SEE IT'S IN THE PLANNING

‘Too early’ for an Asian NATO: US official

A leading candidate to become Japan’s next leader says he would spearhead the creation of such a bloc.

By Alex Willemyns for RFA
2024.09.17
Washington

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink speaks in Taguig, Philippines, May 21, 2024.

 Aaron Favila/AP

  

 

A top U.S. official has rebuffed calls for an “Asian NATO” made by a leading candidate to become Japan’s next prime minister.

Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party will next week choose its new leader and thereby anoint a successor to Fumio Kishida, who last month announced he would step down amid lagging popularity.

One of the three leading candidates to replace Kishida, the 67-year-old former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, has argued that Tokyo should lead the creation of a formal security alliance in Asia similar to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which commits its 32 member countries to each other’s defense in the event any are attacked.

Japan's former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, holds up a sign that reads “Reassurance and Safety to Everyone” during a debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, Sept. 14, 2024. (Takashi Aoyama/Pool Photo via AP)

But speaking at a forum on Indo-Pacific security at the Stimson Center on Tuesday, Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant U.S. secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, said he thought the proposal was hasty.

“It's too early to talk about collective security in that context, and [the creation of] more formal institutions,” Kritenbrink said, advocating for a continuation of the Biden administration’s foreign-policy approach of building a “latticework” of U.S. alliances in the region.

“What we're focused on is investing in the region's existing formal architecture and continuing to build this network of formal and informal relationships,” he said. “And then we'll see where that goes.”

But Kritenbrink said Washington took a neutral stance on the internal party election.

“Maybe one final comment,” he said, “just so people don't think I'm commenting on the Japanese election – we look forward to working with whomever is elected, and I'm confident that whoever is prime minister is going to be great for the U.S.-Japan alliance.”

Asian NATO

Proposals for an “Asian NATO” have rankled Beijing, which sees itself as the ultimate focus of any such bloc in a similar way that Moscow has often blasted NATO itself for its focus on defense against Russia.

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At the Shangri-La defense dialogue in Singapore in June, a top Chinese military leader accused the United States of trying to slowly introduce such a security alliance by building up its historical ties between Japan and South Korea into an “institutional” alliance.

China's Deputy chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission Lt. Gen. Jing Jianfeng delivers his remarks during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus in Jakarta, Indonesia, Nov. 16, 2023. (Willy Kurniawan/Pool Photo via AP)

Washington was trying to create an Asian NATO as a method of “tying the region’s countries to the U.S. war chariot,” Lieutenant Gen. Jing Jianfeng said at the forum, describing the Biden administration’s “latticework” of alliances as a stepping stone to something more.

“The real purpose is to merge the small circle into the large circle of the Asia-Pacific version of NATO so as to maintain the hegemony led by the U.S.,” he said, blaming “selfish U.S. geopolitical interests.”

But American officials have long denied any plans for such a bloc in Asia, describing the geopolitical situation in the region as different from that in Europe, with little to gain from institutionalization.

Edited by Malcolm Foster

Afghan warlord Dostum calls for united move to end Taliban rule

Abdul Rashid Dostum pictured in September 2014. / US State Department

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By bne IntelliNews September 16, 2024

Veteran Afghan warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum has reportedly called on groups that oppose the fundamentalist Taliban to unite to create a parallel government-in-exile for Afghanistan that will move to dislodge the extremist group from power.

Dostum, who with other anti-Taliban figures has formed the Turkey-based High Council of Resistance to Save Afghanistan, made his appeal on September 15, according to Radio Azadi. It came two days after bne IntelliNews reported Russian political scientist Andrey Serenko has predicted an upcoming civil war in Afghanistan and has concluded that there is “no doubt that the Taliban regime will fall, and it will fall relatively soon”.

Seventy-year-old Dostum is an ethnic Uzbek, nicknamed “Pasha”, who has long been at the head of a private army and has near mythical status in Afghanistan, having fought with both the Soviets and the US during the decades of Afghanistan’s endless wars.

However, it is two ethnic Tajiks that Serenko focused on as, in an interview with Tajikistan’s Asia-Plus, he told how the resistance in Afghanistan is nowadays mainly represented by two forces, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), led by Ahmad Massoud, sometimes referred to as the “Young Lion of Panjshir”, and the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), reportedly partly led by Lieutenant General Yasin Zia, another ethnic Tajik, who served as chief of general staff and acting defence minister under the US-backed Afghan government that disintegrated ahead of the Taliban retaking power in Kabul three years ago.

