BAND-AID FOR CLIMATE CHANGE 

US unveils plan to address 'silent killer' extreme heat


Mon., September 20, 2021,


WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is moving to protect workers and communities from extreme heat after a dangerously hot summer that spurred an onslaught of drought-worsened wildfires and caused hundreds of deaths from the Pacific Northwest to hurricane-ravaged Louisiana.

Under a plan announced Monday, the U.S. Departments of Labor and of Health and Human Services as well as other federal agencies are launching actions intended to reduce heat-related illness and protect public health.

White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy called heat stress a “silent killer” that disproportionately affects the poor, elderly and minority groups. While not as dramatic as wildfires or hurricanes, “heat stress is a significant, real threat that has deadly consequences,″ McCarthy said in an interview.

“Many people don’t recognize that heat stress is a real physical problem until it’s too late for them,″ she said.

The effort to address heat stress comes as President Joe Biden is working with world leaders to hammer out next steps against rapidly worsening climate change.

A June heat wave in the Pacific Northwest, exacerbated by climate change, caused hundreds of deaths and thousands of emergency room visits for heat-related illnesses, In Louisiana, more than a million people, including the entire city of New Orleans, lost power when Hurricane Ida struck on Aug. 29. At least 12 of the 28 Ida-related deaths in Louisiana were caused by heat, according to the Louisiana Health Department.

As part of the administration's plan, the Labor Department is launching a program to protect outdoor workers, including agricultural, construction and delivery workers, as well as those working indoors in warehouses, factories and kitchens. Farm and construction workers are at greatest risk of heat stroke and other problems, the White House said, but other workers lacking climate-controlled environments also face risks.

"Rising temperatures pose an imminent threat to millions of American workers exposed to the elements, to kids in schools without air conditioning, to seniors in nursing homes without cooling resources, and particularly to disadvantaged communities,'' Biden said in a statement.

"As with other weather events, extreme heat is gaining in frequency and ferocity due to climate change, threatening communities across the country,'' Biden added, citing National Weather Service data that extreme heat is now the leading weather-related killer in America.

Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, is set to issue a new rule on heat illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work settings and will focus interventions and workplace inspections on days when the heat index exceeds 80° F (26.7 degrees Celsius). The White House called the rule a significant step toward a federal heat standard in U.S. workplaces and said officials will expand the scope of scheduled and unscheduled inspections to address heat-related hazards.

The administration also will expand its Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, to add programs to address extreme heat, the White House said. The program traditionally focuses on providing heat during winter weather, but also offers help with purchasing air conditioning units or paying electric bills for cooling assistance. Those programs will be expanded, and officials will conduct targeted outreach to ensure at-risk households are in a safe temperature environment, McCarthy said.

The administration is expanding the use of schools and other public buildings as cooling centers.

“School cooling centers save lives,'' McCarthy said. "They are opportunities for people in every community to actually find relief at a time when they need it most.''

She urged communities to implement programs such as “adopt a senior citizen” to conduct wellness checks, making sure that elderly residents are drinking fluids and not overheating. "That kind of personal touch is going to be the difference between an individual living longer and those that are passing away, basically unrecognized in their own homes,'' McCarthy said.

The Biden administration has taken steps since its first days in office to tackle climate change.

Biden on Friday announced a pledge with the European Union to cut climate-wrecking methane leaks. Increasingly grim findings from scientists conclude that the world is nearing the point where the level of climate damage from burning oil, gas and coal becomes catastrophic and irreversible.

Those accounts “represent a code red for humanity,” Biden said Friday, citing a recent U.N. report that Earth is getting so hot that temperatures in about a decade will probably blow past a level of warming that world leaders have sought to prevent.

"We have to act, and we have to act now,'' Biden said, evoking the “damage and destruction” he has seen in the United States, massive flooding in Europe and other global damage from the warming climate as natural disasters increase in number and severity.

In the past few weeks, Biden has visited California, where firefighters are battling larger, fiercer and deadlier wildfires almost year-round, as well as the northeastern U.S. and Gulf Coast, where Hurricane Ida and its flooding killed scores of people.

As part of the new effort, the administration is focusing on urban “heat islands” where temperatures in cities with fewer trees and higher pavement concentrations can be higher than in surrounding areas. The problem can be more severe in neighborhoods affected by discriminatory practices that deny services to residents of certain areas based on their race or ethnicity, the White House said, citing a recent analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency showing that severe harms from climate change fall disproportionately on minorities and underserved communities.

