virus

Dread and denial at heart of deadly DR Congo Ebola outbreak

  • "The authorities need to bring us vaccines," Sakiya, 26, told AFP. But no vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola responsible for the vast central African country's 17th outbreak of the disease, believed to have already killed 204 people overall.
  • Unlike other residents of Mongbwalu, a town at the heart of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's latest devastating Ebola outbreak, Laureine Sakiya believes that the blood-letting virus exists after seeing some of her neighbours die.
  • "The authorities need to bring us vaccines," Sakiya, 26, told AFP. But no vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola responsible for the vast central African country's 17th outbreak of the disease, believed to have already killed 204 people overall.
Unlike other residents of Mongbwalu, a town at the heart of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's latest devastating Ebola outbreak, Laureine Sakiya believes that the blood-letting virus exists after seeing some of her neighbours die.
Already suspicious of the Congolese state following decades of neglect and conflict, many in the outbreak's epicentre in the northeastern Ituri province are split between criticism of the government's response and denial of the disease's very existence.
Gold-diggers and hawkers criss-cross mineral-rich and conflict-torn Ituri. Mud-covered motorbikes of travelling Congolese are a regular sight in Mongbwalu, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Uganda and just 200 kilometres away from unstable South Sudan.
In the space of several weeks, the outbreak has spread to several provinces nearby and on to Ugandan soil, with the World Health Organization declaring the epidemic an international emergency.
Of the 322 people suspected to have contracted Ebola in Mongbwalu -- where many of the outbreak's first cases were recorded -- 88 have died, according to the latest toll from the authorities.
"The authorities need to bring us vaccines," Sakiya, 26, told AFP.
But no vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola responsible for the vast central African country's 17th outbreak of the disease, believed to have already killed 204 people overall.

'Coffin affair'

In the local hospital, a modest building nestled within the hillside town's trees and high grass, healthcare workers are rinsing the floor and walls with a chlorine solution.
All are clad from head to toe in hazard suits with facemasks and goggles, to guard against a disease spread through close physical contact and bodily fluids.
But handwashing is done in plastic buckets -- a sign of the inadequate response to an outbreak many fear could be among the worst in the virus's history.
Local aid groups are on the ground, while medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has loaned Mongbwalu's hospital tents to isolate suspected victims in.
"The epidemic is out of the ordinary," said an MSF coordinator, Florent Uzzeni, in the main regional city of Bunia.
The official toll was almost certainly an undercount, he said, adding that "the capacities to test people are extremely limited".
Past Ebola outbreaks have sparked violence among locals either wary of the state's response or sceptical of the disease. Some believed that the latest epidemic was of a "mystical malady", a common belief in some remote areas of the DRC.
"At the beginning, people believed it was a coffin affair," said Jonathan Imbalapay, a civil society leader in Mongbwalu.
The first suspected case was identified in Bunia, the Ituri provincial capital. After the man's death, the victim's family brought the body back to Mongbwalu.
But the 80-kilometre journey on the eastern DRC's infamously rickety and bumpy roads damaged the coffin, exposing the Ebola-ridden corpse.
Traditional leaders and some locals wanted to burn the compromised casket.
After tests in a provincial laboratory failed to pinpoint Ebola as the source, the disease and accompanying panic were both allowed to spread in Mongbwalu.
It was only when samples arrived at the biomedical research laboratory in the capital Kinshasa -- nearly 1,800 kilometres away as the crow flies -- that the Ebola outbreak was confirmed. 
Adam Hussein, a 35-year-old representative for Mongbwalu's traditional faith healers, fretted about Ebola denial and called on everyone to take precautions. 
"I worry about those who say that this disease is invented," he said.
str-cld/sbk/rmb/rlp

heat

Heatstroke kills 16 in India as temperatures climb

  • Temperatures in several cities across the South Asian country of 1.4 billion people have recently hovered well above 45C. The deaths were reported in the southern state of Telangana, with revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy calling for "statewide vigilance" to safeguard public health.
  • At least 16 people have died of heatstroke in southern India so far this summer, officials said Sunday, as a heatwave grips swathes of the country following official health warnings.
  • Temperatures in several cities across the South Asian country of 1.4 billion people have recently hovered well above 45C. The deaths were reported in the southern state of Telangana, with revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy calling for "statewide vigilance" to safeguard public health.
At least 16 people have died of heatstroke in southern India so far this summer, officials said Sunday, as a heatwave grips swathes of the country following official health warnings.
India is no stranger to scorching summers but years of scientific research have found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense.
Temperatures in several cities across the South Asian country of 1.4 billion people have recently hovered well above 45C.
The deaths were reported in the southern state of Telangana, with revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy calling for "statewide vigilance" to safeguard public health.
"The intensity of the heat has reached unprecedented levels" and officials in Telangana should issue advance warnings about precautions to be taken during heatwaves, Reddy's office said in a statement.
Health experts say that extreme heat can lead to dehydration that thickens the blood and, in particularly severe cases, causes organs to shut down.
The local government in Telangana advised the elderly, children and pregnant women not to venture out in daytime unless necessary.
Earlier this week, the India Meteorological Department predicted above-normal temperatures and intense heatwave conditions in several parts of the country.
Temperatures in the capital New Delhi and other nearby cities have stayed over 40C throughout this week, sending power usage soaring to record levels.
In addition to the burning midday heat, overnight minimum temperatures are also high, giving people little respite.
India, the world's most populous nation, is the third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and relies heavily on burning coal for power generation.
It has committed to achieving a net-zero emissions economy by 2070 -- two decades after most of the industrialised West.
The country's highest officially recorded temperature is 51C, measured at Phalodi in Rajasthan in 2016.
bb/abh/hol/mjw

accident

Quiet Chinese county hit by deadly coal mine disaster

BY ISABEL KUA

  • Zhang said she feels for families who lost loved ones in the mine explosion.
  • Coal miners in the sleepy Chinese county of Qinyuan sometimes dine at Zhang's skewer eatery, especially on payday, so a gas explosion that killed at least 82 of these workers left her feeling sorrow for their bereaved families.
  • Zhang said she feels for families who lost loved ones in the mine explosion.
Coal miners in the sleepy Chinese county of Qinyuan sometimes dine at Zhang's skewer eatery, especially on payday, so a gas explosion that killed at least 82 of these workers left her feeling sorrow for their bereaved families.
The tragedy unfolded in northern Shanxi province, with preliminary findings showing the company operating the mine had committed "serious" violations, state media reported Saturday.
The blast caused China's worst mining disaster in 17 years, with search efforts ongoing to find two people still missing, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
A total of 247 workers were underground at the time of the blast, which occurred at 7:29 pm (1129 GMT) on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine, according to state news agency Xinhua.
"This is the first time such a big accident has happened here," Zhang, who only wanted to be known by her surname, told AFP.
Many of these men were their families' main source of income, she said.
"Think about it. He's at that age where he has both elderly parents and young children to support. Then he works in the coal mine, goes down the shaft and never comes back up," Zhang added.
"How are they supposed to go on living?"

