Bernie Sanders headlines get-out-the-vote rally for Nina Turner

Jake Johnson, Common Dreams
August 01, 2021

Columbia, South Carolina, USA - January 20, 2020: Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders (D) speaks to attendees of the the 20th annual "King Day At The Dome" rally held at the S.C. Statehouse.

Just days out from the closely watched August 3 Democratic primary contest in Ohio's 11th congressional district, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont headlined a get-out-the-vote rally in Cleveland on Saturday for progressive candidate Nina Turner, whose grassroots campaign is facing an establishment opponent backed by high-profile party leaders and corporate cash.

In his keynote speech at the event, Sanders spotlighted Turner's ambitious policy platform and argued that—if she prevails in the special election against Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Chair Shontel Brown—the Ohio progressive would play a significant role ushering much-needed legislation through the narrowly divided Congress.

"Nina will stand with me in saying that today, we've got to expand Medicare to cover dental, hearing aids, and eyeglasses," said the Vermont senator. "But Nina knows... that we have got to go further than that, and join every other industrial country—guarantee healthcare to all through a Medicare for All, single-payer program."

Sanders went on to note "the incredible amount of money that the powerful special interests of this country are spending trying to defeat Nina." As The Intercept reported earlier this week, well-heeled donors "with long histories of support for Republican candidates" are bankrolling Brown's campaign either directly or through Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), a political action committee that has resorted to falsely portraying Turner as an opponent of a higher minimum wage, universal healthcare, and immigration reform.

"Why is it that the drug companies, the insurance companies, the fossil fuel industry, and Wall Street, and people who supported Donald Trump are pouring millions of dollars into this campaign to defeat Nina Turner?" Sanders asked Saturday. "And the answer is pretty simple: They know that when she is elected, she is going to stand up and take them on in the fight for justice."

Heatwave, unusually late monsoon and record rains — Delhi saw meteorologically peculiar July

By: PTI | 

August 01, 2021 5:52 PM

In 2013, Delhi had received 340.5mm rainfall. The all-time record is 632.2mm precipitation in July in 2003, according to the IMD.

The mean maximum temperature for July was 36.5 degrees Celsius against the long-period average of 35.5 degrees Celsius. (Representative image)

July was meteorologically peculiar for Delhi as it witnessed five heatwave days, the maximum since 2012, an unusual two-week-delayed monsoon, and rainfall that broke records of nearly two decades.

The month started with the national capital recording three heatwave days on the trot — July 1, July 2 and July 3.

The mean maximum temperature for July was 36.5 degrees Celsius against the long-period average of 35.5 degrees Celsius.

The weather office had a hard time accurately predicting when the monsoon would reach the capital and came under sharp criticism when the wind system repetitively gave Delhi a miss despite favourable conditions.

Despite the monsoon embracing Delhi only on July 13, making it the most-delayed in 19 years, the capital recorded 16 rainy days in the month, the maximum in the last four years. Three rainy days were recorded before the monsoon reached the city, according to India Meteorological Department data.

The Safdarjung Observatory, considered the official marker for the city, received 507.1 mm rainfall this July, which was nearly 141 per cent above the long-period average of 210.6 mm. It was also the maximum rainfall in the month since July 2003, and the second highest ever.

In 2013, Delhi had received 340.5mm rainfall. The all-time record is 632.2mm precipitation in July in 2003, according to the IMD.

Overall, Delhi has gauged 570.1mm rainfall so far since June 1, when the monsoon season starts, against the normal of 281.9mm — which is an excess of 102 per cent.

Of the 16 rainy days in July, Delhi received heavy rainfall on three occasions — July 18-19 (69.6mm), July 26-27 (100mm) and July 29-30 (72mm).

Most of the 100mm rainfall recorded on July 26-27 occurred in just three hours. It was also the maximum rainfall in 24 hours in the month of July in eight years. In 2013, Delhi had received 123.4mm rainfall on July 21.

Besides, heavy rainfall events were also observed at the Ridge observatory on July 15 (107.4mm) and the Palam observatory on July 20 (67.6mm) and July 28 (68.7mm).

Rainfall recorded below 15 mm is considered light, between 15 and 64.5 mm is moderate, between 64.5 mm and 115.5 mm is heavy, between 115.6 and 204.4 is very heavy. Anything above 204.4 mm is considered extremely heavy rainfall.

The IMD measures monsoon performance in five categories — large excess (rainfall is above 60 per cent of normal), excess (20 per cent to 59 per cent more than average), normal (minus 19 to 19 per cent of normal), deficit (minus 20 per cent to minus 59 per cent) and large deficit (60 per cent below normal).

