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☆ Severe flooding in Greece leaves at least 6 dead and 6 missing, villages cut off
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

An aerial view taken on September 7, 2023 shows a destroyed bridge in a flooded area in the city of Karditsa, central Greece. - | Afp | Getty ImagesWidespread flooding in central Greece left at least six people dead, six missing and dozens trapped, with severe rainstorms turning streams into raging torrents, bursting dams, washing away roads and bridges, and hurling cars into the sea. An aerial view taken on September 7, 2023 shows the flooded village of Farkadona near the city of Karditsa, central Greece. While much of central Greece was inundated, the fire department said a new forest fire had broken out Thursday afternoon in the northeastern region of Evros. An aerial view taken on September 7, 2023 shows the flooded village of Farkadona near the city of Karditsa, central Greece.

Persons: rainstorms, Ozan Kose, Vassilis, Pavlos Marinakis, Marinakis, Will Vassilopoulos, Vasilis Vathrakogiannis Organizations: Afp, Getty, Turkish Gendarmerie, Fire, European Locations: Karditsa, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Igneada, Kirklareli, Athens, Farkadona, Evros, Soufli

☆ Four 1,900-year-old Roman swords found in cave in Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Archaeologists have found four Roman swords and a shafted weapon known as a pilum dating from 1,900 years ago in a cave near the shore of the Dead Sea in Israel. Amir Ganor/Israel Antiquities AuthorityFurther investigation revealed four swords “in an almost inaccessible crevice on the upper level of the cave,” the statement said. Three of the swords had iron blades inside wooden scabbards and measured 60-65 centimeters (24-26 inches) in length. Further excavations uncovered a bronze “Bar Kokhba” coin dating from 132–135 CE, possibly dating the swords, according to the press release. At this time, the Bar Kokhba Revolt, also known as the Second Jewish Revolt, saw Jews rebel against Roman rule in the area.

Persons: Dafna Gazit, ”, Hagay Hamer, Amir Ganor, Eitan Klein, Yoli Schwartz, ” Eli Escusido Organizations: CNN —, Israel Antiquities Authority, Studies, Survey Locations: Israel, Judean, ‘

☆ Ecuadorean votes could bar oil output in Amazon reserve, mining near Quito
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But oil and mining guilds say their industries are needed to shore up Ecuador's battered economy and that bans would expose the areas to illegal mining and deforestation. Outgoing President Guillermo Lasso, who moved ahead elections after lawmakers attempted to oust him, has failed to raise oil production or attract more mining investment as violence and social problems have worsened. A "yes" vote in both referendums could complicate finances for his successor. State oil company Petroecuador says a "yes" on the Yasuni referendum would cost the country $13.8 billion in income over the next two decades. But residents say mining will threaten high altitude wetlands, water and animals like the spectacled bear.

Persons: Read, Ecuadoreans, Guillermo Lasso, Santiago Pérez, Ramon Correa, Correa, Rafael Correa, Pedro Bermeo, Bermeo, Petroecuador, Australia's SolGold, Maria Eulalia Silva, Morelia Fuentes, Alexandra Valencia, Tito Correa, Karen Toro, Julia Symmes Cobb, Marguerita Choy Organizations: ITT, Environmental, Reuters, Voters, of Mining, Mining, Thomson Locations: Orellana, Orellana province, Ecuador, QUITO, Quito, Choco, North America, State, Pastaza

☆ Norway, Finland battle rapid spread of bird flu
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Louise Rasmussen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People wearing protective suits collect dead birds, as there is a major outbreak of bird flu, in Vadso municipality in Finnmark in Norway, July 20,2023. Oyvind Zahl Arntzen/NTB/via REUTERS/File PhotoCOPENHAGEN, July 28 (Reuters) - Norway and Finland face record outbreaks of bird flu this year which have killed thousands of seagulls and other species, put livestock at risk and restricted travel in some areas, officials said. Avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has circulated throughout Europe in recent years, leading to a cull in May and June of millions of birds on French farms alone and affecting the supply of poultry meat and eggs. The H5N1 virus strain has spread among poultry and wild birds for years but there have been sporadic outbreaks reported globally in mammals such as cats, mink and otters. Neighbouring Finland also said wild birds were heavily affected and that the H5N1 strain has now been found in 20 fur farms, up from 12 earlier this week.

