Lost royal city may have been unearthed by archaeologists in Iraqi Kurdistan

By Katie Hunt, CNN
Updated 7:01 PM ET, Tue July 19, 2022

Researchers excavate the perimeter wall at the entrance to Rabana Valley in Iraqi Kurdistan.

(CNN)A 2,000-year-old fortress built on a mountainside in what's now Iraqi Kurdistan could be part of a lost royal city called Natounia.

With the help of drone photography, archaeologists excavated and cataloged the site during a series of digs between 2009 and 2022. Situated in the Zagros Mountains, the stone fortress of Rabana-Merquly comprises fortifications nearly 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long, two smaller settlements, carved rock reliefs and a religious complex.
The fortress was on the border of Adiabene, a minor kingdom governed by the kings of a local dynasty. These rulers would have paid tribute to the neighboring Parthian Empire, which extended over parts of Iran and Mesopotamia approximately 2,000 years ago, according to research led by Michael Brown, a researcher at the Institute of Prehistory, Protohistory and Near-Eastern Archaeology of Heidelberg University in Germany, with the help of Iraqi colleagues.

Carvings at the entrance to the fortress depict a king of Adiabene, based on the dress of the figure, in particular his hat, Brown said. The carving resembles other likenesses of Adiabene kings, particularly one found 143 miles (230 kilometers) away at the site of an ancient city called Hatra.



Upper fortifications at the 2,000-year-old site are shown.

While it's matter of speculation, Brown believes the fort was the royal city known as Natounia, or alternatively Natounissarokerta, that was part of the kingdom of Adiabene.
"Natounia is only really known from its rare coins, there are (not) any detailed historical references," Brown said via email.

Details deduced from seven coins describe a city named after a king called Natounissar and a location on the Lower Zab River, known in ancient times as the Kapros River.
"The location near to (but admittedly not on) the Lower Zab/ancient Kapros river, short occupation, and royal imagery all link the archaeological site to the description we can deduce from coinage. There are also some unusual high status tombs nearby," Brown said.

"It's a circumstantial argument. ... Rabana-Merquly is not the only possibility for Natounia, but arguably the best candidate by far (for) the 'lost' city, which has to be in the region somewhere."

The king in the carving could be the founder of Natounia, either Natounissar or a direct descendant.

The carving depicts a figure with an unusual hat and is thought to depict a king of Adiabene, said lead researcher Michael Brown of the University of Heidelberg.

The place name Natounissarokerta is composed of the royal name Natounissar, the founder of the Adiabene royal dynasty, and the Parthian word for moat or fortification, the study also said.

"This description could apply to Rabana-Merquly," Brown said. As a major settlement positioned at the intersection between highland and lowland zones, it's likely that Rabana-Merquly may have been used, among other things, to trade with pastoral tribes, maintain diplomatic ties, or exert military pressure.

"The considerable effort that must have gone into planning, building and maintaining a fortress of this size points to governmental activities," Brown said.

The study said the discovery adds to our knowledge of Parthian archaeology and history, which remains markedly incomplete, despite its evident significance as a major power in the ancient Near East.

The journal Antiquity published the research on Tuesday.

Trudeau: Russia is trying to ‘divide’ western allies over turbine issue

By Rachel Gilmore Global News
Posted July 19, 2022 

Trudeau says Canada won't allow Russia to use gas policy to divide

 and undermine public support for war in Ukraine

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is standing behind Canada’s decision to send repaired Russian turbines back to Germany — despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s assertion that the move violated sanctions.


READ MORE: Canada ships repaired turbine for Russian pipeline to Germany: report

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trudeau said the decision to return the turbine was “difficult” but “right.”

“Russia will not succeed in either weaponizing its energy or dividing our allies amongst ourselves. We are focused on being there to support Ukraine,” he said.

“This decision was a difficult one but it was the right one to ensure that we continue to all stand together against Putin’s illegal war in support of Ukraine.”

Earlier this month, Canada granted an exemption to the economic sanctions issued against Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian World Congress sues Canada over Nord Stream turbine

The two-year waiver would allow six Siemens Energy turbines, which were in Montreal for repairs, to be returned to Germany for use in the Russian state-owned Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

Canada sent a turbine for the Nord Stream gas pipeline to Germany by plane on July 17, according to Reuters.

Europe, which is heavily reliant on Russian gas supplies, has been experiencing a reduction in the power source as the Russia-Ukraine war drags on.

The Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom reduced gas deliveries from its Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which runs to northeastern Germany, by 60 per cent last month, citing turbine-related technical problems.

The pipeline is currently completely shut down for planned annual maintenance — but there had been fears Russia could extend this work past the planned July 21 completion date, a move that could jeopardize European gas storage plans ahead of the chilly winter months.

 Ukraine’s Zelenskyy slams Canada over return of sanctioned turbine – Jul 11, 2022

READ MORE: As Europe bakes, Germany reckons with a return to coal

But Russian gas flows from the pipeline are on track to restart on time, two sources familiar with the export plans told Reuters.

Officials in the German energy sector told Reuters that the country’s household energy costs could triple as Russian gas supplies dwindle — something they warned could cause social unrest.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trudeau expressed concern about losing the support of the people when it comes to the West’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war.

