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World and Press October 2 2022

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8 Africa

8 Africa October 2 2022 | World and Press Dreams sunk as Nile’s Bohemian houseboats float off into history EGYPT The floating homes were symbols of Cairo’s intelligentsia, but the riverside is to be developed. By Magdy Samaan and Richard Spencer 1 FOR THEBritish-Egyptian writer Ahdaf Soueif, owning a houseboat on the Nile had been a lifelong dream. So after the revolution to overthrow the dictator Hosni Mubarak in 2011, she sold her home in Wimbledon, returned to the country of her birth, and bought one. 2 That dream has now ended, a victim of Egypt’s new military leader. President Sisi’s mania for redeveloping Cairo has turned its attention to the city’s remaining 32 houseboats, which have received demolition orders that give residents days to leave. Fifteen have already been destroyed and the remainder are due to go next week. 3 It is an inglorious end for a potent symbol of Bohemianism in a conservative society. Novels have been written about the vibrant milieu of writers, artists, and singers the boats played host to in the middle years of the 20th century. “It seemed that one should be here and should be part of the change,” Soueif said as she sat on her veranda this week. Around her, a team of workers were packing her belongings in boxes. She 0 – 2 BOHEMIAN ...“b´"hi…mi´n‘ ... von Künstlern und Intellektuellen; s.w.u. Bohemianism unkonventionelles Künstlerdasein — to float off davontreiben — to (re-) develop baulich neu gestalten; s.w.u. development Bauprojekt(e) — to overthrow “Æ--"Tr´U‘ stürzen — mania exzessive Vorliebe — demolition order Abrissverfügung — remainder Rest 3 – 4 inglorious “In"glO…ri´s‘ schmählich — potent stark — vibrant “"vaIbr´nt‘ lebendig — to play host to s.o. jdn. beherbergen — belongings Habseligkeiten — military said she thought the houseboat would be her last home. “Of course, in the end, the revolution was defeated, and we are living the defeat,” she said. 4 The houseboats were symbols of an era when Cairo’s intelligentsia were a force for liberal values in the Middle East – before they were crushed by competing waves of military dictatorship and Islamism. 5 Naguib Mahfouz, Egypt’s most celebrated novelist, lived on a houseboat for a time and set ‘Adrift on the Nile’ on one, its protagonists lounging in its sitting room as they smoked hashish and discussed their existential angst. It became a film in 1971 and helped win Mahfouz the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988. 6 Two of Soueif’s neighbouring boats disappeared this week, dragged by tug to the nearby Imbaba police station to be impounded. The government claimed that there were outstanding “fees” on the boats, which would be confiscated to pay the arrears. Their disappearance will allow more restaurant boats, which are excluded from the demolition orders, as well as other commercial development of the riverside. A houseboat on the Nile is towed away by authorities in June 2022. | Photo: Getty Images 7 Precise plans have not been published. However, it is expected that they will follow the pattern of the Nile’s opposite bank, where a tourist-friendly walkway filled with cafes and luxury restaurants has replaced moorings for feluccas, the traditional Egyptian sailboats for hire that were also once a hallmark of the river and enjoyed for family picnics on the water. 8 Soueif’s renovated boat became a home that she shared with her extended family. Her son, Omar Robert Hamilton, held his wedding party there. He has returned to Cairo to lead a last-minute campaign against the demolition. “We are trying to negotiate, but nobody wants to talk,” he said. “If they want to build cafes here, why don’t they move the houseboats to another spot? The Nile is quite long.” He pointed out that while his family could afford to move, others like one neighbour, a widow aged 87 who had lived on her boat most of her life, were not as fortunate and had nowhere to go. … © The Times, London/News Licensing This article originally appeared in The Times, London. dictatorship Militärdiktatur 5 – 6 Adrift on the Nile