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scienceblogtumbler · 4 years ago

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The answer to marine pollution lies on land

Plastics, chemicals and oil spills pollute and endanger marine ecosystems. Yet cleaning up the ocean is rarely, if ever, possible. Solutions must therefore consist in reducing waste and other hazardous materials.

For decades, waste and hazardous materials have been dumped into the ocean as a result of human activity. Covering more than two thirds of the Earth’s surface, the ocean is so vast that human carelessness seemed unlikely ever to affect it. But it is now a known fact that, in addition to overfishing, warming caused by climate change, ever-increasing maritime transport, and ocean acidification, pollution is a threat to marine organisms and their habitats.

The planet’s ailing life-support system As a result, “all the essential services provided by the ocean to the planet and to humankind are likely to be seriously disrupted,” warns Françoise Gaill, CNRS research professor emeritus and vice-president of the Ocean and Climate Platform. The world’s population depends to a large extent on marine resources, not only for food but also for economic purposes, from tourism to the transport of goods. The ocean is also vital to the climate, since it absorbs 25% of the CO2 emitted by human activity into the atmosphere every year. Deep sea organisms also play a key role in the functioning of this biological carbon pump where phytoplankton, at the bottom of the marine food chain, use CO2 and transform it into organic matter, part of which sinks to the ocean floor. In the process, these microscopic algae and bacteria provide half the oxygen produced on Earth.

Faced with this situation, many scientists are sounding the alarm and calling for the ocean to be given priority in environmental policies. Urgent measures must be taken to preserve it, starting with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the establishment of marine protected areas on a large scale. But how should pollution be dealt with? By attempting to clean up the ocean, or by acting directly at the source? CNRS News takes a look at some of the possible solutions.

The plastic plague By its sheer scale, plastic contamination symbolises the human impact on the environment, above all other forms of man-made pollution. Due to poor waste management, it is estimated that every year, 10 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into the sea, 80% of which comes from inland, mainly via rivers. “From coastal regions to the poles, and from the ocean surface to the sea floor, no area of the ocean is free from this pollution. The whole food chain is impacted, from zooplankton to whales,” points out Ika Paul-Pont of the Laboratory of Environmental Marine Sciences.1 In addition to larger waste such as bags and bottles, which can cause the death of animals by entanglement or intestinal obstruction when ingested, plastic pollution turns out to be particularly insidious, as it is made up of billions of particles, sometimes less than a few millimetres in diameter, produced by the degradation of plastic caused by UV radiation and wave action. These microplastics, as they are known, are ingested by all marine fauna, even the very smallest organisms, with a wide range of effects.

Once swallowed, these pollutants can prevent animals from feeding normally, which affects their growth, reproduction and immune defences. “We exposed oysters to microplastics in the laboratory. These molluscs feed on microalgae by filtering water, ingesting plastic in the process. The presence of the polymer means the shellfish have to devote more energy to filtration – and therefore less to reproduction. As a result, we’ve observed a 40% drop in the hatching rate compared to uncontaminated oysters,” Paul-Pont explains. More recently, scientists, including CNRS researchers, have also discovered that microplastics continue to break down into even smaller, nanometre-sized particles. They are able to cross cell membranes and may pose an even greater toxicity hazard. Although this field of research is still in its infancy, its findings are eagerly awaited. Ocean ecosystems are indeed not the only ones exposed to such pollution, since marine wildlife eventually ends up in our plates!

When seen through a scanning electron microscope, the surface of microplastics is covered in biofilm, or bacteria that grow on polymers floating in the sea.

Alexandra TER HALLE/ IMRCP/CNRS Photothèque

Vectors of toxic substances and disease Microplastics also contain a number of additives to make them transparent or non-flammable, for example, which are liable to be released into the animals’ organs. Studies have shown that molecules such as phthalates and bisphenol A, which are endocrine disruptors, affect the behaviour, development, and reproduction of fish. In addition, microplastics act like sponges, as they absorb and concentrate the pollutants present in seawater, from pesticides to heavy metals and hydrocarbons, thus increasing their toxicity.

As if that weren’t enough, researchers have also found that plastic particles provide a new habitat for many species of bacteria and microalgae. On these tiny artificial rafts, microorganisms can travel long distances and modify ecosystems, either because they behave as invasive species or because they are pathogens and can spread certain diseases. So far, no cases of contagion through plastic have been recorded, but the issue remains a cause for concern.

Microplastics ingested by these oysters from the Gabarre mangrove in the French overseas départment of Guadeloupe can hinder their growth, which is therefore closely monitored.

Cyril FRESILLON/PEPSEA/CNRS Photothèque

Tackling plastic pollution at the source What can be done to fight this scourge? Would it be wise to follow the example of the Dutch NGO The Ocean Cleanup and send boats with huge nets to clean up the vast expanse of floating plastic waste – the Seventh Continent as it has been dubbed? For Jean-François Ghiglione, an ecotoxicologist at the Laboratory of Microbial Oceanography (LOMIC),2 the answer is straightforward: “it’s too late to clean up the mess. Plastic is everywhere in the ocean, and the waste on the surface accounts for only a tiny fraction of the total. We must first tackle pollution at the source by producing less of this material and recycling it more efficiently.”

Developed by The Ocean Cleanup, the Interceptor is an autonomous system for collecting plastic waste.

The Ocean Cleanup/Cover Images/ZUMA/REA

Single-use packaging and plastics, in particular, are what scientists have their sights on. These make up the bulk of the pollution, as shown by a number of marine microplastic sampling campaigns, including the schooner Tara missions in which Ghiglione is involved. Together, these results contributed to the European Union’s ban on plastic bags, disposable tableware, cotton swabs, drinking straws, microbeads in scrubs, and food containers. Looking ahead, scientists are attempting to find alternatives to these plastics by developing novel bio-sourced, biodegradable, and non-toxic materials. Ghiglione and his team are testing the toxicity of industrial additives on marine fauna, for example on mussels, as well as the breakdown rate of next-generation polymers in marine environments, with the aim of identifying the most suitable candidates.

Most cosmetics contain plastic microbeads, which are high in persistent pollutants. Juvenile fish mistake them for food.

Science Photo Library/CRISTINA PEDRAZZINI ; © Paulo de Oliveira/ Biosphoto

Bacteria as a solution Another strategy to combat plastic pollution is to resort to marine bacteria. Among the various species that proliferate on microplastics, scientists have identified organisms that can use their enzymes to break them down. This ability has been improved through genetic modification in the lab and raises the question of whether such bacteria could be used to gobble up plastic waste at sea. But here again, Ghiglione is adamant: “Compared to the rate at which plastic enters the sea, the bacterial degradation process is far too slow to provide a solution.”

However, this could help reduce the impact of oil spills, whose environmental impact is disastrous. Slicks directly kill animals and birds as they become mired in the oil or when they ingest it, since it lines the inner walls of the stomach and prevents tissue exchanges in the animals. Oil also contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are carcinogenic, and cases of necrosis have been observed in fish for instance. And yet, scientists know just how resilient marine ecosystems can be when affected by this kind of pollution. Even though it takes several decades, habitats end up being recolonised due in part to the presence of certain bacteria that feed on hydrocarbons. Experiments have shown that, by providing these organisms with nutrients in the form of phosphorus and nitrogen, it is possible to boost their appetite and thus enable them to break down the oil much more rapidly. “Unfortunately, this type of bioremediation is not yet looked on favourably by the authorities. For instance, during the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, it was preferred to act as quickly as possible and spray the oil slick with dispersants that can also be toxic to ecosystems,” Ghiglione points out.

Marine bacteria can help fight pollution. The Oceanimonas baumannii bacteria, seen here coloured under a scanning electron microscope, are able to break down phenol, an industrial pollutant, and use it as an energy source.

Science Photo Library/Dennis Kunkel Microscopy

Chemical poisoning Besides these specific but isolated disasters, chemical contamination is a type of chronic pollution that is just as worrying as the accumulation of plastic. Medicines, endocrine disruptors, pesticides, flame retardants, cosmetics, detergents are just the tip of the iceberg and the number of molecules that can endanger marine ecosystems is endless. Released into the environment by industry, farming and the general public, these chemicals are transported by water or air into the oceans. “Persistent organic pollutants pose the greatest threat because of their long lifespan and can be absorbed by organisms at every level of the food chain,” explains Hélène Budzinski of the EPOC laboratory.3 The list includes certain pesticides and endocrine-disrupting perfluorinated compounds used, among other things, to make clothing stain- and water-resistant. Now banned in many countries but once widely used as flame retardants in electrical equipment, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are still present in the ocean. They build up all along the food chain, end up in high concentration in the tissue of marine predators such as orcas, and are thought to contribute to the decline in their populations. These compounds are a threat not only to marine fauna but also to human health through food consumption.

