Sweden’s biggest wolf hunt in modern times will be ‘disastrous’ for species: Experts

Over the next month, 75 out of 460 wolves will be killed as the government attempts to reduce the population

03.01.2023
LONDON

Sweden launched the biggest wolf slaughter in modern times on Monday as nature agencies warned that it could severely harm the population.

The government has given permission to hunters to kill 75 out of the 460 wolves currently roaming the country in an attempt to reduce their numbers, but wildlife organizations argue that Sweden’s wolf population is relatively low compared to Italy, for instance, where there are more than 3,000.

Wildlife activists warn that the decision by the Swedish government could further endanger the species and encourage other European countries to follow suit.

Gunnar Gloersen, game manager at the Swedish Hunters’ Association, said that hunting is “absolutely necessary to slow down the growth of wolves,” The Guardian newspaper reported.

“The wolf pack is the largest we’ve had in modern times,” he noted.

But wildlife organizations say that this violates the Council of Europe’s Bern Convention and they have tried unsuccessfully to appeal the decision, according to the newspaper.

Daniel Ekblom from the Wildlife Management Group of the Nature Conservation Association in Gävleborg told The Guardian that the government does not pay much notice to their findings on endangering the species.

“You get discouraged. There is report after report that the wolf tribe is in big trouble, but (the government doesn’t) take it seriously.”

Marie Stegard, president of the anti-hunting group Jaktkritikerna, told the newspaper that “wolves as apex predators in the food chain are a prerequisite for biodiversity.”

She argued that killing a quarter of the population through hunting will have negative consequences for animals and nature.

This is disastrous for the entire ecosystem, she said, adding the existence of wolves contributes to richer animal and plant life.

“Human survival depends on healthy ecosystems,” Stegard added.

Swedish Minister of Rural Affairs Anna-Caren Satherberg told local public broadcaster SVT that the wolf population is growing every year and “with this cull, we want to make sure we can meet the target set by parliament.”

The State Environmental Protection Agency had warned in the past that the wolf population must not drop below 300 to avoid inbreeding.

But the Swedish parliament is in favor of lowering the wolf inhabitants to 170, which is the lowest it can go to meet requirements of the European Union’s Habitats and Species Directive.

However, Benny Gäfwert, a predator expert with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), told the broadcaster that parliament’s figure of 170 was “not based on scientific fact.”

He warned that “unforeseen things can happen in wild populations, and a level of 170 is way too low.”

“We have a problem when it comes to wolf genetics, and the smaller the wolf population, the greater the impact of fluctuations in genetic status,” he added.

The Scandinavian Wolf is already listed as an endangered species and now this move by the Swedish government is believed to pose a further threat.

The country shares a wolf population with Norway along the border, where wolves are also considered critically endangered.

Norway is the only country in the world to set a cap, allowing only four to six cubs per year.

The Scandinavian country is allowing hunters to drastically reduce the wolf population every year.

AGRRESSOR'S UNPROVOKED ATTACK

Israeli Strikes Put Damascus Airport Out of Service, Kill 2: State Media

Israel strikes Damascus. Photo: AFP

 JANUARY 1, 2023
1 MINUTE READ
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The Israeli army carried out a missile strike Monday that put Damascus International Airport out of service and killed two soldiers, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported, quoting a military source.

At around 2:00 am (23:00 GMT), Israel carried out an attack with “barrages of missiles, targeting Damascus International Airport and its surroundings,” the military source told SANA.

The attack caused “the death of two soldiers… putting Damascus International Airport out of service,” the source said.

Monday’s strikes hit “positions for Hezbollah and pro-Iranian groups inside the airport and its surroundings, including a weapons warehouse,” the head of Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul Rahman, told AFP.

Since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes against its neighbor, targeting government troops as well as allied Iran-backed forces and fighters from Lebanon’s Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

Israel rarely comments on reports of its attacks, but it has repeatedly said it will not allow its archfoe Iran to gain a foothold in Syria.

The last time the airport was out of service was in June — also after Israeli air strikes.

Monday’s air strike in Syria comes after the war-racked country experienced its lowest yearly death toll since the conflict started over a decade ago.

At least 3,825 people died in Syria’s war in 2022, according figures compiled by Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights – down from the previous year’s 3,882.

Among those killed in 2022 were 1,627 civilians, including 321 children, according to the Observatory, which relies on a wide network of sources on the ground in Syria.

After years of deadly fighting and bombardments following the brutal suppression of 2011 anti-government protests, the conflict has largely abated in the last three years.

Sporadic fighting at times breaks out and jihadist attacks continue, mainly in the east of the country.

Facebook Whistleblower: social media 'asleep at the wheel'

Facebook whistleblower, Frances Haugen, says there are ways social media companies can improve user safety protocols.

