacher Eric L'Heureux added: "We want more services for our students, we want more balanced classes... with fewer students per class."

Last month, the unions rejected a 10.3 percent wage hike over five years and a onetime bonus of Can$1,000 for each civil servant.

The Quebec government said it considered the offer to be in line with inflation forecasts, but the unions said it was "insulting" and did not come close to increased costs of living and in fact would end up making workers poorer.

For the next three days, 420,000 civil servants represented by a coalition of major unions will be off the job. This is their second strike action in November.

They will be joined on Thursday by 66,000 teachers from the Autonomous Education Federation. Some 80,000 nurses and other health professionals are also planning to walk off the job on Thursday and Friday.

bur-tib/amc/md

PUBLIC FUNDS PRIVATE PROFIT

'This or nothing': Quebec finance minister defends subsidy for NHL pre-season games

The Canadian Press

The Centre Videotron is inaugurated, Tuesday, September 8, 2015 in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

Quebec's finance minister is defending his decision to spend up to $7 million of taxpayer money to bring the Los Angeles Kings NHL team to Quebec City next October for two pre-season games.

Eric Girard says he made the call because he wants to showcase the city's publicly funded NHL-size arena and show the league how much fans want a professional hockey team in the provincial capital.

Girard is also shedding more light on where the money is going, explaining that the province will pay the costs for travel, lodging and accommodations for the Kings — and for the two teams they are playing against: the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers.

The money will also compensate the Bruins and the Panthers for money they will forgo for not playing in their home arenas.

Girard says there was a deal on the table from the Kings and while he would have liked to pay less, it was "this or nothing."

The Quebec government has faced hefty criticism over the subsidy announced one week ago while citizens grapple with cost-of-living woes and while public sector unions are on strike over lagging contract talks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2023.

Online Streaming Act brings ‘once-in-a-generation’ regulatory opportunity: Music Canada CEO

Jordan Fleguel, BNN Bloomberg

The Online Streaming Act, which would require streaming giants to make financial contributions towards Canadian content, provides an opportunity to ensure Canada’s music artists continue to thrive in the digital age, according to the CEO of Music Canada.

“This is a once-in-a-generation regulatory process,” Patrick Rogers told BNN Bloomberg in a television interview Monday morning.

The act, commonly known as Bill C-11, is now in its consultation phase, and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) begins in-person meetings with streaming industry stakeholders this week.

“Now that we look to get online streaming regulated, the CRTC has to make a lot of decisions here to get it right,” Rogers said. “A lot of big questions were asked during the legislative process, and they were punted to the regulatory process, and now here we are.”

Some of those questions include how the new regulations will be enforced, and the level at which the major streamers will be required to contribute to Canadian content.

Rogers said that while the focus has mainly been on visual streaming giants such as Netflix, the music industry, which has become increasingly reliant on streaming, will also be affected.

“Streaming platforms like Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music, they're all going to face this level of regulation,” he said.

STREAMING PRESENTS NEW CHALLENGES

Rogers said that existing CRTC regulations around Canadian content could not simply be applied to streaming services, as the online consumption of content is “totally different” than traditional broadcast radio and television.

“One has a finite number of hours, the other has unlimited listening and watching. One is particularly national, while the other is global in nature,” he said.

“So, if we want Canadian artists to succeed, both here in Canada and around the world, we really need to make sure that the CRTC takes a global approach to these decisions.”

Currently, the CRTC mandates that at least 50 per cent of annual programming broadcast by television stations must be Canadian content, while radio stations must ensure the same for 35 per cent of their weekly broadcasted music.

HELPING CANADIAN ARTISTS SUCCEED

Rogers said that ultimately, he aims to ensure the new regulations help Canadian artists succeed in Canada first, adding that “success at home is the first step to global success in the streaming world.”

“Because artists and their songs here in Canada aren't just in competition with each other, they're in competition with every artist and every song from around the world,” he said.

“We should be doing everything we can in order to help Canadian artists succeed in the global market.”

