THE BEST, LEAVES THE REST BEHIND

Microsoft says it hasn't been able to shake Russian state hackers

The hackers, known as Cozy Bear, are the same hacking team behind the SolarWinds breach.

BOSTON (AP) — Microsoft said Friday it's still trying to evict the elite Russian government hackers who broke into the email accounts of senior company executives in November and who it said have been trying to breach customer networks with stolen access data.

The hackers from Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service used data obtained in the intrusion, which it disclosed in mid-January, to compromise some source-code repositories and internal systems, the software giant said in a blog and a regulatory filing.

A company spokesman would not characterize what source code was accessed and what capability the hackers gained to further compromise customer and Microsoft systems. Microsoft said Friday that the hackers stole “secrets” from email communications between the company and unspecified customers — cryptographic secrets such as passwords, certificates and authentication keys —and that it was reaching out to them “to assist in taking mitigating measures.”

Cloud-computing company Hewlett Packard Enterprise disclosed on Jan. 24 that it, too, was an SVR hacking victim and that it had been informed of the breach — by whom it would not say — two weeks earlier, coinciding with Microsoft's discovery it had been hacked.

“The threat actor’s ongoing attack is characterized by a sustained, significant commitment of the threat actor’s resources, coordination, and focus,” Microsoft said Friday, adding that it could be using obtained data “to accumulate a picture of areas to attack and enhance its ability to do so.” Cybersecurity experts said Microsoft's admission that the SVR hack had not been contained exposes the perils of the heavy reliance by government and business on the Redmond, Washington, company's software monoculture — and the fact that so many of its customers are linked through its global cloud network.

“This has tremendous national security implications," said Tom Kellermann of the cybersecurity firm Contrast Security. "The Russians can now leverage supply chain attacks against Microsoft’s customers."

Amit Yoran, the CEO of Tenable, also issued a statement, expressing both alarm and dismay. He is among security professionals who find Microsoft overly secretive about its vulnerabilities and how it handles hacks.

“We should all be furious that this keeps happening,” Yoran said. "These breaches aren’t isolated from each other and Microsoft’s shady security practices and misleading statements purposely obfuscate the whole truth.”

Microsoft said it had not yet determined whether the incident is likely to materially impact its finances. It also said the intrusion's stubbornness “reflects what has become more broadly an unprecedented global threat landscape, especially in terms of sophisticated nation-state attacks.”

The hackers, known as Cozy Bear, are the same hacking team behind the SolarWinds breach.

When it initially announced the hack, Microsoft said the SVR unit broke into its corporate email system and accessed accounts of some senior executives as well as employees on its cybersecurity and legal teams. It would not say how many accounts were compromised.

At the time, Microsoft said it was able to remove the hackers' access from the compromised accounts on or about Jan. 13. But by then, they clearly had a foothold.

It said they got in by compromising credentials on a “legacy” test account but never elaborated.

Microsoft's latest disclosure comes three months after a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule took effect that compels publicly traded companies to disclose breaches that could negatively impact their business.

Frank Bajak, The Associated Press

Oral health is health: Better access to dental care may have potential benefits beyond Canadians' mouths

THE CONVERSATION
Story by Noha Aziz-Ezzat Gomaa, Assistant Professor, Dental Public Health and Oral Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University

Because oral health is linked to overall health, dental care needs to be viewed as an integral part of health care.© (Shutterstock)

Oral diseases, particularly dental decay and periodontal (gum) diseases, are largely preventable, yet are some of the most common non-communicable diseases around the world. Pain due to untreated dental decay impacts eating and sleep quality, among other essential functions. Indeed, the agonizing nature of dental pain earned it the title of “the hell of all diseases” more than 200 years ago.

But pain is only the most obvious of the many ways oral health is linked to overall health.
Access to dental care

The federal government recently launched the long-anticipated Canada Dental Care Plan (CDCP) to improve access to dental care for the almost nine million Canadians who lack dental insurance.

The program comes in light of the increasing barriers to dental care with the most recent data from Statistics Canada showing that one in four Canadians avoid seeing a dental professional due to costs. While this burden affects mostly low-income families, seniors and people living with disabilities, it also places a huge toll on the population as a whole.

On top of the time lost from school or work due to dental problems, many without the means to access dental care end up seeking care in hospital emergency departments, unnecessarily costing the health-care system billions of dollar

The CDCP is an important milestone that could eventually get many Canadians the dental care they need and deserve. Meanwhile, this investment in oral health is a reminder of the importance of a healthy mouth, what makes it fundamental to overall health, and notably, how the potential impact of improving access to dental care for those who need it most may extend beyond the mouth.

Oral health is integral for overall health

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines oral health as “the state of the mouth, teeth and orofacial structures that enables individuals to perform essential functions such as eating, breathing and speaking, and encompassing psychosocial dimensions such as self-confidence, well-being, and the ability to socialize and work without pain, discomfort and embarrassment.”

A healthy, disease-free mouth is key to quality of life and well-being. Being fundamental to various essential functions, the lack of oral health connects it to a number of chronic diseases in several ways.

