Lebanon water system on verge of total collapse, says UN

By Ghazi Balkiz, Ben Wedeman and Kareem Khadder, CNN 
© Hussein Malla/AP A man rides his scooter with empty water bottles to fill them with gasoline, in Beirut, on June 23, 2021.

Lebanon's water supply system is on the verge of total collapse, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in what would mark the latest development in the eastern Mediterranean country's slide into chaos.

More than 71% of the country's population -- over 4 million people including 1 million refugees -- are at immediate risk of losing access to safe water, UNICEF said on Friday.

Water pumping is expected to gradually cease across the country in the next four to six weeks, due to shortages in funding, fuel and other supplies such as chlorine and spare parts, according to the UN agency. Rampant fuel shortages in recent weeks have seen large parts of Lebanon's economy grind to a halt.

"A loss of access to the public water supply could force households to make extremely difficult decisions regarding their basic water, sanitation and hygiene needs," said Yukie Mokuo, UNICEF's representative in Lebanon.

Lebanon is mired in financial and political crisis that the World Bank has described as one of the three worst economic disasters since the mid-19th century. Its GDP per capita has contracted by around 40%, and more than 50% of the population has likely slipped under the poverty line.

"Such a brutal and rapid contraction is usually associated with conflicts or wars," said the World Bank in its June 2021 report. In the fall of 2020, the World Bank dubbed Lebanon's financial crisis a "deliberate depression" -- the first time the group ever used the term to describe a crisis, and a swipe at a ruling elite that has done little to stem the financial tailspin.

Lebanon has been without a government for nearly a year. Last week, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri abandoned his bid to head a rescue administration, nearly nine months after he was tasked with forming a new cabinet.

The move pushed Lebanon into deeper uncertainty, causing its sinking currency to further plummet in a sharp 24-hour decline.

The European Union has threatened to impose sanctions on the country's sectarian leadership for failing to break its political stalemate, which put Hariri and his arch-rival President Michel Aoun at loggerheads. Earlier this month, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters he plans to create a legal framework for the legal penalties by the end of July.

Lebanon's health sector, reeling from the aftermath of a deadly second wave of Covid, has also been dealt a blow by rapid infrastructural decay. Hospitals have repeatedly warned about imminent power cuts, as they tackle rampant shortages in medicines, baby milk formula and basic goods in recent months.

The country's currency has been in freefall since a popular uprising against Lebanon's ruling elite gripped the country in October 2019 and has lost more than 95% of its value in less than two years.

In less than two weeks, Lebanon will mark a year since a huge explosion in Beirut port, which was largely blamed on government neglect, devastated the capital, killing more than 200 people and injuring thousands.

Thailand: Critics fear crackdown under COVID emergency powers

A deadly new surge of coronavirus infections has rocked the country, but critics fear emergency powers are being abused to curb criticism of the government rather than the virus itself.


Thai police have faced off against anti-government protesters with water cannons and tear gas

Repeated extensions of Thailand's emergency legislation have granted Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha sweeping powers to curb the spread of COVID-19, but critics have warned that these present a risk to civil liberties.

"The emergency decree... has granted the prime minister broad powers... and has threatened the right to freedom of expression and access to information which is an integral component of the right to health, especially in the context of a global pandemic," Josef Benedict, a researcher at the global civil society alliance CIVICUS Monitor, told DW.

While Thailand was largely successful in containing the pandemic for much of last year, it is now facing a surge in coronavirus cases and a rising death toll. Hospitals are under severe strain.

New daily infections in the Southeast Asian country have surpassed 10,000 for six consecutive days. Thai authorities reported a record 13,655 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday.

In addition to the mounting public disapproval of the government's handling of the pandemic, there are concerns about its renewed efforts to counter fake news related to the outbreak. Critics fear that Prayut's administration will use the emergency to further restrict freedom of expression and of the media.

"Attempts by the Thai authorities to crackdown on misinformation and 'fake news' on social media seem to be a cover for repressive actions against those who are critical online of the government's handling of the pandemic rather than about protecting health," Benedict said.
Spreading the truth now punishable

On July 10, the government amended clauses in the emergency decree on free speech, banning the sharing of information that could incite public fear or spur unrest with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic, even if the information is accurate.

Has Thailand's mass vaccination drive come too late?

