Russia-Ukraine updates: IAEA seeks protection zone around Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

The International Atomic Energy Agency has called for an end to shelling near Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Meanwhile, Putin is overseeing joint drills with China and India. DW rounds up the latest.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi is scheduled to brief the UN Security Council on 

the situation of nuclear plants in Ukraine

The United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency has called for the establishment of a protection zone around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in southern Ukraine, so long as Russia’s invasion continues.

In a report issued after visiting the nuclear plant — Europe’s largest — the IAEA said shelling presented a major risk to nuclear safety.

"While the ongoing shelling has not yet triggered a nuclear emergency, it continues to represent a constant threat to nuclear safety and security with potential impact on critical safety functions that may lead to radiological consequences with great safety significance," the IAEA said in the report.

It said the best course of action would be for the conflict to end, but failing that, a security area should be established. It also called for the removal of Russian armored vehicles that the delegation observed at the plant. 

"Shelling on site and in its vicinity should be stopped immediately to avoid any further damages to the plant and associated facilities, for the safety of the operating staff and to maintain the physical integrity to support safe and secure operation. This requires agreement by all relevant parties to the establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the ZNPP," it said.

It said it was ready to offer guidance on establishing such a zone.

What damages did the IAEA delegation observe?

During the visit, the IAEA said it saw numerous cases of damage, and at one point the delegation was forced to seek shelter from incoming shell fire.

The damaged infrastructure included a turbine lubrication oil tank; the roofs of several buildings including the one housing the spent fuel transporter vehicle; the building that houses fresh nuclear fuel and the solid radioactive waste storage facility; the new training building; the building with the central alarm system for the physical protection system; and the container holding radiation monitoring system which is near the dry spent fuel storage facility.

It heaped praise on the staff manning the plant, but said working and living conditions needed to improve for them to avoid the risk of a nuclear accident.

"The staff at all of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities have continued to show endurance and resilience in keeping the sites running in a safe and secure way amid the conflict, and the IAEA salutes them," it said.

It said they were "under constant high stress and pressure, especially with the limited staff available."

"This is not sustainable and could lead to increased human error with implications for nuclear safety."

Kyiv and Moscow have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the plant. The Zaporizhzhia plant, along with most of the rest of the region, has been under Russian occupation since March, but is run by Ukrainian staff.

Ukraine's nuclear agency Energoatom said on Monday that shelling disrupted power lines and took the plant's last remaining reactor offline.

The UN nuclear watchdog, citing information supplied by Kyiv, said that the plant's backup power line had been cut to extinguish a fire. It said that the line itself was not damaged and would be reconnected.

Later on Tuesday, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi will brief the UN Security Council.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of a "near radiation catastrophe," and alleged that Moscow "does not care what the IAEA will say."

Meanwhile, Kyiv has claimed gains in a counter-offensive in Ukraine's south, including the re-capture of one village in the Kherson region, which lies immediately west of Zaporizhzhia.

Here's a look at some of the other major news stories from Russia's war in Ukraine on September 6.

European Commission recommends Russian visa deal be dropped

The European Commission has recommended that the Visa Facilitation Agreement with Russia be suspended.

The move was largely expected, and will now be passed onto the European Council for final approval.

"A country like Russia, waging a war of aggression, should not qualify for visa facilitations as long as it continues conducting its destructive foreign policy and military aggression towards Ukraine, demonstrating a complete disregard to the international rules-based order," the Commission said in a statement.

"The suspension is in response to increased risks and threats to the Union's security interests and the national security of the Member States as result of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine."

Suspending the deal would mean a more arduous process for visas for Russian nationals, but would include considerations for family members of EU citizens, journalists, dissidents and civil society representatives.

The increased hurdles they face would include a higher visa fee (€80 up from €35), processing times of up to 45 days, restrictions on multiple entry visas, and a requirement for more documents.

The visa deal first came into force in 2007, but ministers from EU member states last week agreed to put it on ice. The new arrangement falls well short of an outright ban on visas for Russians, which some EU states had called for.

 According to the Commission, about 963,000 Russians held valid visas to the Schengen area.

Opinion: Germany — No exit from the nuclear energy exit

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck wants to keep two of the three German nuclear power plants on standby for an extra three months as an emergency reserve. That is the right decision, says Jens Thurau.

