Barmal District, Afghanistan (AFP) Dec 20, 2022 Labourer Rasool Badshah has moved into a new home six months after a deadly earthquake rocked eastern Afghanistan, but without his mother, who was killed by collapsing walls. More than 1,000 people were killed and tens of thousands made homeless after the 5.9-magnitude quake – the deadliest in Afghanistan in nearly a quarter of a century – struck … Continue reading Afghan survivors get new homes six months after deadly quake

Beijing (AFP) Dec 19, 2022 China on Monday reported its first deaths from Covid-19 since loosening its hardline containment policy, as hospitals and crematoriums struggle with an outbreak authorities say is impossible to track. The country is pressing ahead with unwinding years of its zero-Covid policy, with people in one megacity now even told they can go to work if they are visibly ill. Official … Continue reading China reports first Covid deaths since hardline policy eased

Baghdad (AFP) Dec 18, 2022 In an annex of Iraq’s national museum, a conservator pores over a 17th-century manuscript, carrying out delicate restoration work as part of efforts to preserve and digitise 47,000 precious texts. “Some manuscripts date back almost 1,000 years,” said Ahmed al-Alyawi, who heads the House of Manuscripts body. “There are writings in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Hebrew and Kurdish,” he added,http://dlvr.it/SfbNZG Continue reading Iraqi conservators strive to preserve ancient manuscripts

Poyang, China (AFP) Dec 18, 2022 Spooked by a historic drought, local authorities in China have renewed controversial plans to dam the country’s biggest freshwater lake. But environmentalists warn damming Poyang Lake, a winter stopover for over half a million birds, would threaten the fragile ecosystem and the endangered birds and other wildlife it supports. China is currently chairing UN biodiversity talks in Montreal,http://dlvr.it/SfbNYW Continue reading Dam plans threaten China’s migratory bird haven

Suva, Fiji (AFP) Dec 18, 2022 Fiji’s tumultuous general election ended in a cliffhanger Sunday, with two rival ex-coup leaders failing to win a clear majority and needing to woo a kingmaking minor party to secure power. Incumbent Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama’s Fiji First party and an opposition coalition led by Sitiveni Rabuka were both projected to secure 26 seats in the 55-seat legislature, according … Continue reading Tense Fiji election tied, opposition eyes deal for power

Moscow (AFP) Dec 18, 2022 Heavy snowfall descended on the Russian capital on Sunday, disrupting traffic, delaying flights and leaving pavements buried with snow. In parts of Moscow, snow piled into mounds over 30 centimetres (12 inches) high, something not usually observed until the end of winter in February, the Fobos weather centre said. The last time a similar depth of snow was recorded in … Continue reading Record-breaking snowfall blankets Moscow

Montreal (AFP) Dec 18, 2022 As the world’s environment ministers try to thrash out a new deal for nature, youth activists gathered at a UN summit in Montreal are making it clear that actions taken today will affect generations to come. Here is what some had to say. – Prisca Daka – Prisca Daka, a 31-year-old from Zimbabwe now based in the US, is regional … Continue reading ‘Be good ancestors,’ youth activists tell ministers at UN nature talks

Osaka, Japan (SPX) Dec 18, 2022 Plants that live on land, such as spinach, grow by using sunlight to perform photosynthesis. How, then, do algae photosynthesize in the deep sea, an environment where only a little light reaches them? Land plants mainly absorb red and blue light from the sun and use it for photosynthesis. However, only weak blue-green light reaches the ocean floor. Therefore, … Continue reading Shedding light on photosynthesis at sea

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 18, 2022 In the United States, the agriculture sector is not immune to floods and droughts. But when these disasters hit, the system is designed to be robust enough to bounce back quickly. With an economy that depends on agriculture, many protections are in place to help farmers stay afloat, even after major disasters. Meanwhile in Southeast Asia, increasingly variable rainfall … Continue reading How SERVIR is helping Southeast Asia adapt to variable rainfall

Vilnius, Lithuania (SPX) Dec 18, 2022 Kongsberg NanoAvionics has signed a contract with thermal data provider Constellr to supply it with two of its flagship MP42 microsatellite buses. Having recently raised 10 million euros, Germany-based Constellr will use the two satellites to develop the world’s first scalable water stress monitoring system. Collaborating since the very early days of the German startup, NanoAvionics has alhttp://dlvr.it/SfY1BN Continue reading NanoAvionics to supply Constellr with two satellites to help saving 60 billion tons of water globally