Saskatchewan says Ottawa's net-zero plan would cost province $40B, job losses

PREMIER MOE SPREADS MORE BULLSHIT ON HIS FIELDS

The Canadian Press

The Saskatchewan government says Ottawa's target to have net-zero emissions by 2035 would cost the province billions of dollars.

Dustin Duncan, the minister responsible for Saskatchewan's electricity provider, says the province would have to spend $40 billion from now until 2035 to meet the standards. 

Duncan also says electricity rates would more than double and hundreds of SaskPower employees could be without work.

Ottawa's clean electricity standards would require all electricity to be from renewable sources, like wind or hydro, or to be equipped with carbon capture technology.

Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has said he wants to work with the provinces and has disputed claims that the regulations would impose unfair costs or cause reliability problems. 

Saskatchewan has instead proposed it meet net-zero targets by 2050.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2023.

TransAlta going greener as it maps out $3.5B in spending, mainly on renewables

 TAKE THAT ANTI RENEWABLES DANIELLE SMITH 

Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press

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One of Alberta's largest power generators says more than two-thirds of its profits will come from renewable electricity production by 2028 — a major transformation for a company that once was one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the country.

TransAlta Corp. announced an updated capital growth plan at its investor day on Tuesday which will see the company invest $3.5 billion, focused mainly on clean electricity generating and storage capacity by the end of 2028.

The Calgary-based company, which has brought online more than 800 megawatts of wind and solar power since 2021 alone, said it will add an additional 1,750 MW of clean power within the next five years.

Most of that new generation will be organic growth — developing wind and solar projects from scratch — though the company is also open to growth through mergers and acquisitions if the right opportunity comes along, said TransAlta CEO John Kousinioris in an interview.

"What's interesting about it is just the impact it will have on our company," Kousinioris said of the new growth projections.

"It will end up pushing us pretty firmly into a more contracted and greener generation company. By 2028 and frankly, even earlier, somewhere in the range of 70 per cent of our EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) will come from renewables."

Currently, approximately 40 per cent of TransAlta's EBITDA is attributable to renewable energy. The company is one of the largest producers of wind power in Canada, having grown its total renewable energy capacity from approximately 900 MW in 2000 to more than 2,900 MW in 2022.

But just a decade ago, the company's bread-and-butter was its large fleet of coal-fired power plants. TransAlta's move to convert those coal-fired plants to natural gas, at a cost of close to $300 million, was completed in late 2021 and has been widely hailed as a significant environmental accomplishment.

Shifting away from coal has reduced TransAlta's greenhouse gas emissions by 32 million tonnes annually — or 76 per cent — from what they were in 2005.

TransAlta is not turning its back on natural gas. The company recently announced a $658-million acquisition of Heartland Generation, a deal that adds 1,844 MW of gas-fired electricity production — mostly in Alberta — to the company's portfolio.

Kousinioris said natural gas-fired plants that can serve as a backup to renewables during periods of peak demand will still be necessary going forward, adding the company is looking at a handful of opportunities to "round out" its natural gas fleet.

But renewables are the future, he said, adding the "overwhelming majority" of TransAlta's growth in the coming years will be in the clean electricity space.

"We think that governments, investors, people are going to want a greener grid over time. We believe that the cost of carbon is going to continue to increase over time," Kousinioris said.

"We think that demand for renewables and storage will continue to increase and there'll be, over time, more and more policy supports for renewables."

In recent months, higher interest rates, inflation, and supply chain issues have dogged renewable companies, taking some of the shine off the sector for investors. The S&P/TSX renewable energy and clean technology index, for example, is down nearly 23 per cent from the start of the year.

There is also growing global debate over the pace and cost of the energy transition. TransAlta's home province of Alberta, for example, is pushing back against Ottawa's proposed clean electricity regulations, saying a 2030 net-zero target for the sector is unachievable.

Alberta has also imposed a temporary moratorium on renewable energy development over concerns about impacts to agricultural land, system reliability and reclamation.

But Kousinioris said TransAlta remains bullish on the long-term outlook for renewable electricity.

"At the end of the day, it's all about our convictions. And when we think about our convictions, we don't look at any short-term turbulence," he said.

"We try to take a really long-term view."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2023.