. | . |
US slaps visa restrictions on Congolese over wildlife trafficking by AFP Staff Writers Kinshasa (AFP) Dec 14, 2021 The United States has targeted eight people from the Democratic Republic of Congo with visa restrictions for their suspected role in illegal wildlife or timber trafficking, the State Department said. The central African nation is home to an abundance of wildlife, including pangolins, elephants, chimpanzees and gorillas, increasingly threatened by poaching and trafficking, often to Asia and the Middle East. The State Department said the eight Congolese nationals had been sanctioned under Washington's Immigration and Nationality Act, which means they could be barred entry to the United States. The act "targets wildlife and timber traffickers who are believed to be, or have been, complicit in or involved in trafficking in wildlife, wildlife parts, or products", it said in a statement Monday. "This visa restriction policy is designed to further disrupt the movements and business of transnational criminal organisations involved in wildlife and timber trafficking by making it harder for them to smuggle illegal wildlife and timber," it added. "Wildlife and timber traffickers are not welcome in the United States". Illegal poaching and trafficking has been exacerbated by ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with unrest often erupting in the mineral-rich east. Nature reserves are frequently caught up in the fighting, putting vulnerable species at risk.
70 million years on earth, 40 years of decline: the endangered eel Tokyo (AFP) Dec 14, 2021 Eels were once so abundant that they were considered a pest, but today the ancient creature is threatened by human activity and risks disappearing altogether, scientists and environmentalists warn. How have eel populations changed? Eels appear in human mythology and ancient art, and their bones have been found in tombs dating back thousands of years. Just thirty years ago, they were so common that in France they were even classed a nuisance, accused of damaging salmon stock and destroying fi ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |