Toll from Greece floods rises to 15 dead

Issued on: 10/09/2023

Palamas Karditsa (Greece) (AFP) – The toll from flooding that has ravaged villages in central Greece has risen to 15 people dead, rescue workers said Sunday.

A satellite image taken Saturday shows the flooded Greek town of Koskinas 

© Handout / Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies/AFP

The body of a 42-year-old man was recovered at sea in the Pelion region by the coastguard.

Earlier in the day, three bodies, including a 65-year-old man and his 88-year-old mother, were found near the town of Karditsa, where rescue operations are continuing unabated.

Saturday's toll listed 11 fatalities from the devastating floods.

A total of 4,250 people were rescued and brought to safety on Saturday and into Sunday morning, the Greek fire service said in a statement.

The storm dubbed "Daniel" hit the coastal region of Magnesia on Monday and Tuesday, in particular its capital, the port city of Volos and the villages around Mount Pelion, before hitting localities around Karditsa and Trikala further inland on Wednesday.

Experts have described the event as "extreme in terms of the amount of water falling in a space of 24 hours".

The heavy rains and flooding follow devastating fires in Greece this summer that killed at least 26 people.

The flooding has laid waste to thousands of hectares of rich agricultural land and farmers have also lost substantial livestock numbers.

Two people remain listed as missing in the floods.

A woman looks out from her house in the flooded city of Larissa

 © STRINGER / AFP

In the port city of Volos, the water supply has become a problem, since pumping stations and a large part of the supply network were damaged. The health ministry has warned that the water is not suitable for drinking and there are reports of gastroenteritis emerging.

The entire Pelion peninsula region is still affected by power and water cuts, while main roads have been damaged by the torrential rain.

The situation also remains worrying near the city of Larissa, where the Pinios river has overflowed its banks and water is rising dangerously on the outskirts of the town.

Described by experts as an "extreme phenomenon" in terms of the amount of water that has fallen, falling", the storm hit Magnesia on Monday and Tuesday, in particular its capital, Volos and villages around Mount Pelion, before hitting localities around Karditsa and Trikala on Wednesday.

As the world warms, the atmosphere contains more water vapour which increases the risk of heavy precipitation in some parts of the world, notably in Asia, Western Europe and Latin America.

Combined with other factors such as urbanisation and land-use planning, these more intense rainfall events contribute to flooding.

Severe flooding in neighbouring Turkey and Bulgaria this week left 12 people dead.

© 2023 AFP

Troops dislodge 11,500 illegal miners from Venezuelan reserve

The environmental NGO SOS Orinoco, says that in August 2023 there were about 23 illegal mines affecting 3,316 hectares of Venezuela's Yapacana Park 

(Photo: AFP/File/Yuri CORTEZ)

11 Sep 2023

CARACAS: Venezuelan soldiers have dislodged more than 11,500 illegal gold miners from the country's biggest natural reserve since July, where they cleared forest and contaminated water, the head of the military operation announced on Sunday (Sep 10).

The miners were removed from the 320,000-hectare (790,737-acre) Yapacana park in Venezuela's south, where they had been "engaged in the systematic and sustained 

The miners had felled and burnt trees in the forest, contaminated water and engaged in illegal underground drilling using "high pressure hoses and machinery to remove the layer of vegetation and ... pollutants," Lara said.

Some were foreigners, though the general did not specify their nationalities.

In July, President Nicolas Maduro ordered the deployment of the Armed Forces to counter the advance of illegal mining he said was "destroying the Amazon of South America ... and Venezuela."

The environmental NGO SOS Orinoco, said that in August 2023 there were about 23 illegal mines affecting 3,316 hectares (8,194 acres) of the Yapacana Park.
Source: AFP/ec

MOROCCO EARTHQUAKE

'We are calling for the Moroccan government to be more flexible and accept assistance from all over the world'

AFP/FRANCE24Issued on: 10/09/2023 - 

Ecuador to reintroduce species on Galapagos island

Guayaquil (Ecuador) (AFP) – Ecuador's government has announced it will spend $3.4 million on reintroducing 12 endemic bird and turtle species that have disappeared from an island in the Galapagos archipelago where Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution.

The Galapagos archipelago, some 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) off the coast of Ecuador, has flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world 

© Handout / PARQUE NACIONAL GALAPAGOS/AFP

The project, funded with government money and donations, will also seek to weed out invasive rodents and cats on the island of Floreana, the environment ministry said late Saturday.

The government plans to reintroduce vegetarian finches, vermillion flycatchers, lava gulls, barn owls, Galapagos hawks and giant turtles through the project due to start in January, it added.

