AFP

No charges for Atlanta police officers in 2020 shooting of Black man

24 Aug 2022

Two white Atlanta police officers will not face charges for the 2020 fatal shooting of a Black man who was shot twice in the back, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, said that after reviewing the evidence, charges were not warranted against the officers for the death of Rayshard Brooks.

The 27-year-old Brooks was shot dead on June 12, 2020, outside a fast-food restaurant in Atlanta after a struggle with officers Garrett Rolfe and his partner Devin Brosnan.

Brooks’ death came less than a month after that of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man killed by police in Minneapolis, and added fuel to nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

Rolfe and Brosnan were responding to a report of a man sleeping in his car in the drive-thru line at a Wendy’s fast-food restaurant.

In an interaction that was calm for most of 40 minutes, they gave Brooks an alcohol test and, after it proved positive, sought to arrest him for driving under the influence.

After a brief struggle, Brooks fled with one of the officers’ Tasers and fired it at them as he was running away. Rolfe shot Brooks twice in the back.

“Given the quickly changing circumstances, was it objectively reasonable that he used deadly force?” Skandalakis said of Rolfe. “We conclude it was.”

“This is a case in which the officers were willing to give Mr. Brooks every benefit of the doubt,” he said. “Unfortunately, by his actions, this is what happened.”

Skandalakis said charges against the officers would be dismissed.

Attorney L. Chris Stewart, a lawyer for Brooks’ family, told a press conference they were “heartbroken, confused” by the decision and would “continue our fight.”

In another high-profile case, a former Louisville detective pleaded guilty on Tuesday to providing false information to obtain a search warrant for Breonna Taylor’s home that led to a 2020 raid in which the Black woman was fatally shot.

Kelly Goodlett admitted to conspiring with another ex-detective to “falsify a warrant affidavit for Breonna Taylor’s home” and to making “false statements to cover up the false affidavit.”

She faces up to five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release, the plea agreement says.

Goodlett and two other officers were facing federal charges for falsifying the warrant, while a fourth was charged with using excessive force by opening fire during the raid, which was part of a drug trafficking case against Taylor’s ex-boyfriend.

The 26-year-old Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were sleeping in her apartment around midnight on March 13, 2020, when they heard a noise at the door.

Walker, believing it was a break-in, fired his gun, wounding one police officer. Police, who had obtained a controversial no-knock warrant to make a drug arrest, fired more than 30 shots back, mortally wounding Taylor.

The city of Louisville, the largest in Kentucky, settled a wrongful death suit with Taylor’s family for $12 million in September 2020.

US to give $3 bn in military aid as Ukraine marks 6 months of war

24 Aug 2022

The United States will announce $3 billion in fresh military aid to Kyiv on Wednesday as Ukraine marks its independence day as well as the six-month anniversary of the Russian invasion.

A US official confirmed the planned White House announcement even as Washington warned that Moscow could be planning a surge in strikes on major civilian targets coinciding with the independence day observations, and as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged citizens to be on guard against “Russian terror.”

The new tranche of American funding will help Kyiv acquire more weaponry, ammunition and other supplies for its armed forces, locked in a grinding war of attrition with Russian troops in the east and south with neither side advancing significantly in weeks.

In Moscow, the Kremlin warned it would show “no mercy” over the assassination of Daria Dugina, the daughter of an ultranationalist intellectual allied with President Vladimir Putin, which it blamed on Ukraine.

Kyiv has denied responsibility for the Saturday bombing, which apparently targeted Dugina’s father Alexander Dugin.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the investigation into the attack would be completed soon.

“According to the results of this investigation, there can be no mercy for those who organised, ordered and carried out” the car bombing, he said.

– Global support –

The expected US aid announcement comes as world leaders reasserted their support for Kyiv.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday warned Russia against further attempts to annex Ukrainian territory in the same way it did with Crimea.

“It has never been more important for us all to stand together,” Johnson said in a video address to the Crimea Platform conference in Kyiv.

Polish President Andrzej Duda advised against any “appeasement,” saying: “There is no return to business as usual in relations with Russia.”

And French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that European Union support for Ukraine would continue “for the long term”.

“There can be no weakness, no spirit of compromise, because it is a matter of our freedom, for everyone, and of peace everywhere around the world,” he said.

– Muted celebrations –

Tensions grew in the Ukraine capital as both Zelensky and the US State Department warned that Russia could step up attacks around the holiday.

The celebrations are muted this year and large gatherings have been banned in Kyiv.

Ukrainians were somber about the looming anniversary after a half-year of death and destruction.

