A record slow freeze of many regions of the Arctic this winter is making it harder for pregnant polar bears to find birthing dens. The delayed formation of sea ice during autumn has worried biologists, who fear a first “extirpation event” – the local extinction of a species – may be approaching faster than forecast for the most affected populations.

The waters around Svalbard, an archipelago between Norway and the North Pole, have a little over half the average area of ice for this time of year. According to the Norwegian Ice Service, the 172,291 sq km (66,522 sq m) of ice on 14 November was the lowest for this time of year since records began in 1967. October also saw a huge departure from previous trends, particularly in the Barents Sea, which had freakishly warm weather in February and August. Scientists say these shifts, which are caused by the manmade heating of the globe, are disrupting the behaviour of species that depend on thick winter ice, such as narwhals, seals, belugas and polar bears.(theguardian)…[+]

In May this year when six-month-old Javier Wilson was shot in the head by callous gunmen, his parents were distraught by the experience. However, they remained optimistic that he would survive. Today, they are most ecstatic as Javier is celebrating his first birthday.

“Sometimes in life we wait to see water get turn into wine, and not look at the simple miracle that happen in our lives on a day-to-day basis,” the boy’s father, Javar Wilson, reasoned on Sunday when the Jamaica Observer visited their home in Kingston.

“He is a blessing. Each time I look at him I look at what God is able to do; so whenever I buck up on any situation that seems big, that seems strong, that seems like it is going to overpower me, I can just look at Javier to say that God is still a good God, that He did it already, and He will do it again,” Wilson said.(Jamaica Observer)…[+]

A popular Russian rapper is facing two weeks in jail having been accused of organising an unlawful gathering for performing on top of a car after prosecutors banned his gig.

Husky, whose songs mock authorities and police brutality, has a wide following among young Russians. The 25-year-old’s videos score up to 6m views on YouTube. The rapper was due to perform in the southern city of Krasnodar when local prosecutors warned the venue that his act had elements of what they called extremism. In recent years Russian authorities have used a vaguely worded law on extremism to pursue Kremlin critics and dissenters.

Wednesday’s gig in Krasnodar was moved to another club, where the power was shut off, and Husky’s fans poured outside. Videos posted online showed the rapper, whose real name is Dmitry Kuznetsov, reading his verses on top of a car as fans chanted in unison. He was then detained.

Husky’s lawyer, Alexander Avanesyan, said his client faces up to 15 days in prison for organising an unauthorised gathering and disobeying police orders. The court hearing on his possible detention started on Thursday afternoon.

Husky’s black-and-white videos mock a political regime that expects tacit compliance from citizens. A new wave of Russian rap musicians is widely credited for channelling young Russians’ frustration with the political system and lack of economic prospects. Authorities in other Russian regions have also moved to banned Husky’s gigs.(theguardian)…[+]

An American-Israeli hacker has been jailed for 10 years by a Tel Aviv youth court in connection to hundreds of fake bomb threats to planes and Jewish centres, including one that led to fighter jets being scrambled in Europe to intercept an airliner.

Michael Kadar was found guilty in June of about 2,000 hoaxes between 2015 and 2017 that were so extensive that they contributed to rising fears of antisemitism in the United States. While Israel has never named the the 20-year-old as he was a teenager when he committed the crimes, the US justice department, which jointly investigated his case with Israeli police, identified him in charging documents last year.

Known in Israel as the “JCC bomb hoaxer” for his focus on Jewish community centres, Kadar’s targets also included airports, malls, police stations and hospitals from the US to Australia. His defence said he had autism and a brain tumour, and should not be regarded as legally competent. However, the sentence handed down on Thursday was three years longer than the seven the prosecution had requested.The Tel Aviv district youth court ruling acknowledged that he was autistic but stated that he “has a high IQ and understands his deeds very well”. The ruling added: “If not for his medical condition, the defendant would have received a much longer sentence.”(theguardian)…[+]

There are times when talk is not enough, and strong, maybe even controversial actions, have to be taken. No one knows this better than Reverend Annett Brown, who admitted that she punched a male member of her church in the face several times because he was repeatedly abusing his wife.

