Trudeau urges pause in Israel-Hamas conflict, backs ‘sustainable ceasefire’

By David Baxter & Sean Boynton Global News
Posted December 12, 2023 

WATCH: Canada to support calls for ceasefire in ongoing conflict in Gaza, Joly announces


Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling for a resumption of a pause in the Israel-Hamas conflict, and says Canada supports efforts “towards a sustainable ceasefire.”

This comes from a joint statement issued Tuesday from Trudeau and his Australian and New Zealand counterparts.

Canada later voted in favour of a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that calls for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza and the immediate release of all hostages. The non-binding measure received overwhelming support from the international body.

Prior to question period, Trudeau told reporters that he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prior to the UN vote.

“I just got off the phone with a long and detailed conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel in which I outlined Canada’s position. And we are committed to working with partners in the region and around the world towards an enduring two-state solution,” Trudeau said.
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“Canada is committed to ensuring that Israelis and Palestinians get to live in peace and security within internationally recognized borders in peaceful and successful states.”

In his comment, Trudeau did not say “ceasefire,” instead that Canada put out a “clear and comprehensive statement” on the country’s Middle East position.

In the earlier statement from Trudeau and his counterparts, it goes on to say that it recognizes Israel’s right to defend itself in the wake of the deadly Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas that Israel says killed 1,200 people and in which 240 people were taken hostage.

“In defending itself, Israel must respect international humanitarian law. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected. We are alarmed at the diminishing safe space for civilians in Gaza,” the statement says. “The price of defeating Hamas cannot be the continuous suffering of all Palestinian civilians.”

Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry says more than 18,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the Oct. 7 attacks.

“We must recognize that what is unfolding before our eyes will only enhance the cycle of violence,” Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said Tuesday on Parliament Hill.

“This will not lead to the durable defeat of Hamas, which is necessary, and the threat that it poses to Israel. With the future of Israelis and Palestinians in mind, Canada is joining the international call for humanitarian ceasefire.”

Canada has stated from the beginning that Israel has the right to defend itself, Joly said. “And how Israel defends itself matters. It matters for the future of both Israelis and Palestinians, and it matters for the future of the region,” she added.


During the UN debate over the ceasefire motion, Ambassador Bob Rae maintained that Canada “continues to unequivocally condemn Hamas’ brutal terrorist attacks” on Israel, but noted the growing humanitarian crisis affecting innocent Palestinians.

“We are alarmed at the diminishing safe space for civilians in Gaza,” he said. “The price of defeating Hamas cannot be the continuous suffering of Palestinian civilians.”

The vote in the 193-member world body was 153 in favor, 10 against and 23 abstentions — stronger support than an earlier ceasefire resolution received in October. The United States voted against it after its proposed amendment to include condemnation of Hamas was voted down.

Yet U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday also shifted his rhetoric when speaking about the conflict, warning during a campaign reception that Israel was at risk of losing global support because of what he described as “indiscriminate bombing” of the Gaza Strip.

A Biden administration official told Global News there is no change to the U.S. position the opposes a ceasefire, adding on background that it continues to support temporary “humanitarian pauses” that allow aid into Gaza and for civilians to flee violence, as well as the safe return of hostages.

“What we do not support are calls for Israel to stop defending itself from Hamas terrorists, which is what a permanent ceasefire would be,” the official added.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims called the UN vote a “milestone” that needs to translate into “the reality of action and deeds.”

Yet the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said it was “disgusted and frankly shocked” by Canada’s stance, given that the motion does not explicitly call out Hamas for its crimes or urge the group to surrender.

“Canada’s decision to support the resolution will undoubtedly lead to further hate being directed towards Jews here in Canada,” it said in a written statement.

Hamas “cannot be rewarded and left unaccountable,” said the group, which represents Jewish federations across Canada.

In an interview with Global News, Israel’s ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed said the statements from Trudeau and Joly, as well as the UN vote, represented a change in Canada’s position on Israel and the conflict in Gaza.

