Cannabidiol effective for young people with treatment-resistant anxiety – pilot study

Cannabidiol may halve the severity of chronic anxiety symptoms and impairment in young people, an Orygen pilot study has shown

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ORYGEN

Cannabidiol may be effective in halving the severity of symptoms and impairment caused by chronic anxiety, a pilot study by Orygen, Australia’s centre of excellence in youth mental health, has shown.

The Cannabidiol Youth Anxiety Pilot Study found that young people with treatment-resistant anxiety had an average 42.6 per cent reduction in anxiety severity and impairment following 12 weeks’ treatment with cannabidiol – a non-intoxicating component of the Cannabis sativa plant which is often referred to as CBD.

Orygen’s Professor Paul Amminger, who led the study, said this level of improvement was remarkable.

“The young people had fewer panic attacks and could do things which they were previously unable to do like leave the house, go to school, participate in social situations, eat at restaurants, take public transport or attend appointments by themselves,” Professor Amminger said.

“That's an amazing change in the group which has had treatment-resistant, long-standing severe to very severe anxiety.”

The reduction in symptoms was observed on two different scales: a clinician rated scale (the Hamilton Anxiety Rating, 50.7 per cent) and a self-rated scale (the Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale, 42.6 per cent), which involved participants filling in a questionnaire on symptoms such as panic attacks, situational anxieties, worries and flashbacks.

Study co-investigator and Orygen Executive Director, Professor Patrick McGorry said the findings held promise for a significant number of young people, with Australian Bureau of Statistics data released on 22 July showing anxiety was the most common form of mental ill-health in young people, affecting nearly a third (31.5 per cent) of those aged 16–24 – almost double the rate of the general population.

“We’re seeing more and more young people experiencing anxiety – it’s the fasting growing form of mental ill-health in young people and we urgently need innovation in treatment. Cannabidiol is a promising treatment option which appears safe and effective. We need further research to confirm this and explore its value,” Professor McGorry said.

The pilot study involved 31 participants aged 12–25 who were recruited from Orygen’s primary care services. The participants had a diagnosed anxiety disorder and had failed to show significant improvement in anxiety severity following at least five cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) sessions.

“The problem with current frontline treatments for anxiety – CBT and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant drugs – is that they only work in about half of the people who try them,(1, 2)” Professor Amminger said.

“Anxiety disorders are very common so that leaves a large number of young people untreated, struggling with symptoms and developing secondary conditions, for instance depression and substance use disorders.”

Orygen started exploring cannabidiol as an anxiety treatment after it was found to be effective in reducing anxiety in adults.(3, 4, 5, 6)

In Australia, cannabidiol has been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration as a treatment for children with rare forms of epilepsy (Dravet syndrome and Lennox Gastaut syndrome).(7) Cannabidiol has been approved for clinical trials as a treatment for children in Australia with Tourette Syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability.(8)

“It’s important to stress that cannabidiol does not induce any significant side effects or lead to the emergence of any neurological or psychiatric manifestations,” Professor Amminger said.

“Cannabidiol is non-intoxicating and doesn’t contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) so it doesn’t cause alterations in thinking and perception, it doesn’t make you ‘high’ and it’s not addictive. In fact, cannabidiol has been used to treat addictive behaviours in other research trials and can reduced some of the adverse and intoxicating effects of THC.(9)”

Pilot study participants’ starting dose was one 200mg capsule of cannabidiol per day, which was increased to 400mg after one week. Those who did not show significant improvement in anxiety symptoms had their dosage increased at 200mg increments up to 800mg per day. All participants were offered biweekly CBT for 12 weeks (five sessions).

“Our pilot study found that cannabidiol not only helped to reduce anxiety symptoms but it was also very well tolerated – the most common side-effects were mild sedation and mild fatigue but that was at the time when doses were increased and usually went away after a couple of days,” Professor Amminger said.

“We did not see side-effects like suicidal thoughts, irritability or sleep problems, which are not uncommon in people taking SSRIs.”

Although the findings are promising, further research is required.

“An open-label pilot study is limited by its design. To see a treatment effect in the treatment-resistant group is encouraging, but it could still be a placebo effect. The next step is a randomised controlled trial, which is the gold standard to test a new intervention. Such a trial needs to be done in a much larger group – around 200 to 250 young people – to enable us to say with some certainty that there is, or is not, real treatment benefits and effects,” Professor Amminger said.

