Anthony Joshua stops Wladimir Klitschko to become unified heavyweight champion - as it happened

 Nick Howson,International Business Times 16 hours ago 

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• Anthony Joshua wins IBF and vacant WBA heavyweight titles by stopping Wladimir Klitschko in round 11.
• Post-war record crowd of 90,000 at Wembley for biggest fight in British boxing history.
• Wins for Joe Cordina, Katie Taylor and Luke Campbell on undercard.
• Who the celebrities are tipping to win Joshua vs Klitschko.

Well that brings an end to our live coverage from Wembley. We'll have all the reaction from one of the greatest sporting events our country has seen in many years. It was an absorbing classic which will go down in the annuls. Until next time, it's a very goodnight.

Joshua survived being put down to defeat Klitschko.

Trending: Manchester United 1-0 Swansea City: Premier League LIVE

Joshua now being announced to the crowd as the unified heavyweight world champion. I am not sure anyone can believe what they have just seen. London 2012 eat your heart out. What a fight.

Don't miss: Anthony Joshua beats Wladimir Klitschko to become unified heavyweight world champion

Replays of the punches unloaded by Joshua are being played on the big screens and it is fair to say Klitschko took on some ridiculous shots. What a stunning, stunning performance from both men but it is Joshua who comes away with the win.

Round 11

Most popular: Deontay Wilder and Tony Bellew clash ahead of Joshua vs Klitschko

Amazing! Anthony Joshua comes back from the dead, knocking Klitschko down twice and eventually the contest is called to a halt with the Briton unloading shots on the Ukrainian. The referee calls it off and Wembley goes mental. What a sluggfest and Joshua is the unified heavyweight champion.

Anthony Joshua stops Wladimir Klitschko!!

Klitschko down again!

Klitschko down in round 11

Round 10

What a slug this is. Joshua is coming right back into it and a left hand almost sends Klitschko down for a second time. What a fight this is. Klitschko having to take some shots having turned defensive, perhaps in the hope he has already done enough to clinch the contest. They appear to butt heads at one stage during a tight end to the round. Two left.

Round nine

Joshua has his mouth guard back in, perhaps a sign he is recapturing a bit of energy. He may be muscle-bound but his endurance has been tested tonight. Klitschko is caught with two shots and now a third as he dominates the centre of the ring. Klitschko is moving like Roger Federer at Wimbledon, dancing on silk almost. Joshua is finding him slippery to say the least.

I have Klitschko up by two rounds, with two 10-8s in there too.

Round eight

Joshua has never boxed an eighth round in his professional career but here it comes. Kitschko again with more combinations, putting Joshua onto the back foot. Fair to say Joshua is more of a force however and throwing far more punches than the last two rounds. There is still a bambie on ice feel to the Londoner however. Klitschko's jabs proving metronomic and most importantly very successful. Joshua's jab is also a potent weapon, one he uses at the end of an even round.

Round seven

Joshua is very slow to his feet having been slumped in the corner, all-but beaten. Klitschko totally on top now though even he seems to be taking breath in this seven round. Wembley has good very quiet - like the England team are playing here - with Joshua very much on the ropes. Klitschko sits back on the jab, with a clear points advantage so far.Joshua barely throwing a punch as he searches for a second wind. Not until 15 seconds before the bell does he unload a right hand, but he doesn't hurt his opponent.

Round six

Anthony Joshua down for the first time in his career! Joshua loses his mouth guard - a sign he is tiring. Klitschko is dictated now and Joshua is almost off his feet. He is stumbling around the ring now. Surely this can't last much longer. Joshua gets to the bell but he is all over the place.

Joshua down in the sixth round!

Round five

Joshua is behind on rounds and he comes out swinging and eventually connects, sending Klitschko to the canvass. Joshua celebrates, but it is premature as Klitschko is abck on his feet. The Ukraine continues to be tagged and he is all over the place. Now Joshua looks punched off his feet and Klitschko is coming back, connecting with right hands.

Klitschko down in the fifth round!!

