Tourists camp on the shores of Erg Znaigui, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Locals said the basin had been barren for nearly 20 years.
In Morocco’s southeastern desert, a rare downpour has brought lakes and ponds back to life, with locals — and tourists — hailing it as a gift from the heavens.
In Merzouga, an attractive tourist town some 600 kilometres (370 miles) southeast of the capital Rabat, the once-parched golden dunes are now dotted with replenished ponds and lakes.
A man sits next to his camels on the shores of Yasmina lake, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (Photo by AFP) “We’re incredibly happy about the recent rains,” said Youssef Ait Chiga, a local tour guide leading a group of German tourists to Yasmina Lake nestled amidst Merzouga’s dunes.
Khalid Skandouli, another tour guide, said the rain has drawn even more visitors to the tourist area, now particularly eager to witness this odd transformation.
Tourists camp on the shores of Erg Znaigui, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (Photo by AFP) With him, Laetitia Chevallier, a French tourist and regular visitor to the region, said the rainfall has proved a “blessing from the sky”.
“The desert became green again, the animals have food again, and the plants and palm trees came back to life,” she said.
Locals told AFP the basin had been barren for nearly 20 years.
A man leads his camels along the shores of Yasmina lake, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (Photo by AFP) Last year was Morocco’s driest in 80 years, with a 48 percent drop in rainfall, according to an October report from the General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM). But in September, torrential rains triggered floods in southern parts of Morocco, killing at least 28 people, according to authorities.
The rare heavy rains come as the North African kingdom grapples with its worst drought in nearly 40 years, threatening its economically crucial agriculture sector.
Neighbouring Algeria saw similar rain and flooding in early September, killing six people.
North African countries currently rank among the world’s most water-stressed, according to the World Resources Institute, a non-profit research organisation.
The kingdom’s meteorological agency described the recent massive rainfall as “exceptional”.
It attributed it to an unusual shift of the intertropical convergence zone — the equatorial region where winds from the northern and southern hemispheres meet, causing thunderstorms and heavy rainfall.
‘Climate change’
“Everything suggests that this is a sign of climate change,” Fatima Driouech, a Moroccan climate scientist, told AFP. “But it’s too early to say definitively without thorough studies.”
Driouech emphasised the importance of further research to attribute this event to broader climate trends.
Experts say climate change is making extreme weather events, such as storms and droughts, more frequent and intense.
In Morocco’s south, the rains have helped partially fill some reservoirs and replenish groundwater aquifers.
But for those levels to significantly rise, experts say the rains would need to continue over a longer period of time.
The rest of the country is still grappling with drought, now in its sixth consecutive year, jeopardising the agricultural sector that employs over a third of Morocco’s workforce.
Jean Marc Berhocoirigoin, a 68-year-old French tourist, said he was surprised to find Yasmina Lake replenished.
“I felt like a kid on Christmas morning,” he said. “I hadn’t seen these views for 15 years.”
Water has also returned to other desert areas such as Erg Znaigui, about 40 kilometres south of Merzouga, AFP reporters saw.
While the rains have breathed life into Morocco’s arid southeast, Driouech warns that “a single extreme event can’t bring lasting change”.
But last week, Morocco’s meteorological agency said such downpours could become increasingly frequent, “driven partly by climate change as the intertropical convergence zone shifts further north”.
A 15-room hotel at the Campuestohan Highland Resort in the Philippines was named the largest building in the shape of a chicken by Guinness World Records. Photo courtesy of Guinness World Records
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Philippine hotel named world’s largest chicken-shaped building by Guinness World Records
A hotel in the Philippines has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest chicken-shaped building in the world.
The hotel measures 12 meters in width, 28 meters in length, and stands 35 meters tall, approximately the height of a 13-story building, with each floor around 2.6 meters high, according to the Guinness World Records website.
Designed by businessman Ricardo “Cano” Gwapo Tan, the chicken-shaped building is part of Campuestohan Highland Resort, a popular tourist destination in the Philippines.
The hotel features 15 air-conditioned rooms equipped with televisions and large beds, suitable for families or groups. Additionally, it boasts a viewing deck that offers visitors a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding area, as reported by Philstar.
Room rates start at 4,500 pesos (US$77) per night.
When asked about the rooster-inspired design, Tan explained that it reflects the gamefowl industry in Negros Occidental. He added that the “calm and commanding, imposing and strong” figure of the rooster represents the local spirit, according to Guinness World Records.
Construction of the hotel began on June 10, 2023, and completed on Sept. 8 this year despite challenges of frequent storms in the area.
ACCOUNTABILITY: IGP SPEAKS TOUGH ON ALLEGED EXTORTIONS, ORDERS STRINGENT PUNISHMENT FOR CORRUPT OFFICERS.
