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EU ae reckoning with disinformation’ Page26> Our £19 glasses put a smile on Catherine's face ‘TeeGunein rity 7021 Victory for family kept ‘ apart by huge Home “ Office fees | stil chertyaya Thuan . ‘National eo Team GB sees red with nee € 1 Coates aut kit for Tokyo Olympics ey Pee ee ao - expel Sue = ert ere eet cen Sao eee See See So Eee See seme ee ee a Era aR Aer Mea eee “Thekivameliedyeseraymorn- exces wh sad that whe he by Aides lone Simpl sober and iagbyteimGpandPargmcec | Tolyoconctecssettabeetog Ameman | 4the poise dll taming aillcsindudkegacWialackand est Oympies yet given te gba acto, Shee Korma adiplomaticsatement Gtvawreen iabeonsneaprom czonaiepandanic oursbtet Kevhoned onsen rnher tam fation oe SP fentdasotied-asrngdeparute willbe pepred wena that Shetek, ordannethiey Snare uber ea, sees Tomthestelanccarneydedgned notaiyeispabutinerparies ‘saa ato, ‘ig hte sense Htintosndaviewhhsearent- the very bet im smmostion sd ‘Gpesdnourun” —Tiedser “ants indent eed tor bengton bie technology ‘ilavit” — Tombatey "hebelsand wnistescome vi “The new designs, created by "The new Team GB design also ‘eben shonin theteehasogy Gents se dieininssiaues atin damn hc rs mcr Cunpaycinsunescoringmatetal besserinthevibege hole whieh ‘armen mater Soutemrcopieeereen ete he scene Ecsinata el yon dens heronmentsifarwarwelcomedseththalntsttonans tence GyihetshGinmol Aasocaions Symtuis the fournations bl Sidi would ip GBathites per” toaclascoe Tomabeuern foto. inated enonmental eon "he iis elanthe tothe cern thet wil leo cota Spee. sll sana, shouldbe nto chs 4% eyed, nd Pana yar tot seat Tent ay ocean pant MW WW - FLY BRITISH AIRWAYS CARIBBEAN HOLIDAYS hee E599 BOOK NOW & CHANGE LATER ba.com/caribbean‘TheGunian rity 707001 POLLING STATION WAY IN: emcees | = H . Starmer hails party activists as Labour braces for ‘very difficult’ election weekend << ‘Sturgeon instreet lash ‘ Public take M safety plans instride to cast ballotsFriday ay 200 The Gardin esion wes fost nama toa peaking to andoners polngsttom nine inerge mandatary issafty SSociteympribebeteeticy ‘nly iaveche iar “All vues were advised to blag, tat own penn peal poe feiveresnineonstlotore ‘ued and unused box so we can Satna eg t Senin thatgutees we Sa Remar = cana way mith them Sood envizoamont socast ‘arolcwa ll -pos Forbes ded vting inte baa ftlectorlAdaunatareadiing Ncosocaawhontce ty batts ssmuch aboot coudenc orthe $Taffin he palig station aor ‘ofthe pen or pen comes > a rolling thunder rather than a big bang esterday may havea super ‘Thurada inten ofthe mamber Democrats eno show they can facie gd os et ‘vorsevera days mainiyara feoulofovtd9restcons irtags fron paca Stoiieancaces arlepootoyetecton ieetontotieren imstnesuny one the most Figicam races and ne whee ‘many fhe reperessions ave eo been ial priced othpaling and Laboursown Het Stare willpreside et Spars ist lv athe seat eae ees tthe “This would be a motabe bow to ‘enenany hagas Strutrl suestor he arty ‘mochacanp ne alge, eal Shocumrn aroma sfoneany {ory win Labour le hep by Sigicay mote loa act, ‘ohh cou ate ina gore ehep amen Sst Secounling today. releon Rerwichr be Sn oanbe ipo peciedtopsn tans Inlet a ‘hes gene ‘ovtoreirlonn chore’ omapatnwchtenot ‘ey coun results easaseat 52am today, Butmany potblecontests ae ‘senate toy eng Dera where aourhopes Iecmoaessininerin To Fete n 2019 Danese il tne reine a Ipctanourcodmithibe bra ‘ohn, ks very hel tobe okey tribe satya pears ‘ghi-isbetwvesumene to {omer Labour ssonghale, Feet ist onmitencie thas ‘xpetedinby teense ‘Sterne Like the sere fotament the Wels patent Etcnmel costiueacyand ey actor culd be wether {he generally avn iew sft the rt tr, {hecovid rss ould {shou dobetr than seme ther parsatthe UK. ‘Morosnglch commie pale indie commissioners entorhinal ‘on areahere the uib Dems and ‘arabe ng tot ns femanvotem Test eau {oeso pace pd etme corm ‘one i Engin nd Wests mayor ‘Ths Conserntver se hopeil Steet llbere'ecedtore ‘egos that sulfay aloof Lzbour ‘yma heenonthcesemaned ‘lish bors enance ‘he fstreastor ase semen il st ‘wabseven consents iesicstsendtst teed cet owed he ma ‘cht waar ‘hemostasembly sea Inthe ‘ayoalace, the Greens Sian ‘ony Ronestobet ib Dens ‘as ogni take ted pace The ong oes tp tomorow ssn of cues nec rces whe deed Petrie‘TeeGunein rity 7021 o National Tower Bridge — rachinatandagences death: family release photos of boy who died in river Officer stamped on head of former footballer, trial told Thon auch they hod pad The pie ave brn cd see ant DARLINGyy The andi * ‘National oO nouns stangno chance Betting his shirt: Sheeran ec ean tt sponsors Ipswich Town FC gzsmeugycest J a natettaesng formes onandost oupboughrcecbinacsom dea ickames thepies. “Tetouan bi pata foartime Grammy enning thelosicommeny athe? singersomgvrter wnosacedi® nay eechornemyapon shee Ed Sheeran has signed a deste Sufle hagreedadealtharnil tldtheclbctegs thavealays ensued wonen'steenatsing "These biazoncd and fn ooking forward ogg -Aonond bay. Sheronrteanedngham, enses tram pew Hs Snomersepinihctenguedechbs withthe tes oFShecovsaiums, tackthesarsnenaesoppertssait agtorofhmedfare yangfon. pesca weakh was estimated et owlatsieescticcssais Seesetaengwilikewon War alowedintedtadancrepin Mls Git aesprendajeweren Yeranebworenoom, eperownes tonite Son. rei eeu et travian nes Nomi ‘Twohundred years ago this week, four-page weekly edition of the Guardian newspaper was published in Manchester for the ist time. More than $4,000 editions -and several millon articles later, weare still going strong, having morphed into a UK daily newspaper, an international weekly ‘magazineanda24-hourbreaking news ‘website with offices n London, New York, San Franciscoand Sydney. Our features ‘pages this week are filled with reflections (on the anniversary. Lamry Eliot recalls the Guardian's long history, Charlotte Higgins looks backataselection of ts ‘most esteemed contributors, and we revisit some of the paper's biggest stories over the years and the effect they had on. theworld. ‘The Guardian at200 Page 3 > Germany has been the bedrock of European centre-right politics for a6 years. But as Angela Merkel's long chancellorship draws toa close, could apolitical revolutiontbe about to hit the Bundestag? Polls suggest that, after September's federal elections, the largest party may not be Merkel’s CDU but the Greens, whose candidate Annalena Baerbock may be in position to choose froma ange of coalition partners. Our Berlin bureau chief, Philip Oltermann, ‘weighs up the chances of an outcome that could spell seismic shift for green, politics worldwide. Spotlight Page 17> Another notable anniversary passed this week in Northern Ireland, where the centenary of Irish partition was marked ‘mutedly by Protestant and Catholic ‘communities set on edge by recent disturbances, Our reland correspondent Rory Carroll visited Enniskillen, the site of one of the worst IRA bombing attocities ofthe Troubles, and found "unionists in particular struggling to ‘come to terms with demographieand societal shifts that seem likely to shape the province's future. On our Opinion pages, meanwhile, Martin Kettle reflects fon the abrupt political demise last week of arlene Foster, the divisive Democratic Unionist Party leader, Spotlight Page 22> 17-32 "7 20 24 2 33-46 34 36 39 47-52 a 9 50 53-60 3 ss Inside GLOBAL REPORT Headlines from the tast seven days ‘Thebigstory is inia’s Covid catastrophe of Modi's making? SPOTLIGHT Indepth reporting ‘and analysis Germany The lean, Green election machine France Will Macron meet his Waterloo? Eyewitness The intrepid postmen of Réunion Northern ireland Unionists get the blues Environment Ona polar bearhunt UsThemystery of "Havana syndrome’ THE GUARDIAN AT200 Reflections on the Guardian's bicentenary Alongand varied history By Larry Elliott Great Guardian writers By Charlotte Higgins From the first world warto Wikileakst ourstories that changed the world OPINION Jonathan Freedland Johnson's long charge list Martin Kettle Arlene Foster's fate Richard Wolffe Biden's smooth 100 days CULTURE TV, film, music theatre, art, architecture & more ‘James Patterson Onbestsellersand his collaboration with, Bill hnton Books ‘Therole of warand written constitutions in nations ‘The Guardian Weekly Founded in Manchester, England alulyi919 ‘Wol204|[TssueN°20 SedormedantscoRacyedceies ped Guardian Weekly isan edited selection of some ofthe best journalism found in the Guardian and Observer newspapersin the UK and the Guardian's digital editions in the UK, US and ‘Australia. The weekly magazine has an international focus and three editions: global, ‘Australia and North America, The Guardian was founded in 1821, and Guardian Weekly in 1919, Weexist 0 hold power to aecountin the name ofthe public interest, to uphold liberal and progressive values, to fight for the common good, and to build hope. Our values, as laid out byeditor CP Scott 1921, are honesty, integrity, courage, fairness, and a sense of duty to the reader and the community. The Guardian is wholly owned by the Scot Trust, a body whose purpose is “to secure the financial andteditorial independence ofthe Guardian in perpetuity”. ‘We haveno proprietor or shareholders, and any profit made s re-invested in journalism. Join the community Titer asuardanwecly | eabookcomigardanweniy | Instagram: earnBiden sets out $1.8tnplanto ( rebuild in Congressaddress Ww Joe Biden argued that “America MW ‘Senthemeve again imho fet copyright 2021 | address toCongress, where he GNUTLId.AlTights | unveiled a$1.8tn package for ved families and education and pitched his “blue-collar blueprint” Published weeklyby | to re-build America. Flanked ems by two women - Vice-President Medias imala Haris and louse speaker 30 York We, [Naney Pelosi for the fist timein Feeney. ux | Ushistor.the president gavehis speechoa the eveofhis woth day Dintedby inoticeas thecountry continues Myson Group, | tofight the coronavints pander. eestor Dye to social datancieg imeasizes only 200 people, Registeredasa | ally plltcans tended feweeaperatthe | fatherthen the usual 600 guest, Post Office ‘The supreme court's chief justice, ssmosso-ans6 | Teme ofthe igh cour present Toadvensccomacr | THeaddress contiedon the pn adiministaton’sambitious cnqures canoe plans, but wove them ‘iagatdncom | togetber with foregn policy and efforts to combat the cima Tosubsertevist | Gil as wellas domestic polices Sor aay | Hembeaieae opal eom ‘heguardancondsk’ | pad family eave tachild benefits interes gu contol to border eeu. ‘sxppert "The tone was optimisticas Biden caren cot | i erseaien ead tome nactchangesthat would create ertrdancon/ |Jobs expand the socal safety net Imiteenbetekly | andmodernise the country Opinion Page 30> one Shorts UK Europeand Rest of World Theguarcian com $44 (013903995767 ‘MeGuardian Weekly 7ay200) El vsiren stares MEXICO Mexico City metro