Africa mostly quiet amid widespread condemnation of Russia

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA and MOGOMOTSI MAGOME

1 of 10

 A visitor handles a gun at an exhibition by the Kalashnikov company on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia on Oct. 24, 2019. Amid a worldwide chorus of condemnation against Russia's war on Ukraine, Africa has remained mostly quiet — a reminder of the Kremlin's considerable influence over the continent.

 (Sergei Chirikov, Pool Photo via AP, File)


KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni recently remarked that Russia’s war on Ukraine should be seen in the context of Moscow being the “center of gravity” for Eastern Europe.

His son, Lt. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, was more forceful, declaring that most Africans “support Russia’s stand in Ukraine” and “Putin is absolutely right!”

Amid a worldwide chorus of condemnation, much of Africa has either pushed back or remained noticeably quiet. Twenty-five of Africa’s 54 nations abstained or didn’t record a vote in the U.N. General Assembly resolution earlier this month condemning Russia.

The reason? Many nations on the continent of 1.3 billion people have long-standing ties and support from Moscow, dating back to the Cold War when the Soviet Union supported anti-colonial struggles.

Those relations have tightened in recent years: As U.S. interest in Africa appeared to wane under President Donald Trump’s administration, Russia — along with China — expanded its influence, enlarging its economic footprint to include everything from agricultural programs to energy plants. In 2019, dignitaries from 43 African nations attended a summit with Russia, which also has become the dominant exporter of weapons into sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The developments have not gone unnoticed. Last month, European Union leaders held a long-delayed summit in Brussels to discuss ways to counteract Russia’s and China’s influence in Africa, while Western military and civilian leaders are eyeing Russia’s advancing presence on both the African continent and in the Middle East as long-term threats to security in the West. China also is among the few countries showing support for Moscow.

There have been exceptions to the current of sympathy running through Africa, with Kenya and Ghana criticizing Russia’s actions.

But, elsewhere on the continent, countries not only are abstaining from criticism, they appear to be celebrating their alliances with Russia.

As the war in Ukraine escalated, leaders of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party attended an event at the Russian Embassy in Cape Town to mark the 30-year anniversary of the country’s diplomatic ties with the Russian Federation.

The ANC has ties to the Kremlin extending back to the Soviet Union’s diplomatic and military support of the struggle against apartheid, which Western powers did not provide. Some South Africans point out that Russia was not among the colonizers of Africa.


South Africa’s friendship with Russia is “rooted through bonds of brotherhood,” said lawmaker Floyd Shivambu, a leader of the country’s leftist opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters. Shivambu said Russia’s actions in Ukraine are necessary to prevent NATO’s expansion.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said his country abstained from the U.N. censure resolution because it failed to call for “meaningful engagement” with Russia.

“We have seen how, over time, countries have been invaded, wars have been launched over many years, and that has left devastation,” Ramaphosa told lawmakers Thursday, criticizing NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe. “And some leaders of certain countries have been killed. On our own continent (Libya’s) Muammar Gadhafi was killed.”

He said he believes Russia feels “a national existential threat” from NATO.

Also abstaining from the U.N. vote was neighboring Zimbabwe, which had previously escaped sanctions of its own at the U.N. — for alleged human rights abuses and election corruption — thanks to vetoes by Russia and China.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has praised Russia and China as “dependable pillars,” citing the guns they provided and the training they gave fighters in the 1970s war against white minority rule in Rhodesia.

Russia has major investments in Zimbabwe, including a multibillion-dollar joint mining venture in the Great Dyke area, which holds one of the world’s largest deposits of platinum. Russia also is involved in gold and diamond mining operations in Zimbabwe.

In Uganda, where Russian officers regularly assist in the maintenance of military equipment, authorities recently announced the signing of a contract with a Russian firm to install tracking devices in vehicles to combat violent crime.

The East African country’s U.N. representative said Uganda abstained from the U.N. resolution on Russia to protect its neutrality as the next chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, a Cold War-era group of 120 member states that includes almost every African nation.

But President Museveni went further, actually meeting with the Russian ambassador as the war raged in Ukraine. The Ugandan leader, who has held power since 1986, has criticized the West’s “aggression against Africa.”

Museveni’s government in recent months has tangled with the U.S. and other countries that have expressed concern over last year’s disputed election and growing allegations of rights abuses. Museveni also has accused the West of interfering in domestic affairs, including through pressure to recognize LGBTQ rights.