“Six months, the peace of life has been broken in every family,” Nina Mikhailovna, an 80-year-old pensioner, said at Independence Square in central Kyiv.

“How much destruction, how many dead, how can we relate to it?” she asked.

Kyiv’s city administration said it would close public service centers on Wednesday and Thursday, and shopping malls here said they would close for the anniversary for safety concerns. 

“Tomorrow is an important day for all of us. And that is why this day, unfortunately, is also important for our enemy,” Zelensky said in an address Tuesday evening.

“We must be aware that tomorrow disgusting Russian provocations and brutal strikes are possible,” he said.

– Threatened nuclear plant –

Meanwhile discussions continued on how to protect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, occupied by Russian troops and threatened by shelling, which Moscow blames on Kyiv.

The two sides traded accusations at a Tuesday meeting of the UN Security Council on Zaporizhzhia, with Ukraine and its allies demanding Russia pull its troops out of the plant — Europe’s largest nuclear facility — and agree to a demilitarized zone.

Lavrov spoke Tuesday by telephone to French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna about an expected visit to the plant by inspectors from UN nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency, amid worries over the high risk of a radiation accident.

IAEA head Rafael Grossi issued a statement Tuesday deploring weekend shelling at the site, saying further damage had been caused.

“I’m continuing to consult very actively and intensively with all parties so that this vital IAEA mission can take place without further delay,” he said.

It would “help stabilise the nuclear safety and security situation at the site and reduce the risk of a severe nuclear accident in Europe.”

Spain to put video cameras in abattoirs

24 Aug 2022

Spanish slaughterhouses will have to install video surveillance to ensure animals are not mistreated before being killed, the government announced  Tuesday, claiming a first in the EU.

“This rule puts Spain at the forefront of Europe in this area and, as well as ensuring the welfare of animals during their passage through abattoirs, it also improves food safety guarantees for consumers,” said Consumer Affairs Minister Alberto Garzon.

The measure was approved at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting and will now be pushed quickly through parliament for approval.

It has already been agreed with the industry, government spokesperson Isabel Rodriguez told a press conference.

“We will be the first country in the European Union to have a compulsory video surveillance system in abattoirs,” said the consumer affairs ministry of Pedro Sanchez’s left-wing government.

Guillermo Moreno, executive director of Equalia, an NGO that lobbied for the reform, told AFP he was satisfied with what he called “a necessary and important first step to raise animal welfare standards in abattoirs”.

He added that England, Scotland and Israel had already introduced the measure in their slaughterhouses.

Under the Spanish rules, abattoirs will be required to retain the video images for later verification by the authorities.

“Large abattoirs have one year to implement the new standard” with smaller operations granted two years, the ministry said.

Drought uncovers dinosaur tracks in US park

24 Aug 2022

A drought in Texas dried up a river flowing through Dinosaur Valley State Park, exposing tracks from giant reptiles that lived some 113 million years ago, an official said Tuesday.

Photos posted on Facebook show three-toed footprints leading down a dry tree-lined riverbed in the southern US state. It is “one of the longest dinosaur trackways in the world,” a caption accompanying the images says.

Stephanie Salinas Garcia of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said dry weather made the tracks visible.

“Due to the excessive drought conditions this past summer, the river dried up completely in most locations, allowing for more tracks to be uncovered here in the park,” she said.

“Under normal river conditions, these newer tracks are under water and are commonly filled in with sediment, making them buried and not as visible,” Garcia said.

Most of the recently revealed tracks were made by Acrocanthosaurus, which weighed nearly seven tons (6,350 kilograms) as an adult and stood 15 feet (4.5 meters) tall.

Another dinosaur, Sauroposeidon, also left tracks in the park. It measured 60 feet tall and weighed 44 tons in adulthood.

The state park — located in an inland area southwest of the city of Dallas — was once on the edge of an ancient ocean, and dinosaurs left footprints in the mud, its website says.

While drought revealed the tracks, rain is in the forecast, meaning they will likely be covered once more.

“While they will soon be buried again by the rain and the river, Dinosaur Valley State Park will continue to protect these 113 million-year-old tracks not only for present, but future generations,” Garcia said.

Drought uncovers dinosaur tracks in US park

24 Aug 2022

A drought in Texas dried up a river flowing through Dinosaur Valley State Park, exposing tracks from giant reptiles that lived some 113 million years ago, an official said Tuesday.

Photos posted on Facebook show three-toed footprints leading down a dry tree-lined riverbed in the southern US state. It is “one of the longest dinosaur trackways in the world,” a caption accompanying the images says.

