Suva, Fiji (AFP) July 18, 2022 Climate-threatened Pacific islands called on Monday for the International Court of Justice to rule on countries’ legal duties to stop climate change, a move designed to ratchet up pressure on polluting nations. In a statement released after a summit in Fiji last week, Pacific leaders issued a joint call for the Hague-based court to make clear states’ obligations “to … Continue reading Pacific Islands ask international court to rule on climate

Los Angeles (AFP) July 18, 2022 Damon Ayala patrols the streets of drought-stricken Los Angeles every day, inspecting the sidewalks. Each time he sees a puddle, he stops. He is part of the city’s Department of Water and Power team, which looks into hundreds of community complaints filed by neighbors each week about water waste. “It’s not extreme, but it’s something that we want them … Continue reading ‘Water police’ patrol drought-hit Los Angeles streets

Karbala, Iraq (AFP) July 17, 2022 Thousands of young date palms, Iraq’s national symbol, form lines that extend from the edge of the desert near the central city of Karbala and into the horizon. Iraq’s prized trees are central to a push aimed to preserve a long-threatened ancestral culture, whose fruit historically presented prosperity across the Arab world. “The date palm is the symbol and … Continue reading Iraq’s date palms: rescuing a national icon

Boston MA (SPX) Jul 17, 2022 Most vaccines, from measles to Covid-19, require a series of multiple shots before the recipient is considered fully vaccinated. To make that easier to achieve, MIT researchers have developed microparticles that can be tuned to deliver their payload at different time points, which could be used to create “self-boosting” vaccines. In a new study, the researchers describe how these … Continue reading Microparticles could be used to deliver “self-boosting” vaccines

Bogota (AFP) July 16, 2022 Colombian celebrity designer Nancy Gonzalez’s fall from grace was sudden and spectacular: taken in handcuffs from her luxury home in Cali last week to a Bogota jail cell, accused of smuggling protected animal skin purses into the United States. The 77-year-old is now awaiting a ruling by a Colombian judge on whether she should be extradited to the United States, … Continue reading From catwalk to perp walk: Colombian designer awaits fate on smuggling charges

Paris (AFP) July 16, 2022 Orphaned elephants manage to overcome the loss of their mother by living in a herd, highlighting the importance of a social life for the species, according to a study. Scientists investigated the consequences of a mother elephant’s death on her child by examining the level of stress hormones in the excrement of 37 young elephants in Kenya between 2015 and … Continue reading Social life helps orphaned elephants overcome loss: study

United Nations, United States (AFP) July 16, 2022 The United Nations Security Council agreed Friday to ask member states to ban the transfer of small arms to Haiti, rocked by deadly gang violence, but stopped short of a full embargo requested by China. Bloodshed in the Caribbean nation has been soaring – alongside fuel shortages and rising food prices – with at least 89 people … Continue reading UN Security Council calls on members to stop arming gangs in Haiti

United Nations, United States (AFP) July 15, 2022 China has asked the UN Security Council to vote on banning small arms deliveries to Haiti, setting up a potential stand-off Friday with the United States whose draft resolution does not reflect Beijing’s proposal. Gang violence in the Caribbean nation has been soaring – alongside fuel shortages and rising food prices – with at least 89 people … Continue reading China asks UN Security Council for ban on small arms to Haiti

Suva, Fiji (AFP) July 13, 2022 The United States launched a major push into the Pacific Wednesday as it seeks to hold off China’s advances in the region, with Vice President Kamala Harris announcing the opening of two new embassies at a key regional summit. Washington will open missions in Tonga and Kiribati and also appoint its first-ever Pacific regional envoy, Harris said as she … Continue reading US VP Harris launches Pacific push with new embassies, envoy

Madrid (AFP) July 14, 2022 A heatwave sweeping across southwestern Europe peaked on Thursday in Spain, with scorching temperatures fuelling stubborn wildfires that ravaged several countries. Temperatures soared in Greece, Spain and Portugal, while the heatwave was expected to continue in Britain and France into next week. It is the second heatwave to hit the region in a matter of weeks, as scientists say they … Continue reading Wildfires spread across Europe; Morocco battles infernos as villagers flee