Critical shark and ray habitats in Western Indian Ocean largely unprotected: Study
Almost half of the Western Indian Ocean’s shark and ray populations are considered threatened with extinction, as populations decline.
The Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) project has mapped out 125 areas across the Western Indian Ocean that are critical for the survival of many species.
Yet only 7.1% of these ISRAs fall within existing marine protected areas, and just 1.2% are in fully protected areas where fishing is prohibited.
Researchers identified challenges related to fishing pressure as the most significant threat to sharks and rays in the region.
Ethiopia’s Renaissance mega-dam fuels energy hopes and regional anxiety
By Elodie Toto This January, U.S. President Donald Trump offered to act as a mediator between Egypt and Ethiopia over Nile River waters, signaling renewed interest in the dispute. Ethiopia’s flagship project, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), launched in 2011, has been a source of prolonged friction among Nile Basin countries. The row intensified with the dam’s official
World Bank urges fiscal reforms, climate action as aid declines in South Sudan
The World Bank on Thursday urged South Sudan to reform its public finances, improve transparency and invest in climate resilience, warning that declining foreign aid and worsening climate shocks threaten development in the world’s youngest nation. Speaking at the launch of two World Bank reports at the University of Juba, the Bank’s South Sudan country
By:Ashley Murray WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic proposal Thursday to sue the Trump administration over allegations that it did not fully release the Epstein files, as mandated under a law unanimously approved by senators and signed by the president nearly three months ago. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., asked for unanimous consent
