US Southern Border arrests at a 4-year low, but August bump expected

More than 765,000 people entered the United States legally through the end of July


Jae C. Hong/Associated Press FILE – A vehicle drives along the U.S. side of the US-Mexico border wall in Nogales, Ariz., June 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, Pool, File)

 August 31, 2024 
By Elliot Spagat | Associated Press

SAN DIEGO — Arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico during August are expected to rise slightly from July, officials said, possibly ending a streak of five straight monthly declines but the numbers are hovering near four-year lows.

Authorities made about 54,000 arrests through Thursday, which, at the current rate, would bring the August total to about 58,000 when the month ends Saturday, according to two U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that has not been publicly released.

The tally suggests that arrests could be bottoming out after being halved from a record 250,000 in December, a decline that U.S. officials largely attributed to Mexican authorities increasing enforcement within their borders. Arrests were more than halved again after Democratic President Joe Biden invoked authority to temporarily suspend asylum processing in June. Arrests plunged to 56,408 in July, a nearly four-year low that changed little in August.

Asked about the latest numbers, the Homeland Security Department released a statement by Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling on Congress to support failed legislation that would have suspended asylum processing when crossings reached certain thresholds, reshaped how asylum claims are decided to relieve bottlenecked immigration courts and added Border Patrol agents, among other things.

Republicans including presidential nominee Donald Trump opposed the bill, calling it insufficient

“Thanks to action taken by the Biden-Harris Administration, the hard work of our DHS personnel and our partnerships with other countries in the region and around the world, we continue to see the lowest number of encounters at our Southwest border since September 2020,” Mayorkas said Saturday.

The steep drop from last year’s highs is welcome news for the White House and the Democrats’ White House nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, despite criticism from many immigration advocates that asylum restrictions go too far and from those favoring more enforcement who say Biden’s new and expanded legal paths to entry are far too generous.

More than 765,000 people entered the United States legally through the end of July using an online appointment app called CBP One and an additional 520,000 from four nationalities were allowed through airports with financial sponsors. The airport-based offer to people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela — all nationalities that are difficult to deport — was briefly suspended in July to address concerns about fraud by U.S. financial sponsors.

San Diego again had the most arrests among the Border Patrol’s nine sectors on the Mexican border in August, followed by El Paso, Texas, and Tucson, Arizona, though the three busiest corridors were close, the officials said. Arrests of Colombians and Ecuadoreans fell, which officials attributed to deportation flights to those South American countries. Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras were the top three nationalities.

How to reduce your exposure to microplastics

A recent study linked plastics in blood-vessel plaque to the risk of death, including by heart attack or stroke

Cubans collect garbage on Havana’s beaches on 20 August, as part of a programme to raise awareness of environmental protection. © Photo credit: AFP

While researchers are still determining the exact impacts on human health, microplastics (and their tinier variant, nanoplastics) pose a dual threat. The particles themselves can cause harm, as can the chemicals they contain. One recent study linked plastics in blood-vessel plaque to the risk of heart attack, stroke or death from any cause. Other research has found plastic exposure may increase the risk of cancer, Parkinson’s disease and male infertility.

Plastic’s ubiquity means that avoiding it entirely is impossible. However, there are steps you can take to minimise its presence.

“I certainly understand, and everyone understands, that plastic is a really important part of our society. But there are some direct exposures that we can reduce,” says Sheela Sathyanarayana, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington who studies chemicals in plastics that affect the endocrine system.

Use less plastic, full stop

Some microplastic exposure comes from the environment: airborne particles enter the body when we breathe, for example, while plastics in bodies of water build up in seafood. But other sources are closer to home. Sathyanarayana says the “easiest low-hanging fruit” for limiting exposure is to cut down on how much plastic you use.

Simple steps, such as switching from bottled to tap water, make a difference. A one-litre bottle of water contains an average of 240,000 plastic fragments, according to a study. Earlier research estimated that an average American drinking tap water instead of bottled water would consume dramatically fewer plastic particles.

Keep plastics out of the kitchen

It isn’t just bottled water. Food storage containers, chopping boards and many other kitchen goods are often made of, or include, plastic. Even teabags can be made of materials that contain plastic, says Mark Wiesner, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Duke University who studies how plastics break down.

Fortunately, many of those same kitchen items also come in glass or stainless steel, while wood chopping boards can take the place of plastic ones. Making the switch is especially important for heat exposure, which can cause plastics to break down more quickly.

“Absolutely, absolutely don’t microwave food in plastic,” says Gillian Goddard, an endocrinologist in New York who writes for Parentdata, which provides information about pregnancy, parenthood and perimenopause. Tempered glass such as Pyrex is a good alternative for warming food.

