James Webb telescope makes 'JuMBO' discovery of planet-like objects in Orion


Jonathan Amos - Science correspondent
Mon, October 2, 2023 

At just 1,400 light-years from Earth, the Orion Nebula, M42, is visible to the naked eye as a faint smudge

Jupiter-sized "planets" free-floating in space, unconnected to any star, have been spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

What's intriguing about the discovery is that these objects appear to be moving in pairs. Astronomers are currently struggling to explain them.

The telescope observed about 40 pairs in a fabulously detailed new survey of the famous Orion Nebula.

They've been nicknamed Jupiter Mass Binary Objects, or "JuMBOs" for short.

One possibility is that these objects grew out of regions in the nebula where the density of material was insufficient to make fully fledged stars.

Another possibility is that they were made around stars and were then kicked out into interstellar space through various interactions.

"The ejection hypothesis is the favoured one at the moment," said Prof Mark McCaughrean.

"Gas physics suggests you shouldn't be able to make objects with the mass of Jupiter on their own, and we know single planets can get kicked out from star systems. But how do you kick out pairs of these things together? Right now, we don't have an answer. It's one for the theoreticians," the European Space Agency's (Esa) senior science adviser told BBC News.

JuMBO pull graphic

Prof McCaughrean led the team that produced the new Orion survey.

Using JWST's remarkable resolution and infrared sensitivity, the astronomers have added substantially to the information already mined by older telescopes, including Webb's direct predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope.

The Orion Nebula, also known by its sky catalogue name of M42, is the nearest, large star-forming region to Earth.

Along with the quartet of bright suns at its centre called the Trapezium, this region of space is visible to the naked eye as a smudge on the sky.

If you don't know it, it can be found low down in the constellation of Orion, which is named after a mythical Greek hunter. The nebula forms part of the hunter's "sword", hanging from his "belt".

Planetary discs: Newborn stars in the nebula are busy making the next generation of planets

The new JWST image is actually a mosaic of 700 views acquired by Webb's NIRCam instrument over a week of observations.

To give a sense of scale, it would take a spaceship travelling at light speed a little over four years to traverse the entire scene. The nebula itself is about 1,400 light-years from Earth.

Tucked away in this vista are thousands of young stars, spanning a range of masses from 40 down to less than 0.1 times the mass of our Sun.

Many of these stars are surrounded by dense discs of gas and dust which may be forming planets, although in some cases, these discs are being destroyed by the intense ultraviolet radiation and strong winds from the most massive stars in the region, in particular from the Trapezium.

The slider tool on this page shows the same nebula scene at shorter and at longer wavelengths. Using different filters in this way emphasises items of interest.

Look at the longer wavelength version to examine the sculpted green clouds of gas that contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. PAHs are ubiquitous compounds in space produced by stars.

Look also at the many-fingered red feature that dominates the background.

Known as the Orion Molecular Cloud 1 outflow, this is a mass of molecular hydrogen that has been shocked by the the immense energy streaming away from the site of a cataclysmic collision of two giant stars. The speed of the outflow at more than 100km/s indicates the star merger occurred just a few hundred years previously.

Notice the fingertips are tinged with green - a marker for gaseous iron.

Orion Molecular Cloud 1 outflow: The "fingertips" are tinged with iron

There is so much to peruse and probe in the full-sized survey image which is 21,000 by 14,500 pixels. But it is the JuMBOs that have caught the immediate attention of astronomers.

"My reactions ranged from: 'Whaaat?!?' to 'Are you sure?" to 'That's just so weird!' to 'How could binaries be ejected together?'" recalled Dr Heidi Hammel who was not on the survey team.

She said there were no models of planetary system formation that predicted the ejection of binary pairs of planets.

"But... maybe all star formation regions host these double-Jupiters (and maybe even double-Neptunes and double Earths!), and we just haven't had a telescope powerful enough to see them before," the multidisciplinary scientist on JWST told BBC News.

Esa will be posting the full image of M42 on its EsaSky portal which allows anyone to explore publicly available astronomical data. Initial papers describing the survey and the JuMBO discovery will be posted on the arXiv pre-print server on Tuesday.

The Webb survey covers a tighter region of space than a major Hubble effort in 2006

JWST is a joint venture between the US, European and Canadian space agencies.

Third grizzly killed in self-defense in one month outside Yellowstone, officials say

Brooke Baitinger
Fri, September 29, 2023 

Photo by Felicia Montenegro via Unsplash


A hunter shot and killed a charging grizzly bear that was defending its kill just outside Yellowstone National Park, officials said.

The hunter shot the bear at close range in the Tuesday, Sept. 27 encounter in Beattie Gulch north of Gardiner, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said in a news release.

The bear charged the hunter when they got close to an animal carcass the grizzly had stashed to feed on, spokesman Morgan Jacobsen said. It was the third grizzly killed in self-defense in Montana in just one month.

The hunter was not injured, officials said. Bear specialists with the wildlife agency and game wardens determined the bear was defending its food source.

In a similar incident on Aug. 30, a pair of fishermen were walking through thick vegetation along a creek in the nearby Tom Miner Basin when they stumbled into a male grizzly’s path and the bear charged, McClatchy News previously reported. One of the anglers shot and killed the bear.

Only four days prior and about 250 miles northwest, two hunters surprised a mama grizzly bear and her cub while they were out scouting for the upcoming hunting season in a dense section of the Flathead National Forest, McClatchy News reported.

They came within 15 feet of the mom and cub, and shot and killed the adult bear when she charged them.

“Montana is bear country,” officials said in the release. “Grizzly bear populations continue to become denser and more widespread in Montana, increasing the likelihood that residents and recreationists will encounter them in more places each year.”

