CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT

UK nightlife sector lost 86,000 jobs during Covid: study

Nightclubs were among the last to reopen after coronavirus restrictions were lifted in the UK but now face the prospect of having to impose vaccine passports on club-goers

 OLI SCARFF AFP

Issued on: 11/10/2021 - 

London (AFP)

Some 86,000 jobs have been lost in the UK's nightlife sector since 2019, an industry body said on Monday, blaming coronavirus closures.

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) said the sector accounted for 1.6 percent of GDP in 2019, the equivalent of £36.4 billion ($49.6 billion, 42.9 billion euros), and employed 425,000.

But it said there were "fears that many of the jobs lost to the pandemic in the night-time economy sector will be lost for good" because of closures and lower demand.

Nightclubs and casinos were among the last to reopen when coronavirus restrictions began to be eased in June.

Scotland and Wales are pushing ahead with proof of vaccination records to allow entry into nightclubs but the UK government, which sets health policy in England, has opposed the move.

NTIA chief executive Michael Kill said the moves by the devolved administrations in Edinburgh and Cardiff were "chaotic".

"It is the worst possible time to introduce vaccine passports, which will further damage a sector essential to the economic recovery," he said.

Details of job losses in the industry come as several sectors, including hospitality and catering, complain of severe staff shortages hitting their recovery.

Kill said finance minister Rishi Sunak should use his autumn budget statement to announce additional support for nightclubs, bars, casinos, festivals and their suppliers.

He called for the current 12.5 percent rate of sales tax (VAT) on hospitality to remain until 2024.

Britain has been one of the worst affected countries by Covid 19, with nearly 138,000 deaths recorded since early last year.

A mass vaccination programme has seen 78.5 percent of all those aged 12 and over receive two doses of a vaccine, helping to cut hospital admissions with severe Covid.

But infection rates are still high. Last week, the seven-day average number of positive cases was 37,255, according to government data.

© 2021 AFP

France to ban plastic packaging for most fruit and vegetables from January 2022

A seller bags produce at a vegetable and fruit stall in Paris on June 13, 2014. 

© Pierre Andrieu, AFP
Text by:NEWS WIRES

Issued on: 11/10/2021 

France will ban plastic packaging for nearly all fruit and vegetables from January 2022 in a bid to reduce plastic waste, the environment ministry said on Monday.

Implementing a February 2020 law, the government published a list of about 30 fruits and vegetables that will have to be sold without plastic packaging from Jan. 1. The list includes leeks, aubergines and round tomatoes as well as apples, bananas and oranges.

"We use an outrageous amount of single-use plastic in our daily lives. The circular economy law aims at cutting back the use of throwaway plastic and boost its substitution by other materials or reusable and recyclable packaging," the ministry said in a statement.

It estimated that 37% of fruit and vegetables are sold with packaging and expects that the measure will prevent more than one billion useless plastic packaging items per year.

French fruit sellers federation president Francois Roch said switching to cardboard will be difficult in such a short time.

"Also, selling loose produce is complicated as many customers touch the fruit and people do not want their fruit to be touched by other customers," she said.

The packaging ban is part of a multi-year government programme to phase out plastic. From 2021, France banned plastic straws, cups and cutlery, as well as styrofoam takeaway boxes.

Cut fruits and a limited number of delicate fruits and vegetables can still be sold with plastic packaging for now but that will be phased out by end June 2026.

Plastic packaging will be banned by end June 2023 for cherry tomatoes, green beans and peaches, and by end 2024 for endives, asparagus, mushrooms, some salads and herbs as well as cherries.

End June 2026, raspberries, strawberries and other delicate berries must be sold without plastic.

From 2022, public spaces must provide water fountains to reduce the use of plastic bottles; press and publicity publications must be shipped without plastic wrapping, while fast-food restaurants can no longer offer free plastic toys.

From January 2023, France will also ban throwaway crockery in fast-food restaurant for meals consumed on-site.

(REUTERS)

Life on Mars: simulating Red Planet base in Israeli desert

A couple of trainee astronauts walk in their spacesuits during a training mission for planet Mars inside the Ramon Crater in Mitzpe Ramon in Israel's southern Negev desert 

JACK GUEZ AFP

Issued on: 11/10/2021 - 

Mitzpe Ramon (Israel) (AFP)

Inside a huge crater in Israel's sun-baked Negev desert, a team wearing space suits ventures forth on a mission to simulate conditions on Mars.

