Federal court once again suspends bullfights in Mexico City, as activists and supporters lock horns

Associated Press
Wed, January 31, 2024 

A bullfighter performs during a bullfight at the Plaza Mexico, in Mexico City, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. Bullfighting returned to Mexico City after the Supreme Court of Justice overturned a 2022 ban that prevented these events from taking place in the capital. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)


MEXICO CITY (AP) — A federal court granted a temporary injunction against bullfighting in Mexico City on Wednesday, as activists and supporters of the practice once again locked horns in court.

Bullfighting had only just returned Sunday to the capital's Plaza Mexico, which held the city's first legal bullfight in almost two years.

The ruling will apparently force the postponement of fights scheduled for Feb. 4-6; organizers have not yet announced what they will do.


In May 2022, a local court ordered an end to bullfighting, ruling that the practice violated city resident’s rights to a healthy environment free from violence.

That case had been appealed to the Supreme Court, which struck down the ban on largely technical grounds but left the underlying questions unresolved.

But the joy of bullfighting enthusiasts only lasted a few days. Animal rights supporters quickly filed another legal challenge that resulted in Wednesday's ruling, which suspends fights until Feb. 7.

At that point, another hearing will be held to consider activists' complaints that the practice subjected the animals to cruelty and violated humans' rights to be free of degrading spectacles of cruelty and environmental insensitivity.

Animal rights groups have been gaining ground in Mexico in recent years while bullfighting followers have suffered several setbacks. In some states such as Sinaloa, Guerrero, Coahuila, Quintana Roo and the western city of Guadalajara, judicial measures now limit the activity.

Ranchers, businessmen and fans maintain that the ban on bullfights infringes on their rights and puts at risk several thousand jobs linked to the activity, which they say generates about $400 million a year in Mexico.

The National Association of Fighting Bull Breeders in Mexico estimates that bullfighting is responsible for 80,000 direct jobs and 146,000 indirect jobs.

The association has hosted events and workshops in recent years to promote bullfights and find new, younger fans.

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Mexican town continues bull running tradition despite legal struggle over bullfights in capital

ALBA ALEMÁN
Thu, February 1, 2024 






A reveler falls down after provoking a bull during a festival in honor of the Virgin of the Candelaria, in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz State, Mexico, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. For nearly a quarter century, the residents have taunted, slapped, chased and run from bulls as part of the religious festival. It is reminiscent, though at a much smaller scale, of the running of the bulls in northern Spain and has continued year after year despite laws banning the mistreatment of animals. 

(AP Photo/Felix Marquez)

TLACOTALPAN, Mexico (AP) — For nearly a quarter century, the residents of this riverside town in southeastern Mexico have taunted, slapped, chased and run from bulls as part of a religious festival.

It is reminiscent, though at a much smaller scale, of the running of the bulls in northern Spain and has continued year after year despite laws banning the mistreatment of animals. This year, it takes place amid an ongoing legal battle over bullfights 300 miles (485 kilometers) to the west in Mexico City.

The festival tied to Candelaria -- Candlemas in English – runs from Jan. 28 to Feb. 9 among the colorfully painted houses of Tlacotalpan.

The bulls, donated by the town’s most well-off families, are just part of days of cultural and artistic events. On Thursday, six bulls crossed the Paploapan river into the town on a boat.

Beer drinking crowds of mostly young men clad in red shirts chased them through the streets, tugging on their ears and tails, to an improvised coral where some people tried to climb atop them.

Some of the tormentors suffered injuries, knocked down or gored and treated by paramedics.

In 2016, animal rights groups successfully pushed legislation in the state of Veracruz banning this sort of event. But Tlacotalpan has continued its festival undeterred in the name of tradition.

Alfredo Cervin, 20, described the adrenaline rush of running with the bulls with a profanity. He said the tradition should continue because it was something that distinguished the town.

Elva Arroyo Urbano, 48, said they were more careful with the animals now. “They’ve improved the way they bring them a little tied. They let them rest and they don’t mistreat them as much. There’s a little more discipline toward the bulls.”

Local authorities say the event has continued since the town was founded on the banks of the river in 1777. The annual threat of fines – there’s no record any have ever been imposed – have not stopped the town’s tradition.

Feds won't restore protections for wolves in Rockies, western states, propose national recovery plan

MATTHEW BROWN and TODD RICHMOND
Fri, February 2, 2024 

In this February 2021, photo released by California Department of Fish and Wildlife, shows a gray wolf (OR-93) near Yosemite, Calif. Federal wildlife officials announced Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, that they have rejected requests from conservation groups to restore protections for gray wolves across portions of six western states, saying the population in those states is strong. 

(California Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP, File)

Federal wildlife officials on Friday rejected requests from conservation groups to restore protections for gray wolves across the northern U.S Rocky Mountains, saying the predators are in no danger of extinction as some states seek to reduce their numbers through hunting.

The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service also said it would work on a first-ever national recovery plan for wolves, after previously pursuing a piecemeal recovery in different regions of the country. The agency expects to complete work on the plan by December 2025.

The rejection of the conservation groups’ petitions allows state-sanctioned wolf hunts to continue in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. They estimated the wolf population in the region that also includes Washington, California and Oregon stood at nearly 2,800 animals at the end of 2022.

“The population maintains high genetic diversity and connectivity, further supporting their ability to adapt to future changes,” the agency said in a news release.

Conservationists who have been working to bring the wolf back from near-extinction in the U.S. blasted the decision, complaining that Idaho and Montana have approved increasingly aggressive wolf-killing measures including trapping, snaring and months-long hunting seasons.

“We are disappointed that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is refusing to hold the states accountable to wolf conservation commitments they made a decade ago,” said Susan Holmes, executive director of the Endangered Species Coalition.

Antipathy toward wolves for killing livestock and big game dates to early European settlement of the American West in the 1800s, and it flared up again after wolf populations rebounded under federal protection. That recovery has brought bitter blowback from hunters and farmers angered over wolf attacks on big game herds and livestock. They contend protections are no longer warranted.

Congress stripped Endangered Species Act protections from wolves in western states in 2011. The Trump administration removed Endangered Species Act protections for wolves across the lower 48 states just before Trump left office in 2020.

A federal judge in 2022 restored those protections across 45 states, but left wolf management to state officials in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and portions of Oregon, Washington and Utah.

Republican lawmakers in Montana and Idaho are intent on culling more wolf packs, which are blamed for periodic attacks on livestock and reducing elk and deer herds that many hunters prize.

The states’ Republican governors in recent months signed into law measures that expanded when, where and how wolves can be killed. That raised alarm among Democrats, former wildlife officials and advocacy groups that said increased hunting pressure could cut wolf numbers to unsustainable levels.

The Humane Society of the U.S., Center for Biological Diversity and other groups had filed legal petitions asking federal officials to intervene.