China, India miss UN deadline to submit plans for cutting emissions

China and India have missed a UN deadline to submit plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions in time for the global body to include their pledges in a report for governments at this year's summit

AP  |  Berlin Last Updated at August 1, 2021 

Photo: Reuters

China and India have missed a UN deadline to submit fresh plans for cutting their greenhouse gas emissions in time for the global body to include their pledges in a report for governments at this year's global climate summit, according to officials.

The world's two most populous countries are among dozens that failed to provide an update on their targets for curbing the release of planet-warming gases to the UN climate change agency by July 31, they said on Saturday.

China is the country with the world's highest emissions, while India is third. The United States (US), which submitted its new target in April, is the second-biggest global emitter.

UN Climate Chief Patricia Espinosa welcomed that 110 signatories of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change had met the cut-off date, which was extended from the end of 2020 due to the pandemic. But she said it was far from satisfactory that only 58 per cent had submitted their new targets in time.

Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Syria and 82 other nations also failed to update their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) in time to include them in a report Espinosa's office is preparing for the UN climate change conference in November.

Espinosa noted that a previous report found countries were doing too little to meet the goal of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) by the end of the century compared with pre-industrial times, let alone the more ambitious target of capping warming at 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F).

Recent extreme heat waves, droughts and floods across the globe are a dire warning that much more needs to be done, and much more quickly, to change our current pathway, said Espinosa. This can only be achieved through more ambitious NDCs.

Under the 2015 Paris climate accord, countries set their own emissions reduction goals but are required to be transparent about them and jointly raise their targets over time to ensure that global warming remains at agreed acceptable levels.

China did announce last year that it aims for its emissions of carbon dioxide the main greenhouse gas to peak before 2030, and to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. The target has yet to be formally included in its submission to the UN, however, meaning it can't yet be counted toward the global effort.

Earlier this month, the chair of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Alok Sharma of Britain, met with environment ministers from more than 50 countries, including the US and China. Speaking to reporters after the meeting the first physical meeting of its kind since the start of the pandemic Sharma said participants had agreed the 1.5 degrees C goal must stay within reach.

Between now and COP26 we must, and I promise you we will, make every single day count, he said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Fires rage across southern Europe, forcing hundreds to evacuate

Turkey has suffered its worst fires in at least a decade - AFP


Issued on: 01/08/2021 
Ankara (AFP)

Dozens of villages were evacuated in tourist hotspots in southern Turkey on Sunday as wildfires that have claimed six lives raged for the fifth day, while Greece, Italy and Spain were also hit by blazes.

Fanned by soaring temperatures, strong winds and climate change -- which experts say increases both the frequency and intensity of such blazes -- this year's fire season has been significantly more destructive than the previous average, EU data shows.

Turkey is suffering through its worst fires in at least a decade with nearly 95,000 hectares (235,000 acres) burnt so far this year, compared with an average of 13,516 at this point in the year between 2008 and 2020.

A neighbourhood in the tourist city of Bodrum has been evacuated, CNN Turk broadcaster reported, as flames were fanned by strong winds from the nearby Milas district.

Unable to leave by road, 540 residents were taken to hotels by boats, the channel said.

There were more evacuations in the resort city of Antalya, NTV broadcaster reported.

After hitting record levels last month, temperatures are set to remain high in the region.

A temperature of 49.1 degrees Celsius (120.3 Fahrenheit) was recorded in the southeastern town of Cizre on July 20.#photo1

And the mercury is expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius in Antalya on Monday.

Turkey's defence ministry released satellite images showing the extent of the damage, with forest areas turned black and smoke still visible.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been criticised after it emerged that Turkey had no firefighting planes despite one-third of its territory being forested and fires becoming an increasing problem.

According to EU figures, Turkey has been hit by 133 wildfires in 2021 so far compared with an average of 43 by this point in the year between 2008 and 2020.

- Greek 'catastrophe' -

Firefighters were also battling fires in Greece, after a major blaze broke out early Saturday near Patras in the west.

Five villages have been evacuated and eight people hospitalised with burns and respiratory problems in the region, which remains on alert.#photo2

Around 20 homes have been burnt down, according to a provisional figure from the fire brigade.

The mayor of nearby village Aigialeias, Dimitris Kalogeropoulos, called it "an immense catastrophe".

Around 30 houses, barns and stables were consumed by flames in the villages of Ziria, Kamares, Achaias and Labiri.

"We slept outside overnight, terrified that we would not have a house when we woke up," a Labiri resident told Greek TV station Skai.

The seaside resort of Loggos was also evacuated, with nearly 100 residents and tourists sent to the nearby city of Aigio.

