Sunday, July 25We Break the News

Nature

Jul122021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
11 die during lightning strike in India tourist town

11 die during lightning strike in India tourist town

ACCIDENT, INDIA, INTERNATIONAL, Nature
A lightning strike in the late evening with strong wind and heavy rain over Kolkata, Eastern India, on May 27, 2020. As many as 60 people died in lightning-related incidents in Indian on Sunday. File Photo by Piyal Adhikary/EPA-EFE Structural damage caused by a lightning strike in the Indian tourist city of Jaipur killed at least 11 people Sunday evening, officials said. The lightning hit the Amer Fort at the edge of Jaipur, in India's northern state of Rajasthan, collapsing a tower wall that buried residents near it. "When the lightning struck, the tower's wall collapsed, many people were buried under it," Shankar Lal Saini, a senior disaster management official in Jaipur, told CNN. "Since the fort is on a hill, when the debris was falling and space reduced, some people also fel...
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Jul122021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
Research miraa, marijuana benefits to human health, PS tells scientists

Research miraa, marijuana benefits to human health, PS tells scientists

HEALTH, LIFE STYLE, Nature
Education and Research Principal Secretary Simon Nabukwesi has urged scientists to research miraa and marijuana to establish their advantages and disadvantages to human health. The research will help Kenya find a market for the products internationally, he said. Lack of scientific evidence on the advantages of the products, he said, had led people to perceive them as illegal. Mr Nabukwesi spoke during the official opening of the second phase of the Pwani University Bioscience Research Centre at Pwani University in Kilifi. He said anything perceived to have negative effects on the community might also have advantages for it. “We are being told that consumption of miraa is a health hazard but how dangerous is it to someone’s body when they chew the crop,” he said. “Our...
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Jul122021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
Kenya backs AU role in resolving Nile dam dispute

Kenya backs AU role in resolving Nile dam dispute

AFRICA, African Union, DEVELOPMENT, Egypt, ETHIOPIA, Nature, RELATIONS, Sudan
The Blue Nile river as it passes through the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), near Guba in EthiopiaDecember 26, 2019. PHOTO | AFP Summary Kenya told the Security Council that the UN should back the African Union to ensure Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt, who are squabbling over the use of the Nile, reach an amicable solution.Says the countries on the Nile Basin have “legitimate rights” on the use of the Nile, and their differences and desires to secure waters for their people are not yet a threat to international peace and security. Kenya on Thursday called on the African Union to continue leading discussions on the Nile dam operations in Ethiopia, even as Egypt warned that Ethiopia’s mega hydro power project was “an existential threat.” At a session of the UN Security Counci...
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Jul92021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
Ugandan campaigners vow to keep on fighting for Bugoma forest

Ugandan campaigners vow to keep on fighting for Bugoma forest

AFRICA, ANIMALS, EAST AFRICA, Nature, TOURISM, UGANDA
Residents and civil society groups have been waging a legal battle against a sugarcane development project. Bagyenda Anatole (left) and Charles Twongwire, members of the Save Bugoma Forest campaign [Federica Marsi/Al Jazeera] Hoima, Uganda – Bagyenda Anatole walked briskly under the thinning canopy cover in Bugoma Central Forest Reserve. Along the narrow path, the remnants of butchered tree trunks bore testimony to the ongoing clearing of Uganda’s largest remaining block of natural tropical woodland. Since August 2020, when mechanical graders roared to life as part of a controversial sugarcane development project, residents and civil society groups under the Save Bugoma Forest campaign have been waging an uphill legal battle. A short walk from a parked bulldozer, police office...
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Jul62021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
Ethiopia begins second filling of dam

Ethiopia begins second filling of dam

AFRICA, DEVELOPMENT, EAST AFRICA, Egypt, ETHIOPIA, Nature, PAN AFRICA, RELATIONS
A general view of the Blue Nile river as it passes through the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), near Guba in Ethiopia, on December 26, 2019 [EDUARDO SOTERAS/AFP via Getty Images] The Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation said Ethiopia has officially notified it that it had begun filling the reservoir behind its giant hydropower dam, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), for a second year. The Egyptian ministry said in a statement that in response to Ethiopia's notification, the Egyptian Irrigation Minister, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, has sent an official letter to his Ethiopian counterpart, Seleshi Bekele, informing him of Egypt's categorical rejection of Addis Ababa's unilateral measure, which constitutes a "clear and dangerous breach of the Declaration of Principles agreement s...
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Jul52021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
Fears grow for dozens in landslide-hit Japan town