'Someone's father'

Police blocked AFP reporters from entering a road leading to the mine but a building bearing its name with the Chinese characters lit up by orange lights was visible in the distance. 
Security officers sat by the curb, strictly guarding the gantry of the roads, only allowing authorised vehicles in. Ambulances and police cars entered.
A security guard at the entrance brushed off AFP's questions as to whether any progress in rescue efforts had been made, saying he didn't know anything.
But the guard said he hadn't slept at all Friday night because work was too busy with people coming in and out.
At a gas station near the mine, workers shooed AFP journalists away when they were asked about the mining disaster.
"We can't just casually comment on these things," one man told AFP, without giving his name.
"We're not aware of the details -- we don't know the exact cause or the specific situation."
He said he hoped the number of deaths "isn't that high", before he hurried back inside the station.
At another restaurant selling Sichuan cuisine, a worker with the surname Li told AFP he had noticed ambulances whizzing by his place, frequently patronised by coal mine workers.
But he said he hadn't been too emotionally affected, despite initially being surprised by the death toll.
"Working in a coal mine, this kind of accident is inevitable," he said, adding that he hoped the missing people would be found soon.
A total of 128 people were sent to hospital for treatment, CCTV said.
One of the hospitals that took in people injured in the mine tragedy was cordoned off with tape. AFP spotted multiple police cars surrounding its perimeter.
Qinyuan county is peppered with coal mines, and outside one an electronic sign reads: "Go to work happy, go home safely".
Zhang, grilling meat skewers on a stove, said she had that same wish: for the missing miners to be found safe and sound.
Even if the pay was good, coal miners were "basically earning money with their lives at risk", she lamented.
She expressed hope that authorities would do all they could to prevent accidents like this and increase mine safety.
Zhang said she feels for families who lost loved ones in the mine explosion.
"He is also someone's son, someone's father, someone's husband," she said.
isk/dw/mjw

virus

Ebola toll tops 200, other African countries seen at risk

BY DYLAN GAMBA

  • - First known victims - The Red Cross said on Saturday that three Congolese volunteers had died in Ituri after apparently contracting Ebola there. 
  • Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo updated the death toll from the Ebola outbreak to 204 late Saturday, hours after the Red Cross said three volunteers had died there and Uganda confirmed three new Ebola cases.
  • - First known victims - The Red Cross said on Saturday that three Congolese volunteers had died in Ituri after apparently contracting Ebola there. 
Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo updated the death toll from the Ebola outbreak to 204 late Saturday, hours after the Red Cross said three volunteers had died there and Uganda confirmed three new Ebola cases.
A health ministry statement said 204 deaths had been recorded in three provinces of the vast central African country, from 867 suspected cases. The last World Health Organization toll on Friday put the number of deaths at 177 from 750 suspected cases.
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever an international emergency.
On Saturday, the African Union's health agency warned that more countries on the continent were at risk of being affected by the Ebola virus, in addition to the DRC and Uganda.
"We have 10 countries at risk," said Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), listing Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.
Kaseya said "high mobility and insecurity" in the region were helping spread the disease.
The new cases confirmed in Uganda on Saturday bring to five the total confirmed in the east African country since it was detected there and in the DRC on May 15. One person in Uganda has died.
The health ministry named the new patients as a Ugandan driver, a Ugandan health worker and a woman from the DRC. All are alive.
Ebola is a deadly viral disease that spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids. It can cause severe bleeding and organ failure.
The current epidemic centres on the conflict-wracked eastern DRC, where it was detected in Ituri province, which borders Uganda, before spreading to South Kivu.

First known victims

The Red Cross said on Saturday that three Congolese volunteers had died in Ituri after apparently contracting Ebola there. 
The three "were carrying out dead body management activities on March 27 as part of a humanitarian mission unrelated to Ebola", said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
"At the time of the intervention, the community was not aware of the Ebola virus disease outbreak... They are among the first known victims."
Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa in the past half-century.
On Friday, the WHO raised the risk from Ebola in the DRC to its highest level -- "very high".
It said the risk in central Africa was "high" but the global risk remained "low".
The outbreak, which experts suspect was circulating under the radar for some time, is caused by the less common Bundibugyo strain, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments.
On Thursday, Uganda suspended public transport to the DRC after confirming its first two cases -- one infection and one death -- involving Congolese nationals who crossed the border.
It said the driver confirmed infected on Saturday had been at the wheel of the vehicle in which one of the ill Congolese nationals had travelled to Uganda.
The health worker was exposed to the virus when treating that Congolese patient.
The third case was a Congolese woman who had visited Uganda and tested positive for Ebola after returning to the DRC.

'Everyone's problem'

The eastern DRC has been plagued for three decades by conflict involving numerous armed groups.
State services in rural areas of Ituri have been largely absent for decades.
South Kivu is controlled by the Rwandan-backed armed group M23, which has never had to manage an epidemic like Ebola.
"This is everyone's problem," Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba told a news conference in Addis Ababa alongside Kaseya.
He said the Kinshasa government needed to have "total control" of the DRC territory to stop the virus spreading.
bur-jj/rlp

environment

Pope condemns environmental harm in Italy's 'Land of Fires'

  • Italy's "Land of Fires", also known as the "Triangle of Death", has served as a dump and illegal incineration site since the late 1980s.
  • Pope Leo XIV made a visit on Saturday to Italy's "Land of Fires", where for decades the mafia has illegally dumped and burned toxic rubbish, poisoning both people and their land.
  • Italy's "Land of Fires", also known as the "Triangle of Death", has served as a dump and illegal incineration site since the late 1980s.
Pope Leo XIV made a visit on Saturday to Italy's "Land of Fires", where for decades the mafia has illegally dumped and burned toxic rubbish, poisoning both people and their land.
Hazardous waste -- often from Italy's wealthy north -- has long been set alight or buried in the area around Acerra, a city near Naples, in the southern region of Campania.
For decades, the soil, groundwater and air have been contaminated by heavy metals, dioxins and asbestos.
Cancer rates among the area's three million or so residents are higher than the national average.
Leo condemned "a deadly mix of obscure interests and indifference toward the common good, which has poisoned the natural and social environment".
The US-born pope drew excited crowds when he arrived in his popemobile at a piazza in Acerra, a city of around 60,000 people.
"The pope is maybe the only person who can awaken the conscience a little bit of all the people who have harmed this territory," local worshipper Giuseppina De Francesco, 60, told AFP.
In 2025, Europe's top rights court ruled that Italy had failed to protect residents and gave the government two years to fix the situation.
The pontiff's visit coincides with the 11th anniversary of a landmark climate manifesto by Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis.
The "Laudato Si" encyclical, which denounced mankind's ruthless exploitation of the environment, was hailed by experts for its scientific grounding.

'Poisoning'

"In life, we understand that the more fragile beauty is, the more it requires care and responsibility," said Leo in an address at the city's cathedral to the clergy and families of the victims of environmental pollution.
"This land has paid a heavy price. It has seen many of its children buried. It has borne witness to the suffering of children and innocents," added the leader of the world's Roman Catholics.
He thanked the "pioneer" activists he said had raised awareness with "their courageous commitment" to fight the "poisoning" of the land.
Italy's "Land of Fires", also known as the "Triangle of Death", has served as a dump and illegal incineration site since the late 1980s.
Instead of paying exorbitant sums to have toxic substances disposed of legally, companies paid the region's Camorra mafia a fraction of the cost to dump waste ranging from broken sheets of asbestos to car tyres and containers of industrial-strength glue.
Since 2013, a host of parliamentary inquiries has found the authorities negligent and in some cases complicit.
They have also highlighted the health fallout, including an increase in cases of cancer and foetal and neonatal malformations.
In 2018, the Senate said mobster criminality and political inaction had caused an ecological disaster in the region.
cmk/ide/dt/phz/jhb/gil

economy

Full steam ahead for Milei's Andean mining revolution

BY TOMáS VIOLA

  • South America's second-biggest economy has produced almost no copper since 2018 but has massive untapped reserves of the metal, which is critical for the construction, renewable energy and AI sectors. - 840 football fields - The boom has caused alarm among environmentalists who fear the scramble for critical minerals -- and the precious dollars they inject into Argentina's economy -- could endanger water supplies.
  • The future of Argentina's economy lies buried under the ground at over 3,000 meters (9,843 feet) in the Andes, according to President Javier Milei.
  • South America's second-biggest economy has produced almost no copper since 2018 but has massive untapped reserves of the metal, which is critical for the construction, renewable energy and AI sectors. - 840 football fields - The boom has caused alarm among environmentalists who fear the scramble for critical minerals -- and the precious dollars they inject into Argentina's economy -- could endanger water supplies.
The future of Argentina's economy lies buried under the ground at over 3,000 meters (9,843 feet) in the Andes, according to President Javier Milei.
Up here, in a starkly beautiful landscape of snowy peaks and glaciers, excavators are carving huge chunks out of the mountains to mine for copper and other minerals.
Aldana Ramirez tries to warm up beside a brasero, a type of local heater, on a freezing night at Los Azules copper project in San Juan province, the epicenter of Milei's mining "revolution."
Construction of the mammoth open-pit mine, slated to begin production in 2030, has taken the 27-year-old technician away from her seven-year-old son, who lives down the mountain in her hometown of Villa Calingasta.
She misses him but insists "it's worth the sacrifice."
"I love this job, I fell in love with it the first time I came up here," she declares above the din of excavators working round the clock.

