French baguettes get UNESCO heritage status


"The baguette is flour, water, salt and yeast -- and the savoir-faire of the artisan."

Olga NEDBAEVA, Eric RANDOLPH
Wed, November 30, 2022 


The French baguette -- "250 grams of magic and perfection," in the words of President Emmanuel Macron, and one of the abiding symbols of the nation -- was given UNESCO heritage status on Wednesday.

The bread sticks, with their crusty exterior and soft middle, have remained a quintessential part of French life long after other stereotypes like berets and strings of garlic have fallen by the wayside.

The UN agency granted "intangible cultural heritage status" to the tradition of making the baguette and the lifestyle that surrounds them.

More than six billion are baked every year in France, according to the National Federation of French Bakeries -- but the UNESCO status comes at a challenging time for the industry.

France has been losing some 400 artisanal bakeries per year since 1970, from 55,000 (one per 790 residents) to 35,000 today (one per 2,000).

The decline is due to the spread of industrial bakeries and out-of-town supermarkets in rural areas, while urbanites increasingly opt for sourdough, and swap their ham baguettes for burgers.
- Honeycomb and cream -

Still, it remains an entirely common sight to see people with a couple of sticks under their arm, ritually chewing off the warm end as they leave the bakery, or "boulangerie".


There are national competitions, during which the candidates are sliced down the middle to allow judges to evaluate the regularity of their honeycomb texture as well as the the colour of the interior, which should be cream.

But despite being a seemingly immortal fixture in French life, the baguette only officially got its name in 1920, when a new law specified its minimum weight (80 grams) and maximum length (40 centimetres).

"Initially, the baguette was considered a luxury product. The working classes ate rustic breads that kept better," said Loic Bienassis, of the European Institute of Food History and Cultures, who helped prepare the UNESCO dossier.

"Then consumption became widespread, and the countryside was won over by baguettes in the 1960s and 70s," he said.

Its earlier history is rather uncertain.

Some say long loaves were already common in the 18th century; others that it took the introduction of steam ovens by Austrian baker August Zang in the 1830s for its modern incarnation to take shape.

One popular tale is that Napoleon ordered bread to be made in thin sticks that could be more easily carried by soldiers.


Another links baguettes to the construction of the Paris metro in the late 19th century, and the idea that baguettes were easier to tear up and share, avoiding arguments between the workers and the need for knives.

France submitted its request to UNESCO in early 2021, with baguettes chosen over the zinc roofs of Paris and a wine festival in Arbois.

"It is a recognition for the community of artisanal bakers and patisserie chefs," said Dominique Anract, president of bakeries federation in a statement.

"The baguette is flour, water, salt and yeast -- and the savoir-faire of the artisan."

neo-er/rox

Triple-Dip La Niña persists, prolonging drought and flooding


Published
30 November 2022

Press Release Number:
30/11/2022

Cooling impact is temporary and limited


Geneva, 30 November 2022 - The unusually stubborn and protracted La Niña event is likely to last until the end of the northern hemisphere winter/southern hemisphere summer. The first “triple-dip” La Niña (three consecutive years) of the 21st century will continue to affect temperature and precipitation patterns and exacerbate drought and flooding in different parts of the world, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The WMO El Niño/La Niña Update indicates about a 75% chance that La Niña will persist during December-February 2022/2023 and 60% chance during January-March 2023.

There is a 55% chance of ENSO-neutral conditions (neither El Niño or La Niña) emerging during February-April 2023, increasing to about 70% during March-May, according to the Update, which is based on input from experts and forecast models around the world.

It is only the third time since 1950 that there has been a triple-dip La Niña.

La Niña refers to the large-scale cooling of ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, coupled with changes in the tropical atmospheric circulation, namely winds, pressure and rainfall. It usually has the opposite impacts on weather and climate as El Niño, which is the warm phase of the so-called El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

La Niña is a natural phenomenon. But it is taking place against a background of human-induced climate change, which is increasing global temperatures, making our weather more extreme and affecting seasonal rainfall patterns.



Humanitarian crisis

“The tropical Pacific has been in a La Niña state, with short interruptions, since September 2020 – but this has only had a limited and temporary cooling impact on global temperatures,” said WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas. “The past eight years are set to be the hottest on record and sea level rise and ocean warming has accelerated.”

