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Two dead and two injured after Brown University shooting, police arrest a person of interest
Providence Police have arrested a "person-of-interest" in connection with the Brown University Shooting that resulted in the deaths of?two? students and nine other people at the U.S. ivy 'League School. Kristy DosReis, Providence's Chief Public Safety Information Officer, told reporters that a person-of-interest was being held by police after the shootings at Providence University. In an advisory issued on Sunday, Brown stated that the police had lifted a shelter in place order for their campus in Rhode Island. On Saturday, more than 400 police officers were deployed to search for a suspect that had entered an exam room with a gun. Providence University said that police officers were still present in crime scenes. Brown University, which is home to hundreds of buildings including lecture halls and laboratories, has restricted access on Sunday. On Saturday, the streets?around campus were?filled with emergency vehicles. Security was also heightened in the city as authorities said they were searching for the gunman. Local and state police were working together with agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Officials released video footage of a suspect who was dressed in black and may have been in his 30s. Timothy O'Hara, Providence's Deputy Chief of Police said that the suspect may have been wearing a mask but officials were not sure. O'Hara said that although investigators recovered shell casings at the scene, police did not want to reveal any details. Officials said that the gunman fled from a classroom where he shot students. The doors of Brown's Barus & Holley Engineering Building were allegedly left unlocked during exams. At a press conference, Chief Oscar Perez of the police said that detectives were investigating why this location was targeted. Brown President Christina Paxson told reporters all or almost all of the victims are students. She added: "This day is one that you hope never happens and it did". Brown University Health reported that seven of the nine injured were in critical condition late Saturday. (Reporting and editing by Sharon Singleton, Alexander Smith, and Mrinmay dey in Bengaluru)
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India tightens pollution controls as Delhi's air becomes worse
India has tightened its anti-pollution policies in Delhi and the surrounding areas, after the capital's air quality reached the worst of the season. According to an advisory from India's Environment Ministry, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)?used?stage four, which is the highest level of the Graded Response Action Plan for Delhi & surrounding areas, on Saturday evening. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data revealed that Delhi's air quality on Sunday was "severe", with index readings of over 450 at a number of monitoring stations. This is up from 430 the previous day and represents the highest level so far in this winter. Readings below 50 are considered "good". The curbs prohibit the entry of "older diesel trucks", suspend construction projects, including public ones, and mandate hybrid education. Winters in this area of 30 million people are often plagued by smog, due to the cold, dense air that traps the emissions from construction sites, vehicles and crop burning. This pollution is among the worst in the world, and exposes residents to respiratory problems. Authorities urged residents to remain indoors and consider wearing masks when going outside, particularly children and people with respiratory and cardiac problems. According to the Commission for Air Quality Management, the worsening air quality is due to high humidity and a?shift in wind direction. These conditions prevent dispersion and encourage smog formation. Reporting by Sethuraman N.R.; Editing and proofreading by William Mallard
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Trump's envoy is quoted by state media as saying that the US has lifted sanctions on Belarusian Potash
After two days of discussions in Minsk with?President Alexander Lukashenko, John Coale, the envoy for President Donald Trump was quoted by Belarusian media as saying that the United States will lift sanctions on Belarusian Potash. Belarus did not specify what it would do as a response. Belarus is one of the largest producers of potash - a vital component in fertiliser. Coale was appointed by Trump as his special envoy for Belarus last month. The president has tasked Coale with negotiating the?release of more than 1,000 political prisoner in the former Soviet state, which is close to Russia. Belta, the state news agency, quoted Coale saying that he discussed a range of issues with Lukashenko. He said, "We talked about the war between Ukraine & Russia and about Venezuela." "We had an excellent conversation." We discussed the future. We talked about the future. It's our aim." Coale noted also the close relationship between Lukashenko, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the context the war in Ukraine. "Your president is well acquainted with President Putin, and can advise him." This is a very valuable asset?in the current situation. Coale stated that they are close friends who have the relationship to discuss these issues. "President Putin will accept or reject some of the advice. This is one way to help the process." Reporting by Felix Light, Mark Trevelyan and Peter Graff.
