Who will save Tunisia's democracy now?

Tunisia's president has been carrying out a creeping coup, demolishing the country's hard-fought democratic gains bit by bit. With an economy in turmoil and a splintered opposition, is there anybody that can stop him?

President Kais Saied has been dismantling the checks and balances of Tunisia's nascent democracy

Haneen Habbessi is feeling betrayed. The 38-year-old public servant based in Bardo, a small city west of the capital, Tunis, voted for her country's current president, Kais Saied, when he ran for office just over two years ago.

"I defended him fiercely even though we did not know anything about him," she said of the conservative former lawyer, who competed without a political party and promised to fight corruption.

Saied's most recent moves have upset Habbessi though. On April 22, Saied announced he would be taking control of the country's election commission, the Independent High Authority for Elections, or ISIE.

The ISIE was created to ensure that national ballots are legitimate. But last week, Saied said he would replace most of the commission's members.

Former colonial power, France, has expressed 'concern' about Saied's actions

"He took the 'I' [for 'independent'] out of the commission's name," Monica Marks, an assistant professor of Middle East politics at New York University in Abu Dhabi and an expert on Tunisia, told DW. "So any elections organized by the ISIE now are going to be unfree and unfair, and will accelerate the consolidation of his [Saied's] dictatorship."

"The president's decision is a step towards authoritarianism," Tunisian local Habbesi agreed. "We don't want to repeat our bitter history," she added, referring to Tunisia's former autocratic leader, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

Ben Ali was in power for over two decades, until revolution in 2011 pushed him out during the so-called Arab Spring.

Fears of new dictatorship

Now many Tunisians worry that their current president is heading towards autocracy. Saied had already more or less taken control of the country after he suspended Tunisia's parliament in July 2021. He argued that infighting among parliamentarians, political gridlock, corruption and economic crisis, alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, required a total reset.

In February 2022, Saied gave himself judicial oversight and the power to sack judges

Like Habbessi, many Tunisians welcomed Saied's move at first, even as others feared he would become Tunisia's next dictator.

Over the past 10 months, those fears have come closer to being realized, even while many still hesitate to call Saied's actions a coup. In fact, it's been more like a creeping coup, carried out in increments.

"What we are seeing is democratic backsliding," Hamza Meddeb, a non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center and an assistant professor at the South Mediterranean University in Tunis, told DW. "It could eventually end in a sort of authoritarian regime. This is not the case today but might be in the coming months."

Since last summer, Saied has taken control of the country's judiciary, shut down its parliament and dismissed its prime minister, then appointed a new one, as well as increasingly jailed or persecuted opponents. The 64-year-old now rules Tunisia by decree. 

An estimated 80,000 small and medium sized businesses failed in Tunisia during the pandemic

The question now, as all the institutions with any political power gradually fall under Saied's control, is this: Who is left to save Tunisia's democracy?

 The Tunisian opposition is fragmented and features various political parties at loggerheads, Meddeb and Marks said.

The country's largest party, Ennahda, has been the most significant power in parliament since the 2011 revolution. As a result, many locals blamed the center-right, religious party for Tunisia's various ailments. This has made it very difficult for other parties to work with Ennahda, even if they are all opposed to what Saied is doing. 

However this week, Ennahda became one of five political parties to join a new coalition opposed to Saied's rule. The new National Salvation Front, which includes political rivals as well as civil society groups and independent politicians, said it wants to set up an interim government to rule Tunisia until the next elections, planned for December.

At a press conference in Tunis on Tuesday, the left-wing politician who organized the new coalition, Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, told reporters, "we want a return to legitimacy and democracy."

Will ordinary Tunisians react?

It is also possible that ordinary Tunisians will take to the streets to protest again, Mourad Abdellaoui , a 46-year-old teacher in Tunis, said.

"I believe the Tunisian people are still divided though," he told DW. "Some people feel the president is doing the right thing, others see it as unconstitutional. But they may well try to exercise pressure by calling for mass demonstrations again."

A repeat of what she calls "rebellious masses in the streets" is one of Hathria Benatia's greatest fears. "I didn't like Saied's speech from the beginning," the 75-year-old pensioner from Siliana, a town in northern Tunisia, told DW. "Little by little, I became sure he was advancing toward a model like Ben Ali's."

When Saied first took power last summer, polling suggested that the majority of locals thought what he was doing was right and necessary. But according to local market research firm, Insights TN, that has changed now. In August 2021, 49.8% supported his course, surveys found. By this February, only 23.2% did.

Could the international community step in?

Pressure is also coming from outside the country. Nations that support Tunisia with military and economic aid were careful when Saied first took over last year.

"The US has studiously avoided calling his coup a 'coup' since it would legally trigger the suspension of US financial aid to Tunisia," Tunisian political analyst Seifeddine Ferjani explained in an article for US-based organization, Democracy for the Arab World Now. "Many Western democracies have shown a remarkable amount of passivity about Saied's systematic tear down of Tunisia's democracy," he complained.

