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Tyson the stray hippo captured in Mexico
Tyson the stray hippo captured in Mexico
A stray hippopotamus that had been roaming around the countryside in Mexico has been captured after a 10-day hunt and relocated to a wildlife refuge, authorities said Tuesday.
Zimbabwe fights albinism stigma
Zimbabwe fights albinism stigma
ZIMBABWE: Oozing charm and confidence, 22-year-old Sithembiso Mutukura beat 12 other contestants in Zimbabwe’s first Miss Albinism beauty contest aimed at reducing stigma and increasing awareness about the condition.
Hong Kong’s richest tycoon
Hong Kong’s richest tycoon
HONG KONG: Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, 89, who has announced his retirement, started his career selling plastic flowers and spent seven decades building a vast business empire spanning everything from container ports to telecommunications.
Species in decline worldwide, humans at risk
Species in decline worldwide, humans at risk
Human activity has driven animals and plants into decline in every region of the world, putting our own well-being at risk by over-harvesting and polluting, a comprehensive species survey warned Yesterday (Mar 23). Asia-Pacific fish stocks may run out by 2048 and more than half of Africa's bird and mammal species could be lost by 2100 unless drastic measures are taken, according to four comprehensive reports released at a major environmental conference in Medellin, Colombia. Up to 90 percent of Asia-Pacific corals will suffer "severe degradation" by 2050, while in Europe and Central Asia, almost a third of known marine fish populations, and 42 percent of land animals and plants, are in decline. In the Americas, just under a quarter of species assessed are at risk of extinction. "This alarming trend endangers economies, livelihoods, food security and the quality of life of people everywhere," warned the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Compiled by nearly 600 scientists over three years, the reports underline that nature provides humans with food, clean water, energy, and regulates Earth's climate – just about everything we need to survive and thrive. One of the reports found that Nature's contribution to people can be in the order of thousands of dollars per hectare per year. "We're undermining our own future well-being," IPBES chairman Robert Watson said of the findings. "Biodiversity continues to be lost across all of the regions of the globe. We're losing species, we're degrading ecosystems... if we continue 'business as usual', we will continue to lose biodiversity at increasing rates." The IPBES assessment divided the world into four regions: the Americas, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe and Central Asia – the whole planet except for the Antarctic and the open seas. Volunteer scientists combed through some 10,000 scientific publications for the most extensive biodiversity survey since 2005. The findings were summarized in four reports approved by 129-member IPBES' member countries in Colombia. They contain guidelines for governments to make biodiversity-friendlier policies in future. The texts make for grim reading, and come in the same week that the death of Sudan – the world's last northern white rhino male – served as a stark reminder of the stakes.   Mass extinction will continue  For the Americas, the survey warned that species populations – already 31 percent smaller than when the first European settlers arrived – will have shrunk by about 40 percent by 2050. An estimated 500,000 square kilometers of African land is estimated to be degraded, it added. The continent will suffer "significant" plant losses, and its lakes will be 20-30 percent less productive by 2100. In the European Union, meanwhile, only seven percent of marine species assessed had a "favorable conservation status". "If we continue the way we are... the sixth mass extinction, the first one ever caused by humans, will continue," Watson old AFP. Scientists say mankind's voracious consumption of biodiversity has unleashed the first mass species die-off since the demise of the dinosaurs -- only the sixth on our planet in half-a-billion years.   Demand will grow In many places, climate change driven by burning fossil fuels for energy was worsening the loss of biodiversity, the reports found. "Climate change for the last 30 years has been increasing its role in changing nature, changing the ability of how nature can contribute to human well-being, and it is by far the fastest-growing pressure," said Jack Rice, a co-author of the Americas report. "It is likely by 2050, a generation away, climate change will be as strong a pressure as all the ways that we have historically converted natural lands to human-dominated systems."   There are plenty of hurdles ahead. "Economic growth is going to continue. Population growth is going to continue to 2050, therefore demand for resources will grow," said Watson. Even at best-case-scenario levels, global warming will continue adding to species loss, which will cause further degradation of ecosystems. But the scientists point to possible solutions: creating more protected areas, restoring degraded zones, and rethinking subsidies that promote unsustainable agriculture. Governments, businesses, and individuals must consider the impact on biodiversity when taking decisions on farming, fishing, forestry, mining, or infrastructure development. Different regions will require different solutions, said Watson. "It's not too late" to halt or even reverse some of the harm, he said. "Can we stop all of it? No. Can we significantly slow it down? Yes," Watson said. The IPBES will bring out a fifth report on the global state of soil, fast being degraded through pollution, forest-destruction, mining, and unsustainable farming methods that deplete its nutrients.
