This report is based on a survey of 1,400 people affected by conflict and displacement in eight countries, and more detailed surveys and needs assessment in a total of 14 countries. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) research found that these communities have suffered widespread loss of income since the pandemic …
More than 2,100 pregnant Colombian women are infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, the country’s national health institute said on Saturday, as the disease continues its spread across the Americas. The virus has been linked to the devastating birth defect microcephaly, which prevents fetus’ brains from developing properly. There is …
As fears increase over the 'explosive' spread of the Zika virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned there could be potential for it to grow further due to the impacts from El Nino. The WHO could be set to declare Zika a global emergency after the virus has been …
Venezuelan frogs and toads are in critical danger due to climate change as rising temperatures complicate reproduction and spread a deadly fungus, say scientists, who liken the species to canaries in a coalmine warning of imminent danger. Scientists studying global warming have warned that rising temperatures make many species worldwide …
French diplomacy is fighting 23 years of entrenched positions in international climate talks as backroom negotiations continue with the aim of pushing through a draft agreement by Wednesday. In public, negotiators in Paris were staking out their positions on Tuesday, with the EU and 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries …
Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela were shaken by a 5.2-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday evening, according to the United States Geological Survey. The quake was focused at an epicentre around 34 kilometres north-northeast of Irapa in Venezuela and about 105 kilometres west-northwest of Port of Spain in Trinidad. The quake, which …
Colombia's armed forces have arrested 59 people in a major crackdown on illegal mining in the Amazon. Defence Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said they had dismantled an illegal financing network used by the Farc guerrilla group. He said 63 sites near the border with Brazil and Venezuela - where gold, …
Venezuela says it will cut the working day for public sector workers to five-and-a-half hours to conserve energy, down from eight to nine hours. The initiative is part of a nationwide electricity rationing plan. Vice-President Jorge Arreaza said there had been a surge in energy demand due to extremely hot …
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 rocked Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday night but there were no immediate reports of damages or injuries. The United States Geological Survey said the quake was also felt in Venezuela and as far north as St George’s …
NOVO PROGRESSO, Brazil — This Sept 15, 2009 file photo shows damage done to the Amazon rainforest in a deforested area near Novo Progresso in Brazil’s northern state of Para. (PHOTO: AP) PARIS, France (AFP) — Gold mining has gobbled up some 1,680 square kilometres (650 square miles) of tropical …
Global demand for gold is putting some of the most remote and pristine tropical forests at risk, scientists warn. Some 1,680 sq km of rainforest in South America was lost to gold mining from 2001 to 2013, a study shows. University of Puerto Rico researchers say gold mining has become …
A global “gold rush” has led to a significant increase of deforestation in the tropical forests of South America. This is according to new research publish today, 14 January, in IOP Publishing’s journal Environmental Research Letters, which has highlighted the growing environmental impact of gold mining in some of the …
Recently published prevalence estimates of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in five Latin American countries—Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela—could suggest a new direction for United States foreign policy in the region. (Editorial)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered the creation of a fingerprinting system in stores that sell food to limit smuggling of subsidized staple products to neighbouring countries. The system, announced late on Wednesday, is meant to ease chronic shortages of consumer products ranging from cooking oil to toilet paper by preventing …
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) has signed an agreement with Venezuela for in-orbit delivery of a second remote sensing satellite for the country, the company said on Tuesday. CASC subsidiary Great Wall Industry Corporation will be the major contractor of the project, the corporation said. But the …
Shortages of shampoo and cooking oil are bad enough for residents of this teeming capital, but what they miss most now is water. A drought—and what President Nicolás Maduro's critics say is bad planning—has prompted the government to ration water across this capital. Nowhere has the shortage been as bad …
Nations have passed almost 500 laws to tackle climate change, with emerging economies led by Mexico and China making the most progress last year, a study by Globe International found. A total of 62 out of the 66 countries examined have passed or are working on “significant” climate or energy-related …
Four years of scientific expeditions have found previously unknown animals and plants in world's largest tropical rainforest A purring monkey, a vegetarian piranha and a flame-patterned lizard are among more than 400 new species of animals and plants that have been discovered in the past four years in the Amazon …
But level of hunger remains at ‘alarming levels’, says report India has improved its ranking from 65 to 63 in the Global Hunger Index, making a marginal improvement since 2012, but continues to languish far behind other emerging economies. The score for the country improved slightly from 22.9 in 2012 …
In the Grant Thornton Global Dynamism Index (GDI), they define dynamism as the changes to the economy which have enabled recovery from the 2008-09 economic recession and are likely to lead to a fast rate of future growth. The model was developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), who analysed …
Angry With A Critical Issue Like Equity Being Junked Abruptly Doha: The second week of the UN climate negotiations began with fireworks, led by a unanimous and angry G77 warning of collapse of talks because a critical issue like equity was abruptly junked on Monday morning. At the Doha talks …
