New York City issues first drought warning in two decades



The sky Is lit in red, orange and blue colors behind One World Trade Center and the Manhattan Skyline just before sunrise in New York City on Thursday. New York City Mayor Eric Adams elevated the city's drought watch to a warning on Monday. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 19 (UPI) -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams has issued the city's first drought warning in 22 years, as its reservoirs continue to drop below normal amid a near-record dry spell.

The warning was issued Monday as wildfires have threatened to spark across much of the Eastern United States this fall, including in New York City, where a Brush Fire Task Force was launched on Sunday as 271 brush fires ignited citywide in the last two weeks -- a record over a 14-day period.

The fires are being exacerbated by dry weather. Adams told reporters during a press conference Monday that October and November saw the second-longest rainless streak in 155 years.

Officials said the city's water reservoirs were at about 60% capacity, significantly lower than the 79% for this time of year.

"Over the last 10 weeks, we have had 8.23 inches less rain than in the average year," Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala of the Department of Environmental Protection said. "So this drought has come on fast, it has come on furious, and that's why the last six weeks have been the driest on record."

The warning follows a drought watch issued by Adams earlier this month. With the upgrade to the second of three levels of water conservation, the mayor stated that city agencies were directed to immediately implement water-saving measures.

He also called on New Yorkers to continue to conserve water whenever and however possible.

"If we pull together and save water together, we'll be able to ride this through. And we can avoid a more serious drought that will require further restrictions in the city," he said.

New York Gov. Kathy also declared a drought watch because of "a historic shortage of rainfall" for the state, while elevating 15 counties in mid-Hudson and New York City to a drought warning.

"If you live in one of those areas, please conserve water where possible in the coming weeks," she said on X.

The governor has also declared a statewide burn ban.

The last time New York City was under a drought warning was in 2002.

Wyoming judge strikes down state's abortion bans


President Biden supporters wave a sign supporting abortion rights at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida during a rally on April 23, 2024. A Wyoming judge struck down that state's abortion restrictions on Monday. File Photo by Steve Nesius/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 19 (UPI) -- A county district judge in Wyoming blocked two state laws that limited abortion access, ruling that they violated the state's constitution.

Teton County Judge Melissa Owens said the laws -- Wyoming's Life Act and the Medication Abortion Ban -- violated a woman's personal autonomy in making her own medical decisions.

In her ruling, Owens said that Wyoming state legislators had "enacted laws that impede the fundamental right to make health care decisions for an entire class of people, pregnant women."

She went on to describe the laws, which restrict abortions at the earliest stages of development, did not distinguish between pre-viable and viable fetuses, imposing "unreasonable and unnecessary" restrictions.

Owens had already blocked the laws from going into effect after they were passed last year while court cases challenging the provisions played out in court. The laws are permanently banned, but the state is expected to appeal to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Jay Jerde, a state special assistant attorney general, told the court last year that Wyoming's constitutional amendment does not apply to abortions but addresses women's health in illness. Jerde said the woman is making decisions about her health and the health of the fetus.

But Owens rejected the premise, saying that the "uncontested facts establish that the abortion statutes fail to accomplish any of the asserted interests by the state.

"The state did not present any evidence refuting or challenging the extensive medical testimony presented by the plaintiffs," she said.

ACLU sues ICE to force release of documents detailing Trump mass deportation plan

The public has a right to know how taxpayer dollars will be used to deport, ACLU says.





Nov. 19 (UPI) -- The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit seeking details from the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency into how it may execute a large deportation program.

On Monday, ACLU of Southern California Foundation vs. ICE was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California demanding that ICE "immediately" turn over its requested records. The ACLU contends the records will enable U.S. taxpayers to better understand the vague proposals of President-elect Donald Trump to deport millions of people under his administration.

"For months, the ACLU has been preparing for the possibility of a mass detention and deportation program and FOIA litigation has been a central part of our roadmap," Kyle Virgien, senior staff attorney at the ACLU's National Prison Project, said in a release.

The suit -- a joint legal effort by the ACLU, American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California and the international law firm Mayer Brown LLP -- was filed after ICE failed to respond to ACLU SoCal's FOIA request in August 2024.

The Freedom of Information Act, according to Mayer Brown partner Sophie Mancall-Bitel, "requires federal agencies to disclose information requested by the public."

