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RFK Jr. ramps up attacks on vaccination in the US, creating confusion

After sweeping layoffs at major US health agencies, the health secretary made several decisions this summer that threaten the country's vaccination ecosystem, emboldening the anti-vaccine movement.

Published on September 5, 2025, at 12:09 pm (Paris) Delphine Roucaute

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Afghanistan earthquake death toll reaches 2,200, deadliest in decades

After a powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, thousands of poor and now homeless families have been waiting for rescue workers, delayed by the country's failing infrastructure.

Published on September 4, 2025, at 3:25 pm (Paris), updated on September 4, 2025, at 4:16 pm Le Monde with AFP

02:07
Video

Afghanistan earthquake: Over 1,400 killed as rescuers race to find survivors

A devastating earthquake killed over 1,400 people and injured over 3,000 more in Afghanistan on Sunday night.

Published on September 3, 2025, at 12:09 pm (Paris) Le Monde's video desk 02:07

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Chikungunya: Ixciq, the first authorized vaccine against the virus, comes under scrutiny

The US Food and Drug Administration has suspended the vaccine developed by French-Austrian laboratory Valneva. In France, its use has been restricted to people under 65 after three deaths in La Réunion.

Published on September 3, 2025, at 3:26 am (Paris), updated on September 3, 2025, at 11:32 am Delphine Roucaute

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IPCC faces criticism for favoring high-tech solutions to global warming

According to historian Jean-Baptiste Fressoz, the United Nations prioritizes technological and sometimes 'speculative' solutions over restraint and other options, thereby delaying necessary structural changes.

Published on September 2, 2025, at 8:30 pm (Paris) Audrey Garric

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Afghanistan earthquake rescue efforts slowed by lack of resources

The earthquake that struck near Jalalabad, in eastern Afghanistan, overnight from Sunday to Monday has left more than 1,400 people dead and 3,000 injured. The difficulty in accessing some remote valleys and the shortcomings of the Taliban regime have raised fears of an even higher death toll.

Published on September 2, 2025, at 3:07 pm (Paris), updated on September 2, 2025, at 5:09 pm Jacques Follorou

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Heavy rains and 'massive' landslide kill more than 1,000 in Sudan, rebel group says

The landslide on Sunday struck the village of Tarasin in the Jebel Marra area, according to an armed group controlling the region.

Published on September 2, 2025, at 5:05 am (Paris), updated on September 2, 2025, at 11:54 am Le Monde with AFP

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Thomas Piketty: 'To succeed in the climate transition, we must redistribute wealth differently'

In an interview with Le Monde, the French economist explains that protecting the planet from climate change cannot be achieved without reducing inequality.

Published on September 2, 2025, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated on September 2, 2025, at 10:10 am Nabil Wakim Cécile Cazenave

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COP30: Exorbitant housing prices in Belém threaten to derail climate summit

Many delegations and civil society representatives have been unable to secure accommodation in the Amazonian city of Belém, which is set to host the United Nations climate negotiations summit in November. Some have even asked Brazil to change the host city.

Published on September 2, 2025, at 3:15 am (Paris), updated on September 2, 2025, at 10:57 am Audrey Garric Bruno Meyerfeld

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Afghanistan earthquake kills more than 800, rescue operations underway

The magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck the area near the Pakistani border at night on Sunday, killing more than 800 people. A massive rescue operation has begun, but many roads remain blocked, despite resident efforts to clear the way.

Published on September 1, 2025, at 8:30 am (Paris), updated on September 1, 2025, at 8:14 pm Le Monde with AP and AFP

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After the Seine, French swimming activists strive to follow the Parisian example

Across France, grassroots groups are organizing activist dives to demand free and safe access to rivers and urban pools as heat waves increase the need to cool off.

Published on September 1, 2025, at 12:50 am (Paris) Lina Tamine

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Ultra-processed foods cause negative health effects within weeks, study finds

In a clinical trial similar to those used for testing medicines, scientists studied the health impacts of a diet filled with ultra-processed foods. Results show that numerous biological processes are affected.

