IF iDir.com

Sprawling urban areas and expanding plantations are placing greater pressure on forests and resources in Asia-Pacific, hurting rural communities and exacerbating the effects of climate change, the United Nations food agency said on Tuesday. The region has the world's lowest per capita forest area of 19% compared to the global average of 32%, even as the total forest area increased by nearly 18 million hectares (44 million acres) between 1990 and 2015, a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said. While some Asian countries have introduced policies to conserve forests and give more rights to indigenous people, the area of planted forest nearly doubled between 1990 and 2015 at the expense of more critical primary forests, it said.

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 22:00:00 -0400

Masahiro Tanaka pitched a two-hitter and was backed by two homers, as the New York Yankees opened a 10-game homestand with a 3-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series between the top two teams in the AL East. In three starts this season against Tampa Bay, Tanaka has allowed one run on 10 hits and one walk in 22 innings, with 23 strikeouts. Tanaka won consecutive starts for the first time this season, on a night in which he retired the first nine hitters.

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 21:59:24 -0400

The state Senate in Albany voted 33-29 to approve the legislation, which previously passed in the Assembly. New York is poised to join at least a dozen other states that allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. Many Republicans in New York opposed the measure, which was passed after Republican President Donald Trump moved to crack down on illegal immigration on several fronts.

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 21:57:39 -0400

President Donald Trump said on Monday that U.S. authorities would begin next week removing millions of immigrants who are in the United States illegally. "Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States," Trump tweeted, referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. There are an estimated 12 million immigrants who are in the United States illegally, mainly from Mexico and Central America.

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 21:56:34 -0400

In the span of a week, the New York Yankees' lineup could get a complete makeover with the addition of American League home run leader Edwin Encarnacion and the healthy return of outfielders Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge. Encarnacion, acquired from the Seattle Mariners, was in the lineup Monday night against the Tampa Bay Rays as the Yankees return home from a road trip for what is setting up as an explosive homestand. Batting fifth as New York's designated hitter, he went 0-for-4 in the Yankees' 3-0 win.

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 21:52:13 -0400