Iran Promises Humanitarian Release of MSC Aries Crew

Iranian forces seized the containership on April 13 (Mehr News - Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License)

PUBLISHED APR 29, 2024 1:26 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Iranian officials are promising to arrange the release of the crew from the seized MSC Aries on humanitarian grounds as they look to improve relations with Portugal, where the ship is flagged. News of progress came in a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry after a call with the Portuguese government. Previously, Iran made a similar statement tied to its efforts to improve relations with Pakistan which has citizens among the crew.

The international community has publicly applied pressure on Iran for the release of the MSC Aries which was seized on April 13 as it neared the Strait of Hormuz outbound from the Gulf. During the recent sessions at the International Maritime Organization pressure was also applied with calls for immediate release.

Unlike other instances where Iran leveled specific allegations against the vessels, in this case, Iran has vaguely called the seizure of the containership a “retaliatory move” for Israel’s attacks on the Iranian consulate in Syria and general aggression against Iran. They also said the ship “violated maritime law,” without any specifics while reports linked the ownership of the vessel to an affiliate of Zodiac Maritime, of which Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer is an investor.

MSC said the week after the incident that “discussions with the Iranian authorities are in progress to secure their earliest release,” referring to the 25 crewmembers. MSC said it was also working with the Iranian authorities to have the cargo discharged.”

“We seriously consider the release of the ship’s crew as a humanitarian issue,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on April 27 after the call between Portugal’s Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. “We have announced to their ambassadors in Tehran their access to consular services, release, and extradition,” the ministry said for the crew which consists of individuals from India, Pakistan, Russia, the Philippines, and Estonia.

Last week, however, a spokesperson for India’s External Affairs Ministry Randhir Jaiswal told reporters on Thursday that the 16 Indian crewmembers were expected to return home “after the completion of some contractual obligations.” He said the Indian consul in Iran had met with the crew on April 25 but did not give a timeline for their return. Iran had previously told India’s representatives that the crew was not being detained.

Days after the incident, Iranian released a female cadet who was working aboard the MSC Aries. Ann Tessa Joseph, a deck cadet on the ship, returned to India on April 18 reporting her colleagues were in good health and going about their daily work.

The Philippines was able to gain an agreement from Iran for its citizens working on a seized tanker being held by Iran to return home at the end of their employment contracts. That meant the crew spent months in Iran before recently being replaced by a new crew and then permitted to return home.

Houthi Attack on MSC Ship in Indian Ocean Indicates Further Range

Map indicates the further distance from Yemen of the latest attack (UKMTO)

PUBLISHED APR 30, 2024 3:21 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Details of the attack on the MSC Orion (158,000) were confirmed today by the maritime security forces in the region after the Houthi claimed an attack on the vessel yesterday as part of their latest barrage. The incident however is raising troubling questions as the vessel was at a much greater distance from Yemen possibly indicating the Houthi have extended the range of their drones.

The UK Maritime Trade Organizations and Joint Maritime Information Center are confirming the details of the attack on the MSC Orion which came overnight on April 29 to 30. According to the JMIC, the vessel was in the Indian Ocean approximately 300 nautical miles east-southeast of the Horn of Africa, or more than 170 nautical miles south of Socotra island. The UKMTO puts the vessel’s position up to 400 nautical miles from the mainland of Yemen. 

The ship which is registered in Portugal and owned by Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Maritime chartered to MSC reported an explosion and found some debris believed to be from a “Uncrewed Aerial System.” The ship sustained some minor damage with the report that the crew was uninjured and that the ship was proceeding. Her AIS signal is off but the last indication is that she was bound for Salalah, Oman. Built in 2020 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea, she is a larger ship with a capacity of 15,000 TEU.

The Houthi in mid-March had threatened to expand the zone of attack to include portions of the Indian Ocean. They said they would disrupt ships attempting to divert away from the Red Sea and traveling around Africa. So far, while there have been several other Indian Ocean attacks, this is the first confirmed at these distances.

The Houthis are believed to be using drones manufactured in Iran. Military experts report Iran has claimed a capability of over 650 nautical miles for its drones and possibly further for its missiles.

