Stuck in a neocolonialist past: Is the migration brain drain an outdated concept?

The movement of highly skilled labor from developing countries to richer ones is largely seen as a negative trend. But voluntary migration is nuanced and complex.

Specialists leaving their home countries leave a gap — but it's far more complex than that

There is only one cancer treatment center in all of Zambia, a country of nearly 20 million people. So for many there a cancer diagnosis also means racking up costs in travel to and from the Cancer Diseases Hospital in the capital Lusaka. That's where my former schoolmate Dorothy Lombe worked as a radiation oncologist until summer 2021 when she left her job for a position in New Zealand.

"I'm not sure that my particular skill set would have been utilized anyway," she tells me in a video call, "and that was one of my biggest drivers to move."

"It wasn't really to move away, but it was more to do what I love, which is radiation oncology," she adds.

It's the first time we are speaking in years, but I have been seeing Dorothy's updates on social media. Her studies in medicine and oncology took her to Russia, South Africa and Canada. Unlike me and a few other schoolmates who left Zambia for university abroad, she has been back to work there. But it wasn't easy, she tells me.

There were only three radiation therapy machines for the whole country, and only one was functioning. She was seeing as many as 60 patients a day.

Dorothy wanted to change that by launching Zambia's first private cancer treatment center to help ease the burden on the public hospital. But she couldn't follow through. Despite Zambia's glaring need for more cancer treatment facilities, Dorothy could get neither the funds nor the support she needed.

Migration brain drain: a 'neocolonialist flavor?'

Setting up a radiotherapy center in a country like Zambia requires an investment of around $6 million (€6 million), according to the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation. The return on investment would have taken years, so Dorothy's idea wasn't convincing enough for investors. That contributed to her decision to leave Zambia.

Dorothy's work in Zambia went beyond oncology, she had to help patients 

deal with socioeconomic problems

While the cancer burden is growing in lower- and middle-income economies, there were only 664 oncologists practicing in these countries in 2018. It wouldn't be unusual to conclude that Dorothy should have remained in Zambia. Her departure led to the loss of a much needed health care worker. 

But skilled workers shouldn't be forced to stay, says economist and poverty researcher Johannes Haushofer.

"Wanting someone to stay where they are, even though they might want to migrate, is quite patronizing," he says. "This worry about brain drain has a neocolonialist flavor to it ... to want to keep people trapped in the places where they are, whether or not they want to leave."

Haushofer is the founder of Malengo, a charity that facilitates international education migration from Uganda to Germany. The organization funds the first year of study at German universities for high-achieving low-income Ugandan students, who agree to pay back that money through an income share program upon graduation.

While the initiative aims to foster education for the students it neither expects nor encourages them to return to their home country.

"Migration may not just be good for the person who migrates but also for the people who stay behind," Haushofer says.

Emigration creates opportunities beyond remittances

Remittances are often touted as the direct benefit for the families and countries of migrants. The Ugandan students sponsored by Malengo send an average of $165 a month back to their families, and that amount could rise with their earnings.

Skilled-worker migration can also encourage more investment in human capital, according to economist Haushofer. It shows others that studying can pay off and provide a path to professional development.

The Philippines is a good example when it comes to training nurses. Filipino migrants account for 4% of registered nurses in the US alone.

Zambia, where Dorothy and I went to school, has also been training more nurses as a result of the so-called brain drain of its health professionals — many of whom have gone to South Africa and the UK. Today, the southern African country is churning out more nursing graduates than can be employed by both Zambia's public and private sectors.

More than 20,000 registered nurses were unemployed, according to one figure cited in a BBC radio document earlier this year. In March, the government pledged to hire more than 11,000 health workers. Still, the numbers clearly show that a Zambian nurse who leaves the country potentially creates an opportunity for someone else.

However, it's worth noting that those who leave also tend to be more educated and experienced. It's often professionals with a specialty. Individuals like Dorothy who have skills they can't always use in the country.

Beyond a desire for a better salary and working conditions, they look for opportunities abroad where they can better thrive and grow in their professions. And that can be a good thing for their country. 

The 'brain drain' return?

Working in another country doesn't necessarily prevent emigrants from contributing to their countries' economies beyond remittances.