Other persistent pollutants, although inorganic in this case, are heavy metals such as mercury, which is produced by the combustion of coal. As well as its toxicity to marine organisms, its impact on humans has been clearly evidenced. Once in the ocean, microorganisms turn the metallic element into methylmercury. And although this compound is found in only tiny quantities in seawater, its concentration is much higher in the fish we eat, again due to its accumulation along the food chain. A recent study has shown that, in the US, exposure to methylmercury, which can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders and cardiovascular disease, comes from the consumption of marine animals.

The oil spill that followed the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon platform in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico was sprayed with dispersants. Toxic to the environment, these products were used despite the existence of marine bacteria able to digest hydrocarbons.

Chris Graythen/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Cocktail effect Unfortunately, persistent compounds are not the only threat to marine wildlife. Other shorter-lived molecules including certain pesticides, medicines, and cosmetics, contribute to the continuous, chronic exposure of organisms, albeit at low doses. Another potential danger is the so-called “cocktail effect”, whereby even though a chemical – whether persistent or not – has no effect by itself on an organism, it may be harmful when combined with other molecules. This is a subtle process that researchers are only just beginning to understand. “The aim is to better characterise the impact of chemicals on the oceans, both by identifying all the molecules present, even at very low concentrations, and by carrying out more regular measurements over longer time periods,” Budzinski explains.

The effect of chemical pollutants on marine wildlife is often exacerbated by other stressors affecting the oceans, which makes the scientist’s job even more difficult. An iconic example is that of coral reefs, which host a third of all known marine species and ensure the livelihood of 500 million people worldwide. Chemical and plastic pollution could soon spell doom for these ecosystems, which are already under threat from global warming and ocean acidification. “Multiple stress factors and their combined effects should be at the forefront of our concerns. In the future, we must be able to predict the response of ecosystems to all these pressures so that we can take the most appropriate measures to protect them,” Gaill believes.

What solutions should be adopted against chemical pollution then? Here again, there seems little room for doubt. “We need to act on land, before these substances reach the sea, by reducing their production, regulating them and in certain cases banning them,” she adds. Her opinion is echoed by Budzinski, at the EPOC: “we need to change our way of life and make much more rational use of chemistry. In particular, by doing away with medicines we don’t need, simplifying chemical formulations, especially of cosmetics, and focusing on the quality of materials rather than on processing them chemically.” Only then will the ocean be healthy again. And us with it.

Footnotes

1.CNRS / Université de Bretagne occidentale / IRD / IFREMER

2.CNRS / Sorbonne Université.

3.Environnements et Paléoenvironnements Océaniques et Continentaux (CNRS / Université de Bordeaux).

source https://scienceblog.com/518241/the-answer-to-marine-pollution-lies-on-land/

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mikemortgage · 6 years ago

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AP Interview: Catalan leader says ‘No’ to Spain govt budget

BARCELONA, Spain — The Spanish government’s bid to pass a national budget is doomed unless it bends to the demands of Catalonia’s separatists for a referendum on secession, the leader of the wealthy northeastern region says.

Catalan regional president Quim Torra told The Associated Press in an interview that the representatives of Catalonia’s separatist parties in Madrid’s national parliament “have made it very clear that they will vote against the budget because there has been no movement by the Spanish national government toward what we are demanding.”

The passing of a budget would boost the chances for the minority government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to see out this legislative term through 2020. Failure would put pressure on Sanchez to call early elections and increase the political instability of the eurozone’s fourth largest economy.

Sanchez has refused to agree to a referendum on secession, which Spain’s top court has ruled would violate the Constitution.

Sanchez came to power in June partly thanks to the backing he received from Catalonia’s separatists to oust predecessor Mariano Rajoy in a no-confidence vote.

Now, Torra wants to condition that support.

“We only gave Sanchez a blank check in the no-confidence motion and his forming of a government,” Torra said, speaking on Thursday. “(But) as far as allowing Catalonia to exercise its right to self-determination, we haven’t seen him advance even one millimeter.”

The Spanish Cabinet approved the budget proposal on Friday, launching its course through the lower house of Parliament.

Finance Minister Maria Jesus Montero said that the government would not negotiate the exchange of political favours of any kind to win support for its budget, which she defended as beneficial for Catalonia.

“This budget is good for Catalonia and those who defend Catalonia should vote for it. I am optimistic,” Montero said. “Now those who run Catalonia will have more financial resources.”

Sanchez, whose Socialists hold 84 of the 350 seats in the country’s lower house, has the support of the far-left Podemos party but must persuade smaller parties to get behind his spending plan. His two main rivals – the pro-business Ciudadanos and the conservative Popular Party – are both refusing to support it.

The question of whether to keep Sanchez afloat is causing fissures within Catalonia’s separatist movement, potentially splitting moderates from diehards like Torra. That is due to Sanchez’s willingness to hold talks with Torra regarding Catalonia, as well as fears that weakening Sanchez could lead to the return of the PP to government and its hard-line stance against the separatists.

“We can’t allow the government of Pedro Sanchez to fall. The alternative to toppling this government would be much worse with the PP, Ciudadanos and the extreme right,” ex-Catalan government member Dolors Bassa said this week from prison.

Bassa is one of nine high-profile Catalan separatists who have spent over a year in pre-trial jail for their part in Catalonia’s illegal – and unsuccessful – declaration of independence in October 2017 after holding a banned referendum.

The attempt by Sanchez to pass his budget coincides with the country bracing for the trial of those separatists leaders, set to begin in the coming weeks.

Torra, who in the past expressed anti-Spanish views that his critics call xenophobic, is vehement in his defence of his imprisoned cohorts, some of whom face charges of rebellion that carry sentences of 16 to 25 years behind bars.

“They will mount an excellent defence, but seeing how the judiciary has acted until now our hope is very close to zero,” said Torra, who will travel to California on Sunday on a five-day trip to promote Catalan businesses and his political cause.

Torra added that he expects the trial to further unite the roughly 50 per cent of Catalonia’s 7.5 million residents who want to break from Spain.

“The sacrifice that this has meant for our brethren in jail and exile has also helped reinforce the will of the majority of the Catalan people to move toward independence,” Torra said.

Sanchez has promised that the separatists will receive a fair trial.

——

AP video journalist Renata Brito contributed to this report.

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halas1 · 6 years ago

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Musical Science 101

Even within the confines of our research, it is a rare treat to host a guest such as Maayan Tsadka, as she embodies with her practice a true spirit of experimentation. Tsadka is a bona fide composer of through-composed scores, who claims to have always tackled her practice with somewhat of an exploratory nature. Going through the regular hoops expected of a classically trained musician (piano studies as a child, academic studies as an adult), Tsadka, like many others in her scene, leaves Israel in her 20s in favour of advanced music studies, in her case at UC Santa Cruz. It is here that Tsadka receives what she feels is the stamp of approval tying her prior classical training to her current practice as an experimental composer. In her own compositions, Tsadka attempts to strip down musical attributes and explore these bare essentials in a non-temporal/almost clinically scientific manner. A fitting example is one of her piano studies we discuss at the onset of the interview, where the pianist is asked to play the lowest note on the instrument in a repetitive ostinato rhythm, whilst an assistant slowly moves her finger on that same piano string, closing it on different nodes. The effect is clearly exploratory – the result of such an effort will always be different, and its process itself sways from attempts at traditional aestheticism. It is indeed more likened to a scientific experiment where sound attributes are explored in detail. Tsadka mentions her ongoing love affair with these types of materials, stating that whereas at first she attempted to shape them into what could be considered traditional aesthetics, currently she attempts to single out particular ideas, sound attributes or techniques and explore them exclusively. A similar example can be found in Tsadka’s first improv session for us in the studio, where she explores the effects of piano amplification through the inherent feedback of two walkie-talkies. This is an idea I’d seen Tsadka explore in a concert several months prior to our interview, and there too, the aesthetics were the artefact of a stripped down technique diligently explored by the composer.

