SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea on Monday confirmed its first case of the SARS-like virus that is spreading in China, as concerns mount about a wider outbreak. A 35-year-old Chinese woman who flew in from Wuhan, the apparent epicenter of the outbreak, was confirmed to have the new coronavirus strain, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said. She went to the hospital in Wuhan on Saturday with symptoms of a […]
International
Dust storms and giant hail batter bushfire-weary Australia
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — “Apocalyptic” dust storms swept across drought-stricken areas of Australia over the weekend, with thunder and giant hail battering the east coast, as extreme weather patterns collided in the bushfire-fatigued country. The southern city of Melbourne was lashed by huge hailstones late Sunday and fire-ravaged parts of Victoria state overnight received heavy rainfall, prompting new extreme weather alerts. Australia has since October been overwhelmed by an unprecedented bushfire season made worse by […]
Threatened species hit hard by Australia’s bushfires
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s bushfires have burned more than half the known habitat of 100 threatened plants and animals, including 32 critically endangered species, the government said Monday. Wildlife experts worry that more than a billion animals have perished in the unprecedented wave of bushfires that have ravaged eastern and southern Australia for months. Twenty-eight people died in the blazes, which have swept through an area larger than Portugal. Officials say it will take […]
“OBB Nightjet” takes its maiden voyage
VIENNA, Austria (AFP) – The first night train to set off for Belgium in 16 years departed from Vienna Sunday, carrying Austrian and European politicians who hope the new route can set an example as the continent tries to meet its climate targets. The carriages of the “OBB Nightjet” pulled out of Vienna’s main station punctually at 8:38 pm to the strains of a live band playing the EU anthem “Ode to Joy”, the slogan #loveyourplanet […]
Oil and gas firms invest less than 1% in green energy
PARIS, France (AFP) – While certain oil and gas majors have sought to burnish their green credentials, overall less than one percent of the sector’s total investment is going into clean energy projects, a report said Monday. Experts are increasingly worried that that target set in the 2015 Paris accord to limit global temperature rises to “well below” 2C is rapidly becoming unattainable, condemning the world to a cascade of costly droughts, superstorms, floods and […]
Climate activists march on Davos
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) – Hundreds of climate activists, young and old, embarked on a three-day march on Sunday to the make their voices heard at the 50th World Economic Forum in the Swiss town of Davos. The group, brandishing banners warning “Climate crisis: a world economic failure” and “there is no Planet B,” urged political and business leaders to take responsibility for averting environmental catastrophe as they set off from the small town of Landquart some […]
Qatar signs $470 million solar deal
Doha, Qatar (AFP) – Gas-rich Qatar signed a $470-million deal on Sunday to build its first solar energy plant, capable of meeting up to one-tenth of peak national power demand. The Al-Kharsaah plant, near the capital, is a 10-square-kilometre (4-sq-mile) joint venture with French and Japanese partners due for completion in 2022 ahead of the football World Cup. “Eight times the solar power pledged in the World Cup bid will be produced,” Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi […]
UPDATED: China reports SARS-like virus spreads across country, nearly 140 new cases
BEIJING, China (AFP) — BEIJING, China (AFP) –China on Monday reported a mysterious SARS-like virus had spread across the country, including to Beijing, raising concerns as millions begin trips for the Lunar New Year. A third person was confirmed to have died, authorities said, as nearly 140 cases were announced. The new coronavirus strain has caused alarm because of its connection to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and […]
UK looks to offshore wind for green energy transition
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Benoît PELEGRIN Britain, a global leader in offshore wind energy, plans to make the sector one of the pillars of its transition to carbon neutrality in the coming decades. The country aims to quadruple its offshore electricity production capacity by 2030 by utilizing the windswept North Sea and a favorable policy environment. “It’s more conducive to build offshore in the UK than anywhere else in Europe,” said James Brabben, of […]
Trump backers and critics clash as impeachment trial nears
by Brian KNOWLTON WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump’s defenders and supporters skirmished over the airwaves on Sunday a day after the US president’s legal team dismissed his impeachment trial as unconstitutional and dangerous. Coming two days before Trump’s trial opens in the Senate, the clashing arguments offered an early taste of the historic drama to play out in the coming weeks. Beginning Tuesday, the chamber will meet six hours a day for six […]
6.0 quake shakes China’s Xinjiang
BEIJING, China (AFP) — A 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit a remote area of northwest China’s Xinjiang region late Sunday, the US Geological Survey said. The shallow quake struck at 9:27 pm (1327 GMT) around 100 kilometers (60 miles) east-northeast of the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar. In its initial assessment, the USGS said there was a low likelihood of casualties. It said however that significant damage was likely, with many buildings in the region […]
More than 100 killed in Yemen missile, drone attack
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — More than 100 people were killed and dozens wounded in a missile and drone attack blamed on Huthi rebels in central Yemen, officials said Sunday. Saturday’s strike follows months of relative calm in the war between the Iran-backed Huthis and Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is supported by a Saudi-led military coalition. The Huthis attacked a mosque in a military camp in the central province of Marib — about […]
