Thursday, July 20, 2023

Canada First Nations protest Ontario's 'Ring of Fire' mining plans

Story by By Divya Rajagopal • 8h ago

Rally against mining in northern ontario© Thomson Reuters

TORONTO (Reuters) - A group of five First Nation communities of Canada on Thursday marched against the Ontario government's decision to allow mining in a mineral-rich region without proper consultation over environmental concerns and potential land encroachment by mining companies.

The protest by some 100 people, including representatives of the five communities and others opposing the project, marched outside the provincial government's ministry of mines building in Toronto raising slogans of "no more mining."


Rally against mining in northern ontario© Thomson Reuters

It comes two months after the First Nation groups launched a legal action against the Ontario government. The group is planning another protest in September.

Known as the "Ring of Fire," the region in the remote James Bay Lowlands of northern Ontario is considered the next frontier in the exploration of critical minerals such as copper, cobalt, nickel as Canada seeks to diminish its reliance on China for metals seen as crucial in the transition to a greener economy.



Rally against mining in northern ontario© Thomson Reuters

Some First Nation communities that own the land holding these deposits, however, are irked at the government's lack of engagement, they said.

The project, proposed by the province of Ontario, will include building an all-season road, rail lines and speeding up mining permits in the region, which belongs to the several First Nation communities.

"We just don't want mining in our lands," Chief Rudy Turtle of the Grassy Narrows First Nation told Reuters. "You are going around looking for land without even talking to us... we are against that."

The Ontario government last year threatened to use bulldozers on the indigenous land if needed. The leaders of the five communities will be meeting with the Ontario government to put forward their concerns in the coming weeks.



Rally against mining in northern ontario© Thomson Reuters

At least two other First Nation communities in the region have agreed to the project.


Rally against mining in northern ontario© Thomson Reuters

"They want to pit First Nations against each other so that they can have their mines and destroy our lands," said Chief Chris Moonias of the Neskantaga First Nation, which owns the land where one of the access roads to the Ring of Fire is planned.

(Reporting by Divya Rajagopal; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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Why Do Americans Get Attacked for Saying What Israelis Say about Israel?

Story by John Nichols • Yesterday 
 The Nation


Twenty years ago, in June of 2003, B’Tselem, Israel’s largest human rights organization, complained that Israel was “enshrining racism in law.” Objecting to temporary legislation that rescinded the right of Israeli citizens who had married residents of the Occupied Territories to establish their home in Israel, the group said, “This bill is racist.”

Two years later, when the Israeli Knesset enacted a law restricting the family unification of Israeli citizens and residents (including residents of East Jerusalem) and Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories, B’Tselem declared that the restriction was “racist and violates the principle of equality.”

Founded by Israeli parliamentarians, civil liberties lawyers, and academics, B’Tselem would eventually determine, in 2021, that, “Israel is not a democracy that has a temporary occupation attached to it: it is one regime between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, and we must look at the full picture and see it for what it is: apartheid. This sobering look at reality need not lead to despair, but quite the opposite. It is a call for change. After all, people created this regime, and people can change it.”

That was not an isolated statement of concern. International human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have described Israeli policies that systemically discriminate against Palestinians as “apartheid.” And so do many prominent Israeli political and cultural figures. Former Israeli cabinet members Yossi Sarid, a 32-year-member of the Knesset and longtime columnist for the newspaper Haaretz, and Shulamit Aloni, a 26-year-member of the Knesset who was a recipient of the prestigious Israel Prize, had both concluded before B’Tselem’s 2021 report was published that Israel was practicing a form of apartheid. A year after the report was released, internationally acclaimed Israeli novelist AB Yehoshua wrote that, “The cancer today is apartheid in the West Bank.” The same year, former Israeli Attorney General Michael Ben-Yair concluded: “It is with great sadness that I must also conclude that my country has sunk to such political and moral depths that it is now an apartheid regime. It is time for the international community to recognize this reality as well.”

These are, to be sure, controversial opinions—within Israel and beyond its borders. But they are opinions that are frequently voiced by prominent Israelis—including conductor Daniel Barenboim, who wrote in 2018, “we have a law that confirms the Arab population as second-class citizens. It follows that this is a very clear form of apartheid. I don’t think the Jewish people lived for 20 centuries, mostly through persecution and enduring endless cruelties, in order to become the oppressors, inflicting cruelty on others.”

Related video: Israel: Protesters demand complete withdrawal of judicial bill (WION)
Duration 4:37   Watch


So how is that, when American political figures use words such as “racist” and “apartheid” to describe Israeli policies, they face not just a withering rhetorical assault from media pundits and politicians — including charges of antisemitism– but immediate congressional action rejecting the language?

Last weekend, Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal caused a stir when she said at the Netroots Nation conference in Chicago that “it is clear that Israel is a racist state, that the Palestinian people deserve self-determination and autonomy.” Condemnations were fast and furious—from House Republicans and many Democrats. Jayapal quickly clarified that “I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist. I do, however, believe that Netanyahu’s extreme right-wing government has engaged in discriminatory and outright racist policies and that there are extreme racists driving that policy within the leadership of the current government.”

