New observations of the spectacular M87 galaxy reveal how a powerful jet forms around a monstrous black hole contained inside it.
A few years ago, the image of an orange glowing donut caused a sensation. For the first time, researchers have captured an image of the immediate vicinity of a supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy M87
This galaxy is known for a jet that accelerates matter far out of the galaxy, driven by the central black hole. How exactly the jet is anchored near the black hole and how the matter streams into the jet is not yet fully understood.
Astronomers, with the participation of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, are now providing new answers. With a network of radio telescopes almost as large as the Earth itself, they are using the example of M87 to make the matter flows in the extreme centre of a galaxy visible for the first time.
Artist’s impression of the centre of an active galaxy like M87. Matter flows along a disk towards the central black hole, while some matter is accelerated along a focused jet. Image credit: Sophia Dagnello, NRAO/AUI/NSF
It is assumed that the enormous brightness and activity at the centre of a galaxy like M87 is due to matter from the surrounding area falling into the black hole at the centre of the galaxy.
However, some of the matter is also channelled out of this region via a jet. In the case of the galaxy M87, there have already been separate images of the innermost disc of matter around the central black hole and the jet.
It was previously unclear how the jet, which remains collimated to the galaxy’s edges, forms in the vicinity of the black hole.
The image that was now obtained establishes the connection for the first time. “We see how the jet emerges from the ring around the black hole and gain new insights into the physical processes that give rise to the jet,” says Thomas Krichbaum from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy.
Reconstructed image of the central region of M87 from data from the telescope network consisting of the GMVA and Alma. The large image shows a bright core with the black hole at its centre. The jet, recognisable by three filaments, is anchored in this core and originates there. An enlargement of the core in the highlighted box shows the ring structure of matter surrounding the black hole. The ring has an angular diameter of 64 microarcseconds, comparable to the diameter of a concert spotlight on the moon as seen from Earth. Image credit: R. Lu et al, Nature 2023
A giant telescope does detailed work
The international research team obtained the image by observing the radio light at a wavelength of 3,5 millimetres. This allows an almost unobscured view onto the radio-bright matter streams that surround the central black hole, and that fuel the jet.
Seen from Earth, this inner region appears only about as large as a concert spotlight on the Moon, corresponding to an angular diameter of 64 microarcseconds. At a distance of the galaxy of about 55 million light years, this corresponds to a few times the diameter of our solar system.
In order to resolve these structures, which are tiny when seen from Earth, the researchers use an array of many radio telescopes. The larger the network and the further apart the individual telescopes are, the smaller the structures that can be imaged.
The wavelength that the radio receivers are tuned into also define the image. The shorter the wavelength, the finer the structures that can be imaged.
The central component of the network is the Global Millimetre VLBI Array (GMVA), which spans Europe and North and South America with more than a dozen individual telescopes. To improve the imaging quality, the team also added the Atacama Large Millimetre/Submillimetre Array (Alma) and the Greenland Telescope.
Only through the special arrangement of the telescopes and the choice of the wavelength of 3,5 millimetres were the scientists able to image the galaxy’s central engine and how matter flows into the black hole and is accelerated outwards in a jet.
They observed the galaxy’s core back in April 2018 and took years to interpret the data and reconstruct the image.
Labelled image of the M87 Galaxy. Credit: NASA/Chandra
“The spectacular image of the jet and ring in M87 is an important milestone and crowns years of collaborative effort,” says Eduardo Ros, a scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy.
The image of the nucleus of M87, which astronomers had succeeded in obtaining a few years earlier with a different telescope configuration, the Event Horizon Telescope at a wavelength of 1,3 millimetres, is characterised by an even stronger zoom factor. It mainly shows matter in a comparatively narrow ring in the immediate vicinity of the black hole. This donut-like image marked the black hole itself for the first time.
Tracing the boundaries of physics
For J. Anton Zensus, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, these successes show that the years of development and continuous expansion of the technology of these global radio telescope networks have paid off. But the limits of this high-resolution observation technique have not yet been reached.
New, even more sensitive radio receivers of the GMVA telescope should enable the astronomers to make further detailed measurements. In addition to the light intensity, which has been imaged here, other properties of the radio light can also be extracted.
The polarisation, for example, mimics the structure and strength of the underlying magnetic field that surrounds the black hole and shapes the jet. Matter that is visible via its radio emission in the presented image, moves along these invisible magnetic field lines.
These and other measurement techniques make it possible to study the physical processes in the immediate vicinity of a black hole, billion times heavier than the sun, which embodies the limits of physics.
M87 galaxy: Key Facts
The M87 galaxy is also known as Virgo A or Messier 87. It was the 87th object cataloged by French astronomer Charles Messier.
It is located in the Virgo constellation and is part of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. It is approximately 53.5 million light-years away from Earth.
The M87 galaxy is one of the largest galaxies in the nearby universe. It has an estimated diameter of about 120,000 light-years, making it significantly larger than our Milky Way galaxy.
