Researchers discover three supermassive black holes merging together in nearby universe

This rare occurrence in our nearby Universe indicates that small merging groups are ideal laboratories to detect multiple supermassive black holes.

By IFP Bureau | Updated on: Aug. 27, 2021,

(Representational Image: Unsplash)

Supermassive black holes from three galaxies have been found merging together to form a triple active galactic nucleus, a compact region at the centre of a newly discovered galaxy that has a much-higher-than-normal luminosity, Indian scientists said.

This rare occurrence in our nearby Universe discovered by Indian researchers indicates that small merging groups are ideal laboratories to detect multiple accreting supermassive black holes and increases the possibility of detecting such rare occurrences, the Union Science and Technology Ministry said in a release.

Supermassive black holes are difficult to detect because they do not emit any light. But they can reveal their presence by interacting with their surroundings, the release stated. It stated that when the dust and gas from the surroundings fall onto a super massive black hole, some of the mass is swallowed by the black hole, but some of it is converted into energy and emitted as electromagnetic radiation that makes the black hole appear very luminous. They are called active galactic nuclei (AGN) and release huge amounts of ionized particles and energy into the galaxy and its environment. Both of these ultimately contribute to the growth of the medium around the galaxy and ultimately the evolution of the galaxy itself.

The ministry stated that a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics consisting of Jyoti Yadav, Mousumi Das, and Sudhanshu Barway along with Francoise Combes of College de France, Chaire Galaxies et Cosmologie, Paris, while studying a known interacting galaxy pair, NGC7733, and NGC7734, detected unusual emissions from the centre of NGC7734 and a large, bright clump along the northern arm of NGC7733. Their investigations showed that the clump is moving with a different velocity compared to the galaxy NGC7733 itself. The scientists meant that this clump was not a part of NGC7733; rather, it was a small separate galaxy behind the arm. They named this galaxy NGC7733N.

This study, published as a letter in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, used data from the Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) onboard the first Indian space observatory ASTROSAT, the European integral field optical telescope called MUSE mounted on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile and infrared images from the optical telescope (IRSF) in South Africa, the ministry stated.

The UV and H-alpha images also supported the presence of the third galaxy by revealing star formation along with the tidal tails, which could have formed from the merger of NGC7733N with the larger galaxy. Each of the galaxies hosts an active super massive black hole in their nucleus and hence forms a very rare triple AGN system, the scientists said.

According to the researchers, a major factor impacting galaxy evolution is galaxy interactions, which happen when galaxies move close by each other and exert tremendous gravitational forces on each other. During such galaxy interactions, the respective supermassive black holes can get near each other. The dual black holes start consuming gas from their surroundings and become dual AGN.

The IIA team explains that if two galaxies collide, their black hole will also come closer by transferring the kinetic energy to the surrounding gas. The distance between the blackholes decreases with time until the separation is around a parsec (3.26 light-years). The two black holes are then unable to lose any further kinetic energy in order to get even closer and merge. This is known as the final parsec problem. The presence of a third black hole can solve this problem. The dual merging blackholes can transfer their energy to the third blackhole and merge with each other.

Many AGN pairs have been detected in the past, but triple AGN are extremely rare, and only a handful has been detected before using X-ray observations. However, the IIA team expects such triple AGN systems to be more common in small merging groups of galaxies. Although this study focuses only on one system, results suggest that small merging groups are ideal laboratories to detect multiple supermassive black holes, the researchers said.

SHE HAS A CASTLE NEAR BY
Queen Elizabeth II will attend UN climate change talks in Glasgow

By Angela Dewan, CNN
Updated Fri August 27, 2021


British Queen Elizabeth II giving a speech to open parliament on May 11, 2021.

London (CNN)Britain's Queen Elizabeth II will attend a pivotal United Nations climate change conference Glasgow this fall, organizers said in a tweet Friday, giving a royal boost to the event.

The United Kingdom is hosting global leaders for the nearly two weeks of talks in the Scottish city from October 31 to November 12.

The talks, known as COP26, will come on the heels of the G20 meeting in Rome and is expected to draw many of the group's leaders to open the negotiations.
The Queen attended G7 talks in Cornwall earlier this year, where climate was discussed.


The British government, which is organizing the talks, has insisted that COP26 will go ahead despite the challenges of international travel brought by the pandemic. COP26 would be one of the biggest in-person international events since the pandemic began.
The event is happening against the backdrop of a series of extreme weather events across the Northern Hemisphere, including heatwaves and wildfires in parts of North America, southern Europe and North Africa, as well as floods in China and Western Europe.

It also follows the release of a state-of-the-science report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which found that global warming has happened more quickly than they previously understood and that the human influence on climate is "unequivocal."

