China: Sandstorm engulfs town in Gansu province

Meteorologists have warned people to stay indoors to avoid the sand lifted from the Gobi desert in the north.



Towns in Linze country, northern China, were hit hardest

A towering wall of sand hit northwestern China's Gansu province, covering factories and apartment blocks.

Recently released aerial images showed a billowing cloud of yellow dust smothering Gansu's Linze county on Sunday.

Low visibility resulted in multiple car accidents in the province, state media CCTV reported.

Meteorologists warned people to stay indoors and keep windows shut.
Where does the sand come from?

China suffers from enormous sandstorms each spring when sand is lifted from the Gobi desert in the north of the country and Mongolia. It is then dumped onto cities as far away as Shandong on the eastern coast and elsewhere across Asia.

The sand is lifted from the Gobi desert in the north

The sandstorms have been made worse by desertification — the Gobi desert increases in size each year, transforming farmland into desert.

In March, the worst sandstorm in a decade hit China's capital, Beijing, pushing air pollution levels off the charts and forcing airlines to ground hundreds of flights.
China's plan to stop sandstorms

China is planting a natural barrier of trees, also known as the "Great Green Wall," in stripped forest areas in a bid to curb the sandstorms.

Last year, Beijing said it expected fewer and weaker sandstorms to hit northern China due to the reforestation efforts.

Meanwhile, meteorologists said more storms can be expected across northern China on Tuesday.

Myanmar enters fourth month under junta with bomb blasts, flash mobs

Issued on: 01/05/2021 -

Handout photo taken and released by Dawei Watch on May 1, 2021 shows protesters at a demonstration against the military coup in Dawei. © Dawei Watch, AFP

Text by:FRANCE 24


Protesters against military rule marched in Myanmar on Saturday three months after a coup ended a democratic transition, with several small blasts rocking the commercial capital, Yangon.

The country has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, bringing an abrupt end to Myanmar's short-lived experiment with democracy.

The power grab triggered a massive uprising that authorities have tried to quell with lethal force and live ammunition.

As Myanmar entered its fourth month under military rule on Saturday, protesters in the commercial hub Yangon, an epicentre of unrest with a heavy security presence, staged flash demonstrations, marching rapidly through the streets to avoid confrontation with police and soldiers.

The lightning-quick pace of the protests is "so that people will have time to disappear when the security forces come, or else they would die or get arrested", said student activist Min Han Htet.

In Yangon's Insein township, a bomb blast went off around 10am near a local school, said a resident staying nearby.

"Some security forces came to check the blast area, but I only watched from a distance from my home because I was worried they would arrest me," he told AFP.

By afternoon, two more blasts went off in Yankin, further south, according to residents of the leafy residential township.

"I thought it was thunder," a resident told AFP, adding that the explosions left the security forces nervous.

The state-run evening news said a woman was wounded in the Yankin blasts, which it blamed on "instigators".

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the bombings that are taking place with increasing frequency in Yangon.





'They made people live in fear'

The former capital has been completely transformed since the junta seized power on February 1, with barricades erected in key protest hotspots, security forces on patrol, and residents reporting nighttime arrests of suspected dissidents.

"They (the junta) have made people live in fear and it is good to have them on edge as well," the Yankin resident said.

He also praised the flash protesters for their ingenuity in evading arrest and crackdowns.

"Any show of defiance without getting captured or killed is great for the resistance."

Across the country, nearly 760 civilians have been killed in the anti-coup unrest, according to a local monitoring group, though the junta has recorded a far lower death toll.

But the democracy movement remains undeterred, with demonstrators gathering Saturday in central Monywa city – a flashpoint for violence – carrying signs that said "Monywa cannot be ruled".

In southern Dawei, protesters waved the signature red flags of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party, and carried signs that said "We want democracy".

Wanted posters of junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing were also pasted around town, calling him a "power addict".

He has continuously justified the putsch as necessary to protect democracy, alleging fraud in November's election that Suu Kyi's party won in a landslide.

UN calls for return to democracy

The UN Security Council on Friday again demanded the restoration of democracy in Myanmar and the release of all detainees including Suu Kyi, and strongly backed calls by Southeast Asian nations for an immediate cessation of violence and talks as a first step toward a solution following the military coup.

The council’s press statement followed a briefing by the top UN envoy that the strong, united demand for democracy by the people of Myanmar who have been protesting since the coup has created “unexpected difficulties” for military leaders in consolidating power and risks bringing the administration of the nation to a standstill.

Christine Schraner Burgener said in remarks to the closed council meeting obtained by the Associated Press that her discussions in the region “compounded” her concern that the situation in Myanmar is deteriorating in all areas.

She pointed to a resurgence of fighting in ethnic areas, more poor people losing jobs, civil servants refusing to work to protest the coup and a brewing crisis of families in and around the main city Yangon “pushed to the edge” for food, going into debt and trying to survive.

