Has Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk changed dynamics of the war?
Russia has asked thousands of its citizens to evacuate from Kursk and neighbouring Belgorod region, days after an unprecedented incursion on its territory by Ukrainian forces – the most significant cross-border attack since Moscow invaded Kyiv in February 2022. On Saturday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that his military was fighting inside Russian territory. The latest fighting has caused thousands of people to flee the border areas. Authorities have declared a “federal-level” state of emergency in the Russian regions of Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the incursion a “large-scale provocation” by Ukraine, which has been fighting Moscow forces in its eastern region. Meanwhile, Ukraine and Russia have blamed each other for the outbreak of fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which remains under Russian control. The fire has since been put out. Here’s more about the Kursk incursion and what it means for the war: A man looks at debris near a multi-storey residential building, which according to local authorities was hit by remains of a destroyed Ukrainian missile, in Kursk on August 11, 2024. [Kommersant Photo/Anatoliy Zhdanov via Reuters] When did Ukrainian troops enter Kursk? Ukrainian forces launched the Kursk attack on August 6, taking Moscow by surprise. Fighting is under way between Kyiv and Moscow forces in the region. “We are seeing the Ukrainian operation slowly expanding into neighbouring Belgorod,” said Alex Gatopoulos, Al Jazeera’s defence editor. The Ukrainian army has taken some border villages in Belgorod, Gatopoulos said, adding that 11,000 people have been ordered to evacuate Belgorod region. Ukrainian forces are around 30km (18.6 miles) inside Russia, according the Russian Ministry of Defence. The AFP news agency quoted a Ukrainian official as saying that thousands of Ukrainian troops are in Kursk. Why did Ukraine decide to carry out such an attack, and what is Ukraine’s strategy? The Ukrainian attack came after weeks of military setbacks in the eastern Donetsk region. One of the reasons is “to seize the initiative”, Sean Bell, a retired fighter pilot and military analyst, said, explaining that there is a very long border between the two countries and “it’s evident that they can break through”. Secondly, Ukraine’s move demonstrates that Russia does not control this war alone; “Ukraine is clearly taking the reins here,” Bell said. Gatopoulos said Ukraine’s strategy with the Kursk attack amounted to a “drone Blitzkrieg” after Ukraine aggressively used first-person view drones that jammed the Russian drones. First-person-view drones are low-cost and usually operated using a screen or virtual reality goggles. Where did the attack take place? The attack took place in the town of Sudzha in Kursk located 530km (330 miles) from Moscow. Sudzha has the only pumping station that delivers Russian natural gas to Europe through Ukraine. Kursk is in western Russia, at the border with Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy city. How will the attack affect the Russia-Ukraine war? The attack has raised questions on how Ukraine was able to attack Kursk so easily after two years of intense fighting. Military analyst Bell told Al Jazeera that the attack can change the course of the war. While critics deemed Ukraine’s surprise attack reckless, “momentum and initiative is everything in warfare; this caught everybody off guard”, Bell explained. The Ukrainian attack forced Russia to take troops from the front line, where they have been advancing to Ukraine’s Donetsk, and deploy them at Kursk, relieving pressure from the front line for Ukraine, Bell added. To maintain its current position in Kursk, Ukraine will have to send more troops, tanks and resources, Gatopoulos said. While there is a possibility that Russian forces will outnumber and defeat Ukraine, if Ukraine persists, “it would be a great bargaining chip in peace negotiations”, he said. If the Ukrainian mission fails, “it will be a morale blow rather than a morale boost” for Kyiv, Gatopoulos said. What has been Russia’s reaction? Russia hit back militarily, deploying its own troops to quash the incursion. Additionally, Russian forces shot down 35 drones over the Kursk, Voronezh, Belgorod, Bryansk and Oryol regions on Sunday night. Ukrainian officials said on Sunday that Russian air attacks killed five people including a four-year-old boy and his father just east of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Russia has also evacuated civilians in border cities and declared a state of emergency in Kursk. The Russian state broadcaster said that 20 temporary accommodation centres were set up, airing footage of a tent camp in Kursk. Officials from Russia have implied that the Ukraine attack had foreign backing. “We have no doubt that the organisers and perpetrators of these crimes, including their foreign curators, will bear responsibility for them,” said Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday that the United States was not made aware of Ukraine’s plans to attack Kursk. Why is Belarus deploying forces to Ukraine border? Belarus announced on Saturday that it was sending its forces to the border with Ukraine, claiming Ukraine violated Belarusian airspace during its Kursk incursion. Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko said Belarusian air defence forces destroyed thousands of Ukrainian targets flying over eastern Belarus’s Mogilev. Viktor Khrenin, the country’s defence minister, announced that Ukraine’s violation of the Belarus airspace is indicative of a provocation and is “ready for retaliatory action”. What happened at the Zaporizhzhia power plant? On Sunday, Ukrainian official reported that a fire had broken out at the cooling tower of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia power plant in southern Ukraine. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear watchdog, said that the fire has not caused an impact on safety. According to Russian state media, the fire has been extinguished. Zelenskyy accused Russia of the fire, while Moscow blamed it on Kyiv. “These reckless attacks endanger nuclear safety at the plant and increase the risk of a nuclear accident. They must stop now,” said Rafael Grossi, chief of IAEA in a statement, without blaming either side. Adblock test (Why?)