M87 is famous for hosting one of the most massive black holes known to astronomers. The black hole at its center has a mass of about 6.5 billion times that of our Sun and is surrounded by a rotating disk of hot gas and plasma.
This galaxy also features a prominent jet of high-energy particles emanating from its central black hole. The jet extends over 5,000 light-years and emits radiation across various wavelengths, including radio waves, visible light, and X-rays.
M87 is classified as an elliptical galaxy, which means it has an elliptical or football-like shape. It lacks the distinct spiral arms seen in spiral galaxies like the Milky Way.
It is one of the brightest galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. It has a visual magnitude of around 9.6, making it visible with binoculars or small telescopes under favorable conditions.
Like other galaxies, M87 is believed to be surrounded by a halo of dark matter, a mysterious substance that does not emit or interact with light but exerts gravitational influence.
M87 has interacted with other galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, leading to the formation of tidal tails and distortions in its outer regions.
M87 has been extensively studied by the Hubble Space Telescope, providing detailed images and data on its structure, jet, and black hole.
In the town of Bilibino in Chukotka, Russia, they started selling eggs only after presenting a passport. This was announced by the governor of the region, Vladislav Kuznetsov, on his Telegram channel. He explains that during his tour of the region, many local residents approached him with complaints about the shortage of a number of products in the shops.
“High prices for the products, which, on top of everything, are not enough for everyone. Eggs are sold only against a passport – as it was in the 90s! I have instructed to quickly create a stock of eggs in Bilibino sufficient to cover the demand,” Kuznetsov wrote.
According to him, a poultry farm should be built in Bilibino, but in order to put it into operation, feed subsidies must be provided. “We will solve the issue, we have put it on the agenda of the government on Friday,” the governor promised.
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-eggs-on-brown-wooden-bowl-on-beige-knit-textile-162712/
Antidepressant use continues to rise in a world that seems easier on the pill than on finding the real problem and solving it.
In 2004, the Medicines Agency carried out a study in which it made it clear that the consumption of antidepressants had tripled in the world. At that time we still had to suffer a global recession, which was made worse by the pandemic that the World Health Organization pulled out of its sleeve and which plunged us all, it seemed, into a mental health problem that only seems to be we will go out be able to get rid of with permanent medication.
To stick to Spain and compare data, in 1994 7,285,182 containers of antidepressants were sold in our country, in 1999 (five years later) 14,555,311 and in 2003 21,238,858 containers were prescribed. If we multiply this by the number of pills in each package, hundreds of millions of pills were put into circulation in the national market without excessive control.
In the year 2021, when we all become mentally ill, more than 50 million packs were put into circulation.
For Jose Luis Quintana, family doctor, “the problem is that there is a probable abuse of antidepressants.” Another of the most prescribed medications are anxiolytics, which are administered by Social Security without convincingly warning us of the possible risks. In many cases, we are even administered both drugs without an assessment of the possible side effects. Today it is clear that our cognitive system is affected and that, especially in people of a certain age, motor functions can even be compromised.
It is not a surprise that already in 2004, july bobesProfessor of Psychiatry at the University of Oviedo, happily affirms that “the greater degree of continuous training of health personnel has contributed to the early identification of mental disorders and even to a better management of psychotropic drugs”.
Nowadays you grow your beard, you mess up your hair and you go to your GP with a somber look on your face, you have a coffee to keep your blood pressure up and you tell him some negative story about your life, which doesn’t have to be. be true, and automatically you will. get a diagnosis of depression, for which you will be prescribed an interesting package for which you should not read the instructions. Perhaps because among the negative effects, it is very likely to state that the product can lead to depression. The whiting that bites its tail means that in the contraindications of the pills that are given for depression you find yourself with the same mental illness that you supposedly want to fight.
Some days ago, Alejandro Sanza global music star, wrote the following on Twitter, which set off alarm bells around the world:
I’m not well. I don’t know if this helps, but I want to say it. I am sad and tired. In case anyone else thinks that there always has to be a sea breeze or fireworks on a summer night. I’m working on it… I’ll get to the stage…,
Mental health began to be talked about in the news, on talk shows, and filled the pages of newspapers and radio programs on the subject. I am also tired and there are days when I don’t feel the sea breeze, nor the jellyfish, nor the mermaids, so what?
Being sad has become enough to get drugs (antidepressants)
The pharmaceutical industries have gained handsomely when we confuse a normal state of mind – not every day is the same – with depression or mental illness. Ramón Sánchez Ocaña, one of the best-known science journalists of the turn of the century, wrote in his book El Universo de las drogas, published by Planeta:
Antidepressants, as the name suggests, are substances designed to combat depression. Normally, its unwanted effects are associated with drowsiness, slow reflexes, loss of attention, a tendency to gain weight… The problem is that they can be abused to counteract a situation of sadness, or, as has been recently suggested, to cope with a difficult situation. Some antidepressants are known as “the shy pill.” There is a risk, in today’s medicalized society, of believing that you always have to be in tune and therefore, if you are not, you can resort to the chemical help of a drug”.
