England beat Nigeria 4-2 on penalties to reach World Cup quarter-finals

Dominant Nigeria fall short as England rode their luck and went down to 10 players after Lauren James sent off.

England knocked Nigeria out of the Women’s World Cup in a last-16 penalty shootout with Chloe Kelly scoring the decisive spot-kick, following a 0-0 draw over 120 nerve-jangling minutes.

Beth England, Rachel Daly and Alex Greenwood also converted for the European champions, who had a player sent off in normal time in the game on Monday.

England played with 10 women through extra time after forward Lauren James, their top scorer with three goals in the group stage, was sent off in the 87th minute for an ill-tempered stamp on the back of Michelle Alonzi after the two went down in a tangled heap.

Fourth-ranked England face either Jamaica or Colombia in the quarter-finals in Sydney on Saturday.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES

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Two dead, over 700,000 left without power as storms batter eastern US

More than 1,700 US flights were cancelled and some 8,000 delayed, the FlightAware website says.

At least two people were killed, hundreds of thousands of premises were left without power and thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed after intense storms lashed much of the eastern United States.

Millions of people on Monday were under severe weather alerts, including tornado watches, as rain, strong winds and hail swept east along nearly the entire eastern seaboard, from Alabama to New York.

The National Weather Service (NWS) had predicted a “moderate risk” of hazardous storms, with gusts up to 80 miles per hour (130kmph).

“Stay weather aware and make sure you have multiple ways to receive warnings,” the NWS in Baltimore and Washington, DC said on social media earlier in the day.

The storms’ spread was massive, with tornado watches and warnings posted across 10 states from Tennessee to New York. The NWS said the area of greatest concern centred in the Washington-Baltimore region.

As much of the severe weather danger subsided into the late evening, some areas faced flood threats as it continued to rain.

Hail as large as 4.5 inches (11.5cm) in diameter was recorded in Virginia, the NWS said.

In Alabama, a 28-year-old man died after being struck by lightning in an industrial park, a local ABC station reported. And in South Carolina, a 15-year-old was killed when he was hit by a falling tree outside his grandparents’ house, according to a local CBS station.

By late Monday, more than 700,000 premises had lost power along the East Coast, according to tracking website Poweroutage.us.

More than 1,700 US flights were cancelled on Monday and some 8,000 delayed as the severe weather loomed, the FlightAware website said.

More than a quarter of the cancellations were at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which was digging out from disruptions caused by Sunday storms.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it was rerouting planes around storms heading to the East Coast and warned it would likely start pausing flights in and out of the New York City area, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Charlotte and Atlanta.

In Washington, DC, federal agencies sent employees home early, at 3pm (19:00 GMT), in anticipation of the weather.

The storms came as large parts of the southern United States, including Texas, Louisiana and Florida boiled under excessive heat warnings, with temperatures up to 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42C) predicted through Tuesday.

Scientists say climate change has amplified the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events around the world.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES

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Malawi Moves to Tackle Rising Cases of Suicide

 Blantyre — Police records show that for the past five years suicide cases in Malawi have jumped from 128 in 2018 to 292 last year.

Police statistics given to VOA show that the current suicide rate is at 11.6 per 100,000 people, higher than the global average of 10.5 per 100,000.

Peter Kalaya, a spokesperson for the Malawi Police Service, said the records show that more youths are committing suicide than older persons.

“And what topped the list are issues to do with disagreement in relationships such as marital problems. Even for young girls who killed themselves — most of the reasons were that of relationship issues for example, failing to accept that a relationship has ended.”

However, Kalaya said other people have killed themselves because of economic problems.

Charles Masulani, a mental health expert, said another contributing factor might be unrealistic parental expectations or negative parenting.

“There are a lot of parents that psychologically stress their children but also serious expectations; the child might be doing well at school but not performing well, the child, to run away from those problems, might also resort to commit suicide,” said Masulani.

A shortage of public mental health care is seen as a contributing factor to the problem.

Malawi, one of the poorest countries in Africa, has only one public mental hospital, Zomba Mental Hospital, and few privately-owed mental health facilities.

“While facilities are few, our mental health seeking behaviors are quite low because mental health in Malawi is stigmatized. So, let’s say if you are stressed up, for you to go to psychiatric hospital, you fear that people will say ‘Oh, he is mad.’ And the problem is quite huge, especially among men,” Masulani said.

Harry Kawiya, a clinical officer with the Zomba Mental Hospital in the Zomba district, said suicide cases are likely under reported.

