Decline in North Sea puffins causes concern



nIn both places, a census is taking place to determine the extent of the decline, which has been blamed on rising sea temperatures and other environmental factors (AFP/Andy Buchanan)

Stuart GRAHAM
Sat, May 28, 2022


The Isle of May, off Scotland's east coast, is home to one of the UK's biggest colonies of seabirds. Some 200,000 birds, from kittiwakes to guillemots can flock to the rocky outcrop at the height of the breeding season.

But conservationists are concerned about dwindling numbers of one of the island's most distinctive visitors -- the Atlantic puffin.

"The population was really booming in the 80s and 90s and then suddenly, a crash," David Steel, a manager at the nature reserve, told AFP.

"We lost nearly 30 percent of all puffins in the mid-2000s and since then the population has slowly increased but nothing compared to what it used to be."


Just over 50 miles (80 kilometres) down the coast on the Farne Islands, off Northumberland in northeast England, there are similar concerns.

In both places, global warming, high winds, rains, coastal erosion, pollution and overfishing of its favoured food -- sand eels -- is being blamed for dwindling numbers.

"Climate change is having a big effect with prey items in the sea," affecting sand eels which feed on plankton in the North Sea, said Steel.

"The plankton is moving north as the sea temperature increases. So if there are less sand eels the puffins are going to struggle."

- Census -

On a meadow on one of the Farne Islands, rangers slowly slide their arms into narrow sandy burrows, searching for signs of nesting pairs of puffins, which are known locally as "tommy noddies".

"Quite often you will get a bit of a nip, which is a good sign because it means then that the burrow is occupied," said one of the rangers, Rosie Parsons.

In 2015, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature gave puffins "vulnerable" status, after large declines over much of their European range.

Rising sea temperatures have caused sand eels to move north to cooler waters, forcing the birds to follow but where more extreme weather can be fatal for them.

The traditional enemies of puffins, which grow to just under 30 centimetres (one foot) tall and weigh around 450 grams (around a pound), are seagulls and seals.

Puffins mate for life and lay a single egg in April or May.

Due to their low reproductive rate, populations can take decades to recover from a sudden knock.

A full puffin census is being carried out on the Farne Islands and the Isle of May this year.

Concerns were raised last year when a limited count recorded 36,211 breeding pairs across four of the Farne Islands compared to 42,474 pairs in 2018.

Puffin numbers on the islands peaked at 55,674 pairs in 2003 before a sudden crash to 36,835 in 2008 a due to an extremely low number of sand eels.

Zoologist Richard Bevan, from Newcastle University, hopes the resumed annual count will provide a more accurate estimate of puffins on the islands.

"Up until 2018 surveys were done on the Farnes every five years, which means you don't know what's happening in the four years in between," he told AFP.

Before 2018, teams of researchers would check every burrow they came across on an island and form an estimate from that.

The university then found a way to subsample to form an accurate estimate of the population. This has sped up the count and made the task far less arduous.

- Concern -

Measuring puffin numbers is difficult, said Bevan.

Sometimes it will be easy to spot one of the birds, returning to nests with a sand eel clamped in its beak, but puffins are often underground.

"Often the only way to do it is to stick your arm into a burrow and check," he said.

The 2022 census will give scientists a picture of how the puffin population is being affected by factors such as climate change and local changes in sand eel availability, Bevan says.

"Looking at the data, it is worrying to see that over the last four years we have seen a downward trend," he says.

"However, these are data for a short time period and compared to the population counts in the early 1990s they are still reasonable numbers."

Although there is not an immediate danger of the puffins becoming extinct, the fact that their numbers are falling "triggers concern".

"With a declining population you have to keep your eye on it to make sure that doesn't continue," he said.

"If it does continue we have to be aware of the factors that contribute to it and how we can ameliorate those."

srg/phz/cjo/ach

Peru: Researchers discover two new species of lizard

One of the newly-discovered lizards, which was named after Optimus Prime from the "Transformers" franchise, was found living in the sanctuary around Machu Picchu.    

The shiny, black-scaled lizards were found in Peru's Machu Picchu and a preserve in Cuzco

Officials announced the discovery — and the special names — of two, new lizard species, Peru's Conservation Authority in a statement posted over the weekend.

Tucked away in the high altitudes of the Peruvian Andes, the new species are shedding light on the plight of local wildlife threatened by rapid changes due to global warming.

Why do they have such unique names?

One of the new species was discovered in the wildlife sanctuary of Machu Picchu — where the historic ruins of an ancient Incan city are located.

Scientists dubbed the new species Proctoporus optimus, named after the leading alien robot character Optimus Prime from the "Transformers" film franchise.

The name is a nod to the "Transformer" movies, which were party filmed in Machu Picchu, the conservation authority said.

Another new species was also uncovered in the Cuzco region of Peru, where it was found in the protected Machiguenga Communal Reserve.

Researchers gave this new species the name of Proctoporus katerynae, in honor of biologist Kateryn Pino Bolanos who has done extensive research in the Peruvian Andes.

