Prosecutor seeks to resume ICC probe in Afghanistan
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court sought urgent clearance Monday from the court's judges to resume investigations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, saying that under the country's new Taliban rulers “there is no longer the prospect of genuine and effective domestic investigations” in the country.
Judges at the global court authorized an investigation by Prosecutor Karim Khan's predecessor, Fatou Bensouda, in March last year. The probe covers offenses allegedly committed by Afghan government forces, the Taliban, American troops and U.S. foreign intelligence operatives dating back to 2002.
The decision to investigate Americans led to the Trump administration slapping sanctions on Bensouda, who left office over the summer at the end of her nine-year term.
The investigation was deferred after Afghan authorities asked to take over the case. The ICC is a court of last resort, set up in 2002 to prosecute alleged atrocities in countries that cannot or will not bring perpetrators to justice.
Khan said in a statement Monday that he now plans to focus on crimes committed by the Taliban and the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State group, adding that he will “deprioritize” other aspects of the investigation.
“The gravity, scale and continuing nature of alleged crimes by the Taliban and the Islamic State, which include allegations of indiscriminate attacks on civilians, targeted extrajudicial executions, persecution of women and girls, crimes against children and other crimes affecting the civilian population at large, demand focus and proper resources from my Office, if we are to construct credible cases capable of being proved beyond reasonable doubt in the courtroom," Khan said.
The Associated Press
Monday, September 27, 2021
GERMANY ELECTIONS
Germany’s outgoing chancellor had continuously won a direct mandate in the electoral district of Vorpommern-Rügen – Vorpommern-Greifswald I since it was created after reunification in 1990.
Her successor, however, will not hail from her party but its historical rival: Anna Kassautzki of the SPD claimed the seat on the Baltic coast with 24.3% of first votes, improving her party’s performance by 12.7 percentage points.
Merkel’s designated successor in the district, the 33-year-old tax auditor Georg Günther, came second on 20.4% of first votes.
“I feel incredibly honoured,” said Kassautzki. “We delivered a team effort.”
Born in Heidelberg in 1993, the politician is a district leader of the Young Socialists movement and works at the University of Greifswald, where she leads a family support service team.
Kassautzki has said she is animated by social injustice and describes herself as a committed feminist and European in her Twitter biography. “If we want to move our country forward, we must ask the upper 10% to pay up more instead of courting them,” she wrote on her campaign website.
The 27-year-old’s triumph is representative of a broader change of power in Germany’s north-east, where the SPD managed to flip every single constituency in the states of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, as well as emerging triumphant in parallel state elections in the latter and in Berlin.
The Green party, which used to have only one direct mandate, managed to expand its number of directly elected candidates to 16, after flipping unlikely seats in conservative strongholds such as south-western Baden-Württemberg and Munich.
The Bundestag will have its first two transgender delegates in the coming term after an increase in the ecological party’s share under the second vote. The Green candidates Tessa Ganserer and Nyke Slawik will enter parliament via their party’s list.
Slawik tweeted that she could hardly believe her win, adding she hoped “we will today open a new chapter of self-determination in politics and that we can end the years-long patronising of queer people”.
Seat held by Merkel since 1990 won by SPD candidate born in 1993
Philip Oltermann in Berlin
The German constituency held by Angela Merkel for the last 30 years has flipped to a 27-year-old politician from the Social Democratic party (SPD), in the starkest expression yet of a generational change of guard underlying Sunday’s national vote.
The German constituency held by Angela Merkel for the last 30 years has flipped to a 27-year-old politician from the Social Democratic party (SPD), in the starkest expression yet of a generational change of guard underlying Sunday’s national vote.
© Photograph: Stefan Sauer/dpa
Anna Kassautzki has said she is animated by social injustice and describes herself as a committed feminist and European.
Germany’s outgoing chancellor had continuously won a direct mandate in the electoral district of Vorpommern-Rügen – Vorpommern-Greifswald I since it was created after reunification in 1990.
Her successor, however, will not hail from her party but its historical rival: Anna Kassautzki of the SPD claimed the seat on the Baltic coast with 24.3% of first votes, improving her party’s performance by 12.7 percentage points.
Merkel’s designated successor in the district, the 33-year-old tax auditor Georg Günther, came second on 20.4% of first votes.
“I feel incredibly honoured,” said Kassautzki. “We delivered a team effort.”
Born in Heidelberg in 1993, the politician is a district leader of the Young Socialists movement and works at the University of Greifswald, where she leads a family support service team.
Kassautzki has said she is animated by social injustice and describes herself as a committed feminist and European in her Twitter biography. “If we want to move our country forward, we must ask the upper 10% to pay up more instead of courting them,” she wrote on her campaign website.
The 27-year-old’s triumph is representative of a broader change of power in Germany’s north-east, where the SPD managed to flip every single constituency in the states of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, as well as emerging triumphant in parallel state elections in the latter and in Berlin.
The Green party, which used to have only one direct mandate, managed to expand its number of directly elected candidates to 16, after flipping unlikely seats in conservative strongholds such as south-western Baden-Württemberg and Munich.
The Bundestag will have its first two transgender delegates in the coming term after an increase in the ecological party’s share under the second vote. The Green candidates Tessa Ganserer and Nyke Slawik will enter parliament via their party’s list.
Slawik tweeted that she could hardly believe her win, adding she hoped “we will today open a new chapter of self-determination in politics and that we can end the years-long patronising of queer people”.
Two transgender women win seats in German parliament
BERLIN (Reuters) - Two German politicians from the Greens have made history by becoming the first transgender women to win parliamentary seats in Sunday's national election.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Two German politicians from the Greens have made history by becoming the first transgender women to win parliamentary seats in Sunday's national election.
© Reuters/ANDREAS GEBERT
Interview with Greens transgender candidate for the Germany elections Tessa Ganserer
Tessa Ganserer and Nyke Slawik stood for the Greens party, which came third in the election, increasing its share of the vote to 14.8% from 8.9% in 2017 and is set to play a pivotal role in the building of a new three-way coalition government.
"It is a historic victory for the Greens, but also for the trans-emancipatory movement and for the entire queer community," Ganserer, 44, told Reuters, adding that the results were a symbol of an open and tolerant society.
Topping the priority list for Ganserer, who was elected to Bavaria's regional parliament in 2013, is an easier procedure for ratifying a sex change on identity documents.
Ganserer, who has two sons, also wants legislative changes to allow lesbian mothers to adopt children.
Slawik, 27, said the results were unbelievable. She secured a seat in parliament through the Greens list of candidates in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
"Madness! I still can't quite believe it, but with this historic election result I will definitely be a member of the next Bundestag," Slawik posted on Instagram.
Slawik has called for a nationwide action plan against homophobia and transphobia, a self-determination law, and improvements to the federal anti-discrimination law.
Homosexuality was decriminalised in Germany in 1969 and same-sex marriage legalised in 2017. But hate crimes against LGBT+ people jumped by 36% last year, according to police figures that highlight a rising trend of homophobia in parts of German society.
(Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Tessa Ganserer and Nyke Slawik stood for the Greens party, which came third in the election, increasing its share of the vote to 14.8% from 8.9% in 2017 and is set to play a pivotal role in the building of a new three-way coalition government.
"It is a historic victory for the Greens, but also for the trans-emancipatory movement and for the entire queer community," Ganserer, 44, told Reuters, adding that the results were a symbol of an open and tolerant society.
