US

War's impact on fertilisers stirs food producer fears

BY CATHERINE HOURS

  • - Price breaks - Even if production and shipping resumes in the Gulf, prices for nitrogen fertilisers will fall slowly and unevenly, warned Torero.
  • Even as Gulf tanker traffic slowly resumes, the road back to normal food production will be long and arduous, given the war's impact on fertiliser supplies, the UN has warned.
  • - Price breaks - Even if production and shipping resumes in the Gulf, prices for nitrogen fertilisers will fall slowly and unevenly, warned Torero.
Even as Gulf tanker traffic slowly resumes, the road back to normal food production will be long and arduous, given the war's impact on fertiliser supplies, the UN has warned.
With factories shuttered and soaring gas prices driving up production costs around the world, fertiliser prices have risen across the board and are unlikely to fall back easily.
"If the Strait of Hormuz reopened immediately, i.e. not only a ceasefire but vessels moving, the impact would be significantly positive -- but incomplete and uneven," the Food and Agriculture Organization's chief economist Maximo Torero told AFP.
"The FAO is clear that damage has already been done." 
According to Argus Media, the price of urea from the Middle East has, for example, risen by 70 percent in a matter of weeks.
Gulf countries are major exporters of nitrogen fertilisers like urea -- which provides plants with nitrogen to aid green leafy growth -- as well as ammonia and phosphate.
Italy notably called last week for a "humanitarian corridor" in the Strait of Hormuz for fertiliser as Torero warned that if high prices continue, farmers would face a stark choice: "Farm the same with fewer inputs, plant less, or switch to less intensive fertiliser crops," which would reduce food supply well into 2027.

Lasting blow to supplies

Torero warned the bottleneck in marine traffic since the conflict began on February 28 meant even if Hormuz were to reopen immediately "infrastructure damage is not fully reversible in the short term."
According to Kpler data, around 1.9 million tonnes of fertiliser are trapped on 41 vessels, equal to 12 percent of all produce shipped out of the strait in 2024.
On March 2, the ammonia plant at the Ras Laffan refinery in Qatar was attacked. Plants have also suspended or reduced production in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Jordan and Qatar, whose Qafco complex accounted for 14 percent of global trade in urea. 
Overall, about one third of urea trade has been choked off, says the FAO.
In India and Bangladesh, nitrogen fertiliser plants have slowed down, unable to cope with the soaring cost of the gas required to operate.

Price breaks

Even if production and shipping resumes in the Gulf, prices for nitrogen fertilisers will fall slowly and unevenly, warned Torero.
"Unlike oil, the fertiliser sector does not have internationally coordinated strategic reserves, making supply disruptions more difficult to manage.
"Repair timelines are measured in months, not days."
Purchasers have also been hit by the fact that many pre-war contracts governing prices have been suspended as producers cite "force majeure," forcing reliance on higher spot market prices.
The FAO forecasts global fertiliser prices could average 15–20 percent higher in the first half 2026.
"A meaningful decline would likely take four to eight weeks after reopening, as production ramps up and shipping reschedules," says Torero. "Prices are unlikely to return to February 2026 levels before the third quarter of 2026, if at all this year."

Too late for some

He added many crop planting decisions have already been missed with the Northern Hemisphere already in planting seasons, meaning those yields will not be recovered.
"It's too late" in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Turkey, and Jordan, all heavily reliant on Gulf fertilizers. But perhaps not for second harvests in Asia if fertilizers arrive within 4 to 6 weeks."
He explained that "the time between a fertiliser shock and a harvest failure is measured in months. The time between a harvest failure and a food price surge is measured in months more. We are already inside that window."

"Ripple effect"

Prices spiked following previous disruptions during the financial crisis of 2008 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
"I think what makes this one potentially more critical is the number of production hubs that are involved and countries that are involved," says Sarah Marlow, global editor for fertiliser at Argus Media.
"And then the ripple effect has spread out from the Gulf to other countries, which have also been affected by a lack of raw materials, a lack of gas."
cho/sb/cw/gv