According to EU data, 13,500 hectares had been burnt in Greece, compared with an average of 7,500 at this point in the year from 2008-2020.

- 'Crazy summer' -

Italy was again hit by fires after more than 20,000 hectares of forest, olive groves and crops were destroyed by a blaze in Sardinia last weekend.

More than 800 flare-ups were recorded this weekend, mainly in the south, Italy's fire brigade said.#photo3

"In the last 24 hours, firefighters have carried out more than 800 interventions: 250 in Sicily, 130 in Puglia and Calabria, 90 in Lazio and 70 in Campania," the brigade tweeted.

It added that firefighters were still working against blazes in the Sicilian cities of Catania, Palermo and Syracuse.

While the south of Italy has been burning, the north has suffered wild storms.

"The cost of the damage caused throughout the northern Italian countryside by the violent storms and hail during this crazy summer amounts to tens of millions of euros," the Coldiretti agricultural organisation said.

In Spain, dozens of firefighters backed by water-dropping aircraft were battling a wildfire that broke out Saturday afternoon near the San Juan reservoir, about 70 kilometres (40 miles) east of Madrid.

© 2021 AFP

Turkey has suffered the worst fires in at least a decade, official data show - AFP/File

Turkey's deadly wildfires force more to flee as pressure grows on the government

Wildfires near Manavgat at Antalya, Turkey on July 30, 2021. Source: ABACA

Since the fires broke out on Wednesday last week, six people have died and more than 330 have received medical treatment.

Wildfires in southern Turkey forced more people to flee their homes on Sunday as pressure on the government grew over its response to the deadly forest fires.

Turkey has suffered the worst fires in at least a decade, official data show, with nearly 95,000 hectares burned so far this year, compared with an average of 13,516 at this point in the year between 2008 and 2020.

Since the fires broke out Wednesday, six people have died and more than 330 have received medical treatment.

A neighbourhood in the tourist city of Bodrum was evacuated, the CNN Turk broadcaster reported, as flames were fanned by strong winds from Milas district nearby.

Unable to leave by road, 540 residents were taken to hotels by boats, the channel said.


A view of a wildfire burning at a rural area of Marmaris district of Mugla, Turkey, 31 July 2021 EPA

There were more evacuations in the village of Sirtkoy in Antalya province, NTV broadcaster reported, with images of grey smoke clouds enveloping homes.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said 107 of 112 forest fires were now under control, but blazes continued in the holiday regions of Antalya and Mugla.

Temperatures are set to remain high in the region after record levels last month.

The general directorate of meteorology registered a temperature of 49.1 degrees Celsius on July 20 in the southeastern town of Cizre.

The mercury is expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius in Antalya Monday.

Turkey's defence ministry released satellite images showing the extent of the damage with forest areas turned black and smoke still visible.



Burned remains at the Ulukapi Sulek village near the Manavgat region in Antalya.
ABACA


The opposition attacked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan late Saturday after a video showed the leader throwing tea to residents in fire-affected areas.

In another video, he is throwing tea to people on the side of the road from a bus.

"Tea! It's unbelievable. Those who lose their shame, lose their heart too," main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) spokesman Faik Oztrak tweeted.

The government has also been criticised over the lack of firefighting planes, with Turkey forced to accept help from Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia and Ukraine.

Experts warn climate change will wreak further damage in Turkey, causing more wildfires if necessary measures to tackle the problem are not taken.

According to European Union figures, Turkey has been hit by 133 wildfires in 2021 so far compared to an average of 43 by this point in the year between 2008 and 2020

.
SOURCE AFP - SBS

Iranian Armed Forces help Turkey to put out forest fires

Tehran - IRNA - The head of the Air Fire Control and Logistics Center of the Ministry of Defense of Iran said that the Iranian Armed Forces launched the first firefighting operation in large-scale forest fires in southern Turkish provinces.

Pilot Mohammad Mehdi Nouri Al-e Agha said here on Sunday that this operation was launched with the capacity of 40 tons of water after forest fires started in Antalya’s Manavgat district and spread over a large area.

He added that firefighting team and a firefighting aircraft designed by young Iranian experts with a capacity of 40 tons of water arrived in the city of Muğla on Saturday evening, hoping that two more water-spraying helicopters would be deployed to the area the next days to help extinguish more areas and prevent the fire from progressing.

Turkey is fighting multiple wildfires in three provinces. The fires started on Wednesday. At least four people have lost their lives due to the fires, and the number is likely to increase, according to officials.