Regarding her perception of herself as a true experimenter, Tsadka tells us: “In the past 4-5 years I’ve recognized an active attempt to drop ‘exclamation marks’ as far as my own compositions are concerned. Since, I’ve been attempting to put a greater emphasis on the compositional work-process and put into question ideas of material, form, process, and indeed to experiment with those in mind. Experimentation, in music as within science, requires diligence and rigour, a following through of a predetermined process, and an understanding that all of the above won’t necessarily facilitate outstanding or even interesting results. But this type of experimentation marks my own attempt to understand something about music and sound; how does this thing work, and what is it made of?”

I inquire with Tsadka why she doesn’t attempt to explore these ideas through improvisation, or rather – why she believes these ideas necessarily need to be explored within the confines of through-composed scores? Tsadka’s answer is long and deliberated, and discloses a thoughtful holistic approach: “One can gradually veer towards exploration via improvisation, but the result would necessarily be a different sound-piece when compared to the through-composed effort. There is something to be said for distilled ideas and rigorously following-through these ideas according to a plan that would, by default, disallow one to fall into comfort zones – a problematic place marking many improvisation sessions.” To Tsadka, the through-composed effort is a means to strategically set a musical goal brought about with utmost surgical precision, something an improvisation session will never truly be able to do: “If improv is planned in any manner, it is no longer really experimental. Improv requires a ‘space’ to which one cannot come with preconceptions or prepared ideas.” On the other hand, and in complete relation to popular conceptions of through-composed experimental pieces, Tsadka takes up the defence: “Through-composed experiments are not, as many seem to think, a whim! These experiments require both technique and skill. In fact, it is absolutely inherent to this musical practice that one be heavily acquainted with the medium, its history and traits. The misconception is that experimentation and indeed experimental improv do not require skill.” I personally must agree that there seems to have been an intermingling of technical and political ideas with many of the proponents of lay-practice. So much so, that one tends to forget how heavily embedded within the musical tradition and canon were the same practitioners that heralded these sometimes-reactionary ideas.

As many of our guests before her, Tsadka too seems to relate to the notion of experimentation as relativist and hence, all encompassing. In closer and more specific similarity to the thoughts of our former guest, Nadav Masel, Tsadka seems to believe that the experimental act can be transmitted towards the audience, and indeed engulf it as a consequence of deliberate intention on behalf of the composer/performer. Whereas the intention spoken of by Masel seems to correspond more with the spiritual, Tsadka offers an example from American composer James Tenney that corresponds more with the technical: As a means to demand of an audience commitment to a process, or indeed ask of it to let go of preconceptions as to the type of drama they require, Tenney would incessantly repeat an idea in the context of a piece. This would, at least initially, raise a subconscious question amongst the listeners regarding the drama of the piece, or indeed whether a given idea is bound be developed or perhaps completely obliterated. But at the point where the audience realise that the idea is a process, and that the music and aesthetics are a consequence of this process, they are inadvertently liberated from their ingrained expectation for drama and development. “Suddenly”, Tsadka reminds us, “there’s an availability to focus on other things.”

Similarly with the idea of time, and more so music as a temporal art, Tsadka’s recent compositional attempts focus on the treatment of sound as a timeless artefact, likening it to a museum piece. This allows the listener to approach the sound from different vantage points, and indeed ‘see’ it from different perspectives. All good and well, but I must inquire regarding how one goes about abolishing time from the inherently temporal? Tsadka describes for us a current piece in the making for string quintet, wherein a chosen fundamental and its built-in overtones are inspected through a notation devoid of any temporal indications. The same fundamental is used as an omnipresent, yet sometimes inaudible artefact, where the composition attempts its ongoing unveiling through an inspection of the potentially never-ending overtone series of that same fundamental. Indeed, the only aspect linking this piece to conceptions of time is its performance itself and the ongoing bowing of strings on behalf of the performers.

Thinking, as I often do when the subject of my interview is a woman, of gender issues and particularly gender equality within the arts, Tsadka and I embark on a critique of the still quite rampant denial of women’s place in the arts. However, having stated all we did during that exchange and perhaps due to my tendency to labour the point, it is Tsadka herself who makes the most poignant remark on the topic: “Notice that with men you will talk only of music, but with women you feel the need to talk about gender issues as well. It’s true that women should be the ones to talk about this with, and that this is a super important topic, but it should be left for a different type of forum. In this forum we should be discussing experimental music, and not gender.” Amen!

#birds #Experimental Israel #Maayan Tsadka #מעין צדקה #ישראל הנסיונית #ophir ilzetzki #אופיר אילזצקי

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news247worldpress-blog · 6 years ago

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The incident unfolded at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, on Nov. 2. http://bit.ly/2Q4MFcH 2 replies 0 retweets 2 likes Reply 2 Retweet Like 2 Direct message CBS News ‏ Verified account @CBSNews 12m12 minutes ago More St. Louis officers indicted for allegedly beating undercover colleague amid protest https://cbsn.ws/2Q5FcKc 4 replies 21 retweets 19 likes Reply 4 Retweet 21 Like 19 Direct message BBC News (UK) ‏ Verified account @BBCNews 39s39 seconds ago More GB rower Anna Thornton in coma in US after stairs fall 0 replies 0 retweets 2 likes Reply Retweet Like 2 Direct message Le Figaro ‏ Verified account @Le_Figaro 16m16 minutes ago More «Les choses s’améliorent sur le pouvoir d’achat» #EcoTranslate Tweet 5 replies 1 retweet 3 likes Reply 5 Retweet 1 Like 3 Direct message CNBC ‏ Verified account @CNBC 4m4 minutes ago More Stocks set to open mixed as high-stakes G-20 puts trade in spotlight 0 replies 8 retweets 7 likes Reply Retweet 8 Like 7 Direct message Reuters Top News ‏ Verified account @Reuters 13m13 minutes ago More Daily Briefing: – G20 summit starts today in Buenos Aires – Member nations struggle for agreements ahead of summit – May says focused on Dec. 11 #Brexit vote, not alternatives Catch up on the headlines: https://reut.rs/2RoFGbb 1 reply 12 retweets 18 likes Reply 1 Retweet 12 Like 18 Direct message BBC News (World) ‏ Verified account @BBCWorld 16m16 minutes ago More France MPs vote to ban child smacking 16 replies 39 retweets 86 likes Reply 16 Retweet 39 Like 86 Direct message USA TODAY ‏ Verified account @USATODAY 10m10 minutes ago More When applying for a marriage license in the nation’s capital, a clerk wouldn’t accept Gavin Clarkson’s driver’s license because “she thought New Mexico was a foreign country.” 3 replies 17 retweets 28 likes Reply 3 Retweet 17 Like 28 Direct message Who to follow · Refresh · View all Followed by IWF and others AHopper @AHopper68 Follow Follow @AHopper68 Followed by Jacob Dean Brian Douglas @D526Brian Follow Follow @D526Brian Followed by Mike Kenealy, LPI and others ⭐️James Hicks ⭐️ @JamesHicksUK Follow Follow @JamesHicksUK Find people you know Import your contacts from Gmail Connect other address books © 2018 TwitterAboutHelp CenterTermsPrivacy policyCookiesAds infoBrandBlogStatusAppsJobsMarketingBusinessesDevelopers Source: Twitter

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freepib · 7 years ago

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Syria air strikes: US still ‘locked and loaded’ for new chemical attacks

http://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.18.15/iframe.html

Media captionWatch the key moments over 12 hours – in two minutes

President Donald Trump has warned Syria’s government the US is “locked and loaded” to strike again if it carries out new chemical attacks.

The warning came after the US, UK and France struck three Syrian sites in response to a suspected deadly chemical attack in the town of Douma a week ago.

Syria denies any chemical use and says that attack was fabricated by rebels.

A UN Security Council vote brought by Syria’s ally, Russia, and condemning the US-led strikes was rejected.

The wave of strikes represents the most significant attack against President Bashar al-Assad’s government by Western powers in seven years of Syria’s civil war.

What has been the reaction to the strikes?

There was a bitter exchange at a UN Security Council emergency meeting on Saturday as Russia sought to secure a condemnation of the early morning air strikes by Western powers.

Russia’s UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, read out a quote from President Vladimir Putin accusing the allies of “cynical disdain” in acting without waiting for the results of a chemical watchdog investigation into the Douma incident.

Inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) are currently in Damascus and are expected to visit Douma this weekend.

Mr Nebenzia accused the US, UK and France of “hooliganism” and of “demonstrating a blatant disregard for international law”.

http://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.18.15/iframe.html

Media captionAmateur footage shows strikes on a military research facility in Damascus, while state TV shows the damage

US envoy Nikki Haley said the strikes were “justified, legitimate and proportionate”.