The Emsland nuclear power plant will be turned off at the end of the year

So now, after all, Germany is extending the operation of the nuclear power plants still connected to the grid. Even if only for two of the three, the Neckarwestheim nuclear power plant in Baden-Württemberg and the Isar reactor in Bavaria — and only as an emergency standby. The Emsland nuclear power plant in northern Germany is to be taken off the grid as planned at the end of the year.

The electricity and gas supply crisis is behind the current decision. The two power plants will be running longer than planned for just three months. All the same it is a turning point, especially for the Greens, who are an important cog in the government's machinery.

Ending atomic energy is a core Greens' demand

For a long time, the end of nuclear energy in Germany was an elementary reason for the Greens' existence. Time and again, not only the Greens argued that the dispute over nuclear energy in Germany, after decades of heated argument, had finally been shelved with the decision to phase out nuclear power in 2011, after the Fukushima reactor disaster. The Greens in particular really came together as a party in the fight against nuclear energy in the early 1980s.

DW's Jens Thurau

But now everything has changed, every straw is being clutched at to break free from dependence on Russian energy supplies. Even Robert Habeck of the Greens, whose ministerial portfolio includes energy policy, has given the changing situation due consideration. Winter can be tough, very tough. Which means the remaining German nuclear power plants must continue to operate, even if they only supply 6% of the country's electricity — all three combined. But in times of crisis, every little bit is needed.

No plea for nuclear energy

The decision is probably the right one to get Germany through the winter, a pragmatic weighing of interests by politicians who have sworn an oath of office to deflect harm from the country. But considerations that go above and beyond, as suggested by opposition politicians, to hold on to nuclear energy in Germany, are a different matter.

If the three nuclear power plants that are still active were to run for longer than three months, they would need new fuel elements, and those are cheapest in Russia. It is a catch-22. Whatever the government does, it can only ever be about becoming independent of Putin and his stranglehold on energy. A continued operation of the German nuclear power plants beyond three months at Putin's mercy is not a convincing argument.

Renewables are the only way out

So, we're looking at only two out of three reactors, and only in case of an emergency. A glance at France, where 28 of the 56 power plants are currently not on the grid, shows that nuclear energy hardly offers a way out of the current energy crisis here in Germany and elsewhere. One of the reasons is the shortage of cooling water from the rivers in the summer drought. In France as in Germany, the only alternative is to save energy wherever possible — electricity, gas, oil. And to expand renewable energies as quickly as possible.

At the end of the day it is the right decision. Two of the three nuclear power plants still on the grid will help the Germans get through the winter in an emergency, but nothing more. It is not a plea for a future of nuclear energy. On the other hand, who knows how long this decision will last in these troubled times — apart from the fact that it still needs the blessing of the entire government. And that is anything but a given in these weeks and months.

This article was originally written in German.

Tackling inequality: A survival guide for humanity and nature?

From investing trillions in green jobs and renewables to transforming our food system, a new book argues there are five ways we can put the planet and people above profit. DW speaks to lead co-author Jorgen Randers.



A new book argues that with 2-4% of global GDP, we can pull nature back from the brink

In "Earth for All: A Survival Guide for Humanity," we are presented with two possible futures.

In the first — called "Too Little, Too Late" — the 21st Century is dominated by destabilizing inequality, a rising ecological footprint, loss of biodiversity and temperatures that soar to 2.5 degrees Celsius (36.5 degrees Fahrenheit) warming.

In the second — "The Giant Leap" — we stabilize global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius and end poverty by 2050 through a seismic transformation of our global economy.

The split between these paths looks more like a cliff edge than a crossroads, as Jorgen Randers, professor emeritus of climate strategy at the BI Norwegian Business School and one of the book's six co-authors, sees it.

And it is this sense of urgency that thrums through Earth for All, a survival guide for tackling the simultaneous, interlinked crises of environmental degradation and profound inequality. The book argues it is not only critical but entirely possible to solve them with the investment of 2-4% of GDP — less, it highlights, than what is currently spent annually on fossil fuel subsidies.

Jorgen Randers, left, is among a team of international academics that have co-authored the book

Vote — and take collective action

While it sets sight on seismic global policy shifts, in the foreword to the book, Christiana Figueres, a Costa Rican diplomat and one of the central architects of the Paris Climate Agreement, writes that large-scale systems change is surprisingly personal. "It starts with each of us, with what we prioritize, what we are willing to stand up for, and how we decide to show up in the world."