pollution

Antwerp port reopens to North Sea shipping after oil spill

BY MAUDE BRULARD

  • By early Friday afternoon the port said its main maritime access route via the Scheldt estuary had "been reopened to shipping" but that Deurdanck Dock "remains closed until further notice".
  • Belgium's Antwerp port said Friday that it had reopened to North Sea shipping after an oil spill brought traffic to a near-halt in Europe's second-largest port.
  • By early Friday afternoon the port said its main maritime access route via the Scheldt estuary had "been reopened to shipping" but that Deurdanck Dock "remains closed until further notice".
Belgium's Antwerp port said Friday that it had reopened to North Sea shipping after an oil spill brought traffic to a near-halt in Europe's second-largest port.
The overnight spill occurred during a "bunkering operation" -- the process of filling a ship with fuel -- in the Deurganck Dock, used by some of the largest vessels in the world to load and unload goods in Antwerp.
The accident badly disrupted shipping as authorities raced to contain the risks of pollution and economic damage.
By early Friday afternoon the port said its main maritime access route via the Scheldt estuary had "been reopened to shipping" but that Deurdanck Dock "remains closed until further notice".
"Specialised vessels are actively engaged in cleaning up the oil," said a port statement, while working to "fully clear" the dock as well as several container terminals and locks affected by the spill.
"We are making every effort to safely and swiftly resume operations at these key locations and to minimise and resolve disruptions," Antwerp port said.
Belgian media reported that several dozen container and cargo ships had been affected by the traffic shutdown.
The port said that the source of the spill had been stopped, but that pollution had spread towards the Scheldt river with civil protection and maritime and coastal services closely monitoring the "potential impact on riverbanks and surrounding nature areas".
"The focus is on preventing further spread and on targeted clean-up of vulnerable zones," its latest statement said.
There was no official word on the scale of the spill, but local media VRT said the oil slick had spread over at least three kilometres -- almost two miles.
Local media reported that the spill occurred during the refuelling of the container ship MSC Denmark VI.
The ship's operator, MSC, confirmed the vessel was involved in the incident but declined to provide additional information. 
"Our priority is safety," a spokeswoman for the company's Belgian office told AFP, adding that they were focused on safeguarding "the crew, the terminal, the nature". 

Key gateway

The tidal Scheldt river estuary is the main maritime access route to Antwerp port, along with several narrower canals primarily used for inland navigation. 
The port said it was "doing everything possible to minimise both operational and ecological damage".
The Pieter Coecke, a Belgian-flagged pollution control vessel, was operating in the area of the spill Friday, according to the Marine Traffic website.
Flemish environmental group Climaxi said ship refuelling operations were the main cause of oil spills in the region, often contaminating the local bird and amphibian populations.
The latest incident appeared to have impacted several natural reserves, including the Doelpolder wetlands, that are key bird breeding grounds, it said.
Larger than 22,000 football fields, Antwerp port is a key gateway for goods coming into Europe from the United States, China and elsewhere.
Europe's largest after Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the port handles transit each year of around 267 million tonnes of goods and is used by around 20,000 seagoing vessels and 50,000 inland vessels, according to its website.
mad-ec/fpo/gv