The Galapagos archipelago, some 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) off the coast of Ecuador, has flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world.

Observing its wonders led British scientist Charles Darwin to develop his ground-breaking theory of evolution by natural selection in the 19th century.

The government on Saturday also inaugurated a biodiversity laboratory on Floreana that will be dedicated to studying invasive species and monitoring the health of creatures on the island that also hosts pink flamingos and sea turtles.

In May, Ecuador said it had converted $1.6 billion of commercial debt into a loan that will direct vast resources to Galapagos Islands conservation in the largest-ever transaction of its kind.

© 2023 AFP

Issued on: 10/09/2023 

Berlin club culture battles highway to hell

Stuart Braun

DW
September 9, 2023

The extension of the A100 freeway through central Berlin would destroy numerous nightlife institutions. But the club scene has joined with climate activists to halt its construction.

ANARCHY; SELF MANAGED ORGANIZATION

Clubs like Berghain grew up in the post-Wall wastes of East Berlin

Image: Christophe Gateau/dpa/picture alliance

When the Berlin Wall fell nearly 35 years ago, cultural life soon flourished in the abandoned factories and buildings that were left behind.

Pioneering techno music clubs like Tresor, located in a bombed-out department store vault, and later Berghain — occupying a derelict GDR power station — were some of many that gave life to the remnants of war and division in Berlin. Global creatives, DJs and dreamers soon flooded in to join the party that has become synonymous with the city.

Yet these spontaneous, self-managed cultural venues have long been vulnerable to so-called Clubsterben, or club death, with many already lost to development, gentrification and pandemic restrictions.

More recently, the threat has been heightened by the potential extension of the A100 highway through Berlin. Around 30 clubs and cultural venues that grew up over decades lie in its wake.

The area in question, running north of the Spree River through Friedrichshain in the former East Berlin, has remained relatively free of development. But the 17th and final section of the A100 could flatten the entire precinct.

While Berlin's long-ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) opposed the extension, the new Christian Democratic Party (CDU) leadership supports it — as does the federal transport minister who has final authority over the project.

A Berlin legend: Club Tresor  04:28

Culture scene fights back against A100 extension

Some of Berlin's most celebrated venues face eviction if the A100 goes ahead.

They include the popular riverside dance club, Else, constructed with converted shipping containers; About Blank, an industrial techno club complex run by a collective that once squatted the space; and Wilde Renate, a labyrinthine club and exhibition space located in a former tenement house.

But grassroots campaigning to stop the A100 has reached critical mass in recent months.

Following a similar action in 2022, a classical orchestra and choir blocked the A100 this April under the banner "Make Music Instead of Concrete" — and while performing the ACDC song "Highway to Hell."

Meanwhile, the Berlin club scene joined forces with climate activists and local citizen initiatives on September 2 to put on a rave for 20,000 people to celebrate cultural life in the district. More than 1,000 attendees came as part of a bicycle demonstration that rode from Berlin's Transport Ministry and aimed to highlight the climate impacts of the highway extension.



The event, titled "A100 wegbassen," which means to get rid of the freeway with loud bass, was partly organized by the Berlin Club Commission, the world's first self-organized network for club culture — and who in 2018 employed a similar theme, "AfD wegbassen," to protest a far-right Aternative for Germany party event in the city via a techno street parade.

"With lots and lots of people we showed that building another highway is a project of the past. The city of the future focuses on people, not cars," said Fridays for Future in an Instagram post after the event.

One of the impacted clubs, About Blank, said it was willing to stand in the way of the freeway for the sake of both club culture and to stop the climate-changing car traffic that the development will bring.

The collective behind the renowned techno club, founded 13 years ago, said it would help "create a club-cultural barricade against fossil capitalism, which causes the climate catastrophe."

"The highway extension is an anachronism, an old burden of the state-protected automobile lobby," it added.

Lutz Leichsenring, spokesperson for Club Commission, told DW that Berlin artists and activists had helped stop freeway construction in the 1980s when culturally vibrant tenement streets were due to be flattened in the Kreuzberg district in the former West Berlin.

Berlin: Capital of techno and club culture  04:19

Rising costs means freeway may not go ahead

But while 1950s-era urban planning designed to create car cities is alive and well, Leichsenring believes rapidly rising costs alone could kill the final A100 extension long after the first stage was completed in 1958.

At a cost of €200,000 ($214,000) per meter of construction, the effort to pull down and relocate vast swaths of Berlin may no longer be viable, he believes — especially with costs and permissions not due to be approved until 2027.