Published on August 30, 2025, at 5:30 am (Paris), updated on August 30, 2025, at 11:28 am Stéphane Foucart

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'Pretending that environmental protection is just a concern for hipsters means leaving the working class to their fate'

Economist Lutz Sager writes in an op-ed for 'Le Monde' that underserved communities are the first victims of air pollution, which causes 40,000 preventable deaths each year in France.

Published on August 30, 2025, at 2:23 am (Paris), updated on August 30, 2025, at 11:04 am Lutz Sager

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Are tariffs good for the climate?

In France, half of all greenhouse gas emissions are generated by imports. Would reducing global trade through tariffs therefore improve the country's carbon footprint? The answer is not so straightforward.

Published on August 29, 2025, at 8:00 pm (Paris) Eric Albert

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Argentina falls in love with a poetic livestream from the ocean: 'Patrick Star is Argentinian!'

By filming the depths of the South Atlantic this summer, a scientific mission sparked unprecedented enthusiasm. The project brought much-needed attention to public research, which has been left struggling after budget cuts by President Milei.

Published on August 29, 2025, at 3:10 am (Paris), updated on August 29, 2025, at 10:13 am Flora Genoux

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Air quality in Paris: Monitoring agency reports significant improvement over 10 years

According to Airparif, the independent body monitoring air quality in the Paris region, policies have had a 'significant and measurable impact.'

Published on August 29, 2025, at 12:22 am (Paris), updated on August 29, 2025, at 8:20 am Hélène Bekmezian

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France, Britain and Germany move to reimpose sanctions on Iran over nuclear program

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he decried the decision as 'illegal and unjustified' in a call with his European counterparts.

Published on August 28, 2025, at 5:28 pm (Paris), updated on August 29, 2025, at 7:24 am Le Monde with AP and AFP

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Floods in eastern Pakistan affect 1.2 million, displace nearly 250,000

Rescuers in boats raced to reach stranded families in the populous Punjab province after three major rivers burst their banks because of heavy rain and the release of water from overflowing dams in neighboring India.

Published on August 28, 2025, at 1:15 pm (Paris), updated on August 28, 2025, at 2:40 pm Le Monde with AP

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Maldives revokes shark fishing ban after decades

The luxury holiday destination and top diving spot in the Indian Ocean previously imposed a total ban on shark fishing in March 2010, following severe restrictions that had been in place since 1998.

Published on August 27, 2025, at 12:04 pm (Paris), updated on August 27, 2025, at 12:59 pm Le Monde with AFP

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French GPs can now prescribe anti-obesity drugs, but not all are convinced

France's medicine safety agency has decided to broaden access to Wegovy and Mounjaro, which are not reimbursed by the French national health insurance, and to lower the obesity threshold required for a prescription. Some medical professionals are concerned that the new rules could lead to misuse.

Published on August 27, 2025, at 5:30 am (Paris), updated on August 27, 2025, at 2:35 pm Pascale Santi Camille Stromboni

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'Interactions between scientists, policymakers and citizens must be rebuilt'

In the wake of recent political setbacks on health and environmental issues, biologists Gilles Bœuf and Marc-André Selosse are calling for better training of scientists in communicating their discoveries and for placing life sciences and environmental studies at the heart of school curricula.

Published on August 27, 2025, at 2:40 am (Paris), updated on August 27, 2025, at 2:40 pm Gilles Boeuf Marc-André Selosse

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China deploys all available resources to tackle major chikungunya outbreak

The cities of Foshan and Guangzhou, in southern China, have been battling the virus for two months. Nearly 10,000 cases have been officially recorded.

Published on August 26, 2025, at 3:55 am (Paris), updated on August 26, 2025, at 3:59 pm Jordan Pouille

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Valérie Masson-Delmotte: 'The climate situation will keep getting worse, but the danger also comes from collective denial'

After a summer marked by wildfires and heat waves, Masson-Delmotte, a climatologist and member of France's High Council on Climate, spoke with Le Monde about the public's tendency to quickly forget and political leaders' lack of accountability.