Human rights group Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw) pointed out that the term "fake" has been dropped from the new order, meaning the distribution of any information deemed to incite fear — regardless of its veracity — could be punished with prison time or a fine.

The move has raised concerns about how the authorities will interpret and enforce the new law, which could give them free rein to crack down on opponents.

"Thai authorities must address COVID-19 through measures that are human rights compliant, using restrictions only as long as they are proportionate, temporary and clearly limited to what is necessary to protect public health," said Ming Yu Hah, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for Campaigns.

"People should be able to comment freely on social media about the government's response to the COVID-19 crisis without any fear of facing criminal charges," she added.
Misinformation or scrutiny?

Vague wording that leaves legal interpretation up to the Thai authorities is nothing new.

"Phrases like 'distortions', 'causes panic' and 'undermines morals' have been part of Thai political discourse for decades and highlight the authoritarian tendencies of its leaders," James Buchanan, a researcher on Thai politics, told DW.

Bangkok's usually busy roads fell silent at the beginning of Thailand's new lockdown that came into force on July 12

While misinformation online about the pandemic is an issue that needs addressing, Buchanan questions what the aim of the law is and whether it may end up hampering the fight against COVID-19.

"The risk is that a lot of the genuine misinformation that may undermine public health efforts is ignored while new legislation is abused to silence dissenting voices and enable the authorities to escape scrutiny over its handling of the pandemic," Buchanan said.
Continued campaign against civic freedoms

Thailand has a sweeping range of laws to regulate online content. Human rights groups have criticized the government for abusing legislation to restrict people's basic liberties of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.

The Computer Crime Act, which was introduced in 2007, for example, is "an overly broad piece of legislation that has since been amended to make it even more repressive," according to Buchanan.

"Since the military coup in 2014, we have seen an all-out assault on civic freedoms in Thailand under the Prayut regime with the introduction of a range of restrictive laws being used to stifle dissent and criminalize activists, the targeting of the opposition, a systematic crackdown on protests with the police using excessive and unlawful force and recent attempts to push through a restrictive NGO law to control civil society," Benedict told DW.

Pro-democracy protesters returned to the streets in June after a surge in coronavirus infections forced them to take a break

Protesters met with force

In defiance of the new rules banning gatherings of more than five people, pro-democracy protesters marched to Government House on Sunday to call for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's resignation. They were met with water cannons and riot police armed with tear gas and rubber bullets.

It was the latest in a series of anti-government protests held in recent weeks amid mounting public frustration over the rising number of infections and the devastating effects of the pandemic on Thailand's economy.

"Attempts to stifle freedom of expression are the regime's way of trying to maintain control of an old political order that seems to be crumbling around them," Buchanan explained.

"When you add the pandemic situation into that equation, I can see why the Thai elites might be panicking," he added.

BHP signs conditional port services deal for Canada potash mine

TORONTO (Reuters) - BHP Group has reached conditional agreement with a unit of Westshore Terminals Investment Corp for port services for the global miner's proposed Jansen potash mine in Canada, the terminal operator said late on Thursday, moving the project closer to fruition

.

© Reuters/CHRIS HELGREN FILE PHOTO: Visitors to the BHP booth speak with representatives during the PDAC convention in Toronto

The port agreement is subject to approval by BHP's board and conditional on it moving ahead with Jansen's first phase, Westshore said in a release.


The world's biggest listed miner has estimated Jansen would cost up to $5.7 billion in its first phases.

The project in Canada's Saskatchewan province offers diversification into agricultural markets given that potash is a key element in plant nutrition that also makes crops more drought resistant.

Last month BHP said it would present its board with a decision on whether to move ahead with Jansen after choosing between two port options.

"If the Jansen project does proceed, the agreement requires Westshore to handle potash for BHP for a term to 2051, subject to extension," Westshore said.

Under the agreement, Vancouver-based Westshore would construct infrastructure to handle potash at Westshore’s Roberts Bank Terminal by 2026, with BHP funding the construction.

The pact would become binding on BHP if it announces a final decision to proceed with Jansen's first stage, Westshore said.

(Reporting by Jeff Lewis; editing by Jason Neely)

Hungary's LGBTQ community: 'We are afraid of losing everything'

Hungary's anti-LGBTQ legislation has raised the specter of censorship for many who work in the culture branch. Some people even plan to leave the country.