Bears are more active in late summer and autumn as they eat as much as they can to prepare for their winter hibernation — which also overlaps with hunting season and other fall recreation activities, officials said.

Two killed in bear attack at Banff National Park, grizzly euthanized: Parks Canada

The Canadian Press
Sat, September 30, 2023 



A bear attack in Alberta's Banff National Park has left two people dead, Parks Canada announced late Saturday.

Natalie Fay, external relations manager for Parks Canada's Banff field unit, said the agency received an alert from a GPS device originating from the Red Deer River Valley at approximately 8 p.m. on Friday, indicating a bear attack.

In a statement, Fay said a team specially trained in wildlife attacks was immediately mobilized, but weather hindered their response time.

"Weather conditions at the time did not allow for helicopter use, and the response team travelled through the night to the location by the ground," she said.

"The response team arrived on-site at 1 a.m. and discovered two deceased individuals."

While in the area, the response team encountered a grizzly bear displaying aggressive behaviour, Fay said, leading Parks Canada staff to euthanize it on-site for public safety.

RCMP arrived at 5 a.m. to transport the victims to Sundre, Alta., she said.

"This is a tragic incident and Parks Canada wishes to express its sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims," the statement read.

A closure is in place around the attack area — including the Red Deer and Panther valleys, from Snow Creek Summit east to the National Park boundary, and north to Shale Pass — until further notice as a safety precaution.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2023.

The Canadian Press

CANADA

Ukrainians reckoning with 'complexity of history' after Hunka affair

CBC
Sun, October 1, 2023 

Juliia Baranova stands on Parliament Hill the day of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit last week. Baranova says the warm welcome given to a Ukrainian veteran who fought for the Nazis has opened her eyes to the complicated history of many eastern European nations. (Avanthika Anand/CBC - image credit)

Some members of the local Ukrainian community say there's "broken trust" after a former Ukrainian solder who fought in a Nazi division was honoured in Parliament during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Ottawa — and want an apology of their own.

"This is just so, so disappointing," said Jane Kolbe, an active member of the community in Ottawa.

Now-former House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota invited veteran Yaroslav Hunka, one of his constituents from North Bay, Ont., to sit in the gallery during Zelenskyy's address on Sept. 22.

Hunka received a standing ovation from MPs, the prime minister and Zelenskyy himself.

Days later, it was revealed that Hunka was part of the First Ukrainian Division, also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division — a voluntary unit under the command of the Nazis during the Second World War.

Members of Canada's Jewish community have called it a "humiliating debacle."

Rota resigned as Speaker last week, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly apologized to the Jewish community for what he called a "deeply embarrassing" moment in Canadian history.

Yaroslav Hunka, right, waits for the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Onatario, Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized Wednesday, Sept. 27, for Parliament’s recognition of Hunka, who fought alongside the Nazis during last week’s address by Ukraine President Zelenskyy. “All of us who were in the House on Friday regret deeply having stood and clapped, even though we did so unaware of the context,” Trudeau said before entering the House of Commons.

 (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

Ukrainian-Canadian Yaroslav Hunka, 98, was a former soldier fought who fought alongside the Nazis. He was invited by former Speaker Anthony Rota to the House of Commons last week and received a standing ovation during Zelenskyy's visit. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)

As the incident made international headlines, some members of the Ottawa region's Ukrainian community said it's been "difficult" to watch it overshadow Zelenskyy's important visit.

Many are "still trying to absorb and understand" what happened, Kolbe said.

"It is baffling because [in] the diaspora, there's so many heroes to recognize," she said. "But this really wasn't the time to recognize heroes. This was the time to honour and reflect on President Zelenskyy's speech."

Kolbe said it was important that Trudeau apologized to the Jewish community, and believes the resulting "broken trust" with the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada means they deserve one, too.

Supporters of the Ukraine stand in front of Parliament Hill as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attend a joint press conference in Ottawa on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023.

Supporters of the Ukraine stand in front of Parliament Hill during Zelenskyy's visit. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)

'History has a lot of complexity'

Juliia Baranova was among the hundreds of Ukrainians on Parliament Hill the day of Zelenskyy's visit and said she was "very concerned" about the Hunka incident.

"For me personally, it also shows that history lessons are not learned," Baranova said. "And eastern European countries' history has a lot of complexity."

Reports suggest as many as 2,000 Ukrainian members of Adolf Hitler's Waffen-SS were admitted to Canada after the war.

Historians have documented how soldiers like Hunka were trained at SS facilities in Germany, swore an oath to Hitler and received an education in Nazi doctrine.

But many young Ukrainian soldiers at that time were fighting not for Germany, but to expel the Russians occupying their country, said Dominique Arel, chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Ottawa.

The incident in the House of Commons has been made even worse, Arel added, by false Russian claims that the current invasion of Ukraine is a war against Nazism.

"No matter how you try to explain the complexity of history, the symbol is awful. It's shocking," he said.

Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota rises to speak in a December 2022 file photo. Rota invited Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian-Canadian who now lives in North Bay, Ont., to witness Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's address to Parliament on Friday.

Rota resigned from his position as speaker last week following the incident. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)

Baranova, who was unaware of this history before last week, said despite its complexity, "we have to learn it."

Marina Lavow, who lives in Gatineau, Que., and moved to Canada from Ukraine nearly 30 years ago, called it a "really sad and unfortunate event" but noted that not everyone in the diaspora agrees.

"The community is not homogeneous," she said.

"There are different ways [of thinking], different generations. And to some people it means one thing, while to other people who have less knowledge of what happened, why that division was created, it means less."

Rota debacle renews calls to examine history, including war crime records



OTTAWA — Canada could revisit calls to declassify documents about the presence of Nazi war criminals in the country, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Wednesday, as the fallout continued over Parliament's recognition last week of a man who fought for the Nazis.