Stephanie Salinas Garcia of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said dry weather made the tracks visible.

“Due to the excessive drought conditions this past summer, the river dried up completely in most locations, allowing for more tracks to be uncovered here in the park,” she said.

“Under normal river conditions, these newer tracks are under water and are commonly filled in with sediment, making them buried and not as visible,” Garcia said.

Most of the recently revealed tracks were made by Acrocanthosaurus, which weighed nearly seven tons (6,350 kilograms) as an adult and stood 15 feet (4.5 meters) tall.

Another dinosaur, Sauroposeidon, also left tracks in the park. It measured 60 feet tall and weighed 44 tons in adulthood.

The state park — located in an inland area southwest of the city of Dallas — was once on the edge of an ancient ocean, and dinosaurs left footprints in the mud, its website says.

While drought revealed the tracks, rain is in the forecast, meaning they will likely be covered once more.

“While they will soon be buried again by the rain and the river, Dinosaur Valley State Park will continue to protect these 113 million-year-old tracks not only for present, but future generations,” Garcia said.

Germany, Canada partner on transatlantic hydrogen trade

24 Aug 2022

The leaders of Canada and Germany signed a green hydrogen deal on Tuesday, laying a path for a transatlantic supply chain as Europe seeks to lessen its dependence on Russian energy.

“It’s a vote of confidence for Canada as a leader in clean energy,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

“We cannot as a world continue to rely on authoritarian countries that will weaponize energy policy, as Russia is, that don’t concern themselves with environmental outcomes or labor rights or even human rights,” Trudeau added.

Moscow has slashed its energy exports to Europe in response to punishing Western sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, forcing countries to scramble for alternatives.

Scholz said there was a need to discuss “short-term constraints and LNG (liquefied natural gas) but in the long run, the real potential lies in green hydrogen from the wind-rich, thinly populated Atlantic provinces.”

Canada aims to become a major producer and exporter of hydrogen and other related clean technologies to displace climate-warming fossil fuels, with Germany lined up to become a first customer.

In a joint declaration, Trudeau and Scholz outlined plans to “kickstart the hydrogen economy and to create a transatlantic supply chain for hydrogen.”

The plan is to make the first deliveries of Canadian hydrogen to Germany as early as 2025, the statement said.

Canada said it would also export hydrogen to the broader European market — “contributing to European energy security,” as the bloc looks to end its reliance on Russian energy — as well as to Asia.

The two leaders, with a sizeable German business delegation in tow, toured a site in Stephenville, Newfoundland, where US-based World Energy GH2 Inc. is looking to build a hydrogen production facility powered by a 164-turbine, one-gigawatt wind farm on the Port au Port Peninsula.

The former pulp mill boasts substantial wind resources, access to the power distribution grid and a port that can ship product to Europe.

The project is one of a dozen under consideration by the Newfoundland government since it lifted a moratorium on new wind farms, and in July issued a call for proposals to put turbines on government lands.

With an estimated $10 billion price tag, it would be the largest single investment ever made in Canada’s Atlantic region.

Russia, Ukraine spar at UN over nuclear plant dangers

23 Aug 2022

Russia and Ukraine traded accusations Tuesday over who was endangering the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, as the United Nations urged both sides to insulate the Ukrainian facility from the ongoing war.

Russia called the meeting at the UN Security Council to discuss the dangers that close shelling and a military presence posed to the power plant in southern Ukraine, amid fears that a damaged reactor could leak radiation across the region.

Russian troops have controlled the plant for weeks and allegedly have placed arms and war supplies there, something that Moscow denies.

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the plant, heightening the danger of a nuclear disaster.

Since the Security Council last discussed the issue nearly two weeks ago, “the nuclear safety situation has further deteriorated,” Nebenzya said.

“The armed forces of Ukraine continue basically every day to shell the territory of the nuclear power plant (NPP) and the town of Enerhodar, and this creates a real risk of a radiation accident,” he said.

Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s ambassador, countered that Russia is responsible for the risk and must pull its troops away and allow inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency into the plant.

“The only thing that the entire world wants to hear . . .  is a statement that Russia demilitarizes the Zaporizhzhia NPP, withdraws its troops, and hands it over to the government of Ukraine,” he said.

Kyslytsya said Kyiv supports a proposal for the IAEA to send a mission to inspect the plant, and hoped it would create a permanent presence inside to monitor it fulltime.

“It is really important to conduct the mission in a way that will allow the international community to see the real situation and not a Russian theatrical show,” he said.

Speaking at the beginning of the meeting, UN Undersecretary Rosemary DiCarlo said both sides need to agree on demilitarizing the plant even as the war continues.

