Troubled waters: life on the edge of Africa's Lake Kivu
John, who has a crew of nine, leads three boats out on to the lake to fish every evening at dusk. The lake is 2,700 km2
'Ten years ago, we used to catch 300 kilos [of fish] a night; today, it's barely half that. I've heard about methane and know the dangers, but what worries me most is the disappearance of sambaza,' says John, left, with his daughter and one of his employees. Photograph: Paloma Laudet/Item
The sambaza is a species of small sardine-like fish endemic to Lake Kivu. Often dried or smoked, it is an important food source for the communities living along the lake's shores. Amid the growing pressures of the climate crisis and pollution, the Rwandan government introduced 'biological breaks' in 2020 to allow the recovery of fish stocks in Lake Kivu
To motivate himself before heading out to fish, Froduard sings: 'It's dark, so do your job and we'll catch plenty of fish. No worries today, we'll make a great catch. Keep at it, because you need money and a beautiful wife. Don't worry, life is too short. Do your job and enjoy your money'
Dieumerci, right, a fisher on Gahiga Island, repairs his nets. Lake Kivu has about 25 islands
Alphonse, a fisher who lives on one of the islands, washes himself in the lake
A group of young Rwandans jump into Lake Kivu from 'the Peace Island'. They were all born after the genocide in 1994 in which more than half a million people were killed in a planned, state-sponsored attack on the country's Tutsi minority
The hot springs of Nyamyumba, in the Rubavu district of Rwanda, are known for their thermal and mineral properties. Lake Kivu is in a particularly active seismic zone, and is dominated by Mount Nyiragongo, one of the most active volcanoes in Africa
In 2015, Rwanda initiated a project to extract methane gas from Lake Kivu to convert it into energy. Two companies, KivuWatt and Shema Power, pictured, are involved in transforming methane into energy to provide electricity to the region
The KivuWatt platform, owned by the US company ContourGlobal, extracts and converts methane from Lake Kivu into a renewable energy source: 30% of Rwanda's energy comes from the lake
A park bordering the lake at twilight in Gisenyi, Rwanda's second-largest city
Although the lake helps provide energy to nearby schools and towns, many of the villagers don't have electricity in their homes. Thérèse has no electricity in her small house on the main road connecting Kibuye and Rusizi, although the area has street lights. 'In the evening at home, I use my phone for light, which I then recharge at a neighbour's house,' she says
Workers load a boat with bags of sand taken from a river in Gishyita
'I would like to understand where the fish have gone,' says Claude, a sambaza fisher on Lake Kivu in Mugonero, Rwanda. Claude earns about 500 Rwandan francs a day (about 30p), just enough to maintain his poorly kept boat and meet his needs. Like 52% of Rwandans, he lives below the poverty line (less than one dollar a day)
During the day, the sambaza stay in the deep waters, but at night they are attracted by the moonlight and come to the surface. On moonless nights, 'we trick them, and those are our best days', say Froduard and Emmy
Alphonse, a fisher, with his wife and daughter
Adrien was a fisher on the island of Nkombo for three years. 'I had to stop because being a fisherman is very hard, there are no fish left. I prefer to grind manioc now'
Young Rwandans swim near a pier in Gisenyi. In the distance is the city of Goma in the DRC
A high-tension power line on a hill overlooking Lake Kivu in the Karongi district, Rwanda
A traditional house on the shores of Lake Kivu in Rwanda, with an electricity pylon looming over it
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Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Chinese restaurant slammed for offering cuddles with LION cubs – and they're not the only wild animals diners can pet
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A CHINESE restaurant has been slammed for offering lion cub cuddles alongside afternoon tea - and they are not the only wild animals diners can pet. Patrons at Wanhui Tower, based in Taiyuan city, offers a luxury tea service that includes a "mascot interaction" with lion cubs for a hefty price tag of £124. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 A Chinese restaurant offers tea time and cuddles with lion cubs for £124 Credit: Xiaohongshu/Daling 7 The eatery has sparked fierce backlash from animal activists Credit: Xiaohongshu/Wanhui 7 The restaurant, named Wanhui Tower, is based in the northern Chinese city of Taiyuan Credit: Getty Patrons have been posting selfies cradling the cubs on Chinese social media platforms like WeChat and Weibo, with some boasting they were also able to pet alpacas, deer, llamas and turtles – all while enjoying dessert. But the restaurant's bold move has triggered a flood of criticism and now a formal probe by the Shanxi Provincial Forestry and Grassland Bureau. Although Wanhui Tower was granted a licence to breed and display two African lions, authorities said that close human-animal contact is prohibited and that the matter is being handled "urgently" – a phrase in China that often signals looming legal trouble. But the restaurant, located in northern China's Shanxi province, is doubling down. The eatery claimed in a defiant statement: "We operate like zoos – why can't lions be used commercially?" Major animal rights groups have since pounced. Jason Baker, Senior Vice President of PETA, said: "Tearing lion cubs from their mothers so diners can handle them over afternoon tea is exploitation, not entertainment. "These animals are living, feeling beings, not toys." He added the cubs were being "treated like nothing more than social media props." Peter Li, China policy expert for Humane World for Animals, warned the stunt was "not only appallingly bad animal welfare, it's also potentially risky for customers." China zoo slammed for painting donkeys black and white to look like zebras in ANOTHER 'fake animal' gaffe 'Even a young lion is capable of lashing out and injuring a human,' he said. 'So, treating wild animals like props is both morally unacceptable and dangerously irresponsible.' The controversy adds to a growing list of bizarre and troubling wildlife gimmicks at entertainment venues across China. Earlier this year, police in Thailand raided a 'lion café' in Phuket, arresting two Chinese nationals for illegally running a similar pet-a-cub scheme. Guests there could snap photos with lion cubs for £12–£23. Closer to home, a hotel near Chongqing drew fire after offering a 'red panda wake-up call,' where guests could have the wild animals brought into their rooms and allowed to crawl into bed with them. China's zoos, too, are under the microscope. 7 Another Chinese zoo was slammed by visitors after dyeing dogs to look like pandas Credit: Social media 7 Another zoo admitted to painting donkeys to look like zebras Credit: AsiaWire In March, a 'very big cat' incident sparked fury after footage of a shockingly obese black panther at Chengdu Zoo went viral. The panther, aged 16, could barely walk, and social media lit up with criticism over her bloated condition. One commenter quipped: 'I thought she was pregnant, but it turned out that she was overweight. Please ask her to exercise more.' Another zoo in Zibo, Shandong province, was caught painting donkeys with black and white stripes to pass them off as zebras – a stunt staff described as a 'marketing strategy.' Earlier this year, staff at Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province dyed chow chows to look like tiger cubs in a brazen attempt to fool visitors. The same zoo previously painted puppies to look like pandas. 7 Chengdu Zoo, also in China, was slammed after videos surfaced showing an obese panther
Spectator
04-07-2025
- Spectator
Why the baby bust matters
Birth rates are tumbling across the world. This isn't just a tragedy for the growing number of women who have fewer children than they want; below-replacement fertility rates mean that each generation will be smaller than the one before. This could lead to a permanent spiral of decline where the old always outnumber the young. But can anything be done about it? A report published last month by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) acknowledges the problem, but its analysis is rather confused. The authors complain that economic barriers prevent women from having 'reproductive agency' while simultaneously arguing that governments trying to reduce these barriers are, in some cases, 'coercive'. After decades of international 'family planning' evangelism, perhaps UNFPA officials fear their efforts have been rather too successful. Matthew Parris highlighted the report's inconsistencies in The Spectator, pointing out that 'better family leave and fertility care' are very obviously not the reasons that African women have nearly three times as many children as their Swedish counterparts. But Parris also reflected some commonly-held misconceptions about falling birth rates, namely that population decline is not such a bad thing, and that nothing can be done about it anyway. These misconceptions need to be addressed if we are to have any chance of solving this existential problem. Many people struggle to understand the scale of the challenge posed by the global baby bust because to do so is both counter-cultural and counter-intuitive. It is counter-cultural because, since the 1960s, predictions of over-population and scarcity have dominated the discussion. It takes considerable mental reprogramming (and a degree of humility) to see that that