Moreover, the fact that car usage in Berlin has declined by 16% since the introduction of Germany's cheaper €49 monthly public transport ticket means alternatives, including bicycle lanes, are possible to what Leichsenring calls "a very absurd project."

Nonetheless, the Club Commission spokesperson fears the lack of certainty could force clubs, theaters and museums to quit the area as they search for long-term security of tenure.

Berlin culture senator backs clubs for UNESCO heritage but silent on A100

From Klaus Lederer of the Left Party (Die Linke), former Berlin senator for culture, to his current successor, Joe Chialo of the Christain Democratic Party (CDU), Berlin politicians of different political backgrounds have strongly supported Berlin club culture, noted Leichsenring.

This also relates to the growing economic power of the club scene, with a Club Commission study showing that Berlin clubs generated €1.5 billion in revenue for the city in 2018.

When Chialo, a former Green Party member, assumed his role as Berlin's culture czar in 2023, he said he wanted Berlin's clubs to be recognized as "cultural sites."

"Clubs are talent factories, make an important cultural contribution; they make inner cities more attractive [and] attract audiences," Chialo told Berlin newspaper, the Berliner Zeitung.

This relates to efforts by the Club Commission and others to have Berlin's clubs recognized as part of UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021.

"This is important because Berlin's clubs have never been recognized as cultural sites," Sophie Kahrmann, DJ and director of Berlin's Anomalie Art Club, told DW during the Rave the Planet street party in 2022. "Achieving cultural recognition is a way to observe its importance in Berlin and around the world."

DW contacted Chialo's office for comment on the potential impact of the A100 on the Berlin club scene but has not had a response.

Spectacle on the highway

Cultural and grassroots activists aim to continue to pressure government by drawing public attention to the issue.

From September 9 to 24, a post-industrial wasteland lying on the route of the next section of the highway will host the action, "Spectacle on the Highway" (Spektakel auf der Autobahn). The two-week program includes live music, circus shows, theater and flea markets and aims to show what would be possible on the vacant site if the freeway wasn't built.

Land that will be lost to the A100 has been transformed into a vibrant cultural space during 'Spectacle on the Highway'

Image: Stuart Braun/DW

"We want to show with our program what can actually take place here," said Konstanz, spokesperson for the collective organizing "Spectacle on the Highway," as hundreds flooded into the catch music and performances on its opening day on Saturday.

Even if the highway was stopped, showcasing the cultural value of the site might also stop it being sold off to the "highest bidder," she said, referring to the new construction projects encroaching on the land by the rail tracks — and flanked by the Wilde Renate nightclub and Zukunft, an outdoor music and cinema venue.

After the current two-week pilot project, the goal is to make the abandoned strip — owned by rail operator, Deutsche Bahn — a permanent cultural space, Konstanz said.

'Spectacle on the Highway' showcases how local Berlin culture can enliven derelict space, as opposed to highways and high rises

Image: Stuart Braun/DW

Such an effort to creatively explore the potential of the site is typical of the way club culture emerged in the voids of Berlin.

"You always have to have space left for future generations," said Lutz Leichsenring of cultural life in what has long remained an "unfinished city."

"That's a big mistake, to develop everything."

Edited by: Elizabeth Grenier


Stuart Braun Berlin-based journalist with a focus on climate and culture.

Ethiopia finishes filling reservoir of contentious mega-dam
10/9/2023

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is set to double the country's electricity generation and become Africa's biggest dam. Egypt fiercely opposes the megaproject, arguing that it will reduce the flow of the Nile river.

INFOGRAPHIC/MAP
https://p.dw.com/p/4WAq8

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has caused tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt

Image: AMANUEL SILESHI/AFP/Getty Images

Ethiopia said on Sunday it had completed the fourth and final phase of filling a reservoir for its hydroelectric power plant on the Blue Nile river, prompting renewed outcry from Egypt, which has long opposed the megaproject.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been under construction since 2011 at a cost of $4 billion (€3.7 billion). It will be the largest dam in Africa when completed and is expected to produce 6,000 megawatts of electricity — enough to double Ethiopia's current output.

Egypt and Sudan say the dam threatens to cut off their water supply, but Ethiopia sees the dam as a boon for economic development in a country where half the 120 million citizens live without power.

"Congratulations to all on the fourth filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam," Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office wrote on social media on Sunday.

"Our national perseverance against all odds has delivered."
What did Egypt say?

Egypt, which suffers from severe water scarcity and relies on the Nile for 97% of its supply, sees the GERD as an existential threat.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry said Ethiopia's announcement on Sunday was an "illegal" and "unilateral" measure.

