Washington (AFP) Mar 15, 2024 Devastating storms pounded three central US states Thursday night, spawning massive tornadoes and claiming at least three lives, officials said Friday. The powerful storms raked through the adjoining states of Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. “We have three known fatalities,” Sheriff Randall Dodds, of Logan County in west-central Ohio, told a CBS affiliate. “The devastation was such thathttp://dlvr.it/T4FR2v Continue reading Powerful tornadoes roar through US Midwest, killing 3

Juba (AFP) Mar 16, 2024 South Sudan on Saturday said it would close schools and told children not to play outside as temperatures were set to soar to an exceptional 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). Heatwaves are becoming increasingly common in the East African country, which is particularly vulnerable to climate change, but temperatures rarely exceed 40C. “High temperatures of 41C-45C are expected thttp://dlvr.it/T4FR2T Continue reading South Sudan schools close due to extreme heatwave

Washington DC (UPI) Mar 17, 2024 Israeli forces continue to detain more than a dozen healthcare workers volunteering with the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Gaza, the organization said Sunday. After releasing volunteer Tamer Fouad Salim Al-Qarm on Saturday, Israeli forces continue to detain another 13 volunteers, the PRCS said in a statement. Al-Qarm had been detained for 36 days after Israeli soldiers raided the … Continue reading Israel continues to detain 13 volunteer healthcare workers

Baghdad (AFP) Mar 18, 2024 After a 27-year hiatus, an Iraqi TV programme banned by Saddam Hussein for its gritty depiction of life under sanctions has returned to portray drug lords thriving in the war-scarred country. Television viewership in the Middle East traditionally peaks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when the faithful tune in to their favourite shows after breaking their daily fast … Continue reading Revived TV drama breaks Iraq’s taboos

Paris (AFP) Mar 15, 2024 Humanity’s failure to reduce planet-heating carbon pollution – at record levels in 2023 – has thrust once-marginal options for capping or reducing CO2 in the atmosphere to centre stage. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) and direct air capture (DAC) are both complex industrial processes that isolate CO2, but these newly-booming technologies are fundamentally different and often conflated.http://dlvr.it/T4C3HQ Continue reading Climate: Carbon capture tech is booming, and confusing

Washington DC (UPI) Mar 15, 2024 A charity mission to sail 200 tons of food aid arrived off the coast of Gaza on Friday, in the first delivery through an international maritime corridor meant to combat starvation amid the war with Israel. World Central Kitchen, the U.S. nonprofit that provided the food said it was unloading the aid after arriving. “This is our international effort … Continue reading ‘Open Arms’ charity vessel carrying 200 tons of food arrives on Gaza coast

Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories (AFP) Mar 15, 2024 The Israeli army said Friday that “armed Palestinians” opened fire on civilians awaiting humanitarian aid in northern Gaza, rejecting claims by the Hamas-ruled territory’s health ministry that Israeli soldiers were responsible. “Armed Palestinians opened fire while Gazan civilians were awaiting the arrival of the aid convoy” in Gaza City on Thursday and then “continued to shoot as … Continue reading Israel says ‘Palestinians’, not army, fired on Gaza crowd

Chiang Mai, Thailand (AFP) Mar 16, 2024 Thailand’s prime minister promised Saturday to tackle air pollution as he visited tourism hotspot Chiang Mai, which had among the world’s worst air quality for the second day in a row. The picturesque historic city is hugely popular with visitors but annually suffers dire air quality in the early months of the year when farmers burn crops. Prime … Continue reading Thai PM vows to curb air pollution in tourist hotspot Chiang Mai

Hong Kong (AFP) Mar 16, 2024 Twelve Hong Kongers were jailed Saturday for up to seven years over the storming of the city’s legislature in 2019 at the height of pro-democracy protests that challenged the Beijing-backed government. It was the most violent episode in the initial stage of the huge protests that upended the financial hub that year, with Beijing later imposing a sweeping national … Continue reading Hong Kong jails 12 over 2019 legislature storming

London (AFP) Mar 13, 2024 Endangered giant redwood trees are thriving in the UK but could also be significantly contributing to capturing carbon emissions, according to research published on Wednesday. The towering giant sequoias, which can soar as high as 90 metres (295 feet) and live for up to 3,000 years, were first planted in the UK in the mid-19th century. There are now some … Continue reading Giant redwoods thriving in the UK: experts