Highly skilled H-1B workers pivot from U.S to Canada amid visa program changes

ByPrapti Upadhayay
Nov 25, 2023 

Skilled international workers on H-1B visas in the US are now looking for job opportunities in Canada.

Thousands of highly skilled international workers holding H-1B visas in the United States are opting for job opportunities in Canada. The shift comes in the wake of changes made to the H-1B program under former President Donald Trump, which created hurdles for bringing in highly skilled immigrant talent.

Skilled international workers on H-1B visas in the US are now looking for job opportunities in Canada. (Representative Photo)

"The highly educated foreign national is really at the mercy of the United States employers," emphasizes Annie Beaudoin, a former Canadian immigration officer, shedding light on the challenges faced by skilled workers in the U.S.

According to a report by CNBC, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services dealt with a staggering 758,994 eligible requests for the H-1B program. However, only 188,400 applicants were selected in the final draw for permits due to the stringent changes implemented.

Canada, seizing the opportunity, announced in July that its H-1B visa program had attracted a substantial number of international applicants, closing within 48 hours after reaching the 10,000-application limit.

Starting July 16, 2023, holders of H-1B specialty occupation visas in the U.S., along with their immediate family members, can apply to work in Canada. Successful applicants will receive an open work permit for up to three years, granting them the flexibility to work for any employer across Canada.

The United States H-1B visa program has faced scrutiny for potential abuses, prompting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take action. Measures include fraud investigations into organizations suspected of colluding to manipulate employee selection and law enforcement referrals for criminal prosecutions against violator companies.
Also Read | ‘I would deport you from those campuses’: Tim Scott warns students on visas against ‘encouraging Jewish genocide’

The H-1B visa, often dubbed the "Person in Specialty Occupation Visa," allows U.S. employers to hire qualified workers for specialized roles, including IT specialists, professors, architects, and doctors.

Criticism of the H-1B program has also surfaced domestically. Indian-American Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has vowed to abolish the program, denouncing it as "indentured servitude." Ramaswamy advocates for a meritocratic admission system, emphasizing the importance of skilled-based contributions to the country.

As skilled workers seek more welcoming opportunities, the exodus to Canada signals a potential reevaluation of immigration policies, both in the U.S. and abroad.

Mountain Twice as High as Tallest Building Found 'Hidden Under the Waves'

Ocean Explorers Discover Underwater 'Yellow Brick Road'

By Aristos Georgiou
Science and Health Reporter
Nov 24, 2023 


Researchers have uncovered a massive underwater mountain that was previously unknown in the Pacific Ocean.

The mountain, known as a seamount, sits around 13,100 feet below sea level and peaks at a depth of roughly 7,900 feet. Rising 5,249 feet above the ocean floor, the underwater mountain is roughly twice as tall as the world's tallest building—the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

The seamount was identified by an expedition conducted by the Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) in international waters, around 84 miles outside the exclusive economic zone of Guatemala.

Seamounts are underwater mountains with steep sides that rise from the ocean floor, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Most seamounts are remnants of extinct volcanoes and they are often cone-shaped.

Underwater mapping showing the newly discovered seamount, which stands 5,249 feet tall. The underwater mountain is located just outside the exclusive economic zone of Guatemala.

SCHMIDT OCEAN INSTITUTE


These underwater geological features are numerous, found in every ocean basin around the world, although it is not known exactly how many there are. The number of seamounts measuring at least 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) high is thought to be greater than 100,000. But only a fraction of these have been explored.

The seamount found by the latest SOI expedition was observed using an instrument known as the EM124 multibeam echo sounder on the research vessel Falkor (too). This instrument is capable of high resolution mapping of the seabed.

After the echo sounder revealed the seamount, an onboard expert confirmed that the feature was not currently present in any ocean floor databases. The data showed that the underwater mountain covers an area of more than 5 square miles.

"A seamount over 1.5 kilometers [0.9 miles] tall which has, until now, been hidden under the waves really highlights how much we have yet to discover," Jyotika Virmani, executive director of SOI, said in a press release.

"A complete seafloor map is a fundamental element of understanding our ocean so it's exciting to be living in an era where technology allows us to map and see these amazing parts of our planet for the first time!"

Seamounts are hot spots of biodiversity, providing a surface where organisms such as deep-sea corals, sponges and a range of invertebrates can settle and grow. These organisms, in turn, provide food for other animals. Seamount ecosystems are often home to unique species that are found only in a single location.

The latest find is the third seamount that the research vessel Falkor (too) has discovered since launching in March. The two previous features were found in the Galápagos Islands Marine Reserve. In this time, the vessel has also identified three new hydrothermal vent fields, a new ecosystem underneath hydrothermal vents, and two pristine cold-water coral reefs.

"On every expedition, those aboard Falkor (too) have found the unexpected, the awe-inspiring, the new," Wendy Schmidt, co-founder and president of SOI, said in the press release. "While there is so much we've come to understand as discoveries tumble ever faster into view, so much remains unknown in our ocean—and we are thrilled to continue exploring."

Mapping and exploring unknown areas of the seafloor is a key element in understanding our planet. SOI is a partner in the Seabed 2030 initiative, which has set an ambitious goal of mapping the entire seafloor by 2030.

The lack of detailed maps for much of the seafloor hinders the ability to safely navigate vessels at sea, manage marine resources sustainably, and safeguard coastal communities.

"Yet another breathtaking discovery by the team onboard Falkor (too)," Jamie McMichael-Phillips, director of the Seabed 2030 Project, said in the press release. "We are hugely grateful to all at SOI for sharing essential information that will move us further towards our goal of delivering 100 percent seafloor mapping by the end of the decade."

UK, EU, U$A

Hundreds of Amazon workers hold Black Friday strike

By Amelia Jenne

 24 Nov 2023

Hundreds of workers at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse have joined strike action by company employees across Europe and the United States.

Unions are calling for higher minimum pay and improved working conditions – and say this is the biggest industrial action in Amazon’s history, designed to coincide with Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

The firm has insisted that customers won’t be affected.

 

Amazon faces worker protests on Black Friday: #MakeAmazonPay spreads globally

By Prapti Upadhayay
Nov 25, 2023

Global coalition of Amazon employees and activists protest on Black Friday, demanding workers' rights, tax adherence, and higher environmental standards.