falling population might be a greater threat than a growing one. Grasping the consequences of low fertility is counter-intuitive because the human brain struggles to comprehend the magnitude of compounding growth effects. Mortgages are a classic example. If asked to guess how much interest is due in total on, let's say, a 30-year loan of £300,000 at a 4.5 per cent interest rate, most people vastly underestimate the true sum (over £400,000 if you were wondering). We see the same tendency to underestimate the effects of falling fertility. We know that Britain's total fertility rate (TFR) has fallen below the 'replacement' rate of 2.1 children per woman. But many people interpret this as a one-off population contraction, like the aftermath of a war or epidemic. In fact, below-replacement fertility rates mean that each generation will be smaller than the one before. Let's give a worked example. England and Wales's TFR is now 1.44 children per woman. This is 31 per cent lower than what is required for population stability, so each generation will be one third smaller than the one before. In practice, this means that 100 people in Britain today are likely to have just 44 grandchildren and 30 great grandchildren between them. So, without immigration, the population of Britain could fall by as much as 70 per cent in three generations. What's the problem, some might ask? We used to survive perfectly well on a fraction of our current global population. Of course that isn't true; in 1800, 80 per cent of the world lived in absolute poverty compared to just 8.6 per cent today. Population growth has made us richer, safer and healthier. But the absolute size of the population is not the most important factor. What matters, socially and economically, is the ratio of young to old. In our modern context of long life-expectancy, we need enough people of working age to support those who have retired. In the UK, pension age benefits cost the state more than £125 billion a year, a cost that is shouldered by working-age taxpayers. In the early 1960s, Britain had up to 4.5 people of working age to support each pensioner; but, thanks to falling birthrates, we now have a ratio of just three to one. By 2070, that number could fall to just two working people to support each retiree. This steady decline is a major reason why taxes are at record high, national debt has ballooned, and public services are chronically under-resourced. In these circumstances, the idea of returning to economic growth is just a pipe dream; it will be a miracle if we stave off economic collapse. In Britain, politicians have failed to grasp the enormity of the threat headed our way. Other nations have not been so complacent; South Korea, Hungary, France and others have all pursued 'pro-natal' agendas, using tax breaks and cash handouts to encourage people to have children. The British media often reports that such policies have failed, presumably because none of these countries have managed to achieve replacement birth rates. But this is fake news: multiple studies indicate that pro-natal strategies do increase fertility. Natalist policies in France have arguably resulted in the births of between five and ten million babies that might not otherwise have been born. The evidence shows that there are effective actions that can be taken to improve fertility rates. To deny or dismiss this is both wrong and dangerous; we can't afford to be defeatist when so much is at stake. Collapsing birth rates are the most serious threat humanity faces. By the end of this century it is thought just six countries in the world will have above replacement fertility rates. There are many complex reasons for this – economic, social and cultural – all of which should be explored. But I suspect the underlying problem is that modernity has broken the link between having children and personal economic security. We often romanticise the reasons why people choose to become parents, but the fecundity of our ancestors had nothing to do with 'feeling ready,' 'finding Mr Right' or owning a three-bed semi. Before industrialisation and social security, having children was not a luxury: it was essential for a family's material survival. Yet in our modern world of centralised economies and socialised welfare, individuals can live comfortably and be provided for in old age even if they have no children of their own. In fact, most of us will be financially better off if we don't have children, given that the costs of parenthood are privatised, while the economic benefits of those children – a lifetime of tax contributions – have been entirely socialised. The reproductive urge will remain, but desiring children is not enough. No one has a baby to fund the NHS. We must find a way to restore the personal economic rewards of having children. Answers on a postcard please.