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Odesa, Ukraine suffers major blackouts following Russian attack
Odesa, Ukraine's southernmost port city, and the surrounding area suffered major blackouts on Saturday following a massive overnight?Russian assault?on power grid which left more than one million households without electricity. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, said that Russia attacked Ukraine using more than 450 drones as well as 30 missiles. Zelenskiy, a Telegram user, wrote that the attack had a major impact on our energy system in the south, and particularly on Odesa. He added that thousands of families across Ukraine were without electricity. Yulia Svyrydenko, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, said that it was a major attack on Odesa where water and electricity supplies were cut off. She added that non-drinking drinking water was being delivered to certain areas in the city. Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine's Interior Minister said that more than one million Ukrainian households were left without electricity and five people were injured as a result. Ukraine's power grid operator said a "significant number" of households ?were without power in the southern regions of Odesa and Mykolaiv, and that the ?Ukrainian-controlled part of the frontline Kherson region ?was totally without power. Since its invasion in 2022, Moscow has been regularly bombarding Ukraine's power system. This has caused blackouts across the country for hours each day. The Russian defence ministry announced on Saturday that it had carried out strikes against Ukrainian energy and military industrial facilities. Max Hunder, Peter Graff, Alexander Smith and Max Hunder (Reporting)
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Charley Hull and Lexi Thompson help their teams score 55s at Grant Thornton
Two teams of LPGA stars, Lexi Thompson and Wyndham, and Englishwoman Charley Hull, and Michael Brennan, posted a 17-under par 55 on Friday at the Grant Thornton Invitational in Naples, Fla. The three-day event at Tiburon golf club?begins in a scramble style, and not only the leading duos?took full advantage. Lauren Coughlin is only two strokes behind Andrew Novak after their 15-under 57. Three other pairs shot 14-under-58: Nelly Corda and Denny McCarthy; Jennifer Kupcho & Chris Gotterup, and Rose Zhang & Michael Kim. Hull and Brennan both eagled the par-5 6th and 14th holes. Thompson and Clark eagled the No. They also eagled No. 6 when Clark hit his tee-shot just off the green, and Thompson holed their putt. Clark admitted that she felt like they played similar games. "She hits the ball really far off the TEE, and if we are in play, then we're a lot?past the competition," Clark said. She is a fantastic putter. "Yeah, I thought our games complemented each other perfectly. I also didn't see any flaws with her game." Thompson added, "Grant Thornton is a great asset to this event." "Bringing the PGA Tour together with the?LPGA is what we wanted to end our year, a nicer, more relaxed event." Hull had been working on her swing before she came to the tournament, where she would be playing with Brennan, a newcomer to the PGA Tour. Hull said, "It is funny, because I changed my swing last Tuesday, but when I came on Tuesday, I couldn't even keep the ball in the air." "I was pretty nervous today." "Actually, everything went well." Coughlin & Novak have made nine birdies straight at Nos. It's not bad at all for a pair that has only met this week for the first. Novak said, "I like team golf." Novak and Ben Griffin won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans together in April. "It's a different way of playing golf, I think. This year I was lucky enough to have two great partners, and it has been a good vibe during the tournament. We're having fun and making birdies, but not taking ourselves too seriously. Just doing our jobs. Kupcho, Gotterup and McCarthy birdied their first 10 holes. Korda and McCarthy also posted eagles on the par-5 1st and 17th holes. The format will not be the same the rest of the time. On Saturday, the teams will play alternate shot foursomes and on Sunday a modified fourball. The event is in its third year. The defending champions Jake Knapp of Australia and Thailand's Patty Tavatanakit, both at 13-under-59, are tied for seventh. Jason Day from Australia and Lydia Ko from New Zealand tied for eighth place, one shot behind. Field Level Media
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Stocks fall as AI fears linger; US yields rise