“I think that it has changed for the worse in Israel’s eyes because calling for a ceasefire in a situation that Isael is forced into a war … actually does not strengthen us,” he said. “It emboldens the terrorists.”


The joint statement from Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says there is no place for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza.

Trudeau has previously backed a “humanitarian pause” along with other western leaders in order to get aid into the Palestinian territory.

Those are different from ceasefires, which are formal temporary or longer-lasting agreements between parties or actors in a conflict to agree to end hostilities.

“The recent pause in hostilities allowed for the release of more than 100 hostages and supported an increase in humanitarian access to affected civilians. We acknowledge the persistent diplomatic efforts of the United States, Qatar, and Egypt to broker this pause, and we regret it could not be extended,” the statement issued Tuesday said.

“We want to see this pause resumed and support urgent international efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire. This cannot be one-sided. Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields, and lay down its arms.”

The statement adds: “There is no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza.”

—With files from the Canadian Press

‘Disgusted and...shocked’: Jewish support group denounces Trudeau government’s ‘hypocritical’ foreign policy as Canada calls for ceasefire in Gaza

Canada's vote for a 'sustainable ceasefire' at the UN, pushed by much public support, draws ire and criticism by some politicians and residents

Joy Joshi
·Writer, Yahoo News Canada
Wed, December 13, 2023 

A Jewish advocacy organisation is taking aim at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government, accusing them of hypocrisy, as Canada voted in favour of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas at the United Nations.

Canada joined Australia, New Zealand and 150 other nations in backing a non-binding resolution calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the Middle East conflict that has claimed more than tens of thousands of Gazan lives since the events of Oct. 7.

​​“Since October 7, over 18,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed in Gaza, thousands of children are now orphans. Countless Palestinian civilians in Gaza are suffering without water, food, fuel or medicine and their homes have been reduced to rubble. We must recognize that what is unfolding before our eyes will only enhance the cycle of violence,” Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said during a presser Tuesday afternoon.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs expressed its dissatisfaction with the Canadian government’s latest stance on the issue and accused them of appearing to be “hypocritical” in their ever-shifting position on the matter.

“Canadian foreign policy shows itself to be hypocritical,” CIJA President and CEO Shimon Koffler Fogel said in a statement shared with Yahoo News Canada.

“We’re disgusted and frankly shocked that only hours after issuing a statement that a ceasefire would only be possible under the condition that Hamas release the hostages, stop its use of Palestinians as human shields, lay down its arms, and surrender its control of Gaza, Canada voted in support of a UN General Assembly resolution supporting a ceasefire.”

In the hours leading to the UN vote, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a joint statement with his Australian and New Zealand counterparts, calling for a “sustainable ceasefire” in the war between Israel and Hamas while also urging on an “immediate and unconditional release” of the Israeli hostages and for Hamas to “lay down its arms.”

The joint statement also marks the first time Trudeau used the term "ceasefire" in reference to the Israel-Hamas war as until then he called for a humanitarian pause in the conflict.

Related: Canadians scoff at PM Trudeau's calls for humanitarian pause instead of ceasefire

The CIJA chief pointed out how Canada initially reaffirmed “Israel's right to exist and defend itself” as it further denounced Hamas but then went on to support a resolution that, according to the Jewish support group, fails to hold Hamas accountable.

“Did anything change on the ground in the short hours between Canada’s statement and the scheduled UN vote? The answer is no. Hamas still holds more than 100 Israelis hostage. It is still using Palestinians as human shields. And it is still indiscriminately firing rockets at Israelis,” the statement read.

A total of 153 countries voted in favour of the resolution with 10 against, including the United States and 23 abstaining, including the United Kingdom.

Some Liberal party MPs are not in favour of their government’s latest position

Liberal MPs like former cabinet minister Marco Mendicino and Quebecer Anthony Housefather expressed their disagreement on X, formerly known as Twitter, while specifically stating calls for an unconditional ceasefire only jeopardise the safety of Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza.

“I do not support [the resolution's] call for Israel to agree to what is, effectively, an unconditional ceasefire. At present, that would only place in further jeopardy the safety and security of Israelis & Palestinians in Gaza," he wrote.