animal

Emperor penguins listed as endangered species: IUCN

BY JULIEN MIVIELLE

  • Emperor penguins now rank two steps below "extinction in the wild" -- a species surviving in captivity only, and not in nature.
  • The emperor penguin has been declared an endangered species as climate change pushes the icon of Antarctica a step closer to extinction, the global authority on threatened wildlife announced on Thursday.
  • Emperor penguins now rank two steps below "extinction in the wild" -- a species surviving in captivity only, and not in nature.
The emperor penguin has been declared an endangered species as climate change pushes the icon of Antarctica a step closer to extinction, the global authority on threatened wildlife announced on Thursday.
Its change of status from "near threatened" to "endangered", made by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), underscores the existential threat for ice-dependent species as global warming profoundly reshapes the frozen continent.
Emperor penguins rely on stable sea ice -- essentially platforms of frozen ocean water -- to live, hunt and breed.
Their numbers have plummeted as warming driven by greenhouse gas emissions has caused sea ice to break up earlier in the year. 
The IUCN -- a global network of scientists, governments and conservation groups -- said changes in sea ice were expected to halve the emperor penguin population by the 2080s.
They "concluded that human-induced climate change poses the most significant threat to emperor penguins", Philip Trathan, part of the IUCN expert group who worked on the Red List assessment, said in a statement.
The Red List of Threatened Species is maintained by the IUCN and is the global reference on the extinction status of plants, animals and fungi.
There are six classifications from "least concern" to "extinct". 
Emperor penguins now rank two steps below "extinction in the wild" -- a species surviving in captivity only, and not in nature.
The Antarctic fur seal -- once hunted to near extinction for their pelts -- was also moved to "endangered", their numbers having dropped more than 50 percent since 1999.
"The ongoing decline is due to climate change, as rising ocean temperatures and shrinking sea ice are pushing krill to greater ocean depths in search of colder water, reducing the availability of food for seals," the IUCN said.
- 'Icons on ice' - 
The largest and heaviest of the penguin species, boasting a brilliant golden-orange streak on the neck, emperor penguins have become symbolic of the fight to survive in Antarctica's harsh climes.
They breed on the sea ice in the dead of winter, the males keeping their eggs warm beneath their feet. 
The frozen surface also provides a habitat for their chicks during moulting season before they are waterproof.
Antarctic sea ice undergoes huge seasonal changes, expanding during winter and shrinking in summer.
But as global temperatures have reached new highs, sea ice has retreated earlier in the spring and become less stable. 
Sea ice has been at record low levels since 2016 and the impact on emperor penguins has been well documented.
Satellite imagery indicates around 20,000 adults -- some 10 percent of the population -- disappeared between 2009 and 2018 alone, the IUCN said.
"This species is closely associated with sea ice and ice packs," Christophe Barbraud, a scientist at French research institute CNRS, told AFP.
"However, since 2016-2017, there has been a significant decrease in the extent of sea ice around Antarctica, and therefore without sea ice, it will have great difficulty surviving." 
"The fate of these magnificent birds is in our hands," Rod Downie from conservation group WWF said in a statement.
"With the shocking decline in Antarctic sea ice that we are currently witnessing, these icons on ice may well be heading down the slippery slope towards extinction by the end of this century -- unless we act now."  
The IUCN also moved the southern elephant seal from "least concern" to "vulnerable" following sharp population declines caused by a deadly contagious pathogen.
jmi-np/gil

Climate and Environment

Shallow Indonesian quake damages houses, injures residents

  • Two villages on the small island of Adonara felt the biggest impact, with more than 100 houses damaged and at least 20 people injured, according to local official Ismail Daton Ban. 
  • A shallow 4.9-magitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia overnight, damaging dozens of homes and injuring multiple people, an official said Thursday. 
  • Two villages on the small island of Adonara felt the biggest impact, with more than 100 houses damaged and at least 20 people injured, according to local official Ismail Daton Ban. 
A shallow 4.9-magitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia overnight, damaging dozens of homes and injuring multiple people, an official said Thursday. 
The jolt struck at a depth of 10.4 kilometres (6.46 miles), some 104 kilometres east of Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara, shortly before midnight on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. 
Two villages on the small island of Adonara felt the biggest impact, with more than 100 houses damaged and at least 20 people injured, according to local official Ismail Daton Ban. 
Indonesia and neighbouring countries experience frequent earthquakes due to their location in the Pacific "Ring of Fire" -- an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
A 9.1-magnitude quake struck the westernmost Aceh province in 2004, causing a tsunami and killing more than 170,000 people in Indonesia.
Shallow quakes tend to be more damaging, with seismic waves travelling a shorter distance through the ground and reaching the surface with more energy.
str/dsa/mlr/lga

law

Argentine MPs approve bill to allow mining in glaciers

BY PHILIPPE BERNES-LASSERRE

  • "Environmentalists would rather see us starve than have anything touched," Milei has argued. 
  • Argentine MPs approved a bill early Thursday promoted by President Javier Milei that authorizes mining in ecologically sensitive areas of glaciers and permafrost, and has outraged environmentalists.
  • "Environmentalists would rather see us starve than have anything touched," Milei has argued. 
Argentine MPs approved a bill early Thursday promoted by President Javier Milei that authorizes mining in ecologically sensitive areas of glaciers and permafrost, and has outraged environmentalists.
The amendment to the so-called Glacier Law, which was already approved by the Senate in February, would make it easier to mine for metals such as copper, lithium and silver in frozen parts of the Andes mountains.
The Chamber of Deputies, Argentina's lower house of Comgress, approved the amendment with 137 votes in favor, 111 against and three abstenations after nearly 12 hours of debate.
Environmentalists say the reforms will weaken protections for crucial water sources. 
Thousands of people took part in a demonstration on Wednesday afternoon outside parliament, marked by isolated skirmishes with police.
Some held aloft banners with slogans such as "Water is more precious than gold!" and "A glacier destroyed cannot be restored!"
Seven Greenpeace activists were arrested earlier in the day after scaling a statue outside parliament and unfurling a banner urging lawmakers "not to betray the Argentine people." 
The passage of the amendment is a new coup for Milei, who pushed through looser labor laws in February despite repeated street protests.
Nicolas Mayoraz, an MP from Milei's ruling La Libertad Avanza party, assured lawmakers that combining "environmental protection and sustainable development is possible."
Environmental activist Flavia Broffoni rubbished the government's position.
"The science is clear...there is absolutely no possibility of creating what they (the government) call a 'sustainable mine' in a periglacial environment," she told AFP after addressing the protest outside parliament.