Protests took place in Budapest to oppose curtailing LGBTQ rights

Over the past months, Boldizsar Nagy has had to grapple with things he never expected. He was never anyone "special," the journalist and children's book editor said — certainly not a household name, as he is today.

When he and his team published a fairy tale book titled Meseorszag mindenkie, or Wonderland Belongs to Everyone, in 2020, he expected no more than a few reviews in the papers. He was wrong: A right-wing politician shredded the book live on camera because it included gay men and lesbians, transgender people and Roma. Hungary's chancellery minister slammed the book as "homosexual propaganda."

Nagy still receives daily death threats on social media. He is gay. He says he looks over his shoulder when he goes out, especially at night. He no longer feels safe.

"This is my new reality," he told DW. With a shy gesture, he points out his ring. He and his partner have been in a registered civil partnership for five years. They want to adopt a child, but the authorities have kept putting obstacles in their way. For this reason they had already decided to leave the country, Nagy says, declining to add where they plan to go.

Hungarian editor Boldizsar Nagy plans to move to a new country

Referendum announced

Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing nationalist government has been toughening its stance on the LGBTQ community for quite some time.

In May 2020, lawmakers passed a law banning trans people from changing their gender, and, in December, they enacted a constitutional amendment stipulating that "the mother is a woman, the father is a man." Recent legislation also makes it virtually impossible for same-sex couples to adopt children.

This June, parliament passed a purported child protection act that prohibits the "portrayal and promotion" of homosexuality and sex to minors in general.

Faced with ongoing outrage and widespread criticism, Orban announced on Wednesday that he will hold a referendum on the law, all the while urging the population to support it.
'Will they ban Shakespeare?'

The EU has voiced its opposition to the law, but it is also controversial within Hungary. People who work in the culture sector are particularly concerned about arbitrary censorship measures.

"Do they want to close art exhibitions and libraries now? Do they want to ban Shakespeare in schools because there are gay characters in it?" wondered Kriszta Szekely, director at Budapest's Jozsef Katona Theater.

The law is hurtful, the artist, who is lesbian, told DW. "It's like they're saying, 'Stay hidden, stay unnoticed, and just be happy that we let you live like this.'" She fears artists will self-censor in the future or that they could be fined if they don't comply with the new law.

Earlier this month, Lira Konyv, Hungary's second-largest bookstore, was fined the equivalent of €700 ($824) because, according to the authorities, customers were not adequately warned about a book showing a family with same-sex parents. The book should have come with a notice stating that its "content deviates from the norm," the government agency said.

To try to avoid having to pay fines in the future, Lira Konyv, which is against the new law, has placed a warning to that effect at the entrance of all its stores. The sign's wording says the store content deviates from "the traditional."

Customer warning in a bookstore in Budapest: "In this bookstore we also sell books with content that is different from traditional ones"

Disclaimers and customer warnings

Andras Urogdi, the CEO of Pagony, Hungary's largest chain of children's bookstores, refuses to put up customer warnings in his 11 stores. "Of course we will not start censoring books on the Hungarian market now," Urogdi told DW.

He pointed to the law's vague wording, explaining that it is almost impossible to implement in practice. But this is not the only reason why almost the entire Hungarian book market firmly rejects the law, he added. "The term censorship has a very bad connotation in Hungary when you think of the 40 years of Soviet dictatorship," he said. "Anything even remotely resembling censorship sets alarm bells ringing among Hungarian booksellers."

"Do you fear for your child because of homosexual propaganda?" the poster in Budapest reads

Urogdi recalls what happened when he, too, had Wonderland Belongs to Everyone on his bookshelves: harassment in the form of emails and phone calls, "disgusting" posters stuck to the walls of his stores.

At the time, people hostile to LGBTQ communities — and to books merely mentioning such communities — had no legal basis to harass bookstores and publishers, Urogdi said. "But now, because of this incoherent and incomprehensible law, they can go from bookstore to bookstore and report them to the authorities. And that's very, very disturbing."
Worldwide solidarity

People involved in Hungary's culture scene seem to have resigned themselves to the situation. Many are even thinking of leaving the country, especially LGBTQ people. "With this law, anything can happen. We are afraid of losing everything," Nagy says.

Tibor Stefan-Racz, a well-known gay author who frequently addresses LGBTQ issues in his books for young adults, told DW in an email that he plans to "leave the country if Fidesz [Orban's party] wins the elections again in 2022."

