Two dead, dozens attended to following chemical leak at Texas plant

Oct. 11, 2024 

The Texas city of Deer Park is under a shelter-in-place order following a chemical leak at a PEMEX plant. Image courtesy of Harris County Sheriff's Office/Facebook


Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Two people are dead and more than two dozen others received medical treatment following a chemical leak at a PEMEX facility in the Houston suburb of Deer Park, officials and authorities said late Thursday as they lifted shelter-in-place orders that had forced thousands to stay indoors.

PEMEX, a Mexican state-owned petroleum company, said in a statement that the gas leak was reported at one of its Deer Park refinery processing units, located at 5900 Highway 225, at about 4:40 p.m. local time.

The City of Deer Park announced the updated death toll in a statement late Thursday, adding that 35 employees were triaged at the scene. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez had earlier said one person was dead and five were injured, including one person who was airlifted from the scene by a Life Flight helicopter.

Originally described as an unknown chemical release, Gonzalez later identified the agent as hydrogen sulfide, a flammable, highly toxic gas.

A shelter-in-place order had been issued for all 34,495 residents of Deer Park at about 7:30 p.m., but it was lifted at 9:30 p.m.

Texas State Highway 225 was closed in both directions near Beltway 8 because of the emergency.

PEMEX said emergency protocols were activated following the leak and notifications were sent out to local authorities. According to the City of Deer Park, the Harris County Sheriff's Office was notified of the emergency at 5:23 p.m.

"To mitigate the impact, the operation of the coking unit and hydro treatment units was proactively stopped, and safety venting was carried out, notifying the authorities through the mechanisms outlined by the protocol," PEMEX said.

"No impact on the community has been reported."

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Teva pays $450 million to settle kickback scheme charges

Oct. 10, 2024 

The Teva Pharmaceutical logo is seen in English and Hebrew at its tablet production plant in Jerusalem in 2019. The company agreed Thursday to pay $450 million to settle charges stemming from two kickback schemes. 

File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Teva Pharmaceuticals, the largest generic drug manufacturer in the United States, has agreed to pay $450 million to resolve two claims that allege the company violated the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

"Kickbacks designed to induce referrals or purchases of healthcare goods or services distort physician and patient decision-making, thwart competition and bypass controls put in place to protect federal health care programs," Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division, said in a statement.

"The Justice Department is committed to pursuing those who engage in kickback violations, including drug manufacturers, to ensure that federal health care programs continue to serve the interests of taxpayers and program beneficiaries."

UPI has contacted Teva for comment.

One of the cases alleges Teva violated the kickback law by conspiring to pay Medicare patients' copays for the multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone from 2006 through 2017, while simultaneously raising Copaxone's price.

The U.S. accused Teva of conspiring with multiple third parties, including a specialty pharmacy and two independent copay assistance foundations, to ensure that donations to the foundations were used to cover the copays of Medicare Copaxone copays.

The Justice Department said that Teva this conduct "was prohibited by the AKS, and that Teva thereby caused the submission of false claims to Medicare."

In the second case, Teva allegedly conspired with three other generic drug manufacturers to fix prices for pravastatin, medicine used to treat high cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as clotrimazole and tobramycin, two other generic drugs. Under terms of the deal, Teva paid a criminal penalty of $225 million, admitted to the conspiracy and price-fixing charges and that the scheme amounted to receiving illegal kickbacks.

"For far too long, Teva gamed the charitable foundation process by paying kickbacks through two foundations, and with the aid of a specialty pharmacy. Those kickbacks undermined the purpose of the Medicare co-pay system and violated the Anti-Kickback Statute," said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy for the District of Massachusetts.

The Medicare program's copay structure is designed to act as a safeguard against the artificial inflation of drug prices. The integrity of that system is jeopardized when drug companies manipulate prices through conspiracy, collusion or kickback schemes disguised as charitable contributions, the Justice Department added.

Nearly two years ago, Teva agreed to pay $523 million to settle claims over its involvement in the opioid crisis in New York. The agreement was the largest amount secured from an individual opioid defendant as the state targeted opioid manufacturers and distributors.

Last month, Teva settled with the city of Baltimore for $80 million for its role in contributing to that city's opioid crisis.