Brown, who was representing the Jamaica Council of Churches at a public forum on Violence Against Women at the Terra Nova Hotel in St Andrew yesterday, said that while she was not glorifying her actions, she would never condone women she came in contact with staying in abusive relationships.The pastor started her address to the gathering: “I begin with a controversial story. One Sunday morning, I punched a man in his face four times because he was abusing his spouse and even after much counselling and talking to, he decided to escalate it. He thought that by coming into worship and abusing her, he was going to get away with it, and I was just fed up.”(Jamaica Gleaner)…[+]

The US east coast has been provided a firsthand reminder of the deadly California wildfires after smoke swept across the country and caused a haze to envelop the eastern seaboard, including Washington DC and New York City.

Hazy skies were reported in several places on the east coast from smoke wafting from 3,000 miles further west, where wildfires in California have killed more than 80 people and razed more than 15,000 homes and other structures.

An unusually dense fug shrouded the top of New York City skyscrapers and the sunset was particularly intense due to the smoke particles in the air. “Wow. I knew tonight’s sunset over New York City seemed different, and I should’ve realized,” tweeted Kathryn Prociv, a meteorologist on the Today Show. “Wildfire smoke is in the air, all the way from California.”

Donald Trump visited the areas affected last weekend and created controversy by refusing to acknowledge climate change as a major factor, getting the name of the incinerated town of Paradise wrong, once again blaming forest management and arguing for leaf-raking as a key factor in prevention.

Satellite imagery released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed a band of smoke curling up from southern California to Massachusetts. While the diffused smoke can be hard to distinguish from other pollution, it makes a telltale appearance at sunrise and sunset. The smoke is moving fairly high in the atmosphere but can exacerbate health problems if it settles – Washington DC’s air quality was classed as only “moderate” on Tuesday.(theguardian)…[+]

A British academic who was accused of spying for the UK government in the United Arab Emirates after travelling to Dubai to conduct research has been sentenced to life in jail. Matthew Hedges, 31, has been in a UAE prison for more than six months. The Durham University student, who went to the country to research his PhD thesis, was handed the sentence at an Abu Dhabi court in a hearing that lasted less than five minutes, with no lawyer present.

Hedges was detained in May at Dubai airport as he was leaving the country, and was held in solitary confinement for five months. The UAE attorney general, Hamad al-Shamsi, said Hedges was accused of “spying for a foreign country, jeopardising the military, political and economic security of the state”. Hedges denies the charges, and maintains that he was in the country to research the impact of the Arab spring on the UAE’s foreign policy.Hedges’ wife, Daniela Tejada, who was in court, said: “I am in complete shock and I don’t know what to do. Matthew is innocent. The Foreign Office know this and have made it clear to the UAE authorities that Matthew is not a spy for them.(theguardian)…[+]

A Toco man appeared before a Sangre Grande Magistrate on Tuesday charged with possession of protected bird. The man was granted bail in the sum of $1,000.

A release issued by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) stated that the man was charged under Section 70 (2) of the Environmental Management Act, Chapter 35:05 for being in possession of a Pawi also known as the Trinidad Piping Guan or wild turkey. The Pawi was designated as an Environmentally Sensitive Species (ESS) in 2005 under the ESS Rules, 2001. The EMA stated that officers responded to a report of the Pawi being held in a cage at a residence in Cumana Village. A joint exercise was conducted by members of the EMA Environmental Police Unit and the Wildlife Section of the Forestry Division, on Monday. The homeowner was detained and later charged at the Toco police station.(Trinidad Express)…[+]

The UN’s environment chief, Erik Solheim, has resigned following severe criticism of his global travels and internal rule-breaking which led some nations to withhold their funding. The Guardian understands Solheim was asked to resign by the UN secretary general, António Guterres. Sources at the UN Environment Programme (Unep) said that countries unhappy with Solheim’s conduct were holding back tens of millions of dollars, threatening a financial crisis at the body.

A draft internal UN audit leaked to the Guardian in September found Solheim had spent almost $500,000 (£390,000) on air travel and hotels in just 22 months, and was away 80% of the time. The audit said this was a “reputation risk” for an organisation dedicated to fighting climate change. A UN staff union leader called some of the revelations “mind-blowing” and a prominent climate scientist accused Solheim of “obscene CO2 hypocrisy”.The audit said Solheim had “no regard for abiding by the set regulations and rules” and had failed to account properly for some of his travel. He also unofficially allowed chosen staff to work from Europe rather than at Unep headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Solheim told the Guardian he had already paid back money for instances of oversight and made changes where other rules had been broken.(theguardian)…[+]