In a coordinated legal response to promises made by Trump during the campaign, the suit seeks scores of information or other data on how ICE's air travel infrastructure currently operates and could be expanded to facilitate Trump's pledge to realize a large-scale federal program to detain and deport more than 11 million civilians from the United States.

In 2023, ICE Air -- the network of for-profit, commercial and private chartered flights run by the agency to transport detainees between ICE detention facilities across the United States -- deported more than 140,000 people, according to the ACLU.

On Monday, Trump officially indicated he will declare an immigration national emergency and use military assets to carry out mass deportations, saying on social media it was "TRUE!!".

Mancall-Bitel said it's "more important than ever" that American taxpayers understand what federal resources could be used to forcibly remove people from the United States.

Recently, the Freedom of the Press Foundation was adamant that the press and public should proactively download records and data from federal agencies -- like the EPA, NOAA, U.S. Census Bureau, the CDC and others -- that experts believe likely will be targets of a second Trump administration.

Incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump will "marshal every federal and state power necessary to institute the largest deportation operation of illegal criminals, drug dealers, and human traffickers in American history."

Last week, Trump named his former Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, Thomas Homan, to be the next "border czar." Deportations will be "well-targeted," planned and led by non-military ICE agents and conducted "in a humane manner," Homan claimed.

Homan previously indicated that workplace roundups of immigrants are in the works in what experts say will cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars which will likely see a negative trickle-effect reaction in American businesses dependent on migrant labor that help fuel the U.S. economy in jobs U.S. civilians otherwise won't do.

Virgien says litigation concerning the Freedom of Information Act, otherwise known as FOIA, has so far been a "central part" of the ACLU's own "roadmap" to obtain relevant information from ICE Air that may reveal just what an expanded mass detention and deportation plan on such a historically large scale will look like.

An official with the ACLU's Southern California arm pointed out that "little is known" about Trump's agenda as he was largely vague in the campaign about how a second administration will achieve its ambitious goal.

"But what we do know is that this proposal has already instilled fear among immigrant communities," Eva Bitran, director of immigrants' rights at ACLU SoCal, said on Monday.

The ACLU had filed three lawsuits after several federal immigration agencies failed to comply with previously submitted FOIA requests. And according to ACLU officials, ICE responded by releasing some records that provide a little more insight to the agency's existing infrastructure and how it could be expanded to enact anti-immigrant policies.

"The public has a right to know how its taxpayer dollars could be used to fund deportation flights that would tear apart not only families, but also our communities," added Bitran.

U.S. officials mark Transgender Day of Remembrance amid arrival of first trans member of Congress


“We mourn the people who lost their lives to transphobia and anti-transgender violence this year and remember what those people meant to their loved ones and their communities,” Admiral Rachel Levine (R, seen in 2023 next to Becerra), the 17th U.S. assistant secretary for health, said Wednesday. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Top U.S. government officials took time to honor Transgender Day of Remembrance in the United States amid a sizable political shift pending in Washington that includes the addition of the first transgender person ever elected to Congress.

On Wednesday, America's highest-ranking transgender government official said, "in a nation that prides itself on freedom, every individual deserves the right to live authentically and without fear."

 of Remembrance was created in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith, according to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation organization, otherwise known as GLAAD.

"We mourn the people who lost their lives to transphobia and anti-transgender violence this year and remember what those people meant to their loved ones and their communities," Admiral Rachel Levine, the 17th U.S. assistant secretary for Health & Human Services, wrote in a statement.

The day first began as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a Black transgender woman killed in 1998 in Boston, Mass., in a still unsolved murder case.

A recent report by Transgender Europe and Central Asia shows 350 trans people were killed across the globe from October 2023 to September this year, which is up from the prior year's 321.

According to experts, 93% of victims were Black trans people or of other racial backgrounds while 46% were transgender sex workers.

"Let us come together in love and solidarity to honor those we have lost by building a world where everyone can live safely, happily and free of prejudice," Levine, a former Pennsylvania secretary of Health prior to her appointment by President Joe Biden, said.

A transgender remembrance vigil will typically involve the reading of a list of names of those persons lost in the year. Vigils hosted by local transgender advocates or LGBTQ organizations are commonly held at community centers, parks, places of worship or other venues.