“Russia is choosing to weaponize energy policy as a way of continuing with its assault on Ukraine, but also as a way of dividing Western allies amongst ourselves, as well as undermine public support for our strong stance in favour of Ukraine and against Russia,” he said.

Still, Zelenskyy was incensed by Canada’s decision, calling it “absolutely unacceptable” last week.

“The decision on the exception to sanctions will be perceived in Moscow exclusively as a manifestation of weakness. This is their logic,” he said.

Trudeau defends decision to return turbines to Russia after Ukraine’s criticism

Ukrainian-Canadians have also expressed their shock and disappointment at the decision.

At a rally in Ottawa on Sunday, Canadian-Ukrainian Yuri Kolomiyets told the crowd of about 150 supporters assembled on the lawn of Parliament Hill that the decision will mean more oil and gas money for Russia to fund its attack on Ukraine.

“I guess it’s OK to supply genocidal maniacs with the technology and the money, as long as it keeps German voters happy,” Kolomiyets told the crowd, eliciting cries of “shame” in response.

“It’s not their children who are dying in the missile strikes.”

READ MORE: Canada’s decision to exempt gas turbines from sanctions right thing to do: Freeland

Retired Gen. Rick Hillier, who once served the Canadian chief of defence staff, spoke out against the decision earlier Tuesday. He cautioned that this could be the start of Western economic pressure easing on Moscow.

“This decision to send the turbines back … may be seen as the straw that broke the camel’s back, and we may start to see a relenting of pressure from NATO, from the West in general,” he said, speaking to reporters during a virtual news conference.

“Instead of going upwards and onwards with more and more sanctions, this might be the straw that causes it to turn downwards.”

— with files from The Canadian Press, Reuters, and Global News’ Aaron D’Andrea

 

 

  

Canada PM Trudeau blasts Hockey Canada leaders after sex assault fund reports

(Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday it was hard to trust those in charge at Hockey Canada after reports that the national governing body maintained a fund to pay for uninsured liabilities, including sexual abuse claims.


© Reuters/JENNIFER GAUTHIERCanada's Trudeau makes an announcement on Bowen Island

According to a report on the Globe and Mail website, a multimillion-dollar fund financed by registration fees of players across the hockey-mad country is used to settle abuse claims with minimal outside scrutiny.

"Right now it's hard for anyone in Canada to have faith or trust in anyone at Hockey Canada," Trudeau said in response to a question during an unrelated news conference in Bowen Island, British Columbia.

"What we're learning today is absolutely unacceptable. It's why a number of days ago or weeks ago, we froze funding to Hockey Canada pending significant reforms and transparency and accountability."

Hockey Canada did not immediately reply when asked by Reuters to comment on Trudeau's remarks.

In April, a woman filed a lawsuit that alleged she was sexually assaulted in a hotel room by eight hockey players following a Hockey Canada golf and gala event in 2018.

Hockey Canada settled the lawsuit in May. The allegations against the unnamed players have not been proved in court.

Last month, the Canadian federal government froze funding to Hockey Canada over its handling of the alleged sexual assault and out-of-court settlement while a number of sponsors have paused their relationship with the organisation.

Earlier this week, Hockey Canada said it decided to re-open an investigation into the alleged sexual assault as part of a plan to eliminate a "culture of toxic behaviour" within the sport.

"When I think about the culture that is apparently permeating the highest orders of that organisation, I can understand why so many parents, why so many Canadians who take such pride in our national winter sport are absolutely disgusted by what's going on," said Trudeau.

"Certainly as a government we will continue to be unequivocal in our condemnation of what we're learning and mostly in our demands that things change significantly."

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)

Trudeau launches expanded oceans protection plan, with aim to reach more regions

Tue, July 19, 2022 

BOWEN ISLAND, B.C. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced new details about the federal government’s $3.5-billion plan to protect the oceans.

In its most recent budget, the government pledged to add $2 billion over nine years to the $1.5 billion already set aside for ocean protection.

Speaking at a press conference in British Columbia, Trudeau says the government has now launched an extended version of the plan.

The program has so far funded projects including coast guard search and rescue stations, restoring coastal aquatic habitats, disposing of abandoned boats, and partnering with Indigenous and coastal communities.

The new funds are aimed at expanding those efforts to more regions.

Trudeau says the latest plan is intended to keep oceans and coasts healthy, advance reconciliation and build a clean future.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2022.

 

‘We’re ready when Ottawa’s ready’: Canada’s premiers await federal response on health care

Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok said he’s looking forward to discussing increase in federal health care spending.

 By

 David Venn, Nunatsiaq News

 -

July 19, 2022

From left, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey, Yukon Premier Sandy Silver and Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok speak at a news conference at the 2022 summer meeting of Canada’s premiers. (Screenshot via Nunatsiaq News)

The federal government has yet to respond to a request from Canada’s premiers for an increase in federal spending on health care, says Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok.

“We’re, right now, really only asking Ottawa to come to the table,” he said in an interview.

“We’re ready when Ottawa’s ready.”

Akeeagok met with Canada’s 12 other premiers July 11 and 12 in Victoria, B.C., to discuss a number of issues, including health care.

It was at this meeting the premiers, together known as the Council of the Federation, made their request that the federal government increase its share of health care costs from 22 percent to 35 percent through the Canada Health Transfer.