Ukraine arrests energy official as it continues anti-corruption drive
Kyiv has been working hard to try to tame corruption among state officials. Ukraine has detained a deputy energy minister accused of taking a bribe worth half a million dollars as it continues a bid to tame corruption among state officials. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on Monday that it had arrested the official over a scheme to smuggle mining equipment out of the war-torn east of the country. Three alleged accomplices have also been detained. Ukraine has said that, amid its war against Russia’s 2022 invasion, it is trying to step up its fight against official corruption to prove the country’s credentials for joining the European Union. The SBU announcement did not disclose the identity of the official or his accomplices, posting photos of its officers arresting the suspects with their faces blurred. However, opposition MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak named the deputy minister as Oleksandr Kheilo. The SBU said that the minister, responsible for securing vital energy equipment amid the conflict, allegedly demanded mining industry officials pay him to transfer equipment from mines in the front-line eastern Donetsk region to a coal basin in western Ukraine. “The equipment in question is unique and scarce, belonging to one of the state-owned coal companies located in the most active area of the eastern frontline – Pokrovsk,” the SBU said in a statement. “In the spring of 2024, industry representatives approached the deputy energy minister to obtain permission to evacuate the equipment from the war zone and use it at mines in a western region,” it added. “However, the official, whose duties included the preservation of mining equipment, demanded money for its removal,” it said. The suspects were detained as they were about to receive $100,000 of the $500,000 bribe demanded. Investigators had previously documented receipt of another $200,000. Kheilo has now been dismissed, according to a government Telegram channel. Ukraine has been battling corruption for years. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rose to power on a platform of ending corruption. He has fired a number of officials, including the defence minister last year over corruption scandals in the army. In April, the agriculture minister was detained and sacked over allegations of his involvement in an illegal acquisition of state-owned land worth $7m. Adblock test (Why?)
Gaza, Ukraine conflicts increasing Geneva Conventions violations: Red Cross
International humanitarian law violations should not be normalised, ICRC warns, noting 120 global conflicts as it marks Geneva Conventions’ 75th anniversary. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called on the world to respect the Geneva Conventions as the international treaties setting out the rules of war mark their 75th anniversary. The rule book for the conduct of war is under strain and often disregarded, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said on Monday. Conduct in conflicts such as in Gaza, Ukraine, Syria and Myanmar illustrate that the conventions are being largely ignored and a new commitment to international humanitarian law is needed, advocates say. The Geneva Conventions, which mark out rules on the protection of civilians, detainees and wounded soldiers, were adopted by most of the world after they were finalised in 1949. “The world must recommit to this robust protective framework for armed conflict, one that follows the premise of protecting life instead of justifying death,” Spoljaric told reporters at ICRC headquarters in Geneva. Today we mark the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. Since Aug. 12th, 1949, they have safeguarded human dignity in the darkest times. 📜 States and non-state armed groups must ensure these rules continue to save lives. pic.twitter.com/DRnukK09IX — ICRC (@ICRC) August 12, 2024 “Today we mark the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions,” the ICRC wrote on X. “They have safeguarded human dignity in the darkest times. States and non-state armed groups must ensure these rules continue to save lives.” The conventions ban torture and sexual violence, require humane treatment of detainees and mandate searches for missing people. They “reflect a global consensus that all wars have limits”, Spoljaric said. “The dehumanisation of both enemy fighters and civilian populations is a path to ruin and disaster.” The Red Cross said the rule book is needed now more than ever. More than 120 active conflicts persist around the world, it pointed out, a six-fold increase from the half-century anniversary of the conventions in 1999. Modern armed conflicts have become more dangerous since the 20th century due to new technologies, the urbanisation of warfare and “the deliberate dehumanisation of the enemy through labels such as ‘terrorist’”, it went on to say. The Red Cross stated that violations – including firing on hospitals, schools and ambulances and the killing of aid workers and civilians – should not become the norm. When international humanitarian law “violations are committed with impunity, this fuels further cycles of violence often resulting in protracted armed conflicts that span decades”, the organisation said. Actors in many conflicts today are accused of violating the conventions, from Gaza to Ukraine. The United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory has accused Israel of violating three of the five acts listed under the UN Genocide Conventions during its war in Gaza. South Africa has also taken Israel to the International Court of Justice, accusing it of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza – with 12 other countries backing the case. Russia’s actions in Ukraine, meanwhile, should be investigated as war crimes, organisations like Human Rights Watch have said. Adblock test (Why?)