“Both Massoud's people and Zia's people are very determined,” said Serenko. “They intend to fight for the liberation of their country from the rule of the Taliban, and I hope that all countries in the region will understand this sooner or later and will work with the resistance forces.”

“It is obvious,” concluded Serenko, “that the resistance forces are the only ones who can build a normal, civilised country and a modern state. Whoever supports them first will then be able to realise their interests in Afghanistan.”

Of Dostum, he said: “Marshal Dostum now lives in Turkey, and he is silent. At the same time, experts believe that if he had come to northern Afghanistan and called for an uprising against the Taliban regime, he would have been able to gather large forces, and the northern regions of the country would certainly have fallen away from Kabul. However, Dostum, like other former leaders who fled to Turkey, does nothing of the kind, as he and the others are closely guarded by the Turkish special services, who strongly advise against such steps.”

Dostum formerly served under the UN-backed former Afghan government, which fled amid the 2021 Taliban takeover, as a deputy defence minister, first vice president and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Human rights groups have accused him of committing war crimes, including the suffocation of a 1,000 Taliban fighters during the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan.

No country has yet recognised the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan administration.

Looking at what support Massoud could gain if he made a big move against the Taliban, Serenko noted that some of his fighters have lately been engaged in Herat province. He told Asia-Plus: “By the way, Herat is in the west of Afghanistan, it is a province adjacent to Iran. The effectiveness of Massoud's fighters suggests some support from the Iranian special services. Until recently, Tehran preferred to deal with the Taliban, but it seems that, at least tacitly, the Iranians are beginning to support Massoud. There are many Afghans in Iran who support this leader. I would like to note that Massoud recently visited Tehran and Moscow, but he recently refused to visit the United States.”

Radio Azadi observed that “US officials have insisted they are not providing military support to Taliban opposition groups, but are providing political support to non-Taliban leaders and political opponents of the Taliban and holding meetings with them”.

Job market changing globally because of green transition

As many as 8mn new clean energy jobs will be created worldwide by 2030, while 2.5mn positions in fossil fuels will disappear. / Kate Costa, DOE

By bne IntelliNews September 17, 2024

Jobs in green sectors are rapidly increasing, with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) reporting 13.7mn direct and indirect renewable energy jobs globally in 2022. Solar energy has led the way, making up over one-third of the total. China holds 41% of these jobs, according to IRENA, reported the Financial Times (FT).

The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that by 2030, 8mn new clean energy jobs will be created worldwide, while 2.5mn positions in fossil fuels will disappear. This results in a net gain of 5.7mn jobs, but challenges remain, said the newspaper.

A recent OECD study showed that although highly skilled green jobs, such as engineers and carbon traders, tend to offer better pay, lower-skilled roles in areas like recycling and transport do not see the same benefits. There are also concerns about how the shift impacts communities as jobs relocate, as well as the fact that many green sectors are less unionised, said the FT.

Experts stress the need for careful labour market management during this transition. "We must ensure labour market policy supports those directly impacted by the green transition," Stefano Scarpetta, head of OECD employment, told the newspaper

The OECD’s latest Employment Outlook reveals that over 25% of jobs in member countries will be significantly affected by net-zero policies, both positively and negatively. In the EU, jobs in emissions-heavy industries, like fossil fuel energy and energy-intensive manufacturing, are expected to decrease by 14% by 2030. Though these jobs represent a smaller share of the overall workforce, they are often well-paid and unionised.

The green transition occurs alongside other challenges such as AI and automation, which are transforming jobs in unpredictable ways. “In the Industrial Revolution, it was easier to pinpoint the driving forces. This transition is far more complex,” Moustapha Gueye from the International Labour Organisation, told the FT.

In South Africa's Mpumalanga Province, the shutdown of the Komati coal power plant in 2022 has been a key example of how coal-reliant countries manage the shift to green energy. Supported by a $2.2mn grant from the Bezos Earth Fund, 250 workers have been retrained in renewable technologies such as solar installation and battery storage, with 400 more expected to be certified by November.

“Many were initially concerned about their jobs but are now more optimistic,” said Andrew Steer, CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund.

Shoki Mbowane, a former technician at Komati, told the FT about the challenge of transitioning to green energy skills. “It was daunting at first since I knew nothing about renewables," she said. "Some colleagues chose to move to other plants instead of retraining, but I’m glad I made this decision.”

South Africa, which still derives 85% of its electricity from coal, secured an $8.5bn deal in 2021 from countries like the US and UK to help fund its climate transition. "What happens here offers lessons for other countries," said Steer of the Bezos Earth Fund.

However, opposition from coal advocates remains strong. South Africa’s mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe has called the idea that coal’s time is over “a myth,” warning that poorly managed transitions could create "ghost towns."