COP26 President Alok Sharma has set out a loose agenda for the talks, focused on getting leaders to commit to limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels to stave off worsening impacts of the climate crisis.

There will also be a focus on putting an end date on the use of coal, and boosting wealthy nations' payments to the global south to assist countries as they adapt to the climate crisis and prepare for a net zero future, in which the world will emit no more greenhouse gases than it removes.

Tesco seeks to bypass union in Booker lorry drivers dispute

The end of days must be approaching ... a government representative has (anonymously) sided with the Unite union and told companies to whack up the wages of lorry drivers


Another day, another tale of food shortages in the UK, this time featuring lorry drivers working for Tesco PLC (LSE:TSCO)’s cash-and-carry business, Booker.

A dispute between the Unite union, which represents heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers, and Booker has been rumbling on for days and the two parties are still at loggerheads.

In the latest exchange of fire, Unite accused Booker of trying to hoodwink its lorry drivers on pay by bypassing the union and putting a proposal directly to staff.

Unite says the terms of the offer are “far below the settlement that Unite negotiated for its drivers based at Booker’s depot in Hemel Hempstead in July”.

“Booker’s ham-fisted decision to attempt to cut Unite out of negotiations has made a bad situation worse,” claimed Unite regional officer, Paul Travers.

“Our drivers are not going to be hoodwinked into accepting a deal which is lower than what they have already been offered.

“The offer of a bonus in both December and March has more strings than an orchestra and our members already believe that most will never receive this payment,” Travers said.

If the union calls its members out on strike it could lead to food shortages in Londis and Budgen outlets - retailers both served by Booker.

A spokesperson for Booker said the national shortage of HGV drivers has created some distribution challenges that the company is doing its best to overcome.

“We continue to work with our suppliers, our colleagues at our distribution centres and Unite to manage the issue,” the spokesperson said.

A number of retail chiefs have called on the government to change the rules in an attempt to lure back lorry drivers who have stopped working in the UK since it left the European Union but the Bloomberg news agency reports that the government has no plans to change tack.

One person in government who spoke to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity said there was frustration at the attitude of road haulage associations, who needed to stop blaming Brexit and simply stump up more money to encourage more people to change careers and become lorry drivers, although in many cases this would require them to gain an HGV licence.

The retail trade has responded that an influx of new lorry drivers would take time to train and that with this being the time of year when the major retailers start shifting stuff about in preparation for the Christmas rush, a more immediate solution to the shortage of lorry drivers needs to be found.

Tesco PLC seeks to bypass union in Booker lorry drivers dispute (proactiveinvestors.co.uk)

TOXIC CHEMICAL FIRES

Pakistan: Chemical factory fire kills trapped workers

A massive blaze broke out at a multi-story chemical factory in Pakistan's financial hub Karachi, killing many workers who were trapped inside the building.



The multi-story factory building is located in the congested Mehran Town neighborhood

A fire at a chemical factory in the southern city of Karachi killed at least 16 people on Friday, Pakistani authorities said.

Local media footage showed thick smoke billowing out from the factory while firefighters tried to put out the flames.

The multi-story factory building is located in the congested Mehran Town neighborhood in the eastern part of the city.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire.


Many factory workers died after being trapped inside the building and couldn't find a way out, say authorities
Fire accidents not uncommon in Pakistan

Most windows of the factory were blocked, fire officials said. Many factory workers died after being trapped inside the building and couldn't find a way out.

"The factory had only one entry point, which was also being used as exit, and the roof exit was blocked, which badly hampered rescue efforts," Mubeen Ahmed, chief fire officer of the fire department, told local TV channel Geo.

Murtaza Wahab, a spokesman for the provincial government, told reporters that the firefighters had almost extinguished the blaze. He said an investigation into the cause of the accident was ongoing.

This is not the first such accident in Pakistan, where many factories operate without putting in place proper fire safety measures.

In September 2012, over 260 workers lost their lives in a fire accident at a textile manufacturing unit in what became the deadliest industrial blaze in the nation's history.


One person unaccounted for in Leamington Spa industrial estate fire

The area’s MP said the industrial estate blaze ‘may involve chemicals’

By Tom Ambrose@tomambrose89

One person is missing and homes were evacuated following a series of explosions and a huge fire in Leamington Spa on Friday.

A black plume of smoke could be seen billowing above the Leeson Polyurethanes factory in Juno Drive, for miles.

Locals were said to have vomited as a result of chemicals in the air, according to a report in The Sun.

Staff working at the town’s Rosalind Franklin Covid “mega-testing” lab next-door to Leeson Polyurethanes were also rushed to safety as a “precautionary measure”.PA

The major blaze devastated a large warehouse on the industrial estate, causing black polystyrene to rain down on the streets below.

The air ambulance is at the scene but there have been no injuries reported so far.

