Berrechid, Morocco (AFP) Feb 11, 2024 Around this time every year, Moroccan wheat farmer Abderrahim Mohafid is usually preparing for his spring harvest, but this year his fields lay unusually bare. On the road leading up to his hamlet in Berrechid province, Morocco’s historical breadbasket situated some 40 kilometres (about 25 miles) southeast of Casablanca, vast fields languish as the country grapples with its sixth … Continue reading Climate change parches Morocco breadbasket amid policy pitfalls

Acora, Peru (AFP) Feb 10, 2024 From the sky, they look like huge, circular patterns made by aliens – but in fact, they are an age-old technique farmers have brought back to fight the climate crisis on the Andean plateaus of Puno. On the border of Peru and Bolivia, the Waru Waru – an indigenous Quechua word that means ridge – are once again protecting … Continue reading Andean farmers use age-old technique amid climate change

Reykjavik (AFP) Feb 10, 2024 A third volcanic eruption that wreaked havoc on Icelandic infrastructure came to an end Saturday, national authorities said, although hot water supplies damaged by the activity will take “several days” to repair. The water supply was briefly restored Friday, but lava spewing from a volcanic fissure on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula later broke a bypass pipe again cutting off supplies, the … Continue reading Volcanic eruption ends in Iceland but repairs continue

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 08, 2024 Ball Aerospace has marked a significant milestone in environmental monitoring by delivering the MethaneSAT satellite to Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California, setting the stage for its launch next month. This pivotal mission, developed in collaboration with MethaneSAT, LLC-a subsidiary of the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)-aims to provide unparalleled insighhttp://dlvr.it/T2YFjC Continue reading MethaneSAT Set to Transform Global Methane Emission Tracking with Advanced Technology

Manila (AFP) Feb 9, 2024 The rescue of a child on Friday nearly 60 hours after a landslide hit a gold-mining village in the southern Philippines has been hailed as a “miracle” after searchers had given up hope of finding more survivors. The girl, who the Philippine Red Cross said was three years old, had been among the more than 100 people missing after the … Continue reading ‘Miracle’ rescue nearly 60 hours after Philippine landslide

Paredes De Coura, Portugal (AFP) Feb 9, 2024 Women from around the world gathered in northwest Portugal this week to practise a traditional technique of deliberately burning land to prevent the kind of wildfires – intensified by climate change – that have killed hundreds across Europe. In the hills above the Portuguese town of Paredes de Coura, women used drip torches to set fire to … Continue reading Women train to fight fire with fire in Portugal

Shanghai (AFP) Feb 9, 2024 Young Chinese flocking home for Lunar New Year this weekend have turned to an AI chatbot game to help train for the most dreaded social interaction of the year – the dinner table interrogation by nosy relatives. The annual inquisition as extended families gather for China’s biggest festival is a cultural touchstone across the country, portrayed in films, books and … Continue reading AI game trains young Chinese to face nosy relatives at New Year

Funafuti, Tuvalu (AFP) Feb 9, 2024 Stormy weather has delayed the forming of a new government in Tuvalu, with freshly-elected lawmakers still unable to reach parliament Friday, weeks after the Pacific nation went to the polls. Senior electoral officer Semi Malaki told AFP that around half of the 16 elected members remained stranded on outer islands and were having trouble reaching the capital Funafuti due … Continue reading Bad weather delays forming of Tuvalu government

Sydney (AFP) Jan 22, 2024 Solomon Islands’ long-delayed general election is being planned for April 17, three election officials told AFP on Monday, teeing up a vote that could bring deeper ties with Beijing. Veteran pro-China prime minister Manasseh Sogavare is seeking reelection and is already campaigning on a platform of shifting alliances further from the West to China. Electoral Commission communications adhttp://dlvr.it/T1l1Wl Continue reading Delayed Solomons election set for April 17

El-Arish, Egypt (AFP) Jan 21, 2024 On a French warship off the Egyptian coast, wounded Palestinians receive the healthcare that has become largely unobtainable in the besieged Gaza Strip after months of war. Sitting in a wheelchair, Abdulrahman Iyad wrings his hands in his lap, resting them gently near pins protruding from his thighs. He scrolls through his phone, looking at photos of his family, … Continue reading Wounded Gazans get medical care on French hospital ship