Round four

Klitschko starts the fourth as he did the second, with a big fright hand which almost downs Joshua. The London 2012 comes back with a handful of right hands which Klitschko absorbs. A right hook follows and Klitschko is now in trouble, yet he reasserts himself. Very good fight in the making here.

Round three

Big left hand from Joshua which Klitschko sucks up. Every time the champion comes forward he is desperate to take evasive action - a sign as if there was need for one that he is worried about the power of the home favourite. Klitschko's left arm has dropped and he does not have the control of the second round. Very much an ebb and flow contest.

Round two

Klitschko connects with a right hand straight off the bat but back come Joshua who is pushing the 41-year-old back. No doubt the IBF champion was rattled by that, perhaps the biggest shot he has ever taken. Klitschko is dictating the pace of the contest, with Joshua struggling for rhythm.

Round one

Klitschko employing the jab from the outset and dominating the centre of the ring. The Ukrainian is taking evasive action whenever Joshua comes forward. Few combinations do find their mark from Joshua. At least twice Klitschko tries the 'jab and grab' technique which has underlined his most recent fights.

Very even first round, but Joshua probably edges it.

Here we go. The bell rings. All the eyes of the world on Wembley. Get ready....

LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!

If that doesn't put the hairs up on the back of your neck nothing will. Both fighters now being introduced to the crowd for a second time. Some boos for Klitschko it must be said.

Both national anthems - the Ukrainan sung by the wife of Klitschko's brother Vitali - beautifully observed albeit amid some shambolic voices from the crowd. Michael Buffer's moment on the way...

Klitschko was busy looking at his toes when Joshua was being elevated above the 90,000 at Wembley. This bravado is food and drink to him.

Joshua is in the ring now and he's strolling around like he owns the place. If a few minutes time, he may very well do.

An amazing noise greets the champion, Anthony Joshua of Watford, England. An intro video which catalogues his whole career is played on the six big screens across the stadium before the IBF champion emerges from the tunnel.

Decked all in white, Joshua begins his walk to the ring taking the same route as Klitschko. A compilation plays on the sound-system, including the White Stripes' 'Seven Nation Army'. - the soundtrack to every chant in global sport. The letters AJ go up in flames as Joshua is lifted above the adoring crowd. He's milking every single second.

I've seen the Red Hot Chili Peppers a fair few times but not sure I've heard 'Can't Stop' with that sort of gusto before. Klitschko in the ring, swaying from side-to-side. He looks very relaxed, but then he would - this stage is second nature to him. Very much the man for the big occasion.

Following relatively short intro video, Klitschko appears all in black - a robe which has a USB stick sown into it with a prediction of the fight. 'Can't Stop' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers booms out of the PA and the Ukraine is on his way to the ring. He's not heading directly to the ring mind, and is doing a near full lap of Wembley.

After that nonsense, Michael Buffer is in place and we're ready for the ring walks. Klitschko first up.

Right on cue. Fight time approaching.

For those of you who are not boxing connoisseurs, every event have what is called 'floaters' - fights which are not in the official running order but are worked into the schedule as and when. Among those were meant to be both Josh Kelly and Lawrence Okolie, but due to the Quigg-Simion bout going the distance neither will get the chance to showcase their talent at Wembey. Okolie is not happy, and you can understand why.

The current sight at Wembley.

None other than the WBC champion Deontay Wilder will be ringside tonight. The American had an an angry exchange with Tony Bellew last night, which you can read about here. The pair are now side-by-side again on Sky Sports. Not having to be kept apart, just yet.

You know you're getting closer to the main event when the PA starts booming in an attempt to ramp up the atmosphere. Cypress Hill has been followed by Blur. Sweet Caroline can't be far away; boxing's full repertoire.

As if there was ever any doubt....

Scott Quigg wins his second comeback fight since losing to Carl Frampton last year, a unanimous points win over a punch-happy Simion. Lee Selby next? That seems the most logical option for the Bury-born fighter.

Back to the main event, and if you still need an insight into the magnitude of this fight then the presence of US broadcasters Showtime and HBO - who are both showing the bout - means this fight hosted in Britain has global significance. Over 140 countries are taking in this fight, while Sky Sports Box Office are expected to break records for purchases.