Stellantis CEO Tavares to retire in 2026 amid auto industry 'Darwinian period'

THEY ARE THE DINOSAUR OF THE AUTO INDUSTRY

Oct. 11, 2024 


Stellantis said Friday CEO Carlos Tavares (C) will retire in early 2026 amid what Tavares called a "Darwinian period" in the global auto industry. The struggling company also announced other management changes after third quarter sales plunged. File Photo by Christophe Petit Tesson/EPA

Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Stellantis said Friday CEO Carlos Tavares will retire in early 2026 as the struggling company announced what it called targeted management changes in a turbulent global environment for the auto industry.

A Special Committee of the Board is working to find a successor for Tavares. Stellantis said the committee will complete that work by the fourth quarter of 2025.

"During this Darwinian period for the automotive industry, our duty and ethical responsibility is to adapt and prepare ourselves for the future, better and faster than our competitors to deliver clean, safe and affordable mobility," Tavares said.

Stellantis also announced a series of other leadership changes.

Related

Stellantis Q3 sales fall 20%, weighed down by Chrysler, Dodge
Stellantis recalls 154K Jeep Wrangler, Grand Cherokee hybrids for fire risk

Effective immediately, Stellantis said Friday Antonio Filosa is the new North America Chief Operating Officer in addition to his role as Jeep brand CEO. He succeeds Carlos Zarlenga "whose next position will be subject to a further announcement."

Jean-Philippe Imparato is the new Chief Operating Officer Enlarged Europe. He will also continue as CEO of Pro One, succeeding Uwe Hochgeschurtz, who will leave the Company.

Doug Ostermann is the new Stellantis Chief Financial Officer, succeeding Natalie Knight, who will leave the company.

Gregoire Olivier becomes the new CEO for Stellantis in China and retains his Liaison Officer to Leapmotor position.

Santo Ficili is taking over as CEO of Maserati and Alfa Romeo.

Stellantis is also moving its Supply Chain organization into its Manufacturing Division, led by Arnaud Deboeuf. It's moved from the Purchasing Division led by Maxine Picat.

"The newly appointed leadership team members will make their valuable contributions to our overall team's determination to tackle the challenges ahead, reinforcing and accelerating our transformation to become the preferred mobility tech company," said Tavares.

Stellantis Chairman of the Board John Elian said the board "is unanimous in its support of Carlos Tavares and for the decisive changes announced today."

"We are confident that these steps to simplify our organization will strengthen our leadership team as they work to restore the Company's performance to industry-leading levels," he said.

Stellantis third quarter 2024 sales fell 20% with Chrysler and Dodge brand sales plunging by 47% and 43% respectively.

The company also recalled 154,000 Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee hybrids for fire risks Oct. 1.

The UAW is accusing Stellantis of violating its labor contract with the union on manufacturing commitments in the United States. The union is holding a strike authorization vote.

"Thousands of UAW members sacrificed on the picket line to win this contract, and we intend to enforce it, even if that means going back on strike," the UAW said in a statement on its website.

The UAW said Stellantis "will kill thousands of jobs" in the United States by moving Dodge Durango production from the Detroit Assembly Complex to Canada.

Fisher-Price recalls 2 million infant swings after 5 deaths

By Ernie Mundell, HealthDay News
Oct. 11, 2024

The Fisher-Price company is recalling more than 2 million of its Snuga infant swings, after the suffocation and deaths of five infants who went to sleep while in the swings. Photo by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission/HealthDay News

The Fisher-Price company is recalling more than 2 million of its Snuga infant swings, after the suffocation and deaths of five infants who went to sleep while in the swings.

"The swing should never be used for sleep and bedding materials should never be added to it," according to an alert from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the recall.

"If the product is used for sleep or bedding material is added, the headrest and body support insert on the seat pad can increase the risk of suffocation," the agency explained.

The CPSC's advice to parents who already have one of the Snuga infant swings at home: "Consumers should immediately remove both the headrest (by cutting the tether) and the body support insert from the seat pad before continuing to use the swing for awake-time activities."

RelatedStellantis recalls 154K Jeep Wrangler, Grand Cherokee hybrids for fire risk
John Deere recalls nearly 165,000 utility tractors for brake defect
Perdue recalls 167,000 pounds of frozen chicken

A full list of the 21 recalled Fisher-Price infant swing models, with photos, can be found at the CPSC.