Despite La Niña, both 2022 and 2021 were warmer than any year prior to 2015.

“This persistent La Niña event is prolonging drought and flood conditions in affected regions. The international community is especially concerned about the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe for millions of people in the Horn of Africa, driven by the longest and most severe drought in recent history,” said Prof. Taalas.

A multi-agency alert for the Horn of Africa recently warned that a 5th consecutive season of drought has been set in motion by a poor start to October – December rains. WMO was one of the contributors to the alert, which cautioned that below-average rainfall is also considered likely during the March–May 2023 rainy season.

Already, more than 20 million people are highly food insecure in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia and some parts of Somalia may face the risk of famine by the end of the year.

“WMO will continue to provide tailored information to the humanitarian sector and to support sensitive sectors like agriculture, food security, health and disaster risk reduction. WMO is also implementing a new action plan, presented at COP27, to ensure that everyone should have access to early warning systems in the next five years to protect them against hazards related to our weather, climate and water,” said Prof. Taalas.

Precipitation patterns in many regions this year have born the hallmarks of La Niña: drier than usual conditions in Patagonia in South America and southwest North America, as well as East Africa, according to WMO’s provisional State of the Global Climate 2022 report.

It has been wetter than usual in Southern Africa, northern South America, the maritime continent and eastern Australia. More intense and longer monsoon rainfall in southeast Asia is associated with La Niña. Thus, Pakistan experienced devastating rains in July and August.

Global Seasonal Climate outlook

El Niño and La Niña are major – but not the only - drivers of the Earth’s climate system.

In addition to the long-established ENSO Update, WMO now also issues regular Global Seasonal Climate Updates (GSCU), which incorporate influences of the other major climate drivers such as the North Atlantic Oscillation, the Arctic Oscillation and the Indian Ocean Dipole.

The ENSO and Global Seasonal Climate Updates are based on forecasts from WMO Global Producing Centres of Long-Range Forecasts and are available to support governments, the United Nations, decision-makers and stakeholders in climate sensitive sectors to mobilize preparations and protect lives and livelihoods.

Despite the stubborn La Niña in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific, widespread warmer than-average sea-surface temperatures elsewhere are predicted to dominate the forecast of air temperatures for December to February 2022/2023. This will contribute to above normal temperatures over land areas in the Northern Hemisphere except for north-western North America. The largest increase in probabilities for above-normal temperatures are along the Arctic coast of Asia, northern parts of central America, the eastern Maritime Continent, and New Zealand.

Precipitation predictions for December to February are similar to typical rainfall effects of La Niña.

Probabilistic forecasts of surface air temperature and precipitation for the season December-February 2022-2023. The tercile category with the highest forecast probability is indicated by shaded areas. The most likely category for below-normal, above-normal and near-normal is depicted in blue, red and grey shadings respectively for temperature, and orange, green and grey shadings respectively for precipitation. White areas indicate equal chances for all categories in both cases. The baseline period is 1993–2009


The World Meteorological Organization is the United Nations System’s authoritative voice  on Weather, Climate and Water

Egyptians want the Rosetta Stone back

It helped decipher hieroglyphics, and now Egyptians want it back from the British Museum.

A close-up view of the cartouche of the Ptolemaic dynasty Pharaoh Ptolemy V "Epiphanes" inscribed with the rest of the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic text in the upper portion of the Rosetta Stone, on display at the British Museum in London [File: Amir Makar/AFP]

Published On 30 Nov 2022

More countries are demanding the repatriation of their heritage from museums across Europe and North America.

And thousands of Egyptians are once again demanding the repatriation of the Rosetta Stone, one of the most important pieces in the British Museum

‘’The British Museum’s holding of the stone is a symbol of Western cultural violence against Egypt,” said Monica Hanna, dean of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport, and organiser of one of two petitions calling for the stone’s return.

The inscriptions on the dark grey granite slab, the text of a decree in three languages, were the seminal breakthrough in deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

The “confiscation” of the Rosetta Stone came during imperial battles between Britain and France. After Napoleon Bonaparte’s military occupation of Egypt, French soldiers uncovered the stone in 1799 in the northern town of Rashid, known by the French as Rosetta.