Jan. 1, 2023, 
By Isabelle Schmeler
Meet the Press.

NBC News

After turning over thousands of internal documents and testifying before Congress in 2021, Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen sent shockwaves through Washington amidst ongoing debates surrounding Facebook and other social media companies’ role in spreading misinformation, particularly amidst the 2020 election.

Haugen worked as Facebook’s lead Product Manager on the Civic Misinformation team initially intending to contribute to the company’s leading efforts to improve user safety protocols.

In an interview with NBC News' Meet the Press, Haugen said she was optimistic when first hired to contribute to one of the industry's leading civic responsibility units, until it dissolved after the 2020 election.

"If you want to have successful change in the enterprise, you have to appoint a vanguard. You have to have executives say, ‘these people are the future, they’re going to lead us in the right direction.’ And when Facebook dissolved Civic Integrity, I saw that they weren’t willing to make that commitment anymore."

A spokesperson for Meta disputed Haugen's version of events and said that the Civic Integrity team wasn't disbanded, but rather was "integrated into a larger Central Integrity team."

Haugen referenced her own personal experience with misinformation seeing a friend become more and more radicalized through the algorithmic patterns presented to users, citing the company's prioritization of profit over user safety.

“Facebook is scared that if we actually had transparency, if we actually had accountability, they would not be a company with 35% profit margins. They’d be a company with 15% profit margins," Haugen said, "There was a whole Macedonian misinformation factory going on. There was a cottage industry of these little blogs that would make these fake news stories, and Facebook was asleep at the wheel."

Haugen suggested that one of the simplest misinformation interventions that doesn’t threaten free speech rights is to insert deeper internationality behind which posts are and are not shared. Haugen says Facebook declined to make that slight ramification because it decreases the amount of content spread, ultimately decreasing profits.

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TRANSCRIPTSMeet the Press - January 1, 2023

“The way to think about safety on social media platforms is there’s lots of very small choices where you make them and you lose .1 or .2 percent of profit,” Haugen said, “The problem is these industries are so sensitive to growth, that when they don’t grow at the level the market expects their stock price crashes. And so they’re afraid to take even these small actions because they will decrease the profitability of the company.”

When asked about President of Global Affairs at Facebook, Nick Clegg’s “it takes two to tango” proposal, an idea he has pushed that users have the ability to choose the content they want to see, Haugen referenced studies that observed algorithmic patterns that steered users toward more extremist content.

“There are many forces in society. But our information environment does have consequences,” Haugen said, “When it comes to social media, you can spread lies, and they’re invisible. And Facebook has resisted even minimal efforts at transparency that might allow us to reconverge on a single information environment.”

Haugen has voiced support for the Platform Accountability and Transparency (PATA) Act, a bipartisan bill that would require social media companies to provide data to the public. Over 30 social media reform bills have been introduced this Congressional cycle, none have been passed into law.

“I’m a big proponent of transparency as the first step," Haugen said, "I think people aren’t aware of how far behind we are. Social media companies for 20 years, and remember, there were social media companies before Facebook, have all been very intentional."

King Charles’s plans for a full-blown coronation during a cost of living crisis are out of touch and hypocritical

Omid Scobie
·Royal Executive Editor
Thu, 29 December 2022 

King Charles, pictured while attending the Christmas Day service at Sandringham Church on December 25, has grand plans for his 2023 coronation. (Getty Images)

When King Charles III read his first ever Christmas message to the nation, the new monarch made sure to acknowledge an issue currently front of mind for most people in the UK — the cost of living crisis.

Speaking of the “great anxiety and hardship” felt by those struggling to “pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm” this winter, Charles’ holiday season broadcast included footage from the country’s food banks and meal services supporting individuals and families in need.

It was a topic he couldn’t have ignored. With the UK facing its longest recession since records began — all against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine — 2023 is set to be one of the country’s most challenging years in modern history.

But it seemed rather hypocritical for the King to express sympathy and concern for difficulties faced by the nation he serves when, just a week prior to recording his message at Windsor Castle, he had quietly made a dramatic u-turn on plans for “cut-price” coronation celebrations.

Back in September, Palace sources confirmed that Charles wanted a ceremony that would not only reflect his vision for a more agile and modern monarchy, but also a “less expensive” one in light of the country's ongoing economic struggles.

At the time, many praised the head of state for rejecting the opportunity to drain limited resources from the government. Charles, we were told, had expressed a wish that his 6 May coronation should be considered “good value” by the British taxpayers helping fund it.

Read more: The palace DID brief against Harry and Meghan - what's the point in denying something so obvious?

But despite a coronation committee sallying forth with plans, three months later it has been decided by the King and ministers to ditch the leaner celebrations and go full fat.