‘Our pressure is working,’ Canadians welcome government’s support for ceasefire

Many Canadians welcomed the Trudeau government’s push for a ceasefire, calling it a “positive step” in building “lasting peace” in the region.

“Today marks a positive step. We must continue working to achieve a permanent ceasefire & commit to build a better & lasting peace,” wrote Mississauga MP Iqra Khalid on X.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims, too, lauded the Trudeau government's vote in favour of a ceasefire, however, acknowledged that it was "late" to act.

"Today’s vote in calling for a ceasefire came late. But it was an important moment to finally stand on the right side of history from @JustinTrudeau and @melaniejoly. Over 70% of Canadians wanted to see a ceasefire. Canadians stand for peace," NCCM posted on X.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa that he made Canada’s position clear to his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, in a “long and detailed” phone call.

Trudeau did not use the term "ceasefire" in his brief exchange with reporters, according to CBC.

The Gaza war calls into question the moral rectitude of Western democracies



While the need for a ceasefire to halt Gaza’s human carnage is self-evident, some drivers of the Biden administration’s debate about the timing of a ceasefire.

BY DR. JAMES M. DORSEY
DECEMBER 12, 2023
photo by Haim Zach, GPO source:.flickr /israelipm

The question is no longer if but when the United States will support a ceasefire in the Gaza war.

While the need for a ceasefire to halt Gaza’s human carnage is self-evident, some drivers of the Biden administration’s debate about the timing of a ceasefire raise questions about the moral underpinnings of Western democracies.

The debate suggests decisions are driven as much by perceived strategic and national interests as by perceptions of political fortunes and electoral calculations, even if that is at the expense of thousands of innocent lives.

To be fair, the Biden administration’s balancing of support for Israel’s war goals – destruction of Hamas and release of hostages – with the electoral fallout of a confrontation with Israel over a ceasefire works in favour of an earlier rather than a later end to the Gaza war, at least on the administration’s timetable.

The United States last week vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate Gaza ceasefire. Senior Israeli officials worry the US could abstain, or even vote in favour, of a similar resolution if, and when, one is again tabled in the coming weeks.

Already, the United States has reportedly given Israel a three-week deadline for ending the Gaza fighting. The White House denied giving Israel a “firm deadline.”

This weekend, the United States fired a shot across Israel’s bow by not stopping the adoption by the World Health Organisation’s Executive Board of a resolution calling for the “immediate, sustained and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief” into Gaza.

In addition to signalling Israel that it cannot continue to count on unconditional support, the United States, a member of the WHO’s 34-nation board, likely did not want to be seen opposing badly needed humanitarian aid.

Even so, the fact that limiting the sacrifice of innocent lives doesn’t figure, at least not prominently, in US political calculations, particularly given the military and political alternatives available to Israel in responding to Hamas’ brutal October 7 attack, calls into question the moral and ethical underpinnings of politics in Western democracies.

It also calls into question the integrity of democratic checks and balances that fail to distinguish between what is right and what is a political rather than a national interest.

The prioritization of political fortune is no truer than for Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu who prides himself on governing a Western democracy.

To be fair, Israeli democracy is likely to ensure that Mr. Netanyahu’s political days are numbered once the guns fall silent.

Lack of moral rectitude is equally true for Hamas leaders, although they make no pretence to adhere to democratic and humanitarian norms.

Hamas, even if it survives the war with a political victory of kinds, wantonly sacrificed innocent Gazan lives and made no provisions for a modicum of security for the civilian population in times of war.

Like Israel, Hamas discarded alternatives at its disposal in the way it fights its battles.

To be sure, failure to distinguish between national and domestic political interests pervades national security discussions far beyond the Gaza war.

There may be no immediate or obvious formula for introducing a mechanism capable of making the distinction without taking domestic political interests into account.

Moreover, in a world of extreme polarization, fear, and rage, the survival of a leader, even if he or she lacks the moral rectitude to make preservation of life an imperative, may be perceived as a national interest.

