Vochos, Amazonian gold and shades of Euro 2024
Outriders Magazune #322
Euro 2024: Domestic violence, ultras, and immigrant fans
During international football tournaments, reports of domestic violence tend to increase. For instance, during the 2022 soccer World Cup in Qatar, the British Sussex Police received twice as many emergency calls related to domestic violence. Experts attribute the rise in violence during these tournaments to factors such as increased alcohol and drug consumption, sports betting, and frustrated fans. To address this issue, police across the UK are providing additional support to women during Euro 2024 and collaborating with the Women's Aid organization.
Ultra groups, which consist of football fans with strong nationalist attitudes, are present at the European Soccer Championship in Germany. The Hungarian Carpathian Brigade is one of them, known for clashing with the police, using racist insults, displaying homophobic banners, and believed to have up to 15,000 members. Radical fans also supported national teams such as Albania, Croatia and Romania, with some displaying flags related to geographic areas like Greater Romania, which denies Moldova's sovereignty, and also referencing Greater Serbia and Greater Hungary in the stands.
This year's soccer Euro also saw immigrants showing support for their national teams in the stands, reflecting the diverse population in Germany. Almost 30% of the German population, around 24.9 million, are immigrants or have at least one immigrant parent. Sixty per cent of this group has roots in other European countries. Germany is home to 435,000 Croatians, nearly a million Poles, and almost 3 million immigrants from Turkey or people with Turkish roots.
Saudi Arabian construction, Nigerian airports, and Kenyan homes
Saudi Arabia has initiated construction projects worth more than $1.25 trillion, positioning itself as the world's largest construction market. Real estate consultancy Knight Frank LLP forecasts that the country's total construction output will reach $181.5 billion by the end of 2028, marking a growth of nearly 30% from 2023. The kingdom is modernizing and diversifying its oil-dependent economy in anticipation of population growth and increased tourist activity. However, low oil prices have impacted government revenues, prompting a reassessment of plans and searching for new financing strategies. A review of projects is ongoing, and some are expected to be delayed or scaled back.
Nigeria currently has 33 airports, 13 runways, four military airfields, and 128 helipads, with new airports continually under construction. However, air travel decreased by about 280,000 passengers last year compared to 2022. According to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, just three airports accounted for 92% of all passenger travel in 2022. Some experts suggest that the push to build more airports is driven more by political prestige than economics.
Kenya is facing a significant shortage of affordable housing, with the World Bank estimating a deficit of 2 million homes. In response, the government aims to construct 250,000 homes annually, a plan launched in 2022. However, there is insufficient data available regarding the progress of that initiative. The situation is particularly dire in urban areas, where a third of Kenya's population resides, with 70% living in informal settlements lacking basic infrastructure.
Environment: gold mining in the Amazon and lithium in Argentina
The Brazilian special forces have launched an offensive against criminals destroying the Amazon under the codename “Operation Waki.” The goal of this operation is to eliminate more than 100 illegal gold mining sites in and around the Javari Valley, which is an indigenous area near Brazil’s borders with Colombia and Peru. Due to record-high gold prices, illegal miners have started moving towards Javari, which is home to the world’s highest concentration of isolated tribes. This poses a risk of violence and disease that could devastate these communities and some of the most valuable tropical forests on Earth.
In Argentina, mining companies that extract lithium, a metal essential for the green transition, have been accused of employing a colonialist “divide and conquer” approach. Lithium is found, for example, under the Salinas Grandes salt flats, where locals have been collecting salt for years. The Salinas Grandes is Argentina’s largest salt flat and biodiverse ecosystem in the lithium mining triangle, bordered by Chile and Bolivia. For the past 14 years, 33 indigenous communities in the Atacama and Kolla regions have been united in their fight to stop the mining operations, as they fear the destruction of local water resources and the need to abandon their lands. More than 30 global mining conglomerates are entering the region, driven by the encouragement of Argentine President Javier Milei, and local communities are increasingly divided by job and investment offers.
Natural disasters, the increasing threat to women, and the heat in India
Women are 14 times more likely to die than men in disasters and account for 80% of those displaced by disasters. They often face increased violence, homelessness, and additional caregiving responsibilities. The relevant research was based on interviews with women in Victoria, Australia, when domestic violence spiked after the Black Saturday bushfires in February 2009. Further research has been conducted during Australia's millennium drought, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2022 floods in New South Wales.
As many as 4 million people in India make a living by scavenging landfills for items to sell. The extreme heat makes that work even more dangerous. As the waste decomposes, the landfills cook from the inside out, and the rising heat accelerates and intensifies this process, increasing the emission of health-damaging gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. Additionally, almost all landfill fires occur in the summer and can last for days.
Due to rising temperatures, a heat stroke ward has been set up at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi. When patients experience heat stroke, they are placed in a 250-litre bathtub filled with water and ice immediately after the onset of symptoms. The cold water in the bathtub affects the patient's entire body surface. During the procedure, the patient's vital signs are monitored, and once the temperature has dropped, the patient is transferred to the intensive care unit.
