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☆ Rainforest destruction soared in 2022 despite global pledges to halt deforestation, new report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Caolán Magee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The destruction of the world’s rainforests ramped up last year, despite global pledges to end deforestation by 2030, according to a new report. The country’s rate of forest loss rose 15% from 2021 to 2022. Bolivia saw a record-high level of primary forest loss last year, with a 32% increase compared to 2021. It came in third behind only Brazil and the Democratic Republic of the Congo for area of primary forest loss, the report found. Despite the global increase in deforestation, there has been a sharp reduction in forest loss in Indonesia and loss levels in Malaysia have remained low, according to the report.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Gustavo Moreno, Jair Bolsonaro’s, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Boris Johnson, Jane Barlow, Rod Taylor, ” Organizations: CNN, World Resources, Watch, University of Maryland, Democratic, UN, WRI’s Locations: Switzerland, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Bolivia, Democratic Republic of, Congo, Glasgow, Indonesia, Malaysia

In the video, a Central African Republic rebel fighter says "the French want to drive Wagner out of Africa". Russia and Wagner have a track record of media manipulation and disinformation, which Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has admitted to. The European Union sanctioned Wagner in February for alleged rights abuses and spreading disinformation, including in Africa. The foreign ministry unit doesn’t promote or generate fake news, the two diplomats said. However, the foreign ministry unit, and the broader strategy, will face an uphill battle to convince people in Africa that France has changed, seven analysts and diplomats said.

Persons: Ibrahim Traore, Vincent Bado, Wagner, Catherine Colonna, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Maria Zakharova, Meta, Anne, Sophie Ave, Lakhta, Prigozhin, Viginum, Faustin, Archange Touadera, “, Michael Shurkin, I'm, Jean Gaspard Ntoutoume Ayi, John Irish, Elizabeth Pineau, Bate Felix, Michel Rose, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: REUTERS, Russia, Central, Facebook, Kremlin, Reuters, Quai D'Orsay, Vigilance, Protection, European Union, West, Central African, Twitter, Democratic, Internet Research Agency, Meta, Global, National Union, Gabonese, Thomson Locations: Burkina, French, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Russia, PARIS, DAKAR, Central African Republic, France, Russian, Africa, Paris, France's, Ukraine, Moscow, Central, West Africa, Quai, Kinshasa, Mali, Sahel, Europe, Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, U.S, Togo, Libreville, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Dakar

☆ India population will surpass China, UN says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Manveena Suri | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New Delhi, India CNN —India is set to surpass China as the world’s most populous nation, with almost 3 million more people by the middle of this year, data released by the United Nations on Wednesday showed. Based on the projections, India’s population by mid-year will reach 1.4286 billion, compared to China’s 1.4257 billion – 2.9 million fewer – according to the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) “State of World Population Report” for 2023. But the UN has been unable to determine a date this shift will take place, due to “uncertainty” about the data coming from China and India. By mid-year, the global population is estimated to hit 8.045 billion, the UN report said. And by 2050, eight countries will account for half the projected growth in global population: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.

☆ Viktor Bout, the 'Merchant of Death' arms dealer exchanged for Brittney Griner, says he fears for Trump's life and urged him to flee to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Arms dealer Viktor Bout, nicknamed the "Merchant of Death," is asking Trump to flee to Russia. He sent Trump a telegram, warning him to escape charges in New York and that his "life is in peril." Bout said Trump would find "safe haven" in Russia, where he could rebel against "globalists." They would sooner end your life than let you stand in their way," Bout's message read, Russian state media first reported. A photo of Bout's telegram, posted by Russian state media on the messaging app Telegram, shows the message was addressed to Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

☆ World Bank steering committee, Yellen urge more reforms at lender this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"They expect the Board of Executive Directors and World Bank Group management to finalize a work plan with detailed actions to be taken," the committee's chair said in a statement. Members underscored their commitment to "ensuring that the World Bank Group has adequate financial capacity to respond to development challenges and support its expanded mission." Yellen said upcoming events could be leveraged to keep momentum strong for the evolution of the World Bank. Malpass told the committee he felt the bank had responded with "vigor and speed" to Yellen's call for reforms. Development Committee members thanked Malpass for his leadership of the WBG during a historically challenging period, including an unprecedented surge in financing in response to multiple crises.