As the agency explained, five reported deaths of infants between one and three months of age were linked to use of Snuga swings between 2012 and 2022.

"In most of those incidents, the infants were unrestrained and bedding materials were added to the product," the CPSC noted.

Besides the danger from the Fisher-Price products under recall, the agency reminded parents and caregivers that they "should never use any inclined seated products, such as swings, gliders, soothers, and rockers, for infant sleep and should not leave infants in these products unsupervised, unrestrained, or with bedding material due to the risk of suffocation."

Instead, always lay an infant flat on their back for sleep "on a firm, flat surface in a crib, bassinet, or play yard, with nothing but a fitted sheet," the CPSC advised.

The agency noted that in 2022, Congress banned the sale of any form of inclined sleeper for infants.

More information

Find out more ways to prevent infant sleep deaths at the March of Dimes.

Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

US Labor Department orders CSX to pay 2 whistleblowers more than $450,000

Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Two CSX Transportation employees fired nearly seven years ago for raising safety issues on their jobs will get their positions back and be paid $453,510 after the Labor Department ruled the rail company violated the workers' whistleblower rights.

The Labor Department, which did not name the employees by law, said they were unjustly fired after a November 2017 incident in Waycross, Ga., where they reported a blue flag on the tracks of a rail yard, signaling they could not move their trains safely

The department said CSX responded by removing them from their assignment and firing them. An investigation followed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A Labor Department Office of Administrative Law Judged that the employee's rights were violated.

"The Federal Railroad Safety Act protects workers' rights to report safety concerns without fear of retaliation," Kurt Petermeyer, OSHA's regional administrator, said in a statement. "When employers like CSX Transportation retaliate against workers for raising safety concerns, they create an environment of fear that can lead to dangerous and sometimes deadly situations.

Related

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"The workers did what they were supposed to do -- they saw that the tracks were deemed unsafe, they communicated the issue and waited for further instructions. Despite following protocol, they were fired for the delay. This retaliatory behavior is unacceptable."

The judge ordered CSX to pay $248,856 in back wages, plus compound daily interest, another $100,000 for emotional distress and $100,000 for punitive damage for the two workers.

One of the workers also will receive $4,654 for reimbursement for health care premiums paid after termination.

'MA -- Cry of Silence' sends an urgent message from Myanmar

By Thomas Maresca

Mi-Thet (Su Lay) is a factory worker in Myanmar in director The Maw Naing's "MA -- Cry of Silence," which premiered at the Busan International Film Festival.

 Photo courtesy of Busan International Film Festival


BUSAN, South Korea, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Mi-Thet (Su Lay), an 18-year-old garment worker in Myanmar, feels trapped in a hopeless cycle. Her life is a round-trip between the fluorescent-lit factory where she sits at a sewing machine and the dark, cramped dormitory where she sleeps and eats, each day blending into the next.

It is an existence that mirrors Myanmar's own spiral of repression and stagnation, according to MA -- Cry of Silence, the wrenching feature by The Maw Naing that premiered at this year's Busan International Film Festival.

"This is the feeling that history is repeating itself," Mi-Thet says at one point. "Our country should have changed, but it's stayed the same."

The film is an extraordinary document of life in present-day Myanmar -- shot, almost miraculously, on location amid widespread civil unrest and brutal oppression after the military took control in a February 2021 coup.

"We decided to do this under the military, under the coup because this is important," The Maw Naing told UPI in an interview at BIFF. "I must tell this story to the world, even though it's risky for me and for my crew."

The film was inspired by women-led factory protests that began in 2012 and helped spark a wider movement resulting in a (brief) return to democratic rule after decades of military control.

The Maw Naing and producer/screenwriter Oh Young-jeong had planned to shoot an earlier version in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. In 2022, they returned to filming, convincing military authorities that they were working on a harmless romantic melodrama while surreptitiously shooting the more sensitive scenes as violence consumed the country.

"The army and police followed the production to all our shooting places and they checked everything," The Maw Naing said. "That's why we had to shoot some scenes very, very secretly. We also had to keep silent when bombing and fighting broke out around the shooting area."