Jobs versus water conservation

Since taking office in 2023, Milei, a free-market radical, has sought to boost mining in a country famous for farming but which also has vast reserves of copper, gold, lithium and uranium.
"Mining will take place across the Andes, generating hundreds of thousands of jobs," he told parliament in March.
Shortly afterward, lawmakers amended the country's glacier protection law to relax restrictions on mining in areas of permafrost, despite fears the new law could endanger crucial water supplies.
Canadian company McEwen Copper, automaker Stellantis and mining giant Rio Tinto are investing billions of dollars to develop the sprawling Los Azules mine, which is expected to yield 148,000 tonnes of copper a year over two decades.
Many of Calingasta's 11,000 residents depend directly or indirectly on mining for a livelihood.
Ramirez's father and sister work at Los Azules and two brothers work on other mining projects.
But local farmers worry about contaminated mining runoff.
"People have to choose: either we protect water or we eat," Alejandro, a gas station attendant in the mining town of Jachal, two hours east of Calingasta, explained to AFP.

Massive copper reserves

To encourage mining and energy investments, Milei in 2024 pushed through the Large Investment Incentive Scheme (RIGI), a package of tax, customs and currency breaks.
Los Azules CEO Michael Meding told AFP that RIGI "had sent very important signals to international investors."
So far, nearly 40 projects have been submitted to the scheme, of which 16 have been approved for an estimated $20 billion in investments.
In 2025, mining exports grew 27 percent to $6 billion.
The Central Bank has forecast mining exports to grow threefold by 2030, with copper set to play an expanding role.
South America's second-biggest economy has produced almost no copper since 2018 but has massive untapped reserves of the metal, which is critical for the construction, renewable energy and AI sectors.

840 football fields

The boom has caused alarm among environmentalists who fear the scramble for critical minerals -- and the precious dollars they inject into Argentina's economy -- could endanger water supplies.
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 glaciologists.
The mining pit at Los Azules, when completed, will measure the equivalent of 840 football fields and be more than 300 meters deep, the height of the Eiffel Tower.
It will occupy an area partly covered in a marshy oasis, or "vega," which acts as a natural sponge.
Los Azules has promised to use an extraction method that minimizes water use.
In Jachal, memories are still fresh of a major 2015 leak of a cyanide-laced solution from a gold mine, which contaminated three rivers.
Alejandro, the gas station attendant, said he felt there were "too few oversights" of mining projects.
But back at the camp in Los Azules, where cumbia music carries on the wind, Andres Carrizo is looking forward to a boom time.
"I hope this will all continue so that we all have work and can get ahead," the 27-year-old drill operator said.
tev/pbl/cb/pnb/hol

environment

Pope visits Italy's 'Land of Fires'

  • Italy's "Land of Fires", also known as the "Triangle of Death", has served as a dump and illegal incineration site since the late 1980s.
  • Pope Leo XIV will visit Italy's "Land of Fires" on Saturday, where for decades the mafia has illegally dumped and burned toxic rubbish, poisoning both people and their land.
  • Italy's "Land of Fires", also known as the "Triangle of Death", has served as a dump and illegal incineration site since the late 1980s.
Pope Leo XIV will visit Italy's "Land of Fires" on Saturday, where for decades the mafia has illegally dumped and burned toxic rubbish, poisoning both people and their land.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church will travel to Acerra, a city near Naples in the southern Italian region of Campania, where hazardous waste -- often from the wealthy north -- has long been set alight or buried.
For decades, the soil, groundwater and air have been contaminated by heavy metals, dioxins and asbestos.
Cancer rates among the area's three million or so residents are higher than the national average and Leo is expected to decry the injustice as well as urge care for the environment.
In 2025, Europe's top rights court ruled that Italy had failed to protect residents, and gave the government two years to fix the situation.
This visit coincides with the 11th anniversary of a landmark climate manifesto by Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis.
The "Laudato Si" encyclical, which denounced mankind's ruthless exploitation of the environment, was hailed by experts for its scientific grounding.
Leo is expected to arrive by helicopter shortly before 9:00 am (0700 GMT) Saturday in Acerra, a city of some 60,000 inhabitants.
The US-born pontiff will deliver his first address at the cathedral to the clergy and the families of the victims of environmental pollution.
He will then meet and address parishioners from various towns in the region, before departing for the Vatican at midday.
Italy's "Land of Fires", also known as the "Triangle of Death", has served as a dump and illegal incineration site since the late 1980s.
Instead of paying exorbitant sums to have toxic waste disposed of legally, companies paid the region's Camorra mafia a fraction of the cost to dump everything from broken sheets of asbestos to car tyres and containers of industrial-strength glue.
Since 2013, a host of parliamentary inquiries has found the authorities negligent and in some cases complicit.
They have also highlighted the health fallout, including an increase in cases of cancer and foetal and neonatal malformations.
In 2018, the Senate said mobster criminality and political inaction had caused an ecological disaster.
Leo's visit is part of a series of summer trips to areas of Italy, which include a stop on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa in July.
cmk/ide/dt/phz

agriculture

Slow Food's 'visionary' founder Carlo Petrini dies aged 76

  • "He was among the first to promote the concept of food sovereignty and defend the right to quality food for everyone, enhancing the link between identity, territory and traditions," she said. 
  • Carlo Petrini, whose worldwide Slow Food movement has spent 40 years promoting quality traditional cooking and sustainable farming, has died at the age of 76, his organisation announced Friday.
  • "He was among the first to promote the concept of food sovereignty and defend the right to quality food for everyone, enhancing the link between identity, territory and traditions," she said. 
Carlo Petrini, whose worldwide Slow Food movement has spent 40 years promoting quality traditional cooking and sustainable farming, has died at the age of 76, his organisation announced Friday.
The Italian journalist and writer from Piedmont founded Slow Food in 1986, in protest against the opening of the first fast food restaurants in the country.
Since then, the movement has ballooned, spreading to 160 countries in its mission to promote good taste, defend biodiversity and promote a healthy food model that respects the environment and local cultures.
"The most important work Slow Food has done is to restore the concept of gastronomy to its holistic, multidisciplinary form. The idea of gastronomy as merely recipes and Michelin stars is a very limited one," Petrini told AFP in a 2016 interview.
According to the movement, Petrini died on Thursday evening at his home in the town of Bra in his native Piedmont. 
Hailing him as a "visionary", Slow Food said Petrini "brought to life a global movement rooted in the values of good, clean and fair food for all, connecting communities, farmers, food artisans, cooks, activists and young people across the world".
"'Those who sow utopia reap reality' -- a phrase Carlo Petrini loved to say -- encapsulates his life. He firmly believed that dreams and visions, when they are just, capable of inspiring collective participation, and pursued with conviction, are not impossible to achieve." 
In a statement, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Petrini was "ahead of his time".
"He was among the first to promote the concept of food sovereignty and defend the right to quality food for everyone, enhancing the link between identity, territory and traditions," she said. 
Besides his work with Slow Food, Petrini founded the international Terra Madre network for sustainable agriculture and the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo. 
For Slow Food, "he combined the ability to dream with a deep sense of joy and collective purpose, paving concrete paths toward social change".
tsz/ams/jxb