Topping the priority list for Ganserer, who was elected to Bavaria's regional parliament in 2013, is an easier procedure for ratifying a sex change on identity documents.
Ganserer, who has two sons, also wants legislative changes to allow lesbian mothers to adopt children.
Slawik, 27, said the results were unbelievable. She secured a seat in parliament through the Greens list of candidates in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
"Madness! I still can't quite believe it, but with this historic election result I will definitely be a member of the next Bundestag," Slawik posted on Instagram.
Slawik has called for a nationwide action plan against homophobia and transphobia, a self-determination law, and improvements to the federal anti-discrimination law.
Homosexuality was decriminalised in Germany in 1969 and same-sex marriage legalised in 2017. But hate crimes against LGBT+ people jumped by 36% last year, according to police figures that highlight a rising trend of homophobia in parts of German society.
(Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Eagle with a 6-inch foot span roamed Australia 25 million years ago
Ian Randall For Mailonline
'This species was slightly smaller and leaner than the wedge-tailed eagle [Australia's biggest eagle alive today], but it’s the largest eagle known from this time period in Australia,' said paper author and palaeontologist Ellen Mather of Adelaide's Flinders University.
'The foot span was nearly 15 cm [6 inches] long, which would have allowed it to grasp large prey. The largest marsupial predators at the time were about the size of a small dog or large cat, so Archaehierax was certainly ruling the roost.'
'The fossil bones reveal that the wings of Archaehierax were short for its size, much like species of forest-dwelling eagles today. Its legs, in contrast, were relatively long and would have given it considerable reach.
'The combination of these traits suggest Archaehierax was an agile but not particularly fast flier — and was most likely an ambush hunter.
'It was one of the top terrestrial predators of the late Oligocene, swooping upon birds and mammals that lived at the time.'
'With eagles at the top of the food chain, they are always few in number — and so are infrequently preserved as fossils,' added co-author and fellow Flinders University palaeontologist Trevor Worthy.
'It’s rare to find even one bone from a fossil eagle. To have most of the skeleton is pretty exciting, especially considering how old it is.'
'I have studied this [site] for many years now, and this is the most exquisite fossil we have found to date,' Professor Worthy added.
(Next Slide
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'The completeness of the Archaehierax skeleton allowed us to determine where it fits on the eagle family tree,' added Ms Mather.
'It shows a range of features unlike any seen among modern hawks and eagles.
'We found that Archaehierax didn’t belong to any of the living genera or families. It seems to have been its own unique branch of the eagle family.
'It’s unlikely to be a direct ancestor to any species alive today,' she concluded.
The full findings of the study were published in the journal Historical Biology.
Ian Randall For Mailonline
© Provided by Daily Mail MailOnline logo
An eagle with a six-inch foot-span that ambushed unsuspecting prey such as flamingos and koalas ruled the food chain of South Australia 25 million years ago.
This is the conclusion of Flinders University experts who identified the new species, Archaehierax sylvestris, based on a 63-bone fossil discovered near Lake Pinpa.
Found on a remote cattle station, the remains from the late Oligocene Period are one of the oldest-known and 'best preserved' eagle-like raptors in the fossil record.
ARCHAEHIERAX'S AUSTRALIA
During the late Oligocene when Archaehierax sylvestris lived, the environment in Australia was starkly different to how it appears today.
While Lake Pinpa is today a bone-dry desert, 25 million years it was a vast, shallow body of water surrounded by verdant forests.
The team believe that Archaehierax would have ambushed its prey — likely koalas, possums, waterfowl, cormorants and flamingos — by swooping down from these trees and grabbing them with its long legs.
An eagle with a six-inch foot-span that ambushed unsuspecting prey such as flamingos and koalas ruled the food chain of South Australia 25 million years ago.
This is the conclusion of Flinders University experts who identified the new species, Archaehierax sylvestris, based on a 63-bone fossil discovered near Lake Pinpa.
Found on a remote cattle station, the remains from the late Oligocene Period are one of the oldest-known and 'best preserved' eagle-like raptors in the fossil record.
ARCHAEHIERAX'S AUSTRALIA
During the late Oligocene when Archaehierax sylvestris lived, the environment in Australia was starkly different to how it appears today.
While Lake Pinpa is today a bone-dry desert, 25 million years it was a vast, shallow body of water surrounded by verdant forests.
The team believe that Archaehierax would have ambushed its prey — likely koalas, possums, waterfowl, cormorants and flamingos — by swooping down from these trees and grabbing them with its long legs.
'This species was slightly smaller and leaner than the wedge-tailed eagle [Australia's biggest eagle alive today], but it’s the largest eagle known from this time period in Australia,' said paper author and palaeontologist Ellen Mather of Adelaide's Flinders University.
'The foot span was nearly 15 cm [6 inches] long, which would have allowed it to grasp large prey. The largest marsupial predators at the time were about the size of a small dog or large cat, so Archaehierax was certainly ruling the roost.'
'The fossil bones reveal that the wings of Archaehierax were short for its size, much like species of forest-dwelling eagles today. Its legs, in contrast, were relatively long and would have given it considerable reach.
'The combination of these traits suggest Archaehierax was an agile but not particularly fast flier — and was most likely an ambush hunter.
'It was one of the top terrestrial predators of the late Oligocene, swooping upon birds and mammals that lived at the time.'
'With eagles at the top of the food chain, they are always few in number — and so are infrequently preserved as fossils,' added co-author and fellow Flinders University palaeontologist Trevor Worthy.
'It’s rare to find even one bone from a fossil eagle. To have most of the skeleton is pretty exciting, especially considering how old it is.'
'I have studied this [site] for many years now, and this is the most exquisite fossil we have found to date,' Professor Worthy added.
(Next Slide
Auto Rotation On
Full Screen
1/3 SLIDES © Provided by Daily Mail
'The completeness of the Archaehierax skeleton allowed us to determine where it fits on the eagle family tree,' added Ms Mather.
'It shows a range of features unlike any seen among modern hawks and eagles.
'We found that Archaehierax didn’t belong to any of the living genera or families. It seems to have been its own unique branch of the eagle family.
'It’s unlikely to be a direct ancestor to any species alive today,' she concluded.
The full findings of the study were published in the journal Historical Biology.
La Palma volcano: authorities lock down coastal area as lava approaches sea
By Al Goodman and Hannah Ritchie, CNN
Residents along the eastern shore of Spain's La Palma island were ordered into lockdown Monday as lava flowing from the Cumbre Vieja volcano nears the sea.
By Al Goodman and Hannah Ritchie, CNN
Residents along the eastern shore of Spain's La Palma island were ordered into lockdown Monday as lava flowing from the Cumbre Vieja volcano nears the sea.
Lava flows approaching houses as the Mount Cumbre Vieja erupts in El Paso, spewing out columns of smoke, ash and lava as seen from Los Llanos de Aridane on the Canary island of La Palma, on September 19, 2021. - The Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on Spain's Canary Islands today spewing out lava, ash and a huge column of smoke after days of increased seismic activity, sparking evacuations of people living nearby, authorities said. Cumbre Vieja straddles a ridge in the south of La Palma island and has erupted twice in the 20th century, first in 1949 then again in 1971.
