Hong Kong Arrests Harmonica Player For Sedition At Queen Vigil

09/20/22 
H

Hong Kongers have left a field of bouquets outside the British consulate 

AFP / Peter PARKS


A Hong Konger who played a harmonica to a crowd outside the British consulate during Elizabeth II's funeral was arrested for sedition, police and local media said Tuesday.

Crowds of Hong Kongers have queued to pay tribute to Britain's late monarch this week, some expressing nostalgia for the city's colonial past at a time when Beijing is seeking to purge dissent.

Hundreds gathered outside the consulate on Monday evening as Britain was holding a state funeral, sharing livestreams on phones as well as laying candles and flowers.

At one point, a man started to play songs on a harmonica, according to an AFP reporter on the scene, including the British national anthem and "Glory To Hong Kong", a popular song during huge, sometimes violent pro-democracy protests three years ago.

The mourners outside the consulate applauded the performance and shone their phone lights, with many later shouting the protest chant "Hong Kongers add oil" and singing "Glory To Hong Kong".

Local reporters later photographed the harmonica player being questioned by police and detained.

On Tuesday, police said a 43-year-old man surnamed Pang was arrested outside the consulate for "seditious acts".

A police source confirmed to AFP that the man arrested was the harmonica player.

After 2019's democracy protests, China has cracked down on dissent in Hong Kong using national security legislation and charges of sedition.

The latter is a colonial-era law that had fallen into obscurity for decades until prosecutors dusted it off in the aftermath of the protests.

The song "Glory to Hong Kong" contains the popular protest chant "liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" which has been declared by the courts to be a threat to national security.

A man in his 60s was charged earlier this year for performing without a license after playing the song on his er-hu, a Chinese two-stringed instrument, at a bus terminus.

Oliver Ma, a Filipino-Hong Kong busker, was arrested three times in 2020 and 2021 when singing the English version of the protest song on Hong Kong streets.

Hong Kong was a British colony for over 150 years and while the financial hub was returned to China in 1997, the past is engraved into its landscape, from street names and the ubiquity of English to the common law legal system.

In the week since Elizabeth II's death more than 13,000 people signed a condolence book in the city's British consulate.

DICTATORSHIP

Tunisia's anti-terrorism police detain Ennahda leaders

Tunisia's anti-terrorism police detained for one day Ali Laarayedh, a former prime minister and senior official in the Islamist opposition Ennahda party, after an investigation into suspicions of sending jihadists to Syria, lawyers said on Tuesday.

Sensitive offshore gas field key to Israeli energy strategy

By

 Canada Express News

 -

September 20, 2022

Israel is preparing to activate an offshore gas field near its disputed maritime border with Lebanon, with the aim of boosting energy exports to Europe, but is threatening further tensions with its northern neighbor.

Israel and Lebanon, still technically at war, have been in on-off US-brokered talks since 2020 to demarcate their Mediterranean border, which could allow both countries to boost offshore natural gas exploration. .

But the Karish gas field has emerged as a potential pitfall.

Israel says Karish, licensed to London-listed Energean, is entirely in its exclusive economic zone.

Lebanon has claimed that part of the field is falling into its own waters.

The powerful Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah launched unarmed drones at Karish in July after Energean fielded a production ship. It has threatened attacks if Israel continues its extraction.

Israeli officials have consistently said Hezbollah’s threats against Karish would not deter production, stressing that control of the field was not in question.

“Israel believes it is both possible and necessary to agree on a maritime border between Lebanon and Israel in a way that will serve the interests of the citizens of both countries,” Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement on Monday.

“The production of gas from the Karish rig is not linked to these negotiations, and production of gas from the rig will start as soon as possible,” he added.

For Israel, ensuring the production of Karish is critical to achieving its goal of increasing energy exports to Europe, which seeks to fill the supply gaps caused by declining Russian sales due to the war in Ukraine.

“We are going to be part of the effort to replace Russian gas in Europe,” said Lapid, who stood next to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin last week.

Israel aimed to supply “10 percent” of what Moscow supplied to Europe ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, Lapid said.