Published on August 25, 2025, at 4:00 pm (Paris) Audrey Garric

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Will a summer of heat and wildfires revive France's climate policies?

After months of environmental policies being scaled back, climate-related disasters have come to dominate public debate. The question now is whether elected officials will remain concerned, particularly as budget discussions approach.

Published on August 25, 2025, at 12:40 pm (Paris), updated on August 25, 2025, at 12:45 pm Matthieu Goar

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US tariffs cast a shadow over Champagne's harvest

The joint statement published on August 21 by the EU and the US confirms that European spirits are now subject to a 15% import tariff when entering the American market.

Published on August 25, 2025, at 5:00 am (Paris) Laurence Girard

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Largest chikungunya outbreak recorded in mainland France sparks hunt for tiger mosquitoes

There have been 33 locally-transmitted cases of the tropical disease in a neighborhood in the city of Vitrolles in the south of France.

Published on August 25, 2025, at 3:18 am (Paris), updated on August 25, 2025, at 3:20 pm Delphine Roucaute

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Spain's recent heatwave was 'most intense on record'

Provisional readings for the August 3-18 heatwave exceeded the last record, set in July 2022, and showed an average temperature 4.6°C higher than for previous such phenomena.

Published on August 24, 2025, at 1:38 pm (Paris), updated on August 24, 2025, at 2:48 pm Le Monde with AFP

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In Europe, train travel remains significantly more expensive than flying

Although train journeys across Europe are far better for the climate, international train travel still costs much more than flying, according to a Greenpeace report.

Published on August 22, 2025, at 10:10 pm (Paris) Juliette Fekkar

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Deadly monsoon leaves devastation in Pakistan and India: 'It's as if Judgment Day has already come for us'

Since late June, disasters have struck in quick succession across the mountainous regions of northern Pakistan and India. Torrential rains have triggered a series of flash floods, mudslides and rockfalls, wiping entire villages off the map.

Published on August 22, 2025, at 8:00 pm (Paris) Sophie Landrin Zain Zaman

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The giraffe is no longer one single species, but four distinct ones, including one that is critically endangered

Based on genetic, morphological and biogeographical data, the International Union for Conservation of Nature announces a major change in classification.

Published on August 22, 2025, at 4:43 am (Paris) Perrine Mouterde

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August heat wave deemed a 'rare event' by Météo-France

The recent heat wave ranks among the most severe ever experienced in the south of France, rivaling the historic August 2003 event, according to the French weather forecasting adminstration. It was also the second-longest recorded in August.

Published on August 21, 2025, at 11:45 pm (Paris), updated on August 21, 2025, at 11:58 pm Audrey Garric

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Why scientists are divided over whether there is a 'sixth mass extinction'

American researchers have reignited the debate over the concept by publishing an article that questions the idea of a new mass extinction event that is comparable in scale to the one that wiped out the dinosaurs.

Published on August 21, 2025, at 4:00 am (Paris) Perrine Mouterde

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'Heat waves can act as a sudden trigger for eco-anxiety'

Hélène Jalin, a clinical psychologist and researcher at the Université de Nantes, discusses in an interview with Le Monde the role heat waves play in triggering or reactivating eco-anxiety.

Published on August 21, 2025, at 12:15 am (Paris) Juliette Fekkar

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After fires in southern France, villagers hope life will 'reclaim its rights'

Residents of the Corbières mountain range, who saw nearly 17,000 hectares of vegetation go up in flames, are already looking to the future, despite their trauma.

Published on August 20, 2025, at 5:00 am (Paris) Maryline Baumard

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Why heat and drought are making trees look like autumn is coming early

In some regions, drought combined with extreme heat has led to defoliation, a phenomenon that, if recurring, can cause forest dieback.

Published on August 20, 2025, at 2:49 am (Paris), updated on August 20, 2025, at 9:29 am Perrine Mouterde

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Spanish PM warns 'difficult hours' left in wildfire fight

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged extreme caution despite cooler weather, as blazes have scorched over 373,000 hectares, forced evacuations and left six dead across Spain and Portugal.