Despite the hunting pressure that they are under in some states, wolves from the Nothern Rockies region have continued to expand into new areas of Washington, Oregon, California and Colorado. Colorado this winter also began reintroducing wolves to more areas of the state under a plan mandated by voters under a narrowly approved 2020 ballot initiative.

There is continued political pressure to remove protections for wolves in the western Great Lakes region. When protections were briefly lifted under the Trump administration, hunters in Wisconsin using hounds and trappers blew past the state’s harvest goal and killed almost twice as many as planned.


Idaho wolves won’t return to Endangered Species list, Fish and Wildlife Service rules

Nicole Blanchard
Fri, February 2, 2024 


Gray wolves in Idaho will not be relisted under the Endangered Species Act despite conservationist concerns, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in a ruling Friday.

The agency’s decision concluded more than two years of analysis in response to multiple petitions regarding the animals’ status in the Western U.S. and the Northern Rocky Mountains area, which includes Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and parts of Oregon, Washington and Utah.

Fish and Wildlife Service officials said the Northern Rocky Mountains population doesn’t constitute a “valid listable entity” for Endangered Species protections. It said the Western U.S. population qualifies for protections but determined the animals don’t meet the threshold to be listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Conservation groups brought relisting petitions to the federal government in 2021 and 2022 following an expansion of wolf hunting and trapping opportunities in Idaho and Montana. Several of them expressed disappointment at the Fish and Wildlife Service decision.

Nicholas Arrivo, managing attorney for wildlife at the Humane Society of the United States, in a statement called the ruling “reprehensible” and said the agency is standing by as wolves in Idaho and neighboring states are “pushed to the brink of extinction once again.”

“The agency is essentially turning their backs on wolves,” Arrivo said.

Suzanne Asha Stone, director of the Idaho-based International Wildlife Coexistence Network, told the Idaho Statesman in a text message that the decision “clears the way for states like Idaho to brutally kill as many wolves as they want.”

“We have to ask the Biden administration: Why did the American people bring healthy wolf populations back only to see them eradicated from the landscape just a few decades later?” she said.

Friday’s ruling adds layers to an already-complex landscape of wolf protections. With the exception of wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains area, wolves in the Lower 48 states are protected by the Endangered Species Act. The species is considered “threatened” in Minnesota and “endangered” in all other states.

Idaho has managed its wolf population since 2011, when they were removed from the Endangered Species list. The Statesman has reached out to Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials for comment on the ruling.

The Fish and Wildlife Service decision coincides with the agency’s announcement of plans to start “a national conversation” about gray wolves. The agency said it will develop a national recovery plan for the species by December 2025.

Republicans raise alarm as Biden admin prepares plan to protect wolves nationwide

Thomas Catenacci
Thu, February 1, 2024


FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans on the Natural Resources Committee are raising the alarm about a Biden administration initiative they said could lead to expanded protections for the gray wolf species, despite opposition from farmers and western states.

Committee Republicans led by Chair Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., informed Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Martha Williams that they were probing her agency's National Dialogue Around Working Landscapes and Gray Wolves and Thriving Communities and Cultures, an initiative unveiled in December. The lawmakers said oversight was necessary given the significant effect of listing the gray wolf.

"The facts are clear regarding the listing status of the Gray Wolf in the lower-48 states — the species is recovered, should be delisted, and management should be returned to the states," Westerman and eight fellow Natural Resources Republicans wrote in a letter to Williams on Thursday. "Delisting the gray wolf in the lower-48 states has traditionally garnered bipartisan support."

"Yet under the vague parameters of the Service’s proposal, the Service could begin to dictate to states what their management approaches should be," they added in the letter. "Perhaps more concerning, they could utilize this proposal as a proxy to relist wolves in the Northern Rockies without the support of the impacted States."

BIDEN ADMIN PLAN TO RELEASE PREDATOR NEAR RURAL COMMUNITIES FACES WIDESPREAD OPPOSITION: 'A HUGE THREAT'

House Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman, R-Ark.

On Dec. 13, FWS launched its gray wolf dialogue initiative to "foster the long-term conservation of wolves and address the concerns of varied communities." The agency said the effort would include discussions involving those who live near wolf populations and those who are interested in preserving the species, and contracting a third-party conflict resolution firm to oversee the initiative.

However, while the agency said the initiative would inform its policies and future rulemaking about wolves, it did not offer any additional details about what it specifically hoped to achieve.

LOCAL RESIDENTS EXPLODE AT BIDEN OFFICIALS OVER PLAN TO RELEASE GRIZZLY BEARS NEAR THEIR COMMUNITIES

"The Committee is concerned that the 'National Dialogue Around Working Landscapes and Gray Wolves and Thriving Communities and Cultures' could potentially impact areas where wolves are delisted and currently under state management, like in the Northern Rockies Ecosystem," the Republicans wrote in their letter.

House Republicans are concerned about a Biden administration initiative they say could lead to expanded protections for the gray wolf species, despite opposition from farmers and western states.

"States in the Northern Rockies Ecosystem have a proven track record of success in managing healthy wolf populations, with current populations being stable and even slightly increasing year to year," they continued.

For years, environmental and conservation nonprofits have advocated, through both public campaigns and litigation, for FWS to maintain federal protections for the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Once a species is listed under the ESA, individuals and groups are prohibited from removing, interfering with, hunting or harming it.

According to environmentalists, the gray wolf is vital to ensuring ecosystems are healthy by keeping prey populations in check.

A 14-year-old wolf stands on top of her den at the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center in the town of Divide.

However, western states, in addition to agriculture and livestock industry associations, have argued that gray wolves are already recovered and that any recovery plan should be overseen by state officials who are more informed about the wildlife needs within their borders. As such, in 2020, the Trump administration declared the species fully recovered in the U.S. and delisted it from the ESA.

"After more than 45 years as a listed species, the Gray Wolf has exceeded all conservation goals for recovery," former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said in a statement at the time. "Today’s announcement simply reflects the determination that this species is neither a threatened nor endangered species based on the specific factors Congress has laid out in the law."

In early 2022, though, a federal district court reinstated the ESA protections in the lower 48 states, a decision that does not impact the Northern Rockies ecosystem. The Republicans on Thursday expressed concern that FWS would pursue further protections for the gray wolf, including in that region, as a result of its dialogue initiative.

Trudeau says Premier Smith's new transgender policies target 'vulnerable' youth

CBC
Fri, February 2, 2024 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Alberta Premier Danielle Smith Friday to defend the rights of vulnerable LGBT youth. (The Canadian Press/Nick Iwanyshyn - image credit)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slammed Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's decision to roll out what he called her "anti LGBT policies" days after sharing the stage with "far-right" U.S. media figure Tucker Carlson.