There's been "dithering," Tunisia expert Marks said, but that too has been changing recently, with statements from US and EU diplomats and politicians calling for Saied to ensure reforms were inclusive and democratic.

If Saied is forced to listen to these calls, it will be because of the desperate state of the Tunisian economy.

Even before Saied's power grab, Tunisia had been dealing with a stagnating economy, a situation made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now prices for fuel and basic foods are rising further thanks to the war in Ukraine.

Currently the country's public debt is almost equal to all national income. To avoid bankruptcy, Tunisia has been in talks with the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, about a third multi-billion-dollar rescue package. A deal is expected in the middle of this year.

Prices in Tunisia are increasing as inflation rose to over 7% last month

Financial pressure

But financial help might also end up contingent on Saied's behavior.

"If Saied continues to reject an inclusive political process, Europe and Tunisia's other external partners will face a choice about whether to withhold assistance or oppose an IMF agreement," Anthony Dworkin, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, or ECFR, wrote earlier this month.

For Meddeb, it won't be just one thing that brings Tunisia back towards democracy, it will be a combination. "The economic factors won't bring about change unless there is a united and strong opposition that can really convince people it can address economic challenges," Meddeb concluded.

"By far, the most important factor is going to be economic," Marks confirmed. During past protests, including those that pushed dictator Ben Ali out of power, Tunisians called for freedom and dignity, she noted. "What dignity meant to a lot of people was being able to put food on the table and provide a decent life for their families. So the economy has always been a central concern."

President Saied does not have much of a plan for the economy though, Marks added. So the Tunisian opposition needs to unite and then formulate one.

"One of the key questions for me is whether a critical mass of Tunisians recognize that [Saied] is effectively hopeless on the economy and then rise up, before he manages to fully consolidate his dictatorship," Marks said. "There's a huge question of timing here. But sadly I don't think the prognosis is looking very positive."

EU triggers rule of law procedure against Hungary

The legal tool, which has never been used before, could see Hungary stripped of its EU funding for breaching the bloc's democratic standards.

Hungary's Viktor Orban has repeatedly clashed with the EU over democratic principles

 and allegations Hungary is eroding judicial and media independence

The EU has officially launched its rule-of-law mechanism against the Hungarian government  on Wednesday, after the EU Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen slammed "corruption" in the EU country earlier this month.

The move could see funds for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban frozen over rule of law breaches.

"We identified issues that might be breaching the rule of law in Hungary and affect the EU budget," said a deputy head of the Brussels-based Commission, Vera Jourova.

"Hungary will have to reply to our concerns and propose remedial measures," she added.

Budapest will have a two-month deadline to respond the move.

What is happening in Hungary?

Jourova did not provide details on the issues between Brussels and Budapest. However, the EU Commission has been at loggerheads with Hungary's conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban amid claims of his government misusing EU money and breaking the bloc's laws. Many observers also believe Orban is attempting to put courts and media under government's control.

Hungarian officials prompted outrage across the bloc last summer with its new law on LGBTQ+ groups.

In November, the EU's top court shot down another law, which punished people who help asylum-seekers. It was also known the "Stop Soros" law — a reference to the Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor and US-based billionaire George Soros.

Orban's Fidesz party has repeatedly targeted Soros in their campaigns and accused him of hiring media "mercenaries" to take down Orban's government.

More recently, Orban broke with the EU by saying he would be glad to pay for Russian gas in rubles.

Earlier this month, a Fidesz-led coalition secured an absolute majority at a parliamentary vote, putting Orban on track for a fourth term.

What does the EU move mean?

The mechanism allows Brussels to withhold funds from member states if the country in question commits violations including curtailing  judicial independence or eroding the separation of powers. However, those violations must also pose a threat to derail the flow of EU funds.

The EU Commission then has the option to submit a proposal to the European Council. At least 15 out of 27 EU countries, representing at least  65% of the bloc's population must agree to the move for it to pass.

If the EU Commission secures enough support, Hungary could face major cuts in EU funding, although the procedure can take months before its complete.

The Wednesday announcement marks the first time the EU has ever used this legal option. It only went into force in January 2021 after facing resistance from Budapest and Warsaw.

Last summer, the EU suspended payments from its pandemic recovery funds to the tune of €7.2 billion ($7.9 billion) to both Hungary and Poland over widely perceived democratic backsliding and corruption.

dj/rs (Reuters, AFP)

Let's talk about salt — how unhealthy is it really?

Most people consume too much salt — with potentially massive effects for their health. But it's possible to find a healthy balance.

Too much salt can affect blood pressure, bone density and even promote obesity

Give up chips, soy sauce and frozen pizza forever? Most people can't imagine living without these salty treats. But that's exactly what German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has been practicing largely for more than 30 years. He says he does it to take care of his health.