The administration will expand urban forestry programs and other “greening” projects to reduce extreme temperatures and heat exposure, the White House said. The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, is launching a series of prize competitions focused on strengthening the nation’s resilience to climate change. The first competition will focus on new ways to protect people at risk of heat-related illness or death during extreme heat events or in connection with other disasters.

Matthew Daly, The Associated Press

UK

EXTINCTION REBELLION
Protesters target London's major ring road for 4th time

Mon., September 20, 2021, 


LONDON (AP) — Environmental protesters pressuring the British government to insulate all homes brought traffic chaos to London's major ring road on Monday for the fourth time in recent days.

The “Insulate Britain” protesters have targeted the M25, one of the country's busiest highways, blocking entry roads by gluing themselves to the road and painting the name of their group on the road as well as a blue heart.

Although dozens of protesters have been arrested over the four demonstrations, police are being urged to take swifter action to end the protests.

“We are taking powers to be able to remove protesters when they are threatening critical national infrastructure, when they are threatening to cause serious economic damage and I think that is entirely right,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters Sunday on the RAF Voyager while heading to New York for the U.N. General Assembly.

“And no, I don’t think these people do any favors to their cause. I think that what they do is detract from a very important moral mission that is widely shared now by the people of this country," he added.

Insulate Britain said Monday that it will keep up the protests.

“Actions will continue until the government makes a meaningful commitment to insulate all of Britain’s 29 million leaky homes by 2030, and all social housing by 2025," it said in a statement.

Chief Superintendent Nick Caveney from the Hertfordshire Constabulary, which made a further 29 arrests Monday for a total of 76 overall, warned of more disruptions ahead and said police were doing everything they can to stop the protests before they cause traffic chaos.

Other police forces around the 117-mile (188-kilometer) ring road have also made dozens of arrests.

Kent Police said Monday that a dozen protesters were arrested at the Dartford River Crossing, east of the British capital, on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance before they were able to gain access to the road.

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

BP Oil Trader Says He Was Fired Over Nigeria Bribe Concerns
Jonathan Browning
Mon., September 20, 2021

BP Plc fired an ex-oil trader because he voiced concerns about bribes being paid in Nigeria to secure local contracts, according to a sprawling London employment suit that sheds light on the energy giant’s lucrative trading floor.

Jonathan Zarembok, who traded on BP’s West Africa desk, said that the company paid an “abnormally large” fee to a local agent to participate in a state oil tender. He alleged that BP’s traders also sought to make payments in a deal that would have been the largest the desk had ever struck in Nigeria, before the transaction was ended, according to the lawsuit.

“We were paying agents in Nigeria huge multiples of what we paid in other regions even though those agents did not perform services of any real value to BP,” Zarembok said in his witness statement. “Our proposed reasons for paying the agent these sums were a sham.”

BP argued that the payments were legitimate and were fully scrutinized by its deal governance board that included the trading floor’s most senior executives. Lawyers for the firm said that the bribery allegations were investigated and couldn’t be substantiated. Zarembok didn’t raise specific concerns about corruption at the time, BP said. Zarembok was ultimately dismissed in April 2020 because the working relationship had irretrievably broken down.

The London suit, which also names the company’s crude oil trading head Dan Wise as a defendant, highlights the issues faced by the largest oil traders when using agents to win lucrative deals. BP rival Gunvor Group Ltd. cut its use of agents in 2019 after the energy trader admitted a former employee bribed officials in the Republic of Congo to secure oil contracts.

“BP is defending in full and denies all allegations made by the claimant,” the firm said in a statement.

BP’s trading unit not only dealt with the physical cargoes of oil but also took “educated but speculative positions,” Zarembok said in his witness statement. He called it “a profit center in its own right.”

The 15-year veteran said he and his team, focused on West Africa, were tasked with delivering around $75 million per year from trading. Zarembok was being paid bonuses of more than $3 million a year until they were cut in half for 2017 and then slashed to zero by 2019.

In Nigeria, local rules required oil firms to work with Nigerian firms if they wanted to acquire crude oil cargoes issued by Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., the country’s state oil producer. The cargoes, issued at below the market rate, were highly lucrative and BP had repeatedly missed out. In 2017, BP chose to work with a local agent rather than agree a joint venture with a Nigerian company.

Slothful

“2018 is an election prep year so we understand what that means,” a BP executive in Nigeria wrote in an email to Zarembok and other traders. “And if you don’t, I will explain it to you in person.”