Fears grow for dozens in landslide-hit Japan town

Climate, CRISIS, Disaster Preparedness, HUMAN INTEREST STORIES, INTERNATIONAL, Nature
Rescuers in Japan's Atami wade through streams of murky water and move large blocks of timber and other detritus out of the way - Copyright AFP CHARLY TRIBALLEAU Rescue teams trawled Monday through muddy debris in a landslide-hit Japanese holiday town looking for survivors, as concerns grew that dozens of people may be missing. Soldiers and emergency workers used hand-held poles and mechanical diggers in the desperate search, two days after a torrent of earth slammed down a mountainside and through part of the hot-spring resort of Atami in central Japan. Three people have been confirmed dead, although authorities are struggling to pinpoint the whereabouts of dozens of residents as they scour the wreckage of 130 hillside homes and other buildings that were destroyed. Vehicles w...
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Jul32021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
Hurricane Elsa threatens Caribbean

Hurricane Elsa threatens Caribbean

Climate, Disaster Preparedness, HUMAN INTEREST STORIES, INTERNATIONAL, Nature, USA
Hurricane Elsa churned through the Caribbean early Saturday, bringing powerful winds and threatening to pile further misery on violence-wracked Haiti. The Category 1 storm weakened slightly overnight and was packing maximum sustained winds of 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour. At 5:00am (0900 GMT), it was just south of Hispaniola -- which is made up of Haiti and the Dominican Republic -- and moving northwest at 31 mph, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. "On the forecast track, Elsa will move near the southern coast of Hispaniola later today and tonight, and move near Jamaica and portions of eastern Cuba on Sunday," the NHC said. "By Monday, Elsa is expected to move across central and western Cuba and head toward the Florida Straits." It said Elsa could bring ...
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Jul32021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
At least 19 missing after mudslide in central Japan

At least 19 missing after mudslide in central Japan

Climate, Disaster Preparedness, INTERNATIONAL, JAPAN, Nature
Heavy rain has been lashing across Japan since earlier this week. Houses are damaged by mudslide following heavy rain at Izusan district in Atami, west of Tokyo, Saturday, July 3, 2021. A powerful mudslide carrying a deluge of black water and debris crashed into rows of houses in a town west of Tokyo following heavy rains on Saturday, leaving multiple people missing, officials said. (Naoya Osato/Kyodo News via AP) At least 19 people are missing after a powerful mudslide swept away rows of houses in Atami, west of Tokyo, Japanese authorities said. Disaster management officials in Shizuoka prefecture in central Japan say the mudslide occurred on Saturday morning in Atami, a town known for its hot springs. Prefectural disaster management official Takamichi Sugiyama said rescu...
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Jul22021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
How record temperatures are setting Canada on fire

How record temperatures are setting Canada on fire

CANADA, Climate, FAMILY, HUMAN INTEREST STORIES, INTERNATIONAL, Nature, PEOPLE
The village of Lytton has recorded Canada’s all-time high temperature of 49.6°C.  Wildfires have burned 90 per cent of the village of Lytton in British Columbia after it broke the record for the highest-ever temperature recorded in Canada on three days in a row. The village recorded Canada’s all-time high temperature of 49.6°C on 29 June as a heatwave continued to sweep across North America. Unusually high temperatures have been recorded across the continent's Pacific NorthWest in the past week, with cities including Seattle and Portland breaking all-time heat records. The unbearably hot temperatures have led to a wave of deaths. British Columbia coroners recorded at least 486 sudden deaths between 25 June and 30 June, almost triple the 165 sudden deaths that would usuall...
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Jun302021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
Iran’s Water Crisis: In 20 Years Drought Could Make Some Iranian Cities Uninhabitable

Iran’s Water Crisis: In 20 Years Drought Could Make Some Iranian Cities Uninhabitable

Asia, Climate, CRISIS, EMERGENCY, FAMILY, FAMINE, HUMAN INTEREST STORIES, INTERNATIONAL, Nature, PEOPLE
In the next 20 years some Iranian cities might no longer be fit for human habitation because of drought and water shortages, warned Ahad Vazifeh, head of the National Center for Drought and Crisis Management at the Iran Meteorological Organization. In the past 12 months rainfall in Iran has 55 percent of the norm what it should have been, Vazifeh said in an interview with Khabar Online. He added that rainfall in some provinces has been so low as to be unprecedented in the past 50 years - including the province of Hormozgan, where just 20mm of rain has fallen compared to a usual year-round average of 141mm. “We must be frank with ourselves and accept that Iran is now beset by low rainfall and drought,” Vazifeh said. He also warned that certain agr...
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Jun182021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
Third largest diamond found in Botswana