A larger scale event, it was decided, will be a great “advertisement” for the UK and a chance to showcase the “very best” of the country on the world stage, according to sources. (And, I would imagine, much-needed PR after the failure of Brexit and our revolving door of leaders.)

Prime minister Rishi Sunak described the bigger coronation as a “unique moment for the country”. It was added that all involved, from the relevant government departments to the King himself, were in “lockstep in their determination to deliver” a spectacle to remember.

The newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II waves to the crowd from the balcony at Buckingham Palace after her coronation on 2 June 1953. (Getty Images)

When Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953, it cost the nation £1.57m — today’s equivalent of £51m ($61m). For Charles, using the cost of security at events such as previous royal weddings as a benchmark, I calculate the figure could be inching closer to £100m ($120m) when factoring in the sophisticated operation it will require.

Despite the estimated increased cost, Charles’ ceremony will be shorter and last between one and two hours (as opposed to his mother’s three-hour event) with rituals considered outdated or cumbersome cut to allow for the reduced run time. There are also expected to be far fewer attendees at the 2023 coronation: 2,000 compared to 8,000 at the late Queen’s.



The big coronation spend comes less than a year after the nation spent millions on the Queen’s four-day Platinum Jubilee, and just 42 days before another show of royal pomp and circumstance for the monarch's annual birthday parade, Trooping the Colour – Charles's first – in June.

The most senior Royal Family members gathered on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the RAF flypast in June - one of many Platinum Jubilee events. (Getty Images)

Projections displayed on the front of Buckingham Palace as part of the Platinum Jubilee events show what a grand, and expensive, event it was. (Getty Images)

Sure, London’s hospitality and tourism businesses will no doubt benefit from the day King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort are crowned, but it’s unlikely that many outside of the capital will feel the same boost.

“Working people are struggling to pay rent and mortgages and feed their kids. It is utterly crass for Charles to demand a coronation that will be every bit as extravagant as the last one,” says Graham Smith, chief executive of anti-monarchy group Republic. “The coronation isn’t necessary, he is already King. This is all about promoting the monarchy and satisfying his ego.”

Read more: When it comes to race the British monarchy has proven once again how toxic it is

Or, in other words, “Let them eat cake”, as Queen Marie Antoinette famously uttered after being told the peasants had no bread to eat. Because, an alarmingly high number of those same teachers, health and social care professionals Charles praised in his Christmas speech are currently queueing up at food banks due to lack of pay rises and government support. And many of those charities the King credited for helping those struggling with food and heating bills are, right this moment, facing collapse due to overwhelming demand.

While there is certainly a justifiable argument for a coronation of sorts – after all, this is a historic occasion – ramping up the cost and size of the spectacle while the UK faces unprecedented pressures on public spending appears extremely out of touch. It is a decision that fails to position King Charles as a man that truly understands the people he has spent the first four months of his reign meeting and connecting with — and one I think he may end up living to regret.

UN General Assembly refers Israeli occupation to International Court of Justice

• 31 Dec 2022

Palestinian Ambassador Riyad H. Mansour speaks during a meeting at United Nations headquarters. File / AP

The UN General Assembly on Friday asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to consider consequences for Israel over its occupation of Palestinian territories, a day after the Jewish state's right-wing government took over.

The General Assembly voted 87-26 with 53 abstentions on the resolution, with Western nations split but virtually unanimous support in the Islamic world and backing from Russia and China.

The resolution calls on the UN court in The Hague to determine the "legal consequences arising from the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination" as well as of its measures "aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status" of the holy city of Jerusalem.

The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, said the vote sent a signal to the new government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over its efforts to "accelerate colonial and racist policies" and hailed nations that were "undeterred by threats and pressure."

"We trust that regardless of your vote today, if you believe in international law and peace, you will uphold the opinion of the International Court of Justice when delivered," Mansour said.

Speaking ahead of the vote, the Israeli ambassador, Gilad Erdan, called the resolution "a moral stain on the UN." "No international body can decide that the Jewish people are occupiers in their own homeland," Erdan said.

"Any decision from a judicial body which receives its mandate from the morally bankrupt and politicised UN is completely illegitimate," he said.

The resolution also demands that Israel cease settlements, but General Assembly votes have no legal force — unlike those in the Security Council, where Israel ally US wields veto power.

The United States, Britain and Germany opposed the resolution, while France abstained.

"We do not feel that a referral to the International Court of Justice is helpful in bringing the parties back to dialogue," British diplomat Thomas Phipps said.

"It is also the position of the UK that it is inappropriate without the consent of both parties to ask the court to give an advisory opinion in what is essentially a bilateral dispute."

Among Western nations that backed the resolution was Portugal, whose representative acknowledged the "risk of over-judicialising international relations" but said the world court "underpins the international rules-based order which we seek to preserve."