Randers too believes it is not just policy makers that can bring us back from the cliff edge. Consumer actions that move away from fossil fuels — like buying a heat pump instead of using gas or purchasing an electric car — have their merit. But ultimately, he believes we need to fully embrace "collective action."

And the most important message is to vote correctly, says Randers. "To get in power, politicians or a political party that is willing to behave as a strong government to tax sufficiently to be able to pay for the solutions that we all need."

Consumer choices like buying an electric car play a role but it is collective action that is critical, says Randers

A roadmap for economic transformation

The book presents these solutions in the form of five ‘extraordinary turnarounds': ending poverty through reform of the international financial system, ensuring the wealthiest 10% take no more than 40% of national incomes, empowering women for full gender equity, transforming the food system and a clean energy transition to reach net zero global emissions by 2050.

It also outlines a roadmap for achieving them in the form of 15 policy recommendations, many of which are directly climate related. The include the International Monetary Fund transferring $1 trillion (€1 trillion) per year to low-income countries for creating green jobs, increasing annual global investments in new renewables to over $1 trillion, electrifying "everything", phasing out fossil fuels and ending agricultural expansion.

In the book's "Giant Leap" scenario, by 2050 the food system will be regenerative, food waste dramatically reduced through legislation, and local food production economically incentivized.

Greater equality is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet, according to the book

Tackle global inequality

Achieving this scale of transformation will require "truly extraordinary action to redistribute wealth", Randers explains, as inequality and planetary destruction are intimately linked. "If we continue [as we are] equality is going to go down and the temperature is going to keep rising."

The book describes greater equality as the closest thing the world has to a silver bullet. It will help generate funds to make the "Giant Leap." Without it, the authors predict society will be too embroiled in social tensions related to poverty and declining wellbeing to take the necessary action to tackle climate change.

To this end, the book's proposals include increasing tax rates on the richest 10% of the global population — who currently take home 52% of global incomes and earn on average $122,100 , according to the World Inequality Report produced by the Paris School of Economics. It also argues the private sector should be charged for extracting or polluting resources that belong to all in society — such as land, freshwater and the atmosphere. The money this raises would be put into a Citizens Fund and then divided by the population number to produce a lump sum that could be distributed equally back to all citizens.

Investing in regenerative agriculture and cutting food waste is part of the book's proposals for transforming our food system

State subsidies for clean energy

Redistributing wealth will help fund an energy transition which although technologically speaking is a piece of cake will only happen at scale through subsidizing, says Randers. "Instead of relying on the market and voluntary action, we introduce an active state, which is well funded and actually pays what it takes to make the world more sustainable."

Ensuring that climate solutions are fairly funded is paramount. "All the technologies exist to solve these five problems…so you need to ask why we haven't yet," says Randers. The fundamental explanation, he believes, is that the major crises have been created by the overconsumption and extractivism of the world's wealthiest people. "Unless we get into a situation where the rich pay for the repair, we will never get democratic agreement on any action."


Earth for All hopes to encourage a global coalition around its ideas

Take action — whether you are optimistic or not

This is not the first fork in the climate road Randers has stood before.

In 1972 he was co-author of the seminal work, "The Limits of Growth," which argued material consumption of energy and resources could not continue indefinitely. If we had paid attention to this book, environmentalist Bill McKibben argues, "we wouldn't be in the fix we're in today."

The disappointing lack of action in the ensuing 50 years has made Randers more hesitant to be optimistic. Luckily, he says, the other Earth for All academics fully believe society is capable of a great leap, taking hope from huge achievements like the Paris Agreement.

The purpose of the book is not only to be a study, Randers explains, but an active call to form a "strong global coalition” of civil society groups around the ideas.

And ultimately action is urgent regardless of where you land on the optimism spectrum, says Randers. "We should work as hard as we can to try to get people to understand that this is important — important enough that they actually join in a big movement to force the rich to pay the bill."

Edited by: Tamsin Walker

WOMEN AND GIRLS: VICTIMS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Dangerous distances
As places around the world become more arid and suffer from increasing drought and deforestation, wooded areas are disappearing. According to a new study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), women, particularly those living in the global south, are being forced to walk farther and farther to find firewood for cooking — and are increasingly at risk of being raped.
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Date 06.09.2022

South Korea: Typhoon Hinnamnor forces thousands to flee

Heavy rain and strong winds have caused power outages, flight cancelations and school closures as the typhoon made landfall in southern parts of the country.