Persons: Oyvind Zahl, Ole, Herman Tronerud, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Terje Solsvik, Toby Chopra Organizations: Norwegian Food Safety Authority, Norwegian Food, World Health, Thomson Locations: Vadso, Finnmark, Norway, COPENHAGEN, Finland, Europe, Norway's Finnmark, Norwegian

☆ Greta Thunberg has accused Russia of ‘ecocide’ in Ukraine. But what does that mean?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Radina Gigova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The Deep-Water Horizon oil spill, severe pollution in the Niger Delta and Amazon deforestation, could be examples of ecocide, said Jojo Mehta, co-founder and executive director of Stop Ecocide International. A number of others have debated doing the same, including Brazil, Canada, Kenya, the Maldives and the UK, according to Stop Ecocide International. “It is not a question of whether ecocide will become part of international criminal law, it’s only a question of when,” Sands said. A working group, including Thunberg, has also been established to draw attention to the environmental impact of war. If ecocide were an international crime, it could give the process more authority, some experts say.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Greta Thunberg, “, Sergei Supinsky, ”, Doug Weir, Polly Higgins, ” Weir, Jojo Mehta, Michael Dantas, Jair Bolsonaro, ” Philippe Sands, Mehta, wasn’t, it’s, ” Sands, Weir, Anna Ackerman, Matthew Hatcher, Ackerman, can’t Organizations: CNN, Getty, Criminal Court, ICC, Observatory, Criminal, International Institute for Sustainable Development, Ukraine’s Locations: Ukraine, Europe, Swedish, Kyiv, Russia, AFP, British, Niger Delta, Humaita, Amazonas, Brazil, ecocide, Rome, Canada, Kenya, Maldives, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kherson

☆ The Elite South African Reserve That Allows Just a Handful of Safari Guests
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Mary Holland | Photography Andrew Morgan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

An hour-and-a-half flight from Johannesburg, in northwest South Africa, sits the country’s largest private nature reserve. It’s a remote 441-square-mile tract of the Kalahari, where red soil rolls for miles into shrubland, savanna and low, rounded mountains that carve into the powder-blue sky. Despite the unforgiving landscape, this area has been the subject of an intensive restoration process for nearly three decades. What it lacks in abundance, it makes up for in rare wildlife, such as meerkats and pangolins. And endangered and threatened species are slowly starting to thrive—the desert black rhino and white rhino populations have quadrupled here since the animals were reintroduced 15 years ago.

Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa

☆ Israel to build fibre-optic link between Europe and Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, June 18 (Reuters) - Israel will build a 254-kilometre (158 mile) fibre-optic cable between the Mediterranean and Red Sea, creating a continuous link between Europe and countries in the Gulf and Asia, the Finance Ministry said on Sunday. The project, said EAPC Chief Executive Itzik Levy, "will position Israel as a communication land bridge connecting the Gulf countries and Asia to Europe." It will be available to any telecom company licensed in Israel under a 25-year lease, the ministry said. EAPC, or the Europe Asia Pipeline Company, offers its pipeline as an alternative to the Suez Canal. The ministry said the fibre-optic deployment along the pipeline route will help monitor any changes in terrain and detect possible leaks.

Persons: Itzik Levy, Ari Rabinovitch, James Mackenzie, David Evans Organizations: Finance, Sunday . State, Israel, Europe Asia Pipeline Company, Thomson Locations: Israel, Red, Europe, Gulf, Asia, Ashkelon, Eilat, Suez

☆ An albino giant panda thought to be the only one in the world was filmed in the wild in China — take a look
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An all-white giant panda was spotted in China's Wolong National Nature Reserve. It is thought to be the only albino giant panda in the world. Footage captured at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province shows the panda with a female panda and a cub, per China Xinhua News. It is believed to be the only albino giant panda in the world, according to South China Morning Post. The panda in Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan province, southwest China.

