Academics hail “game-changer” 

for offshore wind sector

A new system that could revolutionise the floating offshore wind (FLOW) sector is under construction following a new partnership between academia and digital experts.

The University of Plymouth has revealed it is is joining forces with software and digital solutions, firm Kongsberg Digital, to create a new system for the floating offshore wind (FLOW) sector.

A state-of-the-art Kongsberg K-Sim Dynamic Positioning (DP) simulator will soon complement the Marine Navigation Centre on the University’s campus, which will be used to simulate, test and optimise marine operations throughout the lifecycle of FLOW installations.

The university said the project will provide offshore wind project teams and crew with facilities where they can verify, test and optimise installation and maintenance projects. The team say the project will provide key insights into solutions that will increase efficiency, safety and cost effectiveness for the companies involved.

Professor Deborah Greaves OBE, professor of Ocean Engineering at the University of Plymouth, said: “This simulator could be a game-changer in the future deployment of floating offshore wind technology. As the sector expands, we need to develop innovative and effective ways of installing the technology in new and challenging environments. I believe our partnership with Kongsberg Digital, and the opportunity to learn from their experience and expertise, can make significant strides in helping us to achieve that.”

In addition to the research aspect, Greaves explained it will also be used to develop training for current and future industry professionals, helping to meet the national and international demand for such expertise in line with the global net-zero agenda.

Andreas Jagtøyen, executive vice president Digital Ocean, Kongsberg Digital, added: “Floating offshore wind turbines are seen as an increasingly important element of the renewable energy sector, which is a rapidly growing market. We look forward to cooperating with the University of Plymouth to support this industry with cutting-edge technology leading to improved safety and increased efficiency in offshore wind projects.”

“Combined with the university’s global lead on research relating to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water), this places the University as the leading institution for research towards a future of safe, and sustainable future maritime operations,” Greaves added.

 

New mining projects to cause 

surge in methane emissions

Global methane emissions from the extraction of coal could rise by more than 21% if all new mining projects now under development go into operation, according to a research report.

The report, by US environmental group Global Energy Monitor, said that methane emissions from the world’s coal mines now stand at 52.3 million tonnes per year, higher than the 39 million tonnes per year emitted during the extraction of oil.

However, this figure could rise by another 11.3 million tonnes a year if new projects are completed.

“The coal age may be ending but methane emissions from new and operating mines may pose just as big a threat to the climate currently as oil or gas emissions,” said Ryan Driskell Tate, a GEM research analyst and author of the report.

GEM said annual mining methane emissions globally are the equivalent of 4.32 billion tonnes of CO2 when averaged over a 20-year timeframe, which is comparable to the entire emissions of China’s coal-fired power sector every year.

The potential 11.3 million tonnes of methane from new coal mining projects is the equivalent of the annual coal-based greenhouse gas emissions by the whole of the United States, GEM estimated.

Large volumes of methane stored in mine seams have been allowed to rise into the atmosphere during the extraction process, though some methane-heavy regions, including China’s Shanxi province, have been trying to collect and make use of the gas as an energy source.

China, the world’s biggest coal producer, is responsible for 73% of the world’s mine methane emissions, with Shanxi alone accounting for around 13.1 million tonnes per year, GEM said.

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UCP INTERNECINE POLITICS

'It's game on now': Jean takes Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche byelection, narrowing options for Kenney

Lisa Johnson
Edmonton Journal 

Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche voters have sent Brian Jean back to the legislature Tuesday night, raising fresh questions about Premier Jason Kenney’s ability to hold support among UCP members.

United Conservative Party (UCP) candidate Brian Jean poses for a photo at his campaign office just minutes after the polls closed at 8 p.m. for the Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche byelection, on Tuesday, March 15, 2022.

Unofficial results showed a commanding lead of just over 66 per cent of the vote for UCP candidate Jean, who ran a campaign dominated by criticism of Kenney.

In a victory speech, Jean said he had high hopes for the premier, but now UCP needs to renew itself to defeat Rachel Notley’s NDP in the 2023 general election.

