G20 ministers endorse 'historic' global deal to tax multinationals

Issued on: 10/07/2021 - 

Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Mathias Cormann (R) of Australia poses with Netherlands' Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra as they arrive for the G20 finance ministers and central bankers meeting in Venice on July 9, 2021. © Andreas Solaro, AFP

Text by: NEWS WIRES

G20 finance ministers on Saturday gave their backing to a "historic" global deal to tax multinational companies more fairly and urged hold-out countries to sign up.

A framework for international tax reform, including a minimum corporate rate of 15%, was agreed this month by 131 countries.

But the endorsement by the 19 biggest economies plus the European Union will help ensure it becomes a reality following years of negotiations.

"After many years of discussions and building on the progress made last year, we have achieved a historic agreement on a more stable and fairer international tax architecture," the final statement said.

"We endorse the key components of the two pillars on the reallocation of profits of multinational enterprises and an effective global minimum tax."

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire was quick to hail the agreement, saying it was a once-in-a-century opportunity for reform.

"There is no turning back. We are putting an end to the fiscal race to the bottom and the digital giants will now pay their fair share of taxes," he said.

The reforms aim to prevent countries competing to offer the lowest tax rates to attract investment, which has often resulted in multinationals paying derisory levels of tax.

Final agreement is not expected until the run-up to the G20 leaders' summit in Rome in October.

'On the way'

The 15% minimum tax rate was agreed on July 1 under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Countries including the United States, France and Germany, along with aid agencies such as Oxfam, have been pressing for a higher rate.

But some nations are opposed even to this, including EU member Ireland, which lured Apple and Google to Dublin with low tax rates.

In their final statement, the G20 ministers said they "invite all members" of the negotiations... that have not yet joined the international agreement to do so".

The minimum rate is expected to affect fewer than 10,000 major companies, but the OECD estimates an effective 15% rate would generate an extra $150 billion in revenue per year.

The measure is one of two so-called pillars of global tax reform that have been under negotiation for years, but which have been given new impetus under US President Joe Biden.

The other would give countries a share of the taxes on profits earned in their territory.

Multinationals operate in many countries -- oil giant BP is present in 85, for example -- but usually pay taxes on profits only in tax domiciles cherry-picked for their low rates.

It would initially apply to the top 100 or so companies, and is targeted at the most aggressive users of tax-reducing domiciles, such as technology giants Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple.

Aid to poorer countries

The G20 ministers were meeting for the first time in person since February 2020, at the start of the global coronavirus pandemic, although China and India are attending virtually.

Hundreds of protesters converged on Venice, although the Arsenal area of the lagoon city, where the meeting is being held, is cordoned off to the general public.

Student Elena Carraro, 20, slammed the G20 as a rich person's club only out to protect its own.

"We don't expect the real change, radical change that we need. We need to act, we can't wait for them to do so, because the only thing they are interested in is their own wealth," she said.


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The G20, whose members represent about 85 percent of global wealth, also discussed climate change and the economic recovery from the pandemic, particularly how to ensure that poorer countries are not left behind.

The ministers warned that although the global outlook had improved since their last meeting in April, largely due to the roll-out of vaccination programmes, the crisis was not over.

"The recovery is characterised by great divergences across and within countries and remains exposed to downside risks, in particular the spread of new variants of the COVID-19 virus and different paces of vaccination," the statement said.

The ministers also backed an initiative by the International Monetary Fund to urgently increase aid to countries struggling to cope with the pandemic through special drawing rights, which are international reserve assets.

(AFP)

 

Bangladesh: Police arrest factory owner after deadly blaze

At least 52 people were killed when a fire engulfed a factory building where workers were locked inside. Several suspects have been arrested on murder charges.

    

Workers walk past the charred exterior of the factory where a deadly blaze broke out in Rupganj, Bangladesh

Authorities in Bangladesh arrested eight people on Saturday over a fire at a food factory that killed dozens of people.

It's the latest deadly industrial disaster to hit Bangladesh, with officials launching a separate probe into the use of child labor at the factory.

Who was arrested?

Among the eight people arrested on Saturday was the chairman and managing director of the Sajeeb Group, which owns the factory, according to Home Minister Asaduzzman Khan.

The minister's remarks came during a visit to the site of the fire on Saturday in the town of Rupganj located outside of the capital Dhaka.

Khan said what happened to the workers was "murder," echoing statements from police who said the suspects are facing "murder charges."