Nicholas Sengoba, a columnist with Uganda’s Daily Monitor newspaper, said that many authoritarian African leaders like Museveni are pleased to see Putin “stand up to the big boys in the West.”

Following his meeting with the ambassador, Museveni urged Africans in a tweet to find what he called a “center of gravity,” which is what he said Russia is for “the Slavic nations of Eastern Europe.”

The post was later deleted, but his son Kainerugaba, who commands Uganda’s infantry forces, was unambiguous in his remarks on social media.

“The majority of mankind (that are non-white) support Russia’s stand in Ukraine,” he tweeted on Feb. 28. “Putin is absolutely right! When the USSR parked nuclear armed missiles in Cuba in 1962 the West was ready to blow up the world over it. Now when NATO does the same they expect Russia to do differently?”

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Magome reported from Johannesburg. Associated Press writer Farai Mutsaka in Harare, Zimbabwe, contributed to this report.

Hydropower eyes bigger energy role,

less environmental harm

By SUMAN NAISHADHAM


FILE - Whitewater rafters paddle on the Kennebec River in The Forks, Maine, on May 28, 2019. On the Kennebec River, conservation groups and state environmental agencies are pushing for the removal of four hydropower dams that block endangered Atlantic salmon from reaching habitat. The dams generate about 5% of the state’s renewable energy.

 (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)


WASHINGTON (AP) — In southwestern Pennsylvania, eight locks and dams that for decades helped barges move goods along the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers will in a few years also generate enough power for 75,000 homes.

Rye Development, a Boston-based hydropower company, is retrofitting the dams with turbines to generate electricity and says the upgraded structures will limit damage to the rivers’ water quality and fish.

The project reflects a recent thawing between the industry and conservation groups, which had long opposed dams that can prevent fish migration, alter water temperatures and cause other environmental problems. As the U.S. pushes to transition to low-carbon energy, Rye is among the companies that sees an opportunity to expand hydropower production at existing dams while working to minimize environmental harms.

The recent compromises between the industry and environmental groups are reflected in President Joe Biden’s infrastructure law, which puts $2.5 billion toward projects including dam removals as well as upgrades at existing structures for hydropower and energy storage.

“We do recognize that (hydropower) is probably going to play some role in the transition. It’s certainly better than coal,” said Ted Illston of American Rivers, which has advocated for dam removals on environmental grounds.

Hydropower, which uses flowing water to spin turbines connected to generators, is the oldest and second-largest renewable energy source in the U.S. after wind power. In 2020, it accounted for roughly 7% of the electricity generated in the country.

The industry hasn’t received as much federal funding and tax incentives as wind and solar, but sees room for growth. Of the 90,000 dams in the country, about 2,500 produce power. Non-powered dams could produce enough power for 9 to 12 million homes, according to an estimate by the Electric Power Supply Association based on federal data from 2012.

Part of the challenge is that most dams in the U.S. were built more than half a century ago. The risk of dam collapses has fueled demolitions in recent years, with more than 40% of the country’s nearly 2,000 dam removals in the past century happening in the last decade. Some are also torn down largely for environmental reasons.

Last month, federal regulators moved a step closer to approving what would be the largest dam demolition in U.S. history. Removal of the four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River near the Oregon-California border would help save the river’s salmon and other fish species that can’t reach breeding habitat because of the structures.

The hydropower industry and conservation groups still clash over dams too. On Maine’s Kennebec River, conservation groups and state environmental agencies are pushing for the removal of four hydropower dams that block endangered Atlantic salmon from reaching key habitat. The dams generate about 5% of the state’s renewable energy.

“It’s very easy for individual river systems to get lost in the message of climate change and the need for renewable energy,” said Shannon Ames, executive director of the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, which grades hydropower dams based on environmental criteria.

With persisting drought affecting hydropower production west of the Mississippi River, the industry has a more direct path to expansion in eastern states.

In Pennsylvania, Rye consulted with the Low Impact Hydropower Institute early in its process and is among a small number of companies seeking certification from the group.

To get certified, companies must show their structures meet protections for endangered species, cultural and historic uses of rivers, passage for fish and recreational areas. The group says its environmental standards are often stricter than state or federal guidelines.

On a recently certified dam in West Virginia on the Ohio River, for example, dissolved oxygen levels — an important measure of river water quality — were meeting or exceeding state standards, according to a five-year study. In some states, dams certified by the organization qualify for green-energy programs.

Rye said its dams in Pennsylvania will include structures to support fish migration ,and that it is building a fishing pier since federal regulators require hydropower producers to support recreation on river systems. The retrofits are expected to be operational as early as 2025.