On Black Friday, a coalition of Amazon warehouse employees and activists worldwide will unite in a day of protests, strikes, and actions known as #MakeAmazonPay. The demands are clear: respect workers' right to unionize, adhere to tax laws, and commit to higher environmental standards.

A demonstrator holds a placard during a protest outside the Amazon headquarters during Black Friday in London, Britain, November 24, 2023.(REUTERS


Protests will span Amazon's global supply chain, from Brazil to the United States, with actions in Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Poland, India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Australia. In Germany alone, 3,000 workers are expected to strike at six Amazon facilities, while in Bangladesh, garment workers who produce Amazon-sold clothes will voice their concerns.
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The #MakeAmazonPay statement, signed by 39 organizations and directed at Amazon, highlights the stark contrast between the company's success and its treatment of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It reads, "Amazon warehouse workers risked their lives as essential workers, and only briefly received an increase in pay."

The demands, supported by over 50 social justice organizations, include higher wages, reinstating fired workers who spoke up about safety concerns, allowing union access to Amazon worksites, achieving zero emissions by 2030, and ending the sale of surveillance-dependent devices like Amazon Ring. Amazon is also urged to pay taxes in full where economic activity occurs.

While Amazon spokesperson Conor Sweeney defends the company's record, emphasizing safe working conditions, a $15 minimum wage, and climate change initiatives, critics argue that Amazon's success is at the expense of public institutions. Alex Cobham from the Tax Justice Network notes, "If we allow Amazon to keep all these excess profits, it will only strengthen its monopoly position."

The protests follow a Motherboard report revealing Amazon's extensive surveillance of workers, unions, and environmental movements. The company closely monitors union activity, tracks environmentalist groups on social media, and reportedly hires the Pinkerton Detective Agency for surveillance.

#MakeAmazonPay is not just a call for change within Amazon but a broader plea for corporate responsibility, echoing concerns about labor rights, environmental impact, and fair taxation. As Black Friday kicks off Amazon's peak season, these coordinated global actions serve as a powerful reminder that workers and activists are demanding accountability and change.

Amazon workers strike in multiple countries on Black Friday

BY BRAD DRESS - 11/24/23 

THE HILL

Amazon workers in multiple countries went on strike for Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year, to protest the e-commerce giant’s labor practices.

The strike is organized by the UNI Global Union, which represents workers around the world and said it has mobilized workers from more than 30 countries, including Italy, Germany and the U.S., to speak out against Amazon’s treatment of employees.

Hundreds of workers were striking Friday at warehouses in Coventry, U.K., and in multiple German cities, Reuters reported. Additional walkouts were expected later in the day in other countries.

Officials with the GMB Union, a large trade union in the U.K. that organized protesters there, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the strike on Friday was the “the biggest industrial action in Amazon’s history.”

The effort is part of the “Make Amazon Pay” campaign, which has organized strikes for the past four years. Christy Hoffman, general secretary of UNI Global Union, said workers around the world are “standing up to Make Amazon Pay.”

“This day of action grows every year because the movement to hold Amazon accountable keeps getting bigger and stronger,” Hoffman said in a statement. “Workers know that it doesn’t matter what country you’re in or what your job title is, we are all united in the fight for higher wages, an end to unreasonable quotas, and a voice on the job.”

Strikers argue that Amazon pays warehouse workers lower wages compared to employees in other sectors of the company and for better health and safety policies. Some also raise concerns about the e-commerce corporation’s environmental footprint.

Jessie Moreno, an Amazon Teamsters member from Local 396 in California, said she and other works “are on strike against Amazon’s unfair labor practices.”


“We have taken our picket line across the country and now we’re joining our colleagues from around the world to demand respect, fair wages, and a workplace where our health and safety are a priority,” Moreno said in a statement. “Amazon is no match for the power of its workers united.”

Amazon spokesperson Mary Kate Paradis said the “vast majority of these allegations are false or misinformed.”

“The fact is Amazon has created millions of good jobs, while helping create and support hundreds of thousands of small businesses around the world. We offer great pay and benefits for our employees,” Paradis said in a statement to The Hill, “with great career opportunities, and provide a modern and safe working environment for all.


“We continue to invest in the countries and communities where we operate, and we’re proud to be the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy,” Paradis added. “That’s part of our drive to be net zero carbon by 2040, with billions already invested in packaging reduction, clean energy and electric vehicles.”

—Updated at 10:51 a.m.

COP28

Is this a new dawn that will transform the impact of ESG?

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

Nov 24, 2023



Is it time to rethink ESG?


Image: Photo by Karsten Würth on Unsplash

Dr. Carsten LinzCEO and Founder, Bluegain

Cordula Prof. Dr. MeckenstockChief People, Culture & ESG Officer, BayWa




THE BIG PICTURE
Explore and monitor how Corporate Governance is affecting economies, industries and global issues


Environment, social and governance (ESG) are key drivers of stakeholder and shareholder value.
Yet, often CEOs, Chief Sustainability Officers and investors perceive ESG and sustainability through a risk mitigation perspective.
ESG needs to be repositioned to monitor an organization’s ability to continuously reconsider and operationalize how to positively impact society and the environment, while executing its core business.

Environment social and governance (ESG) are key drivers of stakeholder and shareholder value. Yet, often CEOs, Chief Sustainability Officers and investors perceive ESG and sustainability through a risk mitigation perspective, making the organization a 'regulation follower'. With this 'what is there' approach ESG is perceived as a reporting function, collecting and reporting activities that are carried out without asking if they make sense, if they follow an overarching strategic intent and if they can be bundled and orchestrated towards strategic impact.


In contrast, winning organizations’ strategic Impact-driven Transformation Programmes focus on change and transformation. They ask 'what is established and achieved' to create real impact. They take an entrepreneurial approach towards ESG, focusing on opportunities and driving the adaptation of new beliefs and behaviours. These empowered 'ESG entrepreneurs' design their impact programme and report it after it has been tailored and set up. If the integrated ESG report is not progressing, this is because the transformation programme that is driving change is not in place.