The major stock indexes dropped on Friday as investors remained cautious about artificial intelligence bets. Meanwhile, the dollar edged up and U.S. Treasury Yields increased. Investors weighed comments from Federal Reserve officials, who had voted against a rate cut by the U.S. central bank this week. They said that they were concerned about inflation and feared lower borrowing costs. Stocks were also weighed down by rising yields. As tech-related concerns lingered, technology fell the most among the major S&P sectors. Oracle, a cloud computing company, warned earlier this week of massive spending and poor forecasts. Broadcom's warning on margins late Thursday added to concerns. Broadcom's shares closed 11.4% lower. Oracle shares fell by 4.5%, adding to the almost 11% drop on Thursday. Nvidia, which is a leader in AI technology was down by 3.3%. Bruce Zaro, managing Director at Granite Wealth Management, Plymouth, Massachusetts, stated that "continued frustration and uncertainty regarding the AI trade and technological trade" pushed the market. He said: "I thought that this choppiness had ended by now." He added, "We are in a really great?seasonal time. Santa Claus rally is usually held from mid-December to the end of the trading year. Investors are optimistic about future U.S. rate cuts after the Fed reduced interest rates on Wednesday by 25 basis points, in a decision that was 9-3. Policymakers have indicated they will pause further reductions for now. The Fed has expressed concern about the cooling of the labor market and a high inflation rate. U.S. unemployment claims data on Thursday showed that the number of Americans claiming unemployment benefits increased to the highest level in almost 4-1/2 years. Next Thursday, the Bank of England will likely cut interest rates. The European Central Bank will likely keep rates?steady', but traders now speculate that it may hike rates in the year 2026. After Governor Kazuo ueda's strong signals, the Bank of Japan will likely raise rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 245.96 points or 0.51% to 48,458.05, while the S&P 500 slid 73.59 or 1.07% to 6,827.41, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 398.69 or 1.69% to 23,195.17. The MSCI index of global stocks fell 6.39 points or 0.63% to 1,008.88. The pan-European STOXX 600 ended 0.53% down. The yields on the 10-year Treasury note in the United States rose after two consecutive sessions of declines. The yield of the benchmark U.S. Treasury 10-year note increased 5.1 basis point to 4.192%, and was up over 5 basis points for the week. This is the second consecutive weekly increase. Investors have already begun to price in rate increases for the euro zone. The divergence is due to traders' expectations that U.S. interest rates will fall over the long-term, despite the recent jump in yields. Germany's 30-year bond yield, which is more sensitive to fiscal concerns over the long term, has risen to a new 14-year-high of 3.498%. This represents a 3.5-basis-point increase. DOLLAR GAINS; POUND FALLS SLIIGHTLY ON UK-DATA The U.S. Dollar drifted higher in relation to major currencies after also falling recently, but it was still on track for its third consecutive weekly drop amid the prospects of interest rate reductions by the Fed next. The pound eased following data showing that the UK economy shrank unexpectedly in the three-month period ending October. The pound fell 0.2% against the dollar, to $1.3375. This is not far off from its seven-week high reached on Thursday. The dollar gained 0.2% against the yen to reach 155.93yen in advance of the BoJ meeting next week, when a rate increase is expected. The BoJ is expected to maintain its pledge to raise interest rates next week, but the rate of increase will depend on the economy's reaction to each hike. The euro was unchanged at $1.1735, after reaching a two-month high Thursday. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which compares the U.S. dollar to six other currencies, increased 0.1% to reach 98.44. COAL DROPS FROM RECORD HIGH Copper fell more than 3% after reaching a record high earlier in session. Fears of the AI bubble burst prompted a sell-off of riskier assets. The benchmark three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange dropped as much as 3.5 % to $11,451.50, and was trading at $11,537.50 down by 2.8% as of 1700 GMT. The oil prices fell and recorded a weekly drop of 4% as fears over the U.S. seizure and subsequent impact on the Venezuelan oil tanker outweighed the supply glut. U.S. crude dropped 16 cents and settled at $57.44 per barrel, while Brent also fell 16 cents.