___

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/environment

Russia's invasion has Ottawa looking to 'protect our Arctic sovereignty'

Russia is reinvesting its military capabilities and presence in the region, while China has declared itself a 'near Arctic' state with strategic interests in the area, a government document says

Author of the article: Anja Karadeglija
Publishing date: Mar 18, 2022 • 

Canadian and American jets intercept a Russian Tu-142 

maritime reconnaissance aircraft in 2020. The next 

generation of Norad will likely include a maritime element,

 for what’s called “all domain awareness.”

 PHOTO BY NORAD

With Russia — Canada’s Arctic neighbour — firing missiles into Ukraine, Defence Minister Anita Anand is pledging to modernize the alliance protecting Canada’s North.

“There’s no doubt the global security environment has changed… There is no question that our foreign policy, and certainly our defence policy has to adapt,” Anand told an Ottawa defence conference on March 11.

“The work is happening now to ensure that we are prepared for any eventuality, including in terms of protecting our Arctic sovereignty.”

What’s the concern with the Arctic?

Even before Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the Canadian government was flagging Russia’s activities in the region. Briefing materials prepared for Mélanie Joly when she became foreign affairs minister said that Canada views the Arctic as “emerging as an area of geostrategic importance and competition.”

Russia, China and the United States are “developing capabilities to better operate and project their presence.” Russia is reinvesting its military capabilities and presence in the region, while China has declared itself a “near Arctic” state that has strategic interests in the area, according to the document.


What are Russia and China up to?

The briefing binder said China has also been expanding its “investments and engagement in the polar regions including seeking to influence Canadian Arctic communities.”

Adam Lajeunesse, the Irving Shipbuilding chair in Canadian arctic marine security at St. Francis Xavier University, said there’s no evidence of China looking to influence Northern communities in Canada. But of course, the government could know something that’s not public knowledge. And such behaviour is “absolutely China’s modus operandi,” Lajeunesse said. “If we look at the way China has tried to influence different Arctic countries … it often bypasses the central government to try and win friends and influence in communities themselves.”

That said, China has never deployed a warship to the Arctic circle, and is unlikely to do so in the near future, Lajeunesse said. “So the Chinese are not a military threat in the Arctic, certainly not yet. The Russians absolutely are,” he said.

The Arctic isn’t a monolith, though

It’s important to draw a distinction between the Canadian and European Arctic, Lajeunesse said, explaining Russia’s “ability to project power into the Canadian Arctic has not materially increased in the last decade.”

Russia has “considerable” militarization in the Arctic, but it “can’t even reach Canada. It’s not a threat to Canada,” he said. Indeed, Joly’s briefing binder pegs the threat of conflict in the area as low.

But the European Arctic, Lajeunesse said, “is very much in danger of Russian aggression, because they share a border with Russia, and they are very much in a range of all of the weapons.”

The Canadian Arctic is “not something the Russians are going to attack or fight over, but it is an avenue through which” Russian submarines or Russian cruise missiles might travel, he said.

What’s the danger to Canada?

Robert Huebert, associate professor of political science at the University of Calgary, thinks there’s a bigger threat of conflict in the Arctic than some of his colleagues do. Arguing that we’re farther away from Russia than other northern countries “totally misses the point.”

“We are in an alliance, and if fighting in the North occurs within the context of say, Norway, Denmark or any of our other northern allies … we are then, of course, obligated to go to their defence,” he said. “One can assume that the Russians will anticipate that, and we can assume that they will look for a weak link.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean we need a base or troops in the North. “That’s not what the threat is. The threat is an aerospace, maritime threat,” he said.

ANYONE WANT A USED DEW LINE

Which is where Norad comes in?

Exactly. The North American Aerospace Defense Command is a joint military command with the U.S. that provides airspace surveillance. It was first created during the Cold War to protect against a Soviet attack.

Joly’s briefing binder noted that increased “defence spending on Norad modernization has been an important bilateral discussion point with the Biden Administration and would also be relevant for discussions of burden sharing in the NATO context.”

The problem is that Norad uses equipment that dates from the Cold War. “The technology of the north warning system was last modernized in 1985,” Huebert pointed out. “Would you want to be using a computer that was built in 1985, that your life depended on, literally?”

James Fergusson, deputy director for the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba, said it was a system designed for the threats of the day — long range bomber threats from the Soviet Union. “The radars cannot deal with the new generation of threats we deal with, that is, longer and longer range cruise missiles,” he said.