In 1801, British forces defeated the French in Egypt, and the stone and more than a dozen other antiquities were taken by the British under the terms of the surrender deal. It has remained in the British Museum since.

Hanna’s petition, with 4,200 signatures, says the seizing of the stone was “an act of plunder” of a “spoil of war”. The claim is echoed in a petition by Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s former minister for antiquities affairs, which has more than 100,000 signatures. Both petitions argue that Egypt had no say in the 1801 agreement.

In a statement, the British Museum said the 1801 treaty included the signature of an Ottoman admiral who fought alongside the British against the French, arguing that he represented Egypt as the Ottoman sultan nominally ruled Egypt at the time of Napoleon’s invasion.

The Museum also said Egypt’s government has not submitted a request for its return and that there are 21 of 28 known copies of the engraved decree still in Egypt.

A breakthrough in understanding hieroglyphics

The original stone has unrivalled significance to Egyptology. Carved in the 2nd century BC, the slab contains three versions of a decree relating to a settlement between the then-ruling Ptolemies and a sect of Egyptian priests. The first is classic hieroglyphics, the next is a simplified hieroglyphic script known as demotic, and the third is in ancient Greek.

Through knowledge of the latter, academics were able to decipher the hieroglyphic symbols, with French Egyptologist Jean-Francois Champollion eventually cracking the language in 1822.

The stone is one of more than 100,000 Egyptian and Sudanese relics taken to the British Museum. Many of them were taken during the time Britain colonised the two countries from 1883 to 1953.

More and more museums and collectors are returning artefacts to their country of origin, sometimes that is ordered by a court, while some cases are voluntary, presented as an act of atonement for historical wrongs.

New York’s Metropolitan Museum returned 16 antiquities to Egypt in September after an investigation in the United States concluded they had been illegally trafficked. On Monday, London’s Horniman Museum returned more than 72 objects, including 12 Benin Bronzes that were looted in 1897, to the Nigerian government.

Nicholas Donnell, a US-based lawyer specialising in cases concerning art and artefacts, said no international legal framework exists for such disputes. Unless there is evidence that an artefact was acquired outside what are considered acceptable channels, repatriation is left largely to the museum’s discretion.

‘‘Given the treaty and the timeframe, the Rosetta Stone is a hard legal battle to win,’’ said Donnell.

The British Museum has acknowledged that several repatriation requests have been made to it from various countries for artefacts, but it did not provide The Associated Press with any details on their status or number. It also did not confirm whether it has ever repatriated an artefact from its collection.

For Nigel Hetherington, an archaeologist and CEO of the online academic forum Past Preserves, the museum’s lack of transparency suggests other motives.

‘‘It’s about money, maintaining relevance and a fear that in returning certain items people will stop coming,’’ he said.

Egyptian demands

Western museums have long tried to justify their holding of world heritage treasures by claiming superior facilities and larger crowd draws.

For Hanna, Egyptians’ right to access their own history is the priority. “How many Egyptians can travel to London or New York?” she said.

Amid turmoil following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak, Egypt saw an uptick in artefact smuggling, which cost the country an estimated $3bn between 2011 and 2013, according to the US-based Antiquities Coalition.

But President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s government has since invested heavily in its antiquities. Egypt has successfully reclaimed thousands of internationally smuggled artefacts and plans to open a newly built, state-of-the-art museum where tens of thousands of objects can be housed.

Egypt’s plethora of ancient monuments, from the Pyramids of Giza to the towering statues of Abu Simbel near the border with Sudan, are the magnet for a tourism industry that drew in $13bn in 2021.

Egyptian authorities did not respond to a request for comment regarding Egypt’s policy towards the Rosetta Stone or other Egyptian artefacts displayed abroad. Hawass and Hanna said they are not pinning hopes on the government.

‘‘The Rosetta Stone is the icon of Egyptian identity,’’ said Hawass. ‘‘I will use the media and the intellectuals to tell the (British) museum they have no right.’’

SOURCE: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Students unearth 3000-year-old scarab near Tel Aviv

“At first, I thought it was a toy lying in the dirt," says Gilad Stern. "It was a scarab seal - every archaeology-lover’s dream!”