In the US, advocates are optimistic about President Joe Biden’s pro-clean-energy Inflation Reduction Act, which provides $369bn in subsidies to create green jobs, particularly in coal-dependent regions, with wages comparable with fossil fuel industries. “Historically, wages could be lower, but these incentives are promising,” Katie Harris of the BlueGreen Alliance said to the FT.

However, not all initiatives have succeeded. Danish wind company Ørsted scrapped two projects in New Jersey, dashing hopes for local job creation. “My town really needs jobs,” said Gary Stevenson, former mayor of Paulsboro, where an Ørsted would have been built. A long-time fossil fuel supporter, he acknowledged the need to move forward.

Union leaders are also concerned about representation in green industries. "We're worried that the low-carbon economy is not unionised enough," Kan Matsuzaki of the IndustriALL Global Union told the FT. “Many new companies dominate this market, and union presence is lacking.”

With the UN COP climate summit approaching in Baku, Azerbaijan on November 11, green transition advocates hope workforce training and job creation will become central to climate action plans. “Governments and businesses need to act now,” Binnu Jeyakumar of the Powering Past Coal Alliance said to the FT.

Bayesian sinking: Navy divers ‘racing to recover hard drives’ from Mike Lynch’s wrecked superyacht

By Samuel Montgomery
Daily Telegraph UK·
17 Sep, 2024 02:35 PM3 mins to read

Italian navy divers are reportedly racing to retrieve Mike Lynch’s personal hard drives from the wreck of the Bayesian, amid speculation they contain material of interest to intelligence services.

Seven people, including the British tech entrepreneur and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, died when the superyacht sank in bad weather off the coast of Sicily last month.

Investigators from Palermo said that no personal items had yet been recovered from the shipwreck, but Italian special forces divers have brought up potentially crucial video equipment which could explain how the Bayesian sank.

The Bayesian superyacht, which sank off the coast of Sicily.

The Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that Lynch kept two encrypted hard drives in a safe because he did not trust cloud storage with controversial documents.

The Italian media outlet claimed that the tech entrepreneur counted MI5, the US National Security Agency and the Israeli secret service as clients, heightening the interest in his personal hard drives.

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Sources close to Lynch’s family downplayed the claims, suggesting there was no evidence he had access to intelligence material.

Darktrace, the cybersecurity company that he co-founded, employed many ex-intelligence officers, which has prompted speculation that the company still held some ties to spying agencies.

Mike Lynch died when the superyacht the Bayesian sank off the coast of Italy in August. Photo / Getty Images

Lynch founded Darktrace with Stephen Huxter, who had been a high-ranking official in MI5′s cyber defence team, and later bolstered its advisory board with Jonathan Evans, the former head of MI5, and Andrew France, a GCHQ veteran.
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Lynch’s company also hired Jim Penrose, who had previously worked for the National Security Agency in the US, and Dave Palmer, who worked at MI5 and GCHQ.

However, Lynch had not been involved in running the business for several years.

The tech entrepreneur’s first business endeavour, the fingerprint recognition company Cambridge Neurodynamics, did hold contracts with the UK intelligence agencies.

Speaking to Wired magazine in 2002, Lynch said: “They have the most interesting problems”.

A big James Bond fan, the tech entrepreneur named conference rooms in his company’s headquarters after villains such as Dr No and Goldfinger.

He even installed a fish tank full of piranhas in the reception of tech company Autonomy, the subject of fraud charges of which he was cleared in San Francisco, as an ode to You Only Live Twice.

The search of Bayesian continues after six divers, from an Italian navy unit akin to Britain’s Special Boat Service, recovered video surveillance systems, computers and hard drives which will be sent to specialised labs, a source close to the investigation told Reuters.

It is hoped that, if the equipment was recovered intact, it may help investigators find out what happened on the night of the sinking.

La Repubblica reported that the only hard drives brought to the surface so far are part of the ship’s own IT equipment.

It has been suggested that the yacht was hit by a meteorological phenomenon known as a downburst.

New Zealand citizen James Cutfield, 51, was the captain of the Bayesian, the boat that sunk off the coast of Italy.

Fifteen people, including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, survived the disaster after being rescued by a nearby yacht.

The other victims of the August 19 tragedy were Recaldo Thomas, the ship’s Antiguan-Canadian chef; Jonathan Bloomer, the Morgan Stanley International bank chairman, and his wife, Judy; and Chris Morvillo, a Clifford Chance lawyer, and his wife, Neda.

The Bayesian will be raised from its depth of 50m and brought to shore as part of the investigation into how it sank off the fishing town of Porticello.