The individual later wrote to apologize for his “slothful communication,” according to documents prepared for the lawsuit.

But Zarembok said the email was a “clear red flag,” saying that the obvious inference was “there would be pressure to pay bribes.”

In total, BP paid $900,000 in fees to the local agent after securing two crude oil cargoes from NNPC. Broadly speaking, the fees paid to Nigerian agents were about 10 times higher than those BP paid to agents in other countries.

The suit comes after a case involving Glencore Plc, where a former oil trader, who recently pleaded guilty to corruption, wired payments to various NNPC officials to secure cargoes, including cash requested for use in the country’s 2015 elections. Glencore’s new chief executive officer said in August that the firm no longer uses middlemen in its oil business.

Zarembok said BP was swift to investigate a $15 expense by an local agent that might have been a bribe to an NNPC doorman, but took weeks to respond to his concerns in the buildup to the largest deal that the company’s trading room had ever negotiated in Nigeria.

In 2017, BP planned to lend hundreds of millions of dollars to NNPC in exchange for a seven-year crude purchase agreement. Again, in order to satisfy local requirements, BP was considering working with an agent who offered little real value to the negotiations, Zarembok said.

A spokesman for NNPC didn’t immediately respond to calls and messages requesting comment.

“The proposal to pay what was almost certainly an ill-disguised bribe was contrary to the values that I believed BP stood and should stand for,” Zarembok said. “The whole thing made me sick.”

The deal was ultimately terminated after the agent sought to increase the size of the fees to some $2 million per year for the lifetime of the contract.

Food Prices Poised to Surge With Fertilizer at Highest in Years

Elizabeth Elkin
Mon., September 20, 2021

Food Prices Poised to Surge With Fertilizer at Highest in Years

(Bloomberg) -- Most people don’t give fertilizer a second thought -- except maybe when driving through a particularly fragrant agricultural area. But with prices for some synthetic nutrients at their highest levels since the financial crisis, it could mean weaker harvests and bigger grocery bills next year, just as the world’s supply chains start to recover from the pandemic.

A perfect storm of events -- from extreme weather and plant shutdowns to new government sanctions -- has hit the chemical fertilizer market this year, slamming farmers already buckling under the strain of rising costs to produce food. Prices for urea, a popular nitrogen-based fertilizer, skyrocketed earlier this month to the highest since 2012 in New Orleans, the U.S.’s major fertilizer trading hub. A common phosphate fertilizer known as DAP is the most expensive in that market since 2008, Bloomberg data show.

“As fertilizer prices continue to rise, farmers will either cut application rates, cut fertilizer entirely in hopes for lower future pricing, or cut other farm products to account for the bigger expected spend,” said Alexis Maxwell, an analyst at Green Markets, a business owned by Bloomberg. Some are holding out before buying for the next growing season in hopes costs come down -- a risk, she said, since prices could continue to rise.

Farmers growing the commodity-grade corn, soy and other grains that fuel both livestock and packaged-food factories are already spending more than normal on seeds, labor, transportation and equipment. That’s helped contribute to sharp food inflation over the past year. A United Nations measure of global food prices is near the highest in a decade, a problem the fertilizer spike could exacerbate.

“Fertilizer cost is one of the biggest drivers behind global food inflation now as prices for all three groups of nutrients -- potash, phosphate and nitrogen -- are at levels not seen for about a decade,” Elena Sakhnova, a VTB Capital analyst in Moscow, said in an interview.

A confluence of events are behind the rising prices. Back-to-back late summer storms on the U.S. Gulf Coast prevented product from moving in and out and temporarily shuttered plants in the region, including the largest nitrogen complex in the world, owned by CF Industries Holdings Inc. The company was then forced to shut two U.K. plants due to Europe’s record rally in natural gas, the primary feedstock for much of the nitrogen produced globally. On Friday, Yara International ASA said the high natural gas prices will force it to curtail around 40% of its European production capacity for ammonia, used to make fertilizer.

The logistics companies that transport fertilizer are also facing labor shortages and price increases, adding to costs.

“It sure has made things tremendously more difficult to work with,” said Bill Stringfellow, who co-runs a small operation called Quest Products that helps bring new products to the market, including pesticides and fertilizer products. Freight is about 15% of the cost of buying product for their business, he said, calling it “an absolute nightmare.”

Government action is also at play. Earlier this year, the U.S. and Europe put sanctions on Belaruskali OAO, a major potash producer and one of Belarus’s largest state-owned enterprises, in response to a journalist arrest on a Ryanair flight in May. In China, Yunnan province ordered production cuts across several industries, including fertilizers, as part of measures to curb energy consumption and emissions.

