A North Carolina park has posted a video explaining how alligators survive in a frozen pond by allowing themselves to be frozen in place, with their noses just above the surface. (Video courtesy Agence France Presse TV)
Environment
Giant water lilies, nagsilitawan sa isang ilog sa Paraguay
(Eagle News) — Itinuturing na isang problema ng iba ang paglitaw ng mga water lily sa ilog. Pero hindi ito ang nangyayari sa Paraguay. Nagmistulang isang tourist spot ang isang ilog doon dahil sa mga water lily. Hindi kasi pangkaraniwan ang sukat ng mga water lily na nagsisulputan doon. Ang giant water lily ay lumilitaw lamang sa nasabing ilog kada apat na taon tuwing summer. Kilala rin ang giant lily sa healing properties nito laban […]
Natural therapy: Hong Kong’s mountain warriors
by Laura Mannering Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Wooded hillsides, craggy ridges and wheeling birds of prey are a world away from Hong Kong’s famous skyscrapers but the city’s country parks are a necessary balm for its stressed out residents. With some of the world’s highest property prices, many can only afford tiny apartments, some living in infamous “cage homes” big enough only for a bed. Hong Kong’s fast-paced lifestyle and long […]
Nepal bans solo climbers from Everest
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AFP) — Nepal has banned solo climbers from scaling its mountains, including Mount Everest, in a bid to reduce accidents, an official said Saturday. The cabinet late Thursday endorsed a revision to the Himalayan nation’s mountaineering regulations, banning solo climbers from its mountains — one of a string of measures being flagged ahead of the 2018 spring climbing season. “The changes have barred solo expeditions, which were allowed before,” Maheshwor Neupane, secretary at […]
Swimming with whale sharks in Mexico
LA PAZ, Mexico (AFP) — They may be called whale sharks but there’s nothing to fear encountering one of these giant fish in the ocean — so much so that tourists in northwestern Mexico can swim alongside them on organized tours. “These are tropical animals, very gentle, that you can swim with, and which go along at a maximum eight kilometers (five miles) an hour,” explained Fabricio Mujica, who handles these up-close sessions in La […]
Cold Canada cancels some New Year’s events
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canadians pride themselves on living with cold weather — but sub-zero temperatures proved too much even for them Friday, with concerts canceled and ski hills closed for safety reasons during an extreme year-end cold snap. Temperatures almost reached -58 F (-50 C) in two central Canadian cities, Regina and Winnipeg. In the capital Ottawa, meanwhile, authorities announced the cancelation of some shows marking the end of Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations held this year. […]
Turning e-waste into art at Ghana’s toxic dump
by Stacey Knott Agence France-Presse ACCRA, Ghana (AFP) — Joseph Awuah-Darko sits on a stool at one of the world’s largest electronic waste dumps, watching polystyrene and insulation cables burn on the blackened ground. “It’s survival and dystopia,” says the 21-year-old British-born Ghanaian, surveying the stretch of wasteland around him as dense plumes of acrid smoke rise into the air. Awuah-Darko and his university friends have ambitious plans for the sprawling Agbogbloshie dumping ground in […]
‘Virtual gold’ may glitter, but mining it can be really dirty
by Chris Wright Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — As the poster child for the growing ranks of computer-generated currencies, bitcoin’s recent stratospheric price rises have propelled it from the chat forum-hosted depths of nerddom into the global consciousness. As it rose from under $1,000 to over $19,500 at one point this year, hordes of tech-savvy punters have rushed in to buy, while any investors can now do the same on the US […]
Look: Nepal’s last known dancing bears rescued
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AFP) — Nepali authorities have rescued the country’s last known “dancing bears”, officials said Sunday, ending the medieval tradition of abuse of the beasts for entertainment. The Himalayan nation banned performing bears back in 1973 but the illegal practice — a traditional occupation for some street performer communities — lingered on in parts of its southern region. Police and animal charities said they spent more than a year hunting the captors of the […]
Delhi rolls out ‘anti-smog’ mist cannon in trial run
by Atish Patel Agence France Presse NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India on Wednesday unveiled a new weapon against air pollution — an “anti-smog gun” which authorities hope will clear the skies above New Delhi but which environmentalists say amounts to a band-aid solution. The cannon’s Indian manufacturers say the fine droplets of water it ejects at high speed can flush out deadly airborne pollutants in one of the world’s smoggiest capitals. The giant mister […]
French to ban oil, gas production by 2040
PARIS, France (AFP) — France’s parliament on Tuesday passed into law a ban on producing oil and gas by 2040, a largely symbolic gesture as the country is 99 percent dependent on hydrocarbon imports. In the vote by show of hands, only the right-wing Republicans party opposed, while left-wing lawmakers abstained. No new permits will be granted to extract fossil fuels and no existing licences will be renewed beyond 2040, when all production in mainland […]
Oh, how cute: Tokyo crowds flock to see baby panda on first day
by Harumi Ozawa Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Hundreds of fans flocked to a Tokyo zoo Tuesday for the first public viewing of baby panda Xiang Xiang, after winning a lucky lottery ticket that a quarter of a million applied for. Long queues formed outside the zoo as fans — many wearing panda cub hats or gloves — waited patiently for a brief glimpse of Xiang Xiang, whose name is derived from the […]