When you do use plastic items, Goddard recommends washing them by hand — heat and abrasion from a dishwasher can spread particles to other dishes — and throwing away or repurposing them once they become scratched. She also advises never reusing single-use plastics, such as bags and takeaway containers, for food storage.

Choose clothes made of natural fibers

Textiles made from synthetic fibres are a frequent and often-forgotten source of microplastic exposure, particularly when they’re washed or dried. Plastic-free alternatives include natural fibres such as wool, cotton and linen.

When washing synthetic fabrics is unavoidable, there are some ways to minimise harm to the environment, including washing full loads, using cold water and air-drying as much as possible.
Keep your air clean

Plastic particles often end up in the air — when they’re thrown off by tyres, for example, or launched from bubbles on the surface of the ocean. If you’re walking around outdoors, a high-quality face mask may be your best bet for minimising intake.

At home, though, you can install a HEPA air filter to keep your air clean. The filters catch many particles, though the smallest may slip through. Sathyanarayana also recommends that people take their shoes off in their homes to limit dust recirculating.

Imperfect solutions

Because plastic is everywhere, no individual steps will get it out of your life entirely. Goddard says it’s hard to even know how much the existing guidance tempers harm: plastic exposure is so ubiquitous that it’s difficult to find control groups for experiments.

But small steps can’t hurt, and reducing reliance on plastic has a positive impact on the environment overall. “If you can do those simple things without a massive disruption to your life, you’re probably doing something beneficial,” Goddard says.

Mitigating exposure to plastic is particularly important for people who are already more vulnerable to health impacts, Sathyanarayana says, including children and pregnant women.

But making real headway against the world’s plastic problem will ultimately require systemic solutions, and both Goddard and Sathyanarayana are eager to see governments step up. The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution is working on what could become a legally binding treaty on plastics, but countries remain divided on its scope — particularly any provision that would call for less plastic production.

Syrian sculptor destroyed his giant artwork outside the United Nations office in Geneva 

DESTRUCTION IS A CREATIVE ACT

MICHAEL BAKUNIN

Asharq Al Awsat
31 August 2024

 AD ـ 26 Safar 1446 AH

Syrian sculptor Khaled Dawwa on Friday destroyed his giant artwork outside the United Nations office in Geneva to denounce tens of thousands of enforced disappearances in Syria.

Using saws and hammers, relatives of disappeared Syrians helped the artist break apart the wood, plaster and foam statue on the International Day of the Disappeared.

"We are here to protest against the system, to say, 'enough'. We have a right to know the truth," the 39-year-old sculptor, who lives in exile in France, told AFP.

Dawwa's 3.5 metre (11ft 6 inch) - high colossus, "The King of Holes", depicted a potentate with a massive body, reflecting the artist's condemnation of oppressive power, before it was thrashed to pieces.

The idea for the protest came from rights group Syria Campaign, which suggested that Dawwa tear down the installation outside the UN headquarters.

He created it in 2021 in Paris with the intention of demolishing it later. "It is a fragile piece that is difficult to keep," he said.

Dawwa took part in Syria's demonstrations in 2012 that escalated into a bloody, protracted war.

He was in his studio in May 2013 when he was severely wounded by bullet fragments from a government helicopter and jailed for two months after leaving hospital. Echoing the conflict, the legs, face and arms of the artwork are riddled with small holes.

Amongst the rights campaigners on site was Wafa Mustafa, 34, who has not heard from her father since he was arrested in 2013.

"This statue, to all the Syrian families here, does not represent only the Assad regime" which is mainly "responsible for the detention of our loved ones", the Syria Campaign activist told AFP.

"But also it represents the international community and the UN that has failed us for the past 13 years" and "has not provided any real action to stop the massacre in Syria, and to give Syrians their basic human rights," she said.

Around 100,000 people have disappeared in the Syria as part of government repression or kidnappings by anti-regime militias, according to several non-profit organizations.

Ahmad Helmi, 34, said he had fled Syria after he was arrested by the country's secret services as a university student, and jailed for three years.

He followed Dawwa to Geneva to help him destroy the statue.

"The pain of three years in prison, three years of torture... doesn't count to one day of the pain my mum experienced every single day when I was disappeared," said Helmi.

"Hundreds of thousands of families and mothers are in Syria and around the world today experiencing the same pain," he added.

The Syrian war began after the repression of anti-government protests in 2011 and spiralled into a complex conflict drawing in foreign armies and militants, killing more than 500,000 people and displacing millions.

Dawwa says the statue's holes are like those made by "animals that eat wood".

"For me, that's like hope," he said. "There is always something that eats at it."

\

Hector: Kingpin of Iran’s Oil Empire

Hossein Shamkhani. (Iranian media)
London: Asharq Al Awsat
1 September 2024 

AD ـ 27 Safar 1446 AH

Interviews carried out by Bloomberg shed light on the “global kingpin for Iranian oil”, known as “Hector”.