"Canada has a really dark history with Nazis in Canada," Miller said, heading into the weekly Liberal caucus meeting.

"There was a point in our history where it was easier to get (into Canada) as a Nazi than it was as a Jewish person. I think that's a history we have to reconcile."

Many Jewish organizations in Canada say doing that requires a public airing of information, and that means all the records Canada has about the presence of war criminals must be opened up.

"I think part of the problem here is that the records are closed," said B'nai Brith senior lawyer David Matas in an interview.

"You can't remember the past unless you know the past, and you can't know the past unless you get the records."

B'nai Brith Canada and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center both reiterated their long-standing calls this week for the government to make public all records about the admittance of former Nazi soldiers.

That includes the entirety of a 1986 report from a public commission on war criminals, which is often referred to as the Deschênes Commission for the judge who led it.

The report has never been fully released, including an appendix with the names of 240 alleged Nazi war criminals who might be living in Canada that the report recommended Canada investigate.

"It's now time for Ottawa to not only release the unredacted files related to the Deschênes Commission, but to also address the stark reality that there are still former Nazis with blood on their hands living in Canada," said Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center President Michael Levitt.

Matas noted that in June, a House of Commons committee studying Canada's access-to-information system recommended all historical documents be released in full after 25 years.

He said implementing that recommendation would fulfil the desire to see Canada's war criminal records.

Currently, records can be released 20 years after someone's death. But Matas said that rule doesn't apply in this case, because information about people who died can't be accessed unless their names are available.

He said it's not that every person named in the records is guilty, but that a justice system relies on openness, and you can't have justice without transparency, whether you're guilty or innocent.

There is also little to no information publicly available about what follow-up was done to investigate alleged war criminals named in the Deschênes report, or bring any of them to justice.

All of this comes after what some have called the most embarrassing international debacle in Canadian history.

On Friday, during an official visit by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the House of Commons Speaker pointed to a guest in the gallery he identified as a war hero.

Parliamentarians and dignitaries who were present gave two standing ovations to a 98-year-old Ukrainian Canadian war veteran without knowing or understanding that the unit he fought with was formed by Nazi Germany to fight against the Soviet Union.

Speaker Anthony Rota, who said he did not know about Yaroslav Hunka's background, apologized for making an egregious mistake inviting him to Parliament. He announced Tuesday that he would resign from the role.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued an apology on behalf of Canada and all parliamentarians for the debacle.

University of Alberta professor John-Paul Himka pointed out that nobody seemed to immediately understand how Hunka's military history implied he would have fought with the Germans.

That's because of a great lack of understanding of history, even among elected MPs, he said.

"I mean, this man was introduced as somebody who fought the Russians during World War II. Who was fighting the Russians during World War II? It was the Germans," he said.

Matas concurred.

"I mean if Rota didn't know about this whole issue and he was the Speaker of the House of Commons, you can imagine how widespread the ignorance is," he said.

Still, said Matas, the uproar has rejuvenated the discussion about exposing that history, including all the records.

"This is on the radar, now, I think," he said. "They're paying attention to it."

Miller said he has read the Deschênes report twice since this all happened, and encouraged all Canadians to do so.

He also said he knows there are many people demanding the release of the records, and it is something the government "could possibly examine again."

But he said because he doesn't know exactly what is contained in the documents, he doesn't yet want to say if he backs their full release.

"But again, in a country like Canada that has not only a difficult history with Nazis in Canada, but also one of the most important diaspora of Jewish people, including some of the largest proportions of Holocaust survivors, impunity is absolutely not an option," he said.

Mental Health Minister Ya'ara Saks, whose York Centre riding in Toronto has about one-fifth of its population identifying as Jewish, said Canada should look at what it can do to help provide answers and closure to Jewish Canadians.

She said opening the records is something to be looked at.

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

Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press

Ontario city home to Nazi soldier that visited Parliament shares mixed emotions

The Canadian Press
Sat, September 30, 2023



NORTH BAY, Ont. — Allan Hirsh sits on a lawn chair on a cool fall evening in North Bay, Ont., pondering the mixed emotions he's been feeling since his community made international headlines.

The northeastern Ontario city is the current home to a man who was honoured with a standing ovation in the House of Commons during a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but whose presence in Parliament later caused global outrage and embarrassment when details emerged about his past as a Nazi soldier during the second World War.

Hirsh says he can understand the pain many are feeling after Yaroslav Hunka's reception in the House, noting his own ancestors fled persecution by the Russian Empire for practising Judaism in the early 20th century and many of his loved ones lost relatives and friends during the Holocaust.

But Hirsh and other city residents say they are shocked to hear their long-time Member of Parliament Anthony Rota resigned as House Speaker over his choice to invite and recognize Hunka, questioning why he has faced sole blame for the debacle.

"I always think about that history and the Holocaust and everything that happened there always makes me emotional," the 75-year-old retired psychotherapist said in an interview.

"But ... am I angry at Anthony Rota? No. This is not something that he did intentionally. ...Oddly enough, it's Anthony that I'm feeling for."

Hirsh says Rota is well-known in his community after spending 16 years as MP for the Nipissing-Timiskaming riding where North Bay is located.

He was first elected in 2004 and has served ever since except for a four-year break when he lost his seat in 2011, and Hirsh has been among those that voted for him.

Rota became House Speaker in 2019 and cemented a reputation for fairness and integrity across party lines.

But on Sept. 22, shortly after Zelenskyy's address to Parliament, Rota introduced Hunka as a Ukrainian Second World War veteran who lives in his riding.