Rebels fighting

The unceasing violence against protesters has drawn the ire of some of Myanmar's myriad ethnic armies, many of which have been battling the military for decades in border regions.

Several have condemned the military and come out in support of the anti-junta movement, offering shelter to fleeing activists in the territory they control.

Clashes between the military and the Karen National Union (KNU), one of the leading rebel groups, have escalated since the coup.

The KNU have seized and razed military posts and the junta has responded with repeated air strikes in the rebels' Karen state heartland – the latest taking place right after midnight Saturday.

The targeted area is right next to Thailand's northern Mae Hong Son province, and displaced residents have fled across the Salween river, which demarcates the border.

"Myanmar soldiers used a fighter aircraft to launch an air strike operation, firing two rockets and artilleries" around 12.48am, said a statement released by Mae Hong Son's governor Sithichai Jindaluang.

He added that more than 2,300 Myanmar nationals have crossed into Thailand.

Media and local Karen aid groups were blocked from access to the refugees, with authorities citing the spread of Covid-19 as a reason – stopping to check the temperatures of locals returning home.

Violence has also flared in Myanmar's northern Kachin state between the Kachin Independence Army and the military, which launched air strikes in Momauk township Friday.

Saturday saw fresh artillery shelling hit two small towns, according to a humanitarian worker, who said residents were fearful about the fighting getting closer.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)

Thousands rally against Myanmar junta, calling for 'spring revolution'


Issued on: 02/05/2021 -

Anti-coup protesters in Myanmar marched again despite a bloody crackdown by the military junta Handout KACHINWAVES/AFP

Yangon (AFP)

Thousands of anti-coup protesters marched in Myanmar Sunday, calling for a "spring revolution" with the country in its fourth month under a military regime.

Cities, rural areas, remote mountainous regions and even Myanmar's rebel-controlled border territories have been in uproar since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup.

The junta has aimed to suppress dissent through a brutal crackdown that has seen mass arrests and an escalating death toll.

Demonstrations kicked off early in commercial hub Yangon as activists called for a show of force and a "spring revolution".

Youths gathered on a street corner before marching swiftly down the streets in a flash mob -- dispersing soon after to avoid clashing with authorities.

"To get democracy is our course!" they chanted, waving a three-finger salute of resistance.

"To bring down the military dictatorship is our course!"

Central Mandalay region saw hundreds take the streets led by monks in saffron-coloured robes, carrying the flag of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy.

In northern Shan state, youths carried a banner that read: "We cannot be ruled at all."

By 10 am, violence erupted in the state's Hsipaw township, when security forces cracked down on protesters there, killing at least one.

"He was shot in the head and died immediately," said one protester, who said he rushed to hide his friend's body in case authorities tried to take it away.

"They are asking for his dead body, but we will not give them... We will have his funeral today," he told AFP.

By midday, local media reported that security forces were chasing protesters down and arresting them.

"They are arresting every young person they see," a source in Yangon told AFP, adding that he was hiding at the moment.

"Now I am trapped."

Bomb blasts also went off across different parts of the city in the morning.

The explosions have been happening with increasing frequency in the former capital, and authorities have blamed it on "instigators".

So far, security forces have killed 759 civilians, according to the local monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

The junta -- which has labelled AAPP as an unlawful organisation -- says 258 protesters have been killed, along with 17 policemen and seven soldiers.

Myanmar's media under pressure from all sides

 World Press Freedom Day on May 3.

The Burmese military regime has routinely arrested journalists and banned independent media. But reporters continue to work underground — under pressure from the ruling junta, but also from the opposition.



Myanmar's independent media outlets have been banned or have gone underground

Myanmar's military government, which overthrew the elected government on February 1, continues to violently crack down on protesters and the opposition movement. At the same time, it has also been trying to gain control over information.

Step by step, authorities have restricted access to social media and the internet. On February 4, Facebook, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp were blocked, followed the day after by Twitter and Instagram. Blocking Facebook was a crucial move: about half of the country's residents used the social media giant as their main news source.

The military has also imposed nationwide internet blockades since February 15, which have regularly lasted from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. Mobile internet has been shut down since March 15, with only broadband connections providing access to the internet. For a few days now, the nightly shutdown has no longer applied to these connections. But the move worked: large parts of the population now receive their news almost exclusively from sources permitted by the military.

State media holds a monopoly

In addition to cutting off online communication, the state television station MRTV has been brought into line. The broadcaster now regularly shows photos of activists and demonstrators, naming them as alleged enemies of the state. Military broadcaster Myawaddy TV recently announced that for the first time in 30 years, 19 people had been sentenced to death for killing a soldier. And the state-owned newspaper The Global New Light of Myanmar has reported in detail the military's legal and moral obligations for ousting the elected government.