Earlier this year, Biden signed a proclamation declaring March 31, 2024 as "Transgender Day of Visibility."

In the afternoon on Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HIV Division posted on social media to also recognize the day.

"We stand in solidarity with trans people to #StopTransphobia," the CDC's HIV division wrote.

This year's day to remember arrived just weeks after Delaware's Sarah McBride was elected as the nation's first transgender person to serve as a member of Congress beginning in January.

Meanwhile, at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, "we do all we can so that our fellow Americans, young and old, can live who they are, free from discrimination, harassment, and violence," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra wrote in a statement.

"We fight so that trans Americans can go to the doctor and receive the same treatment as any other patient," he continued, "so that they feel welcomed at school and in their community for who they are." He went on to say at HHS "we fight for the rights of our transgender and non-binary employees" within the HHS workforce in order to have "a safe and inclusive place to work."

However, there's been a "consistent rise" in hate crimes, levels of online and offline hate speech "especially from political actors and religious and faith leaders, public figures," according to a Transgender Europe spokesperson.

For McBride, her election has put her in the spotlight for more than one reason.
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This week, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina introduced a controversial bill to ban transgender people from using Capitol Hill bathrooms that align with gender identity in a direct target at McBride.

"I'm not here to fight about bathrooms," McBride said Wednesday on X. "I'm here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families."

Her soon-to-be colleague Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said "too many transgender people have been killed just for living as their true, authentic selves," Jayapal wrote on behalf of House Democrats to likewise honor Transgender Day of Remembrance.

But the outgoing HHS secretary requested for the public "to join me in recognizing the many transgender, non-binary, and two-spirit Americans across this country for their extraordinary strength and resilience."

"We see you. We support you. We fight for you," said Becerra.

The Human Rights Campaign offers a list of LGBTQ+ crisis and suicide prevention hotlines and other resources.

Wednesday night eruption is Iceland volcano's 7th this year


Lava flows during a volcanic eruption near Grindavik, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, on Thursday following the seventh eruption in the area since December. Photo by Anton Brink/EPA-EFE

Nov. 21 (UPI) -- A volcano on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula erupted for the seventh time since December in the southwest area of the island nation.

The latest eruption created a fissure measuring nearly 2 miles in length after the eruption began at about 11 p.m. local time Wednesday night, according to Iceland's Meteorological Office.

The fissure stopped expanding about three hours after the eruption, which was much smaller than the last eruption in the same area on Aug. 22, the Met Office reported. That eruption produced a fissure measuring 2.5 miles.

"The eruption is in the same place as the last one in August," Icelandic Tourist Board spokesperson Snorri Valsson told CNN. "The town of Grindavik is not threatened by the lava flow."

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Wednesday night's eruption did not interfere with air traffic to and from Iceland on Thursday, but it did prompt the evacuation of two hotels at Iceland's Blue Lagoon and a geothermal energy plant.

Valsson said about 60 people were evacuated from Grindavik, as well as those who were at the power plant and the two hotels at the Blue Lagoon.

The Blue Lagoon already was empty because the eruption occurred after its closing time.
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The eruption peaked at about 2 a.m., according to the Meteorological Office.

The Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland has produced 10 eruptions since January 2020.

Iceland is one of the most active areas for volcanic activity in the world and is situated along an active geological boundary between Europe and North America.

The volcanic activity is caused by the earth being pulled apart along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge instead of being a cone that erupts magma through a central chamber, University of Cincinnati earth sciences professor Thomas Algeo told ABC News.

The eruptions on Iceland typically are less dangerous than cone-type eruptions because the lava flows are slower there and much less violent than volcanic eruptions located in the Earth's subduction zones, Algeo said.

In addition to frequent eruptions, Iceland also is prone to seismic activity and one day in 2023 recorded more than 1,000 earthquakes over a 24-hour period.

Delhi's 'alarming' air quality crisis persisting as city is named India's dirtiest

People drive amid heavy smog on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, on Saturday. A weeks-long air quality crisis in northern India is being driven by industrial emissions, vehicular pollution and stubble burning, scientists say. File Photo by Rajat Gupta/EPA-EFE

Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Delhi was listed as India's most polluted city Thursday as a weeks-long air quality crisis gripping northern India has shown few signs of letting up.

