Life

Runaway lion, wounded elk find home in Russian shelter

by Marina KORENEVA Agence France-Presse RAPPOLOVO, Rusia (AFP) — A lion that escaped from an airport, a crocodile found at a rubbish dump and an elk attacked by stray dogs — all these animals have found refuge in an unusual private shelter in Russia. Dozens of bears have also passed through the Velez center, just outside Saint Petersburg, since it was opened in 2009 by businessman Alexander Fyodorov, who says he spent more than $1 […]

Japan bolts whaling commission, but tensions may ease

by Shaun TANDON Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Japan has made good on years of threats by bolting the International Whaling Commission, but its decision may also offer a way out of tensions that looked inextricable. Japan, which calls whaling part of its cultural heritage, said Wednesday it would withdraw from the seven-decade-old commission which since 1986 has banned commercial killing of the ocean giants. But while Japan vowed to forge ahead […]

American adventurer completes solo trek across Antarctica

by Chris Lefkow Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — An American adventurer has become the first person to complete a solo trek across Antarctica without assistance of any kind. Colin O’Brady, 33, took 54 days to complete the nearly 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometer) crossing of the frozen continent from coast to coast. In an Instagram post, he explained his journey ended upon crossing the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf: the point where Antarctica’s land […]

More bears needed to sustain Pyrenees population: activists

TOULOUSE, France (AFP) The release of additional bears into the Pyrenees mountains straddling France and Spain is needed to ensure the fledgling population’s survival, the activist group charged with the bears’ protection said Wednesday. “The good news of 2018 is without doubt the release of two bears in the Bearn region in October,” the Ferus association said, referring to the border region. “But there’s still a long road ahead of us,” it added. Government officials […]

Frenchman sets sail across Atlantic – in a barrel

BORDEAUX, France (AFP) — 71-year-old Frenchman set sail across the Atlantic on Wednesday in a barrel-shaped orange capsule, hoping to reach the Caribbean within three months thanks to ocean currents alone. “The weather is great — I’ve got a swell of one meter and I’m moving at two or three kilometers an hour,” Jean-Jacques Savin told AFP by telephone after setting off from El Hierro in Spain’s Canary Islands. “For the time being my capsule […]

Japan to resume commercial whaling after IWC withdrawal

by Shingo ITO / Miwa SUZUKI Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan said Wednesday it is withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission and will resume commercial whaling next year, sparking criticism from activists and anti-whaling countries including Australia. The announcement comes after Japan failed earlier this year to convince the IWC to allow it to resume commercial whaling. Top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the commercial hunts would be limited to Japan’s territorial waters. […]

As TikTok videos take hold with teens, parents scramble to keep up

by Selim CHTAYTI Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Millions of teenagers seeking their 15 seconds of fame are flocking to TikTok, but many of their parents are only now learning about the express-yourself video app — often to their dismay. The social network became the most downloaded on Apple’s App Store in the first half of this year according to market analysis firm Sensor Tower, beating out titans like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. […]

Britain bans puppy and kitten sales by pet shops

  by Dmitry ZAKS Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain is forbidding puppies and kittens from being sold by pet shops in a bid to crack down on animal exploitation and abuse. The government said it will roll out the legislation next year after holding public consultations that showed 95-percent support for the ban. “This will mean that anyone looking to buy or adopt a puppy or kitten under six months must […]

Actor Kevin Spacey to be charged with sexual assault

  NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Oscar-winning US actor Kevin Spacey is facing a felony charge for alleged sexual assault of a teenager in a restaurant in 2016, prosecutors said on Monday. Spacey will be arraigned at Nantucket District Court on January 7 on a charge of indecent assault and battery, according to the district attorney of Cape and Islands, Massachusetts. Prosecutors did not name the alleged victim of the July 2016 incident but […]

2018 hottest year for a century in France

PARIS, France (AFP) — 2018 was the hottest year in France since modern records began in 1900, the French meteorological service said Friday. “This year was the hottest France has known since modern meteorological measures came into use in 1900,” Meteo-France said. The average temperature of 14 degrees centigrade (57.2 Fahrenheit) was 1.4 degrees above the average recorded between 1981 and 2010, it said in a statement. That put it ahead of two other remarkably […]

Protected Chilean sea lions are the ‘enemy’ of fishermen

by Miguel SANCHEZ Agence France Presse VALPARAISO, Chile (AFP) — Off the coast of Chile, fisherman face competition from a cunning carnivorous hunter that has decimated their industry due to its voracious appetite. For Chile’s fishermen, sea lions are a “plague.” “They’re an enemy!” complained Mario Rojas to AFP. “We try to make them go away but it’s impossible!” Part of the wider seal family that was once hunted mercilessly all over the world, leaving […]