Monday, March 18, 2024
Tánaiste announces Irish Government Funding for Corleck Centre Development in Toronto
From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on 16 March 2024
Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin TD, announced today in Toronto an additional Irish Government grant of $2 million for the Corleck Centre, a major new venue for arts, cultural and heritage programming developed by the Canada Ireland Foundation and located on Eireann Quay on the Toronto waterfront.
This new grant of $2 million, to be provided by Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin will bring total Irish Government support for the project to date to approximately $3M, alongside substantial funding from the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto and a number of private donors.
Eireann Quay is also home to the Ireland Park memorial to Irish immigrants who arrived in Toronto during the Famine.
The funding is being provided as part of a suite of strategic investments in international cultural capital projects within the framework of the Global Ireland 2025 strategy, which a aims to double the scope and impact of Ireland’s global footprint, including in the cultural domain. This is one of a series of Global Ireland strategic actions in the fields of cultural promotion and cultural diplomacy, including the establishment of a global programme of specialist Cultural Attachés and special initiatives in priority territories.
Speaking in Toronto, the Tánaiste said: “I am delighted to announce this additional grant from the Irish Government. Our investment in the Corleck Building underscores the Irish Government’s commitment to sharing our culture around the world. It is a central part of delivering on the Global Ireland Strategy 2025. I thank my colleague, Minister Catherine Martin for providing the funding for this investment.
“The Corleck building will create a wonderful arts, culture and heritage centre in Toronto. It will be a space for the Irish to come together to share their heritage, connect to future generations and create new stories into the future, alongside the many cultures in the great city of Toronto. The Irish Government is proud to stand with the other funders - the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, as well as private donors - in making this exciting project a reality.”
Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, commented: “I am delighted to provide this major Irish Government grant to the Corleck Centre. This decision builds on the major capital investments we have made in recent years in the Irish Arts Centre in New York, the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris and the London Irish Centre Camden, as a key deliverable of the Global Ireland 2025 strategy. Each of these centres offer strategic platforms in priority locations worldwide for the promotion of Irish arts, artists and cultural exchange.
“Exciting opportunities lie ahead to deepen artistic and cultural engagement and collaboration with partners in Toronto and across Canada and I believe the Corleck Centre will be key to maximising this potential.”
James Maloney, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Member of Parliament for Etobicoke—Lakeshore, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities said: “The past, present and future truly come together at the Corleck, thanks to this investment through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program. The building will be a new home for the Canada Ireland Foundation, as well as for local culture, arts, and the community. This project will help to reclaim Toronto’s waterfront by providing a beautiful space for events, activities and people of all backgrounds to gather. Historic, sustainable and accessible, the Corleck fulfills a vision of infrastructure that honours and preserves the past, makes space for the present, and supports a bright and prosperous future.”
Robert G. Kearns, Chair and Founder of the Canada Ireland Foundation said: “When we opened Ireland Park on Toronto’s waterfront in 2007, our vision was to remember the past, celebrate the present and support a future of Irish-Canadian contributions. With the Corleck, we are finally realizing that dream and creating a venue that will present artistic and cultural programming and enable collaboration and engagement between the people of Ireland and Canada.
“The Canada Ireland Foundation is profoundly honoured that the Governments of Ireland and Canada share our vision and have graciously and generously provided the financial support to make the Corleck a reality. It will be a shining jewel, facing Toronto’s central harbourfront.”
William Peat, Executive Director, Canada Ireland Foundation said: “We are so grateful to the Federal Government of Canada and the Government of Ireland for their generous support of the Canada Ireland Foundation, particularly the Corleck. The Corleck will be an inclusive space to celebrate our shared heritage and critical cultural connections into the future.
“The arts in Ireland are flourishing right now, and our island is producing some of the most exciting art in the world. We are deeply honoured and excited to be able to present these artists in Canada’s largest City.”
From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on 16 March 2024
Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin TD, announced today in Toronto an additional Irish Government grant of $2 million for the Corleck Centre, a major new venue for arts, cultural and heritage programming developed by the Canada Ireland Foundation and located on Eireann Quay on the Toronto waterfront.
This new grant of $2 million, to be provided by Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin will bring total Irish Government support for the project to date to approximately $3M, alongside substantial funding from the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto and a number of private donors.
Eireann Quay is also home to the Ireland Park memorial to Irish immigrants who arrived in Toronto during the Famine.
The funding is being provided as part of a suite of strategic investments in international cultural capital projects within the framework of the Global Ireland 2025 strategy, which a aims to double the scope and impact of Ireland’s global footprint, including in the cultural domain. This is one of a series of Global Ireland strategic actions in the fields of cultural promotion and cultural diplomacy, including the establishment of a global programme of specialist Cultural Attachés and special initiatives in priority territories.
Speaking in Toronto, the Tánaiste said: “I am delighted to announce this additional grant from the Irish Government. Our investment in the Corleck Building underscores the Irish Government’s commitment to sharing our culture around the world. It is a central part of delivering on the Global Ireland Strategy 2025. I thank my colleague, Minister Catherine Martin for providing the funding for this investment.
“The Corleck building will create a wonderful arts, culture and heritage centre in Toronto. It will be a space for the Irish to come together to share their heritage, connect to future generations and create new stories into the future, alongside the many cultures in the great city of Toronto. The Irish Government is proud to stand with the other funders - the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, as well as private donors - in making this exciting project a reality.”
Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, commented: “I am delighted to provide this major Irish Government grant to the Corleck Centre. This decision builds on the major capital investments we have made in recent years in the Irish Arts Centre in New York, the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris and the London Irish Centre Camden, as a key deliverable of the Global Ireland 2025 strategy. Each of these centres offer strategic platforms in priority locations worldwide for the promotion of Irish arts, artists and cultural exchange.
“Exciting opportunities lie ahead to deepen artistic and cultural engagement and collaboration with partners in Toronto and across Canada and I believe the Corleck Centre will be key to maximising this potential.”
James Maloney, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Member of Parliament for Etobicoke—Lakeshore, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities said: “The past, present and future truly come together at the Corleck, thanks to this investment through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program. The building will be a new home for the Canada Ireland Foundation, as well as for local culture, arts, and the community. This project will help to reclaim Toronto’s waterfront by providing a beautiful space for events, activities and people of all backgrounds to gather. Historic, sustainable and accessible, the Corleck fulfills a vision of infrastructure that honours and preserves the past, makes space for the present, and supports a bright and prosperous future.”
Robert G. Kearns, Chair and Founder of the Canada Ireland Foundation said: “When we opened Ireland Park on Toronto’s waterfront in 2007, our vision was to remember the past, celebrate the present and support a future of Irish-Canadian contributions. With the Corleck, we are finally realizing that dream and creating a venue that will present artistic and cultural programming and enable collaboration and engagement between the people of Ireland and Canada.
“The Canada Ireland Foundation is profoundly honoured that the Governments of Ireland and Canada share our vision and have graciously and generously provided the financial support to make the Corleck a reality. It will be a shining jewel, facing Toronto’s central harbourfront.”