The kingpin is Hossein Shamkhani, the son of Ali Shamkhani, advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He has “raked in billions of dollars in sales from commodities originating out of Iran, Russia and elsewhere, according to more than a dozen people familiar with the matter,” reported Bloomberg.

“Few know Shamkhani’s real identity and he is widely known only as Hector, the people said.”

“Companies in his network also sell oil and petrochemicals from non-sanctioned nations and sometimes mix crude from various jurisdictions, so even buyers who test barrels may not be able to identify the country of origin, the people said,” added the report.

Shamkhani’s rise

His rise to power “offers a glimpse into parts of a sprawling shadow economy of dark oil fleets that have sprung up since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It also shows an increasing cooperation between Tehran and Moscow as global powers ratchet up sanctions against both governments,” said the report.

“Washington faces challenges clamping down on this trade because that risks pushing up prices at the pump in an election year. Meantime, Iran gets an annual windfall of some $35 billion from its oil exports, a boon as it backs proxy groups that have attacked Israeli or Western assets” and it appears that Shamkhani has been tasked with this mission.

Bloomberg said the US has imposed sancstions on ships believed to be operating within Shamkhani’s network, revealed people informed in the matter.

Shamkhani and parts of his trading network that do some business inside the dollar system, are under investigation for possible sanctions violations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Treasury Department, according to the people and documents seen by Bloomberg.

Shamkhani denies everything

In an emailed response to questions, the director of his company said “the firm has no connection with Shamkhani while a lawyer representing the company said it follows all rules and has no links with any Russian or Iranian interests.” He denied owning any oil company, controlling a trading network or having a firm involved in commodities deals with Iran or Russia.

“Shamkhani’s influence is so wide that products supplied by entities in his network have also reached global majors like China’s Sinopec, US-based Chevron Corp. and UK-based BP Plc, according to people familiar with the matter,” continued Bloomberg.

“People familiar with Shamkhani’s empire said he effectively oversees an intertwined web of companies,” it added. “Business ownership, shareholding and control information are easy to obscure, and other executives have been formally registered as the owners and managers, the people said.”

“As one of Iran’s most profitable sectors, oil is top of mind for officials in the US. International restrictions on crude sales have put sharp pressure on the Iranian economy for years. Even so, the Iran helps fund Hezbollah, which has been trading rocket fire with Israel, as well as Houthi militants who have been attacking Western and Israeli ships in the Red Sea. It also backs the Palestinian group Hamas, which has been at war with Israel in Gaza for almost 11 months.”

Moscow and Beirut

“Over the last three decades, Shamkhani’s father Ali served as naval commander for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, defense minister and then Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, the country’s top security body.”

“The younger Shamkhani is in his 40s and was born in Tehran, according to people who have worked with him. He attended university in Moscow and Beirut before returning to the Iranian capital to obtain a Master of Business Administration, an archived LinkedIn profile says. Shamkhani’s Russian connections are particularly valuable at a time when Tehran and Moscow, both under Western sanctions, are strengthening their military and economic cooperation,” reported Bloomberg.

“My father never had nor does he have anything to do with my business activities,” Shamkhani said.

During a brief TV appearance in 2008, the elder Shamkhani said he advised his son to go into the private sector rather than follow in his footsteps with a government post.

Climate change fanning wildfires in vulnerable Eastern Mediterranean region, warn Greek scientists

‘Eastern Mediterranean is a climatic hotspot where the temperature is increasing much faster than the rest of the world,’ says Nikos Michalopoulos of the National Observatory of Athens

Ahmet Gencturk |29.08.2024 - TRT/AA

Firefighters spray water, during a wildfire in Nea Penteli near Athens, 

Greece, on August 12, 2024.

‘Almost 40% of forest land around Athens has been destroyed in the last eight years,’ says Michalopoulos‘In the Mediterranean, both sea and ground water are seeing very high temperatures,’ says senior researcher Athanasios Nenes

ATHENS

The growing threat of wildfires, which are increasing both in frequency and intensity, is closely intertwined with climate change in the greatly vulnerable Eastern Mediterranean region, prominent Greek scientists have warned.

“The Mediterranean, especially the Eastern Mediterranean, is a climatic hotspot where the temperature is increasing much faster than the rest of the world, and the number of scorching days increased significantly in the last three decades,” Prof. Nikos Michalopoulos of the National Observatory of Athens told Anadolu.

“Dry weather and extreme heat waves, combined with insufficient rainfall which dries vegetation, and strong northern winds, which we call meltemi, create the perfect conditions to initiate and swiftly spread wildfires.”

As to the impact of wildfires, Michalopoulos said their emissions are not only toxic for humans but also further contribute to global warming.

“Most directly, they do this by absorbing solar radiation and generating greenhouse gasses,” he explained.