We know excessive amounts of salt aren't great for us. Does that mean we should all follow Lauterbach's rigid strategy?

The comforting news in advance: "No, we don't have to do that," said Matthias Riedl, nutritionist and medical director of the Medicum Specialist Center in Hamburg, Germany. "But we do need a healthy approach to salt." 

Only in small amounts  

Salt is essential for life.  

To understand that, we need to take a closer look at the science behind the seasoning. Salt consists of the chemical compound sodium chloride. Our body requires sodium to regulate our water balance, ensure the functioning of nerves and muscles and to drive digestion.  

The body needs about one gram of salt to accomplish these tasks. 

In other words, salt in moderation is healthy.  

"It depends, as with many other food products, on the dose," said Riedl. With salt, it could be compared to a J-shaped curve: "Too little salt is bad for you. After that there is a short, healthy section. But that can be exceeded very quickly." 

One teaspoon per day 

At what point do we exceed this healthy section? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the limit is a maximum of five grams of salt per day. That's about one level teaspoon. 

"We already exceed this amount with one frozen pizza," warned Riedl. The same applies to two tablespoons of soy sauce.  

According to Riedl, it’s not a big deal if this happens once in a while. But many people regularly overstep the recommended five-gram limit. 

Especially in some countries in east and central Asia, people consume too much salt. In China, the average salt consumption is around 10.9 grams per day — more than double the WHO limit. 

Many European countries such as Germany, Portugal and Italy, as well as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, also exceed the daily guideline. The situation is similar in Latin America — particularly in Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia. Only a few African countries have healthy rates of salt consumption. 

Chips have a huge amount of added sodium, so snack in moderation

Too much salt equals high blood pressure?

But why does the WHO set this limit of five grams? Studies have shown that if this amount is exceeded, we start seeing negative health effects — especially on blood pressure.  

That’s because salt bonds with water. This bonding causes the pressure in our tissues to rise, which can increase blood pressure and lead to a higher risk of stroke or heart attack. 

But salt isn’t the only thing that influences blood pressure.  

"The reality is that many different factors affect blood pressure," said Riedl. "In addition to salt consumption, other factors include physical activity, stress, preexisting medical conditions and the rest of your dietary habits." 

According to Riedl, slim people from Asian countries with high salt consumption who eat an otherwise healthy and traditional diet often have fewer problems with blood pressure than people from Western countries, who often already suffer from obesity or diabetes. 

Salt-sensitive and salt-resistant people  

Furthermore, only about one-third the population is salt-sensitive — this means their salt consumption impacts their blood pressure.  

The remaining two-thirds are salt-resistant. In their cases, salt consumption and high blood pressure are probably not linked.  

"With a simple blood test, you can find out which group you belong to," said Riedl. However, in many countries this can be expensive.  

But even people who belong to the salt-resistant group should adhere to the five-gram limit. That's because too much salt can have other negative consequences for our health. 

Stressed kidneys  

When salt consumption is very high, our kidneys become consumed by the act of excreting the excessive salt. "This can stress the organ out," said Riedl. In the long term, it can lead to renal insufficiency. 

Too much salt also affects the gut microbiome. The number of lactic acid bacteria decreases, while the number of so-called Th17 helper cells in the blood increases. Researchers assume that this interaction causes inflammation and autoimmune diseases. 

Along with increasing the risk of stomach cancer and bone loss (osteoporosis), salt can even contribute to obesity — it stimulates the appetite, beckoning us to keep eating even when we aren’t hungry anymore.  

How to reduce our salt consumption 

The WHO estimates that if the entire world population reduced its salt consumption to five grams per day, around 2.5 million deaths caused by strokes and heart attacks could be prevented per year. But how can we keep our salt intake in check? 

Luckily, there are different strategies. Instead of using salt to increase flavor while cooking, we could opt for fresh herbs. We could also stop adding salt when eating at the table. In Bolivia, for instance, salt shakers have been banned from restaurant tables since 2015. 

Frozen pizza can have huge amounts of added salt, so opt to make your own at home

Watch out for hidden salt 

However, in many cases the problem of our excessive salt consumption does not result from cooking or adding salt at the table.  

"The majority — about 75% — of our salt consumption is due to convenience products that contain a lot of hidden salt," said nutritionist Riedl. 

This includes the classic frozen pizza, but also pastries, sausages such as salami, cheese, tomato ketchup, ready-to-eat sauces and soups, chips and canned foods. If we really want to reduce our salt consumption to a healthy level, we should try avoiding these products. 

For people who already suffer from high blood pressure, so-called diet salt can be a solution. This is a seasoning that resembles ordinary table salt but contains less of the harmful sodium and more potassium. 