weather

India warns of power use as demand peaks during heatwave

  • On Thursday, the power ministry said it had "successfully met" the "fourth consecutive day when the peak power demand... reached a new all-time high", supplying 270.82 gigawatts (GW).
  • India's power ministry urged careful use of electricity on Friday, a day after breaking records for power generation during an intense heatwave in the world's most populous nation. 
  • On Thursday, the power ministry said it had "successfully met" the "fourth consecutive day when the peak power demand... reached a new all-time high", supplying 270.82 gigawatts (GW).
India's power ministry urged careful use of electricity on Friday, a day after breaking records for power generation during an intense heatwave in the world's most populous nation. 
Peak power usage this week has broken records for four straight days, with temperatures hitting 47C, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Workers on Friday scooped up dead fish floating on the surface of the Sanjay Park lake in the capital New Delhi. The fish died as the water shrank after days of relentless summer sun.
Temperatures in the megacity hit 43C on Friday.
On Thursday, the power ministry said it had "successfully met" the "fourth consecutive day when the peak power demand... reached a new all-time high", supplying 270.82 gigawatts (GW).
But it also warned that the grid was being stretched.
"Although we are prepared to supply electricity as required, due to the intense summer, let us all try to use electricity wisely and judiciously," it said in a statement.
It had earlier noted that the "surge in demand appears to be linked to the greater usage of cooling appliances".
Thermal power -- largely coal -- accounted for 62 percent of generation on Thursday, with solar making up 22 percent, wind and hydropower taking up five percent each and the rest coming from other sources.
In addition to burning heat in the peak of the sunshine, India's minimum temperatures during the night are scorching hot -- giving people little respite.
In New Delhi, one of the main weather stations recorded a minimum temperature of 31.9C on Thursday, the highest for the month of May in the city in 14 years, according to IMD data.
The IMD said that average minimum temperatures were 0.78C higher than normal countrywide in April, and warned of above normal minimum temperatures in May.

More intense

India, the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2070, but remains heavily reliant on coal.
Despite the power production, followers of the ministry's X account reported that there had been cuts in their districts.
The intense heat can overload old wiring and transformers, and cause localised blackouts.
The South Asian country of 1.4 billion people is no stranger to sizzling summers, with routine heatwaves between April and June.
Years of scientific research has found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense.
The IMD said the highest maximum temperature recorded on Thursday was 47.6C in the city of Banda in Uttar Pradesh state, 450 kilometres (289 miles) southeast of New Delhi, moderately cooler than the 48.2C earlier in the week. It was 4.1C above normal temperatures.
The country's highest officially recorded temperature is 51C, measured at Phalodi in Rajasthan in 2016.
In April, international air-quality monitoring platform AQI said its daily heat index -- made up of six measurements including temperature, solar intensity, wind, precipitation and humidity -- recorded that all of the world's top 50 hottest cities were in India.
pzb-abh-pjm/lga

wind

Giant wind turbine rises in Germany amid far-right headwinds

BY CLEMENT KASSER

  • Klaus Prietzel, Schipkau's independent mayor, has floated the idea of the town taking over the turbine in the future to lower residents' energy bills.
  • A wind turbine billed as the world's tallest is rising in eastern Germany, winning praise as a beacon for a clean, green energy future and headwinds from the far-right AfD party.
  • Klaus Prietzel, Schipkau's independent mayor, has floated the idea of the town taking over the turbine in the future to lower residents' energy bills.
A wind turbine billed as the world's tallest is rising in eastern Germany, winning praise as a beacon for a clean, green energy future and headwinds from the far-right AfD party.
The giant structure -- set to dwarf the Eiffel Tower at 365 metres (1,200 feet) once completed -- is going up in the former coal-mining region of Lusatia in Brandenburg state.
Once its huge rotor blades start spinning in the steady high-altitude winds before the end of the year, it is expected to generate enough electricity to power 7,500 households.
"We're achieving the same performance levels as an offshore wind farm, which means double the output compared to standard wind turbines," Jochen Grossmann, founder of the Dresden-based developer Gicon, told AFP during a visit to the site in a forest near the town of Schipkau.
As workers braved a cold rain, the structure doubled in height within a matter of hours, as 350 tonnes of steel were hoisted into place by huge yellow construction cranes.
The project is financed to the tune of 20-30 million euros through a government agency that sponsors cutting-edge tech, and seen by promoters as a new milestone in Germany's decades-old energy transition.
Europe's top economy has shuttered its nuclear plants and is phasing out coal while subsidising renewables, which last year generated almost 59 percent of electricity, about half of it through wind.
Grossmann sees such projects as the way forward if resource-poor Germany wants to meet its emissions targets and wean itself off fossil fuels from conflict-torn regions.
"For the time being, our only options are solar and wind power," he argued. 
"Coal reserves are running out, and nuclear power has been phased out. We have only limited supplies of natural gas and oil.
"And at the moment, with the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and everything else, it's clear that we're also not independent when it comes to natural gas and oil."

'Windmills of shame'

Not everyone shares Grossmann's enthusiasm.
The project is located in a stronghold region of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), whose climate-sceptic leaders have decried the smaller "windmills of shame" that already dot the Schipkau area and much of Germany.
The loss of coal mining jobs has only fuelled local support for the AfD, which won nearly half the vote there in last year's parliamentary elections.
Birgit Bessin, an AfD member of the regional parliament, told AFP that turbines had effects on the local wildlife and suggested that nuclear energy would be a better alternative for emission-free power.
"When there are such fundamental impacts on residents, they should be consulted," she said, citing opposition from hunters and a local airfield.
The AfD also points to microplastics given off by wind turbines, although scientific studies have found no impact on human health.

'Get the public on board'

While the AfD is adamantly opposed to wind power, Germany's year-old government under conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also been less enthusiastic about renewables than the previous ruling coalition that included the Greens party.
Economy Minister Katherina Reiche has promised a wave of new gas power plants to compensate for renewables' intermittency, arguing this will help bring down German energy costs, among the highest in the world.
The German economy has been flatlining for years, in part because of soaring energy prices in the wake of Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the US-Israeli conflict with Iran that started in late February.
Outside the fences guarding the Schipkau site, local citizens sometimes come to have a look, some voicing anger about the project, Gicon staff said.
Klaus Prietzel, Schipkau's independent mayor, has floated the idea of the town taking over the turbine in the future to lower residents' energy bills.
Local authorities already share some of the gains from the existing windfarm, paying each resident 80 euros ($92) a year, usually just before Christmas.
"Our idea was that every citizen living in the municipality of Schipkau who can see the wind turbines should also benefit from them," said the mayor. 
The AfD's Bessin dismissed such payments as "bribery", but Prietzel argued they are a useful.
"Around four million euros have already been paid out as part of a so-called acceptance-promoting measure," he said. "You have to get the public on board."
kas-vbw/fz/st

agriculture

Mangrove loss threatens Sierra Leone's oyster harvesters

BY SAIDU BAH IN FREETOWN, WITH LUCIE PEYTERMANN IN DAKAR

  • It was during her teenage years that the women of her community taught her the harvesting technique, which is practised in the mangroves of several west African countries.
  • For 20 years, Millicent Turay has supported her family by collecting mangrove oysters near Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, a common livelihood along the west African coast.
  • It was during her teenage years that the women of her community taught her the harvesting technique, which is practised in the mangroves of several west African countries.
For 20 years, Millicent Turay has supported her family by collecting mangrove oysters near Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, a common livelihood along the west African coast.
But the activity, deeply rooted in local culture and which has enabled generations of women to make a living, is now under threat as mangrove forests deteriorate under pressure from human expansion.
"We learnt how to do it for ourselves... to survive," said the 50-year-old, speaking to AFP in the mangroves, machete and gloves in hand as she pried oysters from the tangled aerial roots. 
"This job is physically demanding" and can be dangerous, she said.
The laborious work, carried out mainly by women, involves wading at low tide, barefoot and often chest-deep in muddy water and stifling heat, to reach rocks and mangroves where wild oysters cling.
"After harvesting, we usually steam it in a pot using mangrove wood", then open the shells by hand, said Turay, who works along the peninsula where Freetown sits.

Oyster stew

Oysters are a staple in Sierra Leone and locals love eating them in a stew, grilled or as a dried snack. 
Eating them fresh is more of a habit among expats or tourists.
Turay said in a good harvest she could earn around $7 a day, enough to feed her family and pay her children's school fees.
It was during her teenage years that the women of her community taught her the harvesting technique, which is practised in the mangroves of several west African countries.
The men, for their part, collect mangrove wood to use as firewood or for construction.
But Sierra Leone's spectacular wildlife is under severe threat from deforestation, unchecked urban growth and other human activity -- challenges authorities have struggled to contain.
Turay told AFP that harvests were already declining.
"Now, people cut (the mangroves) down," she said sadly.
"We don't know why they do this... because that's how we find our living. They say they're doing it to get the land."
Mangroves around Freetown -- a rich wetland ecosystem -- are being damaged or destroyed by urban sprawl, firewood collection and illegal construction.
More than 25 percent of mangrove cover has vanished since 1990 as a result, according to official estimates.