(Photo by DESIREE MARTIN / AFP) (Photo by DESIREE MARTIN/AFP via Getty Images)
The 1,250 Celsius degree lava may touch the Atlantic Ocean in the hours ahead, likely causing explosions and sending clouds of toxic gases over the island, Canary Islands emergency services warned on Monday morning.
"Given the possibility the lava will reach the sea in the coming hours on the coastal area of Tazacorte, and in anticipation of possible emissions of gas harmful to health, the Canary Islands volcano emergency committee orders the lockdown of San Borondon, Marina Alta, Marina Baja and La Condesa," they tweeted.
"The population should follow instructions of the authorities and remain at home, with doors and windows closed, until the situation can be evaluated in the morning," they added.
In the early hours of Monday morning, the lava traveled past the southwestern town of Todoque which was evacuated a few days ago and was just 1.6 kilometers (roughly 1 mile) from La Palma's coast, according to emergency services.
Authorities have also called on residents within a 5-kilometer radius of the volcano to put in place further precautions, due to the possibility of new explosive eruptions which could cause glass to shatter.
The main airline for the Canary Islands, Binter Canarias, confirmed Monday that it will continue to suspend flights to and from La Palma airport while it monitors the situation.
All other air traffic at the airport was also canceled Monday morning, according to Spain's airport operator, AENA.
Monday is the ninth consecutive day of eruptions from the volcano, which has so far forced the evacuation of nearly 6,000 people, destroyed hundreds of homes and ravaged the island's economically crucial banana plantations.
Reuters drone footage showed a rapid river of red hot lava flowing down the slopes of the crater, passing close to homes, and swathes of land and buildings engulfed by a black mass of slower-moving, older lava.
The flow of lava has engulfed more than 230 hectares, the European Union satellite monitoring service Copernicus said, swallowing hundreds of houses as well as roads, schools and churches, and forcing thousands to evacuate.
No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported since the volcano's eruption, but about 15% of the island's banana crop could be at risk, jeopardizing thousands of jobs.
The 1,250 Celsius degree lava may touch the Atlantic Ocean in the hours ahead, likely causing explosions and sending clouds of toxic gases over the island, Canary Islands emergency services warned on Monday morning.
"Given the possibility the lava will reach the sea in the coming hours on the coastal area of Tazacorte, and in anticipation of possible emissions of gas harmful to health, the Canary Islands volcano emergency committee orders the lockdown of San Borondon, Marina Alta, Marina Baja and La Condesa," they tweeted.
"The population should follow instructions of the authorities and remain at home, with doors and windows closed, until the situation can be evaluated in the morning," they added.
In the early hours of Monday morning, the lava traveled past the southwestern town of Todoque which was evacuated a few days ago and was just 1.6 kilometers (roughly 1 mile) from La Palma's coast, according to emergency services.
Authorities have also called on residents within a 5-kilometer radius of the volcano to put in place further precautions, due to the possibility of new explosive eruptions which could cause glass to shatter.
The main airline for the Canary Islands, Binter Canarias, confirmed Monday that it will continue to suspend flights to and from La Palma airport while it monitors the situation.
All other air traffic at the airport was also canceled Monday morning, according to Spain's airport operator, AENA.
Monday is the ninth consecutive day of eruptions from the volcano, which has so far forced the evacuation of nearly 6,000 people, destroyed hundreds of homes and ravaged the island's economically crucial banana plantations.
Reuters drone footage showed a rapid river of red hot lava flowing down the slopes of the crater, passing close to homes, and swathes of land and buildings engulfed by a black mass of slower-moving, older lava.
The flow of lava has engulfed more than 230 hectares, the European Union satellite monitoring service Copernicus said, swallowing hundreds of houses as well as roads, schools and churches, and forcing thousands to evacuate.
No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported since the volcano's eruption, but about 15% of the island's banana crop could be at risk, jeopardizing thousands of jobs.
La Palma volcano: Explosions send lava tumbling down mountainside after brief lull
Sep 27, 2021
Global News
Lava exploded from La Palma's volcano on Monday as night fell on the Spanish island after a brief lull, while hundreds of people in coastal villages hunkered down in anticipation of lava emitted in previous days reaching the sea and releasing toxic gas.
Spurts of vivid red lava emerged from the Cumbre Vieja volcano in the early evening and snaked down the dark mountainside towards evacuated buildings after a period of several hours without explosions.
No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported, but about 15% of the island's banana crop could be at risk, jeopardizing thousands of jobs.
Scientists: Spanish volcano has entered 'low activity' phase
LOS LLANOS DE ARIDANE, Canary Islands (AP) — A Spanish island volcano that has buried more than 500 buildings and displaced over 6,000 people since last week lessened its activity on Monday, although scientists warned that it was too early to declare the eruption phase finished and authorities ordered residents to stay indoors to avoid the unhealthy fumes from lava meeting sea waters.
LOS LLANOS DE ARIDANE, Canary Islands (AP) — A Spanish island volcano that has buried more than 500 buildings and displaced over 6,000 people since last week lessened its activity on Monday, although scientists warned that it was too early to declare the eruption phase finished and authorities ordered residents to stay indoors to avoid the unhealthy fumes from lava meeting sea waters.
© Provided by The Canadian Press
The plume of ash emerging from the main vent that opened on Sept. 19. stopped in the early hours of Monday, live footage of the Cumbre Vieja range in the La Palma island broadcasted by the public Canary Islands Television showed. But the column of ash and volcanic material returned after a two-hour hiatus.
“The volcano of La Palma has entered in a phase of lower activity,” the Madrid-based Institute of Geosciences, IGEO, said in a tweet. “Let's see how it evolves in the coming hours.”
The archipelago's volcanology institute published graphs showing a sharp decline in seismic activity in the area. “In the last hours the volcanic tremor has almost disappeared, as well as the strombolian explosive activity,” Involcan said on Twitter. But the institute had to follow later with another post announcing that, in addition to the ash cloud, “the re-emission of lava in the main cone is also confirmed.”
Experts were also on alert as the swarm of quakes that preceded and accompanied Spain's first volcanic eruption on land in half a century moved south, with more activity detected in the island's Fuencaliente area, Spain's National Geographic Institute said.
“That the volcano is now less active doesn't mean that it cannot change,” the institute's top investigator, Stavros Meletlidis, told Antena 3, a private Spanish broadcaster.
Meanwhile, the island's authorities advised residents in four neighborhoods to remain indoors to avoid toxic gases that could be released as a result of lava at more than 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,830 Fahrenheit) meeting Atlantic Ocean water at a temperature of around 20 degrees Celsius.
Scientists say that the thermal shock results in the release of water vapor plumes loaded with hydrochloric acid and tiny particles of volcanic glass that can cause skin, eye and respiratory tract irritation.
Shopkeepers and residents were also sweeping the layer of ash that had fallen over the island's capital, Santa Cruz de Las Palmas, after winds dispersed the volcano's cloud the day before.
The speed of the flow had increased since Sunday as a result of more fluid lava descending down a sharp slope toward cliffs onto the sea. The flow was some 800 meters from reaching the water early on Monday, authorities said.
More than 230 hectares have been buried by the lava, which has destroyed over 18 kilometers of roads, according to Copernicus, the EU's satellite monitoring service. The molten rock has destroyed houses, schools, churches and health centers, as well as irrigation infrastructure for the island's banana plantations, which provide nearly one-third of the island's jobs.
No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported since the volcano’s eruption.
La Palma, home to about 85,000, is part of the volcanic Canary Islands, an archipelago off northwest Africa. The island is roughly 35 kilometers (22 miles) long and 20 kilometers (12 miles) wide at its broadest point.
__
Parra reported from Madrid.
Daniel Roca And Aritz Parra, The Associated Press
The plume of ash emerging from the main vent that opened on Sept. 19. stopped in the early hours of Monday, live footage of the Cumbre Vieja range in the La Palma island broadcasted by the public Canary Islands Television showed. But the column of ash and volcanic material returned after a two-hour hiatus.
“The volcano of La Palma has entered in a phase of lower activity,” the Madrid-based Institute of Geosciences, IGEO, said in a tweet. “Let's see how it evolves in the coming hours.”
The archipelago's volcanology institute published graphs showing a sharp decline in seismic activity in the area. “In the last hours the volcanic tremor has almost disappeared, as well as the strombolian explosive activity,” Involcan said on Twitter. But the institute had to follow later with another post announcing that, in addition to the ash cloud, “the re-emission of lava in the main cone is also confirmed.”
Experts were also on alert as the swarm of quakes that preceded and accompanied Spain's first volcanic eruption on land in half a century moved south, with more activity detected in the island's Fuencaliente area, Spain's National Geographic Institute said.
“That the volcano is now less active doesn't mean that it cannot change,” the institute's top investigator, Stavros Meletlidis, told Antena 3, a private Spanish broadcaster.
Meanwhile, the island's authorities advised residents in four neighborhoods to remain indoors to avoid toxic gases that could be released as a result of lava at more than 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,830 Fahrenheit) meeting Atlantic Ocean water at a temperature of around 20 degrees Celsius.
Scientists say that the thermal shock results in the release of water vapor plumes loaded with hydrochloric acid and tiny particles of volcanic glass that can cause skin, eye and respiratory tract irritation.
Shopkeepers and residents were also sweeping the layer of ash that had fallen over the island's capital, Santa Cruz de Las Palmas, after winds dispersed the volcano's cloud the day before.
The speed of the flow had increased since Sunday as a result of more fluid lava descending down a sharp slope toward cliffs onto the sea. The flow was some 800 meters from reaching the water early on Monday, authorities said.
More than 230 hectares have been buried by the lava, which has destroyed over 18 kilometers of roads, according to Copernicus, the EU's satellite monitoring service. The molten rock has destroyed houses, schools, churches and health centers, as well as irrigation infrastructure for the island's banana plantations, which provide nearly one-third of the island's jobs.
No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported since the volcano’s eruption.
La Palma, home to about 85,000, is part of the volcanic Canary Islands, an archipelago off northwest Africa. The island is roughly 35 kilometers (22 miles) long and 20 kilometers (12 miles) wide at its broadest point.
__
Parra reported from Madrid.
Daniel Roca And Aritz Parra, The Associated Press
The eruption of a volcano in the Canary Islands has so far led to the destruction of homes and evacuations on the small Spanish island of La Palma, with fears that the eruption could trigger a tsunami
By Liv McMahon
Monday, 27th September 2021
La Palma volcano: Where is La Palma? Map shows where the Canary Islands volcano eruption is - and will it cause a tsunami?
(Image credit: AP/Canva Pro)
A volcano located on the Canary Island of La Palma erupted on Sunday 19 September, sending lava streaming down hills and destroying hundreds of homes on the volcanic island.
5,000 people were initially evacuated from La Palma area surrounding the Cumbre Vieja volcano, but thousands more have been evacuated following the eruption of a new vent on the Canary Islands volcanic ridge.
La Palma’s airport was previously forced to close amid the disruption, but has now reopened.
The huge ash cloud accumulating over the island has once again seen flights from La Palma cancelled, however.
Here's what caused the Canary Islands volcanic eruption, where the volcano is located and how long the eruption could last.
Where is La Palma?
One of Spain’s seven Canary Islands, La Palma is the most northwesterly islands of the chain of volcanic islands like Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.
A volcano located on the Canary Island of La Palma erupted on Sunday 19 September, sending lava streaming down hills and destroying hundreds of homes on the volcanic island.
5,000 people were initially evacuated from La Palma area surrounding the Cumbre Vieja volcano, but thousands more have been evacuated following the eruption of a new vent on the Canary Islands volcanic ridge.
La Palma’s airport was previously forced to close amid the disruption, but has now reopened.
The huge ash cloud accumulating over the island has once again seen flights from La Palma cancelled, however.
Here's what caused the Canary Islands volcanic eruption, where the volcano is located and how long the eruption could last.
Where is La Palma?
One of Spain’s seven Canary Islands, La Palma is the most northwesterly islands of the chain of volcanic islands like Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.
The island of La Palma is the most northwestern of the Canary Islands, with the Cumbre Vieja volcano erupting on the south of the fifth-largest island (Image credit: Canva Pro)
La Palma is the fifth largest of the islands, with an estimated area of 7,493km squared.
A popular tourist destination for snorkelling, and known for its rugged, rocky landscape, La Palma has a population of roughly 85,000 people.
The volcanic eruption on Sunday took place at the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the southwest of the Canary island.
La Palma is the fifth largest of the islands, with an estimated area of 7,493km squared.
A popular tourist destination for snorkelling, and known for its rugged, rocky landscape, La Palma has a population of roughly 85,000 people.
The volcanic eruption on Sunday took place at the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the southwest of the Canary island.
Mount Cumbre Vieja erupts in El Paso, spewing out columns of smoke, ash and lava as seen from Los Llanos de Aridane on the Canary island of La Palma on September 19, 2021. (Image credit: Desiree Martin/AFP via Getty Images)
What caused La Palma’s volcanic eruption?
The Canary Islands volcanic eruption took place following a swarm of earthquakes and tremors which have been rocking the island over the last two weeks.
A total of 642 quakes measuring between magnitude 2.0 and 3.0 were recorded on and around the island of La Palma during the last 14 days.
The dramatic eruption on Sunday 19 September is believed to have been triggered by a 4.2 magnitude earthquake striking the islands off Africa’s northwest coast.
What caused La Palma’s volcanic eruption?
The Canary Islands volcanic eruption took place following a swarm of earthquakes and tremors which have been rocking the island over the last two weeks.
A total of 642 quakes measuring between magnitude 2.0 and 3.0 were recorded on and around the island of La Palma during the last 14 days.
The dramatic eruption on Sunday 19 September is believed to have been triggered by a 4.2 magnitude earthquake striking the islands off Africa’s northwest coast.
The Cumbre Vieja volcano spews lava, ash and smoke as seen from Los Llanos de Aridane on the Canary island of La Palma in September 26, 2021.
(Image credit: Desiree Martin/AFP via Getty Images)
Cumbre Vieja started to erupt at 3.15pm local time on Sunday after having last erupted in 1971.
Spanish Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto came under fire for comments calling the eruption a “wonderful show” and potential attraction for tourists.
How long could the La Palma volcano eruption last?
Volcanic eruptions can last between anywhere from days to months.
A volcano eruption at Iceland’s Mount Fagradalsfjall, to the southwest of Reykjavik, is the longest to occur in half a century.
Having begun on 16 March 2021, the Icelandic volcanic eruption will have lasted for six months as of Sunday 26 September.