“It is very difficult for us to have the actual prevalence rate of suicide because of our laws which take suicide as a crime. So, a lot of suicide [attempts] are happening but people are not reporting because of fear of being arrested,” said Kawiya.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare in Malawi, Pauline Kaude, told VOA that rise in suicide cases is concerning.

Kaude said the government has developed several strategies to cope with the issue. One targets men who she says have faced gender-based violence but have been too shy to voice their problems. They encourage victims to seek support from service providers.

Kalaya says police, through their Victim Support Unit, work to educate people to seek psychosocial solutions whenever they face problems rather than resorting to killing themselves.

By Lameck Masina

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James Cleverly accuses Russia of new low in Africa speech

 The UK foreign secretary has accused Russia of hitting “a new low” by “deliberately burning food stocks” while millions of people are “struggling to eat”. James Cleverly is visiting Africa, as part of a mission to combat the growing influence of Russia and China.

In a speech in Lagos, Nigeria, he set out the UK’s “vision” for partnerships with African countries.

It follows last week’s military coup in neighbouring Niger.

Mr Cleverly, whose mother was born in Sierra Leone, said he was “proud” of his roots and of the UK’s contribution to the history of Africa.

“As the UK’s foreign secretary I’m not allowed to have a favourite continent. But if I did, it would be Africa,” he said.

Russian flags

Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum – an ally of the West – was deposed in last week’s military coup. Some supporters of the coup were reportedly waving Russian flags.

The UK government has criticised what it calls an attempt to “undermine stability and democracy” in Niger and has advised against all travel there.

The Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who chairs the Economic Community of West African States, has also condemned the military takeover.

In his speech in Lagos, Mr Cleverly said the UK shared democratic values with Nigeria, adding that Russia’s invasion of of Ukraine was an attack on those values.

He said: “This month Russia has hit a new low. We are witnessing the grotesque spectacle of a G20 nation, deliberately burning food stocks whilst there are millions of people around the world struggling to eat.”

James Cleverly’s tour follows a Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg last week, hosted by President Putin, in which he promised to provide some African countries with free grain.

Training with UK forces

The Russian private military group, Wagner, has an increasing presence in Africa and has welcomed the Niger coup. The Foreign Affairs Committee criticised the government last week for under-playing Wagner’s activities and called for a “genuinely compelling alternative” for countries in need of security partnerships.

In an interview with the Financial Times before the trip, James Cleverley said he would “look with seriousness” at any requests from African leaders “to work on capacity building and training with the British armed forces”.

James Cleverly told the FT some countries had turned to Wagner to meet an “unfulfilled need”.

During his tour, Mr Cleverly is announcing a package of financial support to help Nigeria develop crops with increased tolerance to heat and floods.

According to the World Bank Nigeria is one of the 10 countries most vulnerable to the impact of climate change due to “more intense and untimely” rainfall – with many Nigerians living in “fear and despair”.

More than 600 people were killed and at least a million displaced in Nigeria last year following the worst flooding in a decade, which also washed crops away.

Nigeria is accustomed to temperatures of 40 degrees although the forecast for the capital Abuja during the Foreign Secretary’s visit is for thundery showers and a high of 29 degrees.

By Kristiina Cooper BBC

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South Africa make Women’s World Cup history with last-gasp win over Italy

Kgatlana strikes two minutes into stoppage time to send South Africa into the knockout round for the first time, setting up a last 16 clash with the Netherlands.

Thembi Kgatlana scored a last-gasp winner to give South Africa their first-ever Women’s World Cup win as they defeated Italy 3-2, qualifying for the last-16 round of the tournament and sending the Italians home.

Striker Kgatlana struck two minutes into stoppage time on Wednesday to set up a clash with the Netherlands in Sydney on Sunday and broke the hearts of the Italians, who needed just a draw to progress.

Italy had appeared to salvage the draw they needed when Arianna Caruso scored from a corner in the 74th minute but were left to rue what could have been after a series of late missed chances.

“They fought like warriors,” said an emotional coach Desiree Ellis, who was a founding member of the South African women’s side in 1993.

“They fought like the heroines that we know that they are. They fought to be historically remembered and they’ve made history not just getting our first win, but going to the round of 16 and that is freaking amazing.”

The Italians had opened the scoring when Karabo Dhlamini tripped Italy forward Chiara Beccari just inside the box in the 10th minute and Caruso put the penalty into the bottom left corner of the net.

South Africa equalised in the 32nd minute through an own goal from Benedetta Orsi, who did not check where goalkeeper Francesca Durante was before making a back pass.

Banyana Banyana went ahead for the first time in the 67th minute when Kgatlana’s neat inside pass found Hildah Magaia free behind the defensive line and the forward swept it into the net.