She said: “I spoke to the president this morning and he said, ‘if the Syrian regime uses this poisonous gas again, the United States is locked and loaded’.”

She added: “When our president draws a red line, our president enforces the red line.”

Ms Haley said the US and its allies had given diplomacy “chance after chance” but Russia had continued to veto UN resolutions.

She said: “We cannot stand by and let Russia trash every international norm and allow use of chemical weapons to go unanswered.”

Bashar Jaafari, Syria’s envoy to the UN, said the US, UK and France were “liars, spoilers and hypocrites” who exploited the UN “to pursue your policy of interference and colonialism”.

On the 15-member council only China and Bolivia voted in favour of Russia’s resolution.

Other reaction included:

UK PM Theresa May said there was “no practicable alternative to the use of force” but also added the strikes were not about “regime change”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the strikes were “appropriate” in retaliation for “inhumane” Syrian attacks

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his “total support” for the air strikes

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the US was trying “to justify their presence in the region”

China said it opposed the use of force and that there could only be a political solution to the Syrian conflict

What did President Trump say?

He tweeted early on Saturday, hailing the strikes as “perfectly executed”. He also thanked the UK and France.

Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump

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End of Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump

His use of the phrase “Mission Accomplished” drew a warning from President George W Bush’s ex-press secretary Ari Fleischer:

Skip Twitter post by @AriFleischer

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End of Twitter post by @AriFleischer

The phrase had been on a banner as Mr Bush declared the end of “major combat operations” in Iraq in May 2003, six weeks after the US-led invasion of the country. The following Iraqi insurgency questioned the validity of the statement.

Mr Trump had announced the strikes on TV on Friday night, saying the three allies had “marshalled their righteous power against barbarism and brutality”.

He spoke to Mrs May and French President Emmanuel Macron by telephone on Saturday, agreeing the operation had been a success.

Where was hit?

At a Pentagon briefing on Saturday, Lt Gen Kenneth McKenzie listed the three targets that had been struck, saying the attacks had “set the Syrian chemical weapons programme back years”:

The Barzah chemical weapons research and development centre near Damascus was hit by 76 missiles, 57 of them Tomahawk cruise missiles, and “destroyed”

The Him Shinshar chemical weapons storage facility near Homs was hit by 22 missiles – nine US Tomahawks, eight British Storm Shadows and five naval cruise missiles and two Scalp cruise missiles launched by France

The Him Shinshar chemical weapons bunker facility near Homs was targeted with seven Scalp missiles and was “successfully hit”

Gen McKenzie said the “initial indications are that we accomplished the military objectives without interference from Syria”.

http://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.18.15/iframe.html

Media captionGen Kenneth McKenzie: “We deployed 105 weapons”

He said “none of the aircraft or missiles were successfully engaged” by defence systems and all aircraft had returned.

Gen McKenzie said about 40 Syrian defence missiles were fired, mostly after the targets were hit.

The Pentagon briefing conflicted with information given at a Russian defence ministry briefing, which said 103 cruise missiles had been launched and 71 were shot down by Syrian systems.

Both the Russians and the US said there were no reported casualties. Syria says three people were hurt near Homs.

http://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.18.15/iframe.html

Media caption“Rumbling like thunder”: A CBS reporter in Damascus witnessed the start of the strikes

The US said it had communicated with Russia ahead of the strikes through the normal procedures of their “deconfliction” hotline but no details of the attacks were given.

There had been concerns that if the allied strikes had hit Russian military personnel, it would have further escalated tension.

The US says the scale of the strikes was about “double” what was launched in April 2017 after a chemical attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun that killed more than 80 people.

Will Trump now walk away?

Analysis by PJ Crowley, former US Assistant Secretary of State

This military action was designed to thread a pretty narrow needle – place boundaries around the war that Syria, Russia and Iran are waging – without becoming a direct combatant in it.

The US and its European partners have a narrower military interest in Syria – the defeat of the Islamic State caliphate, a task that is nearing completion.

Just two weeks ago, Mr Trump stated his intention to bring home the roughly 2,000 US personnel deployed to Syria as quickly as possible, only to confront the chemical attack on Douma.

Even with the new red line – Trump did declare the deterrence of the use of chemical weapons to be a “vital national security interest of the United States” – he all but admitted that the broader Syrian civil war was not.

He described the Middle East as a “troubled place” and reiterated it was not the role of the US to fix it.

What happens next?

The focus will be in Douma, and the visit by the OPCW inspectors. Syria said they were meeting officials in Damascus on Saturday evening and that a visit to the site of the alleged chemical attack was being facilitated.

The Syrian army also announced on Saturday that the Eastern Ghouta region, where Douma is situated, had been cleared of the last rebel fighters and was fully retaken.

There were also unconfirmed reports of a large blast south of Aleppo on Saturday evening and other attacks on Syrian forces near Deir al-Zour, suggesting areas of the Syrian conflict are far from over.

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stephaniefchase · 7 years ago

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Bajan Newscap 11/2/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Thurday 2nd November, 2017. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing Daily Newspaper (DN.

STUART: BARBADOS IS A CLEAN, LOW TAX JURISDICTION – Barbados is a clean, well regulated, low tax jurisdiction and not a tax haven! This was Prime Minister Freundel Stuart’s firm message when a delegation from the United States of America, including chief aides and policy advisors to Congressional Members Elliot Engel and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Eddy Acevedo and Eric Jacobstein, paid him a courtesy call recently at Government Headquarters. Those present included US Ambassador to Barbados, Linda Taglialatela; chief of staff of the Barbados Defence Force Colonel Glyne Grannum and acting Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Mark Franklin. Stuart said from time to time, this country has had to defend its reputation in that area and he called on the US to lend its voice in helping to clear up any misconceptions. “Because companies pay low taxes here, they repatriate large profits to their jurisdictions and that money is invested there, so there is a win-win situation,” he explained. According to him, the international business sector accounts for a significant amount of Barbados’ corporate tax revenue, brings in the second largest amount of foreign exchange and offers good quality jobs. The Prime Minister said another area of concern was Barbados being classified as a high middle income country and therefore did not qualify for necessary concessional financing. He stressed, however, that all countries in the Caribbean were vulnerable and identified hurricanes as being able to wipe out their GDP within a few hours. (DN)

SLIPPERY SLOPE: BUSINESSES WORRIED THAT NO ECONOMIC TURNAROUND IS IN SIGHT - The President of the Small Business Association (SBA), Dean Straker, says his members are currently walking on “thin ice” after hearing the grim economic news delivered by Acting Central Bank Governor Cleviston Haynes yesterday. Of grave concern to the SBA is the state of the country’s foreign reserves, which have plummeted well below the 12 weeks benchmark to reach just 8.6 weeks of imports or $549.7 million at the end of September, putting more pressure on the stability of the Barbados dollar. “I think this is even more concerning when you realize that this position reflects the situation as at the end of September. So, there is nothing that has happened in October that would have improved the foreign reserves, but a lot has happened that would have further depleted our reserves . . . because importers would have been making their orders for Christmas,” Straker told Barbados TODAY, adding that he expects the reserves to be even less at the end of October. “Of course this is of great concern to us small business members, as the Government has not been able to bring the fiscal situation under control. We continue to spiral downwards, and quite frankly, I think everybody should be concerned,” he said. The SBA spokesman is equally worried that the sector, which has traditionally found it difficult to access finance, could find it even more difficult to secure loans in light of the Central Bank’s announcement of a further tightening of its monetary policy that will require commercial banks to hold 20 per cent of their domestic deposits in stipulated Government securities. (BT)