Cumbre Vieja started to erupt at 3.15pm local time on Sunday after having last erupted in 1971.
Spanish Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto came under fire for comments calling the eruption a “wonderful show” and potential attraction for tourists.
How long could the La Palma volcano eruption last?
Volcanic eruptions can last between anywhere from days to months.
A volcano eruption at Iceland’s Mount Fagradalsfjall, to the southwest of Reykjavik, is the longest to occur in half a century.
Having begun on 16 March 2021, the Icelandic volcanic eruption will have lasted for six months as of Sunday 26 September.
A woman walks down the street covered in ash from the volcano in Santa Cruz de la Palma on the Canary island of La Palma, Spain on Sunday Sept. 26, 2021
. (Image credit: AP/Daniel Roca)
The Canary Islands has historically seen plenty of volcanic activity, with an underwater submarine eruption occurring in waters off the island of El Hierro in 2011.
Could the La Palma volcano eruption cause a tsunami?
The Cumbre Vieja volcano is at risk of collapse should a volcanic eruption occur at the summit of the previously dormant volcanic ridge.
In the early 2000s, University College London scientists studied the volcano's destructive potential, finding that an eruption could trigger a dramatic landslide and consequent ‘mega tsunami’.
Scientists have also said that the risk of such a seismic shift and chances of triggering a tsunami rippling out across the Atlantic and potentially reaching the shores of the United States is small, however.
Dr Isobel Yeo, volcanologist at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) said: “The eruptions have caused a great deal of local damage but the current level of seismic activity from magma rising and the eruptions is not something that we would expect to trigger a landslide and cause a mega tsunami in the future.
"Large-scale landslides and tsunami are very infrequent in the Canary Islands and their direct links to eruptions remain uncertain.
"However, the Canary Islands monitoring organisation, Involcan, will be keeping a close eye on the eruption and monitoring the events in the coming days.”
Dr Yeo added that theories of a potential collapse at Cumbre Vieja causing a landslide or ‘mega-tsunami’ would represent “an absolute worst-case scenario” and would be highly unlikely event during the current eruption.
“The "mega-tsunami" hypothesis needs a huge volume landslide,” Dr Yeo said.
“In my opinion, the current level of volcanism is not of sufficient magnitude to create the ground movement required to trigger such a landslide, nor is the type of slide required typical for this region.
“Although the current fountaining and lava flows have been destructive, there would likely have to be a substantial increase in explosivity or increase in the rate of lava expulsion that could spell a change in the dynamics on the island.
"While this is a possibility that we cannot rule out, it is very unlikely that a mega-tsunami will occur during the current unrest.”
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The Canary Islands has historically seen plenty of volcanic activity, with an underwater submarine eruption occurring in waters off the island of El Hierro in 2011.
Could the La Palma volcano eruption cause a tsunami?
The Cumbre Vieja volcano is at risk of collapse should a volcanic eruption occur at the summit of the previously dormant volcanic ridge.
In the early 2000s, University College London scientists studied the volcano's destructive potential, finding that an eruption could trigger a dramatic landslide and consequent ‘mega tsunami’.
Scientists have also said that the risk of such a seismic shift and chances of triggering a tsunami rippling out across the Atlantic and potentially reaching the shores of the United States is small, however.
Dr Isobel Yeo, volcanologist at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) said: “The eruptions have caused a great deal of local damage but the current level of seismic activity from magma rising and the eruptions is not something that we would expect to trigger a landslide and cause a mega tsunami in the future.
"Large-scale landslides and tsunami are very infrequent in the Canary Islands and their direct links to eruptions remain uncertain.
"However, the Canary Islands monitoring organisation, Involcan, will be keeping a close eye on the eruption and monitoring the events in the coming days.”
Dr Yeo added that theories of a potential collapse at Cumbre Vieja causing a landslide or ‘mega-tsunami’ would represent “an absolute worst-case scenario” and would be highly unlikely event during the current eruption.
“The "mega-tsunami" hypothesis needs a huge volume landslide,” Dr Yeo said.
“In my opinion, the current level of volcanism is not of sufficient magnitude to create the ground movement required to trigger such a landslide, nor is the type of slide required typical for this region.
“Although the current fountaining and lava flows have been destructive, there would likely have to be a substantial increase in explosivity or increase in the rate of lava expulsion that could spell a change in the dynamics on the island.
"While this is a possibility that we cannot rule out, it is very unlikely that a mega-tsunami will occur during the current unrest.”
A message from the Editor:
Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.
If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.
ONTARIO
Driver charged in death of Hamilton woman giving water to pigs at protest has first day in court
CBC/Radio-Canada 8 hrs ago
© Toronto Pig Save Regan Russell often attended demonstrations
at a Burlington, Ont. slaughterhouse.
A truck driver charged with careless driving causing death has his first day in court Monday after police say he killed an animal-rights activist who was giving water to pigs being led to slaughter.
Police say the man, who police have not named, was driving his truck to Fearman's Pork plant in Burlington, Ont. in June of 2020 when it struck and killed 65-year-old Hamilton woman Regan Russell.
Halton police charged the driver with a provincial traffic offence that could result in anything from a monetary penalty to two years in jail.
Russell's family, friends and supporters have called on police to upgrade that to a criminal charge, but police say there's no evidence to suggest the driver struck Russell with criminal intent. Supporters are gathering outside court Monday morning in Burlington.
Mark Powell, Russell's husband, said "we're here because nobody else is representing Regan Russell." He said the court matter that's set to begin will only be between the Crown and the driver over provincial laws.
"Regan was just collateral damage," he said, adding he wants to be there to stand up for his family.
In a press release issued Sunday, Russell's step-son Joshua Powell said "Regan was usually protesting the unnecessary cruelty within animal agriculture; but on that day was standing up against Bill 156, which restricts these activities, while granting power to truckers and drivers in policing their property."
The provincial bill creates "animal protection zones" that prohibit animal rights activists from "interfering or interacting with the farm animals in the motor vehicle."
He said "Regan's killing has been deemed a minor incident by the justice system of Canada, and this is unacceptable."
A truck driver charged with careless driving causing death has his first day in court Monday after police say he killed an animal-rights activist who was giving water to pigs being led to slaughter.
Police say the man, who police have not named, was driving his truck to Fearman's Pork plant in Burlington, Ont. in June of 2020 when it struck and killed 65-year-old Hamilton woman Regan Russell.
Halton police charged the driver with a provincial traffic offence that could result in anything from a monetary penalty to two years in jail.
Russell's family, friends and supporters have called on police to upgrade that to a criminal charge, but police say there's no evidence to suggest the driver struck Russell with criminal intent. Supporters are gathering outside court Monday morning in Burlington.
Mark Powell, Russell's husband, said "we're here because nobody else is representing Regan Russell." He said the court matter that's set to begin will only be between the Crown and the driver over provincial laws.
"Regan was just collateral damage," he said, adding he wants to be there to stand up for his family.
In a press release issued Sunday, Russell's step-son Joshua Powell said "Regan was usually protesting the unnecessary cruelty within animal agriculture; but on that day was standing up against Bill 156, which restricts these activities, while granting power to truckers and drivers in policing their property."
The provincial bill creates "animal protection zones" that prohibit animal rights activists from "interfering or interacting with the farm animals in the motor vehicle."
He said "Regan's killing has been deemed a minor incident by the justice system of Canada, and this is unacceptable."
CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
Liberal group points to meat companies as reason for higher grocery store pricesWASHINGTON — The price of meat on grocery store shelves has become a subject of increasing debate, but one liberal group says the Covid-19 pandemic and wages aren't to blame
.
© Provided by NBC News
Instead, the group Accountable.US found meatpackers have paid hundreds of million of dollars in penalties for price-fixing and are pointing to that as the cause.
Republicans have increasingly pointed to consumer prices and inflation as evidence that Democratic economic policies, including pumping trillions of dollars of stimulus into the economy to off set pandemic problems.
A review by Accountable.US found that biggest meat processing companies have all recently been subject to serious price-fixing lawsuits, with several already agreeing to pay at least $400 million in fines and settlements in recent years for manipulating prices, and even colluding with one another to do so.
"When meat packer CEOs are still living high on the hog after agreeing to pay $400 million in fines and settlements for manipulating prices in recent years, consumers know who to really blame for ridiculous meat prices," said Accountable.US president Kyle Herrig in a statement to NBC News.
Major meatpackers included in Accountable.US review are Smithfield Foods, JBS, National Beef Packing Company, Tyson Foods, and Cargill.
In October 2020, JB and its subsidiaries agreed to pay over $110 million to settle price-fixing allegations, according to documents compiled by Accountable.US. Tyson Foods agreed to a $221.5 million price-fixing settlement and continues to face lawsuits from major food sellers like Walmart, McDonalds and Sysco alleging price inflation.
Additionally, the review found Smithfield Foods paid $83 million to settle price-fixing allegations.
The White House addressed the issue of rising meat prices earlier this month and said it would take "strong actions" to crack down on illegal price fixing, enforce antitrust laws, and bring more transparency to the meat-processing industry. Since December 2020 prices for beef have risen by 14.0 percent, pork by 12.1 percent and poultry by 6.6 percent, according to the White House.
"Just four large conglomerates control the majority of the market for each of these three products, and the data show that these companies have been raising prices while generating record profits during the pandemic," said White House officials in a blog post.
Gross profits for some of the leading beef, poultry, and pork processors are at their highest levels in history, and the first half of 2021 were the most profitable quarters in history for some of the processors, with net income for many of these companies on pace to reach historic highs as well.
The U.S. Justice Department is conducting an ongoing joint investigation with the Agriculture Department on price-fixing in the chicken processing industry, which has already yielded a $107 million guilty plea by Pilgrim’s Pride and numerous other indictments
Instead, the group Accountable.US found meatpackers have paid hundreds of million of dollars in penalties for price-fixing and are pointing to that as the cause.
Republicans have increasingly pointed to consumer prices and inflation as evidence that Democratic economic policies, including pumping trillions of dollars of stimulus into the economy to off set pandemic problems.
A review by Accountable.US found that biggest meat processing companies have all recently been subject to serious price-fixing lawsuits, with several already agreeing to pay at least $400 million in fines and settlements in recent years for manipulating prices, and even colluding with one another to do so.
"When meat packer CEOs are still living high on the hog after agreeing to pay $400 million in fines and settlements for manipulating prices in recent years, consumers know who to really blame for ridiculous meat prices," said Accountable.US president Kyle Herrig in a statement to NBC News.
Major meatpackers included in Accountable.US review are Smithfield Foods, JBS, National Beef Packing Company, Tyson Foods, and Cargill.
In October 2020, JB and its subsidiaries agreed to pay over $110 million to settle price-fixing allegations, according to documents compiled by Accountable.US. Tyson Foods agreed to a $221.5 million price-fixing settlement and continues to face lawsuits from major food sellers like Walmart, McDonalds and Sysco alleging price inflation.
Additionally, the review found Smithfield Foods paid $83 million to settle price-fixing allegations.
The White House addressed the issue of rising meat prices earlier this month and said it would take "strong actions" to crack down on illegal price fixing, enforce antitrust laws, and bring more transparency to the meat-processing industry. Since December 2020 prices for beef have risen by 14.0 percent, pork by 12.1 percent and poultry by 6.6 percent, according to the White House.
"Just four large conglomerates control the majority of the market for each of these three products, and the data show that these companies have been raising prices while generating record profits during the pandemic," said White House officials in a blog post.
Gross profits for some of the leading beef, poultry, and pork processors are at their highest levels in history, and the first half of 2021 were the most profitable quarters in history for some of the processors, with net income for many of these companies on pace to reach historic highs as well.
The U.S. Justice Department is conducting an ongoing joint investigation with the Agriculture Department on price-fixing in the chicken processing industry, which has already yielded a $107 million guilty plea by Pilgrim’s Pride and numerous other indictments
KOKANEE BEER SHOULD FUND THIS
Kokanee begin the uphill swim from record low levels in Kootenay Lake
The ravages of 2014 are still affecting current populations of Kootenay Lake salmon and are keeping their numbers low, but the land-locked fish’s future is looking much different.
Eight years ago the kokanee salmon population in the lake collapsed, from an average of about a million to “unprecedented low numbers,” averaging between a record low of 12,000 in 2017 to about 90,000 in 2020.
Those numbers reflected a poor survival from 2014 and a “weak cohort” that spawned in 2017, noted an official with the provincial Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, which is responsible for kokanee management.
“Kokanee spawner counts have not been fully completed, but we are expecting 2021 to result in a low return, as was anticipated,” noted the official.
However, despite the low numbers right now, there are more abundant spawning numbers predicted for the next few years due to improved survival and higher egg deposition after 2017.
The ministry contends that when kokanee fall to such low abundances, they have more food available to them, as there is less competition between fish, so they grow much faster and larger.
“This translates into many more eggs per female, so although spawner abundance is much lower, total egg deposition for the whole run hasn’t fallen as dramatically,” the official explained. “In fact, in 2020, the 90,000 spawners laid enough eggs to produce the long-term pre-collapse average of fry.”
However, the species has thrived in some lakes in the region but not others — like Kootenay Lake — with research noting that factors such as pollution, lake levels, climate change and habitat loss are contributing to the downswing.
A land-locked form of sockeye salmon, the number of spawning fish can vary each year — similar to ocean-going forms of salmon.
But some people have warned that Kootenay Lake’s ecosystem is out of balance and more should be done here to resuscitate the species, including a larger kokanee egg planting and a reduction in the predatory rainbow and bull trout.
Picking on kokanee
There are other factors related to the downward spiral of the kokanee, including over predation from rainbow and bull trout in the lake.
In order to address restoring the balance between the species in the lake the table must be tilted for a while, the ministry contends, with the ecosystem favouring having kokanee overabundant, relative to the demand of their predators.
The equation for recovery of one species of fish comes, temporarily, at the expense of others, noted the ministry official.
“Ultimately, kokanee recovery is predicted to occur when we reach a threshold in the lake where kokanee are abundant enough to outpace the demand of predators,” he said.
“The exact threshold is unknown, but there are actions we can and have been taking to restore the balance, and the approaches are to increase the amount of kokanee surviving or eggs being deposited and/or reduce the number of predators.”
Part of that reduction are programs such as the Angler Incentive Program (https://bcwf.bc.ca/kootenay-lake-angler-incentive-program/), which encourages anglers to harvest rainbow and bull trout in the main body of Kootenay Lake and then turn in the heads to local depots to enter a monthly or grand prize. The program has been deemed a success by the ministry.