Other types of salt such as sea salt or Himalayan salt are often claimed to be healthier. However, they have roughly the same composition as ordinary table salt — and thus the same effects on our health. 

Finally, the right amount of salt is a matter of habit. If we consume a lot of salt over a long period of time, our tongue gets used to the taste — and demands saltier foods. But if we use salt carefully, even meals with hardly any salt taste great. So until we find a healthy balance, we might just need a pinch of patience. 

Germany: Top court hears case on prisoners' wages

Two prisoners in Germany challenged the state, arguing that the wages from their labor in prison are not enough to pay for debts and support their families.

The Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe will hear witnesses in the case for two days

Germany's Federal Constitutional Court began evaluating the question of whether inmates should be paid more for their work while in prison. The hearing began on Wednesday, with court Vice President Doris König presenting the case.

Two prisoners from the states of Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia sued, arguing that prisoners are paid too low, which makes it hard for them to pay their debts, support their families and hampers their ability to reintegrate successfully into society once they have served their sentences.

The states defended the current prison wages by pointing to low productivity of prisoner labor, that many inmates have low educational qualifications, or are foreigners who cannot speak German well, as well as the number of inmates who have addiction or mental health problems.

"The key question is: Is remuneration an appropriate recognition in the sense of the constitutional requirement of prisoner rehabilitation?" König said, describing how the case related to federal laws.

Mounting debts and no pension

The plaintiff from Bavaria said in his complaint that prisoners often face many debts, in addition to leftover court and legal fees from their trials. Many convicts also have to pay fines or pay victims compensation and damages. 

Low prison wages do not make it possible to meet the various financial obligations, the plaintiffs argued. In particular, it makes it financially impossible to support a family.

Prisoners are also excluded from the pension system. This all amounts to falling back into poverty and dependency on welfare upon reentry into society, the plaintiffs argued.

What kind of jobs do prisoners perform?

Reforms in the system implemented in 2006 changed prison regulation from the federal level to the state level. Currently, most states require prisoners to work as part of their rehabilitation. 

Depending on the state and on the particular prison, inmates will work either for the institution itself, for external companies or perform household duties within the prison complex, such as cleaning, laundry or helping in the kitchen. 

According to the BAG-S, a German nonprofit that provides aid to convicts, the jobs often involve "very simple tasks with very low requirements."

How much do inmates in Germany make?

König said inmates' hourly wage hovers between €1.37 and €2.30 ($1.45 to $2.43), which would result in just under €11 to €18.40 per day. 

The wages depend on performance and the type of work, with very few inmates receiving the highest rates, König added. 

The state also pays into the inmate's unemployment insurance fund, while room and board, plus meals are also covered. Inmates are allowed to use three-sevenths as "household money" to purchase goods such as coffee, cigarettes or even sportswear.

Plaintiffs accuse states of 'profiting' from their labor

The plaintiff from Bavaria also accused the state of "profiting" from the prisoners' labor, something the Bavarian Ministry of Justice flatly rejected. 

North Rhine-Westphalia's justice ministry echoed the rebuke, adding that either way prisoner labor was "objectively not economical — nor should it be." Instead, inmates' work was aimed at helping increase their chances of reintegration into society.

For the next two days, the court will also hear from other experts on the matter, as well as prison managers and a representative of the prisoners' union.

jcg/sms (AFP, dpa)

Scientists sound alarm bells on noise pollution

The rumble of road traffic and trains, the bustle of the bar downstairs or the roar of a plane taking off – noise is a problem that is increasingly hurting health and disrupting ecosystems.


Road traffic is one of the biggest sources of noise pollution

Thumping music from an early-morning party can turn night into day for some people while leaving others slumbering soundly in bed.

But above a certain threshold, nobody can stand the racket. The rumble of road traffic, the whizz of a passing train, the bustle of customers drinking in the bar downstairs or the roar of a plane taking off – sounds like these stress the body.

The world is getting louder, and the rise in noise pollution is hurting people, animals and even plants. It is a trend that can be heard everywhere from big cities to remote pockets of nature.

In Europe alone, more than 1 in 5 people are exposed to enough road noise to hurt their health. Too much noise can lead to metabolic diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes and even heart attacks. Some 48,000 cases of heart disease and 12,000 premature deaths per year are attributed to continuous exposure to high levels of noise.

Extreme noise can be found in all major cities from London to Dhaka, Algiers, Barcelona or Berlin. In New York, for example, 90% of public transport users are exposed to noise levels that significantly exceed safety limits and can lead to irreversible hearing damage.

Poorer and industrial areas of cities experience the highest levels of noise pollution

Low incomes mean living louder

Around the world, poorer people are more likely to live near industrial plants, landfills or major traffic arteries. That exposes them to more noise than richer residents of the same cities.

"If a flat or house is on a main road, you pay less rent," said Thomas Myck, noise expert at the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA). "That means people who are not as well-off are more likely to live on noisy roads."