☆ Is the U.S. falling behind China in Africa’s lithium industry?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Sydney Boyo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The demand for lithium is rising as it has become a critical component needed in electric vehicle batteries. Zimbabwe has been mining lithium for 60 years and the government estimates that its Chinese-owned Bikita Minerals Mine, which is located 300 kilometers south of the capital Harare, has about 11 million metric tons of lithium resources. In December 2022, Zimbabwe passed the Base Mineral Export Control Act that banned the export of raw lithium. That includes Chinese firms Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt , Sinomine Resource Group and Chengxin Lithium Group which have invested $678 million into lithium projects in Zimbabwe. Both the Bikita mine, which is the largest lithium mine in the country, and the Arcadia Lithium mine are Chinese owned.

☆ Microsoft Africa internet plan moves forward with fiber deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 2 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) has reached a deal with Africa's biggest independent fiber network toward its goal of expanding internet access on the continent, its President Brad Smith said. The effort aims to build a new cloud-computing and AI market longer-term, which would benefit Microsoft, Smith has said. The software maker's so-called Airband initiative brings together telecoms and electricity providers, non-profits and governments to increase internet access. Smith also said Microsoft would work to improve food production in Africa through various partnerships, including applying artificial intelligence to monitor crops. Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in Palo Alto, Calif.; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Glencore sentenced to pay $700 million in US after bribery guilty plea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Glencore PLC FollowNEW YORK, Feb 28 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Tuesday ordered Glencore Plc (GLEN.L) to pay $700 million in connection with its guilty plea over a decade-long scheme to bribe foreign officials across several countries. Prosecutors have said Glencore paid more than $100 million in bribes to officials in countries including Nigeria, Brazil, Venezuela and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to win business or avoid audits. Overall, the Swiss-based multinational has said it expects to pay more than $1.5 billion to settle bribery and market manipulation accusations, including more than $1 billion in the United States. Last year, Glencore was ordered to pay $341 million in fines and $144 million in forfeiture after pleading guilty to a market manipulation charge in Connecticut federal court. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Why our electronics aren't really conflict-free
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Jeniece Pettitt | Katie Brigham | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWhy there are still conflict minerals in our electronicsThe minerals tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold are found in most consumer electronics, and are mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which contains an estimated $24 trillion in untapped mineral resources. Yet the DRC remains one of the poorest and most dangerous countries in the world, and mining these metals can help fund armed conflict in the region. Despite international attention and widespread regulations, it's still hard to know exactly where our minerals are coming from.

☆ Malawi cholera death toll crosses 1,300: health official
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The death toll from a cholera outbreak in Malawi has crossed 1,300, a senior Malawian health official said on Thursday, as the southern African country battles its deadliest outbreak yet. Cholera outbreaks happen regularly in Malawi, usually in the rainy season from November to March, but they only average an annual death toll of about 100. Malawi has conducted two oral cholera vaccination campaigns, but a global surge in cholera outbreaks means vaccine supplies are under strain. Other African countries, including Malawi's neighbours Mozambique and Zambia, have reported cholera cases. On Sunday, South Africa reported two imported cholera cases from Malawi, with the husband of one of the first two cases subsequently testing positive.

"Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Stop choking Africa: it is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered," Francis said. [1/9] Pope Francis sits next to Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi as he attends the welcoming ceremony at the Palais de la Nation on the first day of his apostolic journey, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, January 31, 2023. The pope criticised rich countries for ignoring the tragedies unfolding in Congo and elsewhere in Africa. On Wednesday, Francis will celebrate Mass at a Kinshasa airport that is expected to draw more than a million people.

