Dubai (AFP) July 13, 2023 As much of the world swelters in record temperatures, spare a thought for Issam Genedi, who ekes out a living washing cars in one of the planet’s hottest regions, the Gulf. Pausing from his work at an outdoor carpark in Dubai, the Egyptian migrant says the United Arab Emirates’ furnace-like summer feels even hotter this year. “This summer is a … Continue reading ‘We cannot work’ – why Gulf summer feels even hotter than usual

Athens (AFP) July 14, 2023 The Athens Acropolis, Greece’s top tourist attraction, will close during the hottest hours on Friday as the country wilts under a heatwave, the culture minister announced. Access to the UNESCO-listed archaeological site dating to antiquity will be suspended between midday and 5:00 pm (0900 GMT and 1400 GMT) before reopening “to protect workers and visitors”, Lina Mendoni told public broadcashttp://dlvr.it/Ss9s2D Continue reading Athens Acropolis to close at hottest hours amid Greece heatwave

Washington DC (UPI) Jul 13, 2023 During a news conference in Helsinki on Thursday, President Joe Biden blasted Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., for his continued hold on hundreds of U.S. military promotions because of the Pentagon’s abortion policy, calling it “bizarre” and “irresponsible.” Since March, Tuberville has held up more than 250 military promotions to protest the Pentagon’s policy to reimburse expenses for serhttp://dlvr.it/Ss9s09 Continue reading President calls Alabama senator’s block on military promotions ‘irresponsible’

Grimsby, United Kingdom (AFP) July 12, 2023 Grimsby, perched on the southern side of the River Humber, near Kingston-upon-Hull in northern England, was built on the fishing industry. Some 70 percent of people in the town voted for Brexit, hoping that the UK’s departure from the European Union would boost its flagging fortunes. But seven years on from the landmark referendum, those who banked on … Continue reading Gripes in Grimsby over Brexit fishing failure

Paso Valdez, Uruguay (AFP) July 12, 2023 Uruguay is frantically laying pipes and digging wells as it races to find fresh sources of precious H2O amid a record drought that has threatened to leave its capital without potable water. For weeks already, the 1.8 million residents of the Montevideo metropolitan area – home to more than half the South American country’s total population – have … Continue reading Race against time to find fresh water for Uruguay’s capital

Los Angeles (AFP) July 12, 2023 Wanted: one ornery sea otter that has been attacking California surfers and commandeering their boards. Wildlife authorities in the city of Santa Cruz, about a 90-minute drive south of San Francisco, have actually posted a warning to the public about the creature, which they say is a five-year-old female. She has been attacking surfers for weeks but of late … Continue reading California surfers terrorized by board-stealing sea otter

Puerto Ayora, Ecuador (AFP) July 12, 2023 Unusually warm for this time of year, the waters of the Pacific signal hard times for the reptilian inhabitants of Ecuador’s iconic Galapagos Islands. The balmy temperature is the first symptom of a new cycle of the El Nino weather phenomenon that periodically pronounces a sentence of starvation on the archipelago’s marine iguanas. Experts fear this El Nino … Continue reading El Nino spells trouble for vulnerable Galapagos iguana

London (AFP) July 12, 2023 Companies and individuals polluting Britain’s rivers and other ecosystems will be liable for unlimited fines, the UK government announced Wednesday, with the nation’s water firms in particular under fire. Environment Secretary Therese Coffey in April announced plans to allow unlimited fines for polluting water companies but the policy has since been expanded to include other parties such ashttp://dlvr.it/Ss6DJq Continue reading UK polluting firms to face unlimited fines; Toxic foam blights crucial Brazil river

San Francisco (AFP) July 11, 2023 Gazing out at San Francisco harbor from her wooden fishing boat, Sarah Bates looks glum. In happier times, she would head out to sea every morning. But for much of this year, she has remained hopelessly docked, due to a ban on salmon fishing as a result of California’s drought. “Salmon is my main fishery and it’s 90 per … Continue reading Drought scuppers salmon fishing season in California

United Nations, United States (AFP) July 10, 2023 Critical negotiations concerning the future of deep sea mining and mineral extraction kicked off Monday in Jamaica, as conservationists aim to rein in a nascent industry that so far lacks meaningful guardrails. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) – a little known intergovernmental body based in Kingston – and its member states have spent the last decade trying … Continue reading Critical negotiations on deep sea mining kick off in Jamaica