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Water resources in Turkey’s arid Konya suffer from drought

BY ANADOLU AGENCY 

KONYA TURKEY
AUG 01, 2021 

A boat sits on a dried-up lakebed in Konya, central Turkey, Aug. 1, 2021. (AA PHOTO)


Konya, the breadbasket of Turkey, is going through tough times with reduced precipitation levels. The ensuing drought has dealt a blow to water levels in dam reservoirs, lakes and ponds and has affected agriculture and animal husbandry in this central province of the country.

Global climate change is the main culprit in the drought that has hit the already arid province particularly hard. Water resources shrink day by day, posing a considerable threat to agricultural irrigation.

Data from the State Hydraulics Works (DSI) show water resources across the province are at their lowest in the last decade. The drought is particularly visible in Beyşehir, the country’s largest freshwater lake, whose levels dropped below a critical threshold. Draining water from the lake for irrigation purposes is banned nowadays due to the reduction in water levels. The same ban applies to Suğla and Ivriz, two dam reservoirs where water levels have dropped significantly. Bağbaşı, a dam that also supplies drinking water to the province, saw water levels dropping to 15%. Altınapa Dam appears to be the only one at the highest level, at 51%, while Apa Dam in the province is now only 4% full.

Professor Süleyman Soylu, an academic from the Faculty of Agriculture at Konya’s Selçuk University, says the Konya plain this year has seen the lowest average precipitation in a few decades and emphasized that it was damaging for agricultural production in particular, pointing out losses in crops. “We always had a low-level drought here, but the subsequent precipitation would restore agricultural production. This year is different, though. Konya had no rainfall at all at times when crops needed rain most. This forced farmers to use extra water for irrigation. This situation caused water stress,” he said. Soylu says most water resources have hit rock bottom and even the deepest water wells have seen their water levels shrink.

“We felt the impact of climate change in the past decade and it changed the periods for cultivation and growth of crops. We need to revise agricultural techniques in parallel with this change. Farmers have to change their irrigation programs and water-saving technologies should be more widespread. Drafting agricultural policies which encourage the cultivation of crops in need of less water is essential,” he said.

Rıfat Kavuneker, head of the Chamber of Agriculture in Konya’s Karatay district, says the Konya plain is in immediate need of water. “Bringing water here from other basins can be costly, but it is of vital importance. You cannot live without water and food. Konya covers 15% of the agricultural production of Turkey. So, this is an issue affecting not just Konya but the entire country,” he said.

New Zealand's PM Ardern apologises for 1970s immigration raids on Pacific community
Reuters
August 01, 2021


MELBOURNE (Reuters) - New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern issued a sombre state apology on Sunday to the Pacific community for racially targeted immigration raids in the 1970s that resulted in deportations and prosecutions.

The "Dawn Raids", which often occurred early in the morning, took place from 1974 to 1976 when New Zealand's economy was in a downturn and the government clamped down on immigrant workers from the Pacific who overstayed their work visas.

Addressing hundreds of people in attendance for the formal apology, Ardern said members of the Pacific communities continue to "suffer and carry the scars" of the raids in which they were specifically targeted and racially profiled.

"Today, I stand on behalf of the New Zealand government to offer a formal and unreserved apology to Pacific communities for the discriminatory implementation of the immigration laws of the 1970s that led to the events of the Dawn Raids," Ardern said.

"The government expresses its sorrow, remorse, and regret that the Dawn Raids and random police checks occurred and that these actions were ever considered appropriate."

As part of its formal apology, Ardern said her government will provide NZ$2.1 million ($1.5 million) in academic and vocational scholarships for Pacific communities and $1 million in leadership scholarships for young people from Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and Tuvalu, among others.

Sunday's event included an Ifoga, a traditional Samoan ceremony in which people ask for forgiveness or receive forgiveness, where some ministers and members of parliament draped a mat over Ardern, which was then removed by members of the Pacific community.

"There were no reported raids on any homes of people who were not Pacific; no raids or random stops were exacted towards European people," Ardern said during her apology.

($1 = 1.4339 New Zealand dollars)

(Additional reporting by Stefica Nicol Bikes in Sydney; Editing by Edmund Klamann)

Jacinda Ardern issues state apology for New Zealand's 'racist' 1970s 'dawn raids'

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks at Auckland Town Hall event 

Source: Getty Images AsiaPac

Governments from both sides of the political spectrum oversaw the raids, when Pasifika people were racially profiled as authorities chased visa overstayers.

New Zealand has moved to make good on sins of the past, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern issuing a formal state apology for historic "racist" policing of Pacific people.

On Sunday, hundreds packed Auckland Town Hall to hear a fulsome apology for the "dawn raids" of the 1970s.

Governments of both political stripes oversaw the raids, when people of colour were racially profiled as authorities chased visa overstayers.