That did not blunt the outcry from congressional Republicans and the vast majority of their Democratic colleagues, who on Tuesday voted 412-9 for a hastily crafted resolution that asserted Israel “is not a racist or apartheid state” and declared that the U.S. “will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel.”

Progressive Caucus members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), Rashida Tlaib (Michigan), Jamaal Bowman (New York) Summer Lee (Pennsylvania) Ilhan Omar (Minnesota), Cori Bush (Missouri), André Carson (Indiana), Delia Ramirez (Illinois) and Ayanna Pressley (Massachusetts) opposed the resolution, while Minnesota Democrat Betty McCollum voted “present.”

Jayapal voted for the measure, as did several other outspoken critics of Israeli policies, including Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisconsin, who sought to reframe the debate by describing the measure as “aspirational: it embodies what Israel wants to be and what we hope it is.”

“But,” he added, “if we want to make this vision a reality, then as friends of Israel, we must point out the significant barriers to those aspirations – as any good friend would.” Pocan concluded, “Israel is a friend of the United States. Criticism of the Israeli government and their actions is not antisemitism – it’s real and honest friendship.”

Among those who voted “no” on the resolution, Tlaib spoke most bluntly, declaring, “I am the only Palestinian American serving in Congress and I have family members all throughout the West Bank—what many people call the illegally occupied territories But we’re here again reaffirming Congress’s support for apartheid, policing the words of women of color who dare to speak up about truths, about oppression. It’s just not what we should be doing here in Congress.”

Most of Tlaib’s colleagues disagreed with her. Some of them quite ardently, and undoubtedly sincerely. Yet, the reference to the policing of language stung in a chamber that was racing with uncommon urgency to proscribe words that have been used by Israeli human rights groups, political figures, and cultural icons.
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House Oversight Committee to hold UFO hearing next week

Yesterday 


A former intelligence official has made unconfirmed claims 
Duration 0:26    View on Watch

The Republican-led House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing on UFOs, officially called unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), next week.

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., announced on Twitter that the session is scheduled for July 26.

The hearing comes after Republican lawmakers have promised to look deeper into UAPs following unconfirmed claims from a former intelligence official that the U.S. military had allegedly found crashed alien spacecraft. The Pentagon has said it hasn't discovered any information to substantiate this claim.MORE: House Oversight plans UFO hearing after unconfirmed claims of crashed alien spacecraft


Navy image of a UAP captured during Naval Exercises off the East Coast of the United States in early 2022.© U.S. Navy

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was asked Monday if he believes in extraterrestrial life, in light of Burchett's announcement of the hearing.


"I will continue to see," McCarthy told reporters with a grin. "But I think if we had found a UFO, I think the Department of Defense would tell us because they would probably want to request more money."

"I'd love to see whatever facts and information we have," McCarthy continued. "I'm very supportive of letting the American people see what we have, where we go."

Burchett, who is leading the panel's inquiry into UAPs with fellow GOP hard-liner Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, had previewed the hearing last week.

"We're going to have professionals in here and we're getting blowback from some of the alphabet agencies," he claimed to reporters without elaborating further.

"I'm sick of government ... that does not trust the people," he said when pushed by the press for more detail.


Rep. Tim Burchett speaks to reporters after attending a briefing at the White House on July 13, 2023 in Washington, DC.© Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

MORE: Pentagon's 'UFO' tracking efforts still find no alien origins

Earlier this year, the Pentagon office tasked with reviewing UAPs said it had look at more than 800 cases dating back decades but hadn't identified any that could be attributed to alien origin.

Sean Kirkpatrick, the director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, told a Senate subcommittee in April "only a very small percentage" of UAP reports could be described as "anomalous."

"The majority of unidentified objects reported to AARO demonstrate mundane characteristics of balloons, unmanned aerial systems, clutter, natural phenomena, or other readily explainable sources," he said at the time.

ABC News' Luis Martinez contributed to this report.

Lawmakers press for transparency ahead of UFO hearing

Story by Miranda Nazzaro • Yesterday 


The House Oversight Committee hearing on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) next week will be centered on transparency, a bipartisan group of lawmakers said Thursday.

The committee hearing, spearheaded by Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), will investigate the increase in sightings of UAPs and their impact on national security. Burchett said the lack of information from the government — during Republican and Democratic administrations — has eroded public trust.

“This hearing is going to be different. We’re going to have witnesses who can speak frankly to the public about their experiences,” Burchett said. “We’ve had a heck of a lot of pushback about this hearing. There are a lot of people who don’t want this to come to light.”

Burchett and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said members of Congress have been “stonewalled” by military officials when they’ve asked for details on UAPs, including their possible origins.

“This is ridiculous folks. Either they do exist or they don’t exist. They keep telling us they don’t exist, but they block every opportunity for us to get a hold of the information to prove that they do exist,” Burchett said. “And we’re gonna get to the bottom of that dadgummit. Whatever the truth may be. We’re done with the coverup.”

Burchett, Luna and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) visited a Florida Air Force base to meet with pilots about their UAP sightings, but the group was prevented from meeting the pilots at the last second by the Pentagon and was not shown the sensitive information promised, Luna said.