Two of the film's crew members were later killed in protests and uprisings and a third was arrested and has not been heard from again, the director said. Completed footage was ultimately sent to France for editing inside diplomatic pouches from the French Embassy to avoid being screened by military authorities.

MA -- Cry of Silence centers around a strike by Mi-Thet's fellow garment workers, who have not been paid for two months. Mi-Thet, traumatized after being displaced from her village in the countryside, is reluctant to join the movement led by the more strident Nyein Nyein (Kyawt Kay Khaing).

Back at the dormitory, she meets U Tun (Nay Htoo Aung), who was a member of the 1988 student uprising in Myanmar (with the haunted expression and scars across his back to show it.) He shares his memories and lends her books, which inspire Mi-Thet to return to the fight.

Real-life cell phone footage of burning villages and street-level attacks by military thugs is interspersed throughout the film, adding an emotional jolt to the story. Over 5,000 civilians have been killed and 3.3 million displaced since the coup, according to a recent report by the United Nations human rights office.

At just 74 minutes, MA -- Cry of Silence feels narratively thin at points. The Maw Naing, whose last feature was 2014's The Monk, augments the story through strong visuals, with close-ups of whirring reels on sewing machines and spinning fans echoing the characters' trapped lives.

The villains, meanwhile, remain faceless. The factory supervisor is seen only in shadows or from behind, slapping a ruler on the girls' sewing tables as he barks at them to speed up. When the Chinese owner of the factory appears, we never see him leave his car.

"I don't want to show these people's faces," The Maw Naing said. "They are the invisible black hand -- the military and investors that control the society."

A near-constant monsoon rain, frequent blackouts and the sound of gunfire in the background add to a mounting sense of dread that erupts in a shocking final encounter for the striking girls.

"This kind of uprising is difficult and cannot be successful in a short time," screenwriter Oh Young-jeong told UPI. "We want to show they are still trapped in the loop, in the cycle, but the people keep trying."

MA -- Cry of Silence sends a loud plea from Myanmar, which is closing in on its fourth year of brutality and devastation under the military junta.

"Inside Myanmar it's difficult to find hope nowadays, so we wanted to bring our voice to the world," Oh said. "We hope that the international audience can help shine a light on the situation in Myanmar."

MA -- Cry of Silence is showing in competition for the New Currents Award at the Busan International Film Festival, which concludes on Friday.

Read MoreBusan International Film Festival opens with Netflix streamer 'Uprising'

PESTICIDES

World Migratory Bird Day focuses on declining insect population concerns

Issued on: 12/10/2024 

It's World Migratory Bird Day. In partnership with the UN, a number of international conservation societies are calling for more action to protect birds. This year, they want to raise awareness about the plight of insects upon which migratory birds depend. A recent UN report says declining insect populations are a threat to the incredible journeys these birds make each year. For more, FRANCE 24's Peter O'Brien is joined by Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Migratory Species.

AFP, BBC win honours for war reporting at Bayeux War Correspondents' Awards

AFP photographer Mahmud Hams won the top prize for photos including his harrowing image of a woman after an Israeli strike on Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on October 17, 2023.

Issued on: 12/10/2024

AFP photographer Mahmud Hams won the top prize for his work in Gaza. 

© Mahmud Hams, AFP/File

By: NEWS WIRES

The prestigious Bayeux War Correspondents' Awards on Saturday honoured reporters from Agence France-Presse, the BBC and others documenting conflict and strife around the world.

AFP photographer Mahmud Hams won the top prize for photos including his harrowing image of a woman crying during a search for victims after an Israeli strike on Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on October 17, 2023.

The picture was captured just days after the Gaza war erupted after the attack by Hamas militants against Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people.

Israel's ongoing retaliatory campaign in Gaza has wrought devastation and, according to data from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, killed 42,175 people, mainly civilians.

"I dedicate this award to all the journalists covering bravely and honestly the war in Gaza," Hams said.

"I want to tell my colleagues in Gaza that our message has been heard: the entire world is watching Gaza through our lenses," he added.

Andrew Harding of the BBC was awarded the radio prize for his investigation into the smugglers behind a doomed attempt by migrants to cross the English Channel from France to England.

