Nine crew members have been arrested for people smuggling after a packed vessel sank in the Mediterranean on Wednesday, killing dozens of people, as human rights campaigners accused Greek authorities of neglecting those on board.

The Greek coastguard said nine Egyptian nationals aged between 20 and 40 were also arrested on suspicion of setting up a criminal organization, manslaughter by negligence, exposure to danger, and causing a shipwreck.

The boat was traveling from the coastal city of Tobruk in Libya to Italy when it capsized off the coast of Greece. At least 78 people have died and some reports said up to 750 were on board.

Authorities said they cross-referenced survivors’ testimonies to determine the exact role of the nine arrested. They are expected to appear before a local magistrate on Monday.

‘Horrible and systematic’ pushback campaign

Scenes of relatives descending on Kalamata in their desperate search for loved ones reignited the heated debate on Europe’s migrant crisis, a political lightning rod that NGOs say is exacerbated by the lack of safe and legal routes available for refugees.

The NGO Alarm Phone denounced the Greek response to the tragedy, alleging that authorities failed to acknowledge an earlier alert that the vessel was in danger. It characterized the “horrible and systematic pushback practices” carried out by Greek authorities, accusing them of “violently deterring people on the move.”

Pushbacks are state measures aimed at forcing refugees and migrants out of their territory, while impeding access to legal and procedural frameworks, according to the Berlin-based European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR).

Alarm Phone has released emails showing it contacted Greek authorities on Tuesday late afternoon local time regarding the boat in distress.

The email appears to have been sent directly to Greek authorities, including the Hellenic Coast Guard, Hellenic Police Headquarters and Greece’s Ministry of Civil Protection.

The email also appears to have been sent to the United Nations Refugees Agency (UNHCR), NATO, the office of the Greek Ombudsman and the European border patrol agency Frontex, as well as the UNHCR country offices in both Greece and Turkey.

The Greek coast guard said in a press release it repeatedly asked the boat if it needed assistance and that the agency was told it did not.

Greek authorities also said they could not intervene with the boat without being asked for assistance, as the boat was in international waters.

A huge search-and-rescue operation continued on Friday but no survivors have been found since its initial phase early on Wednesday.

The people rescued include Egyptians, Syrians, Pakistanis and Palestinians. Eight are minors.

None of the survivors were women but witness accounts say there were many women and children on board, traveling in the ship’s hold.

‘Impossible life-threatening choices’

Questions are now being asked as to whether the tragic incident could have been avoided, with many international bodies saying the international community should collaborate on “more safe pathways” for migrants.

The Mediterranean region near Greece is a key route for migrants and refugees trying to escape political strife in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

The number of undocumented people emerging on European shores has spiraled this year due to conflict, global inequality and the climate crisis.

The Central Mediterranean remains the main migratory route into the European Union, with the highest number of irregular border crossings recorded since 2017, according to recent figures from Frontex.

Irregular entries refer to the process of traveling across borders without adhering to the necessary requirements for legal entry, according to the European Commission.

In the first five months of this year, detections of irregular border crossings along the route more than doubled compared to the same period in 2022, Frontex said. National authorities reported more than 50,300 detections from January to May, accounting for nearly half of all irregular entries into the EU in 2023.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN’s refugee agency stressed that search and rescue at sea is a “legal and humanitarian imperative” and welcomed an investigation ordered in Greece into what happened.

Both agencies called Wednesday’s boat disaster “the worst in several years.”

“We need more safe pathways for people forced to flee,” the UNHCR office in Greece tweeted on Wednesday. “They should not be left with impossible life-threatening choices.”

On Thursday evening, groups pledging solidarity with migrants marched outside the port of Kalamata and in Greece’s two major cities, Athens and Thessaloniki.

The country’s caretaker government has called three days of national mourning and political leaders have temporarily suspended electoral campaigns, before fresh elections are held on June 25. A national vote in May was inconclusive.

Mitsotakis’ party won a resounding victory in the May election with 40% of the vote but did not secure a big enough majority to govern alone.

His main opponent, Alexis Tsipras, whose center-left party Syriza is trailing heavily in the polls, visited Kalamata Thursday criticizing the former government and EU migration policy. “It’s a policy that has turned the Mediterranean into a watery grave,” he said.

Estonia’s parliament passed on Tuesday a law legalizing same-sex marriage, becoming the first ex-Soviet country to do so.

Two adults will be able to marry “regardless of their gender,” after the parliament approved amendments to the country’s Family Law Act, according to a press statement.

The amended act will go into effect from January 1, 2024.

The amendments to the Family Law Act also mean that same-sex couples can now adopt children. In Estonia, only a married couple can adopt a child, although single gay, lesbian and bisexual people can also petition to adopt.

“Everyone should have the right to marry the person they love and want to commit to,” Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said. “With this decision we are finally stepping among other Nordic countries as well as all the rest of the democratic countries in the world where marriage equality has been granted.

“This is a decision that does not take anything away from anyone but gives something important to many,” she continued. “It also shows that our society is caring and respectful towards each other. I am proud of Estonia.”

Same-sex relationships have been legally recognized in Estonia since 2016, when the Registered Partnership Act took effect. But while this act recognized couples regardless of their sex, marriage was only allowed to take place between members of the opposite sex.

A survey undertaken by the Estonian Human Rights Centre in April 2023 found that 53% of the Estonians believe that “same-sex partners should have the right to marry each other.”

This is the highest percentage recorded since the survey began in 2012. Then, 60% of people surveyed were against marriage equality.

“I am genuinely very grateful for the patience and understanding the LGBT+ community has shown for all these years,” said Signe Riisalo, Estonia’s Minister of Social Protection.