"It is telling that the week after welcoming far-right American conservative Tucker Carlson to her province [and sitting] with him on stage, Danielle Smith has now moved forward with the most anti-LGBT policies of anywhere in the country," Trudeau said in Waterloo, Ont. Friday.

Last week, four federal cabinet ministers condemned Smith's decision to meet with former Fox News personality Carlson, citing some of the rhetoric he used while speaking to a Calgary crowd.

Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault accused Carlson of "spewing hate speech about LGTBQ people," referring to Carlson's homophobic joke about Trudeau.

"I know that in Canada it is official policy that coming out of the closet is good — unless you're the prime minister," Carlson said during his appearance.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith (second from left) stands with three men she shared the stage with at recent events in Calgary and Edmonton: author Jordan Peterson, U.S. broadcaster Tucker Carlson and former newspaper magnate Conrad Black. (X/@abdaniellesmith)

Earlier this week, Smith announced sweeping changes to Alberta's student gender identity, sports and surgery policies.

Smith said that puberty blockers will be prohibited for children 15 and younger while minors aged 17 and under will not be able to get top or bottom surgery — although bottom surgery is already limited to adults.

Under the policy, students 15 and younger will need parents' permission to use a different name or pronoun at school. Transgender women will also be banned from competing in women's sports leagues.

Alberta to introduce legislation

Trudeau said that LGBT youth in Canada are among those most vulnerable to suicide and parents and governments need to protect them, rather than target them.

"If Premier Smith wants to fight someone, stand up and fight for Canadians on lower grocery prices, on affordable fuel, on more housing, on fighting climate change," Trudeau said.

"Fight with us to defend the rights of vulnerable Canadians. Don't fight against vulnerable LGBT youth."

Smith said her government will introduce legislation to support the planned policy changes in the fall. Trudeau was asked how his government will respond when that legislation lands, but offered few specifics.

"As a federal government, we will always be there to protect the most vulnerable, particularly vulnerable LGBT youth who need to know that there are people across the country there to fight for them," Trudeau said.

The prime minister said the fight is not his alone and that Smith already has seen pushback from people concerned about the impact of the proposed policies.

"The first thing we are seeing is a number of Albertans, whether its doctors or teachers or community organizations, stepping up to voice their concerns directly with their premier about this anti-LGBT youth policy," he said.

Doctors, nurses and medical groups urge province to walk back plans to limit gender-affirming care

CBC
Fri, February 2, 2024 

Medical officials and organizations are condemning the changes in gender-affirming care for Alberta youth announced by the premier. 

(Jo Panuwat D/Shutterstock - image credit)

Sweeping changes to gender-affirming care, announced by the Alberta government this week, are sparking widespread backlash and condemnation from doctors, nurses and medical organizations, and calls are mounting for the province to reverse its decision.

Touting it as a move to protect children, Premier Danielle Smith positioned Alberta as the most restrictive in Canada and introduced a suite of policies impacting transgender youth this week, including a ban on the use of puberty blocking medication and hormone therapy in children under 16, for the purposes of gender affirmation.

While Smith also announced a prohibition on gender-affirming surgeries in children under 18, lower surgeries are already restricted to people over 18, and doctors say top surgeries are very rarely performed on older teens.

"This is a direct attack on trans youth," said Dr. Ted Jablonski, a Calgary family physician who specializes in transgender care. "This is an assault on their medical care."

Jablonski has been treating transgender Calgarians for more than two decades.

"I feel like we've stepped back in time," he said.

"There's no medical evidence to make any kind of restrictions. We have very good guidelines to manage trans youth."

These guidelines include a detailed position statement published by the Canadian Paediatric Society and standards of care published by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.

The pediatrics section of the Alberta Medical Association issued a statement late Thursday, calling on the provincial government to back off of its plan.

"Children and youth have the right to the appropriate medical care, at the appropriate time, and this should not be denied to them," the statement said.

"We urge the Premier, in the strongest terms, to reconsider the proposed changes for care of transgender youth."

The Canadian Paediatric Society also condemned the plan and called on the premier to walk it back.

"We are deeply concerned that implementation of these policies will not only undermine the fundamental rights of transgender children and youth in Alberta, but will lead to significant negative health outcomes, including increased risk of suicide and self-harm," the group said in a letter to Smith.

Facing a barrage of criticism, Smith defended her government's plan at a news conference on Thursday.

"We want to make sure that children do not prematurely make decisions that are going to be irreversible and affect their ability to have sex and affect their ability to have children, until they're of an age where they're fully responsible for those decisions. That's age 18," she said.

Dr. Joe Raiche, a psychiatrist who works in the youth gender clinic at the Alberta Children's Hospital, called the policies "shocking" and "devastating."

"This does tremendous harm. It has the potential to cause an irreparable impact on lives of trans youth and families," he said, adding no clinicians at the youth gender clinics in either Calgary or Edmonton were consulted on the policy.

Puberty blocking medication

One of Raiche's biggest concern is the ban on puberty-suppressing medication in kids under 16.


Dr. Joe Raiche is a psychiatrist working with transgender youth and adults at the Alberta Children's Hospital and Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary

Dr. Joe Raiche is a psychiatrist working with transgender youth at the Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary. (David Aleman/f-stop Photography)

"This would make Alberta having the most restrictive gender-affirming care across all of Canada," he said in an interview with CBC News.

"The magnitude of the harm of having somebody go through puberty that's not aligned with their gender identity … is just downright cruel," he said.

The Canadian Paediatric Society notes hormone suppression is reversible and puberty continues once the treatment is stopped.

"It gives youth and their families a chance to pause, reflect [and] explore, without their body going through devastating changes that can be irreversibly and irredeemably harmful for them," said Raiche.

According to the society, gender-affirming hormones, which the province also seeks to ban for kids under 16, are considered partially reversible. These medications are prescribed to "promote the development of physical features that are better aligned with an individual's experienced gender."

Mental health concerns

Doctors are warning the mental health implications of these changes will be significant and long-lasting.

According to the Canadian Paediatric Society, transgender youth have a higher risk of mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide.

"Now we're asking youth to endure more mental distress, more mental anguish," said Raiche.

The AMA section of pediatrics said the move will increase the mental health needs, and burden, on the health system.

"The mental health of these children and youth will be markedly worse when denied care," the statement said.

"These new medical restrictions single them out and reinforce stigma."

Dr. Jake Donaldson, a Calgary-based family physician who treats gender diverse youth and adults, is worried about his patients

"Most studies, including here in Canada and here in Alberta, have shown that about 40 per cent of gender diverse individuals will try to kill themselves at some point if they are not in a supportive environment," he said in an interview on CBC Radio's Alberta at Noon.

"So it really can be a life-or-death situation for some of these kids."

Medical autonomy

Calling it an assault on human rights, the United Nurses of Alberta also lambasted the policy, warning it amounts to political interference.