– Tensions in Lebanon –

Israel’s options to boost gas exports to Europe are complex and challenging.

But experts agree that the best short-term option is to ramp up sales to Egypt, allowing Israeli gas to liquefy before shipping to Europe.

Israel and Egypt signed an agreement until June to work together on that effort.

But if Israel wants to send more gas from its Leviathan and Tamar fields to Egypt while meeting its domestic energy needs, it must “have stable production of Karish,” Israeli gas industry specialist Gina Cohen told CEN.

She said Israeli plans to increase exports to Europe also depend on expanding the capacity of the existing pipeline to Egypt.

Despite “Lapid talk,” Israel “isn’t there yet,” she said.

Israel’s longer-term gas export goals could be met by building a pipeline to Turkey, a scenario with brighter prospects amid warming ties between Ankara and Israel.

But officials estimate this could take up to three years and cost $1.5 billion.

Another option is the EastMed project, a proposed seabed pipeline linking Israel to Cyprus and Greece, but there are also concerns about the cost and viability of that project.

During the US-brokered talks, Lebanon initially demanded 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) in the disputed sea area, but then asked for another 1,430 square kilometers, including part of the Karish field.

Beirut changed its position in June, telling US envoy Amos Hochstein it was willing to withdraw its demand for territory where Israel wanted to extract gas in the short term.

But Hezbollah’s threats against Karish have persisted, and former Israeli general Amir Avivi warned that the risk of hostilities is possible even if both governments want to see increased, stable gas production.

“Hezbollah is actually using the Karish issue and this maritime dispute to show that they are the ones who care about Lebanon’s interests,” he said.

Cyprus, Israel pledge quick deal in gas field dispute

Mon, September 19, 2022

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Israel and Cyprus said Monday that they have made “significant” headway in resolving a long-running dispute over an offshore natural gas deposit and say they are committed to quickly reaching a deal as Europe looks for new energy sources.

Cyprus Energy Minister Natasa Pilides and her Israeli counterpart, Karine Elharrar, held talks in the Cypriot capital, pledging to press toward a “fair and swift resolution.”

Israel claims that a portion of Cyprus’ Aphrodite deposit estimated to hold some 4.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas falls inside its nearby Ishai field, along an offshore demarcation line that separates the two countries' exclusive economic zones.

Negotiations have stretched for several years, but Europe’s need to wean itself off Russian energy sources since the war in Ukraine appears to have added a new sense of urgency to the talks. Russia has cut back natural gas supplies to Europe, driving up prices.

“In light of the global energy crisis and the growing need for natural gas in Europe, I believe it is in our best interest that both parties should expedite a swift, transparent and fair settlement,” Elharrar said in a joint statement. “The trust between us and the continuation of fruitful cooperation in the various fields are very important for both parties.”

Pilides said the sides have made “significant progress” in fleshing out a roadmap that an expert appointed by both countries will follow to hammer out a compromise deal, adding that discussions will continue in the following weeks.

“Cyprus and Israel share a common vision for fully unlocking the potential of Eastern Mediterranean gas resources, thereby diversifying energy sources and routes to Europe,” Pilides said.

Chevron and partners Shell and Israeli NewMed Energy own the drilling rights to the Aphrodite field and have said that a plan to develop the deposit will be ready by the end of the year. Another well will be drilled in the coming months to gather additional information about the deposit’s size.

Pilides said last month that processing extracted gas at facilities in Idku, Egypt, is among the four development options being studied.

Prospects for the Aphrodite field as well as other gas deposits discovered off Cyprus received a boost after the European Union confirmed that natural gas could act as a bridge fuel until 2050 as part of the bloc’s transition to cleaner energy. Environmental groups have begun legal challenges, accusing the EU of derailing its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Menelaos Hadjicostis, The Associated Press

Israeli PM vows to begin production in contested gas field

Israel's Prime Minister Yair Lapid attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, on Sept. 18, 2022

. Israel's prime minister on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022 vowed to begin production at a contested 

Mediterranean natural gas field “as soon as it is possible,” threatening to raise tensions with 

Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group.(Ronaldo Schemidt/Pool Photo via AP)

Reublished September 19, 2022 - 12:24 PM

Original Publication Date September 19, 2022 - 11:41 AM

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister on Monday vowed to begin production at a contested Mediterranean natural gas field “as soon as it is possible,” threatening to raise tensions with Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group.

