Schools to reopen in South Sudan after two weeks of extreme heat

JUBA, South Sudan — South Sudan’s government on Tuesday said schools will reopen next week following a two-week closure due to extreme heat across the country. The health and education ministries said temperatures were expected to steadily drop with the rainy season set to begin in the coming days. South Sudan in recent years has … Read more

In surprise vote, European climate protection plan shelved following farmer protests

BRUSSELS — A major European Union plan to fight climate change and better protect nature in the 27-nation bloc has been indefinitely postponed Monday, underscoring how farmers’ protests sweeping the continent influence politics ahead of the June EU parliamentary elections. The member states were supposed to give final approval to the bill on Monday following … Read more

Japan’s Nissan promises aggressive electrification push to cut costs, boost global sales

TOKYO — Nissan will expand its electric vehicle lineup, develop more powerful batteries and cut production costs, while speeding up the whole process, in what the Japanese automaker’s chief called “The Arc” pathway to higher sales by 2030. “The auto industry is now being forced to reshape its values so we can say continuous change … Read more

‘Winners and losers’: The world of coffee is being reordered by EU laws to stop cutting of forests

BUON MA THUOT, Vietnam — Le Van Tam is no stranger to how the vagaries of global trade can determine the fortunes of small coffee farmers like him. He first planted coffee in a patch of land outside Buon Ma Thuot city in Vietnam’s Central Highland region in 1995. For years, his focus was on … Read more

To make water last year-round, Kenyans in dry regions are building sand dams on seasonal rivers

MAKUENI, Kenya — On a dry riverbed one recent sunny morning, residents of Kasengela village toiled away mixing cement and sand to make concrete. The sound of their shovels resonated through the valley while other residents, working in pairs, carried rocks to the site in wooden frames. They were building a sand dam, a structure … Read more

Malawi follows Zambia in declaring drought disaster as El Niño brings hunger to southern Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — The southern African nation of Malawi has declared a state of disaster over drought in 23 of its 28 districts and the president says it urgently needs more than $200 million in humanitarian assistance, less than a month after neighboring Zambia also appealed for help. Malawi is the latest country … Read more

Death toll from heavy rains in southeastern Brazil jumps to 23

RIO DE JANEIRO — Heavy rains in Brazil this weekend have killed at least 23 people between the southeastern states of Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo. Espirito Santos’ state government said on Sunday that 15 people died and almost 5,000 are out of their homes due to heavy rains falling since Friday night. Rio … Read more

In Uganda, bamboo has government’s backing as a crop with real growth potential

ALONG RIVER RWIZI, Uganda — Along a stretch of bush by a muddy river, laborers dug and slashed in search of bamboo plants buried under dense grass. Here and there a few plants had sprouted tall, but most of the bamboo seedlings planted more than a year ago never grew. Now, environment protection officers seeking … Read more

India has millions of dairy farmers. It’s creating a methane problem that’s tricky to solve

BENGALURU, India — Abinaya Tamilarasu said her four cows are part of the family. She has a degree in commerce from a local college, but prefers being home milking cows and tending to her family’s land. “Our family cannot let farming go, it’s a way of life for us,” said the 28-year-old, who lives on … Read more

The ‘Taylor Swift effect’ aims to provide water during Brazil’s life-threatening heat waves

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian climatologist Núbia Beray Armond for years had been sounding the alarm about Rio de Janeiro’s need for an extreme heat plan including water distribution. Interest was tepid until a disastrous Taylor Swift concert — and now her phone won’t stop ringing. A stifling heat wave blanketed southeast Brazil the day … Read more