The Canada Health Transfer is the largest federal transfer to provinces and territories and provides long-term funding for health care across the country.

The premiers’ request would require the federal government to pay an additional $27.6 billion annually, according to a February 2021 report from Canada’s provincial and territorial finance ministers.

Akeeagok said the discussion isn’t yet at a point of dividing up dollars between provinces and territories, and it’s too soon to say exactly what Nunavut would do with its share of that money.

However, the North’s unique challenge of being remote is a large part of the conversation for Nunavut.

“We’re not immune to the shortages and the impact we see in terms of health care,” Akeeagok said.

Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout said in an interview she supports the premiers’ call on the federal government.

“The current system is obviously not working. It hasn’t worked for many years,” she said of health care in Nunavut.

It’s important to recognize the abilities that already exist in communities and to figure out what services can be offered locally, rather than having to travel for, such as midwifery programs, she said.

Idlout used the high demand for counseling services in Nunavut as an example. She said some of the reliance on mental health professionals should instead be put on “local providers,” like elders.

There also needs to be more investment in programs that allow Inuit to join the health-care workforce in the territory, she said, whether it be for nursing or home care to look after elders.

But that’s only part of the solution, she said. Housing, especially in the context of overcrowded homes during COVID-19, is a factor also.

“Any kind of funding that ends up going to Nunavut, I think, always has to have at the core of it a form of increasing housing, addressing the old housing,” Idlout said.

“And making sure that we have more families that are able to feel safe, secure and comfortable in homes that will allow them to be healthy within each community.”

Additional reporting by Meral Jamal.

UK

Chancellor says public sector pay rises will not fuel inflation

Robert Dex
Tue, 19 July 2022 

Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi speaking at the Financial and Professional Services Dinner at Mansion House in the City of London (PA)

Britain’s biggest public-sector pay increases in nearly 20 years will not fuel price pressures, Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi said.

Speaking at the City of London’s annual Mansion House dinner, the politician said fighting inflation was “a moral imperative”.

He was speaking after the government announced pay rises of about 4% to 5% for more than 2 million public-sector workers - a bigger increase than in recent years but well below current consumer price inflation of more than 9%.

“We are finding a careful balance, providing the highest uplift in nearly 20 years without making inflationary pressures worse,” Zahawi said.

Some contenders in the Conservative Party leadership race to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister have said the Bank of England has been too slow to fight inflation but Zahawi said the bank was “rightly” independent to set interest rates as it saw fit.

“They have all the tools they need. And I know they have complete determination to do what is required,” he said.

“Protecting the country from the causes and consequences of rising inflation isn’t just a technocratic exercise. It is a moral imperative,” he added.

The government needed to play its part by delivering sound public finances and tackling longer-term bottlenecks in the supply of workers and energy, he said.

He also set out plans for post-Brexit changes to financial regulation. Zahawi became chancellor two weeks ago after the resignation of Rishi Sunak which led to the Prime Minister’s resignation and acknowledged his tenure might be “only a few months” as the new PM will appoint their own ministers.

UK pay settlements hold at 4%, highest since 1992 - XpertHR

By David Milliken - 

People walk through the financial district of Canary Wharf

LONDON (Reuters) - British employers agreed average pay rises of 4% with their staff in the three months to the end of June, the joint-highest since 1992 but falling further behind inflation, industry data showed on Wednesday.

Human resources data company XpertHR said the median pay settlement had remained unchanged for a third consecutive month, while inflation hit a 40-year high of 9.1% in May and the Bank of England expects it to exceed 11% later this year.

Separate figures on Tuesday showed the biggest real-terms fall in pay since official records began in 2001.

"Pay awards appear to have plateaued," XpertHR pay and benefits editor Sheila Attwood said.

If pay awards have indeed stopped accelerating, that will be welcomed by the Bank of England, which wants to ensure high inflation - largely driven by a jump in energy prices - does not become entrenched for years to come.

However, there may be further upward pressures due to ongoing industrial disputes and increased public-sector pay.

Rail workers staged their biggest strike in decades last month and plan further walkouts, as do telecoms, postal and airport workers.

Britain's government on Tuesday announced pay rises for more than 2 million public-sector workers - typically around 4-5%, but ranging from 2% for senior civil servants to 9.3% for the lowest health staff.

XpertHR said there was a wider-than-usual range of pay offers in the 324 deals, covering 780,000 workers, which it looked at from April to June. A quarter of settlements offered pay rises of less than 3%, while a quarter were for over 6%.

Official data for the three months to May showed private-sector pay was 7.2% higher than a year earlier, while public-sector pay was up 1.5%. Much of the difference reflected big pay rises in finance and construction, as well as one-off bonuses.

(Reporting by David Milliken, editing by Andy Bruce)

LGBTQ RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS

Russia's Parliament Considers Expanding Its ‘Gay Propaganda’ Law

A draft bill introduced this week is proposing a ban on public discussions of LGBTQ relationships in a positive light, and queer content in cinemas.

Jul 19, 2022


Russia’s parliament moved Monday to tighten already stringent restrictions on the discussion of LGBTQ rights and relationships.