☆ Madagascar solar firm secures funding to connect 50,000 households
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Madagascar's WeLight, an off-grid solar company, has secured 19 million euros ($20.57 million) to connect 50,000 households to electricity in the next two years, it said on Tuesday. Off-grid solar power, spearheaded by a variety of start-ups, has gained in popularity in Africa because it can affordably connect millions of homes which are left off mainstream electricity grids to clean power. The project is being financed by the European Investment Bank (EBI), EDFI ElectriFI and Triodos Investment Management, WeLight said in a joint statement. WeLight, which is owned by Madagascar's Axian Group, Norwegian investment fund Norfund and Sagemcon, already provides solar power to 9,000 rural Malagasy households. WeLight builds small solar power plants, storage units, distribution lines and installs a meter at each customer's premises, offering round the clock electricity, it said.

☆ Mother nature is screaming for us to adopt a new diet. An agreement by nearly 200 countries could help identify flaws in how we produce food.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Food production drives deforestation and biodiversity loss. Mother nature is screaming for us to adopt a new diet, too. It's a primary driver of deforestation and biodiversity loss that, in turn, releases greenhouse-gas emissions causing the climate crisis. As the global population grows and people in developing countries earn more money, the demand for food — especially meat — will further stress nature. The US State Department in October also requested advice on potential legislation to combat deforestation in food supply chains and voluntary actions the private sector could take.

☆ World leaders want to protect a third of the Earth's land and water to save wildlife from extinction. There's a climate connection, too.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Nearly 200 countries agreed to protect 30% of Earth's land and water at a UN biodiversity meeting. The meeting, known as COP15, also underscored the link between nature and the climate crisis. Indigenous peoplesFor the first time, the biodiversity framework acknowledged the role of Indigenous people in protecting and restoring land and water. But world leaders didn't designate their land and territory as a separate category of conservation, which groups including Amnesty International and Greenpeace called for. Countries didn't achieve any of the targets to slow biodiversity loss by 2020 included in a previous framework, known as the Aichi targets.

☆ Malaria deaths dip in 2021 after rising in first year of COVID, says WHO
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Pratik Jain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Estimated deaths from malaria globally declined to 619,000 last year from 625,000 in 2020 as healthcare services stabilized after pandemic-led disruptions, especially in Africa where the disease is most prevalent, the WHO stated in its World Malaria Report 2022. Four countries - Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Niger and Tanzania - accounted for just over half of all malaria deaths globally in 2021. The decline in deaths comes even as the number of malaria infections continued to rise, albeit at a slower pace, to an estimated 247 million in 2021. The WHO also highlighted that lower funding due to the pandemic and rising costs have increased pressure on national malaria programmes. Funding in 2021 came in at nearly $3.5 billion, the report said, compared with a required investment of $7.3 billion.

☆ Pentagon fears Viktor Bout, the so-called 'Merchant of Death' the US swapped for Brittney Griner, could restart his old arms business
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was released from US custody on Thursday. He gained notoriety during the 1990s for fueling deadly conflicts in various African countries. The Pentagon is concerned that with his release, he could return to his old business. Now, US officials worry the arms dealer could return to fueling deadly conflicts around the world. Bout fueled widespread death & destruction by arming UN-sanctioned regimes & groups in the #DRC, #Liberia, #SierraLeone, & beyond."

☆ Congolese government ups toll in massacre to 272 civilians
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Paul Lorgerie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Arlette BashiziKINSHASA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's government on Monday said 272 civilians were killed in a massacre in the eastern town of Kishishe last week, raising the death toll from a previous estimate of 50. It also said the rebels were backed by members of the Rwandan army, a frequent accusation by the Congolese government which Rwanda has consistently denied. Congo's army and the M23, a Tutsi-led militia, have been locked in fighting for months in the country's east. The death toll was announced by Congolese industry minister Julien Paluku, speaking at a press briefing with government spokesman Patrick Muyaya. "The United States urges Rwanda to honor commitments made in Luanda, including ending Rwanda's support to M23," Blinken said on Twitter.

☆ Another OPEC? Indonesia wants to create a cartel for battery metals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The nickel market is also structured very differently than the market for crude oil, with private firms rather than national companies running the show. The country now accounts for more than 38% of global refined nickel supply, according to data from market intelligence firm CRU Group. People who track the nickel market are skeptical such an arrangement is workable. But other countries that have direct access to battery metals and other important minerals also want a say. “The metals market and its importance to the energy transition is something we’re all waking up to and adapting to how it’s going to work in practice,” Bronze said.