Lithium race

There are nearly 17,000 glaciers or rock glaciers -- a mix of rock and ice -- in Argentina, according to a 2018 inventory.
In the northwest of the country, where mining activity is concentrated, glacial reserves have shrunk by 17 percent in the last decade, mainly due to climate change, according to the Argentine Institute of Snow Science, Glaciology and Environmental Sciences.
Milei, a free-market radical who does not believe in man-made climate change, argues the bill is necessary to attract large-scale mining projects.
Argentina is a major producer of lithium, which is critical to the global tech and green energy sectors.
The Central Bank has estimated, based on industry forecasts, that the country could triple its mining exports by 2030.
"Environmentalists would rather see us starve than have anything touched," Milei has argued. 
Supporters of the reform argue that it will clear up ambiguities in the current law, from 2010, on which periglacial areas -- areas on the edges of glaciers -- can be economically developed.
"We want legal certainty, we want clear definitions," Michael Meding, director of the Los Azules copper mining project in San Juan, told AFP. 
Enrique Viale, president of the Argentine Association of Environmental Lawyers, told AFP that the reform threatened the water supply of "70 percent" of Argentines.
Under the current law, a scientific body designates protected glaciers and periglacial environments.
The reform would give individual provinces more powers to decide which areas need protection and which can be exploited for economic purposes.
It has been backed by the governors of northern Andean provinces with strong mining sectors, namely Mendoza, San Juan, Catamarca and Salta.
tev-sa/lb/cb/acb/msp/aks/fox

children

Escaped wolf forces school closure in South Korea

  • It remained at large Thursday, authorities said, with a nearby school closing for safety.
  • A wolf that escaped from a zoo in South Korea remained at large Thursday, authorities said, prompting a local school to close over safety concerns as the search continued.
  • It remained at large Thursday, authorities said, with a nearby school closing for safety.
A wolf that escaped from a zoo in South Korea remained at large Thursday, authorities said, prompting a local school to close over safety concerns as the search continued.
The male wolf -- born in 2024 and weighing about 30 kilogrammes — escaped from a zoo at a theme park in Daejeon, about 150 kilometres (93 miles) south of Seoul, on Wednesday, triggering a wide search in surrounding areas.
It remained at large Thursday, authorities said, with a nearby school closing for safety.
"Daejeon Sanseong Elementary School is closed today following the escape of a wolf from a zoo yesterday," a spokesperson for the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education told AFP.
More than 300 people -- including firefighters, police officers and military troops -- are taking part in the search operation, an official from the Daejeon Fire Headquarters said. 
"We deployed drone cameras early in the morning but had to pull them back due to the ongoing rain," he told AFP.
The wolf dug into the ground and damaged the zoo's installed fence before escaping, according to the fire official. 
Images released by local media showed it wandering in the middle of a road.
In 2023, a male zebra became a global sensation after escaping from a zoo in Seoul and was seen roaming through the streets. 
The zebra — named Sero — was eventually cornered in a narrow alley, safely tranquilised and returned to his enclosure without any injuries.
kjk/cdl/lga