A man walks on a road along the coast damaged by Typhoon Hinnamnor in Ulsan

Thousands of people were forced to evacuate as Typhoon Hinnamnor made landfall in South Korea on Tuesday.

It is one of the most powerful storms to hit the country in decades, authorities said.

It comes weeks after the capital Seoul and nearby regions were hit by heavy rainfall and flashfloods that killed at least 14 people.

What effect has Typhoon Hinnamnor had?

The typhoon left the Korean peninsula off the southeastern city of Ulsan at about 7:10 am, after landing on the coastal city of Geoje, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.

"Heavy rains, strong winds and a storm surge are expected until Tuesday," the country's weather agency said, warning against "very" high waves in the coastal areas.

South Korean officials put the nation on alert about potential damages from flooding, landslides and tidal waves

Strong rains and winds destroyed trees and roads in southern regions. More than 20,000 homes were left without power.

As of early Tuesday, 3,463 people had been evacuated and one 25-year-old reported missing in Ulsan, authorities said.

More than 600 schools were closed or moved to online classes, and more than 250 flights and 70 ferry services were grounded. More than 66,000 fishing boats evacuated to ports.

President Yoon Suk-yeol held emergency response meetings, urging officials to take precautions until the typhoon is completely gone.

Where is Hinnamnor headed next?

North Korea also braced for damage from the typhoon as leader Kim Jong Un presided over a two-day meeting on disaster prevention work, ordering the release of water from a dam near its border with its southern neighbor.

Despite South Korea's repeated requests for notice before releasing water downstream, Pyongyang has remained unresponsive.

The typhoon is expected to head northeast and pass about 400 kilometers northwest of Sapporo in Japan at about midnight on Tuesday.

Measles in Zimbabwe: Government struggles to contain outbreak as more deaths reported

The death toll from a measles outbreak among children in Zimbabwe has risen to almost 700. The government's mass vaccination campaign to contain the spread faces stiff resistance from unvaccinated families.

A measles vaccination can protect a child against infection or severe illness

Zimbabwe's Health Ministry said on Monday it had recorded 6,291 cases of measles by Sept. 4. Over the weekend it said that 698 children had now died. The latest figures mark a steep increase compared to two weeks ago, when the ministry said 157 children, most of whom were unvaccinated due to their family's religious beliefs, had died from the disease.

The outbreak began in the eastern Manicaland province at the beginning of August, spreading rapidly across the country. Health authorities are scrambling to contain the spread.

The government has announced a mass vaccination campaign targeting children between the ages of six months and 15 years. Authorities are also trying to engage traditional and faith leaders to support the drive.

Zimbabwe has continued vaccinating children against measles during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the drive has been hampered by religious groups preaching against vaccines.

Rejection of modern medicine

The Christian sects in question are against modern medicine and have told their members to rely on self-proclaimed prophets for healing.

Health authorities have tried to keep up with measles vaccines, while also vaccinating against COVID-19

DW caught up with one of the religious groups on an annual pilgrimage in Manicaland, where thousands of members of the Johane Marange Apostolic sect had gathered to listen to an oracle. The church doctrine does not allow its members to be vaccinated or seek medical treatment when they fall sick.

A preventable fatal disease

Measles is among the most infectious diseases in the world. The childhood infection is caused by a virus that can be fatal for small children. It primarily spreads in the air by coughing, sneezing or through close contact. Symptoms include coughing, fever and a skin rash. However, a vaccine can easily prevent the disease. 

But 56-year-old sect member Kuziva Kudzanai told DW it was a sin to seek medical treatment. "If anyone gets sick, they will go to the church elders for prayers," he insisted.

Church gatherings that have resumed following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions have themselves "led to the spread of measles to previously unaffected areas," the Health Ministry said in a statement last week.

Added pregnancy risks

The prohibition on medical care also applies to pregnant women, sect member Janet Hanyanisi told DW. "We are not allowed to be vaccinated or even to go to a hospital for treatment. Instead, we go to our church midwives for delivery," she said.

Health authorities have struggled to break down some religious communities' resistance to vaccinating their children, who they believe are speeding up the spread of the disease.