The National Development and Reform Commission has vowed to crack down on urea hoarding and price gouging to maintain market stability, but prices have still been soaring: Urea futures on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange have powered to a fresh record amid high prices for coal -- the primary feedstock for nitrogen fertilizers in China -- and concerns over tight supplies.

Silvesio de Oliveira, a 51-year-old soybean and corn farmer in Tapurah -- at the heart of Brazil’s soybean belt -- was fortunate enough to get ahead of the latest price rise. Last November, he bought 100% of the fertilizer needed for both crops.

“We’ve been noticing this fertilizer inflation coming,” he said. He got out ahead because he voraciously reads commodities news, he said. “There’s a bit of luck, but it is mostly information.”

If farmers cut back how much fertilizer they use, among the most impacted could be corn, one of the highest yielding crops but also an expensive one to raise. Fertilizer accounts for about 20% of that expense, said Maxwell, the Green Markets analyst. Other farmers might shift to cheaper crops that require lower inputs, such as soybeans, lentils and peas, said Iowa corn and soybean farmer Ben Riensche.

Smaller corn crops could mean elevated feed costs for dairy and other animal farmers, ultimately translating to higher prices for consumers buying meat like beef and chicken. Corn -- its high-fructose syrup, that is -- is also a major ingredient in sodas, juice and other processed food consumed by many households.

“We’re anticipating this will impact the acreage battle next year,” said StoneX chief commodities economist Arlan Suderman. “We are looking for lower corn acres next year as a result.” Suderman estimates acres of U.S. corn at 91 million, down from 93.5 million this year.

Plants, like people, need a combination of nutrients to survive, and multiple types of fertilizer provide different inputs. Nitrogen pretty much has to be applied every year, so farmers are unlikely to cut the amount they buy and apply to fields, Maxwell said.

As a result, farmers are more likely to cut back on phosphate and potash, instead relying on the nutrients they hope are already in the soil. But some farmers might even cut nitrogen application if the prices continue to rise, said Jerome Lensing, an independent crop adjuster at insurer Rain and Hail -- and that could be a problem.

“With the price of nitrogen going up,” he said, “I hope guys don’t back off so much that come next fall, when they’re out harvesting, they’re saying, ‘how come I’m not getting the corn I thought I should be?’”

ECO CRIMINAL STATE

EU court fines Poland 500,000 euros daily until mine closes

Mon., September 20, 2021

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The European Union’s top court on Monday ordered Poland to pay a daily fine of 500,000 euros ($586,000) until it complies with an earlier ruling to shut down a lignite mine near the border with the Czech Republic and Germany.

The Court of Justice of the European Union said the daily fine was necessary to get Poland to comply with the court’s temporary injunction in May that called for the immediate closure of the Turow mine, in the southwest.

Poland has refused to close the mine, arguing it supplies the key Turow power plant that generates around 7% of the country's energy supply.

The Polish government tried, but has so far failed to settle the dispute out of court in talks with Czech authorities who had sought the closure order. Prague had wanted the court to impose a 5 million euro ($6 million) daily fine on Poland.

The Czech government welcomed the decision, saying that the open-cast mine is draining water from Czech villages in the area and doing other harm to the local environment.

But Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller said the fine is not commensurate with the circumstances and undermines efforts to achieve a settlement with Prague.

Mueller said in a statement that the mine won't close because that would “threaten the stability of Poland’s energy system” and would mean “enormous problems” in daily life.

Poland has also argued that it's being treated unfairly because the Czech Republic and Germany operate a number of lignite mines close to Poland’s borders.

Approximately 48% of Poland’s energy comes from hard black coal and 17% from softer and more polluting lignite, or brown coal. Another 25% comes from various renewable sources and biofuels, and 10% comes from gas and other sources.

The Associated Press

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M BIG TECH

Amazon Vows ‘Zero Tolerance’ for Graft After India Probe Report

Saritha Rai
Mon., September 20, 2021

(Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc. stressed it has zero tolerance for graft and will investigate all allegations of corruption fully, responding to a report by an Indian news outlet that the U.S. e-commerce giant has begun an internal investigation into claims of bribery.

The U.S. company started a probe into its legal representatives’ conduct in India, the Morning Context, a two-year-old media site that typically covers local affairs, reported Monday, citing three people familiar with the matter. Amazon didn’t address specifics in the report but issued the statement after Bloomberg contacted local spokespeople for comment.