William Peat, Executive Director, Canada Ireland Foundation said: “We are so grateful to the Federal Government of Canada and the Government of Ireland for their generous support of the Canada Ireland Foundation, particularly the Corleck. The Corleck will be an inclusive space to celebrate our shared heritage and critical cultural connections into the future.
“The arts in Ireland are flourishing right now, and our island is producing some of the most exciting art in the world. We are deeply honoured and excited to be able to present these artists in Canada’s largest City.”
RIP
Everest filmmaker and mountaineer David Breashears dies aged 68
David Breashears co-directed and co-produced a 1998 IMAX documentary chronicling the struggles of a group of mountaineers climbing Mount Everest, the world's highest peak.
Saturday 16 March 2024
Everest filmmaker and mountaineer David Breashears dies aged 68
David Breashears co-directed and co-produced a 1998 IMAX documentary chronicling the struggles of a group of mountaineers climbing Mount Everest, the world's highest peak.
Saturday 16 March 2024
David Breashears while filming the IMAX documentary Everest.
Pic: Arcturus Motion Pictures, Inc/AP
Mountaineer and adventure filmmaker David Breashears, best known for an IMAX documentary about climbing Mount Everest, has died aged 68.
Breashears was found unresponsive at his home in Massachusetts on Thursday and died of natural causes, said his business manager Ellen Golbranson.
She added that "the exact cause of death remains unknown at this time".
Breashears was an experienced mountaineered who climbed the world's most challenging peaks. As a cinematographer he worked on documentaries and feature films.
According to his website, in 1983, he transmitted the first live television pictures from the summit of Everest, and in 1985 he became the first American to reach the summit twice.
Breashears reached the summit of Mount Everest five times in total, his family said.
"He combined his passion for climbing and photography to become one of the world's most admired adventure filmmakers," they said in a statement.
Mountaineer and adventure filmmaker David Breashears, best known for an IMAX documentary about climbing Mount Everest, has died aged 68.
Breashears was found unresponsive at his home in Massachusetts on Thursday and died of natural causes, said his business manager Ellen Golbranson.
She added that "the exact cause of death remains unknown at this time".
Breashears was an experienced mountaineered who climbed the world's most challenging peaks. As a cinematographer he worked on documentaries and feature films.
According to his website, in 1983, he transmitted the first live television pictures from the summit of Everest, and in 1985 he became the first American to reach the summit twice.
Breashears reached the summit of Mount Everest five times in total, his family said.
"He combined his passion for climbing and photography to become one of the world's most admired adventure filmmakers," they said in a statement.
Mount Everest. Pic: iStock
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| THE REALITY |
He is best known for a 1998 IMAX documentary called Everest, which he co-directed and co-produced, about the challenges and struggles of a group of mountaineers trying to reach the peak of the mountain, which at 8,850m (29,035ft) is the world's tallest.
Breashears and his team were filming the documentary in May 1996 when a blizzard struck the mountain, killing eight climbers.
He and his team stopped filming to help the climbers.
In 2007, Breashears founded GlacierWorks, which on Facebook described itself as a non-profit organisation highlighting changes to Himalayan glaciers "through art, science, and adventure".
His family said "he used his climbing and photography experience to create unique records revealing the dramatic effects of climate change on the historic mountain range".
Breashears and his team were filming the documentary in May 1996 when a blizzard struck the mountain, killing eight climbers.
He and his team stopped filming to help the climbers.
In 2007, Breashears founded GlacierWorks, which on Facebook described itself as a non-profit organisation highlighting changes to Himalayan glaciers "through art, science, and adventure".
His family said "he used his climbing and photography experience to create unique records revealing the dramatic effects of climate change on the historic mountain range".
SPACE
Finally, engineers have a clue that could help them save Voyager 1
A new signal from humanity's most distant spacecraft could be the key to restoring it.
STEPHEN CLARK - 3/15/2024,
Enlarge / Artist's illustration of the Voyager 1 spacecraft.
Caltech/NASA-JPL89
It's been four months since NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft sent an intelligible signal back to Earth, and the problem has puzzled engineers tasked with supervising the probe exploring interstellar space.
But there's a renewed optimism among the Voyager ground team based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. On March 1, engineers sent a command up to Voyager 1—more than 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) away from Earth—to "gently prompt" one of the spacecraft's computers to try different sequences in its software package. This was the latest step in NASA's long-distance troubleshooting to try to isolate the cause of the problem preventing Voyager 1 from transmitting coherent telemetry data.
Cracking the case
Officials suspect a piece of corrupted memory inside the Flight Data Subsystem (FDS), one of three main computers on the spacecraft, is the most likely culprit for the interruption in normal communication. Because Voyager 1 is so far away, it takes about 45 hours for engineers on the ground to know how the spacecraft reacted to their commands—the one-way light travel time is about 22.5 hours.
The FDS collects science and engineering data from the spacecraft's sensors, then combines the information into a single data package, which goes through a separate component called the Telemetry Modulation Unit to beam it back to Earth through Voyager's high-gain antenna.
Engineers are almost entirely certain the problem is in the FDS computer. The communications systems onboard Voyager 1 appear to be functioning normally, and the spacecraft is sending a steady radio tone back to Earth, but there's no usable data contained in the signal. This means engineers know Voyager 1 is alive, but they have no insight into what part of the FDS memory is causing the problem.
But Voyager 1 responded to the March 1 troubleshooting command with something different from what engineers have seen since this issue first appeared on November 14.Advertisement
"The new signal was still not in the format used by Voyager 1 when the FDS is working properly, so the team wasn’t initially sure what to make of it," NASA said in an update Wednesday. "But an engineer with the agency’s Deep Space Network, which operates the radio antennas that communicate with both Voyagers and other spacecraft traveling to the Moon and beyond, was able to decode the new signal and found that it contains a readout of the entire FDS memory."
Now, engineers are meticulously comparing each bit of code from the FDS memory readout to the memory readout Voyager 1 sent back to Earth before the issue arose in November. This, they hope, will allow them to find the root of the problem. But it will probably take weeks or months for the Voyager team to take the next step. They don't want to cause more harm.
"Using that information to devise a potential solution and attempt to put it into action will take time," NASA said.
This is perhaps the most serious ailment the spacecraft has encountered since its launch in 1977. Voyager 1 flew by Jupiter and Saturn before getting a kick from Saturn's gravity to speed into the outer solar system. In 2012, Voyager 1 entered interstellar space when it crossed the heliopause, where the solar wind, the stream of particles emanating from the Sun, push against a so-called galactic wind, the particles that populate the void between the stars.
Engineers have kept Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, alive for more than 46 years, overcoming technical problems that have doomed other space missions. Both probes face waning power from their nuclear batteries, and there are concerns about their thrusters aging and fuel lines becoming clogged, among other things. But each time there is a problem, ground teams have come up with a trick to keep the Voyagers going, often referencing binders of fraying blueprints and engineering documents from the spacecraft's design and construction nearly 50 years ago.