An air quality analysis report by Respirer Living Sciences showed levels of particulate matter, known as PM2.5, were high enough to rank Delhi last among the 281 Indian cities monitored.

The study, called Early Winter Trends Across Indian Cities, shows that 149 out of the 281 cities monitored were in the poor category or worse, and more than half of Indian cities monitored had poor air quality in the first two weeks of November as winter sets in.

"Delhi recorded an alarming PM2.5 average of 243.3 µg/m³, reflecting a 19.5% increase in only two weeks," the study said. "Other northern cities, including those in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab, also reported high pollution levels, driven by industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, and stubble burning."

Delhi's air quality took an especially bad turn this week, officials said. They attribute the spike in dangerous air to a combination of cooler air and industrial pollution as the temperature drops, creating hazardous environmental conditions. They also cite lower wind speeds and vehicle emissions.

Despite being extremely unhealthy, India's air quality actually improved from "severe" to "very poor" over a five-day span, according to a real-time monitor.

Scientists called for a multi-front approach to taking on air pollution in India's dirtiest and most polluted cities, including stricter emission restrictions, finding alternatives to stubble burning, expanding air quality monitoring infrastructure, and working with other countries to address cross-border air pollution.

"Addressing air pollution requires a coordinated effort, combining stricter emissions norms, innovative alternatives to stubble burning, and better air quality monitoring. Clean air is achievable if we act decisively now," Respirer Living Sciences founder Ronak Sutaria said in a statement.

PM 2.5 particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, posing significant health risks, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Ford cuts European workforce by 4,000, mostly in Germany and Britain


Ford Motor Company said Wednesday it plans to cut 4,000 European jobs, citing what it called unprecedented competitive, regulatory, and economic headwinds. Ford said it is a restructuring amid continuing auto industry disruption in Europe. File photo by Brian Kersey/ UPI | License Photo


Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Ford Motor Company said Wednesday it plans to cut 4,000 European jobs, citing what it called unprecedented competitive, regulatory, and economic headwinds.

Ford framed the cuts as a restructuring "to create a more cost-competitive structure and ensure the long-term sustainability and growth of its business in Europe."

"It is critical to take difficult but decisive action to ensure Ford's future competitiveness in Europe," said Dave Johnston, Ford's European vice president for Transformation and Partnerships, in a statement.

He added Ford has been in Europe for more than a hundred years and is "committed to building a thriving business in Europe for generations to come."

Ford said its passenger vehicle business in Europe has had significant losses in recent years.

"The global auto industry continues to be in a period of disruption, especially in Europe, where the industry faces unprecedented competitive, regulatory, and economic headwinds," Ford said in statement.

The company said the global auto industry "continues to be in a period of disruption, especially in Europe, where the industry faces unprecedented competitive, regulatory, and economic headwinds."

Ford reiterated a call to action for industry, governments, unions and social partners in Europe to work together to create the conditions for a successful transition to e-mobility.

John Lawler, vice chairman and chief financial officer of Ford Motor Company, said in a letter to the German government, "What we lack in Europe and Germany is an unmistakable, clear policy agenda to advance e-mobility, such as public investments in charging infrastructure, meaningful incentives to help consumers make the shift to electrified vehicles, improving cost competitiveness for manufacturers, and greater flexibility in meeting CO2 compliance targets."

Ford said it has made significant investments over the past four years in Europe, including $2 billion to transform its Cologne, Germany plant into an electric vehicle center.

Filipino labor leaders inducted into US Labor Department's Hall of Honor


U.S. Labor Department Acting Secretary Julie Su speaks at Wednesday's Hall of Honor ceremony about Filipino labor leader inductees Larry Dulay Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz and Peter Gines Velasco, who "shaped the fabric of American history." Photo courtesy of U.S. Labor Department

Nov. 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. Labor Department inducted three Filipino labor leaders, who led California's Delano Grape Strike in 1965 to win higher wages and better working conditions for farmworkers, into the department's Hall of Honor on Wednesday.

"I'm honored to induct Larry Dulay Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz and Peter Gines Velasco into the Department of Labor's Hall of Honor, where they take their rightful place among giants in the labor movement who have shaped the fabric of American history," Acting Secretary Julie Su told the audience at Wednesday's ceremony.