Watch video 02:45 A Burmese protester speaks out

Meanwhile, independent or private media outlets such as Mizzima, Democratic Voice of Burma, Khit Thit Media, Myanmar Now, 7Day News and others have been banned. Most have retreated to parts of the country controlled by ethnic minorities and their troops, such as Karen state on the border with Thailand. From there, they continue to publish their views against the military government.

Journalists are in hiding

According to Human Rights Watch, some 48 journalists are currently in detention; 23 others were detained but have since been released. Most have been accused of violating a new section of the penal code which criminalizes the dissemination of "statements, rumors or reports" that can lead to fear among the population and may incite people to "attack the state and public order" or to lead to "attacks between different classes and communities."

DW spoke with several journalists, who cannot be named for security reasons. They have not slept in their homes for weeks, and fear being arrested during nightly searches by the military — as was the case with Kaung Myat Hlaing of the Democratic Voice of Burma. The journalist from the southern coastal town of Myeik livestreamed police shooting near his apartment as they detained him in a crackdown on March 1. He remains in custody.

Watch video 01:26 Protesters find sanctuary with rebel groups

"I'm doing well, so far," one journalist told DW, who has moved from place to place living with other reporters. "But the nights have their terrors." As soon as the barking of stray dogs or the banging of pots by neighbors announce that the military is moving into the neighborhood, they instantly turn off their computers and lights in the hope staying hidden.

"We talk a lot about work. It's easier to bear the situation in a group," one said. "But many journalist friends have left the military-controlled areas and taken off to support the underground or exile media."

Underground media forced self-censor

But it's not just the military putting pressure on the media. Most local media reporting from the underground cannot afford to take a neutral position on the situation without incurring the wrath of the protesters. For example: Instead of using the military government's self-imposed name, "State Administrative Council," they write "State Terrorist Council." People are not "arrested" by the security forces, but "kidnapped."

"It's no longer possible to write a report or analysis without making a clear commitment to the revolution or the military," one journalist told DW. The problem, he said, is that now many journalists no longer write what is happening, but what people want to hear.

Watch video03:42 Journalist recounts escape to Thailand

Basically, he said, almost all local media outlets have an agenda: instead of journalism, it's about activism. "I have decided to stop writing anything for the time being, because every statement is misinterpreted," he said.

As a result of this polarization, only supporters of the military or supporters of the revolution get a chance to speak. But there are also people in Myanmar who, while not friends of the military, also don't want a revolution. They fear the complete collapse of the state and years of chaos.

One university official told DW that he hoped the situation would soon stabilize, and that banks would reopen and it would finally be possible to go back to work. Even if that stabilization meant stopping the protests against the military.

This article has been translated from German

Cuban artist hospitalized on Day 8 of hunger strike



Issued on: 02/05/2021 - 

A picture of Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara on the sixth day of his hunger strike, provided by Cuban poet and activist Katherine Bisquet - Katherine Bisquet/AFP

Havana (AFP)

A Cuban dissident artist was taken to hospital Sunday, health officials in Havana said, on the eighth day of a hunger strike to protest against authorities seizing his art.

Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, 33, is the leader of the San Isidro protest movement (MSI) of artists and intellectuals pressing for free speech and other rights in the communist nation.

The Cuban government accuses Otero Alcantara and other members of the movement of political revolt funded by the United States.




The Havana public health department said Sunday the artist had been taken to the emergency unit of the General Calixto Garcia university hospital in the capital with symptoms of "voluntary starvation".

Several of Otero Alcantara's works were seized when he was arrested earlier this month during a protest action.

After being released, he was re-arrested several times for trying to leave his home, which has been surrounded by police, and once for handing out candy to children as part of an artistic performance the government said was a political provocation.

Police denied access to two priests and others wishing to visit Otero Alcantara at home during his hunger strike. His internet was cut off.

"Luis Manuel can no longer stay upright, his skin and mouth is parched, he does not urinate or speak. He has an inflamed throat," fellow MSI member Amaury Pacheco, a poet, said on Twitter Saturday.

On Saturday night, police arrived at Otero Alcantara's house to try and stop the strike, without success, according to an MSI tweet.

Hours earlier, Julie Chung, acting assistant secretary for the US State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, had urged the Cuban government on Twitter "to take immediate steps to protect his life and health."

A 2009 study found people can survive without food and drink for between eight and 21 days, or up to two months if they take fluids without eating.

S.Africa to ban breeding lions in captivity for hunting


Issued on: 02/05/2021 -

The practice of hunting lions raised in captivity has long been controversial in South Africa, where a large number of animals are confined to pens ringed with electric fences BRETT ELOFF AFP/File

Pretoria (AFP)

South Africa on Sunday revealed plans to ban the breeding of lions in captivity for trophy hunting or for tourists to pet, in a bid to promote a more "authentic" experience.

The decision was reached following recommendations contained in a study by a special government-appointed panel into the controversial practice.