What (and how much) will it take to modernize Norad?

While estimates of around $11 billion have been floated, we don’t really know what the final price tag will be, said Fergusson. Part of the reason is that the system will use new and advanced technologies, some of which are still being developed.

“You don’t know what you’re pricing… we don’t know what Norad modernization is going to look like,” Lajeunesse said. The next generation of Norad will likely include the maritime element, for what’s called “all domain awareness.”

“It’s not just about Russian bombers, as it was in the ’50s. Now we’re talking about submarines and civilian ships, illegal fishing fleets,” he said. “It is very important to have this understanding of what’s happening in our own domain.”

Huebert pointed out that “we have no underwater meaningful surveillance capability, even though we know that the Russians have been developing all sorts of new capabilities in that regard” for the past decade and a half.

What kind of money could be in the budget then?

Anand told the CBC that she is preparing “aggressive options” for increasing defence spending, some of which would see Canada exceed NATO’s recommended two per of GDP target. Canada currently spends 1.39 per cent of GDP.

Fergusson said the Liberal government first identified the need to modernize Norad as a priority in 2017, but hasn’t set aside any money since. He predicted defence spending will likely increase, but not to the two per cent target.

Huebert was more pessimistic about the government coming through with the money to beef up Canada’s Arctic defences.

“I hate to say it, but I think the only scenario is if this current crisis escalates to a level in which NATO forces are in fact engaging Russia,” he said.

Many people abandoning pets as they leave Hong Kong over COVID rules

Jessie Pang and Sara Cheng
Publishing date:Mar 17, 2022

Eva Sit from Hong Kong Dog Rescue pets abandoned dogs Roxy and Cassius, who are left behind after their owner flew home to Britain, at their shelter at Tai Po, in Hong Kong, China March 9, 2022. 

PHOTO BY LAM YIK /REUTERS

HONG KONG — At Hong Kong Dog Rescue, Eva Sit kneels and calls over the shelter’s most recent residents, “friendly and goofy” Cassius and “shy” Roxy, two mixed-breed dogs left behind by their emigrating owner.

Recent weeks have been hectic for Sit and her colleagues, with government data showing more than 100,000 people have left the global financial hub this year. While most of the world is learning to live with COVID-19, Hong Kong residents have been increasingly frustrated with the city’s zero tolerance policy.

As airlines have cut the number of flights to and from Hong Kong because of its tough quarantine requirements, those who want to fly with their pets face fewer options, longer waiting lists and costs of up to tens of thousands of dollars.

Many choose to abandon their pets instead, overwhelming dog shelters, which are running at full capacity.

“We have seen an increase in the number of dog owners abandoning their dogs because they are moving out,” Sit said. “With COVID, it’s harder than before to travel with your pet.”

Cassius and Roxy were brought to the shelter on March 3 by a domestic helper whose employers flew home to Britain a while back and later decided not to return to Hong Kong.

“When the helper came to drop them off … she cried really hard, because obviously she loved them a lot,” Sit said. “She had taken care of them since they were puppies. And it’s not her responsibility, but her employer’s responsibility.”

There are no official figures on how many pets are being abandoned.

The number of government-issued animal health certificates, a document needed for pets to travel but not always given out for that reason, surged to almost 9,000 in 2021 from about 3,700 in 2020. About 1,500 such certificates have already been issued in the first two months of this year, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said.

The department did not comment on what may have caused the spike.

Pet Export Vet, a pet travel agency, said it received three to four times more inquiries in the past two to three months and has temporarily stopped accepting bookings. Ferndale Kennels and Cattery, another such agency, is still taking bookings but says costs are “sky-high” and travel arrangements increasingly complex due to unstable flight schedules.

Hong Kong has a net outflow of around 40,000 people so far in March, compared with more than 71,000 in February, the most in a month since the beginning of the pandemic, government data show. It is not known how many intend to return.

Sit said Hong Kong Dog Rescue takes in 10 abandoned dogs a month on average, compared with five before COVID-19, and it is running out of space now as fewer people want to adopt.

“Every charity has been pretty much overloaded,” said Kirsten Mitchell, founder of Kirsten’s Zoo, another rescue center. “People surrender their goldfish, their turtles, not just cat and dogs.”

Claire McLennan, 48, an Australian who moved back home in December for family reasons, has been trying to fly her mongrel Remi from Hong Kong, where she is stuck in a pet boarding house.

“She was meant to fly in January, and then she was meant to fly in February, and then she was meant to fly in March, and now we are waiting to hear if Qantas is flying pets in April,” McLennan said.