Yair Lapid's announcement in a statement from his office came at a sensitive time in long-running efforts by a U.S. mediator to resolve a dispute over the countries' maritime border. U.S. officials have said they are making progress, but need more time to reach a solution.

Lapid said it is “both possible and necessary” to reach an agreement with Lebanon, which he said would benefit both countries and “strengthen regional stability.”

But he said that production from the Karish gas field is not connected to the negotiations and “will commence without delay, as soon as it is possible.”

Israel set up a gas rig at Karish in June, saying the field is part of its U.N.-recognized exclusive economic zone. Lebanon insists Karish is in disputed waters.

In July, the Israeli military shot down three unarmed Hezbollah drones flying over the Karish field. Hezbollah’s leader issued a warning to Israel over the maritime dispute, saying that “any arm” that reaches to steal Lebanon’s wealth “will be cut off.”

The heavily armed Hezbollah, which fought a monthlong war against Israel in 2006, has repeatedly said in the past that it would use its weapons to protect Lebanon’s economic rights. Still, Hezbollah officials have said they would endorse a deal reached between Lebanon’s government and Israel. Israel considers Hezbollah to be one of its greatest threats.

The two countries, which have been officially at war since Israel’s creation in 1948, both claim some 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon hopes to unleash offshore oil and gas production as it grapples with the worst economic crisis in its modern history.

Eleven schoolchildren killed in Myanmar air strike: UNICEF

Issued on: 20/09/2022 -

he Sagaing region has seen some of the fiercest fighting, and clashes between anti-coup fighters and the military have seen entire villages burned down 

STR AFP

Yangon (AFP) – At least 11 schoolchildren died in an air strike and firing on a Myanmar village, the United Nations children's agency said, an attack the country's junta said targeted rebels hiding in the area.

Myanmar has been in chaos since the military seized power in a coup in February last year, with nearly 2,300 civilians killed in a crackdown on dissent according to a local monitoring group.

The Sagaing region in the country's northwest has seen some of the fiercest fighting, and clashes between anti-coup fighters and the military have seen entire villages burned down.

The UN children's agency UNICEF condemned Friday's violence in Depeyin township in Sagaing.

"On 16 September, at least 11 children died in an air strike and indiscriminate fire in civilian areas," UNICEF said in a statement issued Monday.

It said schools must be safe and never targeted.

"At least 15 children from the same school are still missing," UNICEF said, calling for their immediate safe release.

Video footage obtained from a local community group shows a classroom with blood on the floor, damage to the roof and a mother crying over her son's dead body.
'They just attacked'

The junta said they had sent troops in helicopters to Let Yet Kone village after receiving a tip-off that fighters from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) -- an ethnic rebel group -- and from a local anti-coup militia were moving weapons in the area.

The military accused the rebel fighters of using civilians as human shields, and said it had seized mines and explosives from the village.

"Security members gave necessary medical treatment and arranged to send patients to a nearby hospital," the military said in a statement.

Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun on Tuesday accused the KIA of taking villagers to a monastery and then firing on troops from there.

A villager contacted by AFP rejected the military's suggestions there were fighters in the area.

"They just attacked the school. They say someone attacked them, then they fought back but this is not true," said the villager, who spoke on condition of anonymity for their own safety.

The villager said the military had taken away some of the bodies and detained a number of people, including children and teachers.

Save the Children Asia Regional Director Hassan Noor expressed condolences to the families and said schools should be off-limits and the safety of students protected.

"How many more incidents like this need to take place before action is taken?" Noor said, urging the UN Security Council and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to take swift action.

ASEAN has led so far fruitless diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in Myanmar and its leaders will meet in Phnom Penh in November to discuss limited progress on a peace plan.