Anyone living within 70 metres of the site are being urged to keep windows and doors closed.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it has two paramedic officers and a Hazardous Area Response Team at the scene.

Police said road closures are in place around the industrial unit.

PA

There were reports of explosions so strong that it caused windows to rattle, while others said there were “strong chemical-like smells” and the sky “is dark with smoke and ash”.

Leamington Spa resident Stephen Morris, 48, told The Sun: “I've never seen anything like it in my life.

“We were in the garden earlier and heard what sounded like a bomb go off.

“It was like a loud pop. The next thing you know, there's a massive cloud of black smoke rising into the sky.

“It was like something from that film Independence Day. It's just lingering over the entire town now and I've never known so much police and fire activity here. They must have sent every appliance they have to it.

PA

“I heard that people were getting sick as the smoke is toxic.”

One witness added: “Drove past and people have their heads in their hand and being sick. Air ambulance just arrived. Grim.”

Matt Western, the local MP, said that the fire and fumes may “involve chemicals” from the nearby plastics businesses.

He tweeted: “Massive fire on Tachbrook Industrial Estate.

“Extremely serious. Hearing it may involve chemicals from plastics business unit. Please close windows and stay indoors. Will update as I hear more.”

Public Health West Midlands have advised local residents to limit their time outdoors in the area as smoke and ash fill the air.

COVID and military coup cripple Myanmar economy

Myanmar — one of the poorest countries in Asia — is nearing economic collapse. The country has been hit hard by a devastating cash shortage since the coup and COVID-19 pandemic.


Myanmar's economy and banking system have been paralyzed since the military's power-grab in February

Zaw Min (name changed to protect his identity) is a construction worker in his 30s from the Yangon suburb of Hlaing TharYar in Myanmar. He recounts how he sold his second-hand motorcycle for 150,000 kyat ($91, €77.50) in September out of financial desperation.

Min was forced to find new ways to feed his family when he couldn't find work in his profession amid Myanmar's battle with COVID-19.

"I did not have a job for quite a while. So, I had to sell my motorcycle. I had no choice," Min told DW.

The pandemic, coupled with Myanmar's military coup in February, hit the economy hard.

Min began to do any odd jobs that were available to make ends meet. He says that since the coup, it's become even more difficult to find work due to new security measures and the worsening political situation.

His regular customers have relocated for security reasons while others are no longer in contact because of COVID-19.

"I cannot find work. My customers have moved to other places. Others do not want to hire me anymore," he told DW.

Like many people in the country, Min does not have a bank account.
Economic down spiral

The World Bank has warned that Myanmar is at risk of economic turmoil. In the Myanmar Economic Monitor released on July 26, the global financial institution stated that the country's economy is expected to contract around 18% in the 2021 fiscal year, meaning Myanmar's economy will be about 30% smaller than it would have been in the absence of COVID and the coup.

A survey on business firms in Myanmar released by the World Bank at the end of August found that the impact of the military coup was more detrimental than that of COVID-19.

Myanmar's military government says it's also facing economic difficulties. Vice Senior General Soe Win, also vice-chair of the country's financial commission, urged ministries in a meeting on Tuesday to spend frugally, state news agencies reported.

The military general cited various economic losses due to COVID-19 and warned that Myanmar might continue to face income losses in the coming months.

On August 10, military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing had warned about trade and budget deficits in a governmental meeting, according to state media reports.

Businessman Aung Myaing (name changed) says Myanmar must now buy essential items such as cooking oil and gasoline "from outside."

"We cannot export much these days. That is why the dollar is in high demand and becoming sky high," he told DW, warning about the weakening Myanmar kyat currency and burgeoning trade deficit. The kyat has dropped approximately 30% in value since the coup.

"It's very difficult to run a business these days," he added.

Khin Maung Naing (name changed), a factory owner in his late 30s, tells DW that "business is slow." His small factory manufactures plastic containers for businesses.

"The exchange rate is changing every day and raw material prices change with it…Our customers are facing economic difficulties. So, we don't know how to price our products," he said, adding that cash shortage is also a problem.
Cash shortages

Since the military takeover, the Southeast Asian country has been crippled by a cash shortage. Banks have placed caps on ATM cash withdrawals and introduced token systems to restrict the number of customers making counter transactions.

The central bank restricted the withdrawal of Myanmar kyat to 20 million for companies and 2 million kyat for individuals. More amounts of cash can be withdrawn for buying COVID-related medicines and medical equipment.

Since the coup, people have been seen queuing outside bank branches. People are desperately trying to find cash through various means.

"I have no idea how we can get out of this mess," lamented factory owner Khin Maung Naing about the economic crisis.

How Nazi-era artists adapted to the postwar period

A new historical exhibition in Berlin explores the postwar career of the artists listed as crucial to Nazi culture.