Four of the chairman's sons were also among those detained, news agency AFP reported, citing local officials.

Relatives mourn the victims who were killed in the blaze, while others were still waiting for news of their loved ones on Saturday

Initial investigations revealed that the main exit of the factory was padlocked, trapping those inside.

Another investigation has also been launched into the use of child labor at the factory, as children between 11- and 14-years-old were found to be working there.

What happened during the fire?

The fire erupted on Thursday night at the Hashem Foods Ltd. Factory, with flames and smoke engulfing the five-story building.

Firefighters worked through Friday to put out the blaze at the building, where highly flammable chemicals were stored.

At least 52 people are confirmed dead, while several others remain missing.

The main exit of the factory was illegally locked, authorities said

On one floor alone, rescuers discovered the bodies of 48 people. Family members struggled to identify remains at the morgue while others waited for news of their missing loved ones on Saturday.

Officials have not yet commented on what started the blaze, but said they uncovered several safety violations at the site in addition to the locked exit.

Safety concerns renewed

Bangladesh pledged safety reforms following a series of tragic fires and industrial disasters in recent years.

The Rana Plaza disaster of 2013 in particular sparked the push for reform. Over 1,100 people died when the nine-story complex collapsed.

In 2012, a fire at a garment factory outside of Dhaka killed 112 people. The workers were also trapped behind locked gates at the factory.

A major fire also destroyed shelters at a Cox's Bazar refugee camp for Rohingya Muslims earlier this year.

rs/csb (AFP, AP)

The eight-year marathon to bring Anne Frank to the big screen

Issued on: 10/07/2021 - 

Israeli Director Ari Folman made one of the most successful adult animated films of all time with "Waltz with Bashir" before tackling Anne Frank 

CHRISTOPHE SIMON AFP


Cannes (France) (AFP)

After making one of the most successful adult animated films of all time in "Waltz With Bashir", Israeli director Ari Folman vowed never to tackle the mind-bending complexity of such projects again.

But when he got the chance to bring the iconic story of Anne Frank to the big screen for children, he couldn't resist -- even though it ended up taking over his life for eight years.

"Where is Anne Frank", which debuted at Cannes this week, is another beautifully drawn cartoon, and his first to be aimed at younger audiences.

Folman happily admits this is because his last attempt at an adult animation -- "The Congress" starring Robin Wright and Harvey Keitel -- was a massive flop.

Despite being praised by critics, that film was "a disaster in the box office," Folman told AFP in an interview at Cannes.

"I hassled so many people, raised $10 million, had hundreds of animators, and then no one saw the movie!

"I thought: no more animation for adults. If you want to deal with these incredibly tough productions, it should be for a wide audience, which means a family movie," he said.

It helps that "The Diary of Anne Frank" remains one of the most beloved and important books of the last century.

Folman's film follows Kitty, Anne's imaginary friend from the diary, jumping between the present day and the real-life story of Anne and her family hiding from the Nazis in occupied Amsterdam.

"(Anne) became part of my life in a way that I can't even explain," said Folman. "My youngest daughter was here at the screening, she's 14. She told me she can't remember life without Anne Frank. She was six when I started."

- 'Wicked as hell' -

The film seeks to move beyond the iconic image of Anne, Folman said.

"She's an icon but more than that, she was a teenager -- isolated, going through adolescence, funny, wicked as hell, a great observer of the adults, seeing everyone's faults, attacking them. She was great fun. I thought we should see all aspects of her character," said Folman.

The film seems destined for a wide audience, though Folman says he would need some serious brainpower to take on another animated project.

"For the next film, I'm looking for a mathematician, or a chess player -- I'm not joking -- to do the calculations," he said.

That's because there are so many moving parts to consider with an animated film.

"Where is Anne Frank", for instance, had 1,100 shots, each having to go through 11 different stages, shared between 12 studios in different countries.

"Each delay impacts every part of the chain," said Folman, half-laughing, half-despairing. "If you miss something, you are half-a-million dollars short. No one can calculate it."

"My dream is an alien machine which can see all 12,000 elements, each change happening in every studio, how long it takes and how we can fix it. I couldn't find one. Maybe Kasparov can do it!"