The trial received financial and specialist technical support from the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics at the University of Sydney, a philanthropically-funded research program specialising in the development of cannabis-based therapies to alleviate human suffering.

Study co-investigator and Orygen Executive Director, Professor Patrick McGorry, is available for media interviews about the findings on Monday 1 August and Tuesday 2 August.

A short video about the findings is available here: https://vimeo.com/733870128/d66a2367ac

The content of this press release and video is strictly embargoed until 4 August, 3am AEST.

Media contact

Thea Cowie
Senior communications advisor
+61 447 675 698
thea.cowie@orygen.org.au

FAQ

What is cannabidiol?

• Cannabidiol is a non-intoxicating component of the Cannabis sativa plant. This means it does not cause alterations in thinking and perception, such as those caused by tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
• Cannabidiol is not the same as cannabis. Cannabidiol is a component that is enriched in the “hemp” strains of cannabis. Unlike other substances found in the cannabis plant (for example, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)), cannabidiol does not get you ‘high’.
• Cannabidiol is often referred to as CBD.
• Cannabidiol is not addictive. In fact, there is emerging evidence that it may help to treat addiction to other drugs such as alcohol, methamphetamine and high-THC cannabis.(9)
• Cannabidiol does not induce any significant side effects or lead to the emergence of any neurological, psychiatric or general clinical manifestations.(12)
• Cannabidiol has been tested in healthy research participants and in adults with anxiety disorders. In these studies cannabidiol has been found to reduce anxiety.(3, 4, 5, 6)
• The cannabidiol in this trial was supplied by Biosynthesis Pharma Group (BSPG). BSPG’s cannabidiol is purified to more than 99.5 per cent.

What did the pilot study involve?

The Cannabidiol Youth Anxiety Pilot Study (CAPS) was a 12-week open-label trial to test the feasibility, safety, tolerability and therapeutic effects of cannabidiol in reducing anxiety severity in young people.

The 30 participants recruited to the trial:

• were clients of Orygen’s primary care services
• were aged between 12 and 25 years (inclusive)
• had a diagnosed anxiety disorder
• had failed to show significant improvement in anxiety severity after five cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) sessions that calendar year.

Participants started on a dose of one 200mg capsule of cannabidiol per day, which was increased to 400mg after one week. Those who did not show significant improvement in anxiety symptoms had their dosage increased at 200mg increments up to 800mg per day.

All participants were offered biweekly cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for 12 weeks (five sessions).

Why run the pilot study?

• Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in young people and affects up to 31.5 per cent of the Australian population.(10)
• Treatments for anxiety disorders include CBT and medications that increase serotonin levels in the brain but they do not work for everyone.
• In fact, only about 50 per cent of young people fully recover from anxiety disorders with current treatments.(1, 2) The remainder continue to experience symptoms that interfere with their life, work and education.
• Cannabidiol has been tested in healthy research participants and adults with anxiety disorder. In these studies cannabidiol has been found to reduce anxiety.(3, 4, 5, 6) The purpose of Orygen’s pilot study was to test the feasibility, safety, tolerability and therapeutic effects of cannabidiol in reducing anxiety severity in young people.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety disorders are characterised by persistent feelings of being anxious, that may have no obvious reason or cause. For people who suffer from anxiety, these feelings can be difficult to control. Although feeling anxious is a common response to a situation where we feel under pressure, if such feelings persist or occur suddenly in the absence of a stimulus, this can be quite disabling and may require support or treatment.

What does it mean to have anxiety?

Although some people may experience only mild anxiety, more severe anxiety often interferes with people’s lives and can be associated with palpitations (pounding heart or accelerated heart rate), panic, feeling detached from oneself, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath or chest pain.

How common is anxiety?