"I'm definitely still involved in the Zambian health care system as far as I can be," Dorothy tells me, "I'm very happy to mentor upcoming Zambians who are interested in research."

And she's already done that in the past. While on a medical fellowship in Canada, she helped organize a trip for her Zambian peers to get exposure to radiation oncology there. And Dorothy still wants to return to Zambia to work one day. So she believes she will one day use the skills she is gaining in New Zealand, especially if she can set up a cancer treatment center in Zambia.

That doesn't come as a surprise to Haushofer.

"Many of the ones who migrate do it with a view towards coming back," the economist tells me.

"And the training that they get abroad is often high quality training that then benefits the home country," he adds. 

Return migration, remittances and membership in global networks that enable trade, capital flows and knowledge diffusion to their countries are just some of the many benefits that skilled migrants can have for their countries, according to the World Bank.

So while an expert's departure may very well create a gap, especially in the health sector, there are many other obvious benefits for the home countries of professionals who move abroad.

Digital transformation is also helping increase their potential to play a role in those economies. Remote work is also increasingly creating more opportunities for emigrants to contribute to their home country. And it also enables someone like Dorothy to mentor health professionals in Zambia or to link up with others, including diasporan Africans like myself.

While brain drain is conventionally understood to involve creation of a gap, some believe the term no longer describes the reality of voluntary migration. Critics of the term say new terminology is needed that reflects the complexity and nuance of the movement of skilled labor between countries.

Eritrea launches 'full-scale offensive,' say Tigrayan forces in Ethiopia

Eritrea is bordered by Ethiopia to the south, where Tigrayan forces have been locked in conflict with government forces since 2020.

The offensive is occurring along the border of the two countries

An advisor to the President of Tigray said Tuesday that Eritrea has launched a "full-scale offensive" along its border with northern Ethiopia.

"Eritrean forces have launched full scale offensive in all fronts today," Getachew Reda said on Twitter.

"Eritrea is deploying its entire army, as well as reservists. Our forces are heroically defending their positions."

Tuesday's development would mark an escalation in a war-torn region. Millions have been displaced amid a humanitarian disaster across northern Ethiopia.

US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Mike Hammer on Tuesday confirmed and condemned Eritrea's troop movement into Ethiopia's Tigray region.

"We have been tracking Eritrean troops' movement across the border ... and we condemn it."

Hammer made the comments after a trip to Ethiopia to help facilitate African Union-led peace talks between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces, saying, "All external foreign actors should respect Ethiopia's
territorial integrity and avoid fueling the conflict."

Conflict in Tigray 

Eritrean forces fought on the side of Ethiopian federal troops in Tigray when war broke out in the region in November 2020. Eritrean forces withdrew from most areas last year.

Ethiopian forces have not commented on what role they are playing in the latest skirmishes. However, Tigrayan adviser Reda said that Eritreans are fighting alongside Ethiopian federal forces. This could not be independently verified. 

The war in Ethiopia, between the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), resumed on August 24, breaking a ceasefire in place since March of this year.

Earlier this month, Tigrayan forces said they were ready to lay down their arms again, adding they were open to an African Union-led peace process.

Inside the cosmos: James Webb Space Telescope continues to dazzle

Images from the James Webb Telescope reveal never-before-seen details and 

beauty of the universe.

Webb's first images of Mars

The James Webb Space Telescope has taken its first images of Mars. They show part of its eastern, sunlit hemisphere. The close-up image on the left shows surface features such as Huygens Crater, the dark volcanic Syrtis Major and the Hellas Basin. The "heat map" on the right shows how Mars emits light when it loses heat.

12345678

James Webb Space Telescope sends back pictures of Mars

NASA shared the first images of Mars captured by the James Webb Space Telescope Monday. Photo by NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Mars JWST/GTO team.

Sept. 19 (UPI) -- NASA announced Monday that the James Webb Space Telescope captured the blinding infrared light from Mars earlier this month.

The images show the eastern hemisphere of Mars in different wavelengths of infrared light. NASA said that the new images will help advance scientific study of the red planet.

"Webb can capture images and spectra with the spectral resolution needed to study short-term phenomena like dust storms, weather patterns, seasonal changes, and, in a single observation, processes that occur at different times (daytime, sunset, and nighttime) of a Martian day," the agency said in a blog post.

