World News by Wild Rose

As wildfires rage across Sumatra and Kalimantan, frustrated Indonesians are turning to performance art to call for greater government action and draw global attention to the destruction of both the country’s rainforests and rich cultural heritage. In South Sumatra, local art collective Jaga Api recently launched a project titled Tarian Kehancuran Budaya (the Dance of Cultural Destruction), using traditional performance to convey the human and environmental toll of the fires, as reported by The...

Indonesia’s president railed against “countries that like to insult” his nation over wildfires that have razed vast areas, spewing toxic haze into neighbouring countries. The Southeast Asian giant has for months struggled to contain fires that Nusantara Atlas, an independent monitor analysing satellite data, said had consumed more than 1.9 million hectares (4.7 million acres) in the nine months to September. The haze has sent air pollution levels surging to dangerous levels not only at home, but...

Fires in Indonesia have burned through more than 1.9 million hectares of land, according to new data, as the country battles its worst wildfire season in a decade. The blazes have sent toxic smoke across much of Southeast Asia, forcing schools to close and fuelling a rise in respiratory illnesses. FRANCE 24's Environment Editor Valerie Dekimpe tells us more.

Peru’s civil defence chief says wildfires have killed 12 people. The transport minister says the previous government knew El Niño was coming. The post Peru Wildfires Kill 12 as El Niño Looms appeared first on The Rio Times.

Com 922 focos ativos, o Pará é o estado com mais ocorrências de incêndios florestais no país, de acordo com a plataforma Queimadas, do Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (Inpe). No vizinho Amazonas, atualmente estão ativos 90 focos, após o estado ter registrado mais de mil pontos de fogo este mês. Enquanto a qualidade do ar em Manaus, na manhã desta segunda-feira (19), permanece classificada como insalubre, com índice de 153, segundo a plataforma IQAir; a cidade de Santarém, no oeste do Pará, registra o índice de 260, considerado muito insalubre. Notícias relacionadas:Governo monitora saúde de amazonenses em locais afetados por queimadas.Manaus é capital com maior poluição atmosférica do país nesta sexta.Focos de incêndio no Amazonas diminuem após ação de força-tarefa.A estação na cidade do Pará registrou concentração de 185 microgramas por metro cúbico de material particulado fino, um tipo de poluição inalável e muito prejudicial à saúde. O limite usado atualmente pela legislação brasileira é uma média de 32 microgramas por metro cúbico ao longo de um dia. No domingo (18), o ministro da Defesa, José Mucio Monteiro, informou que a força-tarefa que atua no enfrentamento aos incêndios florestais na região foi reforçada com a instalação de um Estado-Maior Conjunto das Forças Armadas, em Manaus, e a adaptação de mais 5 aviões para combate ao fogo, somando 16 aeronaves que atuam na região. Nesta terça-feira (20), também está prevista a implantação de uma base da Força Nacional do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) para reforçar a assistência à população atingida pela poluição. Também foram disponibilizados pelo Ministério da Integração e do Desenvolvimento Regional (MIDR) R$ 14 milhões ao Governo do Amazonas para ações relacionadas à situação de emergência.

Conservation groups have saved at least 51 orangutans in Indonesia from August 6 to October 19 as rampant wildfires and a months-long pollution spell have threatened their natural habitat. 

Toxic haze from wildfires burning in Indonesia has spiked a demand for oxygen tanks and air purifiers across the region, manufacturers say, as they work the clock on equipment providing life-saving clean air. The months-long haze has blanketed parts of Southeast Asia, forcing school closures and fuelling a rise in respiratory complaints. Families are now rushing to buy devices to keep indoor air clean. At AA Alive, a medical equipment company based just outside Kuala Lumpur, employees were...

Parts of southern Southeast Asia have been put under the highest-level haze alert as wildfires that have swept Indonesia for months continue to belch toxic smoke across the region. The seasonal wildfires are worse this year due to the drought conditions caused by a severe "super-El Nino" effect.

Guatemala's army took four US aircraft on 14 October for about US$30 million to move troops and fight wildfires, La Hora reports. The post Guatemala Army Buys 4 US Aircraft for US$30M appeared first on The Rio Times.

Massive wildfires in Indonesia show no sign of letting up. The environmental disaster is turning into a pollution crisis across Southeast Asia, as toxic haze from the blazes spread to neighbouring countries.   

Singapore has identified seven companies it says were involved in wildfires in Indonesia that are choking the city state with haze, and plans to issue notices requiring them to take preventive measures, the Business Times reported. The companies will receive notices under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act requiring them to stop or refrain from burning and submit plans to prevent a recurrence, the newspaper reported, citing Sustainability and the Environment Minister Grace Fu at a Friday press...

An orange haze is blanketing Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan as wildfires rage across the province.

The US Treasury Department said on Tuesday that it was imposing US$1.2 billion in fines on Bank of America for allegedly violating anti-money-laundering and sanctions laws. The fines on America’s second-biggest bank amount to the third-largest in the department’s history. “When a bank of this size fails to meet its anti-money-laundering and sanctions obligations, the consequences extend far beyond its own walls, exposing the entire US financial system to significant illicit finance risks,”...

Indonesian authorities and conservation workers have successfully moved eight ⁠orangutans to a safe ⁠location after the endangered ⁠primates’ homes were destroyed by wildfires in the forests of Borneo. The Southeast Asian nation is battling its most intense wildfires in 11 years, mainly on Sumatra and Borneo islands, and the ‌government has warned the blazes could continue until November, aggravated by the El Nino weather pattern. Three mother-child pairs and two adolescent male orangutans were...

Peru's agriculture minister was in Cusco on Sunday as wildfires burned, and the government sent troops, firefighters, a helicopter and a plane. The post Peru Sends Aircraft as Wildfires Burn in Cusco appeared first on The Rio Times.

Rescuers moved the apes after their habitats were threatened by intense wildfires over the summer.

A young orangutan has been rescued from wildfires in Borneo. Named Novita, the three- to four-year-old female was found clinging to a tree in Central Kalimantan on 26 September, with burns to her hands and feet after crossing the flames.

PRESS REVIEW: Monday, 5 October – more than 400 schools closed on Monday across France, as government fails to assuage the anger of protesting students. In other news, Boulder, Colorado takes on ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy, demanding billions for damage caused by wildfires. And, finally, we take a look at some of nature's most whimsical offerings.

It is estimated more than 200 people have died in blazes in the north-east of the country over the summer.

Algerian lawmakers on Thursday voted to impose the death penalty on convicted forest arsonists, after deadly wildfires killed at least 12 people during the summer.

California and the US West are facing a burst of summer-like heat in early October, boosting electricity demand and raising the risk of wildfires.

Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are experiencing severe haze from wildfires in Indonesia, with air quality deteriorating ahead of major sporting events. Bloomberg's Mary Hui breaks down the situation. (Source: Bloomberg)

French firefighters went on strike on Monday to demand additional resources and staff, after the country experienced its worst wildfires in decades this summer. They're also expected to join public sector workers in Tuesday's nationwide protest, and could continue to strike until October to put pressure on the government before it approves the 2027 budget.