“She’s a member of our family. It’s very sad. It’s hard for the kids.” 

(Reporting by Jessie Pang and Sara Cheng; Additional reporting by Aleksander Solum and Rosanna Philpott; Writing by Marius Zaharia; Editing by Tom Hogue)

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS SHIT UP
Putin ‘channeling his inner Trump’ at Moscow rally, says Sean Hannity

Event was Russian leader’s ‘best attempt to look like Donald Trump’, commentator says on his Fox News show

Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 18 March.

 Photograph: Ramil Sitdikov/SPUTNIK POOL/EPA

I THOUGHT HE LOOKED LIKE THE ZAMBONI DRIVER

Martin Pengelly in New York
THE GUARDIAN US

Sat 19 Mar 2022 13.46 GMT

Vladimir Putin was “channeling his inner Trump” when he staged a huge rally in Moscow to trumpet his invasion of Ukraine, Sean Hannity said on Friday.

On a day when the Russian foreign minister praised Fox News for “trying to present some alternative point of view”, and amid controversy over Fox News hosts and guests repeating Russian disinformation, Hannity also mocked Joe Biden and read out a Kremlin statement attacking the US president.


Russian foreign minister praises Fox News coverage of war in Ukraine

First, on his his radio show, Hannity said: “It looks like Vladimir Putin is channeling his inner Donald Trump. He had a what looked like, it almost looked like the big house in Michigan – their football stadium I think holds 110,000 people.”

The Putin rally was staged in the Luzhniki Stadium, which holds 81,000 and which hosted the 2018 World Cup final.

As the Guardian reported, Putin spoke from a stage featuring slogans such as “For a world without Nazism” and “For our president”, and told “a large flag-waving crowd” Russia “hasn’t seen unity like this in a long time”.

Trump has repeatedly praised Putin for being “smart” regarding Ukraine, though he has also condemned the invasion.

Hannity is an ardent supporter of the former president with close knowledge of Trump’s rallies, having appeared at one in Missouri in 2018. That earned him a reprimand from his employer, as did his endorsement of Trump in a campaign video in 2016. In the 2020 campaign, Hannity reportedly wrote Trump a campaign ad.

On his primetime show on Fox News on Friday night, Hannity said the Moscow rally was Putin’s “best attempt to look like Donald Trump”.

He also called Putin a “murderous thug” whose invasion of Ukraine, he said, was turning out to be a “humiliating disaster”.

But he also attacked Biden.

Referring to technical problems at the Moscow rally, Hannity said: “Vladimir Putin can’t get through speech without screwing that up – kind of like Joe Biden.

“Anyway, according to reports, the stadium was filled with thousands of government workers who were required to attend. Unlike a Trump rally, anyone in Russia voices opposition to Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine they are thrown in jail.

“Vladimir Putin is not in a good place. And right now the world is facing an extremely dangerous and critical tipping point. And what happens in Russia and Ukraine will have reverberations all over the world. But guess what? Our fearless leader Joe Biden, he’s taken another weekend and Delaware ice cream, a lot of nap time.”

Figures including the Utah senator and former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney have strongly criticised the airing on Fox News of Russian talking points and outright conspiracy theories.

On his show on Friday night, Hannity read a statement which was issued by Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, after Biden called Putin a war criminal.

“Given such irritability from Mr Biden,” Hannity read, “his fatigue and sometimes forgetfulness … fatigue that leads to aggressive statements, we will not make harsh assessments, so as not to cause more aggression.”

Earlier this week, Hannity came under fire for saying Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, was “begging Joe Biden for help” but the US president was too “weak” and “frail” to properly come to his aid.

Hannity did not mention that Trump was impeached for withholding military aid to Ukraine, in an attempt to extract dirt on opponents including Biden.

Researchers Warn: Risks of Using AI To Grow Our Food Are Substantial and Must Not Be Ignored

By UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE MARCH 20, 2022

Drone spraying pesticide on wheat field.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is on the cusp of driving an agricultural revolution, and helping confront the challenge of feeding our growing global population in a sustainable way. But researchers warn that using new AI technologies at scale holds huge risks that are not being considered.

Imagine a field of wheat that extends to the horizon, being grown for flour that will be made into bread to feed cities’ worth of people. Imagine that all authority for tilling, planting, fertilizing, monitoring, and harvesting this field has been delegated to artificial intelligence: algorithms that control drip-irrigation systems, self-driving tractors, and combine harvesters, clever enough to respond to the weather and the exact needs of the crop. Then imagine a hacker messes things up.

