Radioactive rhinos
Rosatom, the prime contractor and spearhead of the Russian nuclear industry, has found a new way to extend its influence on the African continent in the fight against poaching.
The leaded Notre-Dame’s square
Notre-Dame de Paris
Press release no. 16
On Friday 14 May 2021, the Agence Régionale de Santé (Regional Health Agency) issued a press release stating that an increase in lead levels in the forecourt of Notre-Dame de Paris had been detected since 26 April. After a clumsy ‘wash down’, which did not specify whether the water was collected or poured into the gutters and the Seine, the levels continued to rise, reaching a very high peak of 34,609 µg/m2 in the centre of the forecourt (ARS press release).
All at sea
The Christos XXIV was towing the Russian oil tanker Varzuga from Murmansk (Russia) to a Turkish shipbreaking yard. On Monday, May 3, 2021, at around 22:00, the tow rope broke and the Christos XXIV lost control of the Varzuga north-west of Cherbourg.
The Christos XXIV / Varzuga convoy left Murmansk on April 17, 2021. It was expected to arrive in Aliaga on May 26 after a 9,000 km journey through the Arctic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Bay of Biscay, off Spain and Portugal and the Mediterranean Sea. In Murmansk, just before departure, 7 deficiencies were reported on board the tug by the marine safety inspectors concerning the safety of navigation, the life saving appliances, the radio communications and the pollution prevention.
Killings in the Arly National Park in Burkina Faso
Rory Young, co-founder and CEO of Chengeta Wildlife, David Beriáin and Roberto Fraile, Spanish reporters, were murdered on 26 April 2021 in Arly National Park in Burkina Faso while participating in an anti-poaching patrol with soldiers and rangers. One Burkinabé is still missing. The Arly park is home to elephants, lions and leopards. In 2015, Robin des Bois praised the work of Rory Young in its bulletin “On the Trail” dedicated to poaching and smuggling.
Extract from “On the Trail” n°9 p.75 :
Arrest of 81 suspected poachers. Malawi. May 2015.
Rory Young is a specialist of the anti-poaching battle. He joined the French Foreign Legion when still very young and later becomes a forest ranger in Zimbabwe after 5 years of training. Yet he’s no warmonger. On mission in Malawi, he helps the wildlife agents use to their furthest extent the meager logistical resources at their disposal. 33 poachers have been arrested in 15 days during the month of April around Livonde by 30 rangers who have nothing more than a car and a half and an old boat. A true success compared to the 28 arrests made in all of April in Kruger Park watched over by thousands of guards, drones, helicopters and to some extent by thousands of tourists.