The Austrian Space Forum has set up a pretend Martian base with the Israeli space agency at Makhtesh Ramon, a 500-metre (1,600-foot) deep, 40 kilometre (25 mile) wide crater.

The six so-called "analogue astronauts" will live in isolation in the virtual station until the end of the month.

"It's a dream come true," Israeli Alon Tenzer, 36, told AFP. "It's something we've been working on for years."

The participants -- from Austria, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain -- all had to pass gruelling physical and psychological tests.

During their mission, they will conduct tests including on a drone prototype that functions without GPS, and on automated wind- and solar-powered mapping vehicles.

Technicians assist a trainee astronaut to suit up in a spacesuit. Six members from Portugal, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Israel will be cut off from the world for a month

 JACK GUEZ AFP

The mission will also aim to study human behaviour and the effect of isolation on the astronauts.

"The group's cohesion and their ability to work together are crucial for surviving on Mars," said Gernot Groemer, the Austrian mission supervisor.

"It's like a marriage, except in a marriage you can leave but on Mars you can't."

- 'Largest voyage ever' -

The Austrian Space Forum, a private organisation made up of aerospace specialists, has already organised 12 missions, the most recent in Oman in 2018.

The simulated Mars base where the team will live, in the Ramon Crater in Israel's southern Negev desert 

JACK GUEZ AFP

The Israel project is part of mission Amadee-20, which was expected to kick off last year but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The forum has partnered with Israeli research centre D-MARS to construct the solar-powered base.

German astronaut Anika Mehlis, the only woman on the team, told AFP how happy she was to be part of the project.

"My father took me to the space museum when I was little," she said. "When I saw that the forum was looking for analogue astronauts, I told myself I had to apply."

Mehlis, a trained microbiologist, will study a scenario where bacteria from Earth infect potential life forms that may be found on Mars, saying this "would be a huge problem".

An astronaut from the team enters the sealed habitat, to be supervised by a Mission Support Center in Austria 

JACK GUEZ AFP

Visually, the surrounding desert resembles the Red Planet with its stony wilderness and orange hues, though thankfully not in terms of atmospheric conditions.

"Over here, we have temperatures of about 25-30 degrees Celsius, but on Mars the temperature is minus 60 degrees Celsius and the atmosphere is not fit for breathing," said Groemer.

The interior of the base is austere, with a small kitchen and bunk beds. Most of the space is reserved for scientific experiments.

NASA envisions the first human mission to Mars will launch in 2030.

The team will test a robotic rover during their mission, the Amadee-20 Mars simulation JACK GUEZ AFP

"What we are doing here is preparing a large mission, the largest voyage our society has ever taken, as Mars and Earth are 380 million kilometres apart at their extreme point," said Groemer.

"I believe the very first human to walk on Mars is already born and we are the ship-builders to enable this journey."

© 2021 AFP

EXPOSING STALINISM

Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy party shuns 'patriot only' election

The number of directly elected seats in Hong Kong's legislature has been reduced from half to less than a quarter 

Peter PARKS AFP

Issued on: 11/10/2021

Hong Kong (AFP)

Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy party will not contest upcoming "patriot only" legislature elections after none of its members met the party's own application deadline on Monday.

The decision means the December polls have been effectively boycotted by the city's pro-democracy opposition with even the movement's most moderate wing deciding it is not worth taking part.

The Democratic Party's membership had been split on whether to continue with Hong Kong's political process as authorities crack down on dissent in response to huge and often violent protests two years ago.

On Monday evening the party said no-one had applied from its membership by the deadline.

One member, veteran Tiananmen Square activist Han Dongfang, previously said he wished to run but did not manage to secure enough nominations within the party.

The result is a blow for Hong Kong's government who have pushed the narrative that the once outspoken city remains politically pluralistic even as scores of opposition figures are jailed and disqualified from standing for office.

Most of Hong Kong's major pro-democracy parties have either disbanded or seen their leadership decimated by arrests and prosecutions.

Under an overhaul imposed by Beijing earlier this year, only those deemed "staunch patriots" are allowed to take part in politics and anyone standing for public office must be vetted for national security risks.

The overhaul has also further reduced the number of directly elected seats in the city's legislature from half to less than a quarter.

The rest will be appointed by reliably pro-Beijing committees and special interest groups that have been vetted for their political loyalty.