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Spain asks EU to not weaken the 2035 combustion engines ban, as shown in a letter
A letter obtained by revealed that Spain's Pedro Sanchez had urged the European Commission to not weaken the bloc’s ban on 2035 for?new CO2-emitting vehicles, while?Brussels is preparing proposals to possibly rollback the policy. According to a leading?German? EU lawmaker, the Commission is planning to take action next week to reduce the policy. This would ban all combustion engine cars after 2035 and require that cars sold thereafter have zero CO2 emission. Germany and Italy have urged the EU to weaken its 2035 ban. They argue that this will protect automakers who are struggling with the tough competition coming from China. In a letter dated Thursday to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen Sanchez stated that weakening this policy would put jobs at risk and lead to factory closures, by undermining Europe’s efforts to transform its car industry into a manufacturing powerhouse for electric vehicles. The letter stated that "any additional relaxation" (of the policy) could lead to a significant delay in modernization investment, due to a temporary drop in demand for electric vehicles. It said: "We reject the idea that combustion vehicles and other technologies, which have not been proven to work, could be sold beyond 2035." Sanchez called for an "eco-steel label" that would reward automakers for using low carbon?materials and for a minimum percentage of EU-made content in automobiles. The Commission will announce its policy Tuesday. Manfred Weber, President of the EPP (the largest group of legislators in the European Parliament), suggested that the Commission might propose lowering the CO2 emission targets for the automakers fleets to 90% by 2035. The EU has a strategy that includes a ban on electric cars. Mercedes-Benz, BMW and other automakers have asked the EU to relax the policy due to slower than expected sales of electric cars. Volvo Cars, among others, say that they have invested heavily in the electric transition and that any reversal of the ban will be a betrayal. (Reporting and editing by Rod Nickel.)
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Stocks fall as AI fears linger; US yields rise
The major stock indexes fell sharply on Friday as investors remained cautious about artificial intelligence bets. Meanwhile, the dollar and U.S. Treasury Yields increased after recent losses. Oracle, a cloud computing company, warned earlier this week of massive spending and poor forecasts. Broadcom, a?chipmaker?, warned late Thursday about margins. The technology sector was down the most of all major S&P sectors, at 2.6%. Broadcom shares fell 12% while Oracle dropped 4.6%, and AI leader Nvidia dropped 2.4%. Investors are optimistic about future U.S. rate cuts after the U.S. Federal Reserve reduced interest rates by 25 basis point on Wednesday. The decision was made 9-3, but policymakers have indicated that they will put any further reductions of interest rates on hold for now. The Federal Reserve has expressed concern about the cooling of the labor market and a high level of inflation. Tony Welch is the chief investment officer of SignatureFD, a financial firm in Atlanta. The U.S. data on jobless claims showed that the number of Americans who filed new applications for unemployment benefit increased last week by the highest amount in almost 4-1/2 years. On Thursday next week, the Bank of England will likely cut interest rates. The European Central Bank will likely keep rates steady. However, traders now speculate that it may hike rates in the year 2026. After strong signals by Governor Kazuo ueda, the Bank of Japan will likely increase rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 211.75, or 0.4%, to 48.492.26, while the S&P500?fell 72.72, or 1.5%, to 6.828.25, and?the Nasdaq Composite?fell 378.01, or 1.50%, to 23215.84. MSCI's global index of stocks fell 6.18 points or 0.61% to 1,009.09. The pan-European STOXX 600 fell by 0.53%. Investors weighed the comments of a number of Fed speakers, and an optimistic outlook for the economy. Fed officials who voted to oppose the U.S. Central Bank's rate cut last week expressed concern on Friday that inflation is still too high for lower borrowing costs. The yield of the benchmark 10-year Treasury bill The rate rose by 4.5 basis point to 4.186%, and nearly 5 basis points in a week. It is now on track for its second consecutive weekly increase. German government bond rates rose this week after reaching their highest level since early March. This highlights how investors are pricing in rate hikes in the euro zone, a stark contrast to United States where rates seem set to decline. Germany's 30-year bond yield, which is more sensitive to fiscal concerns over the long term, has risen to a new?14-year-high of 3.498%. This represents a 3.5-basis-point increase. DOLLAR GAINS AND POUND FALLS Slightly On UK Data After falling against major currencies in recent sessions, the U.S. Dollar has risen again, but is still on track for its third consecutive weekly drop amid the prospect that the Fed will cut interest rates next year. Sterling fell after data revealed that the UK economy unexpectedly contracted in the three-month period ending October. The sterling fell 0.28%, to $1.3348. The dollar index (which measures the greenback in relation to a basket of currencies, including the yen, the euro and others) rose by 0.15% at 98.48. COAL LOWERS FROM RECORD HIGH Copper fell more than 3% after reaching a new record earlier in the day, as fears about the AI bubble burst prompted a sell-off of riskier assets. As of 1700 GMT, the benchmark three-month copper price on London Metal Exchange was down as much as 3.5% at $11,451.50. It was also trading lower by 2.8% to $11,537.50. U.S. crude oil fell 16 cents, settling at $57.44 per barrel. Brent crude dropped 16 cents and settled at $61.12. (Reporting and editing by Andrew Heavens, Matthew Lewis and Caroline Valetkevitch. Additional reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft and Chuck Mikolajczak from New York and Paris.