ESG should be conceptualized as a strategic initiative that goes beyond reporting a collection of isolated activities towards an ambitious transformation programme approach that makes ESG an integral part of the company's system for creating value, delivering value and capturing value.

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How entrepreneurial ESG leaders steer and orchestrate an ESG transformation

ESG entrepreneurs think of ESG as a strategic value engine. As they must pave the way and create an innovative edge, they are characterized as transformational leaders who define which core business areas to focus on ESG. They don't ask managers to be driven by reporting and rules and regulations.

ESG is a horizontal phenomenon. It cuts across industries and internally requires some horizontal orchestration across organizational silos. Therefore, to drive successful ESG transformation, ESG entrepreneurs must be created who can establish a level of centralized orchestration and steer a portfolio of impact projects across all business units and functions.

In most companies, the 'muscles' for transformation are not trained because the focus on day-to-day business is on retention/optimization and not on change/transformation. We all know the situation when you ask, 'Who is responsible for transformation?' and there is silence on the conference call.

This is why companies need to introduce at least some degree of central orchestration across all business units and functions. This means creating a dedicated expert function, typically at the headquarters, preferably reporting to the CEO to secure robust sponsorship from the top that is sensitive to the power bases within the firm. It can comprise the following elements:

• Rethink ESG approach and function: Treat ESG as an entrepreneurial, strategic CEO function to create an innovative edge for the company.


• Identify core impact business areas: Identify and define impact areas for ESG based on a thorough understanding of the business’s specific value drivers and business model logic. And, calculate 'ESG-driven business cases' including a baseline, target, roadmap with metrics and concrete milestones in partnership with the business. Guiding questions can include: How to create a sustainable ecosystem? How can others benefit from more careful use of resources, such as water, steel, human labour, etc? How can society participate in new infrastructure projects? How to optimize the supply chain to the benefit of everybody in the value network?


• Oversee and steer a portfolio of ESG projects: The ESG Programme comprises a portfolio of ESG projects (multi-project management), which must be steered, orchestrated and hedged. The ESG projects can be clustered into the following categories: ESG-driven products and solutions with an ESG price tag; social impact projects; and footprint reduction. The focus of every project in the programme portfolio is to make economic sense to ensure that the project, the product or the solution is viable and sustainable long term.


• Measure ESG progress specifically: Make sure to agree on specific objectives and key results for your ESG Programme. Integrate the strategic planning of objectives into guiding 'north stars' with operational execution cycles to create meaningful progress. Objectives and key results as an agile goal management framework can play an important role. Guiding questions can include: Can you add a clear price tag to the ESG characteristic of your product? Is it measurable and underpinned with scientific evidence of what the customer will get, i.e. more sea freight instead of airfreight; less child labour and more children in school; smarter water irrigation of apples?


On the other side, it is pivotal to not fall into the trap of a centrally steered transformation programme, which is too distant from the domain-specific expertise of the organization. New projects should be assessed by people in the different lines of business. Piloting is done in a decentralized way by a small mixed frontline team of business, digital, ESG and strategy people embedded within a business unit – preferably together with (internal) pilot clients. The leaders of these cross-functional teams think and speak the ESG language and know how to land on the customer’s landing strip, how to convince banks, how to talk to rating agencies and how to make ESG-driven projects a success because the framing is understood. They are also part of ESG topic communities that foster best practice exchange across organizations, e.g. a water community in New Zealand and Austria.


There is no one size fits all. Regardless of the organizational archetypes chosen, comprehensive orchestration is required in the early stages of transformation to offset the typical organizational antibodies that resist change. As the transformation progresses and permeates the various functions and departments, the orchestration usually leaves more room for decentralization.
DISCOVER

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Operationalizing with the ESG cycle


In the future the license to operate will lie in the 'how' you do business. Societal acceptance, trust of business partners, loyalty of employees and willingness of customers to pay a premium will depend on an organization’s overall market behaviour and business model.


Key will be the organization’s ability to continuously reconsider and operationalize how to positively impact society and the environment while executing its core business. This approach is introduced in parallel with the annual financial planning and reporting cycle:

Image: Bluegain (2023)


Kick off with a 'know your ESG profile.' Start by identifying the company’s material impact topics and filtering out those where positive impact and value can be created. Then, set up an entrepreneurial programmatic approach and identify value levers along the entire value chain and impact measurement of the developed programme. Integrating ESG value drivers into the business model(s) ensures sustainable value creation in the literal meaning of sustainability. Impact measurement, which goes along with the discontinuation of what does not work and ramps up what works, creates satisfaction and credibility. Ultimately, reporting follows action, not the other way around.

Results of an Impact Transformation Programme driven by ESG entrepreneurs


Such a transformation does not mean that the existing approach - including awareness-raising, legal housekeeping, etc. – is completely abolished – because it serves as a foundation. Done right, it builds on existing achievements and takes them to the next level.


In an organization, where an ESG Impact Transformation Programme driven by ESG Entrepreneurs is in place, each business unit screens its core business according to the following ESG dimensions, with the following questions in mind:


• ESG driven products and solutions: Can we develop our portfolio further and make our products/solutions more ESG-driven, i.e. can we source our production material more responsibly, can we design our IT solution more data-privacy friendly, can we build in a circular economy component? Can we add a clear price tag to the new/further developed product/solution that reflects the additional benefit the customer receives, i.e. a more responsibly sourced product, a more data-protective IT solution, a circular economic product? How can we prove the customer benefit concerning the heightened ESG characteristics the customer is paying for, i.e. do we have auditable evidence that the product is sourced in a certain way, that the IT application is developed in a certain way, that the product can be recycled? Is the customer able to prove marketing claims, ESG scorings of bank financing and hiring promises for employees upon the evidence?


• Social impact: Is the product/solution beneficial for society and the environment, i.e. does it help society to reduce its water consumption? Does it lower access barriers to education? Does it shift transport from road to rail? Does it reduce plastic packaging? Does it increase access to healthy food? Is this positive impact measurable? This is clearly a complex topic as social impact measurement is a hotly debated and researched area. Nevertheless, measurement needs to be optimized and documented transparently, it must demonstrate how the impact is measured and why that method is used. A concrete example could be: how many farmers use a solution that digitally steers the needed irrigation for a certain farming area and thereby reduces water consumption? How many containers are shipped via rail that were formerly shipped via road under the same commercial logistics relationship?