Read more: Filling the gaps: Why Canada still needs a public dental health plan despite decades of medicare

The most recent WHO report shows that dental decay and gum diseases affect almost 25 per cent of Canadian adults — a higher figure than that observed in the United States. Importantly, both conditions are among the most common causes of tooth loss in adults globally, thereby impacting the ability to eat, the quality of nutrition and, in seniors, contributing to frailty and declining cognitive health.

Severe gum disease in particular is an inflammatory condition that is linked to several other chronic conditions through exacerbating inflammatory reactions in other organs and body systems and that may arguably contribute to some heart and kidney diseases, among others.

Importantly, there is a bidirectional relationship between gum diseases and diabetes, where severe inflammation of the gums and supporting bone can aggravate the risk and complications of diabetes, and vice versa.

The consequences of an unhealthy mouth also extend to an individual’s social interactions. For example, those experiencing poor esthetics due to crooked, broken or stained teeth are more likely to be stigmatized and blamed for their dental appearance. In severe cases, they may potentially have fewer opportunities for employment.

Observations such as these bring to mind the 19th century’s French naturalist and father of paleontology, Georges Cuvier who famously said, “Show me your teeth and I will tell you who you are.”

Cuvier’s statement at the time intended to describe how teeth where distinctive of populations according to diets and environmental impacts. Nevertheless, it is not hard to see its relevance to the appearance and health of the mouth and teeth and their impact on how one is perceived in today’s society.

Children’s health and dental care


Canadian kindergarteners in need of dental treatment are found to score lower on physical, cognitive, social and emotional development scales than those without dental problems.

Certainly, oral diseases affect all age groups and children are no exception. Recent reports show that almost 39 per cent of Canadian children under nine years old have dental decay. Just like in adults, the impact of dental decay on children extends to poor nutrition, and affects sleep and development.

For example, Canadian kindergarteners in need of dental treatment were found to score lower on physical, cognitive, social and emotional development scales than those without dental problems. On top of this, researchers found the treatment of severely decayed teeth to be by far the most common reason for children aged one to five years old to receive general anesthesia to undergo surgery.
Dental care and chronic conditions

The connection between oral health and overall health is evident in myriad ways, and so is the need to improve oral health and access to dental care in Canada. It also raises the question of whether dental care can help alleviate chronic conditions beyond the mouth.

The scientific evidence on that varies, and largely depends on the chronic condition in question. For example, patients with diabetes are among those who can benefit the most from having better access to dental care. Treating gum diseases can help subside body inflammation and reduce the risk and complications of diabetes by helping the body regulate blood glucose levels.

Notably, Canada ranks fourth out of 29 countries in the Region of the Americas in its rate of lip and oral cavity cancer. Many dentists are trained to spot the signs of oral cancer and can help in its early detection, which can be lifesaving.

As we learn more on the impact of dental treatment on chronic disease management, we know that facilitating access to dental care can have promising results on several fronts. In addition to saving costs for individuals and our health-care system, it would enhance the population’s oral health and potentially help in the management of some chronic diseases, such as diabetes.

Importantly, it can reduce the pervasive and inequitable burden of oral diseases.

Indeed, investing in better access to dental care may bring us closer to a healthy smile and beyond, for every Canadian.

This article is republished from The Conversation, >, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and analysis to help you make sense of our complex world.

Read more:

Filling the gaps: Why Canada still needs a public dental health plan despite decades of medicare

7 principles to guide a national dental care program in Canada

Noha Aziz-Ezzat Gomaa receives or has received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University, and the Children's Health Foundation. She is affiliated with various national and provincial dental professional associations.

What happens when a provincial government defies a federal law? 

We're about to find out

Story by Aaron Wherry • 

When Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault suggested it was "immoral" for the government of Saskatchewan to deliberately defy the federal carbon pricing law, the allegations of hypocrisy followed quickly.

Had Guilbeault himself not been arrested for breaking the law? Hadn't he proudly climbed the CN Tower in 2001 to protest Canadian climate policy?

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre posted a picture of Guilbeault being taken into custody by police in 2011 and later asserted that what was really "immoral" was the Liberal government increasing the carbon tax while also flying to international summits.

But there's much more at stake here than whether Guilbeault has the standing to lecture anyone on the rule of law.

As an environmental activist with Greenpeace in 2011, Guilbeault indisputably broke the law when he scaled the CN Tower in Toronto. He was arrested, charged and punished — receiving a year's probation and a fine. (He also climbed atop the house of Alberta's then-premier Ralph Klein to install solar panels in 2002. Charges reportedly were not pursued on that occasion.)


Greenpeace activists Steven Guilbeault, right, 31, and Chris Holden, 23, are led by officials from the CN Tower in Toronto Monday July 16, 2001. Guilbeault and Holden scaled 346 metres (1,136 ft.) on the world's tallest free-standing structure to protest Canada's role in changing the world's climate.

 (Aaron Harris/The Canadian Press)© Provided by cbc.ca

Guilbeault might defend what he did as an act of civil disobedience. Others might describe it as reckless and dangerous.