“And so, if the Department of the Air Force, if the Pentagon thinks they’re above Congress, they have something else coming to them,” she said. “We told them we were going to do this if they continue to hide information and ultimately, American people deserve the facts.”

Related video: 'We're done with the cover-ups': House GOP preview hearing on UFOs 
(NBC News)   Duration 1:22   View on Watch


The committee will hear testimony from Air Force veteran David Grusch, a former member of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency who recently spoke on serving on a UAP task force led by the U.S. Navy, as well as former Navy commander David Fravor, who shot the leaked “tic tac” video showing an unidentified flying object off the coast of San Diego before it suddenly disappeared into the water.

Lawmakers will also hear from Ryan Graves, a former Navy pilot who reported multiple UAP encounters during training flights. Burchett noted Graves attended last year’s hearing held by the House Intelligence Committee but was “not allowed” inside until someone gave him press credentials.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) echoed his Republican colleagues’ calls for transparency on UAPs, arguing taxpayers are paying for programs that are “keeping this information secret.”

“If the answer is that there are no unidentified aerial phenomena, then say that, but that’s not what the answers are. The answers are, ‘We can’t tell you.” And so, that leads to speculation,” Moskowitz said. “And so this is something that has undoubtedly captured the public’s attention in multiple administrations.”

“Unnecessary censoring things or overclassification is what leads to all of these theories that have been out there,” he continued.

Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would require government records related to UAPs to be declassified and disclosed.

The amendment would create a collection of records in the National Archives and Records Administration and require each government office to identify which records fall into the collection.

Last month, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said there are likely many more UAP sightings than what is known to the public, saying the U.S. government has “downplayed” the issue.

A Senate Intelligence subcommittee held a hearing on UAPs in May.

Where UFOs and little green men fit into US national security

Opinion by Mark Toth and Jonathan Sweet, Opinion Contributors • Yesterday 
The Hill


Congress next week takes up the issue of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and little green men in flying saucers — this time, allegedly not from Mars or any other nearby planet in our solar system — when the House Oversight Committee holds a hearing on July 6.

A real life “Star Wars” is seemingly in the making. Irrespective of the ongoing Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strike, there is a story to be told, scored and sold to the American public.

Or is there?

Deep down, every child of the 1960s — we are two products of that space-driven and obsessed decade — wants those old Saturday matinee movies to ring true: “Planet of the Apes” and “2001: A Space Odyssey,” among others. The idea of outer space as a cold, black vacuum, devoid of life seemed as crushingly limiting then as it does now.

“Star Trek,” the 1960s television series, held forth hope for the existence of that world, at least in morality play form, that had far more to do with Ancient Greek tragedies than what galaxies and universes beyond our own truly might look like. In other words, “Star Trek,” in its initial over-the-air iteration, had more to do with our earthly angst, fears and human foibles than truly going “where no man had gone before.”

Space is vast — indeed, truly infinite. Therefore, in terms of mathematical probabilities, it is not a question of whether life or even sentient life exists beyond our realm. In all likelihood, it does, and even perhaps on an unimaginable scale.

The real question, in terms of U.S. national security, is whether or not an interstellar or even intergalactic civilization has managed, largely unnoticed, to reach and invade our own space and time as the third planet away from our sun, one of nearly 10,000 stars visible to the naked eye from Earth.

The likely answer is no, wormhole bridge theory notwithstanding.

Never say never, of course. But where is the evidence? Not just in terms of alien spacecraft or photographs of little green men (and women!), but also in terms of alien technology. If we possess it, then where is it to be found in our weapons systems, and perhaps even our everyday lives? And just exactly how is it giving us an edge in our defense against our nation’s foes?

Enter David Grusch. He, along with other intelligence officials, asserts that our government already has those answers.

Related video: WH National Security official admits UFOs are a 'legitimate issue' (Daily Mail)
Duration 2:12  View on Watch



The former U.S. intelligence officer claims the U.S. knows those answers and that in part with an array of unnamed private American defense contractors, our government is in possession of “intact and partially intact aircraft” that are of “non-human origin” and that we have been ‘keeping it secret for decades.’

Grusch’s whistleblower UFO allegations, formally made to the U.S. Congress and the intelligence community inspector general, cannot be dismissed out of hand, given his own governmental background. According to an interview Grusch gave to “The Debrief,” he is “a decorated former combat officer in Afghanistan, is a veteran of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).”

Equally notable, Grusch worked on studying Unexplained Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) — Pentagon-speak for UFOs — for three years and “was the NGA’s co-lead for UAP analysis and its representative to the task force.”

So what about the little green men? In an interview with NewsNation, a sister company of The Hill, Grusch appeared to go even further, dramatically claiming “Well, naturally, when you recover something that’s either landed or crashed, sometimes you encounter dead pilots and, believe it or not, as fantastical as that sounds, it’s true.”

But now let’s hit the pause button — or in “Star Trek” parlance, tell Scotty in engineering to back off of warp speed.

Grusch acknowledged “that he hadn’t actually seen photos of the alleged extraterrestrial craft, but had spoken at length with intelligence officials who had allegedly come forward to him.” Continuing, he explained “’I thought it was totally nuts, and I thought at first I was being deceived, it was a ruse,’ Grusch said of the alleged program.”

