Latest news with #Currie
Scoop
5 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Nauru Could Earn Millions After Backing US Deep Sea Mining Pathway
, RNZ Pacific Senior Journalist Nauru is a step closer to mining in international waters under highly contentious United States legislation. The path has been set out in the nation's new agreement with Canadian mining group The Metals Company (TMC) and sits outside international law. News of it comes as delegates from around the world have gathered in Jamaica at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) - the world's deep sea mining authority. Nauru is among the body's 170 members and has special rights to a deep sea mining area of the Pacific Ocean in international waters under international oceans law. This area is known as the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ). The ISA's jurisdiction of the CCZ has effectively been challenged by the US, which has claimed its own authority over deep sea mining in international waters through its high seas mining legislation. Nauru has had ambitions to mine in the CCZ for more than a decade. Since 2011, it has partnered with TMC to explore its block of the area for deep sea mining potential. However, after more than a decade of research, TMC has become frustrated by its inability to gain a commercial mining licence through the ISA because the body has not finished developing a mining code. The process began in 2014 and is ongoing. Now, it has backed the US claim as a deep sea mining authority, and international environmental lawyer Duncan Currie of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition said it was pulling Nauru with it. The company, he said, had effectively incentivised Nauru to mine under the US pathway and break international law through the terms of its new contract. These included provisions for millions of dollars in payments to Nauru as well as an option to buy shares in TMC once deep sea mining occurred through US legislation. "[The contract specifically] states [Nauru] will be paid set amounts once the company does engage in seabed mining under the US regime. And it's a significant amount of money. It can be initial payments of US$265 million and can go up to US$515m. "And then on top of that, there are what's called share warrants, which is the ability for Nauru to buy into The Metals Company at a favourable price," Currie said. Meanwhile, potential payment amounts available through the ISA pathway, should mining occur, have been removed from the public version of the new contract. Currie believes it would be a fraction of what had been offered through the US pathway. At the ISA meeting in Jamaica, delegates have raised concerns over the conduct of TMC and the US. While Nauru's new contract had not come up in official sessions, Currie said it was being heavily discussed on the "sidelines" and "in corridors". "France, in particular, referred to what they called the elephant in the room. Then they changed it to a blue whale in the room. "[The contract] basically incentivises countries to breach international law frankly, and it could lead to other countries saying: 'Well, this looks good. We'll do the same thing.' So that's really why it's giving delegates concern. And of course, this kind of rogue mining - which it really would be - poses enormous risks to the deep seabed." The ISA said it would not comment on the contract, and the US agency in charge of deep sea mining - the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - referred RNZ Pacific's request to TMC and Nauru. Neither responded. Thirty-seven countries support a moratorium on deep sea mining in international waters. The practice has divided the Pacific. Supporters include Nauru, Tonga and the Cook Islands, while Fiji, Vanuatu and New Zealand were against it. 'We all belong to the same ocean' - activist Indigenous rights advocate Solomon Kaho'ohalahala was at the ISA meeting for Hawaiian NGO Maui Nui Makai network. He wanted Nauru and mining supporters to consider the whole region. "I want to remind these nation states that we all belong to the same ocean, and that any of their activities that may be detrimental to that ocean is going to have an impact on all of us," he said. Ultimately, Duncan Currie said, Nauru had been backed into a corner in this contract. No amount of money or compensation would fix that, he said, particularly as the country stood to lose a lot. "Nauru, by entering into this agreement, has placed itself well outside international law. "Quite honestly, it is The Metals Company wanting a quick return, and Nauru is left there really getting what they can," Currie said. The new contract between Nauru and TMC is dated 29 May. According to online records of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, it was filed with the agency on 4 June.