Suzanne Dodd, NASA's project manager for Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, recently told Ars that engineers would need to pull off their "biggest miracle" to restore Voyager 1 to normal operations. Now, Voyager's 1 voice from the sky has provided engineers with a clue that could help them realize this miracle.
STEPHEN CLARK - 3/15/2024,
Enlarge / Artist's illustration of the Voyager 1 spacecraft.
Caltech/NASA-JPL89
It's been four months since NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft sent an intelligible signal back to Earth, and the problem has puzzled engineers tasked with supervising the probe exploring interstellar space.
But there's a renewed optimism among the Voyager ground team based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. On March 1, engineers sent a command up to Voyager 1—more than 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) away from Earth—to "gently prompt" one of the spacecraft's computers to try different sequences in its software package. This was the latest step in NASA's long-distance troubleshooting to try to isolate the cause of the problem preventing Voyager 1 from transmitting coherent telemetry data.
Cracking the case
Officials suspect a piece of corrupted memory inside the Flight Data Subsystem (FDS), one of three main computers on the spacecraft, is the most likely culprit for the interruption in normal communication. Because Voyager 1 is so far away, it takes about 45 hours for engineers on the ground to know how the spacecraft reacted to their commands—the one-way light travel time is about 22.5 hours.
The FDS collects science and engineering data from the spacecraft's sensors, then combines the information into a single data package, which goes through a separate component called the Telemetry Modulation Unit to beam it back to Earth through Voyager's high-gain antenna.
Engineers are almost entirely certain the problem is in the FDS computer. The communications systems onboard Voyager 1 appear to be functioning normally, and the spacecraft is sending a steady radio tone back to Earth, but there's no usable data contained in the signal. This means engineers know Voyager 1 is alive, but they have no insight into what part of the FDS memory is causing the problem.
But Voyager 1 responded to the March 1 troubleshooting command with something different from what engineers have seen since this issue first appeared on November 14.Advertisement
"The new signal was still not in the format used by Voyager 1 when the FDS is working properly, so the team wasn’t initially sure what to make of it," NASA said in an update Wednesday. "But an engineer with the agency’s Deep Space Network, which operates the radio antennas that communicate with both Voyagers and other spacecraft traveling to the Moon and beyond, was able to decode the new signal and found that it contains a readout of the entire FDS memory."
Now, engineers are meticulously comparing each bit of code from the FDS memory readout to the memory readout Voyager 1 sent back to Earth before the issue arose in November. This, they hope, will allow them to find the root of the problem. But it will probably take weeks or months for the Voyager team to take the next step. They don't want to cause more harm.
"Using that information to devise a potential solution and attempt to put it into action will take time," NASA said.
This is perhaps the most serious ailment the spacecraft has encountered since its launch in 1977. Voyager 1 flew by Jupiter and Saturn before getting a kick from Saturn's gravity to speed into the outer solar system. In 2012, Voyager 1 entered interstellar space when it crossed the heliopause, where the solar wind, the stream of particles emanating from the Sun, push against a so-called galactic wind, the particles that populate the void between the stars.
Engineers have kept Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, alive for more than 46 years, overcoming technical problems that have doomed other space missions. Both probes face waning power from their nuclear batteries, and there are concerns about their thrusters aging and fuel lines becoming clogged, among other things. But each time there is a problem, ground teams have come up with a trick to keep the Voyagers going, often referencing binders of fraying blueprints and engineering documents from the spacecraft's design and construction nearly 50 years ago.
Suzanne Dodd, NASA's project manager for Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, recently told Ars that engineers would need to pull off their "biggest miracle" to restore Voyager 1 to normal operations. Now, Voyager's 1 voice from the sky has provided engineers with a clue that could help them realize this miracle.
What happens when you send cancer into space? | BBC News
Sunken 18th-century British warship identified off Florida Keys in Dry Tortugas National Park
By Chris Oberholtz, FOX Weather
Published March 16, 2024
Archaeologists have uncovered new research that provides definitive evidence that the remains of an 18th-century British warship are resting in the waters of South Florida.
Although the discovery of the naval vessel HMS Tyger dates back to 1993 in Dry Tortugas National Park, it has now been positively identified, which provides additional protection under the Sunken Military Craft Act of 2004. According to international agreements, the British Government holds sovereign ownership of the remains of HMS Tyger and related artifacts.
“This discovery highlights the importance of preservation in place as future generations of archeologists, armed with more advanced technologies and research tools, are able to reexamine sites and make new discoveries,” said Josh Marano, the maritime archeologist who led the team that made the discovery.
According to the National Park Service, HMS Tyger, which was built in 1647, ran aground on the reefs of the Dry Tortugas in 1742 while on patrol in the War of Jenkins Ear between Britain and Spain.
In 2021, archeologists from Dry Tortugas National Park, the Submerged Resources Center and the Southeast Archeological Center surveyed the site using leads from historical research. They discovered five cannons approximately 500 yards from the main wreck site.
Congress expanded the monument in 1983 and re-designated it Dry Tortugas National Park in 1992, “In order to preserve and protect for the education, inspiration, and enjoyment of present and future generations nationally significant natural, historic, scenic, marine, and scientific values in South Florida.”
The ship was built in 1647 before running aground in 1742.
By Chris Oberholtz, FOX Weather
Published March 16, 2024
Archaeologists have uncovered new research that provides definitive evidence that the remains of an 18th-century British warship are resting in the waters of South Florida.
Although the discovery of the naval vessel HMS Tyger dates back to 1993 in Dry Tortugas National Park, it has now been positively identified, which provides additional protection under the Sunken Military Craft Act of 2004. According to international agreements, the British Government holds sovereign ownership of the remains of HMS Tyger and related artifacts.
“This discovery highlights the importance of preservation in place as future generations of archeologists, armed with more advanced technologies and research tools, are able to reexamine sites and make new discoveries,” said Josh Marano, the maritime archeologist who led the team that made the discovery.
According to the National Park Service, HMS Tyger, which was built in 1647, ran aground on the reefs of the Dry Tortugas in 1742 while on patrol in the War of Jenkins Ear between Britain and Spain.
In 2021, archeologists from Dry Tortugas National Park, the Submerged Resources Center and the Southeast Archeological Center surveyed the site using leads from historical research. They discovered five cannons approximately 500 yards from the main wreck site.
NPS Photo/Brett Seymour
Buried in the margins of the old logbooks was a reference that described how the crew “lightened her forward” after initially running aground, briefly refloating the vessel and then sinking in shallow water, the NPS said.
After analyzing their size, features, and location, it was determined that the guns found were British six and nine-pound cannons thrown overboard when HMS Tyger initially ran aground, researchers noted.
The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology recently published the findings which ultimately led archaeologists to argue convincingly that the wreck discovered in 1993 was the remains of HMS Tyger.
Buried in the margins of the old logbooks was a reference that described how the crew “lightened her forward” after initially running aground, briefly refloating the vessel and then sinking in shallow water, the NPS said.
