Singapore (AFP) Aug 30, 2024 Wildlife trafficking is now a “serious offence” under Singapore’s organised crime law, the city-state’s interior ministry has said, with those prosecuted under the code subject to sentences of up to 20 years behind bars. Singapore is a preferred transhipment route for traffickers, conservationists say, with Southeast Asia at the centre of much of the multibillion-dollar illicit industry.http://dlvr.it/TCd92p Continue reading Wildlife trade now ‘serious offence’ under Singapore organised crime law

Nuku’Alofa, Tonga (AFP) Aug 30, 2024 Pacific leaders endorsed a major joint policing initiative and rebuffed moves from China’s allies to sideline Taiwan on Friday, as they wrapped up a regional summit in Tonga. Security was a focal point at this year’s Pacific Islands Forum, an unwieldy bloc of US partners, China friends and states still tied to Taiwan. US-ally Australia convinced its Pacific neighbours … Continue reading Pacific bloc backs joint police plan, maintains Taiwan ties

Geneva (AFP) Aug 21, 2024 Soil pollution from an old incinerator in the Swiss city of Lausanne has not resulted in increased health risks to the local population, a study concluded Wednesday. A waste incineration plant in Switzerland’s fourth-biggest city – closed in 2005 – was blamed for traces of dioxin uncovered in 2021. Dioxins, which belong to the so-called ‘dirty dozen’ of chemicals known … Continue reading Study finds Lausanne toxic soil did not worsen health

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 22, 2024 In dryland regions, where vegetation is scarce, scientists have developed advanced “external eyes” to monitor these vital ecosystems. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have introduced a new method that integrates high-frequency near-surface camera data with satellite imagery. This approach offers an improved way to monitor and manage dryhttp://dlvr.it/TCDJ8C Continue reading Enhanced Dryland Monitoring Through Combined Remote Sensing Techniques

The Hague (AFP) Aug 18, 2024 Environmental activists tied themselves to a lock on Sunday at the Port of Amsterdam, halting an incoming cruise ship for several hours, the port and the climate group said. The “Serenade of the Seas” with a thousand cabins was finally able to resume its route to the popular tourist desination, according to Carlijn van Essen, a spokeswoman for the … Continue reading Climate activists delay cruise ship arriving in Amsterdam

Washington (AFP) Aug 18, 2024 An unrelentingly bitter US presidential race, defined by name-calling, attack ads and stunted campaigning, has so far left little space for discussion about climate change, despite the world experiencing unprecedented heat and disasters. But with Donald Trump now facing Kamala Harris rather than Joe Biden, the Republican has used recent rallies to echo misinformation and memes on X, includinhttp://dlvr.it/TC9xBg Continue reading Trump’s strategy on climate? Amplify myths about Harris

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 21, 2024 A study released in ‘Royal Society Open Science’ by researchers from the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) at the University of Hawai?i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) and the Alaska Whale Foundation (AWF) has proposed a new classification for humpback whales as tool users. While it has long been known that humpback whales create “bubble-nets” to hunt, the … Continue reading Humpback Whales Recognized as Tool-Wielding Animals in New Study

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Aug 19, 2024 Malaysia is inviting countries that buy its palm oil to adopt orangutans but leave them in their natural habitat, local media reported, tweaking a plan that originally sought to send some abroad. In a scheme modelled on China’s “panda diplomacy”, Malaysia announced in May that it would send the great apes as gifts to palm oil-purchasing countries, sparking an … Continue reading Apes to stay at home as Malaysia tweaks ‘orangutan diplomacy’

Nusantara, Indonesia (AFP) Aug 17, 2024 Indonesia held scaled-back Independence Day celebrations in Nusantara on Saturday as the government rushed to complete the future capital, which is slated to replace sinking and polluted Jakarta. The $32-billion megaproject on Borneo island was expected to officially become Indonesia’s political capital on Saturday, but construction delays and funding problems forced President Joko Widodo thttp://dlvr.it/TC7vD7 Continue reading Indonesia celebrates Independence Day in future capital

Miami (AFP) Aug 18, 2024 Ernesto restrengthened into a hurricane Sunday as it traveled well off the shore of eastern United States, threatening wind and rain along the US and Canadian coasts after pummeling Puerto Rico and Bermuda. The hurricane, whose center is forecast to pass near southeastern Newfoundland, Canada late Monday into Tuesday, was creating dangerous conditions for residents and vacationers along thehttp://dlvr.it/TC6t8l Continue reading Ernesto restrengthens into Atlantic hurricane