© 2021 AFP

Verhoeven hits back at fury over his Cannes lesbian nun flick

Issued on: 10/07/2021 

The "Basic Instinct" and "Showgirls" director (R) who has also long drawn the ire of feminists, told reporters at the Cannes film festival that he had nothing to be ashamed of 

Valery HACHE AFP

Cannes (France) (AFP)

Veteran film provocateur Paul Verhoeven hit back Saturday at Catholics who have condemned his lesbian nun movie "Benedetta" as blasphemous over scenes in which a statue of the Virgin Mary is used as a sex toy.

The "Basic Instinct" and "Showgirls" director, who has also long drawn the ire of feminists, told reporters at the Cannes film festival that he had nothing to be ashamed of.

"How you can you be blasphemous about something that happened, that's true?" the 82-year-old told reporters in response to social media outrage over the illicit relationship at the heart of the film between a 17th-century Italian abbess and one of her novices.

"You cannot talk about blasphemy about something that happened four hundred years ago. I think that's wrong," he added.

The big-budget romp, which delights in its rather obvious eroticism, is in the running for Cannes top prize, the Palme d'Or.

Belgian star Virginie Efira -- who also featured in Verhoeven's Oscar-nominated "Elle" about a woman's rape fantasies -- plays the errant abbess Benedetta Carlini, who is stripped of her authority (and just about everything else) when her passion for a fellow nun is revealed.

While many critics panned the film, with The Guardian saying that "Verhoeven may have to do some contrite murmuring in the confessional for this one", the BBC proclaimed it a "searing exploration of faith and organised religion" as it anointed it with five stars.

The movie industry bible Variety took a middle path, deeming it a "guilty-pleasure nunsploitation" flick.

Verhoeven adapted the film from an acclaimed non-fiction book by Judith C. Brown, "Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy".

The director, who has previously denied there was such a thing as a "male gaze", even claimed that his film could be seen as feminist, an assertion backed by one of his actresses, Louise Chevillotte.

"From the moment you let women have complex characters that are so violent and so subversive, yes, there is feminism," she said.

© 2021 AFP

After the riots, the movie: 'Yellow Vests' take on Cannes

Issued on: 10/07/2021 - 

France has 'become more and more violent', Corsini says

 CHRISTOPHE SIMON AFP

Cannes (France) (AFP)

Two years after shaking France to the core with their protests, the "Yellow Vests" were back in the spotlight Saturday, this time in a film by one of its most innovative directors.

"The Divide" by Catherine Corsini describes events at a Paris hospital during violent clashes between demonstrators and police that turned the capital's chic neighbourhoods into virtual war zones throughout 2018 and 2019.

Using handheld shots and rapid edits to capture the chaos as doctors and nurses struggle to cope, the film depicts a country in deep conflict during the presidency of former investment banker Emmanuel Macron, the main target of the angry protests.

Sparked by a petrol tax hike, the Yellow Vest movement quickly broadened to reflect widespread outrage over the plight of ordinary people and the indifference of Parisian elites.

"It was hugely important for me to talk about what is going on in France today," Corsini told AFP in an interview.

"Our society has become more and more violent, and social misery has become a permanent state of affairs," she said.

- 'Must take a stand' -

Corsini -- who freely acknowledges being part of the progressive, educated and fashionable urbanites known as "Les Bobos" -- said she came to realise "that my films must take a stand and become more political".

Riot police in the film are depicted as violent and uncaring, while injured demonstrators overrun the hospital in a desperate bid to escape police brutality.

Corsini said she made nothing up: media widely reported yellow vest protesters losing their eyes when they were hit by police projectiles. One had his hand ripped off picking up a police flash-ball grenade.

The film's main male character, Yann, is shot in the leg by police, but worries more about losing his precarious job as a truck driver than about his injury.#photo1

In hospital he meets a same-sex couple going through a relationship crisis.

At first the encounter between the provincial "prole" and the artistic Parisian couple -- which is inspired by Corsini's own relationship -- is testy.

But then it morphs into a degree of mutual understanding, something Corsini said France, too, could use more of.

"Our country is full of extremes," Corsini said. "We want both social protection, and we also want to be liberal.

"There are so many contradictions, but they have made us who we are. Opposition and rebellion hold us together," she said, before adding: "We need to find ways to live together."

- 'Full of extremes' -

France's hospital workers are the real heros of the film.

Proud to be working for a health system that, says one, "was still free of charge when I last looked", they are overworked, underpaid and exasperated, but also full of humanity and humour.

They also feel deep sympathy for the yellow vest protesters and won't denounce them to police, despite their boss's order to do so.