The migrants' inflatable boat capsized during the crossing, leading to the deaths of five people including Sara, a seven-year-old Iraqi girl whose family was hoping to escape being sent back to their country.
Gaza reports honoured

Gaza journalist Rami Abou Jamous won the top prize in written press for his "Gaza Journal", a day-by-day account as he fled his home as Israeli forces advanced. It was published in the online journal Orient XXI.

In television, Gaza journalist Mohamed Abou Safia and John Irvine of ITV News won the top prize for their report capturing a Palestinian man shot dead despite carrying a white flag as he sought family members in Gaza.

The ceremony to mark the 2024 edition of the Bayeux War Correspondents' Awards on Saturday. © Lou Benoist, AFP

The Public's Choice award went to photographer Kostiantyn Liberov for his reporting on the war in Ukraine.


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"I was so impressed by the work that we were judging," said jury president Clarissa Ward of CNN television.

"It made me very proud to be a journalist."

AFP's global news director Phil Chetwynd said: "This prize is a fitting tribute to the astonishing work produced by Mahmud in unimaginable circumstances.

"It is also a recognition of the fine work by AFP journalists in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, Lebanon and across the Middle East, who are often risking their lives to report this complex story with professionalism, fairness, and humanity."

(AFP)

40 nations contributing to UN Lebanon peacekeeping force condemn 'attacks'

United Nations (United States) (AFP) – Forty nations that contribute to the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon said Saturday that they "strongly condemn recent attacks" on the peacekeepers.


Issued on: 12/10/2024

UNIFIL says its headquarters in Naqura (top left) and other positions have come under repeated fire © - / Planet Labs PBC/AFP

"Such actions must stop immediately and should be adequately investigated," said the joint statement, posted on X by the Polish UN mission and signed by nations including leading contributors Indonesia, Italy and India.

Other signatories include Ghana, Nepal, Malaysia, Spain, France and China -- all countries that have contributed several hundred troops to the force.

At least five peacekeepers have been wounded in recent days as Israel takes its fight against Hezbollah into southern Lebanon.

The peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, has accused the Israeli military of "deliberately" firing on its positions.

The 40 contributing countries "reaffirm our full support for UNIFIL's mission and activities, whose principal aim is to bring stabilization and lasting peace in South Lebanon as well as in the Middle East," the statement read.

"We urge the parties of the conflict to respect UNIFIL's presence, which entails the obligation to guarantee the safety and security of its personnel at all times," it added.

UNIFIL, which involves about 9,500 troops of some 50 nationalities, is tasked with monitoring a ceasefire that ended a 33-day war in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah.

Its role was bolstered by UN Security Council Resolution 1701 of that year, which stipulated that only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers should be deployed in south Lebanon.

At a summit on Friday, French, Italian and Spanish leaders said the "attacks" on UNIFIL peacekeepers violated Resolution 1701 and must end.

UNIFIL said that, in recent days, its forces have "repeatedly" come under fire in the Lebanese town of Naqura where it is headquartered, as well as in other positions.

The mission said that Israeli tank fire on Thursday caused two Indonesian peacekeepers to fall off a watch tower in Naqura.

The following day it said explosions close to an observation tower in Naqura wounded two Sri Lankan Blue Helmets, while Israel said it had responded to an "immediate threat" near a UN peacekeeping position.

On Saturday UNIFIL said a peacekeeper in Naqura "was hit by gunfire" on Friday night.

UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told AFP the peacekeeping mission's work had become "very difficult because there is a lot of damage, even inside the bases."

© 2024 AFP

NAKBA 2.0

Israeli plan is to 'empty' northern Gaza of its civilian population, analyst says

Issued on: 12/10/2024 

09:18  Video by: FRANCE 24

FRANCE 24 talks to Ahron Bregman, a teaching fellow at King’s College London and a former Israeli military officer, about Israel’s plan to create a buffer zone in northern Gaza by forcing the population to evacuate to the south.

Martinique airport briefly shut down amid protests

FRENCH COLONY VIVA INDEPENDENCE

Issued on: 12/10/2024 

03:27 Video by: Nicholas RUSHWORTH

Protesters stormed the airport on the French Caribbean island of Martinique on Thursday (October 10), briefly forcing the facility to close. Martinique has been gripped by bouts of protests over the high cost of living, some of which have turned violent.