In fact, the telescope was so sensitive that astronomers had to make adjustments to prevent the blinding light from saturating the telescope's detectors.

Some of the images show the rings of the Huygens Crater, the dark volcanic rock of Syrtis Major and brightening in the Hellas Basin.

"The Hellas Basin is a lower altitude, and thus experiences higher air pressure. That higher pressure leads to a suppression of the thermal emission at this particular wavelength range [4.1-4.4 microns] due to an effect called pressure broadening," Geronimo Villanueva, the principal investigator of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said. "It will be very interesting to tease apart these competing effects in these data."

The researchers are preparing a paper they will submit to a scientific journal for peer review and publication.

German data retention rules not compatible with EU law, says top court

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that EU citizens' "traffic and location" data may not be stored except in cases of a "serious threat" to national security.

Data retention as a surveillance tool has been controversial in Germany for years

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled Tuesday that data retention in Germany is not compatible with EU law.

The ECJ in Luxembourg said that internet and phone service providers may not store citizens' communications data without cause.

Limited data retention is only permissible under certain strict conditions, including fighting a "severe threat to national security."

German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann hailed the decision on Twitter saying it was "a good day for civil rights."

He said it clears the way for the introduction of new regulations. "Germany's data retention without cause is illegal. We will now swiftly and finally remove unjustified data retention from the law," Buschmann wrote. 

Buschmann favors what's being called a "quick-freeze" solution where data should be stored when there is a specific reason to do so and on the basis of a court order. 

Why the German regulations were controversial

Germany's Telecommunications Act required service providers to store their customers' telephone and internet data for four or ten weeks and to make it available, if necessary, to law enforcement authorities.

But Deutsche Telekom and internet service provider SpaceNet AG challenged it, arguing it breached EU rules.

Germany's Federal Administrative Court subsequently sought the advice of the ECJ which said such data retention can only be allowed under very strict conditions.

"The Court of Justice confirms that EU law precludes the general and indiscriminate retention of traffic and location data, except in the case of a serious threat to national security," the judges said.

ECJ makes similar ruling in French case 

On Tuesday the ECJ also ruled that a French law on mass data retention violates EU law.

"The general and indiscriminate retention of traffic data ... is not authorized, as a preventive measure, for the purpose of combating market abuse offences including insider dealing," the ECJ found.

EU member states have repeatedly argued at the ECJ that investigators need access to communications data.

In 2020 however the Luxembourg-based court ruled that storing data about citizens' communications, even if not the actual content itself, is generally illegal in the bloc.

lo/wmr (AFP, dpa, Reuters) 

While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.

Qatar World Cup 2022: Fan plea to 'abolish sexual and gender identity penalties'

Unflattering terms were used at a German Football Association human rights congress aimed at "intensifying the discussion" ahead of the World Cup. One speaker in particular made waves with an impassioned personal plea.

The German Football Association, the DFB, has to find the right balance

 between addressing human rights and focusing on success on the pitch

"I'm a man, and I love men. This is normal. So please get used to it or stay out of football. Because the most important rule in football is: football is for everyone.

"So abolish the death penalty — abolish all the penalties regarding sexual and gender identity."

A brave statement and impassioned plea made by fan representative Dario Minden in the midst of a two-hour long "Sport and Human Rights" congress hosted by the German Football Association (DFB) and aimed at "intesifying the discussion."

The criticism leveled at organizers and world governing body FIFA certainly was intense. Minden's words were aimed at Abdulla Bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Thani,Qatar's ambassador to Germany, who was in attendance at the congress held just 62 days before the 2022 FIFA World Cup gets underway.

The ambassador acknowledged that the rights situation is "not perfect yet — it's not at 100%, it's a journey." But he was not able to brush aside the disapproval as prominent representatives from politics, trade unions, independent organizations and fan groups used unflattering terms on stage.

The managing director of Reporters Without Borders, Christian Mihr, described Qatar as an "absolute, autocratic monarchy" that wants to "conceal" the situation regarding freedom of the press and freedom of opinion through its investments in sport, the media and internet surveillance.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino was referred to as the "chief cynic" of a "mafia bunch" by Minden, second chair of Unsere Kurve, an interest group representing active football supporters. Of all the speakers, Minden minced his words the least as he called for the DFB to be part of a "progressive alliance" so that German football fans could "look forward to football festivals" again in the future.