This injustice often runs along ethnic groups, according to a report by the United Nations Development Program.

Construction workers are often exposed to greater levels of noise pollution

Confused food chains

Humans are not the only ones hurt by noise. Studies have found that all animal species change their behavior in response to it.

City birds often sing louder. Great tits living in cities in Europe, Japan or the UK now sing higher than their forest counterparts. Vocal changes have also been observed in insects, grasshoppers and frogs that live near motorways.

As a result, however, misunderstandings are becoming more common. Potential sexual partners don't always receive the new songs well and this can have a negative effect on mating success. Frogs in Bogota, Colombia, now must croak mainly during the lulls in noise to be heard over the din.

Wildlife even in remote ecosystems are increasingly disturbed by noise

Noise pollution disturbs mating, rearing of offspring and the location of prey, said Myck. "Their whole habitat is strongly negatively affected by noise."

In the USA, noise pollution has doubled in more than half of all national parks in recent years. The main cause of the higher levels of hubbub in nature reserves, apart from roads, is noise from mining projects, gas and oil extraction and the timber industry. This also harms plant life by pushing bird species to migrate and preventing them distributing seeds in the areas in which they used to live.

Authorities in France are testing a speed camera that measures noise


How to quieten the world down

According to a report by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), more trees, bushes and shrubs in cities could curb the problem. They disperse and dampen noise while contributing to a better climate and cityscape.

Some experts are skeptical. "The noise practically passes through them," said Myck. "Soundproofing is the only solution left." It would be more effective, he added, to reduce traffic in cities as much as possible, set a speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour in more streets, promote public transport and traffic-calming zones, as well as building more electric vehicles and cycle paths.

In France, authorities are testing a "noise" speed camera. The device is designed to detect illegally loud vehicles. The focus is not only on tumultuous cities, but also on tourist destinations for motorcyclists in the countryside. Violation of noise limits will be punished with fines in the future.

With fewer car lanes and traffic in cities, the space gained could be converted into cycle paths and parks through climate-friendly urban planning. That could also help the urban climate, wildlife and quality of life for residents. Scientists have shown that people are less stressed by natural sounds like birds singing, water splashing and leaves rustling in trees when the wind blows.

This article has been translated from German.

Turning the tide on land degradation


Human activity has led to widespread land degradation and put our very survival as a species at risk. But by reversing course, we can tackle climate change and biodiversity loss — and make a better life for billions.


In India and Pakistan, indigenous water management techniques have mitigated climate risks, helping boost food production


In what is a comparatively short time on the planet, humans have had a profound effect on global ecosystems. With our farms, cities and way of life, we've transformed vast swaths of Earth — croplands, grasslands, forests and wetlands — from their natural state, in many cases leaving them worse for wear.

As a new UN report points out, between 20 to 40% of the world's total land area has been degraded by human activity, especially in South Asia, South America and sub-Saharan Africa. That is putting the lives and livelihoods of around half of the world's population at risk and contributing significantly to climate change.


Agriculture, economic development and cattle farming have contributed to deforestation across the Amazon rainforest

But the report, which highlights how land restoration can help contribute to recovery and greater resilience, also stresses that we know how to stop and reverse the damage we've caused — not with future technology but with existing tools and know-how. And those places which have already begun investing in restoration projects are seeing the benefits.

"Ecological restoration is something that can address the twin crises of biodiversity and climate change, while also benefiting local human communities, providing jobs, providing food, providing clean water, clean air [and] reducing illness and disease," Bethanie Walder, executive director of the Society for Ecological Restoration, a US-based organization which supports global restoration efforts, told DW. "Conservation alone is no longer enough."


Bringing beavers back to the UK has helped to reduce the risk of floods and protect biodiversity and water quality

Louise Baker, who leads the operational side of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, told DW that the gains from a restoration economy often far outweigh the initial cost. Every dollar invested in restoring degraded land, she said, quoting an estimate from the World Resources Institute, can result in between $7 to $30 (about €6.50 to €28) in economic benefits.

"It requires a shift in the way that you see the land and the soil, not just as a thing that's there, but as a part of a circular economy," said Baker. "But if you see it as part of a circular economy, then you can build new business models around it."


The Great Green Wall aims to restore landscapes in a 8,000-kilometer (5,000-mile) swath across Africa

One of the standout examples of restoration is Africa's Great Green Wall. The initiative, which got its start in 2007, aims to restore degraded landscapes across the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east. Though supported by 21 countries in Africa and international partners like the Green Climate Fund, the World Bank and the European Commission, Baker said local communities have taken the lead.

"What's exciting about the Great Green Wall is that this is really African leadership," said Baker. Progress on the initial goal, a vast green barrier of trees, has faltered in part due to poor planning and worsening climate conditions; as of 2020, only 4% of the original goal had been met in the initial intervention zone, and 18% in the wider region. But Baker said the initiative has now shifted its focus to smaller, more resilient community-led projects to counter desertification and boost local agriculture.