A draft bill calling for the broadening of a 2013 ban on the “promotion of non-traditional sexual relations” to minors, widely referred to as the “gay propaganda” bill, was announced on the website of the parliament, or Duma.

Introduced by a cross-party group of six Communist and socially conservative deputies, the bill would ban public discussion of LGBTQ relationships in a positive or neutral light, and any LGBTQ content in cinemas.



Vyacheslav Volodin, the parliament speaker and an ally of President Vladimir Putin, proposed similar measures earlier this month. On July 8, he spoke in favor of a broad ban on disseminating information on LGBTQ relationships after Russia had withdrawn from the Council of Europe, a human rights watchdog, in March.

“With the exit from the Council of Europe, demands to legalize same-sex marriages in Russia have become a thing of the past. Attempts to impose alien values on our society have failed,” Volodin wrote on Telegram.

Pro-Kremlin figures have repeatedly pitched the ongoing war in Ukraine as a battle against “Western values,” which they say include LGBTQ visibility and rights.

On the same day the bill was submitted for consideration, Putin formally recalled Russia’s representative at the European Court of Human Rights, or ECHR, via a decree published Monday on the Russian government portal for legal information.

Last month, Putin signed into law a bill releasing Russia from its responsibility to enforce ECHR judgments issued after March 15, when Russia withdrew from the Council of Europe. The ECHR was established by a 1953 convention drafted by the then-newly formed council, which all member states are expected to ratify.

We Shouldn’t Be Working In This

ByShelly Asquith

This week’s heatwave will make work nasty at best and fatal at worst, especially for people in physical or outdoor jobs. We need a maximum working temperature in law to stop people facing conditions like this.

Anyone working in extremely hot weather faces heat hazards ranging from dizziness and headaches to fainting and heat stress. (FG Trade / Getty Images)

It’s really hotting up. Temperatures in Britain this week could reach the highest on record, and in ten years, scientists say we could see 40°C become the summer norm.

Our environment is not accustomed to such a rapid rise. Neither are our workplaces. It’s not just a case of being uncomfortably hot: working in dangerously high temperatures brings with it a whole range of risks.

Anyone working in extremely hot weather faces heat hazards ranging from dizziness and headaches to fainting and heat stress. When our blood temperature reaches 39°C, we’re at risk of a stroke or loss of consciousness, with delirium or confusion setting in above 41°C. Blood temperatures at this level can be fatal or cause irreparable organ damage.

We also see more accidents occur in hot weather. Our concentration starts to drop by five percent when temperatures exceed 28°C, meaning workers are more likely to make mistakes, putting themselves or others at risk. Sweaty palms can cause problems with the use of equipment.

Certain workers are exposed to more risk than others. Those whose jobs rely on working outdoors, like posties and construction workers, already have a three times higher likelihood of developing skin cancer. Train and long-haul drivers are at risk of overheating where cabs and vans do not have aircon, and from UVA radiation passing through windows. The Communication Workers Union recently shared the names of three postal workers who had died during or shortly after their delivery rounds during previous heatwaves.

Other high-risk jobs include those working indoors doing strenuous activity, or in workplaces that lack adequate air-cooling facilities or are already hot, like kitchens and factories. And anyone with existing illnesses like high blood pressure or heart disease is at increased risk, as are women during pregnancy or menopause.

So if Britain’s weather is catching up with hotter parts of the globe, what about our workers’ rights? In the US, almost 400 workers have died from heat exposure in the last ten years, and rates have doubled since the 1990s. The guidance there says workplace temperatures should not go beyond 24°C, and last year Biden announced a series of measures to tackle workplace heat exposure, with enforcement officers due to make unannounced inspections for the first time this summer. Meanwhile, our regulator struggles with half as much funding since the Tories took power: a gift to bad bosses.

Spain has strict guidelines on working temperature: it must not go beyond 27°C indoors or 25°C for physical activity. In China, when temperatures reach 37°C, outdoor work is banned during the hottest three hours of the day, and at 40°C it must stop altogether. In the UAE, outdoor work is banned entirely between the hours of 12:30 and 15:00, when it’s hottest.
What We Need

At present, Britain’s workplace regulation says temperatures should not drop below 16°C, but there’s no guidance on what a maximum should be. Employers are only advised to ensure the temperature is ‘reasonable’, leaving it wide open to interpretation.

What we need instead is clear guidance and a new law stipulating a maximum working temperature. The TUC wants to see employers forced to cool indoor workspaces when temperatures exceed 24°C, with working above 30°C banned. And we need employers forced to make changes to protect workers, with tougher regulation and enforcement on those who put workers in harm’s way.

While it may not be possible to control the temperature outdoors, workers are entitled to protection from sun exposure, including protective clothing and access to water. We need employers to be forced to consider adjusting shifts to avoid peak heat, too, and providing sunscreen free of charge.


But as with securing any worker protection, we cannot wait for change from the government or action by employers or regulators—we must force it through collective action.

Change could come from a call to increase access to welfare facilities. One group of workers on the London Underground, after being refused access to cool drinking water, on advice from their union, cited Section 44 of the Employment Rights Act to remove themselves from the workplace and shut down the station. Their move resulted in management introducing breaks for water.

