Kolesnikova was the star of the 2020 movement opposing Lukashenko © Petras Malukas / AFP By AFP - Agence France Presse Belarus frees protest leader Kolesnikova, Nobel winner Bialiatski Vilnius (AFP) – Belarusian street protest leader Maria Kolesnikova and Nobel Prize winner Ales Bialiatski walked free on Saturday with 121 other political prisoners released in an unprecedented US-brokered deal. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has locked up thousands of his opponents,

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez looks on during a press conference at the Leaders Summit, ahead of the COP30 UN climate conference in Belem, Para State, Brazil. Photo: Mauro PIMENTEL/AFP. By AFP - Agence France Presse Spain urges EU to keep combustion-engine ban as rethink on the cards. Spain urged the EU to keep a 2035 ban on new petrol cars, a letter showed Friday, as Brussels looked set to replace it with a less ambitious 90-percent emission-reduction target. The Euro

Greenpeace dumped orange paint in front of the Arc de Triomphe on the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement (Dimitar DILKOFF)(Dimitar DILKOFF/AFP/AFP) By AFP - Agence France Presse France updates net-zero plan, with fossil fuel phaseout France released on Friday a revamped roadmap to become carbon neutral by 2050, with an ambitious plan to phase out oil and gas. The updated strategy was unveiled on the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the landmark climate accord des

Warmer seas and heavier rains linked to climate change, along with Indonesia and Sri Lanka’s unique geographies and vulnerabilities, combined to produce deadly flooding that killed hundreds, scientists said Thursday. (AFP) By AFP - Agence France Presse Warmer seas, heavier rains drove Asia floods: scientists Warmer seas and heavier rains linked to climate change, along with Indonesia and Sri Lanka’s unique geographies and vulnerabilities, combined to produce deadly flooding t

Locals consider the Kifissos stream an 'oasis' but fear for its future (Aris MESSINIS).(Aris MESSINIS/AFP/AFP) By AFP - Agence France Presse Floodworks on Athens 'oasis' a tough sell among locals Hélène COLLIOPOULOU A stone's throw from Athens' bustling Nea Filadelfia district, Tassos Sikoutris walks along a stream flanked by reeds and plane trees in a setting unchanged for centuries. Picking up plastic bottles and rusted debris, the 59-year-old electrical engineer says the "

Local communities fiercely protect the lions for cultural, religious, and economic reasons, because they attract tourists. By AFP. By AFP - Agence France Presse Indian pride as Asiatic lions roar back by Philippe Alfroy A powerful roar rocked the forest before the silhouette of a lioness appeared at an Indian reserve, a potent image of how conservation efforts have brought the creatures back from the brink. In Gir National Park, Asiatic lions reign over a 1,900-square-kilomet

Disagreements over coal, oil, and gas, and plastic pollution are making environmental negotiations increasingly difficult (SIMON MAINA). (SIMON MAINA/AFP/AFP). By AFP - Agence France Presse Fight over fossil fuels nixes key text of UN environment report Nick Perry The UN on Tuesday unveiled its largest-ever scientific assessment on the dire state of the environment, but a crucial summary of its findings was torpedoed as nations feuded over fossil fuels. The dispute over the G

Farmer Hugues Falys and his lawyer Marie Doutrepont are pictured during the opening statements in the lawsuit brought by a farmer from the province of Hainaut against TotalEnergies for its responsibility in climate change, in Tournai, on Wednesday, 19 November 2025. Credit: Belga / Kurt Desplenter By AFP - Agence France Presse TotalEnergies rejects farmer claims in Belgian climate lawsuit TotalEnergies pushed back Wednesday at accusations it is failing to act fast enough on c

Indigenous people take part in a demonstration called "Indigenous People Global March" with a sign reading "Demarcation Now!" in Belem, Brazil. (AFP) By AFP - Agence France Presse Brazil moves closer to curbing Indigenous land claims in the constitution. Proponents say the measure will resolve uncertainty about land demarcation, while opponents say it will open native peoples’ lands to economic exploitation. BRASILIA: Brazilian lawmakers moved closer Tuesday toward changing t

Tropical storms and monsoon rains have pummeled Southeast and South Asia this month, triggering landslides and flash floods. By AFP - Agence France Presse 2025 on track to tie second hottest year on record: EU monitor. The planet is on track to log its second-hottest year on record in 2025, tied with 2023 after a historic high in 2024, Europe's global warming monitor said Tuesday. The data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service reaffirms that global temperatures are on co

