Montreal (AFP) July 11, 2024 A decision to partially reverse a nearly two-decade ban on hunting grizzly bears in Canada’s Alberta has angered environmentalists, with a group saying Wednesday they feared its impact on the species. Hunting of the mammals, listed as threatened in 2010 by the western Alberta province, had been prohibited for 18 years – leading to growth in the population of grizzlies. … Continue reading Canada conservationists push back as grizzly hunting ban lifted

London (AFP) July 10, 2024 A judge spared two Just Stop Oil activists from jail in the UK on Wednesday after they were convicted of disrupting last year’s World Snooker Championship by throwing orange powder on a playing table. District judge Daniel Curtis sentenced Edred Whittingham, known as Eddie, and his fellow protester Margaret Reid to community orders at a sentencing hearing at Sheffield Magistrates’ … Continue reading UK climate activists who targeted World Snooker Championship spared jail

Houston (AFP) July 9, 2024 Beryl was downgraded Monday evening to a tropical depression after slamming the southern US state of Texas as a Category 1 hurricane, killing at least four people and causing millions to lose power amid scorching summer heat. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Beryl made landfall Monday morning near the Gulf Coast town of Matagorda, and was losing strength … Continue reading Beryl downgraded after slamming Texas with deadly rains, wind

Belgrade (AFP) July 8, 2024 A new heatwave started to sweep over the Balkans on Monday, three weeks after the last one caused a power outage in several countries in the region. In Albania, where temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), the government announced on Monday morning that “any deliberate or accidental fire” could lead to a 15-year prison sentence. “The rising temperatures … Continue reading Intense heatwave sweeps through the Balkans

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jul 08, 2024 New research has revealed unexpected variations in the diets and gut microbiomes of songbirds residing in the radioactive zones of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukraine. This study is groundbreaking as it is the first to explore the breeding behavior and early life stages of birds in these radiologically contaminated environments. The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, encompassing approximatelyhttp://dlvr.it/T9NrdC Continue reading Radiation’s Impact on Bird Breeding and Microbiomes in Chornobyl

Athens (AFP) July 8, 2024 Greece battled more than 1,200 forest fires in June, more than double the number from the same month last year, the government said Monday. The country has experienced its warmest winter and earliest heatwave on record, with temperatures hitting 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) in the first half of June. Strong winds and drought conditions have fanned fires in … Continue reading Greece records jump in June wildfires

Washington (AFP) July 9, 2024 NATO leaders gather Tuesday in Washington for a summit aimed at showing resolve against Russia and support for Ukraine – but the meeting is set to be overshadowed by US President Joe Biden’s fight for political survival. The 81-year-old leader will try to use the three days of pomp marking NATO’s 75th anniversary to reassure allies over US leadership, and … Continue reading NATO meets in Washington as questions swirl over Biden’s future

Beijing (AFP) June 24, 2024 Heavy rains are expected to batter broad sections of China in the coming days, authorities warned Monday, a day after a landslide triggered by downpours claimed eight lives in central Hunan province. Continuous heavy rain is forecast until Thursday in several provinces across central, eastern and southern regions of the country, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said. The NMC forehttp://dlvr.it/T8hsxL Continue reading Heavy rains expected to pummel central, eastern China

Ottawa (AFP) June 23, 2024 Wildfires in eastern Canada forced the evacuation of hundreds of people – including 225 inmates from a maximum security prison, officials said Sunday. The federal penitentiary in Port-Cartier, about 500 kilometers (300 miles) north of Quebec City, was ordered evacuated along with about 1,000 local residents over the weekend, and 750 workers at a hydroelectric dam in Labrador further north.http://dlvr.it/T8hssn Continue reading Canada prisoners relocated as hundreds flee wildfires