
-
South Korea's Ryu and Japan's Saigo share LPGA Chevron lead
-
Canada leaders make closing pitches in campaign upended by Trump
-
De Bruyne's Man City exit 'so difficult' for Guardiola
-
'No regrets' for Amorim over Man Utd move
-
Lyon and Strasbourg win to close in on Europe, Montpellier relegated from Ligue 1
-
Toulouse thrash Castres as Top 14 pursuers stumble
-
Djokovic crashes to nervous Arnaldi in Madrid opener, Swiatek advances
-
Olympic champs Russell, Davis-Woodhall win at Drake Relays
-
Browns end Sanders long draft slide
-
Cavs crush Heat, on brink of NBA playoff sweep
-
Fire rages after major blast at Iran port kills 8, injures hundreds
-
Kiwi Beamish wins Penn Relays 1,500m crown with late kick
-
Mbappe on Real Madrid bench for Clasico Copa del Rey final
-
England survive France fightback to seal Women's 6 Nations slam
-
Palace sweep past Villa to reach FA Cup final
-
CAF appoint Moroccan Lekjaa first vice-president
-
Major blast at Iran port kills 5, injures hundreds
-
Rodgers vows to stay with Celtic after fourth successive Scottish title
-
Ipswich relegated as Newcastle, Chelsea boost top five bids
-
Canada leaders make final pitches in campaign upended by Trump
-
Mullins -- Ireland's national training treasure
-
US, Iran say progress in 'positive' nuclear talks
-
Mullins emulates O'Brien with second successive trainer's title
-
Ipswich relegated after one season in Premier League
-
Just Stop Oil activist group holds final march
-
Djokovic crashes to nervous Arnaldi in Madrid opener
-
Syria's Kurds demand 'democratic decentralised' Syria
-
Leverkusen win to delay Bayern and Kane's title party
-
Buenos Aires farewells native pontiff with tears and calls to action
-
Turkey's opposition says Erdogan's canal plan behind latest arrests
-
Maresca hails 'nasty' Chelsea as top five bid stays alive
-
Trump raises Putin doubts after Zelensky talks at pope's funeral
-
Major blast at Iran port kills 4, injures hundreds
-
Napoleon's sword to be sold at auction in Paris
-
Iran, US discuss nuclear deal in third round of talks
-
Buenos Aires farewells native pontiff with call to action
-
Warholm sets hurdles world record at Diamond League, Holloway shocked
-
US students 'race' sperm in reproductive health stunt
-
Wikileaks founder Assange joins crowds for pope funeral
-
Leader Marc Marquez claims Spanish MotoGP sprint victory
-
Celtic win fourth successive Scottish Premiership title
-
Jackson ends drought as Chelsea boost top five push
-
Warholm sets 300m hurdles world record in Diamond League opener
-
Major blast at south Iran port kills 4, injures hundreds
-
Russia says retook Kursk from Ukraine with North Korean help
-
Francis laid to rest as 400,000 mourn pope 'with an open heart'
-
Trump, Zelensky meet on sidelines of pope's funeral
-
'Shared loss': Filipino Catholics bid Pope Francis farewell
-
Families unable to reunite as India-Pakistan border slams shut
-
Major blast at south Iran port injures hundreds

Mexican kayaker on mission to clean up floating gardens
As dawn breaks over Mexico City's floating gardens, Omar Menchaca paddles his kayak through a maze of canals collecting garbage left by visitors to one of the last vestiges of the ancient Aztec capital.
In the silence of the early morning, before the hordes of tourists arrive, the 66-year-old retiree fishes plastic bottles and other debris from the waters of Xochimilco.
"I came here to train for my competitions," says the former athletics champion.
"Over time, unfortunately, I started noticing that these canals were full of garbage."
As his single-seater kayak glides by, herons and pelicans take flight in the morning mist.
In the distance, the Popocatepetl volcano, Mexico's second highest summit, rises more than 5,400 meters (17,700 feet) above sea level.
Menchaca seems to be far from the network of congested roads that serve Mexico City and its nine million inhabitants.
In fact, "the ring road is only 600 meters away," he says with a smile.
Menchaca regularly puts down his paddle and uses his bare hands to pick up garbage floating on the surface of the water amid aquatic flowers.
Xochimilco is a magnet for tourists who ride colorful gondolas through its network of canals and artificial islands created centuries ago by the area's indigenous peoples.
On weekends in particular, couples, families and groups of friends come to eat, drink and dance to the sound of mariachi music.
The reserve is home to endemic species including the critically endangered axolotl, a salamander-like amphibian.
Cleaning up the waste left by visitors is a constant battle for Menchaca, who offers tours during which he recounts the history of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
He likes nothing more than to see children copy him by collecting waste.
"Xochimilco is visited by around 6,000 people on weekends. Unfortunately, these people don't take care of the place," he says.
Conservationists also worry about the impact of development encroaching on the area, which is listed as a Wetlands of International Importance under an intergovernmental conservation treaty.
- 'If we do nothing' -
Menchaca curses when sees boats equipped with outboard motors.
"The canals are not very deep, barely half a meter," he says.
"A boat with an engine that carries up to 40 people causes noise and pollutes the wetlands with oil and gasoline."
At midday, Menchaca returns to the pier from which he set off through a vast canal with a breathtaking view of Mount Ajusco, which rises to some 3,900 meters within the city limits.
His kayak is overflowing with garbage.
On the way he greets a man shoveling mud from the canal to use as a natural fertilizer.
"The people at the pier should pick up all the garbage and not Don Omar," says the 69-year-old, Noe Coquis Salcedo.
Back on dry land, Menchaca deposes of the debris in a dumpster near the parking lot.
He believes his efforts make a small difference helping to preserve the place for future generations, in addition to the work of the city authorities who say they are "constantly" maintaining the canals.
"The canals are paths," says Menchaca, enjoying a beer and enchilada in the January sunshine after his hours of physical exercise.
"That's why when I see this garbage, I try to collect it so that whoever passes afterward can enjoy a clean path," he adds.
Nearby young people in swimsuits dive from the top of a gondola moored at the pier.
"If we do nothing for our planet there will come a time when..." Menchaca says before pausing, his hands outstretched like a gesture of helplessness.
"There won't be much left for us to enjoy," he concludes.
D.Sawyer--AMWN