“This is not about an election as an MLA, this is about so much more. This is about the future of Alberta,” he said, urging supporters to oust Kenney in a leadership review scheduled for April 9 in Red Deer.

Blaise Boehmer, a former senior staffer in Alberta’s UCP government, told Postmedia following Tuesday night’s preliminary results the premier has options, but none of them are good. Kenney could resign or call a snap election, but Jean’s win puts “wind in the sails of the anti-Kenney vote” in Red Deer that could reach 9,000 registrations, he said.

“It means it’s game on now,” he said, adding it’s difficult to predict what Kenney will do in the chaotic scenario, but it’s likely the premier will want to decide his own fate.

“I never would have thought that within three years of his first term, he would be facing an outright revolt of his leadership. So anything’s possible,” said Boehmer.

Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt said Tuesday evening Jean’s win means either Kenney or Jean will soon be out of the UCP caucus.

“If Kenney pulls off what I think is now becoming a miracle on April 9, he then starts to make moves to remove Jean. If on the other hand, he doesn’t win, then he’s gonna have to leave and Jean’s there. I don’t think there’s anything he can do between now and then,” said Bratt, noting that usually party leaders welcome byelection victors to the legislature.

“But how do you get rid of someone who’s just won a byelection? It’s all unprecedented territory,” said Bratt.

NDP rival Ariana Mancini, who came in second with just over 18 per cent of the vote as of press time congratulated Jean on the win just before 9:30 p.m. In the province’s 2015 general election, Mancini took just over 30 per cent of the vote.

The byelection came after former UCP MLA Laila Goodridge resigned her provincial post last year, going on to win the local federal riding for the Conservative Party of Canada.

At an unrelated announcement Tuesday, Kenney did not specifically name Jean when asked by a reporter which candidate he supports.

“Obviously the United Conservative Party, and I encourage people to get out and vote,” he said.

In the 2019 provincial election , Goodridge snagged 9,836, or 66.3 per cent, of the total 14,829 valid votes cast, while NDP candidate and municipal councillor Jane Stroud pulled in 3,635 votes, or 24.5 per cent of the total.

-With files from Vincent McDermott and Laura Beamish

lijohnson@postmedia.com

twitter.com/reportrix

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
They were promised refunds. Instead, seniors are still waiting on $15M from a failed development

Angelina King 

CBC


More than 120 people waiting on roughly $15 million tied up in deposits they paid on a failed seniors complex development will have to wait longer for their refunds after the group behind the project was granted creditor protection.

Charitable organization Trinity Ravine Community Inc. was granted protection from its creditors three weeks ago, citing detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and "skyrocketing" construction costs. The move comes seven years after it announced the Trinity Ravine Towers development — a two-tower, 605-unit "55-plus Christian lifestyle community" in Scarborough, just east of Toronto.

Trinity Ravine is now going through a court-supervised sale of its assets and development land, which is expected to be complete by the end of August. It says once the land is sold, it intends to pay back those waiting for a refund.

But that means people who purchased life leases with the project will be kept waiting at least another five months for their refunds, despite the organization already missing its promised date for returning the deposits.

"It's almost criminal," said Lisa Lyn, who's been waiting four years for her $116,000 refund.

CBC News first reported on Trinity Ravine in December when some life-lease purchasers complained they were getting the runaround when it came to getting their deposits back. At the time, the organization promised refunds would be paid by mid-January.

While Trinity Ravine is going through Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) proceedings, it can't repay any money and life-lease purchasers can't take legal action, leaving some in limbo and priced out of the already expensive Toronto-area housing market.

"I can't even afford to move anywhere," Lyn said. "It's very devastating."

Lyn purchased a life lease in 2016. She asked for her deposit back for the first time in 2018 after the project wasn't moving forward.

A life lease is not ownership, but the right to occupy a unit for a long period of time — often a lifetime.

Trinity Ravine, which is affiliated with Pentecostal church Global Kingdom Ministries, originally planned for the project to be complete in March 2019. Then, it pushed the date to March 2022.