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in young people and affects up to 31.5 per cent of the Australian population.(10)

References

1. James AC, James G, Cowdrey FA, Soler A, Choke A. Cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. Cochrane database of systematic reviews (Online); 2015. p. CD004690.
2. Strawn JR, Welge JA, Wehry AM, Keenshin B, Rynn MA. Efficacy and tolerability of antidepressants in pediatric anxiety disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Depress Anxiety; 2015. p. 149-57.
3. Bergamaschi MM, Queiroz RHC, Chagas MHN, et al. Cannabidiol Reduces the Anxiety Induced by Simulated Public Speaking in Treatment-Naïve Social Phobia Patients. Neuropsychopharmacology: Nature Publishing Group; 2011. p. 1219-26.
4. Zuardi AW, Cosme RA, Graeff FG, Guimarães FS. Effects of ipsapirone and cannabidiol on human experimental anxiety. J Psychopharmacol (Oxford); 1993. p. 82-8.
5. Crippa JAdS, Zuardi AW, Garrido GEJ, et al. Effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on regional cerebral blood flow.  Neuropsychopharmacology; 2004. p. 417-26.
6. Crippa JAS, Derenusson GN, Ferrari TB, et al. Neural basis of anxiolytic effects of cannabidiol (CBD) in generalized social anxiety disorder: a preliminary report.  J Psychopharmacol (Oxford); 2011. p. 121-30.
7. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Prescription medicines: registration of new chemical entities in Australia, September 2020. Available from: https://www.tga.gov.au/prescription-medicines-registration-new-chemical-entities-australia
8. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry. Trial Search: cannabidiol. 2022. Available from: https://anzctr.org.au/TrialSearch.aspx
9. Jutras-Aswad D, Prud’homme M, Cata R. Cannabidiol as an Intervention for Addictive Behaviors: A Systematic Review of the Evidence.  SART; 2015. p. 33.
10. AIHW. Mental health: prevalence and impact. 2022. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mental-health-services/mental-health

---

JOURNAL

Journal of Clinical Psychiatry

ARTICLE TITLE

Cannabidiol for treatment-resistant anxiety disorders in youth people: an open-label trial

Digital farm in Niger: An advanced system to adjust farmer's water usage

 In Niger, a Tech entrepreneur is hoping that his innovation in automatic irrigation could be a game changer for rural communities struggling to manage increasingly scarce water supplies. Abdou Maman Kane's prizewinning system lets farmers adjust their water usage drop by drop. Our team reports.

WHO urges caution after dog catches monkeypox

Issued on: 17/08/2022 - 

Geneva (AFP) – The World Health Organization called Wednesday for people infected with monkeypox to avoid exposing animals to the virus following a first reported case of human-to-dog transmission.

A first case of human-to-dog transmission of monkeypox -- between two men and their Italian greyhound living together in Paris -- was reported last week in the medical journal The Lancet.

"This is the first case reported of human-to-animal transmission... and we believe it is the first instance of a canine being infected," Rosamund Lewis, the WHO's technical lead for monkeypox, told reporters.

Experts had been aware of the theoretical risk that such a jump could happen, she said, adding that public health agencies had already been advising those suffering from the disease to "isolate from their pets".

She also said "waste management is critical" to lowering the risk of contaminating rodents and other animals outside the household.

Species barrier

When viruses jump the species barrier it often sparks concern that they could mutate dangerously.

Lewis stressed that so far there were no reports that was happening with monkeypox.

But she acknowledged that "as soon as the virus moves into a different setting in a different population, there is obviously a possibility that it will develop differently and mutate differently".

The main concern revolves around animals outside of the household.

"The more dangerous situation... is where a virus can move into a small mammal population with high density of animals," WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told reporters.

"It is through the process of one animal infecting the next and the next and the next that you see rapid evolution of the virus."

He stressed though that there was little cause for concern around household pets.

"I don't expect the virus to evolve any more quickly in one single dog than in one single human," he said, adding that while "we need to remain vigilant... pets are not a risk."

Monkeypox was originally identified in monkeys kept for research in Denmark in 1958, though it is found most frequently in rodents.

The disease was first discovered in humans in 1970, with the spread since then mainly limited to certain West and Central African countries.

But in May, cases of the disease, which causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions, began spreading rapidly around the world, mainly among men who have sex with men.

Worldwide, more than 35,000 cases have been confirmed since the start of the year in 92 countries, and 12 people have died, according to the WHO, which has designated the outbreak a global health emergency.

'Not a silver bullet'

With global case numbers jumping by 20 percent in the past week alone, the UN health agency is urging all countries to do more to rein in the spread, including ensuring at-risk populations have access to services and information about the dangers and how to protect themselves.

There is also a vaccine, originally developed for smallpox, but it is in short supply.

Lewis also stressed that there was still little data on the effectiveness of the vaccine in protecting against monkeypox in the current outbreak.

