Fires Threaten Africa’s Rainforest. Elephants Might Help To Save It

In the far reaches of the African rainforest lives a timid creature known as the forest elephant. Camera traps sometimes catch blurs of gray passing by during the night, leaving behind broken branches and trampled grass as they tread familiar paths through the trees, a behavior passed down by those lucky enough to have survived the civil wars that consumed Central Africa and decimated its wildlife at the turn of the century. Park rangers catch sightings of them only fleetingly. Unlike their sava

Choking Kurdistan: How oil and gas burning is suffocating minorities in northern Iraq

Eight hundred metres away from one of the largest oil wells in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Ali Hassan can’t sleep - the oil flares lighting up the sky outside his window keep him bed bound. A nasty smell is spreading through Khabat, on the road to Mosul, as the flaring intensifies, and some residents are struggling to breathe. “It gets inside the houses, even when you block the windows and doors,” Hassan said.* His parents are coughing from the fumes. They were sleeping on the roof — as is com

Welcome to Total’s ‘Petro City’: Arlington, Texas

In this heavily drilled North Texas city, a UK-based investigative reporter finds echoes of TotalEnergie’s oil exploitation of Nigeria, Iraq, and Kurdistan. ARLINGTON, Texas—The 10-mile stretch of drill sites and compressor stations between the far side of Lake Arlington and Fire Station 15 is known as a “sacrifice zone” by many of those who live along this stretch of North Texas suburban sprawl. Around 400 gas wells already exist inside the City of Arlington, and another 17 are being drilled b

Gas flares could help resolve Europe’s energy crisis – instead it’s fuelling a health emergency

On the sprawling edge of Port Harcourt, a city in Nigeria’s oil-rich south, metal towers shoot jets of red and golden flame into the sky. Even at a distance from the flares the air is thick and hot to breathe saturated with toxic pollutants. Yet life persists here. Every morning, around 5am, dozens of women can be seen drying sheets of cassava under the searing heat. It is dangerous work: two locals recently died when the gas flare shot out, while others have had their skin burned off in flaring

Refugees claim gas flaring cancer link in northern Iraq

Erbil, Iraq – Shireen*, a 53-year-old Syrian refugee living at the Kawergosk Camp in Erbil, Iraq, started to have cancer symptoms in March 2020. “In the beginning, I had a lot of pain in my breast, back and arm. I ignored the pain because I thought it could be muscle spasms or an infection,” she said. The only option for her to seek treatment was the camp’s health centre, where services were limited. She could not leave the camp due to a COVID-19 lockdown, and private clinics were too expensiv

Leaked docs show young people leading fight against Iran government

The Iranian regime has 'lost control of the universities' and says 'the young are speaking a language we don't understand', according to leaked documents seen by MailOnline. The recent leak shows paramilitary guards sharing fears the Islamic Theocracy can no longer quash dissent among its educated young people — with police demanding a pay rise after three months of protests. Renewed student protests came across Iran as the authoritarian government announced its first public executions, lashin

Choking Kurdistan: How oil and gas burning is suffocating minorities in northern Iraq

Eight hundred metres away from one of the largest oil wells in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Ali Hassan can’t sleep - the oil flares lighting up the sky outside his window keep him bed bound. A nasty smell is spreading through Khabat, on the road to Mosul, as the flaring intensifies, and some residents are struggling to breathe. “It gets inside the houses, even when you block the windows and doors,” Hassan said.* His parents are coughing from the fumes. They were sleeping on the roof — as is com

How Takeoff grew up with uncle Quavo and cousin Offset before Migos

News of rapper Takeoff's death has shocked the world of hip hop, with his closest family holding him above a pool of blood after he was shot in the ‘head or neck’ in a dispute over ‘a game of dice’ this morning. His last desperate last moments came after an incredible family story where the three Migos, who grew up together in the mid 2000s, would go from dropping out of Berkmar High School to building a $26million fortune. Takeoff, born Kirshnik Khari Ball on the 18th of June 1994, never knew

King Juan Carlos I defies Spanish government to attend state funeral

Disgraced former King Juan Carlos of Spain has arrived at Buckingham Palace ahead of the Queen's state funeral amid a row over his attendance. The former monarch, 84, who currently lives in Abu Dhabi, was reportedly asked not to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II by Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchéz. But he was pictured being ushered into the Palace by Queen Sofía while clutching the hand of an official for support ahead of the 'reception of the century', where King Charles III

Swiss firm creates apocalypse-proof bunkers for world's elite

A Swiss firm is offering to build apocalypse-proof fortified bunkers underneath the residences of 'the most powerful individuals in the world'. Oppidum has unveiled its new L' Heritage 10,760 sq. ft fortified underground bunkers described as 'optimised for super-luxury everyday lifestyle, while prepared for all surface threats'. An 'Oppidum', the eponymously named underground bunker, is fully airtight and gastight and can be completely isolated from the outside atmosphere if required, such as