Or it could be a call to relax uniform policies and dress codes. As a young teacher, Kevin Courtney, now head of the National Education Union, once forced a change to school policy by daring to wear shorts to work in hot weather. He was disciplined by the school management for doing so, leading to the rest of his colleagues returning to school the following day, all wearing shorts.

In workplaces everywhere, workers have challenged management to cool the air, with safety reps exercising their right to carry out inspections using thermometers. Struggling for safety from heat hazards presents a clear opportunity to involve members in demands and demonstrating to non-members the benefits of union membership.

The best examples of heat and sun risks being taken seriously are where workers have come together, proving the power of unions to protect our members. The threat to our health, let alone the planet, is urgent: it requires urgency in our organising, too.

See more information from the TUC on protecting workers from the risks of heat:

Too Hot, Too Cold

Cool It!, a guide for reps

It’s getting hot in here
About the Author

Shelly Asquith is Health, Safety & Wellbeing Officer in the TUC Organisation, Skills and Services Department.

 

Our new issue is coming soon – 

XR protesters smash windows of News UK over coverage of Britain’s heatwave

Activists target London HQ of Rupert Murdoch’s media company after UK weather treated as upbeat story

Extinction Rebellion protesters after cracking windows at News UK. Photograph: Denise Laura Baker

Jim Waterson Media editor

@jimwaterson

Tue 19 Jul 2022 

Extinction Rebellion protesters have smashed windows at the London headquarters of Rupert Murdoch’s media company, in protest at his outlets’ coverage of the climate crisis.

Activists targeted the News UK building next to London Bridge station early on Tuesday morning, destroying glass panels and putting up posters reading “tell the truth” and “40 degrees = death” next to the entrance used by journalists at the Sun and the Times.

Extinction Rebellion said it was taking nonviolent action to highlight the way that the record-breaking heat in the UK was being treated as an upbeat story in parts of the media.

A spokesperson said: “Instead of warning readers of the increased risks from such heatwaves as the climate crisis intensifies, the Sun chose to cover their front pages in images of women in bikinis, beachgoers and happy toddlers with ice-creams.”

They also criticised Monday’s front-page headline in the Daily Express, owned by rival newspaper publisher Reach. It featured the words “It’s not the end of the world! Just stay cool and carry on …” over a picture of the union flag.

Extinction Rebellion protesters have previously held protest marches outside the News UK building. In 2020, they also successfully blocked printing presses used by Murdoch’s News UK and other newspapers, disrupting distribution of titles such as the Times and the Sun.

Some journalists at News UK pointed out that they have regularly covered the extent to which the climate is changing due to human influence, including in front page articles in recent weeks.

Climate change has been a contentious topic within Rupert Murdoch family, with his son James issuing a strongly worded statement in 2020 criticising “ongoing denial” among the company’s Australian outlets about the impact of climate change.

Murdoch’s other global media interests have adopted more stridently sceptical positions on the climate crisis. They include the Fox News channel in the US, as well as Sky News Australia and numerous newspapers in his native country.

On the hottest day in UK history Extinction Rebellion protesters stencil slogans on the walls of News UK. Photograph: Denise Laura Baker

Caspar Hughes, one of the Extinction Rebellion protesters, blamed the power of a small group of rightwing newspaper owners over British climate policy: “The biggest issue stopping government, business and civil society from responding sensibly to the climate and ecological crises is the billionaire owned media. If Murdoch, Rothermere and Dacre supported net zero Policy the rest of us would follow suit.

“Currently they are key destroyers of what little hope we have left to secure a safe, secure future for ourselves and our children. It is long past time for them to bring their power to bear as we try to stop our civilisation from collapsing in the coming decades.”

CLIMATE CHANGE; HERE AND NOW

UK breaches 40C for first time, heat records tumble in France

Western Europe continues to sweat under an intense heatwave: the mercury is rising on heat records across the region, Britain reaching 40C for the first time on Tuesday.

A punishing heatwave fuelling ferocious wildfires in western Europe pushed temperatures in Britain over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time on Tuesday and regional heat records tumbled elsewhere.

After the UK's warmest night on record, the Met Office said a new high of 40.3C had been recorded at Coningsby in eastern England.

At least 29 locations in Britain beat the previous record of 38.7C set in Cambridge, eastern England, in 2019.

Experts blamed climate change for the soaring temperatures – and warned that worse is yet to come.

"They (heatwaves) are becoming more frequent and this negative trend will continue... at least until the 2060s, independent of our success in climate mitigation efforts," UN World Meteorological Organisation chief Petteri Taalas told reporters in Geneva.

"In the future these kinds of heatwaves are going to be normal, and we will see even stronger extremes."

The high temperatures have triggered an unprecedented red alert in much of England, where some rail lines were closed as a precaution and schools shuttered in some areas.

Grassland fires erupted on the edge of London, threatening nearby houses.

Meanwhile, all trains were cancelled from usually busy Kings Cross station, leaving many travellers stranded.

"It's a little frustrating," said US tourist Deborah Byrne, trying to reach Scotland.

But with road surfaces and runways melting and fears of rails buckling, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps conceded much of Britain's infrastructure "is just not built for this temperature."

Tim Wainwright, chief executive of the charity WaterAid, said it served as "the wake-up call the world needs to stop climate change from claiming any more lives."