“I hope that, in time, those opposed to marriage equality come to see that we don’t lose anything from taking such steps, but rather that we all gain from them,” Riisalo added. “I am delighted that the decision has now been taken for a more forward-looking Estonia that cares for all.”

Officials in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh are investigating the deaths of at least 68 people in the district of Ballia between Thursday and Sunday as temperatures soar in northern and eastern parts of the country.

The surge in deaths this months follows a warning from the country’s meteorological department about potential heat-related casualties.

Temperatures in northern and eastern India have reached 46 degrees Celsius (114.8 degrees Fahrenheit) this week, AFP reported. The country often experiences heatwaves during the summer months of May and June, and climate change has supercharged the odds of a record-breaking heatwave.

But local officials have been unable to agree on the cause behind the spike of deaths, as critics accuse the government of not doing enough to prevent the deaths.

A local health official acknowledged heat may have been a factor in the deaths of 25 people on June 16. “In this temperature, most number of patients are victims of heatstroke, and it won’t take long before people are affected by heatstroke,” Dr. Diwakar Singh said.

According to the BBC, he went on to say: “Most of the patients were above 60 and had pre-existing ailments. These were exacerbated by the heat and they were brought to the hospital in serious condition. They died despite being given adequate treatment and medicines.”

But after he spoke to the media, Singh, Ballia district’s chief health official, was transferred overnight to another district in the province overnight, for “‘giving a careless statement on deaths caused by heatwave without having proper information,’” Indian Express reported.

Later, the Chief Medical Officer of Ballia, Dr. Jayant Kumar, said the spike in deaths was due to “various other ailments,” including old age.

“There is a team that has come to investigate the cause of death, a two-member committee comprising of health directors who are meeting the patients, they have taken water, urine, and blood samples for investigation. Once we get the report, then the situation will be clear to us,” Kumar said.

Another health director, Dr. N Tiwari investigating the deaths of patients admitted to the Ballia district hospital, said, “a detailed inspection has been done of the hospital, it is true that the heat is very high, patients who are admitted here are also suffering from the heat, however there have been arrangements that have been made to ease the situation inside the hospital.”

Akhilesh Yadav, an opposition political party leader and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, has criticized the government for the number of deaths that have taken place in the state.

“So many people across the state have lost lives because of the carelessness of the state government,” he told the press. “They should have warned the people about the heatwave. Not a single district hospital has been built in the last six years. Those who have lost their lives are poor farmers because they did not receive food, medicines and treatment on time.”

India’s Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said the government is taking steps to address the heat wave and the surge in deaths, and officials would “hold discussions with the states which are continuing or likely to continue with heat wave so that appropriate decisions regarding heat stroke can be taken.”

India is among the countries expected to be worst affected by the impacts of the climate crisis, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

In recent years, both the federal and state governments have implemented a number of measures to mitigate the effects of heatwaves, including shutting down schools and issuing health advisories for the public.

Not since LeBron James was drafted 20 years ago has there been this much excitement about an NBA prospect – as shown by the crowds eagerly awaiting Frenchman Victor Wembanyama’s arrival in the United States.

The 19-year-old, projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in this week’s NBA draft, landed at Newark International Airport outside New York City on Monday, where he was greeted by fans seeking selfies and autographs.

It was just a snapshot of the star treatment that Wembanyama, a seven-foot-four-inch center, is expected to receive ahead of Thursday’s draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Victor Wembanyama arrives for the #NBADraft Presented by State Farm

Thursday, June 22, 8pm/et on ABC/ESPN pic.twitter.com/rBXDttMoDJ

— NBA (@NBA) June 19, 2023

“I don’t know how they knew what flight I was on, but it’s fun,” Wembanyama said about the crowds greeting him at the airport. “It’s different, seeing that you can have such impact on people.”

The San Antonio Spurs hold the number one pick and are expected to draft the Frenchman, while the Charlotte Hornets are likely to select Alabama’s Brandon Miller as the second overall pick.

One Spurs fan has even had Wembanyama’s portrait shaved into the back of his head in anticipation of the player joining his team.

Current NBA stars – including James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant – have expressed their excitement at the arrival of Wembanyama, who averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds a game for Metropolitans 92 in France’s LNB Pro A last season.

On top of his size and eight-foot wingspan, Wembanyama has also impressed with his dribbling, passing, jump shooting and accuracy from three-point range. His physical presence and skill have led many onlookers to describe him as one of the most exciting players to ever enter the NBA.

“My mind is really focused on these finals for the last couple of weeks and it’s now going to go so quickly,” he recently told reporters about the prospect of the NBA draft.

“There’s a lot going on and I have a lot to plan with my family and my agents, the draft is in a week so there’s a lot going through my mind, so I just feel lucky to be able to live through all this.”

Every parent’s worst nightmare is losing their child. Shamayim Harris has lived through that nightmare – twice.

On September 23, 2007, her 2-year-old son, Jakobi Ra, was struck and killed in a hit-and-run in Highland Park, a suburb of Detroit.

“I literally thought that I wouldn’t be able to function or be alive or anything,” she recalled.

In 2021, she experienced that heart-wrenching loss again when her 23-year-old son, Chinyelu, was shot and killed while doing a neighborhood watch in his community.

As she faced her profound grief, she also discovered her strong determination to channel it into something good. For the last 15 years, her trauma has fueled her mission to transform her struggling, neglected community into a vibrant village.

“I needed to … change grief into glory, pain into power,” said Harris, who is known as Mama Shu. “I just tried to transform it into something bearable and something beautiful.”