“The facility must not be used as part of any military operation, and an agreement on a safe perimeter of demilitarization to ensure the safety of the area should be reached,” she said. 

“We once again urge the parties to provide the IAEA mission with immediate, secure and unfettered access to the site,” she said.

Global stocks fall as Euro hits new 20-year low

24 Aug 2022

Global stocks were down Tuesday as the euro dove to a new two-decade low against the dollar and traders waited nervously for news on the next US interest rate hikes.

The single currency tumbled to $0.9901, but later clawed back losses as the greenback was hit by poor US economic data.

The dollar had strengthened this week against other currencies ahead of a speech Friday by US Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell, as markets speculate that the central bank will continue tighten its monetary policy.

Higher interest rates boost the American currency as they make dollar-denominated debt more attractive to investors.

But the euro also has been weighed down by a gloomy outlook for the eurozone economy as Russia’s war in Ukraine has sent energy prices soaring.

The unit plunged below parity with the dollar Monday on recession fears to plumb the lowest levels since 2002, when it first came into physical circulation.

In the latest blow, S&P Global’s closely watched monthly composite purchasing managers’ index (PMI) showed that eurozone economic activity fell for the second month in a row in August.

– ‘Investors are bracing’ –

Wall Street indices ended mostly lower, with the Dow Jones falling 0.5 percent.

With the Jackson Hole central banking symposium this week, the focus is on what Fed chief Powell says about plans to tackle high prices, with many fearing officials could send the economy into recession.

“I think that investors are bracing for some hawkish commentary from Fed chair Powell this coming week,” said Jack Ablin of Cresset Capital.

European equities and Asian markets also slid amid stubborn worries about the Fed’s movements.

US natural gas prices meanwhile hit a fresh 14-year high on Tuesday at $10.028.

But across the Atlantic, European natural gas prices fell, although they remain elevated on fears of a halt to Russia’s gas deliveries. The Dutch TTF Gas Futures contract stood at 268.45 euros down from Monday.

Gas had spiked to record peaks in March after key producer Russia launched its invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

That has sparked surging domestic energy bills, fueling decades-high inflation that has prompted tighter monetary policy around the world.

Moscow’s maneuvers have hit the single currency hard because the bloc relies heavily on imported Russian gas, said Societe Generale analyst Kit Juckes. 

Fears increased after Russia’s Gazprom said Friday the Nord Stream pipeline would be closed for maintenance at the end of the month, cutting Europe’s crucial gas deliveries.

“The euro’s problem is… the threat from continued squeezing of gas supplies and the cost of replacing Russian gas,” Juckes said.

Oil prices — which have fallen for weeks as recession worries hit demand expectations — rebounded after Saudi Arabia suggested OPEC and other major producers could cut output citing “volatility” in crude markets.

– Key figures at around 2030 GMT –

New York – Dow: DOWN 0.5 percent at 32,909.59 points (close)

New York – S&P 500: DOWN 0.2 percent at 4,128.73 (close)

New York – Nasdaq: UNCH at 12,381.30 (close)

EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,652.52 (close)

London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.6 percent at 7,488.11 (close)

Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.3 percent at 13,194.23 (close)

Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.3 percent at 6,362.02 (close)

Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.2 percent at 28,452.75 (close)

Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.8 percent at 19,503.25 (close)

Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,276.22 (close)

Euro/dollar: UP at $0.9973 from $0.9943 Monday

Pound/dollar: UP at $1.1835 from $1.1767

Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.25 pence from 84.98 pence

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 136.7710 yen from 137.48 yen

West Texas Intermediate: UP 3.7 percent at $93.74 per barrel

Brent North Sea crude: UP 3.9 percent at $100.22

burs-rl-bfm/hs

Global stocks fall as Euro hits new 20-year low

24 Aug 2022

Global stocks were down Tuesday as the euro dove to a new two-decade low against the dollar and traders waited nervously for news on the next US interest rate hikes.

The single currency tumbled to $0.9901, but later clawed back losses as the greenback was hit by poor US economic data.

The dollar had strengthened this week against other currencies ahead of a speech Friday by US Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell, as markets speculate that the central bank will continue tighten its monetary policy.

Higher interest rates boost the American currency as they make dollar-denominated debt more attractive to investors.

But the euro also has been weighed down by a gloomy outlook for the eurozone economy as Russia’s war in Ukraine has sent energy prices soaring.

The unit plunged below parity with the dollar Monday on recession fears to plumb the lowest levels since 2002, when it first came into physical circulation.