The main support act at Wembley if the continuation of Scott Quigg's comeback against Viorel Simion. The Briton and former featherweight world champion has looked good throughout this clash and is set to come away with a points win, as we head into round 12.

Anthony Joshua on Sky Sports: "There are no nerves. If there were any it's would be just to perform to the best of my ability. I'm no Muhammad Ali, I won't start telling you which round I will win in. But I will take it round by round. These fights always live up to expectation."

Footage of the wrapping of Anthony Joshua hands has just flashed up on the big screen at Wembley, to the delight of the many thousands who have made the early trip to the home of English football.

Observing the wrap is a representative from Klitschko's team - none other than brother Vitali. The Mayor of Kiev has previously advised Joshua but is firmly in his brother's camp tonight. He might very well need it.

For those fortunate enough to be inside Wembley tonight, each will have the chance to buy a £10 programme - which in 2017 isn't half bad. But on the inside page there is a glaring error....

We're already well underway at Wembley and more than half-way through the undercard. There have been wins already for Olympic champions Katie Taylor - who has claimed her first pro title - and Luke Campbell after he stopped an injured Darleys Perez. Joe Cordina was also victorious in the first bout of the night, in front of the Wembley groundsman and his dog.

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." - William Shakespeare

Is tonight the evening when Anthony Joshua goes from humble British boxing star, to global icon? After an explosive start to his professional career - riding on the crest of a wave after winning Team GB's final gold medal at London 2012 - the Watford-born fighter faces his greatest test in the form of Wladimir Klitschko.

The Ukraine may be 41 years old and a veteran of nearly 70 fights, but he has revenge on his mind having had his tight grip on the heavyweight division ended by Tyson Fury over 500 days ago. Klitschko has been inactive since then, but insists he is "obsessed" by the idea of becoming a world champion for a third time.

This is nothing short of the biggest boxing event Great Britain has ever seen, and we'll have updates from Wembley throughout an action-packed night including round-by-round coverage of the main event [hopefully] from around 10pm BST.

By 2020, the region’s landfill sites will be full to bursting with rubbish. What can be done?

• By David Robson

27 April 2017

When I first meet Chan King Ming at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, it is difficult to imagine that the region is facing an environmental disaster. We are speaking on a crisp spring morning, in the leafy university campus in Hong Kong’s New Territories. Between the trees, I can see the harbour glistening under the gaze of the city’s skyscrapers and the steep climb of the mountains behind. There is not a single discarded plastic bottle or used newspaper in sight.
But appearances are deceptive. Hong Kong may be clean on the surface, but its public services are straining to keep a lid on its rubbish. Despite attempts to clean up its act, the region produced 3.7 million tonnes of municipal waste in 2015 – the highest figure for five years. It has already cycled through 13 landfill sites, which are now being repurposed as parks, golf courses, and sportsgrounds, with just three sites remaining open. At this rate, it will only be a matter of a few years before those too begin to overflow. “If Hong Kong continues in this way, we will reach breaking point by 2020,” says Chan – an estimate supported by Hong Kong’s own Environmental Protection Department.

Hong Kong could be a warning for many other countries, as more and more people feel the lure of city living

Chan is both an environmental scientist and a politician for the Neo Democrat Party of Hong Kong, experience that has given him an unparalleled view of the social, economic and technological difficulties of saving the city from this deluge. “We are moving in the direction of unsustainable urbanisation,” says Chan. And that could be a warning for other countries, as more and more people feel the lure of city living – meaning that environmentalists across the world will be watching Hong Kong’s next steps closely.

Hong Kong residents may soon have to pay a small fee for every bag of rubbish they dispose (Credit: Alamy)

With around seven million people, crammed into an area of 2,000 square kilometres (772 sq miles), Hong Kong is currently the fourth most densely populated place in the world (after its neighbour, Macau, and Singapore and Monaco). With space at such a premium, there is precious little room to build new landfill sites.