James Cutfield, 51, the New Zealand skipper of the Bayesian, is under investigation for multiple manslaughter and causing a deadly shipwreck, along with two British crew members: Tim Parker Eaton, 56, and Matthew Griffiths, 22.

Canada's Trudeau says there's 'more work to do' after his party suffers another by-election loss

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s focused on the work ahead after the ruling Liberals lost in another by-election, raising more questions about his ability to lead the party into the next federal election

ByJIM MORRIS Associated Press
September 17, 2024, 2:32 PM




VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday he’s focused on the work ahead after the ruling Liberals lost in another by-election, raising more questions about his ability to lead the party into the next federal election.

For the second time in recent months the Liberals lost in a former stronghold when the Bloc Quebecois won the vote in the electoral district of LaSalle-Emard-Verdun Monday in Montreal in a tight three-way race with the New Democratic Party.

“Obviously it would have been nicer to be able to win . . . but there’s more work to do,” Trudeau said in Ottawa.

“The big thing is to make sure that Canadians understand the choice they get to make in the next election," Trudeau said. "That’s the work we’re going to continue to do.”

Election Canada results show the Bloc candidate Louis-Philippe Sauve finished with 28% of the vote. Liberals' candidate Laura Palestini collected 27.2% and finished just 248 votes behind the winner. The NDP collected 26.1% and was about 600 votes behind the winner.

It’s the second time in three months that Trudeau’s party has lost a by-election in a riding they held for years. In June, the Conservatives narrowly defeated the Liberals in Toronto-St. Paul’s.

The Liberals won every seat in Toronto and almost every seat on the Island of Montreal in the last election.

Monday's loss “is a major blow for the Liberals,” said Daniel Beland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.

“This is a riding we would expect them to win under normal circumstances,” Beland said in an email. “Not only did this not happen, they lost by nearly 16 percentage points in popular votes compared to their score in the riding back in 2021, when they had easily won there.”

Andrew Perez, a longtime Liberal supporter and strategist, posted on social media that the loss is “yet another nail in Justin Trudeau’s coffin.”


“If Trudeau’s Liberals can’t hold this safe seat, it will spell even bigger trouble for the party’s prospects in Quebec and across Canada in a critical election year,” Perez said in a statement before the final vote.

Beland doesn’t believe Trudeau will step down as party leader before the next election, which is scheduled for next fall.

“Some Liberals might try to convince him to step down but it’s not sure at all he would,” said Beland.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne was asked Tuesday if Trudeau should remain as prime minister.

Champagne said there is “concern, there’s anxiety” among Canadian voters.

“They’re ready for a positive vision of the country,” he said. “I think if there’s someone who can really inspire Canadians, it’s Justin Trudeau.

Most polls show the federal Conservatives well ahead of the Liberals. Trudeau is also very unpopular with many Canadians.

The NDP recently ended its supply and confidence agreement with the Liberals that helped keep the minority government in power. That led to speculation there could be an early federal election.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said his party plans to put forward a non-confidence motion “at the earliest possible opportunity” in hopes of bringing down the Liberal government.

Neither the NDP nor Bloc, a party based only in Quebec and devoted to Quebec sovereignty, has said if they will help bring the government down.

Beland said it’s difficult to predict if there will be an early election.

“It seems that only the Conservatives want a federal election right now so either the Bloc or the NDP could still decide to support the Liberals at the next confidence vote,” he said. “They (the Liberals) only need the support of one of these opposition parties to stay alive.”

In another by-election Monday, the NDP held onto its seat in Winnipeg in a race closer than previous votes. The NDP defeated the Conservative candidate by 1,200 votes.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh took to social media to call the decision “a big victory.”

Canada's Justin Trudeau faces setback as party loses crucial Montreal election

Canada's Justin Trudeau faces setback as party loses crucial Montreal election

The result will put more focus on the political future of Trudeau, who has become increasingly unpopular after almost nine years in office

Reuters Ottawa Published 17.09.24

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks while Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre pretends to play a violin in the background during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in OttawaReuters

Canada's ruling Liberal party lost a once-safe seat in a Montreal parliamentary constituency, preliminary results showed on Tuesday, a result likely to put more pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to quit.

Elections Canada said that with 100% of the votes counted in LaSalle-Emard-Verdun, Liberal candidate Laura Palestini had been beaten into second place by the separatist Bloc Quebecois candidate, Louis-Philippe Sauvé.

Palestini received 27.2% of the vote compared to 28% for the Bloc and 26.1% for the New Democratic Party candidate. The election was held to replace a Liberal legislator who quit.