"The Divide" was shot before the Covid-19 pandemic which pushed France's hospitals and health workers to a new breaking point.

The coronavirus also put an end to the yellow vest demos, although there have been some attempts at a comeback.#photo2

In her three decades of filmmaking, the 65-year-old Corsini has made her mark primarily as a discreet but powerful voice for women's freedom, exploring themes of homosexuality, patriarchy and gender equality.

"The Divide" is among 24 films competing for the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or.

© 2021 AFP

Even at 75, the bikini never gets old

In 1946, a French engineer came up with a scandalous new piece of clothing for women: the bikini, made up of strips of cloth that revealed more than they hid on the beach and in the pool.

EVEN AT 75, THE BIKINI NEVER GETS OLD
The story of four triangles
Four tiny triangles held together by string - that's about as small as you can get. On July 5, 1946, a striptease dancer by the name of Micheline Bernardini posed in front of cameras by a Paris swimming pool, wearing a two-piece swimsuit: the very first bikini. It was invented by French mechanical engineer, Louis Réard. Little did he know at the time, the bikini would be here to stay. 1234567891011

French mechanical engineer Louis Réard couldn't find a willing model, so he hired striptease dancer Micheline Bernardini for the presentation of his bikini on July 5, 1946.

The timing was no coincidence. The US military had just grabbed the world's attention by testing a nuclear bomb on the Bikini Atoll in the South Pacific. The new swimwear trend turned out to be equally explosive.

Réard did not miscalculate: Showing that much skin was not acceptable at that time. Moral guardians were convinced that women should don skirts and long aprons instead of shamelessly taking their clothes off.
Skimpy attire for the future

The bikini was banned in public for many years, and even the famous fashion magazine "Vogue" rejected the tiny swimsuit. Film stars like Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot, however, remained faithful to bikinis and were regularly photographed in them.

The James Bond film "Dr. No" in 1962 marked a turning point for the two-piece. Swiss model and actress Ursula Andress sported one in an unforgettable scene, and her swimsuit went down in history as the "Dr. No Bikini."

In the 1960s, the bikini quickly became unstoppable and took on many forms, from the self-adhesive "Trikini" to the topless "Monokini" (which, however, didn't become a bestseller).

The swimwear revolution went hand in hand with the growing emancipation of women, which was also marked by the birth control pill, the miniskirt and the social unrest of the 1960s. For many women, the bikini was a symbol of liberation.
A coveted fashion item

Even after 75 years, the bikini can still be found at fashion shows, beaches and pools the world over. Models no longer have to be begged to present the latest designs. In the 1980s and 90s, bikini fashion shows became even more popular than the otherwise beloved bridal wear events. Supermodels like Claudia Schiffer, Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell competed for such jobs on the catwalk.

A classic worn by women of all ages and body types, the bikini has made a fashion statement for the past seven decades, ans is here to stay.

 

New elections in Bulgaria: Tired of lies, young voters want 'green' solutions

After failed attempts to form a government, new elections will take place on July 11. Young Bulgarians intend to cast their ballots for a new generation of politicians who promise to fight corruption and pollution.

    

Supporters of the 'Democratic Bulgaria' alliance, which includes the 'Green Movement'

"We urgently need more digitalization, legal reforms and a pension increase," explains Daniel Yanev, a 26-year-old Bulgarian living in Berlin. In the summer of 2020, he actively took part in protests against the then-government in his homeland. " I simply find it impossible to accept that Bulgaria cannot fulfil its economic potential and that, as a result, people's standard of living is still way below the EU average. And all that is down to the ubiquitous corruption and the way in which public money is wasted in Bulgaria," Yanev tells DW.

On July 11, Bulgarians will be called to the ballot box for the second time this year, after attempts to form a government after the April 4 election failed. Young people who took to the streets last year are once more determined to cast their votes in order to finally precipitate change in the corruption-ridden Balkan country — even if that means they will have to interrupt their summer holidays to do so.

Daniel Yanev is one of the founders of the 'Are you lying?' fact-checking platform

Together with friends, Daniel Yanev set up a fact-checking platform where its name translates to "Are you lying?" During the election campaign, the founders research whether politicians spread falsehoods or manipulative statements and publish their findings online. "We give special attention to checking statements relating to areas of economy and health," Daniel says. "Incorrect information on issues such as these are particularly dangerous."

