Featured
Last news
Huge complex of 500 standing stones found in Spain
A huge megalithic complex of more than 500 standing stones has been discovered in southern Spain which could be one of the largest in Europe, archaeologists told AFP Thursday.
Drought blamed for dozens of cow poisoning deaths in Italy
An Italian farm became an open-air morgue earlier this month after around 50 cows were poisoned by young sorghum plants, an accident experts blame on drought.
Giorgio Armani warns neighbours of wildfire on Italian isle
Dozens of people were evacuated after a wildfire broke out on the remote Italian island of Pantelleria, helped by designer Giorgio Armani who was holidaying there, officials said Thursday.
Climate change causes wonky bumblebee wings: scientists
Warmer and wetter weather linked to climate change appears to stress out bumblebees and make their wings more asymmetrical, which could ultimately affect their future development, according to UK scientists in a new research paper.
US communities are mapping heat islands to boost climate resilience
The phone's home screen shows 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32C) in Silver Spring, a suburb of Washington, on a mid-August day. But the reality is more complex -- in terms of heat exposure, not all parts of the city are equal.
Ancient Indian sport builds bridges across cultures in Hong Kong
Overlooked by high-rises on the outskirts of Hong Kong, a group of students practise body-slam tackles and vicious ankle-wrenches at weekly training for an unlikely sport: the ancient Indian game of kabaddi.
Guatemala retrieves 33 Mayan artifacts from private collection in Germany
Guatemala said Wednesday it had recovered 33 pre-Columbian artifacts that were voluntarily returned from a private collection in Germany.
Studies to see if mutations behind monkeypox spread: WHO
Studies are under way to see whether genetic changes in the monkeypox virus are driving the rapid spread of the disease, the World Health Organization told AFP on Wednesday.
Russian spacewalk cut short due to issue with suit
A spacewalk by two Russians on Wednesday was ended abruptly due to a problem with the battery in cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev's suit, though at no point was he in any danger, the US and Russian space agencies said.
NASA's new rocket on launchpad for trip to Moon
NASA's giant new SLS rocket arrived at its launchpad Wednesday in Cape Canaveral ahead of a planned flight to the Moon in less than two weeks.
China heat wave pushes up prices as hens lay fewer eggs
Scorching temperatures in eastern China have pushed up egg prices because hens are laying fewer in a hotter-than-usual summer, local media reported.
Net zero, Russia war driving nascent hydrogen economy
Kevin Kendall pulls up at the only green hydrogen refuelling station in Birmingham, Britain's second-biggest city, and swiftly fills his sedan with clean gas.
Space mission shows Earth's water may be from asteroids: study
Water may have been brought to Earth by asteroids from the outer edges of the solar system, scientists said after analysing rare samples collected on a six-year Japanese space mission.
Tibetan Plateau water stores under threat: study
The Tibetan Plateau will experience significant water loss this century due to global warming, according to research published Monday that warns of severe supply stress in a climate change "hotspot".
Mechanical elephants, homemade howitzers as India turns 75
India marked the 75th anniversary of independence on Monday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving a speech from Delhi's historic Red Fort, which was decorated with portraits of freedom fighters and guarded by mechanical elephants.
US astronaut Jessica Watkins sets sights on Moon... and Mars
If you had the choice, would you rather go to the Moon or Mars?
What's in Biden's big climate and health bill?
Hundreds of billions of dollars for clean energy projects, cheaper prescription drugs and new corporate taxes are a few of the key items in US President Joe Biden's massive investment plan, which the House of Representatives is expected to pass Friday, after Senate approval.
Iran seeks 3 more Khayyam satellites
Iran plans to commission three more versions of a satellite launched this week by Russia, Tehran's government spokesman said Friday.
'We can live together': church helps bridge Bosnia's deep divisions
Decades after bloody fighting between Catholics and Muslims ripped apart Bosnia's Bugojno, a new church has provided a rare opportunity to bridge the divides in the deeply fractured Balkan country.
