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Hong Kong scientists fight to save fragrant incense trees

Geneticist Zhang Huarong walks through the forest near his Hong Kong research lab, gesturing towards a rotting incense tree stump that is one of over a dozen illegally felled for the valuable wood inside.

Fighting global warming in nations' self-interest: UN climate chief

The UN's climate chief, seeking to shore up solidarity on combating global warming as the United States retreats from its leadership role, appealed to nations' self-interest in a speech Thursday.

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North Korea moving thousands of flood victims to capital: KCNA

North Korea will move more than 15,000 flood victims to the capital, state media said Saturday, as leader Kim Jong Un insisted recovery efforts would be "based on self-reliance" despite offers of aid from abroad.

Greeks try tropical crops in climate change experiment

Stirring the leaves of a shrub on his farm in Kyparissia, western Greece, Panos Adamopoulos spied the first soon-to-be-ripe mangoes -- his share of a state experiment against climate change.

Anti-whaling activist Watson says Greenland arrest 'political'

US-Canadian environmental activist Paul Watson considers his detention in Greenland and Japan's extradition request to be political, his campaigning group Sea Shepherd said Thursday.

Amazon deforestation rises for the first time in 15 months

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest increased in July for the first time in 15 months, according to official data released Wednesday.

'Miseries of the Balkhash': Fears for Kazakhstan's magical lake

Seen from the sky, with its turquoise waters stretching out into the desert expanses in the shape of a crescent, you can see why they call Lake Balkhash the "pearl of Kazakhstan".

Swiss mining giant Glencore drops plan to exit coal

Swiss commodities giant Glencore announced Wednesday that it had decided against spinning off its coal business for now after consulting shareholders who view the polluting fossil fuel as a cash-generating activity.

Climate activists target Messi's mansion in Spain's Ibiza

Climate activists on Tuesday spray-painted a mansion on the Spanish holiday island of Ibiza belonging to Argentina football star Lionel Messi to highlight the "responsibility of the rich for the climate crisis".

Saudi Aramco Q2 profit dips 3% as output stays low

Saudi oil giant Aramco on Tuesday reported net income of $29.07 billion in the second quarter, a slight drop from the same period last year as output remained subdued.

Farmers innovate to save Iraq's rice production

After seeing his once-lush rice field shrink in recent years due to relentless drought, Iraqi farmer Muntazer al-Joufi fought back using tougher seeds and water-saving irrigation techniques.

Germany win Olympic team relay triathlon

Germany won gold in the mixed triathlon relay on Monday at the Paris Olympics, with the build-up to the event marred by news that a Belgian athlete had fallen sick after swimming in the Seine last week.

Triathlon training scrapped due to dirty Seine

Olympic organisers cancelled part of the triathlon training in the River Seine planned for Saturday, saying heavy rain was likely to have made the waterway too polluted to swim in.

Colombia, Guatemala learn from each other in rainforest preservation

In the lush jungle of northern Guatemala -- in the largest protected area in Central America -- 30 leaders from Colombia's Amazon basin region are swapping strategies with local ethnic Maya farmers on how to live off this dense forest without destroying it.

30 dead, dozens missing after torrential rain in central China

Torrential rains in China have killed at least 30 people and left dozens more missing, state media said on Thursday, as the country grinds through another summer of extreme weather.

Reclaimed by floods, wildlife returns to Romania's Danube Delta

Tour guide Eugen Grigorov steered his boat past half-underwater combine harvesters and last year's flooded crops in a part of Romania's Danube Delta reclaimed by the great river.

Magic Marchand bags two Olympic golds after gymnastics thriller

Home favourite Leon Marchand wrote his name into the Olympic history books with a phenomenal double gold on a pulsating night in the Paris pool Wednesday, as Japanese gymnast Shinnosuke Oka took a thrilling all-around title.

Gunfire, bombs as Colombia guerrillas flex muscles ahead of COP16

Weary of gunfire and bombs, Ana Munoz recently closed her shop in a hamlet near the city of Cali, which will host a UN biodiversity summit in October that has been threatened by Colombian guerrillas.

French star Marchand eyes more Olympic gold after triathlon thriller

French star Leon Marchand is targeting more gold in the Olympic swimming pool on Wednesday as the off-on saga swirling around triathlon ended with the event finally going ahead on an action-packed day five of the Games.

Unfinished business: Indonesia's new capital has long way to go

It was supposed to be the jewel in the crown of the 10-year presidency of Joko Widodo, but Indonesia's capital-to-be, carved out of dense jungle in Borneo, is a vast building site just weeks before being due to open.

Carbon credits 'ineffective', says corporate climate watchdog

The world's top judge of corporate climate action on Tuesday described carbon credits as "ineffective" at addressing global warming and a risk for companies trying to reach net zero targets.

Turkish stray dog law sparks opposition anger

Turkish opposition parties vowed Tuesday to fight a law authorising the capture -- and in some cases killing -- of the country’s estimated four million stray dogs.

Oil giant BP reports tumbling profits in first half

BP on Tuesday announced tumbling profits for the first half, with the British oil and gas giant hit by depreciation of assets and falling revenue.

Suspense over Olympics triathlon as Seine fails water tests again

Olympic organisers cancelled a second day of triathlon training in the River Seine on Monday due to water pollution, increasing uncertainty over whether the men's and women's races will go ahead as scheduled in the coming days.

Olympic organisers cancel second day of triathlon training in Seine over pollution

Olympic organisers cancelled a second day of triathlon training in the River Seine planned for Monday after weekend downpours in Paris polluted the waterway, but said they were "confident" the medal events would be held this week.

Endangered gazelles find Libyan 'safe haven'

Cocooned in white bags and nestled in the arms of volunteers, eight young rhim gazelles -- an endangered species native to North Africa -- have been transferred to an uninhabited Libyan island.

Philippine coast guard says oil leaking from sunken tanker

Some of the 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel oil inside a sunken Philippine tanker has started to leak into Manila Bay, the coast guard said Saturday, calling for a suspension of fishing in the waterway.

Divers attempt to reach sunken Philippine oil tanker

Divers will attempt Saturday to inspect the hull of a Philippine tanker carrying 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel oil that sank off Manila as authorities race to avert an ecological catastrophe, the coast guard said.

Rain, cooling slow huge blaze in Canada's Jasper park

Rain and cooler temperatures are helping firefighters battling a huge forest fire that has devastated part of the popular tourist town of Jasper in western Canada, authorities said Friday.

Thousands evacuated as record rains pound northern Japan

Record heavy rain forced the evacuation of thousands of people across parts of northern Japan as rivers burst their banks washing away bridges and cars, officials and media reports said Friday.

Air pollution falls after London vehicle curbs: mayor

London's Mayor Sadiq Khan on Thursday claimed success for his expanded pollution toll zone for motor vehicles, pointing to a drop in levels of a harmful air pollutant since its controversial introduction.

Climate activists halt traffic at Germany's Frankfurt airport

Frankfurt police on Thursday arrested climate activists who brought Germany's busiest airport to a standstill by gluing themselves to the tarmac.

'Swallowed by mud': survivors' sorrow after deadly Ethiopian landslide

Survivor Tseganesh Obole, her voice hoarse, recalled the deadly deluge of red mud that swept down from a hill in a remote area of southern Ethiopia this week, engulfing her and her six children.

Death toll from Ethiopia landslide hits 257, could reach 500: UN

The death toll from landslides in a remote region of southern Ethiopia has risen to 257, the United Nations said Thursday, warning that the number of victims could soar to up to 500.

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