Persons: —, Li Sheng Organizations: Nature Reserve, Service, China Xinhua, China Morning Post, Nature, ABC, Peking University Locations: Sichuan Province, China, Sichuan, ABC Australia

☆ Replanting the Amazon could slow global warming. Here’s why it’s hard
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +24 min

Milton da Costa Junior nosed his pickup through a remote stretch of the western Brazilian Amazon to check on his babies. Local authorities said the September 2021 incident, which Da Costa outlined in a police report that was reviewed by Reuters, is being investigated. Out of dozens of reforestation initiatives in the country, Rioterra and The Black Jaguar Foundation, a Brazilian-European group, are among the largest. Illegal invaders destroy in hours what it takes Rioterra or Black Jaguar a year to plant. In all, Black Jaguar has signed contracts with 26 farms and planted 326 hectares (806 acres) to date.

Persons: Milton da Costa, Da Costa, Carlos Nobre, Alexis Bastos, Rioterra, ”, Nobre, “, Bastos, Jamari, Dejesus Aparecido Ramos, it’s, ” Bastos, Jair Bolsonaro, Germany –, Bolsonaro, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Black, Ben Valks, Valks, Leandro Silveira, Silveira, São, ” Valks, aren’t, Cristina Banks, Leite, Marcos Mariani, Araguaia, Mariani, Tânia Irres, ” Irres, Regina Molke, I’ll, Clovis, Black Jaguar, Aquaverde, Renato Franklin, “ Ben, ” Franklin, L’Oreal, da Costa, ” Da Costa, da, Spring, Clare Trainor, Catherine Tai, Lais Morais, Ilan Rubens, Lucy Ha, John Emerson, Marla Dickerson Organizations: Milton da Costa Junior, Toyota, Reuters, Black Jaguar Foundation, National Institute for Space Research, Rioterra, Cultural, Environmental Studies, Petrobras, “, Amazon Fund, Environment Ministry, United, United Arab Emirates, São Paulo, Global, Farmers, Brazil’s Central Bank, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, Imperial College London, Santana, Bolsonaro, United Nations, Space Agency, Copernicus, Sentinel Locations: Machadinho, Rondônia, Brazil, Germany, Brazilian, European, Manhattan, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Bastos, Porto Velho, droves, Rio, Black, Itapuã, Oeste, Norway, United Arab, Pará, Caixa, “, Costa, Syria, Paris, Santana, Araguaia’s, Clovis, Regina, United States, South, Geneva, Rio Preto, da Costa

☆ Indonesia pushes tourism to boost mangrove restoration
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, June 2 (Reuters) - Tourists in Indonesia are discovering the benefits of mangroves as the archipelago pushes to replant or conserve carbon-rich coastal areas that have been decimated by human activity. Last year alone, the country lost 700,000 hectares of mangroves, according to Indonesia's Mangrove and Peatlands Restoration Agency (BRGM). "A lot of people and businesses have these mangrove forests levelled down and then build a tourist spot above it by piling sand to make artificial beaches. That contradicts nature preservation," said Muhammad Saleh Alatas, owner of The Mangrove Paddling Centre, which organises tours in the mangroves of Jakarta. Reporting by Tommy Ardiansyah, Johan Purnomo, Zahra Matarani; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Connie Sihombing, I've, Muhammad Saleh Alatas, Muhammad Ilman, Tommy Ardiansyah, Johan Purnomo, Zahra Matarani, Kanupriya Kapoor, Emelia Organizations: Restoration Agency, Nusantara Nature Conservation Agency, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Indonesia, Jakarta

☆ International tipping: How to cut through the chaos and confusion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

In the United States, “tipping is very customary. Leighton also said you won’t find a tipping culture on the island of Taiwan. Robinson said the tipping culture is less pervasive in Sicily than the United States and even more laid-back than in Rome. As for tipping culture in the US vs. the UK, Ryan Burditt said, it’s “really opposites to me. Robert Knopes/Education Images/Universal Images Group/Getty ImagesVisitors to the United States could be in for some tipping culture shock.

☆ Where to go this summer: A dozen destination ideas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Marnie Hunter | Jane Levere | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Peru"Peruvians are welcoming travelers back with open arms," says travel one travel expert. And perhaps most importantly, the city offers excellent value, in part because it will be the winter/low season there during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer. It’s home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including megalithic temples that date to the 4th millennium BC. Although summer is the rainy season, Gellis says showers are often brief and intermittent. AlbaniaAlbania is a Mediterranean gem that’s likely to be less crowded this summer than Greece and Croatia, says Joao Donadel, another EMBARK Beyond travel advisor.