Some religious sects won't allow pregnant women in Zimbabwe to get medical assistance

"So far what we have seen that almost all the dead are unvaccinated children," said Cephas Hote, a medical officer in Mutasa District, one of the worst-affected regions. He added that there were a few infections among vaccinated children, but only with mild symptoms.

Scramble to contain measles

The government has reacted to the outbreak by launching a national measles vaccination blitz. July Moyo, a minister in the local government, said several government departments and the police are enforcing the vaccination to "tackle the emergency." 

Moyo hopes the involvement of the entire government will ensure that "people, especially children, get vaccinated."

Before the current outbreak, Zimbabwe had not recorded a single measles case for more than 10 years. Public health authorities are hoping the current outbreak can be contained before it becomes an epidemic.

Scientists estimate more than 90% of the population needs to be immunized to prevent measles outbreaks.

In April, the World Health Organization warned of an increase in measles cases in vulnerable countries as a result of a disruption of services due to COVID-19.

UNICEF has said about 25 million children worldwide have missed out on routine immunizations against common childhood diseases, calling it a "red alert" for child health.

This piece was updated on Sept. 6 to reflect the higher death toll among children.

Edited by: Chrispin Mwakideu

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Zimbabwe: Measles outbreak leaves more than 150 children dead

Government says 157 children have died as the total number of suspected cases nationwide has doubled in four days. All of those who died had not been vaccinated against measles according to officials.  

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Indonesia: Protests launched over fuel price increase

Fuel subsidies are a sensitive political issue in Indonesia. But with the subsidy budget tripling, the president says he must let prices rise.

People have marched across the country demanding fuel price increases be reversed

Thousands of protesters assembled in Indonesian cities on Tuesday calling for fuel price increases to be rolled back.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced over the weekend that the government would cut fuel subsidies and let prices rise 30%. It was the first price rise in eight years, and comes in the face of soaring inflation and a tripling of the budget for energy subsidies.

The move raised the price of gasoline from about 51 US dollar cents (€0.51) to 67 cents per liter and diesel from 35 cents to 46 cents.

Students and labor groups led marches in the capital Jakarta, as well as the cities of Surabaya, Makassar, Kendari, Aceh, and Yogyakarta. Police say further big crowds are likely this week.

Unions claim the price hike will impact workers and the urban poor the hardest.

"Workers are really, really suffering right now," Abdul Aris, a union official, told Reuters news agency. He vowed to keep fighting until the government caves in.

Demonstrators also demanded an increase in the minimum wage from next year.

Thousands of police officers were deployed across Jakarta, many given the duty of guarding petrol stations.

Protesters at the weekend burned tires, and blocked roads — complaining that they were already reeling from rising food costs and the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The government says it is softening the blow by bolstering welfare programs, and setting up hotlines in the country of 270 million people.

"These are very difficult conditions, but if you look at the assistance provided by the government, it is quite large," Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini told a news conference. "We hope this could help cushion the rise in prices that the people are facing."

Fuel subsidies have long been sensitive in South East Asia's largest economy. For decades now, the government has subsidized fuel, and past increases have triggered student protests.

In 1998, mass riots helped topple longtime dictator Suharto.

aw/msh (Reuters, AP)

Lufthansa: Second strike averted as pilots, airline near deal

Pilots had been planning a two-day strike over wages unless the airline came up with a "serious offer." A similar strike last week stranded some 130,000 passengers.

Germany's Lufthansa airline narrowly avoided a second round of pilot strikes on Tuesday.

"An agreement has been reached" over wages, the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union said. This was later confirmed by Lufthansa executives who added that the agreement was not final, but was sufficient to delay the most imminent threat of strikes.

The union had threatened a two-day action, set to start on Wednesday, unless a "serious offer" was made. Lufthansa then accused the union of "continuing on the path of escalation."

Pilots had already paralyzed Lufthansa's core operations on Friday last week after negotiations on a new collective agreement had failed. The all-day pilots' strike brought almost all flight operations to a halt. Around 130,000 passengers were affected by the cancellation of more than 800 flights. Lufthansa said the action cost it €32 million ($32 million).

A final new agreement has not been reached, according to Lufthansa. However, the union has agreed to call off the strike as both sides continue to negotiate ahead of revealing new proposals on Friday.