dt. Titel: Das Hausboot am Nil (a. treibend) — protagonist “pr´"tœg´nIst‘ Hauptfigur — tug Schleppboot — to impound “Im"paUnd‘; s.w.u. to confiscate “"kÅnfIskeIt‘ beschlagnahmen — outstanding nicht bezahlt — arrears “´"rI´z‘ Außenstände 7 – 8 precise “prI"saIs‘ genau — mooring Liegeplatz — felucca “fel"øk´‘ Feluke — hallmark Wahrzeichen — to negotiate “nI"g´USieIt‘ verhandeln A hydroelectric power plant in Congo’s Virunga National Park. | Photo: Getty Images ‘Our priority is not to save the planet’ CONGO Peatlands and rainforests in the Congo Basin are being auctioned off for drilling. By Ruth Maclean and Dionne Searcey 1 THE Democratic Republic of Congo, home to one of the largest old-growth rainforests on Earth, is auctioning off vast amounts of land in a push to become “the new destination for oil investments,” part of a global shift as the world retreats on fighting climate change in a scramble for fossil fuels. 2 The oil and gas blocks, which will be auctioned in late July, extend into Virunga National Park, the world’s most important gorilla sanctuary, as well as tropical peatlands that store vast amounts of carbon, keeping it out of the atmosphere and from contributing to global warming. 3 Congo’s about-face in allowing new oil drilling in environmentally sensitive areas comes eight months after its president, Félix Tshisekedi, stood alongside world leaders at the global climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, and endorsed a ten-year agreement to protect its rainforest, part of the vast Congo Basin, which is second in size only to the Amazon. The deal included international pledges of 0 million for Congo, one of the world’s poorest nations, over the first five years. 4 But since then, the world’s immediate priorities have shifted. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent oil prices soaring and led to American and British bans on Russian energy and, last week, a call to ration natural gas in Europe. And U.S. President Joe Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia recently, where he raised the need for more oil production. 5 Congo has taken note of these global events, said Tosi Mpanu Mpanu, the nation’s lead representative on climate issues and an adviser to the minister of hydrocarbons. Congo’s sole goal for the auction, he said, is to earn enough revenue to help the struggling nation finance programs to reduce poverty and generate badly needed economic growth. “That’s our priority,” Mpanu said, in an interview last week. “Our priority is not to save the planet.” 6 Congo announced the auction in May, with a video posted on Twitter. American and French oil giants Chevron and TotalEnergies were tagged in the post. Environmental groups were outraged. … © 2022 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times. 0 – 2 PRIORITY “praI"År´ti‘ — peatland Torfmoor — Congo Basin “"beIs´n‘ Kongobecken — to auction off versteigern — drilling Bohrungen — oldgrowth rainforest Urwald — to retreat on s.th. s. von etw. zurückziehen — scramble Gerangel; h.: Wettstreit — fossil fuels fossile Brennstoffe — to extend into hineinreichen — sanctuary “"sœNtSU´ri‘ Schutzgebiet 3 – 4 about-face (AE) Kehrtwende — environmentally sensitive ökologisch sensibel — summit “"sømIt‘ Gipfel — to endorse unterstützen — pledge Zusage — to send prices soaring “"sO…rIN‘ die Preise in die Höhe schießen lassen — call Forderung — to ration “"rœS´n‘ rationieren — to raise the need for s.th. Bedarf an etw. kundtun 5 – 6 adviser Berater(in) — minister of hydrocarbons “ÆhaIdr´"kA…b´nz‘ Minister(in) für fossile Brennstoffe (h. Kohlenwasserstoffe) — sole einzig — revenue “"rev´nju…‘ Einnahmen — oil giant “"dZaI´nt‘ Ölmulti — to be outraged entrüstet sein