The panel was studying the management and rules governing the hunting, trade and keeping in captivity of lions, elephants, rhino and leopards.

Environment Minister Barbara Creecy told a news conference that the report said "we must halt and reverse the domestication of lions through captive breeding and keeping."

"We don't want captive breeding, captive hunting, captive (cubs) petting, captive use of lions," the minister said.

The decision, which is yet to be formulated into policy, is likely to set the government on a collision course with the powerful multi-million-dollar lion captive breeding industry.

The minister cautioned that the recommendations were not aimed at stifling the hunting industry.

"Legal regulated hunting of the iconic species under the regulatory environment will continue to be permitted, we are not banning legal regulated permitted hunting," she said.

Creecy added that the report was advising that action be "taken immediately to stop tourists' interaction with captive lions, including cub petting".

The practice of hunting lions raised in captivity has long been controversial in South Africa, where a large number of animals are confined to pens ringed with electric fences.

Campaigns to ban the importation of captive-bred lion trophies have in recent years gathered steam in the United States, Australia and several countries in Europe.

The minister said that the tourism industry was susceptible to negative perceptions that influence where tourists choose to visit.

"The intention here is to ensure that those who are interested in... authentic wildlife hunting" will have such an experience and "will not be hunting animals that have been taken out of the cage," she said.

Match delayed as Man Utd fans storm Old Trafford in anti-Glazer protest

Issued on: 02/05/2021 - 18:22

Manchester United fans called for the club's American owners, the Glazer family, to sell the club ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash with Liverpool Oli SCARFF AFP


Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP)

Kick-off in Sunday's Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool was delayed after fans invaded Old Trafford as part of a protest against United's owners, the Glazer family.

Hundreds of fans managed to make their way into the ground and onto the pitch, chanting "we want Glazers out."

Large numbers of supporters had also gathered outside the stadium, on the day Manchester City could be crowned Premier League champions if United lose.


The match had been due to start at 1630 local time (1530GMT), but the Premier League confirmed the game has been delayed until further notice.

Police have cleared the area around the ground in a bid make the stadium safe for the arrival of both teams.

Anger towards the Glazers has been reignited by United's part in a failed European Super League (ESL) project, that collapsed within 48 hours last month due to a backlash from fans, players, governments and governing bodies.

United and Liverpool were reportedly two of the leading drivers behind the project that sought to guarantee top level European football for 15 founder members every season without the need to qualify on the pitch.

In a rare public statement, United co-chairman Joel Glazer apologised to fans last month for signing up to the ESL.

"You made very clear your opposition to the European Super League, and we have listened. We got it wrong, and we want to show that we can put things right," he said.

"Although the wounds are raw and I understand that it will take time for the scars to heal, I am personally committed to rebuilding trust with our fans and learning from the message you delivered with such conviction."

United fans also breached security at their club's training ground in the days after the ESL proposals were made public to protest against the Glazers.

The Americans have owned United since a controversial leveraged takeover in 2005 saddled the club with hundreds of millions of pounds worth of debt.

As the English giants have paid off huge interest payments, amounting to over £800 million ($1.1 billion) in the last 16 years, the Glazers have still regularly drawn out millions in dividends from their shares.

United fans wore green and gold colours to matches early in the Glazers' reign, the colours of Newton Heath, the club founded in 1878 that eventually became Manchester United 24 years later, as a sign of protest.

Green and gold scarves and flares were back at Old Trafford on Sunday, while there were a number of banners aimed at the Glazers.

United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has already announced he would be leaving his role by the end of the year amid the fallout from the failed ESL project.

"There's huge discontent, not just across Manchester United fans, but I think for football fans up and down the country and I think they are just saying enough is enough," former United captain Gary Neville told Sky Sports.

"The Glazer family have been resilient and stubborn for many, many years. I think they are struggling to meet the financial demands that this club needs and have done for some time."

© 2021 AFP

Man United game postponed after fans storm stadium in protest

Issued on: 02/05/2021 - 19:04

Fans protest against Manchester United's owners, outside English Premier League club Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium in Manchester on May 2, 2021. 

AFP - OLI SCARFF

Text by: NEWS WIRES

Manchester United's Premier League game against Liverpool was postponed on Sunday after supporters stormed into the stadium and onto the pitch as thousands of fans gathered outside Old Trafford to demand the Glazer family ownership sells the club.

Long-running anger against the American owners has boiled over after they were part of the failed attempt to take United into a European Super League.

United and Liverpool players were unable to travel to the stadium.

“Following discussion between the police, the Premier League, Trafford Council and the clubs, our match against Liverpool has been postponed due to safety and security considerations around the protest today,” United said in a statement. "Discussions will now take place with the Premier League on a revised date for the fixture.