NSRL COSTS BARBADOS IN DOING BUSINESS REPORT – Government’s controversial National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL) has been identified as one of the main reasons for Barbados’ steep drop in the World Bank Doing Business 2018 Report, in which the island is ranked 132nd, down from 119th in the 2016 report. Barbados was not ranked in the 2017 report. “Barbados made paying taxes more difficult by introducing a new National Social Responsibility Levy of two per cent on the value of products before Value Added Tax,” it said in its summaries of doing business reform in 2016/2017. That tax was drastically increased as at July 1 this year to ten per cent. The 2018 report, entitled Reforming to Create Jobs, compared business regulation for domestic firms in 190 economies and the data is “current” as of June 1, 2017. The report was published on Tuesday. In its current position, Barbados now ranks well below Jamaica, which was ranked 70th overall, and trails other Caribbean countries such as St Lucia at 91, Dominica (98), Trinidad and Tobago (102), Antigua and Barbuda (107), the Bahama (119), Guyana (126) and St Vincent and the Grenadines in 129th position. Only St Kitts and Nevis at 134, Grenada at 142, and Haiti at 181 performed worse than Barbados. The decline began in the 2015 report when Barbados was ranked 106th, down from 91st the previous year, when Jamaica was in 94th place. A breakdown of the information revealed that Barbados ranked 89th when it came to paying taxes, with the report stating that it took an average of 245 hours per year to make an average of 29 payments, with a total tax and contribution rate of 35.3 per cent of profit. The country ranked 99th in starting a business, which takes an average of 15 days, while securing construction permits can take up to 442 days, placing Barbados at 155 in that category. Registering a property took 105 days, ranking the country at 133 in this category and getting electricity took 88 days on average with a ranking of 160. According to the World Bank report, Barbados was ranked 133rd when it came to businesses getting credit; 167th for protecting minority investors; 129th for trading across borders and 167th for enforcing contracts. However, the island ranked an impressive 34th for resolving insolvency. New Zealand, Singapore and Denmark were the top three ranked economies in the Doing Business 2018 report. (BT)

NOT FAIR – BARBADOS LIGHT POWER COMPANY’s (BL&P) latest public hearing has sparked a controversy involving intervenors and the Fair Trading Commission (FTC). The electricity company recently applied to the utility regulator for approval to recover the costs associated with its commissioning of a five megawatt energy storage device via the Fuel Clause Adjustment. The DAILY NATION learnt the FTC notified individuals and organisations granted intervenor status that the application would be considered via a “written hearing” and that they would have to meet their own costs of participation. This has reignited a controversy that dates back nearly 20 years, with several intervenors voicing anger at the decision. (DN)

UPP NOT SURPRISED BY ‘RATHER DISMAL’ ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE –The eight-month-old United Progressive Party (UPP) says it is not at all surprised by the “rather dismal” economic report presented by Central Bank Governor Cleviston Haynes on Tuesday. In a statement today, UPP leader Lynnette Eastmond, who will be carrying her party’s banner in The City of Bridgetown in the next elections, also took issue with a number of statements made by Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler back in May when he presented the national Budget. In fact, Eastmond suggested that much of what the Governor had to say in his nine-month review was “preordained” by Sinckler’s presentation, which she said gave no indication that the Government was serious about achieving an economic turnaround. On the contrary she said, the Freundel Stuart administration has been behaving as if it had the luxury of time on its side, even with the island suffering downgrade after downgrade, which she warned would ultimately limit Barbados’ capacity for commercial foreign borrowing and affect investor confidence both locally and internationally. While seriously questioning whether the island was getting bang for its tourism buck, Eastmond pointed out that though Sinckler’s seemed buoyed by the tourism sector which he said reflected growth comparable to the “pre crisis” days, the performance of the economy during the first nine months of the year was anything but robust. (BT)

ELECTION UPSET – Don’t count the United Progressive Party (UPP) out of the next elections. With both the incumbent Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and the main Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) expressing strong confidence of victory, the UPP has sounded the warning that neither party is likely to walk away with a clear mandate at the polls, which are constitutionally due by the middle of next year. “It will be a coalition Government,” declared the UPP’s David Gill, in predicting the outcome of the next election. The former Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) stalwart who quit the party earlier this year and joined the UPP after losing his bid to represent the BLP for the fifth time at the polls, said this position was borne out in a recent public opinion poll conducted by political scientist Peter Wickham which showed that several young people neither favoured the DLP nor the BLP. “Gone are those days where you say, ‘if you are going to eat in at me you’ve got to vote B or D’ . . . .Those days are long gone. You cannot tell a young person how to think,” he said. However, Gill is not ruling out the possibility of the UPP scoring an upset victory. In fact, the veteran politician reminded that “in 1961, in this Barbados, when Errol Barrow won he didn’t have a full slate of candidates, but he won the Government. “It was new way thinking, revolutionary, just like the UPP. There were the older head, there were the younger heads, independents, Bees and they all shared the Parliament. “So, if 56 years after, we have gone full circle and Barbados is ready for what was seen back then,” Gill said, while insisting that “it will be three horses in this race. “This is a ‘win and place parlay’ and only with a win and place can you get a coalition Government,” Gill told the small UPP gathering at Edgecliff last weekend in support of area representative Hudson Griffith, who is also a former BLP candidate. (BT)

102 ROADS PATCHED – THE MINISTRY OF Transport and Works (MTW) says it is well on the way to fixing the hundreds of potholes across the island as it embarks on a $30 million road rehabilitation exercise. Permanent secretary Simone Rudder yesterday revealed that last week, MTW had patched 102 roads stretching across each parish. She was speaking during the launch of a pedestrian safety partnership programme between the ministry and the private sector. One of the companies on board was the General Insurance Association of Barbados (GIAB) and the event was held outside the GIAB’s building at the corner of Country Road, St Michael. Minister of Transport and Works Michael Lashley recently announced that Government would be embarking on the road improvement exercise, and had so far contracted C.O. Williams Construction to assist the MTW in this drive. Rudder said crews were working earnestly to adequately cover each parish. She promised weekly updates for the public on the progress of the patchwork. She also said motorists whose vehicles were damaged as a result of potholes could submit a case to the ministry, addressing it to the permanent secretary. She said proof of driver’s licence, valid insurance and information on where the incident occurred were needed, as well as an invoice number if they took action to get tyre(s) repaired. “(Afterwards), persons will be contacted by the ministry’s legal investigators, the matter will be processed and once it is confirmed that the road conditions which caused the damage falls within the remit of the Ministry of Transport and Works, as opposed to work which might have been undertaken by one of the utility companies, then compensation will be given as quickly as possible,” Rudder said. (DN)

GOVERNMENT TO END HOUSING SETTLEMENT IN WHITE HILL – The troubled rural community of White Hill, St Andrew could soon be no more and residents will have little say on the matter. The Ministry of Housing and Lands announced in a statement this evening that the relocation of 22 houses to Farmers, St Thomas, which began in 1999, is set to resume in earnest and there will be no resettlement in the community located in the Scotland District, which is prone to land slippage. The announcement comes on the heels of a visit by Minister of Housing, Lands and Rural Development Dennis Kellman to the affected district, which has been virtually cut off after a major landslide destroyed the main access road in 2014. Just last month, residents who have been pleading to the Government to address their plight took matters into their own hands and started to build a new road. However, according to the ministry’s statement, after observing the extent of the land slippage and its negative impact on the houses, Government officials, including Chief Town Planner Mark Cummins have strongly discouraged any resettlement in the area. The Ministry of Housing has also warned that tough enforcement measures will be imposed to guard against this. Government is proposing to compulsorily acquire the land from White Hill residents once the construction of the new houses are completed at Farmers, St Thomas and is cautioning that those who resist this could be penalized. “Any person who willfully chooses to erect structures in White Hill, St Andrew, are doing so at their own risk, and they will not be eligible for relocation by Government,” the ministry said. Furthermore, once the new houses are allocated to White Hill residents, “the Ministry of Transport and Works and the National Housing Corporation will dismantle and remove the original houses from their locations in White Hill to prevent resettlement,” the statement added. The ministry also disclosed that it had started “periodic monitoring” of the priority areas adding that any new construction will be reported to the Town & Country Development Planning Office, which has the jurisdiction for development control. Five new houses will be constructed this financial year and another seven in 2018 at Farmers. While assuring White Hill residents that they would not be disadvantaged, the ministry said: “The new houses are timber, masonry or mixed material construction and range in size from 412 square feet to 1,300 square feet with an average lot size of 3,000 square feet. “These replacement units are being provided free of cost, while the land on which they are sited is being sold to non-land owners at $2.50 per square foot,” the ministry said. (BT)

