Australia’s Prime Minister, Labor’s Anthony Albanese, has called a federal election for 5 May. Labor currently has a slim majority in parliament. Opinion polls put Labor neck and neck with the Liberal-National coalition led by Peter Dutton. Federal elections have to be held every three years, and the latest possible date for this election was … Continue reading “Australian Election Called”
The Mississippi is in the spotlight in April at the Institut Franco-Américain in Rennes. A talk and a documentary film explore the river. On 1 April, Hervé Nicolas, recently retired researcher from l’Institut Agro Rennes-Angers, will give a talk about the effects of climate change on the fourth longest river in the world. On 3 … Continue reading “Down the Mississippi”
Magnum photographer Steve McCurry may not be a household name but his photos are instantly recognisable, especially one of a young Afghan girl taken in Pakistan where her family had taken refuge in 1984. An exhibition at the Caumont Centre d’Art in Aix-en-Provence takes visitors around the world in his footsteps, to India, Afghanistan, Namibia … Continue reading “Around the World in 80 Photos in Aix”
Dozens of music and Hollywood stars played two shows in Los Angeles that have raised more than $100 million to help those whose lives have been turned upside down by the recent wildfires. Although wildfires are a natural occurrence in California, the Palisades and Eaton fires which broke out on 7 January are some of … Continue reading “Stars Raise Millions After California Wildfires”
When humans have trouble walking, they can get help with orthopaedic shoes or prosthetics. What happens when an animal has a problem? San Diego Zoo in California fitted one of its penguins with customised shoes to help with a degenerative foot condition. Lucas, an African penguin, developed a chronic condition called bumblefoot, which occurs in … Continue reading “Happy Feet”
The British Royal Foundation is awarding five Earthshot prizes a year till 2030 for innovative ideas to help the planet. The 2022 winners were announced at a ceremony in Boston, Massachusetts, on 2 December hosted by Prince William. The winning projects are based in Australia, Britain, India, Kenya and Oman. The first Earthshot Prizes were … Continue reading “The Earthshot Prizes: Class of 2022”
Australia’s Prime Minister, Liberal Scott Morrison, has called a federal election for 21 May. “ScoMo” and the Liberals were the surprise winners of the 2019 election and currently have a single seat majority in the 151-seat parliament. Opinion polls are favouring Labor and its leader Anthony Albanese over Morrison, who has been accused of bullying … Continue reading “Australia Goes to the Polls”
April 22 is Earth Day and its organisers are encouraging us all to “invest in our planet”, the theme of this year’s event. It certainly needs us all to pay more attention to its needs. Earthday.org and NASA provide lots information and teaching tools to engage students and offer practical actions to take. This 1-minute … Continue reading “Earth Day 2022”
The Australian government has announced that it now considers koalas an endangered species in three out of five of the states and territories where they are native. Palace populations have declined precipitously in just a decade. The 2019-20 bushfires were the last straw. Koalas, like kangaroos, are marsupials only found in the Australian continent. Because … Continue reading “Koalas in Danger”
In a short and moving speech to the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Elizabeth Wathuti highlighted the plight of of populations in sub-Saharan Africa who are suffering the worst effects of climate change, which is threatening their livelihoods and even their lives. As a teenager in 2016, Wathuti founded the Green Generation Intiative in Kenya, which … Continue reading “Young Kenyan Activist Asks World Leaders to Open their Hearts to Climate Victims”