"Our fans are passionate about Manchester United, and we completely acknowledge the right to free expression and peaceful protest. However, we regret the disruption to the team and actions which put other fans, staff, and the police in danger. We thank the police for their support and will assist them in any subsequent investigations.

The Glazers, who also own the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have declined to engage with fans since buying United in 2005 in a leveraged takeover that loaded debt onto the club.

“Get out of our club,” fans chanted as flares were set off. “We want Glazers out.”

Fans are currently unable to attend games due to the pandemic but they found a way into the stadium. They also climbed onto vantage points next to turnstile entrances

Supporters wore green-and-gold scarves and also set off flares in the colors of the club’s 1878 formation. More than 100 fans got inside the stadium and some could be seen from windows waving down to protesters. Corner flags were held aloft and one supporter was seen throwing a tripod from the interview zone.

Police on horseback later cleared protesting fans from outside the stadium, with glass bottles being thrown in brief clashes. Some fans moved back to a main road near the stadium with police forming a line to stop them returning.

If United had lost the planned game, Manchester City would have won the Premier League title. United is the record 20-time English champion but hasn’t lifted the trophy since 2013.

United and Liverpool were among six Premier League clubs that tried to form an exclusive European Super League along with three clubs each from Spain and Italy. Widespread opposition quickly ended the project, with all six English teams backing out within 48 hours of the announcement.

The “Big 6” clubs have been in damage control since, offering various forms of apologies and statements of regret, while fans long frustrated with billionaire owners have called for wholesale changes.

(AP)


Neville backs Man Utd fans after protests forces Liverpool postponement

Issued on: 02/05/2021 - 

Supporters protest against Manchester United's owners inside Old Trafford

 Oli SCARFF AFP

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP)

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville backed the angry fans whose dramatic protest against the Glazer family forced the postponement of Sunday's game against Liverpool.

Hundreds of United supporters gathered outside Old Trafford hours before the scheduled 1530 GMT kick-off to show their disgust at the club's United States-based owners.

Around 200 forced their way into the stadium by battling past stewards and safety barrier.

They ran onto the pitch, let off flares, damaged sections of the pitch and waved anti-Glazer banners.

The ugly scenes were eventually quelled inside the stadium, but riot police, with some on horses, were needed to push the hostile crowds away from Old Trafford after bottles and other missiles were thrown.

The Glazers were already disliked after presiding over a decline in United's fortunes in recent years after their controversial takeover in 2005.

It was their leading role in the recent failed European Super League plot that reignited United fans' fury.

Neville, an outspoken critic of the Glazers and the Super League, was quick to support the protesters for taking a stand.

"The reason why those fans came today is because they have had enough," Neville told Sky Sports.

"I think it's a warning to the owners of the football club that the fans aren't going to accept what they have done.

"If there has been disturbance then I don't think that's acceptable. But the reality is the game has been called off and the fans have spoken.

"It's not going to go away because they don't trust the owners of the club and they don't like them. They think they should leave.

"Ultimately the ball is in the owners court on what they do next. The fans have been powerful. They have stood up for what's right."

- 'This is just the start' -

Neville's former Manchester United captain Roy Keane believes the protesters are so tired of the Glazers that they are sure to cause more problems in the future.

"United fans have had enough. They're doing this because they love the club. It's not just the last few weeks and the Super League, it's been building for years. They've thought enough is enough," said.

"This has been the build-up of the last few years. The leadership of the club hasn't been good enough.

"When they look at the owners they think it's all about making money. I believe the United fans are doing this because they love the cub.

"People might not agree but sometimes you have to put a marker down for people to notice. This will go all over the world. Hopefully the owners see the fans are deadly serious.

"There's more to come, this is just the start from Man Utd fans, I guarantee you."

There was a mood of celebration among fans outside Old Trafford when the game was postponed and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher refused to condemn the protests.

"Do we want fans storming stadiums left right and centre and getting games called off? No we don't," he said.

"But I'm not going to sit here and criticise Man Utd fans. I think it's a good thing, protesting not being happy at what's happened at the club."

Man Utd fans storm Old Trafford, Arsenal cruise at Newcastle
Issued on: 02/05/2021 - 17:06

Supporters protest against Manchester United's owners, inside Old Trafford Oli SCARFF AFP

London (AFP)

Manchester United's clash against Liverpool was delayed after fans stormed Old Trafford in protest at the club's owners on Sunday, while Arsenal kept Newcastle waiting to confirm their Premier League safety with a 2-0 win at St James Park.

Manchester City will be crowned English champions for the third time in four seasons if second placed United lose to Liverpool.

But Pep Guardiola's side saw their hopes of a title party put on hold for a while at least after concerning scenes several hours before kick-off at Old Trafford.

Around 200 United fans managed to get onto the pitch in protest at the club's owners.

The Glazer family, already disliked by many United supporters, were widely criticised for their leading role in the failed breakaway European Super League.