So in courtroom terms, we are, according to Grusch himself, in the realm of hearsay. Someone told me what they or someone else saw or worked on. Unless we are missing something – or Grusch has yet to disclose it – that is not exactly the textbook definition of having evidentiary “proof” as the former intelligence officer claims he has.

He may have proof of what others said. Plus, names, dates and the nature of allegations made regarding extraterrestrial spacecraft and alien lifeforms. But for now, that appears to be the extent of his proof. The as yet unsubstantiated claims of others, alongside Grusch’s own apparent admission that he has no firsthand knowledge.

Plus, there are obvious questions to be asked as postulated by Michael Garrett, a radio astronomer. Why are aliens such bad drivers and why is Earth their alleged junkyard for spacecraft? As he acerbically noted, “You’d think that if they could travel between the stars, they could get the last 0.0001% of the journey right too.”

Alien UFOs, indisputably, make for good movies, TV series and novels, and maybe yet one day, that of the subject matter of nonfiction books. But for now, it all still feels like Kabuki theater, Grusch’s whistleblower claims notwithstanding. Congress, never one to miss an opportunity for theatrics, is understandably all over this story.

Good stories generate press, and politicos are always looking to catch a wave, even a space wave, to do so. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has chimed in, as has Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in introducing eye catching space age legislation demanding the U.S. government — presumably the Defense Department — and private defense contractors come clean and declassify where possible any documents or programs related to UAP.

A congressional investigation is warranted; the American public has a right to know what the U.S. government knows. The unknown has always attracted the attention of our greatest minds — we seek clarity and understanding.

But in the absence of information, Hollywood and conspiracy theorists will continue to fill in the blanks. By all means, investigate away — let’s get the known out there. But in the meantime, U.S. national security is best served by primarily focusing on man-made UAPs invading American airspace and the individual or state actors behind them.

Mark Toth writes on national security and foreign policy and is an economist, entrepreneur, and former board member of the World Trade Center, St. Louis. 

Jonathan Sweet, a retired Army Colonel and 30-year military intelligence officer, led the U.S. European Command Intelligence Engagement Division from 2012 to 2014.


UFOs Are Bringing Democrats and Republicans Together

Story by Thomas Kika • Monday

A photo-illustration of unidentified flying objects.© KTS Image/Getty

Anew effort in Congress to make public the government's files on UFOs is gathering bipartisan support, with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaking out in favor of the initiative.

Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Friday spearheaded a bipartisan effort for an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would compel the release of information regarding unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP). Under the amendment, the National Archives and Records Administration would create a collection of records pertaining to the phenomenon for immediate public release, unless a review board deemed it necessary for a given record to be kept classified.

Kevin McCarthy 'Very Supportive' Of Public Seeing UFO Information

Efforts to compel greater disclosure of information about UFOs and similar subjects have gained considerable traction in recent years as reports emerged and documents have been declassified revealing the extent of the U.S. government's tracking of the phenomenon. In 2021, a host of documents were declassified that revealed sightings of UFOs and UAP, largely from Navy personnel, dating to 2004.

"For decades, many Americans have been fascinated by objects mysterious and unexplained, and it's long past time they get some answers," Schumer said in a statement announcing the amendment.

"The American public has a right to learn about technologies of unknown origins, non-human intelligence and unexplainable phenomena. We are not only working to declassify what the government has previously learned about these phenomena but to create a pipeline for future research to be made public."

In a Monday appearance on Fox News, McCarthy was asked about the initiative and voiced support for the notion of providing greater information about the phenomenon to the American people.

"I think if we had found a UFO, I think the Department of Defense would tell us, because they'd probably wanna request more money," McCarthy said. "I'd love to see what other facts and information we have. I'm very supportive of letting the American public see what we have."

The NDAA amendment currently has the support of Republican Senators Marco Rubio of Florida, Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Todd Young of Indiana. On the Democratic side are Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico.

"There is a lot we still don't know about these UAPs, and that is a big problem," said Rubio, who is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. "We've taken some important steps over the last few years to increase transparency and reduce stigmas, but more needs to be done. This is yet another step in that direction and one that I hope will spur further cooperation from the executive branch."

Newsweek reached out to the National Archives press office via email for comment.



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A player's mistreatment exposes flawed sex eligibility rules used by FIFA at Women's World Cup

Story by The Canadian Press • Jul 12,2023



Barbra Banda will be allowed to captain Zambia in its Women's World Cup debut and continue a promising soccer career that was thrown in doubt when she was excluded from last year's African championship in a sex eligibility case mishandled by authorities.

While officials blamed each other, Banda was forced to sit out the tournament and endure unforgiving scrutiny about her gender for no apparent reason.

FIFA says the 23-year-old Zambia forward, her team's star player by a mile, is eligible to play at the World Cup. Soccer's governing body has never questioned that she's female.

Yet while the African and Zambian soccer bodies botched Banda's case, FIFA is largely to blame, say rights groups, charging its policy on a heated issue gave no proper guidance and left a young woman exposed to harm in a game overseen by one of sport's richest organizations, which even has its own human rights department.