Ursula Von der Leyen has been President of the European Commission since 1 December 2019. https://commons.wikimedia.org/ Uploaded a work by Dati Bendo from https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/reportage/P-052484 with UploadWizard By AFP - Agence France Presse EU agrees to weaken and delay green business rules. European governments and lawmakers agreed to weaken and delay new environmental and human rights rules on Tuesday, clearing a key hurdle in a push to unpick EU regulat

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has caused controversy by pushing for more oil drilling while backing climate-friendly policies (Evaristo Sa)(Evaristo Sa/AFP/AFP) By AFP - Agence France Presse Lula orders road map to cut fossil-fuel use in Brazil Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ordered his cabinet on Monday to craft a road map to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, a promise the country made as host of United Nations climate talks last month. Lula tr

The Gaza Strip has been devastated by more than two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas (Eyad Baba) By AFP - Agence France Presse UN slams world's 'apathy' in launching aid appeal for 2026 Amélie BOTTOLLIER-DEPOIS The United Nations on Monday hit out at global "apathy" over widespread suffering as it launched its 2026 appeal for humanitarian assistance, which is limited in scope as aid operations confront major funding cuts. "This is a time of brutality, impunity and i

Brazilian Minister Marina Silva said she is considering taking legal action against the Supreme Court to uphold vetoes on the Devastation Bill (Photo: Rogério Cassimiro/MMA) Congress relaxes environmental licensing and raises alarm among experts. Last week, the National Congress approved one of the most impactful and worrying measures for Brazilian environmental policy in recent years. By overturning most of the presidential vetoes on the so-called Devastation Bill, parliamen

Photo AI ChatGPT The Green and Digital Transition with Equity: Why This Is the Most Urgent Issue of Our Time BY CLAUDIA ANDRADE For some time now, I have been carefully studying a concept that, although it may seem technical at first glance, directly affects the lives of every person, every community, and every organization: the Green and Digital Transition with Equity. The more I delve into this analysis, the more I understand that this is not just a new term on the internat

This photo shows the remnants of the houses that reappeared when the level of the Mornos artificial lake dropped following a drought, at the village of Kallio, Greece. (AFP) By AFP - Agence France Presse Greece Puts Capital Athens On Water Emergency Footing Greece has put the greater Athens area and two islands on a water emergency footing, to speed up infrastructure works and address the mounting threat of chronic drought. The environment ministry late Friday announced the m

Australia is highly vulnerable to climate change (DAVID GRAY) By AFP - Agence France Presse Australia Overhauls Decades-old Environmental Laws Large carbon-emitting projects in Australia will be required to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions as well as pollution reduction goals under new legislation overhauling decades-old environmental laws. The reforms, approved by parliament late Thursday night, will create an independent environmental regulator and stricter rules for

Spix's macaws live mostly in captivity, with 27 housed at the São Paulo zoo (NELSON ALMEIDA) By AFP - Agence France Presse Lethal Virus Hits the Last Rare Blue Macaws In Brazil's Wild The only wild specimens of a rare blue parrot, which were recently returned to their natural habitat, have been diagnosed with an incurable, likely lethal virus, Brazil's government told AFP Thursday. The disease strikes a major blow to a program seeking to return the Spix's macaw -- featured in

Authorities in Indonesia are trying to reach residents cut off by flooding and landslides (YT HARIONO) By AFP - Agence France Presse Death Toll In Southeast Asia Floods Tops 300 By Kiki Tarigan Days of devastating flooding across Southeast Asia have killed more than 300 people in Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia, authorities said on Friday. Heavy monsoon season rains paired with a tropical storm system inundated areas across the three countries, stranding residents on roofto

Piles of garbage are in the Citarum River in Bandung, Indonesia, on January 27, 2025. According to residents, the garbage has been piling up since early 2025 and is estimated to reach 19 tons, stretching 800 meters. [Photo by Ryan Suherlan/NurPhoto via Getty Images] By AFP - Agence France Presse Watchdog Says Rollback Of EU Green Rules Rushed, Unbalanced The European Commission moved too fast to scale back landmark sustainability rules for businesses, lacking transparency and