Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva suffered a major political blow after Congress rejected his vetoes of an environmental licensing bill (EVARISTO SA) By AFP - Agence France Presse In Blow To Lula, Brazil Congress Revives Controversial Environmental Bill Brazil's conservative-led Congress on Thursday reinstated much of a bill that makes it easier for companies to secure environmental permits, infuriating the leftist government and green groups. President Luiz Inacio

The extent of cooperation largely depends on which nationality the center-right lawmakers are from, according to the Patriots. | iStock By AFP - Agence France Presse Far-right Puts Its Stamp On European Parliament By Adrien DE CALAN Far-right parties are riding high in the European Parliament after teaming up with the mainstream right to get key texts past the finish line -- fuelling ambitions to tilt the assembly their way. Twice in as many weeks, the conservative EPP party

Stegra's finances have come under increased scrutiny in recent months (JONATHAN NACKSTRAND) By AFP - Agence France Presse Swedish Steel Startup Stegra Gets More State Aid The Swedish Energy Agency said Wednesday it was giving some $40 million in support to low-carbon steelmaker Stegra, amid fears surrounding the ambitious startup's finances. Stegra is building a new steel mill, which it says will produce steel using technology that gives off 95 percent less CO2 emissions than

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (Dave Chan) By AFP - Agence France Presse Carney Advances New Canada Oil Pipeline, Raising Climate Concerns By Ben Simon Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney signed an agreement Thursday with the western energy-producing Alberta province to advance a new oil pipeline, a divisive move raising concern about Ottawa's commitment to confronting climate change. The memorandum of understanding charts a plan for a pipeline going from Alberta to Cana

Bengaluru had the world's third-slowest traffic in 2024, according to the TomTom Traffic Index -- far worse than San Francisco or London (IDREES MOHAMMED) By AFP - Agence France Presse High-flying Tech Hits Potholes In India's Silicon Valley By Aishwarya KUMAR with Anuj SRIVAS in Mumbai In India's tech capital Bengaluru, the morning "rush hour" lasts so long it devours half the workday, throttling productivity in a city often viewed as the poster child of a booming economy. E

The death toll from days of widespread flooding in southern Thailand rose to 33, with tens of thousands displaced in the country and neighbouring Malaysia (Arnun Chonmahatrakool). (Arnun Chonmahatrakool/THAI NEWS PIX/AFP) By AFP - Agence France Presse Floods In Thailand, Malaysia Kill Over 30, Displace Thousands By Montira RUNGJIRAJITTRANON with Isabelle LEONG in Kuala Lumpur Tens of thousands of people in Thailand and neighbouring Malaysia were displaced by widespread floodi

The critically endangered oceanic whitetip shark won new protections, effectively banning international trade (ANDREA BERNARDI) By AFP - Agence France Presse New Protections For Oceanic Whitetip Sharks, But Not Eels By Sara HUSSEIN The world's top wildlife trade body voted Thursday to effectively ban all international trade in the critically endangered oceanic whitetip shark but rejected a proposal to protect more species of eel. The decision to upgrade protection of the shar

Flames engulf trees in the forests of Chalus, Iran, amid days-long fires in the country's Hyrcanian forests, November 21, 2025. (AFP) By AFP - Agence France Presse Iran Bans Access To Most Forests After Fire In UNESCO-listed Site Iranian authorities have imposed a temporary ban on public access to most forested areas, a local media outlet reported Wednesday, as the country struggled to extinguish a fire in a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site. The fire in northern Iran's Hyrca

Merz, who has repeatedly spoken out against the ban, said that a tremendous effort was needed to face the challenge of the rapid changes in the auto industry. Unsplash photo. By AFP - Agence France Presse EU Vows 'Flexibility' For Embattled Auto Sector The European Union's industry chief vowed Wednesday to allow "flexibility" for the region's struggling auto sector, fuelling hopes the bloc could soften a planned 2035 ban on combustion-engine vehicle sales. Faced with complain

The mineral-rich country is seeing sectors of the economy other than mining being crowded out, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. PHOTO: HARDY BOPE By AFP - Agence France Presse DRC Farmers Seek To Feed Kinshasa, Despite Multiple Obstacles By Marthe BOSUANDOLE and Camille LAFFONT The Kimwenza Valley is a vital source of food for residents of Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, but its farmers need help to meet their ballooning needs. They are co