Studies have since shown Pacific peoples were no more likely to overstay their visas than migrants from the US and UK, but much more likely to be prosecuted.



Guests listen as Jacinda Ardern makes the apology
Getty Images AsiaPac

The state-backed discrimination and subsequent deportations separated families and devastated communities.

"It was so painful," said Pacific Peoples Minister Aupito William Sio, who lived through the raids.

"Some nights it was 3, 4am ... there was a banging noise at the front door and in (the police would) come.

"I remember walking down our street and some of the other older kids, they'd taunt us. They'd say 'go home, coconut'. That was the atmosphere.

"Even today my father can't talk about it ... so many have felt so much shame."

The apology featured many traditional elements of the Pacific and Aotearoa.

After a powhiri - with speeches, song and the Maori 'hongi' greeting between community and government leaders - Ms Ardern addressed the full house in four languages: te reo Maori, Tongan, Samoan and English.



Guests at Auckland Town Hall on Sunday
Getty Images AsiaPac

"I stand before you as a representative of those who did you harm," she said in Samoan.

"While no amount of rain can remove the bitter salt from the ocean waters, I ask you to let our spiritual connectedness soften your pain, and allow forgiveness to flow on this day."

As many in the crowd wept, Ms Ardern said she felt the flow-on effects from the dawn raids in the present day.

"It remains vividly etched in the memory of those who were directly impacted. It lives on in the disruption of trust and faith in authorities, and it lives on in the unresolved grievances of Pacific communities.

"Today, I stand on behalf of the New Zealand Government to offer a formal and unreserved apology to Pacific communities for the discriminatory implementation of the immigration laws of the 1970s that led to the dawn raids."


What Australia can learn from New Zealand about signing a treaty with its Indigenous peoples

Ms Ardern said she wanted to "pave a new dawn" for Pacific communities, announcing $2.9 million AUD in scholarships to Pacific students both in New Zealand and the region.

The government will also incorporate the dawn raids into the history curriculum, and support Pacific artists and historians to create an official record of the mistreatment.

Sunday's formal apology follows two others issued by New Zealand, both by former leader Helen Clark.

The first was to Chinese immigrants who for many years were asked to pay a specific tax, and the second was to Samoa for mistreatment during New Zealand's colonial administration.

SOURCE AAP - SBS

SEE

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-dawn-raids-explained-what-drove.html

Protestors in New York cry ‘Globalize the intifada’ at demonstration

Several hundred participate in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Brooklyn, New York, chanted ‘We don’t want no two states, we want all of it,’ and ‘There is only one solution, intifada revolution.’

By JEREMY SHARON

Jerusalem Post 

HOSTILE/BIASED ANTI BDS 

AUGUST 1, 2021 16:59

Pro-Palestine protesters hold a banner, as they demonstrate outside Downing Street in London, Britain, June 12, 2021.
(photo credit: REUTERS/HENRY NICHOLLS)

Several hundred protesters took part in a pro-Palestinian rally on Saturday in Brooklyn, using inflammatory rhetoric and messaging against Israel. They lauded “intifada” uprisings and called for taking control of Israeli territory, the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

During the protest, organized by an organization called “Within Our Lifetime – United for Palestine,” demonstrators marched behind three large banners: “Globalize the intifada,” “Zionism is terrorism,” and “We will free Palestine within our lifetime.”

Intifada is an Arabic word meaning uprising or rebellion. During the Second Intifada from 2000-2005, Palestinian terrorist groups, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and some affiliated with Fatah, carried out hundreds of terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and security personnel, killing more than 1,000.

During Saturday’s rally, marchers chanted, “We don’t want no two states, we want all of it,” referring to the two-state solution that has formed the basis of peace proposals.

A Twitter account was deleted on Sunday afternoon after it posted video footage of demonstrators chanting, “We don’t want no two states, we want all of it.”

Among the demonstrators’ other slogans were: “If we don’t get no justice, then they don’t get no peace,” “Intifada, intifada,” “There is only one solution, intifada revolution,” “Mobilize the intifada,” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Demonstrators held aloft Palestinian flags, fired red, green and black flares, the colors of the flag, and held up pictures of Palestinians who they said were killed by Israeli security personnel. A pickup truck bearing activists flying the Palestinian flag led the rally.

Some demonstrators blocked traffic in the area and shouted vulgar expressions at commuters and pedestrians.

 

Iran terms accusations concerning attack on Israeli tanker as baseless

Tehran, IRNA- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Sunday described accusations of the US and Zionist regime concerning Iran’s involvement in the attack on Israeli-managed tanker as baseless.

