UK asks Israel to allow foreign observers to visit Palestinian detainees: Report

Nearly 9,100 Palestinians held by Israel

Said Amouri 

 |25.04.2024 - 



JERUSALEM

The UK asked Israel to allow foreign observers to visit Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, according to Israeli media on Thursday.

The British request was about to be approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but strong opposition from far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir prevented this from happening, Maariv newspaper said.

Ben-Gvir conditioned his approval to allow foreign observers to visit Israeli hostages held by Hamas to accept the British request, the newspaper said.

There was no comment from British or Israeli authorities on the report.

Hamas is believed to be holding more than 130 Israeli hostages following its Oct. 7 cross-border attack, while nearly 9,100 Palestinians are held by Tel Aviv.

Mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the US to reach a Gaza cease-fire and hostage-prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas have failed to make any breakthrough.

Hamas demands an end to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip for any hostage-prisoner swap deal with Tel Aviv.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attack, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 34,300 Palestinians have since been killed and 77,300 others injured amid a tight siege imposed by Israel, which left the entire population, especially residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara

UK

Climate protesters target BP and Drax shareholder meetings



Broadcaster Chris Packham and members of the Axe Drax campaign group protesting outside the Drax AGM (Merry Dickinson/PA)
By Rebecca Speare-Cole, PA Sustainability ReporterToday at 10:15

Climate protesters have targeted British energy firms BP and Drax as they held their annual shareholder meetings.


Broadcaster Chris Packham and members of the Axe Drax campaign group gathered outside the meeting at 133 Houndsditch in the City of London on Thursday.

Dozens of protesters crowded the building’s entrance with banners reading: “Stop burning trees” and “Invest in green energy”, and shouting “Axe Drax. Reparations now”.

The firm, which runs the UK’s largest power station in North Yorkshire and burns wood pellets to generate electricity, has been accused of causing environmental destruction and pollution across its supply chain.

As the meeting began, chief executive Will Gardiner and chairwoman Andrea Bartone were repeatedly interrupted by protesters who were then carried from the room by members of the security team.



A protester during a demonstration outside BP’s AGM in Sunbury-on-Thames 

(Fossil Free London/PA)

The chaotic scene saw people trying to storm the stage and delivering a choir rendition of “Hit the Road Drax”.

Meanwhile, four people were arrested as members of campaign group Fossil Free London tried to disrupt BP’s meeting at its offices in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey.

Protesters had planned to interrupt chief executive Murray Auchincloss’s opening remarks but they were blocked from entering the building by security teams.

Shouting could still be heard from outside as chairman Helge Lund opened the meeting, with protesters chanting: “Shut down BP. You’ve got blood on your hands.”

Surrey Police said one man and two women were arrested for conspiracy to commit criminal damage and another woman was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and common assault on a security officer.

The force said red liquid was thrown during a routine search by security staff as the four tried to enter the building.

During the meeting, a woman representing Hussein Julood, who is threatening legal action against the oil giant over the death of his 21-year-old son Ali, confronted the board.

Mr Julood claims that flaring – the burning off of gas at the BP-run Rumaila oil field in Iraq – caused his son’s leukaemia.

In a statement read out by the woman, he said: “You claim to have reduced gas flaring but a huge amount is still ongoing, filling the sky with thick black smoke.”

“While I seek reparations for my son’s death, Ali’s mother and I can never be compensated for the pain in our hearts,” he added.


Chris Packham and members of the Axe Drax campaign group outside the Drax AGM in the City of London (Merry Dickinson/PA)

Mr Lund said he would not comment on legal claims at the meeting, but added: “I want to repeat our condolences and how deeply saddened we are to hear of Ali’s passing.”

Investors at both Drax and BP’s meetings voted in favour of all resolutions with no shareholder revolts.

Environmental protesters have been increasingly targeting the annual general meetings (AGMs) of companies associated with or accused of producing high emissions.

Ahead of the Drax AGM, Mr Packham said: “In a global biodiversity crisis, you cannot justify felling and transporting wood from some of the planet’s most precious natural resources.

“It’s a disgrace that Drax is receiving huge subsidies meant for genuine renewables, it is past time to stop funding Drax’s destruction.”

The company receives money funded by energy bill payers because the electricity produced from burning wood pellets is classified as renewable.


But critics say this can only create carbon-neutral energy if companies use sustainable wood in their boilers.

Investigations by the BBC and others alleged that Drax sources from environmentally important forests.

Elsewhere, the firm has faced claims that pollution from wood pellet plants has caused health issues among residents of nearby local communities in the US.



A protester being carried away by security after trying to disrupt BP’s AGM

 (Fossil Free London/PA)

Krystal Martin, a resident of Gloster, Mississippi – where Drax operates a pellet plant, travelled from the US to the UK for the meeting to confront Mr Gardiner.

Ahead of the meeting, she said: “We are tired of false promises and being ignored. People in my town are being harmed and we want the UK government to wake up and pay attention.

“If they give Drax more money, more people will be harmed. They must listen to us now before it’s too late.”

Drax has said it is confident its biomass is sustainable and disputed claims that its operations are having adverse impacts on communities.

On Tuesday, the company announced 250,000 (£200,000) dollars to create a fund for Gloster as part of ongoing community engagement efforts.

But Ms Martin said: “This is really an insult especially after the many years of physical, mental, emotional, and financial harm they have caused to the people in the community.”

In a statement, a Drax spokesperson said: “AGMs are the cornerstone of shareholder democracy.

“Unfortunately, some activists, who set out to disrupt the event and intimidate attending shareholders and Drax employees, were removed or prevented from attending the meeting. Safety and environmental compliance are our top priority.

“Drax is committed to ensuring the biomass we source delivers positive outcomes for the climate, for nature and for the communities in which we operate.”

Responding to the protests, a BP spokesperson said: “Our priority continues to be the safety and security of all attendees.”

Four protesters arrested at BP conference

Christian Fuller,

BBC News, South East

Getty ImagesFour people have been arrested at the AGM of UK oil giant BP

Four protesters have been arrested at the annual general meeting of UK oil giant BP.