But when he broke the law, he did so as a private citizen. And there is a big difference between a private citizen consciously defying the law and a government consciously defying the law. The latter, operating with democratic authority and responsibility, is empowered to enforce laws.

cbc.ca

Government funding deal with Sask. school board association could get teachers back to the negotiating table  Duration 2:00  View on Watch

Saskatchewan sends a message

Saskatchewan's government argues that it's fair for it to stop charging the carbon tax on natural gas because the federal government decided last fall to exempt home heating oil from the carbon tax for the next three years — a move that was widely seen as an attempt to address public concerns in the Atlantic provinces.

The wisdom and logic of that Liberal decision is at least debatable. And having introduced inconsistency into its carbon-pricing policy, it can be argued the Liberal government invited claims of unfairness. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is hardly alone in complaining about the Liberal government's course of action.

But when a provincial government has a problem with a federal law — a situation that has occurred once or twice in Canada's history — it has valid recourse to the courts, or the ballot box. It can ask judges to overturn the law, or it can ask voters to defeat candidates representing the federal party that introduced the law.

When a government is willing to defy a law, it's fair to ask what message its constituents should take from that. Presumably, the government of Saskatchewan does not want residents of the province to believe its own laws are optional.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't advise anyone to follow what we're doing," Dustin Duncan, the responsible minister in Saskatchewan, told CBC's Power & Politics last week. "But that's how serious we take this in Saskatchewan."

Of course, when people break the law they generally run the risk of being arrested, as Guilbeault learned in 2001. And Duncan has acknowledged there could be "consequences" for his government's actions.

But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government seems disinclined to make this a criminal matter.

"I don't think anyone's talking about putting people in jail," Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told Power & Politics this week.

With an election in Saskatchewan expected this year, that might be depriving Duncan of a photo op he'd be happy to take part in. Indeed, it's hard not to notice that the Saskatchewan government is making this move in an election year — and when polling suggests the race between the Saskatchewan Party and the NDP has narrowed.

But for the sake of its policy — if not the rule of law — the federal government likely has to do something to respond. The only question is how.
What might happen next

The Liberals haven't tipped their hand as yet and it's there's not an obvious playbook for what a federal government should do when a provincial government simply refuses to follow a law — and undercuts a legislated national climate policy in the process.

The federal government can't return money it doesn't receive, so it stands to reason that the rebates sent to Saskatchewan residents could at least be smaller now. But that wouldn't address the fact that the carbon tax is not being applied as it is supposed to be.

Appealing to the courts might be an option. That could put the government of Saskatchewan in the position of defying not just the federal government but a direct ruling or order of the court.

One legal expert told iPolitics last week that the Canada Revenue Agency could be in a position to issue a multimillion-dollar fine against the Saskatchewan government.

The federal government is scheduled to send $2.1 billion to Saskatchewan next year under national health and social transfer programs. Withholding some of that funding might seem like an option, but doing so might also risk widening the conflict and bringing even more politics into what is essentially a legal dispute.

The Liberals perhaps can't afford not to fight, but they could conceivably undercut themselves (and help Moe) if their response seems irrational.

It's notable that neither Ontario and Alberta — two provinces led by premiers who also have attacked the carbon tax — have joined Saskatchewan in defying the federal law. Alberta typically isn't reluctant to pick a fight with Ottawa.

But whenever a line is crossed, the risk is that it will become much easier for others to cross that line in the future. And the next government to ignore the law might be one that Scott Moe or Pierre Poilievre oppose.

Poilievre might reject the carbon tax and he might enjoy needling Guilbeault. But for the sake of precedent — and buttressing his own position on law and order — he has good reasons to make it clear now that laws are still meant to be followed.

 Saskatchewan

Federal natural resources minister says no carbon rebates for Sask. after province says it won't remit levy

SaskEnergy breaking federal emissions law by choosing not to remit levy

Jeremy Simes · The Canadian Press · Posted: Feb 29, 2024 

Saskatchewan residents will not be getting more carbon rebates from the federal government. Federal natural resources minister Jonathan Wilkinson says that's because the province has announced it will stop remitting the levy on natural gas to Ottawa. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press) Sharing

Saskatchewan's move to no longer remit the federal carbon levy on natural gas turned into a tit-for-tat of threats Thursday, with Ottawa saying the province's residents will no longer be getting rebates.

Premier Scott Moe shot back by saying Saskatchewan should stop sending Ottawa the levy on everything else.

"If the (federal) government follows through on this threat, they will once again be penalizing Saskatchewan families for wanting to be treated the same as other Canadians," Moe wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Moe said while the province's natural gas utility, SaskEnergy, has stopped remitting the federal charge, residents are still paying it on gasoline, diesel, propane and other goods.

"If Saskatchewan people stop getting the rebate entirely, Saskatchewan should stop paying the carbon tax entirely," said Moe.

WATCH | Saskatchewan's unhappiness with the federal carbon tax has boiled over: 

As of Jan. 1, Saskatchewan said it would refuse to charge residents the federal carbon tax on home heating fuels. And today, it went a step further saying it will not send Ottawa the amount due under the tax. That means the province will be breaking federal emissions laws and those responsible could be fined or even jailed.

Moe had announced SaskEnergy would stop collecting the carbon price from customers in January, and the province had until Thursday to remit those dollars.