☆ A critically endangered rat-sized marsupial that looks like a mini kangaroo is returning to parts of Australia for the first time in a century
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Brush-tailed bettongs are thriving in Southern Australia after being reintroduced in 2021. These cute, kangaroo-looking marsupials have been critically endangered for decades. Scientists say it could be the first successful reintroduction of the species in Australia. According to the results of their monitoring of 85 bettongs, 40% of them were newborns, according to the release. A woylie also known as a brush-tailed bettong (Bettongia penicillata) is an extremely rare, small marsupial and is endemic to Australia.

☆ Long-necked dinosaur fossil found by Argentine scientists is one of biggest ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Lucila Sigal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The find in the Pueblo Blanco Nature Reserve, presented on Thursday, was first discovered by scientists in 2018. Paleontologist Nicolas Chimento said scientists decided to name the dinosaur "Chucarosaurus Diripienda", meaning hard-boiled and scrambled, because it had rolled around and survived the accident. At 50 tonnes and 30 meters in length, the Chucarosaurus is the largest-ever dinosaur discovered in the mountainous Rio Negro province. Some 140 dinosaur species have been discovered in Argentina, which ranks among the world's top three countries for research and discoveries alongside China and the United States. Reporting by Lucila Sigal; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Six lions killed in Kenya in blow to conservation efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NAIROBI, May 14 (Reuters) - Six lions have been killed in a national park in southern Kenya, in a blow to conservation efforts and the tourism industry that is a key pillar of the nation's economy. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said the lions were killed after attacking goats and a dog near villages close to the Amboseli National Park. "Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident as over the last week four other lions have been killed," KWS said in a statement on Saturday. Residents around nature reserves in Kenya often complain that lions and other carnivores kill livestock and domestic animals as humans and wildlife compete for space and resources. The 39,206-hectare Amboseli National Park is home to some of the most prized game including elephants, cheetahs, buffalos and giraffes.

☆ Ocean acidification is destroying coral reefs. Here's how 2 scientists are using bone research to protect them against climate change.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

It's becoming more acidic — hitting marine ecosystems and causing coral reefs to crumble. Increased acidity could devastate marine ecosystems, which are built upon coral reefs, and in turn, affect the fish and seafood humans eat. Ocean acidification: Lophelia pertusa coral in noncorrosive water off the Southern California Bight. The research began in January and will run for one year, with data collected in monthly intervals to help understand coral responses to ocean acidification and timescales. That's not just ocean acidification, but carbon-dioxide emissions, deforestation near coral reefs, and fishing practices like trawling, he said.

☆ How to put your best travel foot forward for Earth Day 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

But you don’t have to totally cut out travel or stay super close to home to be a good planetary citizen. You need a city that’s dedicated to getting it right to best enjoy an urban biking vacation. Here, we've curated 30 of our favorite corners, including the Thu Bon River, which flows through central Vietnam. A maze of rivers and caves, the UNESCO World Centre is defined by its craggy limestone facades and jade green water. Bruno De Hogues/Photodisc/Getty Images Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park: A UNESCO World Heritage, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is heaven for spelunkers.

☆ New box jellyfish species found in Hong Kong's waters -study
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, April 19 (Reuters) - A Hong Kong university team said it has discovered a new species of box jellyfish in the city's Mai Po Nature Reserve, the first discovery of the venomous species in China's waters. Baptist University (HKBU) together with WWF-Hong Kong, Ocean Park Hong Kong and University of Manchester said on Tuesday that the team collected jellyfish samples from a brackish shrimp pond over 2020-2022 and found they contained a new species. Box jellyfish "are poorly known in Chinese marine waters. Our discovery of Tripedalia maipoensis in Mai Po - a relatively well-studied area in Hong Kong - highlights the rich diversity of marine life in Hong Kong and even the whole of China," he said. Box jellyfish, scientifically known as class Cubozoa, includes some of the highly venomous marine animals that are widely known in tropical waters, the study said.