The leaders of both countries had held rare talks in July to begin to finalize an agreement for filling the dam and the rules for its operation.

But on Sunday, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said this latest development "places a burden on the course of the resumed negotiations, the next round of which... is hoped will witness a tangible and real breakthrough."

Ethiopia claims the GERD will not reduce the volume of water flowing downstream.

zc/sri (AFP, Reuters)

Spain: Rubiales resigns after World Cup kiss

The Spanish football federation chief resisted this move for weeks, despite mounting consequences to his unsolicited kiss to footballer Jenni Hermoso after the Women's World Cup final.

A Spanish prosecutor filed a complaint with the High Court against Rubiales last week for sexual assault

Image: Denis Balibouse/REUTERS

Luis Rubiales has resigned from his position as president of the Spanish Football Federation, after an unsolicited kiss earned him a slew of accusations of sexual assault, with several probes into the incident.

Rubiales kissed the lips of player Jenni Hermoso after the Women's World Cup final last month, which the footballer said she perceived as sexual assault.

"I'm going to [resign], yes, because I cannot continue my work," said Rubiales in an interview with television show "Piers Morgan Uncensored."

Calls for Rubiales' resignation have intensified over the past month.

Controversy around Luis Rubiales continues 01:50

Rubiales had until Sunday rejected accusations of sexual assault, insisting the kiss was "spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consensual."

"[Family and friends] say to me 'Luis, you need to focus on your dignity and continue your life. If not you are going to damage people you love and the sport you love.'"

Hermoso, who last week filed a complaint against him, said the kiss had left her feeling "vulnerable and like the victim of an assault," with a statement on social media describing it as "an impulsive, macho act, out of place and with no type of consent on my part."

What did Rubiales say?

Rubiales also expanded on his decision in a statement shared on social media.

"After the rapid suspension carried out by FIFA, plus the rest of the proceedings opened against me, it is clear that I will not be able to return to my position," he said.

"Insisting on waiting and clinging ... is not going to contribute anything positive, neither to the Federation nor to Spanish football. Among other things, because there are de facto powers that will prevent my return," he added.

Rubiales said that he also stepped down as vice president of European football body UEFA. He nevertheless continued to defend himself against accusations of sexual assault.

"I have faith in the truth and I will do everything in my power so that it prevails," he wrote.

Several Spanish government ministers, who had supported Hermoso, celebrated the resignation.

"The feminist country is advancing faster and faster," Spain's acting Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "The transformation and improvement of our lives is inevitable. We are with you, Jenni, and with all women."



Spain's Equality Minister Irene Montero meanwhile posted "it's over."

What have been the repercussions of the kiss?

Rubiales held Hermoso's head with both hands and kissed her on the lips during the medal ceremony that followed Spain's 1-0 win over England in the final of the Women's World Cup in Australia on August 20.

Spanish public prosecutors on Friday filed a complaint against Rubiales.

Prosecutor Marta Durantez Gil accused Rubiales of sexual assault and possible coercion. The complaint was filed with the High Court, which will then decide whether to press formal charges against the football federation president.

If found guilty of a sexual assault charge, Rubiales could be sentenced to prison for a term between one and four years.

World football governing body FIFA suspended the 46-year-old Rubiales from his post on August 27 for 90 days, pending an investigation.

Outrage over Spanish football boss' refusal to quit  02:17

A Spanish government legal panel overseeing sports has also opened a probe to determine if he abused his authority by kissing Hermoso.

rmt/sri (AFP, AP, Reuters)

Modi seeks to cement India’s global standing with G20 summit

By AFP
Published September 10, 2023

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) has used the G20 presidency to burnish his image at home and abroad - 

NOTE HIS COUNTRY DESIGNATION ISN'T 'INDIA' BUT THE HINDU NATIONALIST NAME 'BHARAT'.

Copyright POOL/AFP/File Ludovic MARIN

Aishwarya KUMAR

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his G20 presidency to burnish his image at home and abroad as a steward of national power and prosperity, asserting India’s place in the world ahead of general elections next year.

For months, the 72-year-old leader has been a ubiquitous presence across Delhi, looking down from countless roadside posters and billboards put up across India’s capital.

Among other slogans, they proclaimed the country the “Voice of the Global South”.

India overtook China as the world’s most populous country earlier this year, after displacing former coloniser Britain as its fifth-biggest economy in 2022.

Now Modi is seeking a place on the global stage to match, using the G20 summit as a catalyst to position India as a representative of many others outside traditional power blocs.