SaskEnergy is breaking federal emissions law by choosing not to remit the levy, which could result in fines or jail time for executives. The Saskatchewan government has passed legislation that aims to shield executives from legal consequences, putting that burden on the province.

'Irresponsible' move, says federal minister

Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Saskatchewan's move is reckless, as the law to impose a carbon levy was upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada.

"(It's) irresponsible and almost unheard of in the history of this country," he said in Ottawa.

"Premiers, just like prime ministers, are responsible for passing laws and they expect their citizens to abide by those laws. If you do not have that expectation, you have anarchy."

People in Saskatchewan will no longer get a carbon rebate, he said, because it's difficult to provide rebates when no money is being collected.

"They will no longer get the rebate," Wilkinson said.

"The rebate actually provides more money for most families in Saskatchewan."

A spokesman for Wilkinson later told The Canadian Press the impact on the rebates sent to Saskatchewan is dependent on what money Saskatchewan actually remits to the federal government.

• Sask. government introduces law to stop collecting carbon tax on natural gas

• ANALYSIS
  Carbon tax flap puts Sask. Premier Moe back on offensive

Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani said his job is to uphold the laws of the country.

"I'm not going to engage in hypotheticals about what (Saskatchewan) may or may not do in the future. When they actually take a step like that, we will deal with it accordingly," he said.

Decision made out of fairness, says Duncan

Dustin Duncan, the minister responsible for SaskEnergy, said the provincial government recognizes there may be consequences.

Duncan told reporters in Ottawa the province decided not to remit out of fairness, pointing to a decision Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made when Ottawa exempted home heating oil from the carbon charge, a move that largely benefits Atlantic Canadians.

Trudeau has not done the same for natural gas, used to warm homes on much of the Prairies.

"It's not something I take lightly," Duncan said of his decision.

He said the federal government could still offer a rebate but at a smaller amount, as residents are still paying the levy on the other goods.

"That's the federal government's decision," Duncan said.

"Our view is that if the prime minister thought that a reduction in the carbon tax and a reduction in the rebate for Atlantic Canadians meant that would be a net positive in terms of affordability for those residents, surely the economics should hold true for Saskatchewan."

• Sask. government preparing for fallout after threat to stop collecting carbon tax on heating

Moe said Atlantic Canadians are still getting rebates even though those who use home heating oil aren't paying the levies.

Trudeau said Thursday the three-year exemption is meant to help those who use home-heating oil to upgrade to heat pumps, which pollute less.

He added some of the lowest-income Canadians use heating oil.

"Yes, proportionately there's a lot in Atlantic Canada, but they're right across the country," he said.

"This isn't a program for one part of the country versus others."

Duncan said the Canada Revenue Agency has removed SaskEnergy as a registered distributor of natural gas. He said he believes this move ensures he or the province are liable for penalties, not SaskEnergy.

"I think that if those applications had not been successful, then we likely would have been looking at making some sort of payment (to Ottawa)," he said.

The Canada Revenue Agency did not immediately respond when asked about the designation.

Duncan said the average household in Saskatchewan is expected to save about $400 this year as a result of the province no longer collecting the charge on carbon.

He added there is a report from the parliamentary budget officer that says Saskatchewan residents are to pay $600 more in levies.

Wilkinson said the rebate for a family of four in Saskatchewan is $1,500 and for those in rural communities it's $1,800.

Frank Stronach: Healthy school lunches, the greatest gift we can give our children

  EVEN THE BOURGEOISIE GET IT

 National Post



It’s hard to believe that some children in Canada go to school hungry and return home with an empty stomach. That should never happen in a country like ours. But it’s just as perplexing to me that we don’t provide organic meals to all children and make learning about nutrition as important as reading, writing and arithmetic.

More than anything, parents want their children to grow up healthy and happy. And one of the main methods for ensuring health and happiness is the food they eat.

Last month, I called for the creation of a new national movement of committed Canadians who would unite in support of seven core principles to make our country better and more prosperous. One of those key principles was to make sure that every kid in Canada has a healthy organic meal at school and learns more about nutrition by growing their own food.

The benefits of doing so are numerous. For one, healthy children are better able to learn. When children have access to a healthy school lunch, they are more likely to succeed in school and in life.

And what parent wouldn’t want school cafeterias across the country to serve healthy meals, instead of things like pizza, hot dogs and French fries? These foods not only contain high levels of sugar, salt, processed carbohydrates and unhealthy fats, they also often contain chemicals, preservatives, stabilizers, artificial colours and simulated flavours

It’s no wonder that a growing number of children are physically unfit. According to the Government of Canada, 30 per cent of children between the ages of five to 17 are overweight or obese .

Children who eat poorly are also more likely to develop long-term health problems, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease. Healthy meals would definitely cost more in the short term, but could potentially save billions of dollars in health-care expenses in the long run.

In addition to providing organic lunches, we should also establish educational programs where children learn about the nutritional benefits of foods and the critical role that food plays in human health. They should also learn how to grow organic foods — a skill that will serve them well throughout their lives and give them a greater chance of being healthy.