Although Daniel has already decided which party will receive his support on election day, he is at a loss — because, even members of "his" party do not tell the truth sometimes. "Working on the 'Are you lying' platform has taught me to think critically."

Suffering from corruption

"Corruption is the main scourge in our country," agrees Boris Bonev. In 2015, he joined other young activists in founding "Save Sofia," a NGO watchdog which monitors and criticizes the policies of the Bulgarian capital's mayor, Yordanka Fandakova, and the city's administration.

Boris Bonev, co-founder of the watchdog NGO 'Save Sofia'

Bonev, who studied business as well as innovation and technology management in Paris, and the "Save Sofia" platform constantly submit proposals as to how Sofia can become a more modern, more innovative and "greener" city. In 2019, the now 33-year-old ran for mayor on an independent ticket and received more than 10% of the vote.

The struggle begins in Sofia

According to Bonev, the opposition's victories in the Hungarian capital Budapest and the Turkish megacity Istanbul show that dismantling a corrupt system of the kind that was established in the last couple of years in Bulgaria by former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, has to start in the big cities. "The struggle for Bulgaria begins in Sofia," Bonev says with conviction.

Until May 12, 2021, Boyko Borisov served as Bulgaria's Prime Minister

According to Transparency International's most recent corruption index, 90% of Bulgarians think that corruption at a government level is problematic. "People are tired of living in Europe's most squalid and most chaotic cities, under a government guided by corruption, instead of level-headed decisions," Bonev says.

'Green' solutions

Bonev's "Save Sofia" NGO has declared its support for nine of the candidates fielded by the "Democratic Bulgaria" (DB) alliance. DB is an amalgamation of parties which also includes the "Green Movement." DB gaining seats in parliament in the wake of the April 2020 elections meant that Bulgaria had Green MPs for the first time since the 1990s. Of the nine DB candidates endorsed by "Save Sofia," five are representatives of the Bulgarian Greens.

Each year, air pollution in the Bulgarian capital claims hundreds of lives

"Our organization is part of the so-called green wave in Europe," Bonev says. He is convinced that Bulgaria and the capital, Sofia, in particular urgently need green solutions. "The fight against air pollution, which each year claims hundreds of lives in Sofia, is one of our main priorities. The other important goal is reducing car traffic. This can only work if alternatives are provided."

Twenty-six-year-old activist Daniel Yanev is looking for alternatives as well. He believes that Bulgaria needs a new generation of politicians — modern, young and independent: "At the election on July 11, I will support candidates who are experts and who do not have a dubious past." According to Yanev, such people are not just needed for Bulgarian politics, but also for the economy of the EU member state.

 REST IN POWER

Holocaust survivor, singer Esther Bejarano dies, aged 96

As a teenager, she had to perform in the Auschwitz girls' orchestra. But Esther Bejarano never stopped loving music — or fighting against racism.

   

Esther Bejarano died peacefully early Saturday morning in an Israeli hospital

What an impressive woman! Not even 5 feet tall, she seemed to burst with more energy than a strongly built man. Like, for example, her son Joram, who accompanied Esther Bejarano during her performances. Even though she used to lean on his arm, there was never any doubt about who was in charge: Esther, of course, always knew what she wanted.

Even in her 90s, Esther Bejarano appeared on stage and sang, accompanied by the band Microphone Mafia. The Cologne-based men rapped, Joram played the bass, and Esther warbled the refrain.

In the last years of her life, her voice had lost some of its former strength that sent her around the world to perform. Bejarano accepted that and agreed to let Microphone Mafia play her songs as recordings during concerts. Besides, her performances were more about the message anyway: putting an end to racism, antisemitism and fascism. Hardly anybody else could have conveyed this message with as much passion and energy as Bejarano did.

Bejarano performed on stage with Microphone Mafia into her 90s

A youth spent in concentration camps

Born in 1924 under the family name Loewy as the daughter of the chief cantor of the Jewish community in the city of Saarlouis, as a child Esther witnessed how the National Socialists seized power in Germany. The political shift impacted the course of her life. 

"One's best years as a youth are those from ages 16 to 20. But what kind of a youth did we have? None, really. A horrible youth," she told DW shortly before her 90th birthday. The Nazis had all but stolen this part of her life. Harassment at school, separation from her parents, three concentration camps and a death march – Esther Bejarano had to endure all of that.