Chocolate costs to keep rising as West Africa's cocoa crisis deepens
Surveying the removed landscape of her farm dotted with pools of cyanidetainted, tea coloured waste water left by prohibited gold miners suffices to make Janet Gyamfi break down.
Only in 2015, the 27-hectare plot in western Ghana was covered with almost 6,000 cocoa trees. Today, less than a dozen stay.
This farm was my only methods of survival, the 52-year-old divorcee told , tears streaming down her cheeks. I. planned to pass it on to my children.
Long the world's undisputed cocoa powerhouses representing. over 60% of international supply, Ghana and its West African neighbour. Ivory Coast are both facing catastrophic harvests this season.
Expectations of scarcities of cocoa beans - the raw product. for chocolate - have actually seen New York cocoa futures more. than double this year alone. They have struck fresh record highs. nearly daily in an unmatched trend that shows little sign of. easing off.
More than 20 farmers, professionals and market experts informed. that a best storm of widespread unlawful gold mining,. environment change, sector mismanagement, and quickly spreading out. illness is to blame.
In its most sobering assessment to date, according to information. assembled since 2018 and gotten specifically , Ghana's. cocoa marketing board Cocobod estimates that 590,000 hectares of. plantations have actually been contaminated with inflamed shoot, an infection that. will ultimately kill them.
Ghana today has some 1.38 million hectares of land under. cocoa cultivation, a figure Cocobod stated includes contaminated trees. that are still producing cocoa.
Production is in long-lasting decline, said Steve Wateridge,. a cocoa professional with Tropical Research study Providers. We wouldn't get. the lowest crop for 20 years in Ghana and least expensive for eight years. in Ivory Coast if we had not reached a tipping point.
It's an imbroglio without any simple fixes that has actually surprised. markets and might spell the beginning of completion of West. Africa's cocoa supremacy, the experts informed . That may. open the door for ascendant producers, especially in Latin. America.
And while millions of cocoa farmers in West Africa are. dealing with an agonizing watershed minute, it's a shift that will likewise. be felt in rich consumer markets, perhaps for several years to come.
Buyers purchasing Easter confectionary in the United States. are discovering that chocolate on shop shelves is more than 10%. more pricey than a year earlier, according to data from research study. firm NielsenIQ.
Since chocolate makers tend to hedge cocoa purchases months. ahead of time, analysts say the devastating crops in West Africa. will just truly struck customers later this year.
The sort of chocolate bar that we're used to eating, that's. going to end up being a luxury, stated Tedd George, an Africa-focused. commodities expert with Kleos Advisory. It will be offered,. however it's going to be two times as expensive.
' TRAUMATISED'
The roots of this season's implosion are on complete screen in. Samreboi, the neighborhood in Ghana's western cocoa heartland where. Gyamfi lives.
Only 3 years ago, Samreboi boasted roughly 38,000. hectares of planted cocoa, according to Cocobod's regional office. there. Today, it's fallen to simply 15,400.
Illegal miners began appearing in the area a couple of years earlier,. Gyamfi stated. She 'd been withstanding their threatening needs to. offer them her plantation when, one day last June, she got here to. discover it cordoned off. Armed guards obstructed her entry.
Bulldozers removed her cocoa trees. Miners swarmed the. home. Within six months, the gold was finished and the website. was deserted, leaving Gyamfi with unusable land contaminated. with toxic chemicals, a loan she can no longer pay back, and. 4 kids to support.
I was traumatised, she stated.
She stated she pleaded with the authorities and Cocobod however states. she's seen no reaction.
An officer at the regional police station, who asked not to be. recognized, stated they had received a grievance but he might not. remember if they had actually sent out officers to the farm. He decreased to. speak with cops records.