After analyzing their size, features, and location, it was determined that the guns found were British six and nine-pound cannons thrown overboard when HMS Tyger initially ran aground, researchers noted.
The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology recently published the findings which ultimately led archaeologists to argue convincingly that the wreck discovered in 1993 was the remains of HMS Tyger.
Cannons were discovered near the shipwreck, which helped identify the vessel.
NPS Photo/Brett Seymour
“Archeological finds are exciting, but connecting those finds to the historical record helps us tell the stories of the people that came before us and the events they experienced,” Park Manager James Crutchfield said. “This particular story is one of perseverance and survival. National parks help to protect these untold stories as they come to light.”
A similar warship, HMS Fowey, was lost in what is now Biscayne National Park in 1748, the NPS said. Currently, it is being managed between the U.S. and the British Royal Navy.
History of HMS Tyger and Dry Tortugas National Park
“Archeological finds are exciting, but connecting those finds to the historical record helps us tell the stories of the people that came before us and the events they experienced,” Park Manager James Crutchfield said. “This particular story is one of perseverance and survival. National parks help to protect these untold stories as they come to light.”
A similar warship, HMS Fowey, was lost in what is now Biscayne National Park in 1748, the NPS said. Currently, it is being managed between the U.S. and the British Royal Navy.
History of HMS Tyger and Dry Tortugas National Park
Sunken vessels that can be properly identified are eligible for more protections under the Sunken Military Craft Act of 2004.NPS
About 300 crew members were stranded on Garden Key for 66 days after the wreck of HMS Tyger, the NPS said. They are responsible for building the first fortifications on the island more than 100 years before Fort Jefferson, which is the park’s main cultural resource.
According to the NPS, the crew battled extreme heat, mosquitoes and thirst while constructing vessels from the wreckage of HMS Tyger and made several attempts to seek help. After an unsuccessful attack on a Spanish ship, the surviving crew burned the remaining parts of HMS Tyger to prevent its weapons from falling into enemy hands. They then used their makeshift vessels to travel 700 miles to Port Royal, Jamaica.
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established Fort Jefferson National Monument under the Antiquities Act to preserve the Dry Tortugas Islands and Fort Jefferson, the NPS notes.
About 300 crew members were stranded on Garden Key for 66 days after the wreck of HMS Tyger, the NPS said. They are responsible for building the first fortifications on the island more than 100 years before Fort Jefferson, which is the park’s main cultural resource.
According to the NPS, the crew battled extreme heat, mosquitoes and thirst while constructing vessels from the wreckage of HMS Tyger and made several attempts to seek help. After an unsuccessful attack on a Spanish ship, the surviving crew burned the remaining parts of HMS Tyger to prevent its weapons from falling into enemy hands. They then used their makeshift vessels to travel 700 miles to Port Royal, Jamaica.
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established Fort Jefferson National Monument under the Antiquities Act to preserve the Dry Tortugas Islands and Fort Jefferson, the NPS notes.
Congress expanded the monument in 1983 and re-designated it Dry Tortugas National Park in 1992, “In order to preserve and protect for the education, inspiration, and enjoyment of present and future generations nationally significant natural, historic, scenic, marine, and scientific values in South Florida.”
UPDATE
Indian Navy Corners Pirates and Rescues Bulker After Months of Captivity
The Indian Navy has continued its aggressive support of shipping in the Red Sea reporting two interactions with Somali pirates and today successfully rescued 17 crewmembers that have been in captivity for three months. The action also likely prevented further piracy incidents as the bulker Ruen had been taken into the Indian Ocean to apparently serve as a mothership for the privates.
Security forces warned on Thursday that the Navibulgar vessel Ruen (41,600 dwt, registered in Malta) which was captured on December 14 had departed Somalia heading east into the Indian Ocean. Yesterday, March 15, the Indian Navy’s Long Range Maritime Patrol reported it was able to intercept the Ruen underway some 1,400 nautical miles west of India in the Indian Ocean.
The pirates aboard the bulker “opened fire on the warship,” the Indian Navy reports, but the Navy was able to corner the bulker with the pirates aboard. The Indian vessels Kolkata and Subhadra, along with remotely piloted aircraft and a team of elite marine commandos air-dropped by C-17 aircraft, were able to successfully confront the bulker with the pirates aboard.
“The pirates onboard the vessel have been called upon to surrender and release the vessel and any civilians they may be holding against their will,” the Navy spokesperson reported.
Only saying “thought concerted actions,” and that they “coerced” the pirates to surrender, the Navy reports it retook control of the Ruen. A total of 35 pirates surrendered to the Navy and the 17 crewmembers aboard the vessel were released. The Navy reports the Ruen “has been sanitized for the presence of illegal arms, ammunition, and contraband.”
Prior to this engagement, the Indian Navy was also able to locate another seized bulker, the Bangladeshi vessel Abdullah (58,000 dwt) on March 12. They reported that the pirates did not respond to attempts at communication. On March 14, they were able to photograph the Abdullah and reported shadowing the vessel until it entered Somali waters. Unconfirmed reports from the media in Bangladesh said shots had been fired and the warship withdrew fearing for the safety of the crew aboard the bulker.
The rescue of the Ruen marks the second successful rescue by the Indian Navy against Somali pirates. On January 5, an elite team of commandos from the Indian Navy stormed the Lila Norfolk, a 170,000 dwt bulker registered in Liberia that had also been commandeered by pirates. The team sanitized the vessel and confirmed that the pirates had abandoned the ship after the Indian warship arrived. In a similar incident in late November 2023, American forces were also able to scare away and apprehend pirates that boarded the product tanker Central Park in the Red Sea.
Image released by the Indian Navy highlighting pirates aboard the Abdullah before it arrived off Somalia (Indian Navy)
A moderate danger of further piracy incidents however remains according to a warning from the EUNAVFOR operation Atalanta and the Maritime Security Center for the Horn of Africa. They highlighted a recent surge in reported events that could potentially escalate into piracy off the Somali coast.
They highlighted that in addition to the Ruen and the Abdullah, 18 dhows have been hijacked in recent weeks. Up to seven they believed may still be in the hands of captors. Further, they estimate that four pirate action groups are operating and note that several possible pirate camps have been identified near Garacad, Somalia.
Significant attacks on merchant vessels have occurred they warned within 12 days after reports of dhow hijackings. The warning says that multiple skiffs each carrying armed individuals set off from Somalia on March 13. They were also concerned that the Ruen would be used as a mothership, but the successful Indian action has removed that one threat, while the warning remains for ships to use caution in the region due to the increased risks.
Video: YM Containership Takes Out Cranes While Docking in Turkey
[Brief] A Hong Kong-registered containership arriving at the private container port in Kocaeli, Turkey was unable to stop while maneuvering and knocked over the large container cranes. Initial reports said no one was injured in the dramatic accident, but later reports from the Turkish media said that the operator of one of the cranes was seriously injured in the incident.
The YM Witness, a 145,000 dwt containership built in 2015 and operated by Yang Ming, was arriving at the port on Saturday afternoon, March 16. The ship is 1,207 feet (368 meters) in length with a capacity of 14,000 TEU.
