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Don't let deep sea become 'wild west', Guterres tells world leaders

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Monday the world could not let the deepest oceans "become the wild west", at the start in France of a global summit on the seas.

Farmed production of some fish - and seaweed - is soaring

The amount of farmed seafood we consume -- as opposed to that taken wild from our waters -- is soaring every year, making aquaculture an ever-more important source for many diets, and a response to overfishing.

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UN summit to tackle 'emergency' in world's oceans

A global summit on the dire state of the oceans kicks off Monday in France, with calls to ban bottom trawling and bolster protections for the world's overexploited marine areas.

World leaders urged to step up for overexploited oceans

World leaders arrive in the French Riviera on Sunday ahead a high-level summit on ocean conservation, as nations face pressure to adopt tougher stances on overfishing, pollution and marine protection.

Triple-hosted World Cup: huge ambition at a hefty cost to planet

The largest and most far-flung World Cup kicks off in 12 months with a record 48 teams spread across Canada, the United States and Mexico and sceptics are asking whether its frenzied growth is worth the environmental cost.

Money, mining and marine parks: The big issues at UN ocean summit

France is hosting world leaders this week to confront what the United Nations calls a global "emergency" in the oceans -- but what is expected, and can the summit make a difference?

US oyster gardeners rebuild nature's own water-cleaning system

For many just a tasty delicacy, the oyster may actually be the hero the world needs to fight environmental degradation -- and volunteers like Kimberly Price are battling to repopulate the surprisingly powerful species.

World leaders head to France for UN summit on ocean threats

World leaders descend on the French Riviera on Sunday ahead of a high-level summit to tackle a deepening crisis in the oceans driven by overfishing, climate change and pollution.

Kenya NGO saves turtles from nets, plastic and rising tides

A small charity on the Kenyan coast has become vital to the region's majestic turtle population, saving thousands from poachers, fishermen's nets and ever-worsening plastic pollution.

Brazil fires drive acceleration in Amazon deforestation: report

A record fire season in Brazil last year caused the rate of deforestation to accelerate, in a blow to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's pledge to protect the Amazon rainforest, official figures showed Friday.

Missing merluza: Chile's battle to save its favorite catch

Before setting sail for the South Pacific, Chilean fisherman Rodrigo Gallardo blesses himself to invoke heavenly protection and luck in his pursuit of an increasingly elusive catch: hake.

Brazil charges man with killings of UK journalist, activist

Brazilian prosecutors on Thursday charged the suspected mastermind of the 2022 murders of Indigenous rights activist Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips over the killings, which caused international outcry.

Cannes red carpet gets second life as handbags, hats or slippers

After being walked for two weeks by stars from Tom Cruise to Rihanna, the legendary red carpets of the Cannes film festival are set for a second life thanks to an upcycling charity and some environmentally conscious designers.

TotalEnergies in landmark greenwashing trial in France

Environmental groups took TotalEnergies to court Thursday in a landmark Paris trial, accusing the French oil and gas giant of misleading consumers with ads that overstate its climate commitments and fossil fuel transition.

Turkmenistan reduces 50-year fire dubbed 'Gateway to Hell'

Turkmenistan said Thursday it had significantly reduced a gas fire that has been raging for half a century at a site dubbed the "Gateway to Hell" .

Clean energy investment rising despite economic uncertainty: IEA

Investment in clean energy technologies is set to strike a record this year despite global economic uncertainty, double the spending on fossil fuels that will dip for the first time since 2020, the International Energy Agency said Thursday.

Greenpeace slams Coca-Cola for producing billions of plastic bottles

Coca-Cola produces 120 billion throwaway plastic bottles a year, Greenpeace Africa said at a protest in South Africa Thursday, urging the soda maker to use glass and tin packaging to cut back on plastic pollution.

Vietnamese say no to more kids after two-child limit scrapped

After Vietnam removed its two-child limit, pharmacy worker Nguyen Thi Nguyet Nga says she still has no plans to have more kids, since she barely has time to see her daughters or the money to provide them a good life.

Indonesia allowing nickel industry abuses to go unchecked: report

The Indonesian government is allowing environmental damage including deforestation and violations against Indigenous people to go unchecked around a multi-billion dollar industrial park on a once-pristine eastern island, a report said Thursday.

China lead mine plan weighs heavily on Myanmar tribe

Hundreds of protesting Myanmar tribespeople march up a hillside to a cavernous facility where a Chinese joint venture's giant milling machines stand ready to grind up the rocks of their ancestral homeland for lead ore.

Paris seeks personhood status for River Seine

French authorities want to give legal rights to the River Seine to better defend the world-famous waterway in court and protect its fragile ecosystem, part of a global movement to grant legal personhood to nature.

Canada's reopened cod fishery on shaky ground

Canada has lifted a three-decade moratorium on commercial cod fishing, but there are signs Atlantic stocks have not fully recovered, raising questions about the government's rosy outlook for the sector.

Over half of Europe and Mediterranean bassin hit by drought in mid-May

More than half, or 53 percent of land in Europe and the Mediterranean basin were hit by drought in mid-May, according to an AFP analysis of data from the European Drought Observatory (EDO) from May 11-20, 2025.

Saudi readies for 'worst case scenario' in sweltering hajj

Near a sprawling tent city outside Mecca, Saudi hospital staff are preparing for a flood of heat-related cases as Muslim pilgrims begin hajj this week in sweltering summer temperatures.

Year after exodus, silence fills Panama island threatened by sea

Streets once filled with children's laughter have fallen silent on a Panamanian island where almost all residents left a year ago due to the threat of the sea swallowing their homes.

UK registers warmest spring on record: weather service

The UK experienced its warmest spring on record -- and its driest in more than 50 years -- the country's official weather service said on Monday.

Spain records highest May temperature on record

Mainland Spain experienced its hottest May day ever on Friday, with the average temperature surpassing 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit), national weather agency AEMET said on Monday.

Snakes on a plane: Indian smuggler caught with venomous vipers

A passenger smuggling dozens of venomous vipers was stopped after flying into the financial capital Mumbai from Thailand, Indian customs officials said.

Recycling contaminated soil from Fukushima: Japan's dilemma

To reduce radiation across Japan's northern Fukushima region after the 2011 nuclear disaster, authorities scraped a layer of contaminated soil from swathes of land.

India monsoon floods kill five in northeast

Torrential monsoon rains in India's northeast triggered landslides and floods that swept away and killed at least five people in Assam, disaster officials said Saturday.

Flood fears recede after Swiss glacier collapse

An artificial lake building up behind the rubble left by a glacier that dramatically plunged down a Swiss mountainside, destroying a village, is beginning to drain, authorities said Friday, reducing fears of a second catastrophe.

Half the world faced an extra month of extreme heat due to climate change: study

Half the global population endured an additional month of extreme heat over the past year because of manmade climate change, a new study found Friday.

Booming tourism takes its toll on Croatia's coast

With its rugged coastline, pristine waters and more than a thousand inlets and islands, Croatia has seen a tourist boom in recent years. Last year alone, more than 20 million visited the Balkan nation, much of which stretches along the Adriatic Sea.

Airline chiefs meet in India amid turbulence of Trump

Airline bosses meet from Sunday in New Delhi at their annual industry conference, battling to mitigate the impact of Donald Trump's policies that have hit travel to the United States and potentially raised costs for aviation.

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