A campaign to protect one of the planet’s only expanding kelp forests takes shape

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Diving in the Great African Seaforest, with its tightly packed towering kelp stipes that can rise up to 9 meters, or 30 feet, from the seabed, is a surreal experience, even for those who study this vast underwater habitat. “You see fish swimming as birds would do in the forest,” […]

Conservation news

Agi: Australia: donna precipita in una latrina e resta intrappolata per ore

AGI - Non solo serpenti, ragni velenosi e canguri aggressivi: uno dei pericoli di girare per l'Australia è anche quello di finire nella cacca, fuor di metafora. Ne sa qualcosa una donna che si era fermata per una pausa bagno durante un viaggio in auto nell'entroterra è rimasta intrappolata fino alla vita in una latrina a fossa per circa tre ore, finchè non è stata salvata da un operaio locale che si trovava a passare di lì.
La vicenda
La donna, che era con il marito e i due figli, stava tornando a casa a Canberra dopo aver fatto visita a dei parenti a Darwin quando è avvenuto l'incidente. Secondo la Bbc, che cita la pagina Facebook della comunità "Action for Alice", la latrina dell'incidente si trova nella Henbury Meteorites Conservation Zone, a circa 145 km a sud-ovest della remota cittadina di Alice Springs.
Cosa sono le latrine a fossa
Le latrine a fossa sono servizi igienici rudimentali, senza scarico, che raccolgono i rifiuti umani in una profonda buca nel terreno. Sono comuni nelle aree remote o rurali, come nei campeggi isolati.
Il marito della donna è riuscito ad attirare l'attenzione dell'operaio, il quale ha calato una corda nella fossa per permettere alla donna di aggrapparsi, per poi tirarla fuori con la sua auto. Solo per salvarla sono stati necessari più di 45 minuti, ma la donna ha passato ben tre ore tra pannolini, escrementi e urina. Portata in ospedale, non ha riportato ferite gravi.
I precedenti
Non è la prima volta che si verificano incidenti con le latrine a fossa in Australia.

Nel luglio 2024, i vigili del fuoco hanno dovuto smantellarne una a Indigo Valley, nello stato di Victoria, dopo che un uomo era rimasto intrappolato.
Nel 2012, una donna di 65 anni è stata trasportata in ospedale in elicottero dopo essere caduta di schiena in una latrina a fossa nel Queensland centrale e si era fratturata una gamba. 

Le latrine a fossa hanno causato incidenti mortali anche in altri luoghi.
Nel 2014, uno scolaro di cinque anni in Sudafrica è morto in seguito al crollo della latrina a fossa che stava utilizzando. Nel 2018, dopo il decesso di un secondo studente, è emerso che oltre 4.500 scuole del Paese disponevano di latrine a fossa, spesso costruite in modo approssimativo e prive di copertura. Nello stesso anno, il governo sudafricano si è impegnato a eliminarle completamente dagli istituti.

Australia: woman falls into a toilet and is trapped for hours.

AGI - Not just snakes, venomous spiders and aggressive kangaroos: one of the dangers of traveling around Australia is also ending up in someone else’s excrement, figuratively speaking. This was experienced by a woman who stopped for a bathroom break during a road trip in the Outback and became trapped in a pit latrine for about three hours before being rescued by a local worker who happened to be passing by.

The Incident
The woman, who was traveling with her husband and two children, was returning home to Canberra after visiting relatives in Darwin when the incident occurred. According to the BBC, citing the “Action for Alice” community Facebook page, the latrine involved in the incident is located in the Henbury Meteorites Conservation Zone, approximately 93 miles southwest of the remote town of Alice Springs.

What are Pit Latrines?
Pit latrines are rudimentary, unsewered toilets that collect human waste in a deep hole in the ground. They are common in remote or rural areas, such as isolated campsites.

The woman’s husband was able to attract the attention of a worker, who lowered a rope into the pit for the woman to grab onto, and then pulled her out with his car. It took more than 45 minutes to rescue her, but the woman spent a total of three hours between diapers, excrement, and urine. Taken to the hospital, she did not sustain serious injuries.

Previous Incidents
This is not the first time incidents have occurred involving pit latrines in Australia.

In July 2024, firefighters had to dismantle one in Indigo Valley, Victoria, after a man became trapped.

In 2012, a 65-year-old woman was airlifted to hospital after falling backwards into a pit latrine in central Queensland and fracturing her leg.