The vessel had a pilot aboard but for unknown reasons appeared to be coming toward the dock at a steep angle and was unable to stop its forward motion. The vessel in succession knocks over the large cranes used to load and unload the containers. The port authority is reporting that several containers were also knocked from the vessel into the harbor.
Dockworkers can be seen running in some of the videos as the cranes are pushed and then come crashing down. Local police and fire responded to the incident which is currently under investigation.
Rights advocates denounce ‘systemic abuse’ in Israeli prisons
By AFP
March 16, 2024
Since war broke out in Gaza conditions for Palestinian detainees have deteriorated dramatically, say rights groups
Nina LARSON
In the shadow of the war raging in Gaza, record numbers of Palestinian detainees are filling Israeli prisons, where they face “systemic abuse” and torture, rights advocates warn, calling for international action.
Members of several Israeli NGOs travelled to Geneva this week to raise concerns before the United Nations about a major “crisis” inside the country’s prisons.
“We are extremely, extremely concerned,” said Tal Steiner, the executive director of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI).
“What we’re looking at is a crisis,” she told AFP.
She said nine people had allegedly died behind bars since October 7, according to Israeli sources.
And “there are almost 10,000 Palestinians in Israeli custody right now… a 200-percent increase from any normal year”.
While the UN and others have long raised concerns about conditions for Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, Steiner said the situation had worsened dramatically since war erupted in Gaza.
The conflict began on October 7 after an unprecedented attack by Hamas resulting in about 1,160 deaths inside Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official figures.
The militants also seized about 250 Israeli and foreign hostages. Israel believes about 130 of them remain in Gaza, including 32 believed to have died.
Israel’s offensive inside Gaza has since killed more than 31,500 people, mainly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
– ‘Widespread and systemic’ –
“During the military onslaught on Gaza, there’s been a crisis within Israeli detention facilities and prisons that has been really left ignored,” said Miriam Azem of the Adalah legal centre. The centre is dedicated to protecting the rights of Israel’s Palestinian citizens.
Her organisation had managed to document “19 clear cases” of torture within the Israeli prison system just since October 7, including sexual violence, she told AFP.
“We’re seeing really widespread and systemic use of many, many tools in order to inflict torture and ill-treatment on Palestinians.”
This crisis, she said, “requires the immediate intervention of the international community”.
Steiner agreed, warning that this was “an ongoing crisis.
“People are (suffering) in detention right now… An urgent intervention is very much needed.”
The Israeli Prison Service told AFP: “All prisoners are detained according to the law.”
The service was “not aware of the claims”, against it, a spokesperson said, but stressed that any complaints filed by detainees “will be fully examined and addressed by official authorities”.
The NGOs also voiced alarm at reported conditions inside the military camps holding those detained inside Gaza.
At least 27 Palestinians have reportedly died in such camps since October, Steiner said, adding that this was “unprecedented and extremely severe”.
There was no access to the camps, nor had her organisation, or foreign journalists, been permitted to enter Gaza to speak with those released, she said.
But reports relying on testimony from former camp inmates suggest that detainees are often held “in open-air cages”, where “they are handcuffed and blindfolded 24 hours a day”.
Prisoners reportedly had to sleep on the floor of the cages in the cold, were beaten, and deprived of medical care, she added.
– Unlawful combatants –
The Israeli army said detainees are questioned in the facilities operating since the October 7 attack and those “found to be unrelated to terrorist activity are released back to the Gaza Strip”.
Some of the detainees who died had injuries or complex medical conditions, it added, saying each death was investigated by the Military Advocate General’s Corps.
“At the end of the investigations, their findings will be forwarded to the Military Prosecution’s Office,” the army said.
While there are no official numbers, NGOs estimate that around 1,000 people are currently detained in the camps.
Another 600 people from Gaza arrested on Israeli soil on October 7 are being held in the Israeli prison system.
Steiner pointed out that all those detained in Gaza, including children and reportedly even an 82-year-old woman, were being held under Israel’s unlawful combatants law. That law denies protections typically granted to detainees and prisoners of war.
“The law in its current form is unconstitutional,” she said.
Steiner and Azem, both Israeli nationals, said defending Palestinians’ rights in Israel had become increasingly difficult since October 7, and that they had faced threats and verbal abuse.
“It’s not an easy place to be,” Steiner said.
The trauma caused by Hamas’s attack and the frantic concern over the fate of the hostages is understandable, she said, but “that does not give you an excuse to torture”.
“This is not just the question of us versus them. This is us versus us,” Steiner said.
“If Israel can prove that it holds even the worst of its enemies in humane conditions, that will be a triumph.”
By AFP
March 16, 2024
Since war broke out in Gaza conditions for Palestinian detainees have deteriorated dramatically, say rights groups
- Copyright AFP/File YURI CORTEZ
Nina LARSON
In the shadow of the war raging in Gaza, record numbers of Palestinian detainees are filling Israeli prisons, where they face “systemic abuse” and torture, rights advocates warn, calling for international action.
Members of several Israeli NGOs travelled to Geneva this week to raise concerns before the United Nations about a major “crisis” inside the country’s prisons.
“We are extremely, extremely concerned,” said Tal Steiner, the executive director of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI).
“What we’re looking at is a crisis,” she told AFP.
She said nine people had allegedly died behind bars since October 7, according to Israeli sources.
And “there are almost 10,000 Palestinians in Israeli custody right now… a 200-percent increase from any normal year”.
While the UN and others have long raised concerns about conditions for Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, Steiner said the situation had worsened dramatically since war erupted in Gaza.
The conflict began on October 7 after an unprecedented attack by Hamas resulting in about 1,160 deaths inside Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official figures.
The militants also seized about 250 Israeli and foreign hostages. Israel believes about 130 of them remain in Gaza, including 32 believed to have died.
Israel’s offensive inside Gaza has since killed more than 31,500 people, mainly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
– ‘Widespread and systemic’ –
“During the military onslaught on Gaza, there’s been a crisis within Israeli detention facilities and prisons that has been really left ignored,” said Miriam Azem of the Adalah legal centre. The centre is dedicated to protecting the rights of Israel’s Palestinian citizens.
Her organisation had managed to document “19 clear cases” of torture within the Israeli prison system just since October 7, including sexual violence, she told AFP.
“We’re seeing really widespread and systemic use of many, many tools in order to inflict torture and ill-treatment on Palestinians.”
This crisis, she said, “requires the immediate intervention of the international community”.
Steiner agreed, warning that this was “an ongoing crisis.
“People are (suffering) in detention right now… An urgent intervention is very much needed.”
The Israeli Prison Service told AFP: “All prisoners are detained according to the law.”
The service was “not aware of the claims”, against it, a spokesperson said, but stressed that any complaints filed by detainees “will be fully examined and addressed by official authorities”.
The NGOs also voiced alarm at reported conditions inside the military camps holding those detained inside Gaza.
At least 27 Palestinians have reportedly died in such camps since October, Steiner said, adding that this was “unprecedented and extremely severe”.