“We have zero tolerance for corruption,” Amazon said in its emailed response. “We take allegations of improper actions seriously, investigate them fully, and take appropriate action. We are not commenting on specific allegations or the status of any investigation at this time.”

A whistleblower within Amazon flagged the alleged bribery issues in its Indian operations, prompting the company to start its probe, the Morning Context said. Amazon is investigating accusations that legal fees paid by the company have been used as bribes, the news outlet reported. The company has placed a senior employee on leave, the Morning Context said, citing two individuals who work with Amazon’s in-house legal team.

Andy Jassy, Amazon’s new chief executive officer, is targeting India for growth even as challenges mount in what is arguably the online retailer’s most important market for expansion. The company is up against Walmart Inc.-backed Flipkart Internet Pvt. as well as billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s retail websites including JioMart, all seeking a bigger slice of a potential market topping a billion consumers. Amazon, which employs more than 100,000 across India, has pledged to digitize 10 million small business, enable $10 billion in exports and create two million jobs in the country by 2025.

Last month, India’s Supreme Court allowed an antitrust investigation to proceed against Amazon’s local unit and Flipkart for allegedly abusing their dominance by offering deep discounts and preferential treatment to some vendors. The South Asian nation is tightening regulations for online retailers following years of protests by local brick-and-mortar traders who fear that deep-pocketed global competition could push them out of business.

Amazon, Walmart's Flipkart must face India antitrust probe, top court says

By Aditya Kalra and Abhirup Roy 2021-08-09

© Reuters/DADO RUVIC 

Small toy shopping cart is seen in front of displayed Amazon and Flipkart logos in this illustration

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Amazon.com Inc and Walmart's Flipkart must face antitrust investigations ordered against them in India, the country's Supreme Court ruled on Monday, in a blow to the leading e-commerce giants which had urged judges to quash the inquiries.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered the investigation against the companies last year https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-antitrust-ecommerce/india-orders-antitrust-probe-of-amazon-walmarts-flipkart-idUSKBN1ZC1BO for allegedly promoting select sellers on their e-commerce platforms and using business practices that stifle competition.

The companies deny any wrongdoing and mounted legal challenges in lower courts https://www.reuters.com/technology/india-court-quashes-amazon-flipkart-plea-against-antitrust-probe-2021-07-23 and at the Supreme Court against the investigation, saying the CCI did not have enough evidence to pursue the matter.

A three-judge Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana, said companies like Amazon and Flipkart should volunteer for such investigations.

"We expect organisations like Amazon and Flipkart, big organisations, they have to volunteer for inquiry and transparency. We expect that and you don’t even want (an) inquiry," Justice Ramana told the court.

"You have to submit and an inquiry has to be conducted."

Amazon in a statement said it complies with all laws and "will extend full cooperation to the CCI investigation". Flipkart too said it complies with Indian laws and will cooperate with investigators.

Amazon and Flipkart are leading players in an e-retail market India forecasts will be worth $200 billion by 2026. The decision is a major setback for both companies as the Supreme Court appeal was seen as the last legal recourse to block the CCI pressing on with its investigation.

In the current antitrust case, filed by trader group Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh, the two companies face allegations of exclusive launches of mobile phones, promotion of select sellers on their websites and deep discounting practices that drive out competition.

Amazon and Flipkart had also asked the Supreme Court to put on hold the CCI's recent request for information in which they were asked 32 questions - including details of top 100 sellers and top-selling products. The companies argue such queries relate to "sensitive" business information.

Justice Ramana said on Monday the companies will have four more weeks to answer those queries.

In February, a Reuters investigation https://reut.rs/3xyz8er based on Amazon documents showed it had given preferential treatment for years to a small group of sellers. The CCI has said the Reuters story corroborated evidence https://reut.rs/3eTV2CX it had received against the company. Amazon has denied any wrongdoing.

The companies are also grappling with the prospect of tougher e-commerce regulations and investigations by the country's financial-crime agency for alleged violation of foreign investment laws.

In another legal challenge, the Supreme Court last week handed Amazon a victory https://reut.rs/37u8FnK by blocking its partner Future Group from selling $3.4 billion in retail assets to rival Reliance Industries. The CCI though has accused Amazon of concealing facts when it sought approval for a 2019 deal with the Future unit that has sparked the legal dispute, Reuters has reported https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-india-watchdog-accuses-amazon-concealing-facts-deal-future-group-unit-2021-07-22

Amazon has said it is confident of addressing those concerns.