© 2022 AFP

SEE https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2022/09/witnesses-myanmar-air-attack-kills-13.html

Protests in Iran over death of woman in police custody 'turn deadly'


Five people were killed in Iran's Kurdish region on Monday when security forces opened fire during protests over the death of a woman in police custody, a Kurdish rights group said, on a third day of turmoil over an incident that has ignited nationwide anger.

Protests in Iran over death of woman in police custody 'turn deadly'© via Reuters

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Iran's Kurdistan province, fell into a coma and died following her arrest in Tehran last week by the morality police, sparking demonstrations in numerous areas including the capital.

Two of the people were killed as security forces opened fire on protesters in the Kurdish city of Saqez, Amini's hometown, the Hengaw Human Rights Organization said on Twitter.

It said two more were killed in the town of Divandarreh "by direct fire" from security forces, and a fifth was killed in Dehgolan, also in the Kurdish region.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

There was no official confirmation of the deaths. The official news agency IRNA said there were "limited" protests in a number of cities in seven provinces that were dispersed by police.

State TV said a number of protesters had been arrested but rejected "some claims of deaths on social media" by showing two injured youths who denied reports they had been killed.

In the nationwide condemnations of Amini's death, the Persian hashtag #MahsaAmini reached nearly 2 million Twitter mentions.

The police have said Amini fell ill as she waited with other women held by the morality police, who enforce strict rules in the Islamic republic requiring women to cover their hair and wear loose fitting clothes in public.

But her father has repeatedly said his daughter had no health problems, adding that she had suffered bruises to her legs. He held the police responsible for her death.

The protests have been most intense in the Kurdish region, where the authorities have previously put down unrest by the Kurdish minority numbering 8 million to 10 million.

Hengaw said 75 people were injured on Monday.

A video posted on Twitter by Hengaw showed protesters throwing rocks while a man could be heard saying "there is a war in Divandarreh" and accusing the police of attacking.

Internet blockage observatory NetBlocks reported "near-total disruption to internet connectivity in Sanandaj" - the provincial capital of the Kurdish region - on Monday, linking it to the protests, according to its Twitter account.

While Hengaw reported deadly force by security forces in the Kurdish region, there were no immediate reports of protest fatalities in other parts of Iran.

Videos on social media showed demonstrations in Tehran and spreading to cities such as Rasht, Mashhad and Isfahan.

A video shared by the 1500tasvir Twitter account, which publishes footage sent by its 70,000 followers, showed police cars with their windows smashed in Tehran, as a nearby security forces' vehicle fired water canon towards protesters.

"People throwing rocks have advanced against the police. Death to the dictator!" a woman can be heard saying.

It also shared footage showing what it said was a protest at a Tehran university against the paramilitary Basij, a militia.

Reuters could not independently verify the videos.

It marks some of Iran's worst unrest since street clashes that began in late 2021 over water shortages.

'Unfortunate incident'

The United States demanded accountability for Amini's death.

"Mahsa Amini’s death after injuries sustained while in police custody for wearing an 'improper' hijab is an appalling and egregious affront to human rights," a White House spokesperson said.

France condemned her arrest, "and the violence that caused her death", the foreign ministry said, calling for a transparent investigation.

Earlier on Monday, Tehran Police commander Hossein Rahimi said "cowardly accusations" had been made against police, that Amini suffered no physical harm, and the police had "done everything" to keep her alive.

"This incident was unfortunate for us and we wish to never witness such incidents," Rahimi said.

The police have released closed-circuit television footage apparently supporting their version of events. Reuters could not authenticate the video.

Offenders against Iran's sharia, or Islamic law, and hijab rules face fines or arrest. But activists have recently urged women to remove veils despite the hardline rulers' crackdown on "immoral behaviour". Read full story

Amini's death could raise tension between the establishment and the Kurdish minority.

Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have put down unrest in the country’s Kurdish areas for decades, and many Kurdish activists have been sentenced to long jail terms or death.

