Latest news

The violence in Indonesia
Kidnapped pilot released by rebels after 19 months

38-year-old Phillip Mehrtens, the New Zealand pilot who was kidnapped by armed rebels in the Indonesian province of Papua last year, has been released, AP writes. It was in early February 2023 that the Mehrtens landed at a small airport in a remote mountain area. Rebels stormed the plane.

In clips from local TV stations, an emaciated and long-haired Mehrtens is seen talking on the phone to his relatives with tears running down his cheeks.

- Today I was finally free. I am so happy to finally be able to come home to my family, he says according to AFP.

According to the news agency, rebels have used violence in their decades-long fight for independence. Conflicts between the indigenous population and the authorities in Indonesia have worsened in recent years.

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Drought hits coffee hard - threatens to drive up the price

Next year's coffee harvest in Brazil is at risk due to drought. This is reported by AP.

The world's largest coffee producer, Brazil, is experiencing its worst drought in over seven decades. The lack of water and the high temperatures hit coffee farming hard. The news agency has met coffee farmer Silvio Almeida. He had hoped that this year's harvest would amount to 120 coffee sacks, but instead it turned out to be 100.

- As the situation is now, the 2025 harvest is already affected. I wouldn't say it is doomed, because with God's help anything is possible. But it is threatened, says Almeida.

Coffee prices are the highest in 13 years, adjusted for inflation. Drought and fires but also frost have damaged many coffee plantations, but also high demand in Asia drives up the price.

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The threat to the Amazon
"Almost impossible" to catch those who start fires

Defending the Amazon rainforest from fires is like fighting a guerrilla. Firefighter Victor Paulo Rodrigues de Souza tells The Guardian.

Natural as well as controlled fires threaten the Brazilian rainforest, and the problem is exacerbated by an ongoing drought.

Stopping the fires has been a key priority for the government under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and they have also declined sharply compared to those under his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.

Environment Minister Marina Silva has described the fires as "climate terrorism" and demanded harsher punishments. But apprehending and prosecuting the instigators has not proven to be straightforward.

- It's like a favela out here, full of back streets and paths. The intruders know every single one, so they are almost impossible to catch, says Rodrigues de Souza.