Previously, for example, the tanker Marlin Luanda was approximately 60 miles from Aden when it was struck. The vessel was hit by a missile in January which caused a fire. The bulker True Confidence was approximately 50 miles offshore when it was struck in an attack that killed three crewmembers.

So far, none of the military and monitoring operations have specifically commented on the distance of this attack with the UKMTO repeating its standard comment about caution. Security analysts are however warning that it could raise new concerns for shipping that has already been forced to take longer routes to avoid the dangers.

Guinea Bissau Registry Deflags Controversial Turkish Aid Convoy

The Akdeniz (ex name Prince) is one of three ships bought by IHH. It was loaded and nearing departure when it was deflagged (Akdeniz)

PUBLISHED APR 29, 2024 9:48 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

A Turkish aid society's plan for a "freedom flotilla" to Gaza has encountered a setback: the registry of Guinea-Bissau has deflagged the group's newly-purchased vessels. 

The Guinea Bissau International Ships Registry (GBISR) has withdrawn its flag from two out of three vessels operated by the "Freedom Flotilla Coalition," a group backed by the controversial IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation. One of the ships, ro/pax ferry Akdeniz (ex name Prince), was already loaded with over 5,000 tons of aid destined for Gaza but cannot set sail from Turkey.

The coalition said in a statement that the “blatantly political move” by the West African nation came after GBISR requested to inspect the Akdeniz. The coalition called this a highly unusual request, considering its ship had already passed all required inspections. Before the inspection was completed, GBISR informed the coalition that it had withdrawn the Guinea Bissau flag from two of its ships.

GBISR referred to the planned mission to Gaza in its communication about the flag cancellation, the coalition said. The flag registry also asked for information of the ships’ destinations, estimated arrival dates, a formal letter explicitly approving the transportation of humanitarian aid and a complete manifest of the cargo - all causes for complaint, the group said. 

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is a group of 12 countries including Turkey, and is backed by IHH. 

IHH recently bought three ships for the mission. Apart from the Akdeniz, the other two are the freighter Anadolu (ex name Dalya H) and passenger vessel Vicdan (ex name The Majestic). All are docked at the port of Tuzla, which is located south of Istanbul.

 In 2010, IHH organized a similar convoy to Gaza with six ships and hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists, intending to run an Israeli blockade and generate publicity. When Israeli commandos boarded the lead ship, the passengers fought back, resulting in nine activists dead and dozens more injured. 

IHH is a member of Ittilaf al-Kheir, an Islamic charity organization that backs the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas. The IHH has support from the Turkish government, and also allegedly has ties to Turkish intelligence.

Price Estimate for Gaza Maritime Aid Corridor: $320 Million

U.S. servicemembers assemble the first elements of a floating logistics platform for Gaza aid, April 2024 (USN)

PUBLISHED APR 29, 2024 3:20 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

The U.S. military's new aid pier for Gaza is expected to cost $320 million or more, the Pentagon told media on Monday. The price has roughly doubled since planning began earlier this year. 

The number is an estimate based on the cost of moving all related equipment for Joint Logistics Over the Shore (JLOTS) operations, assembling a temporary floating pier and an offshore receiving barge, carrying out shoreside construction (through third parties), and the actual movement of the aid supplies. The U.S. military regularly mobilizes JLOTS assets overseas for setup and takedown exercises, incurring some of the same costs without physical delivery of goods or aid supplies. 

Based on satellite photos obtained by the AP, the civilian-crewed sealift ship USNS Roy P. Benavidez is already on scene off Gaza to begin setting up the pier, accompanied by several U.S. Army landing ships. (The Army plays a major role in JLOTS operations.) 

An Israeli army engineering unit is handling the construction work to attach the pier's shoreside end to the beach in Gaza, officials have told AP. Once all is ready, aid will be loaded onto cargo trucks in Cyprus; driven aboard a sealift-capable ro/ro; shipped to the offshore JLOTS site off Gaza; driven off the ro/ro's ramp onto a floating receiving barge; driven off the receiving barge onto a self-propelled transfer barge; ferried to the pier; and driven off the transfer barge onto the floating pier. 

