Life

Thousands evacuated as California wildfire grows

by David McNew with Michael Mathes in Washington Agence France-Presse MIDPINES, United States (AFP) — A fierce California wildfire expanded Sunday, burning several thousand acres and forcing evacuations as tens of millions of Americans sweltered through scorching heat. More than 2,000 firefighters backed by 17 helicopters have been deployed against the Oak Fire, which broke out Friday near Yosemite National Park, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) said in a report. […]

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Call for max working temperature cap after EU heatwave deaths

by Patrick Galey Agence France-Press PARIS, France (AFP) — Trade unions called Monday for the European Commission to impose maximum temperature limits for outdoor workers, after three people died while on shift in Madrid during last week’s withering heatwave. While a handful of member states have legislation limiting working hours in excessive heat, the thresholds vary and many nations have no nationwide heat limits. According to research by the polling agency Eurofound, 23 percent of […]

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String theory: NASA Mars rover discovers mystery object

Washington, United States | AFP Is it tumbleweed? A piece of fishing line? Spaghetti? A tangled object discovered by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has intrigued space watchers, leaving some musing tongue-in-cheek about the quality of Italian dining on the Red Planet. But the most plausible explanation is more prosaic: it’s likely remnants of a component used to lower the robotic explorer to the Martian surface in February 2021. “We have been discussing where it’s from, […]

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Facebook tweaks app with eye on rival TikTok

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook has split the news feed in two on its app, a significant change that mimics the experience on its fiercest competitor, hugely-popular TikTok. One of the feeds unveiled Thursday is a chronological flow from the user’s connections and the other option includes algorithm-driven recommendations on anything that might interest them. The recommendations focus makes Facebook more similar to TikTok’s “For You” feed, where the booming video app’s algorithm […]

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Countries agree pandemic accord should be legally binding

by Robin Millard Agence France-Press GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Countries meeting to negotiate a new international accord on how to handle future pandemics agreed Thursday that it should be legally binding, the World Health Organization said. The economic turmoil and millions of lives lost during the coronavirus crisis triggered calls for new international defenses strong enough to prevent such a disaster in future. The 194 WHO member states decided in December to launch the negotiating […]

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Ford to cut thousands of jobs in transition to electric: US media

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — US carmaker Ford is preparing to cut several thousand jobs to reduce costs and intensify its transition to electric vehicles, US media reported on Wednesday. The group is expected to announce the elimination of more than 4,000 jobs in the coming weeks, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited people close to the matter. Factory workers are not expected to be affected, the report said. Bloomberg said as […]

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Monkeypox: From beginnings in Africa to global spread

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — As monkeypox infections jump around the world, prompting a scramble for vaccines, AFP looks at how the disease has spread since first appearing in Africa in the 1970s. On Thursday, World Health Organization (WHO) experts will meet to decide whether a surge in infections outside Africa since May now constitutes a global health emergency. Monkeypox, so called because it was first discovered in a monkey, is related to the deadly smallpox […]

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Netflix subscriber numbers drop two quarters in a row

  SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Netflix reported losing subscribers for the second quarter in a row Tuesday as the streaming giant battles fierce competition and viewer belt tightening, but the company assured investors of better days ahead. The loss of 970,000 paying customers in the most recent quarter was not as big as expected, and left Netflix with just shy of 221 million subscribers. “Tough in some ways, losing a million and calling […]

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UK breaches 40C for first time, heat records tumble in France

by Joe JACKSON with AFP Europe bureaus Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — A punishing heatwave fuelling ferocious wildfires in western Europe pushed temperatures in Britain over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time on Tuesday and regional heat records tumbled elsewhere. Grassland fires erupted on the edge of London, with one forcing the evacuation of 14 people as farm buildings, houses and garages were consumed by the flames. “I was […]

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Two-time Olympic skating champion Hanyu retires aged 27

  by Andrew MCKIRDY Agence France Presse Japan’s two-time Olympic figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu retired from competition aged 27 on Tuesday, after struggling with injuries at this year’s Beijing Games. It brings down the curtain on a glittering career that has seen the elegant skater become a national icon who is trailed around the world by adoring fans. It follows a string of injuries, including at February’s Games, where the “Ice Prince” was dethroned […]

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Danish lab to supply 1.5 million monkeypox doses in Europe

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AFP) — Danish company Bavarian Nordic, the lone laboratory manufacturing a licensed vaccine against monkeypox, said Tuesday an “undisclosed European country” had ordered 1.5 million doses. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for “intense” efforts to fight the disease as cases rise, especially in western Europe. Bavarian Nordic said deliveries to the unisclosed country would start this year under the contract but the majority of the doses will be delivered during 2023. […]

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‘Shocking’ report lists devastation to Australia wildlife

by David Williams Agence France-Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s unique wildlife is being devastated by bushfires, drought, habitat loss and global warming, a government report said Tuesday, warning that more species were headed for extinction. The five-yearly State of the Environment report prompted calls for dramatic action to reverse the “poor and deteriorating” state of flora and fauna depicted by scientists on land and at sea. The damage is being hastened by a climate […]

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