(Reporting by Aditya Kalra in New Delhi and Abhirup Roy in Mumbai; Editing by Kirsten Donovan, Sanjeev Miglani and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

EXPROPRIATE

U.K. Energy Firms Seek Bailout as Government Talks Run On

Rachel Morison and Alex Morales
Mon., September 20, 2021




(Bloomberg) -- U.K. energy companies are seeking a massive government bailout as a surge in gas and electricity prices threatens to push suppliers out of business.

The U.K. government is set for a third day of emergency talks with the industry on Monday after Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said small suppliers were under “pressure.” Now large suppliers are seeking a rescue plan to help them handle the cost of taking on the customers of smaller suppliers that may fail, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Surging energy prices mean the usual system for dealing with failed suppliers may be insufficient to deal with the current crisis. Normally if a company goes under, another supplier is found. But in the current market, that’s not a profitable proposition. There’s also concern that several could fail at once, according to a person familiar with the situation. That’s why large companies are proposing government help.

As gas prices have almost tripled because of a supply crunch, seven U.K. suppliers have already failed this year. Unhedged companies have sold energy to customers at lower levels than they can now buy in the market, and regulated price caps mean they can’t pass on the cost to consumers -- at least for now. But those caps will be revised early next year, potentially bringing inflation and fuel poverty to lower-income Britons already struggling as the economy emerges from the pandemic. The power crisis is already spreading to the food industry -- another potential source of inflation.

Kwarteng will meet energy industry bosses again on Monday after emergency talks through the weekend with companies including Centrica Plc and EDF Energy, as well as regulator Ofgem. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, speaking on his way to New York, said the government would work to protect consumers, and said the price spike was “temporary.”

“The Business Secretary is in close contact with the energy industry on the impact of high global gas prices, having met senior figures today and yesterday, and will speak further on these issues at an industry roundtable planned for tomorrow,” a government spokesman said.

Across Europe, governments are taking steps to curb the impact of high prices on households. Italy is set to spend around 3.5 billion euros ($4.1 billion) protecting consumers, while Spain, France and Greece are acting to stem the hit to their economies.

As government talks continued in the U.K., the country’s sixth biggest supplier, Bulb Energy Ltd, was in negotiations with Lazard Group LLC about seeking new sources of financing, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

“From time to time we explore various opportunities to fund our business plans,” Bulb said in a statement. “Like everyone in the industry, we’re monitoring wholesale prices and their impact on our business.”

Kwarteng said the regulator and government would make sure consumers weren’t hit by supply outages. “Ofgem has robust measures in place to ensure that customers do not need to worry, their needs are met, and their gas and electricity supply will continue uninterrupted if a supplier fails.”

In these situations, the cost is typically pooled among energy companies and then passed on to consumers when an energy supplier goes under. There are also contributions toward renewables subsidies and security of supply measures that all suppliers have to pay. These unpaid bills will be shared around the companies still standing.

Ofgem chooses a new supplier for customers following a competitive bidding process but they can leave at any point. The regulator advises people to ask the new company to put them on their cheapest tariff or shop around and find a new deal.

The repercussions of the energy crisis on the broader economy are already being felt. Online grocer Ocado Group Plc stopped supplying frozen products to customers last week and the meat industry warned that businesses could “grind to a halt” within two weeks -- adding to supply chain kinks the industry is already suffering.

The food industry has been hit by the knock-on effect on the production of carbon dioxide -- a gas used both to chill food and in the slaughter of animals.

High gas prices prompted fertilizer maker CF Industries Holdings Inc. to close U.K. plants this week that make carbon dioxide as a byproduct. Yara International ASA also said Friday it will also curtail European fertilizer capacity -- a move that’s likely to push up food prices down the line. Kwarteng’s weekend meetings also included a session with Tony Will, chief executive officer of CF Industries Holdings Inc.

(adds Iceland Foods call on government in penultimate)

Research Update: The Numbers Game: How Lack of Race-Based Data Collection During Covid-19 In Canada Has Highlighted Systemic Racism

September 20, 2021
Download Research Update: September 2021


A review by Jayme Wong

EDMONTON SOCIAL PLANNING COUNCIL

https://edmontonsocialplanning.ca/

The Royal Society of Canada established its Task Force on COVID-19 in April 2020 to “provide evidence-informed perspectives on major scientific challenges in response to and recovery from COVID-19” (p. 2). The result of the task force’s findings is Impacts of COVID-19 in Racialized Communities, a collection of eleven essays published in May 2021.