Leaving aside whether President Joe Biden’s support for Israel enhances or damages his election prospects, the choice between Mr. Biden and Donald J. Trump, who many perceive as authoritarian or a potentate, is a case in point in the run-up to next year’s US presidential election.

Even so, the question remains whether Gaza’s population that does not vote in the United States should be required to pay the price of US domestic politics.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict’s role in undermining the moral backbone and pillars of democracy goes far beyond Western support for Israel in Gaza.

The war has magnified the successful, years-long Israeli campaign to prevent unfettered debate about the conflict by equating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism.

To put the campaign in perspective, one equivalent would be to assert that criticism of sub-Saharan nations amounts to anti-Black racism.

To be sure, the lines separating anti-Israel and anti-Zionist attitudes and anti-Semitism are often blurred. Critics of Israel and anti-Zionists have frequently failed to distance themselves from anti-Semitic expressions that, for example, surface at times on the margins of pro-Palestinian protests.

Nevertheless, Israel’s successful effort, aided by Western politicians, to impose its narrative on public debate has undermined freedom of expression in democracies and elevated support of Israel to the status of loyalty to one’s own country.

It turns on its head the anti-Semitic allegation that Jews cannot be trusted because they have double loyalties to their country of origin and Israel.

A recent survey of 963 scholars, two thirds of whom are based in the United States, illustrated the impact of the Israeli effort.

Eighty-two per cent of all US-based respondents said they self-censor when they speak about the Israeli-Palestinian issue. That figure rose to 98 percent among more junior assistant professors.

Just over 81 per cent of those self-censoring said they primarily refrained from criticising Israel, while 11 percent said they held back from criticizing Palestinians.

Moreover, Israel has managed to enshrine the limiting or banning of criticism of the Jewish state and anti-Israeli activism in the laws and regulations of Western democracies.

Twenty-seven US states have adopted laws or policies that penalize businesses, organizations, or individuals that engage in or call for boycotts against Israel.

The German parliament condemned as anti-Semitic the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement that calls for economic pressure on Israel to end the occupation of Palestinian land, grant Arab citizens equal rights, and recognize Palestinian refugees’ right of return.

Israel views the call for the right of return as a veiled quest for the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state because Jews would no longer be a majority.

While having merit in the past, the argument increasingly rings hollow with Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory threatening the viability of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Doubts about the feasibility of a two-state solution have revived debate about one state in which Jews and Palestinians would have equal rights.

Responding to the Israeli concern, the German state of Saxony-Anhalt decided by ministerial decree that applicants for German citizenship must declare their support for Israel’s right to exist. The Bundestag, the German parliament is considering making the requirement mandatory nationwide.

Although the German measures may be explained in part by what The New Yorker describes as the “politics of memory” of the Holocaust, they, like the steps taken by US states, amount to an undefendable restriction on freedom of expression.

Moreover, criticism of anti-BDS moves does not by definition constitute support for a boycott of Israel. It is, first and foremost, a defense of freedom of choice, including the freedom to choose whose products one buys, with whom one does business, and what one invests in.

It is also a defence of democracy.

“The unprecedented carnage in Israel and Palestine is having repercussions in the United States, testing pillars of democracy including the fundamental human rights to free speech and assembly,” warned Human Rights Watch’s US program director Tanya Greene.

Dr. James M. Dorsey
Dr. James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, co-director of the University of Würzburg’s Institute for Fan Culture, and the author of The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer blog, a book with the same title, Comparative Political Transitions between Southeast Asia and the Middle East and North Africa, co-authored with Dr. Teresita Cruz-Del Rosario and three forthcoming books, Shifting Sands, Essays on Sports and Politics in the Middle East and North Africaas well as Creating Frankenstein: The Saudi Export of Ultra-conservatism and China and the Middle East: Venturing into the Maelstrom.

Zulu nation faces uncertainty after 'unlawful' king ruling

Agence France-Presse
December 13, 2023

King Misuzulu Zulu, ruler of the Zulu nation, was contested by his older brother, Prince Simakade (RAJESH JANTILAL)

South Africa's president and Zulu monarch have been stunned by a court ruling that the state's recognition of King Misuzulu Zulu was "unlawful" in a move that risks reopening old succession wounds.

