OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — A strong explosion near a gold mining site in southwestern Burkina Faso killed 59 people and injured more than 100 others, the national broadcaster and witnesses reported. The provisional toll was provided by regional authorities following the blast in the village of Gbomblora, RTB reported. The explosion was believed to have been caused by chemicals used to treat gold that were stocked at the site. Burkina Faso is the fastest-growing gold producer in Africa and currently the fifth largest on the continent, with gold being the country’s most important export. The industry employs about 1.5 million people and was worth about $2 billion in 2019. Small gold mines like Gbomblora have grown in recent years, with some 800 across the country. Much of the gold is being smuggled into neighboring Togo, Benin, Niger and Ghana, according to the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies. The small-scale mines are also reportedly used by takfiris linked to Al-Qaida and Daesh, which have staged attacks in the country since 2016. The groups reportedly raise funds by taxing miners, and also use the mine sites for recruiting fighters and seeking refuge.

 

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BRASILIA (Reuters) -- Brazil’s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva still holds a healthy lead in this year’s presidential race over right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, according to a new poll.  The survey run by MDA Pesquisa and sponsored by the National Transportation Confederation (CNT) showed 42% support for Lula and 28% for Bolsonaro, if the October election were held today. The results showed a marginal improvement for Bolsonaro compared to MDA’s last survey in December, when the incumbent polled at 26% compared to 43% for Lula. Other polls this month have also shown a slightly tighter race.   Although they have not formally declared their candidacies, the rivals made clear their intentions to run. Financial markets have been reacting to signals from Lula about economic proposals if his Workers Party returns to power.   The election is shaping up to be a highly polarized race between the current and former presidents, with little room to date for a third challenger. The poll of 2,002 potential voters was conducted Feb. 16-19 via in-person interviews, with a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points.

 

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ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Tuesday he would like to have a televised debate with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, to resolve differences between the two neighbors. The nuclear-powered rivals have shared antagonistic relations since gaining independence 75 years ago, fighting three wars, with ties strained recently over the northern Muslim-majority region of Kashmir, which both claim in full. “I would love to debate with Narendra Modi on TV,” Khan told Russia Today in an interview, adding that it would be beneficial for the billion people in the subcontinent if differences could be resolved through debate. “India became a hostile country so trade with them became minimal,” Khan said, stressing his government’s policy was to have trade relations with all countries. Khan’s remarks follow similar comments recently by Pakistan’s top commercial official, Razzak Dawood, who, according to media, told journalists he supported trade ties with India, which would benefit both sides.

 

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WELLINGTON (AFP) -- New Zealand anti-vaccine protesters pelted police with a “stinging substance” sending three to hospital with injuries Tuesday, as tensions spilled over in an angry weeks-long protest. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern decried “absolutely disgraceful” scenes after the suspected acid attack, and a startling incident that saw one protester speed a car toward police lines before coming to a quick halt just centimeters away. The brief but intense confrontations erupted near New Zealand’s parliament early Tuesday, as police moved roadblocks used to contain a protest camp that has clogged downtown Wellington for two weeks. The Wellington protest began as a movement against vaccine mandates -- inspired by similar protests in the Canadian capital Ottawa. It has since grown to around 1,500 people and encompasses a range of grievances, with some far-right messaging among the anti-government and anti-media slogans on display. The protesters, inspired by Canada’s “Freedom Convoy”, have jammed roads with around 900 cars, trucks and campervans, then set up camp on the lawns of parliament. They have erected tents and shelters, and organized portable toilets, food distribution points and childcare facilities.

 

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SYDNEY (Reuters) -- Tonga was reconnected to the world on Tuesday following repairs to a submarine cable, officials said, a month after a volcanic eruption and tsunami cut communications to the remote Pacific island nation. “People on the main island will have access almost immediately,” Tonga Cable chief executive James Panuve told Reuters by telephone, after a repair ship handed over the restored cable on Tuesday afternoon. School chaplain Penisimani Akauola Tonga was among those getting back online for the first time since the disaster struck the tiny island nation in mid-January. “First post on Facebook since January 15th! So Blessed for the opportunity! Malo Tonga Cable & Tonga Government!” he wrote. Tongans have struggled with makeshift satellite services as the repairs to the cable were made. The repair ship Reliance took 20 days to replace a 92-kilometre (57-mile) section of the 827 km submarine fiber optic cable that connects Tonga to Fiji and other international networks.