Published on August 19, 2025, at 6:39 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

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Monsoon floods in northern Pakistan claim hundreds of lives

Pakistani officials said Tuesday the death toll from flooding and landslides caused by five days of torrential rains in the north of the country rose to nearly 400.

Published on August 19, 2025, at 4:16 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

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Hurricane Erin forces evacuations in the US, but expected to stay offshore after hitting the Caribbean

The year's first Atlantic hurricane, Erin, reached a dangerous Category 5 status Saturday with 160 mph (260 kph) winds before weakening. It is expected to remain a large hurricane into midweek.

Published on August 19, 2025, at 3:35 am (Paris), updated on August 19, 2025, at 10:01 am Le Monde with AP

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French media coverage of heat waves still has room for improvement

Although broadcasting media have made clear progress in addressing climate issues since the dramatic summer of 2022, coverage remains insufficient, particularly due to an increase in misinformation.

Published on August 19, 2025, at 1:29 am (Paris), updated on August 19, 2025, at 11:28 am Aude Dassonville

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Wildfires rage in Spain and Portugal as neighboring countries send aid

Fires have ravaged more than 450,000 hectares of land across the Iberian peninsula since the start of the year, setting records in a region particularly hard hit by intensive heatwaves and drought affecting southern Europe.

Published on August 18, 2025, at 3:13 pm (Paris), updated on August 18, 2025, at 5:59 pm Le Monde with AFP

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Greta Thunberg and climate activists block Norway oil refinery

Activists from Extinction Rebellion and Thunberg blocked the entrance to the Mongstad refinery in Bergen on Norway's southwestern coast on Monday. They plan to continue with a string of protests in the country throughout the week.

Published on August 18, 2025, at 2:46 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

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The lobo-guará, Brazil's maned wolf, a national icon under threat

Emblematic of the Cerrado, these animals have seen their habitat fragmented by deforestation and the spread of industrial agriculture. In the state of Minas Gerais, a sanctuary now shelters some of them, aiming to raise public awareness.

Published on August 18, 2025, at 5:30 am (Paris) Bruno Meyerfeld

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How heatwaves put our bodies to the test

Since the start of the summer's second heat wave, the number of ER visits linked to extreme heat has been rising in France.

Published on August 17, 2025, at 2:25 am (Paris), updated on August 18, 2025, at 3:01 pm Delphine Roucaute

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Climate change: Southern Europe scorched by flames and extreme heat

The Mediterranean basin is facing a new wave of heatwaves and large-scale wildfires. The affected countries have struggled to cope with the consequences of these extreme events.

Published on August 16, 2025, at 7:30 pm (Paris) Matthieu Goar, Sandrine Morel, Céline Pierre-Magnani and Marina Rafenberg

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Hurricane Erin intensifies to 'catastrophic' category 5 storm in Caribbean

Erin, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season this year, was located about 170 kilometers northeast of Anguilla in the northern Leeward Islands, an area that includes the US and British Virgin Islands.

Published on August 16, 2025, at 6:44 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

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Pakistan rescuers recover bodies after monsoon rains kill at least 340

Most were killed in flash floods and collapsing houses, with the dead including 15 women and 13 children.

Published on August 16, 2025, at 10:25 am (Paris), updated on August 16, 2025, at 2:31 pm Le Monde with AFP

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Urban forests spread their cover in a time of climate change

Many local French authorities have implemented their own 'tree plan' or 'canopy plan' to increase greenery in cities. However, there is a risk that these initiatives amount to mere publicity stunts or that the trees do not have proper conditions to thrive.

Published on August 16, 2025, at 5:00 am (Paris) Emeline Cazi

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Plastic pollution: UN talks collapse amid obstruction by oil-producing countries

After a 10-day summit in Geneva, diplomats from 183 countries failed to reach an agreement on measures to end plastic pollution. Several options for conducting future negotiations remain on the table.

