Life

Sri Lanka completes return of illegal waste to Britain

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) – Sri Lanka shipped out to Britain on Monday the last of several hundred containers filled with thousands of tonnes of illegally imported waste, officials said. Several Asian countries have in recent years been pushing back against an onslaught of refuse from wealthier nations and have started turning back unwanted shipments. The waste from Britain arrived in Sri Lanka between 2017 and 2019 and was listed as “used mattresses, carpets and […]

Mining firms targeting Brazil indigenous lands: report

RIO DE JANERIO, Brazil (AFP) – Major mining companies are seeking to expand to currently protected indigenous lands in the Amazon rainforest, bolstered by billions of dollars in financing from international banks and investment firms, a report found Tuesday. Nine mining giants including Brazil’s Vale, Britain’s Anglo American and Canada’s Belo Sun have filed applications seeking authorization to mine on indigenous reservations in Brazil — even though that is currently illegal, said the report by […]

Only nine percent of plastic recycled worldwide: OECD

PARIS, France (AFP) – Less than 10 percent of the plastic used across the world is recycled, the OECD said Tuesday, calling for “coordinated and global solutions” ahead of expected talks on an international treaty on the issue. A new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report found that 460 million tonnes of plastics were used last year, the number nearly doubling since 2000. The amount of plastic waste had more than doubled […]

Breeding ban for bulldogs and cavaliers in Norway

by Pierre-Henry DESHAYES Agence France-Presse OSLO, Norway (AFP) – Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are known for their tiny heads, English bulldogs for their smushed wrinkled muzzles — traits their owners love. But in an unprecedented move, Norway has banned the breeding of these dogs because being cute is causing them suffering. In a recent ruling, the Oslo district court banned the breeding of the two purebreds on the grounds that it inflicts harm on them, […]

Spain, Denmark oppose EU green label for gas, nuclear

MADRID, Spain (AFP) – Spain and Denmark reiterated Monday their opposition to plans by the European Union to label gas and nuclear energy projects as green investments, an issue that has divided the bloc. The two nations believe such a move would send “the wrong message to investors and society as a whole”, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told a joint news conference in Madrid with his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen. The European Commission drafted […]

Germany wants to keep fuel motor cars, but get rid of petrol

LE BOURGET, France (AFP) – Automaking powerhouse Germany is opposed to a ban on internal combustion engines from 2035 provided they work on synthetic fuels, the country’s transport minister said Monday. The European Commission proposed last year a ban on the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines from the middle of next decade, but the debate is far from over. “We want to allow combustion engines after 2035 only if they can be […]

Iran hails nuclear talk ‘progress’ but Raisi insists US sanctions end

by Tim Witcher Agence France-Presse DOHA, Qatar (AFP) – Iran Monday signalled “significant progress” in talks on reviving a stalled accord on its nuclear programme but President Ebrahim Raisi, on his first visit to a Gulf state, again insisted that Washington must lift its crippling sanctions. Iran’s ultraconservative president, a personal target of the US sanctions, spoke out ahead of a summit of natural gas exporting nations in Qatar. The summit will take place against […]

US climate envoy Kerry in Egypt to discuss COP27 summit

CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) – The United States and Egypt on Monday launched a working group to prepare for the COP27 climate summit this year, with US envoy John Kerry urging more countries to come on board. The meeting will take place in November in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, seeking to build on gains made at the previous conference in Glasgow last year. “In Glasgow, we made significant progress… we now need […]

TotalEnergies finds new oil, gas reserves off Suriname

PARIS, France (AFP) – French giant TotalEnergies on Monday announced the discovery of significant reserves of oil and gas off the coast of Suriname and said it would begin exploration soon. The company has several exploration licences in the South American nation and made the announcement jointly with US firm APA. “TotalEnergies and APA Corporation have made a significant new oil and associated gas discovery at the Krabdagu-1 well, in the central area of Block […]

China denies making space junk set to crash into Moon

BEIJING, China (AFP) – China on Monday denied responsibility for a rocket set to slam into the Moon, after experts said the piece of space junk likely came from Beijing’s lunar exploration programme. Astronomers initially thought the wayward object was a chunk of a SpaceX rocket that blasted off seven years ago and was abandoned in space after completing its mission. But it is now believed to be the booster for the Chang’e 5-T1, launched […]

Ethiopia starts generating power at Nile mega-dam

by Robbie Corey-Boulet gence France-Presse GUBA, Ethiopia (AFP) – Ethiopia began generating electricity from its mega-dam on the Blue Nile on Sunday, a milestone in the controversial multi-billion dollar project. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, accompanied by high-ranking officials, toured the power station and pressed a series of buttons on an electronic screen, a move that officials said initiated production. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is set to be the largest hydroelectric scheme in Africa but […]

Rescued condors spread wings in Chilean Andes

by Pablo COZZAGLIO / Alberto PEÑA Agence France-Presse PARQUE NACIONAL PATAGONIA, Chile (AFP) – Pumalin and Liquine, two juvenile condors rescued from certain death, have been released back into the wild in a much-needed boost for a dwindling species emblematic of the Chilean Andes. After 14 months of rehabilitation, the pair of scavengers were freed last week in the Patagonian National Park in Chile’s extreme south, where every individual counts for a species listed by […]