The Herald Scotland
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
'Life & joy & swearing' - Del Amitri tour diary is unexpected thrill
New Modern, £22 August 28 This summer is a good one for music memoirs from ageing pop stars. As well as The Absence, Budgie's account of his life in Siouxsie and the Banshees there's also Kevin Rowland's self-flagellating memoir about his time in Dexys Midnight Runners (Bless Me Father, Ebury Spotlight, £25). But if you can wait until the end of August it's worth considering The Tremolo Diaries. At first glance it might not seem promising - a tour diary of Justin Currie's band Del Amitri as they schlep around America alongside Semisonic and Barenaked Ladies, and then around the UK and Europe in support of Simple Minds (who come out of this account very well, it has to be said). But there's much more to this than an ageing musician's grumbling about bad hotels and bad food. Because in these pages Currie is coming to terms with his own Parkinson's diagnosis - what he calls the Ghastly Affliction; his tremor, meanwhile, is named Gavin - while also dealing with the fact that the love of his life is now in a care home. Read more And yet for all the pain and fear and heartache in these pages, it's also full of life and joy and copious swearing. I laughed out loud more than once. Currie is realistic about his condition but not maudlin about it and he has retained his very Scottish ability to be entertainingly angry at things that annoy him. The result is a thrill of a book and a great marker for new music publisher New Modern. Oh, and if BBC Scotland ever wants to make a programme that people might actually want to watch, just send Justin and a camera crew around the art galleries of Europe. His art criticism here is by turns caustic and funny. He has all the potential to be TV's new Sister Wendy.
Hamilton Spectator
14-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
S&P/TSX composite hits new highs, U.S. markets up amid trade uncertainty
TORONTO - Canada's main stock index closed at a record high on Monday on strength in industrials and technology, while U.S. markets also rose. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 175.60 points at 27,198.85. U.S. stock indexes hung near their records on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump's latest updates to his tariff plans, as speculation continues on Wall Street that he may ultimately back down. The S&P 500 edged up to pull within 0.2 per cent of its all-time high set on Thursday, finishing the day up 8.81 points at 6,268.56. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 88.14 points at 44,459.65, while the Nasdaq composite was up 54.80 points at 20,640.33. Trump announced plans over the weekend for 30 per cent tariffs on goods from Mexico and the European Union. They won't take effect until Aug. 1, the same date that Trump announced last week for updated tax rates on imports from Japan, South Korea and other countries — including Canada. 'Over the weekend, we heard the U.S. administration was talking about tariffs again. Which in the old days used to get people riled up,' said Michael Currie, senior investment adviser at TD Wealth. He added that it's important to note that many market-watchers aren't expecting tariffs to disappear, but there is 'more of a sense' that there will be negotiations and deals will occur. The latest postponements for Trump's tariffs allow more time for him to reach trade deals with other countries that could lower the rates and prevent some pain for international trade. They also feed into speculation that Trump may ultimately back down on his tariffs if they end up creating too much damage for the economy and for financial markets. 'About two (or) three months ago, when the U.S. came out and announced a certain amount of tariffs, instantly the EU was saying, 'Here's our counter tariffs.' And this time, they just said, 'No counter tariffs, let's just chat and negotiate,' Currie said. 'So it's a very, very different sentiment out there.' As the tech sector helped to power the TSX to new highs, shares of Thomson Reuters Corp. finished 7.74 per cent higher. Currie said it was unclear what was driving the share moves, since the Toronto-based company isn't scheduled to report earnings until Aug. 6. 'I'll just take it as very happy positive news, driving the TSX up, and it's a very widely held retail stock,' he said. Companies are also lining up to report how they performed during the spring. J.P. Morgan Chase and several other major U.S. banks will report their latest quarterly results on Tuesday. The Canadian dollar traded for 73.03 cents US compared with 73.08 cents US on Friday. The August crude oil contract was down US$1.47 at US$66.98 per barrel. The August gold contract was down US$4.90 at US$3,359.10 an ounce. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 14, 2025. — With files from The Associated Press. Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD, TSX: TRI)
San Francisco Chronicle
13-07-2025
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
Life expectancy for Californians still lower than before COVID — here's why