Khatibzadeh made the remarks in a weekly news conference that was streamed online.

Asked about the Zionist regime's accusations that Iran was involved in an attack on an Israeli tanker, he said that the illegitimate occupying regime must put an end to false accusations against Iran.

This is not the first time that the regime makes these accusations, he added.

He termed the accusations as naïve, noting that the accusations are based on the regime’s link in the US.

The officials of the regime must come to sense that they will not achieve anything by using the distractions.

The regime is in a bitter day of its own life, he said, adding that diverting attention by the regime is nothing new.

Occasionally, when good things happen in the region, the country uses distractions, he further noted.

The regime has created insecurity, violence, terrorism, and war wherever it has stepped into, he underlined.

The responsibility falls on those who have helped the regime to this end, Khatibzadeh added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Foreign Ministry spokesman reacted to the news on imposing the sanctions on Iran.

Washington is obsessed with these measures, he said, noting that even though they have repeatedly stated that maximum pressure policy has not only failed but has become a maximum failure for the US.

Imposing sanctions is also a failed logic under false pretenses, he underscored. 

Iran, which has been subjected to cruel sanctions for over four decades, has proved that whatever they have done cannot break Iran's will or cause a problem with Iran's legitimate self-defense programs, he stated.

Jacobs storms to shock Olympic 100m crown as Italy celebrates golden double

Issued on: 01/08/2021 - 

Italy's Lamont Marcell Jacobs pulled off a surprise victory in the Olympic 100 metres

 Jewel SAMAD AFP

Tokyo (AFP)

Lamont Marcell Jacobs stormed to a shock victory in the Olympics 100m final on Sunday to cap a golden double for Italy on a dramatic day of athletics action at the Tokyo Games.

Jacobs became the first Italian in history to be crowned Olympic 100m champion after powering home in a blistering 9.80sec, with Fred Kerley of the United States taking silver in 9.84sec and Canada's Andre de Grasse bronze in 9.89sec.

The 26-year-old Jacobs erupted as he crossed the finish line and leapt into the arms of compatriot Gianmarco Tamberi, who only moments earlier had clinched a rare shared gold medal for Italy in the high jump after a duel with Qatari world champion Mutaz Essa Barshim.

It was the final act of a pulsating day three of track and field at the Olympic Stadium which also saw a brilliant world record-breaking gold medal victory in the triple jump for Venezuela's two-time world champion Yulimar Rojas.

But the undisputed headline-grabbing performance of the night belonged to Italy's Jacobs, who had never previously gone under 10 seconds before the 2021 season.#photo1

The muscular El Paso, Texas-born sprinter had only finished third in his semi-final earlier on Sunday, clocking 9.84sec behind China's Su Bingtian and Ronnie Baker of the US to qualify for the final as one of the two fastest losers.

- Golden dream -

But in the final he roared from the blocks, hit the front at around the 50-metre mark and then held on to become the first Olympic 100m gold medallist of the post-Usain Bolt era.

He was greeted by high jumper Tamberi, who had clinched a share of the gold medal with Barshim minutes earlier.

Both men hugged after settling for gold having both recorded a best clearance of 2.37 metres.

"This is a dream I don't want to wake up from," said Barshim. "But we are here today sharing this moment and all the sacrifices. It's really worth it now in this moment."

In the triple jump meanwhile, Rojas did her best to electrify a largely empty stadium with a scintillating world record with her last leap of 15.67m, smashing the previous best of 15.50m set by Ukraine's Inessa Kravets in 1995.

"I am lost for words, I can’t describe this feeling and this moment," Rojas said.

"Gold medal winner, with an Olympic record, and a world record ... Wow. It is a fantastic night."

It was the first world record of the Tokyo Olympics athletics programme.

- Golden Gong -

Portugal's Patricia Mamona won silver with a national best of 15.01m, while Spain's Ana Peleteiro jumped 14.87m.

Earlier Sunday, China's Gong Lijao claimed gold in the women's shot put after leading the competition from start to finish.

Gong sealed her win with a personal best of 20.58 metres on her sixth and final attempt having led from her opening effort of 19.95m.

American Raven Saunders took silver with 19.79m, while New Zealand veteran Valerie Adams, in her fifth Olympics, was left delighted as she claimed bronze with 19.62 to go with golds in 2008 and 2012, and silver in 2016.

It marked the end of a long journey to gold for the 32-year-old Gong, a bronze medallist at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and a silver medallist four years later in London.

In the women's 100m hurdles semi-finals, Puerto Rico's Jasmine Camacho-Quinn set an Olympic record to qualify for Monday's final with a superb display of technique and power.

