Neil Young: Trump 'A Disgrace to My Country'

Neil Young poses for a portrait at Lost Planet Editorial

 in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)

NEWLY MINTED AMERICAN SPEAKS HIS MIND 

ENDORSES BERNIE

NEWSMAX

Neil Young on Wednesday released an open letter ripping President Donald Trump as a “disgrace,” saying his “mindless destruction of our shared natural resources, our environment, and our relationships with friends around the world is unforgivable.”

Young, who recently became a U.S. citizen, objected to the the use of his song “Rockin’ in the Free World” at Trump’s rallies, where it’s frequently played. He wrote that despite his lack of legal recourse, it “is not a song you can trot out at one of your rallies. Perhaps you could have been a bass player and played in a rock & roll band. That way you could have been onstage at a rally every night in front of your fans, if you were any good, and you might be …”

He added, “Every time ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ or one of my songs is played at your rallies, I hope you hear my voice. Remember it is the voice of a tax-paying U.S. citizen who does not support you. Me.”

Young ends the letter with a message expressing his support for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.

“One of your opponents has the answers I like,” he writes. “He is aiming at preserving our children’s future directly. He is not popular with the Democratic establishment because, unlike all the other candidates, he is not pandering to the industries accelerating Earth’s Climate Crisis, the end of the world as we know it.

 He is truly fighting for the USA. 

His initials are BS. Not his policies.”

Neil Young: US Citizenship Held Up Over Marijuana Use

Neil Young on Dana Loesch: 'I'm Glad I Got Under Her Skin'

JUST WHAT TRUMP WANTED

EPA suspends enforcement of environmental laws amid coronavirus

IT'S BECOME THE ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION AGENCY UNDER TRUMP

BY REBECCA BEITSCH THE HILL - 03/26/20

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a sweeping suspension of its enforcement of environmental laws Thursday, telling companies they would not need to meet environmental standards during the coronavirus outbreak.

The temporary policy, for which the EPA has set no end date, would allow any number of industries to skirt environmental laws, with the agency saying it will not “seek penalties for noncompliance with routine monitoring and reporting obligations.”

Cynthia Giles, who headed the EPA’s Office of Enforcement during the Obama administration, called it a moratorium on enforcing the nation's environmental laws and an abdication of the agency's duty.

“This EPA statement is essentially a nationwide waiver of environmental rules for the indefinite future. It tells companies across the country that they will not face enforcement even if they emit unlawful air and water pollution in violation of environmental laws, so long as they claim that those failures are in some way 'caused' by the virus pandemic. And it allows them an out on monitoring too, so we may never know how bad the violating pollution was,” she wrote in a statement to The Hill.

The EPA has been under pressure from a number of industries, including the oil industry, to suspend enforcement of a number of environmental regulations due to the pandemic.

“EPA is committed to protecting human health and the environment, but recognizes challenges resulting from efforts to protect workers and the public from COVID-19 may directly impact the ability of regulated facilities to meet all federal regulatory requirements,” EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement.

In a 10-page letter to the EPA earlier this week, the American Petroleum Institute (API) asked for a suspension of rules that require repairing leaky equipment as well as monitoring to make sure pollution doesn’t seep into nearby water.

Other industries had also asked to ignite the “force majeure” clauses of any legal settlements they had signed with the EPA, allowing for an extension on deadlines to meet various environmental goals in the face of unforeseen circumstances.

But Giles and others say the memo signed Thursday goes beyond that request, giving industries board authority to pollute with little oversight from the agency.

“Incredibly, the EPA statement does not even reserve EPA's right to act in the event of an imminent threat to public health,” Giles said.

“Instead, EPA says it will defer to states, and ‘work with the facility’ to minimize or prevent the threat. EPA should never relinquish its right and its obligation to act immediately and decisively when there is threat to public health, no matter what the reason is. I am not aware of any instance when EPA ever relinquished this fundamental authority as it does in this memo.”

The memo says companies should try to minimize “the effects and duration of any noncompliance” with environmental laws and should also keep records of their own noncompliance, along with identifying how the coronavirus was a factor.
The EPA on Friday pushed back against characterization of the memo as a waiver of environmental rules.

