Senate Democrats urge Pentagon to safeguard abortion access

Story by Ellen Mitchell • 

The majority of Senate Democrats on Monday pressed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to maintain access to abortion care for service members and their dependents, warning that restricting such care could hurt national security.


Senate Democrats urge Pentagon to safeguard abortion access© Provided by The Hill

In a letter led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, the 38 lawmakers tell Austin that “it is imperative that the Department of Defense continue to take action to protect the rights of service members and their families to access abortion care.”

“State laws restricting or prohibiting our service members from accessing reproductive care send a message that the United States does not trust those who serve in uniform – whom we trust to protect our country – to make their own decisions about their health care and families,” the letter reads. “These laws also jeopardize the health and overall readiness of our military.”

The letter was coauthored with Sens. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and signed by 36 Democrats as well as Independent Sens. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) and Angus King (Maine).

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last June, 13 states have outlawed most abortions, with several others severely restricting the procedure.

The RAND Corporation estimates that 40 percent of active-duty women who serve in the United States face limited or no access to abortion services where they are stationed, according to the letter.

Prior to the court’s decision, the Department of Defense allowed abortion services at military treatment facilities under limited circumstances, including pregnancy caused by rape or incest or endangering the health and life of the woman. In most other cases, service members were required to pay out of pocket themselves at civilian medical facilities.


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Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, Pentagon officials have vowed to continue to allow abortion services at military treatment facilities, including in states where the procedure is no longer allowed or limited.

Austin first announced in October that the Pentagon would also provide leave to service members and their dependents for travel required to access reproductive health care and would reimburse individuals for the trek.

Policies released in February gave additional details and guidance on how the directives would function.

In his October decision, Austin argued that restricting access to reproductive care “will interfere with our ability to recruit, retain, and maintain the readiness of a highly qualified force.”

Senate Republicans, however, are skeptical, with 12 asking Austin for the data to back up his readiness claims.

Led by Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the lawmakers in a letter earlier this month accused the Pentagon of a “blatant attempt to circumvent numerous federal statutes” and policies that “can only be interpreted as a purely political action taken without consulting Congress.”

The divide has also led to a hold on President Biden’s nominations for top Pentagon positions since February, with Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) last week vowing to maintain the freeze until the policy is altered.

And in a contentious Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last week, Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) included abortion access in the military as among so-called “social experiments” and “radical agendas,” at the Pentagon.

In Monday’s letter, Senate Democrats argue that state laws restricting abortions will not stop service members from needing or seeking care.

“Abortion restrictions and bans only force service members to travel farther to states that have not restricted abortion, further compromising both the financial security of the service members and military readiness,” they write. “Our service members should not be forced to needlessly risk their personal health and safety for routine health care simply because they pledged to protect and defend our nation.”

UCP GOVERNMENT
Alberta sees longer surgical wait times in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic: CIHI

Story by Anna Junker • Yesterday 


An Alberta Health Services building.© Provided by Edmonton Journal

Fewer surgeries are being performed within the recommended time frame in Alberta compared to before the pandemic, according to the Canadian Institute of Health Information.

New data published by the non-profit organization that tracks health-care systems shows that in Alberta, about 78,000 fewer surgeries were performed since March 2020 compared to pre-pandemic rates.

Between April and September 2022, only 27 per cent of knee replacement patients had surgery within the recommended six-month period, compared to 62 per cent in 2019. However, the institute notes that Alberta was among four provinces that performed more joint replacements over the five-month period, compared to the same time frame in 2019.

It’s a similar story for hip replacement patients, where 38 per cent had surgery within the recommended six-month period, compared to 64 per cent in 2019.

However, a higher proportion of patients were receiving cataract surgery within the recommended timeframe, 65 per cent compared to 44 per cent in 2019.

CIHI found it is also taking longer for cancer patients to get surgery compared to before the pandemic in Alberta. For example, in the case of lung cancer patients, it took on average 21 days for a patient to have surgery in 2019, whereas, in 2022, it took an average of 34 days.

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Prostate cancer surgeries have also seen an increase in wait times, with an average wait of 76 days in 2022, compared to 45 in 2019. Some patients are seeing a wait time of as many as 168 days.

Patients scheduled for breast cancer surgery had an average wait of 21 days, compared to 17 in 2019.

In response to the data, Scott Johnston, press secretaray to Health Minister Jason Copping, said in a statement that Alberta is ramping up efforts to address surgical wait times.

“As of March 2023, Alberta Health Services is completing surgeries at an average of 109 per cent of pre-pandemic surgical volumes, and the total surgical wait list for adults sits at 68,052,” he said. “For comparison, in February 2020, just before the pandemic, our total waitlist was virtually the same at 68,000.”

Johnston also said data for key benchmark surgeries is trending in the right direction and as of January, AHS was reporting improvements in knee replacement surgeries being completed within the recommended time frame at 39 per cent, and hip replacement surgeries at 49 per cent.

But the rates still remain below pre-pandemic levels.

As for cancer surgeries, he said they are nearly at 112 per cent of pre-pandemic volumes. As of March 6 of the 2022-23 fiscal year, AHS has completed approximately 20,930 cancer surgeries, compared to approximately 18,760 by the same times in the 2018-19 fiscal year. About 63 per cent of surgeries are being completed within the clinically recommended wait times.

Johnston added the provincial health authority has completed about 272,600 surgeries in the 2022-23 fiscal year.

ajunker@postmedia.com

POLITICAL PERSECUTION
German prosecutors search home of pro-Kremlin activists

INSTEAD OF BUSTING GERMAN CORPORATIONS DEALING WITH RUSSIA

Story by By REUTERS • Mar 27,2023

German prosecutors said on Monday they searched the home of two pro-Kremlin activists, looking for evidence to corroborate a Reuters report that the couple donated cash to buy radios for Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

A participant carries a flag with the "Z" symbol in support of the Russian armed forces involved in a conflict in Ukraine, during the Immortal Regiment march on Victory Day, which marks the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Saint Petersburg, Russia May 9, 2022.

© (photo credit: ANTON VAGANOV/ REUTERS)

Reuters reported in January that Max Schlund and his romantic partner Elena Kolbasnikova donated funds collected from supporters in Germany to a Russian army division fighting in Ukraine, and the money was used to purchase walkie-talkie radios, headphones and telephones.

European Union sanctions ban supplying, or financing the purchase of certain goods for the Russian military. The banned list includes radio gear. Under German law, the criminal penalty for anyone found to have violated sanctions is up to five years in prison.

Ulf Willuhn, a representative of the Cologne public prosecutors, said officers executed a search warrant on Monday morning at the couple's address, and took computers and folders containing written documents.

Kolbasnikova and Schlund did not immediately respond to requests for comment that Reuters sent to them on messaging apps. Kolbasnikova previously described the original Reuters report as "lies and provocation."


People take part in a protest against the delivery of weapons to Ukraine and in support of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Berlin, Germany February 25, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/CHRISTIAN MANG)

Crimes that the couple could be charged with

Willuhn said they would use the evidence they took to evaluate if Schlund and Kolbasnikova had violated paragraph 18 of the German foreign trade and payments act, which sets out punishments for breaches of international sanctions.

He said the search was triggered in part by the Reuters reporting on the donation to buy gear for the Russian army division in Ukraine.

Alongside that, he said prosecutors had also been looking for evidence of whether the couple violated section 140 of the German criminal code, which covers speaking approvingly of criminal acts.

