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Mediterranean Crossings Of African Migrants Almost Double

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Irregular arrivals of migrants in Italy via the Mediterranean from North Africa amounted to almost 114,300 between January and August, almost twice as many as in the same period in 2022, according to figures by Frontex.

In a statement, Frontex said increased migratory pressure on this route could persist in the coming months, with smugglers lowering prices for migrants leaving from Libya and Tunisia, in a context of fierce competition between criminal groups.

Along with Libya, Tunisia is the departure point for thousands of migrants who cross the central Mediterranean towards Europe and arrive in Italy, mainly consisting of Ivorians , Egyptians and Guineans.

The EU coast and border guard agency have noted that this very dangerous migration route has accounted for half of irregular arrivals in the EU so far this year.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 2,000 people have died or gone missing since the start of the year attempting this crossing,

The Italian government, for its part, says nearly 126,000 migrants had arrived on Italian shores since the start of the year, compared to 66,000 during the same period last year.

Located less than 150 km from the Tunisian coast, the Italian island of Lampedusa is facing an influx of migrants in recent days: it has welcomed more than 7,000 people, the equivalent of the entire local population.

In July, in the presence of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the EU signed a partnership with Tunisia in order to reduce the number of migrant arrivals from this country, providing for aid worth several hundred million euros.

But the agreement arouses controversy, due to the authoritarian drift of Tunisian power and the abuses perpetrated against sub-Saharan migrants in this country.

2 Locations In Ukraine On UNISCO List Of Historic Sites In Danger

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The U.N.’s World Heritage Committee has placed two major historical sites in Ukraine on its list of such sites that it considers to be in danger.

The iconic St. Sophia Cathedral in the capital, Kyiv, and the medieval center of the western city of Lviv, are UNESCO World Heritage Sites central to Ukraine’s culture and history.

The decision was made at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, which is being held in Saudi Arabia and which maintains UNESCO’s World Heritage List and oversees conservation of the sites.

Neither site has been directly targeted since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Lviv has largely been spared from the fighting. But Russia has unleashed waves of strikes on Kyiv and other cities, hitting residential areas and critical infrastructure with Iranian-made attack drones.

The gold-domed St. Sophia Cathedral, located in the heart of Kyiv, was built in the 11th century and designed to rival the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. The monument to Byzantine art contains the biggest collection of mosaics and frescoes from that period, and is surrounded by monastic buildings dating back to the 17th century.

The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Monastery of the Caves, is a sprawling complex of monasteries and churches some underground that were built from the 11th to the 19th century. Some of the churches are connected by a labyrinthine complex of caves spanning more than 600 meters.

Ukraine Deputy Culture Minister Anastasia Bondar, welcomed the move expressing happiness at the Country’s very rich history and culture which has been over thousands of years, and which they try to preserve for future generations.

Under the 1972 UNESCO convention, ratified by both Ukraine and Russia, signatories undertake to assist in the protection of the listed sites.

Morocco 2024: Nnadozie, Oshoala, Ajibade, 21 Others To Face Sao Tome and Principe

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Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, midfielder Rasheedat Ajibade and forward Asisat Oshoala are among 24 players invited to the Super Falcons’ camp for next week’s 2024 Women Africa Cup of Nations first round, first leg qualifying match against Sao Tome and Principe.

Also on the roster are captain Onome Ebi, defenders Oluwatosin Demehin, Michelle Alozie and Rofiat Imuran, midfielders Rasheedat Ajibade and Toni Payne, and forwards Ifeoma Onumonu, Vivian Ikechukwu and Gift Monday.

Nine-time African champions Nigeria will host the Sao Tome and Principe girls at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Friday, 22nd September, with the return leg scheduled for Tuesday, 26th September.

The winner of this fixture will be eligible to confront the winner of another first round fixture between Cape Verde and Liberia, at the second-round stage slated for the period 27th November – 5th December.

Morocco, which hosted last year’s edition of the continental showpiece, will again host next year’s spectacle.

ALL THE INVITED PLAYERS:

Goalkeepers: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC); Tochukwu Oluehi (Shualat Alsharqia FC, Saudi Arabia); Monle Oyono (Bayelsa Queens) 

Defenders: Onome Ebi (Naija Ratels); Akudo Ogbonna (Remo Stars Ladies); Comfort Folorunsho (Edo Queens); Oluwatosin Demehin (Stade de Reims, France); Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash, USA); Nicole Payne (Paris Saint Germain, France); Jumoke Alani (Edo Queens); Rofiat Imuran (Stade de Reims, France)  

Midfielders: Peace Efih (Sporting Club de Braga, Portugal); Esther Onyenezide (FC Robo Queens); Christy Ucheibe (SL Benfica, Portugal); Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid FC, Spain); Toni Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain); Regina Otu (AS Saint Etienne, France)  