ALARM RAISED AT BCC – Classes were disrupted today after the fire alarm was triggered at the Barbados Community College’s Hospitality Institute at PomMarine. The development coincided with protest action by students over the alleged ill treatment of one of their colleagues. At the centre of the controversy is the Acting President of the Guild of Students Kobie Broomes, who is accusing a teacher at the institute of “shouting at him and disrespecting him” after the guild was given permission in writing earlier this week to meet with students at the Hastings, Christ Church campus to discuss matters of concern to them, ahead of next week’s Guild elections. Based on accounts from several students, Broomes had gone over to the teacher to apologize after the 12 p.m. guild meeting ran over into her 1 p.m. class time. However, her response was said to be nothing short of “obnoxious and impertinent”. This led to formal complaints being made to the Director of the Institute Deborah Trotman and to the BCC Registrar Roger Worrell. Barbados TODAY also obtained a copy of a letter sent to the Acting BCC Principal Dr Cheryl Weekes in which the guild condemned in the strongest possible terms what it described as “the gross disrespect” meted out to the acting president. “We expect that the office of the guild [be] treated with utmost respect by the administration of the college. To this extent, we first demand a written apology from the Director of the Hospitality Institute for questioning the rectitude of the President,” the letter said in response to suggestions that the guild was engaging in a “power play” and that students had deliberately set off the fire alarm, forcing the disruption which lasted for about half an hour before classes were able to resume. The guild also described the attitude of the tutor at the centre of the incident as “obnoxious and impertinent”, while suggesting that she had also tried to bar students from attending her class following today’s guild meeting. “Her attempt to grandstand before an audience of students to diminish the mandate of the [acting] president and his council will not be tolerated. To this extent, we also demand a written apology to both the [acting] president and to the students present for the uncouth behaviour exhibited,” the letter adds. The two-page document also outlines the concerns of students at the PomMarine institute, including inadequate ventilation in the student’s lounge, unkempt bathroom facilities, inadequate transportation and matters relating to teacher-student relations. The Guild is demanding a meeting no later than next Monday with the Acting Principal, Registrar and Director of the Hospitality Institute to discuss the concerns, otherwise it says there could be escalated protest action at the BCC early next week. When contacted, Broomes would only confirm that the guild had met today with students of the Hospitality Institute, while its director said she was unaware of any disruption of classes. “We had a fire alarm go off and the school was evacuated. Students were spoken to and they are all back in class,” she told Barbados TODAY. (BT)

NOT POLITICAL - Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP) candidate for St Philip North Dr Sonia Browne has poured cold water on claims made by Minister of Education Roland Jones that last week’s protest march at St Mark’s Primary School was political. On Friday, a number of frustrated, placard-bearing parents and guardians picketed outside of the compound, complaining of deplorable conditions at the Government-run, St Philip learning institution. Three days later, Jones publicly accused the Opposition BLP of playing politics with the lives of the students, while suggesting there was no real reason for protests at this time. In fact, while insisting that those involved in last week’s demonstration were agents of the Opposition BLP, he reported that a number of improvements were made to the school in the 2015/2016 academic year, including changing the roof, refurbishing the main building and changes to the toilets. “What I’m condemning is the propagandistic approach taken by some to feather their own nest, ignorant of what has gone before. So in the presence of deliberate ignorance, one gets this deliberate propagandistic approach,” Jones told Barbados TODAY on Monday. However in response, Browne, who has a four year-old daughter enrolled at the school, said Friday’s march was not politically motivated. “There is a history behind that march. We had our first PTA [Parent-Teachers Association] meeting in either late September or early October, nothing to do with politics at all, and it was noted that several of the parents were disgusted by the state of the school. “I made sure that I did not open my mouth so no one could say it’s politically motivated. They came up with the idea to step up action to get the school fixed after letters were sent to the ministry and nothing was done,” Browne said, while insisting that the action had “nothing to do with the Barbados Labour Party”. The BLP hopeful also dismissed Jones’ suggestion that a number of improvements were made to the learning environment. “The toilets are in a mess, the girls bathroom is not tiled, there was not a single seat on the toilet the week before school began. I, along with some of the parents, put together some money and I personally went to Carters [general store] and purchased the seats. “No tiling is on the floor. In the boys’ bathroom, the urinals were spilling over because the water could not be locked off. The doors stayed open, [so] I am a little unclear as to where the work is,” the concerned parent said, adding that “if anything was done, it was a very slight paint job, but putting icing on a disgusting cake does not make it better”. She also complained that the walkways were “horrible”. “My child fell at least on three occasions through a fence that isn’t fixed properly, [so] I am yet to see these improvements [and] we also have a lot of loose wires that the boys could eventually fiddle with.” Browne, who is also a past student of St Mark’s Primary, suggested that a new school should be built posthaste to accommodate the St Philip students, who she said were unable to accommodate a visit by the then Governor General Sir Elliott Belgrave last year, owing to the school’s unkempt state. “I left that school when I was about eight years old and it looks the exact same way [now],” she said, while dismissing the latest promise by Jones that a new school was coming. “This is election time so I expect to hear things like that,” she said. While not disclosing the next stage of action, Browne, a member of the school’s PTA, said parents would continue to keep pressure on the authorities to restore the century-old school building. “We are giving them sometime to see what can happen. It is only fair. The PTA meets again in a couple of weeks and then we will decide where to go from here, but we will not be letting it rest. St Mark’s pupils deserve the same as any other school on the island in terms of renovations and new play grounds,” Browne insisted. (BT)

CHEF ADMITS TO UNKNOWINGLY IMPORTING COCAINE – A St Lucian chef today admitted to importing $100,000 worth of cocaine into Barbados, but said it was done unknowingly. In fact, 23-year-old Johnelle Leeanne Pierre of Ti-Rocher, Micoud told Chief Magistrate Christopher Birch she did not have a clue what “cocaine looked like” until the day of her arrest at Grantley Adams International Airport. The mother-of-two explained that “I am in this situation”, having borrowed the suitcase from a cousin. She said it was dropped off by a man mere hours before she was scheduled to leave for the airport, and since it still was in the casing she simply packed her items and left. “I honestly did not have any idea it was there,” Pierre stated adding: “I didn’t even know what cocaine looked like. I don’t even drink alcohol.” After Pierre arrived here on September 25, a dog from the canine unit led border control officers to the drugs, which were hidden in false sides of the suitcase. The St Lucian chef said she had no hesitation when the immigration officer asked to search her luggage, emphasizing the point that she was unaware that she had been transporting cocaine. She further explained that at one point law enforcement officials allowed her to turn on her cellular phone and the same cousin contacted her saying she was worried. She said she informed the relative that her bag had been kept back and “the first thing she ask was to send a picture of the bag. “I was only off work for two weeks and I have my children and she going to drag me into this,” Pierre lamented. Pierre’s attorney George Bennett, who appeared in association with Sian Lange, urged the chief magistrate to be as lenient as possible as the young woman had thrown herself at the mercy of the court and was not known in either jurisdiction. After relaying her story the chief magistrate again remanded her until November 28. (BT)

JAMAICAN DRUG TRAFFICKER TO BE DEPORTED – Self-confessed Jamaican drug trafficker Patricia Stephanie Rose’s stay in Barbados is about to come to an inglorious end. Rose, who admitted to importing two kilogrammes of cannabis into Barbados, has been handed over to immigration officials for deportation, after a $5,000 fine was paid to the District ‘C’ Magistrates’ Court. “Your time in Barbados is at an end and I can’t say it’s been a pleasure,” Chief Magistrate Christopher Birch told the 21-year-old hairdresser. Rose, of No. 2 Springfield Road, Morant Bay, St Thomas, Jamaica, had been on remand at Dodds Prison since September 29. She pleaded guilty in early October to possession, possession with intent to supply, trafficking and importation of marijuana. She was arrested on September 27 at Grantley Adams International Airport, where customs officials discovered three taped packages containing the illegal substance in her bag after arriving on a flight from Kingston. Rose allegedly told police at the time of her arrest she was doing a friend a favour. (BT)

TWO FINED $30,000 EACH FOR GANJA – Two Barbadian men who pleaded guilty to separate cannabis charges have nine months to pay the District ‘C’ Magistrates’ Court $30,000 each if they want to avoid prison time. One of the men, 51-year-old businessman Winfield St Auban Lowe, lives in the United States, while the other is 31-year-old Tito Mardonna O’Neil Barrow of Block 1G, Bottom Close, Wildely, St Michael. They both pleaded guilty to possession, possession with intent to supply, trafficking and importation of cannabis. Border control officers found 25 pounds of the drug in Lowe’s luggage when he arrived here last Monday from New York. His attorney Lesley Cargill Straker admitted to Chief Magistrate Christopher Birch her client decided “to take this risk” because his business here, which he maintains along with a home, had been in trouble. “At his age he has never been before the court [but] based on circumstances he decided to take this risk,” Cargill Straker said. She urged the Chief Magistrate to be lenient and impose a fine on her client instead of a custodial sentence. “To say I am disappointed is to drop short because as a businessman you should know not what to do,” Chief Magistrate Birch told Lowe. Cargill Straker also represented Barrow, who was found with 26.5 pounds of the drug in 38 packages wrapped in white t-shirts in his luggage. The attorney said Barrow also “felt like he had no choice”. She explained that Barrow had been selling clothes since he was laid off from his substantive job and “that is how the opportunity arose”. The lawyer further explained that due to several circumstances “he felt like he had no choice and made the decision out of desperation”. However, Birch told Barrow: “You know this is wrong yet you did it . . . . Had it not been intercepted you would have been responsible for an influx of illegal narcotics on our streets.” He imposed $15,000 fines on each man for the possession charge, to be paid in nine months or an alternative of two years in prison. They were convicted, reprimand and discharged on the possession with intent to supply charge and reprimanded and discharged on the trafficking charge. For importing the illicit substance Barrow and Lowe were each slapped with an additional $15,000 fine also to be paid in nine months, or two years in prison to run concurrently. They are to return to court by the end of August next year to show receipts. Lowe’s travel documents have been seized. (BT)