indigenous

Brazil's Chief Raoni backs Lula in elections

  • "I am going to support him," in October, Raoni told AFP in the Kayapo language through an interpreter on the sidelines of a gathering of Indigenous people in Brasilia.
  • Brazil's renowned Amazonian tribal chief Raoni Metuktire told AFP on Wednesday he supported the reelection bid of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in October polls, despite criticizing him for expanding oil exploration.
  • "I am going to support him," in October, Raoni told AFP in the Kayapo language through an interpreter on the sidelines of a gathering of Indigenous people in Brasilia.
Brazil's renowned Amazonian tribal chief Raoni Metuktire told AFP on Wednesday he supported the reelection bid of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in October polls, despite criticizing him for expanding oil exploration.
Now in his nineties, the Indigenous leader who has spent decades rallying the world to protect the rainforest has forged close ties with the president, known widely as Lula.
At the start of Lula's third term, Raoni -- instantly recognizable with his large wooden lip plate -- walked alongside him up the ramp of the presidential palace for his inauguration.
"I am going to support him," in October, Raoni told AFP in the Kayapo language through an interpreter on the sidelines of a gathering of Indigenous people in Brasilia.
The Kayapo chief last year said he was prepared to give the president a "talking-to" if he ignored concerns over oil exploration near the mouth of the Amazon River.
He demanded the veteran leftist "listen to us...he must respect us."
Lula is seeking a fourth term in October and his main rival is Flavio Bolsonaro, son of the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro whose government froze land demarcations -- official recognition of Indigenous land -- and facilitated deforestation in the Amazon.
Lula "has already demarcated some Indigenous lands, so I support him so that he may continue to be president," said Raoni.
Since 2023, Lula has approved the official demarcation of some 20 territories for the exclusive use of Indigenous communities, and has overseen a dramatic decline in deforestation in the Amazon.
Nevertheless, he has come under increasing pressure to do more from Indigenous groups who are protesting in Brasilia this week to demand the protection of more of their ancestral lands.
In recent months Indigenous groups have also protested the expansion of ports for grain transport along Amazon rivers, as well as plans to build a railway line through the world's largest forest.
"You non-Indigenous people harbor this destructive mindset of destroying nature and polluting rivers, which is what causes this climate crisis," said Raoni.
"This harms all of us in Brazil. It is not only Indigenous people who will feel the effects of climate change."
rsr/app/fb/pnb/jgc

law

Argentine MPs to debate watered-down glaciers protection

  • - Support from governors - Milei argues the bill is necessary to attract large-scale mining projects.
  • Argentine MPs on Wednesday were set to begin debating a bill promoted by President Javier Milei which authorizes mining in ecologically sensitive areas of glaciers and permafrost.
  • - Support from governors - Milei argues the bill is necessary to attract large-scale mining projects.
Argentine MPs on Wednesday were set to begin debating a bill promoted by President Javier Milei which authorizes mining in ecologically sensitive areas of glaciers and permafrost.
The amendment to the so-called Glacier Law, which was approved by the Senate in February, would make it easier to mine for metals such as copper, lithium and silver in permanently frozen parts of the Andes mountains.
Argentina is a major producer of lithium, which is critical to the global tech and green energy sectors.
If adopted by the Chamber of Deputies in a vote expected late Wednesday, it will become law once signed by Milei.
The amendment has outraged environmentalists, who say it will weaken protections for crucial water sources.  
Greenpeace activists scaled a monument in front of Congress at dawn on Wednesday and unfurled a banner urging lawmakers "not to betray the Argentine people." 
Seven people were arrested, AFP reported.
Diego Salas, communications director for Greenpeace Argentina, told AFP that the amendment was not only a "betrayal of Argentines" but "a betrayal of humanity because glaciers protect us, they give us life."
There are more than 16,000 glaciers in Argentina. 
In the northwest of the country, where mining activity is concentrated, glacial reserves have shrunk by 17 percent in the last decade, mainly due to climate change, according to the Argentine Institute of Snow Science, Glaciology and Environmental Sciences.

Support from governors

Milei argues the bill is necessary to attract large-scale mining projects.
According to a Central Bank projection, Argentina could triple its mining exports by 2030. 
"Environmentalists would rather see us starve than have anything touched," Milei said when announcing the amendment. 
Supporters of the amendment argue that it will clear up ambiguities in the current law.
"We want legal certainty, we want clear definitions," Michael Meding, director of the Los Azules copper mining project in San Juan, told AFP. 
The reform has the backing of governors from the Andean provinces, who would have greater latitude to green-light mining projects.
Enrique Viale, president of the Argentine Association of Environmental Lawyers, told AFP that the reform threatened the water supply of "70 percent of Argentinians." 
Under the current law, he said, "a scientific body determines the location of glaciers and periglacial environments."
Under the amendment, their location would be "a discretionary decision for each province."
tev-sa/lb/cb/acb