"To use medical treatment of young people as an excuse to mount a politically motivated attack on gender-affirming health care will put the lives of young people at risk, ultimately increase the costs of providing health care, and set a dangerous precedent that should concern us all," the statement said.

"Political decisions to block one kind of medical treatment can easily lead to political decisions to block other kinds."

Jablonski agrees.

"I don't think there's any role for our premier to tell us what we should be doing medically," he said.

According to Donaldson, the policy puts doctors in a position where they face violating the Hippocratic oath.

"I took an oath when I went through medical training that I'm not going to do any harm to individuals," he said.

"If I sit back and do nothing … and force them to go through a transition that does not match their gender identity and live a life in a body that's going to leave them as a target of hateful violence … that just breaks my heart. I don't know if I can accept that."

Parents of transgender kids want Alberta government to stay out of medical decisions
CBC
Fri, February 2, 2024

Sherwood Park mother Catie Jones has launched a petition against Premier Danielle Smith's planned policy changes affecting transgender and non-binary youth and adults. (Travis McEwen/CBC - image credit)

Some parents of transgender children say the Alberta government's policy changes affecting transgender and non-binary youth will interfere with the medical treatment their children need.

On Wednesday, Premier Danielle Smith introduced Alberta's new policy, which includes restrictions on puberty blockers and hormones for children 15 and under.

The Alberta Medical Association's pediatric section says there are benefits for patients to start puberty blockers as soon as they show signs as it will make future surgeries less invasive. Bottom surgery is always performed on patients 18 and older.

Two Edmonton-area mothers, both with 10-year-old daughters, worry what Smith's new policy will mean for them.

Catie Jones's daughter Samantha felt safe enough to tell her parents she was a girl.

Jones said she was terrified to learn the province plans to restrict the use of medication for youth 15 and under.

"The first time I read details of the policy, specifically the one restricting access to puberty blockers and hormone treatments, I burst into tears," she said.


Catie Jones's ten-year-old daughter Samantha.

Catie Jones's 10-year-old daughter Samantha. (Submitted by Catie Jones)

Jones said her daughter is already showing signs of depression, anxiety and gender dysphoria. Jones said Samantha feels uncomfortable and doesn't want to look at herself in the mirror.

Jones said her daughter was furious after learning what Smith announced on Wednesday.

'This is a big deal'

Anna Paranich's daughter Ellie knew she was a girl since she was two years old, Now 10, Ellie is in the same boat as Samantha.

Paranich said Smith is spreading misinformation about puberty blockers by telling people that the effects are irreversible when they aren't.

Paranich said it's recommended for trans children to start taking medication as soon as they start showing signs of puberty and she thinks Ellie is about 18 months away from that transition point. Paranich said Ellie has been seeing a specialist at the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton for two years.

Paranich said she plans to fight Smith's changes but will go elsewhere to get the medication Ellie needs.

"Developing facial hair or having her voice deepened, that would be very traumatic for her," Paranich said. "This is a big deal."

At a news conference Thursday, Smith defended her rationale for planning to restrict health-care options for youth.

"I am confident that Albertans do not want children to make irreversible decisions that impact their reproductive health," Smith said.

"I am confident that they don't think those are child decisions to make; that those are adult decisions to make."

The pediatric section of the Alberta Medical Association issued a statement on Thursday that spoke against the Alberta policy.

They said gender-affirming treatments are a medical decision involving the child, their parents, their doctor and other health-care providers.

"The doctor-patient relationship is inviolable and sacrosanct," the statement said. "Full stop."

But some parent groups support Smith's policy.

Jeff Park is the executive director of the Alberta Parents' Union. What Smith announced this week resolves many of the group's complaints.

FAILURE TO IDENTIFY THIS AS A RIGHT WING UCP LOBBY GROUP

The policy also requires parental notification if a student under 18 wishes to use a different pronoun at school. Parents need to give their permission if the child is under 16.

Park said his members are delighted by the changes.

"We've been hearing consistently from parents since the announcement came down and it's been overwhelmingly positive and a big step in the right direction," he said.

Smith hopes to table legislation this fall. Jones has launched a petition against the policy. She said her daughter has supports but she worries about the kids who don't.

Paranich wants the government to get out of medical decisions that are between Ellie, her parents, and her physician.

"Danielle Smith really espouses bodily autonomy and freedom of choice when it comes to things like vaccines," she said.

"But now she's taken away our choice to follow our recommendations by top physicians."

Paranich said she and her daughter plan to attend a rally in Edmonton on Saturday against Smith's policy.

Alberta restrictions for transgender youth 'extremely dangerous' -Canada minister

Updated Thu, February 1, 2024 

FILE PHOTO: Canada's Minister of Health Mark Holland rises to table a report in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa

By Steve Scherer

OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canada's health minister on Thursday said planned restrictions for transgender youth in the Western province of Alberta are "extremely dangerous," a sign that policies could become a political wedge issue going into next year's election.

On Wednesday, conservative Alberta Premier Danielle Smith unveiled sweeping changes to policies related to students and gender identity.

She plans to restrict the medical treatments they may seek, including prohibiting hormonal treatment, puberty blockers and gender-affirming surgery for children under 15 years of age and banning gender-related surgery for minors.

Parents also will have to give permission for any student under 15 to use a different pronoun and name than the one given at birth, and transgender women will not be able to join female sports teams, Smith said.

"The decision that was made by Alberta places kids at risk. We know that one of the number one reasons why kids take their life is problems around sexual identity," Health Minister Mark Holland, a Liberal, told reporters.

"I think it's extremely dangerous to engage in this kind of thing, which is, I think, playing politics when you're talking about children's lives," he added.

Several Liberal ministers shared similar condemnations online or with reporters. Employment and Workforce Development Minister Randy Boissonault, the first openly LGBT member of parliament from Alberta, called the proposed rules "draconian".

"Trans kids aren't supposed to be part of your political strategy," Labor Minister Seamus O'Regan, who is gay, posted on social media platform X.

Alberta's guidelines would be the strictest introduced in Canada, and they are likely to fuel a debate that has polarized political parties in the United States for some time.

"We want to make sure that those adult decisions are made as adults," Smith told reporters on Thursday. "Issues involving kids' reproductive health are not a political stunt."

She said the rules would likely be implemented in the autumn.

Federal Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has built a commanding lead in opinion polls against Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, mostly by hammering the government on cost-of-living issues.

But in November of last year Poilievre did tell supporters that Trudeau "does not have a right to impose his radical gender ideology on our kids and on our schools," without elaborating.

(Reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Aurora Ellis and Jonathan Oatis)


Danielle Smith unveils sweeping changes to Alberta's student gender identity, sports and surgery policies

CBC
Wed, January 31, 2024 

Smith made the announcement Wednesday on social media. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press - image credit)


Alberta will prohibit hormonal treatment, puberty blockers and gender affirming surgery for children 15 years and younger, Premier Danielle Smith announced Wednesday in a video posted to social media.

Smith said the policy bans all children under 17 from having top and bottom surgery, though bottom surgery is already limited to adults.

Teens aged 16 and 17 can start hormone therapy as long as they have permission from their parents, a physician and a psychologist.

Alberta parents will need to give permission before a student aged 15 and under can use a name or pronoun at school other than what they were given at birth, Smith said.

Students who are 16 or 17 won't require permission but schools will need to let their parents know first.

Albertans who require transgender surgeries have the procedures performed in Quebec. Smith said efforts will begin to attract these specialists to Alberta so the surgeries can take place in the province.

Smith said teachers need to get any third-party instruction material on gender identity, sexual orientation and human sexuality approved by the Education ministry before they are used in the classroom.

Parents will have to opt students in to every lesson about sex education, sexual orientation or gender identity.

The law right now requires one notification, and parents can opt out.

The new policy also forbids transgender women from competing in women's sports leagues. Smith said the government will work with leagues to set up co-ed or general-neutral divisions for sports.

It's unclear which changes would be done by law or by government policy and when any of the changes would take effect.

Smith said she didn't want to encourage or allow children to alter their biology or growth because she said it would pose a risk.

"Making permanent and irreversible decisions regarding one's biological sex while still a youth can severely limit that child's choices in the future," she said.

"Prematurely encouraging or enabling children to alter their very biology or natural growth, no matter how well intentioned and sincere, poses a risk to that child's future that I, as premier, am not comfortable with permitting in our province."

More detail is coming at a news conference on Thursday afternoon.

Policy 'interfering ideologically' in healthcare: expert

Fae Johnstone, a transgender woman and executive director of Queer Momentum based in Ontario, said Alberta's policies go further than what Saskatchewan and New Brunswick are doing.

Saskatchewan made changes via legislation. New Brunswick opted to make policy changes.

The Saskatchewan Party government passed its Parents' Bill of Rights, which requires consent from a parent or guardian "when a student requests that their preferred name, gender identity, and/or gender expression be used" at school.

New Brunswick's recent changes to its policy mean it's no longer mandatory for teachers to use the preferred pronouns or names of transgender or non-binary students under the age of 16.

A teacher or school would need to obtain parental consent for any child who wants to change their name at school. A student who refuses parental involvement would be referred to a school psychologist or social worker to develop a plan to inform the student's parents.

"This is interfering ideologically in the provision of medically necessary healthcare for trans and gender diverse young people," Johnstone said in an interview with CBC News.

"And flies in the face of establishing medical best practice, while also putting in parameters around school inclusion that are actually more likely to force trans kids back into the closet or extreme cases will lead to trans kids being kicked out of their homes."

Groups that support transgender kids said they will fight back.

Calgary-based Skipping Stone Foundation and Egale Canada said they condemn Smith's policy and called it "a direct and unprecedented attack on 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians, and trans and gender diverse youth in particular."

The groups said the measures violate the constitution and will create irreparable harm. They said they plan to take the matter to court.

Other groups wish Smith went further with her policy.

John Hilton-O'Brien is the executive director of parents for Choice in Education.

Hilton-O'Brien said Smith did more than he expected. While it didn't go as far he would like, he called it "reasonable."

Hilton-O'Brien said Smith took what he believes is a middle ground to diffuse tension between schools and parents.

"What you're looking at is a powder keg," he said. "If the premier doesn't do something to diffuse it, there will be much bigger trouble than a potential group of cases in [court]. She'll be looking at mass protests."

ATA says teachers need to be 'broadly consulted'

Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teacher's Association, said in a written statement that teachers are primarily concerned about the safety of their most vulnerable students after this announcement from Smith.

Teachers must be broadly consulted before this policy is enacted, he added.

"We are concerned about the chilling effect placed on classrooms and schools, impacting our ability to provide safe, caring and inclusive spaces for all students," Schilling said.

"We are concerned about how students may feel forced to suppress their identities and to be afraid of reaching out to teachers as an avenue for support.

"Transgender youth are five times more likely to think about suicide and nearly eight times more likely to attempt it than other children. We must be mindful of the vulnerability of these students and their need for safety, security and support."

Nigerian royals say Cambridge bosses ‘duped’ as Benin Bronzes row reignites

Craig Simpson
Fri, 2 February 2024 

Senior prince of Benin has ordered the university to return artefacts

 - NEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK

Nigerian royals have claimed Cambridge University bosses were “duped” into an agreement to repatriate the Benin Bronzes and must now return them to a local king.

In 2022, the university pledged to return 116 artefacts to Nigeria, but paused its plan when it emerged that the treasures would become the private property of the king of the Benin people, rather than a Nigerian government body.

The Benin royal household has now claimed that Cambridge bosses were “duped” into making deals with false claimants to the Bronzes amid an internal political wrangle in Nigeria.


A senior prince representing the palace has insisted that the university stop stalling and return the artefacts to their “legitimate” owner, the king or “Oba” of Benin, reigniting an international row over the metal artworks.

Hundreds of artworks were created for the monarchs of the Kingdom of Benin – which was absorbed into Nigeria – and looted by British troops after they stormed the palace of then-ruler Oba Ovonramwen in an 1897 expedition.

His modern-day descendant, Oba Ewuare II, contends that the artefacts rightfully belong to him and should be returned directly.

The position has been endorsed by the Nigerian state to the surprise of pro-repatriation European museums.

‘I feel sorry for the Europeans’

Prince Aghatise Erediauwa of Benin, the younger brother of the Oba, has insisted that Cambridge respect his wishes.

He told the Telegraph: “I feel sorry for the Europeans who have been duped and received promises about the artefacts from those who should not have been claiming the Bronzes.”

He added: “Cambridge should most definitely return the artefacts. The Oba of Benin is the legitimate owner.

“The president of Nigeria has recognised this.

“I understand they are hesitating, but they must return the artefacts. They must now do the right thing, and return the artefacts to the right people.”

Benin Bronzes were created for the monarchs and looted by British troops

 - TOBY MELVILLE/REUTERS

Cambridge holds 116 Bronzes in its Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, which have faced demands for repatriation. Oxford’s museum collection and the more than 900 housed in the British museum have also been the subject of debate.

The Telegraph has been told that the Benin royal household became concerned when a third party, Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, began negotiating terms for the repatriation of Bronzes from Western museums.

The commission wanted returned artefacts to be housed in the Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA) that it plans to build in Benin City. It is the capital of the former Kingdom of Benin, once looted by the British in an expedition that eventually led to the Bronzes being dispersed around the world.