There was no access to the camps, nor had her organisation, or foreign journalists, been permitted to enter Gaza to speak with those released, she said.
But reports relying on testimony from former camp inmates suggest that detainees are often held “in open-air cages”, where “they are handcuffed and blindfolded 24 hours a day”.
Prisoners reportedly had to sleep on the floor of the cages in the cold, were beaten, and deprived of medical care, she added.
– Unlawful combatants –
The Israeli army said detainees are questioned in the facilities operating since the October 7 attack and those “found to be unrelated to terrorist activity are released back to the Gaza Strip”.
Some of the detainees who died had injuries or complex medical conditions, it added, saying each death was investigated by the Military Advocate General’s Corps.
“At the end of the investigations, their findings will be forwarded to the Military Prosecution’s Office,” the army said.
While there are no official numbers, NGOs estimate that around 1,000 people are currently detained in the camps.
Another 600 people from Gaza arrested on Israeli soil on October 7 are being held in the Israeli prison system.
Steiner pointed out that all those detained in Gaza, including children and reportedly even an 82-year-old woman, were being held under Israel’s unlawful combatants law. That law denies protections typically granted to detainees and prisoners of war.
“The law in its current form is unconstitutional,” she said.
Steiner and Azem, both Israeli nationals, said defending Palestinians’ rights in Israel had become increasingly difficult since October 7, and that they had faced threats and verbal abuse.
“It’s not an easy place to be,” Steiner said.
The trauma caused by Hamas’s attack and the frantic concern over the fate of the hostages is understandable, she said, but “that does not give you an excuse to torture”.
“This is not just the question of us versus them. This is us versus us,” Steiner said.
“If Israel can prove that it holds even the worst of its enemies in humane conditions, that will be a triumph.”
CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY
Israeli army launches operation at Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital
Gaza Strip (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – The Israeli army launched Monday an operation around Gaza's largest hospital, Al-Shifa, with witnesses reporting air strikes on the devastated neighbourhood where it is located.
Issued on: 18/03/2024 - 06:13Modified: 18/03/2024 - 06:11
4 min
'Out of harm's way'
The United States, which provides Israel with billions of dollars in military assistance, has said it wants a "clear and implementable plan" to ensure civilians are "out of harm's way".
Gaza is facing the threat of famine, according to the UN, and many residents of the territory have faced displacement multiple times in recent months.
There has been no indication yet of where those crammed into Rafah could go, and any suggestion of Palestinian dispersal outside the Palestinian Territories is highly contentious in the Arab world.
A Hamas proposal for a truce calls for an Israeli withdrawal from "all cities and populated areas" in Gaza during a six-week truce and for more humanitarian aid, according to an official from the group.
International envoys were planning to meet in Qatar soon to revive stalled talks for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Israel plans to attend the talks, and a cabinet meeting meant to decide the delegation’s mandate took place on Sunday night, Netanyahu's office said, though the outcome was not immediately known.
© 2024 AFP
Smoke and explosions rise inside the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Sunday, Sunday, March 17, 2024. © Ariel Schalit, AP
Israeli army launches operation at Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital
Gaza Strip (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – The Israeli army launched Monday an operation around Gaza's largest hospital, Al-Shifa, with witnesses reporting air strikes on the devastated neighbourhood where it is located.
Issued on: 18/03/2024 - 06:13Modified: 18/03/2024 - 06:11
4 min
A donkey-pulled cart passes the rubble of Al-Faruq Mosque, destroyed during Israeli bombardment in Rafah, the southern Gaza Strip, where Israel says it will send in ground troops
© SAID KHATIB / AFP
Israeli soldiers "are currently conducting a precise operation in the area of the Shifa hospital", a statement from the military said.
"The operation is based on intelligence information indicating the use of the hospital by senior Hamas terrorists".
Witnesses in Gaza City told AFP they saw tanks surround the hospital site.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the war have sought shelter in the complex, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
The Israeli army had also carried out a November operation in Al-Shifa, sparking an international outcry.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of running military operations from hospitals and other medical centres, claims the militant group denies.
The Hamas government media office in Gaza condemned the operation, saying that "the storming of the Al-Shifa medical complex with tanks, drones, and weapons, and shooting inside it, is a war crime".
The health ministry in the besieged Hamas-run territory said it had received calls from people near the hospital site who claimed there were dozens of casualties.
"No one could transport them to the hospital due to the intensity of gunfire and artillery shelling," the ministry said.
The Israeli army has carried out multiple operations in and around medical facilities across the Gaza Strip since the start of the war.
The war began when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack from Gaza on October 7 that resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Palestinian militants seized about 250 Israeli and foreign hostages during the October 7 attack, but dozens were released during a week-long truce in November.
Israel believes about 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 -- eight soldiers and 25 civilians -- who are presumed dead.
Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel has carried out a relentless bombardment and ground offensive that the health ministry in the Palestinian territory says have killed at least 31,645 people, most of them women and children.
According to the Israeli military, troops "were instructed on the importance of operating cautiously, as well as on the measures to be taken to avoid harm to the patients, civilians, medical staff, and medical equipment" at Al-Shifa.
The statement also said Arabic speakers had been deployed in order to "facilitate dialogue with the patients remaining in the hospital".
It added: "There is no obligation for the patients and medical staff to evacuate."
Following its November 15 operation on Al-Shifa, the Israeli military said it had found weapons and other military equipment hidden in the site -- claims Hamas has denied.
It also claimed it had found a 55-metre tunnel in the basement and shared footage that it said proved hostages had been held there, which Hamas also denied.
According to the UN, 155 health facilities in the Gaza Strip have been damaged since the war began.
'Where should they go?'
The Hamas-run health ministry said early Monday that dozens of people had been killed across the Gaza Strip overnight.
Over the weekend, 12 members of the same family were killed when their house was hit in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
Palestinian girl Leen Thabit, retrieving a white dress from under the rubble of their flattened house, cried as she told AFP her cousin was killed in the strike.
"She's dead. Only her dress is left," Thabit said.
For several weeks, the focus of the war had been on southern Gaza, where around 1.5 million people who have fled the rest of the devastated territory have sought refuge since the start of the war.
Allies of Israel, including the United States, have warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government against launching a full-scale operation in Rafah near the Egyptian border.
Rafah is the only urban centre in Gaza where Israeli ground troops have yet to enter.
Visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters that if such an offensive resulted in "a large number of casualties" it "would make any peaceful development in the region very difficult".
Israel has insisted, however, that its war aim of eliminating Hamas cannot be achieved without operating across the territory.
On Sunday, Netanyahu vowed civilians crammed into the south of the strip would be able to leave before troops enter in pursuit of Hamas militants.
The office of Netanyahu had on Friday said he approved the military's plan for an operation in Rafah as well as "the evacuation of the population".
"Our goal in eliminating the remaining terrorist battalions in Rafah goes hand-in-hand with enabling the civilian population to leave Rafah," Netanyahu said at a press appearance alongside Scholz.