The fires destroy vegetation and forest land that filter pollutants, exposing us to more air pollution, he said.

The decline of forests, which also operate as natural air conditioners, will mean even hotter weather down the line, he added.

In the case of Athens, which has seen several massive wildfires in recent years, including one in early August, the devastation of forests and their flora is a particularly profound threat, according to Michalopoulos.

“Taking into account that almost 40% of forest land around Athens has been destroyed in the last eight years, the coming months and years will be even harsher in terms of temperature and more extreme events,” he warned.

On measures to curb the consequences of the deforestation caused by wildfires, he said the focus should be on prevention, stressing that citizens have to play their role and not just rely on authorities.

“People should keep their terrain clean and have a water tank or a small reservoir in their garden to help when a fire breaks out,” he said.

From a wider perspective, the most essential prevention measure is to somehow cool down the world, he said.

“That is a long-term endeavor which will take decades even if the volume of carbon emission stops increasing immediately,” he said.

“As such, we will need to adapt our way of life, including living in smaller houses, consuming less meat, and consequently producing less greenhouse gasses.”

Plethora of problems

Athanasios Nenes, a senior researcher at the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, cited the lack of sufficient rain and extreme heat patterns as the primary reasons for increasing wildfires in Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean.

“We are getting less rain. Whenever we have rain, it tends to be sometimes in extreme events, including storms and floods. So, the water goes away quickly, and it doesn’t get absorbed by the ground and ecosystem. It’s really a big problem,” said Nenes, also the director of the Laboratory of Atmospheric Processes at the Lausanne Polytechnique University.

“In the Mediterranean, both sea and ground water are seeing very high temperatures. Whenever you have very warm water, that also tends to intensify the heat in the ground, because the water acts as a reservoir of heat,” he explained.

The increased frequency and intensity of wildfires is making the region vulnerable to more blazes by not giving the soil time to recover, he said.

Overtourism and the prevalent use of outdated agricultural practices that consume too much water is also drying the soil, leading to more wildfires, he added.

On the effects of wildfires on nature, Nenes said they burn natural vegetation that is essential to retain moisture and curb floods, while also destroying flora and fauna that are prominent components of the ecosystem.

For human health, he emphasized the grave danger of the smoke emitted by wildfires.

“When you burn forests, you release massive amounts of particles rich in carcinogenic compounds. When you breathe the particles, your body gets inflamed from the inside, owing to oxidative stress,” he said.

“These particles can increase the risk of heart attacks and cause diabetes, premature aging, lung problems, and shortness of breath.”

Nenes also pointed to the direct link between wildfires and climate change.

“Numerous researchers have showed that without the climate problem we would not have these massive wildfires. We still might have had some, as it is a natural phenomenon, but nothing like what we’re experiencing now,” he said.

He stressed the need for individual and state-level measures such as raising public awareness and vigilance.

People should be discouraged from burning even small fires in forests, and there needs to be more investment in new technologies for rapid response, said Nenes.

“Apart from that, the most effective solution would be to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, and really reach the point where we don’t have any more warming points,” he added.

WORLD ALLIANCE OF ISLAMOPHOBES

OPINION - Dark hours ahead: Why Europe’s far-right supports Israel

Israel’s religious, far-right Zionists are doing their utmost to prevent any return to discussion of a Palestinian state.

Their main source of support for their position comes from far-right movements in the West

Ramzy Baroud |21.08.2024 - TRT/AA

A major meeting point between Israel’s Datim and Europe’s far-right is their mutual hatred for Muslims and Islam


ISTANBUL

Long before the Israeli war-turned-genocide in Gaza began last October, Israel’s support system in the West, particularly in Europe, was experiencing important shifts.


How did Zionism originate?

Though strong support for Israel remained unchanged among Europe’s liberal political circles, Israel itself was moving away from its founding ideology of so-called "liberal Zionism" towards religious Zionism, a totalitarian approach to settler-colonialism that is situated in religious texts and myths.

While liberal Zionists have duly exploited the Jewish religion to achieve colonial ends, Israel’s Datim Leumi, or simply Datim, meaning "religious," formulated a political school of thought that placed Zionism, a modern ideology advanced in the 19th and 20th centuries, at the core of Orthodox Judaism.

The roots of this thinking can be dated to “the teaching of two of the most respected Zionist rabbis, a father and son, belonging to the Kook family,” according [1] to historian Ilan Pappe. The movement, however, owes its global success to current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Likud party, the natural evolution of Vladimir Jabotinsky's Revisionist Zionism [2], may have permanently altered the balances of Israel’s political makeup, but it was Netanyahu, the leader of Likud, who built a strong global alliance tailored around Israel’s own far-right policies.