In France, 64 different areas registered record high temperatures on Monday, the national weather service confirmed, most of them along the western Atlantic coast where temperatures also soared above 40C.

But the all-time high for mainland France, set in 2019 near Montpellier, of 46C did not appear under threat this week.

The heatwave – the second to engulf parts of Europe in recent weeks – has contributed to deadly wildfires in France, Greece, Portugal and Spain, destroying vast tracts of land.

Firefighters in France's southwest were still struggling to contain two massive fires that have caused widespread destruction and forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes.

Nearly 1,700 firefighters from all over the country, supported by significant air resources, are battling the two blazes that have so far burned more than 19,000 hectares (42,000 acres) of forest.

'Heartbreaking'

"It's heartbreaking," said Patrick Davet, mayor of La Teste-de-Buch, the site of one inferno which has prompted mass evacuations.

"Economically, it's going to be very difficult for them and very difficult for the town because we are a tourist town, and we need the (tourist) season."

In Brittany's Finistere region, hundreds of firefighters, specialised vehicles and waterbombing aircraft were tackling blazes.

In Greece, authorities called on residents in nine villages to evacuate out of the path of a fire north of Athens.

The Greek fire department said that, in the past 24 hours, it had dealt with 39 fire outbreaks across the country.

In Spain – nearly 10 days into the latest heatwave – more than a dozen fires continued to rage Tuesday, including in the northwest province of Zamora, which already experienced a huge fire last month.

Known as one of the largest wolf reserves in Europe, it saw nearly 30,000 hectares of land reduced to ashes during the June blaze.

Nearly 6,000 people had to be evacuated from there this week after flames destroyed several thousand hectares of meadows and forests, regional authorities said.

Rail traffic between Madrid and Galicia, in the northwest, remained suspended after fires on either side of the tracks.

Several people have died in recent days due to the blazes while separately, an office worker in his 50s died from heatstroke in Madrid.

In Portugal, nearly 2,000 firefighters were tackling fires in the centre and north of the country, buffeted by strong winds and a rise in temperature.

A forest fire in the Vila Real region in the far north of Portugal involved more than 800 firefighters and saw three villages evacuated.

Murca mayor Mario Artur Lopes said the fire, which began on Sunday, has devastated between 10,000 and 12,000 hectares of forest.

Wildfires in Portugal had already killed two other people and injured around 60.


'Major losses'

Elsewhere, the Netherlands recorded its third-highest temperature since records began -- 39.4C in the southern city of Maastricht, public broadcaster NOA said, quoting the national meteorological office.

Dutch authorities spread roads with salt in some areas to prevent the asphalt from melting and being damaged by the weight of vehicles.

In Amsterdam, council workers sprayed bridges over the famed canals with water to keep them cool, amid fears that steel in the structures could expand and prevent them opening to let boats pass.

Car parks at the beach in Scheveningen, near The Hague, were full by midday, and hundreds of beachgoers sheltered under the pier to escape the sun.

"It's just like a holiday in Majorca," said Norwegian tourist Ane Herber, 25.

In neighbouring Belgium, big state-run museums, primarily in Brussels, took the unusual step of offering free access Tuesday to over-65s to help them stay cool.

Two nuclear reactors located near Antwerp had to reduce their production power by more than half in order to limit the temperature of water discharged into nearby rivers.

In Germany, the hot summer so far has raised fears of drought, with the German Farmers' Association president warning of "major losses" in food production.

Henning Christ, who grows wheat and other crops in Brandenburg state, told AFP his farm was 20 percent below its average annual yield.

"We've had almost no rain for months, coupled with high temperatures," he said.

"We have become used to drought and dry periods to some extent, but this year has been very unusual."

by AFP / Joe Jackson

Flights halted out of UK air base after runway melts due to heat wave



Zach Schonfeld
Mon, July 18, 2022 

Scorching heat in Britain led officials to shut down runways at an air base and a commercial airport in London on Monday.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) halted flights to its Brize Norton Base, located about 75 miles northwest of London in Oxfordshire, while London Luton Airport also announced it would also temporarily suspend flights.

“During this period of extreme temperature flight safety remains the RAF’s top priority, so aircraft are using alternative airfields in line with a long-established plan,” the Royal Air Force said in a statement. “This means there is no impact on RAF operations.”

Sky News reported that the runway at a separate RAF base in Lincolnshire had melted in the extreme heat last week.

At London Luton Airport, which largely serves low-cost carriers, airport officials said they identified a “surface defect” on the airport’s lone runway.

“Flights are temporarily suspended to allow for an essential runway repair after high surface temperatures caused a small section to lift,” the airport said in a statement.

Temperatures were forecasted to reach 41 degrees Celsius, or 106 degrees Fahrenheit, in parts of the country, which would break a 2019 record. British officials issued a “red extreme” heat warning for the first time in a large part of England.

Although the runway defects have only affected a small number of airports, the shakeup comes amid a turbulent moment for the airline industry.

This summer has seen a resurgence in demand for air travel, leaving airlines scrambling after cutting back on their staffing levels during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The situation has become particularly dire in Europe, where many workers have gone on strike and some airports have trimmed flight schedules. London’s Gatwick and Heathrow airports were among some of the airports who recently asked airlines to cap their flight numbers.