The Hague-based ICJ, also known as the World Court, is the top UN court dealing with disputes between states. Its rulings are binding, though the ICJ has no power to enforce them.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem - areas the Palestinians want for a state - in a 1967 war. Peace talks broke down in 2014.

"The time has come for Israel to be a state subject to law, and to be held accountable for its ongoing crimes against our people," Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said.

The Palestinians have limited rule in the West Bank and East Jerusalem was annexed by Israel in a move not recognised internationally. Its settlements in those territories are deemed illegal by most countries, a view Israel disputes citing Biblical and historical ties to the land, as well as security.

Separately, at least 35 Palestinians were injured by Israeli soldiers during clashes in downtown the northern West Bank city of Nablus, authorities said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that two of the wounded were shot by live bullets, three by rubber-coated metal bullets, and 25 suffered respiratory damage after inhaling teargas fired by the Israeli soldiers to disperse Palestinians who were throwing stones at them, reported Xinhua news agency.

Agencies

Arabs and Palestinians Welcome UN Resolution, Israelis Upset

Sunday, 1 January, 2023 -

Mahmoud Abbas (AFP) - Benjamin Netanyahu (AP)
Tel Aviv - Nazir Magally

Political sources in Tel Aviv have unveiled a plan to respond to the United Nations General Assembly resolution to ask for a legal opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.

The resolution was highly welcomed by the Arab countries and celebrated by Palestinians, except for Hamas which considered it “a paper tiger”.

An Israeli official noted that his country would resist the resolution and fight against its implementation.

"No international body can decide that the Jewish people are occupiers in their own homeland. Any decision from a judicial body which receives its mandate from the morally bankrupt and politicized UN is completely illegitimate," Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan said in a statement ahead of the vote.

The General Assembly on Friday approved the resolution asking for the ICJ to deliver its opinion on the Israeli occupation in Palestine, including Jerusalem.

Political sources in Tel Aviv revealed that Israel worked hard during the past 50 days to abort this resolution or reduce the number of countries in favor of the resolution.

Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu and Outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid exerted efforts in 60 countries and succeeded in reducing the votes in-favor of the resolution from 98 to 87.

The resolution was passed with 87 votes in favor to 26 against, with 53 abstentions.

The General Assembly asked the ICJ to give an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s “occupation, settlement, and annexation, “including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character, and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem.”

The resolution also asks the ICJ to advise on how those policies and practices “affect the legal status of the occupation” and what legal consequences arise for all countries and the United Nations from this status.

The secretariat general of the Arab League (AL) welcomed the resolution, knowing that all of the Arab states voted in favor of it.

In a statement, Assistant Secretary-General for Palestinian and Arab Territories Affairs at the AL Dr. Saeed Abu-Ali said that the UN-sponsored resolution has constituted an important station and platform to confront the Israeli oppression against Palestinians through legal tracks.

He said that the resolution has reflected the will of the international community by scoring a victory for the principles of international law and legitimacy resolutions, including empowering the legal mechanisms to confront the Israeli practices and plots.

"The time has come for Israel to be a state subject to law, and to be held accountable for its ongoing crimes against our people," Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said.

For his part, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said that “the resolution will add to the long list of international resolutions concerning Palestine, which have never tuned into a practical step to put pressure on the occupying regime even once.”

“As long as the US acts as a partner of the occupying regime and covers up Israeli crimes, all such decisions will remain on paper,” he added.

Although this decision takes time to become tangible, Israeli diplomacy is preparing to face it with a series of steps on the international level. There are some suggestions of withdrawing from the UN or expelling the UN representative from the region controlled by Israel.

Atheist Ireland granted special UN status in bid to promote ‘secular government’

Irish organisation is believed to be the first national atheist campaign group to gain such status

Michael Nugent and Jane Donnelly of Atheist Ireland. They said they would be highlighting religious discrimination in Irish schools at a meeting of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child next month. Photograph Nick Bradshaw

Patsy McGarry
Sat Dec 31 2022 - 

Atheist Ireland has been granted special consultative status at the United Nations in what is believed to be a first for a national campaign group of its type.

“It means we can engage with the UN Economic and Social Council, Human Rights Council, General Assembly, and Secretariat, in order to advance our aims,” said the group’s chair Michael Nugent and human rights officer Jane Donnelly in a joint statement.

“On January 24th and 25th, we will attend our first UN session with special consultative status, when the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child will be questioning Ireland in Geneva. We will be highlighting religious discrimination in Irish schools including the lack of objective sex education,” they said.

While there is at least one international atheist group with consultative status at the UN, it is understood Atheist Ireland is the first national-level atheist organisation to secure such status.

Atheist Ireland was founded in November 2008 to to promote secularism, rationality, pluralism and human rights in Ireland. It advocates for atheism and reason over superstition and supernaturalism, and an ethical, secular society where the State does not support or finance or give special treatment to any religion.