In June, thousands took to the streets in Budapest to protest the new law

At the same time, the country's LGBTQ communities can count on international solidarity. The European Commission strongly condemned the law and has launched legal action against Hungary. "Celebrities, actors, artists, and politicians are now more actively advocating for our community than ever before," Szekely said.

"It [the law] unites many people who oppose it. Now we are finally visible," Nagy said, adding that he hopes many people will take to the streets for the Budapest Pride March on July 24.

Meanwhile, the Hungarian government has remained unimpressed by growing opposition to its law and dismissed any criticism as an "international hate campaign against Hungary."

This article has been translated from German.

Lessons on flooding drawn by one filmmaker

Johan Nijenhuis has produced a film and a series focusing on the risk of storms and floods in his native Holland. He tells DW why disaster preparedness was his focal point.



"The flooding in western Europe has created more awareness than any series can"

Dutch film producer Johan Nijenhuis was a 16-year-old exchange student in Los Angeles, California, when he experienced his very first earthquake drill.

"Everybody was instructed what to do when an earthquake hits Los Angeles. All the students had to get under the table. We were told how to feel the aftershock, what to do when the building comes down, and where to gather to meet rescue workers," he explained to DW.

At the time, he wondered aloud how his Californian friends could live their whole life in an area prone to earthquakes. They retorted that he was one to talk, since he hailed from a country where much of its landmass is below sea level.

Nijenhuis time as an exchange student in Los Angeles helped develop his awareness of the need for disaster preparedness

"From their point of view, we're the silly ones. The strange thing is we never train for it. I guess it's the same thing for the German towns that are affected now," Nijenhuis said, referring to the recent deadly floods that devastated swathes of western Germany. "It's never really at the top of our minds what to do when the water comes," he added.
Be prepared — always

It was this reality that inspired him to create and produce both a film and a miniseries that focus on the damage caused by storms and floods.

Preparedness — or the lack of it — was a focal point of his six-part Dutch miniseries called The Swell. The 2016 production imagines what happens when the most powerful storm in history hits the Netherlands and neighboring Belgium. The drama features several storylines: A prime minister contemplating mass evacuations, prison wardens facing agitated inmates in a prison located below sea level, and a family grieving the loss of a child washed away by the waters.

While researching for the miniseries, Nijenhuis stumbled upon some intriguing reports. One was on an emergency drill once conducted by Dutch fire and emergency services that involved evacuating 60 residents of a senior care home. This included immobile residents who had to be evacuated with their beds.

"And they [the emergency services] did a wonderful job. They had the first person out within two hours! So imagine: What would happen if you had to evacuate 60 elderly people? ... You have to get these people out in the proper way."

That drill's outcome contrasts with what happened last week in real-time as floodwaters hit Sinzig, a town in the badly flooded district of Ahrweiler. There, 12 individuals in a home for disabled people drowned because they could not be evacuated in time.

While Nijenhuis hasn't been personally affected by any flood events, he researched flood risks in Amsterdam after his ex-wife, whom he calls a "prepper" — someone who prepares for catastrophic eventualities — suggested they move out of their home to someplace on higher ground.

"I found out that Amsterdam is actually a pretty safe place. The historic center is on high enough ground," he said. Yet very few Dutch know how high their homes are and what flood risks they could face, he added.

German flood victims were largely caught unprepared for the scale of the devastation, and many are now asking why authorities didn't act on an extreme flood warning that was issued early last week by the European Flood Awareness System (EFAS). Professor Hannah Cloke, the hydrologist who set up and advises EFAS, told Politico that the death toll in Germany was "a monumental failure of the system."

"I would have expected people to be evacuating. You don't expect to see so many people dying from floods in 2021," she said.


The capacity of rivers to cause extensive damage was underestimated, such as in the town of Schuld

Art presaging reality

Nijenhuis also produced The Storm in 2009. The film is set against the 1953 North Sea flood that struck the Netherlands, northwest Belgium, England and Scotland. A combination of wind, high tides and low pressure caused the sea to breach most water defenses, resulting in land flooding of up to 5.6 meters (18.4 ft) above sea level.

This led to the construction of the Delta Works in the southwestern Netherlands, an extensive series of devices at the mouths of most estuaries that can be closed in an emergency and prevent flood surges.