A small group of United supporters got into the club's training ground to protest against the Glazers last week, but this was a much more significant incident.

The protestors pushed down security barriers outside Old Trafford and ran onto the pitch.

Fans waved anti-Glazer banners and set off green and yellow flares -- the colours of United's Newton Heath founders.

One flare was fired towards a television commentary gantry and small sections of the turf were damaged before order was finally restored.

Both United and Liverpool's players were in their team hotels when the breach occurred.

When another group of around 30 demonstrators got into the stadium via a different route, there were growing concerns that the match would have to be postponed for safety reasons.

As hundreds more protested outside Old Trafford, the Premier League confirmed the scheduled 1530 GMT kick-off would be delayed.

Arsenal won for the first time in four games in all competitions thanks to Mohamed Elneny's first Premier League goal and a superb strike from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Fourth bottom Newcastle remain nine points clear of the relegation zone with four games left.

Amid growing calls for his dismissal after one of Arsenal's worst seasons in decades, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta knows the only way to silence the critics is to qualify for next season's Champions League by winning the Europa League.

Arteta admits he is prioritising the Europa League, so it was no surprise that only Martin Odegaard, Dani Ceballos and Granit Xhaka kept their places in the team beaten 2-1 by Villarreal in the semi-final first leg on Thursday.

Next Thursday's second leg at the Emirates Stadium has already been billed by Arteta as the "crucial moment" in Arsenal's season, but he hoped an encouraging display against Newcastle would provide the ideal preparation.

Arsenal rose to the challenge and were ahead after just six minutes when Hector Bellerin ran onto David Luiz's long pass and cut his cross back to Aubameyang.

Aubameyang miscued his attempted shot but the ball ran to Egypt midfielder Elneny just inside the Newcastle area and he smashed a fine strike past Martin Dubravka from the edge of the area.

Arsenal threatened a second when Granit Xhaka's thumping effort was pushed away by Dubravka.

Having scored his maiden top-flight goal, Elneny had a taste for another and his powerful header was cleared off the line by Miguel Almiron.

Arsenal's 13 shots were their most in the first half of a Premier League game since 2018.

Aubameyang killed off Newcastle in the 66th minute with his first goal in seven games.

The Gabon forward has endured a poor season but he showed his class when he met Gabriel Martinelli's cross with a superb flying volley from six yards.

Newcastle had Fabian Schar sent off in the 90th minute for a late challenge on Martinelli.

Tottenham host Sheffield United in the day's late game.

© 2021 AFP

Napoleon's Mideast campaign still contentious, two centuries on

Many Egyptians today see the episode as "the first imperialist aggression of the modern age against the Muslim Orient"

Issued on: 02/05/2021

The Rosetta Stone, discovered by French troops and housed today at the British Museum, unlocked the study of ancient Egypt Amir MAKAR AFP/File

Cairo (AFP)

Napoleon Bonaparte's bloody campaign in Egypt and Palestine, which marked the start of modern European colonialism in the Middle East, remains contentious two centuries after the French emperor's death.

The Corsican general set sail eastwards with 300 ships in 1798, aiming to conquer Egypt and block a crucial route between Britain and its colonial territories in India.

It was an occupation that was to leave thousands dead in Egypt and Palestine.

But Bonaparte also brought some 160 scholars and engineers, who produced mountains of research that would play a key role in transforming Egypt into a modern state.

For Egyptian writer Mohamed Salmawy, speaking ahead of the May 5 bicentenary of Napoleon's death, the venture was a mix of "fire and light".

"It was a military campaign, for sure, and Egyptians put up resistance to French forces. But it was also the start of an era of intellectual progress," he said.

The "Description de l'Egypte" resulting from the mission was an encyclopaedic account of Egypt's society, history, fauna and flora.

French troops' discovery of the Rosetta Stone also allowed hieroglyphs to be deciphered for the first time, opening up the field of Egyptology.

Ruler Mohamed Ali drew heavily on Napoleonic research as he built the modern Egyptian state, says French-Egyptian writer Robert Sole.

But Arab nationalist Gamal Abdel Nasser, who helped topple Mohamed Ali's dynasty in 1952, used the episode to promote an anti-colonial national identity.

For historian Al-Hussein Hassan Hammad, at Cairo's Al-Azhar University, Napoleon's scientists were, like his troops, on an imperial mission "to serve the French presence in Egypt... and exploit its wealth."

- Repression -

When Bonaparte's fleet anchored in 1798 close to Alexandria, he ordered soldiers to daub walls with the message: "Egyptians, you will be told that I am coming to destroy your religion: it is a lie, do not believe it!"

But his claims of religious tolerance soon gave way to repression after he toppled the centuries-old Mamluk dynasty in July 1798.

When Egyptians revolted against their occupiers that October, French troops brutally crushed the uprising.