"During this extraordinary time, EPA believes that it is more important for facilities to ensure that their pollution control equipment remains up and running and the facilities are operating safely, than to carry out routine sampling and reporting," agency spokeswoman Andrea Woods told The Hill by email.

"If a facility has exceedances of limits on pollution the policy does not offer any no action assurance. We retain all our authorities and will exercise them appropriately. It is a temporary policy and will be terminated when this crisis is past.”

Critics say it's not unreasonable to refrain from environmental enforcement on a case-by-case basis when companies are unable to comply with the letter of the law, but many were alarmed by the breadth of Thursdays memo.

“It is not clear why refineries, chemical plants, and other facilities that continue to operate and keep their employees on the production line will no longer have the staff or time they need to comply with environmental laws,” Eric Schaeffer, a former director of civil enforcement at the EPA who is now with the Environmental Integrity Project, wrote in a letter signed by a number of environmental groups in anticipation of the memo.

The letter writers also criticized the requests from the API, arguing nearby communities would face prolonged exposure to a number of air and water pollutants that might be expelled through oil production — something they say would have “a very specific impact on public health and safety.”

The diminished compliance requirements for industry comes at a time when the EPA has refused to budge on deadlines for comments as they proceed with a number of deregulatory actions.

Environmental and public health groups had argued that those with science and health backgrounds who would normally weigh in on such regulations have been pulled into the coronavirus fight, leaving them unable to divert their attention.

“The Environmental Protection Agency has not shown the same concern for the impact the coronavirus has had on the ability of community and public interest groups to respond to various proposals to weaken environmental standards,” Schaeffer wrote in the letter.

But the EPA has argued exceptions were not needed.

“We’re open and continuing our regulatory work business as usual,” an EPA spokesperson told The Hill in a statement. “As regulations.gov is fully functioning, there is no barrier to the public providing comment during the established periods.”

Updated at 9:44 a.m. Friday. 3/27/2020

Instacart workers set to strike Monday

PLEASE HONOR THE SOCIAL DISTANCING ON THE PICKET LINE

BY CHRIS MILLS RODRIGO THE HILL- 03/27/20

© Getty Images

Instacart shoppers are set to have a nationwide walk off Monday over the grocery delivery service's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The shoppers will stop accepting deliveries until Instacart provides cleanliness products at no cost to workers, hazard pay of $5 per order and an extension and expansion of pay for workers affected by the coronavirus.

"This is an extraordinary time in history, and as Shoppers, those of us who are able — and have the means to protect ourselves — do want to help those in our community by delivering groceries and supplies," shoppers wrote in a Medium post issued with labor activism group Gig Workers Collective.

"But with Instacart neglecting the basic wellbeing of its 150,000+ drivers, we believe there is no choice but to not only walk off, but to raise awareness to the company’s practices."

Demand for grocery delivery has exploded as more states and cities recommend individuals stay home to slow the spread of coronavirus. Instacart last week announced it would hire 300,000 new gig workers over the next three months to match that demand.

Up until now the company has offered 14 days of paid leave if diagnosed with COVID-19 or mandated to quarantine.

Instacart's gig workers say that pledge is insufficient because of the dearth of available tests and its April 8th deadline.

On Friday, the company announced it would extend the paid leave deadline and dole out bonus payments between $25 and $200 to in store shoppers based on hours worked between March and April 15. Shoppers will also no longer be required to collect signatures for alcohol deliveries.

"The health and safety of our entire community — shoppers, customers, and employees — is our first priority," a spokesperson for Instacart told The Hill.
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Despite those policy changes, the walk off is still scheduled.

"This response is simply not enough — they're saying they're committed to our health and safety but still not addressing it. In order to keep ourselves and our customers safe, we need proper safety precautions put in place. PPE is essential right now," a spokesperson for the Gig Worker Collective told The Hill.

"All they gave us was 1 demand — extending their COVID-19 policy by one month. But they still haven't expanded their policy to include workers who are either too high-risk to work or requiring a self-quarantine."
The coronavirus pandemic has put many of America's gig workers in precarious situations.

The coronavirus relief package set to be signed by President Trump may give them some relief by allowing self-employed to apply for unemployment benefits that they would otherwise be ineligible for.