(REUTERS)

Iranian Women Take Off Hijab, Protest Mahsa Amini's Death After Detention By 'Morality Police'

 

Iranian anti-riot unit attend funeral of a woman killed after being beaten by morality police

Sep 17, 2022
The Telegraph

Mahsa Amini was taken inside a police van and allegedly attacked by Iran’s Guardian Patrols, known also as morality police, and slipped into a coma shortly afterward. Iranian media reported on Friday evening that she had died of her injuries. Two of Iran’s senior ayatollahs have said the country’s feared morality police are illegal and un-Islamic as violent protests broke out against the supreme leader over the death of a woman beaten for not wearing her hijab properly. The force, known as Gashteh Ershad (guiding vigilantes), is “not only an illegal and anti-Islamic body, but also illogical”, said Ayatollah Bayat Zanjani on Saturday in an official statement.

Fury grows in Iran over woman who died after hijab arrest



Fury grows in Iran over woman who died after hijab arrestNewspapers with Amini, a victim of country's "morality police", are seen in Tehran

Sun, September 18, 2022 

DUBAI (Reuters) - Protests persisted on Sunday and #MahsaAmini became one of the top hashtags ever on Persian-language Twitter as Iranians fumed over the death of a young woman in the custody of morality police enforcing strict hijab rules.

Amini, 22, died on Friday after falling into a coma following her arrest in Tehran earlier in the week. The case has put a spotlight on women's rig
"Authorities have said my daughter suffered from chronic medical conditions. I personally deny such claims as my daughter was fit and had no health problems," Amini's father told pro-reform Emtedad news website on Sunday.

Hundreds of protesters gathered on Sunday around the University of Tehran, shouting "Woman, Life, Freedom", according to online videos.

Reuters could not verify the footage.

Under Iran's sharia, or Islamic law, women are obliged to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes. Offenders face public rebuke, fines or arrest. But in recent months activists have urged women to remove veils despite the hardline rulers' crackdown on "immoral behaviour."

SURGING HASHTAG

By Sunday afternoon the Persian hashtag #MahsaAmini had reached 1.63 million mentions on Twitter.

Amini was from the country's Kurdistan region, where there were also protests on Saturday, including at the funeral in her hometown Saqez.

Between 8 to 10 million Kurds live in Iran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have put down unrest in the country’s Kurdish areas for decades, and the hardline judiciary has sentenced many activists to long jail terms or death.

Police repressed the demonstrations in Saqez. According to videos posted online at least one man had a head injury. Reuters could not authenticate the videos.

Behzad Rahimi, a member of parliament for Saqez, told the semi-official ILNA news agency that a few people were wounded at the funeral. "One of them was hospitalised in the Saqez Hospital after being hit in the intestines by ballbearings," he said.

Kurdish rights group Hengaw said, however, that 33 people were injured in Saqez. Reuters could not independently confirm the number.

(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Frances Kerry)

Iran faces US in international court over asset seizure


FILE - Rescue workers sift through the rubble of the U.S. Marine base in Beirut in Oct. 23, 1983 following a massive bomb blast that destroyed the base and killed 241 American servicemen. Iran told the United Nation’s highest court on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, that Washington’s confiscation of some $2 billion in assets from Iranian state bank accounts to compensate bombing victims was an attempt to destabilize the Iranian government and a violation of international law. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 ruled money held in Iran’s central bank could be used to compensate victims of the 1983 bombing linked to Iran. (AP Photo, File)

MOLLY QUELL
Mon, September 19, 2022 

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Iran told the United Nations' highest court on Monday that Washington’s confiscation of some $2 billion in assets from Iranian state bank accounts to compensate bombing victims was an attempt to destabilize the Iranian government and a violation of international law.

In 2016, Tehran filed a suit at the International Court of Justice after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled money held in Iran’s central bank could be used to compensate the 241 victims of a 1983 bombing of a U.S. military base in Lebanon believed linked to Iran.

Hearings in the case opened Monday in the Hague-based court, starting with Iran's arguments. The proceedings will continue with opening statements by Washington on Wednesday.

At stake are $1.75 billion in bonds, plus accumulated interest, belonging to the Iranian state but held in a Citibank account in New York.