“The idea of intelligent machines running farms is not science fiction.” — Asaf Tzachor

A new risk analysis, published recently in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence, warns that the future use of artificial intelligence in agriculture comes with substantial potential risks for farms, farmers, and food security that are poorly understood and under-appreciated.

“The idea of intelligent machines running farms is not science fiction. Large companies are already pioneering the next generation of autonomous ag-bots and decision support systems that will replace humans in the field,” said Dr. Asaf Tzachor in the University of Cambridge’s Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER), first author of the paper.

“But so far no-one seems to have asked the question ‘are there any risks associated with a rapid deployment of agricultural AI?’” he added.

Despite the huge promise of AI for improving crop management and agricultural productivity, potential risks must be addressed responsibly and new technologies properly tested in experimental settings to ensure they are safe, and secure against accidental failures, unintended consequences, and cyber-attacks, the authors say. 

In their research, the authors have come up with a catalog of risks that must be considered in the responsible development of AI for agriculture – and ways to address them. In it, they raise the alarm about cyber-attackers potentially causing disruption to commercial farms using AI, by poisoning datasets or by shutting down sprayers, autonomous drones, and robotic harvesters. To guard against this they suggest that ‘white hat hackers’ help companies uncover any security failings during the development phase, so that systems can be safeguarded against real hackers.

In a scenario associated with accidental failure, the authors suggest that an AI system programmed only to deliver the best crop yield in the short term might ignore the environmental consequences of achieving this, leading to overuse of fertilizers and soil erosion in the long term. Over-application of pesticides in pursuit of high yields could poison ecosystems; over-application of nitrogen fertilizer would pollute the soil and surrounding waterways. The authors suggest involving applied ecologists in the technology design process to ensure these scenarios are avoided.

Autonomous machines could improve the working conditions of farmers, relieving them of manual labor. But without inclusive technology design, socioeconomic inequalities that are currently entrenched in global agriculture — including gender, class, and ethnic discriminations — will remain. 

“Expert AI farming systems that don’t consider the complexities of labor inputs will ignore, and potentially sustain, the exploitation of disadvantaged communities,” warned Tzachor.  

Various ag-bots and advanced machinery, such as drones and sensors, are already used to gather information on crops and support farmers’ decision-making: detecting diseases or insufficient irrigation, for example. And self-driving combine harvesters can bring in a crop without the need for a human operator. Such automated systems aim to make farming more efficient, saving labor costs, optimizing for production, and minimizing loss and waste. This leads to increasing revenues for farmers as well as to greater reliance on agricultural AI. 

However, small-scale growers who cultivate the majority of farms worldwide and feed large swaths of the so-called Global South are likely to be excluded from AI-related benefits. Marginalization, poor internet penetration rates, and the digital divide might prevent smallholders from using advanced technologies, widening the gaps between commercial and subsistence farmers. 

With an estimated two billion people afflicted by food insecurity, including some 690 million malnourished and 340 million children suffering micronutrient deficiencies, artificial intelligence technologies, and precision agriculture promise substantial benefits for food and nutritional security in the face of climate change and a growing global population.

“AI is being hailed as the way to revolutionize agriculture. As we deploy this technology on a large scale, we should closely consider potential risks, and aim to mitigate those early on in the technology design,” said Dr. Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh, Executive Director of CSER and co-author of the new research.

Reference: “Responsible artificial intelligence in agriculture requires systemic understanding of risks and externalities” by Asaf Tzachor, Medha Devare, Brian King, Shahar Avin and Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh, 23 February 2022, Nature Machine Intelligence.
DOI: 10.1038/s42256-022-00440-4

This research was funded by Templeton World Charity Foundation, Inc.

Union at Escondida mine threatens work stoppage

Reuters | March 17, 2022 

Chile’s Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine.

 (Image courtesy of Rio Tinto)

A union representing workers at BHP’s sprawling Escondida copper mine in Chile, the world’s largest copper mine, on Thursday threatened a work stoppage over what it claims are breaches in its collective contract.


Escondida’s Union 1 requested an urgent meeting with company executives to discuss its complaints over promotions, saying many conditions in the contract were not being upheld by the firm, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

It asked the issues be resolved shortly or it will initiate “labor actions,” implying a stoppage.

This “may mean, among other measures, the exercise of strikes or collective abstentions from work, for as long as is agreed,” the union said in the letter. If the union calls for a stoppage, it will let the company know beforehand so measures can be adopted to “safeguard” company assets.