• Management of own footprint: Is a project beneficial for the company’s own footprint? A footprint comprises of water and energy consumption, the carbon footprint, the waste produced, etc. Can we reliably collect the data regarding the footprint? Are we clear about data formats and data transmission? Can we collect the data from upstream and downstream in our value chain?



This approach ensures that the different ESG dimensions fall into clear boxes in the organization’s ESG programme with its standardized and circular impact measurement framework. The business units do not execute their own mix of detached activities without clear attribution to one of the ESG dimensions. They continuously contribute to a full-fledged measurable integrated strategic ESG programme.


The dedicated central ESG experts steer an ESG programme that is continuously fed by ESG entrepreneurs embedded everywhere in the organization, as close as possible to business operations. The yearly circle of impact measurement ensures that the activities driven by the ESG entrepreneurs are measured, evaluated and continued/discontinued according to their measured success or non-success.


Such an opportunity-driven programmatic approach can also be seen as a viable protection against greenwashing claims, which typically arise in cases of blueprint claims that are neither tailored to the specific business model nor measurable.


With its impact orientation with measurable results and its inherent alignment with the company's own business model, such an opportunity-driven programmatic approach can help the organization to gain a competitive edge.

Villagers resist India's biofuel push, fearing hidden health risks


24 November 2023 - BY BHASKER TRIPATHI

“The government might reduce pollution by blending ethanol, but the hidden cost is the pollution that locals like us face wherever its ethanol is produced”.
Image: 123RF/Ralph Fiskness / File photo

On a sunny afternoon last month, two dozen people gathered at the council office in a south Indian village to protest against a new ethanol plant they say is polluting their backyard.

Over a year ago, locals were alarmed when they saw construction begin on the government-sanctioned grain distillery on a vacant plot about a kilometre (0.62 miles) away from their homes.

Touted as a green fuel and a solution to cut tailpipe emissions from vehicles when blended with gasoline, ethanol — a biofuel — is key to India’s action to tackle climate change.

But the residents of Chittanur village in Telangana state say they are not ready to pay for the national clean energy drive with their health.

This September, the plant started operating for a trial period. Villagers told Context that, despite claiming to be a Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) facility, it had released hazardous effluent in the stream running near the village.

Effluent discharged by distilleries can contain acids and heavy metals, which if untreated can harm soil fertility, aquatic life and human health, according to Indian researchers.

The stream is an essential source of water for surrounding villages. Local people said a child fell seriously ill after swimming in contaminated water while adults who came into contact with it developed skin rashes.

“The government might reduce pollution by blending ethanol, but the hidden cost is the pollution that locals like us face wherever its ethanol is produced,” said Sugunakar Reddy, a village resident who works in the IT industry in Hyderabad.

Reddy said inhabitants had repeatedly complained about the ethanol plant to the district administration and pollution control bodies, but to no avail.

Jurala Organic Farms and Agro Industries, the company that owns the plant near Chittanur, did not respond to questions about its operations.

Once fully functional, the distillery will use food crops like rice to produce 800,000 litres of ethanol daily to be sold to Indian gasoline retailers.

Many countries around the world, from the US to Indonesia and Brazil, blend biofuels with gasoline to reduce their fossil-fuel import burden and curb climate-heating emissions from the transport sector.

Starting from the early 2000s, India used sugar cane to ramp up ethanol production to 4 billion litres annually to meet a target of blending 10% ethanol into gasoline.

In addition, about five years ago, it decided to harness food crops — rice and maize — to increase production for a higher 20% blend target that took effect in 2021, requiring 12 billion litres of ethanol each year.

Since 2020, the government has approved nearly 200 new grain-based distilleries, nine of them sited in Telangana.

It has eased the way for such facilities by weakening regulations to exempt them from public hearings before getting environmental clearance, offering financial support and putting in place long-term purchase agreements for their output.

The biofuel push has seen experts flag the risks of increased pollution impacts and warn that over-use of crops for ethanol production could threaten food security for the poor and hurt a sector already hit by climate change.

India's Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, which also steers biofuel policy, did not respond to a request for comment.

WATER AND FOOD DIVERTED FOR FUEL

The Chittanur protests, which started a year ago, foreshadow the risk of local conflicts erupting in other areas with ethanol distilleries.

Farmer Vakiti Ramanji said residents found out that the Chittanur plant had been given the green light without public consultation, triggering demonstrations and a village council resolution against it.

Locals fear toxic effluent from the plant could contaminate groundwater in the future. “This will have scary outcomes for our health and the crops we grow,” Ramanji said.

After they raised objections, residents said the plant's operator started taking effluent out in tankers and releasing it on the roadside, sparking angry protests and clashes between villagers and police which led to many arrests in October.

Locals are also worried about how ethanol production will affect their food and water supplies in a drought-prone region.

Farmer Puttapalli Murli noted that producing one litre of ethanol takes three kilos of rice and six litres of water.

While the ethanol company has been given permission by the government to take water from a nearby dam, farmers are not getting enough for their irrigation needs, he added.

According to government data, sugar cane and rice use up to 70% of India's irrigation water

Murli said the plant had promised to buy rice directly from villagers but the government is already selling subsidised rice from public stocks to ethanol producers, undercutting farmers.

The Food Corporation of India, which maintains national food stocks, released 2.5 million tonnes of rice to 100 distilleries from March 2020 to July 2023, according to data requested by Context.

The body is also responsible for allocating rice and wheat to India’s public food distribution system for the poor.

With India ranking 111 out of 125 countries in the 2023 Global Hunger Index, the national policy of diverting food crops for ethanol has been criticised by experts.

“The use of rice for food should be prioritised over its use as fuel,” wrote Siraj Hussain, a former Indian agriculture secretary, and agricultural economist Shweta Saini in an opinion piece published in June by online news platform The Wire.

In August, the government stopped releasing subsidised rice for ethanol production amid concerns over depleting stocks, but the halt may only be temporary, according to Indian media.

LOW-EMISSIONS FUEL?

