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☆ Congo expels Rwanda ambassador as M23 rebels capture strategic town
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The rebel group, which Congo authorities accuse Rwanda of backing but Rwanda denies, seized the town of Kiwanja in eastern Congo on Saturday, effectively cutting North Kivu's capital Goma off from the upper half of the province. The army has conducted strategic retreats from populated areas to move fighting away from towns and protect civilians. Neither General Sylvain Ekenge, the army's national spokesman, nor Colonel Ndjike Kaiko, the army's spokesman for North Kivu, immediately responded to calls and messages requesting comment. Unrest in North Kivu has broken months of relative calm in eastern Congo after the resumption of clashes between the army and the M23 militants. read moreWhen it formed in 2012, M23 was the newest in a series of ethnic Tutsi-led insurgencies to rise up against Congolese forces.

☆ Climate Change Is Real. Markets, Not Governments, Offer the Cure. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Bret Stephens | Mr. Stephens Is An Opinion Columnist. Mr. Winter Is A Staff Photographer On Assignment In Opinion. | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +32 min

worse-case, highest-carbon-emission scenario.” (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the U.N. body that assesses climate change.) How do we weigh the risks of underreacting to climate change against the risks of overreacting to it? While he’s not an expert on climate change, he has spent decades thinking deeply about every manner of risk. That’s particularly true if climate change is akin to cancer — manageable or curable in its earlier stages, disastrous in its later ones. Maybe, I realized, in assessing my newfound concerns about climate change, my long-held beliefs might provide a solution — look to the market.

☆ Fact Check-Hoax about serial killer posing as taxi driver in New York City resurfaces
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A fabricated report that is several years old about a New York City taxi driver who is a serial killer has recirculated on social media. An example can be seen (here) with the text: “*** Warning *** This is a man with Taxi number (2465RB) in NY Who drives around taking People to kill. A Google search on the story or on the license plate number produces no credible results to support the claims about a New York City serial killer taxi driver (bit.ly/3Sl6ZBE), (bit.ly/3ShD25K). The story has been debunked by fact checkers Snopes (here) in 2018 and PolitiFact (here) in 2022. There is no evidence of a serial killer posing as a taxi driver in New York City.

Although Lula's 2003-2010 presidency effectively reduced destruction of the rainforest, he embraced traditional industrial development with little regard for emissions. In the United States, the progressive Green New Deal languished in Congress, while President Joe Biden adapted some of the ideas for his climate agenda. Marcio Astrini, the head of environmental lobby group Climate Observatory, said Lula's proposals were a promising blueprint, but added: "Whether it will happen in practice is another matter." By contrast, Bolsonaro's campaign has said little about his environmental proposals for a second term. [1/3] Macaws sit on a tree at the Amazon rainforest in Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil October 26, 2022.

☆ Medical Company Seeks $50 Million From Glencore Over Congolese Bribe
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Dylan Tokar | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

A company founded by a South African husband and wife to provide medical care for Congolese miners asked a federal judge in Manhattan for $50 million in restitution for the harm it said it suffered from a bribery scheme involving Glencore PLC. Glencore, an Anglo-Swiss commodities company, in May agreed to pay about $1.2 billion to resolve long-running investigations by U.S., U.K. and Brazilian authorities into bribery and market-manipulation misconduct. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | Risk and Compliance Journal Our Morning Risk Report features insights and news on governance, risk and compliance. After a dispute over the appointment of a manager to oversee those contracts, Kamoto terminated the agreements, according to Crusader Health. The bribe, which was described in settlement documents between Glencore and the U.S. government, ultimately forced Crusader Health to shut down, the company said.

☆ Uganda steps up Ebola response as virus infects 109, kills 30
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A woman and her child arrive for ebola related investigation at the health facility at the Bwera general hospital near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo in Bwera, Uganda, June 14, 2019. Fifteen of the confirmed cases were among health workers, of whom six had died, she told a news conference. The virus circulating in Uganda is the Sudan strain of Ebola, for which there is no proven vaccine, unlike the more common Zaire strain seen during recent outbreaks in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. "The main objective is to evaluate their efficacy to protect primary contacts of Ebola patients within 29 days of contact," Aceng said. Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Estelle ShirbonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mexico to discuss lithium, auto industry with U.S. climate envoy Kerry
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry attends a meeting ahead of COP27 climate summit in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo October 3, 2022. REUTERS/Justin MakangaraMEXICO CITY, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Mexico will speak with U.S. climate envoy John Kerry about lithium, batteries and the automotive industry when Kerry visits the northwestern state of Sonora on Friday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Monday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe Sonora Plan also aims to develop the electric car industry in the agricultural state. While Mexico nationalized lithium reserves earlier this year, experts say it could take years for the newly created state firm to start production. Lithium batteries are not currently produced by any Latin American country at a commercial scale.