Cambridge, Oxford and the Horniman Museum in London agreed to repatriate in 2022, taking their lead from institutions in Germany.

Did Australian invent bitcoin? UK court examines claim


Lucie LEQUIER
Fri, 2 February 2024 

In this article:
Satoshi Nakamoto
Person or pseudonym for the person or group who designed and developed Bitcoin

More than 15 years after its launch the creator of bitcoin is still unknown (Ozan KOSE)

A court case starting in London on Monday will seek to determine whether Australian computer scientist Craig Wright invented bitcoin, the world's first and biggest cryptocurrency.

Wright says he is Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym of bitcoin's creator and author of a white paper that introduced the cryptocurrency to the world in 2008.

Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a non-profit organisation set up to keep cryptocurrency technology free from patents, is suing Wright over his claims first made in 2016 -- resulting in the trial at London's High Court set to last six weeks.


The enigmatic programmer describes himself on X as "Creator of Bitcoin".

"I conceived bitcoin, and I unveiled it to the world," he last month wrote in a posting on the platform, formerly known as Twitter.

Wright, who on his website describes himself also as a businessman, has been involved in a number of lawsuits brought by himself but this time around is being asked to defend himself.

"The very concept of bitcoin from the beginning was open source," a COPA spokesperson told AFP.

It "raises a reasonable question: is Satoshi Nakamoto the kind of person who would sue people for (re)publishing the white paper? We think obviously not".

- 'Faketoshi' -

COPA brings together heavyweights in the industry, including cryptocurrency platform Coinbase and Block, which specialises in digital payments.

It accuses Wright, nicknamed 'Faketoshi' by his detractors, of lying about his identity and of forging and manipulating documents presented to try and prove his claims.

"Craig Wright claims to be the mysterious creator of bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto. He isn't," Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal insisted before the start of the London hearing.

"But, undaunted by this basic truth, Wright has used his substantial financial backing to bring an endless stream of baseless litigations against crypto developers based on this lie, many of whom cannot even afford to present the most basic defense."

The outcome of the upcoming case could determine that of another pitting Wright against 26 developers -- including Coinbase -- for allegedly infringing upon his intellectual property rights.

- Other bitcoin 'inventors'? -

Should it be judged that Wright is not the inventor of bitcoin, ascertaining who is would prove another major challenge.

Dorian Nakamoto was one of the first to be suspected of shaking up the world of currency, following a report by Newsweek magazine that he was behind the digital token.

The Japanese-American engineer denies being Satoshi Nakamoto.

Others argue that work of such magnitude would more likely have been carried out by a collective rather than a single developer.

The court case comes as bitcoin becomes more widely accessible.

US regulators last month gave the green light to a group of bitcoin exchange-traded funds, which grant investors exposure to movements in asset prices without taking direct ownership of the underlying assets.

Bitcoin on Friday traded at around $42,500, far from a record-peak of almost $69,000 in 2021.

lul-bcp/rfj/rl

Dogs have five personality types – just like people do


Sarah Knapton
Fri, 2 February 2024 

A German shepherd, which likely sits in the "assertive" personality group - NICK MEASURES/MOMENT RF

Dogs may come in all different shapes and sizes, but they have only five personality types, just like humans, scientists have found.

Researchers at the University of East London used an artificial intelligence algorithm to trawl through 70,000 behavioural records of dogs to find out if there were any common threads running through the breeds.

They found that all could be classified into the five groups: excitable/hyper-attached, anxious/fearful, aloof/predatory, reactive/assertive or calm/agreeable.


Humans can also be grouped into the “big five” personality types: extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism.

The team said that the anxious/fearful personality type in dogs corresponded to the trait of neuroticism in humans, while calm/agreeable linked with agreeable. But they said the other types were specific to canines.

Experts say the findings are important for helping pair dogs with their ideal owners. Excitable dogs, for example, need owners who can cope with their extra energy and neediness.

Likewise, it might be unwise to place anxious or aloof dogs in families with young children.

It could also be useful in selecting or training dogs for specific roles where their temperament is important, such as guide dogs or those used by the emergency services.

Dr Mohammad Amirhosseini, from the university, said: “This innovative AI-based methodology holds promise for revolutionising the selection and training of dogs for specific roles, both working and non-working.”
Behavioural problems

Nearly 50 per cent of people surrendering dogs to animal shelters cite behavioural problems as a contributory factor and roughly one in four cite them as the primary reason for giving up their pet.

To discover the personality traits, dogs in the database were scored on behaviours such as how they responded when unfamiliar people visited their home, or if they were jealous when their owner gave affection to another animal.

Anxious and fearful dogs were more likely to whine, jump up or try to intervene when the owner petted another animal, while calm and agreeable dogs did not seem to mind.

Calmer dogs were also less likely to chase birds or cats, and were quicker to learn new tricks or tasks.

Aloof/predatory dogs were more likely to show aggression to joggers, rollerbladers or skateboarders passing outside the home.

Reactive dogs tended to become aggressive when scolded or shouted at by their owners, as well as being likely to chase squirrels and cats. They were also fearful of sudden loud noises such as a vacuum cleaner being switched on or an object being dropped.
Stronger bonds

The experts say more research is needed to understand the nuances of canine personalities, but that the study should help foster stronger bonds between humans and their dogs, paving the way for more effective training programs and tailored pet-owner interactions.

The report concludes: “These personality clusters appear to be biologically meaningful, in the sense that they describe broad domains of canine temperament that would be recognizable to a majority of dog owners and handlers.

“These findings could provide a framework to explore personality matching between companion dogs and their owners and how this might contribute to the quality and durability of their relationships.

“The results of such studies could potentially generate insights regarding why dog-human partnerships succeed or fail, thereby reducing future rates of shelter relinquishment and euthanasia, and may also help to guide animal shelter and rescue groups towards more successful and mutually rewarding dog adoptions.”

Traditionally, dog personality assessments have relied on questionnaires and statistical analysis.

The new research applied machine learning techniques to behavioural data from the University of Pennsylvania’s C-Barq database, which contains more than 70,000 behavioural records.

The team is hoping that future research will be able to show if the personality clusters are influenced by genetics, age, sex, body size, neuter status, breed, previous history and the characteristics of their owners.

The study did not look at whether individual breeds had certain traits or whether personality could be altered with training.

The research was published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

Watch: Pigeon suspected of spying for China cleared of espionage and set free

Naseer A Ganai
Fri, 2 February 2024 

India held the pigeon captive for eight months before concluding it was not a Chinese spy - AP/Anshuman Poyrekar

A pigeon accused of being a Chinese spy has been cleared of espionage by Indian police and released back into the wild.

The bird was captured in May last year near a port in Mumbai, with two rings tied to its legs that appeared to feature Chinese characters.

Suspecting espionage, the police detained the pigeon, later sending it to Mumbai’s Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals.