Caruso grabbed her second of the match seven minutes later from a corner when the ball caught her hip in a goalmouth scramble and cannoned into the bottom right corner of the net.

It looked as though Italy might hang on for the draw in a frantic finale but Magaia’s pass found Kgatlana in the box and the striker smashed the ball into the net to secure second place in the group behind Sweden.

A much-changed Sweden side reached the Women’s World Cup last 16 with a perfect record after Rebecka Blomqvist’s second-half header and substitute Elin Rubensson’s 90th-minute penalty helped them beat Argentina 2-0 on Wednesday.

Blomqvist met Sofia Jakobsson’s cross with a fantastic header in the 66th minute to put the third-ranked Swedes firmly on course to advance as Group G winners, with Rubensson sealing the win with a superbly taken spot kick.

“We had to have some patience,” Blomqvist said.

“Argentina defended well and closed off a lot of spaces. We felt at halftime that if we just continued doing what we were doing we’d break them down, and more space opened up towards the end.”

Sweden will next face holders US in a blockbuster clash in Melbourne on Sunday – a rematch of the Olympic quarter-finals in 2021 when the Europeans won 3-0 en route to the final.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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Sturgeon moon: How August supermoon was seen around the world

The ‘sturgeon moon’ rose and delighted sky-watchers ahead of another supermoon on August 30.

The first of two supermoons this August has graced the world’s skies.

A supermoon is broadly defined as a full moon that is closer to the Earth than normal. That makes it appear slightly brighter and bigger in the sky.

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the August full moon is traditionally known as the “sturgeon moon” because of the abundance of that fish in the Great Lakes in August hundreds of years ago.

Tuesday’s supermoon will be followed by another on the night of August 30. Because it will be the second full moon in the same month, it will be what is called a “blue moon”.

The last time two full super moons were seen in the same month was in 2018. They are not expected to happen again until 2037.

This year’s first supermoon was in July. The fourth and last will be in September. The two in August will be closer than either of those.

Source: aljazeera

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Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon falls 66 percent in July

Figures come as Brazil prepares to host summit with leaders of Amazonian countries to discuss ways to protect the rainforest.

Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon fell in July to its lowest level for the month since 2017, according to preliminary government figures.

Satellite data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) on Thursday indicated that 500 square kilometres (193 square miles) of rainforest were cleared in the month, a 66 percent drop from the same period a year ago.

In the first seven months of the year, deforestation has fallen a cumulative 42.5 percent from the same period of 2022, INPE’s preliminary data showed.

The data comes after figures last month showed deforestation in the Amazon had fallen 34 percent in the first half of 2023.

Sequential drops in June and July are especially promising, as monthly data on Amazon deforestation often spikes this time of year, when the weather turns drier.

“We are seeing the deforestation growth curve invert,” Environment Ministry Secretary Joao Paulo Capobianco told reporters in Brasilia.

The fresh data come as President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gathers next week with leaders of Amazonian countries for a summit in northern Brazil to discuss ways to protect the world’s largest rainforest.

President Lula said on Wednesday that the summit would seek to draw up a common policy for the first time to protect the region, which will include dealing with security along the borders and asking private businesses to help with the reforestation of 30 million hectares (74 million acres) of degraded land.

Leftist leader Lula took office in January promising to end deforestation by 2030 after destruction surged under his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, who slashed environmental protection efforts.

Speaking to international media on Wednesday, Lula said: “We know we have a responsibility to convince the world that investing is cheap if it’s a matter of saving the rainforest.”

“The world needs to help us preserve and develop the Amazon,” he added.

Experts praised the reduction in deforestation in the early months of the Lula administration, while calling for continued vigilance in the coming months, when fires and clear-cutting often peak in the region.

“It’s a very significant drop for a drier month,” said WWF-Brasil Science Manager Mariana Napolitano.

“That shows us that the emergency measures that were taken, especially command and control ones, have been working. But deforestation remains at high levels, and to zero it by 2030 more structural measures will be needed.”

Last month, Brazil’s Environment Minister Marina Silva said that the fall in deforestation was a direct result of the Lula government quickly ramping up resources for environmental enforcement.

During Bolsonaro’s 2019-2022 term in office, deforestation of the Amazon shot up 75 percent compared with the average over the previous decade. The far-right former leader had called for more farming and mining on protected lands, saying it would lift the region out of poverty.

Environmental protection is a key issue as the South American trade bloc Mercosur negotiates a long-delayed free trade accord with the European Union.

The EU recently made new demands of the four Mercosur countries – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay – to fight environmental crimes.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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