Children in grades 1-6 should spend a few hours each week learning about the importance of eating healthy, including taking field trips to local farms and greenhouses, while students in grades 7-12 should spend one entire day per week in studies and hands-on learning related to planting, nurturing and harvesting farm-grown produce. This learning would take place outdoors at farms during the spring, summer and fall, and inside greenhouses during the winter.

Students would plant seeds, fertilize the soil, water the vegetables and herbs, weed the gardens, prune the orchards and harvest the fruits and vegetables. All the food that students help grow would be free of pesticides, herbicides, GMOs and chemicals. Best of all, most of the food grown by the students could end up being served in their own school cafeterias.

I believe children would really enjoy digging in the soil, planting seeds and then nurturing those vegetables and fruits. And I think they would also enjoy eating the foods they have grown and harvested with their own hands. No food ever tastes as good as the food that you grow yourself.

The sad truth is that too many children are going to school hungry and eating foods that have little nutritional value. Ultimately, it’s up to us as parents and grandparents to band together and push for change. We can do so much more to make sure that our children grow up healthy and happy, with the same opportunities for health and prosperity that previous generations enjoyed.

The fact is, if you’re healthy, you think more clearly. You have more energy. And you’re able to get the most out of life. At the end of the day, it’s much easier to be happy when you’re healthy. That’s the greatest gift we can give to our children.

National Post

fstronachpost@gmail.com

Frank Stronach is the founder of Magna International Inc., one of Canada’s largest global companies, and an inductee in the Automotive Hall of Fame.

DOJ opens criminal investigation into the Alaska Airlines 737 plane blowout, report says

SEATTLE (AP) — The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the Boeing jetliner blowout that left a gaping hole on an Alaska Airlines plane this January, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

Citing documents and people familiar with the matter, the newspaper said investigators have contacted some passengers and crew — including pilots and flight attendants — who were on the Jan. 5th flight.

The Boeing plane used by Alaska Airlines suffered the blowout seven minutes after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing. Boeing has been under increased scrutiny since the incident, when a panel that plugged a space left for an extra emergency door blew off a Max 9 jet. There were no serious injuries.

“In an event like this, it’s normal for the DOJ to be conducting an investigation,” Alaska Airlines said in a prepared statement. “We are fully cooperating and do not believe we are a target of the investigation.”

Boeing declined to comment. DOJ did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The Journal reported that the investigation would assist the Department’s review of whether Boeing complied with a previous settlement that resolved a federal investigation into the safety of its 737 Max aircraft following two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.

Related video: Another Mid-Flight Boeing Incident Occurs Amid Increased Scrutiny (Money Talks News) Duration 1:30  View on Watch

In 2021, Boeing had agreed to pay $2.5 billion, including a $244 million fine, to settle an investigation into the crashes of flights operated by Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines. The company also blamed two employees for deceiving regulators about flaws in the flight-control system.

Boeing has acknowledged in a letter to Congress that it cannot find records for work done on the door panel of the Alaska Airlines plane.

“We have looked extensively and have not found any such documentation,” Ziad Ojakli, Boeing executive vice president and chief government lobbyist, wrote to Sen. Maria Cantwell on Friday.

The company said its “working hypothesis” was that the records about the panel's removal and reinstallation on the 737 MAX final assembly line in Renton, Washington, were never created, even though Boeing's systems required it.

The letter, reported earlier by The Seattle Times, followed a contentious Senate committee hearing Wednesday in which Boeing and the National Transportation Safety Board argued over whether the company had cooperated with investigators.

The safety board’s chair, Jennifer Homendy, testified that for two months Boeing repeatedly refused to identify employees who work on door panels on Boeing 737s and failed to provide documentation about a repair job that included removing and reinstalling the door panel.

“It’s absurd that two months later we don’t have that,” Homendy said. “Without that information, that raises concerns about quality assurance, quality management, safety management systems” at Boeing.

Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington, demanded a response from Boeing within 48 hours.

Shortly after the Senate hearing, Boeing said it had given the NTSB the names of all employees who work on 737 doors — and had previously shared some of them with investigators.

In the letter, Boeing said it had already made clear to the safety board that it couldn't find the documentation. Until the hearing, it said, “Boeing was not aware of any complaints or concerns about a lack of collaboration.”

In a preliminary report last month, the NTSB said four bolts that help keep the door plug in place were missing after the panel was removed so workers could repair nearby damaged rivets last September. The rivet repairs were done by contractors working for Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, but the NTSB still does not know who removed and replaced the door panel, Homendy said Wednesday.

The Federal Aviation Administration recently gave Boeing 90 days to say how it will respond to quality-control issues raised by the agency and a panel of industry and government experts. The panel found problems in Boeing’s safety culture despite improvements made after two Max 8 jets crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people.

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Boeing's delivery delays force United Airlines to pause pilot hiring as fallout spreads from 737 Max safety issues

Story by Keith Griffith For Dailymail.com and Reuters •2 DAYS AGO

United said in a memo on Thursday that it will pause pilot hiring for two months

Carrier blamed delivery delays from Boeing, which is under safety investigation

Boeing says the hiring delay will likely stunt its growth plans for 2024

United Airlines will pause pilot hiring in May and June due to aircraft delivery delays from Boeing, according to an internal memo.

