Anger meets tear gas as Nigeria hardship protests fizzle out


By AFP
October 1, 2024



Protesters run for safety after Nigerian police fire tear gas at demonstrators - Copyright AFP Philip FONG

Aminu ABUBAKAR, Laurie CHURCHMAN, Tonye BAKARE, Leslie FAUVEL, Laurie CHURCHMAN

Rallies over economic hardship struggled to build momentum in Nigeria on Tuesday as the country battles its worst economic crisis in a generation.

Police fired tear gas to break up small crowds in the capital Abuja, while turnout was low across the country.

Dubbed the “National Day of Survival,” the demonstrations followed larger rallies in August, when security forces killed at least 21 protesters in a nationwide crackdown, according to Amnesty International.

After coming to power last year, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu brought in reforms billed as a way to revive the economy and attract foreign investment.

But Nigerians have seen fuel prices soar and inflation hit a three-decade high since Tinubu ended a fuel subsidy and floated the naira currency.

The demonstrators on Tuesday called for an “end to hunger and misery” and lower fuel, electricity and food prices, as well as the release of protesters arrested in August.

– ‘Are we not suffering?’ –


In Abuja, AFP journalists saw police firing volleys of teargas canisters at a crowd of around 50 peaceful protesters near Utako market.

“Why are they firing?” said Moses, 39, a driver working at the market. “Are the protesters not telling the truth? Are we not hungry, are we not suffering?”

“I’m angry. It’s unfair — they do violence on you and there is nothing you can do about it. We are helpless.”

The October 1 rally took place as Nigeria marks its 64th anniversary of independence from British colonial rule.

In an address to the nation, the president said that “since independence, our nation has survived many crises and upheavals.”

“I am deeply aware of the struggles many of you face in these challenging times,” Tinubu said.

“Once again, I plead for your patience as the reforms we are implementing show positive signs, and we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.”

Rex Elanu, a chicken farmer and activist at the protest in Abuja, has seen the price of poultry feed soar under Tinubu.

“It’s a failed state, we must be sincere with ourselves,” the 39-year-old said.

He called for the president to address hunger and insecurity, and said he was frustrated the demands of the #EndbadGovernance protesters in August weren’t met.

“Sometimes I feel hopeless — but not everybody is going to stay quiet and docile,” he said.

– ‘The hunger is too much’ –

Turnout was lower than at the August rallies. There was calm in the northern city Kano, which previously saw intense clashes.

In the economic hub Lagos, hundreds of demonstrators gathered under the Ikeja bridge and marched to the headquarters of the Lagos State government.

The demonstration ended peacefully under a heavy security presence. “As Nigerian people, we are not surviving. We are hungry. The hunger is too much,” said Lagos protest leader Hassan Taiwo.

“We are demanding that all the policies that have led to this hunger must be removed.”

France’s richest man takes control of Paris Match magazine

ByAFP
October 1, 2024


Bernard Arnault is France's richest man - Copyright AFP ALAIN JOCARD

Aurélie Carabin

Paris Match, a glossy French weekly known for its celebrity exclusives on Tuesday became part of the media empire of France’s richest man Bernard Arnault, after a stint under right-wing tycoon Vincent Bollore’s ownership.

The LVMH luxury conglomerate headed by Arnault, who regularly vies with the likes of Elon Musk for the title of the world’s richest man, acquired the magazine in a deal worth 120 million euros ($133 million) first announced in February.

A statement from LVMH on Tuesday said Paris Match had officially passed under the group’s control.

Bollore, whose conservative views are reflected by the CNews TV channel that he owns, has for the last years been accused of interference in the editorial line of the magazine, which still shifts 440,000 print copies every week.

A staple of French newsstands, Paris Match is widely read for insights into the life of the country’s cultural and political elite and shows an insatiable interest in the British royal family and other European monarchies.

But it is also known worldwide for the quality of its photojournalism, including from war zones.