Experts are divided on the impact of Monday's ruling on Misuzulu Zulu but say it shows that South Africa has not yet learned how to handle the country's traditional customs.

The 49-year-old king's older brother, Prince Simakade, was behind the latest royal showdown.

He sought the ruling by the Pretoria high court which said that President Cyril Ramaphosa was "unlawful" to recognise the king at an elaborate ceremony in October last year.

The court ordered Ramaphosa to set up an investigation into whether Misuzulu Zulu's tumultuous accession was in line with customary laws.

Ramaphosa's spokesman told AFP: "The legal team is carefully studying the judgement.

"Only once they've completed their thorough study of the judgement will a determination on the way forward be made".

- Mysterious deaths -

The monarch's office said in a statement that the king would also be "studying the judgement" with his legal team and senior members of the royal family.

They would be "applying their minds as to (the) correct course of action".

Misuzulu Zulu was named after King Goodwill Zwelithini died in 2021 at the age of 72. He ruled the Zulu nation for 52 years.

A bitter feud between rival claimants delayed the traditional coronation until August 2022. Two months later, Ramaphosa held his grand ceremony to recognise the king.

Misuzulu Zulu faced several court challenges before his coronation.

And Prince Simakade, born out of wedlock but the late king's eldest son, has been publicly championed by some dissenting relatives.

Last year Misuzulu Zulu called for "peace and unity" after a series of unexplained deaths just before his coronation.

In July, Misuzulu Zulu denied that he had been poisoned, after the sudden death of a close adviser who ingested a toxic substance.


According to historian and cultural analyst Pitika Ntuli, the AmaZulu nation "have no king... because the state does have to recognise the king according to the law."

University of KwaZulu-Natal African languages professor and cultural expert Gugu Mazibuko backed the monarch.

"By the time the president recognised the king, all traditional processes had been observed, even if the court rules that the recognition is invalid, the king will remain the king," she told AFP.


- Land and money -

Although recognized by South Africa's constitution, the Zulu monarch has no executive powers, but exercises profound moral authority.

"Obviously this situation is going to escalate because there is a lot at stake... there are resources involved as well, such as the Ingonyama Trust and land," Ntuli told AFP.


"We are not just looking at the individuals battling in court but there are other people behind those individuals" who have their own "interests", he said.

Misuzulu Zulu inherited nearly 30,000 square kilometres of land -- almost the area of Belgium -- which is managed by a trust from which he can receive revenues.

Misuzulu's mother, the favorite third wife of the late king, was from the Swati royal family.

Her dowry was paid for by the Zulu nation which, according to experts, gives her children precedence for the throne.

"Zulu succession nowadays is viewed in a very western way," Mazibuko said. "We can't be compared to England where there is a clear line of succession, our culture is vastly different."

While the traditional coronation determines the Zulu ruler, state recognition is required to access government support and resources.

Known for his lavish lifestyle, King Goodwill Zwelithini received about $82,000 a year for himself -- in a country where the average annual salary stands at just $16,000 and unemployment hovers at roughly 30 percent -- along with a budget of $4.2 million to run his kingdom.

The state also pays several hundred traditional chiefs, including a dozen kings and queens.

"We also need to look at the idea of traditional courts because another concern is the ruling being made by a judge who... does not understand how the Zulu culture works," Mazibuko said.

According to Ntuli, South Africa failed to properly process customary laws at the advent of democracy in 1994, leaving many "loopholes".

"This is not the first or the last time the Zulu throne is contested, Misuzulu's father was contested, so was Shaka Zulu, the difference is modern courts were not involved," Mazibuko said.

"This will be a case study for the government to iron out how to deal with these kind of customary issues to avoid uncertainty."