BHP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The union and the company signed the new collective contract last August.

In January, the union accused the firm of being erratic and irresponsible as Covid-19 infections had risen among the workforce.

Last year, workers at the mine won a historic benefits package at the bargaining table, which included bonuses distributed to all workers in equal parts, the union said at the time.

(By Fabian Andres Cambero and Carolina Pulice; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Aurora Ellis)

Canadian government invests in third SMR technology

18 March 2022

The Canadian government is to invest CAD27.2 million (USD21.6 million) in Westinghouse Electric Canada Inc to support its next-generation eVinci microreactor. This is the third investment in small modular reactor (SMR) technology to be made through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's (ISED) Strategic Innovation Fund.

The funding was announced during a visit by Champagne to Westinghouse Canada (Image: @FP_Champagne)

According to ISED, the eVinci project supports the government's Innovation and Skills Plan by helping build a highly skilled workforce and advancing research in new foundational technology, and also supports Canada's SMR Action Plan, which outlines a long-term vision for the development and deployment of this technology in Canada and worldwide. The government is supporting the CAD57 million eVinci project so the reactor can be successfully licensed in Canada, it said.

"As our government moves swiftly with our green economic recovery, we are laying the foundation for a better and more prosperous climate-oriented future. Westinghouse's innovative technology will help deliver cleaner energy sources across Canada, especially in remote communities. This investment will play a critical role in fighting climate change, building on Canada's global leadership in SMRs and securing jobs in Ontario's energy sector," Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne said.

The eVinci microreactor is a heatpipe reactor able to deliver combined heat and power (5 MWe and up to 13MWt). Fully factory built, fuelled and assembled, Westinghouse says the transportable reactor can bring clean energy to off-grid sites, remote communities and islands, decentralized generation, industrial sites, mining operations, data centres, universities, marine propulsion, hydrogen generation, and water purification. It can be used as a primary energy source, or in tandem with other sources such as renewables.

"The eVinci micro-reactor technology enables many applications which will benefit Canadian industries and communities, especially those in need of carbon-free heat and power," said David Durham, president of Westinghouse Energy Systems.

A feasibility study prepared by Westinghouse and Bruce Power last year found that the eVinci reactor would be a "feasible alternative" to diesel generation at mines and in remote communities, with its reduced cost electricity and heating providing opportunities for economic growth.

The government contribution to eVinci is being made through the Strategic Innovation Fund's Net Zero Accelerator initiative, which specifically supports Canada's net-zero goals of transforming the economy for clean and long-term growth and achieving a net-zero economy by 2050.

The fund has previously made grants to two SMR projects: a CAD20 million investment in Terrestrial Energy to accelerate development of its Integral Molten Salt Reactor, announced in October 2020; and an award to Moltex Energy Ltd of CAD47.5 million to help develop its 300 MW Stable Salt Reactor-Wasteburner (SSR-W) technology, announced in March 2021.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Belgium to extend life of nuclear reactors by another decade
Bloomberg News | March 19, 2022 

Doel 4 nuclear plant in Belgium. (Image by Wwuyts, Wikimedia Commons.)

Belgium’s government will work to extend the life of two nuclear reactors beyond their original shutdown date of 2025 to secure supply amid record-high energy prices.


The energy ministry will negotiate with operator Engie SA to prolong the operation of Doel 4 and Tihange 3 reactors for a further 10 years up until 2035, the federal government said in a statement. It will submit the draft bill on extension to the Council of Ministers by the end of March and also plans to spend 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) to finance its transition to climate neutrality.

“This extension should allow to strengthen our country’s independence from fossil fuels in a chaotic geopolitical context,” the government said.

Accelerated transition

The announcement comes as part of a plan by the energy ministry that includes measures to accelerate transition to renewable energy for the country, which imports more than 90% of its primary energy. It also marks a revision of earlier plans to shut nuclear reactors, a step also being considered in Germany, in response to possible energy supply disruption after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Belgium earlier foresaw a progressive closing of Engie’s seven nuclear plants — which provide about half of the country’s electricity — by 2025, replacing them with a combination of new gas-fired power stations, renewable power, battery storage and electricity imports. Engie, which will be expected to submit a long-term plan for the reactors, had previously said that the timing set out by the Belgian federal government isn’t compatible with the legal, regulatory and operational issues of such an extension project.