Bin Saud Al-Thani wanted the congress to focus more on the "enjoyment of football."

The sentiments shared are the reason the German national team is facing a difficult "balancing act," according to national teams director Oliver Bierhoff.

"We have to be careful when finding this balancing act between the responsibility and awareness that we have as human beings," Bierhoff said.

"On the other hand, we're traveling as the German national team, we're representing our country, we want to play football successfully," he added. "We're looking forward to a World Cup, to measuring ourselves against the best in the world and excited to represent Germany."

'It's how we move from policy to impact'

Bierhoff's sentiments were shared by the president of the Norwegian Football Federation, Lise Klaveness. At the FIFA Congress in Doha in March, she said that World Cups were awarded in "unacceptable ways with unacceptable consequences" in 2010. 

"Human rights, equality and democracy — the core interests of football — were not in the starting XI," Klaveness said. "These basic rights were pressured onto the field as substitutes, mainly by outside voices. FIFA has addressed these issues, but there is still a long way to go."

Six months later, speaking as at the DFB Campus, Klaveness admitted that football associations are on a "steep learning curve" and "still exploring" where their responsibilities lie. 

Klaveness says FIFA and football need to take responsibility for how Cups were awarded

"We have to admit and realize that what football associations did before on human rights was not good enough," the former Norwegian international said.

"It's not a Qatar question," she added. "It's a FIFA, UEFA, Norwegian Football Federation, DFB question — but it should be a balancing of responsibility.

"From the FIFA, the federation's perspective, the most important thing is that we lean in now. That we’re now present in the game of human rights, so we learn, so that when we go into the next stage after the World Cup in a better stage."

"When it comes to FIFA, Qatar and this arrangement, I think it's very important to get a compensation fund because we're obligated to do it as it states in Article 6," Klaveness said, citing the FIFA Human Rights policy. "It's how we move from policy to impact."

Impassioned plea for inclusion

With her closing remarks, Klaveness also addressed the issue of LGBTQ+ rights in the Gulf state and called for "better guarantees" during and after the World Cup — guarantees that people are "not more in danger because of the World Cup and because the tension the World Cup brings to the country."

Her words were echoed by Minden, of Unsere Kurve. He opened by talking of fans' "shame" when it comes to how easily their beloved sport can be bought, Qatar's "bloody exploitation" of migrant workers and the fact that human rights "are once again being used as bargaining chips." 

Minden's closing statement though, was directed at ambassador Abdulla Bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Thani.

"I'm a man, and I love men," Minden said. "I do, please don't be shocked, have sex with other men. This is normal. So please get used to it or stay out of football. Because the most important rule in football is: football is for everyone.

"So abolish the death penalty — abolish all the penalties regarding sexual and gender identity. The rule that football is for everyone is so important. We can't allow you to break it no matter how rich you are. You're more than welcome to join the international football community and to host a big tournament. But in sports it is how it is: You have to accept the rules."

And as several speakers at the congress on the DFB campus stated, the rules when it comes to human rights "cannot be compromised."

Edited by Chuck Penfold.

In mustard-loving France, shortage of condiment is nothing to sneeze at

France's favorite condiment has disappeared from stores due to a drought in Canada. The shortage has shocked consumers and hobbled the mustard industry. But there's a silver lining to the crisis, Sonia Phalnikar reports.

A rare commodity — France's beloved mustard has all but vanished from

 supermarket shelves this year

On a recent morning in Dijon, the capital of Burgundy and famous for the mustard that bears its name, a small group of people gathered at a downtown boutique run by the well-known mustard brand Maille, waiting for the doors to open.

The high-end store normally caters to foreign tourists touring the region's famous vineyards. But on this sunny morning, customers included a number of French nationals like Cecile Martin from northern France, combining a trip to the region with a mission to get their hands on mustard. A sign in the store window said sales were limited to just one jar per household.