Main source of support for Netanyahu's goals: European far-right

For Netanyahu, Western support for Israel – though in many ways it remained unconditional – was compromised by the notion that lasting peace between the Palestinians and Israel must adhere to the principles of the illegality of the Israeli Jewish settlements, the two-state solution, Palestinian legal and historic rights in occupied East Jerusalem, and so on.

Regardless of the West’s failure to enforce any of these beliefs, Israel rejects the very frame of reference around which these ideas were shaped in the first place. “Everyone knows that I am the one who, for decades, blocked the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger our existence,” Netanyahu said in a statement [3] last February.

Israel’s religious and far-right Zionists are now doing their utmost to ensure that there can be no return to any discussion of a Palestinian state. Their main source of support for their position comes from far-right movements in the West. This claim was demonstrated most recently when a group of European countries decided to recognize [4] the state of Palestine on May 28, seven months into Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. The biggest critics of the decision, which was made by Spain, Norway, and Ireland, came from far-right movements and parties.

In Spain, where Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had been vocally opposed to Israel’s actions against the Palestinian people, the reaction from the far right was immediate. Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, “decided to come to Israel for a quick show of support,” Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported. [5] “Abascal also met Netanyahu for an hour-long conversation before leaving Israel,” the paper also reported on June 2.


European far right transformed into another version of Israeli regime

Abascal’s sentiment was echoed by other far-right leaders, such as Geert Wilders in the Netherlands and Marion Marechal in France. The latter stated [6] that recognizing the state of Palestine would equate to recognizing “an Islamist state, with all the dangers that this could represent for Israel and for the West in general.” A major meeting point between Israel’s Datim and Europe’s far-right is their mutual hatred for Muslims and Islam. Soon after the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, Netanyahu saw a strategic opportunity to link his country’s war on the Palestinian people to the so-called "war on terrorism."

Though that war may have been officially over, its social and political upshots in Western societies – racism, anti-refugee and anti-immigrant sentiments, and often violence – continue to grow, resulting in the rapid advancement of far-right movements. This promoted Israel to shift away from the typical political rhetoric at the global stage of demonizing the Arabs to that of a civilizational war against "Islamic fundamentalism" in Palestine and throughout the Middle East. The convenient shift allowed Israel to link up with anti-Muslim forces in Europe and beyond.

In a recent opinion piece in Le Monde, author Gilles Paris said [7] that “the 20 (European) parties whose votes (at the European Union Parliament) were most favorable to Israel all belonged to the far right and Eurosceptics, mainly European Conservatives and Reformists.” That accomplishment was the direct outcome of Netanyahu’s and Israel’s diversification of alliances, as it allowed Tel Aviv to put pressure on Western capitals from within its own societies.

In an audio recording obtained [8] by Reuters and published in July 2017, Netanyahu derided, during a meeting with the so-called Visegrad Four, the "Old Europe" for daring to criticize Israel’s dismal human rights record, illegal settlement policies, and military occupation. “I think Europe has to decide whether it wants to live and thrive or it wants to shrivel and disappear,” he said, playing on the far-right Great Replacement theory [9], which argues that Muslim immigrants are set to take over European societies.

The success, however, was only temporary. The Israeli genocide in Gaza has damaged years of relentless Israeli efforts. The far-right defeat in France, the rise of the left, and the routing of Britain’s right in the latest elections demonstrated that blind support for Israel does not always guarantee victory and, in fact, can be a political liability. This is, however, only the beginning of the fight for the future of Europe.

“For a long time, political movements whose roots could be traced back to the dark hours of the Second World War and the Holocaust kept Israel at a distance,” Gilles wrote. The distance, however, has shrunk to the point that Israel’s own government has essentially become just another version of Europe’s far-right extremist parties, arguably the most extremist and certainly the most violent of them all.

(Romana Rubeo, an Italian journalist, contributed to this article.)

[1]    https://www.palestinechronicle.com/ilan-pappe-reveals-origins-of-religious-zionism-in-israel-palestine-chronicle/

[2]    https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/38833

[3]    https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-boasts-of-thwarting-the-establishment-of-a-palestinian-state-for-decades/

[4]   https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-boasts-of-thwarting-the-establishment-of-a-palestinian-state-for-decades/

[5]   https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/06/02/leader-of-spains-vox-party-criticizes-sanchez-over-palestinian-state-recognition/

[6]   https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2024/05/31/the-new-pro-israeli-clothes-of-europe-s-far-right_6673313_23.html

[7]   https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2024/05/31/the-new-pro-israeli-clothes-of-europe-s-far-right_6673313_23.html

[8]  https://www.reuters.com/article/world/eu-eastern-states-say-bloc-must-show-more-support-for-israel-idUSKBN1A40WY/

[9] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/08/a-deadly-ideology-how-the-great-replacement-theory-went-mainstream

*Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Anadolu.