Published on August 15, 2025, at 7:13 pm (Paris) Sylvie Burnouf

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Deadly monsoon rains strike Pakistan, triggering deadly landslides

Heavy monsoon rains unleashed landslides and flash floods across northern Pakistan, killing at least 199 people, with most of the deaths located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Published on August 15, 2025, at 2:08 pm (Paris), updated on August 15, 2025, at 5:27 pm Le Monde with AFP

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Negotiators fail to strike international treaty on plastic pollution

After 10 days of intense negotiations at the UN in Geneva, Switzerland, delegates from 185 nations could not find common ground on how to tackle plastic pollution. Some countries said they were prepared for future negotiations, despite six rounds of failed talks over three years.

Published on August 15, 2025, at 7:46 am (Paris), updated on August 15, 2025, at 12:12 pm Le Monde with AFP

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Global plastic pollution treaty talks extended in 'haze' of confusion

The 10 days of talks at the United Nations in Geneva were initially due to wrap up on Thursday. The plenary session – bringing all 185 negotiating countries together in the UN Palais des Nations' main assembly hall – lasted less than a minute, with shocked reactions among the delegates packing the room.

Published on August 15, 2025, at 3:20 am (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

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Once a rarity in France, temperatures above 40°C have become increasingly common with climate change

This threshold, which long remained unusual, has been surpassed much more frequently since the start of the 21st century. The affected area is also expanding further north.

Published on August 15, 2025, at 2:14 am (Paris), updated on August 15, 2025, at 10:20 am Matthieu Goar

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In Lyon, green islands offer a cooling solution to heatwaves

Elected officials and urban planners say greening the city must shift from a landscaping approach to a strategy focused on cooling in order to adapt to climate change – as was done in the former industrial district of Gerland.

Published on August 15, 2025, at 12:46 am (Paris), updated on August 15, 2025, at 10:14 am Richard Schittly

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Video

Video: Europe battles wildfires fueled by heatwave

The prolonged heatwave scorching Europe is fueling increasingly intense wildfires, driven by climate change.

Published on August 14, 2025, at 3:50 pm (Paris), updated on August 15, 2025, at 2:14 am Le Monde's video desk 01:37

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Spain gripped by violent wildfires: Three dead, nearly 60,000 hectares destroyed in one week

Almost no region of the country has been spared by wildfires, which have overwhelmed thousands of firefighters. 'Spain is burning,' declared the country's major daily newspapers on Wednesday.

Published on August 14, 2025, at 12:14 pm (Paris) Sandrine Morel

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Farmers in southwest France express growing concern over the ongoing heatwave

Orchardists, winegrowers and livestock farmers fear the negative impact of the current heatwave on their production.

Published on August 14, 2025, at 12:46 am (Paris), updated on August 14, 2025, at 9:50 am Laurence Girard

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Heatwaves deliver lasting blows to the economy

Nuclear reactors shut down, work slowed on construction sites, exhausted employees: Episodes of intense heat have a direct impact on people's jobs. A day with temperatures above 32°C is equivalent to half a day of strikes.

Published on August 13, 2025, at 5:44 pm (Paris) Eric Albert Emeline Cazi

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Thomas Clerc, writer: 'The handheld fan is harmful and ugly, a reflection of the world we are being thrust into'

In this opinion piece for Le Monde, the author rallies against the electric descendant of the hand fan, which he believes accelerates the destruction of the planet for the cheap thrill of techno-capitalism.

Published on August 13, 2025, at 3:54 am (Paris), updated on August 13, 2025, at 10:18 am Thomas Clerc

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Plastic waste in bird nests leads to deadly entanglements for chicks

The presence of plastic waste − particularly agricultural twine − in bird nests exposes chicks to the risk of serious injuries, which can sometimes be fatal.

Published on August 13, 2025, at 3:37 am (Paris), updated on August 13, 2025, at 9:43 am Juliette Fekkar

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The love story between an old man and his 'great oak,' the tallest of its kind in the world

At the heart of Vallespir, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, Serge Arnaudiès discovered a 300- or 400-year-old cork oak. Recognized as the tallest in the world and labeled an 'Arbre remarquable' ('Remarkable Tree'), the specimen now draws many visitors.

Published on August 12, 2025, at 11:35 pm (Paris) Maryline Baumard

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