It touted a community that would help seniors live independently with programming, social activities and tailored amenities. But construction never began, and the parking lot where it was supposed to be built next to the church remains empty.

Lyn put down a deposit for herself, her mother and grandmother to live in a penthouse. Instead, her grandmother was recently moved into a long-term care home, and Lyn is waiting on her deposit before planning to move.

"It wrecks everything, all your plans," she said.
'It's just a hope and a prayer'

In December, CBC News spoke with Fengfeng Zhou who said that Trinity Ravine had pushed back the date to repay his $50,300 deposit several times.

At that point, he was skeptical about the organization's promise to refund him in January. He's since lost his job and hired a lawyer. But during the CCAA process, he can't take any form of legal action.

"We have no other option [but to wait]," he said in a more recent interview. "The question is whether we will get the money in August. I'm not sure."

© Angelina King/CBC 

Fengfeng Zhou put a deposit down of more than $50,000 in 2018 to secure a life lease on a unit at Trinity Ravine Towers.

Father and son Abdul and Aiman Hussain say they were approached by a real estate agent in 2016 who told them the project would be a good investment.

They each paid a deposit of about $70,000; Abdul to live in the building, while Aiman invested in a life lease. They say they put their faith in the project because a church was behind it.

"They've made false promises," Aiman said. "We've missed out on numerous opportunities and we just won't have a chance to get back in the market right now.

"At this point it's just a hope and a prayer."

© Angelina King/CBC 

Abdul Hussain and his son Aiman each paid a deposit of approximately $70,000. They, and other life-lease purchasers, say they're afraid they've been priced out of the real estate market while waiting for their refunds.

Toronto insolvency and bankruptcy lawyer Matthew R. Harris isn't involved in the file, but he says while creditors may have to wait six to 12 months for their money, it appears Trinity Ravine has a "solid plan" to secure enough cash to pay them back.

"I would be optimistic if I were [life-lease holders]. I don't think that [Trinity Ravine] is going to end up with a shortfall based on real estate prices," he said.

Trinity Ravine's land was appraised at approximately $32 million, which is based on the site's redevelopment potential.
Trinity Ravine has refunded $12M in deposits

CCAA documents show Trinity Ravine owes money to nearly 300 creditors and 280 people still have life leases.

More than 439 people purchased a life lease with Trinity Ravine, and the corporation received more than $27 million dollars in deposits, the documents show. So far, Trinity Ravine has given 188 people back their deposits, amounting to more than $12 million in refunds.

As of September 2021, Trinity Ravine had assets of more than $25 million, but liabilities of more than $29 million.

Trinity Ravine didn't address life-lease purchasers' concerns or answer specific questions when contacted by CBC News, instead responding with its own question and answer document.

It says prior to obtaining creditor protection, the organization made every effort to refund life lease deposits.

"Trinity Ravine is disappointed that the project could not be completed as originally conceived," the document reads. "Upon completion of the sale process, Trinity Ravine intends to implement a court-supervised claims process and thereafter, the sale proceeds may be distributed to its creditors, including life-lease purchasers."

Life-lease purchasers told CBC News that even if they get their deposits back and someone else builds the project, they're afraid prices will be based on the current real estate market and will be too high.

Abdul says he isn't comfortable getting involved in another real estate project.

"It's very difficult to take [the deposit] money and give it to some other people because we lost confidence."

Science Has Devastating News About Pollen Season as The US Climate Keeps Changing

(Insung Jeon/Getty Images)

YINGXIAO ZHANG & ALLISON STEINER, THE CONVERSATION
16 MARCH 2022

Brace yourselves, allergy suffers – new research shows pollen season is going to get a lot longer and more intense with climate change.

Our latest study finds that the US will face up to a 200 percent increase in total pollen this century if the world continues producing carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles, power plants and other sources at a high rate. Pollen season in general will start up to 40 days earlier in the spring and last up to 19 days longer than today under that scenario.

As atmospheric scientists, we study how the atmosphere and climate affect trees and plants. While most studies focus on pollen overall, we zoomed in on more than a dozen different types of grasses and trees and how their pollen will affect regions across the US in different ways.