CNN —A female bear that was sentenced to death for the fatal mauling of jogger in Italy has been given a stay of execution until May 11, officials in Trento have said. Andrea Papi, 26, was attacked and killed last week while jogging in a public nature reserve in the Trentino–Alto Adige region of northern Italy. In the last 15 years, several bear attacks have been reported, including the nearly fatal attack of a mushroom farmer in 2014 and the 2020 attack of a father and his son while they were hiking. This time, after the fatal attack on Papi the World Wildlife Fund, which had previously petitioned to keep JJ4 alive told CNN they agree that the bear should be put down. There are now four bears, including JJ4, with judicial orders to be culled.

☆ Fact Check-Door opening in Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway stems from promotional campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A spokesperson for the National Trust confirmed to Reuters that the clip was commissioned by the Trust as part of a promotional campaign. At the time, staff at the Giant’s Causeway gave visitors a map and clues on how to find the cave that featured in the promotional clip (here), (here). The Trust shared various images and clips using the aforementioned hashtag (here). The Giant’s Causeway in Antrim, Northern Ireland consists of over 40,000 basalt columns created during volcanic events 50 to 60 million years ago (here). The clip stems from a promotional campaign made by the Northern Ireland National Trust released in 2015.

☆ Off-the-radar destinations every China visitor should consider
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Maggie Hiufu Wong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

JingdezhenLarge chimneys, used for firing porcelain, dot the skyline of Jingdezhen city. gui yong nian/Adobe StockDubbed the porcelain capital of the world, Jingdezhen has been firing quality pieces of “white gold” for more than 1,700 years. For a crash course in the city’s porcelain history, visit the newly built and photogenic Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum of China. LinhaiLinhai's historic city wall stretches more than 6,000 meters in length. Food aside, travelers should leave time to admire this historic city that dates back more than 2,000 years.

MAYA BAY, Thailand, March 27 (Reuters) - On any given day in Thailand's Maya Bay, up to 40 blacktip reef sharks cruise in the cyan shallows while about 4,000 tourists visit its white-sand beach flanked by towering cliffs. Marine researcher Metavee Chuangcharoendee said that thanks to the pause in tourism the island was once again functioning as a nursery for young sharks. A number of factors affect the sharks around Phi Phi Leh Island, including seasonal movement patterns and human activity like fishing, Metavee said. For Phi Phi Island National Park, annual revenue was almost halved from 638.3 million baht ($18.7 million) in 2018 to 373.6 million baht in 2019 after authorities closed the beach. "If you can create a new image of Maya Bay as a nature reserve ...

☆ Analysis: Why public health officials are not panicked about bird flu
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Julie Steenhuysen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

They say the attributes that have made this virus thrive in wild birds likely make it less infectious to people. Although the exact changes required for a bird flu virus to become easily transmissible in people are not known, a pair of landmark studies done a decade ago offer some clues. Mink have both avian and human-type receptors, but avian receptors are scarce in humans and located deep in the lungs. That change is a must if a bird flu virus is to spread easily in people. None of the experts discounted the possibility that H5N1 or another avian flu virus could mutate and spark a pandemic, and many believe the world has not seen its last flu pandemic.

☆ Bird flu kills sea lions and thousands of pelicans in Peru's protected areas
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 21 (Reuters) - Bird flu has killed tens of thousands of birds, mostly pelicans, and at least 716 sea lions in protected areas across Peru, the authorities said, as the H5N1 strain spreads throughout the region. Peru recorded its first case of the virus in November in birds in the north of the country. "We have also recorded since mid-January the unusual death of many sea lions, so far we have about 716 dead sea lions in seven protected natural areas of the coast," said Roberto Gutierrez, head of surveillance of the National Service of Natural Protected Areas. REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda 1 2 3 4 5In South America, bird flu cases have been detected in Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and recently in Argentina and Uruguay. In recent weeks, crews from Peru's National Forestry and Wildlife Service, in protective plastic suits, gloves and masks, have collected and buried hundreds of sea lions from several beaches along Peru's central coast.

☆ Uganda, Other African Nations Push for Fossil-Fuel Projects
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Nicholas Bariyo | Photographs Badru Katumba For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK, Uganda—A herd of elephants stomped through savannah grasslands to the throbbing sounds of bulldozers preparing oil wells that will soon start feeding a 900-mile pipeline from this wildlife and nature reserve. The $10 billion project has become a flashpoint in the global battle against climate change, as some African governments with unexplored natural resources seek to resist a global push to limit investment in new fossil-fuel projects.

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