"It's a mosaic of good land uses, doing the right thing in the right place at the right time, and trying to bring back the health and productivity of the land. But at the same time, it's making the populations and the environment more climate resilient," she said.


Farmers in Niger have reintroduced traditional techniques that mix trees with agricultural land

In Niger, for example, farmers have started to reverse decades of deforestation and land degradation by bringing back a traditional technique that mixes trees with agricultural land. These native trees boost crop growth and improve the health of the soil, while also providing people with additional food, fodder and fuel, making their lives easier.

"It's important to put people at the center," said Baker. "If you live in an area that's horribly degraded and wracked by climate change, you don't stay and you don't invest." By 2030, the Great Green Wall aims to restore 1 million square kilometers (about 386,000 square miles) of degraded land across the continent, sequestering 250 million tons of carbon and creating 10 million green jobs — a vision of a better future that, as Baker pointed out, is more likely to get people to stay and invest in their community.


Up to half of Indonesia's peatlands have been degraded, leading to increased wildfires

Meanwhile, in Southeast Asia, where some 24% of the land has been degraded by human activity, Indonesia has been investing in efforts to protect and restore its peatlands, which store a significant amount of carbon. Up to half of the country's 140,000 square kilometers of peatland has been drained, logged or taken over by rice and oil palm plantations, resulting in increased wildfires that add to the region's toxic smog.

Over the last two decades, national efforts have been introduced to halt and reverse this degradation, including logging restrictions and restoration schemes that have reflooded formerly drained land and brought back native plants and animals.

Paludiculture, a sustainable agriculture technique used by farmers to grow crops and raise aquatic animals on wetlands, has given locals an alternative to destructive farming practices. By 2020, the government's Peatland Restoration Agency had restored more than 8,000 square kilometers of peatland, 94% of its target.


Uncovering Seoul's Cheonggye Stream has increased biodiversity, reduced the heat island effect and improved quality of life

Walder, who has more than 20 years of experience in the field of ecological restoration, said successful projects are becoming increasingly difficult as the effects of climate change intensify. But she hasn't lost hope.

"I truly 100% believe that we have the tools and the knowledge in hand to arrest climate change and to start putting us back on a better track," said Walder. "We have the skill, we have the technology, we just need the will."

The international commitments, at least, are there. In November 2020, G20 leaders pledged to reduce degraded land in half by 2040. And by the end of last year, the start of the UN's Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, more than 115 countries had made firm commitments to restore a total of 1 billion hectares of farm, forest and pasture area, an area slightly larger than Canada.


Urban farms, like this Chinese rice plantation, can help manage stormwater runoff and reduce air pollution and temperatures

"We need everyone, everywhere to engage in restoration and to recognize that if we all act locally, then we can have a global impact," said Walder.

"The challenge is how we make restoration the new normal — how we make it part of our land use planning, how we make it part of our strategies for climate, strategies for food production, strategies for restoration, strategies for life," said Baker. "We really want to make sure that this is embedded in everything that we do."

Edited by: Tamsin Walker

Mars probe discovers 'shocking' new aurora

The Emirates Mars Mission says it's a first: They have spotted a worm-like aurora that stretches halfway round Mars. It looks like our northern lights.


This new discovery of a "sinuous discrete aurora" on Mars has been described as both 'mysterious' and 'shocking'


At first glance, it looks just like our own northern lights on Earth. But this aurora is over 55 million kilometers (40 million miles) away on Mars. And the researchers who spotted it say it is something quite extraordinary — even "shocking."

The aurora was photographed by the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) probe, Hope.

Soon after Hope entered its orbit of Mars, the probe started imaging the planet's auroras. The researchers decided to focus more closely on the planet's so-called discrete auroras than originally planned.

"We knew we had unveiled [a] potential to make observations never before possible on this scale," said EMM Science Lead Hessa Al Matroushi in a statement.

Now, about a year later, the researchers say they have discovered a "huge, worm-like aurora that extends halfway around the Red planet" — one that has never been seen before.

They are calling it a "sinuous discrete aurora."
Auroras tell us about Mars' atmosphere

One of Hope's main objectives has always been to gather data on Mars' atmosphere. And the images of the auroras on Mars are shedding new light on the atmosphere's interactions with the planet's magnetic fields and solar wind.

The researchers say they want to provide data that will help the international science community create a global weather map for Mars, understand the planet's weather cycles and track the movement of hydrogen and oxygen between the different layers of the atmosphere.

Al Matroushi said they can scan almost the entire globe, capturing "synoptic snapshots" — images that provide a full overview of the planet — which will enable the researchers to investigate those atmospheric phenomena.