That line of inquiry relates to allegations, reported in the German media, that the couple displayed the "Z" symbol, used by supporters of the Russian invasion, and re-posted a recruitment ad for pro-Kremlin military contractors.

In an audio message sent to supporters on social media on Monday, Kolbasnikova said she was not surprised the search had happened because the German authorities were "committing lawlessness" to try to silence political opponents.

"We will keep fighting ... God is on our side, and Moscow is at our backs. Three cheers for victory!" she said.

Kolbasnikova called on her supporters to attend a previously scheduled rally in Cologne on March 29 to protest in support of free speech and against what she described as "Russophobia."

A spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, said this month that Kolbasnikova was the victim of persecution by the German authorities.

ANTI-ASIAN SCAPEGOAT

MP Han Dong threatens legal action against Global over foreign interference report

Story by The Canadian Press •

OTTAWA — Han Dong is threatening legal action against Global News and its parent company after the media outlet published an allegation the Toronto MP spoke to a Chinese diplomat about delaying the release of two Canadians.


MP Han Dong threatens legal action against Global over foreign interference report© Provided by The Canadian Press

"Yes, I am taking legal action against Global News and Corus Entertainment," Dong said in a statement on Monday. "I have retained a lawyer to begin legal action to its fullest extent."

The statement follows a Global News report last week, citing anonymous security sources, that alleged the Toronto MP spoke about Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig with a Chinese diplomat in Toronto in February 2021.

The two Canadian men had been detained by China in December 2018, just over a week after the RCMP arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on a U.S. extradition warrant.

Global News alleged that Dong told China's consul general in Toronto that releasing the men would benefit the Conservatives, but also that showing some "progress" in the case would help the Liberals.

Global News has also published allegations that Dong benefited from Chinese foreign interference in the Canadian electoral process.

The Canadian Press has not independently verified the allegations against Dong, who announced Wednesday that he was leaving the Liberal caucus and would sit as an Independent to defend himself.

Global News editor-in-chief Sonia Verma stood by the outlet's reporting on Monday, saying in a statement: "Global News is governed by a rigorous set of journalistic principles and practices, and we are very mindful of the public interest and legal responsibility of this important accountability reporting."

Dong did not immediately respond to questions about his lawyer's identity, or whether he has filed a statement of claim in court to formally launch legal proceeedings.

In his statement on Monday, Dong pushed back against allegations of having worked with Beijing by relating his father's experience under the Chinese Communist regime, which included having been sent to a "re-education camp" in 1970.

"The trauma left on my father is one of the compelling reasons why, as co-chair of the Canada-China Legislative Association and a member of Parliament, I took every available opportunity to advocate on behalf of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor and to call for their immediate release," he said.

"It is inconceivable that I would ever suggest a falsely accused individual should spend an extra minute in jail."

Dong said he supports a public inquiry on foreign interference in Canada, and that he is willing to meet with former governor general David Johnston, who has been tapped as a special rapporteur to look into such allegations.

"I can look at myself in the mirror and know, with full certainty, that I have the truth on my side," he said. "My anonymous false accusers and their enablers cannot say the same."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2023.

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

MP Han Dong says he has retained a lawyer, plans to take legal action against Global News

Story by Catharine Tunney • CBC

MP Han Dong says he has retained a lawyer and plans to sue Global News after it published a story alleging he advised a senior Chinese diplomat in February 2021 that Beijing should hold off on freeing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor — the two Canadians being held by China at the time.


Toronto-area MP Han Dong announced he was leaving the Liberal caucus after Global News published a story alleging he advised a senior Chinese diplomat in February 2021 that Beijing should hold off on freeing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor — the two Canadians being held by China at the time.

Dong, who left Liberal caucus last week, confirmed to Global that he had a discussion with Consul General Han Tao but emphatically denied that he had advised Beijing to delay releasing the two Canadians.

On Friday, the Globe and Mail reported that the government received a CSIS transcript of Dong's conversation with the consul and concluded that there was no "actionable evidence," adding that it could not be determined that Dong asked the Chinese government to keep the two Canadians in prison for political reasons.

In a statement posted to Twitter Monday, Dong said he has a lawyer to "begin legal action to its fullest extent."

Dong writes that his father was shaped by the time he spent at the May Seventh Cadre School re-education camp in 1970 during China's cultural revolution, where he was "subjected to forced labour and 24-hour surveillance" for a year.

"From that experience my father knew there was no future left for him in China," Dong wrote.

He said his father came to Canada two months after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 and brought the rest of family over the next year.

"The trauma left on my father is one of the compelling reasons why, as co-chair of the Canada-China Legislative Association and a Member of Parliament, I took every available opportunity to advocate on behalf of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor and to call for their immediate release," he wrote.

"It is inconceivable that I would ever suggest a falsely accused individual should spend an extra minute in jail."

CBC News has reached out to Global and Corus Entertainment for comment.

'I have the truth on my side:' Dong

The Don Valley North MP said he supports a public inquiry into Chinese government interference and said he is willing to meet with former governor general David Johnston, the government's recently appointed special rapporteur on foreign interference, and provide him with information.

"Despite the abuse and shame my family has suffered over the last few weeks, I truly believe that my parents made the right decision to come to Canada," Dong wrote.

"I can look at myself in the mirror and know, with full certainty, that I have the truth on my side. My anonymous false accusers and their enablers cannot say the same."

During a news conference Friday, Trudeau was asked if he believed Dong advocated for the delayed release of Kovrig and Spavor.

He responded by recommending that people watch Dong's speech in the House of Commons earlier this week.

"We fully accept that he is stepping away from the Liberal caucus in order to vigorously contest these allegations," said Trudeau.

"Interference from authoritarian governments like China, Russia, Iran and others is a very real challenge to our democracies and it's absolutely unacceptable."

Dong is also the centre of allegations his election campaign benefited from Beijing's meddling and that he was "a witting affiliate."

Global News cited anonymous sources who alleged national security officials gave an urgent briefing to senior aides from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office in 2019 "warning them that one of their candidates was part of a Chinese foreign interference network."

Dong also denies those allegations.

March 27, 2023

KINSELLA: Can former Liberal MP Han Dong be charged with treason?

Opinion by Warren Kinsella • Thursday, March 23,2023

MP for Don Valley North Han Dong.© Provided by Toronto Sun


Can he be charged with treason?

It’s a question many are asking. It’s a fair question.

Since Wednesday night, when Global News dropped a bomb on Canadian politics — that former Liberal and now Independent MP Han Dong had allegedly lobbied China’s regime to illegally keep two Canadians in prison there, that’s a question I’ve been asked many times: If the allegations are true, can Dong be prosecuted for treason?

It’s important to emphasize, here, that the Toronto-area MP hasn’t been charged with any crime. He’s resigned from the Liberal caucus to clear his name — as a Conservative MPP in Ontario did earlier this month, for similar reasons — but no one has charged Han Dong with breaking any law.

And that may be because there’s no law to charge him with breaking.

In Canada, as with our allies, “treason” remains a serious crime. In the Criminal Code, it is defined in this way: “Every one commits treason who, in Canada, uses force or violence for the purpose of overthrowing the government of Canada or a province …

“[Or] without lawful authority, communicates or makes available to an agent of a state other than Canada, military or scientific information or any sketch, plan, model, article, note or document of a military or scientific character that he knows or ought to know may be used by that state for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or defence of Canada.”