What were the pilots demanding?

Vereinigung Cockpit said last week it was demanding a 5.5% pay rise for its more than 5,000 pilots alongside automatic inflation adjustments for 2023.

Spokesperson Matthias Baier said they hadn't received a "sufficient offer" on Thursday, calling it a "sobering and missed opportunity" on side of Lufthansa.

Lufthansa published details of the offer it said the trade union had walked away from. The last offer proposed a blanket increase of €900 per employee.

The company said this would signify an increase of 15% for pilots early in their career and 5% for experienced captains, based on salaries from the latest 18 months.

The airline was arguing that VC's demands would increase staff costs in the cockpit by 40%, describing the increase as "unreasonable," as it doesn't take into account the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. During the pandemic, Lufthansa was granted a €9 billion ($8.9 billion) bailout by the German government as it narrowly avoided bankruptcy. However, it was able to pay back the bailout at the end of 2021.

dh,es/rt (dpa, Reuters)

'Not a god': Filmmakers dissect Leonard Cohen through 'Hallelujah'

'A POET, LIKE DAVID'

Author: AFP|Update: 06.09.2022 

Cohen's 'Hallelujah', ignored at first, eventually became a global hit / © AFP/File

A filmmaker duo retracing Leonard Cohen's life through his legendary anthem "Hallelujah" said they were so in awe of the Canadian singer that it took them years of preparation before tackling the documentary.

Presenting "Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song" at the American Film Festival that opened at the weekend in Deauville, France, Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine told AFP they studied Cohen's personal notebooks, rare footage and even his selfies for eight years before making the film.

"When we first thought about the project, and then even when we were first embarking upon it, my feelings about Leonard were that he was a god. You know, it was the great Leonard Cohen," Goldfine said.

"How were we possibly going to do justice to this god?"

Geller and Goldfine approached the life of the singer -- who gave his blessing to the project two years before he died aged 82 in 2016 -- through "Hallelujah", his most famous song, which has acquired cult status in the world of rock.

When Cohen first released the song, tucked away on the "Various Positions" album from 1984, it went almost unnoticed.

But then Bob Dylan performed a cover, followed by The Velvet Underground's John Cale, and Jeff Buckley, and then some 300 artists recording their own versions of "Hallelujah".

"It's looking at Leonard Cohen through the prism of his most famous song," Goldfine said.

- 'He's a human being' -

Focusing on the one song relieved the filmmakers of "the burden of having to do like a cradle to grave by a biography", she said.

Instead, they highlighted "his influences and the parts of Leonard's spiritual journey that illuminated why he was the only person in the universe who could have possibly written 'Hallelujah'", Goldfine said, adding: "The song is so much about everyone's spiritual journey."

Geller and Goldfine, based in San Francisco and whose previous work includes "Ballet Russes" and "Isadora Duncan," acknowledged that obtaining Cohen's blessing was crucial.

"Without that, we would have gotten nowhere," Geller said.

It still took the duo years to access Cohen's notebooks, now owned by his family, which contain detailed insights into the several years it took the singer to get "Hallelujah" right.

As they studied the archives, they also discovered that Cohen had developed an early knack for photographic self-portraits.

"We like to say Leonard was the first selfie taker because he was way ahead of his time, he started taking selfies of himself using this old Polaroid camera, probably going back to the 70s," Goldfine said.

The film also contains a moving scene when a young, nervous Cohen broke off a performance of his first hit "Suzanne" in 1967, choking with stage fright, only to be coaxed back onto the stage by his duet partner, US singer Judy Collins.

The incident added to the filmmakers' growing realisation that even the great Cohen was only human.

"He's a man. He's not a god," Goldfine said. "He's a human being who worked very hard on himself. Every day of his life."

Filtered ferry engines hailed for tackling air pollution

Author: AFP|Update: 06.09.2022 

The ferry will link Marseille and the French island of Corsica / © AFP

A French ferry company has launched what it claims is the first vessel that uses filters to capture almost all air pollutants from the boat's exhaust fumes, sparking praise from campaigners and local authorities.

La Meridionale, based in the southern French port of Marseille, showed off its innovative ship on Monday to the media.

"It's an unprecedented solution, a world first," company chairman Marc Reverchon told reporters on board the blue-and white Piana which sails between Marseille and the French island of Corsica.