Antidepressants, violence and murder
Was Sanchez Ocana who wrote the above in 2004. A year earlier, at the end of August 2003, in Spain, the lieutenant colonel and psychologist Rafael Gil de la Haza56 years old, who worked in the psychiatric ward of the San Carlos de Cádiz military hospital, killed his 12 year old daughterAna Gil Cordero, with a shot and then another to commit suicide. The only thing that everyone articulated to say was “what would go through his head”.
But while I was under the effect of a psychotropic treatment, all agreed that he had been taciturn for several days, withdrawn into himself and that he loved his daughter in an exaggerated way. Why did all the tools at his disposal fail? Nothing, not even psychiatry is infallible. In fact, I would venture to say that it is hardly infallible.
A few days before the lieutenant colonel and psychologist killed his daughter, in Madrid, the Civil Guard arrested a woman who, according to the EFE news agency: …had killed her one-month-old baby at her home in Las Rozas (Madrid). , and that she had to be taken to a hospital to be treated for the psychiatric disorder she suffers from.
Mainstream media silenced
One of the issues that I miss in this type of news is that there is never a way to clearly know what type of psychotropic drugs you are taking and if there is a link between your consumption and the homicidal ideas that trigger certain tragic events.
To conclude, allow me, in this small approach to the world of antidepressants and their consequences, to echo what Jose CarrionProfessor of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Murcia (UMU), wrote in November 2017 in the newspaper La Verdad, in a magisterial column entitled “Depression as an intelligent alarm”:
Antidepressants, the use of which is based on the idea of altered brain neurochemistry, promote psychiatric intervention, although science has shown its weaknesses. Few people report being cured with antidepressants, which I’m assuming doesn’t take away their goodness in rare, life-threatening circumstances. But it happens that many people become dependent, and in some cases attract unpleasant side effects, even serious illnesses. A single dose of antidepressants can change the architecture of the brain for almost three hours, creating disturbances in our army of neurotransmitters and a physiological cascade that engulfs everything. Nothing of much interest to the pharmaceutical companies, which with their thousands of commissioned lobbyists finance more than 70% of the FDA’s trials, taking control of purchasing, sales, research, publications and media..
And last but not least, filmmaker Roberto Manciero, who, with five Emmy Awards from the Academy of Arts, Sciences and Television, decided to reveal in a documentary titled Prescription: Suicide? the experiences of six children between the ages of 9 and 16 “who, after taking antidepressants, tried to commit suicide”. A truly amazing documentary, which premiered in 1998 in the United States, the country that, along with Spain, consumes most of these types of pills, does not leave the viewer indifferent.
Antidepressants and Mental Health, a multi-billion dollars business
The consumption of antidepressants keeps increasing in a world that looks easier for the pill than for finding the actual problem and solving it.
In 2004, the Medicines Agency carried out a study in which it made it clear that the consumption of antidepressants had increased threefold in the world. At that time we still had to suffer a worldwide recession, which was aggravated by the pandemic that the World Health Organisation pulled out from its sleeve and which submerged us all, it seems, in a mental health problem from which it only seems that we will be able to get rid of with permanent medication.
To stick to Spain and compare data, in 1994 7,285,182 packs of antidepressants were sold in our country, in 1999 (five years later) 14,555,311 and in 2003 21,238,858 packs were prescribed. If we multiply this by the number of pills in each pack, hundreds of millions of pills were put into circulation in the national market without excessive control.
In the year 2021, when we all become mentally ill, more than 50 million packs were put into circulation.
For José Luis Quintana, a family doctor, “the problem is that there is a probable abuse of antidepressants”. Another of the most commonly prescribed medicines are anxiolytics, which are administered by Social Security without us being reliably warned of the possible risks. In many cases, we are even administered both drugs without an assessment of the possible side effects. Today it is clear that our cognitive system is affected and that, especially in people of a certain age, motor functions may even be impaired.
Photo by Nastya Dulhiier
It is not a surprise that already in 2004, Julio Bobes, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oviedo happily stated that “the higher degree of continuous training of health personnel has contributed to the early identification of mental disorders and even better management of psychotropic drugs”.
Nowadays you grow a beard, dishevel yourself and go to your GP with a grim look on your face, have a coffee to keep your blood pressure up and tell him some negative story about your life, which need not be true, and you will automatically get a diagnosis of depression, for which you will be prescribed an interesting package for which you should not read the instructions. Perhaps because among the negative effects, it is very likely that it will state that the product can lead to depression. The whiting that bites its own tail means that in the contraindications of the pills that are given for depression, you may find that they carry the same mental illness that you supposedly want to combat.
