By Mathiew LEISER Agence France-Presse DAVIDSON, Canada, June 13, 2023 (AFP) — Following repeated droughts, Canadian farmers are trying to adapt to a new era in agriculture marked by a warming world — including by trapping snow in their fields, planting heat-resistant crops and seeding earlier in the season. But it’s unclear, they are the first to admit, if their slogging will bear fruit. Squatting in the middle of a canola field in Alberta, on […]
International
Three dead, thousands displaced following Cuba storms
HAVANA, June 13, 2023 (AFP) — Three people have died and thousands have been evacuated after heavy rains pummeled eastern and central Cuba in recent days, authorities said Monday. Heavy rains that started Thursday had subsided by Monday evening, but recovery operations were still underway in several eastern provinces, including Holguin, Camaguey, Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Las Tunas, as well as in Sancti Spiritus, in the center of the island. The Camaguey Civil Defense […]
Courage, ‘intelligence’ got children through 40-day jungle odyssey
BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AFP) — Ample courage and honed jungle smarts have been hailed as the main reasons four Indigenous children managed to stay alive in Colombia’s Amazon jungle for 40 days after surviving a plane crash. Against all odds, siblings Lesly, Soleiny, Tien Noriel and Cristin — ages 13, nine, five and one respectively — were found weak, but alive, on Friday after a massive search by some 200 soldiers and Indigenous jungle experts. The […]
Ukraine says seven villages retaken in ‘tough’ offensive
KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine on Monday said it had retaken seven villages and made small gains in a “tough” counter-offensive against Russian forces that France said could last months. “The fighting is tough, but we are moving forward, this is very important,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a daily evening address. “I thank our guys for every Ukrainian flag that is now returning to its rightful place in villages on the newly de-occupied […]
UN chief proposes code to tackle ‘grave’ misinformation
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Alarm over advancements in artificial intelligence must not obscure the “grave” harm already being done by digital platforms rife with misinformation, UN chief Antonio Guterres said Monday, as he proposed an international code of conduct. Rapidly developing AI tools, including chatbots, image generators and voice cloning technology, have sparked global concern over their striking ability to disseminate falsehoods. Guterres said he endorsed the idea for the creation of an […]
Scientists puzzled by killer whale boat attacks off Spain
By Alfons Luna and Anahi Aradas Agence France-Presse BARBATE, Spain, June 12, 2023 (AFP) — Groups of killer whales have rammed hundreds of small boats off the coast of Spain in recent years in “terrifying” behavior that has baffled scientists. “They directly attacked the rudder, not swimming around the boat, not playing with anything,” Friedrich Sommer told AFP as he recalled how his sailboat Muffet was damaged earlier this year by “three or four” killer […]
Dogs die as South Africa snake antivenom shortage bites
By Umberto BACCHI Agence France-Presse JOHANNESBURG, June 12, 2023 (AFP) — Zarza, a much-loved Staffordshire terrier, ended up at a South African animal hospital with a bite from a Mozambique spitting cobra on her snout. The snake’s powerful venom can stop the breathing muscles from working, but normally the bites are treatable with an antidote. The problem, say South African veterinarians, is that they currently have virtually no vials of the antiserum left. “We’ve been […]
Ukraine says three villages retaken in fresh offensive
KYIV, Ukraine, June 12, 2023 (AFP) – Ukraine announced that its forces have retaken three villages in the eastern region of Donetsk, the first reported gains of their new offensive. But three people were killed and at least another 23 wounded as Russia shelled a rescue boat evacuating civilians from Russian-controlled territory, the Kherson region prosecutors’ office said on Sunday. Analysts at Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War say that Kyiv’s […]
Ten dead in Australia wedding bus crash
By Andrew LEESON Agence France-Presse GRETA, Australia, June 12, 2023 (AFP) — A bus carrying wedding guests overturned and killed 10 people in an “unimaginable” night-time crash in a popular wine region near Sydney, police said Monday — Australia’s deadliest road accident in 16 years. The white coach was ferrying guests from a wedding at a local winery when it flipped onto its left side late on Sunday, coming to rest on the pavement alongside […]
NATO begins unprecedented air drill in ‘show of strength’
By Deborah COLE Agence France-Presse BERLIN, June 12, 2023 (AFP) — NATO will begin the largest air force deployment exercise in Europe in the alliance’s history on Monday in a display of unity toward partners and potential threats such as Russia. The German-led “Air Defender 23” will run until June 23 and include some 250 military aircraft from 25 NATO and partner countries including Japan and Sweden, which is bidding to join the alliance. Up […]
Rescuers recount children’s first words after 40-day jungle nightmare
By Lina VANEGAS Agence France-Presse BOGOTÁ, June 12, 2023 (AFP) — “I’m hungry” and “my mom is dead” were the first words uttered by the four children missing for 40 days in the Colombian jungle when they were found, members of the rescue group said in a televised interview Sunday. After wandering alone for more than a month, the Huitoto Indigenous children — ages 13, nine, five, and one — were rescued and airlifted out […]
President Macron says ‘positive’ news on children hurt in France knife attack
ANNECY, France, June 9, 2023 (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said the health of the preschool children badly wounded in a mass knife attack by a Syrian refugee was “heading in the right direction”, as police questioned the attacker. Four children — aged between 22 months and three years old — were stabbed Thursday in a playground in the Alpine town of Annecy, a normally idyllic lakeside spot popular with tourists. While […]