'United will slow the pace of pilot hires this year due to continued aircraft certification delay and manufacturing delays at Boeing,' said the memo to all United pilots on Thursday.

According to the message, United says it would not be able to grow in pace with its 2024 expectations due to continued delays at Boeing.

Boeing is facing increased scrutiny from regulators due to a January 5 incident when a door plug blew off a brand new 737 Max plane in mid-air during an Alaska Airlines flight.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has also barred the plane maker from expanding production of its best-selling 737 Max narrow-bodied jets.


United Airlines will pause pilot hiring in May and June due to aircraft delivery delays from Boeing, according to an internal memo (file photo)© Provided by Daily Mail


Boeing is facing increased scrutiny from regulators due to a January 5 incident when a door plug blew off a brand new 737 Max plane in mid-air during an Alaska Airlines flight © Provided by Daily Mail

'We had contractual deliveries for 80 Max 10s this year alone, but those aircraft aren't even certified yet and it is impossible to know when they will arrive,' said the memo from Marc Champion, VP flight operations, and Kirk Limacher, VP flight operations planning and development.

New hire classes for United pilots are expected to resume in July, the memo showed.

Meanwhile, Boeing is under further scrutiny over safety issues, after federal regulators said they are investigating another issue involving a 737 Max plane.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Thursday it is probing a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 flight last month that experienced 'stuck' rudder pedals during the landing rollout.

The NTSB said in a preliminary report on the February 6 flight that the plane taxied to the gate at Newark Airport without incident and there were no injuries to the 161 passengers and crew.


The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Thursday it is probing a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 flight last month that experienced 'stuck' rudder pedals

© Provided by Daily Mail

It reported that the captain said that during the landing rollout, the rudder pedals did not move in response to 'normal' application of foot pressure while attempting to maintain the runway centerline.

Last month, the FAA formally mandated inspections in Boeing 737 Max airplanes for loose bolts in the rudder control systems after the plane maker recommended them in December.

The NTSB report said the captain said that in the Max 8 flight last month the pedals remained 'stuck' in their neutral position.

The captain used the nosewheel steering tiller to keep the airplane near the runway centerline while slowing to a safe speed before exiting the runway onto a high-speed turn-off, the report said.

The NTSB said the captain asked the first officer to check his rudder pedals and the first officer reported the same problem. The captain said that shortly thereafter the rudder pedals began to operate normally.

Three days after the incident, United conducted a test flight and was able to duplicate the reported rudder system malfunction identified during the incident on the same plane.

The NTSB was notified of the flight control issue after the flight test result and opened an incident investigation.Read more

Europe's liberals, Greens say abortion must be a right in EU charter

Story by DPA International • 

Terry Reintke, German and European lead candidate for the Greens in the European elections, attends a press conference. Senior figures from the Green and liberal factions in the European Parliament have spoken in favour of including the right to abortion in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, echoing a call by French President Emmanuel Macron. 

Christoph Soeder/dpa© DPA International

Senior figures from the Green and liberal factions in the European Parliament have spoken in favour of including the right to abortion in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, echoing a call by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Green parliamentary group leader Terry Reintke and Valérie Hayer, who is the leader of the liberal Renew group, spoke to Germany's RND media group for an interview published on Sunday.

"The right to safe abortion belongs in the EU Charter as a fundamental right," Reintke, a German politician who has served as a member of the European Parliament since 2014, told RND.

The right for a woman to make autonomous decisions about their body should not depend on which political parties happen to hold power at any given time, she said.

Hayer, an MEP from France and ally of Macron, also told RND that she supported the French president's initiative.

"While the radical right is working hard to find new ways to push through its reactionary agenda, we in a truly liberal society must stand up for women's rights more resolutely than ever: The right to abortion must be enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, because we must never leave women's rights to the populists," she said.

Macron declared on Friday that the freedom to have an abortion should be included in the charter, which acts as a bill of rights for EU citizens.

France anchored the right to abortion into its constitution following a landmark vote in parliament on Monday.

Abortions up to the 10th week of pregnancy have been allowed in France since 1975. Since then, the law has changed to allow abortions up to the 14th week.

UK

Now quash the striking miners' convictions just like the innocent sub-postmasters who were exonerated, Labour MPs demand

Story by Brendan Carlin, Political Correspondent • Daily Mail

More than 8,000 people were charged during the bitterly-fought strike

Men 'wrongly convicted' during the 1980s miners' strike should get the same blanket exoneration now offered to innocent sub-postmasters, Labour MPs demanded last night.

They want the criminal records, including convictions, of thousands of striking miners erased by a single piece of legislation.

The radical approach is now being offered by the Government to give justice to hundreds of people wrongly convicted of theft and other offences in the Post Office 'Horizon' computer system scandal.

On the 40th anniversary of the start of the bitterly-fought 1984/85 miners' dispute, Left-wing Labour MPs Ian Lavery and Jon Trickett said it was 'only right' that the same remedy was given to miners wrongly convicted during the strike.

More than 8,000 people were charged during the bitterly-fought strike, mostly with breach of the peace and obstruction.