Contacted by AFP, LVMH, which already owns the Le Parisien daily and Les Echos business newspaper, said it did not want to comment for now on the future strategy of the magazine.

A Paris Match journalist, who asked not to be named, told AFP there was a “desire to restore the Paris Match of its heyday” and “therefore to rehire” after the many staff departures in recent years.

Despite expectations in some quarters of a shift from the line under Bollore, “we don’t yet have a very clearly stated editorial strategy,” the journalist added. The editorial team was also invited to a meeting on Tuesday.

But the change was “something of a relief for the newsroom”, the journalist said, pointing to the number of covers in recent months devoted to subjects on the Catholic faith to which Bollore belongs.

A summer 2022 cover devoted to the ultra-conservative cardinal Robert Sarah caused particular disquiet. The political and economic editor-in-chief Bruno Jeudy was then replaced by former CNews anchor Laurence Ferrari.

Bollore, whose Vivendi group has swallowed the media interests of his fellow tycoon Arnaud Lagardere as well as CNews, now controls Sunday paper JDD and weekly JDNews which have a considerable right-wing spin.

CNews is meanwhile regularly accused by critics of being a mouthpiece for France’s far right.

But Arnault, who regularly meets centrist President Emmanuel Macron, has also been criticised for his attitude towards freedom of the press.

According to the specialist publication La Lettre, the billionaire has banned LVMH executives from speaking to to seven blacklisted media outlets.

Mexico’s new president tells investors their money is safe


By AFP
October 1, 2024


Mexico's new President Claudia Sheinbaum delivers an inaugural speech in Congress - Copyright AFP Alfredo ESTRELLA

Mexico’s new President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday promised to protect the rights of investors as she took office as the country’s first woman leader, following a backlash over recent judicial reforms.

“I say this very clearly, be assured that the investments of national and foreign shareholders will be safe in our country,” Sheinbaum said in an inaugural speech in Congress.

She said that her government would “guarantee all freedoms” including those of expression, the press, assembly and movement.

The reforms enacted by Sheinbaum’s predecessor and close ally Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will make Mexico the world’s only country to elect all judges by popular vote.

The changes, which critics argued would make it easier for politicians and organized crime to influence the courts, upset foreign investors as well as key trade partners the United States and Canada.

US Ambassador Ken Salazar warned that the reforms would threaten a relationship that relies on investor confidence in the Mexican legal framework

FREE PAUL WATSON!

New Greenland hearing for anti-whaling activist Watson


By AFP
October 1, 2024

Paul Watson was arrested on July 21 en route to 'intercept' a new Japanese whaling factory vessel - Copyright AFP/File Miguel MEDINA

Camille BAS-WOHLERT

A Greenland court will decide Wednesday whether to keep anti-whaling activist Paul Watson in custody pending a decision on his extradition to Japan, where he is wanted over a clash with whalers.

For the third time since the 73-year-old US-Canadian campaigner’s arrest in late July in Nuuk, the capital of the Danish autonomous territory, “the prosecution has asked for an extension of the detention”, the prosecutor in charge of the case, Mariam Khalil, told AFP in an email.

Watson’s supporters expect the court to grant the prosecution’s request, as the legal review of Japan’s extradition request drags on.

“I still think he should be released,” Watson’s lawyer, Julie Stage, told AFP.

“At some point, you’ll reach the problem of proportionality,” she said, referring to how long the court can hold him in detention considering the crime of which he is accused.

The court hearing, which is expected to last around 90 minutes, “risks being a repetition of the past two hearings in Nuuk, a travesty of justice”, said the head of Sea Shepherd France, Lamya Essemlali.

Watson, who featured in the reality TV series “Whale Wars”, founded Sea Shepherd and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation (CPWF), and is known for radical tactics including confrontations with whaling ships at sea.

He was arrested on July 21 when his ship, the John Paul DeJoria, docked to refuel in Nuuk on its way to “intercept” a new Japanese whaling factory vessel in the North Pacific, according to the CPWF.