Itliong, Vera Cruz and Velasco are credited with organizing the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee in 1959 at California's Filipino Hall in Delano.

In 1965, the AWOC led the Delano Grape Strike, as more than 800 Filipino grape field farmworkers went on strike at 10 California vineyards and boycotted the state's grape growers.

"Itliong, Vera Cruz and Velasco rallied farmworkers -- who endured prejudice, low wages and poor working conditions -- to courageously organize for fairer wages and humane treatment, all while providing food for families across the country," Su added. "These three leaders instilled and inspired change for those who valiantly labor in the fields."
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During Wednesday's ceremony, there was a musical performance from the cast of "Larry the Musical," which is based on the book "Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong." Acting Secretary Su also presented medals to the family members of Itliong, Vera Cruz and Velasco.

"In demanding fairness in the fields, they changed the course of history," said Su. "These immigrants represent the best of what our country can be. Justice is not a gift from the powerful; it is a demand from the brave."

Itliong went on to become one of the founders of the United Farm Workers union, where he spent decades advocating on behalf of farm and cannery workers, immigrants and Asian Americans. Itliong died in 1977.

Vera Cruz was also a leader in UFW, where he served as second vice president for 12 years. Vera Cruz helped construct UFW's retirement village for aging Filipino farmworkers in Delano. Vera Cruz died in 1994.

Velasco helped Itliong and Vera Cruz unite Filipino and Latino farmworkers during the Delano Grape Strike to ensure the 5-year strike would succeed where others had failed.

Iran activist sews lips together in political protest after fellow campaigner's suicide


Iranian free speech activist Hossein Ronaghi has sewn his lips together in protest following the reported suicide of fellow activist Kianoosh Sanjari, according to posts on his social media account.


Issued on: 21/11/2024 - 
By: NEWS WIRES

Activist Kianoosh Sanjari's suicide has shocked the activist community. 

© Stephen Lovekin, Getty Images via AFP


A prominent Iranian activist has sewn his lips together and is holding daily protests in Tehran following the apparent suicide last week of a fellow campaigner, he posted on social media on Thursday.

Hossein Ronaghi said he stitched his lips together in protest at the restrictions authorities placed on the funeral last week of Kianoosh Sanjari, who friends said committed suicide after warning he would take his own life if political prisoners were not freed.

The death of Sanjari, 42, who returned to Iran just under a decade ago after a spell living in the United States, has shocked the activist community who accuse the Islamic republic of driving him to take his own life after years of arrests and persecution.

Ronaghi, a widely followed freedom of speech campaigner, began his action on November 16, the day when he says authorities blocked friends and colleagues from attending a memorial service for Sanjari in Tehran.

Sanjari took his own life during the night of November 14-15, hours after posting a tweet on X warning that he would commit suicide if Iran did not release four prominent detainees seen as political prisoners by human rights groups.

Ronaghi, who has posted images of his lips sewn together with blue twine, has said he will continue his action until the prisoners whose release Sanjari demanded are freed.

He has held solo sit-ins in Tehran squares that have led to repeated arrests but, so far, he has not been held for more than a few hours.

"My decision is this: I will continue with my lips sewn shut until Kianoosh's wishes are fulfilled," Ronaghi wrote on social media Thursday.

"My action with sewn lips is a political protest, and the responsibility for it, whether I am in prison, whether I am out of prison, whether you lock me in at home and prevent the sit-in, is with the Islamic republic."

Ronaghi has also accused security personnel who arrested him earlier this week of subjecting him to sexual abuse and insults.

He said he was feeling increasingly weak and his lips were "swollen and sore" after taking in only water, tea and injections of medicines, including antibiotics.

His action comes with Iranian activists still reeling from the crackdown that followed nationwide protests in 2022-23 over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who had been arrested for an alleged breach of the mandatory dress code for women.

Sanjari had demanded the release of veteran campaigner Fatemeh Sepehri, Nasreen Shakarami, the mother of a teenager killed during 2022 protests, rapper Tomaj Salehi and civil rights activist Arsham Rezaei.

(AFP)

Hybrid warfare? China sabotaging Baltic Sea cables would be ‘super surprising’, experts say

A Chinese vessel has sparked major interest after it was tracked travelling near the two internet cables that were mysteriously severed on the bottom of the Baltic Sea in recent days. While it remains unclear whether the incidents were accidental or intentional, experts say that the notion that China would support its ally Russia by conducting hybrid war operations in this part of the world would be more than surprising.


