Funafuti, Tuvalu (AFP) Feb 23, 2024 Lawmakers in Tuvalu will elect a new prime minister on Monday, the election commissioner has told AFP, a month after the Pacific nation went to the polls. Stormy weather and rough seas had prevented several MPs from travelling by boat from outer islands to the capital Funafuti to select a new leader. All 16 elected members, who won their … Continue reading Tuvalu to elect PM on Monday, four weeks after elections

Melbourne (AFP) Feb 22, 2024 Australian firefighters were working to contain a “volatile” bushfire in the southern state of Victoria on Friday, urging thousands of people to evacuate rural areas threatened by the blaze. The out-of-control blaze, about two hours’ drive northwest of state capital Melbourne, has already burned through about 10,000 hectares (24,000 acres) of forest and farmland. Almost 1,000 firefighthttp://dlvr.it/T38M3q Continue reading Australia battles ‘volatile’ bushfire

Santiago (AFP) Feb 22, 2024 Neither human-induced climate change nor the El Nino weather phenomenon were determining factors in the devastating forest fires that killed more than 130 people in Chile this month, according to the results of an international study revealed Thursday. Improper land use had a bigger impact, it found, with the expansion in recent decades of pine and eucalyptus monocultures – much … Continue reading Climate change not to blame for deadly Chile fires: researchers

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 20, 2024 In a groundbreaking study led by Professor Joseph Michalski of The University of Hong Kong (HKU), new light has been shed on the volcanic landscape of Mars, revealing a complexity and diversity previously unrecognized. This research, recently published in Nature Astronomy, delves into the mechanisms behind Martian volcanism and its implications for understanding the geological history of Earth ahttp://dlvr.it/T37zlx Continue reading Mars’ volcanic activity suggests Early crust recycling

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 20, 2024 How can humans protect the Earth from “devastating asteroid and comet impacts?” According to the National Academies and their 2023-2032 Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey, ground based astronomical radar systems will have a “unique role” to play in planetary defense. There is currently only one system in the world concentrating on these efforts, NASA’s Goldstone Solar Systemhttp://dlvr.it/T37zj3 Continue reading Can astronomers use radar to spot a cataclysmic asteroid?

Paris (AFP) Feb 21, 2024 Consumer watchdog Foodwatch said it was filing a legal complaint Wednesday against food giant Nestle and another group over them allegedly fraudulently treating water for their top mineral water brands. A government probe reported by media last month said about 30 percent of mineral water sold in France had undergone purification treatment only meant to be used on tap water. … Continue reading Food watchdog lodges complaint over Nestle mineral water ‘fraud’

Beijing (AFP) Feb 22, 2024 China may miss all of its main climate goals for 2025, a new report showed Thursday, as the world’s largest emitter increased its reliance on carbon-intensive industries to bolster a flagging economy. China has pledged to bring its emissions of carbon dioxide to a peak by 2030 and to net zero by 2060. Under the Paris climate agreement, Beijing has … Continue reading China may miss all key climate targets for 2025: report

Paris (AFP) Feb 21, 2024 Drought plaguing the Mediterranean has failed to recede over winter months that brought below-average rainfall, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service has reported, prompting water restrictions and state of emergency declarations. Just over 45 percent of southern Europe suffered from soil drought, with 2.8 percent reaching the highest “alert” level, over the first 10 days of February, ahttp://dlvr.it/T35Mf4 Continue reading Winter drought grips southern Europe, northern Africa

Boston MA (SPX) Feb 21, 2024 Crop maps help scientists and policymakers track global food supplies and estimate how they might shift with climate change and growing populations. But getting accurate maps of the types of crops that are grown from farm to farm often requires on-the-ground surveys that only a handful of countries have the resources to maintain. Now, MIT engineers have developed a … Continue reading MIT researchers remotely map crops, field by field

Port Louis, Mauritius (AFP) Feb 22, 2024 Mauritius grounded flights and shut schools as a strong tropical storm approached the Indian Ocean island on Thursday, the meteorological services said. Storm Eleanor was about 200 kilometres (125 miles) northeast of the nation at 4:00 am (0000 GMT) and was moving at a speed of 20 kilometres an hour, the weather service said. “The wind will initially … Continue reading Mauritius grounds flights as it braces for tropical storm