They killed thousands and even bombed the Al-Azhar mosque, a key authority for Sunni Muslims worldwide.

Many Egyptians today see the episode as "the first imperialist aggression of the modern age against the Muslim Orient", Sole said.

That sentiment is echoed in the neighbouring Gaza Strip.

Napoleon seized the ancient port city with little resistance in February 1799, having marched through the Sinai desert after British admiral Horatio Nelson destroyed his fleet.

"He is a small man who has caused great chaos in this region," said Ghassan Wisha, head of history at the Islamic University of Gaza.

"Napoleon came here not only with soldiers but also with scientists and agricultural specialists. But he used science to justify the occupation. He lied."

- 'Dark, negative image' -

Rashad al-Madani, a retired Gaza history lecturer, said the city had been "a centre for honey, oil and agriculture, and a strategic point between Asia and Europe".

Napoleon wrote that Gaza's hills, covered with "forests of olive trees", reminded him of Languedoc in southern France.

Two centuries on, those groves have given way to a forest of concrete.

Gaza is home to two million Palestinians, many of them refugees, ruled by Islamist movement Hamas and strangled by an Israeli blockade.

Madani would remind his students of Napoleon's massacre of some 3,000 people in the port town of Jaffa further up the coast.

"The French occupation was worse than that of Israel," he said.

Small reminders of Napoleon remain in Gaza.

The Qasr al-Basha, the Pasha's Palace where the emperor-to-be reportedly stayed, still stands.

It is a modest sandstone edifice surrounded by scruffy concrete buildings and electric wires.

The palace, first built in the 13th century, had long born Napoleon's name.

But tellingly, after Islamist movement Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007, it changed the name.

The palace has become a museum, and the first-floor bedroom where the general stayed, unfurnished today, is filled with Byzantine artefacts.

"The population of Gaza today has a dark, negative image of all military campaigns, including that of Napoleon," said Wisha.

- 'Still sensitive' -

It was in Acre, a sleepy port town further north, that Palestinians found a local hero in the struggle against Napoleon.

Ahmad al-Jazzar is still admired by many for holding out for two months against a crushing French siege.

"In our history books, Ahmad al-Jazzar is seen as a strong character, a hero," said Madani.

But Jazzar -- Arabic for "butcher" -- was also "a cruel being, an aggressor," he said.

"Many students didn't like it when I told them that."

And the Arab leader's French rival sparks similar strong reactions.

Marianne Khoury, the executive producer of Egyptian Youssef Chahine's film Adieu Bonaparte, said Napoleon's campaign was still "excessively controversial".

For many in France, the 1985 film was "unacceptable", she said.

"How could Chahine as an Arab director dare to talk about Bonaparte?"

Some Egyptians, for their part, recognise the scientific progress the French invasion brought.

"But the same time, there is the colonial aspect, which is still sensitive, and many Egyptians don't accept it," she said.

© 2021 AFP

SPACE RACE 2.5
Egos clash in Bezos and Musk space race


Issued on: 02/05/2021 - 

The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour as it approached the International Space Station after launching from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 24, 2021 Handout NASA/AFP

Paris (AFP)

Even the Milky Way seems too small to keep the egos of tech billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk from colliding as they vie to conquer space.

Musk aimed low with a recent tweet saying "can't get it up (to orbit)" in response to a post about Bezos-founded space company Blue Origin protesting NASA's choice of Musk's SpaceX team to build a module that will land the next US astronauts on the moon.

"This is more than just a battle for space," said Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives. "There is some ego at play as well; this has become even more personal."


The tech entrepreneurs have each channeled some of their vast fortunes into private space exploration companies since early this century.

Bezos, 57, is founder of Blue Origin as well as of e-commerce colossus Amazon. Forbes ranks him the richest person on this planet, worth some $202 billion.

Musk, the colorful 49-year-old founder of Tesla and SpaceX as well as other companies, including one working to mesh human brains with computers, is in third place with a worth of $173 billion, according to the ranking.

- Satellite networks -

Dreams of private companies taking to the stars -- instead of leaving such wonders to governments -- have developed into projects to deploy networks of satellites providing wireless internet service and for space tourism.

While SpaceX and Blue Origin have the benefit of founders with ample financial resources, they also compete for contracts with US military or space agencies.

Musk has a clear lead over Bezos.

SpaceX has deployed hundreds of satellites into orbit, while a Kuiper satellite network remains Earth-bound despite Bezos pledging $10 billion in backing.

Musk even formed an alliance with Microsoft, which is Amazon's biggest rival in the cloud computing market, to use its Azure platform to provide satellite-powered internet service, the companies announced late last year.

Microsoft said it will also work with SpaceX on a government contract to build satellites as part of a defense system capable of detecting and tracking ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles.

Separately, the US Department of Defense last year awarded a $10 billion "JEDI" cloud computing contract to Microsoft instead of Amazon.