He was detained on a 2012 Japanese arrest warrant, which accuses him of causing damage to a whaling ship in 2010 and injuring a Japanese crew member with a stink bomb intended to disrupt the whalers’ activities.

In mid-September, Watson’s lawyers contacted the UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders, claiming that he risked “being subjected to inhumane treatment… in Japanese prisons”.

The lawyers have argued that Japan’s extradition request is based on “false” claims, and insist they have video footage proving the crew member was not on deck when the stink bomb was thrown.

But the Nuuk court has refused to view the footage, arguing that the hearings are solely about his detention and not the question of guilt.

The lawyers have also argued that the crime is not punishable by a prison sentence under Greenlandic law, and Watson should therefore not be extradited.



– ‘Slow process’ –



Watson and his lawyers are eagerly awaiting a decision from Denmark’s justice ministry on whether it will approve Japan’s extradition request.

The ministry told AFP that the legal review was “underway”, but provided no date for when a decision could be expected.

“The process is slow. The Greenlandic police is doing its investigation, which it then has to submit to the prosecutor general, who then makes a recommendation to the minister,” Stage explained.

“We want the Danish minister to make a decision. At the moment they’re just letting him rot in prison, it’s really a problem,” said Essemlali.

She said Watson’s prison conditions have worsened.

“They have cut almost all his contact with the outside world. He’s only allowed to speak to his wife for 10 minutes a week,” she said.

More than 100,000 people have signed a petition calling for the release of Watson, who is controversial in environmental circles due to his radical tactics.

On the political side, France, where Watson lived until his arrest, has urged Copenhagen not to extradite him.

From his cell at the Nuuk prison, a modern grey building overlooking the sea, Watson remains determined to continue his fight to save the whales.

“If they think it prevents our opposition, I’ve just changed ship. My ship right now is Prison Nuuk,” he told AFP in an interview in late August.

The Japanese “want to set an example that you don’t mess around with their whaling”, he said.

Should the pharmaceutical industry be using an alternative to horseshoe crab blood?


By Dr. Tim Sandle
DIGITAL JOURNAL

October 1, 2024



Limulus polyphemus - the Atlantic horseshoe crab, found along the Atlantic coast of the United States and the Southeast Gulf of Mexico. By Breese Greg, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, CC 3.0.

Since the 1950s when the bright-blue blood of horseshoe crabs was first discovered as a way to detect bacterial by-products (endotoxin) in injectable medicines countless lives have been saved. However, to produce the reagent, millions of the ocean dwellers, especially in the U.S., have been captured, their blood drained from their hearts and returned to the ocean.

The blood contains a clotting factor that points to the presence of bacterial endotoxins. The activity of fishing and harvesting, due to the fatality rate, has affected horseshoe crab populations and consequently the animals are classified as a threatened or vulnerable species.

Demand for horseshoe crab blood has increased through the years as pharmaceuticals have developed.

Today, following adoption first by the European Union and then, after some delay, by the U.S. it is no longer necessary to use the crabs. This is according to Timothy Cernak, a medicinal chemist at the University of Michigan’s College of Pharmacy.

“It’s beyond time to transition to a sustainable alternative for this critical step in drug- safety testing,” Cernak states in a message passed on to Digital Journal. “The pharmaceutical industry is inviting major risks to the supply chain of lifesaving medicines by relying on the blood of a wild animal.”

Cernak discusses the use of an alternative reagent called ‘recombinant factor C’ (rFC). This is a pharmacopeia approved alternative to crab blood. The reagent, if appropriately validated, offers the same safety testing. Its use protects the horseshow crab, slows environmental damage and brings other benefits such as supply reliability.

According to Tim Sandle, recombinant protein production begins with expression vector engineering and transfection into a host system. This step is followed by the steps of:Cell selection,
Medium selection (defining the essential nutrients required for optimal cell growth and target protein productivity is very important),

Cloning,
Screening,
Evaluation.

The objective of manufacturing is the standardized production of the same rFC protein through the use of bioreactor.