In the early 1900s, Highland Park, Michigan, became famous as the home of the first Ford Motor Company factory, producing millions of Model T cars. But as the automotive industry left the area, the city suffered. Residents moved away, crime accelerated, schools shut down, storefronts were vacated.

“I was devastated about what I would see walking around Highland Park,” said Mama Shu, a longtime resident. “I wanted to live in a beautiful city. I wanted flowers. I wanted thriving businesses. I felt that that is what we deserved.”

A dream becomes reality

Mama Shu had dreams for what her city could become. She would often drive past one street in particular, Avalon Street, and envision it.

“I would look at this block like, ‘Wow, man, if we just clean up this block and do this and do that,” she said. “I saw crystal clear what it could look like.”

Six months after the death of Jakobi Ra, a house on the corner of Avalon Street went up for sale for $5,000. Mama Shu didn’t have the money for it, but she knew she had to have the house. She called the realtors right away.

“I said, ‘I’ll give y’all $3,000.’ And I didn’t have the $3,000 either,” she said. “I just had to make sure I got it.”

With her savings and borrowed money, Mama Shu bought the house. And then slowly she began purchasing other lots on Avalon Street.

“I initially started building the village with just any money that I could get,” she said. “Income tax refund checks, my work check, selling fish sandwiches for $5, getting donations.”

She drew up plans for what she envisioned, and for eight years, she and volunteers worked to clean up the block; some houses were torn down, others refurbished.

In 2016, Mama Shu created the Avalon Village, a nonprofit with the mission of revitalizing the street and creating a safe and nurturing space for the entire community. Today, she and her organization own 45 lots of land across three blocks.

The Homework House

The biggest project on the block to date has been fully refurbishing one of the abandoned houses into an after-school hub for children.

During her 27 years working as an administrator in the Highland Park public schools, Harris saw firsthand the overcrowded classrooms and lack of resources. She wanted the Homework House to have everything the children were lacking, she said. The space now contains a library, computers, a 3D printer, a music studio, a kitchen, and full bathrooms with handicap accessibility.

“When children come to the Homework House, I want to make sure that they get all the attention and love that they deserve,” Mama Shu said. “It is meant to look like a home, to smell like a home, to be decorated like a home.”

Avalon Village also has a STEM Lab and basketball court, along with refurbished shipping containers that house the Goddess Marketplace, a store where women artisans and entrepreneurs can sell their products.

For lighting and safety on Avalon Street, Mama Shu installed five solar streetlights with wi-fi capabilities, making it the first relit block in Highland Park, she said, since many of the city’s streetlights were repossessed in 2011.

Growing the Avalon Village vision

Mama Shu’s reason for rehabilitating the street is never far from her mind. The memories of her sons are found in the park and garden spaces throughout Avalon Village.

“I want the village’s impact to be that of resilience and for the spirits of my boys to be recognized,” she said.

Her son Chinyelu helped in carrying out her vision to create this oasis.

“He was the one that everybody said that he was like me, as far as doing community stuff,” Mama Shu said. “I loved that about him, and I miss that about him. He was a good partner.”

There is so much more Mama Shu wants to do. She has plans to build a café, a greenhouse for farm-to-table cooking, a laundromat, and a wellness center. She also aims to build market-rate housing on the street.

“I would love to see all four blocks of Avalon look beautiful,” she said. “I would love for it to be infectious, and I would love for it to spread throughout the whole city. … The grief is energy to move forward. I think that I have enough energy to probably build the whole world.”

Want to get involved? Check out the Avalon Village website and see how to help.

To donate to Avalon Village via GoFundMe, click here

Britain’s King Charles III is set to feature prominently at this year’s Royal Ascot, as the race week bids to forge a new identity since the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The horse racing spectacle became synonymous with the late monarch, with her deep passion for the sport a hook on which the festival hung its hat on.

Thousands would flock to watch her and the royal entourage make their way in horse-drawn carriages up the Straight Mile in front of packed grandstands each day before racing got underway.

Her presence was not purely ceremonial, though. She loved racing and saw 24 horses she owned win at the festival.

This week, King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, will be the focus of much pomp and circumstance as Royal Ascot looks to usher in a new era – the couple will lead the royal procession on Tuesday.

Organizers are also determined to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and have permanently renamed one of the races in her honor. There will also be a photo exhibition in dedication to her influence on the sport.

“The Late Queen’s close association with Ascot Racecourse was well known throughout the world, but no race at the Royal Meeting previously carried the name of Queen Elizabeth II,” Francis Brooke, the King’s Representative at Ascot, said in a statement.

“His Majesty The King has approved the renaming of the Platinum Jubilee Stakes to The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.”

A total of 35 races will be run from Tuesday to Saturday and participants will be competing for a share of the record prize pot worth over $12 million. Thursday’s Gold Cup is arguably the most high-profile race in the schedule.

Extra attention will be on the royal horses, with the famous purple and gold silks now running for King Charles and Queen Camilla – both of whom will be desperate for a win in their first festival of the new reign.

Saga is the first royal runner of the meeting and is among the favourites to win the Ascot Wolferton Stakes on Tuesday.

Circle Of Fire and Reach For The Moon are two royal runners who also stand a decent chance on Wednesday.

Away from the track, Royal Ascot – a highlight of the British social scene – will once again be a platform for people to show off their finest threads.

The festival has a strict dress-code. Guests’ entry depends on whether or not they adhere to the policy, with certain areas even requiring a smart hat to be worn.

Spectators can also sample a touch of luxury with boutique food, drink and clothing outlets offering a sense of the high life.

Possible protests?

