Baghdad (AFP) Dec 15, 2021 Half of the families living in drought-affected areas of Iraq need humanitarian food aid, the Norwegian Refugee Council said in a study released on Thursday. Experts have warned that record low rainfall, compounded by climate change, are threatening social and economic disaster in war-scarred Iraq. The NRC said its research shows that “one in two families in drought-affected regions requhttp://dlvr.it/SFT9zT Continue reading Bleak outlook for drought-hit Iraqis: study

Brasilia (AFP) Dec 15, 2021 China lifted an embargo on Brazilian beef Wednesday, three months after banning meat from the South American export powerhouse over two cases of mad cow disease, authorities in both countries said. Brazil is the world’s biggest producer and exporter of beef, but it lost its top client when China imposed the embargo in September following the detection of two cases … Continue reading China lifts embargo on Brazilian beef

Washington (AFP) Dec 15, 2021 Abigail Miller’s parents lost practically all they owned in the weekend twisters that ravaged their small Kentucky town. But with the help of strangers, they tracked down photographs of their daughter’s graduation – via social media groups which thousands are using to reconnect storm victims with cherished possessions strewn many miles away. In preparation for a move, Miller’s parents hhttp://dlvr.it/SFT9xs Continue reading Connecting online, tornado victims track down lost treasures

Dapa, Philippines (AFP) Dec 16, 2021 Thousands of people in the Philippines fled their homes and beachfront resorts as super typhoon Rai lashed the country Thursday, with a charity warning the storm could hit coastal communities “like a freight train”. The powerful storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometres (115 miles) an hour as it barrelled towards central and southern regions of the … Continue reading Thousands flee homes as super typhoon lashes Philippines

Mayfield, United States (AFP) Dec 13, 2021 In Mayfield, a US town razed by the weekend’s tornadoes, locals say they are driven by their Christian faith to clear the rubble, collect supplies and turn their churches into shelters for those left homeless by one of the most devastating storm outbreaks in American history. The small town in southern Kentucky is part of the “Bible Belt,” … Continue reading After deadly tornadoes, stricken Kentucky town organizes to help their own

Washington (AFP) Dec 13, 2021 Was climate change behind the recent tornadoes that killed dozens of people and wrought a trail of destruction through five American states? Higher temperatures might create more favorable conditions for these violent storms, but for now, scientists remain cautious about drawing a direct connection. While research has firmly linked recent extreme weather events to global warming – fromhttp://dlvr.it/SFLp3S Continue reading Are tornadoes linked to climate change? The science isn’t yet definite

Beijing (AFP) Dec 14, 2021 China’s economically important Zhejiang province wrestled on Tuesday with a Covid outbreak that has caused some districts to shut down businesses and left hundreds of thousands of people facing quarantine or other restrictions. Zhejiang, a major industrial and export hub on the country’s east coast, reported 44 of China’s 51 domestically transmitted coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing thehttp://dlvr.it/SFLp3D Continue reading China outbreak prompts major business shutdown, restrictions

Mayfield, United States (AFP) Dec 14, 2021 Kentucky officials voiced relief Monday that dozens of workers at a candle factory appear to have survived tornadoes that killed at least 88 people and left a trail of devastation across six US states. Governor Andy Beshear said 74 deaths have been confirmed in the southeastern state and choked up as he told reporters the fatalities ranged in … Continue reading US tornado deaths rise to 88, Biden to survey damage in Kentucky

Maumere, Indonesia (AFP) Dec 14, 2021 A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said, causing panic but no deaths or major damage were reported. The epicentre was in the Flores Sea, north of East Nusa Tenggara province, where the quake sparked terror after hitting in the late morning (0320 GMT). “I was in the field. People ran in panic. I … Continue reading 7.3-magnitude quake strikes Indonesia

Geneva (AFP) Dec 9, 2021 The destruction of wetlands is driving a decline of dragonflies around the world, with one sixth of species of the magnificently colourful insects threatened with extinction, conservationists said on Thursday. A report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature presented the first assessment of all 6,016 dragonfly and damselfly species globally, and found that at least 16 percenhttp://dlvr.it/SFD8Bh Continue reading Wetlands destruction driving ‘sensitive’ dragonflies to brink