MAN HELD WITH FOUR GUNS AND 99 ROUNDS OF AMMO – A St Michael man is due to appear in the District ‘A’ Court here on Thursday charged with a number of gun and drug related offences. He is 34-year-old Ryan Jason Greene, of Pile Bay, Spring Garden, who was arrested and charged after members of the Anti-Gun Unit executed a search warrant at his residence. During the search three firearms and 32 rounds of the ammunition were discovered. A subsequent search of his motorcar revealed a fourth firearm and 67 rounds of ammunition. As a result, Greene now faces four counts of unlawful possession of four firearms and two counts of unlawful possession of ammunition. He has also been charged with possession, possession with intent to supply and trafficking of cannabis. (BT)

CONDUCTOR SLASHED IN FARE DISPUTE – THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE of the afternoon commute turned bloody and violent yesterday afternoon when three students, one armed with a cutlass, attacked a conductor in front of horrified minibus passengers. While out on assignment in Paynes Bay, St James, a DAILY NATION team came upon the immediate aftermath of the incident after noticing crying onlookers and what seemed to be a commotion centred on a South-bound Speightstown minibus. An injured man staggered out of the vehicle with blood dripping from his hands and his shirt spattered with blood. He was heard exclaiming: “All I want to do is get home.” Shortly afterwards, he got back into the minibus, which drove directly to the Black Rock Police Station. He entered the station and informed officers that three students of the Frederick Smith Secondary School had assaulted him. (DN)

EX-HUSBAND MUST SPEND MORE TIME - For three hours, McDonald Ricardo Whitehall followed the woman he loved through the streets of Bridgetown. The problem was that woman – his ex-wife – did not take kindly to the attention and called lawmen. That was in February, this year, and Whitehall has been unable to see her since then as he has been on remand at HMP Dodds. And that stay continues for another three weeks after he reappeared in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court yesterday. Whitehall, 47, of Vaucluse Tenantry, Shop Hill, St Thomas, was back in court where changed his plea and admitted he harassed 63-year-old Marguerite Bellamy on February 25, this year. The court had heard from prosecutor Sergeant Theodore McClean that Whitehall and Bellamy were divorced and Whitehall has been constantly harassing her since their marriage ended. He has been begging her to rebuild their relationship, but she has refused. In February, this year, the woman was in Tudor Street, when Whitehall approached her and asked her, once again, about sex and about getting back together. He also professed his love for her. The woman refused his advances, again, and demanded that he leave her alone. She left the area and walked to Trevor’s Way. Whitehall followed her there on bicycle and did so for about three hours. The woman then walked to Cheapside, and Whitehall followed her there too. Eventually, he rode off and the woman called the police. His attorney, Mohia Ma’at, put down Whitehall’s action’s to his love for his ex-wife. The attorney later begged the court to release him on bail pending sentencing. But Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant refused. She pointed to Whitehall’s previous convictions for the same woman. “Most of his convictions are for offences against the person. He has a history and a pattern dating back to 1989,” the magistrate said. “The court is not minded to release Mr Whitehall. He has a history not just dating back to yesterday, but to yesteryear,” the magistrate declared as she remanded Whitehall back to HMP Dodds until November 22. (DN)

DYNAMIC DUO – Opener Kieran Powell agonisingly missed out on a century, but wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich chose the ideal time to break out of a protracted slump as he and captain Jason Holder carved out polished, unbeaten half-centuries to put West Indies in control of the second and final Test yesterday. At the close of the pivotal third day at Queens Sports Club, the Windies were 374 for seven in their first innings, in reply to Zimbabwe’s 326 all out – a lead of 48 heading into today’s penultimate day. The left-handed Powell top-scored with 90 to fall short of his fourth Test hundred while Dowrich stroked 75 and Holder, 71, as West Indies fought back gallantly against a spirited Zimbabwe side on an attritional day. Shai Hope extended his excellent form with 40 while Roston Chase scored 32 and nightwatchman Devendra Bishoo, 23. West Indies were tested by off-spinner Sikandar Raza, who ended with five for 82 and managed to rock the visitors with key strikes in the second session that left the innings tottering at 230 for seven at one stage. (DN)

CHARLES F. BROOME WINS MENTAL MATHS COMPETITION – Charles F. Broome Memorial Primary has emerged as the winner of the inaugural Primary Mental Maths Competition, after defeating Cuthbert Moore Primary at the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College, Pine Hill, St Michael and gaining the Mental Maths Challenge Shield. Impressed by the high quality of the Finals and the mental acuity of the students, Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ronald Jones, said afterwards: “It showed the immense mathematical aptitude that lies in our primary schools.” The Minister was, however, quick to point out that there was still a long way to go in encouraging all students to respond to Math “in a sensible way” and move the Math scores in the 11 Plus from 54 per cent to higher. “We need to get those scores up; we need to get children truly appreciating Math, not only the Mathematical high flyer’s in our schools but all children being able to work Mathematically and to pull that area up. (DN)

MISS UNIVERSE T&T STRIPPED – This country’s Miss Universe T&T pageant first runner-up Martrecia Alleyne is now being considered to replace stripped delegate Yvonne Clarke. The local franchise holder for the pageant, Jenny Douglas, was weighing this option yesterday after she stripped Clarke of her title over an alleged breach of contract nine days before she was due to leave for the international event in Las Vegas. Less than two weeks after winning the title, Clarke was told via email from Douglas that she would no longer be able to represent the country. But during a press conference at the St James studio of soca artiste Fay Ann Lyons yesterday, Clarke demanded an apology from Douglas, saying she did nothing wrong in seeking sponsorship on her own, including from Lyons. She claimed she was left with no choice after all she received from Douglas was an “old black dress” and an admittance they did not have “all the resources” to get her to the competition. “I asked her if there was anything else the franchise could give me beside a dress and she (Douglas) said no. I did not do anything without the authorisation of the franchise holder. She even sent me letterhead from the Miss Universe TT which to this day I did not use,” Clarke maintained at the press conference. She said Douglas told her she could seek sponsorship from anyone locally “except from the Government.” She said from day one of the local pageant she felt something was wrong, as there were several “hiccups” along the way. This, she said, prompted her to document all her conversations with Douglas, including taping telephone conversations. Saying she was forced to dip into her personal finances to prepare herself, Clarke said through a friend she was told to approach Lyons for help. Lyons, Clarke said, had been instrumental in getting her a plane ticket, professional hair and make-up artists and even organising several professional photo shoots. As she went through hardship getting sponsorship, Clarke, who broke down in tears at some points, said she also offered advice to Douglas regarding how to deal with issues on social media. “I said to Jenny digital media management is important because she was getting into feuds with citizens on social media about the way in which the franchise was being run. I told her to avoid social media conflict because it not only brings the Miss Universe pageant into disrepute but it also brings me, as a delegate, into disrepute,” Clarke said. “The reason why I am so hurt by this was because when T&T was bashing her and saying she was unprofessional I was the one who supported her.” She also accused Douglas of deliberately withholding her contract after she signed it some months ago. Douglas also hinted that Clarke may not have had a US visa but yesterday Clarke said she did. Lyons, who also spoke, said she too wanted an apology from Douglas, as all she did was help a “beautiful and talented young lady” realise her dream. She described the incident as unfortunate, saying too many times “we as a people” refuse to support each other. In a statement yesterday, Douglas said, “The Miss Universe T&T committee has voted unanimously to disqualify Miss Yvonne Clarke from representing Trinidad and Tobago in this year’s Miss Universe 2017 Pageant competition.” In an interview with Guardian Media, Douglas accused Clarke of making statements which “misrepresented” the franchise and of “being on television and begging for money.” (BT)