Police said a group attempted to enter the auditorium of the International Centre for Business and Technology building in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey.

During a routine search carried out by BP security staff as the four people tried to enter the meeting, a red liquid was thrown, said police.

Det Ch Supt Juliet Parker said: “Where lawful, we will seek to facilitate peaceful protests, but any violence and risk to public safety will not be tolerated.”

A 33-year-old man and two women – aged 24 and 40 – were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit criminal damage.

A 27-year-old woman was also arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and common assault on a security officer.

The group, all from London, were removed from the building by security staff before they were arrested by police.

Ms Parker said: “Criminal activity will not be tolerated in any form.

“Thanks to the quick response by BP's security staff and our officers, we were able to ensure everyone was kept safe.”

A statement shared by Fossil Free London on X, formerly Twitter, said: “We've just disrupted BP's AGM.

“We are in shock at this overreach of peaceful protest.”

UK cows not being tested for bird flu despite outbreak in US

A Defra spokesperson says the risk level in Britain has not changed but that they are watching the situation in America closely.

Thomas Moore
Science correspondent

@SkyNewsThomas
Thurday 25 April 2024

Cows in the UK are not being tested for bird flu, despite the outbreak sweeping through American dairy herds, Sky News has been told.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said reports of the H5N1 virus in UK birds and poultry are currently so low that it does not consider cattle to be at risk.

Scientists believe the H5N1 virus has been spreading in US dairy herds undetected for several months.

It is also spreading between cows, and viral fragments have been found in pasteurised milk, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

Transmission between mammals is a red flag for scientists monitoring viruses that could cause the next pandemic.

A spokesperson for Defra said it was closely monitoring the US situation and collaborating with international partners to understand the origins and spread of the outbreak.

"The risk level in the UK has not changed," they said.

So far, 33 herds in eight states have been confirmed to be affected by the virus, but scientists believe it has spread far more widely since the first reports of a mysterious infection in dairy cows in Texas in February.

A farm worker has also tested positive, though they only developed an eye infection.


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Dr Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said: "The fact that it is in cattle now definitely raises our concern level.

"It's not a new strain of the virus. This is known to us. We've been studying it and been preparing for avian flu for 20 years."

Scientists are unclear on how the virus is spreading - or why only dairy herds, not beef cattle, have been affected.

It could be that they have been fed infected poultry carcasses that have been ground up in their feed.

Or that infected wild birds have gained access to the vast and crowded sheds in which many US dairy herds are kept.

Movement of cattle, equipment or people could also be helping the virus to spread.

The US Department of Agriculture has issued new rules in an attempt to contain the virus.

Lactating cattle must now test negative before being moved to a new state.

Although H5N1 has undergone mutations to survive in cattle cells, scientists say it is still a virus more suited to birds.

The risk to people is still considered to be low.

The politics stopping the UK from opening a youth mobility scheme with Europe

Erica Consterdine, 

Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, 

Lancaster University
Thu, 25 April 2024 
THE CONVERSATION

Yuri A/Shutterstock

Earlier this week, it seemed possible that young people in the UK might soon be able to travel freely to work and live in Europe again. The European Commission laid out proposals to open mobility to millions of 18- to 30-year-olds from the EU and UK, allowing them to work, study and live in respective states for up to four years.

But the government swiftly rejected the offer, saying that “free movement within the EU was ended”. The Labour party followed suit, saying it has “no plans for a youth mobility scheme”. This has already provoked an angry response from Britons young and old who are “furious” about the rejection of the scheme.

The commission has been strongly opposed to making any concessions to the UK since Brexit, so this could have been a breakthrough moment in a politically difficult area. The UK already runs youth mobility visa programmes with ten non-EU countries, most notably Australia. But the possibilities for a UK-EU scheme have so far been derailed by lingering concerns over the highly charged politics of free movement.

Since Brexit, the UK has been considering expanding the current scheme. In the run-up to Brexit withdrawal, expanding youth mobility was floated as a way to alleviate anticipated labour market shortages with the end of free movement. Ultimately, the politics were considered too toxic at the time to pursue this, and the government declined to enter into any negotiations on mobility.

A different approach

The commission’s proposals are far from being equivalent to free movement. The period of stay would have a time limit, and other conditions could be requirements for health insurance and proof of sufficient funds.

However, much of the rhetoric on the future for a “global Britain” after Brexit was underpinned by the UK’s new immigration system being blind to nationality. These youth mobility proposals would in some ways give preferential treatment to EU nationals through equivalent tuition fees to UK students, and exemptions from the UK’s NHS immigration surcharge.

The proposals also leave open the possibility of bringing family members, as the UK curtails these rights for other immigrants. The suggested time limit of four years is also longer than the two-year stay granted to the majority of existing youth mobility visa holders from non-EU countries.

Despite rejecting these latest proposals, it’s evident that the UK is open to some sort of exchange programme with EU states, but on its own terms. In 2023, the UK approached several EU member states, including France, with the intention of negotiating bilateral deals.

The government likely prefers a state-by-state approach in order to encourage immigration from certain nationalities while deterring it from central and eastern Europe, and to avoid replicating the kind of free movement that was considered a key factor in Brexit. The commission, on the other hand, prefers an EU-wide scheme to avoid preferential treatment, and is discouraging member states from signing deals with London.

While Labour’s rebuffing is indicative of their electoral strategy to ensure they don’t alienate Brexiteers, some senior Labour officials suggest the party is more open to a deal. After all, having no plans is not the same as completely ruling it out. Whoever forms the next government might reconsider.

The history of youth mobility

Young people around the world view cultural exchange schemes as a rite of passage. With the UK unwilling to associate with programmes like Erasmus+ or Creative Europe, the opportunities for young Britons and Europeans to benefit from cultural, educational and training exchanges are diminished. While the new Turing scheme has replaced Erasmus in the UK, this is not a reciprocal programme – meaning the UK does not benefit from European students studying in the UK.

Read more: The Turing scheme was supposed to help more disadvantaged UK students study abroad – but they may still be losing out

The UK’s youth mobility scheme is the oldest feature of the immigration regime. A vestige of Empire, it was originally set up in the postwar period to foster cultural exchange between Commonwealth states.