In 1983, a suicide bomber in a truck loaded with military-grade explosives attacked U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 241 American troops and 58 French soldiers.

While Iran long has denied being involved, a U.S. District Court judge found Tehran responsible in 2003. That ruling said Iran’s ambassador to Syria at the time called “a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and instructed him to instigate the Marine barracks bombing.”

The international court ruled it had jurisdiction to hear the case in 2019, rejecting an argument from the U.S. that its national security interests superseded the 1955 Treaty of Amity, which promised friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

“The freedom of navigation and commerce guaranteed by the treaty have been gravely breached,” Tavakol Habibzadeh, head of international legal affairs for Iran, told the 14-judge panel Monday.

A 2012 U.S. law ordered the bank to hand over the assets to the families of those killed in the Beirut bombing. A U.S. court concluded the attack, which struck barracks for service members conducting peacekeeping operations during Lebanon's civil war, was carried out by Iranian agents supported by the Hezbollah militant group.

Iran claims it was not involved in the attack. Habibzadeh said Monday that the U.S has created an “industry of litigation” against Iran and Iranian companies in an effort to undermine the regime. The seizure was just one maneuver “aiming to destabilize Iran and the Iranian government,” Habibzadeh said.

The two countries have had no diplomatic relations since the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover by militant students in Tehran.

The pair have a second case pending before the ICJ over the same obscure treaty. Tehran filed an unrelated complaint with the court in 2018 after former president Donald Trump re-imposed sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. In response, the U.S. withdrew from the treaty entirely.

The hearings come as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi headed on Monday to New York, where he will be speaking to the U.N. General Assembly later this week.

Talks between Iran and world powers over reviving a 2015 deal to curb Iran's nuclear activities remain stalled. Tehran and Washington have traded written responses in recent months on a roadmap that would see sanctions lifted against Iran in exchange for restricting its rapidly advancing nuclear program.

Brad Pitt unveils his sculptures at a first art show

Mon, September 19, 2022 

In the actor's first-ever public art exhibition, Brad Pitt has unveiled his sculptures in a lakeside art museum in Finland, the gallery said on Monday.

Located in Finland's third largest city of Tampere, this is the first time the "largely self-taught" American star presented his sculptures to the public, Sara Hilden Art Museum said.

Pitt's sculptures were revealed by the actor himself on Saturday as part of a larger exhibition by British artist Thomas Houseago, alongside a ceramic series by Australian alternative rocker Nick Cave.

"For Nick and I this is a new world and our first entry. It just feels right," Pitt told Finnish broadcaster Yle at the opening ceremony.

Pitt's work includes a moulded plaster panel "depicting a gunfight" and a series of house-shaped silicone sculptures that each have been shot with a different gauge of ammunition.

"To me it's about self-reflection. It's about where I have gotten it wrong in my relationships, where have I misstepped," Pitt said at the opening.

The 58-year-old actor's unexpected visit took the Nordic country by surprise as his involvement in the exhibition was not previously announced.

"In that sense this is exciting and wonderful," Chief Curator Sarianne Soikkonen told AFP.

As well as hosting Pitt's sculptures for the first time, the art show is Houseago's exhibition debut in the Nordic countries.

The decision to include his friends Cave and Pitt in his exhibition was shaped by the pandemic and "events in Houseago's personal life", Soikkonen said.

ehu/cdw

How many ants are on Earth? 

20 quadrillion, study says

Mon, September 19, 2022 

There are at least 20 quadrillion ants on Earth, according to a new study that says even that staggering figure likely underestimates the total population of the insects, which are an essential part of ecosystems around the world.

Determining the global population of ants is important for measuring the consequences of changes to their habitat -- including those caused by climate change.

Ants play a significant role, dispersing seeds, hosting organisms and serving as either predators or prey.

Some studies have already attempted to estimate the global ant population, but they resulted in a far smaller number than 20 quadrillion, which is 20 million billion.

For this new attempt -- published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) -- researchers analyzed 465 studies that measured the number of ants locally in the field.