In recent years it has made over 20 submissions to various international bodies on such as the elimination of racial discrimination, of discrimination against women and to UN special rapporteurs on freedom of religion and minority issues.

In Ireland the group has worked together with the Evangelical Alliance and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Ireland on secular issues.

“We at Atheist Ireland are proud to be the first national-level atheist organisation to be granted special consultative status at the United Nations. It reflects the hard work of many Atheist Ireland members and supporters over the past 14 years. We will use this opportunity to continue to advance our goal of promoting ethical, secular government based on human rights, where states treat everybody equally regardless of their religious or nonreligious philosophical beliefs,” Mr Nugent and Ms Donnelly said.

UK

‘Radio silence’ from government on ending strikes, says RMT’s Mick Lynch

Story by Adam Forrest • The Independent

There has been “radio silence” from the government on preventing a fresh wave of strikes, according to rail union leader Mick Lynch – who accused ministers of “sitting on their hands”.

Mick Lynch accuses BBC Radio 4 presenter of 'parroting' Network Rail 'propaganda'
View on Watch

Union chiefs have said that only a change in stance will end the rail dispute, as passengers prepare for five days of disruption this week because of fresh strikes by tens of thousands of workers.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at Network Rail and 14 train operators will stage two 48-hour walkouts from Tuesday and Friday while drivers in the Aslef union will strike on Thursday.

“We don’t want disruption, we want a settlement,” said Mr Lynch, RMT general secretary, who claimed on Monday that railway bosses were “in despair” at the government’s position.

“The executives who run the industry day on day are in despair at what the government is making them say in these talks,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

It comes as union leaders expressed defiance over an anti-strike “crackdown”, with Rishi Sunak said to be preparing to put legislation to curb industrial action before MPs as soon as this month.

The prime minister could push for a vote on proposals for minimum staffing levels during public sector strikes within weeks, according to reports – though he could wait up to six months for more far-reaching proposals.

The “slimmed-down” version of the bill that No 10 is considering bringing forward is not thought to include an outright ban on strikes by ambulance drivers and other emergency workers, according to The Telegraph.

But Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA civil service union, said the so-called crackdown on strike rules would not stop the ongoing wave of industrial action – warning the government against “tinkering” with laws.

The union leader told Times Radio: “They might be able to have some minor restrictions around the impact of some of these strikes, but the strikes are going to continue.”

He added: “If the government want to resolve this, they need to address those issues [pay and conditions], not tinker about with what are still some of the most draconian laws around strikes in the Western world.”

A government spokesperson said that details of the legislation would emerge in “due course”, adding: “Anything we bring forward will rightfully balance the rights of workers to strike, with the rights of the public to get on with their daily lives and keep people safe.”

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has warned it could launch legal action against the government if tries to restrict industrial action rights.



Rishi Sunak preparing anti-strike legislation (PA)

On this week’s RMT strike days, around half of the network will shut down and only about 20 per cent of normal services will run. Trains that do run will start later and finish much earlier than usual, with services typically running between 7.30am and 6.30pm.

The train drivers’ strike on 5 January will affect 15 operators and will result in even fewer services running, with some companies operating “very significantly reduced” timetables.

Mr Lynch said he had received “radio silence” since mid-December. “They keep saying that they’re facilitating a deal. And I think it’s absolutely the opposite to that,” he told Today.

He added: “The government simply will not give a mandate to the employers, Network Rail and the train operators that will allow this deal to be resolved. They’ve put a block on the deal and they’re an obstacle rather than a facilitator.”

Daniel Mann, director of industry operations at the Rail Delivery Group, said: “No one wants to see these strikes go ahead and we can only apologise to passengers and to the many businesses who will be hit by this unnecessary and damaging disruption.

He added: “This dispute will only be resolved by agreeing [to] the long overdue reforms to working arrangements needed to put the industry on a sustainable footing, rather than unions condemning their members to losing more pay in the new year.”

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said his union is “in it for the long haul”, adding: “We don’t want to go on strike but the companies have pushed us into this place.

“The train companies say their hands have been tied by the government while the government, which does not employ us, says it’s up to the companies to negotiate with us,” the union leader said. “The companies, or this Tory government which stands behind them, could end this dispute now by making a serious and sensible pay offer.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Passengers have rightly had enough of rail strikes and want the disruption to end. Unions should step back from this strike action so we can start 2023 by ending this damaging dispute.”

Wide UK travel disruption as rail strikes hit people returning to work

Rail passengers are being warned to expect 'significant disruption'

Paddington train station on December 24 in London. 