Rota described the 98-year-old as both a Ukrainian and Canadian hero, prompting a standing ovation from members of all parties. It later emerged that Hunka had fought the Soviet Union in Ukraine with the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, a voluntary unit created by the Nazis that Jewish groups say "was responsible for the mass murder of innocent civilians with a level of brutality and malice that is unimaginable."

Calls for Rota's resignation as House Speaker poured in from all sides, including some senior Liberal cabinet ministers, and Rota stepped down from the role effective Wednesday.

Hirsh and other residents feel their MP was "thrown under the bus."

"We were so proud of his career when he became a speaker. He's done, I thought, a good job. He serves his constituents. He apologized for that mistake. To see this happen to him, it's really, really sad," Hirsh said.

Since then, the Conservatives have brought a motion to the government operations committee to summon the RCMP, parliamentary security and officials from the Prime Minister's Office to study how Hunka made his way from North Bay to Ottawa.

Hirsh isn't the only one processing complex feelings dredged up by the week's events.

Karrie Emms, a local business owner, says she has been thinking a lot about when and how the city she has been living in for 35 years welcomed someone like Hunka.

"We know that we never know a true or full story for somebody so I would be interested in finding out what (Hunka's) story actually is," she said.

"I want to know more but not necessarily to hold them accountable … Mr. Rota is very well known and everyone knows he is from North Bay so it's going to be a bit of an issue to overcome."

She, too, questions why Rota has borne sole responsibility for the scandal.

"I know they've apologized but nobody else has lost their jobs over it that I know of," she said, referencing the apology Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered on Wednesday. "I find that a little disheartening."

Emms, who works with youth, says there is one silver lining — Canadians of all stripes, including young people in North Bay, are now taking time to educate themselves on eastern European history.

Fellow city resident George Maroosis says he was shocked to learn that Hunka lives in North Bay.

"It's very unfortunate," he said while working at his downtown North Bay business.

"My big question is if the Jewish community knew who this guy was and what his background was, where was our so-called intelligence agency that could have warned as to what the situation was with this particular individual."

After inquiring about Hunka at an assisted living home in North Bay, a Canadian Press reporter was asked to leave the property immediately, and one employee said they were prepared to call the police.

Another employee later said Hunka had lived at the home, but has since moved in with his family.

Hirsh says as political parties try to determine more details of Hunka's visit to Parliament, he hopes the discourse remains respectful.

"(We need to look into) the nuances of everything that happened," he said.

"It's messy. There's nothing black and white."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2023.

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press

B.C. Conservative leader under fire for likening teaching of sexuality, gender to residential schools

CBC
Sun, October 1, 2023 

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad is facing criticism for a social media comment he posted on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Saturday. (Dirk Meissner/The Canadian Press - image credit)

The leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia is under fire for a social media post that critics say appeared to compare teaching students about sexual orientation and gender identity to the genocide of Indigenous children in residential schools.

John Rustad, MLA for Nechako Lakes, acknowledged the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in a Sept. 30 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Today we remember what happens when the Canadian government thinks it's better at raising children than parents," read Rustad's Saturday post, which was also shared on his party's official Facebook page.

"I will always stand with parents."

Rustad's post quickly drew criticism from residential school survivors and fellow MLAs, who said it was politicizing the deaths of children at residential schools in order to support the parental rights movement — which supports a ban on teaching B.C. students about sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in schools.

John Rustad, leader of the Conservative Party of B.C., is facing criticism for a tweet some survivors say weaponizes residential schools to support people advocating to end teaching sexual orientation and gender identity in schools under the banner of parental rights.

This screengrab shows a social media post from John Rustad, leader of the Conservative Party of B.C., that has drawn criticism. (X)

Those who support parental rights say parents need more information and input about what their children are learning in school, a position Rustad previously backed in a Sept. 20 statement.

The catch-all term "parental rights" has also been used across Canada and the United States to lobby for legislation to require parental consent for children and teens who want to use different names or pronouns at schools — measures that some LGBTQ advocates say harm transgender youth.

Critics of the term say it's a dog-whistle for anti-trans policies and is a misnomer, as it excludes LGBTQ parents and suggests parents' rights supersede those of their children.

CBC News reached out to Rustad for comment. In a phone call on Sunday, his office said he would not be available for an interview before publication.

Leader's comment called 'shameful'

Residential school survivor Celeste George, a member of the Nak'azdli Whut'en, a First Nation near Fort St. James, B.C., said seeing Rustad's post on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day meant to honour victims and survivors of residential schools, was "enraging."

"It's not even the comparison, [it's] the actual idea that he can blatantly use the day for his own hatred, for his own agenda," said George, who is also a former anti-racism educator.

"That was really horrific to me, knowing that hatred has taken so much from us."

Hundreds of people attended a walk for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in the First Nations community of Aq'am on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023.

Hundreds of people take part in a walk on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in the First Nations community of Aq'am, B.C., on Saturday. (Corey Bullock/CBC)

She said Rustad's post will fuel anti-Indigenous racism and anti-trans sentiments, a concern echoed by Florence Ashley, a transfeminine associate professor of law at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

"It's absolutely vile for a politician to compare a deeply marginalized group asking for rights with cultural genocide," Ashley wrote on X on Sunday.

B.C. New Democrat MLA Ravi Parmar called the social media post a "disgraceful comparison."

"It's shameful to co-opt this day to spread fear and attack the rights of queer kids," he wrote on X.

Harsha Walia, a human rights advocate and former executive director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, wrote that "weaponizing [the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation] like this is horrific."

"Despicable," Walia said in a post on X. "A party leader & sitting MLA compares genocide of residential schools to anti-trans dog whistle of 'parent rights.'"

Conservative Party newly recognized

Rustad was first elected in 2005 and previously served as minister of Aboriginal relations and reconciliation under the B.C. Liberal — now B.C. United — government.