Facebook crisis prompts Silicon Valley soul-searching
Facebook crisis prompts Silicon Valley soul-searching
With Facebook mired in its worst-ever crisis, the rest of Silicon Valley is looking to come to terms with the dark side of its data-driven business model where tech titans have mined fortunes from what people reveal online.
Students spearhead largest-ever US protest for gun control
Students spearhead largest-ever US protest for gun control
UNITED STATES: Florida high school student Aalayah Eastmond will join a massive crowd of Americans – expected to number in the hundreds of thousands – taking part in nationwide protests for gun control tomorrow (Mar 24).
Zuckerberg: Facebook must ‘step up’ after data scandal
Zuckerberg: Facebook must ‘step up’ after data scandal
UNITED STATES: Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg yesterday (Mar 21) broke his silence on the data scandal rocking the social media giant, apologising for a “major breach of trust” with its two billion users and vowing to not repeat the mistake.
US officer charged with murder of unarmed Australian woman
US officer charged with murder of unarmed Australian woman
UNITED STATES: A police officer in the US state of Minnesota who shot dead an unarmed Australian woman last July was yesterday (Mar 20) charged with murder, in a case that sparked an international outcry.
Residents get first look at town devastated by Australia bushfire
Residents get first look at town devastated by Australia bushfire
AUSTRALIA: Residents got their first look today (Mar 20) at the devastation wrought by a bushfire that ravaged a town in Australia, but fears over asbestos and unstable structures mean even those with houses still standing cannot move back.
Del Potro outlasts Federer to win Indian Wells final
Del Potro outlasts Federer to win Indian Wells final
TENNIS: Former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro stunned top-ranked Roger Federer 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-6 (7/2) today (Mar 19) to win his first Indian Wells title and second consecutive ATP crown.
Putin cruises to landslide election win
Putin cruises to landslide election win
RUSSIA: Vladimir Putin cruised to victory in Russia’s presidential election today (Mar 19), giving him at least another six years in power as Moscow’s relations with the West become increasingly strained.
Breaking the sound barrier
Breaking the sound barrier
BANGKOK: Strumming his guitar with ease and backed by a drummer, Singhkum Boonriang belts out covers of Thai ballads as strangers pass by on a busy Bangkok afternoon.
Pretty pollies or pests?
Pretty pollies or pests?
NETHERLANDS: To their detractors, they’re dirty alien invaders whose incessant chatter ruins Sunday morning lie-ins. To their supporters, they’re beautiful, cheerful reminders of warmer climes amid the winter chill.
Russia goes to polls with Putin set for fourth term
Russia goes to polls with Putin set for fourth term
RUSSIA: Russians head to the polls today (Mar 18) in elections set to hand President Vladimir Putin a historic fourth Kremlin term, as the country faces increasing isolation over a spy poisoning in Britain and a fresh round of US sanctions.
Living on a knife edge
Living on a knife edge
AFGHANISTAN: Afghanistan’s Jogi tribe live on a knife edge: forced to abandon their nomadic lives after violence wrecked their traditional wandering grounds, they still face daily discrimination trying to carve a more sedentary existence in a country that does not recognise them as proper citizens.
‘Special’ Ireland down England to seal St Patrick’s Day Grand Slam
‘Special’ Ireland down England to seal St Patrick’s Day Grand Slam
RUGBY: Six Nations kings Ireland made it a St Patrick’s Day to remember by beating England 24-15 at Twickenham on Saturday (Mar 16) to seal just their third Grand Slam.
FIFA gives VAR green light for World Cup
FIFA gives VAR green light for World Cup
FOOTBALL: Video assistant referee technology (VAR) will make its debut at the World Cup in Russia this summer despite lingering opposition from within and outside football, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said yesterday (Mar 16).
My Lai massacre survivor recalls Vietnam War’s darkest chapter
My Lai massacre survivor recalls Vietnam War’s darkest chapter
VIETNAM: Pham Thanh Cong doesn’t remember much about the day his family was killed in front of him by American troops in the My Lai massacre. He was only 11, and blacked out after a grenade hit the bunker they were hiding in.
Top bottled water brands contaminated with plastic particles: report
Top bottled water brands contaminated with plastic particles: report
UNITED STATES: Researchers tested 250 bottles of water in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Thailand, and the United States.
Britain expels Russian diplomats over spy poisoning
Britain expels Russian diplomats over spy poisoning
UNITED KINGDOM: Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over the nerve agent poisoning of a former spy, and suspended high-level contacts, including for the World Cup, as the US joined it in blasting Moscow at the UN yesterday (Mar 14).