The author is a journalist, author, and editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books, including Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak Out, co-edited with Ilan Pappe. Baroud is a non-resident senior research fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website is ramzybaroud.net

FROM STALINISM TO FASCISM

German far-right AfD wins a state election for 1st time

Sunday’s regional elections deliver big blow to Chancellor Scholz’s coalition, anti-immigrant AfD was seen winning about 33% of vote in Thuringia

Ayhan Şimşek |01.09.2024 -



BERLIN

Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is on track to win a state election for the first time on Sunday, according to projections by public broadcaster ARD.


The anti-immigrant AfD party is seen winning 32.8% of the vote in the eastern state of Thuringia, about 10% ahead of the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU).


Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) have been predicted to win only 6.1%, one of their worst-ever election results in this state. Their coalition partners – the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats – were below the 5% threshold necessary for entry into the state parliament.


The newly formed left-wing populist party, Bundnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), is expected to get about 16% and become the third-largest group in the state parliament.


Crucially, none of the parties are projected to win enough seats to form a parliamentary majority. The far-right AfD is unlikely to come to power despite its election win, as all other parties ruled out any coalition with the AfD.


The AfD’s co-chairwoman Alice Weidel hailed her party’s performance as a “historical success” and said the voters have punished Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government.


She called on the CDU and other parties to change their stance against the AfD, and engage in talks with them to build the coalition governments in Thuringia and Saxony.


“The voters want to see the AfD in the government. We are representing around 30% of voters in both federal states. Without us a stable government is no longer possible,” she told public broadcaster ARD.

Close race in Saxony


In the neighboring state of Saxony, a neck-and-neck race is underway, with exit polls showing that 30.8% voted for the far-right AfD compared to 31.8% who voted for the Christian Democrats.


Scholz’s left-liberal coalition government is braced for heavy losses here as well, amid growing voter discontent with the government’s Ukraine policy, costly energy reforms, and concerns about irregular migration.

The latest projections put the Social Democrats at around 7.5%, with the Greens at 5.2%, and the Free Democrats below 2%.

Sahra Wagenknecht’s left-wing BSW party is expected to win about 12% of votes.


Sunday’s vote in the two eastern states was widely seen as a test for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his left-liberal coalition government ahead of next year’s federal elections.


Exit polls showed that most voters were concerned about their economic welfare and were demanding stronger measures from authorities to stop irregular migration and address domestic security threats.

Germany: Saxony and Thuringia elections propel far-right AfD

State elections in Saxony and Thuringia showcased the rise of anti-establishment parties and the first time a far-right party finishes first in a state election in Germany since World War II.

Voters in Germany's federal states of Thuringia and Saxony came out in numbers on Sunday, putting the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on top, while strongly going against the parties that currently make up Germany's federal coalition government.

Projections by German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF, based on exit polls and partial counting, showed AfD coming first in Thuringia with a vote share between 32.8% and 33.4%.

The center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is forecast to come second with 23.8%.

The result marks the first time a far-right party finishes first in a state election in Germany since World War II.

The AfD leader in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, celebrated his party's projected lead as a "historic victory."

"We are ready to take government responsibility," Höcke said.

But so far, no party has said they would be willing to be in a coalition with the AfD, making it hard for them to form a government.

The CDU's national general secretary, Carsten Linnemann, said that "voters in both states knew that we wouldn't form a coalition with the AfD, and it will stay that way."

"We are very, very clear on this," he added.

The two eastern states were once part of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and though they are relatively small, accounting for some 7% of Germany's population, they remain a sign of the rising popularity of the AfD.

But the AfD branches in both Saxony and Thuringia have come under official surveillance as "proven right-wing extremist" groups. Höcke himself has been convicted of using a Nazi slogan at political events, although he has appealed the ruling.

AfD close behind in Saxony

The CDU held a razor-thin lead in Saxony, with a projected vote share of between 31.5% and 31.8%, while the AfD is projected to land between 30.8% and 31.4%.

Incumbent state premier, the CDU's Michael Kretschmer, said that regardless of the result, his party plans to lead coalition talks.

The biggest losers in Thuringia were the Greens and the FDP who both fell short of the 5% threshold and will have to leave parliament. But the election was also a major setback for the Left Party and state premier Bodo Ramelow, who saw their vote share shrink from 31% in the last election to a projected 12.9%.

In Saxony, the Left Party suffered a major defeat by falling short of the 5% threshold, having had 10% of the vote share in the last election. The Greens managed to hold on with 5.2%, but they also saw a decrease in their share.

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Result is a 'profound turning point'

"To be honest, my pain tonight is marginal compared to the fact that we have a profound turning point and an openly far-right party has become the strongest force in a state parliament for the first time since 1949," the co-leader of Germany's Greens, Omid Nouripour, said.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left SPD also saw losses in both states, projected to have a vote share of 6% in Thuringia and 7% in Saxony.