Among the most tangible outcomes of the summit was a permanent seat at the table for the African Union, and on the first day, Modi banged a ceremonial gavel to announce that the leaders had reached consensus to adopt a declaration.

It was somewhat unexpected. The grouping had agreed on most things last year in Bali but not all.

But by herding deeply divided leaders into a common — if largely symbolic — statement on vexed issues such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Modi scored a diplomatic win.

The statement avoided any direct criticism of Russia — a long-time arms and energy supplier to India — or summit absentee President Vladimir Putin, who is accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

And on climate, there was no commitment to phase out fossil fuels, but there was backing for the goal of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030.

“It is a success for India’s diplomacy,” said Ashok Kantha, former Indian ambassador to China.

“We could persuade our friends in the West, and say they need not insist on an explicit condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” he added.

“It’s a good compromise.”

And Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, said the outcome had “vindicated” India’s policy of “strategic autonomy”.

“It’s definitely not a reflection of a 100 percent consensus, or maybe not even an 80 or 90 percent consensus,” but it did “suggest a level of convergence on more issues than I had expected.

“That’s a bit of a pleasant surprise.”

– Symbolic scene –

Delhi went on an intense beautification drive before the two-day meeting.

Men were hired to chase away monkeys, some 70,000 flower pots were placed across the city and on summit days, swathes of the metropolis were locked down — with some preparations criticised as thousands of homeless people were moved to shelters.

The summit itself was replete with Hindu symbols, a not-so-subtle message from populist Modi to his base.

His political career and success have been based on support from India’s one-billion-plus Hindus and, critics say, stoking enmity toward the country’s large Muslim minority.

The summit’s logo — a globe with a lotus — echoed the symbol of his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

At the summit table, Modi sat behind a nameplate that said “Bharat” — an ancient Sanskrit word steeped in Hindu religious symbolism — rather than India.

He will go to the world’s biggest election next year as the clear favourite, with the opposition Congress Party plagued by its reputation for corruption.

A recent poll by Pew showed eight in 10 Indians have a positive view of Modi, and almost as many believe he is leading the country to greater influence on the world stage.

His international reputation is a little less lustrous.

Under Modi’s tenure, India has slumped in Freedom House’s rankings for political rights and civil liberties, with police cracking down on protests, the ruling party scoring lavish funding from business allies and press freedoms curtailed.

Sweden’s V-Dem Institute now describes the country as an “electoral autocracy” rather than a democracy.

But Kugelman said the G20 presidency “will really deliver a shot in the arm, so to speak, to his already very strong political prospects”.

“He’ll come out of this, I think, politically energised and certainly advantaged politically as well.”

G20: Russia, Brazil praise outcome of Delhi summit

DW

Published September 10, 2023

Russia's foreign minister and Brazil's president have both lauded the G20 summit on its second and final day. 

Follow DW for more.
https://p.dw.com/p/4W9YA

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hands a sapling to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the summit


 What you need to know

Biden says he spoke with China's Li Qiang


15 hours ago
Biden says he spoke with China's Li Qiang

Biden said on Sunday that he spoke with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the G20 summit.

This the highest-level meeting between US and Chinese officials in nearly 10 months, since Biden spoke with President Xi Jinping at last year's G20 in Indonesia.

"My team, my staff still meets with President Xi's people and his cabinet," Biden told reporters. "I met with his No.2 person in India today."

"We talked about stability," he said, adding that they discussed developments in the Southern Hemisphere. "It wasn't confrontational at all."

Biden said that China's economy was in "crisis."

"One of the major economic tenets of [Xi's] plan isn't working at all right now," he Biden said. "I'm not happy for that, but it's not working."

The US president said he believed that China's economic troubles were unlikely to spark an invasion of Taiwan.

"I don't think this is going to cause China to invade Taiwan," he said. "As a matter of fact, the opposite, probably doesn't have the same capacity that it had before."

https://p.dw.com/p/4WAiJ

 Russia must be involved in talks on reviving grain deal: Erdogan

21 hours ago

Ukraine has sought other routes, such as the Danube, to export its grain since the deal collapsed

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for Moscow not to be excluded from any initiative seeking to revive a deal allowing the safe export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea.

"No process that marginalizes Russia on the Black Sea grain initiative will be viable," Erdogan told reporters after the close of the G20 summit in New Delhi.

Erdogan announced a forthcoming meeting on the issue between Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations, without specifying a precise date or location, saying prospects of reviving the deal were not "hopeless."

Russia withdrew from the deal, which was brokered by Turkey and the UN, in July, a year after it went into force, saying its own grain and fertilizer exports were still negatively impacted by Western sanctions in other sectors.