Banda was “blindsided” by soccer authorities, said the prominent NGO Human Rights Watch.

Nearly 15 years since the case of South African runner Caster Semenya lit a firestorm of controversy about sex eligibility in sports, FIFA's outdated rules fail to protect its female players from "stigmatizing, stereotyping, and discriminatory" treatment, HRW added.

FIFA's regulations were published in 2011 and haven't been updated, while sports like track, swimming and others have prioritized the issue and made several changes to their policies, even if some have been fiercely criticized.

The guardian of the world's most popular sport is lagging way behind, its critics say.

FIFA says it is working on new regulations, but there is no indication it will have them in place before the Women's World Cup opens on July 20.

“What is stopping them?” asked Payoshni Mitra, an advocate for athletes' rights who has advised sportswomen in sex eligibility cases. “They have done stakeholder consultation, they are committed to human rights principles, but the final outcome needs to be seen.”

Mitra praised the work of FIFA’s human rights department and said there had been a commitment to update its rules, but it was long overdue because they currently left players like Banda exposed to a flawed process.

“It’s a concern because FIFA is committed to human rights and therefore they must protect their athletes from arbitrary scrutiny and unnecessary humiliation. They must take care of their footballers and that must be a priority," Mitra said. "If anyone has that infrastructure, it’s FIFA.”

While speculation swirled that Banda had failed a sex verification test at the Women's African Cup, or had taken a test that showed high testosterone levels, her agent said none of that was true. Anton Maksimov said at the time that she was removed from the squad ahead of the tournament by Zambian soccer officials based on an “evaluation of her physical conditions."

“Nothing, no existing regulations that we are aware of, prevents Barbra’s participation,” he said.

Zambia said it was following the requirements of the Confederation of African Football, the tournament's organizer. A Zambia team doctor, obliged by the African soccer body's rules to sign a one-page form for each player's sex verification, apparently decided not to sign off on Banda.

Banda's case has nothing to do with the issue of transgender women competing in female sports. Banda was identified as female at birth, so the criteria used to sideline her, which hasn't been clarified, is the key.

CAF sets the eligibility rules for the African Cup, but they largely follow FIFA’s, even using some of the same wording.

FIFA, and as a result CAF, don't have rules setting any limits for testosterone levels for female players, as other sports do. They don't broach the subject of sex variations in female athletes, which other sports have. Neither soccer bodies give a clear guide on how players should have their sex “verified” but they both put the onus on teams to do it.

And so, team doctors are interpreting the regulations “the way they want,” Mitra said, sometimes even using testosterone limits set by other sports.

“I can see how mismanaged this entire thing is at the national level,” she said. “Officials in national federations have no awareness about these issues."

CAF and the Zambian soccer association haven't commented on the details of Banda's case, which protects her confidential medical information but sometimes leads to an opaque process. What is clear is that no one could refer to any clear guidelines when making a career-affecting decision for Banda.

Banda is still committed to Zambia and said in an interview with South African broadcaster SuperSport that she’s looking forward to the Women's World Cup. It'll be her return to the global stage after she scored hat tricks in successive games at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 to grab attention in a low-ranked team.

“I’m very determined in whatever I do,” she said.

Jarringly, Banda was not alone in the bungled case. Zambia soccer association president Andrew Kamanga said other players were also removed from the squad last year because of the regulations. They were not identified and no details have been released on their cases.

Human Rights Watch said that by giving team doctors little direction, soccer's policy “encourages” them to fall back on the invasive physical examinations of women for sex verification that sparked outrage about track and field's treatment of Olympic champion Semenya, Indian sprinter Dutee Chand and others more than a decade ago, and which should have sounded a blaring warning call to all sports.

“There is precedent," HRW said, "for this harm.”

___

AP coverage of the Women's World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Gerald Imray, The Associated Press
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Archaeologists in Louisiana save artifacts 12,000 years old from natural disasters and looters

Story by The Canadian Press • Tuesday


VERNON PARISH, La. (AP) — Long buried under the woods of west central Louisiana, stone tools, spearpoints and other evidence of people living in the area as long as 12,000 years ago have become more exposed and vulnerable, due to hurricanes, flooding and looters.

This summer, archaeologists have been gingerly digging up the ground at the Vernon Parish site in the Kisatchie National Forest. They have been sifting through dirt to unearth and preserve the evidence of prehistoric occupation of the area.

“The site appears to have been continuously occupied throughout prehistory, as evidenced by a wide range of stone tools and pottery dating to each Native American cultural era up to European contact,” the U.S. Forest Service said in an news release.

The site was found by surveyors in 2003, according to the Forest Service. After hurricanes Laura and Delta uprooted trees, disturbing and exposing some of the artifacts, Kisatchie National Forest officials used hurricane relief money to begin salvage excavations to learn more about the site, and to preserve it.

“Between the looting and the hurricane damage we were really in danger of losing this site over time,” Forest Service archaeologist Matthew Helmer said during a media tour of the site in June.

Helmer, walked amid areas already excavated, pointing to changes in soil color and texture that, like the crude artifacts being excavated, can give clues as researchers work to determine facts about the people who occupied the area at different times over the millennia.