Camacho-Quinn surged home in 12.26sec, smashing Sally Pearson's previous Olympic record set in 2012 of 12.35sec.

The 24-year-old's performance suggested that world record holder Keni Harrison may once again be kept waiting for her first major outdoor title.

The American favourite finished second in her heat in 12.51sec, trailing Jamaica's Britany Anderson (12.40sec).

In the opening rounds of the men's 400m, world champion Stephen Gardiner of the Bahamas and American Michael Cherry led a host of contenders into Monday's semi-finals of what promises to be an ultra-competitive race.

In the 400m hurdles semi-final, world champion Karsten Warholm qualified safely for the final along with US rival Rai Benjamin.

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

How Germany's stolen bikes end up in Ukraine

Hundreds of thousands of bikes are stolen in Germany every year, with top-of-the-range models increasingly being targeted. Many eventually find their way to Ukraine. DW has been following the trail.



Bike theft is a growing problem in Germany

Anna from Berlin (name changed) bought her brand new red e-bike for €2,600 ($3,100) in January 2020 — but she didn't get to enjoy it for long. It was stolen in July, just six months later, from the storage room in the basement of her apartment building. Anna reported the theft to the police.

According to the Federal Criminal Police Office, the thefts of more than 260,000 bicycles, with a total value of almost €200 million ($236 million), were registered in Germany last year. More than half of these bikes were insured. The German Insurance Association (GDV) says that the trend in stolen bicycles is leaning toward top-of-the-range models and e-bikes.

GDV spokeswoman Kathrin Jarosch told DW that damages of €110 million were paid out in 2020, with the average compensation paid by insurers reached an all-time high of €730. Ten years ago, the average insurance payout for a stolen bike was €400.

Germans are willing to pay a lot for a good bike

Police and GDV statistics show that the majority of bikes are stolen in the port cities of Hamburg and Bremen, and in the eastern states of Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony. However, not many are recovered in Germany. According to the police, only 10% of bike thefts in Germany in 2020 were resolved.

Cheap, stolen bikes are often offered for sale on the internet, or at flea markets in Germany. Expensive bikes, however, are more likely to be dismantled into spare parts. The thief may attempt to sell them in one piece, but this is a risky undertaking in the European Union, because the police keep a register of stolen bikes and can quickly identify them by their frame numbers.

Consequently, thieves will very often try to sell stolen bikes in non-EU countries. When they are exported, customs officials may of course check the frame numbers at the border, but such spot checks are usually rare.

Where do stolen German bikes end up?

Thanks to some tips that came from Ukraine, DW managed to track down Anna's e-bike. It had made its way from Berlin to the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Volodymyr, a resident there, bought it in a store in the fall of 2020.

"Yes, I bought the bike for 26,000 hryvnia (the equivalent of €800)," he said. "The people who sold it said it came from Germany. But they didn't give me any papers, just a receipt. I wasn't surprised by the price, or the lack of papers; after all, it wasn't a new bike. I actually thought they could have sold it to me even cheaper," he said.

DW contacted the store he mentioned. They said they sold "secondhand bicycles from Germany, among other countries" and that "papers were available" for all of them. However, when DW asked them to provide proof, or at least say what these documents were, they refused. It was emphasized that the store did not import the bikes itself; rather, it bought them via the online portal OLX.ua, or sold them "on commission" on behalf of private individuals.

Anna's e-bike was identified when the E-Motion store in Berlin, where Anna purchased it, verified the frame number.

Trade in stolen bicycles more profitable

The Ukrainian internet is full of "secondhand bicycles from Germany and the EU," and there are stores everywhere offering bikes like these for sale. However, there is no precise data on the number of secondhand bikes entering Ukraine from the EU. People who know the market say that estimates vary, from tens of thousands to upward of 100,000 per year.

However, importing large numbers of secondhand bicycles to Ukraine legally is a laborious process, and scarcely worthwhile, because transportation costs, customs and tax payments all bump up the price. "It's difficult to compete with stolen secondhand bikes; it's economically unviable," said Anton Vakulenko, the owner of a bike store in Kyiv. "That's why dealers in Ukraine prefer to sell new bikes, which is not an easy business."

Mykhailo Umanez legally sells used bikes from Germany in a store in Ukraine

Mykhailo Umanez, on the other hand, is one of the few people in Ukraine officially importing secondhand bikes from the EU. "We have between 1,000 and 1,300 bikes coming through customs every year," he said. "We import them in batches. We mainly buy mountain bikes from German secondhand dealers, and city bikes from the Netherlands."

Umanez shows the papers he gives his customers in Ukraine. "As well as the receipt, there's a bike passport with the frame number, and a warranty. Some bikes also come with a manual or a service book," he said.