Forwards: Flourish Sebastine (Bayelsa Queens); Ifeoma Onumonu (NY/NJ Gotham FC, USA); Asisat Oshoala (FC Barcelona Feminine, Spain); Vivian Ikechukwu (Besiktas JK, Turkey); Gift Monday (UDG Tenerife, Spain); Chiamaka Okuchukwu (Rivers Angels); Opeyemi Ajakaye (FC Robo Queens)   

Exploring Storseisundet Bridge, Norway  

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The Storseisundet Bridge is the longest of the eight bridges that make up the Atlanterhavsveien (The Atlantic Road), the road connection from the mainland Romsdal peninsula to the island of Averøya in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway, and this bridge sits on the border between Eide Municipality and Averøy Municipality.

The bridge is also known as the road to nowhere, and it gives motorists a frightening, luckily, only an illusion that there is nothing else, but the end of the world.

The Storseisundet Bridge is 260 metres (850 feet) long and with a maximum clearance to the sea of 23 metres (75 feet). It was officially opened on 7 July 1989, but it served as a toll road until June 1999.

The bridge is built in such a way that from a certain angle, as you approach, it looks as it is more diving board than bridge. One can only imagine the creative spirit that overcame the architect as he sat at his desk.

The dramatically shaped bridge has been featured in television adverts, and as it sits on the 8 km (5 ml) long road which was constructed in 2005, it has become hugely popular with tourists.

Photograph Of The Year: Circle Of Light Is Runner-Up In Aurora Category

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Circle of Light by Andreas Ettl, which shows the Northern Lights reflected on Skagsanden beach, Norway is runner-up in Aurora Category of the Photograph of the year Award.

This image by Andreas Ettl shows the Northern Lights reflected on Skagsanden beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway.

The mountain in the background is Hustinden, which the aurora appears to encircle.

Huge Plasma Arc Wins Astronomy Photographer Of The Year

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A photo of a huge plasma arc next to the Andromeda Galaxy has won this year’s prestigious photography prize.

A team of amateur astronomers led by Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner and Yann Sainty captured the surprising discovery.

Scientists are now investigating the newly discovered giant cloud of gas.

It could be the largest such structure in the nearby environment in the Universe.

Judge and astrophotographer László Francsics said the image was as spectacular as it was valuable.

“It not only presents Andromeda in a new way, but also raises the quality of astrophotography to a higher level,” he said.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich in London, which runs the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, also awarded two 14-year-old boys from China the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year prize.

Runwei Xu and Binyu Wang collaborated to capture this image of The Running Chicken Nebula, IC 2944, which is located in the constellation of Centaurus, 6,000 light years away from the Earth.

Embedded in the nebula’s glowing gas, the star cluster Collinder 249 is visible.

Yuri Beletsky, judge and professional astronomer, described it as a strikingly beautiful picture.

Morocco Earthquake: Teacher Who Lost All 32 Of Her Pupils Devastated

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The thoughts of one Moroccan schoolteacher immediately turned to her pupils when she felt the 6.8-magnitude earthquake strike a week ago.

Nesreen Abu ElFadel was in Marrakesh – but Adaseel, the mountain village was home to her school and pupils, was closer to the epicentre.

The Arabic- and French-language teacher returned to Adaseel where she went searching for the children.

She discovered that all 32 – ranging from six to 12 years old – had died.

“I went to the village and started asking about my kids: ‘Where is Somaya? Where is Youssef? Where is this girl? Where is that boy?’ The answer came hours later: ‘They are all dead.’

“I imagined holding my class’s attendance sheet and putting a line through one student’s name after another, until I had scratched off 32 names; they are all now dead,” she told the BBC.

They were among the almost-3,000 people killed by the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Morocco, which struck on the evening of 8 September.

The hardest-hit areas were those south of Marrakesh, where many mountain villages were completely destroyed. Adaseel was one of those places.

Ms ElFadel recalled how she heard about what happened to six-year-old Khadija.

Rescuers found the body of the child lying next to her brother Mohamed and her two sisters, Mena and Hanan. They had all been in their bed – probably asleep – during the quake, and they all went to Ms ElFadel’s school.

“Khadija was my favourite. She was very nice, smart, active and loved to sing. She used to come to my house, and I loved studying and talking to her.”

The language teacher described her students as “angels”, and respectful children who were eager to learn. Despite struggling with poverty and a crushing cost-of-living crisis, the children and their families thought of going to school as “the most important thing in the world”.

“Our last class was on Friday night, exactly five hours before the quake hit,” Ms ElFadel said.

“We were learning Morocco’s national anthem, and planned to sing it in front of the whole school on Monday morning.”

The school where Ms ElFadel worked was badly damaged by the earthquake

Despite her calm voice, Ms ElFadel has been suffering with trauma. She still cannot process what happened to her students and to her school.