Trump is trying to ban this ad about his coronavirus response so please don't share it


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THE INDEPENDENT 3/26/2020

A new advert which uses Donald Trump's own words about the coronavirus outbreak has angered the president's campaign team so much that they are trying to get it banned.

The ad, which has been made by anti-Trump super PAC called Priorities USA focuses on how slowly the president reacted to the pandemic and the number of lives they believe he has put at risk due to his own negligence.

The 30-second advert features a simple graph which starts on January 20 and slowly shows how many confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the US since then, soundtracked by a series of Trump quotes, claiming that his administration has everything under control and that the crisis would be over shortly.

Of course, this hasn't been the case at all and the US now has more than 54,000 cases since the virus arrived in the country, leaving Trump with easily the biggest domestic test of his entire presidency.

This scathing new advert, which was released on Monday, has now been viewed more than 4 million times on Twitter and shared by a number high profile accounts.

As you can see, Trump and his team are pretty irate about this advert and are trying to sue the makers and get it taken off the airwaves.

In a letter to TV stations, which can be read here, claims the ad is 'false, misleading and deceptive' and that it:Stitched together fragments from multiple speeches by President Trump to fraudulently and maliciously imply that President Trump called the coronavirus outbreak a ‘hoax.’

They also take umbrage with the use of the word, which Trump has been using in reference to the Democrats response to the virus but not specifically Covid-19. However, doesn't explicitly make out that Trump was calling it a hoax either but just uses the quote: "This is their new hoax."

It seems the campaign's attempts to quash the advert will backfire as more and more people are now likely to see it, especially as Josh Schwerin, the senior strategist and communications director for Priorities USA, wants to "make sure as many people see the ad as possible."

The United States has now recorded more than 1,000 coronavirus related deaths. As recently as Tuesday, the president indicated that social distancing could end very soon and hopes to have people in 'packed' churches by Easter Sunday.

Liberal super PAC expanding ad buy after Trump campaign threatens legal action

BY JONATHAN EASLEY THE HILL - 03/26/20Priorities USA, the largest Democratic super PAC, is expanding an ad buy accusing President Trump of mismanaging the coronavirus crisis a day after the Trump campaign threatened legal action against TV stations airing the ad in key battleground states.

Priorities USA originally put $6 million behind the ad, which is running in Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. On Thursday, the super PAC announced the ad would begin running in Arizona with an additional $600,000 investment behind it.

"Donald Trump spent weeks downplaying the threat of the coronavirus and his inaction left the country unprepared for this crisis. Even today, his lies are putting the health of millions of Americans at risk," said Guy Cecil, chairman of Priorities USA. "The fact that Trump is going to such great lengths to keep the American people from hearing his own words adds to the urgency of communicating them far and wide. Trump doesn't want voters to know the truth. We will not be intimidated. We'll keep telling the truth and holding Donald Trump accountable."

The ad, which is titled “Exponential Threat,” splices together different audio clips of Trump downplaying the virus over a graphic showing the number of cases on the rise.

"The coronavirus, this is their new hoax,” Trump says in the ad. “We have it totally under control. It's one person coming in from China. One day it's like a miracle, it will disappear. When you have 15 people and within a couple of days is gonna be down to close to zero.”

However, fact-checkers have said it is wrong to claim that Trump ever called the coronavirus a “hoax.” Rather, Trump has said that Democratic efforts to politicize the virus was "their new hoax.”

On Wednesday, Trump’s legal counsel sent a letter to television stations airing the ad demanding they “cease and desist” from airing the ad if they want to “avoid costly and time consuming litigation.”

“Given the foregoing, should you fail to immediately cease broadcasting PUSA’s ad ‘Exponential Threat’, Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. will have no choice but to pursue all legal remedies available to it in law and in equity,” the letter states. “We will not stand idly by and allow you to broadcast false, deceptive, and misleading information concerning President’s Trump’s healthcare positions without consequence.”

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign and several other Democratic groups have used the “hoax” remarks in their own videos questioning Trump’s leadership.

The Trump campaign has asked Twitter to apply its “manipulated media” tag to videos claiming that Trump called the virus a hoax, but the social media giant has so far declined to intervene.

ON THIS DAY MARCH 27

The 1964 Great Alaskan earthquake, occurred on Good Friday, March 27 1964. 
Across south-central Alaska, ground fissures, collapsing structures, and tsunamis resulting from the earthquake caused about 131 deaths.

