Washington (AFP) Aug 22, 2023 Months of hot and dry weather created the tinderbox-like conditions behind this year’s record-breaking wildfires in Canada, leading scientists to point the finger at climate change. An in-depth scientific analysis published Tuesday now bears this out, finding fire seasons of this severity are at least seven times more likely to occur as a result of humanity burning fossil fuels. The … Continue reading Climate change supercharged ‘fire weather’ behind Canada blazes

Tokyo (AFP) Aug 22, 2023 Japan will release water from the stricken Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean from Thursday, 12 years after one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters. Japan insists that the gradual discharge of the more than 500 Olympic swimming pools’ worth of water from the site in northeast Japan, announced by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday, is safe. The … Continue reading Japan to release water from stricken Fukushima nuclear plant

Seoul (AFP) Aug 22, 2023 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un slammed his cabinet’s “irresponsible” handling of flooding, blaming them for recent storm damage in the isolated country, state media reported Tuesday. Tropical Storm Khanun made landfall earlier this month in the North, a country where natural disasters can be devastating due to weak infrastructure and widespread deforestation, which increases vulnerability thttp://dlvr.it/Sv2FBd Continue reading North Korea’s Kim slams ‘irresponsible’ premier over flood damage

Arafo, Spain (AFP) Aug 21, 2023 Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Monday that he hoped a wildfire that has forced thousands of people to evacuate on the holiday island of Tenerife would be stabilised “in the coming days”. The blaze broke out late Tuesday in a mountainous northeastern area, quickly morphing into the Canary Islands’ biggest-ever wildfire. “We hope the weather will help us … Continue reading Spain PM hopes Tenerife wildfire will stabilise ‘in coming days’

London (AFP) Aug 22, 2023 A heightened fear for their safety, increased worry for their families, and a desperate search for international support – this is what dominates everyday life for two activists in Britain who are among Hong Kong’s most wanted. Last month, Hong Kong police announced bounties of HK$1 million ($128,000) on eight democratic activists living abroad, encouraging the public to pass on … Continue reading Wanted Hong Kong activists in Britain decry ‘harassment’

Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 11, 2023 In a case study, scientists detected the costly infection in cabernet sauvignon grapevines before they showed symptoms visible to the human eye. Withering molds, root-rotting bacteria, viruses, and other plant pathogens destroy an estimated 15 to 30% of global harvests every year. Early detection can make the difference between a failed crop and a treatable one. Using an airborne … Continue reading Wine grape disease spotted from skies above California

Paris (AFP) Aug 21, 2023 Amid record-high temperatures globally, a study Monday reveals that a few days of searing heat can be enough to prevent billions of people already living hand-to-mouth on daily wages from putting food on the table. A week of extreme temperatures in India, for example, means an additional eight million people will likely experience serious food insecurity, according to findings published … Continue reading High heat can serve up food insecurity within days

Athens (AFP) Aug 21, 2023 A man was found dead in a wildfire raging north of the Greek capital Athens Monday, firefighters said, as they battled fresh blazes across the country. “An old shepherd ran to his sheepfold to save the animals and was retrieved dead,” a spokesman from the fire brigade told AFP in Boeotia, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of Athens. People … Continue reading Man killed in Greece wildfires as new blazes rage

West Kelowna, Canada (AFP) Aug 21, 2023 Cooling weather on Monday gave firefighters a slight edge against what the prime minister described as “apocalyptic” wildfires blazing across western Canada, after tens of thousands were evacuated or put on alert. Two fires threatening large parts of the scenic Okanagan Valley, including the cities of Kelowna and neighboring West Kelowna in British Columbia, merged over the weekend. … Continue reading Milder weather brings relief from ‘apocalyptic’ Canada wildfires

Arafo, Spain (AFP) Aug 21, 2023 Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Monday that he hoped a wildfire that has forced thousands of people to evacuate on the holiday island of Tenerife would be stabilised “in the coming days”. The blaze broke out late Tuesday in a mountainous northeastern area, quickly morphing into the Canary Islands’ biggest-ever wildfire. “We hope the weather will help us … Continue reading Spain PM hopes Tenerife wildfire will stabilise ‘in coming days’