Getty  Soraya Ebrahimi

Jan 01, 2023


Rail strikes by tens of thousands of workers in disputes over pay, jobs and conditions will affect passengers returning to work after the festive break.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union at Network Rail and 14 train operators will stage two 48-hour walkouts from Tuesday and Friday, while drivers in the Aslef union will go on strike on Thursday.

Travellers returning to work after the festive break are being warned to expect “significant disruption” as only a limited number of trains will run.

READ MORE
Will Rishi Sunak break the strikes - or will the strikes break him?

The advice is to only travel if absolutely necessary, allow extra time and check when first and last trains will depart.

There may also be disruption to services on January 8 as the striking workers return to their duties

On RMT strike days, about half of the network will shut down with only about 20 per cent of normal services running.

Trains that do run will start later and finish much earlier than usual, with services typically running between 7.30am and 6.30pm on the day of the strike.

The train drivers' strike on January 5 will affect 15 operators and will result in even fewer services running, with some companies operating “very significantly reduced” timetables.

Winter strikes in Britain - in pictures















Passengers at a busy King's Cross station in London after a strike by RMT union members. PA

The RMT also has an overtime ban in place at 14 train operating companies until Monday, which will continue to affect the level of cancellations and the punctuality of some services.

“No-one wants to see these strikes go ahead and we can only apologise to passengers and to the many businesses who will be hit by this unnecessary and damaging disruption," said Daniel Mann, director of industry operations at the Rail Delivery Group.


“Passengers with tickets for between January 3 and 7 can use their ticket the day before the ticket date, or up to and including Tuesday, January 10.

“This dispute will only be resolved by agreeing the long overdue reforms to working arrangements needed to put the industry on a sustainable footing, rather than unions condemning their members to losing more pay in the new year.”

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said that the union was “in it for the long haul”.

“We don’t want to go on strike but the companies have pushed us into this place," Mr Whelan said.

“They have not offered our members a penny and these are people who have not had an increase since April 2019.


“That means they expect train drivers at these companies to take a real-terms pay cut, to work just as hard for considerably less, when inflation is running at north of 14 per cent.

“The train companies say their hands have been tied by the government, while the government, which does not employ us, says it’s up to the companies to negotiate with us.

“We are always happy to negotiate — we never refuse to sit down at the table and talk — but these companies have offered us nothing, and that is unacceptable.”
UK strikes – in pictures









Passengers view departure boards at Kings Cross station in London on Wednesday, during a strike by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union. PA

Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT, has accused the government of blocking a deal to end the long-running dispute.

Mr Lynch says he is willing to negotiate, but is calling for an offer on pay, jobs and conditions on which his members can vote.

The RMT is campaigning against plans to close ticket offices, cut jobs and move the industry to widespread driver-only operations.

UK rail strikes cause disruption for millions amid cold snap - in pictures













Closed platforms at Waterloo Station in London. A strike by the RMT union is causing major disruption. EPA

“Passengers have rightly had enough of rail strikes and want the disruption to end," said a Department for Transport representative.

“The government has demonstrated it is being reasonable and stands ready to facilitate a resolution to rail disputes. It’s time the unions came to the table and played their part as well.

“Inflation-matching pay increases for all public sector workers would cost everyone more in the long-term, worsening debt, fuelling inflation and costing every household an extra £1,000 ($1,210).

“Unions should step back from this strike action so we can start 2023 by ending this damaging dispute.”


Mr Whelan said: “We keep coming to the table but the table is bare.

"Six months after we asked for a pay rise for train drivers who have not had one for nearly four years, we have still not had an offer from the train companies which employ us.

“The ball is in their court. The companies, or this Tory government which stands behind them, could end this dispute now by making a serious and sensible pay offer. It is up to them.”
Updated: January 01, 2023, 5:01 p.m.

S.Korean president's approval rating falls to 40 pct

Xinhua, January 2, 2023

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating fell 1.2 percentage points over the week to 40.0 percent last week, a weekly poll showed Monday.

The negative assessment on Yoon's conduct of state affairs added 0.6 percentage points to 57.2 percent, according to local pollster Realmeter.

Support for the ruling conservative People Power Party came to 39.2 percent last week, down 1.8 percentage points from a week earlier.

The main liberal opposition Democratic Party's popularity rating gained 2.6 percentage points to 45.5 percent.

The minor progressive Justice Party won 3.8 percent of support score last week, up 0.8 percentage points from the previous week.

The results were based on a poll of 2,511 voters conducted from last Monday to Friday. It had plus and minus 2.0 percentage points in margin of error with a 95-percent confidence level.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland Leads US Presidential Delegation to Brazilian President's Inauguration

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ,
Brazil (Photo/U.S. Department of the Interior)

BY NATIVE NEWS ONLINE STAFF 

 

JANUARY 02, 2023

The first Native American to serve in a secretarial position within a presidential cabinet, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo)on Sunday, January 1, 2023, led the Presidential Delegation of the United States on behalf of President Joe Biden to the presidential Inauguration of His Excellency Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. 