The magnitude 9.2 megathrust earthquake remains the most powerful earthquake recorded in North American history, and the second most powerful earthquake recorded in world history. Six hundred miles (970 km) of fault ruptured at once and moved up to 60 ft (18 m), releasing about 500 years of stress buildup. Soil liquefaction, fissures, landslides, and other ground failures caused major structural damage in several communities and much damage to property. Two hundred miles (320 km) southwest, some areas near Kodiak were permanently raised by 30 feet (9 m). Southeast of Anchorage, areas dropped as much as 8 feet (2.4 m), requiring reconstruction and fill to raise the Seward Highway above the new high tide mark.

Post-quake tsunamis severely affected Alaskan, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California states. Tsunamis also caused damage in Hawaii and Japan.

Earthquakes today

https://earthquakestoday.info

The number of magnitude 5+ earthquakes today. The colors indicate normal activity (green), above normal (yellow) or way above normal (red). Normal daily average is around 5 (5+) earthquakes per day (decade 2007 - 2017).

CANADA VS COVID-19
New report to outline potential fiscal, economic cost of coronavirus in Canada
BY STAFF THE CANADIAN PRESS March 27, 2020

WATCH: Nearly 1 million Canadians have applied for EI

 as coronavirus takes toll on economy

Canadians will get an idea today of what the coronavirus pandemic could mean for Canada’s economy and the federal government’s balance sheet, with the release of a new report from the parliamentary budget officer.

Yves Giroux is planning to post on his website this morning a “scenario analysis” that is intended to help parliamentarians gauge the potential economic and fiscal implications from the combined health crisis and the collapse of oil prices.

Such analyses typically involve a variety of projected outcomes based on a number of possible, alternative scenarios.

The federal government has already poured $107 billion into fighting the pandemic –$52 billion in financial assistance to individuals and businesses and $55 billion in deferred taxes — and billions more are expected to flow in the days to come.

Indeed, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expecting to announce more support today for businesses and entrepreneurs.

A fiscal update issued by Finance Minister Bill Morneau in December showed the Liberal government on track to run a deficit of $26.6 billion in the current fiscal year, which ends on March 30, and $28.1 billion next year.
But those projections have been blown up by the pandemic, which has coincided with a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia that has driven already-depressed oil prices into the cellar and the economy in oil-producing Alberta into the ditch.

Canada’s economy had been sluggish before the pandemic but Morneau was still predicting modest growth. Now, economists are predicting a global recession as countries shut down non-essential businesses and lock down their citizens.

On Wednesday, Morneau promised the federal help is on the way within hours or days for the energy sector.

The federal government is also looking at help for other sectors particularly hard hit by the pandemic, such as tourism and airlines.

© 2020 The Canadian Press

CANADA VS USA 


Trudeau’s $82B coronavirus support package gets royal assent, officially passes

BY AMANDA CONNOLLY GLOBAL NEWS March 27, 2020


WATCH: Ottawa's $107-billion Canada Emergency Response Benefit package has finally passed through Parliament after much debate, bringing individuals and businesses impacted by COVID-19 one step closer to receiving financial aid. But as Mike Le Couteur explains, it will still take weeks before people get money.

The Trudeau government’s $82-billion emergency coronavirus support package has officially passed.

The fast-tracked legislation received royal assent from Governor General Julie Payette at roughly 1:30 PM on Wednesday following its rapid introduction in the House of Commons around 3:30 AM and passage by the Senate several hours later around noon.

2:30 Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau addresses 
sweeping new powers proposed in COVID-19 bill 

It contains broad new measures to help blunt the impact of the pandemic on Canadian workers and businesses.

Rideau Hall is closed except for the fulfillment of constitutional duties required during challenging times. Royal Assent was granted today to #COVID19 emergency legislation while respecting #socialdistancing. The fight is ON! pic.twitter.com/tmbDOHBqNh
— GGJuliePayette (@GGJuliePayette) March 25, 2020


While the House of Commons suspended for five weeks on March 13, all parties agreed to return on Tuesday to pass a package of proposals and sent a small number of their MPs to do so.