A few days ago, Alejandro Sanz, a world music star, wrote the following on Twitter, which made the alarm bells loud worldwide:
I’m not well. I don’t know if this helps but I want to say it. I’m sad and tired. In case anyone else thinks you always have to be a sea breeze or a firework on a summer night. I’m working my way through it… I’ll get to the stage…,
Mental health began to be talked about in the news, on talk shows and filled the pages of newspapers and radio programmes on the subject. I too am tired and there are days when I dont feel the sea breeze, nor jellyfish, nor mermaid, and so what?
Being sad has become enough to get drugs (antidepressants)
The pharmaceutical industries have won by a landslide when we confuse a normal state of mind – not every day is the same – with depression or mental illness. Ramón Sánchez Ocaña, one of the best-known science journalists at the beginning of the century, wrote in his book El Universo de las drogas, published by Planeta:
Antidepressants, as their name suggests, are substances designed to combat depression. Normally, their undesired effects are associated with drowsiness, slowing of reflexes, loss of attention, a tendency to put on weight… The problem is that they can be abused to counteract a situation of sadness, or, as has been raised recently, to cope with a difficult situation. Some antidepressants have been referred to as “the shyness pill”. There is a risk, in today’s medicalised society, of believing that one must always be in tune and therefore, if one is not, one can resort to the chemical help of a drug“.
Antidepressants, violence and murders
It was Sánchez Ocaña who wrote the above in 2004. A year earlier, at the end of August 2003, in Spain, Lieutenant Colonel and psychologist Rafael Gil de la Haza, 56, who worked in the psychiatric wing of the San Carlos military hospital in Cadiz, killed his 12-year-old daughter, Ana Gil Cordero, with one shot and then another to kill himself. The only thing everyone articulated to say was “what would go through her head”.
But while he was under the effect of psychotropic treatment, everyone agreed that he had been taciturn for several days, withdrawn into himself and that he loved his daughter in an exaggerated way. Why did all the tools at his disposal fail? Nothing, not even psychiatry is infallible. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is hardly infallible.
A few days before the lieutenant colonel and psychologist killed his daughter, in Madrid, the Guardia Civil arrested a woman who, according to the EFE agency: …had killed her one-month-old baby in her home in Las Rozas (Madrid), and who had to be taken to a hospital to be treated for the psychiatric disorder she suffers from.
Mainstream media silenced
One of the issues that I miss in this type of news is that there is never any way of knowing clearly what type of psychotropic drugs she is taking and whether there is a link between her consumption and the homicidal ideas that trigger certain tragic events.
To conclude, allow me, in this small approach to the world of antidepressants and their consequences, to echo what José Carrión, Professor of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Murcia (UMU), wrote in November 2017 in the newspaper La Verdad, in a masterful column entitled “La depresión como alarma inteligente” (Depression as an intelligent alarm):
Antidepressants, whose use is based on the idea of altered brain neurochemistry, drive psychiatric intervention, although science has demonstrated their weaknesses. Few people report being cured by antidepressants, which I suppose does not eliminate their goodness under exceptional life-threatening circumstances. But it happens that many people become dependent and, in some cases, they attract unpleasant side effects, even serious illnesses. A single dose of antidepressants can change brain architecture for almost three hours, creating disturbances in our army of neurotransmitters and a physiological cascade that floods everything. Nothing of much interest to the pharmaceutical companies, who, with their thousands of commissioned lobbyists, fund more than 70% of FDA trials, taking control of purchasing, sales, research, publications and media.
And last but not least, filmmaker Robert Manciero, who, with five Emmys from the Academy of Arts, Sciences and Television, decided to reveal in a documentary entitled Prescription: Suicide? the experiences of six children between the ages of 9 and 16 “who, after taking antidepressants, attempted suicide”. A truly surprising documentary, which premiered in 1998 in the United States, the country, along with Spain, that consumes most of these types of pills, does not leave the viewer indifferent.
Another example of a gilded bronze statue of Hercules. Credit: Mary Harrsch / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
The Vatican’s largest ancient statue is undergoing restoration, the AP reported. The 4-meter-tall gilded Hercules is believed to have stood in Pompeii’s theatre in ancient Rome.
Restorers in the Vatican Museum’s Round Hall are removing centuries of dirt from the gilded Hercules.
For more than 150 years, the statue, 4 meters high, has been placed in a niche. It does not attract attention among other antique exhibits because of the dark color it has acquired over time.
After removing a layer of wax and other materials from a 19th-century restoration, Vatican experts understood its true value.
The gold plating is extremely well preserved, said restorer Alice Baltera. The statue is cast in bronze. It was discovered in 1864 in a villa near the “Campo dei Fiori” in Rome. Pope Pius IX added the work to the papal collection.
It is dated between the 1st and 3rd centuries. To distinguish its later origin, it bears “family” names: that of the Pope – Mastai, and that of the banker in whose villa it was found – Righetti.
The statue is accompanied by a marble plaque with the inscription FCS – an abbreviation of the Latin phrase “fulgur conditum summanium” (“Here lies buried the thunderbolt of Sumanus”).
