Climate change funding talks stuck ahead of COP29 summit. With just five months to go before this year’s U.N. climate summit, countries cannot agree on the size of a global funding bill to help the developing world fight climate change – let alone how to split it. The decision is set to dominate the COP29 climate...
Africa’s Nile River Suffocating With Waste. Juba, South Sudan — The Nile River is the second-longest river in the world. It provides crucial resources to 11 countries, including South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation. As dawn breaks each day over the Nile, its waters carry a silent plea at the center of a 21st century...
Chinese scientists say further research on potential harm to reproduction from contamination is ‘imperative’. Microplastic pollution has been found in all human semen samples tested in a study, and researchers say further research on the potential harm to reproduction is “imperative”. Sperm counts in men have been falling for decades and 40% of low counts remain unexplained,...
Human activity from construction along the coast between Torremolinos and Málaga laid the groundwork for this erosion to occur. Construction and climate change are eating away at one stretch of the Spanish coast at an alarming rate. Between 2016 and 2022, the Arraijanal-San Julián coast between Torremolinos and Málaga receded up to 45 metres. The...
Forthe past year reporters from The Times, The Sunday Times and News Corp Australia have been unlocking the secrets of the global cocaine industry for a new podcast, Cocaine Inc. This is the inside story of the British beauticians recruited as cash mules by a criminal mastermind. In Dubai’s gold souk two British drug dealers...
The Bulgarian businesswoman and other founders of the cryptocurrency that turned out to be yet another pyramid scheme were even able to complete luxury real estate transactions after the scandal had already broken. The reign of the “cryptoqueen” was short-lived, but it was, however, very lucrative. In 2014, Bulgarian businesswoman Ruja Ignatova launched OneCoin, a...
European parliamentarians are questioning whether the United Arab Emirates should have been taken off the “gray list” of countries at risk of money laundering and terrorist financing, following revelations that Dubai property owners include a host of dubious characters like drug lords and sanctioned businessmen. In mid-May, OCCRP and more than 70 international media outlets...
The UAE has been accused of being a leading recipient of tens of billions of dollars worth of gold smuggled out of Africa every year, reflecting growing concern over the illicit trade in the region’s precious metals. In a comprehensive study, Swissaid estimated that about 435 tonnes of gold worth about $31bn were exported undeclared...
Cabo Verde, an archipelago of ten islands, nine of which are inhabited, is a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) in West Africa. It is increasingly bearing the brunt of the effects of climate change. In 2018, a severe drought hit the country where approximately one-quarter of the population relies on agriculture for their main income....
The relationship between climate and malaria transmission is complex and has been the subject of intense study for some three decades. Mosquito vector populations sufficient to maintain malaria transmission occur within a particular range of temperatures and humidity that are suitable for their survival and breeding. The parasite also needs suitable temperatures to complete its mosquito life stages. And...