- Jamaica's De Cordova-Reid joins Leicester from Fulham
- Wolves' Kilman reunites with Lopetegui at West Ham
- Schmidt reign off to winning start as Australia beat Wales 25-16
- Russian wrestlers reject Olympics invitation
- Raducanu rediscovers Wimbledon 'fun' factor after turbulent spell
- Winning all that matters at Euro 2024 for Mbappe's minimalist France
- Eight dead, two million affected by Bangladesh floods
- Robertson pleased to 'find a way' past England in tough Test baptism
- Martin sets lap record to secure German MotoGP pole
- 'Shattered' Germany set sights on World Cup after Euros exit
- Olympic hope Pedersen pulls out of Tour de France
- Djokovic eyes sweet 16 at Wimbledon as Swiatek takes on 'gangster'
- End beckons again for Ronaldo after Portugal Euros KO
- New Zealand edge England 16-15 in tense, brutal first Test
- Turkey take on Dutch in politically charged Euros quarter-final, England face Swiss
- Calling for better ties with West, Iran reformist wins presidency
- Cybercrime groups restructuring after major takedowns: experts
- Activists hail Sierra Leone child marriage ban, urge action on FGM
- Marsch relishing Canada's semi clash with Argentina
- Canada stun Venezuela on penalties to reach Copa semis
- Iran reformist Pezeshkian holds early lead in runoff vote
- Swiatek faces 'gangster' threat, Djokovic feels need for Wimbledon speed
- France holds its breath ahead of uncertain vote
- Starmer begins UK 'rebuild' after landslide election win
- Paris's Moulin Rouge inaugurates new windmill sails ahead of Olympics
- Pan, Rai share halfway lead in PGA John Deere Classic
- 'I was feeling terrible' in debate, Biden says in TV interview
- France coach Deschamps savours ending penalty hoodoo, defends Mbappe
- Thompson bids farewell to Warriors after exit
- Portugal exit Euros with pride, will return stronger: Martinez
- UK's new PM Starmer speaks to world leaders, names top team
- Spain and France to face off in Euros last four, Turkey lament 'unfair' Demiral ban
- Israel says negotiators to hold fresh Gaza truce talks next week
- France beat Portugal on penalties to reach Euro 2024 semi-finals
- Endrick to start for Brazil in Uruguay Copa clash: Dorival
- Heartbreak for Germany fans after dramatic Euros exit
- Beryl heads for Texas after causing damage, no deaths in Mexico
- Nagelsmann laments late penalty decision as hosts Germany exit Euros
- Biden declares he's all in ahead of high-risk TV interview
- Spain team 'is a winning horse', says De la Fuente
- Bows at the ready, Chad villagers battle kidnappings
- Alcaraz mimics Bellingham goal celebration after Wimbledon win
- Olmo hopes Pedri can make speedy return for Euros semi-finalists Spain
- Retiring Kroos hopeful despite Germany's 'bitter' Euros exit
- Southgate turns on English 'entitlement' over claims of easy Euros draw
- Merino extra-time goal sends Spain past Germany to Euro semis
- Koeman demands Dutch silence fervent Turkish fans at Euros
- Brad Pitt at Silverstone for filming of F1 movie
- Raducanu storms into Wimbledon last 16
- California fires spread in July 4 weekend heatwave
'Human-induced' climate change behind deadly Sahel heatwave: study
The deadly heatwave that hit Africa's Sahel region in early April would not have occurred without human-induced climate change, according to a study by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group published Thursday.
The West African nations of Mali and Burkina Faso experienced an exceptional heatwave from April 1 until April 5, with soaring temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) triggering many deaths.
Observations and climate models used by researchers at the WWA showed that "heatwaves with the magnitude observed in March and April 2024 in the region would have been impossible to occur without the global warming of 1.2C to date", which scientists attribute to human-induced climate change.
While periods of high temperatures are common in the Sahel at this time of year, the report said that the April heatwave would have been 1.4C cooler "if humans had not warmed the planet by burning fossil fuels".
It added that the five days of extreme heat was a once-in-a-200-year event, but that "these trends will continue with future warming".
The length and severity of the extreme heat led to an increase in the number of deaths and hospitalisations in the two countries, despite their populations being acclimatised to high temperatures, the WWA said.
- Deaths in heatwave -
A lack of data in the affected countries made it impossible to know the exact number of deaths, the WWA said, adding there were likely hundreds, if not thousands, of other heat-related casualties.
"From April 1 to 4, we saw an increase in the use of services," Djibo Mahamane Diango, head of anaesthesia at Gabriel Toure hospital in the capital Bamako, told reporters on April 5.
He said the hospital had seen the arrival of 102 bodies -- more than half of them people aged over 60 -- during the first four days of this month.
That compares with 130 for the whole of the month of April the previous year, he added.
The April heatwave in Mali -- where the temperature spiked at 48.5 degrees Celsius -- and neighbouring Burkina Faso coincided with the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims fast from dawn until dusk.
It also came during power outages which restricted the use of fans and air conditioning and affected health services.
The national blood transfusion centre in Bamako had called on medical centres to suspend any non-essential transfusions because of daily power shutdowns lasting more than 12 hours a day.
Mali often suffers from electricity cuts partly due to the state of disrepair of its power stations.
Countries in the Sahel region have had to contend with drought since the 1970s, as well as periods of intense rainfall from the 1990s.
The dwindling availability of water and pasture, compounded by the development of agricultural land, has disrupted the lives of pastoral populations and encouraged the emergence of armed groups that have extended their hold over vast swathes of territory in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Ferreira--PC