As she recounts in her book Memories, she arrived in Auschwitz together with many other people, completely exhausted after several days of travel in a cattle car. Bejarano was greeted by SS officers with the words: "Now, you filthy Jews, we will show you what it means to work."

She was forced into hard labor that consisted of carrying heavy stones. At some point, she heard that the SS was searching for girls for a camp orchestra. She was fortunate enough to be included in the group as an accordion player – even though she'd never played the instrument before. Nevertheless, the skill she had acquired playing the piano while still living at home, her musicality and her will to survive proved to be a tremendous help.

In the girls' orchestra at Auschwitz

The orchestra itself was about sheer survival: 40 young women had to perform whenever the camp's inmates marched off to work or when new trains with Jews on board arrived from all over Europe.

"You knew that they were going to be gassed, and all you could do was stand there and play," Esther Bejarano told DW in 2014. That was the very worst she had to endure in Auschwitz, she said.

Experiencing how the Nazis abused music for their own horrible purposes, however, never had a negative impact on her sense of the beauty of music. The popular songs and marches she had to play in Auschwitz, she recounted, had nothing to do with true music. She played music composed by Mozart and Beethoven in the camps without thinking about the horrible crimes committed by the Nazis.  For her, their music symbolized another way of life.

After the war, Bejarano, who had also spent time in the women's concentration camp in Ravensbrück, finally turned a childhood dream into reality: to become a singer.

She studied singing in Tel Aviv and, even during her studies, went on tour in Israel and abroad. She then met the future father of her children. Her post-war life was a happy one, she recalled. In the 1970s, however, she decided to return to Germany due to her husband's health problems.

She opted for Hamburg since the city held no particular significance for her during her childhood. At first, she told DW, she constantly wondered what the people she saw in the streets might have done during the war. "When I saw people who looked a bit older than me, I always wondered whether they had perhaps been the murderers of my parents and my sister."

But rather than buckling from the burden, she decided to fight. Her goal was to help prevent "an inhuman ideology" from spreading again, and her method was by telling her life story.

The struggle continues

Along with Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, Bejarano was one of the few survivors of the Auschwitz girls' orchestra. Also the co-founder of the International Auschwitz Committee, she was frequently invited onto talk shows to speak about her experiences. She also spoke in many schools and proved to be a popular guest as she inspired young people with her music.

Bejarano spoke of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and fought xenophobia until the end of her life

Bejarano remained strongly committed to fighting xenophobia until the end of her life, often prompting attacks and criticism from right-wing groups. She did not remain silent on the issue, however. In 2004, she caused an uproar when she reported that police had directed water cannons at a wagon on which she was standing during a protest against right-wing extremism.

In 2013, she spoke out in favor of refugees, calling police checks of Africans in Hamburg as "inhuman and unacceptable" as European asylum policy in general.

In August 2015, a Facebook user accused her in a post of "complicity in mass murder" while "letting others walk into their deaths" with her eyes wide open because she had "voluntarily joined in the founding of a camp orchestra." Bejarano reacted promptly by filing a lawsuit.

After all, she had frequently and heavy-heartedly recounted how SS officers had stood directly behind the orchestra while the girls cried and trembled during their performances. She told German public broadcaster NDR at the time that she had never before felt so utterly insulted and that the Facebook user's claim had denigrated "all those who had been in Auschwitz."

Bejarano closely followed legal trials of various Auschwitz supervisors and guards and called the public appearances of Holocaust denier Ursula Haverbeck in Detmold "an impunity." She should have been brought to justice, said Bejarano.

"Never again Auschwitz" — that avowal was a vital precondition for Bejarano's decision to return to Germany. But only hearing such statements on memorial days did not suffice for her. She saw to it that the attitude was integrated into everyday life. Esther Bejarano died peacefully early Saturday morning in an Israeli hospital. This tiny woman full of energy and spirit will leave behind a void in Germany.

This obituary has been translated from German.

Watch video 06:13

Esther Bejarano: The girl in the Auschwitz orchestra

Watch video 03:04

The melodies of Auschwitz

https://www.dw.com/en/holocaust-survivor-singer-esther-bejarano-dies-aged-96/a-58224215

 

Iceland takes to shorter hours after four-day week trials

More than 85% of the country's workers have either opted for shorter hours for the same pay or have earned the right to work less. The huge endorsement of a shorter working week followed two trials of a four-day week.