Royal Ascot organizers are prepared for protesters bidding to disrupt the schedule this week.

It follows delays to the Epsom Derby and Grand National earlier this year which were both targeted by animal rights activists who broke onto the track.

Event organizers said they have worked closely with local police and “will have additional security around the site as well as enhanced CCTV provision and there will be increased police presence throughout the week.”

In a statement, Thames Valley Police said that while it has a “legal obligation to facilitate peaceful protest,” it will be “balancing the rights of any protestors with the needs of the local community and spectators.”

Animal Rising, the group responsible for a number of disruptions to this year’s racing calendar, said it would not seek to disrupt the festival this year, opting instead to protest greyhound racing elsewhere.

“Whether it’s with greyhounds, horses, or those on farms across the country, it is clear we need to imagine a new connection with other animals and nature,” a spokesperson for the group said in a statement.

“Doing so is at the heart of tackling our climate and nature crises.”

While Animal Rising may well be focusing their attention elsewhere, a number of other groups – such as Just Stop Oil – have staged protests at high-profile events this year and the festival is on high alert.

Frankie Dettori farewell

While the festival will need to redefine itself following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it will have to do so without one of its most famous participants, Frankie Dettori.

The Italian jockey, arguably the most well-known face in the sport, announced this would be his last time competing at the festival before his retirement later in the year.

The 52-year-old cemented his legacy with a number of brilliant performances on the famous track throughout his career, most notably winning all seven races in one day in 1996.

The charismatic rider will be looking to add to his haul of 77 race wins at Ascot this week but says it will be an emotional affair no matter what happens.

“For sure I will cry. I’m not even going to pretend that I’m not going to,” Dettori told Ascot Racecourse in a farewell video.

“My heart doesn’t want to stop but my brain tells me I’m 52 and if I like to finish on top, I think this is the right time.

“I’ve loved it. Every second of it.”

Dettori is set to ride royal runner Reach For The Moon in the Ascot Royal Hunt Cup on Wednesday, in what is one of the most highly anticipated partnerships of the meeting.

A soccer match between New Zealand and Qatar was abandoned at halftime on Monday after the New Zealand team refused to take to the pitch after the break in protest at an alleged racial slur made towards one of its players.

The New Zealand team said it refused to continue because defender Michael Boxall was racially abused by a Qatar player and no action was taken.

“Michael Boxall was racially abused during the first half of the game by a Qatari player,” New Zealand Football said in a statement on social media shortly after the abandonment. “No official action was taken so the team have agreed not to come out for the second half of the match.”

The Qatar Football Association issued a statement via social media announcing that New Zealand had withdrawn from the match but did not acknowledge New Zealand’s allegations.

“New Zealand has withdrawn from the friendly match against our national team which was being held today, 19 June 2023, in Austria, as part of Al Annabi’s preparations for the Gold Cup,” the Qatar FA said.

New Zealand was leading 1-0 when the match, which was being played at Generali-Arena in Wien, Austria, was abandoned.

In a statement on its website, New Zealand football said the alleged racial slur against Boxall, who is of Samoan heritage, was heard by several players.

“In the 40th minute of the New Zealand vs Qatar game today in Austria, a Qatari player used a racial slur towards All Whites defender Michael Boxall after a confrontation between the two players,” the statement said.

“The players reported the incident, but no official action was taken.”

New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell also said in the statement: “We fully support the action of our players, who agreed collectively this course of action.

“We never want to see a match abandoned but some issues are bigger than football and it is important to make a stand.

“There is no room for racism in football.”

Qatar manager Carlos Queiroz said that the incident occurred after “two players exchanged words” shortly before halftime.

“Who was first, who was second, it’s only between them,” Queiroz told Alkass Sports Channel.

“The New Zealand players, they decided to support their teammate. As is obvious, all our team decided to support our player. But the staff of New Zealand also, they supported the statement of the New Zealand player; we support our player.

“They decided to abandon the game with no witnesses … It’s just an argument between two players.”

Last week Real Madrid’s Vinícius Jr. was invited to take part in a FIFA anti-racism committee with players who will help suggest a course of action to deal with discriminatory behavior in football.

In a statement posted to social media, the world governing body’s president Gianni Infantino said that FIFA “will also strengthen the engagement with players on this crucial topic” adding that he was happy that “Vinícius accepted to be part of a task force which will include other important players and will elaborate concrete and efficient measures to end racism in football once and for all.”

One of the world’s top distance runners, Dominic Lobalu dreams of climbing the podium at the Olympic Games.

Doing so would be the most joyous moment of his itinerant life to date, during which Lobalu left war-torn South Sudan as a nine-year-old orphan for refugee camps in northern Kenya.

There is, however, a caveat. Despite his fast times and success at races around Europe last year, Lobalu currently has no national representation; without that, he is unable to compete at next year’s Olympics in Paris, nor the upcoming world championships in Budapest.

It means Lobalu is essentially stateless on the global athletics scene, running with no flag and no national colors.

For now, his ultimate running ambitions are on hold, though he is hopeful of being granted permission to compete for Switzerland, his adopted country since 2019, as soon as the world championships in August.

Having spent more than 10 years living in Kenya as a refugee, Lobalu today calls the picturesque city of St. Gallen his home, where the heavy snow and frequent rainfall provide a stark contrast to his former life.

There, he trains diligently under coach Markus Hagmann, never losing sight of his goal to race on the biggest sporting stage of them all.

“Our main concern is that Dominic Lobalu is allowed to compete in international championships,” the statement said. “He has earned this through his history and achievements. Anything else would contradict the core values of the sport.”