He previously backtracked after making comments questioning why Indigenous members of his community were receiving COVID-19 vaccines ahead of older members of the population in 2021.

In August 2022, he was ousted from the B.C. United caucus for sharing an online post casting doubt on the science behind climate change.

Rustad sat as an independent until February, when he joined the B.C. Conservative Party. A month later, he was acclaimed as party leader.

Another B.C. United MLA, Bruce Banman, crossed the floor to join Rustad in September, and the two-MLA party was officially recognized in the legislature two weeks ago.

Rustad has previously supported parental rights and said he wants to end the teaching of SOGI in schools.

"Parents raise children — not government, and we have laws in British Columbia to protect children who are unsafe at home," he said in the Sept. 20 statement.

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available to provide support for survivors and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour service at 1-866-925-4419.

Mental health counselling and crisis support is also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Hope for Wellness hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat.

Top Indian diplomat blocked from Glasgow gurdwara visit

BBC
Sun, October 1, 2023 

The diplomat was approached by Sikh activists outside a Glasgow Gurdwara

India has complained to the Foreign Office after a top diplomat was confronted by protesters at a gurdwara in Glasgow.

The High Commission of India said Vikram Doraiswami had been invited to the place of worship to discuss community and consular issues.

But he left after he was confronted by a small number of activists on Friday.

A Sikh youth group later claimed there was a longstanding ban on Indian officials visiting gurdwaras.

The confrontation follows an international row over suggestions Indian agents may be linked to the murder of a Sikh separatist in Canada.

Trudeau repeats allegation against India amid row

India has strongly rejected the claim by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau that there is "credible evidence" of Indian involvement in the shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June.

Footage posted on social media shows three people approaching the diplomat's car

The incident in Glasgow came during a series of engagements in Scotland by Mr Doraiswami, who is India's High Commissioner to the UK.

Footage posted on social media shows him being approached by three people after his car pulled up outside the gurdwara in Glasgow's Albert Drive.

He remains seated in the back of the car while one of the demonstrators appears to make an attempt to open the door.

Another protester can be heard saying: "I think it's best if you go."

The diplomat was then driven away.

A statement issued later by National Sikh Youth Federation on behalf of "major Sikh bodies" said the three activists had upheld "a long standing ban on Indian officials visiting gurdwaras in their official capacity".

It went on to include an account of the incident, said to have been issued by the activists themselves, which said: "We went to prevent their entry and ask them questions, they left rapidly from the car park."

They denied carrying out any kind of assault.
'Disgraceful incident'

The High Commission of India said the diplomat had been invited to the building by the Gurdwara committee, and that the organisers included community leaders and an MSP.

"They were threatened and abused by these elements. In an effort to prevent any potential altercation the HC [High Commissioner] and CG [Consul General] decided to leave the premises on their arrival," it said in a statement.

The High Commission said it had reported the "disgraceful incident" to the Foreign Office and the police.

It said the three activists were not from Scotland.

Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevleyan posted on X, formerly Twitter, that she was "concerned" by the incident.

"The safety and security of foreign diplomats is of utmost importance and our places of worship in the UK must be open to all," she posted.

The Glasgow gurdwara said it strongly condemned the "disorderly behaviour" which caused Mr Doraiswami to abandon his planned visit.

"The Gurdwara is open to people from all communities and backgrounds, and we welcome everyone openly as per our principles of faith," it said.

Police Scotland confirmed that it had been called to reports of a disturbance at the gurdwara at 13:05 on Friday.

"There were no reports of any injuries and enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances," a spokesperson said.

Here’s a look at the resolution for a foreign force in Haiti. The U.N. will vote Monday

Jacqueline Charles
Sun, October 1, 2023 

Nearly a year after Haiti’s caretaker government requested the immediate deployment of an outside armed force to help the country’s ill-equipped and outgunned police take on deadly gangs, the United Nations Security Council is preparing to authorize on Monday sending a multinational force into the troubled Caribbean nation.

A draft resolution, authored by the United States and obtained by the Miami Herald, says the deployment would be reviewed nine months after the adoption of the resolution, and the cost of the temporary operation would be borne through voluntary contributions by U.N. member countries.

The resolution is scheduled for a vote by the 15-member U.N. Security Council at 4 p.m. Monday.

Two possible obstacles to approval: China and Russia. They’re among the five permanent members of the council, along with the U.S., the United Kingdom and France, any of which have veto power over any resolution.

The two countries have expressed concerns about the draft, which was co-authored by Ecuador with input from Kenya, the East African nation that has volunteered to lead the intervention but requested a Security Council resolution before moving ahead.

China and Russia’s concerns include questions about the size of the Multinational Security Support mission, as it is being officially called, and details on its rules of engagement. The draft doesn’t mention the size of the force. It authorizes the mission to “adopt urgent temporary measures on an exceptional basis” to prevent the loss of life and help the Haiti police maintain basic law and order and public safety, as necessary.

The draft resolution also says the rules of engagement — the directives on how and when to use force — are to be developed in consultation with Haiti, the leadership of the mission and the countries contributing to the force. The wording says the Security Council would be informed about the rules of engagement, mission goals and an end date before the mission’s full deployment.

Similar questions raised by China and Russia were asked last month of U.S. officials after a meeting on Haiti’s security was held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly to seek support for both the resolution and the deployment. Victoria Nuland, the acting U.S. deputy secretary of state, said at the time that such questions “are generally fleshed out after a Security Council resolution. There is no precedent for that level of detail in a resolution itself.”

Another issue, particularly for China, is the illicit trafficking of arms and ammunition in Haiti. Despite a U.S. arms embargo on Haiti, gangs are not only well-armed but they have access to high-powered long-range rifles that can penetrate walls. The weapons have been used to carry out deadly massacres and empty out entire neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, the capital, and regional provinces.