Oyster farm

The harvesting of wild oysters through repeated cutting and collecting has also contributed to the problem.
Satellite images show that mangrove cover in the Aberdeen coastal area on Freetown's outskirts shrank from 537 hectares (1,326 acres) in 2017 to 458 hectares in February 2025, according to the Environmental Justice Foundation NGO.
Aberdeen Creek is a wetland of international importance for waterbirds.
Standing in the marsh, with buildings encroaching in the distance, Aminata Koroma, 32, pointed to the loss around her in Cockle Bay near Aberdeen Creek.
"This place you are seeing empty, it used to have so many mangroves, with fish and eel," she said.
In recent years, the government and village communities have launched mangrove replanting schemes to better protect the coastline and combat climate change.
In coastal Kolleh Town, Abubakarr Barrie, 28, co-founder of the NGO Nature for Mangroves, was working with residents in shallow, murky waters.
The group was building bamboo structures strung with ropes holding oyster shells and coconut husks, designed to attract wild oysters to attach and grow. 
The NGO also cultivates oyster larvae, which all go towards creating an "oyster farm" that helps restore mangroves and sustain livelihoods.
Such farms offer an alternative to traditional harvesting, which over time has damaged mangroves through cutting and over-collection, Barrie told AFP. 
"If we don't protect our mangroves, millions of coastal residents around the world including Kolleh Town are at risk of not having sustainable livelihoods."
sb-lp/els/gil/rh/kjm

oceans

Trump-backed push for deep-sea mining 'unlawful': international regulator to AFP

BY STEVEN TRASK

  • Carvalho, a Brazilian oceanographer who was elected to head the International Seabed Authority in 2024, said the prospect of a legal showdown was one of the most troubling issues on her mind.
  • Deep-sea mining companies face a blizzard of litigation if they forge ahead with "unlawful" plans backed by US President Donald Trump to dig critical minerals from the ocean floor, the head of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) told AFP on Friday.
  • Carvalho, a Brazilian oceanographer who was elected to head the International Seabed Authority in 2024, said the prospect of a legal showdown was one of the most troubling issues on her mind.
Deep-sea mining companies face a blizzard of litigation if they forge ahead with "unlawful" plans backed by US President Donald Trump to dig critical minerals from the ocean floor, the head of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) told AFP on Friday.
The UN-backed body is tasked with setting regulations for deep-sea mining in international waters, and is currently drafting the founding set of rules for the polarising industry.
Frustrated after years of waiting for this legal framework, a string of companies have declared they will sidestep the authority and instead start mining using untested US laws.
ISA Secretary-General Leticia Carvalho said she would "firmly consider this to be unlawful activity".
"No entity alone, no country alone, no investor alone has the right to benefit or tap into resources in the areas outside of its jurisdiction," she told AFP.
"I can envisage a big amount of litigation coming if this happens.
"This unilateral action will trigger many, many legal systems. And I hope this regulatory cacophony is not going to happen."
Companies hope to earn billions by scraping the ocean floor for polymetallic nodules loaded with manganese, cobalt and nickel. 
Surging demand for these critical minerals has been driven by the rise of electric vehicles, rechargeable batteries and durable alloys used in everything from construction to medicine.
Critics fear deep-sea mining will smother marine life with waste and the noise of heavy machinery will disrupt oceanic migrations.
Dozens of nations, including the UK, France and Germany, have called for mining to be either permanently banned or temporarily halted until these environmental fears can be addressed.
While exploration for deep-sea mining is far advanced, no company or nation has started production on a commercial scale.
They have been forced to wait as the ISA's 172 members hash out a detailed "mining code" covering everything from the safe operation of mining vessels to methods for measuring environmental damage.

'Lose the race'

Trump upended this painstaking process in 2025, directing officials to fast-track permits for deep-sea mining in international waters.
Trump's move was based on an obscure and untested US law from 1980 which says that citizens can mine in the ocean as long as it lies outside America's maritime territory.
Canada-based frontrunner The Metals Company was one of the first firms to announce it would seek US approval for deep-sea mining.
Carvalho, a Brazilian oceanographer who was elected to head the International Seabed Authority in 2024, said the prospect of a legal showdown was one of the most troubling issues on her mind.
"This is one of the most important things that takes my sleeping hours, if I can be very honest," she said.
"If they do it before the mining code and the legal framework is established, it's unlawful."
Carvalho spoke to AFP from Fiji, where she has been meeting with Pacific island leaders in a push to build consensus around the authority's mining code.
There are fears that, if the ISA cannot adopt a comprehensive set of deep-sea mining rules, other nations will merely pass their own less-stringent regulations.
Carvalho said she hoped to have at least a basic mining code in place by the end of this year, warning that the ISA "might lose the race" if members did not act with urgency.
"I hope that this year is a year of resolution and decision. And if not this year, next year."
sft/oho/mjw

weather

India generates record power as demand surges in severe heatwave

  • In April, international air-quality monitoring platform AQI said its daily heat index -- made up of six measurements including temperature, solar intensity, wind, precipitation and humidity -- recorded that all of the world's top 50 hottest cities was in India. pjm/mjw
  • India's power producers have set a record for electricity generation as swathes of the world's most populous nation swelters in an intense heatwave, the ministry of power said.
  • In April, international air-quality monitoring platform AQI said its daily heat index -- made up of six measurements including temperature, solar intensity, wind, precipitation and humidity -- recorded that all of the world's top 50 hottest cities was in India. pjm/mjw
India's power producers have set a record for electricity generation as swathes of the world's most populous nation swelters in an intense heatwave, the ministry of power said.
Thursday was the "fourth consecutive day when the peak power demand (solar hours) reached a new all-time high", the ministry said in a statement.
It said that at 3:45 pm on Thursday, when temperatures sizzled at 45.3C in the capital New Delhi, the country's peak power demand of 270.82 gigawatts (GW) was "successfully met".
"This represents a new high in peak demand met," the ministry said, surpassing Wednesday's high of 265.44 GW.
"The surge in demand appears to be linked to the greater usage of cooling appliances," the ministry added, in a statement issued late Thursday on social media.
Thermal power -- largely coal -- accounted for 62 percent of generation, with solar making up 22 percent, wind and hydropower taking up five percent each, and the rest coming from other sources.
India, the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2070, but remains heavily reliant on coal.
Despite the power production, followers of the ministry's X account reported that there had been cuts in their districts.
The intense heat can overload old wiring and transformers, and cause localised blackouts.
The South Asian country of 1.4 billion people is no stranger to scorching summers, with routine heatwaves between April and June.
Years of scientific research has found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense.
The India Meteorological Department said the highest maximum temperature recorded on Thursday was 47.6C in the city of Banda in Uttar Pradesh state, 450 kilometres (289 miles) southeast of New Delhi, moderately cooler than the 48.2C earlier in the week.
The country's highest officially recorded temperature is 51C, measured at Phalodi in Rajasthan in 2016.
In April, international air-quality monitoring platform AQI said its daily heat index -- made up of six measurements including temperature, solar intensity, wind, precipitation and humidity -- recorded that all of the world's top 50 hottest cities was in India.
pjm/mjw

weather

Something coming: what scientists know about a potential 'super' El Nino

BY NICK PERRY

  • Even still, Australia is predicting El Nino could reach 2.8C -- potentially a history-making event. np/cw
  • Forecasters say a potentially "super" El Nino is rapidly taking shape in the Pacific -- but whether it evolves into a history-making event could hinge on fickle winds and other volatile atmospheric shifts.
  • Even still, Australia is predicting El Nino could reach 2.8C -- potentially a history-making event. np/cw
Forecasters say a potentially "super" El Nino is rapidly taking shape in the Pacific -- but whether it evolves into a history-making event could hinge on fickle winds and other volatile atmospheric shifts.
The fast-warming tropical Pacific is pointing to a major event but a crucial weakening of trade winds -- capable of turbocharging or throttling the phenomenon -- has yet to materialise.
Scientists say these interactions are notoriously complex and difficult to predict -- making it too early to confidently forecast how powerful this El Nino could become.

