Environment

Climate change will cut crop yields: study

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Climate change will have a negative effect on key crops such as wheat, rice, and maize, according to a major scientific report out Tuesday that reviewed 70 prior studies on global warming and agriculture. Experts analyzed previous research that used a variety of methods, from simulating how crops will react to temperature changes at the global and local scale, to statistical models based on historical weather and yield data, to […]

Sea turtles lay eggs on protected Mexican beach

PLAYA LA ESCOBILLA, Mexico (Reuters) – Mexico’s beautiful Playa La Escobilla was crawling with nesting marine turtles this weekend as they emerge from the sea to lay their eggs on the sandy beaches in their annual migration during the months of August and September. Members of the Olive Ridley Turtle Sanctuary Cooperative on La Escobilla beach, in the town of Santa Maria Tonameca, battle for turtle conservation in the Pacific Ocean to protect populations that […]

Planet marks new highs for heat, pollutants, sea level in 2016: report

by Jean-Louis Santini with Kerry Sheridan in Miami Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Earth set a series of dire records in 2016, including hottest year in modern times, highest sea level and most heat-trapping gases ever emitted, a global climate report said Thursday. A range of key climate and weather indicators show the planet is growing increasingly warm, a trend that shows no signs of slowing down, said the annual State […]

Nine penguins waddle back to sea after rehabilitation

SAN CLEMENTE DEL TUYU, Argentina (Reuters) — Nine Magellanic penguins were returned to sea on Tuesday (August 08) in San Clemente del Tuyu, Argentina, after recovering from malnutrition at the Rescue and Rehabilitation Center of the Mundo Marino Foundation in Argentina. The Magellanic penguin inhabits the waters off of Argentina and Chile. In the Southern Hemisphere’s winter they can even be found as far north as Uruguay and the southern coast of Brazil. Since this […]

Australian teen recovering in hospital after being severely bitten by marine creatures

MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) — Australian teen Sam Kanizay is recovering in hospital after being severely bitten by marine creatures on Saturday (August 5). The 16-year-old was icing his feet in the waters at Melbourne’s Dendy Street beach after a rugby match when he was attacked by what experts believe to be amphipods, a type of sea scavenging crustacean, commonly known as sea lice. When his legs wouldn’t stop bleeding, Sam’s parents took him to hospital […]

Government report sees drastic climate change impact in US: NYT

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Average United States temperatures have risen dramatically and fast, with recent decades the warmest of the past 1,500 years, according to a draft federal government report cited by The New York Times on Tuesday. “Americans are feeling the effects of climate change right now,” said the report by 13 federal agencies not yet released or approved by President Donald Trump’s administration. The report “directly contradicts claims by President Trump and […]

Second lunar eclipse of year above Madrid

MADRID, Spain (Reuters) — The second lunar eclipse of the year was seen around Madrid’s “Four Towers” skyscrapers on Monday (August 7) evening at the moment the moon rose and the sun set. Due to the eclipse the moon acquired a reddish brown color that lasted two hours and slowly receded afterwards. The effect is generated when the sun, earth and moon become aligned and the moon crosses the shadow projected by the earth which […]

Algae blooms irk Canaries beachgoers

TENERIFE, Spain (AFP) — Microalgae blooms proliferating in hot weather in Spain’s Canary Islands are irritating beachgoers, who should avoid direct contact with them, local authorities said Monday. Tenerife in particular is awash with visitors at this time of year but some of those having an Atlantic dip have come out scratching themselves after brushing up against the tiny algae. The spreading algae have produced a greenish brown hue in the waters off some beaches […]

China’s bikes-for-sharing hit Manchester streets

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (CCTV) — China’s bike-sharing operator Mobike is gaining traction in UK’s Manchester just a few weeks after its arrival in the city. Steve Pyer, general manager of Mobike’s UK division, while expressing the service’s popularity, said each bike gets used nine times a day. “There were 20 bikes there 10 minutes ago, and the last two are about to disappear. So they are being used every day, up to nine times a […]

Panda gives birth to twins at French zoo, one cub dies

SAINT-AIGNAN-SUR-CHER,France (AFP) — There was joy and pain for French zookeepers Friday as their female panda gave birth to twins, but one died soon afterwards. Huan Huan, on loan to Beauval zoo in central France from China, delivered the first cub at 10:18 pm (2018 GMT) and the second at 10:32. But soon after birth, the first, which weighed just 121 grams (4.2 ounces), began having problems breathing and died despite the best efforts of […]

Russia’s Lake Baikal ‘extremely polluted’, Putin warns

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia’s Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest freshwater lake, has extremely high pollution levels, President Vladimir Putin warned Friday while visiting the Siberian lake. Lake Baikal is a UNESCO World Heritage site, the world’s deepest lake at 1,700 meters (5,580 feet) and also the oldest at 25 million years. Tourists flock there to enjoy the unique wildlife and clear waters. Putin, while meeting officials in a room looking onto the shimmering waters […]

Watch: Six giant panda cubs born in one week at Sichuan’s panda base

SICHUAN Province, southwest China (Reuters) — A total of six giant panda cubs were born in succession from four different giant pandas within a week at the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve in southwest China’s Sichuan Province. The giant pandas namely “Jun Zhu”, “Qing Qing”, “Hai Zi” and “Zhen Zhen” gave births to two twins and two singles from July 23 till July 30. “Followed by giant panda ‘Jun Zhu’ giving birth on July 23, four […]