Pigeons are thought to be used by spies to carry encrypted messages back to handlers.

A three-month police investigation found that the pigeon was, in fact, an open-water racing bird from Taiwan that had escaped and flown to India. The bird was released on Tuesday from the hospital premises.

Meet Ashar, an official with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) India, a non-profit organisation that works to improve the lives of animals, said: “Now, the pigeon is finally free to soar the skies as every bird should be allowed to do.”

Peta India last week lobbied for police to release the bird.

“PETA India handles 1,000 calls a week of animal emergencies, but this was our first case of a suspected spy who needed to be freed of wrongful imprisonment,” Mr Ashar said.

Authorities found the innocent bird “healthy and occupying a cage unnecessarily” he added.

This is not the first time that birds have been under suspicion in India.

A pigeon was detained in 2020, suspected of carrying spy messages for Pakistan. The Indian border security force passed the pigeon on to the police, who launched an investigation and logged the animal as a “Pak Suspected Spy”.

In 2015, the Indian authorities captured a bird that had crossed the border and was found to have a message written on its feathers in Urdu – the national language of Pakistan.

To the disbelief of the international community, the bird was X-rayed and was also logged as a “suspected spy” by police.

Other countries have also claimed to have held Chinese spy pigeons in the past.

In January 2015, a flock of pigeons was caught in central Vietnam after Chinese characters were found stamped on their wings with red ink, along with mysterious rings around their ankles.

The pigeons, however, were freed after it turned out that they belonged to racing clubs based in China.

Sana Hashmi, a fellow with Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation said: “This episode underscores India’s increased efforts to counter Chinese espionage attempts. The suspicion extends to the point where even birds, reminiscent of past experiences with bird spies involving Pakistan, are perceived as potential tools of Chinese espionage.

“The growing mistrust between the two countries is evident, leading to heightened threat from China and responses from India,” she added.

University experts reveal what World War Two ‘Foo Fighter’ UFOs really were


Sarah Knapton
Fri, 2 February 2024 

Experts argue that the strange properties of plasmas make them appear to behave like living organisms. - MasPix / Alamy Stock Photo

In the 1940s, Allied pilots in the Second World War reported being hounded by fast-moving blobs, which they dubbed “Foo Fighters”.

Shaped like clouds, donuts, balls and spheres, and often glowing or translucent, the strange entities have fuelled conspiracy theories that Earth was being visited by advanced civilisations.

Now a paper suggests the phenomena are in fact plasmas, or ionised gases, which are drawn to the electrical charge of aircraft, spacecraft and satellites.

Plasmas behave like living organisms

Experts from the universities of California, Arizona and the Harvard-Smithsonian argue that the strange properties of plasmas make them appear to behave like living organisms, even though they are not alive.

Plasmas can grow in size and replicate, make contact with each and may ‘feed’ off the electromagnetic radiation of satellites and spacecraft, they argue.

Huge glowing masses of up to a mile wide, which behave similarly to swarms of living organisms, have been filmed by 10 Nasa space shuttle missions, while astronauts have reported strange phenomena since the 1960s.

Astronauts Ed White and James McDivitt spotted a huge ‘metallic object’ approaching the Gemini 4 orbiter, in June 1965, while James Lovell reported a ‘Bogey at 10 o’clock high’ on a mission six months later.

Strange ‘L-shaped’ object

Buzz Aldrin, also said he and his crewmates had seen a strange ‘L-shaped’ object which was ‘very big and coming closer’ during the Apollo 11 Moon landing, although later said it was a booster panel.

The team believe that plasmas in the thermosphere – 66 to 372 miles high – may descend into the lower atmosphere, and account for reports by pilots.

Co-author Dr Rudolph Schild, of the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard-Smithsonian: “These plasmas are electromagnetic entities that have a variety of shapes and sizes. They have repeatedly approached spacecraft and the Space Shuttles and are attracted to electromagnetic activity including thunderstorms.

“They have been filmed from space, descending into the lower atmosphere and appear to be attracted to airplanes, fighter jets, nuclear power plants, and ‘hot spots; of radiation, such as Hiroshima which was destroyed by an Atomic bomb.

“Based on video, photographic and computerised analysis, including reports by military officers and astronauts, we believe these plasmas account for at least some of the numerous reports of UFOs and Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon over the last several thousand years including the ‘Foo fighters’ observed by German, Japanese, and Allied pilots during WWII.”

“Foo Fighters” were first reported by Royal Air Force personnel in March 1942, and several US pilots saw glowing lights over Germany throughout the war.

New kind of weather phenomenon

The sightings were largely dismissed as German weapons or flight fatigue, although some speculated at the time they may be a new kind of weather phenomenon, such as St Elmo’s Fire, a plasma effect which makes aircraft wings glow.

Plasma represents the fourth state of matter distinct from solid, liquid and gas, but its properties are still being uncovered. It is responsible for lightning and phenomena such as the Northern Lights, when plasma from the Sun interacts with Earth’s magnetic field.

Plasma-like entities have been filmed congregating in their hundreds, particularly around satellite tethers which generate electromagnetic activity.

They have numerous shapes, travel in different directions, with some moving quickly while others hover in place. They even appear to target or follow each other and sometimes collide, leaving what resembles a plasma-dust trail in their wake.

Co-author Dr Christopher Impey, of the department of astronomy at the University of Arizona, said: “This does not mean these plasmas are alive, or engaging in intelligent purposeful behaviour.

“Rather, as documented experimentally, these upper atmospheric electromagnetic plasmas may be engaging in ‘energy cannibalism’ and behaviours referred to as ‘collisionality’ in which they turn, follow, collide, intersect, and, possibly exchange energy.”

Plasmas may represent ‘an alternative form of life’

Some of the authors believe that the plasmas may even represent an alternate form of life that is not carbon-based, although others are sceptical.

The team has called for more research studying the plasmas including sending up satellites which generate electromagnetic pulses equipped with infrared and X-ray cameras to capture the phenomena.

Commenting on the research Daniel Mitchard, a lecturer at Cardiff University’s School of Engineering said: “It’s not surprising that previously unknown charge-based phenomena exist at this altitude, and that they exhibit behaviour that we don’t yet fully understand.

“It’s also likely that they will be attracted to, or repelled from, satellites and the Space Shuttle, which can build up static charges of their own.

“Even at ground level, glowing balls from thunderstorms that behave strangely are occasionally reported, often called Ball Lightning, and no one knows what these are either - they may be the same as ‘Foo Fighters’. It’s definitely interesting research.”
‘Relatively unknown to public’

He added: “There’s a whole world of lightning science which is relatively unknown to the public, even though we try to get it out there.