Related video: Archaeologists saving artifacts from12,000 years ago (The Associated Press)
Duration 1:32   View on Watch

“We're really writing the history of these peoples that lived prior to 1492, all the way back 10,000-plus years,” said Helmer.

It's a welcome opportunity for Mark Rees, a professor of archaeology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and director of the Louisiana Public Archaeology Lab.

Still, Rees laments that the work is hampered by people who have made unauthorized digs and made off with material from the site.

“It's like walking into the archive and finding a book that's so rare it's one of a kind and it predates writing itself, it's like tearing a page out of that book and walking off with it,” said Rees.

The salvaged artifacts will be sorted, catalogued and examined as researchers at the archaeology lab seek to make determinations about past cultures at the site.

___

McGill reported from New Orleans.

Stephen Smith And Kevin Mcgill, The Associated Press
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Pod of 55 pilot whales die after being stranded on a beach in Scotland
Story by The Canadian Press • Monday



LONDON (AP) — A pod of 55 pilot whales have died after they were found washed ashore on a beach in Scotland in the worst mass whale stranding in the area, marine experts said Monday.

Marine rescuers, the coast guard and police were called to Traigh Mhor beach on the Isle of Lewis in northwest Scotland after receiving reports that dozens of the mammals were in difficulty there early Sunday.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue found that only 15 of the whales — a mixture of adults and calves — were still alive, and attempted to refloat two of the more active animals that were low down in the water.

But by Sunday afternoon rescue teams decided that the remaining whales should be euthanized on welfare grounds, after considering the shallow beach, rough wave conditions and how long the whales had been out of the water.


Related video: Over 50 Whales Die In Scotland's Largest Mass Stranding | CNBC TV18 
 Duration 1:32   View on Watch


The charity said the whole pod may have followed a female whale onto the beach when she had problems giving birth.

“Pilot whales are notorious for their strong social bonds, so often when one whale gets into difficulty and strands, the rest follow,” it said in a statement. “A sad outcome for this pod and obviously not the outcome we were all hoping for.”

Experts will begin carrying out post-mortem work Monday to determine what caused the whales' death.

Andrew Brownlow, from the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme, said that would be a “monumental task.”

“In terms of the number of casualty animals, this is the biggest one we’ve had," he told the BBC.

Experts will take samples and data from some of the whales, and the bodies will be taken to a landfill site and buried after the post-mortem is complete, he added.

The Associated Press
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Language tests used to determine admissibility into Canada are a 'money-making machine,' critic says

Story by Shlok Talati • Tuesday

Hundreds of thousands of immigrants who enter Canada annually are required to take a language test. But their scores expire within the next two years — one of many problems critics have with the test.

The Canadian government invited 431,645 permanent residents into the country last year — a record high. Most are required to be proficient in either English or French.

Applicants can attempt either of the two tests recognized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) — the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Both cost more than $250 and the results are only valid for two years. There are also French tests that have the same validity period and cost about the same.

Results from a language test are also sometimes required when immigrants enrol in university or apply for work permits.

The price of the exam, and potentially having to pay to take it multiple times, is just one issue advocates and prospective residents have with the test. Some see it as an insufficient way of assessing someone's candidacy for residence in Canada.

Language abilities 'being called into question'

Ukwori Ejibe, now an Alberta-resident, moved to Canada from Nigeria in 2020. She holds an undergraduate degree from the U.S. and two master's degrees — one from Paris and one from Singapore

But before moving to Canada, she attempted the IELTS test twice in Nigeria, where English is the official language.

Language test scores are assigned a point value. Applicants also get points for things like education and work experience. The more points an applicant has, the greater their chances of becoming a permanent resident.

Ejibe's first scores in 2016 were not high enough to gain permanent residency. After her second attempt, she was invited to immigrate.

She says she was "quite upset" to learn she'd have to take the test a third time to gain admission to the university program she wanted to attend in B.C.

"It's definitely an expensive process to move to Canada, and one of the reasons why it's so expensive is because the IELTS is not like other processes, that you, hopefully, just do once," she said.

When Ejibe took the test for the third time, she said she didn't prepare as much as she had before, but still got a great score.

"You feel like you've gone through all the hurdles and your English abilities are being called into question, and this is for someone who went to school in the U.S. and got educated in Nigeria in English."


Filipino workers, including nurses applying to work in United Kingdom, attend a lecture at a review centre for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) in Manila, Philippines, in 2019. (Eloisa Lopez/Reuters)© Provided by cbc.ca

Concern about validity period

Syed Hussan, the executive director of the advocacy group Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, says most people they work with have difficulty passing the test on their first try, even if English is their first and only language.

"It is a massive money-making machine," he said, noting the fact that the tests have a two-year expiry date before they have to be taken again makes it apparent that the exams are cash grabs.

"It just goes to show it's just a way to get money out of people and not really assess people's ability to work or live in Canada," he said.

The application for permanent residency costs $1,365. Ejibe says she has spent roughly $1,000 on tests alone, and says they just add onto an already expensive process.

Unlike permanent resident applicants, those seeking citizenship don't need to take the test again if they've passed it once. They can submit their test results even if they've expired.

