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Biathlon great Fourcade refuses to 'sacrifice convictions' for 2030 Olympics presidency

French biathlon great Martin Fourcade said Monday he would "not sacrifice his convictions" as he spurned the presidency of the 2030 Winter Olympics.

Cash-keen Taliban betting on Afghanistan's mines

A miner in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan poured water over a block of jade, exposing the green stone that is part of the Taliban authorities' push to capitalise on the country's rich mineral resources.

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UN begins pumping oil from decaying tanker off Yemen

The United Nations said on Tuesday it had begun transferring one million barrels of oil from a rusting super-tanker off war-torn Yemen, in a bid to avert a catastrophic spill.

Deep ocean targeted for mining is rich in unknown life

A vast area at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean earmarked for controversial deep sea mineral mining is home to thousands of species unknown to science and more complex than previously understood, according to several new studies.

British court spares Shell in climate case

A British court dismissed a lawsuit that accused Shell's leadership of mismanaging climate risks to the oil giant on Monday, but the activist investor group that brought it plans to appeal.

Greta Thunberg fined for disobeying Sweden police, denies crime

Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg was fined on Monday for disobeying police at a rally last month, but said she acted out of necessity due to the climate crisis.

Greta Thunberg goes on trial over Swedish climate protest

Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg is set to go on trial on Monday charged with disobeying police at a rally last month, in which activists blocked the port in the city of Malmo.

Alphorn fest brings sound of music to Swiss mountains

High up in the Swiss Alps, a hundred alphorn players assembled on a windswept pasture Sunday to make the mountains ring in gentle harmonies at the 22nd International Alphorn Festival.

Wounded US veterans accept new mission: healing coral reefs

Billy Costello walks the deck of a ship wearing his scuba gear and fins, as well as a prosthetic right leg, before dropping into the sea.

Within sight of New York City, a despoiled river comes back to life

He is not a lawyer, finance guy or a politician, but activist Bill Sheehan has moved mountains to clean up the Hackensack River in New Jersey just outside Manhattan, which for decades has been a dumping ground for industrial chemicals.

Greece facing longest heatwave on record while US braces for record highs

Greece was Saturday bracing for its longest heatwave on record as weekend temperatures were forecast to soar above 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), while a record-breaking heatwave stretching across the southern United States was expected to expand in the coming days.

Monkey business in Pakistan court during smuggling case

A baby monkey caused chaos in a Pakistan court after escaping from a troop presented as evidence in a case of wildlife smuggling, officials said.

Nations aim to ink deep sea mining rules by 2025

The International Seabed Authority's member nations on Friday agreed on a two-year roadmap for the adoption of deep sea mining regulations, despite conservationists' calls for a moratorium on mineral extraction they say would avert marine threats.

'Extreme' Indonesian market ends dog, cat meat trade

A notorious Indonesian animal market has ended the sale of dog and cat meat after years of activist pressure to stop the trade and its brutal methods of slaughter, according to campaigners.

Rewetting German marshes to blunt climate change impact

Amid the fields of northern Germany a vast expanse of bulrushes has been planted to form one of Europe's largest reclaimed marshes.

Greece facing 40C weekend while record US heat wave set to expand

Greece was Saturday facing its hottest July weekend in 50 years, with temperatures forecast to soar above 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), while a record-breaking heat wave stretching across the southern United States was expected to expand in the coming days.

A sweaty robot may help humans understand impact of soaring heat

What happens to the body when a human gets heatstroke? How can we protect ourselves in a warming planet? To answer these burning questions, Arizona researchers have deployed a robot that can breathe, shiver and sweat.

Greece facing hottest July weekend in 50 years, expert warns

Greece is facing its hottest July weekend in 50 years, a top meteorologist warned Friday as the country wilts under a prolonged heatwave set to last well into next week.

Iran's ancient 'wind catchers' beat the heat naturally

Tall, chimney-like towers rise from centuries-old adobe houses in Iran's desert city of Yazd, drawing in a pleasant breeze for residents of one of the hottest cities on earth.

July likely to be warmest month on record: NASA scientist

July 2023 will probably be the world's hottest month in "hundreds, if not thousands, of years," top NASA climatologist Gavin Schmidt said Thursday.

Helicopter pilot dies fighting Canadian wildfires

A pilot died in a helicopter crash in western Canada fighting wildfires that have ravaged the country, police said Thursday.

Spill of 1,200 barrels of crude blight Ecuadoran beach

A leak at an oil terminal spilled at least 1,200 barrels of crude onto a beach popular with tourists in northwest Ecuador, near the border with Colombia, officials said Thursday.

A roundup of the extreme heat hitting the globe

The world has been buffeted by fires, dire health warnings and broken temperature records in the past week.

Mama's boys: Elder orca moms protect sons from fights

A male orca's best friend is his old mother.

COP host UAE emissions plan 'insufficient': analysis

New carbon-cutting plans by this year's UN climate talks host the United Arab Emirates were branded "insufficient" by an analysis on Thursday that slammed the oil-rich nation for undermining its own targets with plans to increase fossil fuel production.

Big risks in oil transfer from rusting Yemen tanker: Greenpeace

Greenpeace Thursday praised a "risky" UN-led operation to transfer oil from a rusting Yemen tanker, but warned the threat of environmental catastrophe cannot be ruled out until the operation ends.

Private firms scour booming Nevada desert for water profits

Beneath a bone-dry Nevada lakebed, close to the dusty desert where the Burning Man festival is held each year, an ambitious water project is reshaping this pocket of the US West.

Japan PM rounds out energy-focused Gulf tour with Qatar visit

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited gas-rich Qatar on Tuesday to wrap up a Gulf tour centred on energy security and cooperation with Tokyo's main suppliers.

What is making 2023 likely the hottest year recorded

Human-made climate change is supercharging natural weather phenomena to drive heatwaves roasting Asia, Europe and North America that could make 2023 the hottest year since records began, scientists say.

Top Indian wildlife official removed after 8 cheetahs die

A top Indian wildlife official has been removed after a scheme to relocate cheetahs from Africa saw eight felines die, raising questions about the high-profile project.

Unforgiving heatwaves hit globe as Europe braces for record highs

Europe braced for record-smashing heat Tuesday as withering heatwaves across the globe showed no signs of easing and Greece battled wildfires that forced people to flee their homes.

Rare Somali wild ass born in Chile zoo

A rare Somali wild ass has been born in a zoo in Chile, the fourth specimen of the critically endangered species to be born in the South American country, the zoo owner said.

Mercury hits new highs as heat waves scorch the globe

Temperatures reached new highs on Monday as heatwaves and wildfires scorched swathes of the Northern Hemisphere, forcing the evacuation of 1,200 children close to a Greek seaside resort.

Clean energy on agenda of Japan PM's pre-COP28 talks in UAE

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday discussed clean energy cooperation with top officials during a visit to the UAE, host of this year's UN climate talks.

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