Sculptor Adolf Wamper didn't change his style for this 1953 memorial to coal miners in Gelsenkirchen


The Nazis used arts and culture as propaganda tools. Their definition of acceptable art was very narrow, and one that promoted their racist ideology. Many artists were banned from working or persecuted; a great number of them fled into exile.

But on the other hand, the work of certain artists was deemed to be of extremely high value to the regime. Even in the final phase of World War II, a select few of artists were declared to be "indispensable" to Nazi culture, exempting them from military duty and work assignments.

Memorial to the victims of war and tyranny: bronze sculpture by Hans Breker alias Hans van Breek (1964)

This list of artists was compiled in 1944 by Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels on behalf of Adolf Hitler.

The Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum, DHM) in Berlin uses this list of the "Divinely Gifted" as a starting point for its latest exhibition on the artists favored by the Nazi regime.

"Their visual contribution to the Nazi ideology was immense," said DHM President Raphael Gross at a press conference in Berlin, adding that despite their Nazi ties, these artists were actually able to continue their careers after 1945.

As curator and art historian Wolfgang Braun pointed out, the widespread belief that the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany also was a new beginning for cultural policy is a myth that needs to be revised.

Previously sponsored by the Nazis: Richard Scheibe's 1953 memorial for the victims of the 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler
Propaganda as an instrument

The exhibition "'Divinely Gifted': National Socialism's favored artists in the Federal Republic" focuses on the list's 378 visual artists, all of them male. Additionally, as it also included architects, musicians, actors, filmmakers, novelists or playwrights, the list highlighted a total of around 1,000 people.

Hitler's preferred sculptor, Arno Breker, and his 'Athena' of 1957 — a popular Nazi motif

The show explicitly looks into the work of these artists after World War II. In the young Federal Republic of Germany, they kept obtaining commissions from the state, corporations and the Church; they became professors at art academies and took part in competitions.
Some cases particularly flagrant

For example, sculptor Willy Meller, who had not only made different sculptures for the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, but also numerous reliefs of imperial eagles during the Nazi era, was also commissioned in 1952 to make a federal eagle for the Palais Schaumburg in Bonn, the then official residence of the Federal Chancellor. Meller even sculpted a work for the Oberhausen Memorial Hall for the victims of National Socialism, which opened in 1962.

Hans Breker, the brother of Hitler's favorite sculptor, Arno Breker, was commissioned to create a Karl Marx bust in Moscow and a memorial for the victims of the Nazi tyranny in the West German city of Wesel.

Despite criticism, Nuremberg Meistersingerhalle's 'Die Frau Musica' by Hermann Kaspar

The exhibition therefore exposes how these artists adapted to different political systems and how postwar Germany avoided looking into their ties with the Nazis.

Around 300 sculptures, paintings, tapestries, models, drawings, photographs, film and audio documents, as well as posters and media reports show how networks continued to exist after the war, and how the "Divinely Gifted" artists promoted each other until the 1970s, for example through commissions — without facing any public criticism or open debate.

The exhibition "Divinely Gifted': National Socialism's favored artists in the Federal Republic" can be viewed from August 27 through December 5, 2021 at the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin.

INTERVIEW
Afghan activist says Ashraf Ghani and Joe Biden caused misery and chaos

After negotiating with the Taliban in Doha for the past 11 months, prominent Afghan women's rights activist Fatima Gailani says ousted President Ashraf Ghani is a "national traitor."


Fatima Gailani has been involved in Afghan politics for more than 40 years


Few people have such an insight into the politics and conflicts of Afghanistan: Fatima Gailani was one of only four women engaged in peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar's capital Doha for the past 11 months. After Kabul fell to the militant Islamists on August 15, those efforts now seem like a distant past.

The former president of the Afghan Red Crescent Society holds a master's degree in Islamic studies and jurisprudence from The Muslim College in London. She hails from an influential religious family. Her father was one of the Afghan mujahideen leaders who fought against the Soviet occupation of the 1980s.

After the Taliban regime was overthrown by the US-led intervention in late 2001, Fatima Gailani became a constitutional commissioner and helped to write the new constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

But after the Taliban marched into Kabul and assumed power, that Afghanistan and its constitution have effectively ceased to exist.In an exclusive interview with DW from Doha, she was still trying to come to terms with recent events.

The interview was conducted shortly before a massive suicide attack killed more than 100 people outside Kabul airport on August 26.

DW: How are you feeling right now?

Fatima Gailani: I'm still totally shocked because we were so close. We were really so close to having an orderly transfer of power. And then Mr. Ghani ruined everything to rescue his money. His sudden departure caused what you see today.

There are lots of rumors out there. But is there actually any proof that Ashraf Ghani and his close associates, like the former national security adviser, Hamdullah Mohib, really took coffers of dollars with them?