While no randomised control trials had been conducted yet, she said there were reports of breakthrough cases following vaccination, indicating "the vaccine is not 100 percent".

Pointing to limited studies in the 1980s suggesting that the smallpox vaccines used at the time might offer 85-percent protection against monkeypox, she said the breakthrough cases were "not really a surprise".

"But it reminds us that the vaccine is not a silver bullet," she said.

© 2022 AFP

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2022/08/monkeypox-can-spread-to-pet-dogs.html

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2022/08/cdc-changes-guidance-after-dog.html

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2022/08/dog-with-monkeypox-sparks-questions.html

ETHIOPIAN IMPERIALISM AND ETHNIC CLEANSING
WHO slams 'unimaginable cruelty' inflicted on Tigray

Robin MILLARD
Wed, August 17, 2022 


The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday branded the "man-made catastrophe" in Ethiopia's Tigray region the "worst disaster on Earth" -- and slammed global leaders for overlooking the humanitarian crisis.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said "unimaginable cruelty" was being inflicted on six million people in the northern region, effectively cut off from basic services for nearly two years.

Tedros, who is himself from Tigray, suggested racism may be why the situation ranked behind Ukraine in terms of international attention, despite it being "the worst humanitarian crisis".

In November 2020, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered troops into the region to topple the Tigray People's Liberation Front, accusing rebels of attacking federal army camps.


Since the war broke out, Ethiopia's northernmost region has suffered food shortages and access to basic services such as electricity, communications and banking has been severely limited.

"As a result, the people of Tigray are facing multiple outbreaks of malaria, anthrax, cholera, diarrhoea and more," Tedros told a WHO press conference in Geneva.

"This unimaginable cruelty must end. The only solution is peace."

Fighting has eased in northern Ethiopia since a humanitarian truce was declared at the end of March, allowing the resumption of desperately needed international aid convoys to Tigray.

In recent weeks both sides have mooted the possibility of peace talks.

But Tedros said only a trickle of food and medicines had made it into the region, and said basic services must be resumed in order to build confidence in the peace negotiations.

"How can peace talks happen when six million people are suffocated?" he said, putting his hand around his neck.

Tedros suggested discrimination could explain why the crisis had persisted without world leaders pressing Ethiopia and its northern neighbour Eritrea, whose forces have been backing the Ethiopian army.

"Maybe the reason is the colour of the skin of the people in Tigray. I haven't heard in the last several months now even a head of state talking about the Tigray condition anywhere, in the developed world especially. Why? I think we know," Tedros said.

"This is the worst disaster on Earth as we speak... That's the bare truth."

He said the drought affecting the Horn of Africa was compounding the crisis.

"I appeal to the Ethiopian government to resolve this peacefully. The ball is in its hand," the country's former health and foreign minister said.

Soce Fall, the WHO's assistant director-general for emergency response, said that recovery in the health system in Tigray would take "months and months", with the current needs far from being fulfilled before it was even possible to talk about recovery.

rjm/nl/rox/ri

UN rights chief says Rohingya refugees unable to return

AFP -

UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said Wednesday that it remained unsafe for Rohingya refugees to return to their homes in Myanmar, nearly five years after a crackdown there sparked an exodus to neighbouring Bangladesh.


© -UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet (C) visits a Rohingya refugee camp in Ukhia, Bangladesh

Nearly a million members of the mostly Muslim minority live in a sprawling and squalid patchwork of refugee settlements near Bangladesh's southern coast.

Most fled their homes after a 2017 Myanmar army offensive that is now subject to a landmark genocide case at the UN's top court.

Five years later, the refugees refuse to go back without guarantees for their safety and rights in Myanmar, which is now ruled by a military junta after the ouster of its civilian government last year.

Bachelet met with Rohingya community members during a tour of the camps on Tuesday and said they had expressed "resounding hope" that they would be able to go back to their homes.

"Unfortunately the current situation across the border means that the conditions are not right for returns," Bachelet told reporters in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

"Repatriation must always be conducted in a voluntary and dignified manner, only when safe and sustainable conditions exist in Myanmar."

Bangladesh has become increasingly impatient with the presence of its huge refugee population, and Bachelet said she was concerned about "increasing anti-Rohingya rhetoric" and scapegoating of the community.

She added that many refugees were fearful for their safety due to the activity of armed groups and criminal gangs.

Security has been a constant issue in the camps, with scores of killings, kidnappings and police dragnets targeting drug trafficking networks.