Promit Mookherjee, an associate fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, a Delhi-based think-tank, said the government should not set an ambitious biofuels target and then make changes to the “fragile” agriculture sector to achieve it.

Instead it should assess how much ethanol can be produced sustainably from existing farmland and then seek other efficient ways to boost ethanol production, he said.

Incentivising farmers to grow feedstock for ethanol will deter them from diversifying into new crops and cultivation methods needed to adapt to climate change, while the policy could increase planet-heating emissions from land-use change, he added.

A 2022 study published in the journal of the National Academy of Sciences in the US — which produces most of its ethanol from corn — found that expanding crop production for biofuel intensified the use of fertiliser and water.

This resulted in the carbon footprint of corn-based ethanol being “no less than gasoline and likely at least 24% higher”, the researchers wrote.

While using food crops to produce ethanol — known as “first-generation” biofuel — is easier, technology now allows the use of agricultural waste to produce “second-generation” ethanol.

Several companies have successfully demonstrated this new method in India but are struggling to scale it up, Mookherjee said, calling for a government road map for sustainable ethanol production.

In the meantime, Chittanur residents are refusing to be pushed aside in the race to hit national biofuel targets.

“Everyone tells us that this plant is for the development of India,” said IT worker Reddy. “Is our village, our farmers not a part of India? Do we not have the right to live a healthy life?”

Reuters

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for BIOFUELS 

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for BIOFUEL

PAKISTAN

Mountain villages fight for future as melting glaciers threaten floods

Tariq Jamil, 51, chair of the Community Based Disaster Risk Management Centre, walks with a hiking stick to check the ice on the Shisper glacier, near Hassanabad village, Hunza valley, in the Karakoram mountain range in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, on October 10 2023.
Image: REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

24 November 2023 - BY CHARLOTTE GREENFIELD

On the steep slope of a glacier jutting through the Hunza valley in Pakistan's mountainous far north, Tariq Jamil measures the ice's movement and snaps photos. Later, he creates a report that includes data from sensors and another camera installed near the Shisper glacier to update his village an hour's hike downstream.

The 51-year-old's mission: mobilise his community of 200 families in Hassanabad, in the Karakoram mountains, to fight for a future for their village and way of life, increasingly under threat from unstable lakes formed by melting glacier ice.

When glacial lakes overfill or their banks become unsound, they burst, sparking deadly floods that wash out bridges and buildings and wipe out fertile land throughout the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Himalayan mountain ranges that intersect in northern Pakistan.

Himalayan glaciers are on track to lose up to 75% of their ice by the century's end due to global warming, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

After all the sensors are installed, village representatives will be able to monitor data through their mobiles, Jamil said. “Local wisdom is very important: we are the main observers. We have witnessed many things.”

Hassanabad is part of the UN-backed Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) II project to help communities downstream of melting glaciers adapt.

Amid a shortfall in funding for those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, village residents say they urgently need increased support to adapt to threats of glacial lake floods.

“The needs are enormous,” said Karma Lodey Rapten, Regional Technical Specialist for Climate Change Adaptation at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Pakistan is the only country to receive adaptation funding from the Green Climate Fund — the Paris Agreement's key financing pot — to ease the risk of such floods.

While countries like Bhutan have worked with other funders to minimise the threat from glacial lake floods, the $36.96m (R697.94m) GLOF II scheme — which ends in early 2025 — is a global benchmark for other regions grappling with this threat, including the Peruvian Andes and China.

Since 2017, weather stations as well as sensors measuring rainfall, water discharge, and river and lake water levels have been installed under the administration of Islamabad and UNDP. GLOF II has deployed speakers in villages to communicate warnings, and infrastructure like stone-and-wire barriers that slow floodwater.

In Hassanabad, a villager regularly monitors the feed from a camera installed high up the valley for water levels in the river by the glacier's base during risky periods such as summer, when a lake dammed by ice from Shisper glacier often forms.


Pakistan is among the world's most at-risk countries from glacial lake floods, with 800,000 people living within 15km of a glacier. Many residents of the Karakorams built their homes on lush land along rivers running off glaciers.

In neighbouring India in October, floods probably triggered by a partial glacial lake burst in the Himalayas, following an avalanche and heavy rains, likely killed 179 people. Many remain missing. An early warning system was being installed near the lake, but it had not been completed.

DEADLY RISKS

As many as 15-million people worldwide are at risk of glacial lake flooding, with 2-million of them in Pakistan, according to a February study published in scientific journal Nature Communications.

From 2018 to 2021, about 14 GLOFs occurred in Pakistan, but that spiked to 75 in 2022, according to UNDP.

Jamil's village had close calls from floods, according to residents and officials. Over the past three years, residents repeatedly evacuated just in time to avoid loss of life, and many fear a flood while they sleep. Others struggle financially as their land and homes were destroyed, most recently in 2022.

In Chalt village, a few hours away, a torrent of black water rushed down the valley last year. Zahra Ramzan's 11-year-old son Ali Mohammad was swept away.

“I'm in very deep grief. I could not see my son again, even a body,” said the 40-year-old.

The village has had little information about the risks, residents said. Ramzan gets nervous whenever there is heavy rain or flooding, refusing to allow her surviving children out of sight.

In Hassanabad, Jamil is trying to manage these risks. He and 23 other volunteers have trained in first aid and evacuation planning. They monitor the glacier and consult with outside experts and officials each summer.

They are hoping to receive international financing for 20 times the length of barrier wall than is currently funded. They also want interest-free loans to rebuild destroyed homes and adapt their housing with stronger material, as well as better mobile reception to access the monitoring feed.

PLEA FOR ADAPTATION FUNDING

With the UN's COP28 climate summit scheduled to begin on November 30, pressure is ramping up on wealthy countries to fulfil promises to help developing nations.

The Green Climate Fund said in October it had raised $9.3bn (R175.62bn), short of its $10bn (R188.84bn) target.

Wealthy nations are set to meet a broader $100bn (R1.89-trillion) climate finance pledge to developing countries this year, three years late and short of the actual needs, estimated by the UN at over $200bn (R3.78-trilion) annually by 2030.