You tell me! It has to be investigated. But why would they leave in such a hurry when they had an assurance that the Taliban would not enter Kabul for two weeks? The only thing I want to get across here is that this traitor should not get away scot-free.

Is it really fair to put all the blame on Ghani alone?

Look, no one can put all the blame on just one person. There are chains of blame for what has happened in Afghanistan during the past four decades of war and violence. But this last chaotic situation, this collapse, was definitely his fault. He betrayed his country. He betrayed people very close to him. He could have waited. He could have left the country in an orderly way — and transfer of power would have happened. What he did was a total disgrace.

The first step was that he put a lot of obstacles in front of these talks right from the start because of his ego and the world that he had created for himself. And then, of course, came this fantastic act of running away. There is only one credit now that I could give to him — for his Oscar-worthy acting that he will stay until the last minute. Everybody around him believed him.

Fatima Gailani calls ousted Afghan president Ashraf Ghani a "national traitor"

You obviously believed him, too.

Yes, I was here in Doha, and step by step we were informed about the list of the delegation coming to Doha for an orderly transition of power with [former High Council for National Reconciliation leader] Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and ex-President Hamid Karzai and all the other leaders. The plan was that security would be guaranteed for this transfer of power and that the international community would witness it.

The most important thing for all of us in the negotiation team at this stage was only one point: The Taliban have taken Afghanistan. This is a fact. So how can we secure a peaceful transfer of power that would also guarantee a lasting peace for the future? We wanted things to move forward smoothly. But then he (Ghani) had run away.

The Doha talks never really achieved anything of substance. Wasn't it all just one gigantic fig leaf in the first place?

That I will never know. But if I'd had only a little doubt that this was not a genuine thing, I would not have lent my name to this Doha process, I wouldn't have. Whatever I tried to do politically for Afghanistan in the past 43 years, I put my honor first. If you honor your own name, you honor your country and you honor your people.

I believed in the Doha talks. And by that I'm not saying the Taliban were not difficult. They were difficult. And now I know that they knew that they were making gains. But on our side, we were very sincere for peace. I have no doubt whatsoever.

Where do you go from here? Will you return to Kabul?

Yes, I will return to Kabul. You know that I am recovering from cancer. I haven't seen my oncologist since January 13. That was the last time. So, now I will just go to London to see my oncologist and maybe rest for a few weeks, because I am terribly exhausted. Just so exhausted. But then I will return back home where my husband is and where my two brothers are.

The Taliban are now in control of Afghanistan but haven't yet established a government

What kind of Afghanistan will you return to?

It is absolutely up to the Taliban first and then it's up to the international community. The Taliban will have to put the people of Afghanistan first to secure peace. And how to secure peace? It is by a genuine, inclusive government.

In order to have an inclusive government, witnessed by the international community, its formation should happen somewhere outside Afghanistan so that everyone could come and witness it and believe it and seal it. Otherwise, if the embassies don't open again, people will starve. If the assurance of the international community is not there, people will starve. And starved people could do anything out of desperation.

I really, really don't want to see the Taliban patrolling in armored cars and Daesh [Arabic word for IS used in Afghanistan] putting bombs in the streets. Because who will be dying? Ordinary, innocent civilians in the streets of Kabul! I don't want to see that. We really need to forget about who is the winner and who is the loser. All we should care about today is the people of Afghanistan.

Thousands had flocked to Kabul airport to try and flee Afghanistan. On August 26, two explosions killed more than a 100 people.

You have had close contact with the elite of the Taliban in Doha for close to 11 months. Can they be trusted? They do speak a lot about inclusiveness and amnesty, but at the same time, we get credible reports about atrocities like targeted killings and executions. Words don't seem to match deeds.

Well, in order to have law and order for Afghanistan we need to have a government that the people of Afghanistan can trust. It is the trust of the Afghan people which will put cold water on the fire which is burning today in Afghanistan.

When the people of Afghanistan genuinely trust something, then changes will come. Then people will calm down and people will give support to the system. We have to accept that the Taliban won militarily. But all of us together will have to bring peace now. One side alone cannot win the peace.

Look, we toppled a regime. The ex-Soviet Union. But did it bring peace for Afghanistan? No, because it was one sided. And then came [the Afghanistan Conference in] Bonn in Germany in December 2001. We all got together. But the Taliban were not included. Did we win peace? Not at all. Why are we going to repeat this once again? We have seen it. So now let's do the right thing.

Will there be space for a vocal woman like you in a future Afghanistan?

Look, women in Afghanistan cannot be ignored. We, the women of Afghanistan, we know that we are Afghan, and that we are Muslims. We know our limits. But we also know our liberties. Afghanistan cannot go forward without its women.