Keeping the beat
Five years ago the ministry deposited over 500,000 kokanee eggs into the spawning channels surrounding the lake, citing a 90 per cent hatch rate.
And now, using an adaptive management approach based on “strong monitoring of kokanee and predator populations, as well as scientific advice from an expert team to annually monitor the situation and inform changes to recovery actions,” the numbers are rising.
“Kootenay Lake recovery may take several years, but it is clear that our prior actions to increase kokanee abundance, coupled with predator reduction actions, are key to resulting in a better balance,” the ministry official noted.
Once the balance is restored, it is expected that kokanee will again become abundant within a life-cycle (about three to four years), and large bodied rainbow trout and bull trout will follow within a few years.
This situation will trigger a different response from the province at that point.
“In order to ensure the balance is maintained into the future, it is expected that our focus will then shift to developing strategies to maintain balance of fish populations in consultation with the public and our partners from Indigenous Nations and the BCWF,” the ministry official explained.
Timothy Schafer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nelson Daily
IF YOUR BEER TASTES FUNNY ITS BECAUSE WE GOT MORE KOKANEE IN THE LAKE
CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
Marvel Entertainment chairman, others accused of breaking law in Veterans Affairs scheme under TrumpKevin Breuninger
House Democrats on Monday accused three Donald Trump associates of breaking the law as they used their connection to the former president's private golf club to shape veterans' policies for their own benefit.
The three associates, known as the "Mar-a-Lago" trio, are billionaire Marvel Entertainment Chairman Ike Perlmutter, attorney Marc Sherman and doctor Bruce Moskowitz.
Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, were aware of those efforts, the Democrats alleged.
© Provided by CNBC US President Donald Trump shakes Ike Perlmutter, CEO of Marvel Entertainment, hand before signing an executive order at the US Department of Veterans Affairs April 27, 2017 in Washington, DC.
House Democrats on Monday accused three Donald Trump associates — including billionaire Marvel Entertainment Chairman Ike Perlmutter — of breaking the law as they used their connection to the former president's private golf club to shape veterans' policies for their own benefit.
Perlmutter, attorney Marc Sherman and doctor Bruce Moskowitz — known as the "Mar-a-Lago Trio" — refused to comply with a federal transparency law while secretly influencing the Department of Veterans Affairs during the Trump administration, two Democratic committee chairs said in a press release.
Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, were aware of those efforts, the Democrats alleged, citing newly released documents that include emails from Ivanka's personal account.
"Bolstered" by their links to Mar-a-Lago, the three men "violated the law and sought to exert improper influence over government officials to further their own personal interests," said Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano, D-Calif., in a press release.
"The documents we are releasing today shed light on the secret role the Trio played in developing VA initiatives and programs, including a 'hugely profitable' plan to monetize veterans' medical records," Maloney and Takano said.
They accused the trio of violating transparency rules established by the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice did not immediately respond when asked if the agency would investigate the Democrats' allegations. A spokesman for Marvel Entertainment did not immediately respond.
House Democrats on Monday accused three Donald Trump associates — including billionaire Marvel Entertainment Chairman Ike Perlmutter — of breaking the law as they used their connection to the former president's private golf club to shape veterans' policies for their own benefit.
Perlmutter, attorney Marc Sherman and doctor Bruce Moskowitz — known as the "Mar-a-Lago Trio" — refused to comply with a federal transparency law while secretly influencing the Department of Veterans Affairs during the Trump administration, two Democratic committee chairs said in a press release.
Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, were aware of those efforts, the Democrats alleged, citing newly released documents that include emails from Ivanka's personal account.
"Bolstered" by their links to Mar-a-Lago, the three men "violated the law and sought to exert improper influence over government officials to further their own personal interests," said Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano, D-Calif., in a press release.
"The documents we are releasing today shed light on the secret role the Trio played in developing VA initiatives and programs, including a 'hugely profitable' plan to monetize veterans' medical records," Maloney and Takano said.
They accused the trio of violating transparency rules established by the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice did not immediately respond when asked if the agency would investigate the Democrats' allegations. A spokesman for Marvel Entertainment did not immediately respond.
© Provided by CNBC Steve Bannon (L), senior counselor to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, walks with physician Dr. Bruce Moskowitz (R) as they arrive to attend a meeting between Trump and health care leaders at the Mar-a-lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. December 28, 2016.
ProPublica in August 2018 published an investigation accusing Perlmutter, Sherman and Moskowitz of pushing VA officials toward certain policies with no accountability or oversight, and while remaining hidden to all but a few agency insiders.
Takano in 2019 announced an investigation and asked then-VA Secretary Robert Wilkie for materials related to the three men.
ProPublica in August 2018 published an investigation accusing Perlmutter, Sherman and Moskowitz of pushing VA officials toward certain policies with no accountability or oversight, and while remaining hidden to all but a few agency insiders.
Takano in 2019 announced an investigation and asked then-VA Secretary Robert Wilkie for materials related to the three men.
Postmortem: Voters reject the laissez-faire approach to child care
AKA THE ALBERTA APPROACH
Labour squeeze
The anecdotal evidence about severe labour shortages was reinforced by empirical data last week. Statistics Canada reported on Sept. 21 that there were almost 732,000 job vacancies in the second quarter, a record. Most of the openings were in health care, restaurants, and retail (chart below). All of those industries are notorious for demanding a lot of people in return for relatively little pay. It’s possible the pandemic has caused nurses, line cooks, and store managers to decide that they don’t want to return to those sectors. Some are settling for generous emergency benefits, while others have learned new skills and gone to work in other industries. Immigration is also a factor.
But labour shortages are a problem at the high end of the pay scale, too. “We’re really struggling to hire,” Adam Froman, founder and CEO of Toronto-based Delvinia Holdings Inc., a digital research firm, told FP Economy. Talent was tight in the technology industry before the pandemic. It’s worse now because the crisis accelerated the shift to the digital economy, intensifying the demand for labour, and because the new work-from-anywhere culture has made poaching by companies that pay in U.S. dollars or euros commonplace. “Salaries are going up and up and up,” Froman said.
Retail reversion
Retail sales fell 0.6 per cent in July from June, Statistics Canada reported on Sept. 23, the third decrease in four months. Household consumption remains an engine of growth, however. Retail sales have exceeded pre-pandemic levels every month since June 2020, and Statistics Canadas said preliminary data indicate a rebound in August.
Economists reckon consumers are spending more of their disposable incomes on services now that social-distancing restrictions have been eased. For example, spending at restaurants and bars increased 11 per cent in July, Statistics Canada said in a separate report. Our behaviour also appears to be reverting to pre-pandemic patterns, as the most recent data show that we’re back to spending more on automobiles than on food, while sales at hardware stores have dropped to match spending on clothes and footwear for the first time since before the crisis.
Child care plan best hope for boosting Canada's economy
Debt relief
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce published results of a survey of almost 17,000 businesses on Sept. 23 that suggested the country’s employers were waiting for the next shoe to drop in July and August, when the poll was conducted. Companies said they felt good about demand over the next three months, and they liked their prospects over the longer term. But the number of respondents who reported that they were unsure about how much longer they could keep their businesses open increased in the third quarter from the previous three months. Uncertainty is back.