Growing up as a refugee in Nairobi, Lobalu mainly played football, never even entertaining the thought of becoming a professional runner.

But when football proved too competitive and too expensive, he switched to athletics and started to train seriously at 16 – much later than many of his rivals today.

As he started to show promise, Lobalu was spotted by the Athlete Refugee Team (ART). Founded in 2014, the ART is supported by international governing body World Athletics and composed entirely of athletes who have fled violence, conflict, and injustice.

After two years, however, Lobalu made the impulsive decision to abandon the team while competing in the Swiss city of Geneva – stealing away from his accommodation the morning after winning a 10-kilometer race with no plan and few possessions.

He hasn’t considered the possibility of returning to Kenya since then.

“When I finished the race, I went to sleep, I relaxed my mind. And then I said: ‘Okay, I’m not going back,’” recalls Lobalu, coy about his reasons for leaving the team. “It was just something that I wanted to try.”

With that, he forfeited the chance of racing for the ART having departed “without notice,” according to World Athletics.

“He is undoubtedly a talented athlete, and If we were able to find a way to include him in the ART programme without seriously compromising the programme – or possibly damaging it irreparably – we would have done so.”

According to Swiss outlet Tages-Anzeiger, Lobalu won’t compete for his native South Sudan because of the horrors he experienced as a child when violence descended on his remote village of Chukudum. To this day, the war remains a topic he hates to talk about.

“We absolutely understand that it is important to him [to compete at the Olympics and world championships]; we just need to find a way to make this happen if we can.

“Without a doubt, we would like Dominic to be at these events and competing for a country that he wants to compete for.”

While Lobalu and Hagmann await a verdict from the Nationality Review Panel, the pair have turned their attentions to matters they can control.

After competing in a track meet in Vienna, Austria, on Saturday, Lobalu plans to run at his first Diamond League meet in Lausanne on June 30.

“He focuses on running and staying relaxed. This is his talent: why waste energy on things you cannot change? Just keep on training, be ready when it’s there.”

Overseeing training is just one part of Hagmann’s responsibilities as a coach. He has also helped Lobalu to secure a humanitarian visa and gain the right to live in Switzerland as a professional athlete.

The pair were first brought together as Lobalu moved between various centers for asylum seekers in Switzerland after leaving the refugee team. Communicating his desire to be a professional runner, he was put in touch with Hagmann in the north-eastern city of St. Gallen.

They met at a running track a few days later, where Hagmann found a withdrawn 20-year-old who spoke very little. But words seemed unimportant as soon as Lobalu started running, at which point Hagmann became captivated by the young athlete’s eye-catching form and feather-light footfall.

“His body was struggling, even his mind was suffering from this journey he had behind him,” Hagmann remembers, “although you could see when he started running that he’s running with passion and he had these nice movements when he ran on the track.

“He touched the ground with his foot when he’s running and it’s hard to explain, you have to see it. And then you see it [and think]: Wow, this is it … I was fascinated by his running.”

Together, Lobalu and Hagmann have forged an exceptional partnership, the former lowering his 10-kilometer time by more than two minutes and his 5,000-meter time by more than a minute in the space of three years.

Their unique relationship is the subject of “The Right To Race,” a new documentary produced by Swiss sportswear brand On, which also sponsors Lobalu.

It was during the Stockholm Diamond League meet last year that Lobalu, competing overseas for only the second time since settling in Switzerland, enjoyed a spectacular breakthrough, stunning onlookers by winning the 3,000-meter event ahead of half marathon world record holder Jacob Kiplimo.

“He surprised me in kind of every race we did the last three years,” said Hagmann, who coaches 20 athletes in Switzerland, most of whom are competing at a national level.

“When he was winning the Diamond League last year in Stockholm, he really surprised. I didn’t expect a win the first time participating in a Diamond League; this was one of the amazing moments in a running career, even for a coach … He’s really world class.”

Recently, Hagmann’s coaching duties have extended to working with Swiss Athletics to complete Lobalu’s eligibility application. It’s a responsibility he’s come to embrace – as much a mentor and manager as he is a running coach.

“When he showed up, I saw a young, talented guy, but a suffering guy who needed help,” says Hagmann. “And it was not only about coaching, he needed help and support in many different parts of his life.

“Coaching is maybe 30% of the whole story; 70% is taking care of everything else.”

Travel has come a long way since the age of Silk Road caravans, daunting sea voyages and steam locomotives -– and will continue to transform in years to come.

Concepts that feel plucked from sci-fi novels and films are quickly making their way into mainstream travel, shaping every step of the journey.

Sooner rather than later, we could be piloting passenger drones around Singapore or rocketing into Earth’s orbit to admire the world from the edge of space.

From autonomous taxis to passenger drones, biometric immigration tunnels, instant translation and hotels, here’s a peek at what’s coming down the runway.

The end of airport lines

Although controversial, biometric identification (automatically verifying one’s identity via fingerprints, facial recognition or iris scans) is quickly becoming the technology of choice at airports worldwide.

Considered a faster and more accurate way to screen passengers, biometrics can cut processing time for typical airport procedures – think baggage check-in, lounge access, boarding and immigration control – in half.

For example, in 2018, Dubai International Airport introduced biometric “Smart Gates” tunnels, which use facial recognition to verify travelers’ identities in as little as five seconds.

It’s as simple as it sounds: after deplaning, travelers walk into a tunnel, look at a green light, and then continue to baggage claim without waiting in line or interacting with an immigration officer.

Elsewhere in the world, facial recognition technology is already in use to some extent at Hong Kong International Airport, Tokyo Narita, Tokyo Haneda, Indira Gandhi International in Delhi, London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle, among other airports.