In the latest blow, S&P Global’s closely watched monthly composite purchasing managers’ index (PMI) showed that eurozone economic activity fell for the second month in a row in August.

– ‘Investors are bracing’ –

Wall Street indices ended mostly lower, with the Dow Jones falling 0.5 percent.

With the Jackson Hole central banking symposium this week, the focus is on what Fed chief Powell says about plans to tackle high prices, with many fearing officials could send the economy into recession.

“I think that investors are bracing for some hawkish commentary from Fed chair Powell this coming week,” said Jack Ablin of Cresset Capital.

European equities and Asian markets also slid amid stubborn worries about the Fed’s movements.

US natural gas prices meanwhile hit a fresh 14-year high on Tuesday at $10.028.

But across the Atlantic, European natural gas prices fell, although they remain elevated on fears of a halt to Russia’s gas deliveries. The Dutch TTF Gas Futures contract stood at 268.45 euros down from Monday.

Gas had spiked to record peaks in March after key producer Russia launched its invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

That has sparked surging domestic energy bills, fueling decades-high inflation that has prompted tighter monetary policy around the world.

Moscow’s maneuvers have hit the single currency hard because the bloc relies heavily on imported Russian gas, said Societe Generale analyst Kit Juckes. 

Fears increased after Russia’s Gazprom said Friday the Nord Stream pipeline would be closed for maintenance at the end of the month, cutting Europe’s crucial gas deliveries.

“The euro’s problem is… the threat from continued squeezing of gas supplies and the cost of replacing Russian gas,” Juckes said.

Oil prices — which have fallen for weeks as recession worries hit demand expectations — rebounded after Saudi Arabia suggested OPEC and other major producers could cut output citing “volatility” in crude markets.

– Key figures at around 2030 GMT –

New York – Dow: DOWN 0.5 percent at 32,909.59 points (close)

New York – S&P 500: DOWN 0.2 percent at 4,128.73 (close)

New York – Nasdaq: UNCH at 12,381.30 (close)

EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,652.52 (close)

London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.6 percent at 7,488.11 (close)

Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.3 percent at 13,194.23 (close)

Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.3 percent at 6,362.02 (close)

Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.2 percent at 28,452.75 (close)

Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.8 percent at 19,503.25 (close)

Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,276.22 (close)

Euro/dollar: UP at $0.9973 from $0.9943 Monday

Pound/dollar: UP at $1.1835 from $1.1767

Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.25 pence from 84.98 pence

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 136.7710 yen from 137.48 yen

West Texas Intermediate: UP 3.7 percent at $93.74 per barrel

Brent North Sea crude: UP 3.9 percent at $100.22

burs-rl-bfm/hs

US says Ukraine grain exports near pre-war levels

24 Aug 2022

Ukraine is on course to ship nearly as much grain this month as it did before the Russian invasion, in a triumph for international efforts to ease food shortages, a US official said Tuesday.

Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, corn, barley and sunflower oil, shipping around five million metric tons of grain each month before the war.

Its exports ground to a trickle after the February 24 invasion, contributing to a spike in global food prices that has hit poor nations especially hard.

“Thanks to intensive international cooperation, Ukraine is on track to export as much as four million metric tons of agricultural products in August,” a senior US State Department official told AFP.

Ukraine and Russia in July reached a first wartime agreement through the mediation of Turkey and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, with guarantees for ships to sail out of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.

The State Department official said that the efforts have moved out more than 720,000 tons of grain from the ports through 33 ships over the past several weeks.

More significant so far has been a European initiative to ship Ukrainian grain by river, rail and road routes.

The so-called “Solidarity Lanes” established by the European Union rushed additional vehicles including trucks to the border, addressing hurdles including Ukrainian wagons’ incompatibility with European rail gauges.

The European effort is shipping 2.5-3 million tons of produce into the European Union and beyond to international markets each month, the official said.

As part of the agreement negotiated in Istanbul, Russia will also be guaranteed shipment of food and fertilizer without being subject to sanctions.

Guterres recently appealed for “unimpeded access,” saying that the world could face dangerous agricultural shortfalls next year unless Russian fertilizer reaches international markets.

The United States says that its sweeping sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war have exempted agricultural products and accuses Moscow of seeking to distract the world from its own responsibility for shortages.

Last week the United States said it was contributing another $68 million to the World Food Programme to buy 150,000 metric tons of Ukrainian wheat to address food insecurity.

The UN agency warned on Friday that some 22 million people face starvation in Horn of Africa countries where the rising costs of imported food have exacerbated the effects of climate change.

Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia have suffered the unprecedented failure of four straight rainy seasons.

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