Mustard lovers have flocked to this boutique run by mustard brand Maille in Dijon

"There's no mustard to be found in the supermarkets. At least no Djion mustard," Martin told DW, referring to the acidic, nose-tickling condiment made by combining brown mustard seeds with white wine. 

The retired teacher rattled off a list of foods she used Dijon mustard in — salad dressings, meat, cold cuts, seafood, sauces, mayonnaise, French fries, sandwiches and even pasta.

"My whole family is a big fan of Dijon mustard. This mustard shortage is a big deal for us," Martin said. "It’s really hard to imagine French cuisine without it.

Using less to cope with scarcity

That love of mustard — at an estimated kilo per person per year, France is the world's largest consumer per capita — explains why the country has been awash in stories this year of consumers hoarding the prized condiment and trying to dodge the one-jar rule in supermarkets. Many restaurants have found inventive ways to cope with the shortage.

Guillame Royer, chef at Au Clos de Napoleon in the Burgundy countryside, told DW that the restaurant normally goes through six to seven kilograms (13-15 pounds) of mustard a month. But, now the establishment has stopped serving mustard on the side to its customers and is rationing the supplies it stocked at the beginning of the crisis.

Royer said he'd even modified the signature dish — a mustard chicken called "le poulet Gaston Gerard" — to ensure that the restaurant doesn't run out of mustard.

Royer adapted his cooking to use less mustard in dishes at a restaurant in Burgundy

"We try and make fewer dishes based on mustard. We've adapted our cooking to use less of it," Royer said. "We try and replace mustard often with a spice, or another dressing or some lemon juice or citrus fruit juice to compensate."

Seeds of crisis sown far away

The reason for the mustard shortage lies far away in Canada, a country that provides a whopping 80% of the brown-grain seeds needed for the French industry. A devastating 2021 heat wave in the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, blamed on climate change, halved production and left French companies scrambling to secure seed supplies.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine also plays a role. Though the two countries are big mustard seed producers as well, they mainly grow the much milder, yellow mustard seed, popular in places like Germany and Hungary, but generally not the brown seeds, or "brassica juncea," used in classic Dijon mustard.

France mainly uses brown-grain mustard seeds and relies heavily 

on Canada for supply

The near collapse of exports from Russia and Ukraine has meant that demand has risen heavily for mustard in general, with countries that primarily use yellow mustard seed seeking other types of mustards, including French Dijon.

A big blow to French mustard players

The shortage of seeds has dealt a blow to French mustard makers, most of which are concentrated in the region of Burgundy, which has a history of mustard production dating back centuries. Currently, local seed production accounts for under 20% of supplies to the sector.

"The drought in Canada coupled with an unusually mild winter in France last year meant that harvests in both places were ravaged," Luc Vandermaesen, CEO of Reine de Dijon, told DW.  "For us that meant both our main sources of seed supplies dried up."

Reine de Dijon, France's third-largest mustard maker, usually makes about 16,000 tons of mustard a year. The double whammy has meant that the company's overall production is down 25% this year, it's been forced to raise the prices of its mustards and its factory near Dijon has at times been struggling to meet orders. 

Production lines at Reine de Dijon have not run at full capacity because of the shortage

Vandermaesen, who said the company is bombarded by calls from people looking for mustard, said the priority was to hold on to the workforce of 165.

"Our biggest problem is the huge uncertainty over supplies. There are weeks when we get some seeds and others when we don't get any at all," Vandermaesen said. "So we're still trying to figure out how to keep our production going."

Bringing production back 

Reine de Dijon's factory currently has a few sacks of brown-grain Burgundy seeds. And it's this local resource, Vandermaesen said, that's key to digging themselves out of the crisis.

Vandermaesen is also the president of the Burgundy Mustard Association, which brings together the four big mustard players in the region along with growers. In the wake of the Canadian seed crisis, the companies have embarked on a concerted effort to raise local seed production by paying farmers higher prices — €2,000 ($2,000) per ton of mustard seeds for next year against €900 last year. 

In June, the association launched a call for regional farmers to increase land devoted to growing the seeds from 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres) to 10,000 next year.

"For the future, we need to diversify our sources of mustard seeds. We can't put all our eggs in one basket," Vandermaesen said. 

Can the plan work?