The result will put more focus on the political future of Trudeau, who has become increasingly unpopular after almost nine years in office.

Trudeau insists he will lead the party into an election that must be held by the end of October 2025, but some Liberal legislators have broken ranks to call for change at the top.

Alexandra Mendes, a Liberal lawmaker who represents a Quebec constituency, said last week that many of her constituents wanted Trudeau to go.

In the 2021 general election, the Liberals won the Montreal seat with 43% of the vote, ahead of the Bloc Quebecois on 22% and the NDP on 19%. Trudeau had suggested voters may react to anger over elevated prices and a housing crisis.

Polls suggest that the Liberals will lose badly to the right-of-center Conservatives of Pierre Poilievre in the next federal election. A Leger poll last week put the Conservatives on 45% of public support, a level of national support rarely seen in Canada, with the Liberals in second place on 25%.

Trudeau's popularity has sagged as voters struggle with a surge in the cost of living and a housing crisis that has been fueled in part by a spike in arrivals of temporary residents including foreign students and workers.

Poilievre is promising to axe a federal carbon tax he says is making life unaffordable and last week vowed to cap immigration limits until more homes could be built.

Liberals concede the polls look grim but say they will redouble efforts to portray Poilievre as a supporter of the Make America Great Again movement of former U.S. President Donald Trump as an election approaches.

Poilievre, an acerbic career politician who often insults his opponents, also says he would defund CBC, Canada's public broadcaster. In April he was ejected from the House of Commons after he called Trudeau "a wacko."

Kongsberg to Establish Missile Factory in the U.S.

Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace is building a missile production facility in the United States to meet global demand, following expansion in Norway and the recently announced missile factory in Australia.

Naval News Staff  17 Sep 2024

Kongsberg press release

Located near key U.S. Navy facilities, the site in James City County, Virginia will provide additional production capacity, sustainment and in-country tech refresh capabilities for Kongsberg Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) and Joint Strike Missiles (JSM).

“The new missile production facilities in the U.S., Australia and Norway address the strong and long-term demand for our unique technology and the critical need to strengthen collective defense capabilities. Kongsberg has a proud history in the U.S. and we are delighted to continue to invest in the country to support American interests while creating jobs locally,” said Geir Håøy, CEO of Kongsberg.

This is the second new missile production facility Kongsberg has announced in as many months, and the decision to locate this facility in the U.S. was heavily influenced by the possibility that the Department of Defense could award a multiyear procurement contract to Kongsberg.

“The U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force are important customers for Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile and Joint Strike Missile. Their demand signals gave us the predictability we needed to make this investment in the United States. This will allow us to better serve our allies in the U.S. and continue to expand that supply chain locally, building capacity and redundancy for these critical capabilities.”

Eirik Lie, president of Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace

Kongsberg’s investments will increase overall U.S. manufacturing capability and further increase capacity to build these advanced systems, but more importantly, it will bring this capability to the U.S.

“Kongsberg is investing in a big way in the U.S. market by making Virginia the U.S. home of our new missile factory, which will entail hiring more than 180 people. We will also be investing more than $100 million into the Commonwealth of Virginia over the next few years, in terms of property, plant and equipment,” said Heather Armentrout, president and general manager, Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Kongsberg. “This is in addition to expansion at our core U.S. production facility in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.”

The new facility in James City County will be equipped to assemble, upgrade and repair both NSM and JSM. The NSM is an anti-ship missile with superior operational performance and high survivability against all enemy defense systems. The JSM is an air-launched strike missile designed to fulfill complex missions, such as Anti-surface Warfare (ASuW) and land attack. The JSM is designed to be deployed internal to the weapons bay of the U.S. Air Force’s F-35A, a characteristic that preserves the low observability features of the aircraft throughout any strike mission. KONGSBERG’s JSM is the only long-range precision strike munition that offers that capability.

– End –

Mockup Naval Strike Missiles sit in the production hall of Kongberg's new dedicated NSM fabrication facility. Credit: Kongsberg

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for PERMANENT ARMS ECONOMY 

CLIMATE CRISIS: WILDFIRES 

Peru is burning while authorities look away

Manuel Pulgar Vidal, former Minister of Environment, warns that the scale and intensity of these fires are unprecedented. / ANDINA/Difusión

By Alek Buttermann September 17, 2024

Wildfires continue to ravage 22 of Peru’s 24 regions, claiming at least 15 lives and destroying over 3,000 hectares of land. Despite the scale of destruction, Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzén has downplayed the severity of the situation, stating that declaring a state of emergency is "not being evaluated." This dismissive attitude has drawn widespread criticism, especially as conditions worsen and communities struggle with limited resources.