National Police patrol during an anti-gang operation in the Tabare neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, July 25, 2023.

The resolution affirms that the arms embargo “is one of the three pillars” of a sanctions protocol the council adopted last October and it “strongly urges Member States to without delay prohibit the supply, sale, or transfer of small arms, light weapons, and ammunition to non-State actors engaged in or supporting gang violence, criminal activities, or human rights abuses in Haiti, as well as to take all appropriate steps to prevent their illicit trafficking and diversion.”

Two diplomatic sources said there were high hopes that the resolution would pass when the draft first circulated among U.N. members on Friday. But that night, China sent out a note with edits. A U.S. diplomatic source said China’s request for changes to the resolution’s arms embargo language was adopted in a deal with Washington on Saturday, although negotiations with China continued Sunday.

Critics of the U.S. policy on Haiti have called for more to be done to stop the trafficking of weapons into Haiti, most of which leave ports in Florida, though some also make their way into the country via its porous 220-mile border with the neighboring Dominican Republic.

Since Haiti appealed for international intervention a year ago on Oct. 6, the security situation has only gotten worse, with close to 2,800 killings, nearly 1,500 reported kidnappings for ransom and tens of thousands of Haitians forced out of their homes due to the expanding gang attacks. A recent report by the Center for Analysis and and Research in Human Rights in Port-au-Prince documented at least 45 makeshift camps camps in the metropolitan Port-au-Prince area, more than half of them at schools, where an estimated 30,000 to 35,000 people are currently seeking refuge after being forced out of their homes in the past two months.

Gédéon Jean, who runs the human rights group, said “it is extremely important” that the Security Council approve the resolution.

“The United Nations has an obligation to protect a population that is in danger,” he said. “With what is unfolding in Haiti at this moment, only a multinational force can accompany the police and help them.

“It’s a catastrophe, what we are living here today where the gangs are not only killing people, raping them and burning homes, they are burning police stations and taking their vehicles.”

Jean said that given the critical situation Haitians are living on a daily basis, he hopes that China and Russia either vote for the deployment or abstain from voting.

The United Nations Security Council.

Washington has said several countries are willing to deploy police or military to Haiti and are just waiting on the blessing of the Security Council. The U.S. has so far declined to name the countries besides The Bahamas, Jamaica and Antigua and Barbuda, which had previously announced their intent to take part in the mission. The Miami Herald has learned the others are Italy, Spain, Mongolia, Senegal, Belize, Suriname, Guatemala and Peru.

In an interview with the BBC, Kenya Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua said if the resolution is adopted, his country will have boots on the ground in Haiti by the first of January, “if not before.”

He said his country, which announced in late July that it was “positively considering” leading the force and deploying 1,000 of its officers to take part, initially thought it would be leading a so-called “static” mission — in which its forces would provide protection to key government installations such as the airport and seaports, but not engage directly with the gangs.

But a Kenyan assessment team that visited Haiti in August heard concerns from the police and Prime Minister Ariel Henry that just protecting key infrastructure would not be enough. Haitians also reacted strongly against the idea after the Herald published a story about Kenya’s proposed static mission.

“This is going to be an intervention force,” Mutua said. “This is a force that will need to go and disarm the thugs and the gangs. This is the one that we’ll need to go and free kidnapped people and free the women being raped.”

The Multinational Security Support mission, according to the resolution, will provide operational support to the Haitian national police, “including building its capacity through the planning and conduct of joint security support operations, as it works to counter gangs and improve security conditions in Haiti.”

The force would also help secure “critical infrastructure sites and transit locations such as the airport, ports, and key intersections.”

The force would also assist the Haiti National Police to provide “unhindered and safe access to humanitarian aid for the population receiving assistance.”

The resolution urges Haitian gangs and their supporters to cease their criminal acts, and condemns in the “strongest terms the increasing violence, criminal activities, and human rights abuses and violations which undermine the peace, stability, and security of Haiti and the region.”

The resolution also strongly condemns and expresses “deep concern over the gravity and numbers of violations and abuses committed against children in Haiti,” and notes gangs’ abuse against them, “including those involving killing and maiming, recruitment and use, rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence, particularly against girls, attacks on schools and hospitals, abduction, and denial of humanitarian access.”

U.N. member countries are also asked to deploy people with expertise in anti-gang operations, community-oriented policing, and the protection of women and children. Before any forces are deployed they would be to undergo training on human rights, child protection, and sexual and gender-based violence.

The last a foreign intervention force was sent into Haiti was in 2004. The U.N. stabilization peacekeeping mission lasted until 2017. Despite its success with taking on gangs, the mission was scarred by allegations of sexual abuse involving peacekeepers and the introduction of waterborne cholera by forces from Nepal.

The resolution includes language on wastewater treatment and to curb sexual abuse. It tells member countries participating in the security mission “take necessary action to ensure appropriate conduct and discipline and to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse, including vetting of all personnel.” The resolution also calls for timely investigations of all allegations of misconduct, to hold perpetrators accountable, and to repatriate units when there is credible evidence of misconduct.

While the resolution welcomes Kenya’s willingness to lead the mission, critics have raised questions about the East African nation’s ability to do so and its forces’ record on human-rights abuses. There are also cultural and language differences to overcome — Kenyans speak English and the official languages of Haiti are French and Haitian-Creole.

Another complicating factor: Haiti’s difficult, and sometimes labyrinthine terrain. Many of the gangs and their leaders live in maze-like slums where concrete shacks are separated by very narrow corridors.

In 2021, an ill-fated operation by specialized Haitian police officers in one particularly notorious slum resulted in the deaths of several police officers during an ambush. Their bodies were never recovered.