collapse dropscarriages on toroad Atleast 23 people died and about ‘Jowere injured aftera Mexico City metro overpass partially collapsed ‘on Monday night, with the death tolllikely torise. The city's mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum, said a support ‘beam had given way, causing the ‘overpass to collapse, adding that the cause was beinginvestigated "Theaccident happened at about 10.30pmilocal time on the ‘melo’ Line 12. Also known as the Gold Line, the section wasbilt when Marcelo Ebrard, the foreign ‘minister, was mayor of the capital Ttopened in 2012 The Mexico City Metro, officially called Sistema de ‘Transporte Colectivoi the second largest metro system in North America after the New York City subway. In2019,itserved 1.6billion passengers. BillandMelindaGatesto divorce after 27 years Billand Melinda Gateshave announced they are to divorce after27 years of marriage, saying they *no longerbelieve we ean ‘grow together asa couple’ "The Microsoft co-founder tumed philanthropist and his wife built combined si24bn fortune, Which made them among the five richest couples in the world. ‘The pair, who jointly run the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, huge funder of global health and disease prevention initiatives, including the fight ‘against coronavirus, said they ‘would continue to run the foundation together. oO ‘AXATION Amazon EU pays no tax asithitsrecord sales Fresh questions have been raised over Amazon's tax planning. after its latest corporate filings in Luxembourg revealed that the company collected record sales income of €4 bn ($52.8bn) in Europe last year but did not have topay any corporation tax tothe Grand Duchy. ‘Accounts for Amazon EU Sarl, through which itsells produets tohundreds of millions of households nthe EUand the UK, show that, despite record income, the Luxembourg unit made a €1.2bn loss and paid no tax. Infact, it was granted ¢6m intaxeereditsit can use to offset taxills should ittum a profit ‘The company has €2:7bn worth of carried forward losses stored up, which ean be used against tax payable on future profits. ‘The Amazon EU Sarl accounts filed in Luxembourg show sales in2020 rose by €12bn from €32>n inzo19. Amazon's USaccounts show that its UK income soared by 51% last year toa record $26.5bn as people tured toonline shopping, while home working drove increased use ofits cloud software, Amazon Web Services. Lobsterrow may need UN peacekeeping mission Afiera violent clash over lobster fishingon the east coast last year, a First Nations chief says he willrequest United Nations peacekeepers to keep his people safe on the water this summer. When the Sipekne’katik First Nation sought to harvest obster outside ofthe fishing season defined by federal authorities, commercial harvesterslaunched protests that turned physica. ‘The Sipekme’katik chief, Mike Sack, said his First Nation is planhingtoagain open aself- regulated lobster fishery in Nova Scotia this June to uphold their historic fishing right sin Canada,1} Fearsarerising over the numbers — uk headlines p9> EUROPEAN UNION ‘MEPsratify ‘historic mistake’ Brexit trade deal ‘The European parliament gave itsoverwhelming backing tothe Brexit trade and security deal, prompting senior figures on both sides to speak of hope fora “new chapter” offiendly relations. Five MEPs voted against the Bertin ts bean repatristion, deal, with 660 in favour and 32 of Benin bronzes next year abstentions. Inan accompanying Culture minister Monika Grutters resolution, the chamber described announced Germany would start GERMANY the referendum result of23 June returninga “substantial” part of 2016a8a “historic mistake” the Renin bronze artefacts held Before the vote, the European ints museums to Nigeria from ‘commission president, Ursula next year von derLeyen, made point of ‘ ‘The bronzes, which were looted assuring MEPs thatthe 1,449-page by British soldiers and sailorsona ‘ade deal came equipped with punitive expedition to Benin City “real teeth”. in1897, were subsequently sold tomuseums in Europe and North ‘America, with various German ‘museums holding about 1,100. ‘Women's draughts almost sparked 2 diplomatic incident between Warsaw and Moscow aftera Polish oficial removed a Russian players flag duringa world championship match. Damian Reszka, the | Alanmatincreaseinlone president ofthe Polish draughts Sulierein ak caeing Federation, apologised but said ara oxganisers hal tocomply with Intemational sportingrutes oflone children risking ther lives ‘Taxrelogaproeswiden basting Russians from competing toveach Europe after a were Lunder thei lag. Although Russia's piled fom the Mediterranean sp policerenctwdth violence Thins Tanah st that Seainone day lat week, “The country was braced for round, she wentontowin the 2021 “Theunaccompanied minors further unrest aftera weekend in title against Natalia Sadowska, \wereamong 125 children rescued ‘which largely peaceful nationwide ofthe Libyan coast last Tuesday emonsttations were met with, by the authorities, aidagencies a violent police reaction that \ sa, “The numbers incredibly Teftatieast ie demonstrators alarming...certainly one ofthe andonepolice officer dead and highest we have ever recorded? hundreds injured. Videos shared | | said Juliette Touma, Unicef's jensocial media overthe May Day |__| __/_| weekend showed police fing regional chief of communications. “Atleast 3s0 people. including” | Siprotesters, sometimes fom children,havecrownedorbeen— |. ‘oge range, ramming crowes \ | | reported missing nthe central \ | witimotirgeteandtating | ‘Mediterranean so far this year. demonstrators with their shields. \ ~~ year feast Fordomoneatonbegsreatt” | Sct = ‘ageneral strikelast Wednesday | . ‘overan unpopular tax reform but a quickly escalated, 7May2021 The Guardian WeeklyHumanitarian crisisin Sahel worsens, UN warns ‘record 29 million people will need humanitarian assistance in the Sahel and the Lake Chad ‘basin in 2021 amid a deepening crisis, areport by the UN office for ‘humanitarian affairs (Unocha) has estimated. Almost one in four peoplein the borderareas of Burkina Faso, northern Cameroon, Chad, Mali, [Nigerand north-east Nigeria are ‘expected toned aid in2021, Smillion more thana year ago, and 352% rise on 2019. Poverty, the climate emergency, chronically high food insecurity and malnutrition have all contributed. "The past five years havealso seen more violence in the region Despite increasing need, less than one-tenth of the $3.7bn required torespond tothe Sahel esis was received by the end of April, ~ nd 21killed by car bomb on eve 3 ofUS troop withdrawal Atleast 21 people were killed and nearly 100 wounded afteracar bomb exploded in Pul-e-Alam, south of Kabul that president Ashraf Ghani has blamed on the Taliban, The blastlast Friday ‘occurred ina residential area of the capital of Logar province, as people were breaking their Ramadan fast, Itcameaday before the US military formally began topull outits temaining troops from the country. local official said theblast caused widespread damage, including toa hospital. Museveni’ssonnamedin abusecomplaint toICC Lawyers acting forthe victims of abductions and tortureby security forces in Uganda havenamed senior military commanders, including the president's som, in complaint tothe international criminal court (ICC), President Yoweri Museveni claimed victory in fanuary’s election, which was marred by allegations of fraud and numerous deaths among opposition protesters. Lawyets, campaigners and victims blame the Special Forces Command military unit, \ formany ofthe abuses. The SFC x iscommanded by Museveni’s Aes”) aryearoldson, L'Gen Muhooz ea Fainerugaba, whois amongthose named in the ICC complaint. ‘TheGuandian Weekly 7Ma/2021 NEW ZEALAND ‘Ardernsignals tougher approachtoChina ‘The country’s differences with Chinaarebecoming “harder to reconcile," Jacinda Ardern has said. The prime minister hasbeen under pressure totake a firmer stance on concerns over human rights abuses of Uyghur peoplein China. “Thereare some thingson which china and New Zealand do not, cannot, and will not agree.” Ardern said atthe China Business ‘Summit last week.ISRAEL 45crushed todeath in religious festival crowd ‘The country observed a day of ‘mourning last Sunday for 45 \) peoplecnished todeath ata \ Jewish religious festival, with fags lowered to half-mast for one of the worst civilian disasters it hhasseen, Inaccordance with Jewish tradition, funerals were held with aslittledelay as possible. More tan20 ofthe victims ofthe 30 April disasteron Mount Meron ‘wereburied the following day after official identification. Those who died were caught ina crowd crush atan overnight annual pilgrimage by ultra: Orthodox faithful to the tomb of asecond-century Jewish mystic, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochal, northern israel. Itwas estimated that around 100,000 people were o inattendance, E [Ey wrssiran Eight people die as security / forcesshoot demonstrators Security forces killed eight people atdifferent sites including the ‘commercial capital Yangon and the second city Mandalay after opening fireon protests ‘against military rule, local media reported, The demonstrations, after previous dwindlingcrowas and more restraint by thesecurity forces, were coordinated with actionsin Burmese communities around the world to mark what “organisers called “the global Myanmar spring revolution”, ‘Crowds gathered in cities and towns across the country, to protest against the military coup inFebruary. Hew Even ‘Zaghari-Ratcliffe treatment amounts totorture ‘The treatment of Nazanin Zaghari- Rateliffe amounts totorture, the British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has said as the Foreign Office downplayed an Iranian state TV report saying Britain would pay a 6400m ($556m) debt tosecure her release. Zaghari-Ratclife’s husband, Richard Ratcliffe said the family had “heard nothing” abouta new deal. The Foreign Office said “legal discussions are ongoing” despite the claimmade on iranian state ‘TV, which cited an anonymous official It was being said that the UK government's position had not ‘changed last weekend snd that Tran had made the claim before ‘without Zaghari-Rateliffe having been released Ina BBCinterview, Raab said itwasdifficulttoargue with the characterisation that Zaghati- Rateliffe was being held state hostage by the Iranians, For the first time, Raab said her fate was tied to notjust the debt the UK government owes tolran that dates back 101979. revolution butalso the outcome of talks on the future of the 2015, nuclear deal. BEd esciavess Padma River speedboat accident kills 26 At east 26 people were killed when aspeedboat packed with passengers collided witha vessel transporting sand in the latest maritime disaster to hit the county. Police said the speedboat carryingaboutthree dozen passengers from the