Xinhua News Agency, Tunisia, October 5th. 　(International observation) The legacy of the "Arab Spring" has not been exhausted, and the Mediterranean smuggling tide has risen again.

　　Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Mengyang Xu Supei

　　A ship bound for Europe and carrying illegal immigrants sank in the waters near Syria, killing hundreds of people. Since the beginning of this year, the number of illegal immigrants in the Middle East who crossed the Mediterranean has increased significantly. From time to time, it has been reported that the smuggling boat capsized and caused heavy deaths. Analysts believe that American hegemonism is the chief culprit causing poverty and turmoil in some countries in the Middle East and forcing local people to sneak into Europe. What the United States has done not only harms the interests of the people in the Middle East, but also harms the interests of European countries.

　　The number of illegal immigrants has soared.

　　On September 20th, a ship carrying illegal immigrants from Syria, Lebanon and other countries set off from Lebanon for Europe. On the 22nd, it capsized in the waters near Syria, killing more than 100 people, leaving many missing and at least 20 others rescued. The ship is designed to carry only 30 passengers.

　　Smugglers are crowded into seriously overloaded boats or even rubber boats, which has become the normal state of smuggling in the Mediterranean. Since illegal boats often never return, "snakeheads" often use dilapidated boats, which makes the already dangerous journey even more deadly. However, great risks are still difficult to stop stowaways. In La Goulette Port, Tunisia, Karim, 38, is waiting for a second chance of smuggling. A year ago, he was intercepted by the Tunisia Coast Guard on his way to Italy. "As the country’s economic situation continues to deteriorate, many people are eager to emigrate and live abroad." Karim said.

　　Since 2010, many countries in the Middle East, such as Tunisia, have been involved in a series of social unrest called "Arab Spring" by the west, which has led to the breaking of political and social order, the destruction of national unity and cohesion, and the loss of protection of people’s basic rights. Today, the bane planted by the United States in the Middle East is still bearing fruit. Many countries in the Middle East have been politically unstable and people’s livelihood is difficult, which has triggered a wave of refugees flocking to Europe. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that going to Europe along the central Mediterranean is the most deadly smuggling route in the world.

　　On May 13, 2018, the rescued stowaway was transferred to a naval base in Tripoli, Libya. Xinhua News Agency (photo by hamzah Turkia)

　　After the European side strengthened border control in 2015, the number of illegal immigrants once decreased. However, since 2021, smuggling in the Mediterranean has resurfaced. According to United Nations data, in 2021, the number of stowaways trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe via Libya nearly tripled compared with the previous year.

　　American hegemony is the culprit.

　　Analysts believe that the economic difficulties caused by the COVID-19 epidemic and the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis are aggravating the turmoil and poverty in some Middle Eastern countries, making more local people embark on the road of smuggling. From a deeper perspective, the brutal intervention of the United States in this region for many years and the serious spillover effect brought by the current irresponsible monetary policy of the United States are the important sources of the deep predicament of the countries concerned.

　　After the outbreak of the civil war in Syria in 2011, the United States and its western allies strongly supported the Syrian opposition armed forces, which led to the conflict in the country. At present, the United States not only maintains a military presence in Syria, but also plunders local oil, food and other resources. In Libya, the United States supported local rebels to overthrow the Qaddafi regime, and the country has since fallen into long-term civil strife.

　　This is a damaged car photographed in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, on August 27th. On the evening of August 26th, armed forces belonging to the Libyan National Unity Government and the National Congress respectively clashed in several areas of Tripoli. Xinhua News Agency (photo by hamzah Turkia)

　　During the COVID-19 epidemic, the United States irresponsibly implemented ultra-loose monetary policy, which caused serious inflation. Now, in order to control inflation, it has violently raised interest rates, causing serious spillover effects on developing countries. Some Middle Eastern countries have suffered greatly, and the sharp depreciation of their currencies against the US dollar has further pushed up the inflation rate, which has brought a serious impact on the national economy and people’s lives.