Flashing red

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says there is about an 80 percent chance of El Nino developing by July.
Sea temperatures in key El Nino zones of the equatorial Pacific are rapidly rising, and an enormous pool of abnormally warm water is massing beneath the surface.
Several leading weather services are predicting Pacific sea temperatures could surge 2.5C or more above average later this year -- exceptionally high projections.
Just three events -- 1982/83, 1997/98 and 2015/16 -- have breached 2C since the first major El Nino recorded in the modern era in 1877/78.
Adam Scaife, head of long-range prediction at the UK Met Office, said this El Nino could be the strongest in decades or "even be of record strength".
"There's definitely something coming. We're very confident about that, and it looks like it will be a big event," he told AFP.

Wily winds

NOAA forecasts a one-in-three chance this episode will hit 2C or above -- crossing into what is dubbed "super El Nino" territory.
But key pieces of the puzzle had yet to fall into place, said Michelle L'Heureux, NOAA's El Nino-Southern Oscillation lead.
El Ninos build strength as the ocean and atmosphere increasingly "couple" over the summer months, shifting air pressure, cloud patterns and winds.
This feedback loop can turn a modest El Nino into a blockbuster event, supercharging heat and triggering chaotic weather worldwide. 
A hallmark of the strongest El Ninos is the weakening of trade winds that blow east to west across the equator. 
But those winds are unpredictable and can strengthen unexpectedly, said L'Heureux.
"When that happens, it pauses the growth of El Nino or even reverses it," she told AFP.  
"Ultimately the strength of this event will be likely influenced by these details, like the low-level winds, which we cannot predict many months in advance."

Heat incoming

El Nino tends to peak around December but ocean heat releases slowly and can drive up global temperatures the following years.
Many record-hot years -- including 1998, 2010, 2016, 2023 and 2024 -- followed major El Nino events or developed alongside them.
Climate scientists interviewed by AFP said global heat records could fall in 2026 -- but 2027 was the year to watch.
There "could easily be a new record level of global warmth in 2027" if an extreme El Nino takes shape this year, said Scaife.
It remains unclear whether Earth's warming is influencing El Nino intensity. The last event in 2023/24 was weaker than episodes in 1982/83 and 1997/98, making any trend hard to pin down.
Scientists stress that stronger El Ninos raise the odds of more severe impacts -- but do not guarantee them.
Yet even a weaker event now unfolds in a world transformed by climate change, with extra heat and moisture loading an already feverish atmosphere and oceans.
That means El Nino's impacts could become more extreme even if the phenomenon itself is not growing stronger.
"The impacts of this El Nino -- on things like rainfall and of course temperature -- are riding on top of climate change, and could well be larger than anything we've seen in the past," said Scaife.

Different world

Every El Nino is different, but major events often follow familiar patterns: drought across parts of the Amazon, Indonesia and Australia, disrupted Indian monsoons, and shifting rainfall throughout the tropics.
But climate change has shifted the baseline so dramatically that "history is a poorer guide for seasonal predictions," climatologist Felicity Gamble at Australia's Bureau of Meteorology told AFP. 
"What happened during an El Nino event 20 years ago is probably quite different to how it might manifest these days."
Forecasts are also complicated by climate-driven ocean warming, which makes it easier to trigger El Nino conditions and harder to distinguish La Nina, its opposite cooling phase, against a hotter backdrop, Gamble said.
The Bureau of Meteorology and NOAA have started filtering out background warming to improve forecast accuracy. Other weather agencies are adopting similar adjusted benchmarks. 
Even still, Australia is predicting El Nino could reach 2.8C -- potentially a history-making event.
np/cw

climate

'Dread': coral scientists fear bleaching El Nino could bring

BY SARA HUSSEIN

  • He described feeling "dread, although not surprise", at the prospect of a strong El Nino, which could prove "serious and devastating for many reefs around the world".
  • The arrival of a potentially powerful El Nino weather system this year could devastate coral reefs around the world already weakened by back-to-back rounds of bleaching, scientists warn.
  • He described feeling "dread, although not surprise", at the prospect of a strong El Nino, which could prove "serious and devastating for many reefs around the world".
The arrival of a potentially powerful El Nino weather system this year could devastate coral reefs around the world already weakened by back-to-back rounds of bleaching, scientists warn.
Forecasters are increasingly convinced that this year will see a return of the weather phenomenon, and that it could be exceptionally strong.
El Nino, which occurs around every two to seven years, shifts normal weather patterns on land, bringing drought to some places and heavy rains elsewhere.
It is associated with warmer seawater and, in some places, reduced cloud cover, both of which are bad news for global coral reefs.
"Every global coral bleaching event has been during an El Nino year," said Clint Oakley, a coral scientist at Victoria University of Wellington.
He described feeling "dread, although not surprise", at the prospect of a strong El Nino, which could prove "serious and devastating for many reefs around the world".
Coral's survival depends on a special relationship with a kind of algae.
The algae reside in the structure built by corals, and in return produce nutrients for their host by photosynthesis.
But for reasons that still elude scientists, this arrangement falls apart when seawater warms too much and the algae leave or are expelled.
The algae provide coral's characteristic colours, and their departure leaves behind a ghostly white structure that is gradually starving.

'Functionally extinct'

If the waters cool quickly enough, the coral can survive on food stores until algae resume residence.
But even if that happens, it will be malnourished, vulnerable to infection and less able to devote the energy needed for reproduction.
"And if it takes too long for the waters to cool down, or if the heat is too extreme, then they will essentially starve and they'll die," explained Jen Matthews, a coral scientist at University of Technology Sydney.
Periodic, localised bleaching is a natural and even healthy process for reefs.
The problem is repeated mass bleaching, which has become the norm with rising sea temperatures caused by climate change.
"If you're being bleached before you've even recovered and been able to produce juveniles again, then that's only a downwards trajectory from there," said Oakley.
The last global mass bleaching event was declared in 2024.
In the Caribbean, some types of coral are now "functionally extinct", while Australia's Great Barrier Reef -- the only living creature visible from space -- lost between 15 and 40 percent of its coral cover in different locations between 2024 and 2025.
A super El Nino would push sea temperatures up, from a baseline that is already often too warm for corals.
"The average sea temperature for the last few years is the same as what it was at the peak of the 1998 global bleaching event," said Oakley.

'Just buying time'

There are some corals globally that have proven resilient to warmer waters, but they cannot make up for the losses caused by rounds of bleaching.
Scientists are also experimenting with techniques ranging from nutritional gel to feed corals to shading techniques and genetic engineering to protect reefs.
"There's a lot of really important and innovative management strategies out there," Matthews said, "but they're all just buying time."
There are still uncertainties about El Nino's arrival and impacts, and scientists caution that forecasts should be interpreted with that in mind.
"An El Nino is likely, but the strength and duration are still uncertain," said Kimberley Reid, a research fellow in atmospheric sciences at the University of Melbourne.
"El Nino is one piece of the puzzle that affects the weather at a certain location, but there are other factors like local ocean temperatures and winds across the Indian Ocean," she added.
Even without an El Nino, the long-term prospects look dire for coral.
Up to 50 percent of the world's coral has been lost in recent decades, diminishing ecosystems that provide nurseries for fish that feed the world, and protect coastlines from storm surges.
It is a sobering reality, said Matthews.
"If we don't get our act together on climate change, then all we're doing is buying time until our reefs, as we know them, disappear."
sah/hol/mjw

