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Firefighters bring huge blaze in France under control

Firefighters have contained a massive wildfire in southern France but still face a "complicated" struggle, but officials warned on Sunday that scorching heat and dry winds could reignite the blaze.

'Challenging day' for firefighters battling huge blaze in France

Firefighters have contained a massive wildfire in southern France but local officials warned on Sunday that scorching heat and dry conditions could reignite the blaze, as parts of the Mediterranean region face a heatwave.

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William and Kate head to the US for first time in eight years

Prince William and his wife Kate head to the United States this week for their first visit in eight years, and the popular couple's inaugural trip as prince and princess of Wales.

Uranium-rich Niger struggles despite nuclear resurgence

Prospects for the world's nuclear industry have been boosted by the war in Ukraine and mounting hostility towards climate-wrecking fossil fuels -- but Niger, one of the world's biggest sources of uranium, has yet to feel the improvement.

Great Barrier Reef risks 'in danger' World Heritage listing

Australia's Great Barrier Reef should be added to a list of "in danger" World Heritage sites, according to UN experts who have warned the fading wonder has been "significantly impacted" by climate change.

Talks kick off on global plastic trash treaty

Despite decades of effort, plastic pollution is only getting worse -- a gloomy fact that representatives of almost 200 nations meeting in Uruguay Monday are determined to change.

Ukraine warns of fresh Russian missile strikes

Ukraine said on Monday that Russia was preparing for a fresh wave of missile attacks on its energy grid that have plunged swathes of the country into the cold and dark.

UK start-up behind algae-based packaging bids for Earthshot glory

A British start-up founded by two ex-students from France and Spain, crafting biodegradable packaging from marine plants, is aiming to seal royal approval this week when Prince William unveils his latest Earthshot prizes.

Costa Rica crocodiles survive in 'most polluted' river

In one of the most polluted rivers in Central America, a vulnerable crocodile species is thriving despite living in waters that have become a sewer for Costa Rica's capital, experts say.

Five key decisions at global wildlife summit

A global wildlife summit that ends Friday passed resolutions to protect hundreds of threatened species, including sharks, reptiles, turtles as well as trees.

'Where are the mackerel?' Alarm as Bosphorus fish stocks crash

Despondent Sunday anglers watch crestfallen as a trawler winches an enormous net out of the waters of the Bosphorus.

French-Lebanese architect seeks pro-climate construction transformation

Lina Ghotmeh has pegged her career on sustainable construction.

Twin crises: experts say nature and climate can't be siloed

Experts and activists were hoping UN climate talks would end last week with a prominent mention of biodiversity in the final text. They walked away disappointed.

Germany's Scholz dims lights on Christmas tree amid energy squeeze

The Christmas tree outside Chancellor Olaf Scholz's office in Berlin will not be lit as long this year, a government spokesman said Thursday, as Germany seeks to save energy through the winter.

Wildlife summit to vote on 'historic' shark protections

A summit on the international trade in endangered species will decide Thursday whether to ratify a "historic" proposal to protect sharks, a move that would drastically restrict the lucrative global shark fin trade.

A greener ride: West Africans switch on to electric motorbikes

Beninese hairdresser Edwige Govi makes a point these days of using electric motorbike taxis to get around Cotonou, saying she enjoys a ride that is quiet and clean.

Russia unveils new icebreaker in push for energy markets

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday oversaw the launch of a new nuclear-powered icebreaker as Russia pushes to develop the Arctic and seeks new energy markets amid sanctions over Ukraine.

I. Coast, Ghana ease tug-of-war with buyers over cocoa prices

Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world's two biggest cocoa producers, said Monday there had been progress towards resolving a tug-of-war with chocolate giants on prices.

US envoy urges Chinese cooperation on emissions cuts

US climate envoy John Kerry called on Beijing Sunday to "accelerate progress together" on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, following a meeting with his Chinese counterpart at COP27 in Egypt.

Despair, elation, confusion: Climate talks go to wire

COP27 host Egypt scrambled to salvage UN climate talks Saturday with crunch negotiations hanging on tussles over driving forward action to fight global warming in a world facing an onslaught of deadly weather extremes.

Crunch climate talks teeter on the edge

UN climate talks were thrown into disarray Saturday as the EU rejected a proposal by host country Egypt for lacking ambition on emissions cuts and warned it would rather leave with no deal than a bad one.

US to press for climate progress at 2023 APEC summit in San Francisco

Asia-Pacific leaders will gather in November 2023 in San Francisco with climate high on the agenda, Vice President Kamala Harris announced Saturday, offering an opportunity for a rare US visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Australia aims to host 2026 UN climate summit

Australia hopes to host the 2026 COP summit, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Saturday, seeking to overhaul his country's reputation for foot-dragging on climate change.

As climate talks drag, artist shows way to climate hell

Egyptian artist Bahia Shehab had one goal at the COP27 climate talks in Egypt: to let people experience the "hell" that is global warming.

Battle to save ghostly Balkan lynx from extinction

In mountains overlooking an azure lake in southeast Albania, wildlife experts are tracking the Balkan lynx as part of last-gasp efforts to save the species from extinction.

Wildlife summit could upend Hong Kong's shark fin trade

Hong Kong's controversial shark fin trade may face its biggest shakeup in years if conservationists get their way in securing tighter regulations at an international wildlife conference in Panama.

Shark fin hunters in the soup as wildlife summit takes action

A global wildlife summit in Panama took an important step Thursday towards upgrading protection for sharks, the ancient ocean vertebrates targeted for their fins used in a status-symbol soup.

No longer evergreen: Germany eyes diversity to save forests

Once a sea of green, thousands of spruces with brown crowns and charred trunks now stand in a forest in eastern Germany, testament to one of the most ferocious forest fires to have ravaged the region in years.

California lab-grown meat start-up gets first green light

A California-based lab-grown meat start-up received the first green light for such products from the US food safety agency on Wednesday, although the product still has more hurdles to clear before being sold to consumers.

'Brazil is back': Lula draws crowds at UN climate talks

Showered with applause and chants of "Lula!", Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made a splash at a UN climate conference in Egypt Wednesday, his first foreign trip since his election.

'A shock': divers fish for waste to preserve Greece's Aegean shores

On the Greek island of Naxos, two divers reeled in not the catch of the day but a jumble of cable, rope, fishing nets and old clothes from the seafloor.

Niger's threatened giraffes find new home

Conservationists in Niger said on Wednesday they had transferred threatened West African giraffes to a new home 600 kilometres (375 miles) away.

Climate change set to 'increase hunger' in Africa: UN

As COP27 delegates in Egypt debate planet-heating emissions, the climate crisis is exacerbating devastating hunger across several African nations and will worsen further without urgent action, the UN said Wednesday.

Poland says blast likely caused by Ukraine missile in accident

Poland on Wednesday said a deadly blast that killed two people in a village near the border with Ukraine was likely caused by a stray Ukrainian air defence missile launched against a Russian barrage.

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