"The film [The Storm] was of course inspired by the historic events, but the series [The Swell] is very much inspired by how well we are protected now. When I did research for the series, I found that most people in the Netherlands do worry about the sea flooding the land. But in fact, rivers flooding the land are a far more realistic danger," Nijenhuis said.

Aerial view of a section of the Delta Works, which protects millions against flooding in the southwest of the Netherlands

Climate awareness or unnecessary fear?

Can a series like The Swell, or films and books with similar angles, help create more awareness about climate change, or do they trigger unnecessary fear instead?

Nijenhuis said that going by the reactions he saw on Twitter to the miniseries, "The danger did become real to many people, and the ones who got worried did their research."

However, he said that the recent flooding in western Europe has created far more awareness than any series ever can.

"The fact that climate change is here is something I think 99% of the people of both our countries agree upon and perhaps question in what part human behavior has contributed to it. Climate change is here… it's almost too late to stop it. The thing we should learn now is how can we protect ourselves."
Heed the warnings

Despite producing a film and a series that somehow eerily presaged the current state of affairs in western Europe, Nijenhuis said he is not a pessimist.

He has observed that how people treat the planet changes every 50 years. Transportation, for instance, has transitioned from water-based to land-based methods, he said.

"Same goes for the way we use energy. One hundred years ago, it was coal and wood. And then we changed to gas, and now we have to move to solar panels and maybe nuclear energy. These changes happen every 50 or 100 years, and the same goes for the way we protect ourselves from the water."

This, however, means rethinking where homes should be built. Nijenhuis explained how in the Netherlands, farmers' warnings against building homes too close to bodies of water have sometimes gone unheeded — to the eventual detriment of the homeowners.

"We have to have a good look at where we build houses. From the series, I learned that certain areas will be affected by floods and swells. You can't prevent a floor getting wet now and then; we should only make sure that we don't have tragic deaths when it happens."

Court ends Samoa constitutional deadlock, declares new PM

The HRPP had been in power for nearly 40 years with the 76-year-old Malielegaoi, who claimed he was "appointed by God", spending 22 years as prime minister.

Issued on: 23/07/2021 - 

In May, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa was sworn in as prime minister at a ceremony inside a makeshift tent after her FAST party was locked out of the parliament building

 Keni LESA AFP

Apia (Samoa) (AFP)

A top Samoan court on Friday ended a 15-week constitutional crisis, confirming Fiame Naomi Mata'afa as the Pacific island nation's first woman prime minister.

The country has been in a political deadlock since April, when long-ruling Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi narrowly lost in elections and refused to cede power.

In May, Mata'afa was sworn in at an extraordinary ceremony inside a makeshift tent after her FAST party was locked out of the parliament building.


Samoa's Appeal Court said it did not recognise Malielegaoi's caretaker government, ruling that his Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) was occupying government offices unlawfully.

It also overturned a previous Supreme Court decision that the tent swearing-in was unconstitutional.

"It is now for the new prime minister and her government to give effect to this judgment and the declaration contained within," the Appeal Court said.

"We declare that the swearing in carried out on May 24, 2021 at the Tiafau Malae of elected members of parliament, to be consistent with the terms of the constitution, the supreme law of Samoa, and therefore lawful."

The ruling, which came in response to an appeal by the FAST party, said Samoa now has a lawful government.

"For the avoidance of doubt, this means there has been a lawful government in Samoa since May 24, 2021, and that lawful government is the FAST party which holds the majority of the seats in parliament," the court said.

Samoa's politics have been embroiled in controversy and legal challenges since the election, which ended with Mata'afa's FAST party holding 26 seats -- one more than the HRPP in the 51-seat parliament.

The HRPP had been in power for nearly 40 years with the 76-year-old Malielegaoi, who claimed he was "appointed by God", spending 22 years as prime minister.

© 2021 AFP

Philippines approves GMO 'golden rice' for commercial production

Issued on: 23/07/2021 

'Golden rice' is enriched with the vitamin A precursor beta-carotene to make it more nutritional Handout INTERNATIONAL RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE/AFP

Manila (AFP)

The Philippines became the world's first country Friday to approve the commercial production of genetically modified "golden rice" that experts hope will combat childhood blindness and save lives in the developing world.

A biosafety permit issued by government regulators paves the way for the rice -- enriched with the vitamin A precursor beta-carotene to make it more nutritional -- to be grown by farmers across the country, its developers said.

