24/7 News Coverage
August 23, 2023
ICE WORLD
Mountaineers urged to delay Mont Blanc climbs amid Alps heatwave



Chamonix, France (AFP) Aug 22, 2023
Mountaineers preparing to tackle Mont Blanc have been urged by local authorities to delay scaling the summit of western Europe's highest mountain because of a severe heatwave affecting France. The high temperatures, with more than 40 degrees Celsius registered in areas of southern France, are also being felt in the high peaks of the Alps, creating treacherous conditions for climbers. Local authorities in the Haute-Savoie region, which includes the French side of Mont Blanc, said there were highe ... read more

FLORA AND FAUNA
How a lone 'immigrant' wolf revived a forest ecosystem
Washington (AFP) Aug 23, 2023
In 1997, a lone wolf crossed an ice bridge that briefly connected Canada with the remote Isle Royale, which lies off the coast of Michigan in Lake Superior and is renowned for its rich biodiversity. ... more
WOOD PILE
Amazon emissions soared under Brazil's Bolsonaro: study
Rio De Janeiro (AFP) Aug 23, 2023
The Amazon rainforest's carbon emissions doubled in 2019 and 2020, as a decline in environmental policing under Brazilian ex-president Jair Bolsonaro led to a surge in destruction of the increasingly fragile region, researchers reported Wednesday. ... more
WOOD PILE
Tropical forests nearing critical temperatures thresholds
Paris (AFP) Aug 23, 2023
Global warming is driving leafy tropical canopies close to temperatures where they can no longer transform sunlight and CO2 into energy, threatening total collapse if the thermometer keeps climbing, according to a study Thursday. ... more
WOOD PILE
Canada to challenge latest US duties on softwood lumber
Ottawa (AFP) Aug 22, 2023
Ottawa announced Tuesday it will challenge the latest US duties on Canadian softwood lumber that it called "unfair, unjust and illegal." ... more
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WATER WORLD


Uruguay declares end to water crisis

WATER WORLD
China's sushi fans flounder over Fukushima water release
Beijing (AFP) Aug 23, 2023
At his restaurant in central Beijing, controversy over the release of Fukushima wastewater has left Yao facing a choice: continue stocking his popular Japanese tuna and risk the ire of some consumers or source it from other countries where price and quality could vary. ... more
FROTH AND BUBBLE
As wildfires multiply, a new era of air pollution
Washington (AFP) Aug 22, 2023
From Quebec to British Columbia to Hawaii, North America is facing an extraordinary wildfire season - and regions both near and far have found themselves increasingly blighted by smoke exposure. ... more
FARM NEWS
French grape-pickers wilt as 'heat dome' temperatures top 40C
Saint-Quentin-De-Baron, France (AFP) Aug 22, 2023
Grape-pickers were out in French vineyards Tuesday bringing in this year's harvest in "torrid" conditions as temperatures shot past 40C in some areas of the country during a "heat dome" weather pattern that has brought misery to millions. ... more
WEATHER REPORT
Climate change could bring year-round heatwaves: UN researcher
Geneva (AFP) Aug 23, 2023
As Europe and other regions swelter, a UN researcher cautioned that climate change was enabling increasingly intense and long-lasting heatwaves, which in some areas could soon begin to hit year-round. ... more
SHAKE AND BLOW
Around 100,000 people evacuated due to floods in Pakistan
Kasur, Pakistan (AFP) Aug 23, 2023
Around 100,000 people have been evacuated from flooded villages in Pakistan's Punjab province, emergency services said on Wednesday. ... more

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WEATHER REPORT


French heatwave sets new late-summer record

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Eight dead after Moscow sewer floods during tour
Moscow (AFP) Aug 22, 2023
Eight members of a tour group exploring underground tunnels in Moscow's sewer system Sunday have been found dead after getting caught off-guard by flash flooding, local media said. ... more
SHAKE AND BLOW
Around 100,000 people evacuated due to floods in Pakistan
Kasur, Pakistan (AFP) Aug 23, 2023
Families waded through water and cattle were loaded onto boats in a mass evacuation of around 100,000 people in Pakistan's Punjab province, officials said Wednesday. ... more
WEATHER REPORT
Saudi storm brings lightning, fierce winds to Mecca
Riyadh (AFP) Aug 23, 2023
Fierce storms closed schools Wednesday in Saudi Arabia's Mecca region, home to Islam's holiest site, the Grand Mosque, which was lashed by heavy rains and wind overnight, witnesses said. ... more
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
700 Syrians caught trying to enter Lebanon in a week: army
Beirut (AFP) Aug 23, 2023
The Lebanese army turned away around 700 Syrians attempting to cross into the neighbouring country illegally over the past week, the armed forces said in a statement on Wednesday. ... more
FIRE STORM
Climate change supercharged 'fire weather' behind Canada blazes
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. ... more
FIRE STORM