animal

Gibraltar monkeys eat soil in junk food detox: study

BY JORGE GUERRERO

  • The monkeys with the most frequent soil consumption munch on tourist junk food that is "high in sugar, high in salt, high in dairy, which the macaques can't digest," said Lemoine.
  • A colony of macaques that gorge on snacks offered by tourists in the British territory of Gibraltar swallow soil to recover from their junk food binges, a study has found.
  • The monkeys with the most frequent soil consumption munch on tourist junk food that is "high in sugar, high in salt, high in dairy, which the macaques can't digest," said Lemoine.
A colony of macaques that gorge on snacks offered by tourists in the British territory of Gibraltar swallow soil to recover from their junk food binges, a study has found.
Believed to originate from North Africa, the roughly 230 primates are the main attraction in the British exclave of 30,000 people that borders southern Spain, according to the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society.
"We are here for the monkeys, to take a look at them, because it's the only place in Europe where the monkeys are," Danish visitor Elish, 29, told AFP.
But feeding the Barbary macaques is "not a great idea, because you can hurt them, because you give them anything", added the constructor designer.
Signs dotted around Gibraltar remind visitors of a ban on feeding the macaques, with infringements punishable by fines of up to £4,000 ($5,350).
But the rules are hard to enforce given the large numbers of daily visitors to "The Rock" and the independence of the animals, which can weigh up to 15 kilograms (33 pounds).
The marauding monkeys brazenly snatch ice cream, cakes and crisps from unwitting tourists in addition to gobbling abandoned leftovers from bins or food directly offered to them.
These unhealthy treats have contributed to modifying a diet usually made up of fruit, vegetables and seeds.
To soothe the resulting stomach aches, the macaques have developed a habit of "geophagy, the deliberate consumption of earth", a recent study has found.

'Self-medication'

Experts from the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Paris-Sorbonne as well as Gibraltar's environment department say their research, carried out between August 2022 and April 2024, reported this behaviour "for the first time" among the monkeys.
"Geophagy occurred at exceptionally high rates compared to other macaque species and locations, and it was more common in summer when tourist numbers peak," the study said.
In contrast, the behaviour was not observed in a group of Gibraltar monkeys that have no contact with visitors, "a strong argument for this association between soil-eating and human food", said Sylvain Lemoine, assistant professor in biological anthropology at Cambridge who co-authored the study.
Crisps, chocolate bars and ice cream are identified as the culprits of this tendency, which the study viewed as "representing an early form of self-medication".
The monkeys with the most frequent soil consumption munch on tourist junk food that is "high in sugar, high in salt, high in dairy, which the macaques can't digest," said Lemoine.
"We make the hypothesis that the soil can bring micro-fungi and micro-organisms that could rebalance the micro-biome that has been disrupted by the ingestion of junk food," he told AFP.
Bethany Maxwell, technical officer at Gibraltar Botanic Gardens, added: "We know that primates eat soil especially to detoxify or for nutrient supplementation."
"But this study has shown that not only are they doing it for those reasons, but also as a result of eating too much junk food, which is something that is quite novel."
str-mig-mdm/imm/ds/pdw

environment

With record-low snow, Colorado preps for wildfire onslaught

BY ULYSSE BELLIER

  • - Marmots and flowers - Home to some of the world's top ski destinations, Colorado has seen its landscape become unrecognizable by the drought.
  • Larry Graves pulled up to a home tucked into a Colorado mountainside.
  • - Marmots and flowers - Home to some of the world's top ski destinations, Colorado has seen its landscape become unrecognizable by the drought.
Larry Graves pulled up to a home tucked into a Colorado mountainside. His radio was crackling, as was the wildfire burning beyond the trees -- it was time to move.
"You guys hear about the mandatory evacuation?" the Ouray County sheriff's deputy asked resident Amy Clewell.
But this was just a drill. Emergency responders in Ouray County were training -- on a large scale for the first time -- for this year's wildfire season that is predicted to be one of the worst ever in the American West.
States from Arizona to Wyoming rely on Rocky Mountain snowfall for their water supply. But the region had record-breaking high temperatures last winter, causing historically low levels of snowpack.
The result: parched soil and vegetation -- ideal conditions for wildfires.
Twenty-seven minutes after Graves's visit, an ambulance arrived to pick up Jordan Wyatt and Jennifer Shook, who were portraying injured victims. A short distance away, firefighters hosed water onto an imaginary blaze.
Shook, who uses a wheelchair and works for an organization supporting people with disabilities, volunteered for the mock rescue after her mother last summer was unable to access updates from authorities as a wind-whipped wildfire quickly cut off roads near her home.
"Watching her stress level and knowing that we have other people with disabilities that would need to be evacuated, I wanted to participate," she said.

'Never seen anything like it'

This type of drill, increasingly common in Colorado, is essential for identifying coordination gaps among emergency responders.
They also help residents prepare for the nerve-wracking scenario of an evacuation.
"I've worked here my whole life and I've never seen anything like" this year, said Aaron Jonke, fire chief in the small town of Salida.
"The moisture is way down, so it's a much more dangerous situation," he said, adding that he'd been warning residents about fire risk since January.
"With climate change, the fire season changed from a summer event to a year-long event."
Jonke spoke to AFP at Colorado Fire Camp, a training facility where participants on a recent day were learning to use chainsaws, an essential tool for creating firebreaks in forests.
Daniel Pusher planned to bring his new skills home to his White Mountain Apache Tribe in eastern Arizona to carry out a tree-thinning project. 
Reducing overgrowth mitigates fire risk while improving the overall ecosystem and water quality, he said, adding that the drought has made his community extra vigilant, to "take care of our land."
Eight of the region's 11 states recorded their lowest-ever levels of snowpack this past winter. Colorado, one of the eight, activated its drought plan in March.

Marmots and flowers

Home to some of the world's top ski destinations, Colorado has seen its landscape become unrecognizable by the drought.
At Loveland Pass, with an altitude of 3,650 meters (11,975 feet), Tim Faris was surveying grassy slopes with skis in hand, looking for a patch of snow to carve.
"Usually I can ski until the end of June," he said. "Now I'm hiking past marmots and flowers to get to where I can find some snow."
Down in the valley, the docks at a small marina on the Dillon Reservoir sat on a bed of mud, with water levels six meters below normal.
The Antero Reservoir, a popular fishing spot, was blocked by a padlocked gate.
"No recreation due to low water levels," a sign said.
The drought has further exacerbated long-running conflicts over the distribution of water from the Colorado River, which provides drinking water for 40 million people and irrigates farms throughout the region.
In Colorado's capital city Denver, authorities transferred water from one reservoir to another, to reduce the amount that will be lost to evaporation.
Approximately 90 percent of the city's water comes from melting snow, and the trend is clear: average snowpack levels are dropping year after year, Denver Water official Nathan Elder said.
In Ouray County, once "victims" like Shook had been whisked to safety and fire hoses rolled back up, the roughly 175 emergency workers and volunteers gathered in a community hall to debrief.
The emergency cellular network had not functioned well, nor had the fire department's new radio system.
Volunteer Diane Moore gained valuable lessons from the drill: keep a "go bag" packed and ready in case of evacuation -- and be sure to include a phone charger. 
"We're going to go home and get one ready," she said as she left.
ube/ico/acb/des

conflict

Morocco farmers saw hope in rain, but Mideast war inflates production costs

BY HICHAM RAFIH WITH ISMAIL BELLAOUALI IN RABAT

  • But the war in the Middle East, which began in late February, has disrupted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, not only sending global energy markets into a tailspin but also choking fertiliser supplies.
  • Like many Moroccan farmers, Mehdi el-Maazi was hopeful that rare heavy rains would yield an abundant harvest this year -- but those hopes were quickly shattered as the Middle East war sent fuel and fertiliser costs soaring.
  • But the war in the Middle East, which began in late February, has disrupted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, not only sending global energy markets into a tailspin but also choking fertiliser supplies.
Like many Moroccan farmers, Mehdi el-Maazi was hopeful that rare heavy rains would yield an abundant harvest this year -- but those hopes were quickly shattered as the Middle East war sent fuel and fertiliser costs soaring.
Morocco, where agriculture employs about a quarter of the working population and where drought had persisted for seven consecutive years, recorded massive rainfalls last February and December.
Across the rural region of Marchouch, about 70 kilometres (43 miles) south of Rabat, landscapes that had long been parched have turned green again, and farmers have taken back to working their fields.
Following the rains this winter, the country expected a strong cereal harvest, with output estimated to reach nearly nine million tonnes -- more than double last year's. Overall agricultural output was also set to rise by about 15 percent from last season.
But the war in the Middle East, which began in late February, has disrupted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, not only sending global energy markets into a tailspin but also choking fertiliser supplies.
Prior to the war, Maazi would normally spend around 1,200 dirhams ($130) per hectare on diesel to run his tractor. Now, he said, the cost has climbed to 1,800 dirhams.
"We were happy at first about the arrival of the rain," said the 32-year-old lentil farmer. "But with the increase in diesel prices, everything changed."
Farmers also say higher fuel prices are driving up the cost of nearly everything needed to produce crops.
Abdelkader Toukati, another farmer in the area, said he hoped "the price of diesel will fall before the beginning of the harvest season".