Those plans hit a snag though after Global News first reported on Monday that the draft legislation included sweeping new powers for the federal cabinet to spend, tax and borrow money without needing to get the consent of Parliament for upwards of 18 months.


READ MORE: Trudeau says sweeping coronavirus bill powers needed given ‘exceptional situation’

Although the bill was supposed to be debated in the House of Commons around noon on Tuesday, it wasn’t tabled until roughly 3 AM on Wednesday because of last-minute negotiations between the parties aimed at getting the government to walk back some of the new powers it wanted.

3:00 around the world: March 25, 2020 

Sources close to both the NDP and Conservative negotiating teams said both parties were in lockstep until the very end of negotiations in trying to get those powers narrowed.

Ultimately, the government did agree to scale back enough of the measures to get both parties on board and managed to secure the unanimous consent it needed to fast-track the bill.


READ MORE: Trudeau unveils $82B in aid for families, business amid coronavirus uncertainty

Those concessions include getting rid of a proposal that would have let the finance minister raise taxes without parliamentary approval, requiring biweekly reports from the finance minister on all actions taken under the measures, and mandatory review of the legislation within six months.


And while cabinet ministers will still be allowed to spend any amount of money they deem needed in a public health emergency, that new power will expire on Sept. 30, 2020

In the draft version of the legislation, that proposed power had been without an end date.


READ MORE: Coronavirus aid bill negotiations continue, agreement in principle reached: sources

The biweekly reporting by the finance minister will begin in the week of March 30 with discussions set to take place on April 20 after the House of Commons is scheduled to return — although the current suspension could be pushed back further.

The House of Commons finance committee review of the coronavirus support legislation will need to begin within six months from the day it receives royal assent, which happened on Wednesday.

The Senate began its fast-tracked review of the support package at 10 AM on Wednesday.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau appeared before senators as those morning deliberations got underway.

He defended the legislation and the new powers it grants to the federal cabinet when questioned by Conservative senators, saying the government needs to be able to act quickly to get aid to Canadians.

READ MORE: Amid coronavirus pandemic, air travellers raise questions about health screening at airports

Morneau added he expects the payments authorized in the legislation for Canadians who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic or are stuck at home will begin going out on April 6.

The billions of dollars in measures in the bill include tax deferrals, deferring repayments and freezing interest on student loans for six months, creating a new emergency benefit for workers who lose their income as a result of the coronavirus, and expanding eligibility for Employment Insurance.

The new emergency benefit combines two benefits the government had announced last week.

It will give $2,000 per month to those who have lost their income because of the pandemic for four months, including those who are self-employed or have to take care of ill dependents, among others.

Coronavirus outbreak: Scheer says Conservatives would like to see measures allow for parliamentary oversight while House is on break Coronavirus outbreak: Scheer says Conservatives would like to see measures allow for parliamentary oversight while House is on break

Trudeau promises 75% wage subsidy for businesses hit by coronavirus

BY AMANDA CONNOLLY GLOBAL NEWS  March 27, 2020 

The federal wage subsidy for small and medium-sized businesses hit by the coronavirus pandemic is jumping up to 75 per cent, the prime minister announced on Friday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with reporters at his daily update from Rideau Cottage, where he remains in isolation as cases of coronavirus continue to spread across the country.

Last week, Trudeau announced a 10 per cent wage subsidy but admitted Friday it’s not enough.

“It’s becoming clear that we need to do more – much more – so we’re bringing that percentage up to 75 per cent for qualifying businesses,” he said. “This means people will continue to be paid even though their employers have to slow down or stop their businesses.”


That wage subsidy will be backdated to March 15.

Anyone entering Canada mandated self-isolate for 14 days 

COVID-19 IN CANADA 

© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Influencer who licked a toilet as a 'coronavirus challenge' has just been hospitalised with coronavirus

USUALLY A BATHROOM IS THE CLEANEST ROOM IN ANY BUILDING
USUALLY, TAKE IT FROM ME I AM A PROFESSIONAL IN THIS FIELD


Posted by Moya Lothian-McLean 3/26/2020

Life comes at you fast.

Especially if you lick the seat of a toilet for internet clout.

Like the internet prankster known as Larz, who claims he has coronavirus – just days after uploading a clip showing him licking a toilet seat.