That means she was struck by lightning, said Claudia Valeri, curator of the Greek and Roman antiquities department at the Vatican Museum.
Sumanus was an ancient Roman deity of thunder. The Romans believed that any object struck by lightning was imbued with divine power.
People fined in Turkey for not following the rules during the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to request a refund of the amount paid, reports the electronic edition of the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet.
According to a decision of the Constitutional Court, the administrative fines imposed during the coronavirus pandemic in connection with the obligation to wear masks and other prohibitions will be able to be reinstated. The decision, taken in connection with an appeal to the Constitutional Court, was published in the Turkish State Gazette.
In this way, persons who have paid administrative fines imposed on them during the pandemic period will receive back the amounts they paid.
In relation to those who have not paid the fines issued to them, the tax authorities will not take any follow-up action and the penalties will be automatically deleted.
Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-wearing-diy-masks-3951628/
MAP -- Tropical tuna targeted, Bloom complains of flagrant fraud by French vessels
Tuna // Press release by Bloom – On 31 May, BLOOM and Blue Marine Foundation have lodged a complaint with the Public Prosecutor at the Paris judicial Court against all 21 vessels in the tropical tuna fishing fleet registered in France, for illegally switching off their AIS(Automatic Identification System)locator beacons.
French tropical tuna vessels are breaking the law
Switching off a geolocation instrument is prohibited by international, European and national law. Specifically, apart from small-scale fishing, all vessels must have their AIS beacons switched on at all times, both at sea and in port.(1) The French tropical tuna vessels are on average over 80 metres long and are all — without exception — breaking the law: between 1 January 2021 and 25 April 2023, these vessels switched off their beacons 37% to 72% of the time.(2)
It is therefore impossible to know where these vessels are operating, sometimes for weeks at a time. This leaves them free to fish in prohibited areas, such as certain exclusive economic zones or marine protected areas.
By lodging a complaint, BLOOM and Blue Marine Foundation are seeking to put an end to this unacceptable situation and obtain full transparency on the fishing activities of French tuna shipowners. Illegal behaviors like these are not marginal. These 21 vessels represent only 0.4% of the French fleet but account for around 20% of the country’s annual catches.(3)
Furthermore, European tuna vessels in African waters are subsidised to the tune of a dozen million euros a year under fishing agreements negotiated by the European Union. These ships have been plundering African waters with complete peace of mind since the end of the 1970s.(4)
In addition European tuna fishing depends almost exclusively on the use of the highly controversial ‘fish aggregating devices’ (FADs). FADs are floating rafts that are responsible for the deaths of millions of immature tuna each year, which never get the chance to reproduce, as well as vulnerable and rare species such as sea turtles and sharks.(5)
With our complaint, we are divulging that, as well as destroying sealife, these highly subsidised fishing vessels operate with complete disregard for the law.
Example of four French vessels regularly switching off their AIS in the Atlantic Ocean. For instance, the STERENN (in blue), a tuna purse seiner belonging to the Compagnie française du thon océanique (CFTO), which disappears from radar the majority of the time. For ease of interpretation, this map only covers a few months for each of the vessels (see legend), not the entire period covered by our study, nor all the vessels concerned.
Total impunity for tuna fishers
This complaint echoes our report “Eyes wide shut”(6) released on the 6th of March 2023, in which we highlighted French Government’s total failure to enforce regulations for tuna vessels. This lack of oversight is why the European Commission opened an infringement procedure against France in June 2021, under Control Regulation 1224/2009 “establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy”.(7)
Today, we are providing further proof of the total impunity enjoyed by European industrial fishers: they undermine the environmental ambitions of democratic processes, destroy nature and coastal economies, trample on the law, and are never held to account by an administration that is complicit in their misdeeds.
A series of scandals revealed by BLOOM
These new revelations — based on an analysis of nearly four million lines of data supplied by the company Spire Global(8) — are irrefutable and add to the long list of misconducts carried out by European tropical tuna fishing fleets.
