Life

Controversy as UK pushes ‘anti-woke’ schools guidance

by Jitendra JOSHI Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain’s government on Thursday stoked controversy by issuing new schools guidance that urges teachers to avoid “contested” areas in history, anti-racism and climate change. The guidance, which singles out the activist group Black Lives Matter, comes with Prime Minister Boris Johnson fighting for his political survival and accused of trying to distract voters’ attention by pushing an “anti-woke” agenda. Citing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the […]

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Mexico’s nature defenders put lives on line

by Jennifer Gonzalez Covarrubias Agence France-Presse OCAMPO, Mexico (AFP) – In the fir forests of Mexico, one of the world’s most dangerous countries for environmentalists, the legacy of butterfly defender Homero Gomez lives on two years after his suspected murder. Despite the dangers of standing up to illegal loggers, fellow conservationists continue Gomez’s work guarding the El Rosario monarch butterfly sanctuary in Mexico’s central highlands. The agricultural engineer dedicated much of his life to protecting […]

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Australia’s largest coal-fired power plant to close

by Andrew BEATTY Agence France-Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) – Australia’s largest coal-fired power plant will shut in 2025 — several years sooner than planned — operators announced Thursday, saying the facility is no longer viable given the low cost of renewables. Origin Energy told investors the “influx of renewables” was “undermining the economics” of the vast decades-old Eraring plant just north of Sydney. Australia is one of the world’s largest coal producers and the climate […]

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Bananas to fish scales: fashion’s hunt for eco-materials

by Eric RANDOLPH Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – Sneakers made from banana or pineapple leaves, dresses from nettles or fish scales — the search for sustainable materials has taken the fashion industry to some wild places. Experts warn these new textiles are not a quick fix for fashion’s enormous problems with over-consumption and waste, but may be a necessary step in developing cleaner technologies. “You could possibly eat the final product,” said Hannes Schoenegger, […]

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Morocco announces $1 billion drought relief plan

RABAT, Morocco (AFP) – Morocco said Wednesday it will launch a nearly $1 billion aid programme to help its agriculture industry, which has been hit hard by a particularly acute drought in recent years. The emergency plan “aims to mitigate the effects of delay in rainfall, to alleviate the impact on agricultural activity and to provide assistance to the farmers and livestock breeders affected”, the royal palace said in a statement. The plan will cost […]

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China govt to help run coal power plants at full capacity

BEIJING, China (AFP) – China will help its coal-fired power plants run at full capacity, the government has announced, raising further alarm about the fate of Beijing’s climate pledges. Swathes of the world’s second-biggest economy were paralysed last year because of power shortages, partly caused by a drop in coal supply as global prices of the fossil fuel soared. China is the world’s biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases responsible for climate change, and has pledged […]

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Facebook co-workers now ‘Metamates’ as image evolves

  SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg laid out revamped company values Tuesday, urging workers to be “Metamates” who treat one another with respect and look to the future. Zuckerberg shared his note to employees on his Facebook page, the revamped credo coming on the heels of the internet giant being renamed Meta in October. “As we build the next chapter of our company as Meta, we just updated the values […]

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New Zealand virus cases spike as anti-vaccine protesters claim win

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) – New Zealand Covid-19 infections reached a record high Wednesday as anti-vaccine protesters claimed victory after police failed to clear vehicles blocking the streets around parliament. Health authorities reported 1,160 new coronavirus cases, the most since the pandemic began, as the Omicron variant continues to spread in a country that was largely virus-free until August. While there have only been 53 virus deaths in the nation of five million, some protesters […]

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DR Congo flouting forest protection deal: Greenpeace

KINSHASA, DR Congo (AFP) – Environmental group Greenpeace on Tuesday said the Democratic Republic of Congo has failed to respect a multi-million-dollar agreement signed with Britain last year to finance protecting its ecologically vital forests. The DRC and Britain approved funds worth $500 million as part of the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) two months ago in Glasgow, which hosted the COP26 climate change conference. Greenpeace said Congo’s environment ministry failed to publish before the […]

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Meta agrees $90 million settlement in Facebook privacy suit

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook-parent Meta has agreed to pay $90 million to settle a 10-year-old lawsuit accusing it of tracking users online even after they logged off the social network, court records show. The agreement was filed Monday in a California court and if approved by a judge would put to rest one of the series of suits alleging the social media giant invaded users’ privacy. “Reaching a settlement in this case, […]

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Strong protection for babies born to Covid-vaccinated moms: study

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Babies born to mothers fully vaccinated against the coronavirus during pregnancy were around 60 percent less likely to be hospitalized with severe Covid, a new study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. Such an effect had been hypothesized — because of the transfer of antibodies through the placenta during pregnancy and through breast milk after birth — but wasn’t backed by real world evidence until […]

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Virgin Galactic re-opens ticket sales for $450,000

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – Virgin Galactic, which last year flew its flamboyant founder Richard Branson to space, will re-open ticket sales to the general public starting Wednesday, for the sum of $450,000. Previously, only people who had paid a deposit to be on a waiting list could buy new tickets — but now sales are once more open to everyone. “We plan to have our first 1,000 customers on board at the start […]

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