"It's not something that we will do while keeping the population locked in place."
As others have done, Scholz raised the question:
"Where should they go?"
Israeli soldiers "are currently conducting a precise operation in the area of the Shifa hospital", a statement from the military said.
"The operation is based on intelligence information indicating the use of the hospital by senior Hamas terrorists".
Witnesses in Gaza City told AFP they saw tanks surround the hospital site.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the war have sought shelter in the complex, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
The Israeli army had also carried out a November operation in Al-Shifa, sparking an international outcry.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of running military operations from hospitals and other medical centres, claims the militant group denies.
The Hamas government media office in Gaza condemned the operation, saying that "the storming of the Al-Shifa medical complex with tanks, drones, and weapons, and shooting inside it, is a war crime".
The health ministry in the besieged Hamas-run territory said it had received calls from people near the hospital site who claimed there were dozens of casualties.
"No one could transport them to the hospital due to the intensity of gunfire and artillery shelling," the ministry said.
The Israeli army has carried out multiple operations in and around medical facilities across the Gaza Strip since the start of the war.
The war began when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack from Gaza on October 7 that resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Palestinian militants seized about 250 Israeli and foreign hostages during the October 7 attack, but dozens were released during a week-long truce in November.
Israel believes about 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 -- eight soldiers and 25 civilians -- who are presumed dead.
Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel has carried out a relentless bombardment and ground offensive that the health ministry in the Palestinian territory says have killed at least 31,645 people, most of them women and children.
According to the Israeli military, troops "were instructed on the importance of operating cautiously, as well as on the measures to be taken to avoid harm to the patients, civilians, medical staff, and medical equipment" at Al-Shifa.
The statement also said Arabic speakers had been deployed in order to "facilitate dialogue with the patients remaining in the hospital".
It added: "There is no obligation for the patients and medical staff to evacuate."
Following its November 15 operation on Al-Shifa, the Israeli military said it had found weapons and other military equipment hidden in the site -- claims Hamas has denied.
It also claimed it had found a 55-metre tunnel in the basement and shared footage that it said proved hostages had been held there, which Hamas also denied.
According to the UN, 155 health facilities in the Gaza Strip have been damaged since the war began.
'Where should they go?'
The Hamas-run health ministry said early Monday that dozens of people had been killed across the Gaza Strip overnight.
Over the weekend, 12 members of the same family were killed when their house was hit in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
Palestinian girl Leen Thabit, retrieving a white dress from under the rubble of their flattened house, cried as she told AFP her cousin was killed in the strike.
"She's dead. Only her dress is left," Thabit said.
For several weeks, the focus of the war had been on southern Gaza, where around 1.5 million people who have fled the rest of the devastated territory have sought refuge since the start of the war.
Allies of Israel, including the United States, have warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government against launching a full-scale operation in Rafah near the Egyptian border.
Rafah is the only urban centre in Gaza where Israeli ground troops have yet to enter.
Visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters that if such an offensive resulted in "a large number of casualties" it "would make any peaceful development in the region very difficult".
Israel has insisted, however, that its war aim of eliminating Hamas cannot be achieved without operating across the territory.
On Sunday, Netanyahu vowed civilians crammed into the south of the strip would be able to leave before troops enter in pursuit of Hamas militants.
The office of Netanyahu had on Friday said he approved the military's plan for an operation in Rafah as well as "the evacuation of the population".
"Our goal in eliminating the remaining terrorist battalions in Rafah goes hand-in-hand with enabling the civilian population to leave Rafah," Netanyahu said at a press appearance alongside Scholz.
"It's not something that we will do while keeping the population locked in place."
As others have done, Scholz raised the question:
"Where should they go?"
'Out of harm's way'
The United States, which provides Israel with billions of dollars in military assistance, has said it wants a "clear and implementable plan" to ensure civilians are "out of harm's way".
Gaza is facing the threat of famine, according to the UN, and many residents of the territory have faced displacement multiple times in recent months.
There has been no indication yet of where those crammed into Rafah could go, and any suggestion of Palestinian dispersal outside the Palestinian Territories is highly contentious in the Arab world.
A Hamas proposal for a truce calls for an Israeli withdrawal from "all cities and populated areas" in Gaza during a six-week truce and for more humanitarian aid, according to an official from the group.
International envoys were planning to meet in Qatar soon to revive stalled talks for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Israel plans to attend the talks, and a cabinet meeting meant to decide the delegation’s mandate took place on Sunday night, Netanyahu's office said, though the outcome was not immediately known.
© 2024 AFP
The pain and money behind the Afghan game of buzkashi
Mazar-i-Sharif (Afghanistan) (AFP) – Afghan rider Sarwar Pahlawan blinked away pain from the fresh stitches between his eyes as his buzkashi team chased victory in a tournament for an ancient sport still steeped in risk but now offering modern-day rewards.
18/03/2024
Mazar-i-Sharif (Afghanistan) (AFP) – Afghan rider Sarwar Pahlawan blinked away pain from the fresh stitches between his eyes as his buzkashi team chased victory in a tournament for an ancient sport still steeped in risk but now offering modern-day rewards.
18/03/2024
Two teams of buzkashi riders vie for victory in the finals of the rough-and-tumble Afghan sport
© Atif ARYAN / AFP
Played for centuries in Afghanistan's northern steppes, the national sport at the heart of Afghan identity has evolved from a rough, rural pastime to a professionalised phenomenon flush with cash.
"The game has changed completely," the horseman, soon to turn 40, told AFP after returning home victorious from the tournament final in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif earlier this month.
After 20 years as a buzkashi rider, or "chapandaz", Sarwar welcomes the changes to the game, which is played across Central Asia and features elements akin to polo and rugby.
"They used to pay us with rice, oil, a carpet or a cow," he said, but today the chapandaz have professional contracts.
Fresh investment
Oil tycoon Saeed Karim, who splits his time between Mazar-i-Sharif, Dubai and Istanbul, is the biggest financier of the new buzkashi.
More money, more fans
But above all, the influx of money has transformed buzkashi.
Played for centuries in Afghanistan's northern steppes, the national sport at the heart of Afghan identity has evolved from a rough, rural pastime to a professionalised phenomenon flush with cash.
"The game has changed completely," the horseman, soon to turn 40, told AFP after returning home victorious from the tournament final in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif earlier this month.
After 20 years as a buzkashi rider, or "chapandaz", Sarwar welcomes the changes to the game, which is played across Central Asia and features elements akin to polo and rugby.
"They used to pay us with rice, oil, a carpet or a cow," he said, but today the chapandaz have professional contracts.
Top buzkashi rider Sarwar Pahlawan says the sport has 'changed completely' now that big money is flowing into it
© Atif ARYAN / AFP
The best players can now earn $10,000 per year, with winning teammates sharing $35,000, three camels and a car offered by sponsors after clinching the title.
Traditionally, buzkashi is played with the headless body of a goat.
