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BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Daimler has approved settlements worth $2.2 billion over emissions cheating software in its diesel vehicles in the US, the German carmaker said Thursday. The company has “reached an agreement in principle with various US authorities to settle civil and environmental claims regarding emission control systems of approximately 250,000 diesel passenger cars and vans in the United States,” it said in a statement. The agreement includes $1.5 billion to be paid to US […]
BELGRADE, Serbia (AFP) — Muja has lived through multiple bombing campaigns and several countries — all while never leaving a tiny pool in Belgrade’s zoo for 83 years, making him the world’s oldest captive alligator. While zookeepers don’t know his exact hatch day, the reptile arrived in Belgrade this week in August of 1937 from a German zoo. “He’s an older gentleman and we respect his age,” Jozef Edvedj, the zoo’s veterinarian, told AFP with […]
by Robin MILLARD Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The WHO on Thursday urged countries to invest billions of dollars in searching for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments — calling it a snip compared to the vast economic cost of the coronavirus crisis. The World Health Organization insisted it was a smarter bet than the trillions of dollars being thrown at handling the consequences of the global pandemic. The UN agency’s chief Tedros Adhanom […]
by Patrick GALEY PARIS, France (AFP) — Wind and solar produced a record 10 percent of global electricity in the first half of 2020 as the world’s coal plant fleet ran at less than half its capacity, analysis published Thursday showed. Despite a near-record drop in power demand due to the pandemic, renewables accounted for 1,129 terawatt-hours in January-June, compared with 992 in the first six months of 2019, according to a report by the […]
by Issam AHMED WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A species of frog from the Brazilian rainforest has become the first amphibian shown to live in a harem, where one male mates with two females who remain loyal to him. So-called polygyny is thought to be the most common mating system among animals and has previously been found in bony fishes, reptiles, mammals, birds, and even some invertebrates, Fabio de Sa, a zoologist at Universidade Estadual […]
by Sara HUSSEIN TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The coronavirus isn’t the only plague making headlines this year — locusts are devastating crops in several parts of the world, and now scientists are discovering why the pest forms destructive swarms. On its own, a locust is fairly harmless. But so-called solitary locusts can undergo a metamorphosis, changing colour and joining together with millions of others in catastrophic clouds that strip fields. So what prompts locusts to […]
by Laurence COUSTAL PARIS, France (AFP) — A golden halo glinting 12 billion light years away is the farthest galaxy resembling our Milky Way yet spotted, astronomers said Wednesday, adding the “surprisingly unchaotic” infant star system challenges our understanding of the early years of the Universe. The galaxy, called SPT0418-47, is so far away that it took billions of years for its light to reach Earth and so our image of it is from deep […]
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has said it is a “lie” that fires are ravaging the Amazon rainforest, despite data from his own government showing the number of blazes is rising. The far-right leader has faced international condemnation for presiding over huge fires and rising deforestation in the Amazon — criticism he took issue with in a speech to a video conference of countries that share the world’s biggest rainforest. […]
by Céline CORNU Agence France-Presse VENICE, Italy (AFP) — Venice may be famed for Saint Mark’s Square or the Bridge of Sighs, but the Italian city has another jewel that is often overlooked: its lagoon. Once home to a rich variety of fish and birds, mankind’s meddling has raised the water’s salt content dramatically. However, an environmental project aims to restore it to its former glory, by introducing more fresh water. “The idea is to […]
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Google added an earthquake alert system in California on Tuesday, saying it is working on letting Android-powered smartphones double as tremor detectors. Android phones will receive warnings triggered by a “ShakeAlert” earthquake early-warning system implemented on the West Coast by the US Geological Survey and partners. ShakeAlert uses signals from hundreds of seismometers across the state to trigger warning messages that “an earthquake has begun and shaking is imminent,” […]
by Shingo ITO Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The Japanese firm that operates a ship leaking fuel off the coast of Mauritius has been involved in accidents before, including a 2006 oil spill in the Indian Ocean. Mitsui OSK Lines operates the MV Wakashio, which ran aground on July 25 just off the coast of Mauritius, carrying 4,000 tonnes of fuel that has been seeping into the pristine coral-filled waters of the island nation. […]
by Rouba EL HUSSEINI Agence France-Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — “I don’t want to die.” Those were the first words Hiba’s six-year-old son screamed after the massive explosion at Beirut port sent shards of glass flying around their house. The blast a week ago that injured around 1,000 children and temporarily displaced 100,000 according to the UN had the magnitude of an earthquake. The mental shock it caused among Beirut’s youngest was just as powerful. […]