Self-defence classes empower women amid UK’s far-right violence
At a London sports ground, Maya Hassan looks on with pride as about 30 women, nearly all Muslims and from ethnic minorities, join a self-defence class that she organised in response to a wave of riots that saw violent, racist attacks on Muslims and ethnic minorities. The 28-year-old martial arts expert said she wanted to help women of colour to learn how to deal with abuse and build connections and confidence after more than a week of unrest aimed at mosques, asylum seeker hotels and the police. “It gives you a little bit more confidence,” she said. “You kind of know what to look for, how to be socially aware, how to spot things and how to get out of a really bad situation.” Muslim and ethnic minority communities have expressed shock over the disorder, which was sparked by false information online that the suspected killer of three young girls in a knife attack in Southport, northwest England, was a Muslim migrant. Martial arts instructor Stewart McGill said he had seen more women signing up for classes since the unrest started. He told them how to defend themselves with tactics including kicks and impromptu weapons such as belts. One attendee, Elza Annan, 24, said she felt more confident. “I obviously do not want to have to use these techniques, but it is useful and beneficial to have them … especially because of recent events of far-right racists coming out and targeting people of colour,” she said. Martial arts instructor Stewart McGill (centre) said he had seen more women signing up for classes since the unrest started [Maja Smiejkowska/Reuters] Islamophobia on the rise The riots have largely targeted migrants, Muslims, and Asian people, spreading fear through ethnic minority communities and casting a light on the United Kingdom’s record of integration. Tell MAMA UK, a group that monitors anti-Muslim incidents, said hate directed at Muslims had been growing in the UK for some time, and especially since October 7 last year, the start of Israel’s war on Gaza. Since the riots began, it had received more than 500 calls and online reports of anti-Muslim behaviour across the UK. Sunder Katwala, director of the think-tank British Future, which focuses on migration and identity, said at its best, the UK is a “confident multiethnic democracy”. But he said successive governments had lacked a strategy for integrating different communities. While those arriving recently from Ukraine and Hong Kong were given government support, that did not happen to all. The asylum system faced particular pressures, with a huge backlog of applications and some Britons concerned about pressure on housing, healthcare and education. “With asylum you’ve got a visible lack of control, and that can feed into fear,” Katwala said. The riots have largely stopped since thousands of anti-racism protesters turned out to protect potential targets such as immigration advice centres, mosques, and hotels housing asylum seekers. Hassan, who wears a hijab and is a Swiss national of Somali origin, moved to the UK in 2008, partly because she felt it was more welcoming to ethnic minorities than many parts of Europe. She is considering organising more classes. A similar event was planned for Manchester, in northern England, and a campaign group, the Three Hijabis, held a large online conference call with Muslim women this week to discuss the psychological impact of Islamophobic violence. Participants learn how to defend themselves with tactics including kicks and impromptu weapons such as belts [Maja Smiejkowska/Reuters] Shaista Aziz, the group’s director, said some women feared that the violence could unleash confrontations or abuse, prompting many to stay close to home. “Today I advised a sister I dearly love to consider removing her hijab to stay safe as she travels through the northeast …” she said on X during the riots. “Across the country British Muslims are having these same conversations.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has ordered extra protection for the Muslim community, described rioters as “far-right thugs”. Nearly 800 people have been arrested, with some fast-tracked through the courts and jailed. The anti-racism protests are likely to continue. For Maki Omori, 23, who identifies as non-binary, Saturday’s class would help prepare for counterprotests. “I found it really intimidating, thinking about how I would defend myself,” Omori said. “I want to make sure that if something happens, I feel ready.” Adblock test (Why?)