Meanwhile, the European Union plans to roll out an automated entry-exit system in 2024 that uses fingerprints and facial images to identify foreign travelers and streamline border control checks.

Airlines are also adopting biometric identification.

Emirates has created a “biometric pathway” at Dubai International Airport that enables passengers to pass through immigration and boarding without presenting their documents.

And in the US, major airlines like American Airlines, United and Delta have been experimenting with biometric check-in, bag drops and boarding gates at select airports for the last couple of years.

Less lost luggage

Have you arrived in a foreign country only to spend the first day of vacation stocking up on underwear, toiletries and essential clothing while your luggage takes an unexpected detour?

Given the millions of mishandled checked bags every year, it’s no wonder people are yearning for tech-savvy solutions to this common travel headache.

Some are turning to devices like SmartTags, Tile Pros and AirTags to keep track of their belongings. Others opt for sophisticated suitcases like the Samsara’s Tag Smart, which includes an integrated AirTag that syncs with Apple’s Find My app and uses Bluetooth to track the bag’s location.

Looking ahead, we’ll likely see digital bag tags containing RFID transmitters replace conventional paper tags – an evolution that would save time at check-in while simultaneously making tracking and identifying luggage easier for airlines.

Alaska Airlines, Lufthansa and Qatar Airways, among others, are ahead of the game, having partnered with Dutch digital bag tag pioneer BAGTAG. Such products enable travelers to register and activate their luggage tag at home, then drop luggage at a self-service kiosk and track it via an app.

Since tagging errors are just one reason for delayed or lost luggage, airlines and airports are also looking to solve common issues such as transfer mishandling, failure to load, ticketing errors and weather delays.

In the future, don’t be surprised if we see automated baggage handling, AI-powered bag recognition programs, AI security scanning and perhaps even an AI global database that links travelers with their bags – all solutions that could lead to fewer lost bags in the long run.

Next-level augmented reality

On a future trip to Europe, imagine exploring the Accademia Gallery in Florence guided by a talking “David” sculpture or embarking on a digital treasure hunt through the streets of Paris.

Requiring only a phone and internet connection, augmented reality (AR) can add another layer of intrigue to our travel experiences.

Specterras Productions, which strives to make the world’s natural and cultural wonders more accessible via technology, is already bringing such experiences to life.

AR and virtual reality (VR) became more mainstream during the Covid-19 pandemic when museums and destinations introduced interactive virtual experiences for would-be travelers.

What’s more, experimental artists like KAWS – known for his toy-like sculptures and collectables – famously embraced the technology in his “Expanded Holiday” project, which saw giant AR sculptures levitating in 12 cities around the world in 2020.

Breer says these technologies also enable people to explore parts of the world they might not be able to see in person.

“Economically, visiting places like Pompeii, Palmyra, Machu Picchu or the Great Barrier Reef is very difficult. So, for many people, VR and AR will provide a good substitute for these experiences,” Breer adds.

And in terms of planning, VR may also play a more vital role in decision-making in the future.

If travelers can explore a destination, hotel, restaurant or excursion via VR first, they will likely have more confidence when making reservations.

The rise of flying taxis

You’ve probably seen videos of passenger drones and eVTOL – electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft that don’t require a runway – taking over the internet.

These futuristic aircraft tend to be electric, ultralight and kitted out with autopilot software that makes it possible for everyday people to hop in the pilot seat – after an orientation session and VR flight simulation, of course.

That’s the strategy at LIFT Aircraft, which says that anyone can fly its amphibious HEXA aircraft in the US without a pilot’s license since it qualifies as an “ultra-light” vehicle under federal regulations. (That said, the Federal Aviation Administration recently proposed a comprehensive rule for training and certifying pilots of power-lifted aircraft.)

The aircraft offers many automated safety precautions like a collision-avoidance system, a triple-redundant flight computer and a ballistic parachute for the whole aircraft.

On track to start offering commercial flights in 2023, the company plans to let travelers fly the aircraft on short, scenic rides – about 8-15 minutes at a time – during a 25-city roadshow across the US.

In the future, customers will be able to find and book LIFT flights via a mobile app that provides flight simulation training, a proficiency test, a pre-flight checklist and ground crew support.

Other companies, like Ehang in China, are on a mission to alleviate traffic jams with flying taxi drones.

At the same time, New York-based Kelekona plans to offer flights on its battery-powered, 40-passenger drone bus as an eco-friendly alternative to mass transit.

Another notable company is Volocopter, which is on its way to bringing a fleet of electric air taxis to Singapore and Paris in 2024.

Then there’s the Jetson ONE – a single-person, all-electric eVTOL with auto-hover, stable flight and landing capabilities – which can fly for about 20 minutes up to 63 mph.

“Electric personal flying cars will revolutionize adventurous travel. Safaris, mountain tops, visiting Machu Picchu – all places that are currently difficult to get to will suddenly be possible.”

Robotaxis gain momentum

While some taxi services head into the clouds, others will stay firmly on terra firma – but with some serious upgrades.

Boston-based Motional, a joint venture between Hyundai and global tech company Aptiv, has seen some early success.

Available to public passengers in Las Vegas, Motional provides autonomous robotaxis (via Lyft and Uber apps) that can drop passengers at popular destinations on the Las Vegas Strip.

Another company seeing momentum is Waymo (a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc.), which has operated the first fully autonomous ride-hailing service in parts of Phoenix since 2020.

Available via the Waymo One app, the service has since expanded to downtown Phoenix, San Francisco and, next up, Los Angeles.