Evacuees return home as Spain's Tenerife fire stabilised

FIRE STORM
Spanish firefighters gain upper hand against Tenerife fire
Tenerife, Spain (AFP) Aug 22, 2023
Spanish firefighters were gaining the upper hand on Tuesday in their battle against a wildfire raging for a week on the holiday island of Tenerife that forced thousands of people to flee, officials said. ... more
FIRE STORM
Greek firefighters battle major blazes on multiple fronts
Athens (AFP) Aug 23, 2023
Greek firefighters on Wednesday struggled to contain uncontrolled fires throughout the country for a fifth day, several of them bordering an acrid, smoke-filled Athens. ... more
FIRE STORM
A family hangs on after losing home in Canada wildfires
Kelowna, Canada (AFP) Aug 22, 2023
When the MacKay family were told to evacuate due to forest fires in western Canada, they thought they would be home soon - until a camera in their kitchen started sending alerts. ... more
FIRE STORM
Greek firefighters battle major blazes on multiple fronts; Death toll hits 20
Athens (AFP) Aug 23, 2023
Greek firefighters on Wednesday struggled to contain uncontrolled fires throughout the country for a fifth day, several of them bordering an acrid, smoke-filled Athens. ... more
AFRICA NEWS
African Union suspends Niger over coup as 12 troops die in new attack
Addis Ababa (AFP) Aug 22, 2023
The African Union (AU) on Tuesday said it was suspending coup-hit Niger but responded cautiously to a threatened military operation to restore its ousted president, as Nigerien TV said 12 troops died in a new attack by suspected jihadists. ... more
SINO DAILY
US hits China on 'forced assimilation' of Tibetan children
Washington (AFP) Aug 23, 2023
The United States said Tuesday it was imposing visa sanctions on Chinese officials pursuing "forced assimilation" of children in Tibet, where UN experts say one million children have been separated from their families. ... more
DEMOCRACY
Hong Kong top court affirms mandatory sentences under security law
Hong Kong (AFP) Aug 22, 2023
Hong Kong's top court on Tuesday issued a landmark ruling affirming mandatory minimum sentences for people convicted of national security crimes, potentially affecting dozens of pro-democracy figures standing trial or appealing jail terms. ... more
ICE WORLD
UC Irvine scientists say deepening Arctic snowpack drives greenhouse gas emissions
Irvine CA (SPX) Aug 21, 2023
Human-caused climate change is shortening the snow cover period in the Arctic. But according to new research led by Earth system scientists at the University of California, Irvine, some parts of the ... more
ICE WORLD
Hot spell pushes 'zero-degree' line to record height in Switzerland
Geneva (AFP) Aug 21, 2023
A hot spell enveloping Europe has pushed the zero-degree line - the altitude at which the temperature dips into the minus - to a record height of nearly 5,300 metres (17,400 feet) in Switzerland. ... more
SHAKE AND BLOW
Tropical Storm Hilary brings record rain to California
Los Angeles (AFP) Aug 21, 2023
Tropical Storm Hilary drenched Southern California with record rainfall, shutting down schools, roads and businesses before edging in on Nevada on Monday. ... more
FROTH AND BUBBLE
Jakarta orders civil servants work from home to improve air quality
Jakarta (AFP) Aug 21, 2023
Thousands of public employees in Indonesia's capital, or half of its civil servants, were told to work from home starting Monday in a two-month trial aimed at improving the city's air quality, a government notice said. ... more
WEATHER REPORT
France sizzles in late summer 'heat dome
Paris (AFP) Aug 21, 2023
Millions of people in France sweated through a late summer heatwave on Monday, with record temperatures expected in the wine-growing Rhone valley region and a forest fire blazing in the southeast. ... more
SHAKE AND BLOW
California cleans up after record rainfall from Hilary
Los Angeles (AFP) Aug 21, 2023
Southern California was cleaning up Monday after record rainfall triggered landslides and flooding, shuttering schools, roads and businesses in an "unprecedented" tropical storm. ... more
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Fukushima's water release: what we know
Tokyo (AFP) Aug 22, 2023
Japan has announced plans to release wastewater from the stricken Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant into the ocean starting Thursday. ... more
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Japan to release water from stricken Fukushima nuclear plant
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. ... more
SHAKE AND BLOW
North Korea's Kim slams 'irresponsible' premier over flood damage
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. ... more
DEMOCRACY
Wanted Hong Kong activists in Britain decry 'harassment'
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. ... more
FARM NEWS
Wine grape disease spotted from skies above California
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 ... more
FARM NEWS
Taiwan slams China's ban on mango imports
Taipei (AFP) Aug 21, 2023
Taiwan accused China on Monday of "arbitrarily interrupting trade" after Beijing slapped a fresh ban on its mangos as relations worsen. ... more
FARM NEWS
Three charged over theft of lambs from farm on UK royal estate
London (AFP) Aug 21, 2023
UK police on Monday charged three members of an animal rights group that claimed to have "rescued" three lambs from a farm on King Charles III's Sandringham estate in eastern England. ... more
WOOD PILE
Illegal logging turns Syria's forests into 'barren land'
Jaabar, Syria (AFP) Aug 20, 2023
On a riverbank in war-ravaged Syria's north, felling has reduced what was once a lush forest to dispersed trees and decimated trunks poking out from dry, crumbly soil. ... more
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