Crime and technology: phone-stealing gangs, police drones, and facial recognition
According to a gang leader, thieves can steal up to 20 phones per day by watching users enter their device’s PIN and can make up to £50,000 in just 30 minutes. After stealing a phone, the thieves use the owner’s banking app to control the victim’s bank account. Mobile banking fraud in the U.K. has increased by 62% in the past year, reaching its highest level on record, according to U.K. Finance.
U.S. police in the District of Columbia plan to use drones for various tasks. These tasks include searching for missing persons, monitoring crowds at large public events, serving high-risk arrest warrants, investigating road accidents, and locating armed suspects. The Parrot Anafi drones will be operated within the sight of a police officer and will not use artificial intelligence or facial recognition technology.
In the U.S., law enforcement agencies use facial recognition technology to identify criminals captured on camera. For example, in Michigan, the software compares a criminal's face with police databases or driver's licence photos. However, some cities and states, including San Francisco, Austin, Texas, and Portland, Oregon, have temporarily banned the technology due to concerns about privacy and racial bias. In Detroit, Michigan, police arrested three people based on incorrect facial-recognition matches, setting a national record.
African economy: mukando clubs, the Kenyan crisis, and reforms in Nigeria
In Zimbabwe, popular community savings programs support residents but expose vulnerable people to the risk of fraud. These informal savings clubs, known as mukando, have become especially popular among women and people who are underemployed, distrust banks, or lack access to traditional savings and loans. The clubs typically consist of about a dozen members with a treasurer to whom money is donated, sometimes in partnerships with families, neighbours, or friends. These unregistered and unregulated organisations rely on trust between members, which experts warn can expose savers to fraud.
In Kenya, despite President William Ruto abandoning plans to raise taxes that sparked nationwide unrest last week, police are still clashing with protesters. Dozens of protesters have been killed in the clashes. The protest movement, which has no official leader and often organises itself on social media, has rejected the president's calls for dialogue.
In Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has implemented significant reforms, including lifting taxes on imported pharmaceuticals to boost local production. This move is part of a larger strategy to rebuild the economy and increase non-oil revenues. The Tinubu administration's reforms have helped Nigeria secure international funds, including more than $2.25 billion from the World Bank, indicating the country's economic progress.
Vochos on wheels in Mexico and horse riding on a stick in Australia
In Mexico City, taxi drivers still use Volkswagen Beetles, known locally as "vochos." These cars are popular because they are inexpensive, and the rear-mounted engine provides more power for the steep inclines in the area. Vochos are especially popular in the northern district of Cuautepec - the area has earned the nickname “Vocholandia,” and Beetle drivers are known as vocheros. However, local mechanics have noted that driving vochos is becoming a dying tradition. After the production of older models in Mexico ceased in 2003 and newer models in 2019, the Beetle population has decreased and parts are now in short supply.
Staffordshire, England, has a tradition of making savoury oatmeal pancakes stuffed with bacon and cheese. According to local photographer David Fletcher, each shop has its secret recipe, leading to fierce competition to produce the best pancakes. Staffordshire pancakes are not widely known and are distinct from Scottish oatmeal counterparts, similar to biscuits. Fletcher spent two years documenting shops selling Staffordshire oatmeal pancakes, which he sees as a significant part of the area's cultural and culinary heritage.
In Queensland, Australia, a modern version of a centuries-old tradition involves horse riders meeting for a dressage championship using artificial animals known as hobby horses. These dedicated riders learn about saddling, dressage, show jumping, jousting, obstacle course challenges, and breed shows. They also prepare their horses, demonstrating their strong commitment to this unique tradition.
Conflicts and disputes in Asia: the Line of Actual Control and the Second Thomas Shoal
In the remote and sparsely populated areas along the 3,500-km-long border between India and China, known as the Line of Actual Control, both countries have stationed their troops for a long time. This border is often unmarked and part of the ongoing Sino-Indian dispute. Soldiers from both sides leave behind empty cigarette packets and beer cans as a way to mark their territorial claims. In recent years, there have been occasional confrontations escalating to skirmishes, with soldiers resorting to simple weapons like sticks and batons, as a 1996 agreement prohibits the use of firearms and ammunition on the border. Both countries are also investing in the development of border villages. For instance, India plans to invest $600 million over the next decade to develop around 3,000 villages.
Tensions between China and the Philippines have heightened significantly following a clash between sailors in the South China Sea in the latter part of June this year. Videos released by the Philippine military show Chinese coast guards ramming Philippine navy boats, boarding them, and confiscating the Filipinos’ weapons. The Chinese coast guards were armed with swords, spears and knives. Several Filipinos sustained injuries in the incident. Beijing justified its actions as "necessary measures" to safeguard its sovereignty, such as interceptions and boarding inspections. This clash was the latest in a series of confrontations between Chinese and Filipino vessels off Second Thomas Shoal, where a small Filipino garrison is stationed on an old warship, the BRP Sierra Madre, intentionally beached.