For example, species like oak and cypress will give the Northeast the biggest increase, but allergens will be on the rise just about everywhere, with consequences for human health and the economy.

(Zhang and Steiner, 2022)

Above: The maps on the left show the recent average pollen season length in days for three types of plants: platanus, or plane trees, such as sycamores; betula, or birch; and ambrosia, or ragweed. The maps on the right show the expected changes in total days by the end of the century if carbon dioxide emissions continue at a high rate.

If your head is pounding at just the thought of it, we also have some good news, at least for knowing in advance when pollen waves are coming. We're working on using the model from this study to develop more accurate local pollen forecasts.

Why pollen is increasing

Let's start with the basics. Pollen – the dust-like grains produced by grasses and plants – contains the male genetic material for a plant's reproduction.

How much pollen is produced depends on how the plant grows. Rising global temperatures will boost plant growth in many areas, and that, in turn, will affect pollen production. But temperature is only part of the equation. We found that the bigger driver of the future pollen increase will be rising carbon dioxide emissions.

The higher temperature will extend the growing season, giving plants more time to emit pollen and reproduce. Carbon dioxide, meanwhile, fuels photosynthesis, so plants may grow larger and produce more pollen. We found that carbon dioxide levels may have a much larger impact on pollen increases than temperature in the future.
Pollen changes will vary by region

We looked at 15 different pollen types, rather than treating all pollen the same as many past studies have.

Typically, pollination starts with leafy deciduous trees in late winter and spring. Alder, birch and oak are the three top deciduous trees for causing allergies, though there are others, like mulberry. Then grasses come out in the summer, followed by ragweed in late summer. In the Southeast, evergreen trees like mountain cedar and juniper (in the cypress family) start in January. In Texas, "cedar fever" is the equivalent of hay fever.

We found that in the Northeast, pollen seasons for a lot of allergenic trees will increasingly overlap as temperatures and carbon dioxide emissions rise. For example, it used to be that oak trees would release pollen first, and then birch would pollinate. Now we see more overlap of their pollen seasons.



In general, pollen season will change more in the north than in the south, because of larger temperature increases in northern areas.

Southeastern regions, including Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, can expect large grass and weed pollen increases in the future. The Pacific Northwest is likely to see peak pollen season a month earlier because of the early pollen season of alder.

Silver lining: We can improve pollen forecasting

Most pollen forecasts right now provide a very broad estimate. Part of the problem is that there aren't many observing stations for pollen counts. Most are run by allergy clinics, and there are less than 100 of these stations distributed across the country. Michigan, where we live, doesn't have any.

It's a very labor-intensive process to actually measure different types of pollen. As a result, current forecasts have a lot of uncertainties. These likely are based in part on what a station has observed in the past and the weather forecast.

Our model, if integrated into a forecasting framework, could provide more targeted pollen forecasts across the country.

We can estimate where the trees are from satellite data and on-the-ground surveys. We also know how temperature influences when pollen comes out – what we call the phenology of the pollen. With that information, we can use meteorological factors like wind, relative humidity and precipitation to figure out how much pollen gets into the air, and atmospheric models can show how it moves and blows around, to create a real-time forecast.

All of that information allows us to look at where pollen might be in space and time, so people dealing with allergies will know what's coming in their area.

We're currently talking with a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lab about ways to integrate that information into a tool for air quality forecasting.

There are still some unknowns when it comes to long-term pollen projections. For example, scientists don't fully understand why plants produce more pollen in some years than others. There's not a good way to include that in models.

It's also not fully clear how plants will respond if carbon dioxide levels go through the roof. Ragweed and residential trees are also hard to capture. There are very few ragweed surveys showing where these plants are growing in the US, but that can be improved.
Pollen levels are already on the rise

A study in 2021 found that the overall pollen season was already about 20 days longer in North America than it was in 1990 and pollen concentrations were up about 21 percent.

Increasing pollen levels in the future will have a much broader impact than a few sniffles and headaches. Seasonal allergies affect about 30 percent of the population, and they have economic impacts, from health costs to missed working days.