Apparently it was for the “Coronavirus challenge”, a viral craze on TikTok – although just how many people are engaging in it is unclear.

But just days after initially posting the clip of him getting close and personal with the toilet (he really licks it), Larz uploaded another picture for fans.

This time he’s in a hospital bed and the caption reads “I got diagnosed with coronavirus”.


A disturbing turn of events.

Larz also tweeted the picture but his Twitter account – where he posts under the handle @gayshawnmendes – has been suspended.

It’s unknown if the suspension – or the diagnosis – is linked to the toilet seat incident.

People aren't being that sympathetic though.

And with Larz’s day job being the pulling of pranks, some may be questioning how geniune his latest revelation is.

Please though, don’t go around licking toilets.

Global pandemic or not.

Show comments

1 comment

EarthCitizen1 day ago
"It’s unknown if ... diagnosis ... is linked to the toilet seat incident." No, it’s Karma.

Coronavirus: Hobby Lobby billionaire keeps stores open after ‘God spoke to him’ – but won’t pay sick leave
Billionaire CEO told employees to ‘tighten their belts’


Andrew Naughtie @andrewnaughtie THE INDEPENDENT 3/25/2020


The US arts-and-crafts chain Hobby Lobby has said it will remain open during the coronavirus epidemic – but has also refused sick pay for workers who fall ill, including from Covid-19.

The chain is keeping some stores open in states that have not ordered non-essential retailers to shut down. In a letter to all employees on 19 March, founder and CEO David Green warned that times would be tough: “To help ensure our company remains strong and prepared to prosper once again when this passes, we may all have to ‘tighten our belts’ over the near future.”

Mr Green, a devout conservative Christian whose net worth is in the region of $6bn, also wrote that “I cannot adequately express how much I appreciate each one of you.”

However, in a March 23 memo to store managers seen by Business Insider, store operations vice president Randy Betts wrote that the business would “make every effort to continue working the employees”, and that sick workers will be expected to use their personal paid leave or take an unpaid leave of absence.

Much of the reaction to the revelations focused on the discrepancy between the Christian values expressed in the letter and the hardline payroll policies in the memo. Left-wing blog DailyKos, for instance, headlined its story “Hobby Lobby founder tells workers that God spoke to his wife and forgot to mention paid sick leave”.

Sure enough, in the 19 March letter to employees, Mr Green wrote that when his wife Barbara prayed for guidance the week before, “God put on [her] heart three profound words to remind us that he’s in control: Guide, Guard and Groom.

“While we do not know for certain what the future holds, or how long this disruption will last, we can all rest in knowing that God is in control.”

The Independent has approached Hobby Lobby for comment.

Hobby Lobby has been involved in controversy on more than one occasion. In 2014, it won a politically polarising case in the Supreme Court, Burwell v Hobby Lobby, which freed family-owned employers from the obligation to provide employees with health insurance coverage that included contraception access. The case was won on the grounds of religious freedom.
A dissenting justice called the majority opinion in the case “a decision of startling breadth”, saying it could open the door to cases brought by businesses citing religious freedom to challenge anti-discrimination laws.

GRAVE ROBBERS AND CULTURAL GENOCIDE
In 2017, meanwhile, Hobby Lobby was fined $3m for smuggling deliberately mislabelled thousands of Iraqi artefacts out of the Middle East to be sold in the US, violating a 2004 law banning the import of Iraqi cultural property into the US.

Yemen war: Third of all Gulf airstrikes hitting civilian targets, new data reveals, as country marks fifth anniversary of ruinous conflict


More than 18,400 civilians have been killed or wounded in Gulf air raids
Bel Trew Beirut @beltrew THE INDEPENDENT 3/26/2020

Nearly a third of all Gulf coalition air raids on Yemen have hit civilian targets including hospitals, schools and food stores, new data has revealed, as the war-ravaged country marks the fifth anniversary of the conflict amid the coronavirus crisis.

According to the Yemen Data Project, more than 18,400 civilians have been killed or injured by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies since they launched a bombing campaign in 2015 to oust the Iran-backed Houthis and restore the government.


Over 8,600, a quarter of them women and children, were killed across tens of thousands of raids, marking 70 per cent of the total civilian death toll documented by rights groups.