Everyone DW spoke to complained that the vast majority of secondhand bikes entering Ukraine are stolen. However, they also commented that buyers take little interest in documentation; low price is always the decisive factor. Vakulenko and Umanez, as well as other official dealers in Ukraine, say that in recent years the market for stolen bicycles in Ukraine has clearly shifted toward more expensive models, and that there are more and more e-bikes on offer.

A man from Lutsk in western Ukraine, who requested he not be named, told DW that importing stolen bikes was not a problem. "You take them apart, then the numbered frames are hidden and the pedals and seats declared as spare parts," he said.

Drivers with minibuses often do the transportation. They collect packages in German cities and bring them all the way to Ukraine. "If you've got your own people at the border, you can bring whatever you like into the country," the man claimed. He added that the Ukrainian market is now so saturated with stolen bikes, especially e-bikes, that they are being sent on to Russia, and further on to Kazakhstan.
Can a German owner get their bike back?

Anna from Berlin was very surprised to hear that her bicycle had been found in Dnipro, Ukraine. But she doesn't want it back. And Volodymyr, who bought it, doesn't want any contact with Anna because he's afraid the police would want to talk to him.

1.9 million e-bikes were sold in Germany in 2020

DW asked the German and Ukrainian authorities whether any action was being taken to stop the movement of stolen bikes. The police in Berlin said they were not aware of any operations of this kind, nor was there any cooperation between them and the Ukrainian police in tackling bicycle theft.

Incidentally, the Ukrainian police do not consider the importing of stolen bikes to be a big problem. "There are no plans to compile statistics on the detection of stolen bicycles from Germany and other EU countries," the Ukrainian criminal investigation department told DW.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian customs report that a grand total of 17 customs regulations violations involving bicycles or spare parts were logged in 2020. In 2019, the total was seven. Anna's bicycle was not among them. It seems it didn't have any problems crossing the Ukrainian border.


E-BIKES AND CO: HOW ECO-FRIENDLY IS ELECTROMOBILITY?
Old-school biking
Until recently, the classic old bicycle would have been an obvious option for anyone wanting to get active outdoors. These days, however, there are a number of electric alternatives that require slightly less exertion. But e-bikes and e-scooters aren't always as eco-friendly as you might think, and can cause other problems too.
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Germany's Seehofer backs Afghanistan deportations despite Taliban advances

Interior Minister Seehofer sees no reason why criminals cannot continue to be deported, despite the insecurity in war-torn Afghanistan. Human rights organizations and the Green party have spoken out against the policy.



Seehofer remains unperturbed, despite the security threat posed by the Taliban

Despite the recent advances of the Taliban in Afghanistan, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) said on Sunday he wants to maintain the existing policy regarding deportations to the country.

In an interview with the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, Seehofer said: "We are currently negotiating with Afghanistan so that we can continue to deport criminals there."

Seehofer argued that Afghan criminals in Germany must continue to be "able to be returned to their home country."

The interior minister also backed finding ways to "further strengthen voluntary departure."

The final stages of the withdrawal of US-led foreign forces from Afghanistan, coupled with the Taliban's sweeping offensive, has led to increased instability in the war-torn country.

Backlash in Germany

Germany's largest pro-immigration advocacy organization, Pro Asyl, however, said that it is not just criminals who have been deported, but also well-integrated migrants.

Given the deteriorating circumstances in Afghanistan, the Green party in Germany has also spoken out against plans to continue with the current deportation policy.

The federal government continues to act as if "nothing" is happening in Afghanistan, said the Greens' co-leader Robert Habeck. He told the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that the Foreign Ministry's assessments must be revised and deportations suspended.

Last month, hundreds of people in Munich demonstrated against deportations to Afghanistan

Human rights spokeswoman for the Greens Margarete Bause called the government's deportation practice a "scandal" in an interview with the AFP news agency.

She criticized the government for downplaying the situation in Afghanistan in order to "continue its irresponsible deportation policy." Bause also demanded the cancellation of a planned deportation flight for August 10.


Afghan diva launches fashion brand amid Taliban threats

Desperate people leaving Afghanistan: How dire is the situation?

Deterioration of security in Afghanistan

Since the beginning of the withdrawal of foreign troops, the Taliban in Afghanistan have taken control of numerous districts and now dominate large parts of the country.

An example of the ever-worsening situation was reported on Sunday, when at least three Taliban rockets struck Kandahar airport in southern Afghanistan.

The Afghan government's pleas for a pause in deportations due to the instability in the region have so far fallen on deaf ears.

According to the United Nations, more than 300,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Afghanistan since January.