Fabrice Genin, president of the Association of Burgundy Mustard Seed Producers, and a mustard farmer himself, told DW that raising local production won't be easy.

Genin, who represents Burgundy mustard farmers, says raising 

production won't be easy

One problem Burgundy producers face is that the European Union has banned an insecticide long used to combat the black flea beetle, a scourge which has decimated harvests in the past. Another is the unpredictability of the weather and its impacts — last year's unusually mild winter ravaged harvests but this year's French harvest is reported to have been very good. 

Genin, however, agreed that the problems in Canada had revived the importance of the sector in the French region. "The plan to raise local production from 20% to 40-50% is a good thing for everyone," he said. "It balances the risks for mustard companies. And we would have production here in the region." 

"It wouldn't be huge," he said, "but it's still emblematic of our region because it's Dijon mustard after all."

Edited by: Uwe Hessler

GREY PUPON COMMERCIALS 1990'S

CRIMINAL CRYPTO CAPITALI$M

South Korea asks Interpol to issue red notice for 'Terra' crypto founder

The collapse of Do Kwon's Terra cryptocurrency cost investors billions. Now authorities in South Korea say Kwon is "on the run" and are moving to cancel his passport while asking Interpol for help in arresting him.

Terraform labs co-founder Do Kwon is wanted by police in South Korea

South Korean prosecutors have asked Interpol to issue a red notice for Do Kwon, the co-creator of failed cryptocurrency TerraUSD, saying he refused to cooperate with their investigation into its $40 billion (€40 billion) collapse.

A red notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action, according to the Interpol website. 

Kwon had flown to Singapore before Terra crashed, but over the weekend, Singapore police said he is not in the city-state, raising questions about his whereabouts. 

Meanwhile, South Korean authorities have moved to prevent Kwon from traveling.

"We have begun the procedure to place him on the Interpol red notice list and revoke his passport," an official from the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office told the AFP news agency on Tuesday.

"We see him as being 'on the run' from the moment when he left for Singapore," the official said, adding: "We are aware that he has no will to cooperate with all investigations since then."

Kwon denies being on the run

A South Korean court recently issued arrest warrants for Kwon and five other people connected to Terraform Labs, the company behind the TerraUSD cryptocurrency. Authorities claimed Kwon said through his lawyers that he would not cooperate with their investigation.

However, Kwon, who remains active on Twitter, denied he was "on the run" on Sunday.

"For any agency that has shown interest to communicate, we are in full cooperation and we don't have anything to hide," he said in a tweet.

Hundreds of thousands of South Korean investors affected

The May collapse of Terraform Labs' cryptocurrencies, TerraUSD and Luna, affected an estimated 280,000 investors in South Korea.

TerraUSD was touted as a stablecoin, which are typically pegged to a real-world commodity or currency. However, TerraUSD was algorithmic and used code to maintain its price at around 1 US dollar.

Kwon's Terra/Luna system disintegrated in May, with the price of both cryptocurrency tokens plummeting to near-zero. Amid the $40 billion collapse, many investors lost their life savings.

The crash is also believed to have caused more than $500 billion in losses across the wider crypto market globally, according to industry analysts.   

zc/wmr (AP, AFP)

Germany considering nationalization of Uniper gas company

Uniper's situation has looked increasingly vulnerable following the closure of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Previously, Germany's largest importer of natural gas said soaring energy prices had hit the company hard.

Uniper's headquarters are in Düsseldorf

Germany is nearing a provisional agreement to nationalize energy company Uniper amid the ongoing fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to reports released by Bloomberg and later by other German media. 

A spokesperson for the company on Tuesday said parties involved in discussions were looking at a possible capital injection that would mean the German government taking a significant majority stake in the ailing gas importer.

Uniper's largest shareholder currently is the Finnish state-owned energy company Fortum. News agency Reuters cited unnamed sources familiar with the negotiations as saying that Fortum's exit from Uniper's ownership structure would be a part of the rescue package. 

"All those involved are working intensively on a sustainable stabilization solution for Uniper," the company said in a statement on Tuesday. 

Uniper had already said last week that "talks are under way" on a second  capital injection that would result in a "significant majority stake" for the German government. At that time, though, the company spokesman declined to comment on reports of a possible complete government takeover.