Cocobod representative Fiifi Boafo, upon learning of her case,. stated the board's legal department would get included.
But we are not the authorities or the courts, he stated. It is. unlawful to destroy cocoa trees, however the charge isn't punitive. enough.
Throughout Ghana, cocoa plantations are delivering ground to gold. miners, known in your area as galamsey.
Cocobod told it had no as much as date data on the scale. of the destruction. And while a study it performed 4 years. back found that 20,000 hectares of cocoa had actually been lost to. galamsey, 5 professionals said mining has actually expanded rapidly in the. stepping in years.
It's now disastrous, said Godwin Kojo Ayenor, a. development financial expert specialising in cocoa. It's covering. practically every part of the cocoa belt.
While some plantation takeovers are certainly violent, five. farmers and neighborhood leaders told that more and more of. them are ending up being ready sellers.
To cocoa farmer Asiamah Yeboah, galamsey is simply a sign. of a more comprehensive malaise. Considering that striking peak production of over a. million tonnes in the 2020/21 season, Ghana has been moving. Output is forecast to plummet to just 580,000 tonnes this year.
Yeboah states he gathered 50 bags of cocoa in 2015, however. production from his 15-hectare plot fell to simply seven this. season. He doesn't make enough to reinvest and significantly. battles to discover workers.
Before God and guy, if they come requesting my farm to. mine, I will sell it, he said.
ILLNESS AND CLIMATE MODIFICATION
Yeboah and other Ghanaian farmers blame Cocobod.
The body, which has far-flung obligation for. controling and promoting the sector, faces installing debt and. this season struggled to protect the syndicated loan it utilizes to. financing operations and generate the crop.
It suspended distributions of fertiliser and pesticides. years ago. Strategies to rejuvenate ageing tree stocks have actually made. scant development. And it is losing the battle versus what numerous. think about an existential danger: swollen shoot.
The virus very first reduces yields before eventually killing. trees. When contaminated with inflamed shoot, plantations must be. ripped out and the soil treated before cocoa can be replanted.
Cocobod has undertaken to fix up affected cocoa. plantations, using a part of its $600 million in funding. from the African Advancement Bank and another $200 million from. the World Bank.
With aging and unhealthy crops, the difficulties look frightening,. Boafo, the Cocobod spokesperson, told . However we have actually critical. interventions continuous to resolve them.
The 67,000 hectares covered under Ghana's rehabilitation. program, however, come no place near keeping up with the. disease's spread, professionals state. Worse, Cocobod says unlawful. miners invade some fixed up farms.
And in Ivory Coast, the world's greatest cocoa producer,. things are barely much better, with Tropical Research study Service's. Wateridge approximating up to 30% of Ivorian cocoa plantations are. likely contaminated.
There's no fast fix, said Antonie Fountain, managing. director of VOICE Network, which promotes cocoa sector reform.
A dead tree is not simply dead for a season, he stated.
Even after rehabilitation, replanted trees take 2 to four. years to develop and produce beans. And a significant rebound in. cocoa production in the 2 countries faces other major headwinds.
Scientist anticipate climate change will make the crop harder. to produce in West Africa in coming decades with one research study. forecasting Ivory Coast's the majority of appropriate growing areas will. shrink by more than 50% by the 2050s.
Rain patterns are already moving, with more. focused periods of heavy rains and longer, hotter dry. spells, said Bakary Traoré, head of Ivorian forest preservation. group IDEF.
It's something we have actually currently been observing for the past. few years, he said.
With West Africa struggling, current sky-high worldwide rates. will be an attractive incentive for farmers to plant more cocoa. in other tropical areas, notably Latin America.
Both VOICE Network's Water fountain and cocoa specialist Wateridge are. forecasting that Ecuador will now surpass Ghana as the world's. number 2 cocoa by 2027. Brazil and Peru might also step up.
Filling the supply space will take some time, however, and in the. meantime chocolate fans should anticipate to feel the pinch.
But the genuine victims, say activists like Water fountain, are the. small-time growers in Ivory Coast and Ghana, who have few. choices as they watch their earnings vaporize.
The situation for farmers in West Africa is devastating,. said Fountain. It is simply definitely ravaging.
(source: Reuters)