“I was honored to represent President Biden, our administration, and the American people at President Lula's inauguration and to celebrate the longstanding and important partnership between the United States and Brazil,” Secretary Haaland said. “Our shared commitment to democracy, human rights, Indigenous peoples, equitable economic growth, environmental protection, and other core values makes us natural partners. The Biden-Harris administration intends to use every opportunity to broaden and deepen that partnership with President Lula's government in the years to come.”

This will be Lula's third term, after previously governing Brazil for two consecutive terms between 2003 and 2010.

“Our message to Brazil is one of hope and reconstruction,” Lula said in a speech in Congress’ Lower House after signing the document that formally instates him as president. “The great edifice of rights, sovereignty and development that this nation built has been systematically demolished in recent years. To re-erect this edifice, we are going to direct all our efforts.”

Secretary Haaland was joined by Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council Juan Gonzalez, and Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil Douglas A. Koneff. Secretary Haaland and the delegation participated in all the major inaugural events and held other meetings with counterparts and partners.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland at Brazil's Congress. (Photo/U.S. Dept of the Interior)

 

The Department of the Interior has a long history of collaboration with Brazilian counterparts on a wide range of environmental and natural resources issues. The U.S. Geological Survey and Bureau of Reclamation engage in technical exchanges with the National Water Agency, on topics such as hydrologic surveys and dam safety. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service partner with the Environment and Sustainable Natural Resources Ministry on conservation and protected area management. And the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management are in dialogue with counterparts in Brazil about offshore wind development and carbon sequestration. Most recently, in November the Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) facilitated a knowledge exchange between officials from six U.S. Tribes and representatives of Indigenous communities in the Amazon.

“My Department looks forward to continuing these important partnerships with our Brazilian colleagues,” added Secretary Haaland.

In addition to attending the inauguration, Secretary Haaland met with Joênia Wapichana (incoming President of the National Indigenous Foundation), Toya Manchineri (Coordinator of the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon), and other Indigenous leaders and partner institutions implementing U.S.-funded environmental programs in Brazil. In those meetings, the delegation discussed the priorities and challenges of Indigenous peoples in Brazil, opportunities to deepen collaboration between U.S. and Brazilian Indigenous communities, and partnership with the USAID to engage communities whose lives depend on the integrity and conservation of the Brazilian Amazon ecosystem.

Lula returns to power in Brazil with promise to combat inequalities

Online News EditorJanuary 1, 2023

Brasilia, Jan 1 (EFE).- Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva began his third term as president of Brazil on Sunday with a huge ceremony full of symbolism, in which he reinforced his commitment to combating the enormous social inequalities that divide the country.

The 77-year-old leftist leader, who governed between 2003 and 2010, returned to the presidency after narrowly defeating the far-right Jair Bolsonaro, who has not acknowledged his defeat and two days ago flew to the United States to avoid having to pass Lula the presidential sash, as is tradition and protocol.

The inauguration had strong international support with delegations from 68 countries, including 20 heads of state or government, as well as significant popular support with nearly 300,000 people packing the center of the capital for one of the largest ceremonies in the history of Brazil.

Lula gave two speeches and focused both on his firm commitment to combat a range of inequalities that divide the population and “hold back” the country’s development, especially the huge gap between rich and poor, but also racial and gender inequality.

The president burst into tears when talking about families forced to rummage through the garbage to find food and, from the pulpit of the Planalto presidential palace, asked the crowd gathered in the Plaza de los Tres Poderes: “Help me!”

Lula took advantage of Bolsonaro’s absence to add symbolism to the formality of receiving the presidential sash, which illustrates the transfer of power. In the absence of his predecessor, he instead received it from a group of citizens exemplifying the diversity of Brazilian society.

With them, and his dog Resistencia, Lula climbed the ramp that leads from the street to the first floor of the Planalto Palace, a gesture also highly symbolic since presidents usually enter the palace alone, walking among two rows of soldiers from the regiment of the Independence Dragoons.

A large part of Lula’s speeches were based on criticism of Bolsonaro, without naming him, whom he accused of having led a “government of national destruction.”

In particular, he promised that those responsible for the seriousness of the pandemic in Brazil, where almost 695,000 people died from Covid-19, will not go unpunished, while the country was led by a “denialist government.”

He also described the damage inflicted by the Bolsonaro government on the economy, the environment, health and education sectors and, above all, the social fabric of Brazil, which emerged from the Oct. 30 elections divided like never before.

In fact, he chose the phrase “union and reconstruction” as the motto of his new government and a few hours after being sworn in, he took the first step to revoke Bolsonaro’s most controversial measures, signing his first 13 decrees.