France fires map: Where the French wildfires have hit as blazes also spread in Spain and Portugal

Temperatures have soared into the mid-40s in some regions, with wildfires raging across tinder-dry countryside in Portugal, Spain and France

July 18, 2022 

As the UK braces for record temperatures – with the possibility of it passing 40ºC on Tuesday – mainland Europe is also experiencing a severe heatwave.

Temperatures have soared into the mid-40s in some regions, with wildfires raging across tinder-dry countryside in Portugal, Spain and France.

The heat has caused hundreds of deaths, and the fires have devastated hundreds of thousands of acres

The heatwave is expected to spread to Germany and Belgium in the coming days.

Where are the wildfires in France?

In France, wildfires had spread over 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) in the south-western region of Gironde.

More than 14,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, regional authorities said on Sunday afternoon, and officials have announced plans to evacuate an additional 3,500 people from towns threatened by raging flames.

A map of the wildfires in France, Spain and Portugal

Around 1,200 firefighters were trying to control the blazes, the authorities said in a statement.

The French Government issued red alerts, the highest possible, for several regions, with residents urged “to be extremely vigilant”.

Lieutenant-Colonel Olivier Chavatte, from Gironde’s fire and rescue service, said firefighters faced a “Herculean job” to control the blazes.

Meanwhile, authorities in the French Alps have urged climbers bound for Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest mountain, to postpone their trips due to repeated rock falls caused by “exceptional climatic conditions” and drought.

What about the rest of Europe?

Almost 600 heat-related deaths have been reported in Spain and Portugal, where temperatures reached 47ºC last week.

Spain was facing the eighth and final day of a more than week-long heatwave on Monday, which caused more than 510 heat-related deaths, according to estimates from the Carlos III Health Institute.

With fires burning thousands of hectares in Galicia, Castille and Leon, Catalonia, Extremadura and Andalusia, Spain mourned the death of one firefighter in the north-western province of Zamora on Sunday evening. Almost the entire country faces a extreme fire risk.

“There are never words to thank the immense work of those who fight the fires tirelessly,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday night in a message of condolence via Twitter.

More than 70,000 hectares (173,000 acres) have burnt in Spain so far this year, the worst year of the past decade, according to official data.

Last month, a huge wildfire in Sierra de la Culebra, Castille and Leon, ravaged about 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of land.

In Portugal, temperatures dropped over the weekend, but the risk of wildfires remained very high across most of the country, according to the Portuguese Institute of Meteorology

More than 1,000 firefighters, backed by 285 vehicles and 14 aircraft, were battling nine ongoing wildfires, mainly in the country’s northern regions, authorities said.

'Apocalypse': Hundreds dead as extreme heat wave broils Europe; UK could break record

Doyle Rice

Wales reported its hottest temperature on record Monday of 95.5 degrees.

British authorities have described the heat wave as a "national emergency."

In France, heat records were broken and swirling hot winds complicated firefighting in the country’s southwest.

An extreme heat wave that meteorologists call an "apocalypse" broiled much of Europe and the United Kingdom on Monday, and hundreds of people died because of record high temperatures and ferocious wildfires.

At least 748 heat-related deaths have been reported in the heat wave in Spain and neighboring Portugal, where temperatures reached 117 degrees this month.

Wales reported its hottest temperature on record Monday of 95.5 degrees, the U.K. Met Office said.

All-time heat in Britain?

The U.K.'s high-temperature record is in jeopardy this week, AccuWeather said. The record stands at 102 degrees from the Cambridge Botanic Garden on July 25, 2019. Although that record was not broken Monday, it could be surpassed Tuesday, meteorologists said.

British authorities described the heat wave as a "national emergency" and portions of the nation are under an “extreme” heat warning for the first time.

In Britain and most of Europe, few homes, apartments, schools or small businesses have air conditioning, making residents vulnerable.

"Extreme heat can be dangerous to human health," said Eunice Lo, a climate scientist at the University of Bristol. "On average, about 2,000 extra deaths in England are related to heat waves each year. It is important to stay hydrated, stay indoors or under shade and check on friends and family during a heat wave."

At least four people were reported to have drowned across the U.K. in rivers, lakes and reservoirs while trying to cool off.

KEEP YOUR COOL:As heat wave impacts millions, here's how to stay safe

Airport runways are melting in the UK

The high temperatures affected airfields in Britain. London’s Luton Airport, which serves mostly low-cost airlines with flights to other countries in Europe, reported a runway defect around 4:30 p.m. local time on Monday afternoon. The airport’s operator said arriving flights were diverted and departures were suspended while repair work was done.

"Following today’s high temperatures, a surface defect was identified on the runway,” Luton Airport said in a statement. “Engineers were called immediately to site and repair works are currently in progress to resume operations as quickly as possible. We would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused.”

HEAT DOME: Record-high temperatures from heat dome affect millions

Blistering heat in Switzerland

The heat is also intense in mostly un-air-conditioned Switzerland, where Geneva resident Michelle Levesque said that in her apartment, her shades are down, the windows are closed, and the fans are on. "It makes me hate summer," she said. "I'm looking forward to September."

The high in Geneva on Monday was a blistering 98 degrees.
Unrelenting wildfires

In France, heat records were broken, and swirling hot winds complicated firefighting in the country’s southwest.