The decision to extend the operational lifetime of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 reactors raises significant safety, regulatory and implementation constraints — particularly since their operational lifetime would be extended once work on dismantling the adjacent units would have already begun, Engie said in a statement late last night.

“Engie will contribute to this rethinking and will work with the government on studying the feasibility and the implementation conditions of the solutions envisaged at this stage,” it said.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told reporters late on Friday that the government has always negotiated with Engie in a respectful manner and in the past found means to align interests between the two.

“It is clear if we manage to extend beyond 2025, it will be a good thing,” De Croo said. “There is a lot of work to do.”

Belgium will also invest 100 million euros over the next four years to develop nuclear energy through small modular nuclear reactors, according to the plan.

Boosting Investment

Under its transition plan, the government will boost investment in offshore wind, hydrogen and solar energy as well as cooperate with neighboring countries, while aiming to make Belgium a hub for the import and transit of green hydrogen.

Meanwhile in Germany, which has long planned to exit atomic energy, the invasion of Ukraine has prompted calls for delaying the nuclear phaseout.

EON SE and EnBW Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg AG said they’re willing to discuss a possible extension of operations. While keeping the plants open past the 2022 closing deadline is technically possible, the companies said they have no contracts to buy nuclear fuel after that and the government may encounter a backlash from voters and environmental groups alike.

Oliver Krischer, a deputy German economy minister, welcomed that what he called “the five oldest and most dangerous blocks” at Tihange and Doel will be shut down for good in 2023. But he criticized Belgium’s move to extend the life of two of the reactors.

“On the other hand, it is incomprehensible to extend the term of two blocks by 10 years to 2035,” he said Saturday in a tweet. Krischer, a member of the Greens party, represents the city of Aachen — which is approximately 90 kilometers from the Tihange facility — in the lower house of parliament in Berlin.(Updates with comments from German deputy economy minister)

(By Lyubov Pronina, with assistance from Iain Rogers and Adeola Eribake)

Barrick, Pakistan and Balochistan Agree in Principle to Restart Reko Diq Project
Sunday, March 20, 2022 

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 20, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:GOLD)(TSX:ABX) and the governments of Pakistan and Balochistan have reached agreement on a framework that provides for the reconstitution of the Reko Diq project in the country’s Balochistan province. The project, which was suspended in 2011 due to a dispute over the legality of its licensing process, hosts one of the world’s largest undeveloped open pit copper-gold porphyry deposits.

The reconstituted project will be held 50% by Barrick and 50% by Pakistan stakeholders, comprising a 10% free-carried, non-contributing share held by the government of Balochistan, an additional 15% held by a special purpose company owned by the government of Balochistan and 25% owned by other federal state-owned enterprises. A separate agreement provides for Barrick’s partner Antofagasta PLC to be replaced in the project by the Pakistani parties.

Barrick will be the operator of the project which will be granted a mining lease, exploration licence, surface rights and a mineral agreement stabilizing the fiscal regime applicable to the project for a specified period. The process to finalize and approve definitive agreements, including the stabilization of the fiscal regime pursuant to the mineral agreement, will be fully transparent and involve the federal and provincial governments, as well as the Supreme Court of Pakistan. If the definitive agreements are executed and the conditions to closing are satisfied, the project will be reconstituted including the resolution of the damages originally awarded by the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes and disputed in the International Chamber of Commerce.

Barrick’s president and chief executive officer Mark Bristow hailed the agreement as an important step towards the development and operation of Reko Diq and a tribute to the decisions of all parties to work towards a mutually beneficial outcome in a spirit of partnership.

“Barrick has successfully partnered with host countries worldwide and our philosophy of sharing the economic benefits our mines generate equitably with core stakeholders is also evident in the ownership structure of the new Reko Diq. This is a unique opportunity for substantial foreign investment in the Balochistan province and will bring enormous direct and indirect benefits not only to this region but also to Pakistan for decades to come. In addition to local employment and skills development, local procurement, infrastructure upgrades and improved medical and education systems, Reko Diq could also be the springboard for further exploration and other mineral discoveries along the highly prospective Tethyan Metallogenic Belt,” he said.

On closing, Barrick will start a full update of the project’s 2010 feasibility and 2011 expansion prefeasibility studies, which envisaged a conventional truck-and-shovel open pit operation with comminution and flotation processing facilities producing a high-quality copper-gold concentrate. Bristow said that if all went according to plan, Reko Diq could be in production within five to six years.

Enquiries:

Investor and Media RelationsKathy du Plessis+44 20 7557 7738Email: barrick@dpapr.comWebsite: www.barrick.com

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