Yingxiao Zhang, Ph.D. Student in Atmospheric Science, University of Michigan and Allison L. Steiner, Professor of Atmospheric Science, University of Michigan.

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

Small asteroid hits Earth just hours after astronomers detect it

Will Gater 18 hrs ago

© Provided by New Scientist Artwork showing an asteroid approaching Earth Andrzej Wojcicki/Science Photo Library/Getty Images

A small asteroid harmlessly collided with Earth on 11 March, creating an explosion in the atmosphere over the Arctic, just hours after astronomers spotted it for the first time.

The space rock, named 2022 EB5, was first detected at around 7.20pm GMT at Piszkéstető Station Observatory in Hungary by Krisztián Sárneczky, an astronomer at Konkoly Observatory in Budapest. Other astronomers were then able to track it before it plunged through the skies to the north-east of Iceland just after 9.20pm GMT. It is one of only five asteroids to have been found and observed before hitting Earth.

“The very rapid dissemination of information from the discoverers allowed other astronomers to make more observations from different vantage points with enough lead time to calculate a precise orbit and its intersection with Earth,” says Mark Boslough, an asteroid impact specialist at the University of New Mexico.

Thankfully, the asteroid was sufficiently small that it posed little danger – provisional estimates suggest it was around 1 to 2 metres across.

“Impacts of this size can be considered completely harmless. They typically create so-called ‘airbursts’ at altitudes of about 40 kilometres above ground,” says Richard Moissl at the European Space Agency’s Planetary Defence Office.

Read more: Don’t Look Up: Could we save Earth from a comet in just six months?

A signature of the disintegrating asteroid was picked up by infrasound monitoring stations that listen out for pressure waves from nuclear weapons tests. Peter Brown at Western University in Ontario, Canada, who is an expert at interpreting such data, tweeted that the energy released by the detonating space rock could have been equivalent to around 2 kilotons of TNT.

Moissl says events like these allow astronomers to make measurements that can shed light on characteristics such as an object’s density or composition. “With only optical observations of asteroids passing by Earth, we might never know more about their physical properties. But if a previously tracked object is also observed during its atmospheric entry and break-up, we can learn more about these quantities,” he says.

Impacts can also give modellers like Boslough a chance to test how well their simulations describe reality. “2022 EB5 was an experiment that nature provided for us,” says Boslough. “The more confidence we have in our models, the better we do our jobs at assessing impact risk for planetary defence.”

Amazon wins EU approval to buy MGM for $$8.45bn

Green light from competition regulators leaves US FTC as final obstacle for mammoth purchase

Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) was given the greenlight from EU regulators for its US$8.45bn acquisition of movie studio giant MGM with antitrust regulators saying there were no competition concerns.

"The Commission found that MGM's upstream activities as a producer and licensor of AV content are limited compared to other market players' activities," a statement from the European Commission said. "MGM's content cannot be considered as must-have; and a wide variety of alternative content exists."

The studio behind James Bond and Creed is expected to add to Amazon’s streaming offering through both historic titles and original features, as the streaming arms race proliferates.

“The real financial value behind this deal is the treasure trove of [intellectual property] in the deep catalogue that we plan to reimagine and develop together with MGM’s talented team,” Mike Hopkins, senior VP of Prime Video and Amazon Studios, said in announcing the deal last year.

But completion of the purchase still rests on US regulators, with the Federal Trade Commission required to sign off on any deal for MGM.

Shares in Amazon were up 3.89% to US$2,947.33 by close yesterday.

EU regulators clear Amazon's $8.45 billion purchase of MGM

LONDON (AP) — European regulators on Tuesday cleared Amazon's purchase of Hollywood studio MGM, saying the deal doesn't raise any competition concerns.

The online shopping giant said last year that it was buying MGM in a $8.45 billion deal aimed at bulking up its video streaming service with more content to watch.

The European Commission said its investigation found the deal “would not significantly reduce competition" in European markets, including for movie and TV production, wholesale supply of TV channels and retail supply of “audiovisual services."