Ejibe wonders about the rationale behind this.

"If they can do this for citizenship, they should consider it for immigration purposes, too," she said.

Elena Ashford, an Ontario-based immigration lawyer, says these English language test scores play a significant role in a person's eligibility to move to Canada and considers the cost of the tests to be an issue.

"Many individuals have to retake the test and that's a lot of money. I don't understand why the test expires within two years," she said.


Syed Hussan, the executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, speaks to demonstrators in August 2020 during an event supporting the rights of migrant workers in front of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, in downtown Toronto.
 (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press)© Provided by cbc.ca

Maintaining proficiency 'critical': IRCC

British Council, the U.K.-based organization that offers IELTS, recommends test results remain valid for a period of two years. IRCC says it has followed this recommendation in its policy since it first began using third-party language testing.

IRCC said via email that the two-year validity period is meant to take into consideration factors like how often people actually speak the language they're supposed to be proficient in, how recently they've had instruction in the language and if they've maintained their level of language proficiency.

"It is critical to ensure that their language proficiency does not deteriorate over time, prior to landing," the email said.

In its emailed response, IRCC said language proficiency is strongly associated with positive economic outcomes and has been shown to have a direct impact on increased earnings and finding suitable employment.

But some still say the language tests aren't a reliable indicator of how well a person will do after immigrating to Canada.

When the temporary resident to permanent residency pathway was introduced in 2021, Hussan says traffic on the language testing sites was so heavy the websites crashed.

He says using the language tests to determine a person's ability to thrive in a new country is baseless and thinks it would be better to update the assessment system entirely.

"If you've been working in Canada already, that should be proof enough, if you've been studying here, that should be proof enough."
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Manitoba's reasons for refusing to search for Indigenous women's remains in landfill are a smokescreen

Story by Kathy Walker, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Studies, University of Saskatchewan • Monday
THE CONVERSATION

Vern DeLaronde, the founder of the First Nations Indigenous Warriors, walks on the main road into the Brady Road landfill, just outside of Winnipeg, July 10, 2023.© THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski

AManitoba court recently granted police authority to clear a blockade set up by demonstrators near the Brady Road landfill just outside Winnipeg. Indigenous activists and supporters gathered to protest the province’s decision not to fund a search for the bodies of Indigenous women believed to be at Prairie Green landfill north of Winnipeg.

The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) recently passed a resolution, reached by consensus, to denounce the Manitoba government’s decision to not fund the landfill search in the hopes of recovering the remains of Indigenous women believed to be the victims of a serial killer.

The AFN resolution affirmed the position of First Nations leadership across Canada that all three orders of government — municipal, provincial and federal — have a responsibility to support the landfill search in Manitoba.

The remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, who are members of the Long Plain First Nation, as well as those of Buffalo Woman or Mashkode Bizhiki'ikwe, an unidentified Indigenous woman in her 20s, are believed to be in the Prairie Green landfill.

Only the remains of one of the victims, Rebecca Contois, were recovered from the city-owned Brady Road landfill.

These women are believed by Winnipeg police to have been killed and their bodies dumped in the garbage by a suspected serial killer between March and May 2022. Jeremy Skibicki is facing four first-degree murder charges.

Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson has said the province’s main justification for rejecting the search for the remains of the missing Indigenous women is because of technical concerns, including the ability to guarantee worker safety.

Does this decision truly centre on technical feasibility? Or is it emblematic of the larger political problem of a lack of institutional will to tackle the ongoing violence towards Indigenous women, girls, queer and two-spirit people in Canada?

This lack of institutional will was identified in the 2019 MMIWG2S+ national inquiry report as a key systemic factor in the ongoing violence. Indigenous women in Canada are 12 times more likely to be murdered or go missing than other women, according to the report.

In opposing the search, the Manitoba premier does not acknowledge the larger issue of the ongoing violence towards Indigenous women.

Technical issue?

Instead, the reasons provided by the Manitoba government to not search the landfill site centre on both technical concerns as well as financial considerations.

The provincial government cited safety concerns for searchers, as well as the estimated length and high cost, and the likelihood that it may not be successful, outlined in a feasibility study of the search.

But according to some media reports, the study did ultimately find that a search was feasible, although it of course could not guarantee the women’s remains would be found.

Indigenous leaders, including the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) and the AFN, are not buying the province’s rejection of the search as a technical problem or safety concern.

Related video: Manitoba families, experts demand landfill search as condemnation grows (Global News)  They are not garbage.
Duration 2:28  View on Watch


AMC Grand Chief Cathy Merrick has dismissed claims of safety concerns as an issue because they have been analyzed in the feasibility report, including the identification of measures that could be taken to mitigate risk to searchers.

Supporters say other landfills in Canada have been searched with a combination of police, firefighters and volunteers. It is true that remains are often not found, yet the searches were still conducted.


Diane Bousquet, an activist for Indigenous rights, puts red hand prints on the main road into the Brady Road landfill, just outside of Winnipeg, July 10, 2023.© THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski

High price tag?