I want to be there for my people, but I have no political ambitions. I've given up on that a long time ago. But I will never give up my fight for the rights of women and minorities. And this is a promise.

Fatima Gailani thinks US President Joe Biden acted recklessly in Afghanistan

What would you say to Taliban deputy leader Mullah Baradar right now?

I will say exactly what I told him face to face in Doha: the future of Afghanistan has to include all of us. Men and women. All languages, all ethnic groups. All the sects in Islam. Our Hindus and our Sikhs. If we want to claim a real Islamic country, then it has to be the country our prophet told us to build, and not one that we are interpreting in our own language.

And what would you say to Joe Biden?

I would say: Mr. President, what you did to Afghanistan was very, very reckless. As much as we blame Ashraf Ghani, and I openly call him a national traitor, I would also tell Biden that this is not the way that a superpower should behave like.

And I want you to please publish this: I didn't want any foreign soldiers to stay in Afghanistan. What I wanted was: peace first. So first secure peace, and then go wherever you want go. When we talked about foreign forces leaving orderly, we didn't mean that we wanted NATO's soldiers to stay for the rest of their lives. No!

You made a contract with the Taliban in Doha, and a political settlement was part of it. But where is this political settlement? Where is it?

Editorial note: The interview was condensed and edited for clarity.

SLAP ON THE WRIST

Austria's former far-right vice chancellor convicted of corruption
Issued on: 27/08/2021 -

The former Austrian vice chancellor was given a 15-month suspended jail sentence. 

© Lisa Leutner, AP

Text by: NEWS WIRES
3 min

A Vienna court convicted the former leader of Austria's far-right Heinz-Christian Strache of a corruption charge on Friday in a case stemming from a 2019 scandal known as "Ibizagate".

Strache, one of Europe's most high-profile former far-right leaders, was given a 15-month suspended jail sentence.

The Ibizagate scandal led to Strache resigning as vice-chancellor and head of the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe).

The affair brought down the coalition between the FPOe and the centre-right People's Party (OeVP) of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and triggered fresh elections in the Alpine EU member.

The scandal broke when video footage emerged of Strache promising public contracts to a woman posing as a Russian oligarch's niece in exchange for support for the FPOe's 2017 election campaign.

The video, which was secretly filmed on the Spanish resort island of Ibiza, led to a sprawling investigation by anti-corruption prosecutors who turned up several other allegations of wrongdoing against Strache and other prominent politicians.

Acquitted on second charge

In the current trial the 52-year-old Strache was found guilty of helping change a law to help an FPOe donor friend of his to secure public funding for his private hospital.

Strache's co-accused Walter Grubmueller, a long-standing friend and owner of a private health clinic, was also found guilty and given a 12-month suspended sentence.

Judge Claudia Moravec-Loidolt said Strache had been acquitted of a second charge of receiving favours in the form of a trip to the Greek island of Corfu at Grubmueller's invitation.

Strache had protested his innocence throughout the trial.

Prosecutor Bernhard Weratschnig said in his closing argument that holders of public office should remain above even the perception of corruption and that the "advantages" Strache received were "indisputable".

"Every euro is one euro too many," he said.

According to an SMS exchange uncovered by prosecutors, Strache had asked Grubmueller which amendments to legislation would be needed in order for Grubmueller's clinic "to finally be treated in a fair manner".

During Strache's time in government, the law was amended to enable clinics like that of Grubmueller to receive money from the public health insurance fund.

Strache has also been accused of embezzling party funds to pay for his luxurious lifestyle during the 14 years he headed the FPOe, though he has not been charged over this.

Kurz returned to the chancellorship after the scandal, this time at the head of a coalition between his OeVP and the Greens, and has thus far managed to avoid any serious political damage from "Ibizagate".

The OeVP was even able to gain many disaffected FPOe voters in 2019 polls.

But in May, prosecutors announced they were investigating the 35-year-old on suspicion of giving false testimony to a committee of lawmakers probing "Ibizagate" and other graft allegations.

Kurz has denied the allegation and has insisted he will not bow to pressure to resign, even if formally charged.

Party infighting

The FPOe's vote share crashed from 26 percent in 2017 to just 16 percent in 2019.

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The party has spent much of the time since the scandal consumed by infighting.

In June, Strache's successor as leader, Norbert Hofer, resigned after weeks of tension with party colleague and former interior minister Herbert Kickl.

Kickl, seen as a party ideologue and mastermind of some of its anti-Islam and anti-migrant campaigns, took over as leader.

Meanwhile, Strache attempted a political comeback last year with a bid to be Vienna's mayor, but his list won just three percent of the vote in municipal elections.

(AFP)

Austria finds former vice chancellor guilty of corruption

Heinz-Christian Strache is also the former chair of the far-right Freedom Party. The court found that a €10,000 donation to his party helped swing the law in favor of a private clinic.