Two Rohingya community leaders were shot dead earlier this month, allegedly by an insurgent group active in the camps that has been accused of murdering political opponents.

Bachelet was on a four-day visit to Bangladesh before her term as UN high commissioner for human rights ends later this month.

While touring the camps on Tuesday, she urged the international community to continue to support the Rohingya despite heightened global focus on more recent crises.

She added that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was being keenly felt among the Rohingya, with global food prices soaring and driving up the costs of supporting a population dependent on humanitarian aid.

"I would insist that the international community don't abandon the Rohingyas and continue supporting and even looking at if they can scale up and support, because of the consequences of the war," she said.

- 'Serious allegations' -

Bachelet is the first UN rights chief to visit Bangladesh and her trip included meetings with local activists to discuss accusations of gross abuses by security forces, including extrajudicial killings.

Campaigners say that under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the country's security forces have killed thousands of people in staged shootouts, while hundreds of others have disappeared.

"I raised my deep concern about these serious allegations with government ministers and highlighted the need for an impartial, independent and transparent investigation into these allegations," Bachelet told reporters.

In December, the United States imposed sanctions on the country's elite Rapid Action Battalion police force as well as seven top security officers, including the national police chief, over allegations of gross human rights violations.

The government denies the accusations of disappearances and extrajudicial killings, with one minister saying that some of those who went missing had in fact fled Bangladesh.

bur-gle/slb/aha

Damaged freighter blocks traffic at drought-hit Rhine

Wed, August 17, 2022 


A stranded cargo ship caused traffic to be halted Wednesday at the Rhine river in western Germany after suffering a technical fault, authorities said, at a time when water transport was already ailing from a drought.

The vessel is stuck at St Goar and Oberwesel, in between the cities of Mainz and Koblenz, water police said, adding that they were expecting to clear the stricken ship within the day.

The machine damage came as water levels in the Rhine had dropped to critical points at several locations, including at nearby Kaub -- a known bottleneck for shipping where the river runs narrow and shallow.

The gauge at Kaub stood at 34 cm (13 inches) on Wednesday, well below the 40-cm reference point.

While vessels are still able to navigate at low water levels, they are forced to reduce their loads to avoid the risk of running aground.

About four percent of freight is transported on waterways in Germany, including on the Rhine, which originates in Switzerland and runs through several countries including France and Germany before flowing into the sea in the Netherlands.

Transport on the Rhine has gained significance in recent months because among cargo moved on the river is coal, now all the more necessary as Germany seeks to wean itself off Russian gas.

Germany's biggest companies have already warned that major disruptions to river traffic could deal another blow to an economy already beset by logistical difficulties.

The 2018 drought, which saw the benchmark depth of the Rhine in Kaub drop to 25 cm in October, shrank German GDP by 0.2 percent that year, according to Deutsche Bank Research.

hmn/dlc/lth

Egypt's central bank governor resigns as economic woes mount

Wed, August 17, 2022 


CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s central bank governor resigned Wednesday as the Middle East's most populous nation struggles to curb inflation triggered by Russia's war in Ukraine, high oil prices and a drop in tourism.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi accepted the resignation of Tarek Amer and named him a presidential adviser, the Egyptian leader’s office said in a statement. The brief statement offered no explanation for Amer’s resignation.

No replacement was immediately named for Amer, who had been appointed governor of the central bank in November 2015. He has been criticized for his handling of Egypt’s financial challenges.

The currency is under pressure, sliding in value to about 19 Egyptian pounds to the U.S. dollar. That followed a central bank decision allowing the currency to depreciate by around 16% in March to try to stem a growing trade deficit.

“It seems there's a lot of tensions within policymaking circles, and I think that's ultimately what led to Mr. Amer's resignation," said Jason Tuvey, a senior emerging markets economist at Capital Economics.

Tuvey said there are officials that oppose devaluing the pound and instead support measures like rationing gas consumption by curbing electricity usage, which could in turn harm business activity. Amer had traditionally been seen as in the camp that supported the pound's depreciation as a way to secure a loan from the International Monetary Fund.

The London-based Capital Economics research firm predicts that Egypt’s currency will continue to slide, reaching 25 pounds to the dollar by the end of 2024 amid sustained pressure.