Swiss mountain pass set to lose all ice within weeks
The thick layer of ice that has covered a Swiss mountain pass for centuries will have melted away completely within a few weeks, a ski resort said Thursday.
Ice-age footprints shed light on North America's early humans
Footprints laid down by Ice-Age hunter-gatherers and recently discovered in a US desert are shedding new light on North America's earliest human inhabitants.
Even modest climate change imperils northern forests: study
Even relatively moderate heating and rainfall loss could dramatically alter the make-up of Earth's northern forests, risking their biodiversity rich ecosystems and undermining their ability to store planet-warming carbon pollution, researchers said Wednesday.
What we know of the symptoms and spread of monkeypox
With monkeypox surging across the world, experts are gathering more evidence on how people catch it and its typical symptoms.
In Norway, old oil platforms get a second life
At an industrial yard in southwestern Norway, decommissioned oil platforms are slowly being dismantled for a second life in the circular economy.
Drought forces water use rethink in Spain
Faced with a historic drought and threatened by desertification, Spain is rethinking how it spends its water resources, which are used mainly to irrigate crops.
US Senate adopts sweeping climate and health plan, in major victory for Biden
After 18 months of arduous negotiations and a marathon night of debate, the US Senate on Sunday passed Joe Biden’s ambitious climate, tax and health care plan -- a significant victory for the president ahead of crucial midterm elections.
US Senate poised to pass Biden's cornerstone climate and health bill
After months of negotiations, the US Senate looks poised to pass Joe Biden's grand climate and health care plan, channeling billions toward ambitious clean energy goals in a hard-won victory for the president ahead of midterm elections.
Runners take on Swiss glacier race despite melt
Hundreds of runners braved a lung-busting ascent into the Alps in Switzerland's Glacier 3000 Run on Saturday, albeit on a shortened course due to summer heatwaves melting the ice.
Nuclear weapons a 'loaded gun', UN chief warns in Hiroshima
"Humanity is playing with a loaded gun" as crises with the potential for nuclear disaster proliferate worldwide, UN head Antonio Guterres said in Hiroshima on Saturday, the 77th anniversary of the first atomic bomb attack.
Blue Origin sends first Egyptian and Portuguese nationals to space
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin on Thursday launched six people to space, including the first from Egypt and Portugal, on the company's sixth crewed flight.
South Korea's first lunar orbiter launched by SpaceX
South Korea's first lunar orbiter successfully launched on a year-long mission to observe the Moon, Seoul said Friday, with the payload including a new disruption-tolerant network for sending data from space.
South Korea launches first lunar orbiter
South Korea's first-ever lunar orbiter was launched from the US Thursday on a year-long mission to observe the Moon, live video showed, with a payload including a new disruption-tolerant network for sending data from space.
Long Covid symptoms affects one in eight, study suggests
One in eight people who get coronavirus develop at least one symptom of long Covid, one of the most comprehensive studies on the condition to date suggested on Thursday.
Half of species not assessed for endangered list risk extinction: study
More than half of species whose endangered status cannot be assessed due to a lack of data are predicted to face the risk of extinction, according to a machine-learning analysis published Thursday.
Firefighters battle blaze in northwestern Spain
Firefighters backed by more than 20 aircraft battled a wildfire in northwestern Spain which appears to have been started deliberately, local authorities said on Thursday.
Blue Origin sends first Egyptian and Portugese nationals to space
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin on Thursday launched six people to space, including the first from Egypt and Portugal, on the company's sixth crewed flight.
SpaceX debris discovered in Australian sheep paddock
A charred chunk of space junk found jutting from a paddock by an Australian sheep farmer was confirmed to be part of one of Elon Musk's SpaceX missions by authorities Thursday.
Great Barrier Reef sees fragile coral comeback
Parts of Australia's beleaguered Great Barrier Reef now have the highest levels of coral cover seen in decades, a government report said Thursday, suggesting the aquatic wonder could survive given the chance.
Climate, poverty collude to torment Central America
Every time it rains, Blanca Arias in El Salvador and Sandra Ramos in Honduras fear that flooding will raze their precarious homes and leave their families destitute. Again.