"It's a really significant step for our project because it means that we are past this regulatory phase and golden rice will be declared as safe as ordinary rice," Russell Reinke of the Philippine-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) told AFP ahead of the announcement.

The next step was to "take our few kilos of seed and multiply it... so it can be made more widely available", he said.

IRRI has spent two decades working with the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute to develop golden rice -- named for its bright yellow hue.

It is the first genetically modified rice approved for commercial propagation in South and Southeast Asia, officials said Friday.

Golden rice has faced strong resistance from environmental groups opposed to genetically altered food plants. At least one test field in the Philippines was attacked by activists.

Despite passing the final regulatory hurdle, the rice is still a way off appearing in food bowls.

"Limited quantities" of seed could start to be distributed to Filipino farmers in selected provinces next year, Reinke said.

Ordinary rice, a staple for hundreds of millions of people particularly in Asia, produces beta-carotene in the plant, but it is not found in the grain.

"The only change that we've made is to produce beta-carotene in the grain," Reinke said.

"The farmers will be able to grow them in exactly the same way as ordinary varieties... it doesn't need additional fertiliser or changes in management and it carries with it the benefit of improved nutrition."

Vitamin A is essential for normal growth and development, the proper functioning of the immune system, and vision.

World Health Organization data show vitamin A deficiency causes up to 500,000 cases of childhood blindness every year, with half of those dying within 12 months of losing their sight.

Nearly 17 percent of children under the age of five in the Philippines are deficient in vitamin A, according to IRRI.

"We've always said we will provide 30-50 percent of that estimated average requirement (of vitamin A), and when you add that to what is existing in the diet you push up a whole cohort of the population from insufficiency to sufficiency," Reinke said.

Golden rice was analysed by food safety regulators in Australia, the United States and Canada and was given the thumbs up, he said, but it has not been approved in these countries for commercial production.

It is also being reviewed by regulators in Bangladesh.

China warned of future disasters as Zhengzhou floods toll passes 50

Issued on: 23/07/2021 - 

Rescuers evacuate people from a hospital amid record flooding in China's Zhengzhou. © Stringer, AFP

The catastrophic floods that struck the central city of Zhengzhou this week have given China's urban planners a foretaste of future disasters as climate experts reckon the country had better learn to live with record-breaking rainfall.

An unprecedented downpour dumped a year’s rain in just three hours on the city of Zhengzhou on Tuesday, instantly overwhelming drains and sending torrents of muddy, swirling water through streets, road tunnels and the subway system.

Officials said the death toll had climbed to 51 as of noon on Friday, with more than 395,000 people forced to evacuate their homes.

Questions have turned to how China’s bulging cities could be better prepared for freak weather events, which experts say are happening with increased frequency and intensity due to climate change.

Official data shows about 98% of China's 654 major cities are vulnerable to flooding and waterlogging, with rapid growth in recent decades creating urban sprawls that covered floodplains with impermeable concrete.

The deluge on July 20 dumped 800-900 millimetres of rainfall in what was described by Chinese media as a "once in a thousand year" event.

"We can't verify whether this is 'once in a thousand years', said Zhou Jinfeng, Secretary-General of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF), a non-government group.

"But because of global climate change, the rainfall statistics will continue to break new records in the future," he added.

Almost two-thirds of China's 1.4 billion people live in cities compared with a third two decades ago, and coping with future calamities will depend on building infrastructure, most notably flood prevention and drainage systems, experts say.

Currently, many cities rely on the height and strength of dykes as a first line of defence.

"We know these big events are going to come along, and just don't know when," James Griffiths, a hydrologist at New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, said.

"City planners need to consider the hydrology of the larger landscape – floodplains and natural basins –when they design new cities, and ensure that the drainage network can continue to utilise such areas when the big rains arrive."

China published a policy report this month listing some of the measures taken to mitigate risks. More than 6,700 reservoirs were reinforced and there were plans for drainage infrastructure at 53 flood-prone sites along the Yangtze, the country's biggest river.



Sponge cities

Located just south of the Yellow River, Zhengzhou is one of hundreds of cities that need to be retrofitted with flood-proof infrastructure.

In Zhengzhou in the last few days, China has relied on the giant South-North Water Diversion Project to try to ease flood pressures.

It frequently uses giant dams along flood-prone rivers like the Yangtze and the Yellow to try to regulate water flows and minimise flood peaks.

But China has also been looking for more natural, low-impact solutions to solve its growing flood vulnerability.