Racism existed before COVID-19. The pandemic simply created conditions in which racism became more apparent. The attitudes, policies, and practices created and reinforced by individual, systemic, and cultural racism resulted in disparities that could no longer be ignored by mainstream society. In the anthology’s introductory essay, “The Background to Racism in Canadian Society,” author Frances Henry explains: “It is the racism that existed in settler societies, the racism that led to the subjugation of people through colonialism and the expansion of Europeans into far off places in the world, which created the conditions that exist today” (p. 14). COVID-19 became a racial issue when the historical roots of racism, colonialism, and imperialism created unequal conditions among people living in Canada.

Canada has never really collected race-based data related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Certain provinces, such as Manitoba and Ontario, started to collect this data recently—though only in clusters (p. 25). The result is that Canadians cannot accurately determine the impact that COVID-19 has had on different racial communities. However, just because we cannot determine how people of colour were affected does not negate the irrefutable fact that visible minorities were far more affected by the virus than white communities.

Take, for example, the data that the City of Toronto gathered throughout the pandemic: “In the Greater Toronto Area, whites account for 48 per cent of the population and 17 per cent of COVID-19 cases. This is in contrast to the situation with Black people who account for 9 per cent of the population and 21 per cent of cases” (p. 19). This data supports emerging statistics from the United States, which project that 1 in 1,125 Black Americans have died from COVID-19 compared to 1 in 2,450 White Americans (p. 25). Similar numbers collected from the United Kingdom also highlight the stark differences between rates for people of colour who are affected and dying from COVID-19 in comparison to white populations in the same areas.

The virus does not discriminate. Poor conditions grounded in centuries of systemic racism have worsened the impact of COVID-19 on certain groups. In addition to sickness, racialized communities have also had to deal with economic and social factors that cause uncertainty and instability in an already turbulent time. In the essay “Racial Inequality, COVID-19 and the Education of Black and Other Marginalized Students,” Carl E. James identifies the factors that contribute to inequality as access—or lack thereof—to nutrition, academic supports, mental health, and online learning (p. 30). People who face multiple barriers when accessing these resources are more likely impacted by the long-term health and social effects of COVID-19.




Source: The Canadian Medical Association

Health care experts have criticized the federal government’s decision not to collect race-based data during COVID-19. Many consider this decision a failure to provide support for marginalized communities and indicative of a flawed system built upon colonialism. In the essay “Race and Ethnicity Collection During COVID-19 in Canada: If You Are Not Counted You Cannot Count on the Pandemic Response,” Kwame McKenzie goes so far as to say that “seeing significant disparities and doing nothing active to deal with them is a form of systemic racism” (p. 67). The federal government’s silence on the issue does not hide the obvious harm that has already been inflicted by centuries of colonial policies that have prevented visible minorities from accessing necessary health and education resources or inhabiting clean, socially distanced spaces that increase quality of life.

Overall, the report’s primary recommendation is to begin collecting race-based data and to involve racialized communities in the collection and dissemination of the information. While this solution does not amend all of the damage that COVID-19, and other health crises, have already done, it is a step forward into a post-COVID and, more importantly, post-colonial nation. Having diverse voices at the table means that government decisions would no longer be made based on archaic legislation that—either intentionally or unintentionally—excluded and discriminated against minorities.

Although rebuilding in a post-COVID landscape is uncertain, it is also an opportunity to lay a new foundation that is informed by the mistakes made in the past. Re-examining the systems, institutions, and attitudes that have created unequal access to health care and other resources means people living in Canada can prevent history from repeating and begin a precedent for neighbouring nations.
Publication Source:

Henry, F., James, C., Allen, U., Collins, T., Dei, G. J. S., Ibrahim, A., Jean-Pierre, J., Kobayashi, A., Lewis, K., Mawani, R., McKenzie, K., Owusu-Bempah, A., Walcott, R., & Wane, N. N. (2021). Impacts of COVID-19 in racialized communities. Royal Society of Canada. https://rsc-src.ca/en/research-and-reports/end-life-decision-making-policy-and-statutory-progress/covid-19-policy-briefing?mc_cid=41ac70285f&mc_eid=4a6bf13a01

About the volunteer:
Jayme Wong graduated from the University of Lethbridge in 2014 with a BA in English and Philosophy, and more recently graduated from the University of Alberta in 2020 with an MA in English and Film Studies. She currently works at a local non-profit, the Learning Centre Literacy Association.