US

Nigeria sweats in heatwave as Iran war drives up costs to stay cool

BY TONYE BAKARE WITH NICHOLAS ROLL IN ABUJA

  • "The sun is too hot," Akanni told AFP, wedged between two equally sweaty passengers.
  • Azeez Akanni hopped on a yellow bus heading for the central business district on Lagos Island, beads of sweat rolling down his neck and arms. 
  • "The sun is too hot," Akanni told AFP, wedged between two equally sweaty passengers.
Azeez Akanni hopped on a yellow bus heading for the central business district on Lagos Island, beads of sweat rolling down his neck and arms. 
The 32-year-old clothier regularly navigates chaotic traffic to deliver luxury clothes and footwear to customers across the megacity of Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital. 
But his and millions of others' commutes have been snarled by brutal temperatures as Africa's most populous country fights a heatwave. 
Adding to the pain, a spike in fuel prices from the Iran war has sent costs for air conditioning and back-up generators shooting up alongside the mercury.
"The sun is too hot," Akanni told AFP, wedged between two equally sweaty passengers.
High temperatures are nothing new in the west African nation, perched just above the equator. 
But according to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), things are getting worse: it warned in a 2025 report that in the decade from 2016-2025, nine out of the 10 years were "among the 12 warmest on record".
Last week, UK-based Korean DJ JinseoulMusic, who is currently touring Nigeria, shared her struggles in a post on Instagram to her more than 430,000 followers. 
"Surviving Nigerian heat with no light," she wrote, using the colloquial term for electricity. "Heat woke me up in the middle of the night."
Analysts blame the rising temperatures in Lagos on climate change, its coastal location, dense population, limited greenery and heavy traffic. 
The constant use of generators compounds the issue, as the petrol-guzzling machines release heat and greenhouse gases.
Public transport meanwhile is shambolic, with most commercial vehicles dilapidated and lacking working air conditioning. 
Temperatures peaked in Lagos at 35C at the end of March, according to NiMet.
They reached 38C in the capital Abuja, while Sokoto in the northwest hit 44C, with NiMet describing the conditions as "unhealthy".

Rising fuel prices

Nigeria's unique economic situation as Africa's fourth-largest economy, but with a dilapidated power grid much less stable than some of its poorer neighbours, has led to the widespread use of private generators, at least among those who can afford them.
That number may be dwindling as fuel prices soar due to the Iran war.
"I no longer use it because of the hike in price," Emmanuel Chinonso, 40, a ride-share driver in Abuja, told AFP.
When the grid goes out on a sweltering night, so does his fan, he said.
Like elsewhere in the country, gasoline prices have nearly doubled in the capital, from around 850 naira per litre to more than 1,300 -- a record high in a country where petrol sold for around 195 naira at the start of 2023. 
Many drivers, like Chinonso, keep their car air conditioning off to conserve fuel -- and "plead" for a tip from customers in return for switching it on.
"If you explain to them, some of them are very understanding and kind," he said.

Health warnings

Despite humid air thick with dust and vehicle fumes, and engines idling as vehicles waited for passengers on a recent Wednesday, thousands of Lagos traders continued to display their goods under direct sunlight, despite warnings against prolonged exposure. 
Hawkers balancing basins of iced fizzy drinks moved through traffic, offering quick relief to commuters.
With the cost of living on the rise following years of high inflation, many traders exposed to the sun and polluted air are more concerned about putting food on the table than air quality. 
"The weather is not good," Aminat Jimoh told AFP as he fried tofu by a cluttered roadside. "But we have to endure because we cannot eat if we don't come here."
The heatwave could also worsen Nigeria's malaria burden. According to the World Health Organization, climate change -- through increased rainfall, temperatures and humidity -- can in some cases accelerate malaria transmission by enabling mosquitoes to breed faster.
Nigeria recorded about a quarter of the world's malaria cases and 30 percent of global deaths in 2024, according to the WHO.
The approaching rainy season offers some relief as storms tamp down temperatures.
But it will also bring its own challenges, such as flooding.
"I know that rain has its own problem but I can't wait for this heat to go," Akanni said. 
tba-nro/sn/sbk