The new species were confirmed with the help of genetic sequencing. Researchers at Peru's Museum of Biodiversity, the University of Texas, and the Museum of Natural History at the National University of Saint Anthony the Abbot in Cuzco.

What we know about the lizards?

The two lizards have shiny, dark scales — one of which has a red-tinted underbelly.

They belong to a type of medium-sized lizard that ranges in length between 2.7 centimeters to 7.8 centimeters (1.1 inches to 3.1 inches) depending on the species.

Both species, discovered living at high-elevations, are considered endangered — and under a growing threat due to climate change.

According to Peru's Conservation Authority, the rising temperature in the lowlands of the mountains is forcing the species to migrate higher up into the mountains in search of the optimal temperature.

This causes the lizard's distribution area to grow—an effect referred to as the "escalator to extinction," because as they are forced to move higher and higher up the mountain to find cooler temperatures, they will eventually have no where else to go.

Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez

Jordan's plastic trash turned into art with a message



Frustration and anger drove Nissan to create her exhibits, in the hope of 'changing minds and habits' 

(AFP/Khalil MAZRAAWI)

Kamal Taha
Sat, May 28, 2022

Jordan-based artist Maria Nissan is on a mission: to rid the world of single-use plastics and to raise public awareness about the environmental scourge through eye-catching art.

One of her best-known murals graces the side of a building in the capital Amman, a giant work made from more than 2,000 plastic bottles, almost 1,000 shopping bags and over 150 hookah pipe hoses.

A US citizen of Iraqi origin, Nissan said she became enchanted with Amman when she first visited three years ago, but also felt "frustration and anger" at the piles of garbage on the streets and in areas of natural beauty.

"Despite the beauty of the city, walking its streets can be a journey filled with all kinds of trash," the 35-year-old said.

"My eyes cannot turn away from the abundant shiny plastic bags, glass bottles, soda cans, candy bar wrappers," said Nissan, who occasionally sports a dress made from a sturdy blue Ikea bag.

Trained in painting and drawing in the United States and Italy, Nissan decided to collect and repurpose the trash to create art -- often collages themed on women's faces, flowers and Oriental motifs.

Her home, where she has a rooftop workspace under a large canopy, is filled with every imaginable kind of discarded plastic object, from razors and toothbrushes to lighters, pens and plastic spoons.

"Art made of plastic is a concrete and powerful way to raise concerns on environmental issues that affect Jordanians, their children, their communities and natural environments in the kingdom," she said.

- 'Everybody's problem' -

"A bottle littered in a valley will take up to 450 years to decompose," said Nissan, pointing out that the effect is "micro-plastics polluting the soils, water and the wildlife.

"Because plastics are littered indiscriminately in fields and water, livestock and fish feed themselves indirectly with plastic pieces that we will ultimately find on our plates."

Nissan's work has been exhibited in 12 shows in Jordan as well as in Italy and Greece, and features on her Instagram channel @marianissanart, all with the purpose of changing minds and habits.

Jordanians use three billion plastic bags every year, part of the country's annual solid waste load of 2.2 million tonnes, of which only seven percent is recycled, according to the UN Development Programme.

Nissan urges people to avoid buying plastic products and to go shopping with reusable bags, and also advocates a tax on single-use plastics.

"The consequences of single-use plastic pollution are often delayed, and therefore it is difficult to have people feel accountable and responsible for their own acts," she said.

"Plastic comes back to us in one way or another ... It's nobody's responsibility until it becomes everybody's problem."

kt/msh/fz/dwo

ECOCIDE

Toxic smoke and suspicious plastic plant fires in Turkey

There was a fire every three days in Turkey's plastic reprocessing plants on average last year. 

KARTEPE, Turkey (AFP) - The number of fires breaking out in plastic recycling plants has soared in Turkey.

Experts and activists suspect it's not a coincidence, believing that some entrepreneurs want to get rid of unwanted rubbish sometimes imported from Europe.

In Kartepe, an industrial town in the country's north-west, one of these sites was closed by the authorities in December after the outbreak of three fires in less than a month.


One burned for more than 50 hours, spewing toxic black smoke over the area wedged between the mountains and the Sea of Marmara.

"We don't want our lakes and springs to be polluted," said Beyhan Korkmaz, an environmental activist in the city.

She is concerned about the polluting dioxin emissions from a dozen similar fires within a 5km radius in less than two years.

"Should we wear masks?" she said.

There was a fire every three days in Turkey's plastic reprocessing plants on average last year. The number rose from 33 in 2019 to 121 in 2021, according to Sedat Gundogdu, a professor specialising in plastic pollution at Cukurova University in the southern city of Adana.

'Plastic lobby'

Over the same period, Turkey became the leading importer of European plastic waste - ahead of Malaysia - after China banned imports at the start of 2018.

Nearly 520,000 tonnes arrived in Turkey in 2021, adding to the four to six million tonnes the country generates each year, according to data compiled by the Turkish branch of the NGO Greenpeace.


