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France, Germany, Italy agree on next-generation space rockets
France, Germany and Italy, the three biggest contributors to the European Space Agency, said Tuesday they have agreed to guarantee the future of the next-generation Ariane 6 and Vega-C rocket launcher systems.
Who will become history's first 'parastronaut'?
The first astronaut -- or astronauts -- with a physical disability could be announced as soon as Wednesday, according to the European Space Agency.
No way to run a COP: climate summit host Egypt gets bad marks
Almost from the start, Egypt came under fire over its handling of the UN COP27 climate talks tasked with responding to the growing threat of global warming.
Joy at 'historic' climate damages deal
Vulnerable nations least responsible for planet-heating emissions have been battling for three decades for wealthy polluters to cough up the cash for climate damages.
Climate damages are key flashpoint as UN COP talks go overtime
Climate negotiators were grappling for an agreement Saturday at the UN COP27 in Egypt after high stakes talks went deep into the night with key sticking points over funding for countries wracked by climate disasters and ambition in tackling global warming.
Gridlocked UN climate talks head deep into overtime
Climate negotiators were locked in efforts to break the deadlock at UN COP27 talks Friday as nations tussle over funding for developing countries battered by weather disasters and ambition on curbing global warming.
Climate activists pour paint on Charles Ray sculpture in Paris
Environmental activists on Friday dumped orange paint over an outdoor sculpture by the American artist Charles Ray in central Paris, the latest in a string of artwork defacements aimed at spurring greater government efforts to fight climate change.
Climate change 'main threat' for world heritage sites
One of the world's first cities came close to being wiped off the map during tragic floods this summer in Pakistan. Though Mohenjo Daro survived, it has become a symbol of the threat global warming poses to humanity's cultural heritage.
Webb observations point to a shorter cosmic dark age
The first galaxies may have formed far earlier than previously thought, according to observations from the James Webb Space Telescope that are reshaping astronomers' understanding of the early universe.
WWII veteran with US 101st Airborne Division dies at 101
A US paratrooper who participated in the 1944 D-Day invasion, and lived to reenact the famed World War II landing 75 years later, has died aged 101, his unit -- the 101st Airborne Division -- announced Thursday.
UN chief says stop 'blame game' at deadlocked climate talks
UN chief Antonio Guterres urged rich and developing nations to stop the "finger pointing" at crunch climate talks on Thursday and reach a deal on covering the losses suffered by vulnerable nations battered by weather disasters.
Fixing climate trumps economic woes, threat of war: YouGov survey
Government action to curb global warming should be a top concern despite inflation, an energy crisis and nuclear sabre-rattling by Russia, according to a YouGov survey in wealthy nations published exclusively by AFP.
France backs Lula's proposal to hold climate conference in the Amazon
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday backed a proposal by Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to hold a 2025 United Nations climate conference in the Amazon rainforest.
Battle to save Panama turtle at center of aphrodisiac superstition
The sea turtles of Punta Chame, a peninsula of Panama that juts into the Pacific Ocean, face an existential threat similar to the rhino and pangolin: human superstition.
Climate change fuelled rains behind deadly Nigeria floods: study
Heavy rains behind floods that killed over 600 people in Nigeria this year were about 80 times likelier because of human-induced climate change, scientists reported Wednesday.
Webb telescope reveals blazing hourglass around forming star
The James Webb Space Telescope unveiled its latest image of celestial majesty on Wednesday, an ethereal hourglass of orange and blue dust being shot out from a newly forming star at its centre.
Liftoff! NASA launches mega Moon rocket, ushering new era of exploration
NASA launched the most powerful rocket ever built on a journey to the Moon on Wednesday, in a spectacular blaze of light and sound that marked the start of the space agency's new flagship program, Artemis.
Brazil's Lula to take star turn at UN climate talks
After years of Amazon deforestation under Brazil's outgoing leader Jair Bolsonaro, president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will address Wednesday a UN climate conference eager to hear how he will protect the rainforest.
Rich, developing nations head toward climate compensation clash
Wealthy and developing countries set the stage Tuesday for a showdown at UN climate talks over demands for rich polluters to compensate vulnerable nations for damages caused by natural disasters.
Indigenous campaigners at COP27 channel 'spirit' of nature
Delegates at COP27 representing Indigenous communities -- some of the world's most vulnerable to the climate crisis -- have used traditional clothing to draw attention to their plight and urge action.
Pressed by climate vulnerable nations, EU tweaks emissions goal
Developing nations admonished rich polluters for falling short on efforts to help them cope with global warming at UN climate talks Tuesday, as the EU vowed to speed its emissions reductions.
Protesters pour black liquid on Klimt masterpiece in Vienna
Climate activists poured black liquid over a glass screen protecting Gustav Klimt's masterpiece "Death and Life" in Vienna on Tuesday, in the latest protest at inaction over global heating.
EU vows more emissions cuts at UN climate talks
The EU vowed to step up its emissions cuts at UN climate talks on Tuesday as developing nations admonished rich polluters for falling short on efforts to help them cope with global warming.
Nigeria's ancient Benin Bronze treasures go digital
Nigeria's famed Benin bronzes -- artefacts stolen during British colonial rule and scattered across the globe -- have a new online archive that aims to become a digital record of the treasures.
Rich nations target $20 bn to wean Indonesia off coal
Rich nations pledged Tuesday to raise at least $20 billion to help wean Indonesia off coal and reach carbon neutrality by 2050, a decade earlier than planned, the White House said.
Born this way: rats move to beat of Lady Gaga, study says
Nodding along to catchy music is not just a human habit, according to Japanese scientists who have discovered that rats also move to the beat of songs by stars like Lady Gaga.
NASA returning to the Moon with mega rocket launch
Third time's the charm?
Final preparations underway for NASA's Moon rocket launch
After two failed attempts this summer, NASA was busy Monday completing final preparations for the launch of its new mega Moon rocket, now scheduled for early Wednesday from Florida.
UN climate talks enter home stretch split over money
COP27 entered its final week Monday with countries that grew rich burning fossil fuels and developing nations reeling from climate impacts at loggerheads over how to speed and fund reductions in carbon pollution.
Western thirst for African gas raises alarm at COP27
Wealthy Western nations facing an energy crunch are eyeing natural gas in Africa at the expense of supporting green transition in poorer countries, climate activists at COP27 charge.
Fort McKay: where Canada's boreal forest gave way to oil sands
The acrid stench of gasoline permeates the air. And the soot coats everything in sight: the trees, the bushes, even the snow in winter. And all day long, explosions send the birds soaring to safety.
'Like the Moon': Astronauts flock to Spanish isle to train
Kneeling on the edge of a deep crater, astronaut Alexander Gerst uses a chisel to collect a sample of volcanic rock which he carefully puts inside a white plastic bag.