Gender Issues: Meet the artist who says Ladies Prefer Blondes but Diamonds are a Boy's Best Friend

Gender Studies: His by Phil Shaw (2020) - Copyright Courtesy of the artist and Rebecca Hossack Gallery

By Jez Fielder • Updated: 20/09/2021 - 19:23

Remember Chekhov's masterful play The Three Brothers? Graham Greene's The Third Woman? Surely you've read Evelyn Waugh's classic Groomshead Revisited? No?

To prove that Gender can be confusing in any period, artist Phil Shaw has masterminded two contemporary art masterpieces, namely G_ender Studies 'His' _ and _Gender Studies 'Hers'. _

On visiting the Art Paris Art Fair earlier in September, my attention was drawn to a large print hanging at the rear of the Rebecca Hossack Gallery showcase. A colourful bookshelf with very inviting spines. I soon found myself laughing out loud and attracting the attention of the curator. I am looking at 'His'.

I can see an edition of The Merry Husbands of Windsor featuring the faces of the males of the British Royal Family (and Mark Phillips!) nestled next to Agatha Christie's The Amazing Mr. Marple, with David Suchet (famous for his portrayal of another Christie detective, Hercule Poirot) as the illustration.

Detail from 'Gender Studies: His', by Phil ShawCourtesy of the artist and Rebecca Hossack Gallery

Switch to 'Hers' and you'll find Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Woman, replete with a picture of the Venus de Milo, just along from a copy of Ladies Prefer Blondes, with the tousled bonce of Boris Johnson peeking out at you from these seductive shelves.

Detail from 'Gender Studies: Hers' by Phil ShawCourtesy of the artist and Rebecca Hossack Gallery

The artist, Phil Shaw, cites "global fuss" over sexual identity as the catalyst for this creation. But for him the work is less about transphobia headlines and more about perspective and offering alternative stories.

"It’s more to do with turning things upside down, switching things round to see what happens," Shaw tells Euronews. "It’s something I’ve always done. It often leads to some quite profound realisations. I think turning things upside down should be taught in schools, along with ballroom dancing."

"It subverts the way we think about literature, it presents you with a new perspective, a fresh look at things," he adds.

I ask Shaw if the work is a comment on the Structuralist school of literary criticism, particularly Roland Barthes who announced the 'death of the author' in 1967 and rejects attribution (despite signing his own essay).

Shaw's having none of it. "I’m afraid I don’t find Barthes all that interesting - he’s too obvious."

Gender Studies: His by Phil Shaw (2020)Courtesy of the artist and Rebecca Hossack Gallery

Shaw's favourite spine?

"All about Yves," he says. And sure enough, top shelf, left hand side, there it is, with a dashing picture of Yves St Laurent, naturally.

Russia shooting: Six dead and dozens injured after gunman opens fire at Perm University

By Euronews • Updated: 20/09/2021 - 

People stand behind the fence near the Perm State University with the a Posguardia (National Guardia) on the left, in Perm, Russia, Monday, Sept. 20, 2021 - Copyright Anastasia Yakovleva/Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Six people have died and dozens have been injured in a shooting at Perm State University in Russia.

Russia's Investigative Committee said the suspected gunman has been detained after being injured by police while attempting to resist the arrest.

The man wasn't named but was identified as an 18-year-old student. Authorities said he carried out the attack with a smoothbore rifle and was also carrying a knife.


"It is known that he acquired the gun in May of this year," the Investigative Committee said.

Earlier on Monday, Perm State University had warned on social media that an "unknown person" began firing with a "traumatic weapon" around 11:00 local time.

Images shared on social media showed an armed individual walking onto the university campus, which is located around 1,300 kilometres east of Moscow, in the Urals.

The university urged all students to barricade themselves in the classrooms or leave the building. Footage from the scene also showed staff and students jumping out of windows to escape.


The university was evacuated after the incident. A number of those injured were hospitalised with injuries of "varying severity," the authorities added.

The governor of the Perm Territory, Dmitry Makhonin, has reached the scene and sent his condolences to the families and friends of the victims.

The investigative committee added that it had launched a criminal investigation. A memorial to the victims of the shooting will be opened off-campus on Tuesday, the university added.

The incident comes just four months after nine people were killed in a shooting at a school in the Russian city of Kazan.

The incident prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to call for tighter gun regulations and raise the minimum purchase age from 18 to 21.

On Monday, Putin also offered his condolences and described the shooting as a "tremendous tragedy" for the whole of Russia.