Cernak has called on the pharmaceutical industry to turn to the alternative, which not only would spare the crab population and protect the ecosystem, but create a more reliable, predictable supply chain for the substance needed to test so many medical products for safety.

He visited the Delaware Bay earlier this year to witness the annual migration of migratory shorebirds who stop there to fuel up on horseshoe crab eggs in the middle of a 10,000-mile journey, just one example of an ecosystem at risk.

“The endangered red knot is a small bird that completes one of the longest animal migrations on our planet, from the southern tip of Argentina to breeding grounds in the Arctic and back every year, and the pharmaceutical industry is harming this majestic natural event,” Cernak said.

Cernak and Lawrence Niles of Wildlife Restoration Partnerships have authored an urgent letter published in the science journal Nature, urging the pharmaceutical industry to “embrace this innovation in preclinical research and manufacturing … Companies can safeguard public health, supply chains and the delicate balance of ecosystems.”

In the letter, Cernak and Niles called the U.S. decision to allow companies to fully adopt rFC for endotoxin testing “a pivotal moment in the biomedical industry’s relationship with nature.”

Cernak says it’s a duty and responsibility to rethink the process of using crab blood.

COUNTERINTUITIVE

GM reports US sales dip, but says EVs grew


By AFP
October 1, 2024




General Motors reported lower overall sales but the introduction of the Chevrolet Equinox EV helped boost electric auto sales - Copyright AFP/File Geoff Robins

General Motors reported a dip in third-quarter US auto sales Tuesday, but pointed to growth in sales of electric vehicles and said retail pricing remained steady.

The big Detroit automaker reported 659,601 US sales during the period, down 2.2 percent from the year-ago but marking a slightly smaller decline than analysts projected.

Sales were mixed among the truck and SUV products that have supported GM profits in recent years.

Whereas GM scored an uptick in sales of GMC Sierra pickup trucks, its top-selling Silverado line experienced a dip.

GM described its EV portfolio as “growing faster than the market” with sales jumping 46 percent in the third quarter, topping 32,000.

GM and Ford have both slowed some investments in EVs due to moderating demand for the vehicles.

GM said average vehicle pricing of $49,349 was in line with its second quarter, with incentives also holding steady.

The automaker has 627,048 vehicles in inventory heading into the fourth quarter, which is much above the level a year-ago when Detroit automakers were contending with a labor strike. However, that level is still below pre-pandemic supplies.

Garrett Nelson, an analyst at CFRA Research, described GM’s sales as “broadly in line” with US auto industry performance in the period.

Cox Automotive predicted a 2.1 percent sales drop among US automakers in the period, with some volatility due to election season offset by a lift from lower interest rate cuts.

“We remain optimistic that new-vehicle sales could improve marginally through the final quarter of 2024,” said Charlie Chesbrough, senior economist at Cox.

California passes law allowing Dutch-style cannabis cafes


By AFP
October 2, 2024


Starting next year, diners in the western US state of California can smoke cannabis at certain restaurants, thanks to a new law allowing for “cannabis cafes” akin to those popularized in the Netherlands.

Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law Monday authorizing businesses that are already licensed to sell cannabis to serve hot food and non-alcoholic beverages.

It will go into effect on January 1, 2025.

California legalized recreational cannabis in 2016, but dispensaries that sell the substance legally remain less popular than the black market.

“Right now, our small cannabis businesses are struggling to compete against illegal drug sellers that don’t follow the law or pay taxes,” said state assemblyman Matt Haney, who authored the bill.

“In order to ensure the legal cannabis market can survive and thrive in California, we have to allow them to adapt, innovate and offer products and experiences that customers want,” Haney continued.

Some cities like West Hollywood, near Los Angeles, have been calling for such legislation for years.

The liberal enclave hopes to compete with Amsterdam and already hosts “cannabis lounges,” where dispensaries are attached to separate bars or restaurants.

Now, the law will allow any business in the state to follow the same model without falling into a legal gray area.

Not everyone is in favor of the move, however.

