Cape Town (AFP) March 15, 2022 On Cape Town’s beaches, swimmers shower off sand from their feet. Irrigation pipes water the region’s famed vineyards. And Shadrack Mogress fumes as he fills a barrel with water so he can flush his toilet. It’s been four years since South Africa’s tourist capital nearly ran dry, during a drought that left the city limping towards a “Day Zero” … Continue reading Sparkling pools, empty taps: Cape Town’s stark water divide

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Mar 15, 2022 A single-celled marine microbe capable of photosynthesis and hunting and eating prey may be a secret weapon in the battle against climate change. Scientists at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) have discovered a new species that has the potential to sequester carbon naturally, even as oceans warm and become more acidic. The microbe, abundant around the world, photosynthesises … Continue reading Microscopic ocean predator with a taste for carbon capture

Jakarta (AFP) March 14, 2022 Strong and shallow earthquakes shook western Indonesia and the Philippines’ main island early Monday, rattling buildings and sending panicked residents fleeing, but causing no casualties or damage. In Indonesia, a 6.7-magnitude earthquake hit off the west coast of Sumatra island and in the Philippines, a 6.4-magnitude tremor struck 110 kilometres (68 miles) off Luzon island, the United Statehttp://dlvr.it/SLf5xB Continue reading Strong quakes shake Indonesia, Philippines but cause no damage

Hong Kong (AFP) March 11, 2022 Kathleen Wong thought her 89-year-old mother was lucky to get a coveted spot in a government nursing home, but now she watches in horror as a coronavirus wave tears through Hong Kong’s elderly population. Care homes have become the epicentre of the city’s worst-ever outbreak, accounting for nearly 60 percent of all deaths since January when an Omicron-fuelled resurgence … Continue reading Elderly care homes in eye of Hong Kong’s deadly Covid storm

Doha (AFP) March 13, 2022 Chad’s military government and dozens of opposition groups started peace talks on Sunday in Qatar as a first step towards ending a rebellion and holding elections. But after opening speeches, in which the country’s prime minister and the head of the African Union Commission called for concessions, the talks were suspended for 48 hours because of a dispute over the … Continue reading Dispute quickly hampers start of Chad peace talks

Hong Kong (AFP) March 14, 2022 A UK-based rights group pledged Monday not to remain silent after Hong Kong’s government demanded it shutter its website and accused it of endangering China’s national security. While China heavily restricts the internet on the mainland, Hong Kong does not generally censor the web, allowing residents to access sites and content that might be critical of Beijing. But Monday’s … Continue reading Hong Kong demands UK rights group scrub website

Paris (AFP) March 12, 2022 As attention fixes on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, so do conspiracy theorists who actively push Kremlin propaganda online after two years of sharing disinformation about the coronavirus. They claim the war is an attempt to divert attention, some even say it is a ploy to get French President Emmanuel Macron elected again next month. Experts say conspiracists are opportunists … Continue reading Covid to crisis: well-oiled conspiracy theorists push Ukraine disinfo

Paris (AFP) March 11, 2022 France will drastically step up the culling of chickens, ducks and other poultry to contain a bird flu outbreak worse than last winter’s, the agriculture ministry said Friday. It is the fourth major flu epidemic for French poultry farms since 2015, mainly in the country’s southwest, home to the lucrative yet controversial foie gras liver pate. By wiping out the … Continue reading France to cull ‘millions’ more poultry as bird flu flares

Shanghai (AFP) March 11, 2022 A Chinese city of nine million was ordered into lockdown on Friday and Shanghai shut its schools as authorities scrambled to halt a Covid-19 outbreak that has pushed nationwide cases to their highest levels in two years. Changchun, the capital of northeastern Jilin province and an important industrial base, ordered residents to stay at home, allowing one person out every … Continue reading Chinese city locks down, Shanghai shuts schools as Covid spikes

Maputo (AFP) March 11, 2022 A cyclone struck northern Mozambique leaving at least eight people dead on Friday, the national institute for risk management said. Among the victims was a child crushed in the collapse of a house in Monapo, the institute said, raising the toll to eight. President Filipe Nyusi had earlier announced on a visit to South Africa that seven people were dead. … Continue reading Cyclone kills eight in Mozambique