China launched a programme in 2015 to create "sponge cities" that could safely retain and drain more rainwater.

The first phase covered 30 cities across the country, including Hebi, 150 kilometres (93 miles) from Zhengzhou.

Among the potential technological solutions were permeable asphalt and pavements, and cities were also encouraged to expand green spaces, build ponds and restore wetlands to take on surplus water.

Faith Chan, associate professor with the School of Geographical Sciences at the University of Nottingham Ningbo, said "sponge city" measures are designed to cope with around 180-200 millimetres of rain over 24 hours, and would have been powerless against the downpour of biblical proportions that swamped Zhengzhou.

Zhou of CBCGDF said in a blog post that practical measures such as waterproofing subway systems needed to be backed up by fundamental changes in how cities are designed, noting that the challenges will get harder in the coming years.

He added: "We hope this will serve as an important warning and ring an alarm bell for our industries and government departments to take action quickly, to change quickly, and prevent this kind of disaster from happening again."

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS, AFP)

Frontrunner to succeed Merkel on back foot after floods

Issued on: 23/07/2021 - 

Laschet has faced criticism for his hesitant, u-turn-prone handling of the pandemic Christof STACHE AFP/File

Berlin (AFP)

From criticism of his climate policy to a woefully ill-timed bout of laughter, the deadly floods in western Germany have exposed weaknesses of frontrunner Armin Laschet in his bid to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel.

As the death toll from the flooding has risen to more than 170 in Germany, Laschet's response has revived a longstanding debate over his suitability to fill fellow conservative Merkel's shoes when she retires after September's election.

In a recent poll by the Civey institute for Spiegel magazine, only 26 percent of 5,000 respondents said they considered Laschet to be a good crisis-manager.

Laschet, who is currently state premier in Germany's most populous state North-Rhine Westphalia, had already faced criticism for his hesitant, u-turn-prone handling of the pandemic.

And with his own state one of the worst-hit regions by last week's deluge, he is now under fire for his gaffe-marred response to the disaster.

- 'Communications disaster' -

"Laschet took some time to find the right tone" after the floods hit, Hans Vorlaender, political scientist at Dresden's Technical University, told AFP.

He pointed to a "communications disaster" over images that emerged last week.

The 60-year-old candidate was caught on camera convulsed in laughter with local officials as German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier in the foreground paid homage to the flood victims.

Though he later apologised for his "mistake", Laschet faced fierce criticism online and in the German media.

"Does the supremely self-controlled Merkel really trust this man, who has shown no self-control, with her job?" demanded Der Spiegel weekly.

"It is no laughing matter! If Laschet wants to be chancellor, he has to be able to manage crises. This would not have happened to Merkel," wrote Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel.#photo1

While the veteran leader has long been praised for her steely nerves under fire, Laschet has often shown "a lack of determination", Vorlaender told AFP.

"In general, politicians show what they are capable of in times of crisis," he said, pointing not only to Merkel, but also to her predecessor Gerhard Schroeder, who impressed voters with his hands-on response to floods ahead of his re-election in 2002.

In a survey this week for the Forsa institute, meanwhile, Laschet and Merkel's CDU/CSU alliance was polling two points lower than the previous week on 28 percent.

By Friday, however, a poll for public broadcaster ARD showed the conservatives up a point to 29 percent.

- Climate debate -

With a lead of around 10 points ahead of the opposition Greens party in second place, Laschet is still the strong favourite to succeed Merkel.

In recent months, he has benefited from a collapse in support for the Greens, whose initially strong campaign was hit hard with a series of missteps by co-leader and candidate Annalena Baerbock.

Yet the floods have slowed his march to victory and returned climate policy to the top of the agenda just two months before the election.

The ARD poll showed 81 percent of Germans seeing a need for stronger action to protect the climate.

"The floods have shown the urgent need for climate policies," wrote Der Tagesspiegel, while Merkel herself called for "speeding up" the fight against climate change as she leaves the stage.

"Laschet needs to set clear goals and go beyond what is in the conservatives' manifesto," Vorlaender said, as natural disasters become more frequent due to global warming.

Merkel's ruling right-left coalition tightened its emissions targets in May to put the country on course for carbon neutrality by 2045.

Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder, who mounted a fierce challenge against Laschet for the conservative candidacy in the spring, has increased the pressure by setting an ambitious goal of phasing out coal by 2030 -- eight years ahead of deadline set by the federal government.