Originally called the working holidaymaker visa, it was intended as a route principally for cultural exchange and soft power, not labour. The scheme has long been based on a set annual quota, with varying numbers of visas available to participating states on a reciprocal basis.

Geopolitics and the legacies of colonialism have long been at the heart of the scheme. There are unlimited visas available to the so-called “old” Commonwealth states, particularly Australia, while other countries like Japan or Monaco face a cap with applicants entering into a ballot. Recently, more expansive rights for some participating states such as Australians and South Koreans include an older age limit and a longer period of stay.

The visa is temporary (two years), but liberal. There are no sponsorship requirements, meaning that visa holders can work in almost any part of the labour market. In 2022, 16,900 visas were granted, primarily to citizens of Australia (45%), New Zealand (19%) and Canada (16%).

The UK’s post-Brexit immigration system was meant to be blind to nationality. Darren Baker/Shutterstock

As global demand for labour migration has increased, youth mobility schemes have been used to alleviate labour market demands. As a result, some schemes have introduced conditional attachments to work in rural agriculture or horticulture for a period.

Some in the UK have championed these latest proposals as a way to fill the stark labour market shortages. But the lack of sponsorship on the visa means the government has little idea or control over what sorts of jobs participants would occupy.

Temporary visa programmes are also ripe for worker exploitation. One EU official has questioned the UK’s motives in this regard, asking whether the intention of a scheme would be to bring in young Europeans “to get paid minimum wage rates, without the in-work benefits”.

A UK-EU scheme could be a boost to the economy, in particular for universities and those struggling with recruitment in hospitality and tourism. It could also be a positive concession for UK-EU relations, and most importantly, restore the opportunities young Britons and Europeans once had.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The Conversation

UK

To tackle climate change Labour must rebuild the planning system – not ‘bulldoze’ it

Gareth Fearn, Leverhulme 

Early Career Fellow, 

University of Manchester
Thu, 25 April 2024
THE CONVERSATION


The UK’s planning system is the primary means by which the public decides how land is used. These decisions will be paramount for addressing the climate crisis; after all, land can store carbon that would otherwise heat the atmosphere and host renewable energy installations that can replace fossil fuels.


Unfortunately, planning departments, as extensions of local government, are also among the most depleted by austerity.

Local government funding fell by nearly 50% between 2010 and 2018 as the work of planning was increasingly outsourced to private-sector consultants. Despite losing much of its capacity, the planning system and local government have been expected to do as much if not more than they did before 2010. With several councils at risk of bankruptcy, this contradiction is now untenable.


Austerity has delivered an absence rather than an excess of planning – as far as planning means democratic deliberation over the use of land. As I argue in a new paper on the approval of a coal mine near Whitehaven in Cumbria, northwest England, the result has been an obligation to accept investment at whatever cost, no matter how dirty or damaging the outcome, and an erosion of local expertise and wherewithal.

What might an incoming Labour government do differently? Labour leader Keir Starmer has suggested he would “bulldoze” some planning laws in a bid to build 1.5 million houses in five years. Homes may be an important priority, but after 14 years of Conservative rule, the UK’s planning system needs rebuilding, not demolishing.
Austerity limits decision-making

Cuts to local, regional and national public investment have diminished the potential of planning as a choice between alternatives. Levelling up schemes, set up by the government to address regional inequality, have only provided 10% of their promised funding.

Local authorities are desperate for any investment. In the case of the Cumbrian coal mine, this meant accepting higher carbon emissions in return for the creation of jobs in the area.

Labour has not confirmed its intentions for local government funding. The shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has argued that planning reform should come first, with the expected economic growth being used to fund the public sector. That is a gamble, and arguably puts the cart before the horse – investment in public services can spur growth and ensure it creates public goods instead of just profits for developers.
Expertise has been hollowed out

Economists Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington have argued that an increased reliance on consultants to carry out state functions diminishes the state’s institutional memory and its capacity to perform the same tasks.

A similar process is occurring in the planning system, where half of all planners are now working in the private sector. Planners, often lacking job security or sufficient resources, must gather information about a prospective development to produce recommendations for local authorities.

Consultancy staff move between roles representing industry, writing policy and even making planning decisions for an area they may be unfamiliar with or spend little time in, weakening local authorities by diminishing their knowledge of an area. There is also the prospect of conflicts of interest where, for example, a consultancy develops a local policy one day and advises developers on it the next.

To address the problem, Labour has proposed hiring 300 public-sector planners. However, data from the Royal Town Planning Institute indicates 2,500 planners left the public sector between 2013 and 2020 (around 25% of the workforce) as working conditions and salaries declined.
Policy ambiguity

Alongside austerity, attempts to deregulate planning, have produced confusing guidance for decision-making in local government.

This posed a problem during the review of the Cumbria coal mine. The National Planning Policy Framework was introduced in 2012 to “streamline” planning. This document cut guidance to local authorities from 1,200 to 50 pages and contained a circular test for coal developments which effectively allowed environmental harm caused to be offset by economic benefits.

The importance that should be given to downstream greenhouse gas emissions from burning the mine’s coal (and other fossil fuels) is also unclear in national policy. It is currently the subject of a separate supreme court case that will affect a legal challenge to the mine. National policy is not only ambiguous to planners, applicants and the public, but planning decisions are also disconnected from the wider goal of decarbonisation.

What we are left with is a system that struggles to plan in any meaningful sense. We can see this in the fact that 78% of local plans, the main policy documents for most planning decisions, will soon be out of date, superseded by new national policies or other changes since they were adopted.

These problems stretch beyond the planning system. Most people living in the UK will be familiar with the notion that public services have been stretched to breaking point – and the planning system is no different. But planning also suffers from wider failures of leadership and state coordination.

For example, the UK has lacked an industrial strategy for some time, never mind one which would tackle major regional inequalities. The Levelling Up fund was supposed to address some of these issues in England, but is now seen as insufficient and hampered by a model for awarding investment that pits local authorities against each other to compete for limited funding. The coalition government’s preference for top-down devolution has made it difficult for England’s regions to use land for social and economic aims, such as nurturing key industries or overseeing a house-building programme.