Biden admits age, party leaders pushed him to drop out of election
NewsFeed US President Joe Biden said fears expressed by his own party’s leaders helped convince him to drop out of the 2024 presidential election. Published On 11 Aug 202411 Aug 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Hamas urges return to existing Gaza ceasefire proposal
The group has said it wants a truce plan based on US President Joe Biden’s May 31 ceasefire proposal. Hamas has asked mediators to present a plan based upon previous truce talks instead of attempting to find a new Gaza ceasefire deal, days ahead of talks proposed by the United States, Egypt and Qatar. In a statement on its official Telegram channel, the group said that it wants a plan “based on [US President Joe] Biden’s May 31 ceasefire proposal, the framework laid out by mediators Qatar and Egypt on May 6, and UN Security Council Resolution 2735“. The May 6 proposal, which Hamas previously agreed to and Israel rejected, also ensures the release of Israeli captives in Gaza as well as an unspecified number of Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Sunday’s Hamas statement added that “the mediators should enforce this [May 6 proposal] on the occupation [Israel] instead of pursuing further rounds of negotiations or new proposals that would provide cover for the occupation’s aggression and grant it more time to continue its genocide against our people”. Reporting from Amman, Jordan, Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut said that Israeli media outlets are interpreting the Hamas statement as a rejection of the ceasefire talks altogether. “But their [Hamas] statement did not say that. They’re merely calling on mediators to put the original proposal that they had agreed to, on the table,” she said. August 15 talks Last week, leaders of the US, Egypt and Qatar called on Israel and Hamas to meet for negotiations on August 15 in either Cairo or Doha to finalise a Gaza ceasefire and captive release deal. Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha had said on Saturday that the group’s leadership is “studying” the invitation for these ceasefire talks. Taha said that “the one obstructing the success of the last proposal is the Israeli occupation” and stressed that “closing the remaining gaps in the ceasefire agreement comes through exerting real pressure on the Israeli side, which was, and still is, practising a policy of placing obstacles in the way of the success of any efforts and endeavours leading to ending the aggression”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said that he would not agree to any deal that stipulated an end to Israel’s war on Gaza without the full defeat of Hamas. But Israel has said it would send negotiators to take part in the ceasefire meeting on August 15. If the talks take place, it would also mark the first time that Hamas will head into talks with Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar at the helm, following Israel’s assassination of Ismail Haniyeh. Meanwhile, Israel’s strikes on Gaza continue to rage. An Israeli air strike on the al-Tabin School compound in Gaza City housing displaced Palestinian families killed approximately 100 people on Saturday. “Every time there is some sort of movement in these [ceasefire] negotiations, there is a large-scale attack in Gaza and it derails the talks all altogether,” Al Jazeera’s Salhut pointed out. Hamas said that Israel carrying out the “al-Tabin school massacre” is further “proof that it only wants to escalate its aggression”. But the group added that despite this attack, it will continue to adhere to the proposal laid out by the mediators that it had already agreed to previously. Adblock test (Why?)
Gaza school attack renews calls for US to end support for Israel
NewsFeed US Democratic Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris has condemned Israel’s attack on a school in Gaza where forcibly displaced Palestinian civilians were sheltering, as people around the world demand an end to the staunch US support for Israel. Published On 11 Aug 202411 Aug 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli army orders Gaza ‘humanitarian zone’ evacuation
The Israeli military has ordered more evacuations in southern Gaza after a deadly air strike on a school-turned-shelter in the north killed more than 100 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. Hundreds of families carrying their belongings in their arms left their homes and shelters in Khan Younis early on Sunday, seeking elusive refuge. Israel has repeatedly ordered mass evacuations as its troops have returned to heavily damaged areas where they had previously battled Palestinian fighters. The vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people has been displaced by the 10-month war, often multiple times. Hundreds of thousands have crammed into squalid tent camps with few public services or have sought shelter in schools like the one struck on Saturday in Gaza City. Palestinians say nowhere in the besieged territory feels safe. The latest evacuation orders apply to areas in Khan Younis, including part of an Israeli-declared humanitarian zone from which the military said rockets had been fired. Israel accuses Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups of hiding among civilians and launching attacks from residential areas. Khan Younis, Gaza’s second largest city, has suffered widespread destruction during Israeli air and ground attacks. Tens of thousands of people fled again last week after an earlier evacuation order. Gaza’s Ministry of Health says the Palestinian death toll from the war is approaching 40,000 with more than 92,000 wounded. Aid groups have struggled to address the staggering humanitarian crisis in the territory while international experts have warned of famine. Adblock test (Why?)