Since then, there has been a series of drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's port infrastructure, with Kyiv decrying them as cynical attempts to damage its exports and undermine global food security.

https://p.dw.com/p/4WABo

Russia's Lavrov calls G20 summit a 'success'
22 hours ago

Moscow has welcomed the joint declaration of G20 leaders, which fails to condemn Russia over its invasion of Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has praised the G20 summit in New Delhi for avoiding negative references to his country over its invasion of Ukraine in a joint declaration.

"We were able to prevent the West's attempts to 'Ukrainize' the summit agenda," said Lavrov, who represented Moscow at the summit in the absence of President Vladimir Putin.

"The text doesn't mention Russia at all," he said.

That omission prompted Kyiv to say the G20 had "nothing to be proud of" regarding the declaration.

But Lavrov's opinion was apparently shared by others.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose country will take the bloc's presidency in December, said "We cannot let geopolitical issues sequester the G20 agenda of discussions," adding: "We have no interest in a divided G20. We need peace and cooperation instead of conflict."

Russia has been conducting a full-scale invasion of Ukraine since February 2022.

Lavrov's comments seem to indicate, however, that Moscow considers that its actions do not clash with the denunciation of the use of force for territorial gain contained in the joint statement.

https://p.dw.com/p/4WA5l

UK's Sunak raises spying concerns with China

23 hours ago

Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, both prayed at the Akshardham Hindu temple on the sidelines of the summit

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he raised concerns about possible Chinese interference in the UK's parliamentary democracy during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the G20 summit in India.

Those concerns, prompted by the reported arrest of two alleged spies, are likely to undermine Britain's current bid to boost its dialogue with China.

Sunak, however, defended his government's efforts to engage more with Beijing, which included a visit to China last month by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

"If you look at how countries like America, Japan, Canada all engage with China, that's what they do, because engaging with people allows you to raise concerns directly," he said.

"I think that's a more powerful thing to do."

The Sunday Times newspaper has reported that one of the people detained on suspicion of spying for Beijing is a researcher in the British Parliament.

If that is confirmed, it would represent one of the most serious security breaches involving a hostile state at the parliament.

A Chinese report on the meeting between the two leaders did not mention the spying allegations, only citing Li as saying that "the two sides should properly handle their differences."https://p.dw.com/p/4WA2J

Skip next section Lula says Putin will not be arrested at next year's G20 in Brazil
September 10, 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be arrested if he attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janerio next year, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said.

The statement comes after Putin skipped the G20 sunmmit in New Delhi, India, this weekend, possibly to avoid the risk of criminal detention. Instead, he was represented by his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The International Criminal Court (ICC), in March 2023, issued an arrest warrant against Putin for his role in war crimes against Ukraine. While India is not a member of the ICC and has not officially condemned Russia over the invasion, the risk remained.

Brazil, on the other hand, is an ICC member.

"We enjoy peace and we like to treat people well. So I believe Putin can go easily to Brazil," Lula said in an interview to Indian news network Firstpost.

"If I'm the president of Brazil and if he comes to Brazil, there's no way that he will be arrested."

On Sunday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi passed the ceremonial gavel to Lula, closing the 2023 G20 summit.

"I want to congratulate Brazil's president and my friend Lula da Silva, and hand over the presidency's gavel to him," Modi said.

Assuming the bloc's presidency, Lula said "geopolitical issues" should not derail discussions, without outright mentioning the diplomatic tussle over the war in Ukraine. "We have no interest in a divided G20. We need peace and cooperation instead of conflict," he said. 

 https://p.dw.com/p/4W9gb

Skip next section Leaders gather for 'One Future' roundtable
September 10, 2023

Leaders of the G20 will continue talks for a second and final day on Sunday.

The third working session of roundtable talks will be under the heading "One Future," with the aim of discussing how to deal with banking and financial reform among others issues.

No other major joint decisions are expected following Saturday's consensus on a joint declaration.

Moscow managed to avoid language in the document explicitly condemned its invasion of Ukraine, in contrast to last year's G20 in Bali, when a "complete and unconditional withdrawal" was demanded.

https://p.dw.com/p/4W9Z0

G20 leaders' declaration falls short of US expectations 04:06

G20 leaders pay respects at Mahatma Gandhi memorial
September 10, 2023

Leaders of the G20 (Group of 20) gathered at Rajghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, who is considered the father of the Indian independence movement.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the leaders to the hallowed site to honor Gandhi, revered for his stance of non-violence. Gandhi was gunned down by a Hindu nationalist in 1948.