Considering all this, it seems perverse to propose bulldozing parts of the planning system rather than renovating them. Not that the system needs to return to its pre-austerity state. But deriding planning laws as Labour has done lets private firms off the hook (for sweating their discounted public assets rather than investing) while sidestepping the problem of diminished public sector capacity.

An energy transition will require the state to take on more economic planning, and governments are turning towards using public money to make private investment less risky. We should worry about further efforts to diminish the public’s capacity to shape and direct that investment in any meaningful way.

A strong public planning system would not be a barrier to an energy transition. It is in fact a necessary corollary to the increased need for industrial strategy that governments are slowly acknowledging (including the Conservatives).

We need a public process for deciding how best to balance the competing demands on land – a finite and precious resource – not bulldoze a system in need of repair.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The Conversation

UK approved arms for Israel days after it killed British workers

 

25th April 2024Arms Sales, Gaza, International, Israel, PalestineLeave a Commenton UK approved arms for Israel days after it killed British workers

“The world has watched as 34,000 people have been killed, and more are being killed every day. Has the Government no regard for the immense loss of human life thus far, some of whom will have been killed with British weapons?”

Charlotte Andrews-Briscoe, Global Legal Action Network

By John McEvoy

On 1 April, Israeli forces launched a series of airstrikes on a convoy of aid workers in Gaza, killing three Britons, a Polish national, a Palestinian, an American-Canadian dual citizen, and an Australian.

The Israeli Air Force carried out the bombing with a Hermes 450 drone. According to Campaign Against the Arms Trade, this drone may be powered by a R902(W) Wankel engine produced in Britain by UAV Engines Limited (UEL).

New court documents show that the UK government decided to continue arms exports to Israel on 8 April, one week after the strike on the aid workers who were employed by the charity World Central Kitchen (WCK).

The revelation will put additional pressure on the Foreign Office to justify its decision not to suspend arms sales to Israel.

Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq challenged the UK government today in court over arms sales to Israel.

Documents provided to the court show that the UK government has conducted five legal assessments of the situation in Gaza since 18 December.

One of those assessments, which covered the period 18 December to 29 February, was delivered to UK foreign secretary David Cameron on 28 March.

On 3 April, two days after the Israeli airstrike on the aid workers, Cameron used this assessment to recommend that the UK continue arms sales to Israel. 

Five days later, UK trade secretary Kemi Badenoch authorised the continuation of extant licences and new licences to Israel, according to GLAN’s press statement.

The court documents further show that the UK government is capable of making “out of cycle assessments… where circumstances require” on Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law.

However, such an assessment was apparently not conducted following Israel’s attack on the WCK staff.

Charlotte Andrews-Briscoe, a lawyer at GLAN, said: “The world has watched as 34,000 people have been killed, and more are being killed every day… Has the Government no regard for the immense loss of human life thus far, some of whom will have been killed with British weapons?”

The UK government is also refusing to rule out whether British machinery was used in the killing of the aid workers. 

On 12 April, Kenny MacAskill MP asked in parliament whether the government had made an assessment of whether UEL engines or engine parts had been used in the strike. Trade minister Alan Mak said his department could not comment “on specific licences”. 

On 17 April, Andy McDonald MP also asked whether the three British aid workers “were killed by weapons manufactured in Britain”. Foreign Office minister David Rutley responded simply that “we have strong export controls”.

UEL designs and manufactures engines for drones, specialising in Wankel technology which delivers an “outstanding power-to-size and weight ratio… ideal for tactical unmanned aircrafts”.

The company was established in Staffordshire in 1992, before being acquired by Israeli arms firm Elbit Systems.

Over recent decades, concerns have been raised that UEL produces engines and engine parts for Israel’s drone fleet, which is frequently used to support bombing campaigns over Gaza.

In 2009, it was reported that the engines for Israel’s Hermes 450 drone had been manufactured by UEL. These claims were supported by information on Elbit’s own website.

British arms control officials subsequently admitted that they had licensed engines to Israel for onward export, but could not confirm that the engines had not instead been fitted to the Hermes 450 drone.

Since then, the UK government has continued to issue licences to UEL for exports to Israel. The most recent licence was seemingly granted in 2021, allowing UEL to export parts for military engines to Israel.

Campaign Against the Arms Trade’s Sam Perlo Freeman told Middle East Eye: “The evidence seems to stack up that it is a UK engine and, if it’s not, then Elbit need to clarify that… Definitely it seems to be based on a UK design at the very least”.

An Elbit Systems spokesperson told Declassified: “Elbit Systems UK, its subsidiaries and joint ventures, including UAV Engines Limited and U-Tacs, are not involved in the Hermes 450 programme”.

The company’s spokesperson, however, would not respond to a further question on whether Israel’s Hermes 450 drones use engines or engine parts produced by UEL in the UK. They said: “We have nothing further to add to the [previous] statement”.

A UK-based subsidiary of Elbit Systems and Thales also produces the Watchkeeper drone, which is modelled on Elbit’s Hermes 450 and used by the British army.

“The British government is, in effect, buying technology that has been ‘field tested’ on Palestinians”, noted campaign group War on Want.

The day after the Israeli airstrikes on the aid convoy, UK foreign secretary David Cameron announced that he had “called on Israel to immediately investigate and provide a full, transparent explanation of what happened”.

On 5 April, the IDF published the conclusions of its investigation, claiming that Israeli forces had identified gunmen near the trucks and “mistakenly assumed that the gunmen were located inside the accompanying vehicles and that these were Hamas terrorists”.

The report continued: “Those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives and not WCK employees”. The IDF chief of the general staff subsequently dismissed the Israeli brigade’s commander and chief of staff.

Israel’s self-exonerating investigation was led by Yoav Har-Even, the former head of the IDF operations directorate, and now the president and CEO of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

Rafael is one of Israel’s biggest arms firms. It is owned and controlled by the Israeli state, and its largest client is the IDF. The investigation into the killing of the aid workers was therefore led by the CEO of a company which supplies many of the bombs that Israel is using to destroy Gaza.