‘A dream’: How the Americas’ first free town took its independence back
San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia – Overlooking the usually sleepy, languid town of San Basilio de Palenque is a statue of Benkos Bioho, runaway slave, town founder, and symbol of the town’s heritage and unique nature. “Africa is everything to me, it’s everything to us Palenqueros,” says Nuno Bembele, education adviser of the San Basilio de Palenque community council, who is sitting in the shade of the town square, wearing a bright green polo shirt emblazoned with the image of Bioho. ‘Africa is everything to me.’ Nuno Bembele, education adviser of the San Basilio de Palenque community council [Inigo Alexander/Al Jazeera] Nestled away in Colombia’s rumbling, green hills, the town is hot and lush, and quiet murmurs of pedestrian activity pepper the humble town square. It’s a quiet Saturday afternoon and the town is still following a brief downpour. People amble around the two parallel streets that frame the square – the only two paved streets in town – seemingly looking for something to do. Most others pass the time simply sitting on their stoops, or clustered around a large speaker blaring traditional vallenato and sipping on cold beers or sharing lukewarm rum to whittle away the hours. A smattering of elderly men sit around a plastic table and play dominoes by the side of the road, while – behind them – a group of schoolchildren play football barefoot, their sliders and flip-flops strewn in a pile by the side of their makeshift pitch, with stones filling in as goalposts. But this afternoon, this quintessentially Colombian scene is suddenly interrupted by the rhythmic beat of distant drums. “Viva Palenque!”, someone chants. Near the town square of San Basilio de Palenque [Inigo Alexander/Al Jazeera] San Basilio is known as the first free town, established by former slaves, in the Americas and lies 50km (31 miles) from the popular port city of Cartagena. After breaking his chains and freeing himself from slavery at the hands of the Spanish colonial rulers, Bioho – originally from modern-day Guinea Bissau – established the small town in the 17th century as a safe haven for former slaves like himself. He successfully planned and led the escape of 30 fellow slaves from Cartagena in 1619, and fought off attempts from the Spanish to recapture them. Bioho – “King Benkos” as he came to be known – and the slaves set up modern-day San Basilio as an enclave of liberation for emancipated slaves. They successfully fought to free many fellow slaves from Cartagena and integrate them into their new community. Efforts from the Spanish colonial forces to suppress the growth of San Basilio failed, and the town grew into its own independent community, led by King Benkos. Eventually, in 1691, the Spanish Crown offered the town its freedom and autonomy as long as it ceased to harbour runaway slaves, although many continued to join. Bioho led such efforts until his capture and execution at the hands of the Spanish colonists in 1621. A statue of Benkos Bioho breaking free from his chains. Bioho was a runaway slave who challenged Spanish colonial rule and established the town of San Basilio de Palenque as a safe haven for emancipated slaves in the 17th century [Inigo Alexander/Al Jazeera] As the town grew, so too did its own culture and identity – and even its own language, Palenquero, which is still spoken in the town to this day and is an integral element in the town’s unique identity. In 1772, a peace agreement was reached, integrating the town into the municipality of Mahates under the condition of no longer accepting escapees, and has remained under its jurisdiction since. Until now. For the second time in its history, the town of San Basilio de Palenque has regained its independence, after the Colombian Senate passed an amendment to the law giving the town the title of “special municipality”, granting it autonomous rule and governance. A mural depicting words in Palenquero, a language spoken exclusively in the town and which is rooted in African Bantu languages, alongside a Black Lives Matter message in San Basilio de Palenque [Inigo Alexander/Al Jazeera] Taking back the ‘reins of destiny’ On May 21 – national Afro-Colombian day – the Colombian Senate approved a modification to the law allowing San Basilio de Palenque to officially be recognised as its own autonomous municipality, granting it independence from the municipality of Mahates which has historically been responsible for the town, much to the locals’ chagrin. The decision is somewhat unconventional, as the town has only 4,200 inhabitants and towns of such a reduced size are not normally given such a degree of autonomy in Colombia. Usually, only towns with populations