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by Marlowe HOOD PARIS, France (AFP) — Permafrost in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia is abruptly crumbling in ways that could release large stores of greenhouse gases more quickly than anticipated, researchers have warned. Scientists have long fretted that climate change — which has heated the Arctic and subarctic regions at double the global rate — will release planet-warming CO2 and methane that has remained safely locked inside Earth’s frozen landscapes for millennia. It was assumed […]
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — As doctors scramble to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus, a potent brew of anti-retroviral and flu drugs has emerged as a possible defence against the mysterious sickness that has killed hundreds. But the science is inconclusive on whether they are actually effective and experts say successful treatment could take years. Here is what we know — and don’t know — about the drugs deployed against the SARS-like virus. – Why anti-retrovirals? […]
by Glenn CHAPMAN Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Google parent Alphabet missed revenue expectations in the fourth quarter despite stellar growth at YouTube and in the cloud, earnings figures released Monday showed. Detailing its cloud computing and YouTube revenues for the first time, Alphabet reported that profits rose 19 percent from a year ago in the quarter to nearly $10.7 billion as revenues increased 17 percent to $46 billion. Alphabet and Google chief […]
by Pablo IZMIRLIAN Agence France-Presse PIRIÁPOLIS, Uruguay (AFP) — On a hot summer’s day in southern Uruguay, Graciela Martinez weighs her plastic waste before dropping it in a designated container by the beach. In return, she’ll receive some virtual money on her phone that she can use for discounts on purchases at restaurants or partnered shops. It’s part of a pilot environmental project called “Plasticoin” aimed at encouraging plastic recycling in the South American country. […]
by Rob Lever Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) — Facebook’s massive settlement in a class action case over violating a state law on how it uses facial recognition is being hailed as a watershed moment for “biometric privacy.” The leading social network said Wednesday it agreed to the $550 million payout after failing to win dismissal of the case alleging it illegally collected biometric information for “face tagging” in violation of a 2008 Illinois […]
by Jing Xuan TENG BEIJING, China (AFP) — A claim by Chinese scientists that a liquid made with honeysuckle and flowering plants could help fight the deadly coronavirus has sparked frenzied buying of the traditional medicine, but doubts quickly emerged. As the death toll from the SARS-like pathogen sweeping the country continues to rise, shoppers have swamped pharmacies in search of “Shuanghuanglian”. The rush came after influential state media outlet Xinhua reported Friday that the […]
by Amélie Bottollier-Depois Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — From the polar ice cap to the Mariana Trench 10 kilometres below the waves, synthetic microfibres spat out by household washing machines are polluting oceans everywhere. The world has woken up over the last year to the scourge of single-use plastics, from bottles and straws to ear swabs and throw-away bags, resulting in legislation to restrict or ban their use in dozens of countries. A lot of […]
QUITO, Ecuador (AFP) — A scientific expedition to the Galapagos Islands has discovered a tortoise with a “strong” genetic link to a presumed-extinct subspecies made famous by the popular Lonesome George, national park officials said Friday. George, the last known member of the Chelonoidis nigra abingdonii Pinta tortoise species, died in 2012 in captivity aged over 100 after refusing to provide any offspring. The Galapagos National Parks (PNG) said the expedition had discovered a young, […]
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AFP) — Dhaka is awash with millions of plastic-laminated campaign posters ahead of elections in the Bangladeshi capital, and environmentalists are up in arms. These posters — of which there are an estimated 304 million — will likely end up in sewers, rivers and canals, says activist Sharif Jamil. “If they are burnt, they will pollute the air,” he adds. The city’s air quality has been ranked one of the worst in the […]
MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — The Philippines has reported the first death outside China in the virus epidemic that has killed more than 300 people and spread to 24 nations. The 44-year-old Chinese man who died in the Philippines was from Wuhan, the city that has been ground-zero for the epidemic. Here is what we know — and don’t know — about him: Where he visited The man and a 38-year-old Chinese woman also from Wuhan, […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Apple announced on Saturday the closure of its stores, corporate offices and contact centres in mainland China until February 9 due to the new coronavirus epidemic. The virus has prompted the government extend the Lunar New Year holiday through this weekend in a bid to contain its spread, but many provinces and cities have called on companies to delay their return to work. “Our thoughts are with the people most […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Radioactive water from the stricken nuclear plant in Fukushima should be released into the ocean or vaporised into the air, an expert panel advised the Japanese government on Friday. The proposal is non-binding and sets no deadline for the government to decide or carry out procedures to deal with the water. The panel has been weighing the issue for more than three years, but a decision is becoming urgent as space […]