This is where American involvement in the logistics chain ends. According to the BBC, British troops may provide the manpower to drive the trucks the "final mile" down the pier and over to a shoreside distribution point. The White House has pledged that there will be no American boots on the ground at any point in this complex operation, in part because of the threat posed by the terrorist organization Hamas. The Palestinian militant group is a sworn enemy of the United States, and has already threatened to attack the Israeli forces stationed at the port's perimeter.

The American-led effort is the largest maritime aid corridor for Gaza, but not the only one. The nonprofit World Central Kitchen has announced that it is restarting aid deliveries from Cyprus to Gaza, ending a month-long hiatus. The group paused its operations and recalled its vessel assets after a series of Israeli airstrikes killed seven of its personnel, including a U.S.-Canadian dual national. The group also conducts aid deliveries by truck, and says that it has more than 275 truckloads of food - enough for eight million meals - stalled on the Egyptian side of the Gaza border crossing. At peak flow, the maritime aid corridor will handle up to 150 trucks a day, according to the Pentagon.

Aid groups say that Israeli forces have loosened border restrictions under pressure from the White House, but the flow is still less than half of what it was before the start of the conflict. The UN has warned of the potential for widespread famine, particularly in northern Gaza, if food shipments are not restored. 

 

America's Largest Offshore Oil Terminal is Moving Ahead

Illustration courtesy Enterprise Products Partners

PUBLISHED APR 30, 2024 11:45 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

On Tuesday, executives with midstream company Enterprise Products Partners said that their plans for a massive offshore oil export terminal off Texas are going forward, and they expect to have their first commercial contracts in hand for its capacity soon. The reassurance follows shortly after Reuters reported that capex cost growth and commercialization challenges could slow the project. 

If built, the Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT) would be the largest offshore terminal in the United States, bigger even than the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP). It would add two million barrels per day to U.S. export capacity, an increase of about 50 percent.  

Enterprise has had significant progress on the regulatory front, securing an operating license from the Maritime Administration and batting back a court challenge earlier this month. Commercial discussions are progressing too, according to the sales team. 

"For the most part, it's positive," said EVP and Chief Commercial Officer Brent Secrest in an earnings call. "We expect to have two contracts by the end of, call it, next month."

He emphasized that Enterprise is only going to move ahead with the multibillion-dollar project when it has long-term contracts in hand to support it. The firm is targeting a final investment decision by the end of the year. (As for the capex cost, "it's not what was in the Reuters article by a long shot, and we typically don't share with people what our capex is," said Jim Teague, co-chief executive officer.) 

SPOT has come in for criticism from environmentalists. The Sierra Club claims that the oil terminal would enable greenhouse gas emissions equal to 90 new coal-fired power plants and could potentially harm the endangered Rice's whale, an ultra-rare species found only in the Gulf of Mexico. 

For its part, EPP says that SPOT would be an improvement over the status quo of ship-to-ship transfers, and would partially replace this existing export method. 

"Compared with the current industry practice of reverse lightering, SPOT is expected to reduce crude vapor emissions by 95 percent, and lower total greenhouse gases by 65 percent," said Teague earlier this month. "Considering that as many as eight smaller vessels are required during the reverse lightering process, SPOT offers a safer alternative and reduces the potential for accidents and spills. At full capacity, SPOT would eliminate more than 900 ship-to-ship transfers in federal waters annually." 

 

Report: Tug Saved Cruise Ship Norwegian Prima From a Potential Grounding

NCL file image

PUBLISHED APR 28, 2024 11:32 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Brave efforts by the crew of a tugboat prevented the grounding of the cruise ship Norwegian Prima at the port of Reykjavík in Iceland in May last year, an investigation has revealed.

The Icelandic Transportation Accident Investigation found that the ship could have grounded after encountering a sudden increase in wind speed as it departed the port, but the actions of the crew of the tug Magni prevented a disaster. 

On the night of May 26, 2023, the Bahamas-flagged cruise ship was preparing to depart Reykjavík. The master, 37, was Panamanian and had sailed with Norwegian Cruise Lines for 14 years. He had worked on Norwegian Prima during its construction and was promoted to master for its commissioning in 2022. Notably, it was his first call at Reykjavík.