A spokeswoman for Germany's Economy Ministry also said that talks were ongoing and "concentrated" but declined to discuss specifics, saying "when they [the talks] are complete, we will provide information on them."

Reuters reported that a finalized deal would likely be announced as soon as Wednesday.

Consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Uniper's situation has looked increasingly vulnerable ever since Russia's invasion of Ukraine; the German government effectively bought a 30% stake in the company in July in exchange for a capital injection.

At that time, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Uniper was in "big trouble" owing to the worsening energy crisis.

The company was one of those involved in building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which was not activated after construction and is frozen indefinitely as part of the package of sanctions imposed in response to the invasion. 

But the situation for Uniper became trickier still earlier this month. Russian energy giant Gazprom said gas supplies to Western Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline had completely stopped due to equipment issues, giving no time frame on when it would resume activities.

The ailing energy importer has been burning through cash reserves sourcing gas on the expensive spot market after Moscow slashed flows to Germany, also trying to fill up storage facilities in anticipation of winter shortfalls.

Last month, Uniper said high energy prices and a threat by Russia to cut gas supplies had hit the Düsseldorf-based company hard. It also warned a tough winter lay ahead.

Contentious gas levy thrown into further question? 

A nationalization of Uniper could put in doubt another recent government policy designed to help deal with high gas prices. Berlin announced plans last month for a gas surcharge for consumers of 2.4 euro cents per kilowatt hour of electricity starting in October. This was supposed to help importers like Uniper deal with rising market prices. 

German news agency dpa and other media on Tuesday reported that Economy Minister Robert Habeck, already facing criticism over the proposal, had "financial doubts" about the constitutionality of the levy, and on whether the potential nationalization of Uniper might affect it.

The decision on whether the levy would be legal would however ultimately rest with either the Finance Ministry, or potentially German courts.

The opposition Christian Democrats had already been appealing for the levy to be scrapped. 

The government, meanwhile, had earlier said that it was working on alterations and improvements to the proposal.

Cheetahs make a comeback to India, fingers crossed

More than 70 years after India declared the Asiatic cheetah domestically extinct, their African cousins have been introduced in an ambitious project to have the world's fastest land animal roam again in India.



Cheetahs were once widespread in India but became extinct in 1952 from hunting and loss of habitat


Eight wild cheetahs — three males and five females flown from Namibia — were set free from their transport cages inside a holding area at India's Kuno National Park last week.

It is the first step in an ambitious attempt to reintroduce the feline species to the South Asian country, seven decades after they died out there.

The cheetahs will quarantine for a month before being released into a larger enclosure inside the sprawling park in the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — who was celebrating his 72nd birthday — was there to welcome the cheetahs to their new home.

"A long wait is over," Modi wrote on Twitter together with pictures of the cheetahs in their new environment.


Indian PM Narendra Modi, pictured, says that reintroducing the cheetah to India will increase biodiversity and boost eco-tourism

For now, the cats will be kept in a specially built compound where they will be monitored for disease and adaptation before being released into the bigger enclosure.

The Asian cheetahs were native to India before they were declared extinct in 1952 — largely due to habitat loss and hunting for their distinct spotted pelts.
Will the cheetahs survive?

It's the first attempt to relocated cheetah's from Africa to India and there were mixed reactions to the animals' move.

"As a conservationist, I am thrilled, and as Cheetah Conservation Fund's leader, I am exceptionally proud of the work of our reintroduction team," said Laurie Marker, the founder and executive director of the Namibian-based CCF, in a press release.

"Without research and dedication to cheetah conservation, this project could not take place."

Marker has been a advisor to the Indian government's Project Cheetah on behalf of the Namibian government.

As the international media spotlight shines on Kuno National Park, other experts are taking a more cautious stance towards the program, which plans to release 50 cheetahs into various national parks over the next five years.

Some worry that the reintroduction plan is premature and question whether the cheetahs will survive.
A costly mistake?

Ravi Chellam, a wildlife biologist and conservation scientist, described the program to reintroduce cheetahs to India as a "vanity project" which was rushed through to meet some goals other than conservation.