☆ Uganda says 9 more Ebola cases confirmed in Kampala, urges vigilance
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/James Akena/File PhotoOct 24 (Reuters) - Uganda has reported nine more Ebola cases in the capital Kampala, bringing the total number of known infections to 14 in the last two days, the health minister said on Monday. The outbreak began in September in a rural part of central Uganda. Report yourself if you have had contact or know of a person who has had contact," Aceng said in her tweet. Ebola spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. There have been more than 90 confirmed and probable cases in Uganda since the start of the outbreak, including at least 44 deaths, according to statements by the health ministry and the World Health Organization.

Dozens of measles cases have cropped up in Gambia this year, a spike over previous years. The measles campaign was rescheduled for 2021, but in July of that year polio was detected in a water sample. Over the years, the success of the measles vaccine has numbed many to these risks, health experts say. At the time, 86% of children had at least the first dose of the measles vaccine worldwide, according to WHO estimates. FUNDS REJECTEDThe U.S. CDC has identified 12 African countries as having no clear plans or secured resources for their next measles vaccination drive.

☆ Congolese NGOs decry mining in main refuge of 'Africa's unicorn'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Erikas Mwisi Kambale | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Industrial activities are supposed to be banned in the 13,000 square kilometers of the reserve in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo. Aerial photo evidence shows mining has persisted, the civil society groups said at a joint news conference to mark the international day of the okapi. The NGOs blamed a Chinese company called Kimia Mining, which has previously been accused of flouting a ban on river-dredging in Ituri province and other mining regulations, according to a 2016 report by a UN Group of Experts. There was no available contact information to reach Kimia Mining for comment. Congo is currently at loggerheads with conservationists and scientists over its plan to open other parts of its rainforest and peatlands to oil and gas drilling.

☆ United Nations condemns Russia's move to annex parts of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Monitors at the United Nations General Assembly hall display a vote on a resolution condemning the annexation of parts of Ukraine by Russia, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., October 12, 2022. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who said the result showed Russia could not intimidate the world. The General Assembly vote followed a veto by Russia last month of a similar resolution in the 15-member Security Council. 'DOUBLE STANDARDS'The moves at the United Nations mirror what happened in 2014 after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea. The General Assembly then adopted a resolution declaring the referendum invalid with 100 votes in favor, 11 against and 58 formal abstentions.

☆ The electric vehicle boom depends on mining. Rivian's new chief sustainability officer is tasked with making it responsible.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Demand for metals like lithium and cobalt could jump sixfold alongside the electric vehicle boom. Rivian hired Anisa Kamadoli Costa to lead its climate strategy, including responsible mining. But that doesn't mean electric vehicle makers don't have their own set of climate and social challenges. "Traceability is the best means to transparency and to understanding one's social and environmental impact," Costa said during an Insider event moderated by Catherine Boudreau, senior sustainability reporter. Costa helped craft such a standard during her two decades as Tiffany & Co.'s chief sustainability officer.

☆ 3 chimpanzees are being held for ransom after being stolen from a sanctuary in Congo, as experts fear more widespread animal kidnapping
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Three baby chimpanzees are being held for ransom, said founders of a primate rescue sanctuary in Africa. That's about 3,000 to 5,000 chimps killed every year in the DRC alone, per France Info. But this is the first time that a primate has been held for ransom, and they have received death threats. An endangered pangolin was also held for ransom earlier this year in another area of the country. The two incidents have experts worried that the tactic may become widespread among criminals in the DRC, per the Times.

☆ Uganda says Ebola caseload rises to 16 as outbreak grows
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Ugandan health workers speak to members of the community before carrying out the first vaccination exercise against the ebola virus in Kirembo village, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kasese district, Uganda June 16, 2019. The outbreak had also now spread to three districts, all in central Uganda. The east African country last week announced the outbreak of Ebola, a haemorrhagic fever whose symptoms include intense body weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea and rashes among others. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe current outbreak, attributed to the Ebola Sudan strain, appears to have started in a small village in Mubende district around the beginning of September, authorities have said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Elias Biryabarema Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

CNN —An animal sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is facing demands for ransom money, after kidnappers abducted three of its baby chimpanzees. “This is the first time in the world that baby apes were kidnapped for ransom,” Franck Chantereau, founder of the sanctuary where the kidnap took place, told CNN on Friday. But they didn’t come so the kidnappers took these three babies hostage and demanded a large amount of ransom from us,” Chantereau said. “Obviously, it’s impossible for us to pay the ransom,” Chantereau said. But Chantereau said the kidnapping won’t shake his determination to save baby chimps from the clutches of smugglers.

☆ Global climate change protests demand compensation ahead of COP27
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

They are timed to coincide with global leaders meeting in New York City at the U.N. General Assembly this week. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Read More'DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES'Irreparable damage caused by climate change has heightened developing countries' demands for "Loss & Damage" compensation at COP27 in Egypt in November. "The Least Developed Countries are bearing the brunt of the devastating consequences of climate change," Senegal's environment minister Abdou Karim Sall told a meeting in Dakar last week. The United States and 27-country European Union have historically resisted steps that could require rich nations to pay compensation for causing climate change. Malpass later clarified he was not a climate change denier, after facing a flurry of calls to resign.