Much of this waste ends up in the south of the country, especially in Adana province, where companies operating illegally have been closed down in recent years.

Other waste containers arrive at the ports of Izmir in the west and Izmit, not far from Kartepe.

"The problem is not importing plastic from Europe, the problem is importing non-recyclable or residual plastics," said Baris Calli, professor of environmental engineering at Marmara University in Istanbul.

MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Slow recycler Turkey seeks better uses for its trash

"My feeling is that most of these fires are not just a coincidence," he said.

He explained only 20 to 30 per cent of imported plastic waste is recyclable.

"The remaining residues should be sent to incineration plants but the incineration plants charge some money... that's why when some companies have significant amounts of residues on their hands they try to find some easy way to get rid of them," he said.

Gundogdu finds it curious that "most of these fires are happening at night" and in outlying storage sections of reprocessing centres, away from the machines.

In a report published in August 2020, international police organisation Interpol expressed concern about an "an increase in illegal waste fire and landfills in Europe and Asia", citing Turkey in particular.

Following an October 2021 regulation, companies in the sector found guilty of arson can have their permits withdrawn.

The environment ministry and the vice-president of the waste and recycling branch of the Union of Chambers of Commerce of Turkey did not respond when asked by AFP how many companies have been sanctioned.

"The ministry cannot investigate really carefully, or maybe they don't want to find" out, Calli said.

He said the plastic industry lobby has grown stronger in Turkey in recent years.

According to Turkish recyclers' association GEKADER, the plastic waste sector generates US$1 billion (S$1.4 billion) a year and employs some 350,000 people in 1,300 companies.

'A ray of sunlight is enough'

In her office overlooking a shabby warehouse in Kartepe, where plastics are sorted before being recycled or legally incinerated, Aylin Citakli rejected accusations of arson.

"I don't believe it," the sorting centre's environmental manager said.

"These are easily flammable materials, anything can start a fire, a ray of sunlight is enough," she said.

Turkey announced a ban on the import of plastic waste in May 2021 following outcry after the publication of images of waste from Europe dumped in ditches and rivers.

The ban was lifted a week after it came into force.

Back in Kartepe, environmental activist Korkmaz is worried about the future of her region, where she has lived for 41 years.

She cited the example of Dilovasi, a town 40km away that houses many chemical and metal factories. Scientists have found abnormally high cancer rates there.

"We don't want to end up like them," she said.

Francia Marquez, the Afro-Colombian rights activist campaigning for vice president of Colombia

For the first time in Colombia's history, the left, led by former Bogota mayor Gustavo Petro, could win the presidential election set to begin Sunday. If it prevails, Afro-Colombian environmental and human rights activist Francia Marquez would become vice president. A victory would mark a turning point for a country that has been plagued by social inequalities and historically governed by conservatives.

© Juan Barreto, AFP

Cyrielle CABOT 

In recent weeks, Marquez has consistently appeared in public wearing brightly coloured traditional Afro-Colombian outfits. As a vice-presidential candidate in the presidential election, she always chants the same message: "It's time to move from resistance to power!"

Within the space of just a few months, Marquez has managed to shake up Colombian politics, historically dominated by conservatives, by bringing racism and social inequality to the forefront, issues that were previously absent from the campaign debate. She has thus become a symbol of change for a new generation of voters.

The changed debate could well bring a political shift. Colombians go to the polls Sunday to cast their votes in the first round of the presidential election and the left-wing Petro, a former guerilla and mayor of Bogota who chose Marquez as his running mate, is the favourite to win. He is expected to garner 41 percent of the vote according to the latest polls.

Petro and Marquez are running against the right-wing candidate Federico Gutierrez, a former mayor of Medellin, who is expected to gain around 27 percent support. They also face the independent and outsider candidate Rodolfo Hernandez, who won endorsement from the French-Colombian former candidate and ex-FARC hostage Ingrid Betancourt on May 20.
An activist for Afro-Colombian rights

There is nothing in Marquez’s past to suggest that she would embark on a political career. Born in 1981 in a small village in the southwestern Cauca region of Colombia, she grew up alone with her mother. Pregnant at 16 with her first child, she was first forced to work in a gold mine a few kilometres from home to support her family and then hired as a maid.

However, activism is just in some people’s genes, and Marquez is one of them. In 1996, when she was just 15, she learned that a multinational company wanted to launch a project to extend a dam on the region's main river, the Ovejas, which would have a major impact on her community.

Living on the banks of the river since the 17th century, the Afro-Colombian community has been practicing agriculture and artisanal mining, its main sources of income, for generations.

A 500-kilometre walk for the environment

Learning about the project marked the beginning of Marquez's long struggle to defend the rights of Afro-Colombian communities and preserve their land. For the past 20 years, she has been fighting relentlessly against the multinational companies that exploit the area around the Ovejas river and sometimes force people to leave it.