ICIMOD said changes driven by global warming to glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region are “largely irreversible.” The region has over 200 glacial lakes considered dangerous.

Darkut village, also part of GLOF II, sits surrounded by mountains and glaciers above verdant plains where yaks graze. At the bottom of nearby Darkut Glacier lies a deep turquoise lake.

“Until 1978 ... this whole place was a glacier, the pool of water came later,” said 75-year-old Musafir Khan, pointing at the lake that formed as the glacier receded.

Unlike the ice-dammed lake at Shisper, Darkut is formed in the soil and rock landscape left by a receding glacier.

In northern Pakistan, such moraine-dammed lakes are linked to comparatively few GLOFs, according to ICIMOD researcher Sher Muhammad, but in other parts of mountainous Asia they have been associated with higher casualty rates than ice-dammed lakes.

The risks of both types of lakes may increase, Muhammad said.

Muhammad Yasin, an environmental sciences graduate researcher at Karakorum International University, is studying the extent to which Darkut glacier is melting.

“We have [told] the community that risk factors exist in this lake, you should be aware of this,” he said.

Many families have left over the years after previous flash floods, said Khan, who was born in the remote village, but hundreds rebuilt nearby.

In Hassanabad, the prospect of moving also fills many with disbelief. Their families have lived off orchard fields surrounded by soaring mountains for 400 years, growing produce and grazing livestock high in the plains. Many say they have no resources to move from the village, where their ancestors are buried.

“If the flood will cut us off, we will miss the nature of this village, our neighbours and relatives,” said Tehzeeb, Jamil's 15-year-old daughter.

“Like a bird in a cage,” Jamil said of moving to a city. He was open to exploring the option, but said he would focus on keeping the village alive.

“It's my responsibility to prevent the community from (facing) any disaster.”

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2023/11/pakistan-facing-melting-glaciers.html

Armenia Says Azerbaijan Still Vague On Commitment To Peace

AZERBAIJAN, TURKIYE'S CLIENT STATE

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian answers questions sent in by citizens, November 24, 2023.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Friday that it still remains unclear whether Azerbaijan will ultimately commit to signing a peace agreement with Armenia based on the three principles that he said were agreed upon during negotiations mediated by the European Union.

Answering questions sent in by citizens during a live session, Pashinian referred to his meetings with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that were held with the mediation of European Council President Charles Michel in May and July.

The Armenian premier reiterated the three principles, including mutual recognition of territorial integrity and borders, border delimitation based on a 1991 declaration signed by a dozen former Soviet republics, including Armenia and Azerbaijan, after the collapse of the USSR, and the sovereign jurisdictions of the states over transportation links passing through their territories.

“Now we cannot say with certainty that Azerbaijan refuses to sign a peace agreement based on these three principles, but we cannot say with certainty that Azerbaijan reaffirms its commitment to these three principles either. There is a need to clarify these issues and nuances during the negotiations,” Pashinian.

Azerbaijan appears to have avoided Western platforms for negotiations with Armenia after Azerbaijani forces recaptured the whole of Nagorno-Karabakh in a one-day military operation on September 19, causing more than 100,000 people, virtually the entire local Armenian population, to flee to Armenia.

Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev were scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the EU’s October 5 summit in Granada, Spain, for talks mediated by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and European Council President Charles Michel.

Pashinian had hoped that they would sign there a document laying out the main parameters of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty. However, Aliyev withdrew from the talks at the last minute.

Baku cited France’s allegedly “biased position” against Azerbaijan as the reason for skipping those talks in Spain.

The Azerbaijani leader also appears to have canceled another meeting which the EU’s Michel planned to host in Brussels in late October.

Most recently Azerbaijan refused to attend a meeting with Armenia at the level of foreign ministers in Washington after allegedly “one-sided and biased” remarks by a senior U.S. official made during a congressional hearing on Nagorno-Karabakh. That meeting had reportedly been scheduled to take place on November 20.

In doing so Azerbaijan recently offered to hold direct talks with Armenia, including at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Pashinian reaffirmed today that a meeting of the two countries’ officials engaged in border delimitation and demarcation activities will be held at a yet undisclosed location along the state frontier on November 30.

He said that Yerevan will draw conclusions from those discussions as to whether “Azerbaijan is ready for peace based on those principles or whether Azerbaijan rejects those principles.”

“We don’t have that confidence until today,” Pashinian said.

The Armenian leader did not say whether Yerevan also considers direct negotiations with Azerbaijan at the highest level.

On Thursday, Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safarian said that there are issues in negotiations “where the presence of mediators is mandatory and plays a very important role.”

“For example, issues related to the rights of the population forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. The existence of international mechanisms is important here. There are also other issues where guarantees are important,” the senior Armenian diplomat said.

Ireland’s PM slams anti-immigrant violence in Dublin

"These criminals did not do what they did because they love Ireland"

 

 Irish police officers try to disperse a demonstration near the scene of an attack in Dublin city center, Thursday Nov. 23, 2023. A 5-year-old girl is receiving emergency medical treatment in a Dublin hospital following an attack on Thursday that involved a knife. A woman and two other children were injured. Irish police said they weren’t treating the case as terror-related, and that a man in his 50s, who was also hospitalized with serious injuries, is a “person of interest.” 

(Brian Lawless/PA via AP)

PUBLISHED: November 24, 2023 

By Danica Kirka | Associated Press

LONDON — Ireland’s prime minister on Friday condemned anti-immigrant protesters who rampaged through central Dublin after three young children were stabbed, saying the rioters simply wanted to cause chaos, not protect the country’s way of life.

Police arrested 34 people overnight after up to 500 people looted shops, set fire to vehicles and threw rocks at crowd control officers equipped with helmets and shields. The violence began after rumors circulated that a foreign national was responsible for the attack outside a Dublin school on Thursday afternoon.

Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said Ireland’s capital had endured two attacks, one on innocent children and the other on “our society and the rule of law.”

“These criminals did not do what they did because they love Ireland, they did not do what they did because they wanted to protect Irish people, they did not do it out of any sense of patriotism, however warped,” Varadkar told reporters on Friday morning. “They did so because they’re filled with hate, they love violence, they love chaos, and they love causing pain to others.”