'Working to pay for fuel'

High prices have meant that workers' wages have also risen and even "the cost of renting harvesting machines doubled", Toukati added.
Abdelaziz Drissi, who rents out agricultural machinery, also complained that there was little to no financial reward.
"There is no longer any profit," he said. "We are only working to pay for fuel."
Rising energy costs have had a direct impact on key farming supplies, driving up prices for seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and animal feed.
Livestock breeder Abdessadaq el-Fayd said grain feed prices had sharply risen in recent months.
"We used to buy it for 90 dirhams" per sack, he said. "Today, it costs 110 to 120 dirhams."
A recent report by the kingdom's High Commission for Planning projected economic growth of five percent in the first quarter of 2026, up from 4.1 percent in the previous quarter, driven in part by agricultural activity.
In an effort to alleviate rising costs, the Moroccan government in March announced aid for transport operators. 
And last month, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch pledged to "improve distribution chains so that prices remain at a reasonable level".
But farmers interviewed by AFP said the measures have yet to rein in prices.
Rachid Benali, president of the Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the price hikes "mainly concern fuels and nitrogen fertilisers".
But while the high costs "will have no impact on either volume or quality" of harvests, they "will automatically be reflected" in produce prices at markets, he added.
vid-isb/kao/anr/iba/bou/jsa

automobile

Beloved Citroen 2CV revived as electric car

  • Stellantis announced this week a campaign around "e-cars," small electric vehicles costing at most 15,000 euros under different brands to be produced in Pomigliano d'Arco, Italy.
  • The 2CV, the iconic French car popular for much of the last century, is to be reincarnated as an electric vehicle 36 years after production ceased, Citroen announced Thursday.
  • Stellantis announced this week a campaign around "e-cars," small electric vehicles costing at most 15,000 euros under different brands to be produced in Pomigliano d'Arco, Italy.
The 2CV, the iconic French car popular for much of the last century, is to be reincarnated as an electric vehicle 36 years after production ceased, Citroen announced Thursday.
"The 2CV is back!" said CEO Xavier Chardon said. "Citroen is back. Back to the future."
The announcement came at an investor day in Michigan by parent company Stellantis, which also owns Jeep, Ram and Fiat, among other brands.
A version of the vehicle is expected at the Paris auto show in October.
At Thursday's event, journalists and analysts could see an exterior of the revamped 2CV that retains the original contours, with signature features such as a domed and ribbed front hood and protruding headlights. 
However, modern road standards may necessitate adjustments once the vehicle enters production.
"It's a very important moment, because in 1948 the 2CV gave freedom of mobility to millions, and 80 years later, the new 2CV will democratize electric mobility," Chardon said. 
Chardon vowed that the reboot will be "100 percent electric," entirely produced in Europe and priced at below 15,000 euros ($17,400).
"The true people's car designed for real life," he said. "For me, the future of mobility will not be won by the most complex cars, but by the simplest and the most intuitive ones."
Citroen officials plan to mainly market the vehicle in Europe, anticipating it will hit retail showrooms in about two years. 
Stellantis announced this week a campaign around "e-cars," small electric vehicles costing at most 15,000 euros under different brands to be produced in Pomigliano d'Arco, Italy.
The Citroen 2CV, or "two horses" was first unveiled with fanfare on October 7, 1948 at the Paris auto salon.
Originally fabricated in a single color -- gray -- the vehicle, nicknamed "la deudeuche," found quick success with consumers, leading to delivery delays in the 1950s.
While keeping the same basic silhouette, subsequent models had greater power and came in a variety of colors.
There were also limited editions such as the Charleston, the Dolly and a "007" version to coincide with the 1981 James Bond Movie "For Your Eyes Only" that featured a yellow 2CV.
Production ended on July 27, 1990 at a factory in Portugal, precipitated by tightening emission standards in Europe.
elm-jmb/bgs

politics

Trump eases curbs on planet-warming gases used in refrigerants

BY DANNY KEMP, WITH MAGGY DONALDSON IN NEW YORK

  • Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he was "officially terminating the Biden administration's ridiculous regulations imposing costly requirements on refrigerators and air conditioners."
  • US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the easing of curbs on a group of powerful greenhouse gases that drive climate change and are commonly found in refrigerators and air conditioners.
  • Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he was "officially terminating the Biden administration's ridiculous regulations imposing costly requirements on refrigerators and air conditioners."
US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the easing of curbs on a group of powerful greenhouse gases that drive climate change and are commonly found in refrigerators and air conditioners.
Republican Trump slammed the "ridiculous" rules introduced by his Democratic predecessor, president Joe Biden, on super-pollutants known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
Trump said the move would reduce the cost of living for US consumers. His approval ratings are plummeting as disruption to oil supplies from the Iran war drives up prices.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he was "officially terminating the Biden administration's ridiculous regulations imposing costly requirements on refrigerators and air conditioners."
"It's ridiculous, unnecessary and costly and actually makes the machinery worse," the billionaire president added.
Trump's administration is extending deadlines for grocery and other companies to phase out the use of HFCs under a 2023 law, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in a statement.
It will also amend a 2024 act so that it exempts all road refrigerant appliances used to transport goods from new leak requirements for HFCs.
Surrounded by company executives as he sat at his Oval Office desk, Trump said there would be "no negative impact" from the changes and that there was "no environmental concern." 
The Natural Resources Defense Council was among the environmental groups that begged to differ, calling the move "a lose-lose for the environment and the economy."
"It will harm consumers and the climate and reduce American competitiveness in the global markets emerging for environmentally safer refrigerants and technologies," said the organization's senior strategist for climate, David Doniger.
HFCs were introduced in the 1990s to replace chemicals that had been found to erode the ozone layer, but turned out to be catastrophic for global warming.

Savings questionable

EPA chief Lee Zeldin said the actions put the brakes on a "rushed, frantic, reckless sprint" by previous administrations to phase out HFCs.
The agency said the move would save $2.4 billion in regulations on the greenhouse gases that firms would pass on to consumers.
But the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) said in a statement that in fact the move might cause prices to jump.
"This rule works against basic supply and demand," said Stephen Yurek, head of the group. "By extending the compliance deadline, the EPA is maintaining and even increasing demand in the market for existing refrigerants while supply continues to fall under the AIM Act."
"Instead of falling, refrigerant prices are likely to rise, resulting in higher service costs, and higher costs for consumers."
He said the Biden-era rules only applied to new equipment, and did not require replacing refrigeration already in existence.
Food economist David Ortega said "there's very little here that would actually help lower grocery prices" and it's "not very likely" that consumers will see their food bills drop.
The Michigan State University professor told AFP that along with injecting uncertainty into the industry, continued weather extremes due to climate change impact agricultural production and "can really just exacerbate food inflation over the long run."
The current White House agenda is "not one that I would say is consistent with lowering food prices or food price inflation," Ortega added, citing the impacts of trade policy battles, strict immigration curbs causing labor shortages and higher fuel costs due to the Iran war as issues that contribute to grocery expense hikes.
The cost of living promises to be the key issue in crucial US midterm elections in November in which Trump's Republicans will be fighting to keep control of Congress.
A New York Times/Siena poll released Monday put Trump's approval rating at 37 percent, the lowest of his second term, with 64 percent of voters saying the Iran war was a mistake and the same proportion disapproving of his handling of the economy.
bur-dk-mdo/bgs