Trump 'supercharged' decades of work to remake GOP as Christian nationalist party: column

Travis Gett
December 13, 2023 

Trump at St. John's Episcopal Church (Photo: White House/Flickr)

Donald Trump "supercharged" decades of work by right-wing Christians to remake the Republican Party as an "ethno-nationalist party," according to a new column.

Polling data shows a majority of Republicans – 54 percent – identify with Christian nationalism, compared to just 31 percent in 2010 who identified as merely conservative Christians, and Salon columnist Amanda Marcotte said that shift has been the result of a long-term project by religious extremists that had accelerated since Trump was first elected.

"These numbers likely are not the result of millions of Americans suddenly finding Jesus, but about the way that Trump and the MAGA movement have cemented the GOP as an ethno-nationalist party, instead of merely a conservative party," Marcotte wrote. "Which is to say, now that they're a tribe they need ways to define their tribal identity. Religion offers one aspect of that identity. (Whiteness, too, though most will rarely, if ever, say so out loud.)"

"This is why polls show over 40 percent of self-described 'evangelicals' don't even go to church," she added. "'Christian' has morphed from a faith tradition to a marker of ethnic/political identity."

Religious fundamentalists have spent decades generating propaganda and disinformation to form a myth that the U.S. was founded as an explicitly Christian nation, and no figure has been more important to that charade than "huckster" historian David Barton, whose research is considered a joke by scholars and whose claims are rejected by even conservative Christian academics.

"Yet Barton's influence is so vast in the world of Republican thought it's immeasurable," Marcotte wrote. "He's heavily promoted through right-wing media and consults with major Republican leaders, including the new speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. But even people who have never heard his name have likely absorbed his ideas through the right-wing media ecosystem, which is infused with them. When Republicans repeat false talking points, like 'separation of church and state is a myth' or 'the Founders envisioned a Christian nation,' most of that goes straight back to Barton and his fake histories."

So how did Trump, of all people, usher these dubious assertions into the political mainstream?

"That this all got supercharged under Trump is a little odd, no doubt, because Trump's 'Christianity' is as transparently false as Barton's historical research," Marcotte wrote. "Perversely, however, Trump's fake faith likely boosted the widespread embrace of an 'evangelical' identity by Republican voters who previously weren't especially religious."

"By waving around a Bible he doesn't read and talking up a Jesus he doesn't believe in, Trump has underscored how much 'Christian' is a tribal identity marker more than a faith tradition, at least in the MAGA world," she added. "That's encouraged a lot of people who don't really want to get involved in a church community to start projecting a 'Christian' identity out into the world, without worrying overmuch about their lack of faith at home."

Dutch dope trial: what's the deal?

Agence France-Presse
December 13, 2023 

Man smoking a joint (Robin van Lonkhuijsen/AFP)

On December 15, cannabis will for the first time be grown, sold, and consumed legally in the Netherlands as part of a four-year trial across the country.

Here's a potted history of the eagerly awaited experiment:

- Wait, it's not already legal? -

This is one of the biggest misconceptions about the Netherlands, whose capital Amsterdam has for decades been considered the world's top draw for cannabis smokers.

In fact, cannabis is not legal but "gedoogd" ("tolerated"). Selling and using cannabis is illegal "but the authorities choose not to pursue or prosecute lawbreakers," according to the government's website.

It is however completely illegal (and not tolerated) to cultivate cannabis in the Netherlands or supply it to the famous "coffee shops" where it can be smoked.

- Why change the system? -

The "toleration" policy was adopted in the 1970s to differentiate between hard and soft drugs but has led to a bizarre legal grey area that the experiment hopes to clear up.

The law has driven the supply of cannabis to the country's 570 coffee shops underground, with local authorities complaining of related petty crime and anti-social behavior.

- So what's happening? -


The legislation is being temporarily suspended to allow growers and suppliers to operate legally in 11 municipalities, supplied by 10 growers.

All coffee shops in the municipalities have to take part, so that the same rules apply to everyone and consumers know they are getting the same quality of product everywhere.

Other rules remain the same: a maximum of five grammes per person per day, a ban on selling to underaged smokers, no hard drugs, and no alcohol on the premises.