Tributes pour in for legendary Vietnam War photographer who died at 78

Legendary Vietnam War photographer, writer and counter-culture documenter Tim Page died Wednesday at his Australian home. He was 78 years old. The British-born, self-taught photographer died of liver cancer with friends at his bedside in his rural home at Fernmount, friends posted on social media. Ben Bohane, an Australian friend and fellow photojournalist, described Page as one of the world's great war photographers as well as a 'real humanist.' 'He always said that it was more important to

Canadian dance troupe pretends to be SHEEP for half an hour

A bizarre spectacle greeted the folk of Shawinigan, Québec over the weekend. A shepherd could be seen leading a flock of creatures with farmyard bells swinging from their neck, filling the air with the sound of baaaaa and chewing on greens when they arrived at their pen. But it wasn't a flock of sheep that had come grazing around the streets of Québec, but a Toronto-based group performing an immersive art project called 'Les Moutons'. In the performance, actors dressed as sheep are led around

Polo-playing Italian aristocrat is charged with being a Mafia hitman

An Italian aristocrat who played in the same polo club as Prince Harry has been charged with acting as a professional assassin accused of accepting a hit on another criminal. His arrest appears to have untangled a web of criminal agreements in Rome linking underworld figures who referred to each other with ecclesiastical nicknames, including 'The Pope' and 'St Peter'. Matteo Costacurta, 38, is accused of shooting another underworld figure involved in a case of extortion in Rome. He was one of

US defense contractor charged for using the IDs of dead Texas babies

A US defense contractor and his wife who lived for decades under the identities of two dead Texas children have been charged with identity theft and conspiring against the government. Walter Glenn Primrose and Gwynn Darle Morrison, both in their 60s, allegedly lived for decades under the names Bobby Edward Fort and Julie Lyn Montague - the stolen names of infants who died decades ago - according to federal court records unsealed in Honolulu. The couple face charges of aggravated identity theft

Hermit who spent 29 years alone returns to island for final 'farewell'

Japanese castaway Masafumi Nagasaki, 87, who spent 29 years on a deserted island before being forced to leave by Japan's government, returned to his paradise home on June 16 for a final goodbye. Japan's 'naked island hermit' was the only inhabitant of the Sotobanari island for almost three decades, which is only a kilometre wide and located in the Okinawa archipelago, near Taiwan. The 87-year-old is said to have been a photographer before fleeing civilization to live on the island, saying he w

The boy whose bones snap at the lightest touch

An Indian boy has broken 100 bones during his life with the locals nicknaming him the 'glass bones' child due to his rare condition. Rohit, 12, from Uttar Pradesh, India, suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta, more commonly known as 'brittle bone disease'. His case is one of the most severe so that the slightest touch can cause one of his bones to break, which has left him unable to play with other children. Rohit's condition has also stunted his growth, with the 12-year-old weighing only 15 k

How Brexit could make the flower industry wilt - even if there is a deal

The evening dash to the petrol station for a box of chocolates and a bunch of flowers on Valentine’s Day could become more of a headache after Brexit - even if Theresa May secures a deal. The Dutch flower industry, which provides up to 80 per cent of the UK's stocks, fears it will be hit with “catastrophic delays” at ports and an avalanche of red tape after Brexit, leading to price hikes and a shorter supply of bouquets. Business chiefs, both in the Netherlands and the UK, are now urging the P

Dutch police return to pavement-pounding in fight against terrorism

*Provided research and data support included in article The market square roars with activity as Bart Leget, a 54-year-old Dutch police officer, strides from stall to stall. He is all smiles, grasping the hands of passersby and shaking them vigorously. Elderly men pause on their mobility scooters to exchange warm words and light banter. On his belt, the stocky, bearded policeman wears a 9mm pistol, handcuffs and a can of pepper spray. “We tell them, here is our hand, we can help you. And if they don’t want the hand, they get the fist,” he says. O

Britain’s best places to see: Castles – Museum Crush

One of many castles wrecked after the English Civil War, during which the Royalist town of Newark was sieged three times by Parliamentarian forces, this picturesque Norman ruin was established by Bishop Alexander of Lincoln around 1135. It was restored – or rather saved from total destitution – in the 1840s by renowned Victorian castle restorer Antony Salvin. Apart from its role in the English Civil Wars, Newark Castle is famous for being the place where King John died from dysentery in 1216, j

Turning down a job in Dubai to follow his passion for journalism

At the start of the course, when I had yet to find my first story or walk into court for the first time, I was still split between taking a Journalism career path and moving to Dubai for a teaching position. I had already accepted the teaching job, but planned to write part-time while working abroad. Sixteen weeks later I had turned down the Dubai job and had already lined-up journalism interviews in London. Now, I have a substantial portfolio of hard news and features, as well as 100wpm in s
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