Today, more often a 30-kilogramme (66-pound) leather sack stands in for the carcass that riders try to pull from a fray of horses and drop in a "circle of justice" traced on the ground after doing a lap of the arena at full gallop with competitors in hot pursuit.
Training has changed too as the national league's top teams have evolved.
Robust horsemen no longer hang from trees or split wood to build muscle -- they lift weights in gyms.
"Before, when we returned from a tournament, cold water was poured on our shoulders, now we have hammams (bath houses) and saunas," said Sarwar, known as "the lion" for his strength.
Being one of the league's best players has also filled Sarwar's coffers.
"I didn't even have a bike, and now I have a car. I had almost no sheep and now I have many. I had no house, and now I have two."
But he says he remains "a simple man". Between tournaments, he cultivates his land and raises his sheep.
The best players can now earn $10,000 per year, with winning teammates sharing $35,000, three camels and a car offered by sponsors after clinching the title.
Traditionally, buzkashi is played with the headless body of a goat.
Today, more often a 30-kilogramme (66-pound) leather sack stands in for the carcass that riders try to pull from a fray of horses and drop in a "circle of justice" traced on the ground after doing a lap of the arena at full gallop with competitors in hot pursuit.
Training has changed too as the national league's top teams have evolved.
Robust horsemen no longer hang from trees or split wood to build muscle -- they lift weights in gyms.
"Before, when we returned from a tournament, cold water was poured on our shoulders, now we have hammams (bath houses) and saunas," said Sarwar, known as "the lion" for his strength.
Being one of the league's best players has also filled Sarwar's coffers.
"I didn't even have a bike, and now I have a car. I had almost no sheep and now I have many. I had no house, and now I have two."
But he says he remains "a simple man". Between tournaments, he cultivates his land and raises his sheep.
Fresh investment
Oil tycoon Saeed Karim, who splits his time between Mazar-i-Sharif, Dubai and Istanbul, is the biggest financier of the new buzkashi.
Horseman Sarwar Pahlawan (C) of the Yama Petroleum Team holds up the Buzkashi League trophy after their victory in the tournament final
© Atif ARYAN / AFP
The Afghan businessman set up the winning team that bears his company's name, Yama Petroleum, five months ago.
Karim acquired the two best chapandaz in the country, including Sarwar, and around 40 competition horses, which can cost up to $100,000 each.
"In this team, we invested around a million dollars in horses, riders, stables and other equipment," he told AFP.
"I just want to serve my people," he said. "When my team wins, it's an honour for me."
It can cost around $300,000 a year to take care of the team's stallions, fed on barley, dates, carrots and fish oil, as well as 15 riders and 20 grooms.
For the comfort of his men -- who commonly suffer broken ribs, fingers and legs -- Karim had a four-hectare ranch built for recuperation and stabling horses.
The Afghan businessman set up the winning team that bears his company's name, Yama Petroleum, five months ago.
Karim acquired the two best chapandaz in the country, including Sarwar, and around 40 competition horses, which can cost up to $100,000 each.
"In this team, we invested around a million dollars in horses, riders, stables and other equipment," he told AFP.
"I just want to serve my people," he said. "When my team wins, it's an honour for me."
It can cost around $300,000 a year to take care of the team's stallions, fed on barley, dates, carrots and fish oil, as well as 15 riders and 20 grooms.
For the comfort of his men -- who commonly suffer broken ribs, fingers and legs -- Karim had a four-hectare ranch built for recuperation and stabling horses.
Oil tycoon Saeed Karim (front 2L) is the biggest financier of the new buzkashi league and head of the Yama Petroleum team © Atif ARYAN / AFP
While Karim's homeland in northern Afghanistan remains the centre of buzkashi in the country, the sport has made recent inroads in the south -- the birthplace of the Taliban authorities, who banned the sport between 1996 and 2001 but have allowed it since returning to power in 2021.
"Buzkashi is this nation's passion," the president of the Buzkashi Federation, Ghulam Sarwar Jalal, told AFP.
"The Taliban know that it makes people happy, that's why they authorise it."
They also collect taxes from the professional league, started in 2020, which includes 13 teams from 10 provinces.
Likewise, some order has been brought into the brutal contests, and yellow or red cards rain down in the event of a foul.
While Karim's homeland in northern Afghanistan remains the centre of buzkashi in the country, the sport has made recent inroads in the south -- the birthplace of the Taliban authorities, who banned the sport between 1996 and 2001 but have allowed it since returning to power in 2021.
"Buzkashi is this nation's passion," the president of the Buzkashi Federation, Ghulam Sarwar Jalal, told AFP.
"The Taliban know that it makes people happy, that's why they authorise it."
They also collect taxes from the professional league, started in 2020, which includes 13 teams from 10 provinces.
Likewise, some order has been brought into the brutal contests, and yellow or red cards rain down in the event of a foul.
More money, more fans
But above all, the influx of money has transformed buzkashi.
Traditionally, buzkashi is played with the headless body of a goat, now it is more often a 30-kilogramme (66-pound) leather sack
© Atif ARYAN / AFP
"More fans come because they know there are more good horses and good teams have been added to the field," said Karim.
Ten thousand men filled the Mazar-i-Sharif stadium for the final, braving Taser shocks or blows from club-wielding Taliban authorities tasked with holding back the crowds.
The spectators -- devoid of women, who are kept away by both cultural stigma and government restrictions -- said they feel safer attending matches, as security has improved since the Taliban ousted the Western-backed government and ended their two-decade insurgency.
"People can now come without fear," said Mohammad Yama Razaqyar.
"Businessmen's investment is effective for the game. The arrangements are surprisingly good for the matches," added Razaqyar, who works for a tournament sponsor.
Federation president Jalal said since the return of the Taliban, the sport has grown -- from between 100 to 200 riders to at least 500 nationwide -- "because younger people are taking an interest".
"This year, 20 entrepreneurs contacted us," he said, adding he expects $4-5 million to be invested in new teams.
"We want to make it a sport as colourful as football or cricket," Jalal said.
"The more commercial it is, the more international it will become."
© 2024 AFP
"More fans come because they know there are more good horses and good teams have been added to the field," said Karim.
Ten thousand men filled the Mazar-i-Sharif stadium for the final, braving Taser shocks or blows from club-wielding Taliban authorities tasked with holding back the crowds.
The spectators -- devoid of women, who are kept away by both cultural stigma and government restrictions -- said they feel safer attending matches, as security has improved since the Taliban ousted the Western-backed government and ended their two-decade insurgency.
"People can now come without fear," said Mohammad Yama Razaqyar.
"Businessmen's investment is effective for the game. The arrangements are surprisingly good for the matches," added Razaqyar, who works for a tournament sponsor.
Federation president Jalal said since the return of the Taliban, the sport has grown -- from between 100 to 200 riders to at least 500 nationwide -- "because younger people are taking an interest".
"This year, 20 entrepreneurs contacted us," he said, adding he expects $4-5 million to be invested in new teams.
"We want to make it a sport as colourful as football or cricket," Jalal said.
"The more commercial it is, the more international it will become."
© 2024 AFP
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