Only people living in the Netherlands can partake. The municipality of Amsterdam East has also applied to participate.

Coffee shops will be able to stock more than the current maximum of 500 grammes on the premises -- "as a general rule... up to one week's stock," according to officials.

- What are the benefits? -


The weed will be carefully tracked and tested, so consumers will know exactly how strong the cannabis is. This is measured by the levels of THC and CBD, the substance that produces the effects.

Potentially dangerous heavy metals and aflatoxin -- which occurs naturally in cannabis -- will also be monitored.

The product itself is expected to be of very high quality. Coffee shop owner Rick Brand told AFP in October it was impossible to know what exactly he was selling under the old rules.


"What we've been receiving until now sometimes contains pesticide, but also foreign agents to increase weight. Actually, we don't really know," he said.

Authorities are hoping for a drop in petty crime and anti-social behaviour. Coffee shop owners are looking forward to operating with legal clarity.

- What happens next? -


Independent researchers will monitor the experiment throughout its four-year duration.

The aim is two-fold: to see if it is possible to regulate the supply chain of cannabis to coffee shops, and to see whether this reduces petty crime and anti-social behavior.

The government "will decide on the future of Dutch coffeeshop policy on the basis of these outcomes and other factors," according to its website, with a view to eventual decriminalization.


One unknown hanging over this policy -- and all policies -- is the Geert Wilders factor, after the far-right leader won elections last month.

His PVV Freedom Party wants to scrap the "tolerance" policy for good, close coffee shops, and push for a "drug-free Netherlands."

They were ranked bottom of the parties to vote for in the last election by "cannabis-kieswijzer.nl", a website that assesses political parties by their cannabis-friendly policies.

Natural gas is actually migrating under permafrost, and could see methane emissions skyrocket if it escapes

Scientists say vast quantities of methane may be trapped beneath the permafrost, and it could escape if it thaws

Peer-Reviewed Publication

FRONTIERS

Beneath Svalbard’s permafrost, millions of cubic meters of methane are trapped — and scientists have now learned that it can migrate beneath the cold seal of the permafrost and escape. A large-scale escape could create a cycle of warming that would send methane emissions skyrocketing: warming thaws the permafrost, causing more gas to escape, allowing more permafrost to thaw and more gas to be released. Because Svalbard’s geological and glacial history is very similar to the rest of the Arctic region, these migrating deposits of methane are likely to be present elsewhere in the Arctic.

“Methane is a potent greenhouse gas,” said Dr Thomas Birchall of the University Center in Svalbard, lead author of the study in Frontiers in Earth Science. “At present the leakage from below permafrost is very low, but factors such as glacial retreat and permafrost thawing may ‘lift the lid’ on this in the future.”

Cold storage

Permafrost, ground that remains below zero degrees Celsius for two years or more, is widespread in Svalbard. However, it isn’t uniform or continuous. The west of Svalbard is warmer due to ocean currents, so permafrost there tends to be thinner and potentially patchier. Permafrost in the highlands is drier and more permeable, while permafrost in the lowlands is more ice-saturated. The rocks beneath are often fossil fuel sources, releasing methane which is sealed off by the permafrost. However, even where there is continuous permafrost, some geographical features may allow gas to escape.

The base of the permafrost is hard to study because of its inaccessibility. However, over the years, many wellbores have been sunk into the permafrost by companies looking for fossil fuels. The researchers used historical data from commercial and research wellbores to map the permafrost across Svalbard and identify permafrost gas accumulations. 

“I and my supervisor Kim looked through a lot of the historical wellbore data in Svalbard,” said Birchall. “Kim noticed that one recurring theme kept coming up, and that was these gas accumulations at the base of the permafrost.”

Initial temperature measurements are often compromised by heating the drilling mud to prevent the wellbore from freezing. However, observing the trend of temperature measurements and monitoring boreholes in the long term allowed the scientists to identify permafrost. They also looked for ice forming within the wellbore, changes in the drill cuttings produced while drilling the wellbore, and changes in background gas measurements. 