The weather forecast from the Icelandic Meteorological Office predicted wind speeds in the range of 27-31 knots in the bay area. Though according to the master’s assessment the wind speed was within the required thresholds for sailing, the pilot implied that he had reservations about departing under the prevailing conditions - but did not feel that he had the power to impose a delay on the ship.

In interviews with investigators after the fact, the master said that the forecasted wind speed was below the threshold of what he thought the vessel “could take”, considering its 14,000 square meters of windage area, and that he would not have attempted to sail if winds were forecasted higher than 33-35 knots.

At 2150, Norwegian Prima started a turning maneuver to depart her berth and head out of the harbor with the assistance of tug Magni. When the turn was almost complete, the wind speed increased significantly. With wind in excess of 50 knots on the port beam, the vessel could not regain its planned track. It drifted outside the navigable channel, overran a buoy and came within 10 meters of rocks with a charted depth of 0.4 meters. However, a grounding was averted with the assistance of the tugboat.

“There were no injuries or pollution. Norwegian Prima suffered no damage as a result of overrunning the buoy but the tug suffered minor damage due to prolonged pushing whilst it helped the vessel avoid grounding,” states the investigation report.

The cruise ship had arrived at Reykjavík pilot station after an eight-day passage. The report indicates that during the voyage to Reykjavík, the vessel had maintained higher than normal levels of treated wastewater in its holding tanks to increase stability and counter wind heeling during rough weather. The tanks had enough room left for a planned two-day stay at Reykjavík; investigators suggested that the limited tank space may have influenced the decision to sail. 

 

Fuel Efficiency of Wärtsilä Engine 31 is Key for Canadian Polar Icebreaker

The ship is being designed and built at Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards and will be the flagship of the Canadian Coast Guard’s icebreaking fleet.

PUBLISHED APR 30, 2024 12:47 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

[By: Wärtsilä]

Technology group Wärtsilä will supply the engines for a new Canadian Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker. The ship is being designed and built at Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards and will be the flagship of the Canadian Coast Guard’s icebreaking fleet. Because of the long operational range required for the vessel’s employment in arctic waters, fuel efficiency was a prime design consideration in the selection of the Wärtsilä 31 engine. The Wärtsilä 31 engine has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s most efficient 4-stroke diesel engine and was therefore considered an obvious choice. The order was booked by Wärtsilä in Q3 2023.

The 158 metre-long multi-mission Polar Icebreaker will operate under PC2 conditions with four 16-cylinder and two 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 31 engines, delivering 47 MW of power. The engines will be fitted with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems for IMO Tier III environmental compliance. Wärtsilä will also supply the centre shaft line with a stainless-steel ice-class propeller, as well as Wärtsilä’s NACOS Platinum navigation system.

“Wärtsilä has a fine track record and years of experience in delivering high-class marine technologies including recently delivering the propulsion equipment for the Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels (OFSV), plus the diesel generator sets for the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel (OOSV) built at Seaspan for the Canadian Coast Guard,” commented Leo Martin, Senior Vice President – Programs, Seaspan Shipyards.

“The fuel efficiency of the Wärtsilä 31 engine was a determining factor in the award of this prestigious contract. However, equally important was our project delivery experience and service support across Canada. Furthermore, our previous cooperation with both the Canadian Coast Guard and Seaspan has been very successful, and we are honoured to be again working with them,” said Simon Riddle, General Manager, Naval Sales – Wärtsilä.

The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled to be delivered to the yard in 2025. When built, the new vessel will be the Canadian Coast Guard’s largest icebreaker and will replace ‘CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent’, which is due to retire at the end of the decade after 60 years of service. Seaspan Shipyards is known as a world class builder of high technology ice class vessels.

The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.

New Haiti PM named but powerful gangs demand seat at the table


Little-known former sports minister Fritz Bélizaire appointed as 90,000 flee capital in a month

WHO APPOINTED THESE GUYS TO GOVERN

Staff and agencies in Port-au-Prince

Tue 30 Apr 2024

THE GUARDIAN

Haiti’s newly installed transitional council has chosen a little-known former sports minister as the country’s prime minister, as it presses forward in its monumental task of trying to establish a stable new government amid raging violence.