Life expectancy for Californians has yet to rebound to pre-pandemic levels, and is still nearly one year shorter than it was before COVID-19, new research shows. In 2024, life expectancy for Californians was 80.54 years — 0.86 years less than the 81.4 it was in 2019, according to the study, published Wednesday in JAMA. Prior to the start of the pandemic, life expectancy in the state had been rising steadily; it fell sharply in 2020 (to 79.3) and 2021 (to 78.48) before rising again in 2022 (79.56) and 2023 (80.28). But the 2024 data suggest that this progress is flatlining — a sign that COVID continues to have lingering effects on population-level health, despite the fact that it is no longer top of mind for most people. 'The reason why that's important is that the pandemic is still having effects on our health, even though everyone may have mentally moved on and wants to forget about it,' said study co-author Janet Currie, a professor of economics at Yale. 'It's still with us.' The analysis, led by researchers at Yale, Northwestern, UCLA and Virginia Commonwealth University, used preliminary California data for 2024. National life expectancy data for 2024 is not yet available. In California, 2024 marked the first time since the pandemic began that drug overdoses and cardiovascular disease both accounted for a greater share of the life expectancy decline than COVID. Drug overdoses accounted for 20% of the overall life expectancy decline, cardiovascular disease accounted for 16%, and COVID accounted for 13%. That is the largest proportion of decline attributed to cardiovascular disease in several years. The rise in cardiovascular-related deaths, which include deaths from heart attacks and stroke, is 'puzzling,' Currie said. Some of it could be due to people not seeking health care during the early stretches of the pandemic, such as those who avoided the hospital even when they were having a heart attack or stroke, for fear of the virus. It may also be linked to rising obesity rates or long COVID, the latter of which can lead to inflammation and can be associated with higher rates of heart disease. Drug overdoses skyrocketed during the pandemic but declined between 2023 and 2024 — accounting for 36% and 20% of the life expectancy drop, respectively. 'That's a piece of good news,' Currie said. COVID has accounted for less and less of the life expectancy drop over time. In 2021, it accounted for 62% of the deficit. That fell to 36% in 2022, 16% in 2023 and 13% in 2024, the study found. Out of all racial and ethnic groups, Hispanic residents experienced the biggest drop in life expectancy during COVID — more than five years, from 82.55 in 2019 to 77.37 in 2021 — but also rebounded relatively quickly in 2022 and 2023. Asian residents continue to have the highest life expectancy — 85.51 years in 2024, compared to 81.11 for Hispanic residents, 79.94 for white residents and 73.42 for Black residents. Economists study life expectancy because how long people expect to live impacts how much they need to save for retirement. And federal programs like Social Security and Medicare must factor in life expectancy when estimating costs. Life expectancy in the U.S. improved significantly over the 20th century, Currie noted. Those gains happened in spurts thanks to advances like clean water, the development of antibiotics, major innovations in treating heart disease and cancer, and improvements in preventing infant mortality.
Hamilton Spectator
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Coaching with Heart
Woodstock's Jordan Currie Named Hockey N.B. Volunteer of the Year Before the Hockey New Brunswick Volunteer of the Year award, before the packed rinks and post-game chats, Jordan Currie was just a teenager fresh out of high school, saying yes to a coaching offer in Florenceville-Bristol. Currie began coaching in 2017 as a coach for the Western Valley Female Minor Hockey Association, working with a younger-level team in the Florenceville-Bristol area. He had played his whole life and was asked if he wanted to coach. 'They asked if I had any interest in doing it, and I said I would be interested in helping out, and then it turned into me becoming the head coach, and it just kind of grew from there,' said Currie. Between practices and games in the evenings and on busy weekends, Currie's role has required him to spend a significant amount of time away from his family. However, Currie says he's fortunate that the teams he has been a part of have welcomed his wife, Kaitly, and their four kids with open arms. 'My kids enjoyed hanging out with the players on the teams a lot, and the players we had always made my kids feel like a part of the teams,' said Currie. Following the announcement, Kaitlyn had been aware of her husband's nomination when the nominator, Sean Kimball, reached out for background information on Currie's coaching career. When the news broke, Currie says his wife was 'super happy.' Kaitlyn expressed how 'beyond proud' she was of her husband. Since 2017, Currie has coached around 100 kids. He cherished the relationships he had formed with each one. Watching them grow both as people and as players. 'Whether they're making jokes at you when you're leaving the rink (3:14) or when you're at the rink. Seeing the kids, and how much they've developed from the start of the year to the end of the year. That's definitely 100% the best part,' said Currie. Since winning, Currie feels even more supported and confident in his role, which relieves him of any pressure to outdo himself. He is fortunate to have made a large number of friends over the past eight years and to have learned a great deal from his fellow coaches. 'Without them, I definitely don't think I would have enjoyed it as much as I have and will hopefully continue to do so,' said Currie. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