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PRESS RELEASE
ACCOUNTABILITY: IGP SPEAKS TOUGH ON ALLEGED EXTORTIONS, ORDERS STRINGENT PUNISHMENT FOR CORRUPT OFFICERS.
Reschedules workshop on Child Protection, Care for Monday 11th.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., has condemned alleged extortions by some officers of the force in some areas within the country, most especially the extant case involving the officers of the Zone 16 Zonal Headquarters, Yenegoa, identified as ASP Emmanuel Ubong, Inspector Nse Okon, Inspector Adiewere Collins, and Inspector Kuromare Marine.
The officers were alleged of extorting the sum of Ten Million Naira from a group of young Nigerians. The money has been recovered through the efforts of the new Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 16, and the Officers have since been detained and subjected to orderly room trial.
The Nigeria Police Force, under the leadership of IGP Egbetokun, maintains a zero-tolerance policy for any act of corruption and police misconduct, as the Force takes every allegation of extortion and abuse of power extremely seriously.
The IGP has however reassured the general public that the force will continue to investigate all allegations levelled against erring officers of the Force thoroughly. In pursuit of restorative justice, the Inspector-General of Police has mandated severe consequences for any officer, no matter how highly ranked, found culpable, acting as a deterrent to those who may seek to compromise the integrity of the Force.
The IGP further urges members of the public to make use of the following Police helpline & contacts to lay complaints whenever necessary: +2347056792065, +2349133333785, +2349133333786, @PoliceNG on X, @ngpolice on Facebook, and @nigeriapoliceforce on Instagram. Citizens can also contact us by mail via pressforabuja@police.gov.ng and through the police website at www.npf.gov.ng..
Similarly, to guarantee that officers within the Force receive adequate training in child care and protection and in effective investigations considerate of vulnerable individuals, most especially children in conflict with the law, the IGP has rescheduled the workshop with all Heads of Police investigative units to take place on Monday, November 11, 2024.
The workshop will not only focus on enhancing technical capabilities but also emphasize the essential ethical principles when dealing with sensitive cases in order to have a child-friendly police system in Nigeria. By emphasizing compassion, transparency, and adherence to modern investigation techniques, the Nigeria Police Force aims to foster a culture of professionalism and accountability among its personnel, thereby strengthening public trust and confidence in the organization.
ACP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra, fCAI,
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,
FORCE HEADQUARTERS,
ABUJA.
China poised to approve more help for ailing economy
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China poised to approve more help for ailing economy
China is expected to unveil a huge support package for the struggling economy Friday as officials wrap up a key meeting with an eye on the possibility of intensified trade tensions with US president-elect Donald Trump.
Economists predict Beijing will approve hundreds of billions of dollars of help, with a focus on indebted local governments as well as cash for banks aimed at writing off non-performing loans.
Policymakers were keeping tabs on the US vote as they gathered in the Chinese capital this week for a meeting of the country’s top lawmaking body.
Trump promised during his campaign of punishing tariffs on Chinese goods that threaten further grief for the world’s second-largest economy, which is already grappling with a prolonged housing crisis and sluggish consumption.
Observers say Beijing could seek to cushion that blow with a long-awaited “bazooka stimulus” for the economy — though caution details might still take time.
The meeting, originally scheduled for late October, was likely pushed back to allow “policymakers a chance to address a possible Trump win”, Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater China at ING, said.
“In our view, the odds for a larger policy support package will rise somewhat with a Trump victory,” he added.
Trump’s victory is “not necessarily bad for China as this may ‘pressure’ Beijing for a bigger stimulus”, Qi Wang, CIO of UOB Kay Hian Wealth Management, said on X.
State media this week reported that officials had reviewed a bill to raise local government debt ceilings.
That move, touted last month, would allow authorities to borrow more to fund the acquisition of unused land for development — a move aimed at pulling the property market out of a prolonged slump.
Beijing in September began to unveil a raft of measures aimed at boosting economic activity, including rate cuts and the easing of some home purchasing restrictions, but analysts have bemoaned the lack of detail so far.
Trump’s re-election provides a need for greater urgency, experts say, though caution may still prevail as officials try to avoid piling on more government debt.
“Any potential stimulus size may be bigger, but so is the pressure,” Gary Ng, senior economist at Natixis, said.
“The market may still not get the economic boosters it wants,” he warned.
China’s Premier Li Qiang this week said he was “fully confident” that the country would hit its growth target of around five percent for 2024, even after figures showed the economy saw its slowest expansion in a year and a half during the third quarter.
And in a rare bright spot, data Thursday showed the nation’s exports surged last month at their fastest pace in more than two years.
But Zhiwei Zhang, president and chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management, warned “we cannot rely on exports to carry China’s economy”. “I expect fiscal policy will become more proactive next year as a pillar for growth,” he said.