The cheetahs tentatively emerge from their cages — nervously scanning their new surroundings

"Facts should always speak louder than opinions. This is not even mentioned in India's National Wildlife Action Plan [2017-2031] and will divert attention from far more important and critical conservation issues such as the great Indian bustard, caracal and Asiatic lion," Chellam told DW.

"The conservation goals are unrealistic and unfeasible. Tragically, despite all the investment this will most likely be a very costly mistake," said Chellam, who also suggested it was a bid to stall the relocation of Asiatic lions.

The Kuno National Park was originally identified for the relocation of the Asiatic lions from Gujarat's Gir sanctuary, currently the only home of the Asiatic lions in India. But despite work from 2006, the plans have remained on the back burner.
Boon or bane?

Naturalist and conservationist Valmik Thapar is even more critical of the cheetah relocation program. He believes the experiment is flawed and the cheetahs shouldn't go through what he calls a "traumatic experience."

"We do not have the habitat or prey species for wild, free-roaming cheetahs," Thapar told DW. "Captive cheetahs survive with difficulty and they are being introduced into tiger habitat that has more forest than open grassland."

"They prey on mostly on smaller antelope like springbok, steenbok and Thomson's gazelle," he added, animals that aren't found in India.

He is also worried the cheetahs will fall prey to other predators.

"This area is full of hyenas and leopards, who are key enemies of the cheetah. If you see in Africa, hyenas chase and even kill cheetahs. Some of the villages around the park also have wild dogs," he said.

However, wildlife officials maintained that such concerns are baseless because cheetahs are highly adaptable animals and the Kuno National Park has been fully examined for habitat, prey and the potential for man-animal conflict.

Thapar pointed to Tanzania's Serengeti Park, which had just over 300 cheetahs for more than a million prey. But their population declined, he said, because the cats lacked genetic diversity and were susceptible to disease.


Compared to other big cats, cheetahs are smaller in size

'Huge challenge' to saving the cheetah

Despite the skepticism, the project's supporters say the cheetahs' existence will reinforce both conservation efforts and the local economy.

"The project will be sustainable if the action plan is followed to establish three to five populations in India, not just Kuno," Yadvendradev Jhala, the dean of the Wildlife Institute of India, told DW. "These then need to be managed as a metapopulation by moving cheetahs between populations and southern Africa."

Jhala said he believes the long-term impact would be to rewild systems and this is a global effort to undo the wrong people have done and to restore ecosystem elements that have been removed.

"The project also contributes to the global effort to save the cheetahs by allowing them to expand into their historic range," added Jhala, who also serves as the principal scientist for India's Project Cheetah.

Experts hope that Indian forests could offer these cats space to thrive
System for success

Pradnya Giradkar, India's first cheetah conservation specialist, said the process of bringing a species back that has become extinct locally was a huge challenge.

"The cheetah needs massive amounts of support to survive, and it is my hope that we, as conservationists, can provide what the species requires for success," Giradkar told DW. "Success is generally based on reproductive output and important characteristics of the release site include habitat and prey availability."

Compared to other big cats, cheetahs are smaller in size. The cat is best known for being the fastest land animal, with the ability to sprint at high speeds of up to 120 kilometres an hour (75 miles an hour).

Today, cheetahs are found in the wild in several locations in Africa, and a tiny population of another subspecies, the Asiatic cheetah, is found in Iran.

Scientists estimate that fewer than 8,000 African cheetahs are living in the wild and that there may be fewer than 50 Asian cheetahs left in the world. The African cats are visually identical to their Asian cousins but have minor genetic differences.

A dozen more cheetahs are currently quarantining in South Africa and are due to arrive at Kuno National Park in October.

Edited by: Keith Walker

75 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE: 10 REASONS FOR INDIA
Magnificent architecture
India's most-famous landmark is a worldwide icon: the Taj Mahal tomb mosque in Agra. But there are many other imposing buildings, such as the Golden Temple of Amritsar (pictured), located in Punjab, which is the most spiritually significant sanctuary of the Sikh religion. A visit in the evening is especially beautiful, when the gilded temple walls are bathed by the gentle light.
12345678910

Date 20.09.2022

SEE

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2022/09/cheetahs-return-to-india-after-70-year.html

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2022/09/cheetahs-from-south-africa-go-to-parks.html