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A28    WORLD NEWS
                   Saturday 8 auguSt 2020
            Mauritius declares emergency as stranded ship spills fuel




            By CARA ANNA                                                                                                        aground  July  25  and  the
            JOHANNESBURG  (AP)  —                                                                                               National  Coast  Guard  re-
            The Indian Ocean island of                                                                                          ceived no distress call. The
            Mauritius declared a "state                                                                                         ship's owners were listed as
            of  environmental  emer-                                                                                            the  Japanese  companies
            gency"  late  Friday  after  a                                                                                      Okiyo  Maritime  Corpora-
            Japanese-owned ship that                                                                                            tion  and  Nagashiki  Ship-
            ran aground offshore days                                                                                           ping Co. Ltd.
            ago  began  spilling  tons  of                                                                                      A  police  inquiry  has  been
            fuel.                                                                                                               opened into issues such as
            Prime Minister Pravind Jug-                                                                                         possible negligence, a gov-
            nauth  announced  the  de-                                                                                          ernment statement said.
            velopment  as  satellite  im-                                                                                       Tons  of  diesel  and  oil  are
            ages  showed  a  dark  slick                                                                                        now  leaking  into  the  wa-
            spreading  in  the  turquoise                                                                                       ter,  environmental  group
            waters near environmental                                                                                           Greenpeace  Africa's  cli-
            areas that the government                                                                                           mate and energy manager
            called "very sensitive."                                                                                            Happy Khambule said in a
            Mauritius  has  said  the  ship                                                                                     statement.
            was  carrying  nearly  4,000                                                                                        "Thousands    of   species
            tons  of  fuel  and  cracks                                                                                         around  the  pristine  la-
            have appeared in its hull.                                                                                          goons  of  Blue  Bay,  Pointe
            Jugnauth earlier in the day                                                                                         d'Esny  and  Mahebourg
            said  his  government  was                                                                                          are at risk of drowning in a
            appealing  to  France  for                                                                                          sea  of  pollution,  with  dire
            help,  saying  the  spill  "rep-                                                                                    consequences  for  Mauri-
            resents  a  danger"  for  the   In this satellite image provided by 2020 Maxar Technologies on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020, an aerial   tius'  economy,  food  secu-
            country of some 1.3 million   view of the MV Wakashio, a bulk carrier ship that recently ran aground off the southeast coast of   rity and health," Khambule
            people  that  relies  heavily   Mauritius.                                                                          said.
            on  tourism  and  has  been                                                                        Associated Press  A   government   environ-
            been  hit  hard  by  the  ef-                                                                                       mental  outlook  released
            fects  of  the  coronavirus  Jugnauth  shared  a  pho-    The  French  island  of  Re-  the leaking ship "very sensi-  nearly a decade ago said
            pandemic.                    to  of  the  vessel,  the  MV  union is the closest neighbor  tive."                   Mauritius had a National Oil
            "Our  country  doesn't  have  Wakashio,  tilted  precari-  to  Mauritius,  and  France's  After the cracks in the hull  Spill  Contingency  Plan  but
            the  skills  and  expertise  to  ously.                   Foreign Ministry says France  were  detected,  a  salvage  equipment  on  hand  was
            refloat  stranded  ships,  so  Video   posted     online  is  Mauritius's  "leading  for-  team that had been work-  "adequate to deal with oil
            I  have  appealed  for  help  showed oily waters lapping  eign investor" and one of its  ing on the ship was evacu-  spills  of  less  than  10  metric
            from  France  and  Presi-    at the shore as people mur-  largest trading partners.    ated, Ramano told report-    tonnes."
            dent  Emmanuel  Macron,"  mured  and  peered  at  the  "We are in a situation of en-   ers  Thursday.  Some  400  In  case  of  major  spills,  it
            he  said.  Bad  weather  has  ship in the distance. Online  vironmental  crisis,"  the  en-  sea booms have been de-  said,  assistance  could  be
            made  it  impossible  to  act,  ship  trackers  showed  the  vironment minister of Mau-  ployed in an effort to con-  obtained from other Indian
            and  "I  worry  what  could  Panama-flagged  bulk  car-   ritius,  Kavy  Ramano,  said,  tain the spill.            Ocean countries or from in-
            happen  Sunday  when  the  rier had been en route from  calling the Blue Bay Marine  Government        statements  ternational oil spill response
            weather deteriorates."       China to Brazil.             Park and other areas near  this week said the ship ran  organizations.q
            Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon may be at 14 year high



                                                                      cerns  that  President  Jair  on  more  detailed  satellite  non-governmental groups.
                                                                      Bolsonaro has failed to rein  images  and  records  more  "This is not because of gov-
                                                                      in destruction of the world's  of the deforestation, will be  ernment  incompetence  in
                                                                      largest tropical rainforest.  released by yearend.        combating  devastation;  it
                                                                      The  Brazilian  Amazon  lost  Both   are   administered  has  been  happening  be-
                                                                      9,205   square   kilometers  by  Brazil's  space  institute,  cause  the  Bolsonaro  ad-
                                                                      (3,554 square miles) of veg-  which tabulates annual de-  ministration's  agenda  is  to
                                                                      etation  in  the  12  months  forestation starting with Au-  actively  promote  devasta-
                                                                      ending  in  July,  according  gust,  when  the  dry  season  tion," the statement added.
                                                                      to  data  from  the  country's  starts and farmers and log-  "This  is  not  incompetence;
                                                                      space  agency.  That  was  gers traditionally start using  it's a design."
                                                                      largely  due  to  a  surge  of  fires to clear land.      The  president's  office  re-
                                                                      fires in August and Septem-  "If  the  variation  between  ferred  a  request  for  com-
                                                                      ber last year.               Deter  and  Prodes  figures  ment  to  the  office  of  Vice
                                                                      The  overall  loss  was  34%  remains  at  the  historical  President Hamilton Mourão,
                                                                      greater  than  the  prior  average,  we  could  have  who  is  coordinating  some
             In this Nov. 29, 2019 file photo, cargo trucks turn off the Trans-
            Amazon  highway  onto  route  BR-163,  built  to  bend  nature  to   12-month period.   about  13,000  square  kilo-  of the efforts against defor-
            man's will in Campo Verde, near Itaituba, Para state, Brazil.   The  data  was  produced  meters of deforestation, the  estation in the Amazon, but
                                                     Associated Press   by  Brazil's  Deter  monitor-  highest rate since 2006 and  it had not yet replied.
                                                                      ing system, which provides  three  times  more  than  the  Bolsonaro  came  to  office
            By MAURICIO SAVARESE         estation  in  Brazil's  Amazon  daily  deforestation  alerts  National  Climate  Change  promising to open more of
            SAO PAULO (AP) — Prelimi-    region  over  the  past  12  based  on  satellite  images.  Policy target for 2020," said  the  Amazon  to  develop-
            nary official data published  months  could  be  at  a  14-  Data  from  another  system  the  Climate  Observatory,  ment, such as farming and
            Friday  indicate  that  defor-  year  high,  adding  to  con-  named Prodes, which relies  comprised of more than 30  mining. q
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