The resignation of the central bank head comes after key ministries were reshuffled Saturday as the government faces mounting pressure from economic challenges. The Cabinet shake-up, which was approved by parliament in an emergency session, affected 13 ministries, including health, education, culture, local development and irrigation. The country’s minister of tourism and antiquities also was replaced.

Egypt’s expansive tourism industry, which employs millions, was hit hard by years of turmoil, the COVID-19 pandemic and then the war in Ukraine. Prior to the conflict, around a third of tourists to Egypt came from Russia.

Russia’s war has been deeply felt in other ways in Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer that sources around 80% of it from the Black Sea region.

In the first weeks after the invasion of Ukraine in late February, the price of wheat and other grains skyrocketed, as did the price of fuel. Although prices have come down somewhat, the cost of grains remains at least 50% higher than before the pandemic in early 2020. Furthermore, the cost of shipping to export those grains through the Black Sea is high.

Inflation in the country of 103 million people reached 14.6% in July, increasing pressure on lower-income households and everyday necessities. Around a third of Egyptians live in poverty, according to government figures.

The World Bank notes that Egypt's government announced an assistance package worth 130 billion pounds (more than $8 billion) just before devaluing the pound in March to alleviate the impact of rising prices. The package aimed to increase public-sector wages and pensions, as well as expand direct cash assistance programs.

Egypt's Gulf Arab allies have come to its assistance with multibillion-dollar investments buoyed by high oil prices that have helped their bottom line.

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, known as the Public Investment Fund, recently established a division in Egypt that has already announced deals worth $1.3 billion with the aim of bringing in $10 billion into Egypt.

___

Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Samy Magdy And Aya Batrawy, The Associated Press

Miners Toil For Coal Beneath The Battle For East Ukraine
By Joe STENSON
08/17/22 

Since Moscow's troops failed to storm Kyiv, the conflict has shifted to the agricultural south and industrial, coal-rich Donbas in the east

Deep underground, not far from Ukraine's frontlines, coal miners burrowing in the bowels of the earth are preoccupied by the war but resigned to getting the job done.

Since Moscow's troops failed to storm Kyiv, the conflict has shifted to the agricultural south and industrial, coal-rich Donbas in the east.

At a mine founded 43 years ago, when Ukraine was still part of the USSR, outside the city of Pavlograd in the Dnipropetrovsk region, 4,000 workers toil on rotating shifts.

Just 170 kilometres (106 miles) from the pro-Russian separatist stronghold of Donetsk, miner Oleksandr Oksen says thoughts are often with colleagues on the frontlines.

"We are with them in spirit, but after all, the coal also needs to be mined by someone" the 42-year-old pit boss said.

Some 800 employees have been called up to serve as soldiers in the war raging 150 kilometres to the east, soon to enter its seventh month.

Mine officials insist output has nevertheless remained the same.

From the ground level, the facility has the air of a university campus. Willow fronds blow in the wind and a water feature spouts next to a waist-high giant chess set.


But 370 metres (1,200 feet) down a lift shaft, wailing with the sound of tortured metal during the descent, the hardships of working at the coalface begin.

The heat is smothering, and the air is saturated with percolating dust. It is said there is a ghost in the mine that helps the workers, but even here they are haunted by anxieties about the war.

Phones must be surrendered at the start of shifts and staff learn only of the latest developments -- and the safety of friends and family -- when they emerge back into the sunlight six hours later.

"Leaving the mine, the first thing they do is pick up the phone and call," said Vasyl, the director of the mining complex, who asked that his last name not be used.


After plunging into the tunnels, workers are ferried 3.6 kilometres in a squat train carriage -- like a giant filing cabinet turned on its side -- before travelling by foot up a narrow tunnel, the rock walls held back by rusted metal cages.

The slot in the rock is winnowed down further and further, until it is only one metre tall.

Deep inside, hunched at his post, is Volodymyr Palienko, 33, tinkering with the metal maw of a machine.

"What is happening in our country affects everyone," he says. "Everyone has friends and acquaintances who are involved in one way."

At a mine outside the city of Pavlograd -- founded 43 years ago when Ukraine was still part of the USSR -- 4,000 workers toil on rotating shifts

Phones must be surrendered at the start of shifts and staff learn only of the latest developments -- and the safety of friends and family -- when they emerge back into the sunlight six hours later

The heat is smothering in the shafts and the air is saturated with percolating dust

Online campaign raises $20,000 for Freya walrus statue in Norway

Critics said the decision to put the animal down was rushed and did not take her well-being into account.