In the decades since Gandhi's assassination, it has hosted the funeral pyres of India's top statesmen and women.

Following a Hindu devotional hymn, those who gathered stood for a moment's silence before leaving wreaths to honor the peace icon.

WHITE COLONIALISM

Australia's Indigenous rights referendum loses steam

Several polls show that the government has failed to convince skeptical and undecided voters to back the Indigenous rights amendment. The vote is due on October 14.

Aboriginal people make up 3.2% of Australia's population and have historically been marginalized

Support for Australia's historic Indigenous rights referendum has slumped, according to a poll published Monday, suggesting the proposal is on track for defeat.

Australians will be asked in the "Voice to Parliament" vote on October 14 whether they support altering the constitution to set up an Indigenous panel to advise the federal parliament.

A survey conducted for the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper found support has slid to 43%, down from 46% in August, led by a loss of confidence with voters in the states of New South Wales and Victoria.

Another poll at the weekend showed only 37% support for the "Voice" referendum.

This comes weeks after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese launched a "Vote Yes" campaign to help gather momentum.

RedBridge polling firm director Kosmos Samaras said that the "overall picture is one of continuous decline," and that it is unlikely that the "yes" campaign will prevail in the October 14 vote.

What is the referendum about?

If passed, the referendum will recognize Indigenous Australians — whose ancestors have lived on the island for over 60,000 years — in the country's constitution for the first time. It would also include in the constitution an Indigenous advisory panel which would have to be consulted on laws which impact their communities.

It requires a national majority, as well as a majority in four of the six states, in order to pass. At this time, only the state of Tasmania has a majority in support of the change.

Aboriginal people make up 3.2% of Australia's 26 million population. They were marginalized by British colonists and are currently not mentioned in the constitution. They are still far more likely than white Australians to die young, live in poverty and end up in prison.

Supporters argue that the "Voice" referendum will unite the nation and bring official recognition to Aboriginal people, aiding in their progress.

Critics argue that it will be divisive and give excessive powers to the Indigenous advisory panel. Others have called the amendment toothless and an exercise in tokenism.

Air pollution: Nearly everyone in Europe breathing bad air

Rodrigo Menegat Schuinski
DW

September 7, 2023

With the EU voting on new air quality rules, satellite data shows that 98% of people face pollution above limits recommended by the World Health Organization.

Urban areas such as here in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, but also in Paris or Barcelona, are particularly affected

NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP/Getty Images

CHARTS VISUALS INFOGRAPHICS

Virtually everyone in Europe lives in polluted towns and cities where annual average levels of fine particulate matter are higher than the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended limit.

In practical terms, this means that almost everyone on the continent is breathing bad air that has been shown to be fatal.

Air pollution increases the risk of respiratory and heart disease and lowers life expectancy.

"With the current levels of air pollution, many people [are getting] sick. We know that lowering air pollution levels reduces these numbers," said Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, director of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).
How bad is air pollution in Europe?

DW partnered with the European Data Journalism Network to analyze satellite data from the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS).

We found that in 2022, almost everyone in Europe — 98% of people — lived in areas where the concentration of fine particulate matter, commonly abbreviated as PM 2.5, was over the limit set by the WHO.

The WHO recommends that the annual average concentration of fine particulate pollution should not exceed five micrograms per cubic meter of air. A microgram is a thousand times less than a milligram.

Pollution levels differ from region to region in Europe. It can be especially severe in parts of Central Europe, the Po valley in Italy and in larger metropolitan areas, such as Athens, Barcelona and Paris.

Our analysis shows that the most polluted regions in Europe reach annual average PM 2.5 concentrations of about 25 micrograms per cubic meter.

High air pollution levels for individual European cities have been reported before, but this new data analysis offers a first Europe-wide comparison of pollution in different regions. We show where air quality has improved and where it's gotten worse.

We also used the data to identify two places with similar problems but a different outlook. In northern Italy, pollution levels are high and seem to remain so. In southern Poland, they are also high yet appear to be falling. We looked at how mitigation strategies are helping or not.

What is fine particulate matter?

Fine particulate matter is a combination of very small solid and liquid particles of different materials and pollutants.

The pollutants are invisible to the naked eye. They have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, or around 30 times thinner than a single strand of hair.

Even though there are many other pollutants that affect human health, it's common to focus on these kinds of particles as there is consistent scientific evidence of their negative effect on public health.

How does Europe compare to other parts of the world?

European air quality is generally better than in other regions of the world.