town of Mawa Fammed into the other vessel in the Padma River asitneared the main river station in the central rural town of Shibchar. Maritime accidents are common inBangladesh. Experts blame poor maintenance, lax safety standards at shipyards and overcrowding for many ofthe incidents, ‘Thebigstory plo 7 DEATHS ‘Covid outbreak hits Mount Everest climbing season ‘Thecoronavirusoutbreakat Everest base camp has infected many people” amid continuing | Michael Collins ‘evacuations and complaints of ‘Astronaut and lack of transparency over the pilot ofthe situation, commandimodule ‘With Nepal reporting more Columbia during than7,000 new eases inaday, 1969's Apollo itshighest total since October, 1 mission reports from Mount Everest ‘that landed his described evacuationsofclimbers | colleaguestie showing symptoms of Covid-19 ‘Armstrongané evens doctorsat base camp complained they were notbeing allowed to undertake testing, ‘The decision toreopen Everest Buzz lérinon the ‘moon, He died on 2BApril, aged 90, forclimbing this yearhad always Queen been controversial given the Mantfombi pandemic, with the beginning of Dlamini the Everest season coincidingwith | Thetradtional the catastrophic second wave in ruler of South neighbouring India. ‘Mics Zula India's Covid crisis Page 10> nation wh only ssumedthe Fale a mont ago following thedeath of herhusband, King Good 2welithin. She tied on 30 Apr, aged. Olympia Dukakis Stageand screen actor who wonan Trotstlendemingoor | healthafter hungerstrike ‘died on 1 May, leading mass protests against the monarchy are in deteriorating, Marcetsteliman ‘conditions after goingon hunger Composer strike, thei lawyers have said andereatorof ‘Alawyer acting for Part daytime TV cassie CChiwarak, 23, said he had Cauitcown. He fatigue and dizziness, and was ied on 2 May, unable to stand. Panit began aged 36. ahungerstrikeon 15 March. Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, 22, another key figure in the protest movement, has been on hunger stiike since Apri Both are facing multiple charges for protests last year, when tens of thousands of people sought reforms to the monarchy. PMay2021 The Guardian WeeklySCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT. OES [enews _ Noel Clarke has shows (Cell. This receptor is the target of cancelled over allegations a ager eres acorn eee eee, POLLUTION ‘Sean GaLLuPicETTY ITV cancelled plans toshow GLOBAL HEATING Bacterial biofilmcould ae ees a ion Tossofo%¢ofmountn eee ee ea eer ia oten glacierice ‘already inevitable’ s,stainable way to remove against Clarke, including that he Reatetmecutosaa | STL a sere oie ire gugtemiomeicin: | sabres mentees pee neon eee oee ee | peur macaene: es eae | seen, et ree ey ery SOLAR ENERGY hasever coerced, encouraged cor pressed any individual into paucs Energy generating pavement an ciemennuacenaa acti rarria ochoogeris installed in Barcelona However nasecond statement, ccalmaciycounltarttalit [rear || Cries eon psychedelic found Spain's first photovoltaic pavement a however, have made itclearto Tecmsiesteeiiecticte | segmtotteayeamectecsee |g || eiyemen cinyactinntans popaeicictmdcrnccgee | cabonneuattynese thesoen, |= ASACAS | | Stecsepeopieintaysiald Eelnrieriamadeycocpeecrioe, | meexdiomeal osc meat sutaren creel tetlee Caugacelenisthedecoprentt | iatledinasmaartmee YD ea eeecra copteoncteaasierbeaos | Sones usnotthe ty Wl eine vibe seeking profession etn” feckthandneuclgtalcontons. | scoKWhayesrenocghtcoupply | Numberof | Teetioleoraesetgintpotene’ | Gecenomseus tkeenrina | doueatety intheceparinentofchenissyar’ | contiied 000036000) | atiibutedto thetnnestyerCalfomaDeve | fovaresthecasetherenmincer | gallate and colleague Lin Tian, anassociate —_ being met by the manufacturer. outburst floods profesorarthesthoalofmedcin, | Thevubliyoftiesrhemevill | wore The Ergnccedesenscrtargiowsin ” | beassqnedattersicmontha, | vohme. ard epreenceofahalucogente | ncudinglootingatwearandtear, | andmunberof cupaatwnearienceeth | sidaiatiaupsiotical | wchiaorhar Sctemiomomascmnigs | sepmabietedinacomepny | bene Siuuypusketinthejoumdl” | ant sodogual nation Sonar oa ‘TheGuandian Weekly 7Ma/2021UKSpottight p22 eater Reston hed by Greater eegeerericct an officer was left needing oe oreo treatment following Pete ee BE! Peon na cent Nene eaten enc Piven eect cent esteem egt te tg renege iste eens! Peete United's American owners, the Glazer family, in the wake netstat nore Preeti eca cars CONSERVATIVES DIPLOMACY CORONAVIRUS Scottish Tory leader: PM. Newambassadormeans Forgetholidaysabroadand shouldquitifhe brokerules | womenholdallkeyG7roles avoid third wave, say MPs One of the Uk’smost senior Womenare tohold Uk Holidaysabroad should mnservatives broke ranksand ambassadorshipsinallthe world’s || be discouraged even once edfor Boris Johnson toresign | key postingsafterthe olein Paris | | legal, cross-party group of ithe breached ministerial rules was given to Menna Ravlings MPs said as part ofa suite of over the refurbishment ofa (below), the firstfemale appointee | | recommendations o preventa Downing Street flat, amid new inthe postin British history It third wave of coronavirusand claimsthatundeclareddonations | meanswomenwilltepresent Boris || further lockdowns. have been sought to fund the Johnson's government inthe six Under the UK government's primeminister'slavishlifestyle. | othercountriesin the G7 group of || roadmap torelax coronavirus ‘he intervention by Doulas top industrialised nations. restrictions, international travel Ross, the leader ofthe Scottish ‘UK ambassadors in Bern, for leisure purposes could resume Conservatives, aught No10 ‘Tokyo, Washington, Canberra, from 17 May. Mi 000) by surprise. Ross said ina TV Beijing, Paris, Rome, Moscow confirmed thata S99} interview last Sunday that and the United Nations in New systems tobe put in place in jogo Johnson should “ofcourse” quit | York,amongotherplaces, areall | | which countries will beadded to ‘fheis found to have breached ‘women. Until1946,theForeign || green,amberand red ists, with thecodebyfailingtobehonest | Officebanned women from Gitecmniesrerangisues |] Fy about cash payments froma diplomacy and until1973required || suchas quarantine of returning Conservative donor sought t0 them to resign they married travellers foreach his. redecorate his offical residence. Theall-party parliamentary | yearsthat Bo Johnson was accused of soup on coronavirus (APPG) Jolnson’s mobile obtaining funds for the fat from Issued a report this week phone number second donor, whilea third was recommending that holidays ‘was publicly alleged to havebeen asked topay abroad should bediscouraged in| available for his one-year-old son's care light ofexperts'concerns. The | online. Besides Itcameaftera torrid few days reportalso said fmancialsupport | adding to the as the party geared up for local must begiven tothe travel ‘current furore électionsacross the UK this week. industry and recommended a cover lobbying, Opinion Pagea7> ‘quarterly review of measures. | securityconceras were also raised 7 May200 Te Guardian Weekly| ‘The hig story India ie ie aati corresItis hard to convey the full depth and range of the trauma, chaos and indignity that India’s Covid catastrophe has inflicted. Meanwhile Modi and his allies tell people not to complain. By Arundhati Roy TICULARLY POLARISING ELECTION PRADESH IN 2017, India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, waded into the fray to stir things up even farther. From a public podium, he accused the tate government -which ‘was led by an opposition party - of pandering to the Muslim community by spending more on Muslim grave: yards (kabristans) than on Hindu cremation grounds (shamshans) With his customary braying sneer, in ‘which every taunt and barb rises toa high note mid-sentencebeforeiit falls vray in a menacing echo -he stitred lupthecrovrd, “Ifa ksbristan is builtin village, a shamshan should also be ‘constructed there" he said, ‘Shamshan! Shamshan!™ the mes- merised, adoring crowd echoed back, Perhaps he is happy now that the haunting image of the flames rising from the mass funerals in India’s cremation grounds is making the front pages of international news- papers, And thatall the kabristansand Shamshansinhis countryare working. properly in direct proportion to the populations they cater for, and far beyond their capacities, ‘Can India, population 1. billion, be isolated?” the Washington Post asked rhetorically in a recent edito- rial about India’s unfolding catastro- phe and the difficulty of containing new, fast-spreading Covid variants within national borders.“No replied. Irs unlikely this question was posed in quite thesameway when the coronavirus was raging through the Uk and Europe sta few monthsago, ButweinIndiahavelitterighttorake offence, given our prime ministe words at the World Economic Forum in January this year. Modi spoke at a time when people in Europe and the US were suffering through the peak of the second wave of the pandemic. He had not one word of sympathy to offer, onlyalong, gloating boastabout India’s infrastructure and Covid-pre paredness. I downloaded the speech because | fear that when history is revritten by the Modi regime, a5 it soon will be, it might disappear, or become hard to fin Here aresome priceless snippets: “Friends, I have brought the message of confidence, positivity and hope from 1.3 billion Indians amid these times of apprebension .. It was predicted thatIndiawouldbethemost affected country from corona all over he world, Itwas said that there would bea tstmam} of corona infections in India, somebody said 700-800 million Indians would getinfected whileothers said 2 million Indians would die. ‘Friends, itwouldnot beadvisable to judge India’s success with that of another country. nacountry whichis hometo18%of the world population, that country hassaved humanity from abig disaster by containing corona effectively” ‘Modi the magician takes a bow for saving humanity by containing the coronavirus. Now that it turns out that he has not contained it, can we complain about being viewed as though weare radioactive? That other countries’ bardersarebeingclosed to A patient being cared for at ‘a gu/dwara, a place of worship for Sikhs, in Gaziabs usand fightsarebeing cancelled? That we're being sealed in with our virus ‘and our prime minister, along with allthe sickness, the anti-science, the hatred and the idiocy that, hisparty and itsbrand of politics represent? ‘When the first wave of Covid came to India and then subsided last year, the government and its supportive commentariat were triumphant ‘India isn't having a picnic; tweeted Shekhar Gupta, the editor-in-chief of the online news site ThePrint. “But ‘our drains aren't choked with bod. ies, hospitals aren't out of beds, nor crematoriums & graveyards out of wood or space. Too good to be true? Bringdataifyou disagree. Unless you