The origins of the fires are attributed to human activities, particularly the traditional but harmful practice of slash-and-burn agriculture. Adrianzén has urged locals to cease these practices, but his appeal comes as little comfort to those already affected. Many see the government’s response as inadequate, hindered by limited aircraft and unfavourable weather conditions. Adrianzén himself acknowledged the limitations, noting that smoke, wind and clouds have prevented aerial firefighting efforts in key regions like Amazonas.

The situation has prompted calls for a more urgent response. The Defensoría del Pueblo has advocated for a state of emergency, arguing that the government's slow reaction has exacerbated the crisis. Experts like Manuel Pulgar Vidal, former Minister of Environment, warn that the scale and intensity of these fires are unprecedented. He criticises not only the government’s lack of preparedness but also the “perverse incentives” created by policies like the anti-forestry law, which encourages illegal deforestation under the guise of legalising land titles for export.

Climate change is compounding the problem. Prolonged droughts and strong winds have turned vegetation into highly flammable material, accelerating the spread of fires. The National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR) has warned that the country’s current conditions are perfect for wildfires to spiral out of control.

Peru's firefighting efforts are further strained by poor planning and a lack of preventative measures. While the government touts its ability to handle large fires, smaller, more remote blazes are being neglected, leading to more deaths and destruction. As the country burns, the government’s inaction speaks louder than its words.

Firefighters battling flames around Brazil's capital

Brasília (AFP) – Brazilian firefighters on Monday battled flames blazing through a nature reserve in the capital district of Brasilia, where an area the size of 3,000 football fields has already been destroyed.

Issued on: 17/09/2024 - 

Brasilia is battling its worst fires of the year so far

 © EVARISTO SA / AFP

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called an emergency meeting of his cabinet as Brazil's worst drought in seven decades has fueled fires in the Amazon rainforest and the Pantanal wetlands, choking major cities including Rio de Janeiro with smoke.

The capital Brasilia was the latest to be hit, battling its worst fire of the year as residents used buckets of water to dampen their threatened homes.

Three separate fires broke out over the weekend in the Brasilia National Park, officials said, razing about 1,200 hectares by Monday as dozens of firefighters with planes and helicopters battled to contain the onslaught.

"The flames began to come with great speed and at a height of about six meters (19 feet), and the community started to mobilize," nurse Simone Costa, 51, told AFP as she inspected fire damage with her husband and daughter near their home in Brasilia.

"We grabbed buckets of water to control the fire so that it did not move even closer," she said.

Authorities warned that things were likely to get worse in ultra-dry conditions after 140 days without rain in Brasilia.

The number of fires in Brazil so far this month (57,312) has already exceeded the total for September 2023 in its entirety, according to satellite data from the INPE research institute.

Several Brazilian dams are at historically low levels, and cities like Rio are affected by water restrictions.

Though fuelled by drought, which experts say is made more likely by climate change, authorities say most of the fires were set illegally.

© 2024 AFP

Brasilia wildfire rages across national park, threatening protected environments

Wildfires engulfed the conservation area of Brasilia National Park on Monday and smothered the capital in smoke as the country grapples with a historic drought. The fire was reported to be human-caused, according to the government agency that manages the park, and appears to have started near the edge of a farm.


Issued on: 17/09/2024 - 

A resident near Brasilia National Park tries to contain the forest fire that is raging in the park so that it doesn't reach their homes in Brasilia, Brazil, on September 15, 2024. © Evaristo Sa, AFP

By: NEWS WIRES

Firefighters on Monday battled flames spreading through a national park in Brazil that is enveloping Brasilia in smoke. It's the latest wildfire in the country, which is experiencing an historic drought.

More than 90 firefighters were trying to extinguish blazes that have already burned through 700 hectares (1,700 acres) of the conservation area of Brasilia National Park. Two aircraft from the Federal District’s military firefighting unit and another two from the nearby Chapada dos Veadeiros national park are being mobilized, according to a statement from ICMBio, the government agency that manages the park.

The head of the agency, Mauro Pires, told newspaper Folha de S.Paulo that the fire was human-caused and appears to have started near the edge of a farm.

Smoke from the fire smothered the capital, Brasilia, on Monday, and columns of black smoke were visible from several points in the city.

Brazil has been enveloped in smoke in recent weeks, as fires rage in the Amazon rainforest, the Cerrado savanna and the Pantanal wetlands. Those uncontrolled, human-made wildfires have ravaged protected areas and spread smoke over a vast expanse, causing air quality to plummet.