Marquez didn’t become widely known until 2014. At that time, she was targeting the illegal miners who had set up along the river, digging for gold and, above all, abundantly using mercury – an element that separates gold from water but also contaminates water and destroys biodiversity. In protest, Marquez organised the "turban march", which saw 80 women gather together to walk from Cauca to Bogota, a 10-day, 500-kilometre journey. The group demonstrated in front of the interior ministry for almost 20 days. In the end, the activist and future electoral candidate won, as the government pledged to destroy all the illegal farms around the Ovejas.

Since then, Marquez, who now has a law degree, has held numerous forums, lectured in universities and delivered speeches before political figures and NGOs. She was awarded the Goldman Prize, the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for the environment, in 2018 for her efforts. The following year, she appeared on the BBC’s list of the 100 most influential women in the world.

"I am someone who raises my voice to stop the destruction of rivers, forests and moors. I am someone who dreams that one day human beings will change the economic model of death, to make way for building a model that guarantees life," she writes on her website.
"Our governments have turned their backs on the people"

Marquez finally decided to enter politics in 2020 and made no effort to hide her ambition: "I want to be a candidate for this country. I want the population to be free and dignified. I want our territories to be places of life," she tweeted. That same year, she launched her movement "Soy porque somos" ("I am because we are"). In March 2022, she ran in the presidential primaries of the left-wing "Historic Pact" coalition. Marquez surprised everyone by coming in third, prompting Petro to choose her as his running mate.

She has made the fight to preserve Afro-Colombian lands a central part of her political campaign, constantly harkening back to her roots. "I am an Afro-Colombian woman, a single mother of two who gave birth to her first child at the age of 16 and worked in households to pay the bills. But I am also an award-winning environmental activist. And above all, a lawyer who could become Colombia's first Black vice president," she says at numerous meetings.

"Our governments have turned their backs on the people, on justice and on peace," she says. "If they had done their job properly, I wouldn't be here."

"Within the population, there has been a lot of popular anger in recent months directed towards the political class, particularly linked to the Covid-19 pandemic," explains Olga Lucia Gonzalez, an associate researcher and specialist on Colombia at the University of Paris-Diderot. "Francia Marquez comes from civil society and not from the traditional political elite. This is an argument that she plays on, and that goes greatly in her favour."

"But above all, she is a woman, Black, Afro-Colombian, and she brings with her issues that until now have been totally forgotten, like the relationship to colonialism, sexism, racism," she continues.

Marquez is not the only Afro-Colombian candidate in this presidential election – there are also Caterine Ibarguen and Zenaida Martinez. Together, they want to fight against the double discrimination faced by women who are Black. This discrimination is reflected in Colombia's political life: There is only one Black woman in the government and only two are members of parliament.

This in a country that has the second-largest population of African descent in Latin America. Official census data indicate that Afro-Colombians represent over 6.2 percent of Colombia's population, a figure demographers say is grossly underestimated. Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities continue to face disproportionate levels of poverty, violence and land expropriation. According to government findings, about 31 percent of the Afro-Colombian population lives in poverty, compared to 20 percent of the national population.

It remains to be seen whether a victory by Petro would bring about the change so hoped for by a part of the population. "At this moment, victory is far from assured. [Marquez] and Gustavo Petro will certainly get through the first round, but there is no guarantee that they will win the second," says Gonzalez. "After that, political life will always be led by the same elite. It can provide good momentum. I doubt it will be enough."

This article is a translation of the original in French by Mariamne Everett.

Gambia ready to prosecute ex-dictator Jammeh for crimes against humanity

Gambia's Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations commission recommends prosecuting officials for rights violations and abuses committed during Yahya Jammeh's 22-year reign. Victims also want the ex-leader to face justice.

Former Gambia President Yahya Jammeh is currently exiled in Equatorial Guinea

Gambian authorities on Wednesday released the long-awaited white paper by the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) set up to probe crimes committed during the reign of former President Yahya Jammeh. 

The TRRC's findings were delivered after over two years of hearings, during which witnesses gave chilling evidence about torture, death squads, rape and witch hunts — often at the hands of Jammeh's hit unit, known as the Junglers.

Among the recommendations on the panel's white paper is the prosecution of Jammeh and members of the Junglers and to provide support to victims of the former dictator's brutal reign, which was notorious for crushing dissent through murder, disappearances, torture, rape and castration.

Meaningful step forward

The release of the white paper ends six months of waiting since the TRRC first released its findings into human rights abuses under Jammeh. 

"Impunity is a kind of incentive that we are not prepared to serve perpetrators," said Gambia's justice minister, Dawda Jallow.

"Let us be clear about this," he said, "that those who contemplate committing gross human rights violations must also be aware that society one day will hold them accountable."

Reed Brody, a lawyer with the International Commission of Jurists who works with Jammeh's victims, called the ministry's response to the TRRC "an important and meaningful step forward."

"Now the government will have to demonstrate with concrete actions to an increasingly skeptical public that it actually has the determination to bring the perpetrators to book," he said. 

"Laws still have to be enacted, a court has to be established, cases have to be prepared," he said, "and Yahya Jammeh has to be brought into custody."