think you're god." Leave aside the callous, disrespectful imagery - did ‘weneedagodtotellusthatmostpan. demics havea second wave? ‘This one was predicted, although itsvirulencehas taken even scientists and virlogistsby surprise. So whereis the Covid-specificinfrastructureand the “people's movement” against the virus that Modi boasted about in his peech? Hospital beds are unavail able. Doctors and medical staff are at breaking point. Friends call with Stories about wards with no stafT and more dead patients than live cones. People are dying in hospital corridors, onroadsandintheithomes, (rematoriumsin Delhihaverun outot Firewood. The forest department has had to give special permission forthe felling of city trees. Desperate people areusing whatever kindling they can find. Parks and car parks are being turned into cremation grounds. It's as fthere’s an invisible UFO parked Inour skies, sucking theair outof our Jungs. Anaitraid ofa kind we'venever ‘known. Oxygenisthenew currency on India's morbid new stock exchange. BBigpolitictans, senior journalist: lawyers ~ India's elite - are on 7 May200 Te Guardian Weeklyccs) il ‘Twitter pleadingfor hospitalbedsand oxygencylinders. The hidden market forcylindersisbooming. Oxygensatu ratorsand drugsare hard to comeby. ‘Therearemarketsforother things, too. At the bottom end of the free market, abribe to sneak a last look at your loved one, bagged and stacked ina hespital mortuary. A surcharge forapriest who agrees tosay the final prayers. Onlinemedical consultancies Inyhich desperatefamiliesarefleeced by ruthless doctors. At the top end, ‘you might need to sell your land and home and use up every last rupee for treatmentataprivate hospital Justthe deposit alone, before they even agree to admit you, could set your family backa couple of generations. CONVEYS THE FULL DEPTH AND RANGE OF THE TRAUMA, the chaos and, above all, the indignity that people are being subjected to. What happened tomy youngtriend Tisjust ‘one of hundreds, perhaps thousands ofsimilarstoriesin Delhislone. T,who isin his 20s, lives in his parents’ tiny flat in Ghaziabad on the outskirts of Delhi. Allthreeofthem tested positive for Covid, His mother was critically ill Since it was in the early days, he was lucky enough to find a hospital ‘bed forher. His father, diagnosed with severe bipolar depression, began to harm himself. He stopped sleeping, He soiled himself. His psychiatrist ‘was online trying to help, although shealsobroke downbecauseherhus bband had just died from Covid. She said T'sfather needed hospitalisation, butsince he was Covid positive there vwas no chance of that. SOT stayed awake, night after night, holding his father down, cleaning him up. Finally, the message came: “Father's dead.” He did not die of Covid, but of a massive spike in blood pressure induced by a psyehlatriemeltdowninducedby utter helplessness What to do with the body? 1 desperately called everybody Tknew. ‘Among those who responded was ‘Anirban Bhattacharya, who works ‘MeGuardian Weekly 7ay200) with the well-known social activist Varsh Mander. Bhattacharya is about tostand trial onachargeof sedition for aprotest he helped organtseon his un! versity campus in 2016. Mander, who hhas not fully recovered from a savage case of Covid last year, s being threat ened witharrestand the losureof the orphanages herunsafter ie mobilised people against the National Register of Gitizens (NRC) and the Citizenship ‘Amendment Act (CAA) passed in December2019, both of whichblatantly discriminateagainst Muslims. Mander and Bhattacharyaareamongthemany citizens who, intheabsenceofallforms of governance, have set up helplines and emergency responses, and are runningthemselves ragged organising ambulances and coordinating funer alsand the transport of dead bodies. It’s not safe for these volunteers. In this wave of the pandemic, t's the young who are falling, who are filling the intensive care units. When young people die, the older among us lose a liule of our willtolive ‘Ts father was cremated. Tand his mother are recovering. “Things will settle down eventually. Ofcourse, theywillButwedon’tknow \whoamongus willsurviveto see that day. The rch will breathe easier. The ‘poor will. For now, among the sick And dying, theresa vestige of demo. cacy. The rich have been felled, t00. Hospitals arebeggingforoxygen.Some have started bring-your-own-oxygen schemes. The oxygen crisishasled to intense, unseemly battles between states, with political parties trying to deflect blame from themselves. ‘Onthenight of22 April, 2s critically il coronavirus patients on high-flow oxygen died in one of Delhi's biggest private hospitals, Sir Ganga Ram. The hospital issued several desperate SOS ‘messages forthe replenishment ofits oxygen supply. A day later, the chair ofthe hospital board mashed to clarify matters: "We cannotsay that they have died duetolackofoxygen support” OF course we believe him. ‘0n 24 April, 20 more patients died when oxygen supplies were depleted in another big Delhi hospital, Jaipur Golden. That same day, in the Dethi high court, Tushar Mehta, India’s solicitor general, speaking for the government of India, said: “Let's try andnotbea cry baby..s0 far wehave ensured thatnoone nthe country was left without oxygen.” Alay Mohan Bisht, thesaffron-robed We don't know who among us will survive. The rich will breathe easier; the poor will not 25 chief minister of Utar Pradesh, who goes by the name Yogi Adityanath, has deciared that there Is no short afeoronavirus ge of oxygen in any hospital in his Patientson State and that rumourmangers vl wgh-slowoxrgen ye arrested without bal under the attheSirGanga National Security Act and have their enor property seized. who died on the Yogi Adityanath doesn’t play nightof22Apr around, Siddique Kappan, a Muslim journalist from Kerta,iiled fer months in Uttar Pradesh forreporting ‘onthe ape ofa Dalitgilinavilagein Fatrasdistict waslastweckerteally later testing postive for Covi. His vif inadespeatepetiion tthechet justice of tne supreme cour of Indi fai her husband was ving chained “ikesnanimaltoahosptalbed inthe Medical Cllege hospital in Mathura, hot even beingallowed to goto the toilet (The supreme court has since ‘ordered the Uttar Pradesh government tb move him toa hospital in Del) So,ifyoulivein Uttar Pradesh, pease do yoursela favour and die without complaining. On the other hand, if youl ia Kale astabe hewn por plehave consistently treated Mod's ¥ Mourners wear Bharatiya Janata party (BJP with the Fectinetuneat | contempt that it eserves there are Fremkarecane: hospital beds avallable, and the of aretveaihe surplus oxygen, whichis being ae toplacesthet need The threat to those who complain The mumber ntis not restricted to Uttar Pradesh, A spokesperson for the fascist Hind nationalist organisation the Rashtriya ‘Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)~of which Modi and several of his ministers are lifetime members, and whieh runs its ‘own armed militia - has wamed that “ant-india forces” would usethe-risis to fuel “negativity” and “mistrust” and asked the media to help foster a “positive atmosphere”, Twitter has helped them out by deactivating accounts critical of the government. ‘Where shall we look for solace? For science? Shall we cling to num: bers? How many dead? How many recovered? How many infected? When willthe peak come? ‘While India’s Covid-19 cases have continued tosurgeatrecord-breaking pace, with the country registering 368,147 new cases and afurther3,417 deaths on Monday 3 May, the rate of vaccinations across the country has fallen to its lowest levels, Tests are hard to come by, even in Delhi. The ‘umber of Covid-protocol funerals from graveyards and crematoriums in small towns and cities suggest a death toll up to 30 times higher than the official count. If Delhi is breaking down, what should we imagine is happening in villages in Bihar, in Uttar Pradesh, in Madhya Pradesh? Where tens ‘Land in Deis Prepared for the ‘of Covid victims Thenational death toll recorded on ‘Monday 3May, with 368,147 newcases of registered ‘of millions of workers from cities, carrying the virus, are fleeing home totheir families, traumatised by th ‘memory of Mod’snationallockdown in2020, Itwas thestrictestlockdown in the world, announced with only four hours’ notice. It left migrant workers stranded in cities with no work, no money to pay theie rent, no food and no transport. Many had to walk hundreds of kilometres to their hhomes in far-flung villages. Hundreds died on the way. ‘This time around, although there {sno national lockdown, the workers hhave let while transport is still avail able, while trains and buses are still running, They've left because they know that even though they make up the engine of the economy in this huge country, when acrisiscomes, in the eyes ofthis administration, they simply don’t exist. This exodus has resulted ina different kind of chaos: there are no quarantine centres for themto stay inbeforethey enter th village homes. There’s not even the ‘meagre pretence of trying to protect the countryside from the city virus. ‘These are villages where people die of easily treatable diseases like diazthoea and tuberculosis. How are they to cope with Covid? Are Covid tests available to them? Are there hospitals? isthere oxygen? More than tat, istherelove? Forget love, isthere leven concern? There isn't, Because thereis only heart-shaped holefilled ‘with cold indifference where India’s publiciieart should be. EARLY ON THE MORNING OF 28 APRIL, NEWS CAME THAT OUR FRIEND PRAB- [HUBHAL HAD DIED. Beforehedied, he ‘manifested classic Covid symptoms. But his death will not register in the offical Covid count because he died. ‘at home without atest or treatment. Prabhubhaiwasastalwartof theanti- dam movementin the Narmada valley. Istayed several times at his home in Kevadia, where decades ago the first -groupofindigenoustribespeoplewere ‘thrown offtheirlandstomakeroom for thedam-buildersand officers'calony. Displaced families like Prabhubbai's still remain on the edges of that col ony, impoverished and unsettled, transgressors on land that was once theirs. Thereisnohospitalin Kevadia. ‘There's only the Statue of Unity, built inthe likeness of the freedom fighter and first deputy prime minister of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who thedam isnamedafter. Atiszmeties high, it’s the talleststatue nthe world and evst US$22m. High-speed eleva- torsinsidetaketourists upto view the ‘Narmada dam from the level of Sardar atel'schest. Ofcourse, you 7May2021 The Guardian Weeklycannotsee the rivervalley civilisation that lies destroyed, submerged in the depthsof the vast reservoir, orhear the storiesof the people who waged oneot ‘themost beautiful, profoundstruggles the world has ever known - not just against thatone dam, but against the accepted ideas of what constitutes