US

Solar push helps Pakistan temper Gulf energy shock

BY SOHAIL ABBAS WITH MUHAMMAD DAUD IN ISLAMABAD

  • "Had we not adopted solar in the first place to the extent that we have, the impacts in the power sector would be much worse."
  • Pakistan's solar power push has cushioned the full impact of the war in the Middle East, analysts said, despite lingering concerns over fuel supplies and rising prices.
  • "Had we not adopted solar in the first place to the extent that we have, the impacts in the power sector would be much worse."
Pakistan's solar power push has cushioned the full impact of the war in the Middle East, analysts said, despite lingering concerns over fuel supplies and rising prices.
A study published last month assessed that the uptake of solar around 2018 helped the country avoid more than $12 billion in oil and gas imports up to February this year.
At projected market prices, it could save a further $6.3 billion by the end of 2026, said Renewables First and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
In the bustling side streets of Lahore, in northeast Pakistan, shopkeeper Aftab Ahmed, 49, was out shopping for solar panels to install at home to help him cut costs.
"The current fuel situation in our country is such that fuel has gone beyond the reach of the common person," he told AFP last Friday.
"It has become so expensive that an average person can no longer afford fuel for a motorcycle or a car. Fuel prices are also affecting electricity bills, leading to further increases.
"If we shift towards solar energy, at least some savings can be achieved from one side."
Hours earlier, the government in Islamabad announced an eye-watering 42.7-percent hike in the price of petrol and 54.9 percent on diesel.
That brought protesters onto the streets, sparked queues at fuel stations, and led the government to announce free state-run public transport for a month.

Boom

Rooftop solar panels are everywhere in Pakistan, helping to provide uninterrupted power and avoid often lengthy cuts in grid supply, particularly when temperatures soar.
Nabiya Imran, an energy analyst with Renewables First in the capital Islamabad, said they have also helped ease the burden caused by the disruption to shipping in the Gulf.
"Because people in Pakistan have adopted solar over the past several years, this... is providing a cushioning effect against the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, particularly in the power sector," she said.
"Had we not adopted solar in the first place to the extent that we have, the impacts in the power sector would be much worse."
Pakistan's solar surge does not mean it is immune to the supply shortages that have hit countries across Asia.
Last month, the government introduced austerity measures. The working week for public sector employees was cut to four days and schools were shut.
The Pakistan Super League cricket tournament was also cut from six venues to two, and crowds were banned, to save fuel.
But solar has made working from home more viable and affordable for Pakistanis because it cuts reliance on the grid and imported gas.
Market forces have largely driven the uptake, which the study called "one of the fastest consumer-led energy transitions on record".
Unlike western economies, Pakistan did not impose tariffs on Chinese solar technology from 2013 until last year. As a result, imports jumped from 1 gigawatt in 2018 to 51 gigawatts early this year.
Oil and gas price rises after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 also forced consumers to look for alternatives, as did hefty increases in domestic energy tariffs.
Between 2022 and 2024, Pakistan saw a 40-percent drop in oil and gas imports, the study said.

Security

The International Energy Agency has estimated that more than 40 million of Pakistan's more than 240 million people do not have access to electricity.
Manzoor Ishtiaq, whose shop in Lahore sells and installs solar panels, believes making the technology affordable for everyone could help.
"There should be a plan that encourages every household to adopt solar energy. This way, both the government and the public will get relief and long-term benefits," he said.
For Renewables First's Nabiya Imran, the Gulf crisis has shown the need for less reliance on fossil fuels and energy security using renewable sources.
She noted that Pakistan spent around 11 percent of its GDP on fossil fuel imports including oil, coal and liquefied natural gas in the 2024 fiscal year.
"That is a big chunk of money to be spending for a country like Pakistan, which could be going towards other aspects of development."
The key now, she added, would be to push take-up of solar battery storage to prevent the use of fossil fuel-powered thermal plants to keep the lights on at peak times. 
Policymakers should also look at the transportation sector to reduce its exposure to global fuel and price shocks and cut emissions through initiatives such as electric vehicles, she added. 
video-phz/mjw/lga

politics

Indigenous groups demand greater land protection in Brazil protest

  • According to the APIB, a hundred Indigenous territories are awaiting the formal signoff of government recognition.
  • Indigenous protesters from across Brazil marched to the capital Brasilia Tuesday to demand the government expedite recognition of their ancestral lands.
  • According to the APIB, a hundred Indigenous territories are awaiting the formal signoff of government recognition.
Indigenous protesters from across Brazil marched to the capital Brasilia Tuesday to demand the government expedite recognition of their ancestral lands.
The protest, featuring tribal members in colorful traditional feathers and body decorations, came six months before leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, popularly known as Lula, faces a reelection battle.
Indigenous Brazilian peoples broadly supported Lula in 2022 when he defeated his far-right predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, whose government ceased to recognize native lands and fueled deforestation in the Amazon.
Lula made an important symbolic gesture by naming a respected figure from the Guajajara-Tenetehara ethnicity, Sonia Guajajara, as the head of the new Ministry of Indigenous Peoples.  
Lula's government has overseen a drop in Amazon deforestation -- promising to eradicate the felling of trees by 2030 -- and the recognition of 20 territories for the exclusive use of Indigenous communities.   
But for some, the new measures are not enough.   
"Our principal demand continues to be the formal recognition of Indigenous territories," Toya Manchineri, from the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon, told AFP.
Experts see the Indigenous reserves as a way to help fight climate change and preserve biodiversity.  
As Latin America's largest country, Brazil has 1.7 million Indigenous people out of a population of 212 million.    