Official COP30 pavilion in Belém, the central point of global discussions on adaptation, mitigation, and climate finance. Photo: Tania Rego/Agência Brasil The holding of COP30 in Belém represented a milestone for the visibility of the Amazon on the international stage, but the conference results show that the capacity for implementation is still far from meeting the climate urgency. Even with the progress related to the indicators of the Global Adaptation Target and the debat

A Marineland poster at the now-closed entrance of the park (Daphné LEMELIN). (Daphné LEMELIN/AFP/AFP) By AFP - Agence France Presse Canada's captive whales face euthanasia threat and uncertain future Daphne LEMELIN and Marion THIBAUT The remaining 30 captive belugas at Canada's Marineland have nothing to do but wait. The reportedly bankrupt former tourist attraction is closed to visitors, so the whales circle their decaying pools, while the park's owners -- who issued a shock

A plot of land where conifers were felled by loggers in the Morvan regional reserve, in Brassy, central France, on September 3, 2021. HASSAN AYADI / AFP By AFP - Agence France Presse EU Parliament Delays Deforestation Law, With Far-right Backing The European Parliament on Wednesday backed a new one-year delay to landmark anti-deforestation rules, in a vote pushed through by an alliance of centre-right and far-right lawmakers. Already delayed by a year, the rollout of the land

Environmental activists protest in front of the parliament of Uganda against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) in Kampala on 15 September 2023. © Badru KATUMBA/AFP By AFP - Agence France Presse E.Africa Court Dismisses Activists' Case Over Massive Oil Project The East African Court of Justice has dismissed a case challenging TotalEnergies' massive oil project in Uganda and Tanzania, after civil society groups sought a full trial over the controversial development. F

The October 2024 floods killed more than 200 people and caused severe damage in the eastern region of Valencia (JOSE JORDAN) By AFP - Agence France Presse Climate Change 'Increasingly Threatens' Dynamic Spanish Economy: OECD The consequences of climate change, such as last year's deadly floods, "increasingly threaten" the growth of Spain's economy, one of the developed world's most dynamic, the OECD warned on Wednesday. Spain has in recent years endured longer and more intens

High prices of cocoa have spurred a surge in Liberia's cocoa exportation (Thibaud MORITZ). (Thibaud MORITZ/AFP/AFP) By AFP - Agence France Presse NGO Links Major Chocolate Brands To Liberia Deforestation Some of the world's best-known chocolate, from Mars to KitKat, is likely linked to deforestation in Liberia's rainforest despite many brands' claims of sustainability, according to research published by NGO Global Witness on Tuesday. Liberia is home to the largest remaining s

An effective trade ban on the critically endangered oceanic whitetip shark will be discussed at the CITES meeting (Andrea BERNARDI) By AFP - Agence France Presse Rhino horn sales, shark protection on wildlife talks agenda Sara HUSSEIN Global wildlife talks opened Monday, with votes expected on increased shark protection, a bid to allow limited rhino horn sales, and a push to restrict the trade in eels. More than 180 nations are joining conservation experts in Uzbekistan's Sam

A bunkering barge (R) supplies bio-methanol fuel to a container ship in Singapore. Three firms have been licensed to start supplying methanol in the port city from next year to help cut shipping carbon emissions (ROSLAN RAHMAN) By AFP - Agence France Presse Singapore Sets Course For 'Green' Methanol Ship Fuel Supplies Singapore will start issuing bunkering licences next year to companies supplying methanol as marine fuel, in an effort to help global shipping cut carbon emissi

The people of Khulna and Satkhira districts live in a fragile balancing act between land and sea (Muhammad Amdad HOSSAIN). By AFP - Agence France Presse Rivers of salt: life on Bangladesh's climate frontline Muhammad Amdad HOSSAIN On Bangladesh's coast, where mighty Himalayan rivers meet the sea, water defines every rhythm of life, and every struggle. Rising seas driven by climate change are swallowing low-lying areas, while stronger storms push saltwater further inland, turn

Indigenous protesters blocked the COP30 entrance during the talks . PHOTO: PABLO PORCIUNCULA By AFP - Agence France Presse Amazon Climate Deal A 'Win' For Global Unity But Fossil Fuels Untouched By Nick Perry and Issam Ahmed with Laurent Thomet in Paris Nations sealed a modest agreement at the UN climate summit in the Brazilian Amazon on Saturday as many countries swallowed weaker terms on a fossil fuel phaseout to preserve unity. Nearly 200 countries approved the deal by co