Beijing (AFP) June 2, 2021 China wants its women to have more children but for many young people, the government’s big promises of support mean little because of soaring living costs and changing mindsets about families. On Monday, the world’s most populous nation further relaxed its strict family planning controls, allowing couples to have three children after just 12 million Chinese were born last year … Continue reading No, thanks, say young Chinese to a third child

Paris (AFP) May 31, 2021 From city centres to rural fields, human activity has decimated populations of France’s most common bird species, scientists warned on Monday, citing data collected over 30 years by volunteer ornithologists. Between 1989 and 2019 over 2,000 French bird lovers participated in monitoring the nation’s 123 most common bird species through the Tracking Common Birds Over Time (STOC) program. Thttp://dlvr.it/S0vcHf Continue reading Common French bird species face ‘unrelenting’ decline

Bonghwa, South Korea (AFP) June 1, 2021 Hidden in a South Korean mountain tunnel designed to withstand a nuclear blast, the seeds of nearly 5,000 wild plant species are stored for safekeeping against climate change, natural disaster and war. Plant extinction is progressing at an alarming rate, researchers warn, driven by increasing human population, pollution and deforestation, even before many species are catalogued. The Baekhttp://dlvr.it/S0qpVc Continue reading Last resort: the seeds kept safe in a South Korean mountain

Dakar (AFP) June 1, 2021 Rising exports of fish meal and fish oil from West Africa to Europe and Asia are depriving millions of Africans of food, Greenpeace said Tuesday. In a report, the environmental group said that over half a million tonnes of fish used to produce fish meal and fish oil in the poor region could feed some 33 million people instead. Fish … Continue reading West African fish meal exports undermine food security: Greenpeace

Paris (AFP) May 31, 2021 More than a third of summer heat-related fatalities are due to climate change, researchers said Monday, warning of even higher death tolls as global temperatures climb. Previous research on how climate change affects human health has mostly projected future risks from heatwaves, droughts, wild fires and other extreme events made worse by global warming. How much worse depends on how … Continue reading Global warming blamed for 1 in 3 heat-related deaths

Bamako (AFP) May 28, 2021 Malian Colonel Assimi Goita triggered a diplomatic storm this week by detaining the war-torn Sahel state’s president and prime minister and stripping them of their powers. It marked the second apparent military coup in Mali within one year. President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane had led a caretaker government installed after military officers deposed elected president Ibrahhttp://dlvr.it/S0mJmq Continue reading Mali’s latest crisis: What do we know?

Washington DC (UPI) May 28, 2021 According to a study, the century-old medicine called methylene blue, typically used used to treat the blood disorder methemoglobinemia, could serve as a coral-friendly substitute for traditional sunscreen ingredients. In tests, scientists found methylene blue, also known as methylthioninium chloride, absorbs the full spectrum of ultraviolet rays, as well as repairs DNA damage caused byhttp://dlvr.it/S0jhMQ Continue reading Century-old medicine could be used as coral-friendly sunscreen ingredient

Washington DC (UPI) May 28, 2021 Populations in the Peruvian Amazon rely on freshwater fish for a significant portion of their diet. Unfortunately, many of these fish species have suffered significant declines over the last few decades as a result of climate change, land degradation, overfishing and pollution. According to new research, ongoing freshwater biodiversity losses in the region are likely to result in signifhttp://dlvr.it/S0jhGK Continue reading Freshwater biodiversity losses threaten health of people in Peruvian Amazon

A definitive merger agreement has been announced for Amazon to acquire MGM for $8.45 billion. MGM will bring to Amazon’s table more than 4,000 movies and 17,000 TV shows. All totaled, MGM productions over the years won more than 180 Oscars and 100 Emmy awards. MGM will continue to operate as a label under the Amazon brand.http://dlvr.it/S0gYMh Continue reading Amazon Cuts Deal to Buy MGM for $8.45B

A Russian-language dark web marketplace called Hydra that is known to facilitate the illegal sale of narcotics has seen cryptocurrency transactions soar over the last five years. According to a report by Flashpoint and Chainalysis, Hydra’s crypto business began accelerating in 2017 after its chief competitor was shut down by Russian law enforcement authorities.http://dlvr.it/S0f6pm Continue reading Illegal Drug Trade Fuels $1.37B in Crypto Transactions at Russian Dark Site