“There are giant structures called Sprites, which look like jellyfish 25 miles (40km) tall, Elves, which are giant disks that can spread to 250 miles (400km) across, and upward lightning bolts from clouds called Jets which are three or four times longer than anything we can see from the ground.”

The new research will be published in the Journal of Modern Physics.

Protesting farmers in France lift roadblocks as standoff eases

Myriam LEMETAYER with AFP bureaus in France
Fri, 2 February 2024 

France's government offered a slew of new concessions to farmers after tractor blockades across the country (PATRICK HERTZOG)

France's agriculture minister said Friday that the worst of a crisis that saw farmers block roads nationwide for days was over, as protesters began lifting roadblocks following government promises of cash and eased regulation.

In some of the angriest protests that have spread across Europe, French farmers have been out in force for more than a week, using tractors to block key roads into Paris and other major highways nationwide.

The litany of farmers' complaints is long, ranging from burdensome environmental rules to cheap imports of produce from outside the EU such as Ukraine, but focus on the difficulty of making ends meet in the modern world.


On Thursday, two main farming unions announced the suspension of the action, urging the protesters to take their tractors off the streets, after Prime Minister Gabriel Attal promised cash, eased regulations and protection against unfair competition.

Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau said Friday that the worst of the crisis was "pretty much behind us".

"But the issues that we have to deal with and that have emerged in this crisis are still ahead of us," he told CNews television.

Authorities said Thursday evening that many roadblocks across the country were being lifted or eased and farmers continued to move tractors off the streets on Friday, even though some blockades remained in place.

Tractors blocking the A1 motorway near Paris Charles de Gaulle airport were heading back, farmers said.

- 'Strong mobilisation' -

"It was a historic, tough, strong mobilisation," said Laurent Saint-Affre of the FDSEA union in the southern Aveyron department. But he added that a number of sticking points remained, warning authorities that farmers could take their tractors out on the streets again "in a few days".

Speaking to RTL, Arnaud Gaillot, head of the Young Farmers (JA) union, pointed to a sense of "fatigue" after days of protests and a "desire to put things on hold."

In Yvelines, west of Paris, the number of vehicles involved in a blockade had fallen from around twenty to seven tractors on Friday morning, police said.

The roadblocks on the A4 and A5 motorways in Seine-et-Marne east of the French capital have been lifted.

Around Lyon, all roadblocks were expected to be lifted by 2:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Friday.

A police source told AFP however that some protesters wanted to stay put until Saturday, while several "isolated groups" sought to remain in place until France's huge Salon de l'Agriculture trade fair that opens on February 24.

A roadblock was set up on Friday morning at a tollgate near the city of Saint-Quentin in northern France, according to one activist, Bruno Cardot, who called the action the farmers' "last stand."

- 'Fundamental question' -

The FNSEA, France's biggest rural union, wants to see the first government measures implemented by the start of the trade fair and a law passed by June, its head Arnaud Rousseau said on BFMTV.

Another major union, the Farmers' confederation (la Confederation Paysanne), said it would remain mobilised because "the fundamental question of income" was "still not being tackled head-on by the government".

The French protests have spread across the continent and thousands of farmers from Europe gathered in Brussels on Thursday, clogging the streets with 1,300 tractors.

Protests continued Thursday in Italy, with farmers driving a convoy of tractors through the Sicilian town of Ragusa and farmers also blocking the port in Cagliari, on the neighbouring island of Sardinia.

Dutch and Belgian farmers took part in a road blockade near the Arendonk road border crossing between Belgium and the Netherlands.

French President Emmanuel Macron said after talks in Brussels Thursday with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen that France had managed to persuade the EU to "impose stricter rules" for cereal and poultry imports, including from war-torn Ukraine.

In a key announcement designed to break the deadlock, the government announced Thursday that France would pause its Ecophyto programme aimed at massively reducing the use of pesticides in farming.

Environmental groups slammed the move but government spokeswoman Prisca Thevenot sought to defend the decision on Friday, saying environmental policies should be based "on concrete realities".

bur-tq-adr-as/sjw/rl

French govt under fire for putting pesticide phase-out on hold

Gabriel Bourovitch
Fri, 2 February 2024 

Domestic farmers say they face harsher pesticide rules than countries exporting food to France (JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER)

France's government was on the defensive on Friday after environmental campaigners and opposition politicians accused it of having scrapped a key green policy to appease protesting farmers.

Agricultural workers started to lift roadblocks after more than a week of demonstrations, following government promises of cash and eased regulation.

Among the concessions announced by Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau on Thursday was that a 15-year-old government plan to stem dependence on insecticides and weedkillers would be put on hold.


The latest version of the Ecophyto plan had aimed to reduce the use of pesticides by 2030 to half of 2015-2017 levels.

But growers see the plan as yet another hurdle to their earning a decent living, as they compete with cheaper imports from countries with less stringent environmental regulations.

They complain that no viable alternatives to the pesticides are available.

Greens and left-wing politicians, as well as NGOs, have condemned Thursday's announcement.

But government spokeswoman Prisca Thevenot on Friday morning defended the move, saying measures to reduce pesticide use so far had not worked and needed rethinking.

It "made for great marketing slogans" but "without any solution to take care of farmers", she said.

The government "is working on the Ecophyto 2030 plan", but will "spend an extra month on it to ensure it is perfectly understood as support, not punishment" for farmers.

"Farmers themselves want more than anyone to stop using these products, because they are the first victims," Thevenot said.

"We need to be able to help them, which is why we are massively investing in finding alternative solutions," she added, without elaborating on what those might be.

- 'A poisoned chalice' -

President Emmanuel Macron made the environment a key pillar of his 2022 re-election campaign.

But he alarmed activists when he urged the European Union last year to pause environmental regulations as he presented a plan to "reindustrialise" France.

Macron said at the time that Europe had already done far more than other industrial powers.

The head of France's biggest rural union the FNSEA, Arnaud Rousseau, said on Friday the measure to halt pesticide reduction would help "recreate trust" between the agricultural sector and the state.

"I want to find solutions. We need to do that straight away," he told broadcaster RMC.

He acknowledged that it would "take time" to find a way to "motivate everybody" in the sector.

But environmentalists have criticised Thursday's decision.

"It's a poisoned chalice for the farmers," Marie Toussaint, a Greens member of the European Parliament said on Friday.

Pesticides have been linked to increased risk of illness as well as bird and insect mortality, she argued.

Agriculture had to move on to a greener model, she told RMC radio.

"It's lying to the farmers to tell them that everything can be put on pause," she said.

Clementine Autain, a lawmaker from the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) party, said the government's decision was "total madness from an environment point of view".

She said it may suit those represented by the FNSEA, but was "not in the interest of most farmers, and certainly not in the interest of French people's health".

Greenpeace France on Thursday on X, formerly Twitter, warned that it was a "major and dangerous setback".

gbh-far/ah/tgb/jj