Los Angeles (AFP) Oct 25, 2021 A “bomb cyclone” brought floods and landslides to drought-hit California as forest fire-scarred landscapes were unable to soak up record-breaking rains. Severe thunderstorms deluged the northern part of the state, with strong winds pummeling the area, toppling powerlines and trees and leaving at least two people dead. The cyclone roared in from the Pacific Ocean and struck San Franciscohttp://dlvr.it/SBJsbs Continue reading Bomb cyclone slams rain-starved US west, bringing floods

The Hague (AFP) Oct 25, 2021 Sea levels could rise much higher than first predicted along the low-lying Dutch coastline, by up to two metres (6.5 feet) this century, Dutch meteorologists warned Monday. As world leaders get ready to attend the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, “future scenarios show higher rising in sea levels than before, the Royal Dutch Meterological Institute (KNMI) said. With up … Continue reading Sea levels ‘could rise much faster’: Dutch meteorologists

Brasilia (AFP) Oct 25, 2021 President Jair Bolsonaro’s government will pursue a confrontational negotiating strategy at the upcoming UN climate summit, renewing calls for other countries to pay Brazil to preserve the Amazon, the vice president said Monday. Vice President Hamilton Mourao, an army general who is Bolsonaro’s point man on the Amazon, said Brazil would use the “weapons of diplomacy” to protect what the … Continue reading Brazil plans combative strategy for climate talks

Comunidad Cerro Azul, Guatemala (AFP) Oct 26, 2021 Lazaro Yat looked on helplessly as his 17-year-old son left the family home in Guatemala and embarked on the perilous journey to the United States as an undocumented migrant. Two powerful hurricanes that struck the north of the Central American country in 2020 decimated cardamom crops, leaving thousands of indigenous people destitute. “Everyone suffered because their crops … Continue reading No one left: climate change fuels Guatemalan migration

London (AFP) Oct 25, 2021 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday said he was “very worried” that the 12-day COP26 climate summit he will host in Glasgow from later this week “might go wrong”. But the UK leader told a special Downing Street press conference with children that he remained hopeful a deal can be done to reduce carbon emissions and limit future temperature … Continue reading UK’s Johnson voices concern COP26 ‘might go wrong’

Boston MA (SPX) Oct 25, 2021 To borrow a line from the movie “Jurassic Park:” Dinosaurs do move in herds. And a new study shows that the prehistoric creatures lived in herds much earlier than previously thought. In a paper appearing in Scientific Reports, researchers from MIT, Argentina, and South Africa detail their discovery of an exceptionally preserved group of early dinosaurs that shows signs … Continue reading Dinosaurs may have lived in social herds as early as 193 million years ago

Quito (AFP) Oct 25, 2021 An avalanche Sunday on a snow-capped Ecuadoran volcano, the highest peak in the country, killed at least three climbers and left three others missing, officials reported. The avalanche struck a group of 16 mountaineers while at an altitude of 6,100 meters (20,000 feet) on the dormant Chimborazo volcano, according to responders. “There are three missing mountaineers, three dead, three injhttp://dlvr.it/SBFDFC Continue reading 3 dead, 3 missing after avalanche on Ecuador volcano

Khartoum (AFP) Oct 25, 2021 Armed forces detained Sudan’s prime minister over his refusal to support their “coup” on Monday, the information ministry said, after weeks of tensions between military and civilian figures who shared power since the ouster of autocrat Omar al-Bashir. Civilian members of Sudan’s ruling council and ministers in Hamdok’s transitional government were also detained by the joint military forces,http://dlvr.it/SBFDF5 Continue reading Armed forces detain PM and other leaders in Sudan ‘coup’

Bamako (AFP) Oct 22, 2021 Mali’s government has denied that it plans to negotiate with jihadists, walking back an earlier statement from its religion ministry saying that it would do so. In a statement published on social media on Thursday night, the government in the Sahel state said that it had learned of plans for jihadist talks “through the press”. “No national or international organisation … Continue reading Mali govt denies approving jihadist negotiations

Addis Ababa (AFP) Oct 22, 2021 Ethiopia on Friday launched fresh air strikes on the capital of the Tigray region, the fourth day this week the city has come under attack, a government spokeswoman told AFP. Friday’s operation targeted a training centre used by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group, Billene Seyoum said, adding that it was “also serving as a battle network … Continue reading Ethiopia air strikes hit Tigray capital for fourth day this week