"We are seeing discrete auroral effects on a massive scale and in ways we never anticipated," said the scientist.
Other auroras on Mars

Scientists have previously detected three types of auroras on Mars.

First, there are diffuse auroras, which are produced by intense solar storms.

Second, there are the discrete auroras, which Hope has been investigating since the start of its mission. Discrete auroras are produced by magnetized minerals embedded in the planet's crust.

Diffuse and discreet auroras tend to be observed on Mars' nightside. That is the side of a planet that faces away from its star, and in Mars' case, that is Earth's sun.

Then there are proton auroras, which are observed on Mars' dayside (the side facing the sun).

Proton auroras appear to be a product of interactions between Mars' solar wind and hydrogen in the planet's exosphere — the outermost layer of a planet's atmosphere.
'Shocking:' Sinuous discrete aurora

And now we have this fourth type of aurora on Mars — the sinuous discrete aurora.

The researchers say sinuous discrete auroras consist of "long worm-like streaks of energized electron emissions in the upper atmosphere." And they extend many thousands of kilometers from the dayside into the nightside of Mars.

Rob Lillis of the University of California at Berkeley says they have made a "shocking discovery." Lillis is part of a team behind Hope's Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer.

"[It] has us scratching our heads and going back to the drawing board. We have ideas, but no solid explanation for why we are observing intense aurora of this shape and at planetary scales. We now have the opportunity to re-examine prior observations and unpick what is happening here," Lillis said in a statement.

The Emirates Mars Mission is the first of its kind to be launched by an Arab nation and one of three Mars missions that launched in 2020, including one by China.

Hope completes one orbit of Mars every 55 hours and captures a full planetary data sample every nine days. Its mission is expected to run at least another year.

THE HIGHLIGHTS OF POLAR LIGHTS

'Heavenly Dance'

This picture of the rocky Barents Sea coast was taken on Kola Peninsula, in northwestern Russia, by Sergey Korolev. "I was mesmerized by the shape of the boulders," says Korolev. "As well as the steep mountains rising from the sea." It took Korolev several attempts over numerous days to capture these northern lights.

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Edited by: Clare Roth

Ecuador ex-president Correa says Belgian asylum attests to innocence

Aldo GAMBOA
Thu, April 28, 2022,

Ecuador ex-president Rafael Correa, pictured in April 2019, claims he is the victim of 'political persecution'

 (AFP/Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD) 

Ecuador's corruption-convicted ex-president Rafael Correa said Thursday that Belgium's decision to grant him asylum attested to his innocence and a political agenda behind his "persecution."

"Asylum is not given to a corrupt person," he told AFP in Brussels.

Ecuador, where Correa was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison for graft, has asked Belgium to extradite the ex-president.

Brussels, instead, granted him asylum, according to a certificate issued by the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, dated April 15.

"The symbolic thing, the fundamental thing about asylum, for me, is that Belgium and Europe are saying (to Ecuador): 'Correa is a victim of political persecution; the corrupt ones have always been you,'" the 59-year-old socialist told AFP.

Correa, who was president from 2007-17, was found guilty two years ago of accepting funds from private businesses for his 2013 election campaign, in return for state contracts worth about $7 million.

After leaving office in 2017, he moved to Belgium -- the home country of his wife -- where he has lived ever since.

Belgium's asylum decision became public the same week the president of Ecuador's National Court of Justice signed an extradition request for Correa.

The politician claimed his conviction was part of a plot to keep him out of Ecuadoran politics, and blamed a leftist electoral loss in 2021 to his enforced absence.

"There is no justice in Ecuador, everything is corrupt," Correa told AFP.

"Everything is in decline, there is total degradation, and all means are used to destroy me. I am the great danger to them, a danger to the system," Correa insisted.

As an asylum beneficiary, the former president said he could travel anywhere he wished, except his home country.

"If I go back to my country, if I set foot there, they will put me in prison and I won't leave it alive," he claimed.

According to Ecuador's judiciary, Correa and several former government officials and businesspeople took part in a scheme that saw bribes paid for public contracts during his presidency.

Correa was implicated over a $6,000 payment to his private account, which he claims was a loan.

He is also the subject of an arrest warrant over the 2012 kidnapping of a Colombian opposition politician.

ahg/mb/mlr/bfm

Father of Ghana's independence Kwame Nkrumah died 50 years ago

His dream was a strong and united Africa: We take a look back at the life of Ghana's Independence figure Kwame Nkrumah, who died half a century ago.

https://archive.org/details/StruggleContinues/mode/2up

Re-Inventing Kwame Nkrumah, Frantz Fanon And Amilcar Cabral’s Critique Of Colonialism

by IMPACT

Publication date 2018-06-26

Topics Colonialism, Economic Imbalances, Racial Discrimination and Cultural Superiority