The UK government has not commented on whether this satisfies its demand for a “full, transparent explanation”, and the extent to which the Foreign Office is pressing Israel on the matter remains unclear.

Mak recently told parliament: “We are carefully reviewing initial findings of Israel’s investigations into the killing”. He continued: “The findings of the inquiry must be published in full and followed up with a wholly independent review to ensure the utmost transparency and accountability”.

Prior to the attack on the WCK staff, at least 357 humanitarian-run sites in Gaza had reportedly been attacked.

---

• This article was originally published by Declassified UK on April 23rd, 2024.

UK
Flagship scheme for recycling drinks bottles and cans delayed until 2027




By Emily Beament, PA Environment Correspondent


A flagship recycling scheme will not be introduced until late 2027, the Government has said.


Campaigners reacted angrily to the news that the long-planned deposit return scheme for drinks containers would not be brought in across the UK for another three years, in October 2027, and will not include glass bottles.

The scheme, which would see consumers recoup a small deposit when they return single-use bottles and cans, has been in development in the Environment Department (Defra) since 2017 and was part of the 2019 Tory manifesto.

Its anticipated launch date has already been delayed from late 2024 to October 2025, after the scheme faced heavy criticism from some in the drinks industry, and Environment Secretary Steve Barclay suggested last month launching it then was not realistic.

Discrepancies between devolved administrations over whether glass bottles would be included have also complicated the roll-out.

In a ministerial written statement Mr Barclay said including glass would “create undue complexity for the drinks industry and it increases storage and handling costs for retailers”.

He said the Welsh Government was intending to include glass when their scheme launches, but drinks in glass containers made or imported into England, Northern Ireland or Scotland would not be subject to a Welsh DRS.

Setting the start date for the scheme in October 2027, he said the previous goal of October 2025 was a “stretching target date” and additional time “will be needed to efficiently and effectively roll out the schemes across the UK”.

This delay means oceans of bottles and cans will continue to needlessly pile up in bins and continue to be strewn on roadsides and in our green spacesAllison Ogden-Newton, Keep Britain Tidy

But anti-litter charity Keep Britain Tidy described the delay as “nothing short of disastrous for the environment and a slap in the face for anyone who cares about the state of litter in this country”.

The charity’s chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton, said: “This is our chance to tackle the drinks litter that makes up more than 70% of litter by volume in this country at the same time as dramatically improving recycling, and all without leaving the taxpayer out of pocket.

“Their decision to postpone introduction to October 2027 is nothing short of disastrous for the environment and a slap in the face for anyone who cares about the state of litter in this country.

“This delay means oceans of bottles and cans will continue to needlessly pile up in bins and continue to be strewn on roadsides and in our green spaces, rather than being recycled.”

She also described the exclusion of glass as “hugely disappointing” as glass containers start fires and cause harm to people, pets and wildlife, and said 78% of people wanted to see it included in a deposit return scheme.

“We estimate that between now and October 2027, an eye watering 25 billion bottles and cans will be littered, buried or burned.

“So Keep Britain Tidy is urgently calling on any future government to make this the number one priority in the war against our spiralling waste crisis,” she said.

UK
Teachers strike over 'bullying and harassment' claims

Google MapsSome staff claim bullying cases were "mismanaged"

Teachers at a Bristol secondary school are striking following allegations of bullying and harassment.

Staff at City Academy in Easton began six days of industrial action on Tuesday.

The NEU (National Education Union) say teachers are frustrated about mismanagement of bullying and harassment cases, and disparity over additional responsibility payments.

City Academy Principal Ben Tucker said: “It is both a surprise and a disappointment that union members have chosen to strike, given the efforts made to meet their demands."

Six days of strike action are planned

Union bosses say there are concerns around how bullying and harassment allegations made by the SEND (Special Education Needs and Disabilities) team were handled.

They claim cases were "mismanaged" and there has been a "lack of transparency over job evaluation and pay parity for similar roles in other schools" within Cabot Learning Federation Trust.

Staff are also frustrated about 'the failure to include break time in the directed time budget', the union claims.

NEU Senior Regional Officer Ian McCann said: “The issues at City Academy are long-standing and have been raised regularly by NEU workplace representatives over the previous couple of years.

"Members are angry and frustrated by the lack of actions from the employer.

"This strike is about staff being treated with respect and fairness in order that they can carry out their important roles effectively."

If negotiations are not successful, two further days of strike action are planned for 30 April and 1 May.
'Not about bullying'

Mr Tucker said only a "minority of staff" were participating in the strike action.

The school also claims the dispute is centred over "employment terms" and not bullying.

"These typically relate to staff pay, and additional union claims of bullying and harassment are simply not recognised within a school which places fairness and equality at the heart of its culture," said Mr Tucker.

"We have made credible proposals to resolve every issue, reached agreement on the majority of concerns raised, and believe resolution is near in the outstanding areas. This has been achieved within the very short timeframe offered by the NEU, and we continue to work in good faith to secure a full resolution."

Despite the NEU action, City Academy has remained open to all year groups.

Unions prepare to fight as Tata drops Port Talbot bombshell

Ruth Mosalski
Thu, 25 April 2024



Workers at Tata in Port Talbot are to strike after the company ended negotiations over changes to the business which will result in 2,800 direct job losses. Negotiations between unions and the Indian steel giant have today ended at a meeting in London, formally closing any chance of an alternative plan put forward by unions being adopted.

The company will end blast furnace steel production at the Port Talbot plant and will build a £1.25bn electric arc furnace, recycling scrap steel. The UK Government has contributed £500,000 grant towards the plan saying it was the only way to secure any jobs.

The company has confirmed it will close blast furnace five in June and blast furnace four in September. Tata says that its plan will be the largest investment in the country’s steel industry in decades and secure the future of UK steelmaking, protecting the "majority" of jobs and reduce the UK's carbon emissions. But they say it is not viable.