Strache was caught up in the so-called Ibiza affair, a 2019 scandal that brought down the governing coalition that included his far-right party

Austria's former vice chancellor and far-right politician Heinz-Christian Strache was found guilty of corruption and received a suspended 15-month jail sentence on Friday over a donation to his populist Freedom Party (FPÖ).

The trial is the first criminal case against Strache in the "Ibiza affair," where he was secretly filmed offering to help a woman posing as a wealthy Russian donor in return for political favors.

What was the court's ruling?

Strache was found guilty of corruption and given a 15-month suspended sentence.

He faced trial alongside Walter Grubmüller, the owner of a private clinic, who made an illegal €10,000 donation to the party.

Prosecutors argued that the donation was an attempt to buy a change in the law in order to allow the clinic's operator to charge medical treatment costs directly to the Austrian public health insurance fund.

The clinic got access to the funds in 2018.

Strache had testified that he believed the clinic was being treated unfairly by the state and that the party donations had nothing to do with the matter.

The judge ruled that the donation influenced a change in the law, alongside private perks in favor of the clinic.

Grubmüller was also found guilty and received a year's suspended jail sentence.

Both sentences can be appealed.

Also examined were alleged trips made by Strache to the Greek island of Corfu at the invitation of Grubmüller, who is a longtime friend.

Strache has denied traveling to the island after he became vice-chancellor.

The trial was an outgrowth of the sprawling investigation into the FPÖ's financing that was prompted by the Ibiza affair.

Who is Heinz-Christian Strache?

Heinz-Christian Strache is a far-right politician and former head of the populist Freedom Party.

He was also Austrian vice chancellor from December 2017 until May 2019, under a coalition with the conservatives.

The coalition collapsed due to a secret video scandal known as the "Ibiza Affair."
What was the Ibiza affair?

The scandal broke when video footage emerged of Strache promising public contracts to a woman posing as a Russian oligarch's niece in exchange for support for the FPÖ's 2017 election campaign.

The video, which was secretly filmed on the Spanish resort island of Ibiza, brought down the coalition between the FPÖ and the center-right People's Party of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and triggered fresh elections.

It also led to an investigation by anti-corruption prosecutors who turned up several other allegations of wrongdoing against Strache and other prominent politicians.

mm/rt (dpa, Reuters)

POSTMODERN STALINISM REAL CANCEL CULTURE

Actress hit with $46 mn tax fine as China targets celebrity culture

Issued on: 27/08/2021 -

Zheng Shuang became a household name in China after starring in the hit 2009 remake of Taiwanese drama 'Meteor Shower', and a string of successful series and movies AARON TAM AFP/File

Beijing (AFP)

Top Chinese actress Zheng Shuang was hit with a $46 million tax evasion fine Friday while references to film star Zhao Wei were wiped from video streaming sites as Beijing steps up its campaign against celebrity culture.

Beijing is on a mission to rein in what it calls "chaotic fan culture" and celebrity excess, after a spate of scandals in recent months that have taken down China's biggest entertainers including singer Kris Wu, who was arrested on suspicion of rape earlier this month.

Shanghai tax authorities on Friday fined Zheng 299 million yuan ($46.1 million) for tax evasion and undeclared income between 2019 and 2020 while filming a TV series, according to an online statement.

Zheng, 30, became a household name in China after starring in the hit 2009 remake of Taiwanese drama "Meteor Shower", and a string of successful series and movies afterwards.

China's state broadcasting regulator also pulled Zheng's offending TV drama and ordered producers not to hire her for future shows.

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television added it had "zero tolerance" for tax evasion, "sky-high pay" and "yin-yang contracts", referring to the shady contracts commonly used in Chinese showbiz to obscure actors' real pay.

State media has gone into overdrive urging changes to China's entertainment culture.

"For some time now, artists' moral failures and legal violations, the cultivation of younger idols, and 'chaotic' fandoms have attracted widespread attention in society," state broadcaster CCTV said Tuesday.

References to popular film star Zhao Wei (pictured at her French vineyard) have been censored from major Chinese video streaming sites

 Nicolas TUCAT AFP/File

"We must restore a clean and upright literary and artistic environment to the public."

On Thursday evening, search results for Zhao, an enormously popular actress also known as Vicky Zhao, were censored from major Chinese video streaming sites.

Her name was suddenly removed from the credits of major TV series, while a forum dedicated to the actress on social media platform Weibo was also mysteriously shut down, as the hashtag "Zhao Wei super-topic closed" gained 850 million views.

No official reason was given.

But Zhao and her husband were banned from trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange earlier this year, owing to a failed 2016 takeover bid that authorities ruled had "disrupted market order".

China's cyber regulator released new regulations Friday that ban celebrity ranking lists and tighten control over "chaotic" celebrity fan clubs and management agencies.