Collection impactjournals

Language English

This paper focuses on the response to colonialism in the thought and philosophy of Kwame Nkrumah, Frantz Fanon, and Amilcar Cabral. It argues that these thinkers thought about colonialism as a pattern of domination that produced economic imbalances, racial discrimination, and cultural superiority by subjugating the colonizer. In this process of responding to colonialism, they challenged and, at the same time, revised the dominant definitions of race,  culture, language and created an intellectual niche for themselves. This paper argues that by re-inventing Kwame Nkrumah, Frantz Fanon and Amilcar Cabral’s critique of  colonialism, an attempt can be made to debunk the various forms of colonialism that are operating in the continent of Africa.   

https://archive.org/details/64.humReInventingKwameNkrumahFrantzFanonAndAmilcarCabralsCritiqueOfColonialism/page/n3/mode/2up

In Kharkiv, no let-up for Ukraine firefighters

Emmanuel PEUCHOT
Thu, 28 April 2022, 

In the eastern city of Kharkiv, over 2,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed by fire and more than 140 civilians have died beneath the wreckage 

Over the past two months, one firefighter and three bomb disposal experts have died in the Kharkiv region

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, there have been more than 1,000 fires in the eastern Kharkiv region which borders Russia 

With Russia firing daily on Kharkiv, firefighters say can have up to a dozen blazes raging at the same time 

PHOTOS AFP/Dimitar DILKOFF

Blackened by smoke and dripping with sweat, firefighters in Ukraine's second city Kharkiv are totally exhausted after two months of chasing blazes sparked by the constant explosion of Russian rockets.

Since Russia invaded on February 24, there have been more than 1,000 fires in the eastern Kharkiv region which borders Russia, the area's emergency services spokesman Yevgen Vasylenko said.

In the city alone, over 2,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed by fire and more than 140 civilians have died beneath the wreckage, he said.

Every day, Russian rockets are fired at Kharkiv, most of which target districts in the east or northeast that lie closest to the frontier and where civilians still live. Sometimes deadly, they strike at random both in daylight and at night.

Two strikes late on Wednesday killed one person and wounded two others. And on Tuesday, three people died.

"Usually its only one major fire or two at a time to extinguish but during the war, you can have like 12 or 15 major fires at the same time," explains Roman Kachanov, a fireman and judo expert who heads the N11 fire station.

"Two weeks ago there was a big shelling in the city centre and 56 fire trucks went in to extinguish different areas... a lot of apartments were bombed. And then they started to bomb Saltivka," he said, speaking in English, referring to a badly-hit area in the northeast.

"And this has been going on day after day and people don't have enough time to rest," he told AFP.

"It's exhausting, you're just as tired as hell."

On Wednesday after tackling a blaze at a garage, one firefighter with a blackened face, his body drenched in sweat, just sat for a long while, his features drawn, his gaze empty.

This week, they were visited by a small group of American firefighters who came to deliver equipment and give them first-aid training.

Behind the barracks, where a handful of ancient fire engines dating back to the Soviet era are parked alongside newer vehicles, Kachanov shows his visitors an impressive collection of rocket shrapnel, in a striking image of the multiple attacks staged against the city.

Asked about the risks given that the Russians often target the same place twice, firing 10 or 15 minutes after the initial strike, he brushes it off as just part of the job.

"When there's a shelling you have to go there but for now if there's a new bombing (while we're working), we probably won't even notice it," he says wearily.

"To us, work is just work."

- 'These people just inspire me' -

Over the past two months, one firefighter and three bomb disposal experts have died in the Kharkiv region on the job, the emergency services said.

"One of my firefighters died in shelling right in front of me while extinguishing a fire at a market," says Kachanov, without explaining further.

As well as their firefighting gear, which is protective if uncomfortable, weighing some 10 kilogrammes (22 pounds), some firefighters also wear bullet-proof vests.

"Right now we have 3,000 firefighters in the Kharkiv region working together as a team. We have all five stations working so we have enough people," he says.

And there has been no shortage of volunteers coming forward to help out.

Ex-Marine Clint Saint-Martin is one of the American firefighters who have come over to show solidarity with their Ukrainian colleagues.

After visiting the fire station closest to the northeastern area of the city, he smiles as he poses for a photo in his US firefighters' helmet.

"This is the first team of hopefully many coming to Ukraine to support Ukrainian firefighters in their mission against this insane war," he told AFP.

"I served in Iraq but.. we've had a few (rockets) land around us today and they don't even bat an eye. It's really impressive. I've got a lot of respect for these guys," he said.

"Hopefully we'll send since several more teams but I'd come back in a heartbeat. These people just inspire me."

But Kachanov is just hoping the war will end soon.

"We hope the Russians will understand who this 'Putler' is and maybe they'll kick his ass out of the Kremlin," he said, using an offensive term fusing Russian President Vladimir Putin's name with that of Adolf Hitler.

epe/uh/hmw/har