The commission, the European Union's executive arm, and its top competition watchdog said MGM's content can't be considered “must-have" and it's “not among the top production studios,” despite holding the rights to successful franchises including James Bond.

Known for its roaring lion logo, MGM is one of the oldest studios in Hollywood but its star has faded considerably over the years.

It still has a vast library, with famous characters such as Rocky, RoboCop and Pink Panther, which Amazon has said it would use to create new movies and shows.

Avast takeover faces delay due to UK competition probe

Shares in Avast dropped almost 9% on the news with the companies having five days to respond to the CMA's concerns


NortonLifeLock Inc’s £6bn merger with Avast PLC (LSE:AVST) is facing an in-depth investigation by UK watchdog the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) due to possible reduced competition in the fast-growing cyber security market.

Shares in Avast dropped almost 9% on the news, with the CMA warning that “Unless the companies can offer a clear-cut solution to address our concerns, we intend to carry out an in-depth phase 2 investigation”.

NortonLifeLock and Avast both offer cyber safety software to consumers under a variety of different brands, said the watchdog.

Products include antivirus software (endpoint security software), privacy software (such as VPNs) and identity protection software.

“As the companies are close competitors, with few other significant rivals, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is concerned that if completed the proposed deal could lead to a reduction in competition in the UK market.

“This could lead to UK consumers getting a worse deal when looking for cyber safety software in the future."

David Stewart, CMA executive director, added: “We are living more of our lives online and it is vital that people have access to competitive cyber safety software when seeking to protect themselves and their families."

The two companies now have five working days to submit proposals to address the CMA’s competition concerns, which will be followed by a further five days of deliberation by the watchdog.

Avast and NortonLifeLock first announced their £6.2bn merger in August 2021 but last month said the timetable for completion had been pushed back to April due to competition concerns both in the UK and Spain.

MP Says Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe Has Been Freed And Is "At The Airport In Tehran And On Her Way Home"

(Alamy)

Eleanor Langford

The MP for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has said the British citizen, who has been detained in Iran since April 2016, is returning to the UK after having her British passport returned.

Labour MP Tulip Siddiq claimed on Tuesday that a British negotiating team had travelled to Iran, and that Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been given her British passport back.

The British-Iranian dual national was arrested at Imam Kohmeini airport and sentenced to a five-year term in prison for the charge of spying, an an allegation she strongly denies.

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that talks over the release of Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other British citizens detained in Iran were "moving forward".

"I shouldn't really say much more right now just because those negotiations continue to be under way and we're going right up to the wire," he claimed earlier.

Talks to free British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe ‘going up to the wire’

Hopes have been raised after an MP revealed yesterday that the 43-year-old’s British passport had been returned to her.


Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in April 2016 as she prepared to fly back to the UK.

NEGOTIATIONS WITH TEHRAN to free British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe are “moving forward” and are “going right up to the wire”, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

The Prime Minister raised hopes today that the six-year ordeal could come to a close after suggestions the mother of one has had her passport returned.

But Johnson, during a trip to the Middle East, was cautious not to elaborate further on the state of negotiations with Tehran “because those negotiations continue to be under way”.

A glimmer of optimism for the 43-year-old came a day earlier when her constituency MP in Hampstead and Kilburn, Tulip Siddiq, said she had been returned her British passport.

‘Moving forward’

Johnson confirmed a British negotiating team was working in Tehran to secure the release of dual nationals, while Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe remains at her family home in the Iranian capital.

“I really don’t think I should say much more, I’m sorry, although things are moving forward,” he told broadcasters at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi.

“I shouldn’t really say much more right now just because those negotiations continue to be under way and we’re going right up to the wire.”

Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in April 2016 as she prepared to fly back to the UK, having taken her daughter Gabriella – then not even two years old – to see relatives.

She was accused of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government and sentenced to five years in jail, spending four years in Tehran’s Evin Prison and one under house arrest.

Both the British government and Zaghari-Ratcliffe have always denied the allegations.

While the details of the negotiations remain unclear, it is possible they are linked to a £400 million (€475m) debt dating back to the 1970s owned to Iran by the UK.