Scholz's federal coalition, composed of the SPD, the FDP and the Greens, all saw major losses in both states, which has opened the grouping up to criticism from its main opposition in the Bundestag.

CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann told public broadcaster ZDF that the results were a "slap in the face" for the three parties, and said the coalition "must ask themselves, how they can stop their disastrous policies."
Changes on the left

The results in Saxony and Thuringia reflect the growing fragmentation of Germany's political landscape and in particular, the rise of anti-establishment parties.

The Left Party's losses could be attributed in large part to its former leader, Sahra Wagenknecht, forming her own party, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), earlier this year.

Her new party combines anti-immigrant stances with left-wing economic policies and is also critical of German support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

BSW is expected to come in third in both Thuringia and Saxony, behind the AfD and the CDU, but making it a possible kingmaker in potential coalitions that seek to exclude the AfD.

"We very much hope that we can eventually get a good government with the CDU — probably also with the [center-left] SPD," Wagenknecht told Germany's state broadcaster ARD.

jcg/jsi (AP, dpa, Reuters, AFP)

UK PRESS FRONT PAGES

German far right's 'big win' and school 'race hate surge'

The Times characterises the electoral success of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as the country's first "big win" for the far right since World War Two. It reports that the AfD won a regional state election, "breaking a political taboo that dates from the fall of the Nazis". Like other papers, it also carries the images of six Hamas hostages, whose bodies were recovered in Gaza by Israeli soldiers on Saturday.

The AfD's victory in Thuringia is also the focus of the Financial Times, which suggests voters have "quit" the centre ground in Germany. The paper describes the poll in the eastern state as a "disaster for [Chancellor Olaf] Scholz's coalition", and point out that the hard left also made gains.


The Daily Mirror focusses on domestic issues, with an exclusive story headlined "Race hate surge in schools". The paper reports that "almost 60 children a day were suspended from school for racism last year". It adds that means the number of race hate incidents among pupils rose by a quarter in 12 months.

Protests in Israel lead the Guardian, alongside the images of the six hostages also featured on the front pages of the Times and Financial Times. It reports that tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Sunday and that a general strike had been called "amid an eruption of public outrage against the government".


The Daily Express brands the UK government's claim that it cut the winter fuel allowance to help to stop a run on the pound "ludicrous". Labour had been "derided for a "desperate attempt to defend axing winter fuel payments," it reported. Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell told BBC Breakfast on Sunday that there could have been a "run on the pound" had the government not taken action on public finances.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's party is also criticised on the front page of the Daily Mail, suggesting in its headline that "Labour is 'scaring off' big business". The paper warns of a "sudden collapse" in economic confidence among bosses, amid "fears of a tax-raising Budget... and concern about Labour's plans for a union-friendly package of workers' rights".


One-word Ofsted statements are to be scrapped immediately, Metro reports. Its headline quips: "Grade big U-turn on schools". The report runs alongside a picture of headteacher Ruth Perry, who died by suicide while waiting for an Ofsted report to be published last year.

The Daily Telegraph leads with the same story, reporting that parents will "no longer be told whether a school is outstanding, good, requiring improvement or inadequate by inspectors". Instead, the Telegraph explains, school "report cards" will come in from September next year - "although the change has been introduced so swiftly that their exact form has not been decided".

With RM1.2b at stake, Thailand battles against invasive ‘alien’ blackchin tilapia for next generation’s sake

RM1b  = USD$231,535,000

Despite numerous efforts to control its population, the fish continues to wreak havoc on the environment and economy, and has impacted 17 provinces in the country, according to a BBC report published today.

By Malay Mail
Sunday, 01 Sep 2024 

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 — Thailand is facing a serious ecological crisis as the blackchin tilapia, a highly invasive fish species from West Africa, spreads rapidly through its waterways.

Despite numerous efforts to control its population, the fish continues to wreak havoc on the environment and economy, and has impacted 17 provinces in the country, according to a BBC report published today.

A parliamentary investigation is being conducted to determine the cause and identify those responsible, with Bangkok MP Nattacha Boonchaiinsawat stating, “We will not pass a devastated ecosystem to the next generation.”

He estimates that this outbreak will cost the Thai economy at least 10 billion baht (RM1.2 billion).

The blackchin tilapia poses a significant threat to Thailand’s aquaculture industry by preying on valuable species like shrimp and snail larvae.

This invasive species can reproduce at an alarming rate, making it difficult to eradicate.

The government has implemented various strategies to combat the problem, including encouraging public participation in fish-catching campaigns, releasing predators, and even developing genetically modified sterile fish.

However, experts warn that these efforts may be insufficient to stop the spread of the blackchin tilapia.

One contentious issue is the origin of the invasive species.

While the government suspects a laboratory experiment by Charoen Pokphand Food (CPF) as the cause, the company denies any involvement and threatens legal action.