Israel National News
Nov 30, 2022,

The scarab  צילום: גלעד שטרן - רשות העתיקות

An ancient 3000-year-old scarab was a surprise discovery in a school field tour in Azor, located about 7 kilometers southeast of Tel Aviv, Israel. The scene depicted on the scarab probably represents the bestowing of legitimacy on a local ruler.

“We were wandering around, when I saw something that looked like a small toy on the ground,” said Gilad Stern of the Israel Antiquity Authority Educational Center, who was leading the tour. “An inner voice said to me: ‘Pick it up and turn it over.’ I was astonished: it was a scarab with a clearly incised scene, the dream of every amateur archaeologist. The pupils were really excited!”

The tour of the eighth-grade pupils from the Rabin Middle School, took place in the context of a Tour-Guide Course organized by the Israel Antiquity Authority for the third year running. The course enables the pupils to teach the local Azor residents about their local archaeological heritage.

The scarab was designed in the shape of the common dung beetle. The ancient Egyptians saw in the act of the little beetle, which rolls a ball of dung twice its size where it stows its future offspring as the embodiment of creation and regeneration - similar to the act of the Creator God.


According to Dr. Amir Golani, Israel Antiquities Authority specialist of the Bronze Age period, "The scarab was used as a seal and was a symbol of power and status. It may have been placed on a necklace or a ring. It is made of faience, a silicate material coated with a bluish-green glaze. It may have dropped from the hands of an important and figure of authority who passed through the area, or it may have been deliberately buried in the ground along with other objects, and after thousands of years it came to the surface. It's difficult to determine the exact original context.

"In the lower, flat part of the scarab seal, a figure is depicted sitting on a chair, and in front of it is a standing figure, whose arm is raised above that of the seated person. The standing figure has an elongated head, which appears to represent the crown of an Egyptian pharaoh, and it is possible that we can see here a snapshot of a scene wherein the Egyptian Pharaoh is conferring authority to a local Canaanite subject.

"This scene basically reflects the geopolitical reality that prevailed in the land of Canaan during the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1500-1000 BCE), when the local Canaanite rulers lived (and sometimes rebelled) under Egyptian political and cultural hegemony," says Dr. Golani. "Therefore, it is very possible that the seal is indeed from the Late Bronze Age, when the local Canaanites were ruled by the Egyptian Empire.

Scarab seals are indeed distinctly Egyptian, but their wide distribution also reached far outside the borders of Egypt.

Hundreds of scarabs were discovered in the Land of Israel, mainly in graves, but also in settlement layers.

Some of them were imported from Egypt, many more were imitated in Israel by local artisans under Egyptian influence.

The level of workmanship of the particular scarab found now is not typical for Egypt and may represent a product of local craftsmen.

The close cooperation between the Israel Antiquity Authority and the Azor Municipality and its educational department and schools, led to the recent opening of an impressive local museum, exhibiting the archaeological story of Azor.

According to Eli Escusido, Director of the Israel Antiquity Authority, “The find of the scarab in the framework of a field tour with pupils participating in the Tour-Guide course, is symbolic, in that the pupils were gaining archaeological knowledge, and at the same time contributing to our archaeological heritage. This cooperation is truly moving, as we are working towards connecting communities with their cultural heritage.”

Cape Verde: Researchers find coral reef in Santiago, call for its preservation

SUSANNAH IRELAND/AFP or licensors
By Rédaction Africanews

A coral field has been discovered in Moiá-Moiá beach, in the eastern part of Cape Verde

an island of Santiago. The scientific name of the hard coral found is "Sidastrea radians".

It's an area of about 1.000 square meters, with a very rich biodiversity due to the strong sea currents. They constantly renew the water, bringing fish and eliminating potential pollution.

The discoverer is Wlodzimierz Szymaniak, a Pole who has lived in Cape Verde for many years. He's a professor at the Jean Piaget University of Cape Verde and an avid diver.

For this project, he worked in partnership with the Cape-Verdean Ecotourism Association (ECOCV)*, which considers the discovery one of the "most remarkable" this year.

