Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories (AFP) July 18, 2024 Polio has been detected in samples of sewage that is starting to take over Gaza in the grip of a devastating war, health authorities in the Hamas-run territory and Israel said Thursday. The announcement came after a European activist group released a report saying the Gaza Strip is “drowning” in hundreds of thousands of tonnes of human … Continue reading Polio virus found as flies and mosquitoes feast on Gaza’s waste

Abidjan (AFP) July 18, 2024 The office of the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) came under fire during an attack on the town of Djibo in northern Burkina Faso, the NGO said Thursday. Djibo is close to the so-called three-border zone between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali where jihadist groups are active. The town has been under siege for almost two years. “The MSF … Continue reading Burkina MSF office targeted in ‘armed attack’: statement

Zagreb (AFP) July 18, 2024 Dozens of firefighters and three waterbombing planes were battling a forest fire that broke out late Thursday near Croatia’s popular coastal resort of Trogir, officials said. Around 70 firefighters managed to prevent the blaze from spreading to houses and a hotel complex, which were no longer imminently threatened, the national firefighting association said in a statement. The fire nearhttp://dlvr.it/T9pPly Continue reading Forest fire rages near Croatia coastal resort

Niamey, Niger (AFP) July 17, 2024 Flooding caused by heavy rains lashing Niger since June has killed 53 people and impacted 18,000, as the west African country grapples with the effects of climate change, a UN agency announced on Wednesday. An earlier interior ministry toll published on June 20 recorded 21 deaths and nearly 6,000 people affected nationwide. As of July 15, the floods had … Continue reading Niger floods toll increases, 53 dead, 18,000 affected: UN

Kenema, Sierra Leone (AFP) July 17, 2024 As the rainclouds descend on Sierra Leone’s tropical Kambui forest, a handful of khaki-clad rangers assemble for their daily patrol in the fight to preserve the West African country’s dwindling wilderness. The team are from the National Protected Area Authority (NPAA) and are tasked with guarding the rainforest from encroaching illegal miners and loggers. But with just 62 … Continue reading Sierra Leone rangers fight uphill battle against deforestation

Muzo, Colombia (AFP) July 17, 2024 One man’s trash can very well become another man’s treasure in the Colombian town of Muzo, the emerald capital of the world. In this small community in the foothills of the eastern Andes mountains, multinational mining company Esmeralda Mining Services (EMS) deposits tons of earth it has processed from its operations into a cage-like enclosure. A few times a … Continue reading Leftover emeralds: the dream of Colombia’s poor miners

Huarmey, Peru (AFP) July 16, 2024 Sayuri Moreno found out while pregnant that her body was contaminated with arsenic, but could not afford doctors’ advice to avoid breastfeeding and leave her home in a mining area in northern Peru. The 37-year-old is one of 120 residents of the Huarmey slums in the Ancash department who were found to have high levels of arsenic in their … Continue reading Poisoned by arsenic, and with no way out, Peruvians live in fear

San Jose (AFP) July 16, 2024 Costa Rica said on Monday that an international tribunal had ruled in its favor in a dispute with Canadian mining company Infinito Gold over the 2010 cancellation of a gold concession on environmental grounds. “The government of the republic is pleased to inform the country that Costa Rica has won the case brought by Infinito Gold,” the presidency said … Continue reading Costa Rica announces win against Canadian gold miner over cancelled concession

Cape Greco, Chypre (AFP) July 17, 2024 It’s a Thursday morning in the tourism hub of Ayia Napa on the southeast coast of Cyprus, and three divers in wetsuits are gluing coral fragments onto numbered pins. They are preparing to enter the crystal-clear waters and attach the samples to a floating nursery, in a pioneering effort in the Mediterranean to help restore a coral population … Continue reading Cyprus pioneers coral conservation project in the Med

Diwaniyah, Iraq (AFP) July 15, 2024 Hundreds of Iraqis in the southern province of Diwaniyah protested on Monday against power cuts and water shortages during the extreme heat of summer, an AFP correspondent said. Decades of war have left the country’s infrastructure in a pitiful state, with power cuts worsening the blistering summer when temperatures often reach 50 Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) mostly in southern provinces. … Continue reading Iraqis protest over summer blackouts and water shortages