Beijing is sensitive to any move that might cast doubt on its new "patriots only" political model.

The government has warned that anyone urging others to boycott the new polls could be prosecuted.

Last month a prominent Beijing adviser said the Democratic Party could open itself up to prosecution under Hong Kong's new national security law if it declined to field candidates.

Beijing imposed the security law on Hong Kong last June to quash dissent after the city was upended by massive, often violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.

It says the law and new political vetting system has restored stability and wiped out "anti-China elements".

Critics, including many Western powers, say the crackdown has eviscerated Beijing's promise that Hong Kong could maintain certain freedoms and turned the finance hub into a mirror of the authoritarian mainland.

© 2021 AFP

REFUGEE'S

Nearly 19,000 kids crossed dangerous Darien Gap in 2021: UN

A Haitian migrant girl is seen crossing the Darien Gap jungle between Colombia and Panama in September 2021 -- a record number of children have made the trek in 2021, UNICEF says 

Raul ARBOLEDA AFP/File

Issued on: 11/10/2021 - 

Panama City (AFP)

A record of almost 19,000 children have crossed the dangerous Darien Gap jungle between Colombia and Panama this year en route to the United States, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Monday.

That figure is "nearly three times more than the number registered over the five previous years combined," said UNICEF.

The report said almost 20 percent of the migrants crossing the jungle       are children, and half of those are below the age of five.

The Darien Gap is one of the main routes for migrants heading from South America to the United States, but the jungle has been overrun by armed groups such as drug and people traffickers.

"The number of migrant children who cross the Darien Gap on foot has hit an all-time high," said UNICEF, adding that the jungle "is one of the most dangerous places for migrants attempting to reach North America."

"In this dense tropical forest, migrant families with children are particularly exposed to violence, including sexual abuse, trafficking and extortion from criminal gangs.

"Children who cross the Darien Gap are also at risk of getting diarrhea, respiratory diseases, dehydration and other ailments that require immediate attention."

Wild animals, insects and a lack of safe drinking water exacerbate the problems of trying to cross the jungle.

At least five children have been found dead in the jungle in 2021, while more than 150, including newborn babies, have arrived in Panama without their parents, a near 20-time increase over 2020.

"Each child crossing the Darien Gap on foot is a survivor," said Jean Gough, UNICEF regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

"Never before have our teams on the ground seen so many young children crossing the Darien Gap -- often unaccompanied."

He said the issue needs to be treated as a region-wide humanitarian crisis.

So far in 2021, more than 91,000 migrants have crossed the 575,000 hectares (1.4 million acres) of virgin jungle, according to Panama's migration authorities.

The majority of migrants tackling this treacherous journey are Haitians and Cubans, but some come from as far afield as Africa or Asia.

© 2021 AFP

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

Norway court rules wind farms harming reindeer herders

NAH JUST LACK OF CONSULTATION

Reindeer herding is a traditional cultural practice of the Sami people

 Jonathan NACKSTRAND AFP/File

Issued on: 11/10/2021 

Oslo (AFP)

Norway's Supreme Court on Monday ruled that two wind parks built in the country's west were harming reindeer herders from the Sami people by encroaching on their pastures.

It was not immediately clear what the consequences of the finding will be.

But lawyers for the herders say the 151 turbines completed on the Fosen peninsula in 2020 -- part of the biggest land-based wind park in Europe -- could be torn down.

"Their construction has been declared illegal, and it would be illegal to continue operating them," said Andreas Bronner, who represented a group of herders alleging harm from one of the two parks.

Ole Berthelsen, a spokesman for Norway's ministry for oil and energy, said that "the Supreme Court verdict creates a need to clarify the situation", adding it would "communicate later about what to do next".

The judges declared the licences issued by the ministry to build and operate the turbines void, saying they violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The UN text's Article 27 states that ethnic minorities "shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion, or to use their own language."

Traditional Sami reindeer herding is a form of protected cultural practice, the Norwegian court found.

"Of course, this is a surprise to us," said Tom Kristian Larsen, head of Fosen Vind, which operates one of the wind farms.

"We based our action on definitive licences granted us by the authorities after a long and detailed process that heard from all parties," he added.

"Special importance was given to reindeer herding".

The company said it would now wait for the ministry's decision on next steps.

The Sami people number up to 100,000 people spread across Sweden, Finland, Norway and Russia.

Some of them make a living from raising semi-domesticated reindeer for their meat and hides.