Journalists not spared

Sherrif Kijera, chairman of the Gambia Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations, said: "The statement by the justice minister is a clear indication of the government's commitment and the political will to implement recommendations of the white paper." 

The TRRC found that 240 to 250 people died at the hands of the state during Jammeh's rule — including journalists. 

Among the notable victims is AFP journalist Deyda Hydara, who was killed by the Junglers. 

A death squad member identified by the media as B. Lowe is currently on trial in Germany for killing Hydara.

Victims want Jammeh and suspected accomplices to be tried for the crimes committed

Victims want justice

The victims advocate Isatou Jammeh told DW correspondent Omar Wally in Banjul that his father, Haruna, a cousin of the former president's,  was killed by the Junglers in 2005.

Haruna Jammeh's body was never found. Isatou wants her father's killers to be prosecuted and his body found and given a decent burial.

"My expectations of the white paper is to see that prosecution of those who bear highest responsibilities take place," Isatou Jammeh said.

"I would like the Gambian government to ensure that the bodies of the missing persons are found and returned to their families for proper burials," he added.

"The government should ensure that what happened under Yahya Jammeh's rule never happens again," he said.

No justice, no peace

The justice activist Fatoumata Sandeng told DW that her father, Solo Sandeng, was arrested in April 2016 for leading a protest without a permit.

Solo Sandeng was a senior member of the opposition United Democratic Party. He and scores of other opposition supporters were protesting, demanding electoral reforms. For Fatoumata, the prosecution of Yahya Jammeh and his accomplices is very important for the nation's healing.

"I always say there is no reconciliation without justice and no one can force victims to reconcile," Fatoumata Sandeng said.

"Recommendations of the white paper should be fully implemented to have a stable Gambia," she added. "We want just for Yahya Jammeh's victims for the healing process to begin."

President Barrow won reelection after forming an alliance with Yahya Jammeh's party

'Prosecute Jammeh and reform security services'

According to the white paper, civil society organizations in Gambia have pressed the authorities to prosecute Jammeh for abuses during his 22-year rule.

Victims have expressed optimism that Gambia's current president, Adama Barrow, will also overhaul the security sector; reform prison, media and public order laws; and forensically probe forced disappearances to avoid a repeat of abuses.

"Jammeh and others named by the TRRC should, without fail, be held accountable for their crimes," civil society organizations said in the white paper, referring to the 69 other alleged perpetrators mentioned in the report.

"Decisions on granting of amnesty should not be taken without prior consultation with victims and/or their families," according to the paper. 

Living in exile

Jammeh was forced from power after losing the 2016 election to Barrow. He subsequently fled to Equatorial Guinea where lives in exile. 

For Jammeh to face trial, Equatorial Guinea would have to agree to extradite him. However, there is currently no extradition agreement between the two nations. Two-thirds of Gambia's parliament would also have to approve a prosecution.

The commission recommended using a hybrid tribunal or trying Jammeh in a neighboring country.

Jammeh denies the accusations against him.

Edited by Keith Walker

AVOID DIRTY COAL USE NUCLEAR POWER
Germany's dirty Colombian coal

Berlin wants to reduce its reliance on Russian coal by importing more from the biggest open-cast coal mine in Latin America. Its poor environmental and human rights standards have earned it the nickname "The Monster."


El Cerrejon in Colombia is one of the biggest open-cast coal mines in the world


Local people call it "The Monster." It sprawls across more than 69,000 hectares, an area the size of 100 soccer fields, and gulps down 30 million liters of water every day in the barren semi-desert of Colombia's second-poorest department, La Guajira. In return, it assuages the global hunger for coal – in Germany, too – by producing 30 million tonnes of it per year.

El Cerrejon is the biggest open-cast coal mine in Latin America, and one of the biggest in the world. It is owned by the Swiss company Glencore. If Germany's chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has his way, "The Monster" will play a large part in ensuring that Germans don't have to freeze next winter. The chancellor spoke to his Colombian counterpart, Ivan Duque, about it in early April – because if Germany is to end its reliance on Russian coal, it must urgently find an alternative.

A classic win-win situation, you might think. Not, however, for people like Dulcy Cotes. "The transnational companies are suffocating us with their greed for profit," she says.
Visit from an armed gang

Cotes is one of the almost 700,000 indigenous Wayuu people, who live in Venezuela and north-eastern Colombia. More than 500 years ago, they were among the first groups to be persecuted by the European conquistadors. Half a millennium later, they were among the first victims of the illegal armed drugs cartels, who murdered them, extorted money, and drove them out. Now history is repeating itself for the Wayuu for the third time. Many live close to the black gold of El Cerrejon, meaning that they are once again in danger.

Dulcy Cotes is representing indigenous people who live near the Cerrejon mine

"One of our indigenous leaders, who is campaigning to stop the mining company diverting the Bruno stream in order to extract more coal, was visited a month ago by armed men on motorbikes. It's typical for attempts at intimidation to be made against anyone who advocates on behalf of the environment and human rights," says Dulcy Cotes.

