World’s oldest climate fund targets wildlife bonds for every country in Africa

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By Duncan Miriri Reuters The world’s oldest multilateral climate fund, the Global Environment Facility, is planning a new wave of wildlife conservation bonds in a bid to help African countries save endangered species and ecosystems. Wildlife bonds, which provide low cost funding in return for cutting poaching or other measures, were pioneered in 2022 with a World Bank-backed rhino bond and have seen a number of other examples since. There was an issue targeting chimpanzee protection in Rwanda last year, and last month the GEF approved one for lemur conservation in Madagascar. Fred Boltz, head of programming at GEF, which is linked to the World Bank, told Reuters on the sidelines of a meeting of African environment ministers that it aims to do one for every one of the 54 countries in Africa. He said such a move would require an investment of $150 million from GEF, which would then be leveraged 10 times to provide a total of $1.5 billion for conservation efforts t...
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Dozens killed as massive fire rips through multistory commercial building in eastern Iraq

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A massive fire in a hypermarket in al-Kut city in eastern Iraq has left at least 60 people dead and 11 others missing, the city’s health authorities and two police sources told Reuters on Thursday.

Videos circulating on social media showed flames engulfing a five-storey building in al-Kut overnight as firefighters tried to contain the blaze.

Reuters could not independently verify the videos.

“We have compiled a list of 59 victims whose identities have been confirmed, but one body was so badly burned that it has been extremely difficult to identify,” a city health official told Reuters.

“We have more bodies that have not been recovered still under fire debris,” city official Ali al-Mayahi told Reuters.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but the province’s governor said initial results from an investigation would be announced within 48 hours, the state news agency (INA)reported.

“We have filed lawsuits against the owner of the building and the mall,” INA quoted the governor as saying.

SOURCE: AGENCIES, AP, AFP, REUTERS



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/vYDJR90

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