The government accepts it should pay the “legitimate debt” for an order of 1,500 Chieftain tanks that was not fulfilled after the shah was deposed and replace by a revolutionary regime.

Tehran remains under strict sanctions, however, which have been linked to the failure to clear the debt.

Explainer
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: Could deal over £400m tank debt secure British-Iranian mother's freedom?

Boris Johnson confirms that "conversations are still going on" to secure the release of British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was first arrested by Iranian authorities six years ago.


Tom Rayner
Digital politics editor @RaynerSkyNews
Wednesday 16 March 2022 07:07, UK

Boris Johnson has said he does not want to "tempt fate" by commenting on negotiations currently taking place to secure the freedom of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

The prime minister confirmed on Tuesday that "conversations are still going on" to secure the release of the British-Iranian mother.

She was first arrested by Iranian authorities six years ago on accusations she had been conspiring against the country's government - charges she has always denied.

Hopes are now growing that her release could be imminent after Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's MP - Tulip Siddiq - claimed in a social media post that her passport had been returned and that a British negotiating team were in Tehran.


What is being negotiated?

There has not been any official account of the nature of negotiations taking place, which are understood to also relate to other consular cases involving dual British-Iranian nationals.

However, earlier this year, the PM did not deny there were efforts to strike a deal that would see the UK government settle an historical debt dispute with Iran.

During PMQs on 9 February, Ms Siddiq said she understood a deal signed between the UK government and the Iranian authorities in the summer of 2021 "that would have resulted in the payment of the £400m that we owe Iran and the release of my constituent Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe" had fallen through.

Former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says this move is the 'most significant chink of light for many years.'

She urged the PM to personally meet her and Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband, Richard Ratcliffe, to explain why the agreement had broken down.

Mr Johnson responded: "The International Military Services, or IMS, debt is difficult to settle and square away for all sorts of reasons to do with sanctions.

"But we will continue to work on it and I will certainly make sure that we have another meeting with Richard Ratcliffe in due course."

What is the IMS debt?

Following the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, the British government cancelled an order for 1,500 Chieftain tanks and armoured vehicles.

The order was being handled by what was then the Ministry of Defence's arms-trading subsidiary - International Military Services.

The order had already been paid for when it was cancelled. The debt owed following the non-delivery of the tanks is estimated at £400m.

Last November, Foreign Office minister James Cleverley told MPs the government accepts liability for the debt, but said settling the matter was "not easy" due to sanctions imposed on Iran.

"The UK government recognise that we have a duty to legally repay this debt and we continue to explore all legal options to resolve this 40-year-old case," he said in the House of Commons.

But he added: "We do not accept British dual nationals being used as diplomatic leverage."

A High Court hearing on the question of the IMS debt repayment had been scheduled for April 2021 but was adjourned at the request of the Iranian defence ministry. A new hearing date has yet to be set.

Mr Ratcliffe has previously accused the government of being "too timid" in its negotiations with Iran, and recently went on hunger strike to put pressure on ministers to go further to secure his wife's release.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her daughter Gabriella, pictured in 2016

Is there any connection to the Iran nuclear deal negotiations?

Since his election, US President Joe Biden has been working to re-establish the Iran nuclear deal, which his predecessor Donald Trump abandoned in 2018.

Those talks have increased in intensity in recent months, with reports the US could be close to rejoining the agreement - despite complications caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), aims to ease sanctions on Iran in return for limits being put on Tehran's nuclear programme.

It was signed by the US, UK, China, France, Germany, Russia, the EU and Iran in 2015.

Last summer, Iran's main negotiator accused Western countries of delaying talks around prisoners to force Iran into JCPOA negotiations before a new government was in place.

Both the US administration and UK government have repeatedly insisted there is no connection between the efforts to negotiate the release of dual national prisoners and the nuclear talks.

However, following the JCPOA's initial implementation in 2016, Barack Obama's administration did secure the release of four American prisoners from Iran.