One solace: companies said they were finding it easier to borrow, probably because their lenders were seeing evidence of renewed cashflows. That jibes with aggregate credit data. Non-mortgage liabilities of non-financial corporations increased 3.4 per cent in July from a year earlier, the second consecutive monthly gain, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent data. Business lending is still well off its pre-pandemic pace, but the recent increase is a positive sign.
AKA THE ALBERTA APPROACH
© Provided by Financial Post Sixty per cent of voters endorsed candidates who backed the Liberal government's plan to spend $30 billion on a program that promises to drop the cost of child care in every province to $10 a day.
FP Economy editor Kevin Carmichael unpacks the week in economics
Not this time
The results of the Sept. 20 election settled the debate about how to lower the cost of child care. Sixty per cent of voters endorsed candidates who backed the Liberal government’s plan to spend $30 billion on a program that promises to drop the cost of child care in every province to $10 a day. That should be enough to convince opponents to concede.
For the second time in 15 years, the Conservatives promised to scrap federal subsidies for daycare in favour of tax credits. Stephen Harper won in 2006 and promptly killed former prime minister Paul Martin’s national daycare program before it had a chance to get going. Erin O’Toole said he would do the same to the network that Justin Trudeau was putting together when he opted to trigger an election. Voters stopped the Conservatives this time, saving a policy that has the potential to change the trajectory of the economy. How? By clearing a path for tens of thousands of women to fully participate in the economy while still in the prime of their working lives. The chart below tracks the employment rates of women aged 25 to 54 from the late 1990s, when Quebec introduced a subsidized child-care program, to present. No other jurisdiction followed Quebec’s lead. Imagine if more of them had.
Tiff Macklem’s dashboard
The charts the Bank of Canada cares about as it navigates the economy’s exit from the pandemic
FP Economy editor Kevin Carmichael unpacks the week in economics
Not this time
The results of the Sept. 20 election settled the debate about how to lower the cost of child care. Sixty per cent of voters endorsed candidates who backed the Liberal government’s plan to spend $30 billion on a program that promises to drop the cost of child care in every province to $10 a day. That should be enough to convince opponents to concede.
For the second time in 15 years, the Conservatives promised to scrap federal subsidies for daycare in favour of tax credits. Stephen Harper won in 2006 and promptly killed former prime minister Paul Martin’s national daycare program before it had a chance to get going. Erin O’Toole said he would do the same to the network that Justin Trudeau was putting together when he opted to trigger an election. Voters stopped the Conservatives this time, saving a policy that has the potential to change the trajectory of the economy. How? By clearing a path for tens of thousands of women to fully participate in the economy while still in the prime of their working lives. The chart below tracks the employment rates of women aged 25 to 54 from the late 1990s, when Quebec introduced a subsidized child-care program, to present. No other jurisdiction followed Quebec’s lead. Imagine if more of them had.
Tiff Macklem’s dashboard
The charts the Bank of Canada cares about as it navigates the economy’s exit from the pandemic
Labour squeeze
The anecdotal evidence about severe labour shortages was reinforced by empirical data last week. Statistics Canada reported on Sept. 21 that there were almost 732,000 job vacancies in the second quarter, a record. Most of the openings were in health care, restaurants, and retail (chart below). All of those industries are notorious for demanding a lot of people in return for relatively little pay. It’s possible the pandemic has caused nurses, line cooks, and store managers to decide that they don’t want to return to those sectors. Some are settling for generous emergency benefits, while others have learned new skills and gone to work in other industries. Immigration is also a factor.
But labour shortages are a problem at the high end of the pay scale, too. “We’re really struggling to hire,” Adam Froman, founder and CEO of Toronto-based Delvinia Holdings Inc., a digital research firm, told FP Economy. Talent was tight in the technology industry before the pandemic. It’s worse now because the crisis accelerated the shift to the digital economy, intensifying the demand for labour, and because the new work-from-anywhere culture has made poaching by companies that pay in U.S. dollars or euros commonplace. “Salaries are going up and up and up,” Froman said.
© Provided by Financial Post
Retail reversion
Retail sales fell 0.6 per cent in July from June, Statistics Canada reported on Sept. 23, the third decrease in four months. Household consumption remains an engine of growth, however. Retail sales have exceeded pre-pandemic levels every month since June 2020, and Statistics Canadas said preliminary data indicate a rebound in August.
Economists reckon consumers are spending more of their disposable incomes on services now that social-distancing restrictions have been eased. For example, spending at restaurants and bars increased 11 per cent in July, Statistics Canada said in a separate report. Our behaviour also appears to be reverting to pre-pandemic patterns, as the most recent data show that we’re back to spending more on automobiles than on food, while sales at hardware stores have dropped to match spending on clothes and footwear for the first time since before the crisis.
© Provided by Financial Post
Child care plan best hope for boosting Canada's economy
Debt relief
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce published results of a survey of almost 17,000 businesses on Sept. 23 that suggested the country’s employers were waiting for the next shoe to drop in July and August, when the poll was conducted. Companies said they felt good about demand over the next three months, and they liked their prospects over the longer term. But the number of respondents who reported that they were unsure about how much longer they could keep their businesses open increased in the third quarter from the previous three months. Uncertainty is back.
One solace: companies said they were finding it easier to borrow, probably because their lenders were seeing evidence of renewed cashflows. That jibes with aggregate credit data. Non-mortgage liabilities of non-financial corporations increased 3.4 per cent in July from a year earlier, the second consecutive monthly gain, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent data. Business lending is still well off its pre-pandemic pace, but the recent increase is a positive sign.
© Provided by Financial Post
• Email: kcarmichael@postmedia.com | Twitter: CarmichaelKevin
• Email: kcarmichael@postmedia.com | Twitter: CarmichaelKevin
Nearly $80 million in damages for B.C.'s White Rock Lake wildfire
With the 2021 wildfire season finally in B.C.'s rearview mirror, the financial toll of one of the devastating blazes is now coming to light.
The wildfire in White Rock Lake, B.C., which began Aug. 2, is estimated to have caused $77 million in insured damage, according to the initial evaluation from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ). More than 800 claims are anticipated from this event, the majority of which will be related to residential properties.
RELATED: B.C.'s historic wildfire season: A recap of the explosive summer
The fire, which grew to more than 833 square kilometres, destroyed 78 properties in the central Okanagan, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).
The escalating frequency and severity of weather events like wildfires are also becoming more of a financial burden for insurers and taxpayers, the agency said.
White Rock Lake (K61884) wildfire, posted Aug. 4, 2021. (BC Wildfire Service/Twitter)
"Canada's insurers are here to help the residents of Killiney Beach, Monte Lake and other areas impacted by the White Rock Lake wildfire recover and rebuild following the devastation it has caused," said Aaron Sutherland, vice-president of Western and Pacific Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), in a news release.
B.C. endured one of its worst fire seasons on record in 2021 and is memorable for how close the large blazes came to major population centres in the southern Interior.
Extreme heat and dry conditions fanned the fires, which led to numerous evacuation alerts and a new total loss of the village of Lytton.
"We all must do better to prepare for wildfires, floods, heat, hail and wind storms. These perils are having an outsized impact on those most vulnerable and, as a result, we must greatly enhance our efforts to mitigate future change and adapt to the new weather reality we face," said Sutherland.
With files from Kyle Brittain.
Thumbnail courtesy of BC Wildfire Service/Twitter.
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