Bariloche, Argentina (AFP) Jan 14, 2022 With temperatures climbing upwards, firefighters were deployed ahead of the weekend to forest fires in nine of Argentina’s 23 provinces, including one blaze that has been active for more than a month. Nearly 100 firefighters and support staff, reinforced by planes and helicopters, were fighting the largest of the fires in the Nahuel Huapi National Park, the fire management … Continue reading Firefighters battle forest blazes in Argentina

Hong Kong (AFP) Jan 14, 2022 Hong Kong announced a ban on passengers from more than 150 nations transiting its airport on Friday as China ramps up strict anti-virus travel measures ahead of the Winter Olympics. The move deepens Hong Kong’s global isolation and comes as Beijing battles to stamp out a flurry of Delta and Omicron outbreaks in the only major economy still pursuing … Continue reading Hong Kong airport bans transit passengers from 153 countries

Urbana IL (SPX) Jan 14, 2022 Synthetic nitrogen fertilizers transformed agriculture as we know it during the Green Revolution, catapulting crop yields and food security to new heights. Yet, despite improvements in crop nitrogen use efficiency, fears of underperformance spur fertilizer overapplication to this day. Excess nitrogen then ends up in waterways, including groundwater, and in the atmosphere in the form of potent grhttp://dlvr.it/SH5WLr Continue reading Powerful sensors on planes detect crop nitrogen with high accuracy

Hilla, Iraq (AFP) Jan 13, 2022 Six people were killed as scaffolding collapsed at a Shiite Muslim mausoleum near the central Iraqi town of Hilla on Thursday, officials said. The accident struck at the shrine of Imam Hamza, connected to the family of the Prophet Mohammed. “Scaffolding being used for renovation work collapsed inside the mausoleum, killing six men aged between 20 and 35,” an … Continue reading 6 dead as scaffolding collapses at Iraq Shiite pilgrimage site

Paris (AFP) Jan 13, 2022 A punishing mix of heat and humidity that makes outdoor labour difficult and dangerous is causing around 677 billion lost working hours a year around the world, according to a new study Thursday that warns climate change is making it worse. Researchers in the United States, who estimated the current cost at $2.1 trillion every year, said that the negative … Continue reading Climate change worsening toll of humid heat on outdoor workers: study

Paris (AFP) Jan 13, 2022 Global companies and financial institutions with the highest potential for curbing deforestation are largely failing to do so, undermining pledges to protect forests made at the COP26 climate summit in November, a report said Thursday. The Forest 500 analysis by non-profit research group Global Canopy graded 350 companies most responsible for producing, using or trading commodities that drivhttp://dlvr.it/SH2pLB Continue reading Global firms fall short on forest protection vows

Boston MA (SPX) Jan 12, 2022 If researchers could find a way to chemically convert carbon dioxide into fuels or other products, they might make a major dent in greenhouse gas emissions. But many such processes that have seemed promising in the lab haven’t performed as expected in scaled-up formats that would be suitable for use with a power plant or other emissions sources. Now, … Continue reading Overcoming a bottleneck in carbon dioxide conversion

Los Llanos De Aridane, Spain (AFP) Jan 12, 2022 For weeks they dreamt of returning to the homes they fled when a volcano erupted on the Spanish island of La Palma. Now that they are finally trickling back to them, their joy is tempered by finding everything covered in a sea of ash. “It’s another world,” said Felix Rodriguez, a 61-year-old bricklayer, as he swept … Continue reading Spain volcano island residents return home to battle ash

Beijing (AFP) Jan 12, 2022 China is battling coronavirus outbreaks in several cities, testing the country’s strict “zero-Covid” strategy just weeks before Beijing hosts the Winter Olympics. Here’s a rundown of the measures in place in key areas of the world’s most populous nation. – Tianjin – Fears are growing about China’s largest domestic Omicron cluster to date in the northern port city of Tianjin, … Continue reading Chinese cities battle Covid as Winter Olympics loom

Raposos, Brazil (AFP) Jan 11, 2022 Torrential rain in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais killed 10 people in two days, according to an official report Tuesday, which warned of more intense downpours in the region. The victims, among them an 11-year-old girl, died on Sunday and Monday due to rains, flooding, and landslides, according to the State Coordinator of Civil Defense. Since the rains … Continue reading Ten killed by heavy rains in southeastern Brazil