Woman who protested Ukraine war on Russian state TV news was Kremlin propaganda machine insider

Marina Ovsyannikova went from a well-paid trusted employee to now facing the prospect of spending a decade in prison on charges of treason

Author of the article:

The Telegraph

Nataliya Vasilyeva

Publishing date:

Mar 15, 2022  •  7 hours ago  •  3 minute read  •   Join the conversation

Marina Ovsyannikova, the editor at the state broadcaster Channel One who protested against Russian military action in Ukraine during the evening news broadcast at the station, leaves a Moscow court on March 15, 2022. PHOTO BY AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

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A tenacious journalist and a highly trusted professional. That was how colleagues described the long-time Russian state TV producer who burst onto the set of a flagship news show with an anti-war banner in a stunning protest against Kremlin censorship.

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After her five seconds on Channel One’s 9 p.m. news program, Marina Ovsyannikova, who has worked for state television for most of her life, was detained by onsite guards and taken to a police station next to Moscow’s sprawling TV headquarters where she was kept overnight. Yesterday afternoon a court fined her 30,000 roubles ($300 Cdn.) for an anti-war video statement which she had recorded before stepping on the set.

Ovsyannikova, 44, could still face a decade in prison on charges of treason, stemming from a new draconian law that restricts reporting of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The woman was not a random intruder angry at Russian state TV’s news coverage but the flesh and blood of the Kremlin’s propaganda machine, a trusted employee.

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“I have spent many, years producing Kremlin propaganda, and I’m very much ashamed of it now,” she said in a pre-recorded video message posted on her Instagram account, sporting a necklace comprised of the colours of the Ukrainian and Russian flags.

“I’m very much ashamed of putting lies on TV screens, for allowing to brainwash Russian people.”

Ovsyannikova has been described as an industry insider who rose from provincial obscurity to become a producer of Russia’s major night news TV shows hosted by the presenter whom Vladimir Putin once called his favourite anchor

Ovsyannikova, nee Tkachuk, was born in Odesa, a Ukrainian Black Sea port that is braced for a Russian attack. She said in her video statement that the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine was particularly painful to her due to her mixed Russian and Ukrainian heritage.

She grew up in southern Russia where she attended the Kuban State University’s journalism school with Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russia’s RT channel.

Simonyan, often described as one of Russia’s most notorious propagandists, denied that the two were classmates but confirmed they were at the same journalism school and had worked together at Kuban, the state-owned TV channel in the regional capital Krasnodar.

Simonyan claimed that Ovsyannikova was a protegee of Vladimir Runov, who was then Kuban’s director general, who lobbied for Ovsyannikova to become special correspondent in Krasnodar for Kuban’s parent TV company.

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In comments to local media yesterday Runov denied suggestions of having a special relationship with Ovsyannikova but said he had recommended her for a place on a management training course at a state-owned university as a “go-getting” employee.

Ovsyannikova was a popular TV presenter in southern Russia in the late 1990s before moving to Moscow.

A woman, later identified as Marina Ovsyannikova, interrupted a live newscast on Russian state TV to protest the invasion of Ukraine. PHOTO BY AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

In a Facebook post, she reminisced about her early years in regional television in Krasnodar, saying she worked “day and night, no time off or holidays: work was our life.”

A media manager in Krasnodar recalled her being an intrepid reporter. Zhdan Tikhonov, who produced news packages with her at Kuban in the late 1990s, told the 93.ru website that she was “good to work with. She was tenacious and was up for any work.”

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An unnamed colleague said that Ovsyannikova grew up in Chechnya’s capital Grozny but moved out shortly before the war that started in 1994.

The Telegraph could not corroborate the reports.

Ovsyannikova was known in Krasnodar under the name of Tkachuk before she married Igor Ovsyannikov, a long-time director at RT.

The RT chief said he still worked for her channel: “They got divorced a long time ago and live separate lives: very different lives, clearly.”

Ovsyannikova’s social media revealed a glamorous life of a well-paid state TV employee with a penchant for selfies in expensive jewellery, fur coats and overseas holidays. On Instagram, she describes herself as a “happy mum” of two children who is into fitness and open-water swimming.