She, too, has experienced this hostility. As a prominent member of the organization Fuerza de Mujeres Wayuu [Force of Wayuu Women], which is doing everything in its power to resist the effects of the mining, she is often targeted. "Many communities have already had to move away," she says, "because the mine ate its way closer and closer to them. We don't feel safe."
Mining gives people an income – and makes them ill

But there are divisions within the Wayuu community. On one side there are people like Cotes, who are up in arms about the mine. On the other, there are those who work in El Cerrejon, and badly need the money. The mine employs thousands of people, in a region where there are almost no other jobs and every second person lives in poverty.

El Cerrejon, located in the semi-desert region of La Guajira, consumes 30 million liters of water per day

But Dulcy Cotes describes the back-breaking work they are made to do in the mine. "The people who are employed there work 12 hours at a stretch: the early shift from 6am till 6pm, or the night shift from 6pm to 6am They get sick from this, and from all the coal dust. It's maximum exploitation. If they fall ill and demand compensation, they have to sue for it; the company never pays of its own accord."
What Germany needs to know about El Cerrejon

There is a lot the human rights lawyer Rosa Maria Mateus Parra could tell German Chancellor Scholz about El Cerrejón. It is not a pleasant story. Its grim chapters bear titles like: exploitation, expropriation, forced resettlement, expulsion, destruction, irreparable environmental damage. Furthermore, in recent years the childhood mortality rate has risen sharply. Around 5,000 Wayuu children have died of starvation and thirst in the region around the mine. This horrifying figure even prompted the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to get involved.

"It's caused by the shortage of water, because rivers and streams are contaminated, or have dried up," Mateus Parra explains. "And the lack of food, because coal is now mined where indigenous communities grew their vegetables. Those children who survive have skin rashes and respiratory diseases because of the fine particle pollution. We've proved all of this in court."

The mine has contaminated water courses in the region

Last hope: a new president

What about the Colombian government? Mateus Parra is dismissive. She does, however, have high hopes of Gustavo Petro, whom she is backing to win the presidential election this coming Sunday. Petro, a guerrilla in his youth, is an economist and former mayor of the capital, Bogota. Mateus Parra says he is the only candidate who is critical of the destructive exploitation of nature, whereas the others are promoting continuity: the export of coal as a way to bring the domestic economic crisis under control.

"The provincial government of La Guajira is among the most corrupt in the country. And what we see coming out of Bogota is a political line that, in relation to economic and business interests, is one thing above all: subservient! No one examines it too closely when a company like Cerrejon Coal boasts that it is protecting fauna and flora and implementing reforestation, even though the reality is completely different."
Incomparable to German mines

Stefan Ofteringer works in Colombia for Misereor, the aid organization of the Catholic Church in Germany, as a consultant for human rights. He has seen "The Monster" with his own eyes. A few years ago, he walked along the edge of the mine in the blazing heat of La Guajira. He says he will never forget it.

"On the one hand, there is this massive destruction. Then there is the huge quantity of fine particle pollution, both from mining and from the transportation of coal. And the earth tremors, and the noise from the daily blasting. Germany's Garzweiler mine [an open-cast lignite mine, one of the biggest in the country – Editor's note] is child's play in comparison."

Misereor is one of 160 organizations from 30 countries that initiated the campaign "Life Not Coal" earlier this month. They called on Scholz and Duque to stop exploiting the coal in El Cerrejon sooner rather than later, and, until then, to insist that human rights and environmental standards finally be upheld. "Diverting the course of the nearby stream, which is what the mine operators are pushing for in order to extract more coal, would be a socio-ecological disaster," says Ofteringer.
Does the supply chain law pass the reality check?

Ofteringer is pinning his hopes on the supply chain law passed by the German parliament last year. According to this law, German companies are also obliged to trace and remedy any deficiencies when importing coal from Colombia.

Energy companies such as Steag and EnBW are therefore subject to this requirement. Uniper and RWE also buy coal from Colombia.

So if all goes well, it's possible that "The Monster" may become less frightening in the future. The mine is expected to remain in operation until 2034. However, human rights consultant Ofteringer warns that "up until now, the companies have never set standards that were fair to the local population. And it has always been the wealthy elites that have benefited from mining in Colombia, never the impoverished population."

This article has been translated from German.

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India: Is the BJP altering school curriculum to promote Hindu nationalism?

Critics say BJP governments in several states are attempting to introduce a new syllabus in schools that aligns with the Hindu nationalist party's worldview.


'School textbooks play a key role in shaping up the mindset of children so it is important to update them from time to time'

A controversy has erupted in recent days in the southern Karnataka state, ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), over revisions of school textbooks, with detractors slamming the government for trying to promote its Hindu nationalist agenda through the changes.

The extent of the changes is not yet known, as the books have not been made public.

But media report that chapters on such social reformers as Periyar and Narayana Guru; Bhagat Singh, an Indian freedom fighter executed by British authorities in 1931; and other figures have been removed from the syllabus.