A 5-year-old girl was in critical condition at a Dublin hospital and a teacher’s aide was in serious condition, police said. A 6-year-old girl continues to receive treatment for less serious injuries and another child was discharged overnight. The alleged assailant, who was tackled by witnesses, remains hospitalized in serious condition.

A burned out bus is removed from O’Connell Street in the aftermath of violent scenes in the city centre on Thursday evening, in Dublin, Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. 

Brian Lawless/PA via AP

Thursday’s unrest came amid rising tensions over immigration in Ireland that mirror trends in other parts of Europe. Earlier this year, people carrying signs reading “Ireland is full” demonstrated in Dublin and protesters blockaded a hotel housing asylum seekers in County Clare on the west coast.

An analysis of more than 13 million social media posts over the past three years found that right-wing groups were increasingly using platforms such as X, formerly known as Twitter, to stir up opposition to immigration. Recent activity has characterized the refugees and asylum seekers as an “existential threat to Ireland,” according to a report from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a London-based group that seeks to combat extremism.

Ireland received more than 141,000 immigrants in the 12 months through April, the highest total since 2007, the latest government statistics show. The influx of migrants drove an 11.7% increase in Ireland’s population over the past 11 years, contributing to a steady increase in housing prices.

When he was questioned about anti-immigration tensions earlier this year, Varadkar told Ireland’s parliament that there was always a place for peaceful protest, but violence, intimidation and racism were never legitimate.

“I think when it comes to this matter, we should never lose sight of the bigger picture — we’re facing a major refugee crisis not just here in Ireland but all across Europe,” he said in May.Commissioner Drew Harris, head of Ireland’s national police force, described those who took part in Thursday’s unrest as a “complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology.”

More than 400 officers, including many in riot gear, were deployed throughout the city center to contain the violence. A cordon was set up around the Irish Parliament building, Leinster House, and mounted officers were dispatched to nearby Grafton Street.

One officer was seriously injured in clashes with the rioters, some of whom were armed with metal bars and covered their faces.

“These (riots) are scenes that we have not seen in decades, but what is clear is that people have been radicalized through social media and the internet,” Harris told reporters.

“But I don’t want to lose focus on the terrible event in terms of the dreadful assault on schoolchildren and their teacher. There’s a full investigation ongoing. There’s also a full investigation in respect on the disorder.”

Varadkar praised people of multiple nationalities who intervened to stop the attack as it unfolded, describing them as “real Irish heroes.”

One of them was Caio Benicio, a Brazilian delivery driver who stopped when he saw the teacher’s aide trying to save the children. Spotting a knife, he ripped off his helmet and slammed it into the attacker with all his strength.

“I pray for her to survive,” Benicio said of the child in critical condition. “I’m a parent myself, I have two kids and I know how hard it is.”

Benicio told Britain’s Press Association that the disturbances seemed to be caused by a “small group of people” who “wanted an excuse to do what they did.”

“I’m here for about 20 years now, I don’t know politics here deeply to have an opinion about it,” he said. “What I can say is I know the protest is against immigrants and for me it doesn’t make sense because I’m an immigrant myself and I was the one who helped out. For me it doesn’t make sense.”

Violence, looting as school stabbing triggers riots in Dublin, 34 arrested

Rioters could face prison sentence up to 12 years, says Justice Minister McEntee

Web Desk Updated: November 24, 2023 
Protesters vandalise a police vehicle before setting it on fire during a demonstration following a suspected stabbing that left few children injured in Dublin, Ireland | Reuters


The riot that broke out in Dublin after the stabbing incident, severely injuring three young children, turned violent with many including police officials injured. According to Irish Police, 34 were arrested in connection with the riot.

"Overall we have 34 arrests, 32 of which will be appearing before the courts this morning," Police Commissioner Drew Harris told a press conference.

Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee described the situation as “very volatile”. “There could be prison sentences of up to 12 years for attacking gardai,” she said.

At least 100 people took to the strerts with some armed with metal bars and covering their faces on Thursday evening. The riot police had to intervene to calm the situation on the streets with the rioters torching the vehicles and attacking stores.

Following the attack outside a school, the girl was grievously injured and is currently receiving medical treatment in a Dublin hospital. The two others injured in the incident was also undergoing medical treatment.

Over 400 police officers were deployed in Dublin city centre to contain the unrest.

A police cordon was also set up around the Irish Parliament building, Leinster House, and officers from the Mounted Support Unit were in nearby Grafton Street.

A number of police vehicles and a tram were damaged during the clashes, while a bus and car were also set on fire on the city's O'Connell Bridge.

Several stores were looted amid the riots as well. Public transport in the city including trams and buses was suspended. Many companies urged their staff to work from home on Friday.

“We have a complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology, and also then this disruptive tendency engaged in serious violence," said Harris.

Police and politicians called for calm and warned against misinformation over the attack earlier in the day.

Justice Ministe said that the scenes we were witnessing this evening won't be tolerated.

Earlier the police had said that they have not ruled out the potential terrorist link as the motive behind the attack.

Irish police also said one police officer was seriously injured in Dublin riot.

After three young children was stabbed, it had sparked a night of rioting rarely seen before the capital.

Police blamed the far right agitators for starting the violence after a small group of anti-immigrant protesters arrived at the scene of the stabbing attack beside the main thoroughfare of O'Connell Street and clashed with police.

(With agencies inputs)

Far-right protesters burn and loot Dublin in worst violence ‘in decades’

By Karla Adam

November 24, 2023 

Riot police officers face down demonstrators next to a burning police car near a crime scene of a school stabbing that left several children and adults injured in Dublin on Thursday. (Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters)

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LONDON — Ireland’s police chief on Friday described the unrest in central Dublin, in which double-decker buses, trams and police cars were torched, as “scenes that we have not seen in decades.”

The violence and looting through some of Dublin’s most famous streets began after a stabbing attack outside a school that left five people hospitalized, including three young children and a woman. Police detained a man who is also being treated for injuries.

What police later identified as far-right protesters then took to the streets of Dublin, setting vehicles ablaze and clashing with police.