Hong Kong's tourism now brings around 60 million additional people to the islands per year

Hong Kong’s tourism has only piled on the pressure. As the region’s industries moved to mainland China, the region made an active bid to attract more visitors from the mainland to boost its economy. It now brings around 60 million additional people to the islands per year (nearly seven times the permanent population), with around 70% coming from mainland China. Hong Kong’s cuisine and shopping malls are both among the key attractions, meaning that each of those visitors will generate a lot of additional food and packing waste. “We need them to boost our economy, but there are also drawbacks,” says Chan.
Compounding these problems is Hong Kong’s status as a ‘free economy’, which means that the government is reluctant to impose regulations that may threaten trade. “It’s supposed to be the most free economy in the world, so government officials try their best not to intervene in any way with our production lines, or consumer behaviours,” says Chan. For this reason, there is currently little legislation on product packaging, for instance, or any other measures that could reduce waste.
Operation Green Fence
Along with many other countries, Hong Kong had once offloaded some of its rubbish to mainland China for recycling. While Chinese businesses were able to make use of scrap metals, plastics, and rare metals in electronic goods, it also often came with unusable and contaminated leftovers (including food and medical waste) – creating further environmental issues for Chinese cities. As a result, the government decided to ban the importing of unprocessed materials – a move known as a “Green Fence” – in the hope that other countries would clean up their material before selling the valuable stuff.
Unfortunately, Hong Kong has not yet developed enough of its own recycling plants to compensate for the changing policy. “So stuff that would have been sent to China to be processed is just being put in the landfill,” says Doug Woodring, an environmental campaigner and co-founder of the Ocean Recovery Alliance, who I meet after my conversation with Chan.

Hong Kong had once exported its waste to mainland China, but recent legislation has meant that it must process its own rubbish (Credit: Alamy)

The result is that despite repeated warnings, Hong Kong’s municipal waste had continued to grow over the last five years – and the government will need to act quickly before all the territory’s landfills have been exhausted.

The ‘trash glacier’

As if Hong Kong’s own waste wasn’t serious enough, its beaches have faced an increasing deluge of rubbish by sea. Environmentalists are unsure of the source, but it seems to come periodically with changing weather patterns. “We could be getting stuff from Taiwan coming down, and the Philippines and Vietnam coming up,” says Woodring. It may also be flowing from Mainland China  – possibly through illegal dumping or seasonal floods that washed rubbish into the sea along the Pearl River Delta. “A lot of stuff has Chinese writing on it, but where it entered the water, you don’t really know.”
People in Hong Kong are also increasingly concerned about an illegal landfill on the Chinese island called Wailingding, around 20km south of Hong Kong. Some have compared it to a ‘trash glacier’ that keeps on sliding down the hill and into the sea. “That thing is twenty stories tall, that wall of trash. If there was a big typhoon, and it hit the right direction, the waves could come into the bottom and collapse the whole thing,” says Woodring. “It would be a natural disaster for Hong Kong.”
The Ocean Recovery Alliance has recently launched the Global Alert app. It allows people across the world to report rubbish hotspots in their rivers and on their coastlines, which Woodring hopes could bring greater international awareness to these issues and encourage local communities to take more responsibility. Simply tying bamboo across the width of a river can catch floating rubbish and make it easier to collect, he says – small steps that may make all our oceans a little cleaner.

One big step will be the introduction of a “waste charge”, which would force locals to pay around $0.11 Hong Kong dollars (around £0.01) for each litre of rubbish collected. The new legislation, announced earlier this year, should take effect by 2019, and the South China Morning Post estimates that it amounts to around $33-54 Hong Kong dollars (roughly £3-5) per household, per month. The legistlation’s proponents point across the sea to Taipei in Taiwan, and Seoul in South Korea, which both managed to reduce waste disposal by more than 30% using similar schemes.
Hong Kong’s Environmental Protection Department is also forging ahead with plans for a $10 billion dollar incinerator on Lantau (the largest of the territory’s islands, towards the south east of the region). Burning the waste should shrink it to around a tenth of its size. Even so, it can only burn so much waste – about 30% of the city’s total output overall, according to Chan’s estimates. The solution is far from popular with the locals, who are understandably concerned about the increased air pollution it may bring.
Chan is more enthusiastic about plans to build a food processing plant on Lantau, which would recycle waste from the commercial kitchens around the airport. He points out that horticulturists currently import a lot of their garden compost from as far away as the Netherlands – whereas the decomposed food waste would be a natural local source. Such plants may also produce biogas to fuel cars. “By our rough estimation, we’d need 20 factories of that size to deal with our food waste,” Chan says. “But I think it’s worth doing, because we need to recycle as much usable material as possible.”

