United Nations, United States (AFP): Transferring more than a million barrels of oil from an abandoned tanker anchored off the shore of Yemen comes with “palpable risks” — but doing nothing could lead to a devastating oil spill, a senior UN official has said. “If something were to go wrong, indeed, many questions will b...
United Nations, United States (AFP): The United Nations has said it is ready to start salvage work on an oil tanker stranded off Yemen’s coast with more than one million barrels of crude that pose an acute risk to the environment. “We’re very happy to be on site where we can start the work,” David […]
Nairobi, Kenya (AFP): More than a million Somalis have been displaced within their own country in just over four months through a “toxic” mix of drought, conflict and floods, humanitarian agencies said Wednesday. Around 433,000 people were forced from their homes between January 1 and May 10 as a grinding insurgency raged and clash...
Sapporo, Japan (AFP): The G7 pledged on Sunday to quit fossil fuels faster and urged other countries to follow suit, but failed to agree to any new deadlines on ending polluting power sources like coal. The language reflects the depth of disagreements among the allies on the balance between climate action and energy security, with […]
Arlit, Niger (AFP): Towering mounds dot the desert landscape in northern Niger’s Arlit region, but there is little natural about them — they are heaps of partially radioactive waste left from four decades of operations at one of the world’s biggest uranium mines. An ambitious 10-year scheme costing $160 million is underway to...
Wawonii, Indonesia (AFP): Three women with machetes stood guard at their farm hilltop on Indonesia’s Wawonii Island, directing their blades towards the nickel miners working in the forest clearing below. “I pointed the machete at their faces. I told them: ‘If you scratch this land, heads will fly, we will defend this land to ...
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (AFP): Burkina Faso is often in the headlines these days with stories of turmoil or suffering — insurgencies, repeated military coups or grinding poverty. However, the country also happens to be a pioneer in bringing water conservation to the thirstiest of sports — with its sole golf club. Founded in 1975,...
Niamey, Niger (AFP): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday offered new aid as he threw his support behind Niger on a rare visit, holding up the Western military partner and new democracy as a model in a region where Russia is making inroads. Blinken is the highest-ranking US official ever to visit the […]
Pari Island, Indonesia (AFP): Sitting near a wall of stacked rocks, fisherman Mustagfirin looks out to sea from the tiny Indonesian island of Pari, wondering whether his home will exist for much longer. His battered wooden boat is anchored just offshore, where trees and statues that were once on the beach now sit partially submerged about [&he...
United Nations, United States (AFP): The United Nations has bought a ship to remove oil and avoid a potentially catastrophic spill from a tanker decaying for years off the coast of war-ravaged Yemen, officials said Thursday. In an unusual step for a UN agency, the UN Development Program said it signed a contract to purchase […]