Of course, major players like Amazon, Tesla and Cruise are speeding forward in North America.

Amazon’s self-driving vehicle unit known as Zoox is being tested in San Francisco; an update to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Beta software became available in mid-March, addressing the safety risks associated with an earlier recall; and Cruise has operations underway in San Francisco and Austin.

On the other side of the world, in China, tech giant Baidu began operating a fully autonomous ride-hailing service, Apollo Go, in cities like Beijing, Chongqing and Wuhan in 2022 and plans to expand rapidly in 2023.

Net-zero flights on the horizon

As passenger drones and eVTOLs become commonplace, you may wonder: what’s next for good old-fashioned airplanes?

The future of travel is inextricably linked to climate change – a reality that led the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to announce a long-term goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Thanks to a mix of emerging technologies ranging from sustainable aviation fuel to hydrogen-powered engines to all-electric planes, it’s certainly possible, though critics have expressed considerable doubt.

US-based Eviation Aircraft is leading the way, providing a peek into the future with its sleek, all-electric “Alice” plane.

Set to enter service in 2027, the nine-seater commuter plane aims to reduce the environmental impact of regional hops. So far, over 300 Alice aircraft have been ordered by the likes of Aerus airline in Mexico, DHL, Air New Zealand and more.

We may also see a supersonic comeback within the next decade. Denver-based Boom has been working on an updated version of the Concorde that aims to make supersonic travel much quieter, greener and more affordable.

According to the company, Boom’s “Overture” aircraft can carry up to 80 people at Mach 1.7 speeds (or about twice as fast as traditional airlines) while emitting zero carbon emissions.

Meaning, a flight from New York City to Frankfurt could take four hours instead of eight, or you could go from LA to Sydney in eight hours instead of 14.

And since Overture will fly at a higher altitude than today’s aircraft – up to 60,000 feet – travelers would get to see the curvature of the Earth through the windows.

So far, several major airlines, including American Airlines, United and Japan Airlines, have placed orders for Overture, signaling industry confidence in the future of supersonic.

We’ll have to be patient, though – Boom plans to commence aircraft production in 2024, conduct test flights in 2027, and achieve certifications to carry passengers as early as 2029.

Eco-fabulous hotel stays

Like air travel, eco-conscious hotels are paving the way for more sustainable travel in the future.

When room2 Chiswick opened in London in 2021, it became the world’s “whole life net-zero” hotel.

In other words, the property has offset its entire carbon footprint, from production and construction, materials, maintenance, electricity and so on.

Compared with a typical UK hotel of a similar size, room2 uses 89% less energy per square meter thanks to ground source heat pumps, solar panels, water-saving fixtures, sustainable procurement policies, a biodiverse green roof and a zero-waste policy.

In the US, Bauhaus-style Hotel Marcel in New Haven, Connecticut, is on track to become the first net-zero hotel in the country after revitalizing a heritage building designed by Hungarian-born architect Marcel Breuer.

Opened in May 2022, the hotel’s day-to-day operations are fully solar-powered by 1,000 PV panels on the roof, and, as a result, the property emits zero carbon emissions.

It also features triple-glazed windows, an electric shuttle van, and a carport full of electric car chargers, including 12 Tesla Superchargers – enhancements that have earned the property LEED Platinum certification.

Looking ahead, the Six Senses Svart aims to be the world’s first energy-positive hotel when it opens in 2024 within the Arctic Circle in Norway.

With its low-impact overwater design inspired by local fish-drying structures, a solar power system, a zero-waste restaurant and efficient waste and water management systems, the hotel aims to help eco-minded travelers responsibly explore the polar region.

Also coming up in 2024 is Sheybarah Resort, an entirely off-grid resort in a protected marine park in the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia known for its dense mangroves, pristine coral reefs and sea life.

The LEED-Platinum property plans to minimize its footprint in many ways, from suspending pod-like hotel rooms above the water (so as not to disturb marine life) to installing a solar farm, a solar-powered desalination plant for fresh water and on-site recycling facilities.

Say goodbye to language barriers

There’s nothing wrong with playing charades, but wouldn’t it be amazing to have deeper conversations with the people you meet while traveling?

Suppose language barriers became a thing of the past. In that case, we could connect across cultures, work and live abroad, discover new business opportunities and relate to far-flung family members.

The good news is that real-time translation is growing more sophisticated by the day.

Google’s Pixel Buds can either translate what’s being said directly into your ear or share a transcription so you can follow along.

The company has also been working on wearable augmented-reality glasses that display translated text on the lenses in real-time.

Another company, Mymanu, also offers auto voice translation via its CLIK S earbuds.

Currently used in the hospitality industry and soon to be rolled out to help asylum seekers in the UK, the headphones sync with the company’s MyJuno translation app to help users communicate with people in over 37 languages.

The company says it will soon be launching the world’s first voice-controlled, eSIM-enabled earbuds. Called “Titan,” they can be used like a screen-less phone, and they also offer live translation without the need for a phone app.

The space race rockets forward

We’re well on our way to exploring the final frontier with a flurry of space tourism initiatives available now – or very soon – to the most affluent explorers.

According to SpaceVIP, which bills itself as the only aggregator of space-related experiences, roughly a dozen types of expeditions are available in 2023, with many more to follow.

For starters, Blue Origin offers excursions past the Kármán Line – a boundary 62 miles above sea level that marks the beginning of outer space.

Meanwhile, SpaceX has successfully launched commercial orbits around the Earth, missions to the International Space Station (ISS), and plans to take Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa and an international crew of artists, actors, musicians and athletes on the first civilian mission around the moon in 2023. 