Fritz Bélizaire replaces Michel Patrick Boisvert, the former minister of economy and finance who was the interim prime minister. His appointment appeared to come as a surprise to some members of the council, with some confessing that they did not know him.

The nine-member transitional council, seven of whom have voting rights, was choosing a new prime minister and cabinet in an effort to help quell gang violence that is choking the capital, Port-au-Prince, and beyond.


New Haiti government sworn in during secret ceremony

But leaders of the powerful armed factions are clamoring for political influence and amnesties and have threatened violence if their demands are not met.

In an interview with CNN published on Monday, Vitel’homme Innocent, who heads the Kraze Barye gang and is accused of orchestrating the 2021 kidnapping of US missionaries, called for the council to listen to the gangs and find a resolution to the crisis “as soon as possible”.

Kraze Barye forms part of a loose coalition of gangs known as Viv Ansanm, or “Live Together”, who now control most of Port-au-Prince.

Viv Ansanm’s leader, a former police officer named Jimmy Cherizier who is known as “Barbeque”, warned of consequences if the gangs were ignored, in a message shared to social media over the weekend.

“Viv Ansanm is ready to talk. It’s either we are all at the table, or the table gets destroyed with all of us,” he said.

More than 90,000 people have fled Port-au-Prince in the span of one month, and overall more than 360,000 people have been left homeless in recent years as gunmen raze communities in rival territories.

The announcement of Bélizaire as prime minister came as a surprise. A murmur rose through the attendees as it was announced that four council members with voting powers had selected Bélizaire as prime minister.

Asked if he supported Bélizaire, Leslie Voltaire, one of the voting council members, said: “I don’t know him.”

Bélizaire served as Haiti’s sports minister during the second presidency of René Préval from 2006 to 2011.

After the brief announcement, which was made nearly two hours after the event was supposed to start, the council went behind closed doors again to talk about their choices for cabinet. Voltaire, however, said he did not expect the council to announce cabinet selections on Tuesday.

The transitional council will act as the country’s presidency until it can arrange presidential elections some time before it disbands, which must be by February 2026.

Haitians remain divided over whether they believe a transitional government can help calm a troubled country whose capital has been under siege since gangs launched coordinated attacks that began on 29 February.

Gunmen have burned police stations, opened fire on the main international airport that has remained closed since early March and broken into Haiti’s two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates. The country’s biggest seaport also remains largely paralyzed by gang violence.

The council is expected to support the UN-backed deployment of a Kenyan police force to help fight gangs, although it is unclear when that might happen.

Former prime minister Ariel Henry was on an official trip to the east African country when the coordinated gang attacks began, and he remains locked out of Haiti. He submitted his resignation last week.

Stop children using smartphones until they are 13, says French report


Children should be banned from most social media until 18 amid attempts to ‘monetise’ them, says Macron-commissioned study


Angelique Chrisafis

in Paris

Tue 30 Apr 2024 

THE GUARDIAN

Children should not be allowed to use smartphones until they are 13 and should be banned from accessing conventional social media such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat until they are 18, according to a report by experts commissioned by Emmanuel Macron.

The French president had asked scientists and experts to suggest screen use guidelines for children with a view to France taking unprecedented steps on limiting their exposure. It was unclear how the government might now proceed after the report’s publication. Macron said in January: “There might be bans, there might be restrictions.”

The hard-hitting report said children needed to be protected from the tech industry’s profit-driven “strategy of capturing children’s attention, using all forms of cognitive bias to shut children away on their screens, control them, re-engage them and monetise them”.

Children were becoming “merchandise” in this new tech market, the report said, adding: “We want [the industry] to know we’ve seen what they’re doing and we won’t let them get away with it.”

A three-month study by scientists and experts led by a neurologist, Servane Mouton, and Amine Benyamina, the head of the psychiatry and addiction service at Paul-Brousse hospital, said children under three should have no exposure to screens – television included – and no child should have a phone before the age of 11.

Any phone given to a child aged between 11 and 13 should be a handset without access to the internet, it said, setting the minimum age at which they should be allowed a smartphone connected to the internet at 13.


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The report said a 15-year-old should be able to access only what it called “ethical” social media, such as Mastodon. Conventional, mass-marketed, profit-driven social media such as TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat should not be available to teenagers until they reached 18, it found. Teenagers should also receive better education on the science behind the need to get enough sleep.