civilisation, happiness and progress. ‘Thestatue was Modi's pet project. He inaugurated tin October 2018. ‘The friend who messaged about Prabhubhai wrote: “My hands shiver as [write this. Covid situation in and around Kevadia Colony grim." RIP Prabhubbai ‘The precise numbers that make up India’s Covid graph are like the ‘wall that was built in Ahmedabad to hide the slums Donald Trump would drive past on is way tothe "Namaste “Trump” event that Modi hosted for him in February 2020. Grim as those numbers are, they give you a picture ofthe india-that-matters, but certainly notthelndiathatis.IntheIndiathatis, peopleareexpectedtovoteas Hindus, but dieas disposables. “Let's try and not bea cry baby: ‘TRY NOT TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT THE POSSIBILITY OF A DIRE SHORTAGE OF OXYGEN HAD BEEN FLAGGED AS FAR BACK AS APRIL 2020,andthen again in Novemberby a committee setup by the government itself. Try not to wonder why even Delhi's biggest hospitals don't have their own oxygen-generatingplants. ‘Try not to wonder why the PM Cares und - the opaque organisation that has recently replaced the more public Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, and which uses public money and government infrastructure but Functions like a private trust with zero publicaccountability -has sud denlymovedintoaddressthe oxygen crisis. Will Modi awn shares in our airsupply now? “Let's try and not bea cry baby.” Understand that there were and are so many far more pressing issttes forthe Modi government toattendto. Destroyingthelast vestiges of democ- racy, persecuting non-Hindwminoxi- ties and consolidating the founda: tons ofthe Hindu Nation makes fora relentless schedule, Therearemassive prison complexes, for example, that must be urgently constructed in ‘Assam for the 2 million people who hhave lived there for generations and have suddenly been stripped oftheir ‘TheGuandian Weekly 7Ma/2021 A.A Covid victim isprepared for the lastrites atamakeshift cremation ground inbethi The proportion of GpPindia spends onhealthcare, Tower than most countries, though the figure may actually beas low 0.34% citizenship.(Onthismatter,ourinde- pendent supreme court came down hard on the side ofthe government.) ‘Therearehundredsofstudentsand activistsand young Muslimcitizensto betriedandimprisonedasthe primary accused in the anti-Muslim pogrom thattook placeagainst their own com- ‘munity in north-east Delhilast March. Ifyouare Muslim in india, 'saerime tobe murdered, Your folks willpay for It. There was the inauguration of the new Ram Temple in Ayodhya, which 1s being built in place of the mosque that was hammered to dust by Hindu vandals watched over by senior BIP. politicians. (On this matter, ourinde- pendent supreme court came down hard on the side ofthe government and the vandals.) There were thecon- troversial new FarmBillstobepassed, corporatisingagriculture. There were hundreds of thousands of farmers to be beaten and teargassed when they came out on to the streets to protest. Then there's the multi-multi-mul timillion-dollar plan fora grand new replacement forthe Fading grandeur of New Delhi's imperial centre to be urgently attended to. Afterall, how canthegovernmentofthenew Hindu India be housed in old buildings? WhileDelhiislocked down, ravagedby the pandemic, construction work on the “Central Vista” project, declared as an essential service, has begun, Workers are being transported in. Maybe they eanalterthe plans toadd crematorium, ‘There was also the Kumbh Mela to be organised, so that millions of Hindu pilgrims could crowd together inasmalltowntobatheinthe Ganges andspread theviruseven-handedlyas they returned to their homes across. the country, blessed and purified. ‘This Kumbh rocks on, although Modi hhas gently suggested that it might be fan idea for the holy dip to become “symbolic” - whatever that means. (Unlike what happened with those who attended a conference for the Islamic organisation Tablighi Jamaat last year, the media has not run a ‘campaign against them calling them “corona jihadis” or accusing them of ‘committing crimesagainst humanity.) ‘There were also those few thousand Rohingya refugees who had to be urgently deported back to the geno: tidal regime in Myanmar from where they had fled -in the middle ofacoup. (Once again, when our independent supreme court was petitioned on this. ‘matter, concurred with the govern: ment’s view.) Over and above all this urgent activity, there has been an election to be won in the state of West Ben- sal. This tequired our home minister, Modi’sman Amit Shah, tomoreorless abandon his cabinet dutiesand focus allhisattention on Bengal for months, todisseminate his party’smurderous propaganda, to pit human against hhumanin every littletown and village. ‘West Bengal isa small state. The lection could have taken place in asingleday,andhasdonesointhepast. ButsinceitisnewterritoryfortheBIP, the party needed timetomoveits cad res, many of whoare not from Bengal, from constituency to constituency to oversee the voting. The election schedule was divided into eight phases, spread out overamonth, the Jaston29 April. Asthe count of corona infections ticked up, the other political parties pleaded with our independ- ent election commission to rethink the election schedule, The commis- sion refused and came down hard on the sdeof the BJP,and thecampaign continued. Who hasn't seen the vid- 0s ofthe BIP's star campaigner, the prime minister himself, triumphant ‘nd maskless, speaking to the mask- lesscroweds, thanking peopleforcom- ing out in unprecedented numbers? ‘Thatwason17 April, when the oficial ‘numberof dailyinfections wasalready rocketing upward of 200,000. ‘Now, with theelection over the BJP were comfortably beaten into third place), Bengal spoised tobecomethe newcoronacauldron, withanewtripte mutant strain known as - guess what «the “Bengal strain”. Newspapers report thatevery second persontested inthe state capital, Kolkata, is Covid positive. The BIP declared that ifit ‘won Bengal, it would ensure people got free vaccines. And now it hast? “Let's try and not bea cry baby: WHAT ABOUT THE VACCINES? Surely they'll save us? Isn't India a vaccine powerhouse? In fact, the Indian government is entirely dependent on ‘Svomanufacturers,theSerum institite of india (Si) and Bharat Biotech. Both arebeingallowed torollouttwoof the mostexpensive vaccinesinthe world, tothe poorest peoplein the world. This ‘week they announced that they will sell to private hospitals ata slightly elevated price, and to state govern- ‘ments atasomewhatlowerprice. Back of-the-envelopecalculationsshow the vaccine companies are likely to make obscene profits. ‘Modi'sreckless, unplanned 70-day lockdown of last year came on top of, his2016 demonetisation policy-when he suddenly appeared on TV on the night of 8 Novemberanddeclared that 80% of ndia’s currency wasnolonger legal tender. Between demonetisation and the lockdown, India's economy has been hollowed out, and hun- dreds of millions of people who were already living precarious lives have been pushed into abject poverty. A hhugenumbernow depend forsurvival oon paltry earnings from the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), which was instituted in 2005 when the Congress party was in ower. It simpossible to expect that familieson the verge of starvation will aymostofa month's income to have themselves vaccinated. In the UK, vaccines are free and a fundamental nt. Those trying to get vaccinated outoftumcanbeprosecuted. Inindia, the main underlying impetus of the vaccination campaign seems to be corporate profit ‘As this epic catastrophe plays out on our Modi-aligned Indian televi- sion channels, you'll notice how they all speak in one tutored voice. The “system” hascollapsed, they say, again andagain. The virushasoverwhelmed India’s health care “system’ "Thesystem has not collapsed. The “system” barely existed. The govern ment - this one, as well as the Con -Etess government that preceded it deliberately dismantled what little medical infrastructurethere was, This iswhathappens whenapandemichits ‘a country with a nonexistent public healthcaresystem.Indiaspendsabout 1.25%ofits gross domesticproducton health, farlower than most countries in the world, even the poorest ones. Even that figure is thought to be Inflated, because things that are important but do not strictly qualify ashealtheare have been slipped into it-Sothe real figure s estimated tobe more like 0.34%. “Thetragedy isthatinthisdevastat ingly poor comntry, a8 2.2016 Lancet study shows, 78% of the healthcare inurban areas and 71% in rural areas isnow handled by the private sector. ‘Theresourcesthat remain inthe public sector are systematically siphoned Into the private sector by a nexus of corrupt administrators and medical practitioners, corrupt referrals and insurance rackets. Healthcare isa fundamental right. The private sector will nat cater 10 This is what happens when a pandemic hits acountry with noreal public healthcare starving, sick, dying people whodon’t have money. This massive privatisa- tion of India’s healthcare isa exime. ‘The system hasn't collapsed. The government has failed. Pethaps “tailed” isaninaccurate word, because what we are witnessing is not crimi- nal negligence, but an outright crime against humanity. Virologists predict that the number of eases in india will grow exponentially to more than 500,000 aday. They predict the death of many hundreds of thousands in the coming months, perhaps more. ‘We speak to those we love in tears, and with trepidation, not knowing, if we will ever see each other again. Wewrite, we work,notknowingifwe willliveto finish what westarted. Not {knowing whathorrorand humiliation awaits us, The indignity of tall. That iswhatbreaks us ‘The hashtag #ModiMustResign is trendingonsocial media. Someot the ‘memes and llustrations ae brilliant. ‘Modi with a heap ofskulls peeping out from behind the curtain of his beard. ‘Modi the Messiah speaking ta public rally of corpses. Modi and Amit Shah as vultures, scanning the horizon for corpses toharvest votes from. But that isonlyonepartofthestory. The other partis thatthe man with no feelings, the man with empty eyes and a smirthlesssmile,can,ikesomany Virologsts predict that India’s number ofcoronavirus cases could grow ‘exponentially 0 morethan half amillionaday Pilgrims take the holy ip in the Ganges River during the Kumbh Mela a Hariévar, Uttarakhand, last month PMay2021 The Guardian Weeklyccs) rl tyrants nthe past, arouse passionate feelings in others. lis pathology is infectious. And that is what sets him apart. nnorth India, home this arg- est votingbase, which, by dintof sheer ‘numbers, rendstodecide thepolitical fateofthecountry, the pain heinficts seems totum intoapeculiarpleasure. FREDERICK DOUGLASS SAID IT RIGHT: “THE LIMITS OF TYRANTS ARE PRESCRIBED BY THE ENDURANCE OF THOSE