Those seeking a leisurely and luxurious experience can soon travel to the edge of space in a pressurized Spaceship Neptune capsule, propelled by a SpaceBalloon (the same used by NASA), with Space Perspective.

During the six-hour journey, due to launch in 2024, travelers will enjoy panoramic views of the Earth, a gourmet meal and cocktails before a slow descent and water landing.

Virgin Galactic, meanwhile, plans to launch 90-minute joyrides into the upper atmosphere this summer.

If they do go ahead, the $450,000 suborbital flight will reach about 50 miles above the planet, where passengers will have about a minute to enjoy astounding views and experience zero gravity.

Meanwhile, several companies, including Hi-Seas, Space Training Academy, Nastar Center and Air Zero G, provide Earth-bound training programs so you can experience various levels of gravity, learn astronaut maneuvers and enjoy simulator experiences like a moon launch or ISS docking.

Hyperloop coming down the pipeline

US entrepreneur Elon Musk has been talking about hyperloop technology – an ultra-high-speed transport system in a low-pressure vacuum tube – for years.

As the pitch goes, with hyperloop networks, we could travel in pods up to 760 mph from LA to San Francisco in 30 minutes, Beijing to Shanghai in 60, and Paris to Amsterdam in 90.

In addition to saving time, proponents claim hyperloop also has the potential to provide a cheaper, faster, safer and more sustainable alternative to conventional mass transit.

Over the past decade, early movers like Musk’s The Boring Company, Virgin Hyperloop (now Hyperloop One) and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) made some impressive headway but encountered regulatory, funding and infrastructure challenges.

Despite an unsuccessful IPO attempt earlier this year, HyperloopTT is reportedly working on potential projects, including a “Great Lakes” link between Chicago, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, according to Bloomberg.

While thoroughly tested hyperloop transit networks may still be a decade, if not decades, away, many innovative companies are pushing the technology forward.

According to the South China Morning Post, the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation completed a few successful hyperloop test runs in Shanxi province in January 2023.

In addition, Hardt Hyperloop in the Netherlands demonstrated its technology at low speeds and is now constructing the European Hyperloop Center for high-speed demonstrations and testing.

Meanwhile, Toronto-based TransPod hopes to bring hyperloop technology to Canada with its eponymous tube-based transportation system powered by renewable energy.

By 2025, the company plans to build a 620-mile-per-hour TransPod link between Calgary and Edmonton, connecting the two cities in 45 minutes.

Maybe it’s a pipedream – or maybe it will transform travel as we know it.

When RMS Titanic set sail on April 10, 1912, she was the largest passenger ship in service and considered to be “unsinkable.”

Just four days later, Titanic’s maiden voyage was transformed into an international tragedy when the ship struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 11:40 p.m. April 14. She sank in less than three hours.

The ship did not have enough lifeboats for the approximately 2,220 people on board. More than 1,500 people lost their lives in the accident, and Titanic became the most famous shipwreck in history.

There were just over 700 survivors.

The luxury ocean liner was carrying members of some of the most powerful and affluent American families. Financier John Jacob Astor IV put his pregnant wife into a lifeboat. He drowned in the early morning hours of April 15, according to Biography.com. Isidor Straus, co-owner of Macy’s, and his wife Ida perished, inspiring the film “Titanic.” Businessman Benjamin Guggenheim also died in the shipwreck.

Of the 329 first class passengers aboard, 199 survived. Of some 995 second and third class passengers, 293 survived. And among the 899 crew members, there were 214 survivors.

Investigations at the time cited a number of factors contributing to the tragedy: Captain Edward Smith was said to be going too fast in dangerous waters; initial ship inspections had been done too quickly; there was insufficient room in the lifeboats; and a nearby ship failed to help.

Titanic, which cost an estimated $7.5 million to build, was just over 882 feet long and weighed 46,328 tons. Its top speed was 23 knots.

Finding the wreckage

Efforts were made over the years to locate the ship, but the wreckage wasn’t discovered until 1985.

Ballard wasn’t successful on his first try in 1977. The successful 1985 discovery came using a submersible sled called Argo that was equipped with a camera that could transmit live images. Ballard, working with the French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea, discovered the Titanic wreckage while participating in a secret US military mission to explore two wrecked nuclear submarines.

Before agreeing to the mission, which was signed off by US President Ronald Reagan, he asked if he could search for the Titanic when he’d completed the top secret task.

While he was never explicitly given permission to look for the infamous wreck, Ballard says he was told he could pretty much do what he wanted once he’d found the nuclear submarines.

The wreckage sits in two parts at the bottom of the ocean nearly 13,000 feet below the surface, southeast of Newfoundland.

In 1986, a team from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute made the first trip to view the sunken vessel by using a three-person submersible named Alvin and the newly developed remotely operated vehicle Jason Jr. Footage from that expedition was only released publicly this year.

Enduring interest in the famous shipwreck

More than a century after the ship went down, researchers and historians are still captivated by its story.

A team from deep sea investigators Magellan and filmmakers Atlantic Productions have recently used deep sea mapping to create a “digital twin” of the Titanic wreck for the first time.

Every millimeter of its three-mile debris field was mapped in minute detail, a news release said. The final digital replica has succeeded in capturing the entire wreck including both the bow and stern section, which had separated upon sinking in 1912.

Amateur explorers are also drawn to the wreck.

OceanGate, the company at the center of the current international search for a missing submersible that was headed to the wreckage, offers crewed missions to conduct scientific and technological surveys of the wreck.

The expedition to explore the wreckage of the Titanic costs passengers “from $250,000,” according to an archived version of the company’s website, accessible via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.