The report made equally stringent recommendations for the very young, saying phones and screens should be limited as much as possible on maternity wards to help parents bond with their babies. Phone use should also be addressed among childminders, it said.


For children up to the age of six, screens of all kinds should be “strongly limited” and only very rarely used for education content when sitting with an adult. Screens should be totally banned from nursery schools for children under six. In primary schools, children should not be given individual tablets or digital devices to work on, unless it was for a specific disability.

The report also suggested banning connected toys, except those used as audio for storytelling.

“Before the age of six, no child needs a screen in order to develop,” Mouton said. “In fact, screens can stop them developing properly at this age.”

The scientists said they did not want to chide parents, who themselves were “victims of a powerful tech industry”. They said parents should instead be helped to avoid what they called “techno-ference” – when parents constantly checking their own phones interfered with their ability concentrate on talking to, eating with or playing with their children.

This was harming young people’s emotional development, the report said. It included adults scrolling on their phones while feeding young children, or homes where a television was constantly on in the background.

Scientists said parents were not to blame and more should be done in society as a whole, such as allowing adults to properly disconnect from work out of hours, limiting screens in public places, introducing screen-free restaurants and cafes, or parents putting their phones in a box when they got home from work.

The scientists said “parental controls” should not be seen as a sufficient means of protecting children. Rather, they were an ineffective distraction, peddled by the tech industry “to get itself off the hook” for creating algorithms, particularly within social media, designed to addict and monetise children.

Benyamina said: “Tech is and will remain a fantastic tool, but it has to act in people’s service, not people being reduced to serving a product.”

He said screens had negative effects on children “in terms of their eyesight, their metabolism … their intelligence, concentration and cognitive processes”.

He said addictions to screens were not to the product itself but to content. He said: “Algorithms that re-engage and stimulate the pleasure system and are built to avoid you losing interest in the content have a type of addictive dynamic.”

He said people should be vigilant on social media if they noticed that content was re-engaging them. “If you decided you wanted to look at one or two videos and you were on it all evening, you need to question it.”

DECRIMINALIZE POT

Biden administration plans to reclassify marijuana as lower-risk drug


Drug Enforcement Administration seeking to downgrade cannabis from top category to Schedule III, but still short of legalization


Associated Press

Tue 30 Apr 2024 

The US Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, the Associated Press has learned, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country.

The DEA’s proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use.


The agency’s move, confirmed to the AP on Tuesday by five people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive regulatory review, clears the last significant regulatory hurdle before the agency’s biggest policy change in more than 50 years can take effect.


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Once OMB signs off, the DEA will take public comment on the plan to move marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. It moves pot to Schedule III, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids, following a recommendation from the federal health and human services department. After the public comment period and a review by an administrative judge, the agency would eventually publish the final rule.

It comes after Joe Biden called for a review of federal marijuana law in October 2022 and moved to pardon thousands of Americans convicted federally of simple possession of the drug. He has also called on governors and local leaders to take similar steps to erase marijuana convictions.

“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing and educational opportunities,” Biden said in December. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

The election year announcement could help the Democratic US president boost flagging support, particularly among younger voters.

Biden and a bipartisan and growing number of lawmakers have been pushing for the DEA decision as marijuana has become increasingly decriminalized and accepted, particularly by younger people. A Gallup poll last fall found 70% of adults support legalization, up from roughly 30% in 2000.

The DEA did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Schedule III drugs are still governed by rules and regulations, with threat of federal criminal prosecution for breaches.

‘Incredible’ news for bears and wild horses as US shifts preservation plans


National Park Service will reintroduce bears to Washington’s North Cascades and won’t remove horses from North Dakota park


Richard Luscombe

Tue 30 Apr 2024 
THE GUARDIAN

Wildlife advocates are celebrating “incredible” news for the preservation of threatened bears, and a herd of historically significant wild horses, in separate north-western and upper midwestern national parks.

In North Dakota, the National Parks Service (NPS) has dropped a plan that would have seen about 200 wild horses, descended from those belonging to Native American tribes who fought the 1876 Great Sioux war, rounded up and removed from Theodore Roosevelt national park.