Supporters have countered the potentially high price tag of the search (which could cost $184 million) by pointing out that in at least one other search — the 2021 search of a landfill near London, Ont. for the remains of Nathaniel Brettell — the total cost of the search was neither publicly contemplated nor calculated in advance by policymakers and neither was it communicated by any media.

The Manitoba NDP have voiced support for the search, noting that measures could be taken to bring down costs in addition to mitigating safety concerns, again dispensing with the “technical” concerns.

The financial scrutiny of this issue by policymakers and the media suggests that technical considerations are a smokescreen to justify a lack of action by government when Indigenous victims are involved.

Lack of political will

The AFN resolution ties the issue to the broader context of the need for governments, including law enforcement, to actively work to end violence against Indigenous women and girls by adequately searching for and recovering the remains of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

It would seem that they believe a lack of institutional will is a factor.

Federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller called the provincial government’s decision “heartless.” He said this decision now mars the capacity of the federal government to aid in a search. In response, the premier of Manitoba accused the federal government of politicizing the issue.

The premier’s accusation that it is unnecessary politics to connect this search with the deeply rooted social and economic issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls is not a new stance by government officials.

It was not so long ago that federal Conservative Leader Stephen Harper also refused to consider the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people as a broader issue that warranted political action. Instead, his government narrowed it to a criminal matter to be dealt with by law enforcement.


Activists blocking the main road into the Brady Road landfill, just outside of Winnipeg on July 10, 2023.© THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski

The 231 Calls to Justice of the MMIWG2S+ report characterize this violence as a systemic issue that requires necessary action be taken by governments. Such narrow framing and choosing not to deal with the issue through better policy decisions points to an ongoing lack of political, institutional will.

From 2016 to 2019, the province of Manitoba participated in the inquiry and affirmed its commitment to the calls to justice. It has also taken some steps to realize these commitments.

If Premier Stefanson wants to continue to fulfil the calls for justice started by her predecessor, that would include taking all necessary measures to prevent and investigate cases of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.

It would seem that where there is a political will, there is a way.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.

Read more:
What happened to the Senate inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women?

Federal policy has failed to protect Indigenous women

Kathy Walker has volunteered for Saskatchewan NDP and federal Liberal party candidates in Saskatchewan in two elections.


Winnipeg mayor is supportive of landfill search for remains, Indigenous leaders say

Story by The Canadian Press • 6h ago

Winnipeg mayor is supportive of landfill search for remains, Indigenous leaders say© Provided by The Canadian Press

WINNIPEG — Mayor Scott Gillingham offered support for a landfill search for human remains, some Indigenous leaders said after a one-hour meeting with him Thursday, adding the Manitoba government remains an obstacle.

"I'm really happy that the mayor's office is trying to figure out ways that they can support the search," Chief Kyra Wilson, of Long Plain First Nation, said.

"And we don't know what that is yet, but we do know that they are coming to some sort of options, ideas, suggestions."

Pressure has been building for a search of the privately owned Prairie Green Landfill, north of Winnipeg, for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, whose remains are believed to have been dumped there last year.

Jeremy Skibicki has been charged with first-degree murder in those deaths and the deaths of two other Indigenous women — Rebecca Contois, whose partial remains were found last year at the city-owned Brady Road landfill, and an unidentified woman Indigenous leaders are calling Buffalo Woman, whose remains have not been found.

The Manitoba government has said it will not support a search because it would expose searchers to asbestos and toxic chemicals with no guarantee of success.

Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen reiterated that concern Thursday, and said he understands the families' call for a search.

"If it were my son, I would advocate for my son. The provincial government has to consider all families. It has to consider what the risk is for the families and for those who might be doing a search on an industrial landfill site," Goertzen said.


Related video: Police end blockade at Winnipeg landfill (The Canadian Press)
Duration 1:38   View on Watch

Goertzen also reiterated a concern that a lengthy search could delay or interfere with the trial of the man accused of the killings.

A federally funded study found a search of the landfill is feasible, but many measures would be needed to reduce the risk to workers. It also said a search could take three years, cost up to $184 million and offer no guarantee the remains would be found.

The federal government has not ruled out leading a search but said landfills are a provincial responsibility and provincial approval would likely be needed.

"We will continue engaging the province into our conversations, and we look forward to having them at the table," read a prepared statement Thursday from the office of Marc Miller, federal minister for Crown-Indigenous relations.

Cambria Harris, daughter of Morgan Harris, said the three levels of government have to work out a solution.

"In my culture, we believe that if you don't get that proper burial with ceremony, then you are stuck between this world and the spirit world," Harris said.

"I would hate to be looking down at my body in a landfill, knowing that all levels of government wouldn't step in to search for me."

Harris and supporters set up a blockade of the Brady Road landfill earlier this month when the province announced it would not support a search. The blockade was removed Tuesday, four days after the city obtained a court injunction.

Protesters are maintaining two camps to continue to press their demands: one near the Brady Road landfill and another outside the Canadian Museum For Human Rights in downtown Winnipeg.

Harris, who was also part of the meeting with Gillingham, said the group discussed options such as having the city provide land near the Prairie Green Landfill for machinery and buildings needed for a search.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2023

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press
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