Since November 2022, we have revealed multiple scandals, highlighting the incredible power of French and Spanish business interests and their political allies to destroy life, the climate and democracy:
On 14 November 2022, BLOOM and ANTICOR warned of a case of transfer between the public and private sectors that was causing a clear conflict of interest in the tuna fishing sector.(9) The matter was referred to the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF), which opened an investigation into illegal acquisition of interests on 2 December 2022, which is still ongoing and for which we have given a statement;(10)
At a time when the overall framework for controlling fishing fleets is being renegotiated at a European level, this defector’s mission is crystal clear: to obtain an appalling change in the ‘margin of tolerance’, which would enable the European tuna fishing industry to massively increase its official catches and legitimise years of illegal catches and tax evasion;
In 2015, France indeed granted an exemption to its tuna vessels, allowing them to exceed the regulatory ‘margin of tolerance’, which is why the European Commission opened infringement proceedings against France. Despite the deadlines having long passed and our repeated reminders, the European Commission is refusing, for the time being, to go any further and bring a case against France before the Court of Justice of the European Union. For its part, BLOOM has appealed to the Council of State to have the circular repealed;(11)
The infringement proceedings initiated by the European Commission were also prompted by France’s failure to monitor its tuna fleets. On 6 March, we published an unprecedented analysis showing that the French government had set absolutely no concrete control objectives for its tuna fisheries in 2022 and 2023. Following a favourable opinion from the Commission d’accès aux documents administratifs (Commission for access to administrative documents), we took the case to the Paris Administrative Court to demand transparency and enjoin the French administration to provide us with data on the French tuna fleets (satellite locations, monitoring data, etc.);(12)
In parallel with this sequence of regulations at the European level, another political sequence, this time in the Indian Ocean, has highlighted the hypocrisy of the European Union in African waters, where it is protecting, at all costs, the destructive practices of a handful of French and Spanish companies, in complete contradiction with the opening of its infringement proceedings against France;(13)
A few days before a crucial meeting of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) held in Mombasa (Kenya) from 3 to 5 February, BLOOM published a shocking report highlighting the influence of lobbyists within official European Union delegations throughout twenty years of negotiations on tropical tuna in Africa, between 2002 and 2022. “The EU under the rule of tuna lobbies” highlights, for the first time and in data, the overwhelming dominance of industrial lobbies at the heart of public representation;(14)
While a historic resolution was adopted by the IOTC, instituting an annual 72-day ban on ‘fish aggregating devices’ (FADs), we revealed that the European Commission tried everything to sabotage the negotiations. They threatened Kenya, the historic spearhead of the fight against FADs, with the withdrawal of development aid if they continued to demand constraints that penalised European fishers. Our report “Lining up the ducks” explains how French and Spanish industrial interests lined up their political pawns;(15)
On 11 April 2023, the European Commission formally lodged its objection with the IOTC secretariat so that the resolution would not apply to its vessels,(16) and three days later, France — which has an extra seat on the IOTC thanks to its ‘Iles Éparses’ (a few uninhabited islets in the Mozambique Channel) — did the same.(17) To date, eight objections have been lodged, following relentless lobbying by the European Commission and the tuna lobbies. The resolution only applies to four European-owned vessels out of the fifty or so active in the area. The objective is simple: to reach 11 objections, the threshold that would allow the resolution to be cancelled outright;
On 11 May 2023, BLOOM lodged two appeals with the European Commission and the French Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGAMPA) to request the withdrawal of these disgraceful objections.(18) If these informal requests were to be refused, we could reserve the right to lodge contentious appeals, with the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Conseil d’État to have these objections withdrawn.
Justice as the only horizon… of justice!
Throughout this campaign, we have found nothing but closed doors as far as political leaders are concerned. Afraid of having to explain this disastrous situation: the French Permanent Representation has never found the time to receive us; the same goes for the European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius, and his Director-General Charlina Vitcheva, despite having been sought out for several months.
We have therefore pinned our hopes on justice to put an end to the exceptions enjoyed by tuna fishers, on the fringes of the law and the rule of law.
The willful blindness of governments and European institutions to the malpractices of a handful of industrialists has led us to take legal action once again. By reporting the widespread extinction of AIS beacons by French tuna vessels, we are continuing the fight against these illegal practices and the unprecedented impunity enjoyed by industrial fishers.
At a time when biodiversity is collapsing and climate change is a matter of urgency, it is high time that the Member States and European institutions started to protect public interest and common goods, rather than calling for a break on environmental constraints.
On Tuesday 30 May 2023, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament agreed, after five years of negotiations and amendments, on a revision of the Control Regulation dating from 2009.(19)
From the little information we have received, there is unfortunately little doubt that the French and Spanish tuna vessels have been fully satisfied, and our latest revelations clearly show that France is still very ostensibly letting its tropical tuna fleet do as it pleases, without any constraints. We encourage the European Commission to summon up the courage to take France to the European Court of Justice without further delay. Adopting regulations is not enough; they must be implemented.
REFERENCES
(1) The provisions relating to automatic ship identification systems are set out in regulation V/19 of the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, known as the “SOLAS Convention”, itself supplemented by the regulations of the International Maritime Organisation, in particular paragraph 22 of Resolution A.1106 (29). These provisions have also been codified at European Union level. Article 10 of European Regulation 1224/2009 states: “In accordance with Annex II Part I point 3 of the Directive 2002/59/EC, a fishing vessel exceeding 15 metres’ length overall shall be fitted with and maintain in operation an automatic iden tification system which meets the performance standards drawn up by the International Maritime Organisation according to chapter V, Regulation 19, section 2.4.5 of the 1974 SOLAS Convention”.
(2) For each of the French vessels, we identified between 20 and 61 AIS beacon extinctions of more than 48 hours, for a total of 308 to 591 days.
