Environment
All topics-
Pakistan: Trees to beat the heat
Cooling forest islands instead of sizzling concrete jungles: dozens of planting projects are intended to make the heat in Karachi more bearable – a relief for people and animals. By Claudia Dehn (with Reuters)
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Archaeology in Iraq
Drought reveals Bronze Age city
Extreme drought in Iraq has given German and Kurdish archaeologists the unique chance to examine an ancient Bronze Age city that was hidden beneath the water of a reservoir for decades. Experts believe the ruins could be those of the ancient city of Zachiku. It was a race against the clock to complete work before the city was once again covered by the reservoir's rising water level. By Alexander Freund
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Gulf states and sustainability
Desert-grown superfood puts 'healthy' burgers on UAE menus
A hardy plant grown using salt water is thriving in the UAE's desert farms and helping create "healthy" burgers, showing sustainable agriculture's potential in the toughest conditions. The succulent, salicornia, is already being used as a salt replacement in burger patties
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Environmental jihad
Can "green Islam" save Indonesia from climate collapse?
Calls for an environmentally-conscious form of Islam are growing in Indonesia, as climate change poses enormous ecological challenges for the country. Experts say it could change society's approach to climate efforts. Enno Hinz reports
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Climate change in Middle East
Weathering sandstorms, Iraqis grit their teeth
Another sandstorm has darkened Iraqi skies and it's hard to breathe, but Baghdad motorcycle delivery rider Milad Mitti doesn't have the luxury of missing a day's work. Like most people in the now blistering hot desert country, the 30-year-old battles on in frustration, wearing goggles and a grey neck warmer over his mouth and nose "so I can breathe
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Algeria‘s gas reserves
Is defending the environment terrorism?
Algeria‘s regime is again cracking down on anti-fracking activists and the unemployed in the country‘s south. Yet EU countries remain keen to scale up their energy cooperation with Algiers, despite the reprisals faced by environmentalists. By Sofian Philip Naceur
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Climate change in Middle East
Iraqi gazelles die of hunger in a parched land
Gazelles at an Iraqi wildlife reserve are dropping dead from hunger, making them the latest victims in a country where climate change is compounding hardships after years of war
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COP27 in the Middle East
Egypt calls for 'reality check' in UN climate talks
Egypt hopes to jump-start the action needed to face a warming world when it takes the presidency of major UN climate talks in November, but warns that countries need a "reality check" as progress stalls
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Water mismanagement in Iran
Drought and diversions – pulling the plug on Isfahan
Drought and upstream water diversions have seen the Zayandeh Rood, "fertile river" in Persian, run dry since 2000, with only rare exceptions. The famed river bridges of the Iranian city of Isfahan are a beloved tourist draw – but much of the time their stone arches span just sand and rocks, not water
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Siemens wins major contract in Egypt
High speed up the Nile valley
It is the biggest order in the history of the Siemens Group: a 2,000-kilometre railway network for high-speed trains is to be built in Egypt. But the project raises numerous questions. By Karim El Gawhary
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Musica Sequenza Chamber Music Ensemble
Spanning times and cultures
Berlin-based international chamber music ensemble Musica Sequenza is known for its modern interpretation of baroque music. With his latest project, the opera "Kassia", composer and ensemble director Burak Ozdemir transcends temporal, cultural and geographical boundaries. By Ceyda Nurtsch
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Climate change in Southeast Asia
India's severe heat wave a risk to millions
As the scorching sun beat down on his fruit cart, Mohammad Ikrar dreaded another day of tossing out dozens of rotting mangoes and melons – a regular practice now, as India grapples with an unprecedented heatwave.