The researcher found Moiá-Moiá bay through old books. They talked about the bay because it was once very dangerous for ships. There's actually still a ship hull in Moiá-Moiá. The Pentalina B ship ran aground in the bay in June 2014 and its hull is still in place.

"Nowadays this area is almost completely forgotten and degraded by illegal sand mining", stated Szymaniak.

Edita Magileviciut, vice-president of ECOCV and also a marine biologist, listed the next steps to be taken: "investigate more, identify the severity of the impacts, such as pollution and sand extraction in the coastal area, the impact of these algae** and make a specific mapping of these corals and other associated species".

The biologist warned about the sensitivity of this habitat and stressed: "we have to educate the peoples, raise awareness, increase conservation activities. Otherwise we will lose [the coral] without discovering."

"All the species in the sea, as on land, are connected. And even the human beings. If we lose coral, we lose breeding grounds for commercially important fish, endemic fish, and all that. So, by protecting a coral species, we protect the ecosystem", she said.

Xi sends congratulations to UN meeting marking Int'l Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People

(Xinhua) 13:18, November 30, 2022

BEIJING, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping extended congratulations to a UN meeting held on Tuesday to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

In his message, Xi said the Palestinian issue is at the core of the Middle East issue, and a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian issue bears on regional peace and stability as well as international fairness and justice.

The peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel, and the joint development of the Arab and the Jewish nations are in the long-term interests of both sides and stand as a common aspiration of people of all countries, Xi said.

The international community should adhere to the two-state solution, prioritize the Palestinian issue on the international agenda, and help the Palestinian people realize their dream of an independent state at an early date, he said.

Xi emphasized that China consistently and firmly supports the Palestinian people's just cause of restoring their legitimate national rights, actively promotes peace talks and promotes peace between Palestine and Israel.

Saying that China supports the strengthening of the authority of the Palestinian National Authority and the enhancement of unity among all parties in Palestine, Xi expressed the hope that Palestine and Israel could resume peace talks as soon as possible so as to bring the peace process in the Middle East back on track.

Xi said China will, as always, provide humanitarian and development assistance to the Palestinian side, support its capacity building and help Palestine develop its economy and improve people's livelihood.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, China will continue to work with the international community to make positive contributions to the lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity in the Middle East, Xi added.

No evidence that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons

TEHRAN, Nov. 30 (MNA) – There is no evidence that Iran intends to develop nuclear weapons, 

reviewing its participation in the NPT, Vladimir Yermakov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's 

Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department said.

"Iran has been and remains a conscientious participant in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The conclusion of the JCPOA in 2015 helped to finally and irrevocably remove all the questions that the [International Atomic Energy Agency] had to Tehran at that time," he told Sputnik.

"After that, for several years Iran remained the most verified state among agency members. No deviations from its obligations were identified," Yermakov said. "There is no evidence that would indicate Tehran's intention to ever reconsider its participation in the NPT and start developing a nuclear explosive device."

Although the International Atomic Energy Agency has shown in numerous reports that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful, the American and Zionist leaders claim that Iran's nuclear program is moving towards the production of nuclear weapons.

Tehran stresses that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and there is a Fatwa by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran which bans any possession and use of weapons of mass destruction.

RHM/PR/5643505

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: US War On Capitalism In Iran 

MULTITUDE 
Numbers forced to flee passes 100 million; many displaced for decades: UNDP

29 November 2022


Humanitarian aid alone cannot overcome record levels of internal displacement globally, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in a report published on Tuesday, calling for urgent action to support people uprooted by climate, conflict and crisis.

For the first time ever, the number of people forced to flee their homes surpassed 100 million this year. Most, 59.1 million, are displaced within their own countries, often for years or even decades.
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These internally displaced persons (IDPs) struggle to cover their basic needs, find decent work, or have a stable source of income, among other challenges.

UNDP described their plight as an “invisible crisis”  because it rarely makes the news.

 
End marginalization of IDPs

As climate change could force more than 216 million to move elsewhere within their homelands by mid-century, the report advocates for longer-term development solutions to reverse internal displacement.

“More efforts are needed to end the marginalization of IDPs who must be able to exercise their full rights as citizens including through access to vital services such as healthcare, education, social protection and job opportunities,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.