We’ve got a criminal prohibition against “high treason,” too. But it’s a dramatically higher bar for prosecutors to clear. High treason is killing or attempting to kill our King or Queen — or waging actual war against Canada, or helping the enemy during a time of war.

But, as far as we know, we’re not at war. And, so far, the allegations against Dong don’t seem to fit a “treason” charge, either.

In the United States, someone facing similar allegations might not be so lucky.

The Americans don’t mess around. There, treason is a capital offence — you can be put to death for it.

Chapter 115 of the U.S. Code: “Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years.”

Having sworn an oath to Canada, the allegations Dong faces would be a violation of a similar law here. And “giving aid or comfort” to the enemy — here, China — would easily describe the untried allegations against Han Dong.

In Britain, the law against treason has been around for nearly seven centuries. It’s one of the oldest statutes in the United Kingdom

Though amended many times over the years, The Treason Act 1351, as in Canada, distinguishes between treason and high treason. High treason is killing the King or Queen — but also, originally, less serious offences like making counterfeit currency.

Ironically (given their origins), Americans seem to have borrowed the “aid or comfort” idea from the Brits. There, the allegations against Dong would arguably amount to high treason. The last Briton executed for treason — collaborating with wartime Germany — was hanged in 1946.

LILLEY: Liberal MP Dong resigns from party over interference claims

For those who remain livid about the allegations against Han Dong, we’re sorry: He can’t be charged with high treason or even mere treason.

He wasn’t a cabinet minister or a senior bureaucrat or a member of the military, so he isn’t easily caught by the new version of the Official Secrets Act, the Security of Information Act. Did he — as the Act says — harm “Canadian interests”?

The interests of the two Michaels, to be sure, if true. But were those identical to Canada’s? That’s less clear.

What’s clear, however, is this: While Han Dong may not be in any legal jeopardy, he sure is, politically.

CSIS is not his friend. And CSIS has apparently decided he needed to be removed from the Trudeau government.

And he has been.

MP Han Dong resigns from Liberal caucus, denies advising China to delay Two Michaels' release

Story by Ryan Tumilty , Catherine Lévesque • Wednesday, March 22,2023

OTTAWA — MP Han Dong has resigned from the Liberal caucus and will sit as an Independent after a new report alleged that he spoke with Chinese diplomats in 2021 to advise them to continue to hold two Canadians captive to help the Liberal party.


Han Dong . 

Dong, who represents the Toronto riding of Don Valley North, announced his resignation in an emotional address in the House of Commons on Wednesday evening. He said he informed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the leadership of the Liberal party caucus that he would be sitting as an Independent, even as he vehemently denied the allegations.

“Let me be clear, what has been reported is false,” he said. “And I will defend myself against these absolutely untrue claims.”

“I’m taking this extraordinary step because to sit in the government caucus is a privilege and my presence there may be seen by some as a conflict of duty and the wrong place to be as an independent investigation pursues the facts in this matter,” he added.

“I’ll be sitting as an Independent so the business of government and indeed the business of Parliament is not interrupted as our work to clear my name and the truth is presented to Parliament and to Canadian people.”

The Liberal MP has faced allegations of having received help from China in winning his Toronto seat. He has denied that, and has has also defended his record in missing votes condemning China’s human rights abuses of the Uyghur minority.

“Members skip their votes, abstain their votes all the time and I wasn’t the only one that skipped the vote,” he told reporters outside the House of Commons Tuesday.

He said he has cast several votes in Parliament that could be deemed hostile to China, including voting to include Taiwan in the World Health Organization.

A Global News story last month reported that CSIS warned the Prime Minister’s Office before the 2019 election that Dong received assistance from the Chinese consulate when he successfully ran for the Liberal party’s nomination in the Toronto riding of Don Valley North. According to Global’s reporting, the consulate bussed in seniors and Chinese international students to vote for Dong in the nomination race that was contested by other Liberal candidates.

Global published new reporting on Wednesday citing anonymous national security sources alleging that Dong had spoken with China’s consul general in February 2021 and advised him that releasing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor too soon would help the Conservatives.

The Prime Minister’s Office said it only became aware of the conversation between Dong and China’s consul general after Dong told them following Global News’ inquiries about the matter.

Dong, who vehemently denied Global’s story, said he spoke with the consul general, but urged him to release the two men as soon as possible.

Related video: Liberal MP Han Dong announces he's leaving Liberal caucus amid foreign interference allegations (cbc.ca)  Duration 4:18  View on Watch

“At every opportunity before they returned home, I adamantly demanded their release to Canada without delay. Any suggestions otherwise are false and are attempts to mislead you and your readers, and slander me,” he told Global News.

The two men were ultimately released in September 2021, a few days after a federal election in which Dong’s Liberal party won a minority government.

“Let me assure you as a parliamentarian and as a person, I have never and I would never or support the violation of the basic human rights of any Canadian, of anyone, anywhere,” said Dong in the House of Commons Wednesday night.

“I want to assure Mr. Michael Spavor and Mr. Michael Kovrig and their families that I did nothing to cause them any harm,” he added. “Like everyone in this House, I’ve worked hard and advocated for their interest as a parliamentarian. The allegations made against me are as false as the ones made against you.”

His final words in his address were for his wife and children. In tears, he said the truth would protect them and they would get through this together.

Since Dong was elected in 2019, the House of Commons has had two votes connected to the Uyghur genocide and in both cases Dong was not present. In a vote this year, Dong was present for votes on other motions immediately before and immediately after the genocide vote.

Dong did not respond when the National Post initially reported on the missed votes, but spoke with reporters late Tuesday and said he didn’t miss them for a specific reason.

“Members skip their votes, abstain their votes all the time and I wasn’t the only one that skipped the vote,” he told reporters outside the House of Commons Tuesday.

He said he has cast several votes in Parliament that could be deemed hostile to China.

“I voted to condemn China when they sanctioned one of our vice chairs of a standing committee. I voted to include Taiwan in the WHO. In 2020 I moved a motion in ethics committee to study election interference, domestic and international,” he said.

Dong was asked several times if he believes a Uyghur genocide is occurring in China’s Xinjiang’s region, as many human rights groups allege, and said he has concerns about human rights there.

“I have no doubt there is a severe human rights abuse in the Xinjiang region and that needs to be looked at independently,” he said. “I have deep concerns about human rights abuse in China, especially in the Xinjiang region, and I call for the opportunity for an independent Canadian review.”

Dong said the broader accusations against him, that the Chinese consulate helped him secure his nomination don’t add up.

“I’ve never been offered nor would I accept help from a foreign country or representative from a foreign country,” he said. “I’m a Canadian nominated by Liberals, registered Liberals in Don Valley North and elected by Canadians to serve Canadians. I’m just going to focus on my work.”

Dong noted that he has never received a call from CSIS, the RCMP, or Elections Canada about any of his campaigns and all of his expense and donations have been publicly reported.

He also defended Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s approach on the issue of foreign interference.

“The prime minister’s decision to have a special rapporteur to look into this and make a decision of whether a public inquiry is needed, I think it’s a very good decision.”

The RCMP told a House committee last month it did not open any investigations into foreign meddling in either the 2019 or 2021 elections. Independent panels overseeing each of those votes did not find any attempted interference that put the integrity of the elections at risk.

A closer look at MP Han Dong’s voting record on China

Story by Andrew Russell • Yesterday 

Provincial Liberal candidate Han Dong celebrates with supporters while taking part in a rally in Toronto on Thursday, May 22, 2014. Han Dong, the member of Parliament at the centre of allegations of Chinese meddling in the 2019 federal election, says he is resigning from the Liberal caucus and will sit as an Independent. 