The company said the filters captured 99 percent of sulphur oxides emitted by the ferry's four engines, as well as 99.9 percent of particulate matter created from the burning of its heavy fuel.

The filters use technology already found in power stations or incineration plants in which sodium bicarbonate is injected into the exhaust fumes, causing a chemical reaction with the tiny particles produced during the combustion process.

The pollutants can then be captured by a type of industrial air filter that has been around for more than 30 years, company technical director Christophe Seguinot told reporters.

"We didn't have to look too far. We didn't invent anything," Seguinot explained. "The challenge for us was to make it suitable for a marine setting."

The ferry group has an agreement with chemicals supplier Solvay, which will dispose of the toxic filter residue -- with a view to recycling it in the future, Seguinot said.

Heavy fuel oil, also known as bunker fuel, is one of the cheapest but most polluting transportation fuels, resulting in the thick plumes of dirty brown smoke seen above most ships.

It is also high in sulphur which can cause respiratory problems and acid rain.

- Regulation -

Regulations on the amount of sulphur authorised vary, with ultra-clean fuel mandated in areas such as the North Sea and Baltic Sea in Europe, as well as around North American ports.

Marseille, which hosts cruise and container ships as well as ferries, has struggled with increased smog in recent years and the shipping sector is thought to be responsible for a large part of the problem.

"Let's hope that the big polluters follow the example of La Meridionale," Marseille's Socialist mayor Benoit Payan tweeted on Monday after attending the company event.

He has been battling ship operators over the summer with a petition calling for the dirtiest vessels to be barred during peak pollution times.

Shipping companies are under pressure from regulators and tightening industry standards to tackle their emissions of greenhouse gases as well as atmospheric pollutants, but campaigners want faster action.

La Meridionale "is going much further than current regulations require by treating all of their particulate matter," Damien Piga from Atmosud, a regional air quality surveillance group, told AFP.

Some ship owners favour the use of so-called "scrubbing" technology which sees water sprayed into the exhaust fumes, which captures some of the pollutants.

Environmentalists point out that in many cases the water is then discharged into the sea, however.

Other groups are experimenting with engines that run on cleaner liquefied natural gas (LNG) or methanol, while electric and sail powered vessels are also being developed.

Uganda bans 'immoral' festival linked to sex, drugs, LGBTQ

Author: AFP|

Update: 06.09.2022 


The four-day festival brings together artists from across Africa / © AFP/File

Uganda's parliament on Tuesday slapped a ban on a popular music festival, the second time that authorities have taken steps against the annual event over accusations that it promotes sex, drugs and homosexuality.

The four-day Nyege Nyege festival on the banks of the Nile in the southern town of Jinja brings together artists from across Africa to entertain around 10,000 revellers and is usually held in September.

But nine days days before the event was due to resume -- following a pandemic-induced shutdown since 2020 -- parliament said on Twitter that it had "stopped the 'Nyege Nyege' festival, an annual social event scheduled to take place next week".

Uganda's ethics and integrity minister Rose Lilly Akello told reporters that the festival "promotes a lot of immorality and this immorality is something which is not wanted in our country."

Uganda's state minister for tourism, Martin Mugarura, told AFP that the ban would have a destructive impact on the economy, as the travel industry limps back to life after the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Over 8,000 foreign tourists have already booked tickets and were to stay in the country during the duration of the festival and even beyond," he said.

"We hope there is a reversal of this decision," he added.

The festival was banned in 2018 by former ethics minister Simon Lokodo, a fervent Christian and outspoken homophobe, who described it as an orgy of homosexuality, nudity and drugs akin to "devil worship".

But he was forced to lift the ban barely a day later, following outrage on social media.

Lokodo, who died in January, said at the time that the event encouraged "the celebration and recruitment of young people into homosexuality".

"The very name of the festival is provocative. It means 'sex, sex' or urge for sex," he said.

Nyege Nyege means an irresistible urge to dance in the local Luganda language, but it can have a sexual connotation in other languages in the region.

Uganda is notorious for its intolerance of homosexuality -- which is criminalised in the country -- and strict Christian views on sexuality in general.

In 2013 Ugandan lawmakers passed a bill that called for life in prison for people caught having gay sex, although a court later struck down the law.

Last month the government suspended the country's leading gay rights organisation, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), accusing it of operating illegally in the East African nation.