World and Press | October 2 2022 New Zealand 9 Abroad, Jacinda Ardern is a star. At home, she is losing her shine. NEW ZEALAND New and old problems have sent her polling numbers to new lows as an election looms next year. By Pete McKenzie in Wellington 1 ABROAD,Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand remains a leading liberal light. During a recent trip to the United States, she delivered the commencement address at Harvard University, cracked jokes with Stephen Colbert, and met in the Oval Office with President Joe Biden. At each stop, she highlighted her successes in passing gun restrictions and handling the pandemic. 2 At home, Ardern’s star is fading. Rising prices for food, fuel, and rent are making life increasingly difficult for many New Zealanders, and an explosion of gang violence has shocked suburbanites not used to worrying much about their safety. More fundamentally, there are deepening doubts that Ardern can deliver the “transformational” change she promised on systemic problems, as housing prices reach stratospheric levels, the country’s carbon emissions increase despite her government’s pledges, and child poverty rates stay stubbornly high. 3 Polls show her center-left Labour Party at its lowest level of support in five years, with an election looming in 2023. That, said Morgan Godfery, a liberal writer and senior lecturer in marketing at Otago University in Dunedin, reflects a view that Ardern is “missing in action” on the issues voters care about. “New Zealanders who see this day to day are getting frustrated by a lack of change,” Godfery said. “But if you look from overseas, you don’t see the lack of policy, you see the personality. And that’s where the mismatch comes in.” 4 Ardern built an international profile as a progressive feminist and a compassionate leader, which stood out all the more as a wave of right-wing populism swept the United States and other countries. It has allowed her to amass unusual star power for the leader of a small country. 5 In her first term, she won widespread praise as she guided her country through the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque massacre and through the emergence of the pandemic. Within days of the mosque shootings, she announced a sweeping ban on military-style weapons. And after the arrival of the coronavirus, she took swift action to eliminate the virus through lockdowns and border controls, largely preserving normal life. 6 Her pandemic success helped lift her party to an outright majority in Parliament during the last election, in October 2020 – the first time any party had won a majority since the country moved to its current electoral system in 1993. But it may also be causing her current troubles. As New Zealand emerged from the pandemic with one of the world’s lowest death rates, “there was a sense the government really can do the impossible by holding up a virus ravaging the rest of the world,” said Ben Thomas, a conservative commentator. Jacinda Ardern at a joint New Zealand– Australia news conference in July 2022. | Photo: Picture Alliance/Reuters The government has lost its unifying fight 7 Now, with most of its virus restrictions lifted, Ardern’s government has lost its unifying fight against the pandemic and, with it, much of its bipartisan support. What remains is soaring inflation, increasing gun violence, and little progress on issues that have bedeviled New Zealand for decades. “The prime minister has gone from untouchable – almost Olympian – levels back to being an ordinary politician again,” Thomas said. … 8 New Zealand’s inflation rate of 6.9% is lower than the 9.2% in the developed world as a whole, and Ardern has responded to criticism by pointing to the global pressures beyond her control. “The whole world is experiencing the worst economic shock since the Great Depression, with the war in Ukraine and COVID-19-related supply chain issues adding to it with the worst inflation spike in decades,” said Andrew Campbell, a spokesperson for Ardern. 9 Her government has announced, among other measures, a payment of 350 New Zealand dollars (0) to middle- and low-income New Zealanders to help alleviate increases in the cost of living. Many, however, see the government’s responses as inadequate and are dissatisfied by overseas comparisons. “It’s not the government’s fault, but it is the government’s problem,” Thomas said. 10 Ardern has also found herself grappling with rising gun violence, with at least 23 gangrelated drive-by shootings reported in late May and early June as two once-allied gangs battled over territory. At times, police officers, who are typically unarmed in New Zealand, were forced to carry rifles in parts of Auckland, the country’s largest city. 11 Political analysts are unsure whether Ardern can achieve breakthroughs on any of the longstanding issues to help improve her standing. 