READ MORE: MPs told 2,800 job losses at Port Talbot will be 'tip of the iceberg'

READ MORE: Tata threatens to withdraw generous redundancy offer if Port Talbot steelworkers strike

"However, the unions’ own analysis shows their proposal would cost the company at least an additional £1.6bn when it is already losing £1million a day. Their plans are also high risk and would jeopardise the transition to green steel making,"

A ballot of Unite members, said to total 1,500 across Port Talbot and Llanwern, has already taken place with industrial action being one option. Now, as talks with the company have broken down, the union has said strikes will be announced soon.

A ballot of Community members, the biggest union of workers at the site, is ongoing with a result expected on May 9. The GMB is also consulting its members. No strike action is expected before all the members in all unions have voted.

Community's national Officer for Steel Alun Davies said: "This is an incredibly disappointing day for Tata steelworkers who have been betrayed by a company which owes them so much. It is disgraceful that Tata Steel have chosen to pursue a discredited, bargain basement deal over a viable plan for decarbonisation which would protect jobs and preserve the country's primary steelmaking capacity.

"I know that many of our members will be feeling dejected and anxious today, so it's vital we stick together to look after one another in these uncertain times. It's also vital that we take a stand together and send a message to Tata that we will not go quietly into the night. As someone who has had the privilege of working at Port Talbot and Llanwern, I know first-hand how steel is part of our lifeblood here in south Wales. If the company think that we'll let them trample over our industry and our communities now, they really don't know us at all."

A voluntary redundancy progress will start on May 15. Tata says it expects to place equipment orders for the electric arc furnace by September 2024 and based on current permitting timelines, begin construction on the project by August 2025. It is working with the National Grid to have the power infrastructure in place to commission the electric arc furnace on schedule by end-2027.

Unions have put forward an alternative plan to the one the company is pursuing but the Indian steel giant has said it is unviable. The UK Government has put money into Tata's scheme, saying it is the only way to secure any jobs at the site.

Community General Secretary Roy Rickhuss said: "We do not accept the company's assertion our plan was too expensive - in fact, it would have returned the company to profits, and the additional capital expenditure needed to make it a reality could have been funded by an additional £450m from the government - a drop in the water compared to what other European countries are investing in their domestic steel industries. For the latest politics news in Wales sign up to our newsletter here.

Unite has described Tata’s poverty pleading over its UK operations and its claim that alternative options for Port Talbot are not feasible as a sham.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Tata is an immensely profitable company using our outgoing government’s inadequacies to make easy money and boost its other operations at the expense of UK jobs and the national interest.

“Why else would it be rejecting the promise of £3 billion for UK steel investment from an incoming Labour government and turning its back on a location ideally placed to reap the rewards of a steel market projected to grow tenfold?

“Our current government has utterly failed to stand up to Tata and demand better for Port Talbot and Llanwern’s steel communities and the country. Tata’s workers, with Unite using every power at its disposal, will not so easily be defeated. It's plans will be answered with industrial action."

Following a meeting with the UK Steel Committee, Tata Steel’s CEO and managing director, Mr. TV Narendran, said: "Having looked carefully at all the options over the past seven months in consultation with union representatives, we have decided to proceed with our proposed restructuring and transition. This is the most viable proposal, in contrast to the unions’ unaffordable plan which has high inherent operational and safety risk.

"Our proposal secures a long-term future for the business and preserves the majority of jobs in the UK. We will continue to work with the trade unions over the following 2 weeks to agree a memorandum of understanding on the future of the UK business and the impact on our people. Tata Steel is committed to creating a low-CO2 steel business at the heart of a green industrial ecosystem in Wales and the wider UK to safeguard steel supplies and create economic opportunities for generations to come."

Jo Stevens, Shadow Welsh Secretary, said the news consultation had ended is a "gut punch". "This is a total gut punch for people in Port Talbot, and the potential economic consequences will reverberate across south Wales for years."

First Minister Vaughan Gething and Welsh economy minister Jeremy Miles have said: "Quality steel, made in Wales, is the economic bedrock for many communities across Wales and is vital for the economy and security of the UK.

"We have consistently argued that there is a better deal for the industry and Tata workers that could and should be struck - securing a longer, fairer transition towards the greener production of steel in Wales. The Welsh Government will continue to make the case for that fairer transition and do all we can to support the skilled and loyal workforce and those in the supply chain. We will be reaffirming this commitment this afternoon to the transition board."

Welsh secretary David TC Davies said any strike action was a matter between unions and the company. "I think it was inevitable Tata was going to close the blast furnaces because of the losses they are making. We don't want disruption to the supply chain.

"People feel very strongly about this and 2,800 people face losing their jobs so I understand why they are angry and upset however I don't want to get into taking sides."

Tata Steel UK’s CEO, Rajesh Nair, said: "We have spent the last seven months openly and transparently sharing detailed business information, asset condition, maintenance plans and market forecasts with our trade union colleagues and advisers. While we have agreed to keep the Hot Strip Mill running through the transition, the unions’ plan presents significant financial, operational and safety challenges, and delays the transition to green steel by two years. We have concluded that it is not feasible to accept their plan, and it is not affordable.

"This is a difficult period of change for our people, and we will do our upmost to support them. Tata Steel has always been a responsible, long-term and patient investor in its UK business, and we are committing significant

 

Unions criticise Tata after plan to save steel jobs is rejected

25 Apr 2024 

Port Talbot steelworks. Photo Ben Birchall/PA Wire

Unions say their alternative plan to avoid thousands of job losses at Tata has been rejected by the steel company.

Community criticised the decision not to accept the unions’ “credible alternative” to the company’s “bad deal for steel”.

Unions met the company in London on Thursday with another plea not to press ahead with its proposals for its plant in Port Talbot, South Wales, which will lead to the loss of jobs.

Tata Steel has insisted its £1.25 billion plan for a state-of-the-art electric arc furnace in Port Talbot would be the largest investment in the steel industry for decades and would secure the future of UK steelmaking.

“It would protect the majority of jobs, reduce the UK’s carbon emissions by five million tonnes a year and could kickstart a green industrial revolution in South Wales,” said a spokesperson.

‘Incredibly disappointing’

Community general secretary Roy Rickhuss said after the meeting: “It’s incredibly disappointing that Tata have chosen to reject the multi-union plan, which is an ambitious and viable alternative to their destructive bad deal for steel.