Pit latrines have also caused fatal accidents in other places.

In 2014, a five-year-old boy in South Africa died after a pit latrine collapsed. In 2018, after the death of a second student, it emerged that over 4,500 schools in the country had pit latrines, often built hastily and without covers. The same year, the South African government committed to eliminating them from schools.

#Australia #Outback #Canberra #Darwin #Alice #Facebook #AliceSprings #first #IndigoValley #Victoria #Queensland #SouthAfrica #second #SouthAfrican

https://www.agi.it/estero/news/2026-04-24/australia-donna-latrina-36739301/

Il Fatto Quotidiano: Musk: “Serve un reddito universale elevato per far fronte alla disoccupazione causata dall’intelligenza artificiale”

“Un reddito universale elevato, erogato tramite assegni emessi dal governo federale, rappresenta il modo migliore per far fronte alla disoccupazione causata dall’intelligenza artificiale“. E’ l’idea lanciata da Elon Musk su X. “L’IA e la robotica produrranno beni e servizi in misura ben superiore all’aumento dell’offerta di moneta, quindi non ci sarà inflazione“, ha aggiunto.
ChatGPT, interpellata sulla proposta, la ritiene di difficile realizzazione. In primo luogo perché il numero uno di Tesla e Space X e uomo più ricco del mondo presuppone che l’aumento dell’output si traduca in beni e servizi più accessibili e a prezzi più bassi, ma in mercati concentrati come quelli tecnologici buona parte dei benefici rischia di trasformarsi in margini e rendite, invece che trasferita ai consumatori. Poi perché le componenti più rilevanti dei consumi – energia, abitazioni, servizi alla persona – restano legate a risorse fisiche e a colli di bottiglia difficilmente eliminabili nel breve periodo e tendono a determinare la dinamica dell’inflazione.
Non ultimo c’è il tema della sostenibilità fiscale. Un reddito universale “elevato”, come quello evocato da Musk, implicherebbe una spesa molto significativa, con effetti pesanti sui conti pubblici. A meno che non si intenda intervenire in modo drastico sulla tassazione delle Big tech e dei super ricchi come l’imprenditore sudafricano naturalizzato statunitense.
L'articolo Musk: “Serve un reddito universale elevato per far fronte alla disoccupazione causata dall’intelligenza artificiale” proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

Musk: “We need a high universal basic income to cope with unemployment caused by artificial intelligence.”

A universal basic income of a high level, issued via checks issued by the federal government, represents the best way to address unemployment caused by artificial intelligence. That’s the idea launched by Elon Musk on X. “AI and robotics will produce goods and services in a much greater amount than the increase in the money supply, so there will be no inflation,” he added.

ChatGPT, questioned on the proposal, considers it difficult to implement. Firstly, because the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and wealthiest man in the world assumes that the increase in output will translate into more accessible goods and services at lower prices, but in concentrated markets like the tech sector, much of the benefits risk transforming into margins and profits, rather than being transferred to consumers. Then, because the most relevant components of consumption – energy, housing, and personal services – remain linked to physical resources and bottlenecks that are difficult to eliminate in the short term and tend to determine the dynamics of inflation.

Finally, there’s the issue of fiscal sustainability. A “high” universal basic income, as suggested by Musk, would imply a very significant expenditure, with heavy effects on public finances. Unless one intends to intervene drastically on the taxation of big tech and super-rich individuals like the South African-born naturalized American entrepreneur.

The article Musk: “A high universal basic income is needed to address unemployment caused by artificial intelligence” comes from Il Fatto Quotidiano.

#ElonMusk #Firstly #Tesla #SouthAfrican #American #IlFattoQuotidiano

https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2026/04/17/reddito-universale-musk-disoccupazione-ia-notizie/8358659/

Musk: “Serve un reddito universale elevato per far fronte alla disoccupazione causata…

Secondo l'uomo più ricco del mondo "l'IA e la robotica produrranno beni e servizi in misura ben superiore all’aumento dell’offerta di moneta, quindi non ci sarà inflazione". Ma questo presuppone che i mercati tecnologici siano concorrenziali e le aziende non estraggano rendite

Il Fatto Quotidiano

The South African Rand posted fresh gains after a rebound against major currencies, including the US dollar (#USDH), the Euro (#EUR), and the British pound (#GBP). 

https://dmarketforces.com/south-african-rand-gains-as-gold-rebounds-oil-falls/

#SouthAfrican #Rand #CurrencyMarket

South African Rand Gains As Gold Rebounds, Oil Falls

The South African Rand posted fresh gains after a rebound against major currencies, including the US dollar (USD), the Euro (EUR), and the British

MarketForces Africa

Agenzia Nova: Business news: Sudafrica, governo riduce l'imposta sui carburanti per un mese

05 apr 07:00 - (Agenzia Nova) - Il governo del Sudafrica ha ridurra' temporaneamente l'imposta generale sui carburanti di 3 rand (pari a 0,17... (Mom)

Business news: South Africa, government cuts fuel taxes for a month.