The hundreds of studies used two standardized techniques: setting traps that captured ants passing by during a certain period of time, or analyzing the number of ants on a given patch of leaves on the ground.

While surveys have been carried out on all continents, some major regions had little or no data, including central Africa and Asia.

This is why "the true abundance of ants globally is likely to be considerably higher" than estimated, the study says. "It is of utmost importance that we fill these remaining gaps to achieve a comprehensive picture of insect diversity."

There are more than 15,700 named species and subspecies of ants that are found all over the planet, and probably an equal number that have yet to be described.

But nearly two-thirds of them are found in only two types of ecosystems: tropical forests and savannahs.

Based on the estimated number of ants, their total global biomass is thought to be 12 megatons of dry carbon -- more than that of wild birds and mammals combined, and 20 percent of that of humans.

In the future, researchers plan to study the environmental factors influencing population density of the tiny creatures.

la/wd/bgs/ec

quad·ril·lion

[kwäˈdrilyən]

NUMBER

1. a thousand raised to the power of five (10¹⁵).

   • dated

     BRITISH
     a septillion, that is, a thousand raised to the power of eight (10²⁴).

U.S. refiners eye Canadian oil once strategic reserve turns off taps

By Stephanie Kelly and Nia Williams - Yesterday 

The Imperal Oil refinery in Canada's "Chemical Valley" in Sarnia

© Reuters/NICK IWANYSHYN

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. refiners are expected to buy more Canadian oil after the Biden administration ends releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) this fall, traders said, adding this should boost the price of Canadian barrels at a time of tight global supply.

The coming end of SPR releases could shift market dynamics again in a year of high volatility following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February. In March the White House announced it would release 180 million barrels from the U.S. strategic reserve to help quell high prices.

The releases have weighed on the price of Western Canada Select (WCS), the benchmark Canadian heavy grade. That oil, because it has similar qualities to the sour crude that dominates U.S. reserves, has traded at around $20 a barrel below U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for much of the summer. In 2021 the average WCS discount was $12.78 a barrel, according to the Alberta Energy Regulator.

The WCS discount to WTI is expected to narrow as the SPR supply dwindles, market sources said.

"Once that overhang goes through, and it may not be in Q4 or Q1 but in Q2 and beyond, we should see a much stronger differential than where we are right now," one trader said. He added that he expected WCS traded in Alberta to be around $14 or $15 a barrel under WTI next year, compared with about $21 now.

Related video: U.S. oil inventory levels are low because we've become the largest exporter in the world, says Citi's Morse

Duration 4:02   View on Watch

However, increased medium sour crude production from OPEC countries such as Saudi Arabia, as well as discounted Russian Urals, could keep that differential wider, according to RBN Energy.

Canadian crude exports from the U.S. Gulf have dropped in the last two months, falling to around 130,000 barrels per day (bpd) in July and August, below last year's pace of 200,000 bpd, said Matt Smith, lead oil analyst for the Americas at Kpler. Foreign buyers have turned to discounted Russian barrels, tempering Canadian crude exports.

"It's a bit of a game of musical chairs," Smith said. "When the SPR releases finish, these refiners will look to lean harder again on Canadian barrels or seaborne imports."

Some market participants worry that limited pipeline capacity from Canada to the United States could cause bottlenecks. This could cause a glut in the Alberta hub, which could in turn drive down prices there.

Canada hit record production of 5.5 million barrels a day of oil in 2021, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and is forecast to reach 5.7 million bpd this year.

Enbridge Inc is once again rationing pipeline capacity, in a practice known as apportionment, on its Mainline system as Canadian output has risen. That system ships the bulk of Canadian crude exports to the United States.

Apportionment fell steeply last year when the Line 3 pipeline expansion opened and stopped entirely from March until July, but Enbridge has since started rationing capacity on its Mainline again. Crude deliveries into the Kerrobert, Saskatchewan, hub were apportioned by 2% in August and 6% in September, Enbridge said.

(Reporting by Stephanie Kelly and Nia Williams; Editing by David Gregorio)