The Herald Scotland
01-07-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Plan launched to save heritage of Scotland's for-sale churches
However, around one third of the country's places of worship are predicted to shut by the end of this decade – from buildings with their roots in medieval times to modern structures of architectural significance. Now work is to begin to explore practical solutions to avoid the loss of heritage when churches are closed, while sharing resources and prioritising sites for further action. The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and Scotland's Churches Trust have received a £229,015 funding boost to help ensure a sustainable future for Scotland's churches and their contents. St Mary's Parish Church, Whitekirk, East Lothian (Image: Credit - Scotland's Churches Trust) With almost 200 religious buildings already closed since 2020, the two bodies say the problem is an immediate one which constitutes a 'national challenge for the heritage sector' as many of these churches hold tangible and intangible cultural heritage significance. In addition to their religious and ceremonial use, they also possess tangible architectural, historical, archival, genealogical, archaeological and artistic legacies. These can be of local, regional, national, and international importance and may be sold, lost or damaged depending on the fate of the building. The grant, from the National Lottery Heritage Fund will fund the Finding Futures for Scotland's Churches project and will be used to support the collection of information on these heritage buildings. There will also be work to fill knowledge gaps using heritage surveys, with opportunities for local communities to get involved. This information will be made publicly accessible through a dedicated microsite with a regularly updated database and blog. Many churches are repositories of heritage and cultural artifacts in their architecture (Image: Scotland's Churches Trust) The two-year project will draw together people to connect with organisations as part of an action group to explore practical solutions, share resources and prioritise sites for further action. It will also develop a plan to ensure heritage of local and national importance is not lost when churches are re-used or re-purposed. The National Lottery Heritage Fund also brings to the project its own strong record of delivering new futures for Scotland's historic church buildings through previous work. With support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Govan Old church in Glasgow has been transformed into an internationally-significant heritage attraction as the home of the Govan Stones. These Viking-age monuments are said to be among of the best collections of early medieval sculpture anywhere in the British Isles. In the Cairngorms National Park, the Fund is also supporting the community in partnership with Historic Churches Scotland to develop a new role for St Margaret's Church in Braemar as a cultural hub and performance venue through a grant awarded in 2024. St Margaret's is considered the finest Scottish work of celebrated ecclesiastical architect Sir John Ninian Comper. However, with several hundred churches already on the market, there is a national challenge to understand their significance and address their loss as they are bought and repurposed or sink into dilapidation. Govan Hogsback stone (Image: Credit - Peter Devlin) Dr Helen Spencer FSAScot, Head of Research at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, said: 'Thanks to National Lottery players, the Society will be able to work with communities across the country to bring together crucial information about the heritage of Scotland's churches. 'Working with Scotland's Churches Trust and the many other groups involved in caring for these places of worship, we hope to make the heritage sector much better prepared when churches are closed or re-purposed, to ensure that important treasures are not lost to the nation forever.' Dr DJ Johnston-Smith, Director of Scotland's Churches Trust, added: 'For hundreds of years, communities across Scotland deposited a trove of culturally significant heritage in their local churches all across the country. This collective cultural inheritance needs to be documented before it vanishes from public sight, possibly forever. 'We look forward to working with the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and colleagues to continue the roll out of our Rapid Church Recording methodology and our ongoing collaborative work with the local congregations and communities who are currently writing the next chapters in the stories of these precious historic buildings.' READ MORE: 'Landmark' chapel and cathedral to undergo urgent repairs 'The situation is stark in Scotland': Conference held to equip churches to stay open Government minister sets up meeting over future of Scotland's crumbling churches Caroline Clark, The National Lottery Heritage Fund Director for Scotland, said: 'For centuries, churches have been cultural and physical landmarks at the heart of Scottish community life. A meeting place, a repository of lives and histories and a physical link to the intangible heritage of generations. 'We recognise the significant challenges now facing those churches. This project will take a strategic lead in ensuring there is accurate recording of the heritage of individual churches.