“In tandem with critical humanitarian assistance, this stronger development-focused approach will be vital to set the conditions for pathways to lasting peace, stability and recovery.”
Governments must act

The report - Turning the tide on internal displacement: A development approach to solutionsOpens in new window – calls for placing this “invisible crisis” on the international agenda.

It cites sample data from a survey of some 2,653 IDPs, and people from host communities, in eight countries: Colombia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nepal, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Somalia and Vanuatu.

A third of the IDPs said they had become jobless, while nearly 70 per cent do not have enough money to meet their household needs. One third also reported that their health had worsened since fleeing their homeland.

The data was collected by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) between January 2021 and January 2022.

The report underscored that overcoming internal displacement depends on governments implementing key development solutions, including ensuring equal access to rights and basic services, promoting socio-economic integration, restoring security and building social cohesion.

UNDP also highlighted the need for better data and research.

The agency underlined its commitment to bridging this gap through a Solutions to Internal Displacement Index, that will monitor progress and help governments shift from humanitarian to development responses.

Source URL
Numbers forced to flee passes 100 million; many displaced for decades: UNDP

Qatar World Cup chief's shocking admission on deaths of migrant workers

World News

Published on Nov 30, 2022 

FIFA World Cup: Qatar World Cup chief said Al-Thawadi was asked about the number of fatalities to migrant workers as a result of the work done in the tournament.

FIFA World Cup: Christian Pulisic scores as USA beat Iran in the FIFA World Cup 2022.(Reuters)

ByMallika Soni

Qatar World Cup chief Hassan Al-Thawadi said that between 400 and 500 migrant workers have died as a result of work done on projects connected to the tournament. The number is a greater figure than Qatari officials cited previously.

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Al-Thawadi was asked about the number of fatalities to migrant workers as a result of the work done in the tournament.

Read more: FIFA World Cup reporter robbed while on air, shocked by cops' response: Report

“The estimate is around 400, between 400 and 500. I don’t have the exact number, that’s something that’s been discussed. One death is too many, it’s as simple as that," he said.

“I think every year the health and safety standards on the sites are improving, at least on our sites, the World Cup sites, the ones that we’re responsible for, most definitely," he added.

Earlier, a Qatari government official told CNN there had been three work-related deaths on World Cup stadiums and 37 non-work-related deaths. The figures were reiterated by a spokesperson for Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) as well.

In a statement, the spokesperson said, “Separate quotes regarding figures refer to national statistics covering the period of 2014-2020 for all work-related fatalities (414) nationwide in Qatar, covering all sectors and nationalities.”

Meanwhile, The Guardian reported last year that 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since the country was awarded the World Cup in 2010.

World Cup 2022 'catalyst' for change as Qatar says up to 500 workers died

Organising committee chief says one death is a death too many and improvements are being made

Hassan Al Thawadi, chief executive of Qatar's World Cup organising committee, spoke to Piers Morgan about migrant workers. Bloomberg

The National
Nov 29, 2022

Up to 500 migrant workers died during preparations for the World Cup tournament being held in Qatar, the country's World Cup chief said.

"One death is a death too many. Plain and simple," Hassan Al Thawadi, chief executive of Qatar's World Cup organising committee, told British TV show Piers Morgan Uncensored.

Mr Al Thawadi said there had been three work-related deaths and 37 non-work-related deaths at the stadiums.

When asked what the exact number of migrant workers who died in construction for the World Cup in the past 12 years, he said: "The estimate is around 400. Between 400 and 500."

"Every year the health and safety standards on the sites are improving, at least on our sites, the World Cup sites," Mr Al Thawadi said.

He said German and Swiss trade unions had commended the standards.

"The improvements that happened aren't because of the World Cup, they are improvements we knew we had to do because of our own values."

Mr Al Thawadi said the tournament served as a "catalyst" to speed up the process of improving health and safety and accommodation standards.

Qatar relies heavily on migrant workers, who make up about 95 per cent of its labour force. It has enacted labour reforms in recent years that have been welcomed by the UN and rights groups.

But those groups say exploitation is still widespread and more should be done to protect workers from wage theft and harsh conditions.

Mr Al Thawadi said he was "proud" of the tournament so far and that the first World Cup in the Arab world was producing some exciting stories on and off the pitch.