The National Miners Strike 1984 Miners and their families from Westoe Colliery march to the Town Hall in South Shields, on March 10, 1984© Provided by Daily Mail

Mr Trickett, MP for Hemsworth in West Yorkshire, said: 'It is entirely right that we pass a blanket law giving the sub-postmasters the justice they so clearly deserve.

'But there is a glaring need to correct another long standing injustice – that of the many innocent striking miners who were left with charges and convictions that they never deserved.

He appealed to the Government to make the anniversary of the strike by 'righting the wrongs that we all know took place and wipe the stain from these people's records.

'And if this Government is not willing to do so, I hope that an incoming Labour government would introduce rapid review of what happened and allow legislation to correct historic wrongs.'

Former miner Mr Lavery, ex-Labour Party chairman, said: 'On the 40th Anniversary of the miners' strike, any respectable Government would consider securing justice for those wrongfully convicted during the dispute.


Former sub-postmaster Alan Bates and his partner Suzanne Sercombe arriving at the High Court to discuss the Horizon scandal © Provided by Daily Mail

'This is long overdue.'

But last night, one senior Tory MP warned against another blanket exoneration move.

He told the Mail on Sunday: 'The sub-postmasters' plan should very much be a one-off.

'We can't start willy-nilly ripping up hundreds of other types of conviction simply by passing a law at Westminster.

'This is terribly dangerous territory.'

However, miners convicted in Scotland have already received a pardon which SNP MP Owen Thompson now wants extending to those in England and Wales.Read more

TONTON MACOUTE REDUX

Why is Haiti so chaotic? Leaders used street gangs to gain power. Then the gangs got stronger

Why is Haiti so chaotic? Leaders used street gangs to gain power. Then the gangs got stronger© 

Haiti’s prime minister was last seen in Puerto Rico, negotiating his return to a homeland gripped by violence and controlled by heavily armed gangsters. With his fate in the air and the situation in Haiti deteriorating by the day, the world has been left to wonder whether the country will fully descend into anarchy or whether some semblance of order will be restored.

What is going on in Haiti?

It’s easy to blame this latest spasm of violence in the West's first free Black republic on longstanding poverty, the legacy of colonialism, widespread deforestation, and European and U.S. interference.

However, a series of experts told The Associated Press that the most important immediate cause is more recent: Haitian rulers’ increasing dependence on street gangs.

Haiti hasn’t had a standing army or a well-funded and robust national police force for decades.

United Nations and American interventions have come and gone. Without a solid tradition of honest political institutions, Haitian leaders have been using armed civilians as tools for exercising power.

Now, the state has grown fatally weak and gangs are stepping in to take its place.

Gang leaders, surreally, hold news conferences. And many see them as future stakeholders in negotiations over the country’s future.

How did Haiti get here?

A 1990s embargo was imposed after the military overthrew President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The embargo and the international isolation devastated the country’s small middle class, said Michael Deibert, author of “Notes From the Last Testament: The Struggle for Haiti,” and “Haiti Will Not Perish:

 A Recent History.”

After a U.S.-backed U.N. force pushed out the coup's leaders in 1994, a World Bank-sponsored structural adjustment led to the importation of rice from the U.S. and devastated rural agricultural society, Deibert said.

Boys without work flooded into Port-au-Prince and joined gangs. Politicians started using them as a cheap armed wing. Aristide, a priest-turned-politician, gained notoriety for using gangsters.

In December 2001, police official Guy Philippe attacked the National Palace in an attempted coup and Aristide called on the gangsters to rise from the slums, Deibert said.

“It wasn’t the police defending their government’s Palais Nacional,” remembered Deibert, who was there. “It was thousands of armed civilians.”

“Now, you have these different politicians that have been collaborating with these gangs for years, and ... it blew up in their face,” he continued.

How did weak foreign intervention hurt Haiti?

Many of the gangs retreated in the face of MINUSTAH, a U.N. force established in 2004.

Rene Preval, the only democratically elected president to win and complete two terms in a country notorious for political upheaval, took a hard line on the gangs, giving them the choice to “disarm or be killed,” said Robert Fatton, professor of government and foreign affairs at the University of Virginia.

After his presidency, subsequent leaders were at best easy on the gangs and at worst tied to them, he said.

Fatton said every key actor in Haitian society had their gangs, noting that the current situation isn't unique, but that it has deteriorated at a faster pace.

“For the last the three years, the gangs started to gain autonomy. And now they are a power unto themselves,” he said, likening them to a “mini-Mafia state.”

“The autonomy of the gangs has reached a critical point. It is why they are capable now of imposing certain conditions on the government itself," Fatton said.

"Those who created the gangs created a monster. And now the monster may not be totally in charge, but it has the capacity to block any kind of solution,” he said.

How does gang money hurt Haiti?

The gangs, along with many Haitian politicians and business people, earn money from an illicit brew of “taxes" gleaned through extortion, kidnappings, and drugs and weapons smuggling, Fatton said.

“There are all kinds criminal networks in the area,” he said.

After Preval, gangs, politicians and business people extracted every dollar they could, said Francois Pierre-Louis, a professor of political science at Queens College at The City University of New York.

“It was open house for gangs, drugs, the country, basically ... became a narco-trafficking state,” he said. “Basically, the gangs got empowered, and not only they got empowered, they had state protection, politicians protecting them.”