“I don’t sleep; I’m still in shock,” she said.

“People consider me one of the lucky ones, but I don’t know how I can continue living my life.”

Ms ElFadel loved teaching Arabic and French to kids in a village populated by Amazigh – who mainly speak their own language, Tamazight.

“Arabic and French were very hard to learn, but the kids were very bright, and they were almost fluent in both languages,” she recalled.

She plans to continue her career in teaching, and hopes authorities will rebuild Adaseel’s school – which collapsed during the earthquake.

A total of 530 educational institutions have been damaged to varying degrees, including some of which have completely collapsed or suffered severe structural damage, according to official statements.

The Moroccan government has temporarily halted classes in the hardest-hit areas.

“Maybe one day when they rebuild the school and classes are back in session, we can commemorate those 32 kids and tell their story,” Ms ElFadel said.

Hurricane Lee Violently Rolls Toward New England, Eastern Canada

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Hurricane Lee barreled across the North Atlantic toward New England and Eastern Canada on Friday, threatening to bring drenching rains, powerful winds and a life-threatening storm surge to the region over the weekend.

Lee is expected to weaken into a strong tropical storm before making landfall in southwestern Nova Scotia as a strong tropical storm late on Saturday, the Canadian Hurricane Center said.

Even so, the storm has the potential to dump as much as 4 inches (10 cm) of rain and produce winds of up to 60 miles (97 km) an hour in some spots, prompting U.S. and Canadian officials to urge residents to prepare for possible flooding and power outages.

“Please plan ahead to stay indoors if possible on Saturday and check on your loved ones and neighbors,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement to the city’s 650,000 residents.

Some 8 million Americans in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine were under a tropical storm warning, with conditions in those states expected to deteriorate on Friday and into Saturday, the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) said.

In Canada, more than 1 million people in Nova Scotia and eastern New Brunswick were also under a tropical storm warning as the massive storm crawls northward over the open waters of the Atlantic.

Some spots, such as Cape Cod in Massachusetts and eastern Halifax County in Nova Scotia may see storm surge of up to 3 feet (91 cm), forecasters said.

As of Friday morning, the storm was about 490 miles (785 km) southeast of the Massachusetts island of Nantucket as it moved north at about 16 miles per hour. It was expected to pick up speed and weaken through the day, the weather service said.

Lee is the latest storm in what is proving to be a busy hurricane season that has featured a higher-than-average number of named storms.

Just two weeks ago, on Aug. 30, Hurricane Idalia slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coaston. As Idalia moved north, the powerful storm dumped heavy rains across Florida and southeastern Georgia, flooding numerous communities and knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses.

More Than Two-Thirds Of World’s Population Support Solar Energy

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More than two-thirds of the world’s population favours solar energy, five times more than public support for fossil fuels, a global poll has found.

The survey, conducted by Glocalities in collaboration with advocacy groups Global Citizen and The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, was based on interviews with more than 21,000 people in 21 countries between January and June.

The countries included Australia, Brazil, China, India, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey and the United States.

With 68% support, solar power was the most popular energy source, trailed by wind (54%), hydropower (35%) and nuclear (24%), with only 14% of respondents saying they favoured fossil fuels, the survey found.

The Glocalities poll reinforced other surveys showing robust support for renewables in Europe and the United States. The EU’s latest Eurobarometer from May-June found 85% of Europeans support “investing massively” in renewable energies, such as wind and solar power.

A Pew Research Center poll from early 2022, which pre-dated a global spike in energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, showed 69% of U.S. adults prioritised developing alternative energy sources such as wind and solar over expanding the production of oil, coal and natural gas, down from 79% two years earlier.

In the United States, the Glocalities poll found, solar energy was also the most favoured power source at 58%, while fossil fuel was supported by 24%, well ahead of the global average.

Fossil fuels, however, still accounted for 77% of global energy consumption in 2022, said Michael Sheldrick, Co-Founder and Chief Policy, Impact and Government Affairs Officer at Global Citizen.

Global energy demand rose 1% last year and record renewables growth did nothing to shift the dominance of fossil fuels, the most recent Statistical Review of World Energy report said.

Scientists say the world needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions by around 43% by 2030 from 2019 levels to have any hope of meeting the international Paris Agreement goal of keeping warming well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Philippines Trainee Prison Guards Tested With Families

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After spending six months away from their families, Philippine trainee prison guards are put through a bizarre resilience test.

This test, involves an opportunity to be with family members for just 10 mins after 6 months of no contact, but forbidden to interact with them in any way.

The trainees, face this test of resilience as part of a ceremony marking a six month milestone in their training.

In videos that surfaced on the internet, the trainees appear bound and in a slightly slanted position.