© 2021 AFP

Thousands evacuated and coal mines shuttered as floods hit north China

Many parts of Shanxi, a landlocked province that generally has dry weather, saw record-breaking rainfall over the past week, according to the provincial government 

Beijing (AFP)

More than 120,000 people have been evacuated, coal mines shut and crops destroyed after unseasonably heavy rainfall flooded north China's Shanxi province over the weekend, state media reported Monday, with more rain forecast.

The deluge comes just months after record floods hit the country's central Henan province in July -- killing more than 300 people -- and raises fears about ensuring the supply of energy ahead of the winter.

Many parts of Shanxi, a landlocked province that generally has dry weather, saw record-breaking rainfall over the past week, according to the provincial government, which ordered coal mines to take flood-proofing measures and make emergency plans to be "activated immediately in case of grave danger".

At least 60 coal mines in the province -- one of China's top coal-producing regions -- have suspended operations due to the floods, according to a local government statement, even as the country faces a power supply crunch.

Beijing recently ordered coal mines to spare no costs to increase production and ensure supply, as well as said it will allow higher electricity prices in a bid to boost generation. Analysts have warned the move could add to inflation concerns.

China has been hit by widespread power cuts amid record coal prices, state electricity price controls and tough emissions targets that have squeezed the power supply.

More than 1.75 million residents have so far been affected by the floods in Shanxi, which state news agency Xinhua reported had received more than three times the average monthly rainfall for October in just five days last week.

An estimated 190,000 hectares of crops were destroyed and 17,000 buildings were reduced to rubble, the local Communist Party newspaper Shanxi Evening News reported.

More than 1.75 million residents have so far been affected by the floods in Shanxi 

Shanxi's meteorological bureau said Sunday there would be more rain in the coming days, urging farmers to "rush to harvest when the weather is clear".

Authorities have not yet published a death toll.

Video footage published by the Shanxi Evening News showed rescuers wading through murky waters and floating on rafts down flooded urban streets.

Meanwhile, state broadcaster CCTV showed workers repairing a broken dam, and railway tracks left suspended over water after part of the bridge they were on collapsed.

© 2021 AFP

Canada pledges action on methane as momentum builds for COP26

Demonstrators in Montreal take part in the global climate strike on September 24, 2021 Andrej Ivanov AFP

Issued on: 11/10/2021 

Washington (AFP)

Energy exporter Canada on Monday promised tough action against methane, a major contributor to climate change, as momentum builds for an ambitious global deal in Glasgow next month.

Twenty-four more nations pledged action against methane in a virtual meeting led by the United States and the European Union, which earlier announced a joint initiative on the potent gas.

Canada will aim to reduce methane from its oil and gas sector by at least 75 percent by 2030 from 2012 levels, becoming the first country to back a goal by the International Energy Agency, Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said.

"A 75 percent target is an important goal, and we encourage other oil- and gas-producing nations to adopt it," he said.

"As we like to say in Canada, we certainly get it."

The methane promise is in line with promises by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as he won a third term in elections last month.

Wilkinson said the methane effort was part of Canada's overall goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40-45 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels -- a target announced in April by Trudeau that is less ambitious than that of much of the developed world.

Methane, emitted by oil and gas production and agriculture, spends less time in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide but is far more potent and is seen as a key area where the world can take action.

A joint initiative launched last month by the United States and European Union called for global methane reductions of 30 percent by 2030 from 2020 levels.

At Monday's meeting, philanthropic institutions -- including that of former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg -- together promised $223 million to boost efforts on reducing methane.

The COP26 summit in Glasgow aims to raise the global fight on climate change as evidence mounts that the world is off track, with the planet setting record temperatures and experiencing increasingly severe fires and storms.

"It's clear that we're in a race against time. It is far, far, far more expensive to be dealing with the problems of the climate crisis over time than it is to deal with it now," said John Kerry, the US climate envoy.

"Hopefully that all changes in the next weeks," he said, adding he was "encouraged" by recent promises.

© 2021 AFP

WHO pens prescription for health at COP26



The 4th warmest September on record globally 

Simon MALFATTO AFP

Issued on: 11/10/2021 - 

Geneva (AFP)

Millions of lives could be saved by reining in global warming, the World Health Organization said Monday, urging the COP26 summit to take serious climate action to improve public health worldwide.

"The burning of fossil fuels is killing us," the World Health Organization said in an 82-page COP26 special report. "Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity."