Public health advocates have expressed concern about the effect smoking cannabis in restaurants can have on lung health.

“Secondhand marijuana smoke has many of the same carcinogens and toxic chemicals as secondhand tobacco smoke,” read a statement from the American Cancer Society’s advocacy branch.

The new law “undermines the state’s smoke-free restaurants law and compromises its enforcement, thus threatening to roll back decades of hard-won protections of everyone’s right to breathe clean, smoke-free air.”

California notably banned smoking in bars and restaurants nearly 30 years ago, the first US state to do so.

Newsom had vetoed a different version of the bill last year, citing the health concerns.

However, the new version of the law signed Monday will include parameters to ensure employees in cannabis cafes can wear masks to protect themselves and be informed of the risks of inhaling secondhand cannabis smoke.

Dali prints found in London garage sold at auction

Agence France-Presse
September 30, 2024

The lithographs signed by Salvador Dali were discovered in a London garage 

© BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP

Eleven lithographs signed by the Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali sparked an auction battle on Monday after being stored and forgotten in a London garage for about 50 years.

The prints, which were found as the seller cleaned up his lock-up in the upmarket Mayfair area, had been bought in the 1970s at an art gallery closing down sale for £500.

Chris Kirkham, associate director of auction house Hansons Richmond, said each lot exceeded its guide price of between £500 to £700 ($670 to $935).

The most sought-after -- an abstract color lithograph of nude figures, a limited edition print signed by the artist himself -- was sold for £4,900.

Dali's 1929 portrait of French poet Paul Eluard sold for a staggering £13.5 million at Sotheby's in London in 2011.

But Kirkham told AFP that demand for the lithographs, even at a lower price, had been "exceptional", with worldwide interest.

"They sort of tick a lot of boxes. You've got a heavyweight artist that has an enduring appeal. They're vibrant and colorful which makes them commercial and I think they're probably fit in anyone's home," he said.

"And they're nice and big, and they're decorative, so they've got a good mixture of things."

The sale was an example of how online bidding had allowed more private buyers a chance to buy art at competitive prices, he added.

"We have one lady that bought three today," he said.

"She saw them from the advertisements and she just wants them for her home on the wall which is great which is nice because previously 10 years ago auctions would only really sell largely 80 to 90 percent to trade, then they would resell them."

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Coldplay ticket scalping fiasco sparks backlash in India

Agence France-Presse
October 1, 2024 

Coldplay are set to play in Mumbai in January (KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFP)

British rock band Coldplay's upcoming tour of India has triggered a police investigation and dismayed fans after scalpers bought up cheap tickets to resell online for more than $1,000 apiece.

Thousands of music fans tried and failed to buy tickets for three concerts scheduled in financial hub Mumbai next January, sold by popular Indian online ticket portal BookMyShow.

All three shows sold out in minutes, and those who missed out were infuriated when they saw $70 (6,000-rupee) tickets appear on resale websites at vastly inflated prices.

"The tickets are being sold at 10 times, 20 times, 30 times the price that is being sold on the website itself," student Anna Abraham, 19, told AFP.

"I wouldn't feel good about it myself if I knew that I paid for something 30 times more than what I could have paid for."

Local media reports said BookMyShow's chief operating officer was questioned by police Monday after a complaint brought by Mumbai lawyer Amit Vyas, who claimed the vendor was working with "black marketeers" to make an extra windfall on ticket sales.

"I checked with nearly 100 people who I know are regulars at concerts, none of them had gotten a ticket," Vyas said, according to the Indian Express newspaper.

"This made me suspicious. I then decided to approach the police as I knew that something was amiss."

BookMyShow issued a statement after the public backlash began last week, saying it had "no association" with unauthorised ticket selling.

"Scalping and black marketing of tickets is strictly condemned and punishable by law in India and BookMyShow vehemently opposes this practice," the company said.

Controversies surrounding tickets for major international musical or sporting events are not new.