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

A look at MP Han Dong’s political background and voting record

Toronto-area MP Han Dong is at the centre of a political firestorm following a Global News report that he allegedly spoke with a Chinese diplomat in 2021, advising Beijing to delay freeing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, according to two intelligence sources.

While Dong acknowledged the conversation with China’s consul-general in Toronto, Han Tao, he strongly denied the allegations that he told Beijing to hold off the release of the two Canadians.

He has subsequently resigned from the Liberal caucus, giving an emotional speech Wednesday night in the House of Commons.

“What has been reported is false, and I will defend myself against these absolutely untrue claims,” said Dong, who will now sit as an Independent.

“Let me assure members that, as a parliamentarian and as a person, I have never advocated, and I will never and would never advocate or support the violation of the basic human rights of any Canadian or of anyone, anywhere, period.”

Video: Han Dong leaving Liberal caucus, will sit as an Independent

Global News previously reported last month that Dong is one of at least 11 Toronto-area riding candidates who was allegedly supported by Beijing in the 2019 federal election, according to national security sources.

The sources spoke to Global News on the condition of anonymity, which they requested because they risk prosecution under the Security of Information Act.

Dong has denied the allegations.

In an effort to glean more about the Don Valley North MP’s positions on issues regarding China, Global News has compiled a review of his votes and statements inside and out of the House of Commons:

Statements on the Two Michaels

Trudeau says foreign interference ‘very real challenge,’ urges people to watch Han Dong’s speech  View on Watch

Kovrig and Spavor spent more than 1,000 days in prison in China in what was believed to be in retaliation for Canada’s 2018 detention of Meng Wanzhou. The Huawei senior executive was arrested in Vancouver on a U.S. extradition warrant over fraud charges related to U.S. sanctions violations against Iran.

While two national security sources told Global News that Dong urged Chinese Consul General Han Tao to delay freeing the Michaels, Dong pushed back strongly against the allegations in a response to Global News.

“I raised the status of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig and called for their immediate release,” he wrote.

“At every opportunity before they returned home, I adamantly demanded their release to Canada without delay. Any suggestions otherwise are false and are attempts to mislead you and your readers, and slander me.”

Global News reviewed all statements made by Dong in Parliament since he was elected in 2019 and found no remarks related to the Two Michaels or calls for their freedom prior to March 2023.

Dong did not respond to questions about where he’s previously made such statements.

The Globe and Mail reported Thursday that the Trudeau government determined there was no “actionable evidence” after it received a CSIS transcript of a 2021 conversation between Dong and China’s top diplomat in Toronto.

According to The Globe, a senior government source indicated that conclusions could not be drawn that Dong asked Beijing to keep the two Canadians in prison for political reasons.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked Friday by reporters about whether he believed Dong advocated for delaying the Michaels’ freedom.

The prime minister did not directly answer that question despite his office’s review of the conversation’s transcript.

“Dong gave a strong speech in the House that I recommend people listen to. We fully accept that he is stepping away from the Liberal caucus in order to vigorously contest these allegations,” the prime minister said.

Trudeau added that meddling by China, Russia or Iran “is a very real challenge to our democracy and is absolutely unacceptable.”

Calls for interference inquiry

Shortly after resigning from the Liberal caucus, Dong voted Thursday for an inquiry into foreign election interference.

The Trudeau government has been under intense pressure for perceived inaction after reports of China's alleged meddling in Canadian elections.

Dong voted with the Conservative Party, Bloc Québécois and New Democrats to help pass the motion with 172 votes in favour and 149 against, largely comprised of Liberal MPs.

Canada-China relations

Since 2019, there have been three votes on Canada-China relations. One was to review “the Canada–China relationship,” the second a call to combat growing Chinese foreign operations in Canada, and third recognizing that authoritarian regimes like China “increasingly pose a threat to the rules-based international order.”

Dong voted with the entire or vast majority of the Liberal caucus against the three motions.

Uyghur Genocide

On Feb. 1, a Liberal motion was brought forward condemning China’s human rights abuses of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang and called on the government to bring 10,000 Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims to Canada.

Uyghurs in other countries, the motion said, are pressured to return to China, where they face “forced sterilization, forced labour, torture and other atrocities.”

Dong voted before and after the Uyghur genocide motion but missed the show of hands on the Uyghurs, which passed with the unanimous consent of all 322 MPs present. His absence was first reported by the National Post.

The Toronto MP did not respond to questions from Global News about his non-attendence and referred Global to his statement before the House of Commons.

“Members skip their votes, abstain their votes all the time, and I wasn’t the only one that skipped the vote,” he told reporters Tuesday.

In February 2021, there was a House vote to declare that China’s treatment of the Uyghurs constituted genocide.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet abstained, but MPs were free to vote. Dong skipped that motion, which passed unanimou

Election interference

Amid a flurry of questions from reporters about the stunning allegations against him, Dong said that in 2020 he had called for a motion to study “election interference.”

In November 2020, Dong did call for a study on “ways to further protect Canada’s democratic and electoral institutions from cyber and non-cyber interference.”

The study, he said at the time, should include “how new domestic and international stakeholders, as well as other orders of government, can work together to strengthen Canada’s whole-of-society preparedness, resilience and civic engagement in the face of evolving threats to democracy.”

Wuhan Institute

In 2021, a Conservative motion sponsored by MP Michael Chong requested that the Public Health Agency turn over unredacted documents related to the shipment of viruses sent from Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory to Wuhan, China in 2019, and the subsequent firing of two scientists from the Winnipeg facility.

Dong voted with the nearly entire Liberal caucus against the motion, which nonetheless passed in Parliament.

Taiwan

Speaking to reporters outside the House of Commons earlier this week, Dong said he had voted in favour of motions considered hostile to Beijing’s interests.

“I voted to condemn China when they sanctioned one of our vice chairs of a standing committee," he said. "I voted to include Taiwan in the WHO. In 2020, I moved a motion in [an] ethics committee to study election interference, domestic and international.”

China considers Taiwan a breakaway province and views any overture of support as meddling in its internal affairs.

In October 2022, Dong indeed joined 323 MPs in voting for the politically sensitive country to become a WHO member. And in June 2021, Dong joined all 327 MPs in favour of unanimously passing a Parliamentary committee motion to condemn Chinese sanctions levied against Conservative MP Michael Chong.

Hong Kong

In February, Dong publicly supported the Liberal government’s move to expand the open-work permit program for Hong Kong residents.

The former British colony, which reverted to Beijing's control in 1997, has seen a massive wave of emigration following anti-government demonstrations four years ago. The protests were sparked by a bill that would have allowed people to be extradited from Hong Kong to mainland China.

“[This] announcement will ensure that Hong Kong residents who share Canada's values of freedom and democracy will continue to be able to seek opportunities to settle and succeed in Canada,” Dong said in a press release at the time.

Former Meta security exec fell victim to ‘Predator’ spyware attack

Story by MobileSyrup • Mar 20, 2023

Artemis Seaford, former security policy manager at Meta, had been under surveillance by the Greek national intelligence service for an entire year using commercially available spyware known as “Predator,” as shared by The New York Times.