Without new recycling plants, Hong Kong will struggle to cope with the rising tide of waste coming from its citizens and tourists (Credit: Alamy)

The territory may also benefit from further e-waste ‘upcycling’ factories, allowing manufacturers to extract valuable raw materials for export – a move that could further boost Hong Kong’s economy. But these schemes need further government support, including a better system that forces families and businesses to separate the different kinds of waste – food, plastics, glass – at the source, before it is collected. “Right now that’s lacking,” Chan says.
The sheer volume of waste, coming from so many people, makes it too difficult to sort the good from the bad after collection. “The problem is that right now, everything is put in one bag – food, grease, and then your paper, then your plastic – and that neutralises the value of them all,” says Woodring. “Even if you sort wet waste from dry, it’s so much easier for anyone to get some value from it.”
Woodring would also like people and companies to calculate a “plastic footprint” – akin to the “carbon footprint” for greenhouse emissions – so that people are more conscious of the waste they are creating. “Because if you don’t know what you have, you don’t know how to manage it.”
As Chan and Woodring both point out, environmental measures do not need to challenge Hong Kong’s existing businesses: it can offer ways to generate new revenue. Woodring, for instance, points out that Pacific Coffee (one of the city’s ubiquitous US-style coffee houses) has recently implemented its own recycling scheme, where you can return your used lids in return for a free refill, which helps the company to collect recycled materials while also increasing customer loyalty. So far, these kinds of strategies are rare in Hong Kong, but it’s a move in the right direction, he says.
Chan’s impatience is clear throughout our conversation: the problem has been apparent for at least a decade, he says, but progress has been slow, with endless discussions in place of decisive policy. “We’ve wasted all this time.” As the deluge of rubbish continues to rise, inaction is now not an option.

For the glory of the King

April 27, 2017 01:00
By KUPLUTHAI PUNGKANON
THE NATION

Like a fluttering of angels' wings, artisans' tool clatter in preparation fot the royal cremation

SAMREUNG DANGNAEWNOI, 79, has been retired for 19 years, but the artisan whose wood-carving skills have been put to use in four previous royal cremations was proud to be called upon again as preparations began for the funeral of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Samreung – like all of the expert craftspeople employed or specially recruited by the government’s Fine Art Department to help prepare for the cremation on October 26 – said his pride is tempered by heartbreak over the loss of the beloved monarch.

Working at a large Office of Traditional Arts facility in Salaya in Nakhon Pathom, Samreung said he will be able to “die in peace” after completing the greatest work of his life. He’s carving by hand the kab phrom 

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 sorn that will adorn the upright posts of the Phra Thinang Rachentara Yan Noi. 

This is the slender, spired pavilion that will transport the King’s ashes from the cremation site at Sanam Luang to the Grand Palace.

“I’m very proud,” Samreung says. “This will be my life’s masterpiece.” His art has previously decorated funeral accoutrements for Queen Rambhai Barni of Siam, Their Royal Highnesses Princesses Srinagarindra, Galyani Vadhana and Bejaratana Rajasuda. 

The Traditional Arts workshop in Salaya was opened to the press last week to show how the labour is progressing on the items and art to be used during the cremation rites at the site designated Phra Meru for the historic occasion. 

The shop was filled with the clatter of artisans’ tools as they fashioned ornate pieces both large and small. Others were weaving and embroidering, restoring venerable artefacts, painting and sculpting. 