The same report said over the last five years coalition aircraft have bombed medical facilities including hospitals and clinics 83 times, killing 95 civilians and injuring a further 116.

Over 60 food stores have also been hit, alongside 134 water and electricity facilities.

Watch more

Western powers are protracting the war in Yemen for profit

The Gulf coalition has repeatedly denied it targets civilians and maintains its Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT) investigates the impact of its raids to check violations.

However, the JIAT has been accused by rights groups of mostly absolving the coalition.

In its latest statement two weeks ago the JIAT cleared the coalition of any wrongdoing after United Nations agencies alleged it of carrying out a deadly attack on a North Yemen market in November killing 10 civilians and 18 inured more.

“The data clearly shows that over the five years [the coalition] has been consistently hitting civilian targets. That’s indisputable,” said the Yemen Data Project’s Iona Craig, adding that on average the alliance causes 10 civilian casualties a day.
Read more

Saudi-led coalition starts first trials of own forces over Yemen war

UK, US and Turkey asked to arrest UAE officials for Yemen ‘war crimes’

Truss cleared over breaches of ban on arms sales linked to Yemen war

At least 73 soldiers killed in missile attack ‘on mosque’ in Yemen

“It’s not just hospitals and medical facilities you have to take into account. It’s the bombing of water and electricity infrastructure, the impact on food supply lines with food storage facilities and crucial road bridges being hit too,” she added.

Craig said that while the data shows there had been a steady decline in the rate of bombings, one of the deadliest ever bombings for civilians took place on 31 August 2019.

That day over 150 civilians were killed in an air-raid on a prison complex in Dhamar, southwest of the country.

“Mass civilian casualty events are still happening even when there are fewer airstrikes,” she added.

The data comes as the country marks the fifth anniversary of the devastating conflict which according to the United Nations has sparked the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in terms of numbers.



The conflict erupted in late 2014 when the Houthis swept control of the country ousting recognised president, and Gulf ally, Abedrabbou Mansour Hadi.


Fearing the encroachment of Iranian influence in the region in March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Sunni allies including the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Egypt launched a bombing campaign. The alliance later sent in ground troops.

Five years on an estimated 80 per cent of the population - or 24 million people - require some form of humanitarian assistance to survive.

Two-thirds of the country is one step from famine.

So far, the country has yet to record a novel coronavirus case but there are fears that when the deadly disease arrives it will quickly spread through the country, as the fighting has decimated the health care system.

Only half of all hospitals and medical centres are functioning, according to the United Nations.

Even those that are open are facing severe shortages of medicines, equipment and staff.

According to Oxfam, 17 million people – more than half the population – have no access to clean water.

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and the Yemeni human rights group Mwatana released an extensive report last week saying in total between 2015 and 2018 there were 120 attacks on the health care sector committed by all sides of the conflict.

It said the Gulf coalition, its affiliated forces, the Houthis and their allies have all damaged or destroyed health facilities through airstrikes and shelling, occupying medical facilities and excluding civilian use as well as assaulting medical professionals.


On the fifth anniversary of the conflict, Mwatana spokesperson Osamah al-Fakih said it was not just bombing campaigns and artillery fire which had destroyed the country.

“All sides have committed violations including enforced disappearances, torture, as well as child recruitment,” he told The Independent.

“The Gulf coalition has also restricted humanitarian access to Yemen through a blockade and closure of Sanaa international airport."

“It has also established arms groups in different parts of the country, a huge long-term problem, undermining the future of Yemen. “

Human Rights Watch warned the training of proxy groups was behind a new crisis brewing in the east of the country, Mahra, a province which until now has escaped most of the conflict.

In a report on Wednesday it said Saudi military and Yemeni forces it was affiliated to, have carried serious abuses arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances, and illegal transfer of detainees to Saudi Arabia.

Former detainees said that they were accused of supporting Saudi Arabia’s opponents and had been interrogated, and tortured at an informal detention facility at the city’s airport.

“Saudi forces and their Yemeni allies’ serious abuses against local-Mahra residents is another horror to add to the list of the Saudi-led coalition’s unlawful conduct in Yemen,” said Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

“Saudi Arabia is severely harming its reputation with Yemenis when it carries out these abusive practices and holds no one accountable for them.”

---30---