'Enemy' Congress

The Indigenous groups will camp out in Brasilia until Friday, and plan to dance, play music, host artisan markets and debate. 
Thousands marched to Congress on Tuesday, where the Association of Brazilian Indigenous People (APIB) accused lawmakers of being the "enemies of the people" for their alliance with the powerful agribusiness sector -- one of the main drivers of deforestation.
The majority-conservative Congress approved a law in 2023 that limits Indigenous people's land rights. This was later struck down by the Supreme Court, but right-wing parties are working for new restrictions.
The legal limbo leaves Indigenous areas exposed to the penetration of agribusiness and mining interests, Manchineri said. "The impact is huge."
According to the APIB, a hundred Indigenous territories are awaiting the formal signoff of government recognition.
Despite slow progress, native groups will still "cast their votes for the reelection" of Lula, Manchineri predicts.
Although she demanded "justice and resources" for her community, Marilene Gervasio, from the Bare people, said she hoped the leftist will be reelected.
Lula will face Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of the far-right ex-president, in the October election. The most recent polls show a close second round between them.
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weather

Rain, storms kill 121 in Afghanistan and Pakistan in two weeks

  • Across the border in Pakistan, 44 people were killed following heavy rains in the last weeks, officials said. 
  • Heavy rain and storms have killed at least 121 people over two weeks across Afghanistan and Pakistan, disaster officials in both countries said Saturday. 
  • Across the border in Pakistan, 44 people were killed following heavy rains in the last weeks, officials said. 
Heavy rain and storms have killed at least 121 people over two weeks across Afghanistan and Pakistan, disaster officials in both countries said Saturday. 
Stormy weather has brought rain sweeping across Afghanistan since late March, causing floods, landslides, and hitting homes and crops. 
"Since March 26 till today, 77 people have been killed and 137 wounded across the country because of the floods and rains," Afghanistan's disaster management authority (ANDMA) spokesman Mohammad Yousuf Hammad told AFP on Saturday.
The spokesman added that 26 people were killed and 48 were wounded across the country in the past 48 hours due to rains, floods, landslides and lightning.  
Across the border in Pakistan, 44 people were killed following heavy rains in the last weeks, officials said. 
At least 32 people died in the northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since March 25 and 12 in southwestern Balochistan since March 20, the provincial disaster management authorities told AFP. 
Afghanistan's latest casualties include a child who drowned in a flash flood in southeastern Ghazni on Saturday morning while he was busy playing with other children, provincial police said.
Two more children also drowned in different districts of the same province. 
That came hours after three people died in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, when the roof of their house collapsed due to rains, the provincial disaster management authority said.  

Damage

ANDMA spokesman Hammad said rainfall since the start of spring "can strengthen the underground sources of water and give growth to the agriculture sector".
But he said it can also cause human suffering and financial loss.
In western Herat province, farmer Abdul Rahim Taimori said: "We don't remember such a flood happening before. It has caused us a lot of damage. 
"It has destroyed the crops of people, their homes. If it continues like this then we would have to leave our homes," the 45-year-old told AFP. 
But relocating is unaffordable for many. 
"Where shall we go? We are forced to stay," said Majal Niazi, a 45-year-old farmer who lives in a one-room house with his family. 
The rain has also led to several road closures, with Kabul police reporting the partial closure Friday of the road between the capital and the city of Jalalabad.
Afghanistan's disaster management authority renewed its warning to people to stay away from "rivers and flooded streams, and follow the weather forecast seriously".
The latest casualties follow more than 60 people being killed in snow and heavy rain that hit Afghanistan in January. 
Afghanistan frequently experiences deadly floods, landslides and storms, particularly in remote areas with fragile infrastructure. 
Among the poorest countries in the world after decades of war, Afghanistan is particularly exposed to the effects of climate change, which scientists say is spurring extreme weather.
"It was drought before and now we have these rains, both are a danger," said Abdul Sattar, a 40-year-old farmer in Herat. 
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