Doringbaai, South Africa (AFP) Oct 19, 2022 To those who live here, it’s like a little piece of heaven, boasting pink flamingos, white beaches and blue ocean waters. Yet this stretch of South Africa’s west coast has also become a battleground, pitching mining firms against environmentalists fearful that one of nature’s last wild treasures is being bulldozed away. Diamonds, zircon and other minerals have long … Continue reading Surfers, miners fight over South Africa’s white beaches

N’Djamena (AFP) Oct 19, 2022 One of the poorest and most arid states in the world, the landlocked nation of Chad has been hit by exceptional floods that have affected hundreds of thousands of lives. In the beleaguered capital of N’Djamena, a field of tents has sprung up to provide emergency shelter and victims are striving to salvage what they can from the ruins of … Continue reading Chad floods leave victims in despair

Beijing (AFP) Oct 18, 2022 China accused demonstrators on Tuesday of “illegally entering” its consulate in the British city of Manchester, after footage of a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester being assaulted on the grounds sparked outrage in the UK. British police have said a group of men came out of the consulate during a peaceful demonstration on Sunday afternoon, dragging one of the protesters inside … Continue reading China blames ‘troublemakers’ after consulate protest assault in UK

Copenhagen (AFP) Oct 14, 2022 It may seem a drop in the ocean, but the $13 million Denmark has earmarked as aid for climate change-related “loss and damages” set an important precedent. It might just end up helping open a fresh flow of aid to the world’s most vulnerable countries. Danish Development Cooperation Minister Flemming Moller told the UN General Assembly last month the money … Continue reading Denmark paves the way for ‘loss and damage’ climate aid

San Clemente, Etats-Unis (AFP) Oct 16, 2022 Steve Lang can see catastrophic erosion worsened by climate change happening in real time along one of the world’s most scenic railroad lines, where the sea is swallowing homes, tracks and California’s beautiful beaches. “Every day I come here and watch this, and it makes me want to cry,” the 68-year-old tells AFP on rail tracks he crosses … Continue reading Changing climate claims railways, houses and beaches in California

Campo, Cameroon (AFP) Oct 17, 2022 Banana growers on the edge of a giant national park on Cameroon’s Atlantic coast say they can take no more crop destruction from hungry elephants as the conflict between man and animal escalates. Near the southern border with Equatorial Guinea, eight villages have registered complaints with the Campo Ma’an national park, a vast area of virgin forest from where … Continue reading Hungry elephants, Cameroon farmers struggle to coexist

Beijing (AFP) Oct 16, 2022 Rapturous applause greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping as he took the stage Sunday at the start of a carefully choreographed Communist Party Congress expected to confirm him as the country’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. Around 2,300 delegates gathered in Beijing’s imposing Great Hall of the People, bedecked in the party’s signature red and gold with banners bearing slogans … Continue reading It’s Xi’s party at China’s historic 20th Congress

Beijing (AFP) Oct 16, 2022 President Xi Jinping hailed China’s rise as a global power and demanded unity around his leadership on Sunday, launching a Communist Party Congress that is set to rubber stamp his bid to rule for a historic third term. In an opening address to 2,300 delegates gathered at the Great Hall of the People, Xi promoted and defended a range of … Continue reading Xi hails China’s rise, demands unity at Congress

Marburg, Germany (SPX) Oct 17, 2022 The central biocatalyst in photosynthesis, Rubisco, is the most abundant enzyme on earth. By reconstructing billion-year-old enzymes, a team of Max Planck researchers has deciphered one of the key adaptations of early photosynthesis. Their results not only provide insights into the evolution of modern photosynthesis but also offer new impulses for improving it. Present day life fully depenhttp://dlvr.it/Sb9TDL Continue reading Back to the future of photosynthesis

London, UK (SPX) Oct 17, 2022 The amazing survival strategies of polar marine creatures might help to explain how the first animals on Earth could have evolved earlier than the oldest fossils suggest according to new research. These first, simple and now extinct, animals might have lived through some of the most extreme, cold and icy periods the world has ever seen. The study is … Continue reading Learning about the first animals on Earth from life at the poles