WHOM THEY OPPRESS.” How weinIndiaprideourselveson our capacity to endure. How beautifully wehavetrained ourselves tomeditate, to turn inward, to exorcise our fury as well as justify our inability to be ‘egalitarian. Howmeckly we embrace cour humiliation, ‘Whenhhemade hspolitical debutas Gujarat’s new chief minister in 2001, ‘Modi ensured his place in posterity after what has come to be known as the 2002 Gujarat pogrom. Over a petiod of afew days, Hindu vigilante ‘mobs, watched over and sometimes actively assisted by the Gujaratpolice, ‘murdered, raped and burned alive thousands of Muslims as “revenge” fora gruesomearsonattackonatrain in which more than 50 Hindu pil: sgrims had been burned alive. Once the violence subsided, Modi, whohad ‘untilthen onlybeenappointedaschiet ‘minister by his party, called for early élections. The campaign in which he ‘was portrayedas Hindu Hriday Samrat (The Emperor of Hindu Hearts") won hima landslide victory. Modi hasn't lostan election since. Several ofthe killersin the Gujarat pogrom were subsequently captured ‘on camera by the journalist Ashish Khetan, boasting of how they hacked people to death, slashed pregnant ‘women'sstomachs openand smashed infants’ heads against rocks. They said they could only have done what they did because Modi was their chief minister. Those tapes werebroadcast ‘on national TV. While Modi remained in the seat of power, Khetan, whose tapeswere submittedtothecourtsand forensically examined, appeared as 2 ‘witness on severaloccasions. Someof the killers were arrested and impris. ned, but many werelet off, and Modi and his administration were legally learedby ourindependent judiciary. Inhisrecentbook, Undercover: My Journey into the Darknessofindutva, Khetan describes how the Gujarat police, judges, lawyers, prosecutors ‘TheGuandian Weekly 7Ma/2021 sod ngy commie al cote Sones ‘eerste eantetnowngal many of the Coosa i mer xpos seed fr ope ag deedone reins chat then et denncaton aad fgg re cen ny Deen enna Shatin aga ey aaa Eiiscig ttctenrahra Sipnitthgeretmcterer ipeiyiatecineseaceseya sete ninieouooea She nome omen tbe she ec sai heey cae oos omental tft mer ati onde eed fetal Men teal ening rr srt! Ast ace tunel Shoe imeeied neces Sian octoey wig Tari iene pel Tea wiht ce Seniesa oper deo eens ee orden dea eats sirestncnien rng pacts Anis brigfom oi cies epee eos incidents eRe ae Te ena Sato cinoma vice tra, Saoreeetecnoe ene inerastaellriag ney Rchetneonrogtnactenctet cn lespe te ocead Sunstone ara cece WEST BENGAL Voters fell. Modi's blind ambition By Hannah Ellis-Petersen DELI and Luke Harding India’s prime minister suffered arare political defeat ina key state election, amid signs of ‘voter backlash over hishandlingofthe coronavirus disaster asthe country reported a record snumber of deaths. ‘Narendra Modi had been expected to make significant gainslast Sunday in West Bengal, one of few states where his, rightwing Bharatiya Janata party (RIP) doesnot have parliamentary majority, Instead, Mamata Banerjee, powerful regional politician and prominent Modi critic, won a third term as chief minister, Banerjee's AllIndia ‘Trinamool Congress won comfortable majority, clocking up 216 seatsin the 294-seat assembly. The BIP won75seats, up onits performance in 2016 when itwonthree, but wellshort of predictions. Modi made dozens of speeches on the campaign trailin West Bengal, together with his home ‘minister, Amit Shab. Poth have been accused of prioritising politics, ANomask for Narendra Modi over theirresponse tothe Covid-19 pandemic. Acrossthecountry, stim scenes continued to unfold, with people dying inhospital corridors, fon roadsides and in theirhomes, Carparks havebeen tumed into ‘makeshift cremation grounds, while desperate people scramble to find medicines and oxygen. Upto1o Indian states and union territories have some form of restriction on people’s movement. ‘The federal government, however, remains reluctant toimpose national lockdown, citing the damage this would dotothe economy. Despite warnings of looming second wave, Modi addressed large rallies in West Bengal throughout February and March. He refused to ‘wearamask, and there waslittle sigh of social distancing. His decision to turna blind eye torising {infections was felled by anapparent desperation towin thestate, ‘The lection was the most drawa-out inBengal’s history. conducted in eight phases overamonth. The election commission, ineffect controlled by the BP, refused early requests from opposition parties toshrink the poll into. shorter period and to ‘make campaigning virtual Modis failure to seize Bengal canbeseenin part asa response to his handlingof the pandemic. ut voters also rejected the BIP's divisiveant ‘Muslim politics in Bengal the main thrust of its campaign, tis testament, too, to the enduring popularity of Banerjee, India's only female chic minister in powersince 2oriandithe target of repeated Modi attacks.(G) 7 Munn al tates meena) Page? GERMANY Can Greens cerca ae dig up pol plontiondy Green party Germany's * : cn political. poll, published by Pollytix Strategic landscape? ons. The aguregate By Philip Oltermann wentin Continuedcandidate, Annalena Baerbock, could even find herself in the comfortable position of beingable to choose from variety of potential coalition part nets, with power-sharing deals with the CDU, the Sacial Democratic party (PD) and the Free Democrats, or the SPDandlefwing ieLinkeall withina touching distance of a majority. Stefan Merz, thedirectorof pollster Infratest Dimap, said the currently expressed voting intentions would need toremainin lace fortwotothtee ‘weeks to prove reliable indicator, “But after years of very little ‘movement in the hierarchy of Ger many's political parties, thereisnowa sensethatthedeck isbeingreshutfled and we could be on the threshold of a historic moment," Merz sad. Volatility is showing in the pollsas the German public has increasingly tumed againstthe government overa lengthy butineffectivesemilockdown andavaccinationrollout that exposed ‘the poor state ofthe county's digital servieesand bureaucracy. ‘Armin Laschet, the 60-year-old CcDUleaderand Merkel continuity can dlidate, was presented as the party's man or the topjobjustas the outgoing chancellor haslooked more powerless and short of ideas than at any point inher 16-year leadership of Europe's largest economy. Baerbock, 40, who has been the Greens? co-leader for three years but lacks experience in higher office, has Taunched her campaign ona message of reform, proposing, for example, aterm limit forthe chancellor under her leadership. The underlying theme of her campaign so far is that Germany is ‘Me Guardian Weekly 7¥ay2021 ‘more innovative than its political class-aclaim that gotaboost last week when the country’s constitutional court ruled that the government's climate targets do not go far enough. there is still caution around the Green party's hopes, itis because Germanvotershaveshownagainand again how much hey valuecontinuity. “The question is whether the Greens can keep up their momentum once the majority of the country has been vaccinated, the shops reopenand people can go on holiday again," said pollster Merz. "Ifthe national debate shiftsto the economy atthatpoint,the CDU could regain some lost ground.” ‘WhetherLaschet, whohas struggled torally isownparty behindhiscandi- dacy, can convince the public that he istherightmantokeep thecountry on an even keel, will be one of the main questions of the coming months. ‘One key Factor distinguishes the vote in September from those that came before, For the first timesince 1949, the incumbent chancellor will not be standing for reelection. Allof Merkel'spredecessors either lost their last election or resigned before com pleting thei last term n office. “When voters go to the polling booth, they tend to focus on their prospects in the future rather than the achievements of the past” said Matthias Jung, apollster for research institute Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, “At best, the high points of the last 16 years will be remembered asa badgeofbasiccompetency” Jungstid. ‘Merkel’s successes are only inherit: able toa very limited degree” SyILIP OLTERMANN ISTHE GUARDIANS Armin Laschet has taken over as (COU head from ‘Angela Merkel after her 16 years aschancellor ielsuala Party time Contenders for the Bundestag epuiesu Last election 246 seats/22.99% Polling: 24.4% spp Last election 1s3seats/20.5%6 Polting: 14.89% Polling: 1.1% FDP. Lastelection: 80 seats/10.796 Polling: 11.25% Dietinke Lastelection: (69 seats/9.2% Polling: 7.4% Greens Last election: 67 seats/8.9% Polling: 25% Felson Feit ANALYSIS FRANCE ‘Doomed hero’ Is Macron fated to follow inthe footsteps of Napoleon? By Simon Tisdall19 News ofthe death of ~ Napoleon Bonaparte in © exileon St Helena, 200 ‘years ago this week, did rot reach London wntil July 1891 ‘but the press reacted swiftly. “Thus terminates the most extraordinary life yet known to political history” the Times declared. France's deposed emperor, who seized power ina 1799 coupand ‘was finally defeated at Waterloo in 1815, was “destroyer ofthe rights ‘of nations... [whol extinguished liberty in France and had no hold ‘upon his subjects but theirlove of ilitary glory”. ‘snow, the French were ambivalent. “A soldier who, by the force of genius alone .. gives tranquillity toa disturbed society and dictates his laws to sovereigns, appears tothe world asa wonderful petson, and the earth silent before him,” one Parisian newspaper said. ‘Napoleon divides opinion. The “Corsican ogre”, as his nemesis, the Duke of Wellington, knew him, ‘as idolised by anti-establishment romantics such as Byron and Shelley. Victor Hugo and the young Disraeli worshipped the ideal ofthe “restless, doomed hero”. For many years, fans on both sides ofthe atlantic denied he was really dead. They awaited a glorious return. For Anglophabes in post- colonial America, Britain's “harsh decree” banishing “this llustrious captive” toa remote island was as ristaken as his invasion of Russia. In 2002, Dominique de Villepin, the former prime minister, praised ‘Napoleon asamodern Alexander ‘who exemplified the French “spirit of resistance” later reincarnated. {inanother totemic military leader, General Charles de Gaulle. Quoted bby Robert and Isabelle Tombs in their study of Anglo-French relations, That ‘Sweet Enemy, Villepin said Napoleon ‘nourished “the French dream. the idea we have of ourselves: an authoritative state, contempt for partiesand compromise, ashared taste for action, obsession with... the grandeur of France... and dignity indefeat”. ‘This particular, conservative version of France and Frenchness plainly resonates with today's ‘occupant ofthe Elysée. Mocking. comparisons are drawn between, ‘the similarly youthful, energetic Emmanuel Macron and the world’s best-known, hyperactive seeker after “la gloire”. Politically speaking, “Macron like Bonaparte - came from nowhere. While Macron is no tyrant, there is something veritably Napoleonic about how he views his country's placein the world. ‘Addressing the Ecole de Guerre in Paris ast year, he laid out an ‘expansive vision for “global France” with distinct echoes of the past. Hisaim, he said, was “true French sovereignty”. Defence and foreign policies must “enable us to master ur own destiny”. This was “not incompatible with our desire to develop European capabilities”. You ‘an almost hear Napoleon clapping. ‘Macron urged enhanced European “strategic autonomy”. 