12 Successive governments have failed to rein in an overheated housing market. The problem has intensified under Ardern’s government, with average home prices rising 58% from 2017 to 2021. Last year, the average home price passed one million New Zealand dollars, or 6,000. The country has also battled persistent child poverty, which causes rates of rheumatic fever and lung ailments that are surprisingly high for a developed country. In 2017, Ardern declared reducing child poverty a core goal. Currently, 13.6% of New Zealand children live in poverty, a decrease from 16.5% in 2018 but more than the government’s target of 10.5%. And despite Ardern’s promise to treat climate change like her generation’s “nuclear-free moment,” emissions have increased by 2.2% since 2018. 13 Campbell said the government had made progress on major issues despite COVID-19’s challenges. … But Godfery, the liberal writer, said Ardern had not gotten enough help from her team in translating her rhetoric into policy. Ardern “is a genuinely caring and compassionate person who has a deep commitment to issues of inequality, climate change, and child poverty,” Godfery said. “But often that doesn’t translate to a concrete policy program.” © 2022 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times. 0 – 1 TO LOSE one’s shine an Glanz verlieren — polling numbers “"p´UlIN‘ Umfragewerte — low Tief — to loom bevorstehen — leading light (fig) wichtige Persönlichkeit — commencement address “k´"mensm´nt‘ Rede vor Universitätsabsolventen — to crack jokes scherzen — gun restrictions “rI"strIkS´nz‘ Einschränkungen des Waffenbesitzes 2 to fade verblassen — suburbanite “s´"b‰…b´naIt‘ Vorortbewohner(in) — fundamentally grundsätzlich — transformational change umwälzende Veränderung — stratospheric “Æstrœt´"sferIk‘ (fig) exorbitant — carbon emissions CO 2 - Emissionen — pledge Versprechen — child poverty “"pÅv´ti‘ Kinderarmut — stubbornly “"støb´nli‘ hartnäckig 3 – 4 senior lecturer “"lektS´r´‘ Hochschuldozent(in) — Dunedin “d´"ni…d´n‘ — missing in action verschollen — mismatch Diskrepanz — compassionate “k´m"pœS´n´t‘ mitfühlend — rightwing populism “"pÅpj´lIz´m‘ Rechtspopulismus — to amass “´"mœs‘ ansammeln 5 – 6 term Amtszeit — praise Lob; Anerkennung — aftermath “"A…ft´mA…T‘ Folgen — mosque “mÅsk‘ Moschee — emergence “I"m‰…dZ´ns‘ Aufkommen; s.w.u. to emerge from s.th. etw. überstanden haben — sweeping ban umfassendes Verbot — swift rasch — outright majority absolute Mehrheit — electoral system “i"lekt´r´l‘ Wahlsystem — to hold up aufhalten — to ravage “"rœvIdZ‘ verwüsten 7 – 8 unifying “"ju…nIfaIIN‘ vereinend — bipartisan “ÆbaI"pA…tIzœn‘ parteiübergreifend — to soar “sO…‘ sprunghaft ansteigen — gun violence “"vaI´l´ns‘ Waffengewalt — to bedevil “bI"dev´l‘ plagen — untouchable “øn"tøtS´b´l‘ unantastbar — developed world Industrienationen — pressure “"preS´‘ Druck — Great Depression Weltwirtschaftskrise — supply chain issues Lieferkettenprobleme — spike Steigerung — spokesperson Sprecher(in) 9 – 11 measure “"meZ´‘ Maßnahme — to alleviate “´"li…vieIt‘ lindern — cost of living Lebenshaltungskosten — inadequate “I"nœdIkw´t‘ unzureichend — dissatisfied “ÆdIs"sœtIsfaId‘ unzufrieden — to grapple with s.th. s. mit etw. auseinandersetzen — drive-by shooting Schießerei aus dem fahrenden Auto heraus — once-allied “"œlaId‘ einst verbündet — unarmed unbewaffnet — rifle “"raIf´l‘ Gewehr 12 successive “s´k"sesIv‘ aufeinanderfolgend — to rein in “reIn‘ zügeln — overheated überhitzt — housing market Wohnungsmarkt — to intensify “In"tensIfaI‘ s. verschärfen — to battle s.th. mit etw. zu kämpfen haben — persistent “p´"sIst´nt‘ hartnäckig — rheumatic fever “ru…"mœtIk‘ rheumatisches Fieber — lung ailment Lungenleiden — core goal zentrales Ziel — nuclearfree “"nju…klI´‘ ohne Atomkraft und Atomwaffen 13 to translate umwandeln — genuinely “"dZenjuInli‘ aufrichtig — to have a commitment to s.th. s. etw. verpflichtet haben — inequality “ÆInI"kwÅl´ti‘ Ungleichheit

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