Issued on: 21/11/2024 -
By: Sébastian SEIBT

Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 sails under the Great Belt bridge, in Korsor, Denmark, November 19, 2024. © Yoruk Isik, Reuters


On Sunday, at around 10am local time, a fibre-optic undersea cable connecting Sweden and Lithuania was cut. Just hours later, at around 4am local time the next day, a second cable linking two more NATO countries – this time Finland and Germany – was damaged.

The countries affected by the disruptions were quick to react, with Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius even going so far as to say that “nobody believes” that the incident was “accidental”.

"We have to conclude, without knowing exactly who did it, that it is a hybrid action and we also have to assume – without knowing it – that it is sabotage," he told reporters in Brussels Tuesday, without providing any proof for his claims.

Almost immediately, the four countries launched investigations into the suspicious cable cuts, and attention soon turned to the vessels that had been navigating in the area. One of them drew particular interest: the Chinese-flagged Yi Peng 3.

According to satellite tracking data, the cargo ship, which had been en route from Saint Petersburg to Cairo, had travelled along the C-Lion1 cable (connecting Finland and Germany) in an almost perfect line when it was cut. The vessel then changed course, sailing near the BCS cable (connecting Sweden and Lithuania) when that cable was disrupted.

On Wednesday, Denmark’s Armed Forces announced they had sent out ships and were “present in the area near Yi Peng 3”, which appeared to have come to a stand-still shortly after exiting the Oresund strait separating Sweden and Denmark. The military did not provide more details about its operation.

"The Danish Navy is probably questioning the cruiser and is puzzled about how to further proceed," Christian Bueger, a specialist in maritime security at the University of Copenhagen, said, but noted there is no evidence to incriminate the Chinese vessel so far.

“What we know for sure is that two cables were cut. What we don't know for sure is who did it and why. But obviously the Chinese vessel is now under suspicion. And if the shipping data is correct, the Danes have stopped it still in international waters," he said.
Dangerous accusations

Bueger said that he had found the German defence minister’s comment about “sabotage”, and his indirect suggestion that Russia was likely behind the incident, both surprising and premature.

“It limits their action space [for diplomatic manouvre],” he said, adding that since a Chinese – and not a Russian – ship has since become the prime focus in the probes, “the German defence minister is basically accusing China of committing an act of sabotage on German infrastructure”.

According to the Financial Times, the Yi Peng 3 was built in 2001 and purchased by the Chinese shipping company Ningbo Yipeng Shipping Co in 2016. When contacted by the British newspaper, a Ningbo Yipeng representative said the Chinese government had “asked the company to co-operate with the investigation”, but did not answer further questions and then hung up the phone.

This would not be the first time China is involved in an incident in the Baltic Sea, however. Last year, the Hong Kong-flagged but Chinese-owned Newnew Polar Bear damaged the so-called Balticconnector, the undersea gas pipeline that connects Estonia and Finland. Just two months later, Beijing admitted that its ship had been at fault, but concluded in an internal investigation that it had been an accident.

Shashank Joshi, a defence editor at the Economist, reported at the time that the Newnew Polar Bear had quite a few Russian links, including both its ownership and the crew that had been aboard when the incident occurred.

Very little is yet known about the staff aboard the Yi Peng 3, but German tabloid Bild on Wednesday reported that the captain has Russian nationality. The newspaper did not give a source for its claim.

Bueger said that although China is no stranger to conducting hybrid sea operations at home, he would find it “super surprising” if it would do so in European waters.

Since Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and NATO has expanded to include also Finland and Sweden, Moscow has more or less openly reserved for itself the right to conduct these types of operations against anyone it deems supporting Kyiv.

But, Bueger said, if Beijing were to do the same on European turf “it would be a really, really surprising act of provocation, and it's unheard of”.
The Baltic Sea: Already a hybrid warfare battleground

Such an involvement would also mark a major escalation in Baltic Sea tensions in general. In 2022, the Baltic Sea was the scene for sabotage operations targeting the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, and an underwater cable linking the Faroe Islands to the internet. In the past two years, several GPS jamming operations have also been conducted over its waters.