    

The experiment involved over 2,500 workers — more than 1% of Iceland's entire working population

Workers in Iceland have been increasingly opting for a shorter working week after two large-scale studies showed that clocking fewer hours at work "dramatically" increased their well-being and work-life balance.

The two trials, which ran from 2015 to 2019, also found that productivity remained the same or improved across most workplaces enrolled in the experiment.

The researchers said the trials run by Reykjavík City Council and the national government were an "overwhelming success," and, since their completion, about 86% of workers are now working shorter hours without taking a pay cut, or have gained the right to do so.

"The Icelandic shorter working week journey tells us that not only is it possible to work less in modern times, but that progressive change is possible, too," said Gudmundur Haraldsson, one of the researchers.

Iceland trails its Nordic neighbors such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark in evaluations of work-life balance, largely thanks to its workers having to clock longer working hours. 

Better well-being

The experiment, which involved more than 2,500 workers — over 1% of Iceland's entire working population — covered a wide range of workplaces from playschools to hospitals and offices to social service providers.

Many of the trial participants moved from a 40-hour week to a 35- or 36-hour working week.

Workers reported that shorter hours made it easier for them to do various errands around the home, such as shopping, cleaning and tidying, during weekdays. Many male participants in heterosexual relationships said they could devote more time to household chores, especially around cleaning and cooking.

"It shows that the public sector is ripe for being a pioneer of shorter working weeks — and lessons can be learned for other governments," said Will Stronge, director of research at UK think tank Autonomy, which, along with the Association for Sustainable Democracy (Alda) in Iceland, analyzed the results of the trials.

Four-day week gaining ground

The idea of a four-day working week has been steadily gaining traction across the world.

Spain is trialing a 32-hour workweek for companies in a €50 million ($59 million) pilot program. Consumer firm Unilever has launched an experiment in New Zealand in which it is paying dozens of its employees their full salaries while asking them to work only four days a week.   

In Japan, the government has recommended that companies allow their staff to opt for a four-day week to improve workers' well-being. Companies, on their part, would be able to retain capable and experienced staff who might otherwise have to leave due to family responsibilities.

In August, Germany's biggest trade union, IG Metall, called for a shorter week, arguing the move would save thousands of jobs otherwise threatened by the automobile industry's transformation to electric mobility.

A report commissioned by the 4 Day Week campaign from Platform London showed that shifting to a four-day working week also offered environmental benefits. It could shrink the UK's carbon footprint by 127 million tons per year by 2025, or equivalent to taking 27 million cars off the road, the study suggested.

1933

 

How a volcano saved Iceland's travel industry

A volcanic eruption came at just the right time for Iceland's stricken tourism industry: The country has been COVID-free since May and is now attracting nature tourists on the lookout for something unusual.

    

For 2 kilometers we've seen nothing but fog, so thick that the wooden stakes rammed into the field of scree are barely visible.

Then, on a slope, the silhouettes of a pair of hikers looking downward appear. But even from up here, the eruption on Fagradalsfjall can't be seen yet. Iceland's newest, still nameless volcano, which opened up in March on the Reykjanes Peninsula at the southwest tip of the country.

No guarantee of a clear view of the natural spectacle – patience is needed

Then the fog clears and reveals a lunar landscape, rugged, in gray and black; in some places pale yellow sulfur coagulates; here and there smoke rises. The field is crisscrossed by fiery orange rivulets of lava that flow along, sometimes swift, sometimes slow and viscous. At one point a deep threatening rumbling can be heard in the distance, but on this foggy summer day, the volcano refuses to show itself. 

The volcanic activity is getting tourism going again

The primordial forces released by volcanoes are as fascinating as they are threatening — just think of the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010, which brought air traffic in the northern hemisphere to a standstill — and in Iceland the southern coastal road may soon also fall victim to lava flows.

But, for Icelandic tourism, the eruption came at just the right time. After a decade of breathtaking growth, the COVID-19 crisis has reduced it drastically: In 2019 nearly 2 million tourists landed at Keflavik International Airport. In the COVID year of 2020 there were a mere 478,000.

Fire and ice shape the island in the northern Atlantic — Iceland's landscape is constantly changing

Then, in mid-March, Iceland began to open itself gradually to fully vaccinated people. This May, nearly 13 times as many people traveled to Iceland, compared to the admittedly very low numbers in May 2020.