US megastar Taylor Swift lashed out at Ticketmaster in 2022 following fan anger over sales to concerts staged for her globe-spanning 'The Eras Tour'.

The debacle sparked debate over the Ticketmaster’s privileged position in the industry amid fan complaints of hidden fees, rampant ticket scalping and limited tickets due to presales.

Thousands evacuated as Super Typhoon Krathon approaches Taiwan

Agence France-Presse
October 1, 2024 

Waves break off Sizihwan Bay beauty spot in Kaohsiung as coast guard officers patrol ahead of the arrival of Super Typhoon Krathon (WALID BERRAZEG/AFP)

Taiwan closed schools and evacuated thousands of people in the south of the island Tuesday ahead of the arrival of Super Typhoon Krathon, with the president warning it was likely to cause "catastrophic damage".

Krathon -- packing sustained winds of 198 kilometers per hour (123 miles per hour), equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane, and gusts of up to 245 kph -- was expected to make landfall Wednesday near the major port city of Kaohsiung.

Offices and schools were closed across southern and eastern Taiwan and the interior ministry said more than 7,800 people had been evacuated from vulnerable areas as a precaution.

President Lai Ching-te warned Krathon would "inevitably cause catastrophic damage".

"The path of Krathon is relatively rare, entering from the south and exiting from the east. Therefore we must be particularly vigilant," he said at a government briefing.

Dozens of international and domestic flights have been cancelled.

Nearly 40,000 troops were on standby for relief missions, the defense ministry said.

In southern Renwu district, part of Kaohsiung, soldiers were seen filling sandbags for distribution to the public, with a few dozen residents waiting at the district office to receive theirs.

Wu Mao-shu, a supervisor at the office, said "people are eager to collect sandbags to protect their homes. Up until yesterday we gave away around 7,400 and another 1,100 today so far."


Wu said authorities had also cleared the storm drains in the area to avoid a repeat of the widespread flooding seen during typhoon Gaemi in July.

Gaemi was the strongest typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in eight years, leaving at least 10 people dead and hundreds wounded.

Taiwan is accustomed to frequent tropical storms from July to October but experts say climate change has increased their intensity, leading to heavy rains, flash floods and strong gusts.

- 'Can't underestimate' Krathon -

In Kaohsiung, residents taped up windows, filled sandbags and erected barriers around their homes to keep out floodwaters.

Coast guard officers patrolling the nearby scenic tourist spot of Sizihwan Bay told people to stay away as powerful waves pounded the coast.

Retiree Ou Rui-yao, who was birdwatching in the area, said he had prepared his home for the storm.

"We need to be very careful as this typhoon must be very strong," said Ou, 82. "Since the tide is high, we have put up water barriers."

"For the whole of Taiwan, we can't underestimate this typhoon."

Taiwan's TSMC, the world's largest chipmaker, said it had "activated routine typhoon alert preparation procedures" at all fabrication plants and construction sites on the island.

"We do not expect significant impact to our operations," it said in a statement.

- Philippine islands hit -

The typhoon was around 220 kilometers south-southwest of Kaohsiung at 1:00 pm (0500 GMT), the Central Weather Administration said.

The storm was approaching Taiwan after pounding a remote group of Philippine islands, where it cut power and communications and damaged "many" houses, according to the local mayor.

The Philippines' National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Tuesday that nearly 1,800 people had been evacuated, around half in the Batanes islands near southern Taiwan.

Taiwan's coast guard said a Barbadian ship, the Blue Lagoon, was taking on water and tilting off the southeast city of Taitung due to the storm, with national rescue authorities later saying its 19 crew members had been airlifted to safety.

Across Taiwan, 23 typhoon-related minor injuries had been reported as of Tuesday afternoon, authorities said without providing details.

In Taitung, where the typhoon has brought heavy rains and waves of up to seven meters (23 feet), a man was sent to hospital after his truck was hit by a huge falling rock as he was driving along a mountainous route, local media said.

Typhoons are common around the region at this time of year.

However, a recent study showed that they are increasingly forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change.