Dozens feared missing in Myanmar jade mine landslide

The country is the world’s biggest source of jade. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Dozens feared missing in Myanmar jade mine landslide [Members of rescue team search for missing people at a jade mining areai n Hpakant, Kachin State, northern Myanmar, Dec. 22, 2021.] Credit: AP Photo Myanmar Up to 100 people are feared missing after a landslide at a jade mine in Myanmar. One person has also been confirmed dead. The landslide is thought to have been caused by an [overflow of rubble]( left by lorries. Rescue teams have come together to help out, some of them using boats to look for people in a nearby lake. The country is the world's biggest source of jade, and has seen numerous accidents at its mines. Jade mining is banned in Hpakant where the landslide happened, but locals often ignore the regulations due to a lack of employment opportunities worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic. [Impoverished workers]( are often drawn in search of gems, most of which are exported to China. South Africa South Africa has seen a [drop in new COVID-19 cases]( in recent days, which some medical experts say could signal that the country’s surge has finally peaked. The nation saw a dramatic increase in cases driven by the omicron variant. A new South African study shows that people are [80% less likely to be hospitalized]( by omicron than the previous delta variant or other strains of the virus, but it’s also been reported to be highly transmissible. Some governments have tightened travel restrictions and many are adopting new measures over fears of a spike in cases over the holiday season. Madagascar A police minister in Madagascar, General Serge Gellé, and an air force mechanic swam for 12 hours to safety after their helicopter crashed into the Indian Ocean. Officials say Gellé was [discovered by a fisherman]( who brought him to shore. The whereabouts of two other people on the aircraft are still unclear. The helicopter was one of the two that were part of a government delegation on their way to view the site of a boat accident. The Francia [sank on Monday](, drowning at least 64 people, including five children. --------------------------------------------------------------- Time is running out to support The World before Dec 31. There are just a few days left before our fundraiser ends, but we’re still short of our goal. We need just 107 listeners to donate $130 or pledge $11 monthly in order to sustain our nonprofit newsroom for another year. If you rely on The World to keep you connected and informed, please join the hundreds of listeners who have already donated and [make your gift today](. We can’t do it without you. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [This citizen scientist is on a mission to help gauge air quality in Central Asia]( [Citizen scientist Pavel Plotitsyn is on a mission to help citizens gauge air quality in Central Asia, where air pollution is a major health hazard.]( Credit: Levi Bridges/The World Until recently, residents of Central Asian cities didn't have a good way to check air quality before stepping outside in the winter, when pollution especially stagnates in the air. Pavel Plotitsyn took matters into his own hands, developing [low-cost sensors]( and a website to help gauge air quality on any given day. [Electricity rates have skyrocketed in Brazil. 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