Government of Christopher Luxon has made sweeping cuts to climate projects in its first budget, with no new significant environmental investments

As voters across India cast their ballots in the general election on issues ranging from the cost of living to jobs and religion, the residents of a tiny, ecologically sensitive island have only one concern: Survival. As voters across India cast their ballots in the general election on issues ranging from the cost of living to jobs and religion, the residents of a tiny, ecologically sensitive island have only one concern: Survival.

The residents of Ghoramara in the Sundarbans delta on the Bay of Bengal are fighting to save their homes from disappearing into the sea in the face of rising sea levels and increasingly fierce storms, putting climate change front and centre for politicians trying to win their vote.

Home to more than 4.5 million people, the Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world and regarded as a climate change hotspot as the planet gets warmer. The region is shared by India and Bangladesh.

“For us, the protection of the island is the main issue in this election,” said Bimal Patra, 60, one of just over 3,700 registered voters in Ghoramara, an island in the delta.

India is holding a massive general election over seven weeks. The people of Ghoramara go to the polls on Saturday, the final day of voting, as part of the Mathurapur constituency.

The plight of the island’s inhabitants highlights the broader concerns about the impact of climate change on the environment and the urgency for solutions.

The African National Congress appeared on course to lose the parliamentary majority it has held for 30 years, partial results from South Africa's national election showed, in what would be the most dramatic political shift since the end of apartheid.

If the final results confirm the loss of its majority, the ANC will be forced to make a deal with one or more other parties to govern - a situation that could lead to unprecedented political volatility in the coming weeks or months.

"There will be checks and balances on the ANC power, but the ultimate risk is that the infighting could make governance ineffective," said Simon Harvey, head of foreign exchange analysis at Monex Europe.

With results in from 16.7% of polling stations, the ANC's share of the vote in Wednesday's election stood at 42.5%, with the pro-business Democratic Alliance (DA) on 25.8%, data from the electoral commission showed on Thursday.

The Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party was on 8.5%, while uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a new party led by former president Jacob Zuma, was snapping at its heels on 8%.

"I don't think it's likely for the ANC to reach a majority," said pollster Reza Omar of Citizen Surveys, noting that while the picture would evolve, it was unlikely to change to that extent.

South African broadcaster eNCA projected that the ANC's final score would land on the 45% mark while the DA would remain the largest opposition party on 21%.

"The ANC looks forward to a clear mandate from voters to continue the work of transforming South Africa and building a better life for all," the party said in a statement.

Tessa Dooms, director of the Rivonia Circle think-tank in Johannesburg, said the early results were skewed towards rural areas where she would have expected the ANC to be performing more strongly than it was.

"The rural vote comes in early and it's always much smaller. The urban vote comes in quite late. I think this election will be a lot more contested in the urban areas," she told Reuters at the results centre in Midrand, north of Johannesburg.

Under South Africa's constitution, the newly elected National Assembly will elect the next president. With the ANC still on course to be the largest party, that is likely to be its leader Cyril Ramaphosa, the incumbent.

However, a poor showing could make him vulnerable to a leadership challenge from within party ranks, whether in the immediate future or at some point during his term.

With South Africa entering uncharted political territory, Harvey said the speed at which a coalition could be formed would be an indication of what was to come.

Caretaker medical health minister Pia Dijkstra is planning to experiment with compensating women who have undergone female genital mutilation for the cost of operations if they suffer sexual or psychological complications.

Operations to help women with physical problems after undergoing FGM are currently covered by health insurance, but they are not paid if the woman is only suffering sexual or psychological complaints.

Dijkstra said in answer to MPs questions that money should not be an obstacle to women undergoing a reconstruction procedure, and wants to introduce a trial for one year...

In the East African nation, femicide is often documented as normal death, making it difficult to separate these cases from general murder statistics.

On May 25, 2024, African leaders and other stakeholders met in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for the 20th anniversary of the African Union Peace and Security Council, chaired by President Samia Suluhu Hassan for May 2024. Among the issues that were widely discussed in the ceremony included the ongoing conflicts, resurgence of unconstitutional change of government, and terrorism.

During the opening ceremony, President Samia highlighted the evolving nature of conflicts in Africa and the resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government and terrorism as persistent challenges.

