International

Green tech fights for limelight at CES gadget fest

Photo: Robyn Beck / AFP

January 7th | By AFP | Glenn Chapman |

At the CES tech megashow in Las Vegas, it is unusual to see an entrepreneur hold up a plant and present it as the latest breakthrough in consumer technology.

But for NeoPlants co-founder Patrick Torbey, the gathering held annually just after the new year should not be thought of as “only about machine technology and electronics.”

“It’s also about natural technology that we can leverage using these really cool engineering techniques,” Torbey told AFP.

NeoPlants, a Paris-based startup, was showing off a bioengineered plant capable of purifying indoor air of toxic pollutants “by doing the work of 30 regular houseplants,” according to its website.

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Technology geared towards helping the environment has steadily increased in number at CES since the Sin City expo began fifty years ago.

But observers often doubt the seriousness of the consumer tech industry’s commitment to protect the environment, with all the real excitement focused on smart TVs and robots instead of the more complicated and less profitable project of saving the planet.

“Until it really, really matters for consumers, it’s just going to kind of be this trend that’s over here on the side,” said Ben Arnold, research firm NPD’s consumer electronics analyst.

“As somebody who studies the market, I’m just not seeing yet where (environmental-minded tech) makes a difference in terms of units and dollars,” he added.

Ran Roth, the head of tech company Sensibo, agreed that successful devices were the ones that made financial sense and believed his products did just that.

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Roth’s devices use artificial intelligence and sensors to better manage air conditioning, an important concern in the often blistering heat of Israel, where his company is based.

Sensibo’s sensors measure humidity and temperature, and use software that learns a user’s habits, thereby saving energy and money.

Roth said new technology should have a “path to profitability” if it is going to thrive, a recurrent shortcoming of so called green tech that so often fails to be bankable.

“What is good about smart thermostats is that they are readily available and they offer the highest return on investment,” said Roth, who called air conditioning a “human right.”

‘What matters’

But as the climate emergency worsens, industry observers said major tech companies were under more pressure to commit to sustainability goals.

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“We have seen the public naming and shaming of organizations who indulged in greenwashing over the past year,” said Abhijit Sunil of Forrester Research.

“So a lot of organizations are kind of careful in what they mention as their sustainability initiatives and they are now as transparent as possible,” he said.

Sunil said that the real advances on the environment were to be seen in the industrial sector, agreeing that the consumer gadget business may be a step behind when it came to doubling down on going green.

Product design, manufacturing and packaging with an eye on a company’s waste and carbon footprint were the low hanging fruits when it came to environment technology, he said.

One such company, ACWA Robotics, won plaudits at CES for a robot dedicated to the detection and prevention of water leaks in underground pipes.

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In France, where the startup is located, 20 percent of drinking water is estimated to be lost due to leaky pipes.

Fighting for the environment “is the challenge of a century,” ACWA Robotics engineer Elise Lengrand told AFP.

“I mean sure it’s really cool to make big TVs and stuff, but this is really what matters,” she said.

International

Mexico leads global cases of enforced disappearances, UN report finds

Mexico accounts for the highest number of urgent actions related to enforced disappearances worldwide, according to the latest report by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.

The report, released by I(dh)eas, indicates that Mexico has accumulated 819 cases between 2012 and February 2026, representing 38% of the global total.

In the past five months alone, 40 new urgent requests have been recorded — more than one-third of all such actions worldwide during that period.

The report warns that this trend reflects a structural problem, as the urgent action mechanism — originally intended as an exceptional measure — has become routine in Mexico.

Although the Mexican state formally complies with response deadlines, the Committee identified significant shortcomings in the implementation of these measures. These include the lack of comprehensive search plans, delays in key investigative procedures such as video surveillance and phone data analysis, and insufficient inquiries into possible links involving state agents.

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The report also highlights inadequate protection for relatives and individuals involved in search efforts, including cases of reprisals.

Among the most serious incidents documented is the disappearance of a father who had denounced alleged involvement of authorities in his son’s case in the state of Guanajuato.

The accumulation of cases could lead to the application of Article 34 of the Convention, which would allow for the launch of an international investigation into systematic enforced disappearances.

Geographically, the state of Chiapas accounts for 30% of the new urgent actions, many of them linked to collective disappearances of migrants.

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International

Le pape Léon XIV appelle à relancer le dialogue pour une paix au Moyen-Orient

Le pape Léon XIV s’est entretenu par téléphone ce vendredi avec le président d’Israël, Isaac Herzog, soulignant la « nécessité de rouvrir » les canaux de dialogue afin de parvenir à une « paix juste » au Moyen-Orient.

Selon un communiqué du Vatican, les deux dirigeants ont insisté sur l’importance de relancer tous les mécanismes diplomatiques pour mettre fin au conflit en cours et œuvrer en faveur d’une paix durable dans la région.

Le communiqué précise également que les discussions ont porté sur la protection des populations civiles et sur le respect du droit international et humanitaire.

Cet échange intervient dans le contexte de la Semaine sainte, cinq jours après un incident à Jérusalem, où la police israélienne avait empêché le cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa de célébrer la messe du Dimanche des Rameaux au Saint-Sépulcre.

Le lendemain, le secrétaire d’État du Vatican, Pietro Parolin, avait convoqué l’ambassadeur israélien auprès du Saint-Siège, Yaron Sideman, pour exprimer le mécontentement du Vatican face à cet incident qualifié de « regrettable ».

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Cette situation avait suscité une vive réaction internationale, poussant le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu à intervenir pour assurer que le cardinal pourrait accéder au lieu saint.

De son côté, Herzog a confirmé l’échange sur son compte X, indiquant que les discussions ont également porté sur des sujets régionaux, notamment la guerre en Iran et la situation au Liban.

Le pape, d’origine américaine, participe actuellement à sa première Semaine sainte depuis son élection et doit présider ce soir le chemin de croix au Vatican.

International

Devotees in Philippines mark Holy Week with extreme rituals despite rising costs

Despite rising fuel prices driven by the conflict in the Middle East, thousands of devotees in Philippines took part this year in one of the country’s most intense Holy Week traditions.

In the city of San Fernando, located in Pampanga province, dozens of bare-chested penitents with covered faces walked barefoot along dusty streets, whipping their backs with bamboo lashes as part of a ritual that can draw up to 12,000 local and foreign visitors.

Journalists from Agence France-Presse reported seeing participants piercing their skin with glass shards attached to small wooden paddles to ensure bleeding during the ceremony — an act believed to atone for sins and seek divine intervention.

“I do this to pray for the healing of my seven-month-old baby, who is suffering from pneumonia,” said a devotee identified as John David at the start of the procession.

The 49-year-old participant explained that the practice runs in his family. “My grandfather started this, then my father, and now it’s my turn. I have witnessed healing miracles over the years through this act of faith,” he said.

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Many attendees traveled for hours to witness the climax of the ritual, in which some penitents allow nails, measuring about seven centimeters, to be driven into their hands before being raised on crosses in a reenactment of crucifixion.