Video streaming site iQiyi said it halted all idol talent programmes Thursday, while a Chinese boy band made up of primary school children disbanded earlier this week after performers' ages sparked a public backlash.

© 2021 AFP

Decrepit Ankara theme park tells tale of Turkey's turmoil

Issued on: 27/08/2021 - 

The abandoned Wonderland Eurasia park is a symbol of waste by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party 

Adem LTAN AFP

Ankara (AFP)

The decaying dinosaur toys outside the abandoned theme park tell the tale of grand ambition, waste and troubles facing the long-ruling party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The problems started early for "Wonderland Eurasia", meant to be Europe's largest amusement venue and billed by Erdogan as "a symbol of pride" at its opening in Ankara in March 2019.

Two days after the inauguration, a rollercoaster broke down, forcing people to scramble down to safety.

Public restrooms were a mess, some rides stood unfinished, and areas remained off-limits despite a reported $801 million spent on building Turkey's version of Disneyland.

The park closed less than a year after it opened when the operator struggled to pay staff wages and electricity bills since there were not enough customers.

For Erdogan's critics, the park is one of the biggest symbols of waste by mayors from his ruling AK Party, in power for two decades and facing a general election no later than 2023.

Such was the level of anger, some of Turkey's biggest cities -- including Ankara and Istanbul -- voted for mayors from opposition parties in 2019.

The theme park closed less than a year after it opened 

Adem ALTAN AFP

"Ankara's urgent need was not a Disneyland. It was transport," said Tezcan Karakus Candan, who heads the Chamber of Architects' Ankara branch, pointing out that the capital already has a large amusement park.

"This was a project of extravagance."

- 'Adolescent whim'-

The city is now suing the operator in an attempt to win back control and try to do something constructive with the land.

An Ankara court will rule on the request on September 13.

The park itself stands eerily quiet, its broken toys and ride parts collecting dust and rotting at a waste site a few kilometres (miles) away.

Yet its problems appear never-ending, with the city reporting at least 21 attempts to steal its cables in the last three months alone.

Erdogan hailed the Wonderland Eurasia theme park as "a symbol of pride" at its opening in March 2019 

Adem ALTAN AFP

Ankara's popular current mayor, Mansur Yavas, seen as a possible presidential challenger to Erdogan, claims the park cost $801 million.

The former mayor, Melih Gokcek, puts the price tag at $500 million.

But Gokcek is also blamed for many other hated Ankara projects he oversaw between 1994 and 2017, when he was ousted by Erdogan.

The park was a bizarre idea even before construction started, planned for a city not known for tourism. Gokcek claimed it would bring in 10 million people a year.

Ankara welcomed 4.9 million domestic and international visitors in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic hit.

In stark contrast, Istanbul, famous for its Ottoman mosques, Byzantine-era buildings and sunsets on the Bosphorus, hosted nearly 15 million tourists in 2019.

Guven Arif Sargin, a professor in the architecture department at Ankara's Middle East Technical University, called the idea of trying to make the city attractive to tourists an "adolescent whim".

- Ataturk's legacy -

The deep dislike of Gokcek and his tenure as mayor, despite five electoral victories, led to the opposition easily winning his office in March 2019.

"Melih Gokcek is a symbol of how AKP local administrations betray cities, how they ran a process of plunder and a network of relations," said Candan.

"We shouldn't look at Gokcek alone."

The Chamber of Architects tried to use the courts to stop construction, arguing it unlawfully transformed a natural protected area into a place of business.

The ex-mayor countered with a legal complaint against Candan and four other heads of professional chambers in which he accused them of slander, she told AFP.

The legal wrangles continue to this day.

But for many, Gokcek's gravest crime was not the waste of a failed vanity project, but his destruction of the land it stood on -- the Ataturk Forest Farm.

For many, the gravest crime was the destruction of the land the theme park stood on -- the Ataturk Forest Farm

 Adem ALTAN AFP

Gokcek's fiercest critics view his amusement park as an attempt by Erdogan's Islamic-rooted party to erase the secular legacy of modern Turkey's revered founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Ataturk envisioned the farming area in 1925 as the place where the capital's residents would meet their future agricultural needs.

The area where "Wonderland Eurasia" stands once had a zoo open to the public. Erdogan also built a 1,150-room presidential palace worth more than $600 million on part of the land.

Sargin said the "priority" was to turn the park and its equipment into "public property again".

But Candan wants the area to fulfil Ataturk's legacy, calling for "radical" action.

"Give the (park's) toys away to regions that may need them, seek compensation from Melih Gokcek for the money spent, use that money to reforest the area," Candan said.

Ankara is trying to win back control and try to do something constructive with the land Adem ALTAN AFP

"With such decisions, it can return to its original state."