Issued on: 17/08/2022 

Freya had made headlines since July 17 when she was first spotted in the waters of the Norwegian capital

 Tor Erik Schrøder NTB/AFP/File

Oslo (AFP) – An online campaign has raised over $20,000 to build a statue in Norway for Freya, a beloved walrus that was euthanised by officials at the weekend.

The walrus gained global attention after she was spotted basking in the Oslo fjord, attracting large crowds keen to spot the 600-kilogram (1,300-pound) marine mammal.

She was put down on Sunday after officials said she was showing signs of stress and feared she was a threat to the public, who did not keep their distance as requested.

On Wednesday, an online campaign had so far raised 210,000 Norwegian krone ($21,600) to build a statue in the young walrus's honour.

The campaign's organiser said the statue should serve as a reminder for future generations to protect animals.

"The culling of Freya sends the extremely negative message that Norway, and in particular Oslo, is not able to make room for wild animals," Erik Holm said on the fundraising website Spleis.no.

"By erecting a statue of the symbol that Freya has become in such a short time, we will remind ourselves (and generations to come) that we cannot and should not kill or erase nature when it is in our path."

Freya, estimated to be around five years old, had already been sighted in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden and chose to spend part of the summer in Norway.

She had made headlines since July 17 when she was first spotted in the waters of the Norwegian capital.

The walrus is a protected species that normally lives in the even more northerly latitudes of the Arctic.

Between long naps in the sun -- a walrus can sleep up to 20 hours a day -- Freya had been filmed chasing a duck, attacking a swan and dozing on boats struggling to support her bulk.

Despite repeated appeals, curious onlookers continued to approach the mammal, sometimes with children in tow, to take photographs.

Walruses do not normally behave aggressively towards humans, but they can feel threatened by intruders and attack.

Critics said the decision to put the animal down was rushed and did not take her well-being into account.

Officials said sedating Freya and moving her to a less populated area would be too complex an operation.

© 2022 AFP

NASA's new rocket on launchpad for trip to Moon


Issued on: 17/08/2022 -

NASA's SLS rocket with an Orion capsule at its tip on launchpad 39B in Cape Canaveral in Florida ahead of the planned launch of the Artemis 1 uncrewed flight to the Moon Joel KOWSKY NASA/AFP


Washington (AFP) – NASA's giant new SLS rocket arrived at its launchpad Wednesday in Cape Canaveral ahead of a planned flight to the Moon in less than two weeks.

It will be the maiden voyage of the Artemis program -- America's quest to return humans to the Moon for the first time since the last Apollo mission in 1972.

The Artemis 1 mission, an uncrewed test flight, will feature the first blastoff of the Space Launch System rocket, which will be the most powerful in the world.

It will propel the Orion crew capsule into orbit around the Moon, and the spacecraft will remain in space for 42 days before returning to Earth.

Starting in 2024, astronauts will travel aboard Orion for the same trip, and the following year, at the earliest, Americans will once again set foot on the Moon.

The SLS rocket, in development for more than a decade, is 98 meters (322 feet) tall.

On Wednesday it stood at historic launch complex 39B, after a 10-hour overnight crawl from the assembly building.

"To all of us that gaze up at the Moon, dreaming of the day humankind returns to the lunar surface, folks, we're here. We are going back," NASA administrator Bill Nelson said earlier this month.

The Orion capsule will fly to the Moon and 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) beyond it -- further than any previous crewed spacecraft.

On the way back through Earth's atmosphere, traveling at 40,000 km per hour (25,000 mph), Orion's thermal shield will have to withstand a temperature that is half that of the surface of the sun.

Liftoff for the Artemis 1 mission is scheduled for August 29 at 8:33 am (1233 GMT). If it has to be postponed due to bad weather, the backup dates are September 2 and 5.

After the 42-day trip, the capsule is supposed to splash down in the Pacific and be picked up by a US Navy vessel.

In 2024, an Artemis 2 mission is scheduled to take astronauts up to orbit the Moon but without landing on it. That honor is reserved for Artemis 3, a mission scheduled for 2025 at the earliest.

The last time people walked on the Moon was with the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

While the Apollo program featured only white male astronauts, NASA says the Artemis missions will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon.

The hope is to use the Moon as a staging ground to develop technologies for sending humans to Mars.

© 2022 AFP