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The scheme would have stripped the park of a cultural “emblem” of the future 26th US president’s time as a cattle rancher and hunter in the Dakota territory in the late 19th century, said the Republican North Dakota senator John Hoeven, who helped secure their preservation.

Meanwhile, in Washington, NPS has partnered with US Fish and Wildlife on a plan to reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascades ecosystem. The threatened species has not been seen in the area for more than a quarter-century.

Between three and seven bears will be released into the park each year in the groundbreaking project that could last up to a decade, with an ultimate aim of building back a healthy population of about 200 bears within six to 10 decades.

“Our national parks are spectacular places that people expect to be set aside for wildlife, they expect wildlife to be there,” said Graham Taylor, north-west program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA).

“It’s why we have multiple wilderness areas in the North Cascades, it’s why we have big pristine national parks. They are supposed to be managed to protect their resources in perpetuity, and grizzly bears, all wildlife, are a resource of the parks.

“For one generation to have wildlife, and the next generation not, is not how they’re supposed to be managed, so this really is the park service following their mission by protecting and trying to restore lost resources.”

The dropping of the NPS plan to eliminate wild horses from the North Dakota park, and reverting to a pre-existing management plan for a “healthy herd”, follows a significant public backlash to its 2022 “livestock review”.

The animals, directly descended from those ridden by Sioux chiefs in the 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn, had “the potential to damage fences used for wildlife management, trample or overgraze vegetation used by native wildlife species, contribute to erosion and soil-related impacts … and compete for food and water resources”, an environmental assessment found.

Hoeven, and North Dakota’s Republican governor, Doug Burgum, became powerful allies to the preservation campaign, with the senator adding a funding provision to the 2024 interior and environment budget bill signed by Joe Biden.

“These wild horses are emblematic of President Theodore Roosevelt’s time in North Dakota, a formative experience that shaped his presidency and lasting legacy,” Hoeven said in a statement.

“Given the broad public support for maintaining the wild horses, as well as the measure we passed through Congress, this is the right call by NPS.”

Similar positive public sentiment helped drive the approval of the plan for grizzly bears in Washington, campaigners say. The proposal was first floated in 1996, the last time there was evidence of the species in the 790 sq miles national park, dropped by the administration of Donald Trump, and revived when Biden took office in 2021.

“This is incredible news,” said Kathleen Callaghy, north-west representative for Defenders of Wildlife’s species conservation and coexistence department.

California tribe becomes the first to manage land with National Park Service

“The North Cascades is one of the most incredibly intact wild lands in the US and the grizzly bear is last major mammal missing from that ecosystem, so we’d be restoring something to almost as close as we can make it to how it used to be, barring our presence.”

She said human encounters with the bears, however, were unlikely.

“It’s natural to be worried about an apex predator living potentially near humans, but people mostly misunderstand how incredibly large the North Cascades is, and how much of that land is not settled,” she said.

“We’ve seen in Montana and other areas, in Yellowstone, that bears can coexist perfectly well with humans as long as everyone is taking sensible precautions like removing garbage and carrying bear spray during hikes.

“But three to seven bears per year over all those square miles, your chances of being a hiker and encountering one are not very high.”

Native American tribes also helped push the process forward. Scott Schuyler, policy representative for the Upper Skagit tribe, said its members “celebrate this decision for the great bear, the environment, and everyone who desires a return to a healthy Indigenous ecosystem.

“We urge the agencies to move forward and put paws on the ground so the recovery may begin,” he said.

Taylor, of the NPCA, said the reintroduction process would face challenges. “Things happen, there’s no guarantee. Wildlife restoration and rewilding are tough, and there are still humans out there and other hazards,” he said.

“So identifying some good bears to bring is part of it. We don’t want bears that have any history of conflict, we’re not taking other regions’ conflict bears and moving them here. We want well-behaved, young and mostly female bears that will drive the population and tend not to migrate very far.”