Former Meta security exec fell victim to ‘Predator’ spyware attack© Provided by MobileSyrup

According to the publication, Seaford’s phone was bugged in September 2021. Seaford, who holds both Greek and US citizenship, is reportedly the first known American citizen to be targeted by the commercially available spyware. She discovered that she had been spied on after her name appeared on a leaked list of spyware targets in the Greek news media in November 2022. Between getting infected and realizing that her phone had been bugged, Seaford was secretly under surveillance by the Greek national intelligence service.

Seaford eventually took her phone to Citizen Lab, a digital research unit with the University of Toronto, which confirmed that her phone had been infected with the malware.

It is unclear why Seaford was targeted by the Greek national intelligence service. The Greek government denies that it used spyware to hack and track Seaford. A representative from the government told the New York Times that “the Greek authorities and security services have at no time acquired or used the Predator surveillance software.” It added, “the alleged use of this software by nongovernmental parties is under ongoing judicial investigation.”

Seaford hopes that her story will encourage other victims of spyware abuse to speak out. “I hope is this story will encourage other victims of spyware abuse to speak out. There are more of us out there, and our stories should be neither instrumentalized nor silenced,” tweeted Seaford. “We deserve better. Ultimately, we need our governments and EU bodies to protect us.”

Image credit: Shutterstock
Source: The New York Times

As Canada’s single-use ban rolls out, ‘Big Plastic’ takes Ottawa to court; international community vows to protect world’s oceans

Story by The Canadian Press • Yesterday 12:29 p.m.

Imagine sitting down to dinner and cutting into the perfectly cooked piece of wild salmon you just got on sale at the grocery store. But between the layers of succulent pink fillet you pull out a small piece of blue plastic.

The scenario sounds outrageous, but it’s true.

Canada produces more than four million tons of plastic waste each year. And the problem has only become worse since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Takeout containers virtually replaced all the lost restaurant meals, plastic bags were used to carry out or deliver online purchases and single-use utensils and containers became far more common.

Oceana, an international organization dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans, reported in November that the Coca-Cola company increased its plastic packaging by almost nine percent, or 579 million pounds, from 2020 to 2021.

Many of these plastic products end up in oceans. Globally, every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck full of plastic enters the oceans. Some of this remains in large pieces, trapping and harming aquatic life, while others break down into tiny microplastics which get ingested and end up in marine animals and their blood streams. Currently, there are 51 trillion microscopic pieces of plastic in our oceans, weighing 269,000 tons.

In 2018, the federal government committed itself to fighting plastic pollution. It pledged to reduce unnecessary single-use plastics that make their way into the environment.

“They needed a legal mechanism to be able to do that,” Anthony Merante, Plastics Campaigner at Oceana Canada, said.

In 2021, the federal government took a first step and designated plastic as a toxic substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). In order to designate a substance as “toxic” under the CEPA, the material must undergo a broad scientific assessment. From this, it was determined that when plastic makes its way into the environment it is harmful to wildlife and the environment, and, as a result, the designation under the CEPA was granted. Other substances that have been designated as toxic in Canada in the past include DDT, mercury, lead, and asbestos.

“Aside from the science, if you look to any headline, you can clearly see that that is true,” Merante said. “Headline after headline a beached whale has surfaced in Nova Scotia with so much plastic, sea birds entangled in plastic waste. And there's a lot of studies showing that a lot of our fish, especially in the Great Lakes, have plastic in their blood and in the tissue.”

In 2022, the first phase of Canada’s single-use plastic ban came into effect. As of December, there was a ban on the manufacture and import for sale in Canada of checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware, stir sticks and some types of straws. According to the prohibition timeline, it will take until December of 2025 for all bans to be in place. These bans would not be possible without the designation of plastic as toxic.

Plastic producers are far from supportive of the CEPA designation. Listing the substance as toxic cuts into the profits of a $35-billion industry by limiting its ability to produce and sell plastics.

As a result, a group of Canada’s largest plastic producing companies, including Dow Chemical, Imperial Oil and NOVA Chemicals, calling themselves the Responsible Plastic Use Coalition (RPUC), backed by American oil companies and the governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan, took the federal government to court three weeks ago, pleading for a judicial review in hopes of overturning the designation of plastic as a toxic substance.

During three days of hearings inside a Toronto Federal Courtroom starting March 7, RPUC stood on the arguments that not all plastic is threatening to wildlife, the current legislation relies on science that has not been proven (certain damages to species and ecosystems from plastics have allegedly not been proven) and that the bigger issue is dealing with plastic waste, not limiting its production. The group also argued that Canada is reading into the CEPA legislation too broadly and therefore overstepping its jurisdiction to impose sweeping bans on plastic products. One of the plastic industry’s main arguments in the case is that the federal government, through its legislation, is disregarding constitutional authority that gives provinces control over waste management.

Despite objections from RPUC, several environmental groups were present to intervene in the case, arguing that the underlying science for the CEPA designation is well founded. Oceana Canada and Environmental Defence, represented by EcoJustice, state their position is crucial and they do not have a financial or institutional stake in the result of the decision, rather they are experts in the science and policy related to the plastic pollution crisis and, more specifically, the CEPA.

The intervenors have warned that a ruling in favour of plastics producers could turn back numerous bans already in place and other broad environmental initiatives could be negatively impacted at a time when extreme action is needed to avoid ecosystem and climate catastrophe.

Critics have pointed out that legal systems and governments around the world have to stop making decisions in support of short-term economic considerations, which often only benefit ownership and investor classes, while the future of the entire planet suffers.

The plastics industry players behind the legal action have launched a campaign to push back against the federal government’s policy initiative.

“The (toxic) label [under CEPA] is not only scientifically inaccurate but could have far-reaching and unintended consequences,” the Responsible Plastic Use Coalition said on its website. “The Coalition opposes the designation of any plastic manufactured items as toxic and believes that the federal government, along with industry and stakeholders throughout the value chain, must work together to innovate and implement tools that will solve the problems of plastic waste.

“The problem Canada is facing is not plastic — its plastic waste. And we believe there are far more impactful policy decisions to divert waste from our natural environment, including a comprehensive circular economy system in Canada.”

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault pushed back against the powerful plastic industry.

"While a handful of big multinational companies try to stop our ban on harmful single-use plastics, we're going to keep fighting for the clean, healthy environment Canadians deserve," he said in a statement. "We're going to stick to the facts and science and deliver the sustainable options Canadians are asking for."

Current waste management is not equipped to deal with the plastic crisis. In Canada, only eight percent of our plastic waste is recycled. This is due to personal choice and waste infrastructure that cannot handle the need to keep plastic out of the environment.

The governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan claimed the federal government is over-extending its legal power because the provinces play a role in the management of plastic waste under their jurisdiction.

In September, Environmental Defence published a scathing report along with a report card that shows the federal government cannot rely on provincial waste management policy to solve the plastic pollution problem. Only two provinces received a passing grade: British Columbia ©; and Prince Edward Island (D+). The remaining provinces and all the territories received failing grades.

In response to the claim by the RPUC that not all plastic is damaging to the environment, Merante said the science is the evidence. All plastics can break down into microplastics which can be consumed by animals. These microscopic particles then make their way into the bloodstream and flesh. When they enter into water bodies, they impact the chemical composition, do harm to aquatic life and compromise the overall health of rivers, lakes and oceans. This is not disputed, Merante said.

Since its invention in 1907, by the post-war period, plastic has dominated commerce due to its versatility and ease of use. Items that were once made of glass, metal or other more sustainable materials, are now made of plastics. With the onset of the pandemic, single-use plastics became commonplace with the appeal of takeout food, online shopping and the use of disposable masks and gloves for protection.