Among others, he ordered the creation of a new registry of all weapons purchased by civilians in the last four years, taking advantage of the release of weapons promoted by Bolsonaro.

He also revoked a decree that allowed mineral exploitation on indigenous lands and reactivated the so-called Amazon Fund, set up with donations from Germany and Norway to contribute to the protection of the rainforest and which had been suspended by Bolsonaro in 2019.

Another of the promises that Lula made was to break the “diplomatic isolation” of the last four years under a president who only maintained fluid relations with countries governed by the extreme right.

It is a task that begins on the right foot given the large representation of authorities from 68 countries who attended the inauguration, including the king of Spain and leaders of Portugal, Germany, Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Honduras.

The president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Jorge Rodríguez, also attended, with whose country Lula announced that he would restore diplomatic relations as of Jan. 1, after Bolsonaro ended them four years ago.

In addition, former heads of state with whom Lula has friendships with attended, such as Uruguay’s José Mujica and Bolivia’s Evo Morales, who gave Lula a jacket similar to another that he gave him years ago and that the Brazilian leader wears frequently.

In his inauguration speech, Lula announced that Brazil is going to “retake integration” in Latin America to have “an active and proud dialogue” with the other regions of the world.

“We will resume integration from Mercosur, with the revitalization of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) and other sovereign bodies” in Latin America, he declared before parliament

Brazil's Lula decrees extension for tax 

exemption on fuels

 

General view as Brazil's new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva delivers a speech after being sworn in at the National Congress, in Brasilia, Brazil, January 1, 2023. 

REUTERS/Jacqueline Lisboa

 January 2, 2023 -

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's newly sworn-in President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a decree on Sunday extending for 60 days an exemption for fuels from federal taxes, a measure passed by his predecessor aimed at lowering their cost.

The decree was among the first batch of decisions taken by Lula hours after his inauguration as president, succeeding far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, and officially establishing his cabinet of 37 ministers.

The exemption from federal taxes on fuel represents a revenue waiver of 52.9 billion reais per year, and Economy Minister Fernando Haddad had said that it would not be extended, creating a division in the new cabinet.

Earlier on Sunday, Senator Jean Paul Prates, who is expected to be named chief executive of state-run oil company Petrobras, told reporters that extension of the exemption would go ahead and last 60 days.

Prates said the exemption could be resumed by the new government in a "much more comfortable" way.

He has said that one option under study was an extension for six months or until the end of the year for tax exemptions on diesel and liquefied petroleum gas.

The extension for gasoline was opposed by sectors of the economy, such as the ethanol industry, which loses ground in its tax advantage over gasoline.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

Brazil's Lula promises 'hope and

reconstruction' in inaugural speech

DPA
January 01, 2023

Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is welcomed to the National Congress by the numerous heads of state and government officials during his inauguration ceremony.

 Jens Büttner/dpa

Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is welcomed to the National Congress by the numerous heads of state and government officials during his inauguration ceremony. Jens Büttner/dpa

Veteran leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took the oath of office on Sunday as Brazil's first democratically elected president to win three terms, with more than a dozen heads of states in attendance.

"My message today is one of hope and reconstruction," Lula said in his inaugural speech. "Democracy was the big winner of this election."

In a break from custom, his predecessor, the far-right nationalist Jair Bolsonaro, did not hand over the presidential sash to Lula, after the Bolsonaro travelled to the US state of Florida with his family on Friday.

Before the ceremony, Lula drove through the capital Brasília in an open Rolls Royce with his wife Janja and new Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and his wife. A large music festival with over 40 artists was set to follow the swearing-in.

Lula led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, at a time when his government profited from the raw materials boom and was able to lift millions of people out of poverty through major social programmes.

However, there was also widespread corruption and Lula was also sentenced to a lengthy prison term for corruption and money laundering, though the sentence was later overturned.

He beat Bolsonaro in a run-off election in October.

During Bolsonaro's term in office, relations with other countries were tense, as deforestation of the rainforest increased unchecked and the government was accused of contempt for human rights.

World powers view Brazil under Lula as a potential strategic political and economic partner. Brazil's enormous natural resources and large agricultural economy make it a big power in Latin America.

Lula has announced plans to strengthen environmental and climate protection, plus measures to combat a resurgence of hunger amid the country's economic slowdown and high inflation.

But the 77-year-old faces major challenges to achieving his inclusive agenda, first and foremost of which is Brazil's highly polarized politics. Bolsonaro's allies control both chamber of Congress.


Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is welcomed to the National Congress by the numerous heads of state and government officials during his inauguration ceremony. Jens Büttner/dpa


Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (R) welcomes German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to the National Congress among numerous heads of state and other guests of honor during his inauguration ceremony. Jens Büttner/dpa