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WORLD NEWS Saturday 18 January 2020

In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, a Samburu man
who works for a county disaster team identifying the location of
the locusts, holds one on his hand near the village of Sissia, in
Samburu county, Kenya.
Associated Press
Locust outbreak,

most serious in 25 Striking employees hold banners outside the Louvre museum Friday, Jan. 17, 2020 in Paris.

years, hits East Africa Associated Press
Protests close Louvre museum

By ELIAS MESERET and break is making the region's in Paris amid pension strikes
da could be next. The out-
CARA ANNA
Associated Press bad food security situation
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia worse, the United Nations' Associated Press strikers. "I think it's fine if they In a more playful bid for at-
(AP) — The most serious Food and Agriculture Or- PARIS (AP) — Dozens of want to protest but they tention, dozens of lawyers
outbreak of locusts in 25 ganization has warned. protesters blocked the en- shouldn't block the plans of opposing the president's
years is spreading across Hundreds of thousands of trance to the Louvre muse- the people who have flown proposed pension reforms
East Africa and posing an acres of crops have been um and forced the famous over here to see an exhibi- put on a dance show in
unprecedented threat to destroyed. Paris landmark to close Fri- tion of Leonardo," said Ben Versailles wearing their
food security in some of Already millions of people day while they denounced Garrett of Dallas, Texas. black robes.
the world's most vulnerable cope with the constant the French government's Gerhard Jehle of Germa- The weeks of strikes and
countries, authorities say. risk of drought or flooding, plans to overhaul the pen- ny, who had bought his protests have hobbled
Unusual climate conditions as well as deadly unrest in sion system. ticket in advance, shared public transportation and
are partly to blame. Ethiopia, extremist attacks The protesters, who includ- that view, and said he was disrupted schools, hospi-
The locust swarms hang like in Somalia and lingering ed some Louvre employ- "badly informed about the tals, courthouses and even
shimmering dark clouds on fighting in South Sudan as it ees, staged the demonstra- extent of the strike." opera houses and the Eiffel
the horizon in some places. emerges from civil war. tion against President Em- "I don't understand how this tower.
Roughly the length of a fin- The further increase in lo- manuel Macron's proposals happens," Jehle said. "Pub- Major French retailers Fnac
ger, the insects fly together cust swarms could last until after several hard-left trade lic transport doesn't func- Darty and Casino said
by the millions and are de- June as favorable breed- unions appealed for pub- tion. The unions have to that business in France has
vouring crops and forc- ing conditions continue, lic actions to oppose that be controlled with an iron been badly affected by
ing people in some areas IGAD said, helped along they said would "lower ev- hand." the strikes, especially dur-
to bodily wade through by unusually heavy flood- eryone's pensions." Argentinian Marcelo Cam- ing the holiday season.
them. Near the Kenyan ing in parts of the region in The museum's Leonardo da pano, who also had a Fnac Darty said the strikes
town of Isiolo on Thursday, recent weeks. Vinci exhibit marking the ticket, said that he under- cost it around 70 million eu-
one young camel herder Major locust outbreaks can 500th anniversary of the stands workers' bid to con- ros ($78 million) in lost rev-
swung a stick at them, with be devastating. A major Italian master's death was front a government they enue.
little effect. Others tried to one between 2003 and included in the closure. perceive as "neoliberal ... Casino cut its forecast for
shout them away. 2005 cost more than $500 Some protesters chanted, So we'll show our solidarity earnings growth in France,
An "extremely dangerous million to control across 20 "Mona Lisa in on strike, and come back another where it does more than
increase" in locust swarm countries in northern Af- Leonardo is on strike." day." half its business, to 5% in
activity has been reported rica, the FAO has said, with It is the first time since rail- The action at the Louvre 2019, from a previous 10%.
in Kenya, the East African more than $2.5 billion in way strikes and protests was one of several signs of The company estimates
regional body reported this harvest losses. against the pension over- mounting tensions among that the strikes in Decem-
week. One swarm mea- To help prevent and con- haul began on Dec. 5 that strikers. ber cost it about 80 million
sured 60 kilometers (37 trol outbreaks, authorities the Louvre and its Leon- Several dozen people on euros in lost revenue.
miles) long by 40 kilome- analyze satellite images, ardo exhibit were fully shut Friday invaded the head- Shares in both companies
ters (25 miles) wide in the stockpile pesticides and down. About 30,000 peo- quarters of the CFDT union, were down by more than
country's northeast, the In- conduct aerial spraying. In ple visit the museum every which is favorable to a 5%.
tergovernmental Authority Ethiopia, officials said they day. point-system Macron wants The prime minister's office
on Development said in a have deployed four small Some videos on social me- to put in place to deter- said earlier this week that
statement. The outbreak of planes to help fight the in- dia showed angry visitors mine retirement benefits. the SNCF train authority
desert locusts, considered vasion. But one approach booing at museum protest- The invaders were seen on and the RATP, which runs
the most dangerous locust backfired in Kenya in re- ers to express their disap- video singing and mocking public transport, had lost
species, also has affected cent days when the agri- pointment. the union's leader. Macron over a billion euros since
parts of Somalia, Ethiopia, culture minister asked peo- Some of those shut out of condemned the action as the start of the strike. Trains
Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea ple to post photos on social the Louvre were upset, violent, unacceptable and have suffered most, so
and IGAD warns that parts media of suspected lo- while a few interviewed ex- "shameful for our democ- far losing some 850 million
of South Sudan and Ugan- custs, or "nzige" in Swahili.q pressed solidarity with the racy." euros.q