70% Ina fast-changing world, “stability Proportion inEurope requires morethanthe of peoplein ‘comfort provided by atransatlantic | Francewho convergence with the US". think Europe This “Europe frst” approach, shoutd fook to Includingan army distinctfrom | itsown defence “brain-dead” Nato, has a grandeur | capabilities ifnota grandiosity thats palpably | ratherthan imperial. thas often left Germany's rely primarily leaders, heirs to those tardy onthe US Prussians of old, trailing in his wake. ‘The Americans Frankly hate it ‘Macton’s international activism, diplomatic and military, keeps France in the game as England, ‘oldest rival, slides towards irrelevance. He has sent French forces into west Africa and the Sahel, Syria, Libya and the eastern Mediterranean, once again. confronting neo-Ottoman Turkey. jis confident interventionism recalls Tony Blait, pe-Iraq. “There are big downsides. in December, for example, Macron hhosted Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, Egypt's despotic leader, prioritising trade and defence ties over human rights Inthe Sahel, he coddles dictators. ‘hisis cynical pragmatism atits aa Politically speaking, Macron-like Bonaparte -came Sfromnowhere ‘most inglorious. Revisiting another ‘old battlefield, Macron has offered anew strategic relationship to ‘Vladimir Putin even as London and ‘washington switch to cold-war ‘mode. Fe insists, unperstiasively, that France isan “Indo-Pacific rim power" that China dare not ignore. ‘The country’s 2021 defence review underscored Macron’s view that France and Europe cannot allow themselves to be squeezed between competing great powers. “Macro believes that heightened US-China competition and the erosion of multilateralism call fora stronger EU? wrote analyst Jean-Loup Samaan. “[He] believes ‘that, despite the Biden presidency, ‘American retrenchment from the ‘world stage isa long-term trend” Polling by the European Council on Foreign Relations suggests the public concurs. Two-thirds of respondents agreed Europe should look to its own defence capabilities ‘ather than rely primarily on the US. In France, the figure was up to 70%. ‘Amazingly, in post-EU Britain, it reached 74%. ‘Yet forall his focus on global srandeur, Macron’s 2022 re-election hopes falter. He is level-pegging ‘with the fa right’s Marine Le Pen, Pandemie gloom, economic ‘hardship, and unassuaged fears of Islamist terrorism are hurting him. Nor can Napoleon necessarily help. Anniversary events have been overshadowed by revisionist claims that Boney wasa shameless ‘misogynist who backed slavery. and destroyed the republic. The old ambivalence persists. ‘Macron suffered another ghostly visitation last week -a trumpet call by retired senior officers fora military takeover to save France from “civil war”. Inshort, ‘aNapoleon-style putsch. The {government was scandalised, but a ppll found most people supported the idea. The coup was fantasy. Butitraisesa question: is Macron fated to be France's new “restless, doomed hero”, destined like his illustrious predecessor tore-play the “dignity in defeat” storyline? ‘Whoever you are, whatever you say, there's no escaping history. Observer SIMON TISDALL IS AN INTERNATIONAL [AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR PMay2021 The Guardian WeeklyPees beeen Der et ee en sate ons eo Tr aa RSet Emenee ent ee ra ete EL aes Reon ee ae nee toLS prac et ea pes Prere saenT ey ent era! ee rene eerie et ee eee Centuries, have been home to the primary task of La Poste, the pee ee eer French postal service: namely the eee tg delivery of mail. Every week, they eer deliver and pick up letters from ‘The community of 700 Mafatais | 300 households spread over small lives, almost self-sufficiently,amid | villages, each one more inaccessible Pune er cs there are only two waystogettothe | Onthese two postal routes, cirque: by foot orby helicopter. eee aan eed Every week, René-Claudeand | longest on French territory, itis Cyril, the two postmen of Mafate, | said that the postman always rings PS eae eer aoa perenne tes ee tes Cana Oren tet a ard Creag ce ee pregeted error need eas Popeora pos panei eee poe oer oyeter Perec paearereny Coe ane tery nn Prey ees irs rs eee Eevee 100 er eed eee oan ee ered ee ete aad LU ‘The average number of households Pee reo eer ed tel eet ae ae 39,157 ‘The number ofsteps taken by ae on ae climbed the equivalent of350 floors 20 The average weight ofthe postal bag ‘nkilograms, René-Claude usually Pensa epeeNORTHERN IRELAND, Anxious unionists innomood to celebrate centenary Foralongtimein Enniskillen, theunionists kept winning, Now they say the feelingof Britishnessis beingeroded By Rory Carroll overed up and boxed in storage vault in Enniskillen, two oil paintings gathered dust. King William Ii com rmissioned the portraitsof himselfand (Queen Mary after he routed Catholic forcesintheBattleof theBoynein1650, ‘a turning point in Irish history that established Protestant ascendance. TMeGuardian Weekly 7May2021 Unionists revere King Billy, also known as William of Orange, as a hero who saved their settler ances. tots. The portraits used to gaze down From Enniskillen tov hall, areminder of their ink to the crown, until the council voted toremove them in2002, For someunionistsin this comer of County Fermanagh, it felt ikea fore: shadowingof their own fate. This week they were due to celebrate Northern Ineland’s centenary, the toothbirthday ofastatemadefromsix oflreland’'s32 counties in 1921 with one overriding goal: a permanent Protestant and therefore unionist majority Butthemoodisanxiousand focused onloss-lossof power, cohesion, conf- dence andwith fear of wersetocome, ofhistory closing the id “Northern Ireland has been a success story in many ways but people now see their Britishness beingeroded. Wefeel diminished. It's alonely position;’said Stuart Brooker, anassistant grandmaster ofthe Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland. ‘The portralts' banishment - atthe behest of a nationalist-controled council - reflected a wider erosion of unionism, he said. “Things like that hhurt” Though the paintings emerged from mothballsin2018and now hang at the county museum, they will not bereturningto the town hall ‘The centenary comes ata fraught moment forunionism. Catholiesarean the cusp ofentnumbering Protestants for the first time. Opinion pollssuggest Sinn Fein could lead thenext govern: ments north and south ofthe border ‘referendum on Iish unity seems matter of when, notif Brexit has produced atrade border down the irish Sea, which in unionist ‘eyes economically decouples the region fromtherestoftheUK Unionist Dartiesareindisarray. TheDemocratic Unionist party (DUP)hasjust dumped Arlene Foster asits leaderand North cemiceland'sfirst minister, blaming her for the sea border, but party sources admit there is no masterplan, no new strategy to unpick the Northern Ireland protocol. The Ulster Unionist and Traditional Unionist Voice parties lackheft. nthe vacuum hover loyalist youths and shadowy paramilitaries. Little wonder few have appetite to celebrate the centenary. “I'm very pleased and proud tobeinthe UK and feel it's the best way forward,” said Tom Elliot, a former Ulster Unionist leader and MP. “It would have been better ifall of Ireland had stayed in the Uk? ‘A Stuart Brooker assistant grand master ofthe Grand Orange Lodge of ire land, claims the prosecution of British solders for kilings during the Troublesisan attack on union iste identitySinn Féin’s Michelle Gildernew won Eliot's Fermanaghand South Tyrone seatin2017and held itin2019,ineffect ending his political career. Eliott worries about the union ‘with Great Britain - the possibility of Scotland seceding heightens concern = buthe thinks that could galvanise unionists to sell the union to voters. ‘"ifyowhavesomenerves going intoa biggameit makes you morediligent.” In Enniskillen, fora long time, his side kept winning, A totemic union- ist bastion, it was the site ofa King Billy victory named in the ballad The Sash. Ttscastlesymbolised loyalist pre eminence. Before the Troubles, getry ‘manderingand discrimination helped unionists dominate the council, ‘That changed after a hunger strike by IRA prisoners. Bobby Sands won a byelection forthe vacant Westminster seat before dying in the Maze prison ‘on 5 May 1981 ForSinn Féin, the“Armaliteand the ballot box” strategy was a legitimate responsetoanunreformable, sectarian state, which eventually forced the Brit Ishgovernmenttonegotiate,culminat- inginthe1998 Good Fridayagreement, power-sharing executiveat Stormont and belated equality and respect for Irishnationalism. Others say the violence was unjustified and left open wounds, OF uGpeoplekilled duringthe Troublesin Fermanagh, 101 werekilled by the Pro visionalIRA, including 12 murderedin the 1987 RemembranceDaybombing. Ofthosecases,95 remain unresolved, said Kenny Donaldson, 40, directorof the South East Fermanagh Founda- tion, a victims’ rights group. “The pain of injusticeis stillvery profound’ Kenny Donaldson South East Fermanagh Foundation Opinion pag> n979 the IRA shot and seriously ‘wounded Arlene Foster's father, a farmer and part-time police officer, near his home outside Enniskillen, Foster waseight years old. "My father came in on all fours crawling, with blood coming from his head,” she recalled decades later. LastmonthSinn Féinheldatuibute for Séamus McElwaine, the IRA man allegedly behind theattack, who went on to be killed in an SAS ambush, Nationalists suspect that Foster's loathing for the IRA and its sup- porters poisoned her ability to work effectively with Sinn Féin during her six-year tenute, She famously com pared the party toa crocodile ‘omeunionists,incontrast think their leaders were too pliable Jand lacked the steel of James (Craig, Northem Ireland's first prime minister, who boasted of Stor- ‘mont beinga Protestant parliament for Protestant state. ‘They view the prosecution offormer Britisharmy soldiers for Troubles-era kullingsas driven by Sinn Féin. When the sinn Féin eader, Mary Lou MeDon- ald, expressed sorrow for the 1979 assassination of Lord Mountbatten, itcutlittleicein Enniskillen, home to Paul Maxwell, 15-year-old blown up With Mountbatten and his family. “When army veterans are being, vilified weseethatasanattackon