“Plastic companies are not responsible for what happens after it's purchased? I think that's crazy, because any other product that's put out in the market that causes harm after sale is generally really regulated,” Merante said, criticizing one of the arguments made by the industry. “Cigarettes are highly regulated. Alcohol is highly regulated, because it poses a threat to people. But it seems that when it's the environment, there's kind of a lack of definition of what's impactful.”

Canada is already falling behind on its plastic promises. A target has been set to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030, but Karen Wirsig, Plastics Program Manager at Environmental Defence, told The Pointer back in December that fulfilling this target is not possible. The impact of the bans put in place by the federal government will be relatively small. With all bans in place by 2025, Wirsig said this will only decrease plastic waste by about five percent.

While the bans put in place by the federal government may only be a start, overturning them is not an option if Canada wants to meet its commitments to protect our water and the numerous species being impacted by plastic waste. The production of plastic, which is made from oil, also contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions. Research published by the World Economic Forum shows over the four decades ending in 2015, global plastics production quadrupled and at that rate, “GHG emissions from plastics would reach 15 percent of the global carbon budget by 2050”.

Canadians are a major part of the problem.

“We're a low population, but we use single-use plastic in and by far larger than many other countries,” Merante said. “We are an economy of single-use and throwing out; we do not reuse that often.”

According to him, over 50 countries and many smaller jurisdictions such as states and municipalities, have regulations that fight pollution from the plastics industry. “To turn in the other direction and ignore that and continue polluting is really out of step with what the global population is doing.”

The plastic pollution crisis is designated as the second most environmentally pressing problem, next to climate change, by the UN, and it has direct links to many of the broader environmental challenges we face.

The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organization that is developing technologies to clean plastic from the world’s oceans, estimates there are 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a gyre of garbage in the central-north Pacific Ocean. This is the equivalent of 250 pieces of plastic debris for every human in the world and weighs about as much as 500 jumbo jets.

“I don't think you can find a coastal community in Canada that, no matter what kind of material it is, it ends up in the water,” Merante said. “Bags, coffee cups, lead, cigarette filters, everything makes its way into the environment one way or another, whether it wants to or not.”

Nearly half the world’s surface area is designated as part of the high seas, meaning it is not governed by any nation, resulting in much of the oceans becoming the world’s dumping grounds.

There is hope this could change. On March 5, the UN reached a unified treaty to protect biodiversity in the high seas. This came after two weeks of talks in New York and 20 years of ongoing global discussions for an updated framework to protect marine life. The historic agreement is vital for achieving simultaneous ocean related goals such as the 30 by 30 framework agreed upon at COP 15, which includes sweeping “conservation and management of at least 30% of the world’s lands, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans, with emphasis on areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and services” by 2030.

“This action is a victory for multilateralism and for global efforts to counter the destructive trends facing ocean health, now and for generations to come,” the UN chief and Secretary General António Guterres said in a statement issued by a spokesperson after the agreement was reached in early March.

Merante said that Canada has a fundamental responsibility, as the nation borders three oceans and has by far the longest coastline of any country, at more than 265,000 kilometres. The current legal challenge by the plastics industry and two Canadian provinces, arguing the federal government’s designation of plastic as a toxin is not founded, will create one of two precedent-setting outcomes: the court could confirm the legal legitimacy of Canada’s commitment to protect its own natural environment and broader global ecosystems; or it could undo years of recent gains in the fight to protect the planet from devastating industrial pollution.

“Really we have an intrinsic desire to see plastic pollution be reduced and our oceans protected,” Merante said.

After presenting their arguments at the beginning of the month, both sides, and millions around the world, will have to wait three to six months for a decision.

Email: rachel.morgan@thepointer.com
Twitter: @rachelnadia_
Rachel Morgan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer

A way of life is all but extinguished by New Mexico's largest wildfire

Deon J. Hampton
Sun, March 26, 2023 

MORA COUNTY, N.M. — Benito Sanchez has been living in an Albuquerque hotel room with his ailing, 100-year-old grandmother for the past year after the state's largest wildfire burned their modular home to the ground.

A homeowners insurance claim paid Sanchez $70,000, enough to help with the groceries but not enough to buy another home.

Sanchez, 49, and his grandmother Tommie Carter, who breathes with the aid of an oxygen device, were among nearly 100 Mora County residents who were displaced, some of whom descendants of Indigenous people who lived off the land and settlers who put down roots in northern New Mexico in the 1800s.

“Let’s just say everything you’ve ever accumulated was all of a sudden gone in one day because someone lit a match and it wasn’t an accident,” said Sanchez, a state employee who helps people find jobs.

The fire ignited on April 6, when a controlled burn went awry and became the Hermits Peak fire. That fire later merged with the Calf Canyon fire, which started when smoldering roots from a previous controlled burn spontaneously rekindled.

All told, the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fire chewed through more than 341,000 acres, torched about 62 million trees in Santa Fe National Forest and private lands and burned down 220 structures.

A picture of the lasting tree damage from the wildfire in Mora County last year. About 62 million trees were burned. (Deon J. Hampton / NBC News)

Mora County in northwest New Mexico took the brunt of the damage, the remnants of which remain strikingly visible. In the neighborhood of Real De La Casa, blackened trees, barren peaks and scarred hills mark the landscape amid an eery silence. Dirty, brownish water flows down streams, and beetles search for sap in the carcasses of trees. Rocks and stones cracked by the fire's heat are strewn about.

“All of the aesthetics have changed,” said Mora County road supervisor John Romero. “All of the fish died from ash.”

Officials said the tens of millions of dead trees could topple over and reburn. State forester Laura McCarthy said trees posing a hazard near roads would be cut down.
A way of life is lost

The massive wildfire all but extinguished a way of life rich in traditions that had been passed down for generations in the remote Sangre de Cristo Mountains, 2,000 square miles of forestland spread across northern New Mexico.

Indigenous people and settlers lived off the land, hunting deer and turkey for food, collecting water from natural springs and building mud-brick homes that were passed down to family members over the decades.

They developed a sacred relationship with the land, believing that if they took care of the hallowed grounds, the mountains and forests would take care of them, said state historian Rob Martinez.

Much of the once-abundant wildlife, such as bears, buffaloes, foxes and rabbits, which local hunters relied on for food or to sell, have fled the burned-out territory. Loggers, ranchers and farmers also saw their livelihoods go up in flames.

Officials in Mora County said they were still trying to determine how much financial damage the fire caused, but about 75 businesses were forced to close and an estimated 100 residents had to relocate.

Early data compiled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management estimate Mora County sustained $29 million in damage, and losses statewide totaled $189 million.

More than half the households in the county depended on firewood for heating and some for cooking, officials said, and they have had to convert to electricity or gas for those needs.

The U.S. Forest Service conducted the controlled burns to rid the forest of dry undergrowth that could fuel wildfires.

MORA, NM- MAY 13: A firefighter works on putting out a hotspot from a wildfire on Friday May 13, 2022 in Mora, NM. The Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak fires have been burning in the region. The Hermits Peak fire started as a prescribed burn. (Matt McClain / The Washington Post via Getty Images file)

A lawsuit seeking unspecified damages was filed in June against the U.S. Forest Service in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque. Originally, about 50 plaintiffs were party to the suit, but hundreds more later joined. The lawsuit was dismissed after the Hermits Peak Fire Assistance Act was passed, which will help compensate people who suffered damages.