☆ Uganda has confirmed seven Ebola cases so far, one death
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Elias Biryabarema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/James AkenaKAMPALA, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Uganda has confirmed seven cases of Ebola including in a man who died this week, and seven other deaths are being investigated as suspected cases of a strain for which the authorities do not yet have a vaccine, officials said on Thursday. "As of today, we have seven confirmed cases, of whom we have one confirmed death," Kyobe Henry Bbosa, Ebola incident commander at the Ugandan Ministry of Health, told a briefing. However, Otim said the Sudan strain posed a greater threat because the world did not yet have a vaccine for it like it has with the Zaire strain. In 2019, Uganda experienced an outbreak of Ebola Zaire. In August, a new case of Ebola virus was confirmed in the city of Beni in eastern Congo.

☆ Uganda declares Ebola outbreak after Sudan strain found
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Elias Biryabarema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/James Akena/FilesKAMPALA, Sept 20 (Reuters) - An outbreak of Ebola has been declared in Uganda after health authorities confirmed a case of the relatively rare Sudan strain, the health ministry and World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. "Uganda is no stranger to effective Ebola control. The WHO said there had been seven previous outbreaks of the Ebola Sudan strain, four in Uganda and three in Sudan. It said Uganda last reported an outbreak of Ebola Sudan strain in 2012 and an outbreak of the Ebola Zaire strain in 2019. Another vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) may be effective but has yet to be specifically tested against the Sudan strain, it added.

☆ Worries over stigma are driving a push to rename monkeypox, but the process is slow
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The naming of the species is the responsibility of WHO's International Committee on Taxonomy of VirusesScientists have been calling this virus "monkeypox" for 64 years. The current species known as "monkeypox virus" and the others would then be renamed to "orthopoxvirus 'something,' " he said in an email to CNN. Prior to more modern conventions about names, scientists would name a variant for the region where it emerged and was circulating. It cited "growing concern for the potentially devastating and stigmatizing effects that the messaging around the 'monkeypox' virus can have on these already vulnerable communities." "Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus," Tedros said when he declared monkeypox a global health emergency in July.

☆ Factbox: World leaders to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Canadian Prime minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau attend the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey. Jack Hill/Pool via REUTERSRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterLONDON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth's state funeral will take place in London on Monday and a host of world leaders, royalty and other dignitaries will attend. Countries that have not been invited include Syria and Venezuela because London does not have normal diplomatic relations with those states. Britain has also not invited representatives from Russia, Belarus or Myanmar after it imposed economic sanctions on those countries. Related ContentFactbox: Plans for Queen Elizabeth's state funeral on MondayFactbox: Comments from crowds in London on Queen ElizabethFactbox: World leaders to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeralFactbox: Order of service for Queen Elizabeth's state funeralWindsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth's home and now final resting placeWestminster Abbey - traditional church for royals in life and death(This story was refiled to correct spelling of first name of Belize governor general)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterCompiled by Farouq Suleiman and Kate Holton Editing by Deepa Babington and Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Uganda floods: 16 dead as heavy rains trigger landslides
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-08 | by ( Bethlehem Feleke Cnn Reuters | Bethlehem Feleke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —At least 16 people died in western Uganda after heavy rains in the Kasese district on Tuesday night caused a landslide early Wednesday, according to tweets from the Uganda Red Cross. Six people were also injured and are receiving treatment at a local hospital, the red cross spokesperson Irene Nakasiita tweeted. After a prolonged drought, heavy rains have fallen on much of Uganda since late July, causing deaths and flooding, and the destruction of crops, homes, and infrastructure. In July, flooding caused by heavy rains killed at least 24 people in Mbale district in eastern Uganda. Many parts of Uganda are prone to flooding after heavy rains, but the whole country is vulnerable to natural disasters.

☆ Mpox in the United States Fast Facts
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-05 | by ( Cnn Editorial Research | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Here’s a look at mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, in the United States. 2003 - An outbreak in the United States is linked to infected pet prairie dogs imported from Ghana and results in more than 80 cases. June 22, 2022 - The CDC announces a partnership with five commercial laboratories to ramp up testing capacity in the United States. June 23, 2022 - New York City launches the first mpox vaccination clinic in the United States. July 22, 2022 - Two American children contract mpox – a first in the United States.

☆ Eastern Congo attacks kill civilians, hit major power plant
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DAKAR, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Suspected rebels have killed civilians and damaged a major hydropower plant under construction in Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the park operator said on Wednesday. Tuesday's attack, which included the use of artillery, came from the direction of positions held by the M23 rebel group, the park service said in a statement. It is just one of many armed groups fighting in eastern Congo over minerals and land. It was not clear how many people died in the Virunga Park attack, which also appeared to target a 28-megawatt hydropower plant at Rwanguba, which the park says will be the largest energy project in eastern Congo when it comes online in two years. A generator and concrete structures inside the plant were hit, but at this stage the construction timeline is not in jeopardy, the park said.

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