World Hot Air Balloon Championship

Every two years airs the International Hot-Air Balloon World Championship, where the best teams from around the world got qualified for. In 20I4 it took place in Brasil and two years later in Japan. Up to now the Hot-Air Balloon Club Gr. Siegharts has hosted several National Championships, including some Balloon Cups as well as some regional Championships. But besides that, such an event like the Hot-Air Balloon World Championship Competition has never ever taken place in Austria before, until now. There are 150 international teams from 38 different nations competing at the Hot-Air Balloon World Championship in Gr. Siegharts. Each qualified team is manned with 3-4 people. Besides the competitors there are around 150 officials and several accredited people from around the world responsible for ensuring a fair competition in Gr. Siegharts. Hot Air Balloon Flights are scheduled to launch in best weather only twice daily, early morning (5 a.m.) and  late afternoon (5 p.m.). The tasks will be set for pilots to accomplish before each flight. At a set time at the end of each flight the official crew members work closely together and determine who is winning the competition. Therefor competitors will be  captured different grid positions for their next race.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up to 70,000 migrants ‘may soon be stranded in Greece

 Up to 70,000 migrants ‘may soon be stranded in Greece.

Tears of Child Refugees : A girl cries after separated from her family

A girl cries after becoming temporarily separated from her family after more than 1.000 people were ferried in to an already overcrowded shelter area at the Athens’ port of Piraeus. Border restrictions further north in the Balkans have left thousands of refugees and other migrants stranded in a country that is still wracked by its own financial crisis and unable to seal its lengthy sea border with Turkey. 

Migrant Crisis : Open the Borders

A boy shouts slogans as he holds a placard during a protest by refugees and migrants in front of the wire fence that separates the Greek side from the Macedonian one at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni. Greek officials said not a single migrant has been allowed into northern neighbor Macedonia with more than 5,000 people waiting at or near a border crossing to be admitted. More than 20,000 migrants are stuck in Greece. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A girl sleeps on a field next to a tent as she and her family wait to be allowed to cross the Greek-Macedonian border near the northern Greek village of Idomeni. Greek officials said not a single migrant has been allowed into northern neighbor Macedonia, with nearly 5,000 people waiting at or near a border crossing to be admitted. More than 20,000 migrants are stuck in Greece. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Two cross-country skiers in Lofer, Austria

Two cross-country skiers in Lofer, Austrian province of Salzburg.

A Macedonian policeman hits a stranded migrant

A Macedonian policeman hits a stranded migrant attempting to cross the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija, Macedonia.

Migrant Crisis – A young migrant girl holds up a drawing

A young migrant girl holds up a drawing in a makeshift camp on the Macedonian-Greek border, near Gevgelija, Macedonia.

Passing through the Gevgelija refugee transit camp

Even if their numbers continue to increase, scenes with refugees sleeping on the train tracks, out in the rain, are rarely seen these days in Europe. The process has become more organised. Transit camps have been established near the borders, such as the one in Gevgelija, at the border between Macedonia and Greece. Around 7,000 refugees arrive in the transit camp in Gevgelija every day. “A huge increase” since July, when there were 1,200-1,500 refugees arriving daily, according to Lorenzo Leonelli, a UNHCR field officer.

Refugees arrive in groups of around 50. They cross the border on foot from a similar camp in Greece. Past the 59km milestone, after a vineyard, they arrive outside the fences of the Gevgelija transit camp. Once there, they wait until those who have arrived before them are registered by the Macedonian border police. Once inside, they allow themselves to rest for 15-20 minutes or a few hours, depending on the train schedule. They receive medical care, food, clothing and blankets. Children find a safe place to play. When the train arrives, they move on towards Tabanovtse, at the border with Serbia. And then the next group arrives. And then the next. Day and night. Every day.

Macedonia is a small country with an estimated population of two million people. It is not an EU member state, but faces the same influx of refugees as the other European countries. Dr Bertrand Desmoulins, a UNICEF representative, said he was concerned about what will happen to countries such as Macedonia as borders to the north close. He believes they need to prepare for the possibility that thousands of refugees will be stranded in Macedonia. “The EU should be helping countries like Macedonia […] So far, we cannot be very enthusiastic about what the EU has done in terms of trying to solve or mitigate the refugee crisis.” “Countries should not be left alone,” Leonelli agrees. “This is a regional issue and should be dealt [with] at a regional level." 

Novak Djokovic dances with a fan on court

Novak Djokovic dances with a fan on court after defeating Andreas Haider-Maurer at the US Open.

Migrant Crisis – Refugees board a train at Keleti station

Refugees board a train at Keleti station after it was reopened. See a gallery of more images from Budapest here.