In the report, entitled "The Health Argument for Climate Action", the WHO set out 10 recommendations on how to maximise the health benefits of tackling climate change -- and avoid the worst health impacts of the climate crisis.

Countries must set ambitious national climate commitments to foster a healthy recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, said the report.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has shone a light on the intimate and delicate links between humans, animals and our environment," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"The same unsustainable choices that are killing our planet are killing people.

"WHO calls on all countries to commit to decisive action at COP26 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius -- not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it's in our own interests."

COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference, is being held in Glasgow from October 31 to November 12.

- Death toll -

Achieving the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement -- which included preferably limiting the rise in mean global temperature to 1.5 C -- would save millions of lives every year due to improvements in air quality, diet, and physical activity, said the report.

Air pollution, primarily the result of burning fossil fuels, caused 13 deaths per minute worldwide -- and the public health benefits of ambitious climate action would far outweigh the costs.

"Bringing down air pollution to WHO guideline levels, for example, would reduce the total number of global deaths from air pollution by 80 percent," said Maria Neira, the WHO's environment, climate change and health director.

Switching to more plant-based diets "could reduce global emissions significantly, ensure more resilient food systems, and avoid up to 5.1 million diet-related deaths a year by 2050", she added.

The WHO's 10 recommendations urge COP negotiators to place health at the heart of the summit and commit to a green recovery from Covid-19.

The WHO wants climate interventions with the largest health gains prioritised, with health resilience to climate risks included in planning.

The report called a shift away from coal combustion to renewable energy as part of a move towards energy systems that improve health.

It also urged the redesign of urban environments to increase access to green space and for walking, cycling and public transport to be prioritised.

And it sent an open letter signed by organisations representing more than two thirds of the global health workforce urging leaders to step up climate action at Glasgow.

"We are already responding to the health harms caused by climate change," said the letter, penned by 300 organisations representing at least 45 million health professionals.

"Make human health and equity central to all climate change mitigation and adaptation actions," the joint letter said.

© 2021 AFP

Poor countries need 'comprehensive' debt relief: World Bank chief

World Bank President David Malpass warns high debt levels will hold back poor countries' recoveries from the pandemic 

ASHRAF SHAZLY AFP/File

Issued on: 11/10/2021 

Washington (AFP)

Debt loads in low-income countries surged 12 percent to a record $860 billion in 2020 amid the pandemic, prompting World Bank President David Malpass to call Monday for a "comprehensive plan" to deal with the issue.

"Sustainable debt levels are vital for economic recovery and poverty reduction," he said.

Efforts to combat Covid-19 exacerbated already-rising debt levels, and addressing the problem will require relief from lenders, Malpass said.

The situation is urgent since the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) launched by G20 nations early last year, which allows countries to defer debt payments while battling Covid-19, expires at the end of 2021.

The DSSI "wasn't broad enough, but suspended some debt," Malpass told reporters, warning that given the challenge debt represents to poor nations, it may need to be extended.

"I think there should be consideration by the world of what to do after January 1. And a suspension is something that could be considered," he said.

The World Bank and IMF are holding their fall meetings this week in Washington, which will see some officials attend in person for the first time since 2019, though others will participate virtually.

New World Bank data shows the deterioration in debt indicators was widespread and impacted countries in all regions, across all low- and middle-income countries.

"Many developing countries entered 2020 in a vulnerable position, with public external debt already at elevated levels," the report said, and then governments provided unprecedented resources to try to contain the virus and the economic fallout.

The World Bank and IMF likewise ramped up support, especially for the most vulnerable countries.

However, some poor countries saw debt loads increase by as much as 20 percent, and for most, economic growth and income as well as exports did not increase.

Addressing reporters, Malpass said the pandemic has caused "tragic reversals" in development for poor countries nationwide.

"Progress in reducing extreme poverty has been set back by years, for some by a decade, median incomes have declined instead of rising," and women and children have borne the brunt of the downturn's ill effects, he said.

In 2020, net inflows from multilateral creditors to low- and middle-income countries rose to $117 billion, "the highest level in a decade," the report said.

"The risk now is that too many countries will emerge from the Covid-19 crisis with a large debt overhang that could take years to manage," Malpass said in the report.

"We need a comprehensive approach to the debt problem, including debt reduction, swifter restructuring and improved transparency," he said.

© 2021 AFP