It has also been reported that the curriculum will include a speech by K H Hegdewar, the founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, a sprawling Hindu nationalist organization with some 5-6 million members.

The RSS, where Modi began his political career, has close ideological and organizational ties to the BJP.

'A matter of great concern'

BJP-ruled states such as Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Haryana have also announced the introduction of the Hindu holy book, the Bhagavad Gita, to the school curriculum beginning in the upcoming academic year.

"The National Education Policy will be implemented in the upcoming session. We will be including Vedas, Gita, Ramayana and the history of Uttarakhand in the syllabus after taking suggestions from the public and consulting the academicians," Uttarakhand Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat announced in May.

Education experts, government critics and opposition political parties have sharply criticized the BJP for the proposed changes, arguing that it is an effort to rewrite Indian history in a way that aligns with the party's worldview.

"The proposed changes in school textbooks at the state level in Gujarat and Karnataka is a matter of great concern, as clearly it is not academic considerations but the politics of our times that is the deciding factor," R Mahalakshmi, professor at the Center for Historical Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, told DW.

Since Modi came to power in 2014, Hindu right-wing groups such as the RSS have expanded their influence across much of India's government, particularly over new education policies, opponents of the BJP say.

Portraying the right history?

Last year, a parliamentary panel on education chaired by BJP MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe called for changes in school textbooks.

The committee noted that many of the historical figures and freedom fighters have been portrayed in "an incorrect manner as offenders" and this "wrong portrayal should be corrected" in history textbooks.

It also suggested that ancient wisdom, knowledge and teachings from ancient Hindu scriptures such as the Vedas should be included in the school curriculum.

"There is no truth that we are changing the syllabus to suit our ideological stance," Sahasrabuddhe told DW.

"Did Congress not have a political agenda when it rewrote the syllabus to keep an eye on vote bank politics?" he said, referring to the Indian National Congress, the country's main opposition party.

"We are portraying the right history to people and this is a project long overdue," he said. "School textbooks play a key role in shaping up the mindset of children," he added, "so it is important to update them from time to time."

Critics plan protest

Mahalakshmi said it was a "blatant attempt to present an obscurantist and sectarian view" of history.

"The bogey of the neglected and marginalized histories, events and figures is simply a way of inserting communal and politically motivated elements into the school curriculum," she said.

In Karnataka state, critics of textbook revisions are planning to take to the streets next week in protest.

In an open letter, prominent figures from across the state, including academicians and writers, have questioned the proposed changes, arguing that such decisions should not be made by political actors but by the experts in the field.

Historian Narayani Gupta said any revision of school books should be done only after thorough research and with the aim of improving the quality of education.

"Curriculum or textbook changes should be made after due notice. Any innovation should be in use for at least five years. There should be forms online where individuals can give opinions," she told DW.

"There is not enough consultation with schoolteachers, no vetting of textbooks, overlong chapters and no room for imagination. Hurting sentiments is not a valid reason for changes in textbooks," she said.

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru

 UK

Victims groups slam Boris Johnson over 'Partygate' report

Victims groups are furious that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson refuses to step down despite a damning report on illegal Downing Street parties during the country's strict pandemic lockdowns.

The scandal has hit Boris Johnson's approval ratings hard

Friday afternoons were apparently "wine time" for Downing Street staffers. Officials sat on each other's laps, emptying bottle after bottle, leaving bins overflowing with rubbish, witnesses told the British broadcaster BBC anonymously. This is the sort of evidence that the civil servant Sue Gray was gathering over the past five months.

Her report was commissioned in December, after photos emerged of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson enjoying cheese and wine with his staff — shocking the nation.

The "Investigation Into Alleged Gatherings on Government Premises During COVID Restrictions" lists more details of what was going on at the highest ranks of UK government while the rest of the country was in lockdown: a drinking culture so noisy that others in the building could not concentrate on work, a person getting sick, rudeness toward cleaning and security staff. The report concludes that there was a failure of leadership and that the behavior fell short of what the British public could expect from leaders.

This comes after Johnson's gatherings were already investigated by police and the prime minister was fined for breaking lockdown rules. 

'Culture of entitlement'

Many opposition politicians have called for Johnson to resign, and victims groups are seething.

Jean Adamson lost her father, a care home resident, to COVID-19. She was not able to be with him when he died, not able to comfort him during his illness. She told DW that she is appalled by what happened in government and that she cannot forgive Johnson, whom she calls a "dishonorable man."

"There was clearly a culture of entitlement", she said. "The rules somehow didn't apply to them. They disrespected the nation: We were supposed to follow the rules, and we did, to the letter. The prime minister should have gone a long time ago."

Fran Hall, a member of the group COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, for which Adamson is a campaigner, also said Johnson should go. She lost her partner, Steve, who had suffered from cancer. Because of the strict lockdown rules, she was not able to visit him in hospital when he contracted COVID, not able to comfort him, hug him.

Hall said her partner's funeral was 10 days before Johnson was photographed raising a glass to toast a member of his team who was leaving. She feels bitter that she could not have any celebration of Steve and his life: "I followed the rules," she says.  

