- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
- Sabalenka targets world number one and Wuhan hat-trick
- Toddler among 4 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
In Chile, a lawyer and his dog 'plog' to raise recycling awareness
It's still dark out, but Chilean lawyer Gonzalo Chiang and his dog Sam are already out jogging and collecting rubbish in Santiago's largest park.
Chiang, 38, is on an individual quest to promote the practice of "plogging" -- picking up garbage while on the run -- in a country where recycling lags far behind the Latin American average.
Chiang and Sam the border collie have been plogging together for two years, pioneers in Chile of a practice invented in Sweden in 2016.
The term -- a combination of jogging and the Swedish "plocka," which means "to pick" -- was included as a noun in the Collins Dictionary in 2018.
"Every day, with the daily walking of the dog... one can make a big difference" to the environment, Chiang told AFP.
Chile recycles only 3.1 percent of its non-hazardous waste, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) -- below the regional average of 4.4 percent.
Chiang keeps a meticulous record of his efforts, which he shares on social media as an encouragement to others to join him.
In 110 weeks, he has run or jogged 4,126 kilometers (more than 2,560 miles) and collected 19,071 plastic bottles and 8,512 aluminum cans.
- 'Superhero of the Parquemet' -
Chiang and Sam run four times a week, for two hours at a time, mainly in Santiago's Metropolitan Park, also known as the Parquemet.
Chiang uses a pincer stick to pick up the rubbish which he places in two plastic bags he carries with him on every run.
More goes into a saddlebag carried by Sam, who is also trained to bring cans and bottles to his master.
On the way home, the pair drop off their stash at a recycling collection point.
"The goal is to leave a concrete testimony of what impact one person can make for the common good on a daily basis," said Chiang, underlining the importance of individual action.
It's fun and healthy too.
"Exercising with Sam is something that entertains me a lot," said Chiang, adding that his dog "generates a lot more attention than me" and "gets more hits" online.
Sam's popularity led to his image being used in a 2022 pamphlet issued by the Metropolitan Park to promote recycling. It named Sam "the superhero of the Parquemet."
In the latest World Bank report on global waste management in the world, from 2018, Chile was second only to Mexico as the Latin American country that generated the most household waste per capita: 1.15 kilograms (2.53 pounds) per day.
By 2021, the figure had been reduced to 990 grams per person, according to Chile's environment ministry, as recycling slowly starts to take root.
P.Martin--AMWN