Third largest diamond found in Botswana

AFRICA, BOTSWANA, Climate, Nature
BOTSWANA: A 1,098 carat diamond believed to be the third largest gem-quality stone ever to be mined, has been discovered in Botswana, according to a joint venture between Anglo American's De Beers and the government. The stone was presented to President Mokgweetsi Masisi on Wednesday (June 16) by Debswana Diamond Company's acting managing director Lynette Armstrong. It is the third largest in the world, behind the 3,106 carat Cullinan stone recovered in South Africa in 1905 and the 1,109 carat Lesedi La Rona unearthed by Lucara Diamonds in Botswana in 2015. "This is the largest diamond to be recovered by Debswana in its history of over 50 years in operation," Armstrong said. "From our preliminary analysis it could be the world's third largest gem quality stone. We are yet ...
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Jun162021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
Museveni, Tshisekedi to launch Mpondwe Bridge

Museveni, Tshisekedi to launch Mpondwe Bridge

AFRICA, Climate, DEVELOPMENT, DRC, EAST AFRICA, GOVERNMENT, Nature, PAN AFRICA, PRESIDENT, UGANDA
President Museveni and his DR Congo counterpart Felix Tshisekedi are this morning expected to officially launch Mpondwe Bridge in Kasese District. The bridge links Uganda to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The two heads of state will also commission a joint construction project of major road infrastructure that links the two countries. President Museveni recently defended Uganda’s funding of infrastructure development in DR Congo, arguing that it was aimed at boosting trade between the two neighboring countries. In May this year, officials from Uganda and DRC signed major agreements that will see the two countries bolster cross-border trade, development and the stabilization of eastern Congo. The signing ceremony that was held on May 27, 2021 at State House Enteb...
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Jun162021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
Eastern Indonesia hit with 5.8 magnitude earthquake

Eastern Indonesia hit with 5.8 magnitude earthquake

Climate, EMERGENCY, FAMILY, HUMAN INTEREST STORIES, INTERNATIONAL, Nature, PEOPLE, TRAGEDY
A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s remote Maluku islands on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said, but there was no tsunami warning. The shallow quake hit at 1:43 pm local time (0443 GMT) in the Banda Sea about 70 kilometers (44 miles) southeast of Amahai on the island of Seram. Shallow quakes tend to do more damage than deep ones, but there were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties. Indonesia experiences frequent quakes and volcanic eruptions due to its position on the “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. In 2004, a devastating 9.1 magnitude quake struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that...
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Jun152021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
Sudan says open to ‘interim’ dam deal with Ethiopia

Sudan says open to ‘interim’ dam deal with Ethiopia

AFRICA, Climate, DIPLOMACY, Diplomats, Nature, PAN AFRICA, Sudan
Sudan will only be willing to strike an interim deal with Ethiopia over its Nile dam on conditions including assurance of further talks, the water minister said Monday. Downstream Egypt and Sudan have been pushing upstream Ethiopia to ink a binding deal over the filling and operation of its mega dam on the Blue Nile that broke ground in 2011. "Given the time constraints, Sudan will accept an interim agreement based on certain conditions which include signing on all the terms that have been already agreed," Water Minister Yasser Abbas told reporters in Khartoum. "There should also be guarantees that negotiations will continue ... and that those talks will be held within a defined timeframe." The minister said the three countries had already "reached consensus" over most tec...
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Jun122021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
Uganda develops five herbal therapeutic products to manage Covid-19

Uganda develops five herbal therapeutic products to manage Covid-19

COVID-19, HEALTH, HERBAL, Nature, UGANDA, World Health Organization
The therapeutics developed by Natural Chemotherapeutics Research Institute Five herbal therapeutics have been developed by the Natural Chemotherapeutics Research Institute to assist in the treatment and management of COVID-19 in Uganda. The products include; Warbugia Ugandensis, Cypress oil, Cypress herbal tea, propolis tincture and propolis throat spray. Another product that has been developed is the NCRI-NP syrup that is a concentrated version of the government’s UBV-01N COVID-19 therapeutic that is still undergoing research to determine proper dosages. According to scientists, the products which have been developed using locally grown herbs have been found to be effective in the treatment of COVID-19. “The products were developed alongside the therapeutic trial which aimed ...
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Jun122021 by Ronald KabuubiNo Comments
Herbal products can help in dealing with COVID-19, if they are made trustworthy

Herbal products can help in dealing with COVID-19, if they are made trustworthy

COVID-19, FOOD, HEALTH, Nature
Herbal products can increase our immune responses; however, we first need authenticity, a proper scientific approach, strict governmental guidelines and proper monitoring of herbal products Currently, human life around the world has been has been endangered due to the vice-like grip of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The pandemic has caused a global health emergency. Rapidly evolving bacterial and viral infections are creating a global menace for humans. Increasing immunity to prevent such infections will help in maintaining optimum health conditions. There are multiple products, both synthetic and natural, that are available in the market for improving the immune system. But choice of multiple immunity booster products can also cause confusion...
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