Nicosia (AFP) Aug 18, 2022 A row has erupted in Cyprus after a community leader threatened to dig up the nests of protected turtles because his village is missing out on land development compensation. On Thursday the authorities said his “inexcusable” threat would undo decades of conservation efforts if it went ahead. Yiangos Tsivikos, leader of the Ineia community in the Akamas region in the … Continue reading Cyprus row over threat to dig up protected turtle nests

Bangkok (AFP) Aug 17, 2022 An Indian man has been arrested at Thailand’s main airport attempting to smuggle out a menagerie of live creatures including a white desert fox and a raccoon, officials said Wednesday. The Southeast Asian kingdom is a major transit hub for wildlife smugglers – who often sell the animals on to China and Vietnam – although recent months have seen an … Continue reading Indian smuggler arrested at Thai airport with fox, pythons

Beijing (AFP) Aug 18, 2022 Sixteen people have been killed and dozens are missing in flash flooding in northwest China after a sudden downpour triggered mudslides and caused a river to change course, state media reported Thursday. The floods occurred in a mountainous region of Datong county in Qinghai province, affecting more than 6,200 people from six villages, state broadcaster CCTV said. “As of noon … Continue reading 16 killed, dozens missing in northwest China floods; ‘Frightening’ floods hit N.Zealand

Madrid (AFP) Aug 17, 2022 China’s use of psychiatric hospitals to imprison activists without due process remains routine, a rights group has said, accusing doctors and the healthcare system of colluding with authorities in punishing dissidents. Beijing authorities for decades used the country’s system of psychiatric hospitals, known as Ankang, to punish political prisoners. A report released Tuesday by Madrid-bashttp://dlvr.it/SWrp4f Continue reading China use of psychiatric hospitals to punish activists ‘widespread’: report

Hong Kong (AFP) Aug 18, 2022 Reporting restrictions blanketing Hong Kong’s largest national security prosecution were lifted on Thursday following an earlier a High Court ruling, shedding new light on pre-trial hearings that have dragged on for more than a year. Beijing imposed a sweeping security law on Hong Kong after huge and sometimes violent democracy protests. The law has criminalised most dissent and transforhttp://dlvr.it/SWrp4K Continue reading Restrictions lifted on Hong Kong’s largest security trial

Orjais, Portugal (AFP) Aug 17, 2022 Officials said a massive forest fire in Portugal was “under control” after raging for days, but more than 1,000 firefighters were still battling to keep it contained Thursday. The huge fire in the Serra da Estrela national park in central Portugal was brought under control last week, only to restart again Monday.http://dlvr.it/SWrp3X Continue reading Portugal, Spain struggle to control forest fires;26 dead in north Algeria fires

Marseille (AFP) Aug 17, 2022 The French weather service warned Wednesday of new flash flooding risks after fierce rainstorms lashed much of the country overnight, providing a measure of relief for parched landscapes after a summer of record drought. Alert levels were announced for 13 departments, including several along the Mediterranean coast and around the southeastern city of Lyon. Warnings were also issued for Nhttp://dlvr.it/SWrnxj Continue reading France braces for violent storms after weeks of drought

Wellington (AFP) Aug 17, 2022 Christchurch’s earthquake-damaged cathedral has reached a major milestone with the first people officially allowed to enter the building in more than a decade following the 2011 natural disaster. A pair of restoration workers were the first officials to enter Christ Church Cathedral during a heavily-controlled inspection to check for structural concerns. “We were very happy with what wehttp://dlvr.it/SWnh0y Continue reading People return to quake-hit Christchurch cathedral for first time in decade

Washington DC (UPI) Aug 16, 2021 Like something out of Jurassic Park, a Dallas-based genetics company announced Tuesday it is working to resurrect Australia’s extinct Tasmanian tiger, also known as the thylacine, to slow biodiversity loss and climate change. Colossal Biosciences, which is already using genetic engineering to “de-extinct” the woolly mammoth, announced Tuesday it has the DNA and $10 million in funding fohttp://dlvr.it/SWnh0s Continue reading Scientists announce plans to resurrect extinct Tasmanian tiger

Montrose, United Kingdom (AFP) Aug 17, 2022 In a town in northeastern Scotland, Debbie Banks looks for clues to track down criminals as she clicks through a database of tiger skins. There are thousands of photographs, including of rugs, carcasses and taxidermy specimens. Banks, the crime campaign leader for the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a London-based charity, tries to identify individual big cats from their … Continue reading Earning its stripes: tech bid to crack tiger trade