of at least 25,000 are considered for the status of municipality. However, given the town’s cultural, historical and ethnic significance, the Senate made an exception. The campaign to gain administrative autonomy kicked off in 2013, and had passed through to debate in the Senate on several occasions, though it had not been voted through. A mural honouring the town founder and slave liberator, Benkos Bioho, in San Basilio de Palenque [Inigo Alexander/Al Jazeera] Now, finally, San Basilio will have its own local mayor and administrative body, as well as dedicated funding from the state. The movement also hopes to bolster Afro-Colombian culture, traditions and identity which often get overlooked and generally lack space and support. “What is coming for Palenque is a dream. The municipality symbolises the struggle of Benkos, our independence, our autonomy. The children of Palenque can now take the reins of the destiny of San Basilio,” Pedro Marquez, a San Basilio native and local educator, tells Al Jazeera from a rocking chair on his stoop as he watches children and the occasional horse idle up and down his humble, dirt street. A street in San Basilio de Palenque [Inigo Alexander/Al Jazeera] The legal amendment to officially recognise and implement San Basilio’s new status has yet to be ratified by the regional authorities and signed off by the Colombian
Canada’s B-Boy Phil Wizard wins first Olympic breaking gold in Paris
The Canadian beat France’s Dany Dann in front of a partisan crowd to take the first-ever men’s gold medal in breaking. Canada’s B-Boy Phil Wizard won the inaugural Olympic men’s breaking gold in Paris and said he hoped it “opens doors to people” involved in the high-energy dance sport. Phil Wizard, whose real name is Philip Kim, beat France’s B-Boy Dany Dann in Saturday’s final amid the opulent grandeur of the Place de la Concorde, with B-Boy Victor of USA taking bronze. Breaking, better known as breakdancing, is making its first and possibly last appearance at the Olympics, having been left off the programme for Los Angeles 2028. Phil Wizard said that breaking was “an underappreciated sport” and hoped its Olympic debut would change people’s minds. “I hope that today was a perfect example of showing the world how incredible breaking is – that was truly my only goal here,” said the 27-year-old, a former world champion. “I’m so grateful and so happy to come out with the win but more than anything, I just wanted to show the world what breaking is.” The competition saw 16 dancers, known as B-Boys, going head-to-head in a series of battles, starting with a pool stage before moving to a knock-out round. Phil Wizard had the crowd against him in the final against local hero Dany Dann, a 36-year-old with blue hair whose real name is Danis Civil. But the Canadian soon had them eating out of his hand thanks to his incredible routine, for which the judges awarded him a 3-0 victory. “I was stressed out of my mind,” said Phil Wizard. “It’s been a whirlwind of emotion. I cried my eyes out because I was so scared to do this. “There’s been a lot of pressure, a lot of expectations – I’m glad I was able to deliver.” Gold medallist Canada’s Philip Kim, known as B-Boy Phil Wizard, centre, poses with silver medallist France’s Danis Civil, known as B-Boy Dany Dann, left, and bronze medallist, USA’s Victor Montalvo, known as B-Boy Victor after the breaking finals competition at La Concorde Urban Park in Paris [AP/Frank Franklin II] ‘All about self-expression’ Danny Dann, a former European champion, said he felt like he had “represented breaking” to the world. “I’m delighted, I really didn’t think I would win this medal,” he said, revealing that he dyed his hair blue because it was his “lucky colour”. “I just went there to see how things would go and I’m going home with a silver medal!” Despite the spectacular moves on show, Phil Wizard said the panel of judges were looking for “something new every round”. “You may well think it’s the most explosive, crazy dynamic movements that score the most points,” he said. “But in breaking, there’s a lot of different categories and the most important thing is originality and diversity of movement.” The B-Boys perform on a circular stage, accompanied by DJs pumping out hip-hop classics and MCs hyping up the crowd. Breaking originated in the block parties held in the Bronx in New York in the 1970s. B-Boy Victor, also known as Victor Montalvo, said the competition represented “the true essence of hip hop and breaking culture”. “We just want to make sure that we show everyone that it’s a dance, first of all,” said Victor, who beat Japan’s Shigekix for the bronze medal. “It’s all about self-expression, it’s all about originality. It’s not just about big moves.” Adblock test (Why?)