Environment

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Attorneys general from 10 states plan to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, saying its failure to review and ensure emissions standards for residential wood-burning stoves has allowed the continued sale of appliances that could worsen pollution.

That means programs that encourage people to trade in older stoves and other wood-burning appliances, such as forced-air furnaces, haven’t necessarily improved air quality, the states say.

21 June 2023; MEMO: The director of an Arab environmental group withdrew from a European Union (EU) training course in Italy this week after an Israeli delegation appeared at the course, leading her to call on the bloc to adhere to international law by refraining from assisting elements of Israel's occupation.

14 June 2023; MEMO: A member of the Moroccan parliament has questioned what measures the government has put in place to protect the kingdom from being a site to dump foreign rubbish.

This comes after media outlets published details of an investigation carried out by the Spanish authorities into the smuggling of tonnes of plastic waste into Morocco and other countries in Africa.

05 June 2023; MEMO: A huge sandstorm hit Egypt last week, killing four people and injuring five others when a billboard fell onto the 6th October Bridge.

During the spring, Egypt is regularly hit by the khamisin – 50 – hot, dry windstorms which carry sand from the desert and can last for up to 50 days.

The storm can cause severe headaches, blocked and runny noses and red, irritated eyes.

Citizens are advised to stay at home whereever possible until the storm has passed.

01 June 2023; MEMO: The Sultan of Oman Haitham Bin Tarik yesterday presided over the launch ceremony for a new city bearing his name, which is set to be the sultanate's first smart city.

During the event held at Al-Baraka Palace, themed "Treasure the Future", the sultan was briefed about the project of the planned Sultan Haitham City. A presentation also showcased a model of the city, which will be developed in the wilayat of Seeb, several kilometres northwest of Muscat.

30 May 2023; MEMO: The United Nations will start the "preparatory phase" this week to offload 1.1 million barrels of oil from a decaying tanker off the coast of war-torn Yemen to prevent a catastrophic spill, according to an official, Anadolu Agency reports.

A UN vessel, "Ndeavor", arrived at the port of Hudaydah on Yemen's west coast Tuesday, UN coordinator for Yemen, David Gressly, told reporters in New York via video-conference.

24 May 2023; MEMO: The UAE has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog to attend the UN climate conference COP28, which is taking place in Dubai in November.

Tehran, IRNA – Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says that the Islamic Republic is committed to expanding its nuclear electricity sector to reach a generation capacity of 10 gigawatts (GW).

Mohammad Eslami said on Monday that Iran will make efforts to attract foreign investment into its nuclear electricity sector, adding that a budget law for the calendar year to March 2024 projects construction of nuclear power plants with reliance on domestic and foreign investments.

02 May 2023; MEMO: Turkiye officially opened Europe's biggest solar power plant in Konya, built on a single site and one of the five largest in the world, local Turkish media reports.

According to the report, the solar power plant, bulit in Konya, Karapinar, is the size of 2,800 football fields and supplies the electricity needs of 2 million people.

It will increase Turkiye's share of installed solar energy by 20 per cent on its own, the report added.

30 Apr 2023; AA: A fashion industry worker, Muhammad Ershadul Haque, 36, migrated to the Hemayetpur neighborhood in Savar on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka -- more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) from his village in northern Gangachara.

He left Babupara in the northern Rangpur district after he lost his last farming land to a Teesta River erosion.