President Samia urged leaders to reflect on addressing the root causes of issues. She emphasized the importance of improving prevention capabilities, effectively using available instruments and strengthening relationships to resolve challenges.

The sentiment was echoed by a panel of African elders, including former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, former Nigerian President Oluṣẹgun Ọbasanjọ, and Domitien Ndayizeye the former president of Burundi.

African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana) are the world's largest living land-based animals, reaching a height between 10 and 13 feet (roughly 3 to 4 meters) and weighing between 4 to 7 tons. One in particular, Doma, is the most dominant male in his group. Yet he seems to have developed this superiority as much through charisma and kindness as from sheer girth. All the other elephants in his herd run to him at the first sign of trouble; during calmer times, they willingly present him with their rumps in a seeming sign of submission...

Via @jeffw

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville spent a month with revolutionary forces at jungle bases and on front lines in Myanmar....Two loudspeakers, as big as the men carrying them, are brought to the rocky hilltop. Some 800m below, in the town of Hpasang, lies a sprawling Myanmar army base.

It’s a blisteringly hot day - above 40C - and behind, on bamboo poles, more young resistance fighters carry a large, heavy battery pack and amplifier. Leading the ascent is Nay Myo Zin, a former army captain who, after 12 years in the military, defected to the resistance.

With his dark green camouflage jacket draped over one shoulder, he has the air of a performer about to take the stage. He is here to urge the soldiers in the base below, who are loyal to the country’s ruling military, to switch sides.

Via @Alyaza

Heavy rains triggered flash floods and caused torrents of cold lava and mud to flow down a volcano’s slopes on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, killing at least 41 people and leaving more than a dozen others missing, officials have said. Monsoon rains and a major mudslide from a cold lava flow on Mount Marapi caused a river to breach its banks and tear through mountainside villages in four districts in West Sumatra province just before midnight on Saturday. The floods swept away people and submerged more than 100 houses and buildings, national disaster management agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said on Sunday.

Cold lava, also known as lahar, is a mixture of volcanic material and pebbles that flow down a volcano’s slopes in the rain.

As of Monday morning 41 people had been killed in the flooding and another 17 were missing, according to Ilham Wahab, a West Sumatra disaster mitigation agency official.

Three were missing in Agam district and 14 in Tanah Datar, both the worst-hit areas of the flood and home to hundreds of thousands of people, Ilham said.

About half of the dead were found in the village of Canduang in Agam on Sunday, while nine were found in Tanah Datar and eight were found in the region of Padang Pariaman.

The Prime Minister has been heavily criticised after documents from his government criticising Australia and New Zealand against China were leaked to media. The leaked document from Tonga’s Foreign Affairs Ministry shows that kingdom’s officials sharply criticised Australia and New Zealand’s response to the security pact signed by China and Solomon Islands, while declaring that Pacific diplomacy from Western nations was “failing”.

“The views expressed by ANZ [Australia and New Zealand] on the situation in the Solomon Islands are that only they (or the Pacific) can decide which countries Pacific states should align themselves with,” the document says.

“This clearly shows they remain far removed from Pacific realities and only echoes the condescending rhetoric that we, unfortunately, see too often from ANZ leadership.”

The document acknowledges China’s “growing clout” in the region and says many Pacific island states are facing “threats to strategic independence as a result of growing indebtedness to Beijing”.

But it says that in the end, Solomon Islands is a “sovereign nation and has the right to make decisions about its own security”.

“Tonga should continue to promote that fact including the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states,” it reads.

Graduates carrying Palestinian flags left the stadium as the comic was being introduced. Duke University’s commencement saw a minor disruption when students protesting the war in Gaza walked out before Jerry Seinfeld spoke.

Video from Sunday’s event in Durham, North Carolina, showed about 30 students in cap and gown get up and leave their graduation ceremony as Seinfeld was introduced by Duke President Vincent Price.

Chants of “Free, free Palestine” could be heard as students carried the state’s green, red and black flag out of the football stadium.

In footage shared on social media, the audience could be heard booing, though it was unclear if the shouts were directed at Seinfeld or the protestors, which appeared to be a sliver of the 7,000 graduates in attendance.

Also audible were chants and jeers of “Jerry,” a reaction which sounded split between support and mockery of the sitcom star.