The wood-carvers are building or restoring five royal chariots, including the Phra Maha Pichai Ratcharot – the Royal Great Victory Chariot that will carry the King’s urn. Glass will be among the ornamentation covering its expanses. 

The lacquer finish on the carriage known as the Ratcharot Noi is being cleaned and polished in preparation for its gilding with gold leaf. 

Supen Satraserm is in charge of restoring the venerable Phra Thinang Rachentara Yan built during the reign of King Rama I. It had never before been completely cleansed, he said, so the original craftsmanship can now finally be fully appreciated. “The work of the artisans of that time is amazing,” he said. 

“The detail is highly delicate. And we hope to restore the chariot as close to the original as possible, including the use of traditional paints that are non-chemical but durable, such as rouge and lacquer, which also ward off termites. Thankfully the old workers’ wisdom was preserved so that future generations could take care of their creations.”

An entirely new carriage, the Phra Thinang Rachentara Yan Noi, is almost 80 per cent complete, built from teakwood. 

With a spired pavilion 410 centimetres tall and 100 centimetres wide, it is styled on the Phra Thinang Rachentara Yan first 

 used for the cremation of Rama I, though it’s smaller in size, as the name indicates. The carriage has four counterbalances, but 56 men will be required to carry it.

The carvings that will decorate it are about 30 per cent complete. There are more than 20 kinds of ornaments being prepared, among them the traditional naga pak, kab phromsorn, kan tuay and krajang patiyan motifs. The last features elaborate depictions of thep phanom figures with hands pressed together in prayer. 

The Ratcharot Puen Yai – the Royal Artillery Chariot – awaits a coat of black paint and restoration of the base, which will be handled in part by the 

 Royal Thai Army Ordnance Depart- ment based in Nakhon Ratchasima. 

Artist Chanayotin Aupaluck explained that the design derives from original drawings made by Prince Narisara Nuwattiwong for the Ratch- arot Puen Yai Rang Kwean used in the funeral of Rama VI. 

“We’ve redesigned it with distinguishing traditional motifs such as the singha to decorate the base, which will hold the royal urn, as well as other motifs for the wheels. That will all be finished in a few months.

“The base of the royal artillery chariot was originally used to carry weapons during World War II, and of course the King is supreme com

 mander of the armed forces.”

The sculptors have made impressive progress, rendering 32 seated thep phanom figures with the bases already painted. Four other divine figures measure 200 centimetres in height. The Phra Phrom is fully painted, awaiting only the base. A Phra Narayana was being painted and a Phra Shiva and Phra Indra are being adorned with fine details.

Sculptures of auspicious animals will take up positions at the site facing four directions – horses and cows already painted, elephants being rendered in fibreglass, and lions in the process of final adjustments. 

Magnificent paintings for the large ornamental panels of the crematorium depict eight scenes from the lives of the Vedic deity Narayana, while smaller panels below show some of the King’s best-known engineering projects. The north-facing panel has the Khao Tao Reservoir and an irrigation installation. The south portrays means of alternative energy, the east Kleang Din and the west a wind turbine. The backs of the panels feature heavenly lotus blossoms. 

Painter Kiatisak Suwanpong said they’re working on canvas using special acrylic pigments that lend a matte effect, and use gold leaf on embroi

 dered cloth and some accessories. 

“We call this the King Rama IX style of art, which has distinctive features, such as they way the body’s muscles are depicted. When the Office of Traditional Arts did the murals for the Buddha Ratana pavilion at the Grand Palace in 1993, His Majesty paid great attention to every detail and gave the painters advice, so we came up with an artistic style that pleased His Majesty.”

Charged with painting the floral rear panels, Kiatisak said he takes great pride in the assignment. “The back of the panels are the nearest art object to His Majesty’s final destination,” he says. 

“The scenes are beautiful in pink and yellow gold. Yellow represents the nation and pink was His Majesty’s favourite colour. He was a great role model in many aspects, including as a painter, and I believe everyone should follow his example and keep learning and improving in their work.” 

The entire undertaking depends heavily on volunteers. Students are among the citizens pitching in with craft skills, and everyone seems to share in the feelings of affection for His Majesty and pride in their efforts to honour him. 

