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by Michelle FITZPATRICK Agence France-Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) – Germany’s coalition government unveiled a slew of measures Thursday to ease the burden from soaring petrol and heating bills, from a 300-euro ($330) energy subsidy to the “cheapest ever” public transport for 90 days. The relief package — agreed after days of wrangling between Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats, the ecologist Greens and the liberal FDP — comes as Germany tries to reduce its reliance on […]
by Laure FILLON Agence France-Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) – Scientists are urging Europe not to delay the transition to greener agriculture in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which threatens global wheat supplies and raises fears over food shortages. The European Commission is preparing to pass emergency measures on Wednesday to deal with the consequences of the war and sanctions on Russia, also a major exporter of cereals. That will include granting temporary exemptions for […]
WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – Extracts of okra and other slimy plants commonly used in cooking can help remove dangerous microplastics from wastewater, scientists said Tuesday. The new research was presented at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society, and offers an alternative to the synthetic chemicals currently used in treatment plants that can themselves pose risks to health. “In order to go ahead and remove microplastic or any other type of materials, […]
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) – Dutch energy firm Eneco said Tuesday the company would not enter into new contracts with Russian gas suppliers over the war in Ukraine. In a statement, Japanese-owned Eneco said it would honour existing contracts but “under these circumstances” would not ink new deals with Russian suppliers. The company estimates that some 15 percent of the gas it supplies to its 5.6 million customers comes from Russia. Eneco chief executive As Tempelman […]
by Ricky OMBENI Agence France-Presse BUKAVU, DR Congo (AFP) – Among rolling hills around the southern tip of majestic Lake Kivu, huge layers of plastic waste ride the water and block the turbines of the largest hydroelectric plant in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The Ruzizi dam is polluted by thousands of bottles, cans and other objects thrown into the lake, which stretches 90 kilometres (56 miles) along the border between DR Congo and Rwanda. […]
DAKAR, Senegal (AFP) – Untapped groundwater resources have “vast potential,” the UN’s cultural agency said Monday, potentially alleviating demand for ever-scarcer water supplies across the world. In a report, cultural agency UNESCO stated that about 99 percent of all of the liquid groundwater on Earth is groundwater, although the resource is often poorly understood or undervalued. “In the context of growing water scarcity in many parts of the world, the vast potential of groundwater and the […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) – The United Nations began a monitoring mission on the Great Barrier Reef Monday, assessing whether the World Heritage site is being protected from climate change as it suffers further widespread bleaching. Higher-than-average temperatures have again caused severe bleaching in parts of the reef, authorities confirmed last week, dashing hopes a cooler La Nina summer could spare corals from another season of heat damage. UNESCO’s mission will assess whether the Australian government […]
by Francoise Kadri Agence France-Presse NEFTA, Tunisia (AFP) – A remote oasis in Tunisia’s desert was exhausted by decades of wasteful water use for agriculture — but now pioneers around an eco-lodge are reviving the spot with innovative projects. They hope their back-to-basics approach can keep alive the ancient Saharan caravan stop and its traditions as a sustainable alternative to the region’s high-irrigation date plantations. “Among the palm trees, everything can grow,” said Mohamed Bougaa, […]
PARIS, France (AFP) – Eastern Antarctica has recorded exceptionally high temperatures this week, more than 30 degrees Celsius above normal, say experts. The Concordia research base at Dome C of the Antarctic, which is at an altitude of 3,000 metres (9,800 feet), on Friday registered a record -11.5 degrees Celsius (11.3 Fahrenheit), Etienne Kapikian, a meteorologist from France-Meteo tweeted. Normally, temperatures fall with the end of the southern summer, but the Dumont d’Urville station on […]
by François PICARD Agence France-Presse HOUSTON, United States (AFP) – Two years ago, the American liquified natural gas (LNG) company Tellurian was in free fall: Its stock price collapsed, it laid off 40 percent of its staff, and suspended a key project in Louisiana. Now, executive chairman Charif Souki says investors “are lining up at the door to ask me: ‘Can we finance your project?’” At the annual CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, Souki told […]
LIMA, Peru (AFP) – The death toll in a landslide in northern Peru has risen to eight with the recovery of a young child’s body, officials said Sunday. “With deep regret, I want to inform you that we have recovered the body of a child under three years of age in the town of Retamas,” said Defense Minister Jose Luis Gavidia. At least three other victims of Tuesday’s landslide were children, Gavidia said earlier. Civil […]
MEJILLONE, Chile (AFP) — When Chilean scientist Osvaldo Ulloa led an expedition 8,000 meters under the sea to an area where no human had ever been, his team discovered microscopic organisms that generated more questions than answers. The January submarine expedition dove into the Atacama Trench, created by the meeting of two tectonic plates in the eastern Pacific Ocean. “We pulled off the feat of taking humans into the trench where no other human being […]