“We do not accept the company’s assertion our plan was too expensive – in fact, it would have returned the company to profits, and the additional capital expenditure needed to make it a reality could have been funded by an additional £450m from the government – a drop in the water compared to what other European countries are investing in their domestic steel industries.

“Tata have made their decision, and our members will decide on our collective response.

“Tata made a proposal to negotiate a package with the unions to give us firm assurances on jobs and future investment, and we will consult our members on how we proceed

“We want to make one thing absolutely clear to the company: this isn’t over – not by a long shot. We will never stop fighting for our jobs, our industry, and our proud steel communities.”

Members of Community and the GMB are being balloted on whether to strike over the plans. Unite members have already voted in favour of industrial action.

‘Serious mistake’

Community Assistant General Secretary Alasdair McDiarmid said: “Tata have made a serious mistake in rejecting the credible, expert-backed Multi-Union Plan. Today’s announcement confirms that this was never about what was best for the steel industry, the country or the long-term future of the business: it was always about short-term cost-cutting.

“With their decision today, Tata have missed an historic opportunity to commit to a bold and ambitious future based on transformative strategic investment. We will continue to call on the company to change course, and a clear mandate for industrial action in our ongoing ballot will only strengthen our hand in negotiations.

“Our resolve to oppose Tata’s bad deal for steel – a plan which would be bad for jobs, bad for the environment, bad for national security, and devastating for our communities – has never been stronger.”

Community’s national officer for steel Alun Davies said: “This is an incredibly disappointing day for Tata steelworkers who have been betrayed by a company which owes them so much.

“It is disgraceful that Tata Steel have chosen to pursue a discredited, bargain basement deal over a viable plan for decarbonisation which would protect jobs and preserve the country’s primary steelmaking capacity.

“I know that many of our members will be feeling dejected and anxious today, so it’s vital we stick together to look after one another in these uncertain times.

“It’s also vital that we take a stand together and send a message to Tata that we will not go quietly into the night.

“As someone who has had the privilege of working at Port Talbot and Llanwern, I know first-hand how steel is part of our lifeblood here in South Wales. If the company think that we’ll let them trample over our industry and our communities now, they really don’t know us at all.”

‘Gut punch’

Jo Stevens, shadow Welsh secretary, said: “This is a total gut punch for people in Port Talbot, and the potential economic consequences will reverberate across South Wales for years.

“The Conservative Welsh Secretary has said no one will be left behind if they lose their job. I will be holding him to account on that every step of the way.

“A UK Labour government will invest in our steel industry to make sure the future of UK steel is fuelled by the skills, talent and ambition of Welsh steelworkers.”

The GMB said the meeting was “an unwelcome but not unexpected slap in the face.”

The GMB said one of the blast furnaces at Port Talbot will close by the end of June, and a second in September.

“Discussions will continue on future business commitments on volume and people, including the redundancy package,” said a spokesman.

Jonathan Reynolds, shadow business secretary, said: “It is devastating news Tata Steel are pressing ahead with the Government’s plans to close both blast furnaces in Port Talbot triggering thousands of job losses.

“With other options on the table, and with an uncertain future, Labour urges Tata not make any irreversible decisions about the site.

“Labour has long called for the Government to step in to protect jobs and maintain vital primary steel capabilities in South Wales.

“It’s clear the Government has no plan for steel, for an effective industrial strategy or for our economy.”

Saddened

Paul Davies MS, Chair of the Senedd’s Economy, Trade & Rural Affairs Committee said:“We are deeply saddened to hear Tata has concluded discussions with the steel unions and intends to proceed with its proposals to close both blast furnaces. The whole Senedd has been clear that keeping a blast furnace in Port Talbot during the transition to an electric arc furnace is the right thing to do”.

“This decision will have major implications for workers and their communities. It is vital that they are supported through this massive change”.

“We are also disappointed to see Tata using redundancy packages as a bargaining chip in its industrial relations – all workers laid off should be entitled to the enhanced redundancy package already offered – with no additional conditions attached”.

“The UK and Welsh governments must act quickly to support those that will be made redundant to progress into new, good quality employment and to make sure the strong talent pool we have currently working at the steelworks is not lost to south Wales.”

Plaid Cymru spokesperson for the Economy and Member of the Senedd for South Wales West, Luke Fletcher MS said: “It is deeply disheartening that Tata Steel has opted to dismiss the unions’ proposals – the fallout will be utterly devastating.

“The impact on Port Talbot, surrounding communities and the many businesses throughout Wales that depend on the workforce in Port Talbot will be catastrophic. Months of consultation should have led to a better outcome for workers.

“While Tata may have made their decision, our determination to advocate for the well-being of workers, communities and the future of the industry remains steadfast. We must now see a plan and decisive action from the UK and Welsh Governments who must explore every avenue and use every power at their disposal to safeguard Welsh steel.”

Fifth Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board  Statement

• English
• Cymraeg

The Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board met for the fifth time on 25 April 2024.

From:

Office of the Secretary of State for Wales and The Rt Hon David TC Davies MP

Published

25 April 2024

Steel being rolled

The Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board met for the fifth time on 25 April 2024.  

The Board received an update from Tata Steel UK on their decarbonisation project.  

A Local Economic Action Plan was presented to the Transition Board. The Board endorsed the Plan as a broad road map whilst also recognising the outstanding issues need to be addressed and discussed prioritisation of the proposed interventions. The Board agreed that supporting affected employees to find new well-paid jobs will be its first priority. The Board will also prioritise supporting businesses affected in the supply chain. The Board also recognised the importance of longer-term regeneration of the region.  It was agreed that this plan, overseen by Neath Port Talbot Council, will be used as a basis for investment, subject to business cases being presented to the Board at subsequent meetings.  