Despite ongoing investigations, it remains unclear how the blackchin tilapia entered Thailand’s waterways.

Whether it escaped from a laboratory or was smuggled into the country, the consequences are severe.

Experts believe that eradicating the blackchin tilapia may be impossible due to its rapid reproduction and wide-ranging habitat.

The focus should now be on mitigating its impact and preventing further damage to the ecosystem.

Authorities have introduced the blackchin tilapia’s natural predators, such as Asian seabass and long-whiskered catfish, to control their population.

However, these efforts are challenged by the rapid reproduction of the species, with females capable of producing 500 fingerlings at once.

To further address the issue, authorities are developing genetically modified blackchin tilapia that produce sterile offspring, with plans to release them by the end of the year to curb the population growth.

Yet, Nattacha told BBC Thai that the government needs to take additional action.

“Who will win?” he asked. “We need the public to stay engaged with this issue, or it will fade into the background, and we will pass on this kind of environment to the next generation.”

The battle against the blackchin tilapia is a complex and ongoing challenge.

As Thailand grapples with this environmental threat, it is crucial to implement effective strategies and learn from the experiences of other countries facing similar invasions.

 

ECOCIDE

Houthi group to begin towing damaged Greek oil tanker Sonion in Red Sea on Sunday

AFTER BOMBING AND BURNING IT

Yemeni authorities permitted operation to tow Sonion, which was targeted for violating ban on vessels traveling to or associated with Israel, says Houthi government’s unrecognized foreign minister

Mohammed Sameai

 |01.09.2024

SAANA, Yemen

The Yemeni Houthis announced that they would begin on Sunday towing the Greek oil tanker Sonion, which had been damaged in the Red Sea.

Jamal Amer, the Houthi government’s unrecognized foreign minister, shared the update on Facebook Saturday evening.

He said the Yemeni authorities have permitted the operation to tow the Sonion, which was targeted by the Houthis for violating a ban on vessels traveling to or associated with Israel.

This action was reportedly carried out under the direction of Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Badruddin al-Houthi.

Amer said that tugboats are expected to arrive on Sunday to begin the towing process.

He reiterated that the Houthis will continue to target any ship that violates the ban on Israeli-related vessels as long as the conflict and blockade of Gaza continue.

On Wednesday, the EU's naval mission, EUNAVFOR MED IRINI, reported that the fire aboard the MV Sonion had been burning for six days since the Houthi attack on August 23.

The Houthis confirmed their attack on the Sonion, citing a violation of the restriction on entering Israeli-controlled ports. They also warned that the vessel is now in danger of sinking.

The Sonion, a Greek-owned oil tanker, was carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil, according to previous reports from EUNAVFOR MED IRINI.

In a show of solidarity with Gaza amid its ongoing conflict with Israel, which is supported by the US, the Houthis have targeted Israeli or affiliated cargo ships in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean using missiles and drones.

Since the start of the year, a US-led coalition has conducted airstrikes against what it claims are Houthi positions in Yemen in response to the group's maritime attacks, which have occasionally been met with counteractions from the Houthis.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas

Ukraine drones target refinery, power plants in Moscow, Tver

TEHRAN, Sep. 01 (MNA) – Ukraine launched waves of drone attacks targeting power and refinery plants in the Moscow region and Tver, sparking fires, while tens of drones were destroyed across other parts of the country, Russian officials on Sunday.

Drone debris sparked fires at the Moscow Oil Refinery and at the Konakovo Power Station in the Tver region, one of the largest energy producers in central Russia, officials and media said, Reuters reports.

Russia's defence ministry said on the Telegram messaging app that its air defence units had destroyed 158 drones launched by Ukraine overnight, including nine over Moscow and its surrounding region.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said several drones targeted the Moscow refinery and a fire was being extinguished at a "separate technical room" at the plant.

Russia's TASS news agency, citing fire emergency officials, said the fire was assigned the highest level of complexity, which may require additional rescue units.

The Baza Telegram news channel, which is close to Russia's security services, said loud blasts were heard near the Konakovo power plant.

Tver Governor Igor Rudenya said there was a fire in the town of Konakovo but that electricity and gas supplies were uninterrupted. He did not say what was burning.

Ukraine also attempted to strike the Kashira Power Plant in the Moscow region with three drones, Mikhail Shuvalov, head of the Kashira city district said on Telegram. There was no fire, damage or casualties as a result of the attack, he said.

"Electricity is being supplied without problems," Shuvalov posted on Telegram.

The defence ministry said 46 drones were destroyed over the border region of Kursk, 34 over Bryansk, 28 over Voronezh and 14 over the Belgorod regions. Several more were downed over Kaluga, Lipetsk, Ryazan and a score of other Russian regions, the ministry said.

MNA/PR