“This was a real catastrophic loss in an area that’s really difficult to rebuild in,” said Antonia Roybal-Mack, an attorney for the families. “They didn’t ask for this. These were generational lands. It’s gone now. The federal government started a fire on a windy day and burned 341,000 acres.”

The act, signed by President Joe Biden in September, provides $2.5 billion in compensation to New Mexicans and tribal nations affected by the fire. Another $1.45 billion was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, a spending package that in part helps fund rural housing loans, rental assistance and infrastructure.

Some residents who lost their homes received a maximum $37,900 in disaster relief funds from FEMA.

'Nobody is coming to our rescue'

For 51 years, Mora County resident Tito Naranjo, 85, and his wife lived in their adobe home on 100 acres containing four natural springs and two creeks that joined below his house. Deer, bears and rabbits lived among the pines and aspens, and eagles soared above, hunting for prey.

“There were herds of turkey, up to 100 of them,” said Naranjo, who has been living with his son near Santa Fe since his house burned down. He said FEMA denied his application for emergency support after concluding he did not permanently reside at the house.

Although Naranjo never received a formal explanation, a FEMA official said claims can be denied for many reasons, including not having proper documentation.

“We got absolutely nothing from FEMA," Naranjo said. "Not one penny.”

Patrick Griego, 63, lost 400 acres and 72,000 trees, putting a financial strain on his business selling logs to companies that make flooring.

He estimates his company, Griego Logging LLC, will lose up to $700,000 every year he remains in business because even if he replants, the trees will not grow large enough to harvest in his lifetime.

Lumberjack Patrick Griego, tossing logs into the back of his truck, said his company will lose up to $700,000 a year because of the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fire. Displaced Mora County resident Kathryn Uehlein has been living out of a donated RV for the past year after her home burned in the wildfire. (Deon J. Hampton / NBC News)

Kathryn Uehlein, 65, lived in an uninsurable yurt on 36 acres she owns, but both the land and the dome-shaped tent were destroyed in the wildfire. She now sleeps in a recreational vehicle donated by a local woman and uses solar energy for electricity. She said she received $2,000 from FEMA.

“It was crumbs,” Uehlein said. “I have no money. Nobody is coming to our rescue, and the government started the fire.”

Tina Grine-Martinez, 69, said she received $300,000 in homeowners insurance after living in a home she inherited from her father.

“We’re a lot better than what we were a few months ago,” she said, adding that no amount of money will replace the spiral staircase her father built by hand, using a chainsaw, hammer and nails.

"All the memories were there," she said. "It's really heartbreaking."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

"WE ARE LASER FOCUSED ON ISIS"
19 killed in US strikes on Iran-linked groups in Syria: new toll

AFP
Sat, March 25, 2023 

The death toll from retaliatory US strikes on Iran-linked groups in Syria following a deadly drone attack has risen to 19, a war monitor said Saturday, as Washington insisted it is not seeking conflict with Tehran.

Further rocket attacks by Iran-backed militias took place late Friday, prompting more strikes by coalition warplanes, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

Washington carried out the initial strikes after the Pentagon said a US contractor died -- and another contractor and five military personnel were wounded -- by a drone "of Iranian origin" that struck a US-led coalition base near Hasakeh in northeastern Syria on Thursday.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that, at President Joe Biden's direction, he had ordered the "precision air strikes... in eastern Syria against facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps".

On Saturday, the Britain-based Observatory, which has a wide network of sources on the ground, said 19 people were killed in the first wave of US strikes: three Syrian regime soldiers and 16 members of Iran-backed forces, including 11 Syrian nationals.

Following the strikes, Biden sought to lower the temperature saying the United States "does not seek conflict with Iran, but is prepared to act forcefully to protect our people".

- More rocket attacks -

Hours after the strikes, 10 rockets were fired at American and coalition forces at the Green Village base in northeast Syria, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

There were no injuries or damage to facilities at the base, but one rocket struck a home around five kilometres (three miles) away, causing minor wounds to two women and two children, CENTCOM added.

Iran-backed militias later Friday targeted a base in the Conoco gas field, prompting retaliatory strikes from coalition warplanes on targets in Deir Ezzor city, the Observatory said.

The war monitor said rocket fire then targeted coalition facilities at the Al-Omar oil field base and in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, "causing material damage".

A "cautious calm" returned to the Deir Ezzor area in the early hours of Saturday morning, the Observatory said.

Militias affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards have a heavy presence across Syria, especially around the border with Iraq, and south of the Euphrates in Deir Ezzor province, where the latest US strikes took place.

The United States has about 900 troops in posts across northeastern Syria to keep pressure on the remnants of the Islamic State group and support the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which control most of the northeast.

The Pentagon said two F-15 fighters launched the retaliatory attack -- which spokesman Pat Ryder said was to protect US personnel.

The strikes "were intended to send a very clear message that we will take the protection of our personnel seriously and that we will respond quickly and decisively if they are threatened," he said.

They were "proportionate and deliberate action intended to limit the risk of escalation to minimise casualties," he said.

- 'Always respond' -

US personnel in Syria have frequently been targeted in attacks by militia groups the United States says are backed by Tehran.

Two of the US service members wounded on Thursday were treated on site, while the three other troops and one US contractor were evacuated to Iraq, the Pentagon said.

"We will always take all necessary measures to defend our people and will always respond at a time and place of our choosing," said CENTCOM chief General Michael Kurilla.

In January, the US military said three one-way attack drones were launched against the Al-Tanf garrison in Syria, with one breaching its air defences and wounding two allied Syrian fighters.

Last August, Biden ordered similar retaliatory strikes in Deir Ezzor province after several drones targeted a coalition outpost, without causing any casualties.

"We know that these groups are sponsored by Iran," Ryder said.

"So Iran certainly plays a role in terms of ensuring that this type of activity doesn't happen," he said.

bur/pmh/wd/st/lg/pjm/dv

TV’s Succession doesn’t skewer the 1% – it hoodwinks us into accepting the status quo

Martha Gill

THE GUARDIAN
Sun, 26 March 2023 




Succession is back, sweeping portentously over New York’s skyline, reeking of money and menace. Like the very best seasons of The Real Housewives, it has everything: fabulous couture, looming mansions, smashing mini-breaks and the generous invitation to pity or despise almost all the characters in it.

Succession led the way, but since we last left the Roys in late 2021 there has been an explosion of “eat the rich” on screen. The rich have been skewered figuratively in The White Lotus and literally in The Menu. In Triangle of Sadness, the capsize of a super-yacht tumbled influencers and moguls to the bottom of the social hierarchy; in Glass Onion, a tech bro billionaire figure was dramatically relieved of his priceless art collection. There has perhaps never been a worse time to be a fictional oligarch. If you’re lucky, you’ll be merely miserable (your riches, you see, will have robbed you of everything that truly matters in life). At worst, you’ll be elaborately dead.

We should note, though, that, while we stick pins into them on screen, in real life oligarchs have never had it better. They’re getting richer, for a start. The net worth of the planet’s 10 wealthiest men doubled over the pandemic – one percenters are now on track to own two-thirds of the planet’s wealth by 2030. And while their scripted counterparts get their bloody comeuppance, in reality the rich are slipperier than ever. Tax avoidance proliferates. Judges still under-punish white-collar criminals. A story in the Guardian quotes a wealth manager who claims that the ability to stay unruffled by the flamboyant vices of clients has become an informal job requirement. The resurrection of Partygate last week reminds us that police spent the pandemic prowling park benches for erring commoners while ignoring the festivities raging inside Downing Street.