RIRI’S BEAUTY LINE RAKING IN THE DOUGH – RIHANNA’S FENTY BEAUTY LINE has been an instant success, with products selling out in mere moments online and in stores. And a new report shows that the Barbadian singer/fashionista’s line has raked in millions in free advertising since its September launch. The 29-year-old star’s line of cosmetics earned her a whopping “US$72 million in media value in one month”, according to Women’s Wear Daily. The brand’s “media value” included the amount of money it earned from free advertising from social media exposure and press, according to a description from Newsweek last Friday. Fenty Beauty debuted September 9 and became instantly beloved for its broad range of 40 foundation shades, collection of cosmic lipglosses, first class brushes and more. On October 13, the brand revealed even more beauty as it debuted its holiday galaxy collection with retailer Sephora. Around the time of the line’s launch, the Wild Thoughts songstress caught up with Teen Vogue to talk about the collection. Though she was happy to talk about how she used the current line, the pop star was tight-lipped about future Fenty developments. “There are endless possibilities coming,” she told the Conde Nast offspring. “You just have to wait and see.” Before the launch of her hit beauty line, Rihanna debuted her second apparel collection with Adidas during New York’s Fall Fashion Week, which was received with rave reviews from fans and fashionistas alike. The Throw It Up singer’s love life is also hitting a high note, according to media reports. RiRi has been getting to know Saudi Toyota heir Hassan Jameel as of late. The pair have been linked since seen kissing in London back in June. This past weekend, the two were seen enjoying a romantic dinner in Boston, where sources said the pair were “super chill” and “relatively quiet”, according to People. (DN)

That’s all for today folks there are 62 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

#the chase files #bajan newscap #barbados today #nation news #daily nation #nsrl #taxes #freundel stuart #froons #daily newscaps #Newscaps by Stephanie F. Chase

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footyplusau · 8 years ago

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Your verdict on the ‘last touch’ rule

WE ASKED for your take on one of the most contentious rules early in season 2017 – the ‘deliberate out of bounds’ interpretation.

One thing fans and the AFL agree on: the rule is required. 74 per cent of you say the game needs a ‘deliberate out of bounds rule’.

Discouraging negative play is overwhelmingly cited as the main reason.

Speaking on Wednesday, Demon Jordan Lewis said umpires’ stricter interpretation of the rule in 2017 had “become a little bit ridiculous”.

In general, you agreed.

Just 13 per cent of you believe the current rule is working fine

A majority say the rule is OK but there are too many howlers, suggesting time is required to let players and umpires adjust to a common sense interpretation.

Over in South Australia, the SANFL has had success with a ‘last possession’ rule, penalising players for kicking or handballing out of bounds.

We asked whether this was the way forward.

31 per cent of you agreed, with 9 per cent favouring an even simpler ‘last touch’ rule. However a majority favoured neither alternative.

Under a hypothetical ‘last touch’ rule, the game would see more free kicks and far fewer boundary throw-ins. This may discourage teams from fielding traditional ruckmen.

You were clear that this can’t be allowed to happen.

Here we present a selection of your views on how the ‘deliberate out of bounds’ rule should be handled.

Maintain the contest and keep our game unique

Football is the greatest contest on any playing field in the world. Maintain the contest! Ensure the contest for the ball is right up to (and even over the boundary) without fear of who touched it last.

Who wants to see players appealing with outstretched arms (as is already the case) as they escort the ball over the line just because the opposition were the last to touch it? Or see the ball being deliberately played into an opponent’s body to bounce it out of bounds?

Other sports already do that. Keep our game unique.

– Roland Kerspien, Sorrento WA

‘The rule definitely needs to stay’

Too many players do deliberately put the ball out of bounds.

The worst part of this rule is watching the players throw their arms up in the air before the ball has even gone out. Watching players lag and not try to keep the ball in for the chance of a free kick is a bad look, too.

Basic common sense needs to come into play. We have an oddly shaped ball. If players had the chance to chase it down or collect the ball before it goes out of play, then these kicks should not be penalised.

– Tiana Moore, Heathridge WA

Common sense needs to prevail

They have the right idea with the rule. I think it has made the game better to watch. Everyone just needs to be on the same page. There is too much inconsistency in the interpretation.

I don’t believe the rule itself needs to be improved, just the interpretation. Common sense needs to prevail. If a player grabs the ball in congestion, under huge pressure and slams it on the boot and the ball bounces at right angles out of bounds, this isn’t deliberate.

If there is no option up forward of the play and the ball is kicked towards the boundary, this should be penalised.

The rule is OK and I think the umpires will eventually become more consistent as time goes by. Leave it the way it is.

– Josh Croft, Perth WA

The whole concept of ‘not trying to keep it in’ is wrong

Educate umpires on the difference between deliberately kicking the ball at, or in the general vicinity of the boundary in the hope of it going out of bounds, compared to kicking the ball long or miskicking the ball and having it accidentally go out of play against the player’s intentions.

Not hard to figure out. The whole concept of ‘not trying to keep it in’ is wrong.

– Matthew Chatwin, Launceston Tas

If a player has an option to attempt to keep it in, they should be penalised

Keep the wording as ‘not working to keep the ball in’, and penalise players for shepherding the ball over the line. Allow the kick up the line for distance. If a player has an option to attempt to keep it in, they should be penalised. For instance, waiting for a tackle to take them out should be deliberate or holding the ball.

The wording of the current interpretation is good; use it literally.

– Tash Hazell, Port Kennedy WA

When it’s obviously deliberate, pay the free

If it looks obviously deliberate, and there was no other way it could be brought in, then pay the free.

If there is ANY chance the player was intending to clear it from defence, or had a skill error, or (most importantly) if an opposition player shephards it out while having the opportunity to play the ball, throw it in.

– Simon Kwasnycia, Canberra ACT

‘The only problem with the rule is the interpretation’

Umpires need to more show more common sense when making a determination. I am often amazed that a player will be penalised when they have made a clearance kick and the ball may travel 30+ metres and roll out of bounds, yet a player can intentionally push the ball out of play when they are within a meter of the line and no penalty applies when their sole intention was to take the ball out of bounds.

– Andrew Nicholson, Worongary Qld

The umps will get better with time

Like anything new, it needs time to develop. The umps with time will get better at officiating the rule.

The rule is doing exactly what we want it to do but the umps have got a few wrong.

Kicks out of congestion, under pressure and just straight shanks are what the public wants fixed.

Players who deliberately stop chasing the ball and place their hands in the air claiming a deliberate should [also] be penalised because in a sense they are not doing everything to keep the ball in play, and wanting an easy free kick.

– Brendon Adams, Perth WA

Eliminate ambiguity with ‘last possession’

‘Last possession’ is the only way to make adjudication consistent, fair and logical.

Ruckmen will still contest ball-ups and remaining throwins. Their role will be preserved with a ‘last clean possesion’ rule (not to be confused with ‘last touch’).

– Chris Wardle, Richmond Vic

Last clean kick should be penalised

The rule should be anything off the boot that goes out of bounds without being touched by another player should be penalised.

This will allow defensive players to still use the boundary to spoil or get out of trouble, but stop them gaining excessive metres to do so. It also makes the rule black and white.

– Paul Malbon, Melbourne Vic

Reduce howlers and go for ‘last possession’

The rule needs to be simplified in order to improve the flow and pace of the game and to help reduce controversial calls. Trying to explain the rules of footy to my American friends can be quite a task.

If we could implement a last posession rule, I believe it would improve the quality of our sport.

– Nick Glamann, Sierra Vista, Arizona US

Anything to encourage corridor play is what we should be aiming for

The last possession rule makes sense to me. However it needs to be in combination with any deliberate intention to get the ball over the line. I don’t like defenders blatantly spoiling / punching the ball out of bounds and getting away with it (for example).

Anything to encourage corridor play is what we should be aiming for. The best matches are played at the MCG’s wide expanses.

– Peter James, Coffs Harbour, Australia

Listen to a bite-sized clip from AFL Exchange

In this extract from round seven’s podcast, Essendon’s James Kelly joins Matt Thompson and Peter Ryan to discuss whether it’s time to bring in the ‘last possession’ rule.

Want to keep listening? You can click here to listen to the full Exchange podcast or subscribe via iTunes

The post Your verdict on the ‘last touch’ rule appeared first on Footy Plus.

from Footy Plus http://ift.tt/2paKfqL via http://footyplus.net

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