Yanshanpu, China (AFP) Jan 21, 2024 Authorities in central China’s Henan Province were on Sunday looking into the cause of a night-time fire that killed 13 schoolchildren as they slept in a dormitory. The inferno, which took place at the Yingcai School in Yanshanpu village, was reported to the local fire department at 11:00 pm (1500 GMT) on Friday and was put out around 40 … Continue reading Investigation under way after China school fire kills 13

Geneva (AFP) Jan 22, 2024 A civil liberties crackdown, repression in Xinjiang and Hong Kong’s draconian national security law are among concerns expected to be raised during a UN review of China’s rights record on Tuesday. Beijing is likely to face intense scrutiny, especially from Western countries, during its regular Universal Periodic Review (UPR) – a rights record examination that all 193 UN member states … Continue reading China rights record in spotlight at UN

Stanford CA (SPX) Jan 21, 2024 When an earthquake, flood, or other disaster strikes a region, existing communication infrastructure such as cell phone and radio towers are often damaged or destroyed. Restoring emergency communications as quickly as possible is vital for coordinating rescue and relief efforts. Researchers at Stanford University and the American University of Beirut (AUB) have developed a portable antennahttp://dlvr.it/T1hX60 Continue reading New, portable antenna could help restore communication after disasters

Gulmarg, India (AFP) Jan 20, 2024 Winter in the Himalayas should mean blanketing snow, and for Gulmarg in Indian-administered Kashmir, one of the highest ski resorts in the world, that usually means thousands of tourists. This year, the deep powder once taken for granted is gone. The slopes are brown and bare, a stark example of the impact of the extreme weather caused by the … Continue reading India’s Kashmir ski industry melts as temperatures rise

The Hague (AFP) Jan 19, 2024 The Dutch climate activists who won an historic court battle against Shell now have a new target – top Dutch bank ING. Milieudefensie, the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth, said Friday they have started legal proceedings against ING, and warned that other top companies could be next. “ING is the biggest bank in the Netherlands and finances … Continue reading ING targeted in new Dutch climate legal case

Paris (AFP) Jan 20, 2024 It was impossible to see through the snow and fog on the Antarctic seas but expedition leader Ian Strachan knew his ship was approaching a true behemoth: the world’s biggest iceberg lay somewhere ahead. “Then the clouds lifted and we could see this expansive – almost abstract – white line that extended each way across the horizon,” he told AFP. … Continue reading World’s biggest iceberg ‘battered’ by waves as it heads north

Aboard The Arc Simon Bolivar, Antarctica (AFP) Jan 20, 2024 Colombia’s 10th Antarctic Expedition is making its way to the far reaches of the continent, exploring remote and almost untouched places inhabited by penguins, whales and the occasional seal. The Colombian Navy’s ARC Simon Bolivar is taking aquatic samples in Antarctica and advancing scientific research on climate change amid huge blocks of ice and frost. … Continue reading Colombian mission to Antarctica analyzes climate change footprints

Yanshanpu, China (AFP) Jan 20, 2024 Thirteen schoolchildren died in a dormitory fire in central China’s Henan province, the official Xinhua news agency reported Saturday. The blaze at the Yingcai School in Henan’s Yanshanpu village was reported to the local fire department at 11:00 pm (1500 GMT) Friday night, Xinhua said. Thirteen students were confirmed dead and one injured. A teacher at the school told … Continue reading 13 students dead in China school fire while 8 killed in factory explosion

Ottawa (AFP) Jan 18, 2024 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday signed over control of resource-rich Arctic lands to the government of the predominantly Inuit territory of Nunavut, in what was billed as the largest land transfer in Canada’s history. Nunavut, at more than two million square kilometers (800,000 square miles), is almost three times the size of the US state of Texas and is … Continue reading Canada hands control of rich Arctic lands to Inuit territory

London (AFP) Jan 18, 2024 A critically endangered western lowland gorilla was born at London Zoo on Wednesday morning after a speedy 17-minute labour, the zoo said. Western lowland gorillas, which inhabit dense and largely remote rainforests in west and central Africa, are classified as having a high risk of becoming extinct. Numbers have declined by more than 60 percent over the last 25 years, … Continue reading Critically endangered gorilla born at London Zoo