Mutua, the Kenyan foreign minister, said that Kenya doesn’t “think there’s going to be a lot of violence,” and believes the gangs will retreat once forces arrive because up until now, they haven’t had “anybody who can match them.”

He acknowledged, however, that the gangs know the terrain better than the Kenyan forces will. But the Kenyan forces, he insisted, will be prepared to take them on.

The gangs “don’t have the support of the people,” he said. “For the last few months, nearly 300 gang members have had their heads chopped off by members of the public. There is an uprising currently going on in Haiti. People are saying enough is enough”

Mutua said a recent poll shows 80% of Haitians “want Kenya to come and lead the force.” The Kenya assessment team conducted the poll to make sure its presence in Haiti would be welcome.

“People are tired. They just need a team to be on the ground,” he said.

“People are right to be skeptical because other emissions have failed before,” Mutua added. “But those are U.N. peacekeeping missions. This is a different mission. This is a mission that is going to go there with the mandate of making sure that the gangs are repelled, and that there’s a sense of peace, security and control in Haiti.”



McClatchy Senior White House and National Security Correspondent Michael Wilner contributed to this report.

Natural, human impacts on animals seen in 2,000-year-old condor poop

Nathan Howes
Sun, October 1, 2023 

Natural, human impacts on animals seen in 2,000-year-old condor poop


The discovery of a 2,200-year-old Andean condor guano deposit may demonstrate how species have or haven't adapted to the natural and human causes of environmental change over the course of time.

That's according to John Smol, a biology professor at Queen’s University, who spoke to The Weather Network earlier this year about the finding that was detailed in a study published in May 2023.

SEE ALSO: Birders are flocking to catch a glimpse of a bird that is rarely seen in Canada

The examination documents the finding of a doughnut-shaped deposit of condor guano in Patagonia, Argentina. Researchers uncovered a millennia-scale record of the animal's behaviour and diet, also putting a spotlight on the region’s historical records of volcanic and human impacts on this particular at-risk species.

"When we finally did all the data, it [came] out at about 2,200 years of accumulation, which in itself was quite an important part of history," said Smol. “We really had an interesting history of a lot of things happening in Argentina.”

Condor nest with chick/Submitted
(Lorenzo Sympson/Submitted)

Dry climate and overhanging rock ledge helped preserve it

The condor nest site and guano deposit used in the study is situated within Nahuel Huapi National Park. The study notes that the dry climate and the overhanging rock ledge are what led to the preservation of the site and its guano deposit for at least 2,200 years.

"We often think about climate change and pollution, but there was the European expansion or conques and different volcanic eruptions. This is a very volcanic area. A lot of that history was actually contained in this guano deposit," said Smol.

Condor nest/Submitted
(Lorenzo Sympson/Submitted)

Andean condors will typically nest in areas that are protected from the elements and predators. These include under rock overhangs and shallow caves on cliff faces, the study noted.

Suitable nesting sites are finite, so condors will often reuse them from generation to generation, as long as local environmental conditions will aid breeding activity.
Diet full of contaminants, then changed from human impact

Researchers were able to determine that the well-conserved, ancient DNA, stable isotopes, metals, and organic compounds such as cholesterol also offered an account of condor diet exposure to contaminants during the 2,200-year history of the deposit.

One thing that might make a condor "especially susceptible" to lead pollution is they do eat animals that were killed by hunters, and often that includes the toxic-composed shot, Smol said.

Condor above horizon/Submitted
(Sergio Lambertucci/Submitted)

"When you're eating a dead organism that may have been left behind, they're probably ingesting the lead shot, as well, [which] may be increasing their lead," said Smol. "We had a history of diet, we had a history of occupation, and we had a history of pollution."

According to a news release, the data collected showed a distinct modification to the diet, attributable to landscape-scale human impact.

Following European colonization approximately 150 years ago, condors had to switch diets after humans had a noticeable impact on the landscape and food sources, resulting in a reliance on ranched livestock instead of native fauna.
Smol 'cautious' about how far back deposit can trace environmental changes

The study's author noted that understanding how animals respond to large-scale environmental changes is difficult to achieve because monitoring data are rarely available for more than the past few decades.

Lacking long-term data is "one of the biggest challenges we have" in ecology and environmental science, Smol said.

"We don't have the long-term data. No one was measuring condors 1,000 years ago. These are sort of indirect ways, but they provide a lot of clues as to what's happened in the past," said Smol.

Condor turning/Submitted
(Sergio Lambertucci/Submitted)

Smol cautioned about using a single deposit to determine how animals have adapted to environmental changes over hundreds or thousands of years.

“We don't want to extrapolate too much until we see maybe 10 deposits or at least five deposits. I'd be a little hesitant to go too far behind that," said Smol. “We provide hints of how they've changed over time.”

However, he noted that scientists can provide "an idea" of how long the Andean condor has been here.

"We can show that, in fact, they were here at least 2,200 years ago [and] then they declined for about 1,000. Those are important population trends for ecologists, ornithologists and ecosystem managers," said Smol. "We can show the past, which is what we try and gauge the future with."
WATCH: How the evolution of land plants helped to shape Earth

Click here to view the video

Thumbnail courtesy of Chris Grooms/Submitted.

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Small Nuclear Reactors: The Answer To Big Tech's Energy Crisis?


Editor OilPrice.com
Sun, October 1, 2023 


Microsoft could be the first of several companies to prepare to use small nuclear reactor (SMR) technology for its high energy consumption, as AI and other technologies become more widely used. There has been great enthusiasm around the potential of SMRs, which could be built faster and at a much lower cost than a traditional nuclear reactor. This month, Microsoft posted a job opportunity for a “Principal Program Manager Nuclear Technology,” suggesting its interest in using SMRs in the future, to support its energy-intensive operations. As companies begin to use a vast range of digital technologies in their day-to-day operations, their energy consumption could increase substantially, making the use of low-carbon nuclear power increasingly attractive.

SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300 MW(e) per unit, equivalent to around one-third the generating capacity of a traditional nuclear reactor. SMRs are much smaller than traditional reactors and are modular, making it simpler for them to be assembled in factories and transported to site. Because of their smaller size, it is possible to install an SMR on sites that are not suitable for bigger reactors. They are also significantly cheaper and faster to build than conventional nuclear reactors and can be constructed incrementally to meet the growing energy demand of a site.

There are strong safety margins included in SMR production, meaning that the potential for the unsafe release of radioactivity to the environment is significantly reduced. These systems can be shut down automatically, without human assistance, in the case of a malfunction. At present, there are over 80 commercial SMR designs under development worldwide, aimed at responding to a range of needs. Although companies are still trepidatious about investing in SMRs as their economic competitiveness in use has yet to be proven. As energy companies begin to roll out SMRs within the next decade there will be a greater understanding of their applicability and the costs involved.

Despite still being in the development stage, Microsoft appears to be one of the first companies to demonstrate its interest in SMRs. As companies continue to digitalise operations and conduct high-energy operations, they will need an increasing amount of energy to power their activities. For example, AI researchers suggest that training a “single large language deep learning model” such as OpenAI’s GPT-4 creates around 300 tonnes of CO2. The average person is responsible for creating around 5 tonnes of CO2 a year, showing just how significant this is.

Microsoft now appears to be drawing up a roadmap for the use of SMR to power its computation needs. This month, the company posted a job description to hire a nuclear technology expert to lead the company’s technical assessment for integrating small modular nuclear reactors and microreactors “to power the datacentres that the Microsoft Cloud and AI reside on.” The post reads that Microsoft is seeking a “principal program manager for nuclear technology”, who “will be responsible for maturing and implementing a global Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and microreactor energy strategy.”

This is not the first time the tech giant has shown interest in nuclear power. In May, Microsoft signed a power purchase agreement with Helion, a nuclear fusion start-up, to purchase electricity from it starting in 2028. And Bill Gates, Microsoft’s co-founder, is the chairman of the board of Terrapower, a company that is currently developing SMR technology. Although there has been no suggestion that Terrapower will provide Microsoft with any nuclear reactors.

Microsoft is showing an early interest in integrating nuclear power into operations. But, as more companies are using energy-intensive technologies, they will require vast amounts of energy to power their activities. Meanwhile, governments worldwide are putting increasing pressure on companies to decarbonise operations, with some introducing carbon taxes and others encouraging the use of clean energy sources through financial incentives. Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, can take years to develop, and acquiring a stable clean energy source also means investment in battery technology. However, as the use of SMRs becomes more commonplace, their fast manufacturing time and small land footprint will likely appeal to companies looking for alternative clean energy sources.

Despite the optimism around SMR technology, a commercial rollout is likely still a long way off due to recent difficulties in acquiring the materials needed to develop these reactors. Many SMRs under production at present will run on uranium at enrichments as high as 15 to 19.75 percent, known as high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). However, this is currently only commercially available from Russia, with which many governments and private companies have cut ties following the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year. Chris Levesque, the CEO of TerraPower, explained “It has become clear that domestic and allied HALEU manufacturing options will not reach commercial capacity in time to meet the proposed 2028 in-service date for the Natrium demonstration plant.”

There has been a rise in the popularity of SMR technology, thanks to its small size and relatively low-cost and fast manufacturing potential. While the commercial rollout of SMRs is still far off, it could provide the vast amounts of low-carbon energy required to meet the world’s growing electricity needs. And tech companies, such as Microsoft, will likely be some of the first to invest in SMR technology as they look to meet their rising computation needs while striving to decarbonise operations.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

Germany Eyes Options to End Impasse With France on Nuclear Power

John Ainger
Mon, October 2, 2023 



(Bloomberg) -- Germany is set to outline its proposals to break a deadlock with France over the design of the European Union’s electricity market, the latest crunch point between the nations over the region’s climate transition.

The paper lays out three options for resolving how governments can support existing power plants, such as France’s aging nuclear generators, without unduly subsidizing operators, according to a draft seen by Bloomberg News.

The issue has resulted in a political stalemate between Paris and Berlin. France is pushing for rules that would allow it to ensure more stability for state-controlled Electricite de France SA and to tap new financing sources for extending the life of its reactors. Germany has been blocking the initiative over concerns that its own energy prices may be undercut if EDF can sell power at uneconomical costs.

The overhaul of the electricity market design is one of the last elements of the EU’s Green Deal still to be negotiated, and time is running out ahead of regional elections next year. Germany and France have sparred on other elements of the EU’s climate plans, like an effective ban on new combustion engine vehicles from 2035 and the role of nuclear power in the bloc’s energy mix.

Germany proposes ensuring that revenue from so-called contracts for difference, a key tool to spur investments in renewable energies, are proportionate to the amount invested, or that the guaranteed prices set under the mechanism can be adjusted. Another option would be to redistribute revenue only to households or to apply strict limits on the amount that can be redistributed.

The draft paper is still subject to change.

Germany is looking to bring other countries on board with its push, according to people familiar with the matter. It’s not clear if the document would mark a clear step forward in talks with France.

Spain, which holds the rotating Presidency of the bloc, submitted a new compromise proposal on Friday that also laid out options for a breakthrough at a meeting of energy ministers scheduled for Oct. 17. One of those possibilities involves completely removing the section that governs subsidies for lifetime extensions, according to the paper seen by Bloomberg News.

--With assistance from Ewa Krukowska.