(8) Spire Global is the world leader in satellite vessel tracking. Their data is used, among other things, by the Global Fishing Watch platform (https://globalfishingwatch.org).
Chronic underfunding over the past decade, and resultant severe austerity measures, mean UNRWA is already operating with a $75 million shortfall, putting its lifesaving programmes across the Middle East at risk.
“As I address you today, I do not have the funds to keep our schools, health centres and other services running as of September,” Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told a pledging conference at UN Headquarters in New York.
UNRWA was established in 1949 as a temporary agency to provide aid to Palestinians following mass displacement from land that became Israel, making it one of the first UN humanitarian operations.
Today, nearly six million people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, depend on its services, which are almost entirely funded by voluntary contributions. Nearly a third of registered Palestine refugees live in camps.
UNRWA is seeking $1.6 billion for its operations this year. Mr. Lazzararini said an additional $75 million is urgently needed to provide food for over a million people in Gaza. Another $30 million is required to maintain cash and food assistance to 600,000 people in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
Despite its essential role, “we allow UNRWA to remain trapped in financial limbo,” he said in remarks delivered by his Chef de Cabinet, Courtenay Rattray.
The UN chief was also deeply concerned that some of the largest and most reliable donors have indicated that they might be reducing their support.
“Let’s be clear: UNRWA is on the verge of financial collapse. The consequences of further budget cuts would be catastrophic,” he warned.
UNRWA Student Parliamentarian Ahmad Abu Daqqa from the Gaza Strip addresses the 2023 UNRWA Pledging Conference.
Finding hope in education
More than a half a million young Palestinians are enrolled in UNRWA schools, two of whom made impassioned pleas at the pledging conference.
Ahmad Abu Daqqa attends a boys’ school in the Gaza Strip, where a blockade has been in place for more than 15 years.
“We, the students of the Gaza Strip, seek hope amidst despair,” he said, conveying a message from his peers. “We only find it in education and learning, despite the numerous difficulties and obstacles we face, like living in a conflict and war zone.”
UNRWA Student Parliamentarian Leen Sharqawi addresses the UNRWA Pledging Conference in New York.
UNRWA students are proud of their education, heritage and culture, added Leen Sharqawi, 15, who attends a girls’ school in Jordan. They also have big dreams.
“We are not just Palestine refugees,” she said. “We are children who dream of becoming global citizens and who want to help the world become a better place. Good education is what will allow us to do this.”
In a statement on Friday, the experts said that emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence-based biometric surveillance systems, are increasingly being used “in sensitive contexts”, without individuals’ knowledge or consent
“Urgent and strict regulatory red lines are needed for technologies that claim to perform emotion or gender recognition,” said the experts, who include Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism.
The Human Rights Council-appointed experts condemned the already “alarming” use and impacts of spyware and surveillance technologies on the work of human rights defenders and journalists, “often under the guise of national security and counter-terrorism measures”.
They also called for regulation to address the lightning-fast development of generative AI that’s enabling mass production of fake online content which spreads disinformation and hate speech.
Real world consequences
The experts stressed the need to ensure that these systems do not further expose people and communities to human rights violations, including through the expansion and abuse of invasive surveillance practices that infringe on the right to privacy, facilitate the commission of gross human rights violations, including enforced disappearances, and discrimination.
They also expressed concern about respect for freedoms of expression, thought, peaceful protest, and for access to essential economic, social and cultural rights, and humanitarian services.
“Specific technologies and applications should be avoided altogether where the regulation of human rights complaints is not possible,” the experts said.
The experts also expressed concern that generative AI development is driven by a small group of powerful actors, including businesses and investors, without adequate requirements for conducting human rights due diligence or consultation with affected individuals and communities.
And the crucial job of internal regulation through content moderation, is often performed by individuals in situations of labour exploitation, the independent experts noted.
More transparency
“Regulation is urgently needed to ensure transparency, alert people when they encounter synthetic media, and inform the public about the training data and models used,” the experts said.
The experts reiterated their calls for caution about digital technology use in the context of humanitarian crises, from large-scale data collection – including the collection of highly sensitive biometric data – to the use of advanced targeted surveillance technologies.
“We urge restraint in the use of such measures until the broader human rights implications are fully understood and robust data protection safeguards are in place,” they said.
Encryption, privacy paramount
They underlined the need to ensure technical solutions – including strong end-to-end encryption and unfettered access to virtual private networks – and secure and protect digital communications.
“Both industry and States must be held accountable, including for their economic, social, environmental, and human rights impacts,” they said. “The next generation of technologies must not reproduce or reinforce systems of exclusion, discrimination and patterns of oppression.”
Special Rapporteurs and other rights experts are all appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, are mandated to monitor and report on specific thematic issues or country situations, are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.
In a press statement issued late on Friday, the UN Security Council expressed its “deep concern” over the continued clashes, condemning all attacks on civilians, and calling for “rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access throughout Sudan”.