Amazon has alleged it was shut out of the deal because of a vendetta against the company and Bezos by former US president Donald Trump.

- Rocket to riches? -

NASA has developed confidence in SpaceX, which has been trusted to shuttle supplies and astronauts to the International Space Station, according to Foundation for Strategic Research space specialist Xavier Pasco.

Blue Origin, in contrast, hasn't made that "important step," Pasco noted.

Bezos has been left to challenge SpaceX in court here on planet Earth.

He announced early this year that he is stepping down as chief executive of Amazon and planned to spend more time on other projects including Blue Origin.

Bezos has cited the futuristic vision of late physicist and space advocate Gerard O'Neill, but has mocked Musk's talk of colonizing Mars.

Bezos has made it clear he thinks the red planet is not a spot for a home.

"Who want to move to Mars?" Bezos said at a conference in 2019.

"Do me a favor, go live on the top of Mount Everest for a year first, and see if you like it -- because it’s a garden paradise compared to Mars."

The rivalry between Bezos and Musk comes with out-of-this-world financial stakes.

Analyst Ives predicted that the "monetization" of space would launch in earnest soon, with trillions of dollars to be made.

"Bezos and Musk know that the winner of the space battle will be crowned within the next one or two years," Ives said.

© 2021 AFP

 At a Toronto hospital staff exhausted, angry

Issued on: 02/05/2021 - 

Nurse Farial Faquiry holds her head as colleagues care for patients suffering from Covid-19 at Humber River Hospital's Intensive Care Unit in Toronto, Canada Cole Burston AFP

Toronto (Canada) (AFP)

Intensive care nurse Farial Faquiry says the health care system in Canada's Ontario province is nearing the breaking point as it fights a fast-moving new wave of Covid-19 infections.

The 29-year-old caregiver at Toronto's Humber River Hospital is looking after two patients in their 60s who are on ventilators.

"We're overwhelmed," Faquiry told AFP, conveying the feelings of her peers who often say they feel powerless against a tidal wave of new cases, and angry at times -- especially with the Ontario government's arguably slow response and with Ontarians who do not following public health orders to contain the coronavirus.

"We're stretched thin. We're tired and exhausted. Just exhausted."

Ontario is now the epicenter of the outbreak in Canada, led by more virulent variants. The latest surge in the number of cases was so big that authorities this week despatched the military and the Red Cross to help care for critical patients.

"It's the worst wave I've ever seen," says head nurse Kimisha Marshall. "We have younger patients coming in, sicker and lots more patients coming in."

"We're short of nurses. We had some nurses that left, but also we have nurses that are getting sick, too," she adds.

At the week's end, there were more than 2,200 people hospitalized with Covid-19 in the province of 14 million. Nearly 900 patients were listed in critical condition.

Medical staff have been redeployed from other wards to the ICU to lend a hand, and transferring patients to facilities in less affected areas has alleviated some of the pressure on this Toronto hospital.

But more than a year after the World Health Organization declared a pandemic, "the team is tired," comments Raman Rai, head of the intensive care unit where a few children's drawings thanking caregivers hang on the walls, bringing a glimmer of cheer.

At times overcome by a deep sadness, Rai says: "You see people who have not only lost a loved one, but who have lost several members of their family. It is very hard."

More than 60 percent of patients in Humber River Hospital's intensive care unit on Wednesday were being treated for Covid-19. In one of the rooms, relatives and a priest gathered around a patient's bed, praying.

- Backlash over government response -

Every day, several more patients must be placed on ventilators. On Wednesday, a 52-year-old man with low blood oxygen levels was intubated by a team of four caregivers fully dressed in protective gowns, gloves, masks and visors.

"He was so scared, he could barely breathe," recounts Melody Baril, who performed the intubation.

"You try and give them a little bit of hope," she says, "but the death rate is so high, once you get to this point."

More than 8,000 people in Ontario have died from Covid-19, representing one-third of the nationwide pandemic death toll. The number of cases in the province has risen to over 450,000, or almost 40 percent of the total in Canada.

After peaking in mid-April, the number of new daily infections has fallen slightly over the past 10 days and a vaccine rollout is accelerating. But the number of patients in intensive care continues to rise.

Fearing the crisis will persist, some caregivers say they are angry with Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government -- which has faced a storm of criticisms over its pandemic response of late -- but also against a segment of the population that has stubbornly resisted following public health restrictions.

"I feel frustrated," says nurse Sarah Banani. "I think perhaps things could have been shut down harder and faster as we saw the variants take hold within the population."

"I think we all feel we have been let down a little bit by society," comments physician Jamie Spiegelman, adding that many health care providers "feel powerless to change things."

"When I go outside and see traffic, people in a shopping center not taking the necessary precautions, that's a letdown," he says.

"We're sick of patients with Covid-19 dying."

© 2021 AFP