Seinfeld, who also received an honorary doctorate degree from the school on Sunday, has been a staunch supporter of Israel amid its response to the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas.

He’s posted on social media in solidarity with Israel several times since last fall’s incursion, and in December, the “Bee Movie” voice traveled to Tel Aviv to meet with the families of hostages captured by Hamas.

Belize, Jamaica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are the latest countries in the Americas to receive certification from the World Health Organization (WHO) for eliminating the mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis (EMTCT). The milestone was marked today at a commemorative event organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Kingston, Jamaica, with support from UNICEF and UNAIDS and with the participation of health ministers from the three countries.

“This achievement is a testament to years of dedication, hard work, and collaboration among governments, health professionals, and communities”, PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa said at the event. Dr. Barbosa also acknowledged the “remarkable resilience” displayed by the three countries, ensuring the adaptation and continuation of essential services despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. “I trust that the celebration today will inspire other countries to reinvigorate their commitments” towards a generation free of HIV and congenital syphilis.

In 2010, countries of the Americas committed to the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis and endorsed the regional strategy, which was updated in 2016 under the PAHO Plan of Action for the Prevention and Control of HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections.

To meet elimination targets, countries focused on strengthening prevention and treatment services within primary health care and in maternal and child health, updating guidelines, ensuring the effective screening of pregnant women, monitoring cases and following-up with HIV and syphilis exposed infants.

The Republic of Congo has granted more than 22,000 hectares of agricultural land to Rwanda for a period of 25 years. An agreement that is starting to face increasing criticism from Congolese citizens. Dave Mafoula, an unsuccessful candidate in the 2021 presidential election, calls on his fellow citizens not to accept "things that are done outside the law."

According to the account of Loïcia Martial, RFI correspondent in Brazzaville, this official from the party Les Souverainistes asserts that more than 11,000 hectares of these granted lands have been sold for a symbolic franc. He considers the land concession agreements “vague” and sees them as a violation of Congo's sovereignty. Dave Mafoula promises to approach the Prime Minister to request “the withdrawal or cancellation of these texts or decrees (regarding the land grants) that are illegal.”

In a program broadcasted in Rwanda, Rwandans commented on this acquisition of land in Congo-Brazzaville by expressing satisfaction at having acquired lands “larger than Kigali,” their capital in Rwanda. This show annoys some Congolese who see it as a loss of sovereignty over their land. “When Rwandans say that what has been given to them represents six times the size of the city of Kigali, you understand that such things cannot happen. We want things to be done according to law and in respect of the law. If there are things done outside the law, the Congolese are called upon not to accept them,” stated Dave Mafoula.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Thursday that ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity are occurring in El Geneina, Sudan. The events are labeled as “among the worst atrocities against civilians so far in the current conflict in Sudan.”

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are responsible for the attacks committed against the Massalit ethnic minority. This series of attacks commenced in April 2023, with the start of the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces, the RSF and other militias. In this period, it is estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 people were killed in El Geneina. Here, attacks were held against the Massalit minority as part of a widespread ethnic cleansing campaign.

According to the report, the Massalit and other non-Arab civilians are being forced out of El Geneina, as displaced residents are seen in Chad, Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan. HRW referred to the situation as a case of crimes against humanity and even a possible indication of genocide. The cases of murder, torture, persecution, and forcible transfer of the civilian population could amount to crimes against humanity as defined in Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Puddles' incredibly atmospheric 2022 cover of Black Sabbath's iconic 1970 song War Pigs manages to make the song his own while preserving its greatness.

If we're being completely honest, Black Sabbath's 1970 classic War Pigs isn't the cheeriest of Geezer Butler lyrics, what with all that talk of war machines and burning bodies and Satan spreading his wings and stuff. But if you ever wanted proof of man's ability to take a sad song and make it sadder, look no further than Mike Geier, a.k.a. giant unhappy clown Puddles Pity Party, who's just released a cover version of the song that plumbs almost unparalleled depths of despair. - Frazer Lewry at Louder Sound](https://www.loudersound.com/news/watch-a-giant-sad-clown-bring-new-depths-of-emotion-to-black-sabbaths-war-pigs)

Lyrics:

Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerer of death's construction
In the fields, the bodies burnin'
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds

Oh, Lord, yeah

Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor
Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait till their judgment day comes, yeah

Now, in darkness, world stops turning
Ashes where the bodies burning
No more war pigs have the power
Hand of God has struck the hour
Day of Judgment, God is calling
On their knees, the war pigs crawling
Begging mercy for their sins
Satan, laughing, spreads his wings

People living in Nairobi’s Mathare slum fear that if catastrophic flooding does not bring down their homes, the government will. Jane Kalekye trudges through the narrow muddy alley to her tin-roof house in Mathare, one of Kenya’s largest slums. Ever since the devastating floods that forced her out of her home last month, she and other residents who live by the rubbish-choked Mathare River, which runs through their area of Nairobi, have begun an anxious countdown.

It is only a matter of time before their homes are brought down, they say, either by another bout of flooding, or by the government’s ongoing demolition of houses along riverbanks prone to flooding.

“Nyumba bado iko?” (“The house is still here?” in Swahili), the 37-year-old secondhand clothes seller asks her neighbour, who gives her a solemn nod back: “Iko” (“It’s still here”).

“These days it’s a pattern – it rains almost every night, and when it rains the house floods, maybe not as much as the first time, but enough to leave us without a home,” says Kalekye, who is staying at a temporary shelter in a school with her three children.

Since the wet season began in March, Kenya has seen some of its most catastrophic weather for years. Torrential rains have caused devastating floods, at least 228 people have died, thousands have been displaced and nearly 2,000 schools have been affected. All remaining schools have been shut indefinitely by the government.

Kalekye and her family are among at least 23,000 households displaced over the past two weeks. Kenya’s interior ministry and humanitarian organisations say that calls for rescue have been unprecedented.

The bodies of nine migrants found on an African boat off the northern coast of Brazil’s Amazon region were buried Thursday with a solemn ceremony in the Para state capital of Belem. Fishermen off the coast of Para found the boat adrift April 13, carrying the bodies that were already decomposing. Brazilian officials later said documents found in the vessel indicated that the victims were migrants from Mali and Mauritania and that the boat had departed the latter country after Jan. 17.

Brazil’s federal police said later that the bodies were of adults or teenagers whose exact age could not be determined. Agents found two documents — an identity card from Mauritania and a register of entry in Mauritania that belonged to someone from Mali.

The deceased were buried in a secular ceremony organized by a number of groups involved in their recovery, such as the U.N. Refugee Agency, the Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration, as well as Brazilian police, navy and civil defense agencies.

A tropical rain fell as their coffins were lowered into graves dug into the earth and those present watched in respectful silence.

People were told to move to Muwasi, an Israeli-declared humanitarian area near the coast. The announcement signals that a ground invasion is imminent.

Residents of Mende Estate Villa in the Maryland area of Lagos State have decried the recent demolition of their multimillion naira houses in the area by the Lagos State Government while seeking compensation for a new shelter.

Our correspondent, who visited the area on Sunday, observed how the estate’s homes were destroyed and how the occupants hastily packed their possessions to leave.

Speaking with PUNCH Metro, some residents bemoaned how terrible it was to exit their houses without having a backup plan and a comfortable place to sleep.

PUNCH Metro had reported that the state Commissioner of Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, had said the demolition was needed to reclaim the Odo Iya Laro drainage channel.

Also, a popular Nigerian singer, Yemi Alade, had decried the demolition carried out at the estate while stating that such action would discourage those interested in investing in real estate in the state.

A member of the resident association who pleaded anonymity claimed that the residents tried to negotiate with the Lagos State Government but were ignored and that they were not given any prior notice before the demolition began on Saturday.

Panamanians are voting in a general election which has been overshadowed by the disqualification of the man who was leading in the polls. Ex-President Ricardo Martinelli was the favourite to win until he was banned from running after being found guilty of money laundering.

His replacement on the ballot, José Raúl Mulino, is leading in the polls.

Whoever wins most of the votes in this round will be declared president and sworn in on 1 July.

There are a total of eight candidates competing for the presidency, and voters will also choose members of Panama's national assembly.

As presidents cannot serve two consecutive terms, the incumbent, Laurentino "Nito" Cortizo, will not stand for re-election.