The 15-member body emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire, and reaffirmed it’s backing for the UN transition mission in Sudan, UNITAMS, to continue it work, despite the collapse of political momentum towards the move to civilian rule, that seemed so close just a few months ago.
The statement urged the mission’s “continued engagement, in full accordance with the principles of national ownership.”
The members of the Security Council underlined the need for strengthened international coordination and continued collaboration. They reaffirmed their firm support to African leaders involved in negotiations, and noted the African Union (AU) Roadmap for the Resolution of the Conflict in Sudan.
The Council also called for a resumption of a credible and inclusive political transition process, that takes into account the contributory role of all relevant Sudanese stakeholders.”
Turmoil on the ground
Since the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces began, more than 1.2 million people have been displaced within the already impoverished country, and hundreds of thousands have fled across neighbouring borders. A rising death toll, rampant looting of humanitarian aid, and rising needs for assistance are growing concerns, UN agencies warned.
The situation was “particularly desperate” in Khartoum, where people were fleeing the violence or were unable to leave, said Patrick Elliott, head of operations for Sudan for the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFCR), briefing journalists at the UN in Geneva, who just returned from a visit to Port Sudan.
Tarik Jašarević, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said the numbers being provided from the Ministry of Health were an underestimate of the overall death toll.
Crippled health sector
Many health facilities are simply unable to function, Mr. Jašarević said, also raising concerns for around 20,000 pregnant women who are currently unable to receive pre-natal care.
Some 11 million people are in urgent need of health assistance in Sudan, including more than 2.6 million women and girls of reproductive age who have barely any access to contraception, pregnancy-related services, or treatment programmes for sexually transmitted infections, or response services for sexual violence, which is reported to be rising as the crisis escalates, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
An estimated 260,000 pregnant women in Sudan, including 90,000 expected to give birth in the next three months, could be affected by ongoing fuel shortages and power cuts that have already forced many hospitals to suspend emergency obstetric and neonatal care services, the agency said.
Fuel shortages threaten safe births
“We are running out of fuel,” said Sarah, a midwife at Khartoum’s UN-supported Ombada Hospital. “If the electricity cuts persist, we don’t know how we will be able to assist pregnant women giving birth a week from now.”
The agency is set to distribute 10 metric tonnes of life-saving sexual and reproductive health supplies to hospitals and health facilities, and could expand its pilot project to provide solar power, launched in 2022 in several hospitals in Sudan, to health centres in Khartoum, providing round-the-clock electricity for maternity wards, operating rooms, blood bank refrigerators, incubators, and medicine storage facilities.
Midwives at a UNFPA-supported hospital in Sudan before the crisis destroyed at least two out of three hospitals. (file)
UN food agency condemns looters
The World Food Programme (WFP) condemned on Friday the looting of humanitarian supplies at its distribution hub in south-central Sudan on Thursday, adding to $60 million in assets stolen since the start of the crisis in mid-April.
“This theft of humanitarian food and assets totally undermines these operations at a critical time for the people of Sudan,” the UN agency said. “This must stop.”
The WFP warehouses in El Obeid host one of the agency’s largest logistics bases in Africa and represents a “vital lifeline” for operations in Sudan and South Sudan, according to the agency.
“Millions will be impacted by this attack,” the agency warned, adding that initial reports suggest that food and nutrition supplies, vehicles, fuel, and generators have been looted in the most recent incident.
Since violence erupted, armed groups have attacked and looted WFP and partners’ storage facilities on multiple occasions and aid workers have been killed or injured, the agency said.
The ongoing violence could lead an estimated 2.5 million people in Sudan to “slip into hunger in the coming months”, the agency added.
Warning that acute food insecurity in Sudan could reach record levels, affecting more than 19 million people or 40 per cent of the population, WFP reiterated calls to all parties to the conflict to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian assistance, aid workers, and assets so that the agency’s life-saving work can move forward.
‘Fearlessly’ providing support
Mr. Elliott, of the IFCR, said a team had been established to support the Sudanese Red Crescent, which have been mobilizing daily to help those in need. Emphasizing the bravery of volunteers, who are “fearlessly” providing local support, he said an emergency funding appeal and reports of rising malnutrition were also among grave concerns.
While funding is yet to materialize to address the immediate needs in Khartoum and surrounding areas, he reported good cooperation between UN agencies who continue to reach communities in local areas and provide them with support.
Outside of Khartoum, volunteers were working with communities of internally displaced persons, he said.
However, in Port Sudan, the levels of malnutrition are significant, he added.
Security Council considers UN mission renewal
The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet on Friday afternoon to consider the Secretary-General’s latest reports on the country and take action on the potential renewal of the mandate of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).
The 15-member Council had established the special political mission in 2020 for an initial year to assist Sudan, then had renewed it annually. The UN Mission mandate is set to expire on Saturday.
In Port Sudan, emergency food packages are distributed to people fleeing fighting in Khartoum.