"Millions of people followed the law because it was there to protect us, to stop people from contracting COVID," Hall said. "And all the time, for over a year in Downing Street, there were officials within government and members of the government breaking the law." She would like Johnson to resign and "disappear."

Tory support remains

Johnson is not willing to go. In Parliament on Wednesday, he said he was sorry for what he had done and apologized. But Johnson only admitted small mistakes, claiming that he had "no knowledge" of how the gatherings, that he only "briefly" attended, were proceeding after his departure.

Tory MPs were stone-faced while they were listening, but so far it seems the overwhelming majority of them are still backing Johnson. "When the prime minister gets passionate, things get done" was the verdict of backbench Conservative MP Graham Stuart.

So far, Boris Johnson refuses to step down

Johnson's approval ratings have fallen steadily since "Partygate," but many MPs still remember the landslide majority he won with his ability to reach voters who had never voted Conservative before.

Johnson himself is doing everything he can to stay in power, promising that lessons have been learned, assuring that his office has been restructured, and that he is ready to "move on." But there still is the issue of whether he lied to Parliament — a severe charge that is being investigated by a parliamentary committee. When questioned in the House of Commons whether a particular party took place on November 13, 2020, he had responded: "No, but I am sure that whatever happened, the guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times."

More and more pictures have emerged showing Johnson at the various parties

New photos from that day have now emerged, showing Johnson raising a glass with his staff, surrounded by bottles of wine. During that time, the country was in strict lockdown, indoor meetings were forbidden, unless for work.

So, following the police fines and the recent release of the compromising photos and as the accusations that Johnson misled Parliament continue, "Partygate" is not over. But the prime minister clearly has no intention of offering his resignation — and he won't likely be asked for it by his Tories in Parliament.

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VW pays millions in 'Dieselgate' settlement in Britain

The Volkswagen Group has reached an out-of-court settlement in the UK to compensate some 91,000 drivers over the diesel emissions scandal that engulfed the company in 2015. It will cost VW well over €200 million.



VW's TDI engine control units could recognize that the vehicle had entered an emissions test run, and alter its normal output to meet the standards

Volkswagen on Wednesday said that it would pay 193 million British pounds (roughly €227 million, or $243 million) as part of an out-of-court settlement over the diesel emissions scandal that engulfed the VW Group — and later much of the automotive industry — in 2015.

"The settlement is another important milestone as the Volkswagen Group continues to move beyond the deeply regrettable events leading up to September 2015," Philip Haarmann, chief legal officer at VW, said in a statement.

The settlement is the response to a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of some 91,000 claimants in England and Wales.

VW said the precise terms and conditions of the settlement were confidential. However, it did say that in addition to the larger compensation fund, "a separate contribution is being made by the Volkswagen Group toward the claimants' legal costs and other fees."

The settlement spares VW a potentially lengthy and expensive legal procedure that might also damage its image. It also meant the company could avoid any formal admission of wrongdoing.

"No admissions in respect of liability, causation or loss have been made by any of the defendants in the group as part of the settlement," VW said.

Many of VW's subsidiaries, such as Audi, Porsche and Seat, were also involved in the case, often because they use the exact same engines with a different badge in certain models.

The law firms representing the plaintiffs also welcomed the settlement, saying it "avoids the need for a lengthy, complex and expensive trial process."
Similar payments in US, Germany, elsewhere

The scandal that became known as "Dieselgate" involved VW using special software to dupe official emissions tests. Its so-called "defeat devices" recognized the unique running patterns of formal emissions testing — which is unlike ordinary driving — and were able to ensure the vehicle emitted fewer nitrogen oxides than it would in normal circumstances.

Nitrogen oxides are part of the trade-off of diesel cars, which tend to emit less carbon dioxide (CO2) than cars running on gasoline/petrol. Although not particularly damaging in terms of climate change, certainly when compared to CO2, they have more severe impacts on air quality.

VW's test deception was first uncovered in the US, whose recent history of battling smog in major cities means it has more prohibitive nitrogen oxide regulations than the EU, which focuses more on fuel efficiency and CO2 in its standards.

The scandal sparked the biggest business crisis in VW's modern history, costing the company more than €32 billion in vehicle refits, fines and legal costs to date, perhaps most notably in the US and Germany.

VW believes that about 11 million vehicles worldwide were affected, 1.2 million of them in the UK.

A series of other major car manufacturers ultimately faced similar allegations for their diesel vehicles, including Fiat, Opel, Mercedes-Benz, Renault and Nissan, albeit on a smaller scale. Past cases of programming cars to deliver misleading test results also existed.

Some activists urged the industry to adopt "real-world" testing regimes in the future so it would no longer be possible to deceive regulators. However, this would have the downside of drastically reducing the nominal fuel efficiency of cars, which is as unpalatable for manufacturers as it is for regulators and politicians trying to tout fuel efficiency gains. It would likely require adjusting emissions regulations to make them more forgiving.

msh/fb (AFP, dpa, Reuters)