Nineteen-year-old Napaschana Rattanasrichaiyara, a student at Kanchanapisek Royal Goldsmith College, added that her parents are equally pleased she’s been given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

The illegal wildlife trade

• Ian Johnston | New Delhi
  April 23, 2017 | 04:44 AM

Rhinoceros (PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES)

Nearly half of all the natural World Heritage sites on the planet are being ravaged by poachers who are driving some endangered animals towards extinction, according to a new report. The illegal wildlife trade was estimated to be worth some £15billion, making it the fourth largest international criminal trade after drugs, guns and human trafficking, according to the “Not For Sale” report.

Illicit logging and fishing are also occurring on an epic scale. The illegal felling of trees — a trade valued at between $30 billion and $100 billion (about £24bn- £80bn) a year — was estimated to account for up to 90 per cent of deforestation in major tropical countries.
Fish piracy, blamed by some in countries like Somalia for pushing people into actual piracy, was found to occur in 18 out of 39 marine heritage sites with protected species of sharks and rays among those being caught.

The report, commissioned by conservation group WWF, warned that species listed on the landmark Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, adopted in 1975, were being killed in supposedly protected World Heritage sites. “Between 1970 and 2012, global wildlife populations declined by almost 60 per cent on average, and illegal harvesting of species was one of the main drivers for this decline,” the authors wrote.

“World Heritage sites now function as the last bastion for many critically endangered species, and unless protected within World Heritage sites, these species will go extinct. The current international approach to preventing illegal harvesting of Cites-listed species in World Heritage sites is not working, and stakeholders must redouble their efforts and address all parts of the wildlife trafficking value chain.”

According to a leaked copy of a speech by a senior Foreign Office official, some of the Government’s work on the illegal wildlife trade will be “scaled down” as trade and economic growth are given priority after the UK leaves the European Union.
But the WWF report said that unless governments, the United Nations and others took “additional, immediate measures” to address widespread poaching “some species might face local extinction and some World Heritage sites could lose their outstanding universal value” — the definition of why they are considered special.

It said threatened species, such as elephants, rhinos and tigers, were being “illegally harvested” in 45 per cent of World Heritage sites, “the pinnacle of the world’s protected areas”.
“Elephant poaching occurs in over 60 per cent of the World Heritage sites containing African and Asian elephants,” the report said. “Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania has lost almost 90 per cent of its elephants since its inscription in 1982 and now has only 15,217 elephants left.”

The Okavango Delta, a World Heritage site in Botswana, where poachers have been active, was described as a “crucial habitat” for the elephants in northern Botswana, which make up nearly a third of all the remaining African elephants. About a third of all the world’s remaining 3,890 wild tigers now live in World Heritage sites.

Trying to stop poachers is difficult and dangerous with many prepared to use lethal force. “Wildlife trafficking has also often endangered peoples’ lives, and between 2009 and 2016 at least 595 rangers were killed in the line of duty, many of whom were protecting World Heritage sites,” the report said.
Chris Gee, the head of campaigns at WWF-UK, said poaching was “jeopardising the future heritage of these precious places and the people whose livelihoods depend on them”.
“Next year London will host the Fourth Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference, the UK Government must bolster efforts to support the end of this devastating trade,” he said. “Now is not the time to drop the ball on this issue. These findings show that for the future of many of our most endangered species it’s a matter of life and death.”

And John Scanlon, the secretary general of Cites, said it was “essential” that the convention was “fully implemented and that these irreplaceable sites are fully protected”.“In doing so, we will benefit our heritage and our wildlife, provide security to people and places, and support national economies and the rural communities that depend on these sites for their livelihoods,” he said.

Among some positive signs that the world is trying to deal with the problem, the report highlighted China’s decision to ban all trade in ivory by the end of this year as a “breakthrough” that could “provide forceful momentum for other countries to follow”. But it said more funding was needed with Cites’ core budget running at about $6m a year —in stark contrast to the billions being made by the poachers.