Rt Hon David TC Davies, Secretary of State for Wales chaired the Transition Board meeting. Deputy Chair, Jeremy Miles MS, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Welsh Language was in attendance. Felicity Buchan MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities attended in the place of the other Deputy Chair, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Levelling Up. Also, in attendance included Alan Mak MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State jointly in the Department for Business and Trade and the Cabinet Office; Henrik Adam, Chair of Tata Steel UK; Rajesh Nair, Chief Executive Officer of Tata Steel UK; Cllr Steve Hunt, Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council; Chief Executive Officer for Neath Port Talbot Council Karen Jones; Stephen Kinnock, MP for Aberavon; David Rees, MS for Aberavon; Tom Giffard MS for the region of South Wales; Luke Fletcher MS for South Wales West. The Board was attended by its independent members, Anne Jessopp CBE and Sarah Williams-Gardner. Representatives from the trade unions also attended: Rob Edwards, Regional Secretary for Community Union; Alun Davies, National Officer for Steel & Metals for Community Union; Tom Hoyles, Politics, Press and Research for GMB Wales & South West and Jason Bartlett, Regional Officer of Unite Wales.   

-ends-  

NOTES TO EDITORS 

Tata Steel announced proposals in September to invest £1.25 billion, including a UK Government grant worth up to £500 million, to enable greener steel production at Port Talbot. A Transition Board to support the people, businesses and communities affected by the proposed transition to low-CO₂ steelmaking, was established in October 2023.  

The Transition Board will have access to up to £100 million to invest in skills and regeneration programmes for the local area. It will focus on:   

• Immediate support for the people, businesses and communities directly affected by the proposed transition to low-CO₂ steelmaking at Port Talbot; and   

• A plan for local regeneration and economic growth for the next decade.   

The Transition Board does not oversee the proposed £1.25bn investment in low-CO₂ steelmaking at Tata Steel UK. This is for the company to oversee with the Department for Business and Trade, UK Government.

NO VILLAGE

Survey finds loneliness epidemic runs deep among FEMALE parents

Majority of respondents feel isolation, loneliness and burnout from demands of parenthood

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY WEXNER MEDICAL CENTER

 

VIDEO: 

A NEW NATIONAL SURVEY CONDUCTED BY The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center FINDS A BROAD MAJORITY OF PARENTS EXPERIENCE ISOLATION, LONELINESS AND BURNOUT FROM THE DEMANDS OF PARENTHOOD, WITH MANY FEELING A LACK OF SUPPORT IN FULFILLING THAT ROLE.

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CREDIT: THE OHIO STATE WEXNER MEDICAL CENTER

COLUMBUS, OHIO – A new national survey conducted by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center finds a broad majority of parents experience isolation, loneliness and burnout from the demands of parenthood, with many feeling a lack of support in fulfilling that role.

The survey of parents conducted this month found:

• About two-thirds (66%) felt the demands of parenthood sometimes or frequently feel isolating and lonely.     
• About 62% feel burned out by their responsibilities as a parent.     
• Nearly 2 in 5 (38%) feel they have no one to support them in their parenting role.     
• Nearly 4 in 5 (79%) would value a way to connect with other parents outside of work and home.

“I work from home full time and I actually have a job where I’m on camera a lot and I’m Zoom calling people very often,” said Anne Helms, a mother of two young children in Columbus, Ohio. “However, you don’t get the small talk, so you don’t get the, ‘How are your children? How’s it going?’ And you don’t get a lot of genuine answers when you do ask, ‘How is it going?’

“There are some days where the most chit-chat or idle talk that I get is with my dog because I work alone.”

“It’s pretty obvious that there is a huge difference between a virtual meeting and being in person,” said Kate Gawlik, DNP, associate clinical professor at The Ohio State University College of Nursing, a researcher on parental burnout and a mother of four young children. “You miss a lot of those small interactions that you’d have in the hallway. Just a lot more of that personal touch has been eliminated, and in many regards it’s just never been infiltrated back into our society.”

“Even the places that I do try and seek out other parents, it’s kind of like we’re lost in the shuffle because it’s at daycare drop-off or pick-up where everyone just has tunnel vision,” Helms added. “And I think it’s hard to make friends when you’re feeling vulnerable.”

Gawlik pointed to the ancillary negative impacts of loneliness.

“Loneliness has been shown to affect both your physical and mental health,” Gawlik explained. “So anything from cardiovascular disease to depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, even your immune system can be affected when you’re lonely. In fact, one study showed if you are in social isolation for a prolonged amount of time, it’s equivalent to smoking about 15 cigarettes a day.”

In response to the realities of parental isolation, loneliness and burnout, Gawlik created a six-week parenting program that brings parents together to be vulnerable, commiserate about challenges they face and find support. It’s where Helms realized she wasn’t alone.

“I think the biggest thing is she validated that if you’re working and you have children and you’re a conscientious parent, it would be wild if you weren’t burned out,” Helms said. “So I felt very validated when she said, “It’s okay that you’re here.’”

Gawlik also stressed the need for self-care and the value of connection.

“To have somebody that you can relate to and that feeling of connection that somebody else is dealing with what you are dealing with can be so powerful when it comes to combating feelings of loneliness,” Gawlik said.

“I think it equips us to create better futures for our children; I think it makes us healthier,” Helms said. “I think that the ripple effect from connecting with other parents and getting support when you need it is immeasurable. It makes you a better employee. It makes you a better spouse, parent, friend. I think that it just enriches our lives … just like parenting does, but it just makes you level up.”

Gawlik recommends doing an online search for parent groups in your community, whether they are hosted at community centers or through your employer. Parents can also look for playgroups, book clubs, recreational sports leagues or initiate talking to parents about scheduling playdates with their little ones’ friends from childcare.

“Parenting can feel very lonely at times, but it will be easier if you have people around who can support you,” Gawlik said. “It can be hard to start seeking out connections because, to some degree, you will have to be vulnerable and, sometimes, it will take time and effort.

“But just take the first step.”

It can be difficult to understand how busy parents often feel lonely. But a new survey by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center finds it is a widespread issue that most parents experience.

Experts at The Ohio State University College of Nursing say parental loneliness and burnout are two growing problems that are closely intertwined. Kate Gawlik, DNP, leads a remote support group through the Ohio State College of Nursing where parents can connect and find support.

Kate Gawlik, DNP, associate clinical professor and director of Undergraduate Health and Wellness academic programming at The Ohio State University College of Nursing.

CREDIT

The Ohio State Wexner Medical Cente