Basil Germond, a specialist in international and maritime security at Lancaster University, said that the reason the Baltic Sea has become such a battleground for hybrid war is because it “is a vast, uninhabitable, liquid domain, so it is hard to monitor and control, and thus it is hard to identify suspicious behaviours and prevent malign activities”.

Bueger added that in that context, undersea internet cables have become particularly easy targets.

“Cutting cables is very easy to do and it doesn't cost much," he said. "But the consequences of them are tremendous because it means we need to invest a lot of money and energy to try to protect our infrastructures better.”

He did not think it would have any greater impact on the affected countries’ internet access though.

“It will not slow down the internet anywhere, because in Europe at least, we have quite a lot of redundancy," he said. "So the data just gets rerouted to other cables. No big deal."

Nord stream Sabotage revelations : Who’s really behind Russian gas pipeline explosions?

44:15Nord stream Sabotage revelations : Who’s really behind Russian gas pipeline explosions? © France 24

Instead, the two experts said that if the cable cuts prove to have been intentional, they would likely have acted as “trial balloons” to test Europe’s preparedness. Since the 2022 explosions targeting the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, European authorities have worked to strengthen their cooperation against hybrid warfare operations in the region, and have, among other things, imposed sanctions against anyone involved in such activities.

Germond said that the swift response, by in particular the Danish authorities, bodes well for the future.

“[It] demonstrates the limits of hybrid warfare and also that we are ramping up our ability to respond in a timely manner to such incidents, which is crucial to deter malign actors in the future by making it more difficult for them to deny responsibilities,” he said.

This article was adapted from the original in French by Louise Nordstrom.

Denmark Guards Chinese Bulker Linkd to Subsea Cable Damage

Yi Peng 3 passes under the Great Belt Bridge (Storebaelt Bridge webcam)

Published Nov 20, 2024 4:09 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

Denmark's defense ministry has confirmed that it is monitoring a Chinese bulker suspected of potential involvement in the severing of two subsea cables in the Baltic last weekend. The damage is being investigated as a presumed sabotage attack. 

The vessel, the Yi Peng 3, was outbound from St. Petersburg in the Baltic during the timeframe of the two back-to-back cable breaks. Its AIS record shows that it exhibited unusual course and speed changes at positions that may have corresponded to the twin casualties. 

The ship was intercepted by a Danish Navy patrol ship as it transited towards the Great Belt on November 18. The bulker then went to anchor in the Kattegat, with the patrol ship waiting nearby. Despite the appearance of formal intervention, Denmark stopped short of announcing that the ship had been detained.

"The Danish Defence can confirm that we are present in the area near the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3. The Danish Defence currently has no further comments," the ministry said in a brief statement. 

Sweden’s National Operations Department confirmed that the vessel is under scrutiny. “It is part of the sphere of interest, but there may be more," spokesman Per Engström said. 

Given the recent pattern of Russian sabotage attacks in the EU and the UK, combined with Russia's advanced subsea warfare capabilities and repeated threats against European nations, speculation about the identity of the attacker immediately turned to Moscow. German news outlet Bild reports that the vessel's master is a Russian national, a common arrangement given the large number of Russian officers in the global fleet. On Wednesday, the Kremlin dismissed suspicions of Russian involvement as "ridiculous." 

Sweden is leading an investigation into the suspected sabotage attack, including any potential role played by the Yi Peng, according to the Financial Times. On site investigations are planned with ROV dives, but so far the effort has been hampered by poor winter weather. 

Finland's security service noted that accidental cable breakages are globally common, amounting to about 200 incidents per year, with most attributable to anchoring or trawling. 

The last major subsea infrastructure incident in the Baltic occurred in October 2023, and it has been attributed to the Chinese container ship, the NewNew Polar Bear. As the vessel transited across the northeastern Baltic Sea towards St. Petersburg, it trailed an anchor along the bottom for hundreds of nautical miles, rupturing the Balticconnector gas pipeline and severing two fiber-optic cables. Chinese investigators confirmed that the NewNew Polar Bear was responsible, but reportedly concluded that the anchor-drag incident was an accident, according to the South China Morning Post. A Finnish-Estonian criminal investigation into the case is still under way.   

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Danish military says it’s monitoring Chinese ship closely after undersea cables severed

Germany, Finland warn of ‘hybrid warfare’ after sea cable cut