Michael Weissenstein, The Associated Press

En.wikipedia.org

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonton_Macoute

Tonton Macoute - Wikipedia 

Haitians named this force after the Haitian mythological bogeyman, Tonton Macoute ("Uncle Gunnysack"), who kidnaps and punishes unruly children by snaring them ...

Britannica.com

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tontons-Macoutes

Tontons Macoutes | Haitian paramilitary organization - Brita... 

aide, Clément Barbot, organized the Tontons Macoutes (“Bogeymen”), a private force responsible for terrorizing and assassinating alleged foes of the regime.

Medium.com

https://medium.com/globetrotters/haiti-the-ton-ton-macoute-and-voodoo-my-wildest-travel-story-b16b09f9a7f3

HAITI, THE TON-TON MACOUTE, AND VOODOO: MY WILDEST ... 

Mar 7, 2022 ... Alix introduced the man with his arm in a sling as Eloise Maitre. Eloise was the head of the feared “Tonton Macoute”, the Haitian secret police.

Csmonitor.com

https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2011/0120/5-reasons-why-Haiti-s-Jean-Claude-Duvalier-is-infamous/Tonton-Macoutes

5 reasons why Haiti's Jean-Claude Duvalier is infamous 

Jan 20, 2011 ... Known as the "Tonton Macoutes," which is the name of a Haitian Creole mythological character who kidnaps children and eats them for breakfast, ...

Library.brown.edu

https://library.brown.edu/firstreading2010/tonton.html

First Readings 2010: The Dew Breaker - The Tonton Macoutes 

Before Duvalier rose to power, he was a doctor and gained the epithet "Papa Doc." The phrase "Tonton Macoutes" translates to "Uncle Gunnysack." In Hai...

Latinamericanstudies.org

https://www.latinamericanstudies.org/tontons.htm

Tonton Macoutes - LatinAmericanStudies.org 

dungeon Fort Dimanche. Female macoute, right-hand woman of Papa Doc.

Donated Renaissance-era astronomy book surprises university with hidden text

Story by Elizabeth Howell

 • 

An early astronomy text, written by Copernicus and published in 1543, postulating that the sun is the center of the universe.© Carlos Ortiz /RIT

There might be an undiscovered treatise hidden within a Renaissance astronomy book.

One of two astronomy books recently donated to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), located west of Buffalo in New York State, appears to be a palimpsest — a work written over top of previous material, which has been partially or entirely erased.

Vellum, or fine parchment made from animal skins, was a pricey material in the Renaissance. Sometimes, parchment was reused to save money. Astronomy experts suspect that an older text is lurking beneath the words of the donated book, a 15th century version of a work by 13th century scholar and monk Johannes de Sacrobosco. RIT imaging science students will try to decipher the erased words, according to university officials.

The other donated book is a famous work by Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus from 1543. Copernicus showed by mathematical proofs and sky observations that the sun — not Earth — is the center of our solar system, generations before the telescope was invented in the early 17th century. (Copernicus also suggested the sun was in the center of the universe, which was later disproved as technology and mathematical calculations improved.)

Related: Our solar system's planets aren't weird after all. Exoplanets have tilted orbits, too

"My family ... agreed that we wanted the precious texts to live somewhere they would be actively studied and used, rather than sold to a private collector," stated donor Irene Conley, whose late brother Martin Harris was a student at RIT in the mid-1960s. "When the books arrived at RIT, I was so pleased to learn that students were carefully unwrapping them and that the plan is to use them for advanced work and research."

As a set, the books demonstrate how quickly astronomical science shifted in the Renaissance. In Sacrobosco's day, his Latin language book "De sphaera mundi" ("On the Sphere of the World") put Earth at the center of the universe, following a model suggested 12 centuries before by Alexandrian astronomer Claudius Ptolemy.

In the 16th century, Copernicus was part of a growing group of astronomers convinced that the sun is at the middle of things. While not the accepted view by society — the Catholic Church was among the groups backing an Earth-centered cosmos — he used a long-standing "existing line of thinking," the U.S. Library of Congress (LOC) emphasized in an analysis of Copernicus' work.

For example, the ancient Greek astronomers Plato and Eudoxus knew that Mercury and Venus always stayed close to the sun, based on science work conducted more than a millennium before the Renaissance. Numerous models in the intervening centuries had proposed varieties of solar system types, such as Aristarchus of Samos' heliocentric universe. Alternatively, Martianus Capella postulated in the fifth century that Earth was the center of the universe, but that Mercury and Venus orbited the sun.

"Although not part of the mainstream, these were all ideas that Copernicus built upon," the LOC statement added. The astronomer in fact waited about 30 years to publish his work, known as "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium" ("On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres"), to avoid controversy.

But the sun-centered model Copernicus proposed is rather different than the reality. Copernicus didn't think that planets moved in ellipses, but in perfect circles. So to account for deviations in motion, he used epicycles — circles within circles — as Ptolemy did before, the LOC wrote. The work of Copernicus, which re-evaluated past science, was nevertheless crucial. Both Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler refined planetary motions decades later by, in part, using Copernicus' work.