　　Since 1997, Lebanon has implemented a fixed exchange rate policy of pegging the Lebanese pound to the US dollar, and the official exchange rate has remained at about 1,500 to 1. However, the black market exchange rate has been falling continuously recently, reaching a record low of about 39,000 to 1 on September 19. Tunisia’s inflation rate rose for 11 consecutive months, reaching 8.6% in August, the highest in 30 years.

　　Europe is under heavy pressure

　　The disaster made by the United States not only harmed the people in the Middle East, but also pitted European countries, making these American allies pay a great price in economic and social aspects.

　　In recent years, there has been an endless debate within the EU about the allocation scheme for receiving refugees from war-torn and poverty-stricken areas. Some observers who are concerned about smuggling in the Mediterranean believe that from the policies of France, the Netherlands, Denmark and other countries, the negligence of European countries in protecting the safety of refugees and illegal immigrants is obvious, which leads to the increasing death toll of refugees and illegal immigrants in European border areas.

　　On March 1, 2020, in Edirne province, Turkey, refugees and illegal immigrants walked to the border between Turkey and Greece. Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Suhui photo

　　At the same time, European countries’ own economic situation is not optimistic. The influx of a large number of immigrants into society has further aggravated the economic burden and increased the crime rate. Therefore, xenophobia has risen in some countries and many people have turned right.

　　Jumai Jasmi, a political analyst in Tunisia, believes that as long as the problems such as turbulence and poverty are not effectively solved, the gap in living standards between the two sides of the Mediterranean will persist for a long time, and smuggling activities will not stop. (Participating in reporters: Huang Ling, Wang Jian, Dong Yalei, Pan Xiaojing, Liu Zongya, Wang Zhuolun)

On the evening of May 24th, BMW officially released its i5 model. The new car is a pure electric version of the new generation 5 Series, and it is available in two versions: i5 eDrive40 and i5 M60, which are different in appearance and power.

Judging from the official map, the front face of BMW i5 M60 still adopts the family-owned double kidney-shaped grille design, but the interior is semi-closed and decorated with black plaques, which has a certain sense of strength; The blackened headlights on both sides are relatively flat in shape, with small folded daytime running lights and lenses integrated inside, and the style is more exquisite.

The lower enclosing part adopts a three-stage design, with small diversion grooves on both sides and black decorative boards inside; The bottom is designed with an inverted trapezoidal air inlet, which has a strong three-dimensional effect.

The shape of the side of the car body has a strong three-dimensional sense, especially the shape of the C-pillar part is relatively generous, which brings a certain sporty atmosphere with shark fins; The waistline adopts a penetrating design, which makes the visual effect look slender and atmospheric; The door handle adopts pop-up design, which can slightly reduce the wind resistance; The wheel hub adopts a five-spoke shape, and the style is exquisite. The side skirt part is also equipped with a black plaque, which can improve the aerodynamic performance.

In terms of tail modeling, the top of the trunk is designed with a small spoiler, and the taillights are blackened, so the internal structure has a strong sense of hierarchy; The license plate frame area adopts a concave design, which embellishes the layering of the rear of the car; The lower enclosure is equipped with a thick black plaque and creates a diffuser shape.

Compared with the i5 M60, the version of i5 eDrive40 has a lower profile. For example, the enclosed grille is decorated with a straight waterfall structure, and the rear of the car is not equipped with a diffuser.

In terms of size, the official revealed that the body length of the new car reached 5060mm, the width was 1900mm, the height was 1515mm and the wheelbase was 1515 mm.

In terms of interior, the overall layout adopts family design style, providing a three-spoke multi-function steering wheel, a penetrating double screen and a lever-type electronic gear handle.

In terms of power, the i5 eDrive40 is equipped with a rear single motor. The former has a maximum power of 335 HP, a peak torque of 400N·m (430N·m in supercharged mode) and an acceleration time of 0-96km/h of 5.7 seconds. The i5 M60 is equipped with front and rear dual motors, with a combined maximum power of 590 HP, a peak torque of 744N·m (820N·m in supercharged mode) and an acceleration time of 3.7 seconds from 0 to 96 km/h; The capacity of the battery pack is 84.3kWh, and the cruising range is 475km and 412km respectively.