A fire blazes following a suspected stabbing that left several children injured in Dublin on Thursday. (Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters)

“What we saw last night was an extraordinary outbreak of violence,” Police Commissioner Drew Harris told reporters on Friday. “These are scenes that we have not seen in decades.”

He said that 34 people had been arrested.

Police blamed a “lunatic, hooligan faction driven by a far-right ideology” for the violence that broke out after a small group of anti-immigrant protesters arrived at the scene of the knife attack.

Protesters vandalize a police vehicle before setting it on fire during a demonstration following a suspected stabbing that left children injured in Dublin on Thursday. (Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters)

The “riotous mob” caused “huge destruction” in Dublin, police said, with some wielding metal bars. Rioters smashed windows and looted shops as they stormed through the city.

The Dublin Fire Brigade on Friday morning said firefighters were continuing to dampen down smoldering vehicles.

A bus on fire on O'Connell Street after violent scenes unfolded in Dublin city center on Thursday following a knife attack. (Brian Lawless/AP)

Police said they weren’t looking for anyone else involved in the knife attack and were “keeping an open mind” about any motive.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told reporters said that those involved in the riots “brought shame on Ireland.”

Irish police officers form a line to block a demonstration near the scene of an attack in Dublin city center on Thursday. (Brian Lawless/AP)

Dublin riots: Immigrant Deliveroo driver 'hit attacker with helmet' to save little girl

Caio Benicio, a Brazilian, said he acted out of 'pure instinct' when he stepped in to defend the child

Deliveroo driver Caio Benicio, who stopped a knife attacker outside a school


Gillian Duncan
Nov 24, 2023

A Brazilian Deliveroo driver who stepped in to defend a young girl from a knife attack in Dublin that sparked rioting has spoken out, saying: "It looks like they hate immigrants."

Caio Benicio, 43, said he was on his bike when he saw the attack unfold and immediately dismounted, took off his helmet and hit the man with it.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin praised Mr Benicio on Friday, saying his part “should not be forgotten” and said he may have saved other children from attack.

“We had a horrific, violent attack on children and adults, we think of them, and we think of the Deliveroo person who came along to save the situation, perhaps for other children,” he said.

Police officers near the scene from yesterday's stabbing in Dublin. 

Violence broke out in the wake of Thursday afternoon's attack after at least 100 people took to the streets, some with their faces covered and armed with metal bars.

It spiralled into a night of violence and disorder as buses, trams and at least one Garda vehicle were burnt and shops were looted on one of Dublin’s most famous throughfares, O’Connell Street.

There were clashes with riot police as some demonstrators let off flares and fireworks, while others flung chairs and stools grabbed from outside bars and restaurants.

Police blamed far-right agitators for starting the violence after a small group of anti-immigration protesters arrived at the scene of the stabbing and clashed with police.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar promised to use the full resources of the law and the full machinery of the state to punish those involved in the “grotesque events” in Dublin. He said measures will be put in place to ensure that any repeated attempts will meet the “full measure of the law”.

“As a country we need to reclaim Ireland, we need to take it away from the cowards who hide behind masks and try to terrify us with their violence,” he said.

“We need to reclaim Ireland from the unscrupulous who prey on the fears of those easily led into darkness and we need to reclaim Ireland from the criminals who seek any excuse to unleash harm on our streets.”

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris singled out a "complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology" for the disorder.

A police cordon was set up around the Irish parliament building, Leinster House, late on Thursday night with officers from the Garda Mounted Support Unit in nearby Grafton Street, as concerns rose that the violence may spread to the seat of Ireland's democratic institutions.

Shortly before midnight, gardai said calm had been restored in the city.

The five-year-old girl was seriously injured in the stabbing attack outside a school, which also left a woman and two other children injured.




















Mr Benicio said he acted on "pure instinct" when he intervened.

“I didn’t even make a decision, it was pure instinct, and it was all over in seconds. He fell to the ground, I didn’t see where the knife went, and other people stepped in,” he told Irish newspaper The Journal.

“I have two kids myself, so I had to do something. I did what anyone would do. People were there but they couldn’t step in because he was armed, but I knew I could use my helmet as a weapon.”

Mr Benicio said he was sad to see the outbreak of violence, adding: “It looks like they hate immigrants. Well I am an immigrant, and I did what I could to try and save that little girl."

Mr Benicio, who came to Ireland for work, said he hopes his children can join him one day.

Mr Martin condemned the rioting in Dublin, saying “this is not who we are as a people”.


Before a meeting of the British-Irish Council at Dublin Castle, the Tanaiste said in the first instance his thoughts are with the families of the children and adults who were injured in the knife attack.

Police officers work at the scene. Reuters

Turning to the later rioting, Mr Martin acknowledged people are “obviously very, very concerned” about “the lawlessness and the rioting that occurred last evening in our city”.

"Ireland has built a modern and inclusive society. It is something precious that we should all work to hold,” he said.

“We understand the need to respect others, the need to respect difference and the need to respect the dignity of every human being. This is something that we should hold precious and we should collectively, as a society, come together to recommit to those fundamental values.”

Police dispatched 400 officers, many of whom were in riot gear, to contain the unrest. Officers made 34 arrests. Police said convicted rioters could face prison sentences of up to 12 years.

Commissioner Harris said on Friday one Garda officer received a serious injury, with "numerous other members injured" when missiles were thrown at them.
The aftermath of the Dublin riots - in pictures

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris discusses the violence at a press conference in Dublin. PA

He said there was an “element of radicalisation” in the riots in Dublin on Thursday.

He told a press conference on Friday: “These are scenes that we have not seen in decades but what is clear is that people have been radicalised through social media and the internet."

He said 13 shops were significantly damaged or looted and 11 Garda cars were damaged during the chaotic scenes in the aftermath of a knife attack which left three young children and a woman injured.

Later, 32 people are to appear before court in the city.

The woman, a teacher in her 30s, also suffered serious injuries during the knife attack shortly after 1.30pm. The two other children, who are pupils at the school, a five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl, sustained less serious injuries and the boy was discharged from hospital.

Police said preliminary indications suggest that the man attacked a number of people on Parnell Square East.

A man in his late 40s, also being treated for serious injuries, was arrested by police who said they were not looking for any other suspect.

Updated: November 24, 2023