Hong Kong (AFP) July 13, 2022 An elderly woman who became a fixture of Hong Kong’s democracy protests was jailed on Wednesday for unlawful assembly, a day after courts imprisoned a terminally ill 75-year-old activist. Alexandra Wong, 66, popularly known as “Grandma Wong”, was a regular presence at the protests three years ago, usually waving a British Union Jack flag. Prosecutors accused her of participating … Continue reading Hong Kong’s ‘Grandma Wong’ jailed for democracy protests

Beirut (AFP) July 12, 2022 Egypt must end a “crackdown” on civil society organisations and peaceful protesters ahead of November’s COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, more than 30 groups including Amnesty International said Tuesday. “The Egyptian authorities should unconditionally allow peaceful protests and gatherings around the time of COP27, including in Cairo… and other cities,” the 36 groups, also includinhttp://dlvr.it/STqD3c Continue reading Rights groups urge COP27 host Egypt to end freedoms ‘crackdown’

Paris (AFP) July 11, 2022 A major UN report warned Monday that a global economy focused on short-term profit is wrecking the planet and called for a drastically different approach as to how we value nature. Without this shift, universally accepted goals of sustainable development and greater equity will remain out-of-reach, the science advisory panel for biodiversity, known as IPBES, found. “The way we understandhttp://dlvr.it/STm15F Continue reading Market values are destroying nature: UN report

Suva, Fiji (AFP) July 12, 2022 US-China rivalry and an inter-island rift overshadowed the start of a landmark Pacific summit Tuesday, hampering efforts to focus world attention on the islands’ dire climate crisis. This year’s Pacific Islands Forum is the region’s most important meeting in years, coming after a Covid-enforced hiatus and as low-lying tropical isles run out of time for climate action. Fiji president … Continue reading Pacific leaders struggle to keep focus on climate at key summit

Palo Alto CA (SPX) Jul 10, 2022 Toowoomba, Australia (SPX) Jul 10, 2022 Pixxel has announced an early adoption partnership with Australian cloud-based agritech company DataFarming. Using Pixxel’s hyperspectral dataset, DataFarming will be able to monitor crop health at new speeds and greater resolutions compared to the multispectral imaging on behalf of tens of thousands of farmers. Pixxel’s constellation of hyperspectrhttp://dlvr.it/STm14w Continue reading DataFarming bringing Pixxel’s hyperspectral imaging to Australian farmers

Dernau, Germany (AFP) July 11, 2022 Nearly a year ago, pounding rain turned the River Ahr, a tributary of the Rhine in western Germany, into a torrent of water and mud that swept everything before it. For those who survived the deadly flood, life changed dramatically. Three of them spoke to AFP. – Solidarity – “My dog, my mobile phone and some T-shirts.” That was … Continue reading A year on, German flood victims recall life changed in a night

Madrid (AFP) July 11, 2022 Spain and Portugal were sweltering in their second heatwave in a month on Monday, with scorching temperatures also expected in France and Britain in the coming days. People in Spain baked with the temperature in the central town of Candeleda hitting a stifling 43.3 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit) shortly after 6 pm (1600 GMT), according to Spain’s meteorological agency … Continue reading Heatwave grips Spain as UK readies for soaring temperatures

Monterrey, Mexico (AFP) July 10, 2022 Maria Celia Navarro smiles wistfully as she remembers the now-unthinkable luxury of taking a shower in her home before a water shortage struck one of Mexico’s wealthiest cities. Nestled in mountains a few hours’ drive from the US border, industrial powerhouse Monterrey boasts living standards that many Mexicans could only dream of. Residents of the northern city, whose metropolitan … Continue reading ‘Desperate for water’: drought hits Mexican industrial powerhouse

Mirpur Khas, Pakistan (AFP) July 11, 2022 Mango farmers in Pakistan say production of the prized fruit has fallen by up to 40 percent in some areas because of high temperatures and water shortages in a country identified as one of the most vulnerable to climate change. The arrival of mango season in Pakistan is eagerly anticipated, with around two dozen varieties arriving through the … Continue reading Pakistan’s prized mango harvest hit by water scarcity

Paris (AFP) July 8, 2022 Rampant exploitation of nature is a threat to the well-being of billions of people across the world who rely on wild species for food, energy and income, United Nations biodiversity experts said Friday. From fishing and logging to the use of wild plants in medicines and perfumes, societies across the planet use species that have not been tamed or cultivated, … Continue reading Billions of people rely on wild species for food, fuel, income: UN