Inger Andersen, the director general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, said, “This report is a sobering reminder of just how far this type of organised crime can reach, extending even into the supposed safety of World Heritage sites. This is a global challenge that can only be tackled through collective, international action.”

The Independent

Macron: The maverick vowing to 'turn page' in French history

 Adam PLOWRIGHT,AFP 6 hours ago 

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Paris (AFP) - Emmanuel Macron is a centrist pro-European whose sensational political career, unorthodox marriage and promises to modernise France have made him a favourite for the presidency.

If he wins, the 39-year-old former banker would be the youngest French leader in modern history, upending tradition that has usually seen voters favour experience in their powerful presidents.

Running in his first ever election, Macron was projected to win about 24 percent in the first round of the presidential poll on Sunday, guaranteeing him a place in the second round on May 7 against far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen.

"We're turning a page in French political history," a jubilant Macron told AFP after the estimates were released.

Latest opinion polls out Sunday found that Macron would win about two-thirds of the vote if the run-off was held today.

His projected first round victory is a vindication of his decision to quit the government of unpopular Socialist President Francois Hollande in August to concentrate on building up his own centrist political movement "En Marche" ("On the Move").

"We can't respond with the same men and the same ideas," Macron said as he launched his presidential bid in November at a jobs training centre in a gritty Parisian suburb.

Since then, he has rarely been out of the headlines, building up his movement to more than 250,000 members and confounding critics who said he would only appeal to a narrow band of young, urban professionals.

"In your name, I will be... the voice of hope for our country and for Europe," he told cheering supporters Sunday.

"I want to be the president of the patriots against the threat of nationalists."

With frustration at France's political class running high, Macron has tapped into a desire for wholesale change that also propelled far-right candidate Le Pen into the second round.

"I'm here because he's young, he's dynamic. It's like a breath of fresh air," 23-year-old shop worker Marine Gonidou told AFP at a rally in Brittany in January.

Although positioned as an outsider, the brilliant student followed a well-worn path through elite French universities including ENA, which has groomed many French leaders.

After going into investment banking, where he earned several million euros at Rothschild, Macron became an economic advisor to Hollande in 2012 and then economy minister two years later.

Despite the efforts of his opponents, "he seems to have escaped his association with the government," said Dominique Reynie, head of the Foundation for Political Innovation think-tank in Paris.

Throughout the campaign he insisted that France was "contrarian" -- ready to elect a pro-EU, pro-globalisation liberal at a time when rightwing nationalists are making gains across the world.

- Against the grain -

As well as wanting to improve the business environment, Macron stresses the need to boost education in deprived areas and has spoken out against stigmatising Muslims with France's strict rules on secularism.

His championing of tech firms and the "Uber-isation" of the economy, in which people increasingly work as independents rather than as employees, has helped burnish his image as a moderniser.

"I want us to be able to start a business more easily, to innovate more easily" is one of his mantras, explained in depth in his pre-election book "Revolution".

Opponents still dismiss him as deliberately vague, with Le Pen landing a blow during a televised debate in March when she attacked him for waffling.

"Mr Macron you have an amazing talent, you've spoken for seven minutes and I'm unable to resume your thinking. You've said nothing!" she said.

- Childhood romance -

In politics as well as his personal life, Macron has also broken traditions.

The theatre lover from a middle-class family in northeast France fell in love with his secondary school drama teacher, Brigitte Trogneux, in a story that captivated the French media.

Trogneux, a mother of three children 25 years older than him, went on to divorce her husband and marry the young prodigy in 2007.

"At the age of 17, Emmanuel said to me: 'Whatever you do, I will marry you!'," Trogneux told Paris Match magazine last April.

Some have found the relationship difficult to believe despite numerous appearances together in glossy magazines, forcing Macron to repeatedly laugh off rumours he is gay.

While at ease among ordinary voters and charismatic, Macron has been accused of being condescending in the past, whether referring to "illiterate" abattoir workers, "alcoholic" laid-off workers or the "poor people" who travel on buses.

In an infamous exchange, when confronted by a protester in a T-shirt in May last year, he lost his cool, saying: "The best way to buy yourself a suit is to work."