☆ Fact Check-TOGETHER Trial says involvement with FTX began after testing that found ivermectin ineffective
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Amid news surrounding failed cryptocurrency firm FTX, social media users are pointing to FTX having funded the TOGETHER Trial, a research consortium that studied ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment and found it to be ineffective. But FTX did not interact with the research group until after the ivermectin trial was over, a TOGETHER Trial spokesperson told Reuters. An Instagram user shared an image that said, “Holy crap look who funded the trial that said Ivermectin didn’t work” (here). Similar claims surrounding FTX’s involvement with the TOGETHER Trial are viewable (here) and (here). FTX is not named as a contributor to the ivermectin trial because they weren’t involved, according to Mills, who added that the same is true of hydroxychloroquine and the other medications TOGETHER Trial investigated during the pandemic.

Global emissions of carbon dioxide stayed at record high levels in 2022, giving the planet less than a decade to meet the goals of the landmark Paris Agreement, according to a report released Thursday. The Global Carbon Project, made up of scientists who track and quantify greenhouse gas emissions, found no signs of the cuts in emissions needed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times. Carbon dioxide emissions in 2020 fell by a record 1.9 billion tons as a result of strict Covid lockdowns that halted most air travel and disrupted daily lives. So-called carbon sinks, or natural lands and oceans that absorb and store carbon, continue to take up roughly half of the planet's carbon dioxide emissions. “If governments respond by turbo charging clean energy investments and planting, not cutting, trees, global emissions could rapidly start to fall,” she said in a statement.

CNN —Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has declared an immediate three-week lockdown in two high risk districts as the country battles a rise in Ebola infections. Places of worship, bars, gyms, saunas and other entertainment venues will close but schools will remain open, he added. The Ugandan health ministry will also increase contact tracing and assistance to local health facilities. Speaking at a media briefing earlier this month, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the vaccines used successfully to curb recent Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are not effective against the type of Ebola virus now circulating in Uganda. Museveni declared an Ebola outbreak in September after a case of the relatively rare Sudan strain was confirmed and cases began to rise across districts.

☆ Global wildlife populations have sunk 69% since 1970 - WWF report
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report, which used 2018 data from ZSL on the status of 32,000 wildlife populations covering more than 5,000 species, found that population sizes had declined by 69% on average. One population of pink river dolphins in the Brazilian Amazon plummeted by 65% between 1994 and 2016, the report said. Its findings were broadly similar to those in WWF's last assessment in 2020, with wildlife population sizes continuing to decline at a rate of about 2.5% per year, Terry said. "Nature was in dire straits and it is still in dire straits," said Mark Wright, director of science at WWF-UK. Still, the wide-ranging declines have prompted desperate pleas for increased support for nature.

☆ The best wildlife photos of 2022 include a ball of bees, a snake eating a bat, and polar bears raiding an abandoned town
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The London Natural History Museum announced the 2022 winners of its Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest. The winning photos include a frenzied ball of bees, a dancing sea star, and the brushy mouth of a whale. The cactus bees, like most other bees, are endangered by habitat loss, pesticides, and the changing climate. The resulting photo, above, won the Grand Title in this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, which is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum in London each year. As clouds of sea-star sperm and eggs filled the water, photographer Tony Wu captured this otherwordly invertebrate in the throes of its dance.

☆ 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.

CNN —Uganda declared an outbreak of Ebola after a case of the relatively rare Sudan strain was confirmed in the country, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. “This is the first time in more than a decade that Uganda is recording the Ebola Sudan strain,” Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa said. “We are working closely with the national health authorities to investigate the source of this outbreak.”Uganda last reported an outbreak of Ebola Sudan in 2012, the WHO said. Uganda’s last outbreak was in 2019 when it confirmed the Zaire Ebola strain, which led to the death a of 9-year-old Congolese girl near the border with the DRC. According to the WHO, vaccination has been approved against the Zaire strain but inoculation against the Sudan strain hasn’t been tested.

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