The wellbore monitors identified gas influxes into the wellbore, indicating accumulations beneath the permafrost, and abnormal pressure measurements which showed that the icy permafrost was acting as a seal. In other cases, even where the permafrost and underlying geology were suitable for trapping gas, and the rocks were known sources of hydrocarbons, no gas was present — suggesting that the gas produced had already migrated.

An unexpectedly frequent finding

The scientists emphasized that gas accumulations were much more common than expected. Of 18 hydrocarbon exploration wells drilled in Svalbard, eight showed evidence of permafrost and half of these struck gas accumulations. 

“All the wells that encountered gas accumulations did so by coincidence - by contrast, hydrocarbon exploration wells that specifically target accumulations in more typical settings had a success rate far below 50%,” said Birchall. “These things seem to be common. One anecdotal example is from a wellbore that was drilled recently near the airport in Longyearbyen. The drillers heard a bubbling sound coming from the well, so we decided to have a look, armed with rudimentary alarms designed for detecting explosive levels of methane — which were immediately triggered when we held them over the wellbore.”

Experts have shown that the active layer of permafrost — the upper one or two meters that thaws and re-freezes seasonally — is expanding with the warming climate. However, we know less about how the deeper permafrost is changing, if at all. Understanding this is dependent on understanding the fluid flow beneath the permafrost. If the consistently frozen permafrost grows thinner and patchier, this methane could find it ever easier to migrate and escape, possibly accelerating global warming and exacerbating the climate crisis.
 

---

JOURNAL

Frontiers in Earth Science

DOI

10.3389/feart.2023.1277027 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Permafrost Trapped Natural Gas in Svalbard, Norway

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

13-Dec-2023

 

Adults with cognitive disabilities are more likely to have worse experiences with health care system

Their overall satisfaction is significantly lower than those in the general population, Rutgers study finds

Peer-Reviewed Publication

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

People with cognitive disabilities – like autism, attention deficit and memory loss – are less satisfied with their health care than those in the general population, according to a study published by a Rutgers researcher.

 

The study, published in Disability and Health Journal, examined how a national sample of adults experience the care they receive and the factors that contribute to their experiences.

 

“People with cognitive disabilities were less likely than people without cognitive disabilities to report that providers listened carefully to them, explained things or gave advice in a way that was easy to understand, spent enough time with them, or showed respect for what they had to say,” said Elizabeth Stone, a faculty member of the Rutgers Center for Health Services Research at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and the lead author of the study.

 

Past research has shown that people with cognitive disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder and Down syndrome face barriers to accessing quality health care. Until now, research has focused on the types of care people receive or the perspectives of providers rather than the experiences of the patients with cognitive disabilities themselves.

 

Using a national sample of more than 22,000 adults, including those with and without cognitive disabilities, researchers analyzed patient-reported experiences with health care services and compared the levels of satisfaction of experiences between those with and without disabilities.

 

Researchers found that individuals with cognitive disabilities rated their overall satisfaction with health care services as significantly lower than those in the general population. Those with cognitive disabilities also reported worse experiences in health care encounters.

 

Poor patient-provider communication can contribute to adverse outcomes for patients, pointing to the need for providers to improve their capacity to communicate with patients with disabilities.

 

“Addressing this problem might include incorporating disability competencies into medical education and should also include policies – for example, enhanced reimbursement – that reflect the increased time and effort that might be needed to ensure that the needs of disabled patients are being met,” said Stone, who is an instructor of psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

 

In addition to the need for structural and policy changes, patients in general also can play a role. The researchers said patients should be proactive in preparing for health care appointments and asking for accommodations that may enhance their experiences.

 

Future research in this area should examine how experiences with health care differs across the range of cognitive disabilities and by other disabilities and identities, according to the researchers.

 

Coauthors of the study include Elizabeth Wise of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Liz Stuart of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Beth McGinty of Weill Cornell Medicine.

 

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JOURNAL

Disability and Health Journal

DOI

10.1016/j.dhjo.2023.101547 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Experiences of health care services among people with cognitive disabilities and mental health conditions