“It never stops,” David Brunner, one of 1,500 firefighters battling to control a wildfire in France, told The Guardian. “In 30 years of firefighting, I have never seen a fire like this.”

Authorities evacuated towns, moving 14,900 people Monday from areas that could find themselves in the path of the fires and choking smoke. More than 31,000 people have been forced from their homes and summer vacation spots in the Gironde region of France since the wildfires began July 12.

Is climate change to blame for the heat wave?

Scientists said heat waves are more intense, more frequent and longer because of climate change.

“Climate change is driving this heat wave, just as it is driving every heat wave now," said Friederike Otto, a scientist at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College in London. "Greenhouse gas emissions, from burning fossil fuels like coal, gas and oil, are making heat waves hotter, longer-lasting and more frequent.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HEAT:

From the heat index to a heat dome to an excessive heat warning

"Heat waves that used to be rare are now common; heat waves that used to be impossible are now happening and killing people. We saw this with the Pacific Northwest heat wave last year, which would have been almost impossible without human-caused warming," Otto said.

Contributing: Zach Winter and Claire Thornton, USA TODAY; The Associated Press.

JULY 18, 2022

 

Climate change's fingerprints on ever hotter heatwaves

As Europe sizzles, experts predict more to come. Increased frequency of heatwaves here to stay, and an undeniable symptom of climate change.

AN AERIAL PICTURE SHOWS THE FALLING WATER LEVEL AT WEIR WOOD RESERVOIR, NEAR CRAWLEY, SOUTHERN ENGLAND ON JULY 17, 2022. THE UK'S METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY ON FRIDAY ISSUED ITS FIRST EVER "RED" WARNING FOR EXCEPTIONAL HEAT, FORECASTING RECORD HIGHS OF 40 DEGREES CELSIUS NEXT WEEK. | AFP/LEAL DANIEL


Hotter, longer, more frequent. Heatwaves such as the one currently roasting much of Europe, or the record-shattering hot spell endured by India and Pakistan in March, are an unmistakable sign of climate change, experts said Monday.

CAPITALI$M
Humans to blame

"Every heatwave that we are experiencing today has been made hotter and more frequent because of human induced climate change," said Friederike Otto, senior lecturer at Imperial College London's Grantham Institute for Climate Change.

"It's pure physics, we know how greenhouse gas molecules behave, we know there are more in the atmosphere, the atmosphere is getting warmer and that means we are expecting to see more frequent heatwaves and hotter heatwaves."

In recent years, advances in the discipline known as attribution science have allowed climatologists to calculate how much global heating contributes to individual extreme weather events.

The India-Pakistan heatwave, for example, was calculated to have been 30 times more likely with the more than 1.1 degrees Celsius of warming that human activity has caused since the mid-nineteenth century.

The heatwave that shattered records in North America in June 2021, leaving hundreds dead as temperatures soared to 50C in places, would have been virtually impossible without global heating.

And the last major European heatwave, in 2019, was made 3C hotter by climate change.

"The increase in the frequency, duration, and intensity of these events over recent decades is clearly linked to the observed warming of the planet and can be attributed to human activity," the World Meteorological Organisation said in a Monday statement

However unbearable temperatures get this week, scientists are unanimous: there is worse to come.

At 1.5C of warming – the most ambitious Paris climate agreement goal – UN climate scientists calculate that heatwaves will be more than four times more likely than the pre-industrial baseline.

At 2C or warming, that figure reaches 5.6 times more likely, and at 4C heatwaves will be nearly 10 times more likely to occur.

Despite three decades of UN-led negotiations, countries' climate plans currently put Earth on course to warm a "catastrophic" 2.7C, according to the UN.

Matthieu Sorel, a climatologist at Meteo-France, said that climate change was already influencing the frequency and severity of heatwaves.

"We're on the way to hotter and hotter summers, where 35C becomes the norm and 40C will be reached regularly," he said.

Danger of death

The heatwaves of the future depend largely on how rapidly the global economy can decarbonise.

The UN's climate science panel has calculated that 14 percent of humanity will be hit with dangerous heat every five years on average with 1.5C of warming, compared with 37 percent at 2C.

"In all of places in the world where we have data there is an increase in mortality risk when we are exposed to high temperatures," said Eunice Lo, a climate scientist at the University of Bristol's Cabot Institute for the Environment.

It's not only the most vulnerable people who are at risk of health impacts from heat, it's even the fit and healthy people who will be at risk."

There is a real risk in future of so-called "wet bulb" temperatures – where heat combines with humidity to create conditions where the human body cannot cool itself via perspiration – breaching lethal levels in many parts of the world.

As well as the imminent threat to human health, heatwaves compound drought and make larger areas vulnerable to wild fires, such as those now raging across parts of France, Portugal, Spain, Greece and Morocco.

They also menace the food supply.

India, the world's second-largest wheat producer, chose to ban grain exports after the heatwave impacted harvests, worsening a shortage in some countries prompted by Russia's invasion of key exporter Ukraine.

 

Murder of the Dead by Amadeo Bordiga 1951

https://www.marxists.org › archive › bordiga › works

In Italy, we have long experience of “catastrophes that strike the country” and we also have a certain specialisation in “staging” them. Earthquakes, volcanic ...