The country is also enduring its worst drought since nationwide measurements began more than seven decades ago, with 59% of the country affected — an area roughly half the size of the US Major Amazon basin rivers are registering historic lows.

A task force of the Federal District’s public security agency is working with the Federal Police to investigate possible criminal actions in the fire in the Brasilia National Park, the agency said in a statement, adding that around 1,500 agents from the district's government are working to combat fires in the region.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Instagram that the Federal Police have opened 52 investigations “against those responsible for the crimes against our country,” adding that he would be meeting with Environment Minister Marina Silva to “discuss further actions to deal with this climate emergency.” On Sunday, he did a flyover of the park that's spread across three of the Federal District's administrative regions, including Brasilia, and one municipality in Goias state.

Supreme Court Justice Flávio Dino issued a ruling on Sunday authorizing the federal government to direct extra funds toward combating forest fires and hiring firefighters.

Scientists say that climate change — primarily caused by the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal — makes extreme weather more likely, favoring conditions for events such as wildfires and floods.

(AP)

Portugal wracked by blazes at tail end of Europe’s wildfire season

Three firefighters died battling the blazes, Portugal’s prime minister said, adding the country was going through “difficult days.”

By Bryan Pietsch
September 17, 2024

As Europe approaches the end of a wildfire season that has been milder than those of recent years — yet still devastating in certain areas — firefighters in Portugal are battling blazes that have wreaked havoc across the country and left at least three firefighters dead.

Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro cleared his schedule Monday and Tuesday to deal with what his office called an “extremely difficult weather situation.”

Three firefighters died while fighting blazes in Tábua in central Portugal, the country’s Ministry of Internal Administration said in a statement Tuesday. Montenegro said the firefighters were “heroes who gave their lives defending Portugal and the Portuguese people. The greatest tribute we can pay them is to continue fighting, as they did.”

André Fernandes, commander of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Agency, said at a news conference that 125 fires were recorded between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, Portuguese newspaper Expresso reported. Some of the fires were “beyond extinguishing capacity,” he said, adding that the authorities were focusing on “preserving human life and property.”

The fires were concentrated in the northern half of the country, according to European Union data, which showed that more than 160,000 acres have burned in the past day.


Portugal was going through “difficult days” due to the fires, Montenegro wrote on X. He thanked France, Greece, Italy and Spain for their help in battling the fires. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said eight planes had been mobilized via the E.U. Civil Protection Mechanism.

The European Commission said in a statement in May that it was readying a series of “protective measures” in preparation for the wildfire season, including deploying more than 500 firefighters across “strategic locations” in the European Union.

While there have been more wildfires in Europe this year than average, the amount of area burned and the carbon dioxide emitted by them have been lower than average, suggesting the fires have not been as devastating as usual.

Still, even aside from the destruction in Portugal this week, Europe has not gone through the summer unscathed. Last month, a wildfire with flames reaching as high as 80 feet scorched the Athens area in Greece, forcing evacuations in the height of tourism season. A bout of wildfires in Greece last summer were the largest ever recorded in the European Union, burning more than 230,000 acres.

Human-caused climate change has worsened wildfire risks in Europe and around the world. Scientists warn that a warming world and changing weather patterns have led to longer fire seasons and conditions that are ripe for fires to burn larger areas more intensely.

“The fire risk is expected to further increase due to climate change,” according to the E.U. civil protection agency. “The season will be increasingly characterized by massive fires that cost lives and burn areas that take longer to fully recover.”

Even as swaths of Portugal burned, central Europe suffered the aftermath of floods brought on by an extreme storm named Boris over the weekend, which left at least 12 people dead. Climate change probably intensified the storm, The Washington Post reported.

 Greece Aids Portugal to Battle Deadly Wildfires

ByTasos Kokkinidis

September 17, 2024

Portugal, like Greece earlier in the Summer, is facing a disaster due to the wildfires. File Photo.  Credit: Greek Reporter

Greece has announced that it will assist Portugal in battling the deadly wildfires burning in central and northern regions of the country since last week.

Athens is sending two Canadair CL-415 firefighting aircraft to Portugal, which departed for their mission early Tuesday morning.

At least two people have been killed as Portugal is placed on alert from Saturday to Tuesday evening because of high temperatures and strong winds.

The string of blazes that broke out over the weekend in the northern Aveiro region has injured 12 firefighters, including two seriously, and forced about 70 residents to flee, according to the country’s civil protection authority.

Credit: X

“The situation is not out of control, but it is very complex. Today will be a difficult day, and so will tomorrow,” said national civil protection commander Andre Fernandes

Several houses caught ablaze in Albergaria-a-Velha, on Portugal’s west coast, after a fire started in the neighboring municipality of Sever do Vouga, a local authority source told Portuguese news agency Lusa

According to the town’s mayor, António Loureiro, one neighborhood has been evacuated and several others are expected to follow.