April 5 07:00 - (Agenzia Nova) - The South African government has temporarily reduced the general fuel tax by 3 rand (equivalent to 0.17... (Mom)

#SouthAfrica #AgenziaNova #SouthAfrican

https://www.agenzianova.com/a/69d1f2387f4416.55949607/7237444/2026-04-05/business-news-sudafrica-governo-riduce-l-imposta-sui-carburanti-per-un-mese

Countries

The latest news and headlines, featuring real time updates for countries, cities, states, politics, economy, sports, food, culture via Ken's Blogspot

Is this article pro-trade war?! 😆 🍷

"#MaxKirschner pondered the #kosher #wine section at an uptown #Toronto #liquorstore, two days before the start of #Passover.

As he mulled over which six bottles to purchase for his two #Seders, he had plenty of options: #Wines from #Israel, #Italy, #Chile, #Argentina and #NewZealand lined the shelves. The #SouthAfrican #sauvignonblancs were directly below the #French #bordeaux.

There was something missing, though: any product from the #UnitedStates.

That’s because all #US-produced wines and #spirits have been pulled from the shelves across the province of #Ontario in response to US #President #DonaldTrump’s sweeping #tariffs. Other provinces have enacted similar bans.

Which means that, for the second year in a row, #Jewish customers don’t have access to some traditional, #kosher-for-passover options such as #Manischewitz."

https://www.timesofisrael.com/trade-war-meets-tradition-canadian-jews-confront-a-manischewitz-free-passover/

This #LA play wants you to feel the story viscerally -
https://kensbookinfo.blogspot.com/p/canada.html#10

#Gaza health system near collapse as hospitals face -
https://kensbookinfo.blogspot.com/p/etc.html#Yemen

#Washington Legislature not ready to set sail with ship -
https://kensbookinfo.blogspot.com/p/etc-states.html#47

How Federal #Engineering’s Jodie #Weber is Leveling Up -
https://kensbookinfo.blogspot.com/p/business.html#47

#EU parliament clears the way for offshore migrant detention -
https://kensbookinfo.blogspot.com/p/world-capitals.html#Paris

#SouthAfrican central bank maintains policy rate in -
https://kensbookinfo.blogspot.com/p/world-capitals.html#Maputo

Canada

The latest news and headlines, featuring real time updates for countries, cities, states, politics, economy, sports, food, culture via Ken's Blogspot

‘The ‘Problem with Cuba’? Its Example of Solidarity and Internationalism’
Speech by Federation of Cuban Women Leader Osmayda Hernández Beleño
https://world-outlook.com/2026/03/17/the-problem-with-cuba-its-example-of-solidarity-and-internationalism/

from #WorldOutlook
March 17, 2026

[...] The “problem with #Cuba” is that it spread its example of #solidarity and #internationalism within a destructive #capitalism that expresses the opposite.

The “problem with Cuba” is that it has been and is an example of self-determination and resistance against the criminal #blockade. It is the example of having become involved in the struggle to end the #SouthAfrican #apartheid regime. It is the example it provided when it received the victims of the #Chernobyl disaster. It is the exemplary commitment of the #medical and health missions that Cuba sends to dozens of countries, and that has deepened as a policy in the middle of the pandemic, when no other country dared to do so.

#NuestraAméricaConvoy
#OilForCuba!
#EndTheBlockadeEmbargo
#LetCubaLive
#news #politics #USpol

‘The ‘Problem with Cuba’? Its Example of Solidarity and Internationalism’

This is a speech Osmayda Hernández Beleño, director of international relations of the Federation of Cuban Women, gave on March 14, 2026. That day, the FMC leader addressed the opening of a conference at the City University of New York Graduate Center in Manhattan, New York, on normalizing relations between the United States and Cuba.

World-Outlook