who We were," said Brooker, whoserved in the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), He mistrusts Sinn Féin’s push foran Trish language act. “W's almost being ‘used asa political weapon. OurBBitish- nnessis being chipped away.” ‘Such sentiments simmered for years - and then came Brexit. While ‘many unionists voted remain, others seized the chance to assert British identity and exceptionalism. tt back- fired when Boris Johneon agreed the Northern Ireland protocol, which put tuade checks in the Irish Sea, Many loyalists view it as a constitutional ‘rent. The most radical think nowis ‘atime not for centenary candles but petrol bombs. Denzil McDaniel, 68, a former editor of the Impartial Reporter, an Enniskillen newspaper, sees a fault- nein unionism, Business and elvie leaderstecognise changeiscoming, be ita united Ireland ora constitutional ‘arrangement within the UK. Unionist politicians refuse to see this, hesaid, “They're in denial about the breakup ‘The IRA's bombing of Enniskillen in 1987 daimed "lives UKunityfaces anewthreat The United Kingdom’ unity Saces being idestabiised by “fag-waving from English nationalist politicians, a senior oficial from Northern Ireland's Catholic community has warned, Claran Martin said Northern Ireland faced for the firsttimein itshistory acrisis that hal come {from outside. “Itseems that the UK government ‘wants o build a post-Brexit UK based ona very arth-century English nation of parliamentary sovereignty,” hese. henson Norse naomi ater ep iworetrcrners eget Seceake ates iscsi anon pe ‘the corporate colour of Fermanagh and Snegticieeuah marae Siosstetershtneauncons iid nee Nonkenie eater a Spin ciopremesnaat See ietaecseacye seers cea ni thement ail a unter votre bal et ARSE Soa ket Tannen eles servereninist eat naesie Sn eaace ater Stinnett ices im Sc aa sana noe pet ona specnet reve pimegie eee anemegs. Seon hae ee peremegictrepn aa Sask ae Rn ery shtntnabany nya ne NERD Reena einai ae 7May2021 The Guardian Weekly21 Spotlight Environment ENDANGERED SPECIES Receding seaiceis making li increasingly hard forthe Arctic predators, butscientistsare using Aland radarmethods tofindand protecttheirdens By Graeme Green enghis Khan got his dying wish: despite attempts by archaeologists and scien. tists to find the Mongolian nuler'sfinalrestingplace, the location remains a secret 800 years after his death. Thesearch forhistomb, though, hasinspiredaninnovative projectthat could help protect polar bears. “Lrandomly tuned into the radio ‘one night and heard an expert talk- lng about the use of synthetic aper- ture radar [SAR] to look for Genghis Khan's tomb" said Tom Smith, asso- late professor in plant and wildlife Ona sciencesat Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah. “They were using SAR topenetratelayersof forest canopy in upper Mongolia, looking for theruins of aburial structure? ‘Talking to engineers, including BYU's David Long, Smith earned that SARis used by the military to detect enemy camps, tanksand vehicleshid- den beneath camouflageandis being studiedasatoolforfindingavalanche survivors. He and the team at Polar Bears International (PBI) had been looking for a technology to detect dens. “It was very serendipitous that Theard that broadcast” said Smith. Successful plot tests using SAR to find simulated polar bear dens took placein Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay in 2014 ‘2nd2015.Theprojectwasresurrected with trials in March 2021 on.a snowy mountain plateau in Utah's Manti-La ‘Sal national forest. A SAR device was FittedtoaCessna0-2A Skymasterait- craft that flew 900 metres over PBI researchers and BYUstudents digging dens aimetre under the snow. Den-buildingisactitical operation forpolarbears.Formonths, vulnerable cubs rely on their mother's milk and the safety of the den to survive. As polar bears are driven further inland by receding sea ice, denning areas and oll and gas activity increasingly overlap, Disturbancescan push moth: ers to abandon dens, The chances of survival for the undeveloped cubs prematurely on thesnow andice, are Arastically reduced, With fewer than 26,000 polar bears thought to be left slobally and an estimated decline of 40% in some populations, every den and bear counts. Getting reliable data on denning. sitesis ital. "The rcticnational wild- liferefugeisthe perfect example," said BI kKirschhoffer, PBI'sdirector offild operations, wiio led the latest tests in Utah. “Industry wants to goin and pumpoil.Ifwe havea tool that defini- tively says exactly where polar bear dens are, that means keeping people away from those places. If we want bears, we need baby bears, so we've jot to protect those dens.” SAR detects objects by sending. pulses ofradio waves; sensorspick up the echo or “bounce” tomapan area. ‘y Rellabledata about how and wiren polar bears build theirdensis “Toargue someone's disturbed apolar bear den, youneedto ‘know what normal denning behaviour e _BUKirschhorfer bear hunt potas dense ‘urbe, mothersean‘Thesimisto find theright frequency, asweet pot, that can penetrate snow butstilldetectabear. Thecurrenttech: nology for detecting dens, forward Tooking infrared (FLIR), which detects heat, islessthan soveeffective, smith likens ttoa “divining od: SAR givesa wider sweep and radar data provides specificlocations, rather than an image. Itworks inadverse con. ditions, whereas wind, snow, iceand fog can render FLIR useless. “We'd spend days out on the tundra at 40 degrees below zero, looking where FLIR said there was a den and there ‘was nothing,” Smith said. Recent SAR tests look promising - the radar could see the students and simulated bears, Next, hetechnology islikely tobetested on real polarbear densin Canada or Svalbard, ‘There are also hopes it could soon bbe possible to do polar bear surveys From satellites. “A satellite going over the Arctic, givingan dea of polarbear numbers and movements, would be tuansformative," said Geoff York, BI's senior director of conservation. “Radar engineers we work with at BYU say the technology exists. In the next decade, we could see that shift. Itwould bea massive gamechanger.” ther projects to monitor polar bear movements Across the Arctic include “burr on fur” temporary trackingdevices. PBthas worked with 4M, the company behind Post-itnotes, to develop sinal bioplastic triangles ‘with coiled bristlesthatstick toa polar bear'sfur likea burs alongwithamed- ‘cal-gradeadhesive. Burrsaresmaller and easier to attach than collars, and lessinvasivethaneartags orimplants, ‘which requiresurgery. They can cope withextreme cold, snow, jee, saltwater and a polar bear's rough lifestyle. By thetimethepolarbearmoultsand the tagcomesoff with tshair, thedatahas already been collected via satelite. ‘Tags wereapplied tofive wild bears {in westem Hudson Bay, in Canada’s ‘Manitoba province, in November 2020, with plans to tag more, possi- blyin Greenland and Nunavut, north em Canada, when Covid restrictions allow. “Being able to monitor polar bbears matters lot,” said York. “His- torically, we only have movement data from femalepolat bears, asradio collars slip off adult males’ thicker necks. We don't know how adult ‘males or sub-adults use habitats. As seaice changesinthe Arctic, we need abetterunderstanding of what's using which habitat, so we can model the potential impacts.” ‘Technology to understand what goesoninside denshasalsoimproved from the days of researchers sitting on the ice to wath the bears. PBI uses remote-contolled cameras fixed outside dens and is working with an artifcial-intelligencespecialistat San DDiegozoo to producecameras thatcan detect targets and follow movement. “To argue that someone's disturbed apolar bear den, you need to know what normal denning behaviour is,” said Ktschhoffer.“The more weknow, themore we can protect polar bears” ‘PUL also trialled an early-warming radar system last year in Churchill, Manitoba. “Humanand polarbear con flictisagrowingissuearound the Arc tic” said York. “Asseaice meltsmore ‘Quickly, polarbearsspendlongertimes ashore and come closer tocommuni- ties. Its happening in Russia, Canada n= Beats have attacked people ot damaged property. But in polar bear- human conflict it'sthepolarbearthat often loses its life” ‘The SpotterRF compact surveil- lance radar system is used by the US military to warn of enemy intrud- ers, drones and vehieles, "ts highly mobileand detectseverythingaround ‘you at 360 degrees,” said York. “If there's any movement, it tells you Wwhereitisand tracksit. Anything we candoto keep polarbearsand people safe isa good move. The tech’s great because i's 24/7 and sees through darkness, snow and fog.” ‘The early-warning radar system Is ready to be used to monitor polar bears, with Norway's Svalbard archi- pelago or Churchill likely options, Itsends an alert to person, so they could issue a warning. But there are also plans to use the radar to trigger deterrent, sch asstrobe lighting or a noise, to steer bears away, The sys tem’s most interesting innovation is artifcialintlligence. "We've focused on training radar detection’s AL" said York. “From all these things we're detecting, what's a person? What's grass blowing? What's apolar bear? esnotusingimagery.tt’susingquan- titativedatato determine what's what Overthe season, wehhad 130 polar bear targets and it got us accuracies in the high 90-percentile range.” ‘Al's potential is exciting conser- vationists. “With tech, we're able to > By Kirschhoffer and KT Miller dig fake polar beardensin Utah for the SAR test study ‘a Researchersin {gather massive amounts of informa. Utahsearchfor tion, but how do we find the data we simulateddens —_want?"said Ritschhorffer.“AI'sthe key inaspedially toall that stuff. Alcan give us more adapted plane ‘intelligent’ data.” Two-thirds of the world’s polar bears could be lost by the end of the century. “Allthetech tools we'reusing, are stopgaps to help protect the an mals we have?" said Kirschhoffer. “But ultimately the solution isn’t any ofthis tech; it's getting people to ‘change their behaviour, to live more sustainably and reduce their carbon footprint, and maybe pushing tech to find more efficient ways to live on this planet. Thar’s the tech we need 26k Themumber | most: carbon capture, more efficien: ofpolarbears cies, electric cars, whatever reduces currentlyleft | ourimpacton theplanet.” intheworld ‘Whether we will be able to change ‘ourbehaviour and how much we will fely on tech solutions to heip tackle DID teint cri ishar to predict. "Covid's been an interesting exam: Theproportion | plesaidMischotie"Whowoul've ofthewortds | thoughtyoucancrankoutavaccineln polar bears that | ayeartoslveCovid?thavegreat faith Couldbetrtby. | \ecansolvethecimateprobletn, We theendofthe justneedtobuekledovinand maleit Century largely happen duetoreceding cnagves crams a unis "TRAVEL WRITER 7May2021 The Guardian Weekly