For the coming months, the Icelandic Tourist Board (ITB) is expecting stable growth. Starting in autumn, pre-pandemic levels should be reached: "For this year we expect a total of about 900,000 visitors. That's almost half as many as in 2019," Snorri Valsson from the ITB told DW. "In 2022 there could again be almost two million. So we expect a swift recovery." 

It could, however, be a problem that many workers from abroad who could no longer afford the cost of living here after they lost their jobs in the tourist industry because of COVID-19 have left Iceland. 

A PCR test is no longer required for the vaccinated

The coronavirus itself has largely spared the country, with its population of 360,000: According to the data bank Our World in Data, 6,555 infections and 29 deaths have been registered, and since May no one else has become infected. 

Iceland wants to make sure things remain that way. Citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) can enter the country if they present a negative PCR test that is no more than 72 hours old. Those who have recovered from the disease or been vaccinated have to present valid proof, for instance that provided by the digital COVID certificate launched by the EU. That sounds reckless in light of the rapidly spreading delta variant — but according to Valsson, like every pandemic decision in Iceland, it is science-based: "Our society is more or less completely protected. Even if in individual cases the delta variant were to be accidentally introduced, it wouldn't trigger a large outbreak in Iceland." 

By the first weekend in July, 77% of the population had received a first vaccination, and a good 65% were already fully vaccinated.  

This is the first volcanic eruption on the peninsula south of Reykjavik in 800 years

In Iceland, the pandemic is 'over'

That leads to the kind of post-pandemic feeling that tourists can probably enjoy in only a few places on earth: Masks must only be worn on very rare occasions, for instance at a performance in the impressive Harpa concert hall on the waterfront of the capital, Reykjavik. In Iceland you can sit at the last free table in an otherwise-full restaurant without feeling uneasy. Only hand-sanitizer dispensers and in a few places the request to enter your contact details in an online form are faint reminders of the coronavirus. 

It takes 3,900 years until a lava field looks like this one on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula in northwest Iceland

Most people who travel to Iceland, however, usually come to enjoy nature. Actually, the tremendous growth in tourism since the country nearly went bankrupt in the financial crisis of 2009 has been threatening the nature and infrastructure of the rural regions. When the country's currency crashed, many people could suddenly afford what would otherwise have been an expensive vacation in Iceland. In many places hiking trails, access roads and parking areas could scarcely stand up to the sudden influx.

That involved environmental damage. Places that were especially hard hit included the three attractions along the Golden Circle, a typical route for a day trip from Reykjavik, on which tourists can see Thingvellir National Park, the Haukadalur geothermal area with its geysers and the spectacular Gullfoss waterfall.      

Gullfoss means 'golden falls': it's also the source of the name of the 'Golden Circle' tourist route

Since then much has improved, says Snorri Valsson, thanks partly to a fund from which about €4-5 million ($4.75-6 million) annually are earmarked for tourism infrastructure. "That and other measures have improved the situation, so that we now no longer have any serious problems anywhere. But of course we have to stay on the ball."

The volcanic eruption could remain an attraction for a long time 

Iceland is bracing itself for a longer volcanic eruption — and for tourists: Geologists have evidence from elsewhere in Iceland that effusive eruptions of shield volcanoes can last for decades.

The lava flows wherever it wants to: Some hiking trails are now impassable

With an eye to the future, €900,000 has been earmarked for infrastructure such as paths, parking areas, toilets and cellphone towers around the new volcano. In Valsson's view, there is no alternative — he says that without marked paths, people could get lost or meet with an accident and injure themselves.

In late June a major search operation had to be conducted for an American tourist who had lost his way. The terrain is changing constantly, and with it the access routes. 

An unforgettable natural spectacle

A week after our hike in the fog, we get another chance to have a look at the eruption on Fagradalsfjall. As we climb up, we can already see from afar the smoke the mountain emits in its eruptive phases. Only now can we see how much lava has flooded the Geldingadalir valley. Then there's a clear view of the fissure, about 500 meters away, that becomes slightly larger with every eruption. 

A natural spectacle you don't want to get too close to: Fagradalsfjall volcano spews lava

It's evening, and around us sit mainly Icelanders. Some have brought along food and drink. After a few minutes, the show begins and lava flows from the crater's edge, first as a thin trickle, then in a broad flood that makes the entire slope glow a fiery red. Then the stream peters out, at least for a few minutes. The process is repeated several times, and we observe it, mesmerized. Deeply impressed, we wend our way back. We have had the privilege of witnessing a natural spectacle that we'll remember for the rest of our lives.