Books

More than a quarter of readers of YA are over the age of 28 research shows

Report commissioned by HarperCollins shows that uptake in YA fiction in older readers is due to behavioural changes described as ‘emerging adulthood’ or delaying ‘adult’ life


Lucy Knight

Tue 30 Apr 2024

THE GUARDIAN

Young adult fiction such as The Hunger Games, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and the Heartstopper graphic novels might be aimed at teenagers – but new research has shown that more than a quarter of readers of YA in the UK are over the age of 28.

Research commissioned by publisher HarperCollins, in collaboration with Nielsen Book, the UK book industry’s data provider, suggests that a growing number of adult readers have been reading YA fiction since 2019. According to the report, 74% of YA readers were adults, and 28% were over the age of 28. The research suggests this is due to behavioural changes described as “emerging adulthood”: young people growing up more slowly and delaying “adult” life. The feelings of instability and “in-betweenness” this can cause has led to young adults seeking solace in young adult fiction – and for some these books remain a source of comfort as they grow older.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L Sánchez. Photograph: Oneworld


YA is “just another genre to enjoy” for 34-year-old video games producer and author Amy Jones. “I know there’s an idea of YA as being ‘fluffy’ or not as worthy to read as adult fiction, but I disagree – while there are, like there are in any genre, examples of badly written or poorly plotted YA, there are also total masterpieces – Fangirl, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, The Hate U Give, A Wrinkle in Time, these are all books that tackle deeply important issues such as identity, growing up, racism, family and grief, and are beautifully written,” she said.

Twin Crowns by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber. Photograph: Electric Monkey

Katherine Webber Tsang, author of the bestselling Twin Crowns YA fantasy series, along with her co-writer (and sister-in-law) Catherine Doyle, said she has both adult and teenage fans. “I like to say that the Twin Crowns series is for everyone aged 13 and up,” she said. “At a recent signing, a mother and her teen daughter said they both love reading the Twin Crowns books and that the series had brought them closer, which was so lovely to hear!”

According to HarperCollins’ report, the association between reading for pleasure and wellbeing is reflected in the growing popularity of young adult books, “with readers of all ages increasingly turning to YA as a source of comfort, nostalgia and self-care”.

Literary travel blogger Julia Mitchell said reading has “frequently given [her] the strength to keep on going when life is difficult.


“Young adult literature helps with this in particular”, added the 29-year-old. “I find these stories easy to immerse myself in and there’s much to learn, even though the characters are younger than me.”

Jones thinks there are two reasons why YA could be classed as “self-care”. The first is that it is “often more accessible than a lot of adult fiction due to being written specifically for slightly younger readers, so reading for pleasure when you’re tired or stressed becomes less taxing.” The second is that “YA books are often heavily plot-driven, so as a form of escapism they’re perfect”.

The research also showed that 29% of 14- to 25-year-olds “strongly think of themselves as a reader”, with many of these young people choosing to build an identity around books online, on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Of the young people surveyed who answered “very true” to the statement “I think of myself as a reader” 40% described themselves as “very happy”. In contrast, 21% of those who did not think of themselves as readers described themselves as “very happy”.

Alison David, consumer insight director at HarperCollins, said the research “suggests wellbeing comes from more than the act of reading (relaxation, escapism, the content itself). The psychology of being a reader is enormously powerful.”skip past newsletter promotion

Katherine Webber Tsang. Photograph: Ellie Kurttz/HarperCollins

Webber Tsang said she has noticed that it has become more “cool” for young people to call themselves a reader. “I think the fact that readers have so many opportunities to connect with each other online, and to attend events where they can meet each other and also the authors, means that they are more likely to feel proud of being a reader,” she said.

Although most of the young people surveyed said they recognised and experienced the benefits of reading, the research showed that only 16% of 14-25s read daily or nearly every day for pleasure. Boys between the ages of 14 and 17 were more likely to be disengaged from reading, with 38% saying they rarely or never read for pleasure. Over half of both boys (55%) and girls (63%) said they had too much schoolwork to read books for fun.

Cally Poplak, managing director of HarperCollins Children’s Books and Farshore, noted that while it is “really encouraging” to see that young people have a positive attitude towards books, “the vast majority of young people are not reading every day.

“How do we tackle this contradiction that today’s young people, who are already being referred to as the ‘anxious generation’ know reading is good for them, but still aren’t picking up books?” she added.