Four people have been injured, as authorities have cut off traffic to three major motorways including part of a main highway connecting the cities of Lisbon and Porto.

The municipality has issued a warning to the population to stay safe and canceled school classes on Monday.

All of mainland Portugal is currently on alert until Tuesday due to the risk of fire, as several fires remain active including in the areas of Sever do Vouga and Oliveira de Azeméis.

Over 500 firefighters are battling the largest of the blazes, near Oliveira de Azemeis, south of Porto, according to local media on Sunday.

EU civil protection mechanism for Portugal wildfires activated

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday that Greece will provide assistance to Portugal in combating the wildfires that are raging across the country.

Earlier on Monday, Portugal had requested the activation of the EU civil protection mechanism.

“The EU stands with Portugal as it battles major wildfires. We are urgently mobilizing 8 firefighting planes via our Civil Protection Mechanism to help local first responders. I thank France, Greece, Italy and Spain for their rapid reaction. This is EU solidarity at its best,” stated von der Leyen in a post on X.

Under the Civil Protection Mechanism, the European Commission can provide assistance in the form of additional firefighters, water bombers and helicopters. It can also help by using satellite imagery from the Copernicus system — the Earth Observation component of the EU’s space program — to track fires on the ground. 

Georgia approves “terrible” sweeping anti-LGBTQ+ legislation

The proposed measures are modeled on Vladimir Putin's efforts to erase LGBTQ+ identity in Russia.

By Greg Owen Tuesday, September 17, 2024


Crowds of people standing in front of Georgia's Parliament building on November 1, 2020.Photo: Shutterstock


The Georgian Dream Party has made good on its pledge to outlaw LGBTQ+ identity in the European country with a sweeping set of bills approved by Parliament.

Legislators approved the measures following a third and final reading of the proposed laws under the cover of “family values and the protection of minors.”

Related:

Georgia moves forward with bills to outlaw Pride events & trans people

The legislation would ban LGBTQ+ rights on multiple fronts, including adoption, marriage, and civil IDs.

The legislation, modeled on Russian laws erasing LGBTQ+ identity, would impose draconian curbs on LGBTQ+ rights and provide a legal basis for Georgian authorities to outlaw Pride events, the rainbow flag and public displays of affection, and also to impose censorship of films and books. It restates an existing ban on same-sex marriage and outlaws gender-affirming surgery in the country.




Georgian Dream party leaders say the legislation is critical to safeguarding Georgia from degenerate moral influences exported from the West. Its passage is one more indication the country is tilting its allegiance toward Vladimir Putin’s Russia. With it, the former Soviet republic’s bid to join to the European Union looks ever more unlikely.

Opponents say the bill and timing of the measure are aimed at whipping support for the far-right government ahead of the nation’s October 25 elections. Georgian Dream is looking to increase their majority with their fourth turn at the polls.

“This law is the most terrible thing to happen to the LGBT community in Georgia,” Tamara Jakeli, director of campaign group Tbilisi Pride, told Reuters. “We will most likely have to shut down. There is no way for us to continue functioning.”


Under Georgian Dream’s leadership and with the complicity of the Orthodox Church, Georgia has become ever more hostile to LGBTQ+ people. Polls show broad disapproval of same-sex relationships, and the constitution already bans same-sex marriage.

Tbilisi’s annual Pride marches have repeatedly come under physical attack by right-wing mobs, with reports some of those individuals have traveled from Russia to inflame tensions.

In addition to outlawing public gatherings “promoting” same-sex relationships, the legislation would also limit adoption to heterosexuals, ban gender changes on official identification, and outlaw “LGBT propaganda” in education.




Georgian Dream parliament members have also proposed introducing “genetic” requirements in establishing legal marriage, whereby marriage would be a union of a “genetic woman” and a “genetic man.”

Georgia enjoyed decades of progress on human and LGBTQ+ rights following the Rose Revolution in 2003, as a majority of citizens supported a pro-Western turn and integration into the European Union and NATO.

The rise of the Georgian Dream party in the last 10 years, however, has seen the government reorienting toward its former colonizer, with the Church encouraging the rapprochement.

The introduction of the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation follows the Georgia Parliament’s passage of another Russian-inspired law to label Western NGOs as “foreign agents,” teeing up a harassment campaign aimed at expelling human rights and other groups that far-right conservatives and the Orthodox Church have accused of infecting Georgia and other countries with “degeneracy.”