As premier of a coal-dominated region, Laschet has been considerably more cautious on climate issues.

And that has not been lost on voters. In a Civey poll on Wednesday, just 26 percent said they believed Laschet would provide effective climate protection policies.

© 2021 AFP

Great Barrier Reef avoids UNESCO 'in danger' listing


Issued on: 23/07/2021 - 

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest living structure Sarah LAI AFP/File

Brisbane (Australia) (AFP)

Australia on Friday avoided having the Great Barrier Reef listed as an endangered world heritage site by UNESCO, despite concerns about climate change-fuelled damage to the ecosystem's corals.

At a World Heritage Committee meeting chaired by China, delegates voted not to downgrade the reef to "in danger", after a concerted lobbying effort by Canberra.

"May I sincerely thank the esteemed delegates for recognising Australia's commitment to protecting the Great Barrier Reef," Australia's Environment Minister Sussan Ley said in a statement to the body.

The United Nations' cultural agency had recommended in June that the reef's World Heritage status be downgraded because of its dramatic coral decline, largely due to the impacts of climate change and poor water quality.

Tim Badman, director of the agency's World Heritage Programme, argued that the reef "unambiguously" met the criteria for an endangered listing.

"Despite the major efforts that have been made by the state party, both the current status of the outstanding universal value of the Great Barrier Reef and the prospects for future recovery have significantly deteriorated," he said.

Ley had flown to Paris earlier this month to personally lobby member states on the committee, while Australia also took key ambassadors on a reef snorkelling trip.

The decision had already been postponed from 2015, when Australia successfully waged a similar diplomatic campaign and committed billions of dollars to reef protection.

But the 2,300-kilometre-long (1,400-mile-long) ecosystem has since suffered three mass coral bleaching events, which are caused by rising ocean temperatures due to global warming.

Though government scientists say corals have shown signs of recovery in the past 12 months, they admit the reef's long-term outlook remains "very poor".

Two thirds of the reef is believed to have been damaged in some way.

As well as coral bleaching, the reef is also susceptible to damage from cyclones and outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish, which eat the coral.

UNESCO had accused Australia of failing to meet key water quality and land management targets, while also taking aim at the country for its lacklustre climate efforts.

Canberra is facing growing international criticism for refusing to commit to net zero emissions by 2050.

The conservative government has said it hopes to meet the target "as soon as possible" without harming the country's fossil fuel-reliant economy.

But World Heritage Committee members -- including China, Russia and Saudi Arabia -- agreed Australia should have more time to report on its reef conservation efforts.

The delegates also asked UNESCO to send a monitoring mission to inspect the reef, after Canberra criticised the agency for relying on existing reports to make its recommendation.

© 2021 AFP

UNESCO keeps Great Barrier Reef off “in danger” list after Australian lobbying

By Colin Packham
Posted on July 23, 2021

FILE PHOTO: Assorted reef fish swim above a staghorn coral colony as it grows on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia

CANBERRA (Reuters) – The Great Barrier Reef will not be added to a list of World Heritage Sites that are “in danger” after a UN panel on Friday agreed to defer a vote until 2022 amid intensive lobbying by Australia.

A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) committee last month recommended the Great Barrier Reef be classified as “in danger”, drawing an angry response from Australia.

Desperate to avoid a politically embarrassing classification for a tourist attraction that draws about 5 million people each year and supports nearly 70,000 jobs – Australia’s Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley travelled to more than a dozen countries in recent weeks to secure support.

Speaking ahead of the decision, Ley assured the 21-country panel that Canberra was committed to tackling climate change, one of the key factors in the initial recommendation.

“Every Australian is heavily invested in the protection of our barrier reef,” Ley told the virtual meeting.

Shortly afterwards committee members agreed to an amendment that would require Australia to produce an updated report on the state of the reef by February 2022 when a vote could follow on whether to classify the site as in danger.

Environmental groups criticised the decision.

“This is a victory for one of the most cynical lobbying efforts in recent history,” said David Ritter, chief executive officer of Greenpeace Australia.

“This is not an achievement – it is a day of infamy for the Australian government.”

Australia’s reliance on coal-fired power makes it one of the world’s largest carbon emitters per capita, but its conservative government has steadfastly backed fossil fuel industries, saying tougher action on emissions would cost jobs.

(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)