He said Arab fans were supporting each other.

"For our region, as Qataris, as Arabs, we're extremely proud," he told Piers Morgan.

But Mr Al Thawadi said he felt BBC coverage of the tournament was unfair, including a decision to have commentator Gary Lineker talk about Qatar's human rights record during the opening ceremony.

He said Qatar had invited Lineker to meet him and visit Qatar in February.

Where do India, US stand after 14 years of nuclear deal?

Although Washington has not yet provided reactors since signing Civil Nuclear Agreement in 2008, experts say it benefited New Delhi in many ways

Shuriah Niazi |30.11.2022

NEW DELHI

Though the US has not provided reactors since signing a Civil Nuclear Agreement with India in 2008, analysts believe the deal has benefitted the South Asian nation of around 1.4 billion people in several ways, including opening doors to critical technology to meet the much-needed energy requirements.

The agreement provides nuclear material transfers, nuclear trade, nuclear equipment, components, and related technologies, as well as collaboration in nuclear fuel cycle activities.

The deal signed on Oct. 10 in Washington by India’s then External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his US counterpart then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, has never been fully implemented, but it benefitted New Delhi greatly in many ways, said Sameer Patil, a Mumbai-based security analyst with a doctorate in nuclear policy decision-making.

India gained from nuclear trade, defense modernization, and civil space development, Patil told Anadolu Agency.

The country's current installed nuclear power capacity is 6,780 MW, with 22 active nuclear power reactors. In addition, the government informed the parliament in March this year that one reactor, KAPP-3 (700 MW), was connected to the grid in Jan. 2021.

Earlier, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCI) and Westinghouse, a US private firm in energy-related projects, agreed in June 2016 to finish contractual terms for six reactors by June 2017. These reactors were expected to provide India with clean energy, lessen its reliance on fossil resources, and create thousands of employment in the US. However, India has yet to get nuclear reactors.

According to experts, numerous issues contributed to the delay, the most significant of which was the bankruptcy of Westinghouse, which was scheduled to deliver reactors and was subsequently sold off.

Vivek Mishra, a senior member of the Observer Research Foundation, an independent global think tank based in Delhi, said it is difficult to focus on deliverables when power and ownership shifts occur within the organization itself.

The second point is that nuclear reactors take a long time to build, but Mishra expressed hope that the US would immediately speed up the delivery of nuclear reactors.

“We often forget that private players were central pillars in this deal. For instance, Westinghouse was a very important factor since it committed to providing India with nuclear reactors, but the company went bankrupt.

“With the pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the resulting global energy crisis looming large over the world, countries are now focusing again on the need for clean energy, and nuclear energy is certainly one of them,” he said.

“In the context of the current energy crisis and its possible impact on the world order, there is more probability of India and the US expediting the nuclear reactors that have been pending for a long time now,” he asserted.

However, Patil argued that, even though the country did not receive a nuclear reactor, the deal transformed the character of the relationship and helped India increase its exports.

"For example, in 2000, the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) required export control licenses for over 25% of exports to India," he explained, adding that "however, since 2009, the majority of shipments did not require any clearance from the US Department of Commerce, with less than 1% of US exports to India requiring a BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) Export License," he said.

- Import of nuclear fuel

As India lacks significant Uranium reserves and the number of nuclear reactors increased following the agreement, its nuclear power facilities were unable to run at full capacity. As a result, the uranium shortage impacted domestic reactors, negatively impacting their performance.

However, as part of the nuclear deal, India signed uranium import agreements with many countries, including France, Russia, Canada, Australia, and Kazakhstan. Its plants started running more efficiently.

India has become the only country outside the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to obtain nuclear fuel for its reactors, Mishra said.

"Let us not jump to conclusions by blaming the bilateral relationship; instead, we should be grateful for the bilateral channels that have opened up as a result of the 2008 nuclear deal," he said, adding that “it is now up to the various parties, both public and private, to move this ahead and address the delay."

India has vowed to triple its energy from renewable and clean sources over the next decade, he added.

“To that end, the country is already expanding the percentage share of nuclear energy. Of course, one example is the Kovadda nuclear project in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, which is now on a fast track,” he added.