Manila (AFP) March 5, 2021 Philippine authorities have seized illegally harvested giant clam shells worth $3.3 million as smugglers turn to the endangered creatures as a substitute for the illicit ivory trade. In one of the biggest operations of its kind in the country, 80 tonnes of the tropical species were discovered in a village on a remote island in the western archipelago of Palawan, … Continue reading Giant clam shells worth $3.3 million seized in Philippine raid

Khartoum (AFP) March 6, 2021 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned Saturday against Ethiopia continuing to fill its Nile dam, on his first visit to Sudan since the ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir nearly two years ago. Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia have been locked for almost a decade in inconclusive talks over the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on … Continue reading Sisi says Egypt, Sudan reject Ethiopia Nile dam ‘fait accompli’

Agios Mamas, Greece (AFP) March 6, 2021 On a country road that the locals have dubbed ‘Flamingo Street’ Stavros Kalpakis walks alongside the tall reeds of Agios Mamas, a small northern Greek lagoon, peering through binoculars. The grizzled environmentalist puts on his waterproof waders and boots and steps into knee-deep water. When he returns moments later, he is holding a dead pink flamingo – one … Continue reading Flamingos poisoned by illegal lead pellets in Greek lagoon

London, UK (SPX) Mar 04, 2021 The source of potentially hazardous solar particles, released from the Sun at high speed during storms in its outer atmosphere, has been located for the first time by researchers at UCL and George Mason University, Virginia, USA. These particles are highly charged and, if they reach Earth’s atmosphere, can potentially disrupt satellites and electronic infrastructure, as well as pose … Continue reading Source of hazardous high-energy particles located in the Sun

Paris (AFP) March 3, 2021 The British government will do “everything we can” to avoid a virtual climate summit in November when it is set to host nearly 200 nations in Glasgow, Scotland, the minister in charge of the 12-day meet told AFP in an interview. “We are planning for a physical event,” Alok Sharma, President of COP26, said in Paris Tuesday after meeting with … Continue reading UK keen to avoid virtual COP26 climate summit: Minister

For brands that haven’t yet tried social selling, 2021 is the time to start. Social commerce offers brands the ability to reach new audiences on platforms consumers already use and trust. Moreover, because it streamlines the sales process by allowing people to discover your brand and make purchases without leaving the platform, social commerce can boost revenue.http://dlvr.it/Rv4Wyt Continue reading Social Commerce Is Changing How Brands Sell Online

Washington DC (UPI) Mar 4, 2021 Frog lungs work kind of like noise cancelling headphones, according to a new study, helping females drown out the overwhelming cacophony of competing mating calls. The new findings, published Thursday in the journal Current Biology, help explain how females are able to home in on the songs of individual male frogs. Mating songs help female frogs select fit males … Continue reading Frogs use their lungs to drown out the mating calls of other species

Luxembourg (AFP) March 4, 2021 The EU Court of Justice on Thursday admonished Britain for air pollution over urban areas including London that “persistently” breached European Union levels for nitrogen-dioxide associated with heavy vehicle traffic. The case covered the years 2010 to 2017 and stemmed from a European Commission complaint lodged in 2018, when Britain was still an EU member, thus giving the court jurisdictionhttp://dlvr.it/Rv0rQk Continue reading EU court raps Britain for air pollution

Taro, Japan (AFP) March 5, 2021 The Japanese town of Taro had sea walls that were supposed to be able to survive almost anything the ocean could offer up, but the 2011 tsunami still brought utter destruction. A decade after the deadly waves unleashed by one of the most powerful earthquakes in recorded history, the lesson learned in many coastal towns was: build higher. That … Continue reading The towering sea wall legacy of Japan’s 2011 tsunami

Reykjavik (AFP) March 3, 2021 A small volcanic eruption could be imminent on the southwestern tip of Iceland some 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the capital Reykjavik, authorities said on Wednesday. Tremors signalling a potential eruption were detected on Wednesday afternoon, near Mount Keilir, inactive for the past 800 years, the Icelandic Met Office said. A 5.7-magnitude earthquake was registered in the area last whttp://dlvr.it/RtwxqX Continue reading Iceland braces for potential volcanic eruption