In northern Indian cities, such as New Delhi, Varanasi and Agra, for example, average PM 2.5 values can get as high as 100 micrograms per cubic meter. In Europe, our data shows pollution levels of up to 25 micrograms per cubic meter.

But even at Europe's comparatively lower levels, pollution can have a significant impact on people's health.

What's the EU's proposed limit and what do experts say?

Europe's new air quality rules would allow an annual average concentration of 10 micrograms of fine particulate matter per cubic meter of air.

The European Parliament's Environment Committee had suggested adopting the WHO recommendations, which are stricter at five micrograms of fine particulate matter per cubic meter of air.

But even at 10 micrograms, it would be stricter than the current standards, which allow annual PM 2.5 concentrations at 20 micrograms per cubic meter — four times higher than the current WHO recommendation.

Health researchers and environmentalists argue that the new European air quality rules should mirror the WHO's guidelines but acknowledge that that would be a challenge.

"EU limits are not only [about] health, they're also about economic arguments, [whereas] the WHO limits are made by experts that only take health into account," said Nieuwenhuijsen. "I hope they'll go with the WHO, but probably some will argue that it would be too expensive."

Let's turn to our first case study: northern Italy.
Air quality consistently bad in northern Italy

In mid-February 2023, many cities in Italy's Po valley were covered with pollution. The regions of Lombardy and Veneto were especially affected.

The daily PM 2.5 average concentration in cities such as Milan, Padova and Verona surged above 75 micrograms per cubic meter, according to Copernicus researchers.

Geography is partially to blame: the region is surrounded by mountains and pollution created by heavy traffic, industry, agricultural emissions and residential heating is trapped in the area.

Environmental agencies report that many thousands of people die prematurely every year due to pollution-related illnesses.

A study published in the science journal The Lancet used pollution data from 2015 to estimate that around 10% of deaths in cities like Milan could be prevented if average PM 2.5 concentrations dropped by around 10 micrograms per cubic meter.

If Europe's major cities were able to hit the five micrograms per cubic meter target, the researchers concluded there would be 100,000 fewer pollution-related deaths every year.

But that's not the direction that the Po valley is headed.

"On top of having a negative geographical situation, we've been doing exactly the opposite of what we should do," said Anna Gerometta, a lawyer and president of Cittadini per l'Aria, an NGO that advocates for stricter air quality policies in Italy.

Gerometta said that measures to limit emissions from cars, residential heating and meat factories were too weak to face the scale of the problem.

In Poland, however, local strategies are showing improvements.
Poland gets rid of coal furnaces and improves air quality

In parts of Poland, pollution levels are among the highest in Europe. But they have decreased steadily since 2018 — the first year in the data we analyzed.

Take the city of Krakow, the second largest city in the country. Back in 2018, the region saw annual pollution levels of nearly 25 micrograms per cubic meter. By the end of 2022, it had dropped by more than 20%.

Neighboring cities Katowice, Gliwice and Tychy, and also Poznan and the capital Warsaw, saw a drop in pollution, too.

The improvements came after Polish authorities launched a plan to modernize household heating systems, known commonly as "smokers." The process has been ongoing for ten years.

"We call them 'smokers' as they produce a lot of smoke, but they are old furnaces," said Piotr Siergiej at the environmental organization Polish Smog Alert. "Nearly 800,000 have been replaced, but there are still around 3 million left. It's a slow process."

In the Krakow area, where a ban on burning coal and wood for domestic heating came into effect in 2019, almost all the old heaters have been replaced.
How do public attitudes affect air quality policy?

"Ten years ago, if you talked about air pollution in Poland, people said it was not a big deal it felt like banging your head against the wall," Sierjiej said. "But after years of constant banging, the biggest success is the change in perception. The law is important, but politicians will only do what [voters want]."

In Italy, environmental campaigners have noticed a similar problem in bridging a gap between science and daily life: "People don't understand the issue with air pollution. As you often don't see it, you don't realize what the impact is," said Gerometta.

But things are changing.

According to a 2022 Eurobarometer survey, a majority of Europeans see respiratory diseases caused by air pollution as a serious problem now. While many respondents said they didn't feel well informed about the current standards, the large majority of those that are aware think that air quality rules should be strengthened.

Air pollution is still a big problem in Europe  02:48

For data, code and methodology behind this analysis, see this repository.

Edited by: Gianna-Carina Grün & Zulfikar Abbany

This project is a collaboration among several media outlets in the European Data Journalism Network .

Murder of the Dead

AMAEDO BORDIGA 

Published 1951

Environmental Engineering,

Environmental Science,

Environmental Economics,

Environmental Education,

Marxism

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