But then the screen rarely reflects the culture as much as its opposite. Between 2014 and 2019, for example, there was a fad for retelling classic stories from the villain’s point of view – Maleficent and Joker rehabilitated and humanised their wicked protagonists. But that coincided with the peak of cancel culture, a social custom that does quite the reverse: it specifically denies its victims any possibility of a redemption arc, while painting ordinary people as cartoon villains. Or take the rise of science fiction and fantasy, which has dominated western – but not eastern – cinema since about 1980. Sociologists have claimed this has a lot to do with the decline of religion. As westerners grew disenchanted with the church, they sought enchantment and awe in the cinema.

We should recognise “eat the rich” TV for what it is: not as any sort of cultural “reckoning” for the prosperous and corrupt, but pure catharsis – a sort of inverted mirror of society. The more violently a culture squishes the undeserving wealthy on screen, the more it tends to valorise them in reality. These TV revenge fantasies are similar to medieval traditions of misrule, festivals where hierarchies were reversed for a day. Fools became kings and insulted their social betters and low and high officials in the church swapped places – dancing backwards and reciting nonsense sermons.

Why did kings and church leaders tolerate this insurrection? It was a useful release valve through which to expend any rebellious impulses. Let the people indulge their fantasies of revolt for a day – then return, refreshed, to the normal order of things. Misrule didn’t really threaten existing hierarchies – in fact, it affirmed them. The chaos and “foolishness” of the ceremonies implied the superiority of the way things were usually run.

The more violently a culture squishes the undeserving wealthy on screen, the more it tends to valorise them in reality

So it is with The White Lotus, Glass Onion and the rest. They offer us 99 percenters a Sunday evening outlet for any resentments we might feel, the better to return to our labours on the morrow. Far from challenging prevailing hierarchies, they slyly encourage us to accept them. Watching this sort of satire has a brilliantly soothing effect on any outrage we might feel: replacing it with a lovely feeling of superiority. How should one respond to the evil doings of the powerful? This sort of TV teaches us a weary smirk.

Part of the soothing is to reassure us, too, that we might actually be better off as we are: the lives of the wealthy, after all, seem dreadfully unpleasant. There’s something almost Huxleyish about this – the lower tiers of Brave New World’s caste system are taught little recitations to keep them happily in their place: “Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they’re so frightfully clever. I’m awfully glad I’m a Beta, because I don’t work so hard.”

The rich are very unhappy, Glass Onion suggests, because they can’t trust their friends: everyone wants something from them. The rich are very unhappy, Succession says, because dynastic wealth divides families and turns them against one another. The rich are very unhappy, Triangle of Sadness says, because in the absence of real problems one becomes obsessive and petty. I suppose it’s just as well we’re not rich, then.

The sort of challenge this presents the rich and powerful can be read into the efforts of the hotel in which The White Lotus was filmed to assure visitors they will get the full treatment. “The resort’s real vibe is very much similar to what you see in the series,” the manager told reporters (in the series several of the guests are eventually murdered). Triangle of Sadness, meanwhile, got a standing ovation at an elite showing at Cannes – one of the world’s most opulent film festivals.

It is hard to make a film about the wealthy that is not also a bit aspirational – envy of the rich is, after all, the engine on which our societies run: they are shown off to prove the system works. No film-maker can resist a little lovingly shot lavishness. These shows suggest they will upend the status quo but leave it safer than ever.

• Martha Gill is a political journalist and former lobby correspondent

AUSTRALIA

NSW election trends: a decisive Labor win, uneven swings and a large crossbench

Ben Raue
Sun, 26 March 2023 

Photograph: James Gourley/AAP

The New South Wales state election result was a resounding defeat for the Liberal-National Coalition government, and a clear victory for Labor. Yet this victory occurred in an environment of an increasing minor party and independent vote, and the largest crossbench in modern NSW history.

In some ways there were a lot of parallels with last year’s federal election result. A slim parliamentary majority alongside a large crossbench, with the outgoing government badly defeated. But this Labor victory was bigger than last year’s federal election result, and Labor managed to pick up a number of regional seats in addition to gains in urban areas.

Related: Key results: where the NSW election was won by Labor and lost by the Coalition

Labor is currently on about 54.3% of the two-party-preferred vote, which is a decisive result. This closely mirrors the final Newspoll of 54.5%, but is stronger than most of the other recent polls, which had Labor leading with about 52-53%. Whether this is evidence of a late swing to Labor or a failure of earlier polling will be debated.

That extra boost in support was crucial to Labor’s victory. Despite a large two-party-preferred margin, Labor looks set to win a narrow majority. The party is currently leading in 49 out of 93 seats, while narrowly trailing in eight others. That extra 2% made the difference between a Labor minority government and a Labor majority.

While Labor did gain numerous seats, it wasn’t uniform. If you check out the pre-election pendulum, you can see a number of very marginal seats that remain in Coalition hands, while Labor has picked up some much safer seats. Super-marginal seats such as East Hills and Penrith just fell across the line with small swings. The Coalition is leading or has retained regional marginals like Upper Hunter, Tweed and Goulburn. The swing to Labor was modest in Winston Hills (where the Liberal is narrowly leading) but huge in neighbouring Parramatta.

Related: NSW election: Chris Minns to meet with senior colleagues immediately as Coalition recriminations begin

And then Labor has picked up a number of safer Coalition seats with massive swings. South Coast and Monaro fell with swings of more than 15%, supplementing Labor’s Bega byelection win in 2022. Most commentators were shocked at Labor picking up large swings in Miranda and Terrigal, two seats that were not on the radar as possible gains but now have Labor narrowly in front.

There was a lot of hype about independent challenges in the wake of the teal wave at the federal election. At the moment an independent has gained the seat of Wakehurst and independents are still in the hunt in the seats of Pittwater, Willoughby and Wollondilly. The three former members of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, now independents, running in western NSW were re-elected with enlarged majorities. The two sitting Greens MPs increased their margins, while the Greens are narrowly ahead in Balmain, where Labor mounted a strong challenge following the retirement of local Greens MP Jamie Parker.

While the independent wave in northern Sydney may not have been as sweeping as at the federal election, this is still a historically notable performance. Independent challenges usually live or die based on local factors – the local member (or absence of one), the candidate and the local issues.

The overall minor party and independent vote is up to over 28%, up from a previous record of 25% in 2019. The Greens have gained a small swing on the vote count so far, while One Nation’s vote is roughly steady.

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A growing field of parties look set to win seats in the Upper House, with as many as seven minor party members on track to win seats. The Legalise Cannabis and Liberal Democrats parties are looking to be in a strong position to win their first seats in the NSW parliament, while the Greens will regain their second seat lost when a member became an independent in 2019.

One Nation has gained one seat but look like it might fall short of picking up a second seat. The Animal Justice party’s chances of retaining its seat is looking tight.

Overall the political balance of the upper house looks set to shift to the left by at least one seat, and possibly two. If the parties of the left – including Labor, the Greens, Legalise Cannabis and Animal Justice – can win 12 seats, that will produce an overall progressive majority.

Changes of government are rare in NSW. Labor last gained power in 1995, when Bob Carr led Labor to a slim majority. Neville Wran’s first victory in 1976 was also narrow. While the Labor majority may be slim, there’s a much larger crossbench than in past elections, and the overall progressive vote is much larger.

In the end this election, has turned out to be much more decisive than expected.