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  Mumbai (AFP) Feb 23, 2017 A fitting tribute to a local legend or a grotesque misuse of money? The decision to build the world's tallest statue just off Mumbai's coast has divided the city. But the traditional Koli community, who depend on fishing for their livelihoods, fear they will be worst hit by the construction, warning that it threatens their centuries-old existence. India will spend 36 billion rupees ($530 million) on the controversial memorial to 17th century Hindu warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji. Prime Ministe ... read more |
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Bee decline threatens US crop productionBurlington VT (SPX) Feb 22, 2017 The first-ever study to map U.S. wild bees suggests they are disappearing in the country's most important farmlands - from California's Central Valley to the Midwest's corn belt and the Mississippi ... more  
Brazil's poorest region suffers worst drought in a centuryQuixeramobim, Brazil (AFP) Feb 21, 2017 A cow's skull lies baking in the sun and nearby another dead cow rots, symbols of the desolation gripping northeastern Brazil during its worst drought in a century. ... more 
New idea to fight billion-dollar threat to soybean productionColumbia MO (SPX) Feb 14, 2017 Invisible to the naked eye, cyst nematodes are a major threat to agriculture, causing billions of dollars in global crop losses every year. A group of plant scientists, led by University of Missouri ... more 
90 percent of fish used for fishmeal are prime fishVancouver, Canada (SPX) Feb 17, 2017 Every year for the past 60 years, an average of 20 million tonnes of fish caught in the global ocean have not been used to nourish people. A new study emerging from the Sea Around Us project at the ... more |
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Scrutiny over Texas flood response mounts as death toll hits 120
Belgium warned over 'tsunami' of packages from China Scrutiny over Texas flood response mounts as death toll tops 120 Fears grow that Texas floods death toll could surge Guatemala earthquakes leave four dead, houses damaged Deadly China-Nepal flood caused by glacial lake: experts Fears grow that Texas floods death toll could still surge Searching for Grandma Alicia after Texas floods Spain lifts lockdown for thousands as forest fire eases Flash floods kill three in New Mexico |
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Maize study finds genes that help crops adapt to changeIthaca NY (SPX) Feb 21, 2017 Over many thousands of years, farmers have bred maize varieties so the crops are optimally adapted to local environments. A new study, published in Nature Genetics, analyzed close to 4,500 maize var ... more 
Bioinvasion on the riseKonstanz, Germany (SPX) Feb 17, 2017 "It had remained unclear whether or not the accumulation of alien species has already reached a point of slow-down", says Dr Hanno Seebens from the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Cent ... more  
Cash-strapped Rio de Janeiro to privatize water utilityRio De Janeiro (AFP) Feb 20, 2017 Legislators for financially strapped Rio de Janeiro state voted Monday to approve privatization of the public water utility despite a strike by workers and threats of protests. ... more 
Small ponds have outsized impact on global warming: studyParis (AFP) Feb 20, 2017 Tiny natural ponds pose an overlooked danger for speeding up global warming, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change. ... more 
Snap beans hard to grow in cover crop residueUrbana IL (SPX) Feb 17, 2017 More no-till farmers are using cover crops to conserve soil and suppress weeds, but many vegetable producers are reluctant to get on board. That's because many small-seeded vegetable crops struggle ... more 
Fifth of world's food lost to over-eating and wasteEdinburgh, UK (SPX) Feb 22, 2017 Almost 20 per cent of the food made available to consumers is lost through over-eating or waste, a study suggests. The world population consumes around 10 per cent more food than it needs, while alm ... more |
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 Mongolia herders reel under dreaded 'dzud' weather 
Nicaragua focuses on climate-change resistant coffeeManagua (AFP) Feb 17, 2017 With climate change threatening crops in many parts of the world, Nicaragua is turning to a robust variety of coffee bean to protect one of its key exports. ... more 
Study rewrites the history of corn in corn countryChampaign IL (SPX) Feb 15, 2017 A new study contradicts decades of thought, research and teaching on the history of corn cultivation in the American Bottom, a floodplain of the Mississippi River in Illinois. The study refutes the ... more 
10 Italian execs found guilty over polluted water supplyRome (AFP) Feb 17, 2017 Ten former executives with Italian chemicals firm Montedison were found guilty Friday on appeal of allowing industrial waste to pollute the water supply of 700,000 people in the central eastern region of Pescara. ... more 
Using high-resolution satellites to measure African farm yieldsStanford CA (SPX) Feb 14, 2017 Stanford researchers have developed a new way to estimate crop yields from space, using high-res photos snapped by a new wave of compact satellites. The approach, detailed in the February 13 issue o ... more |
  Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 22, 2017 
Atmospheric river storms are hailed as drought-busters when they bring needed rain and snow, but they have a well-known dark side: damaging floods. A new NASA study documents a second destructive force in these storms: high winds.
The study shows that atmospheric rivers were associated with almost half of the most extreme mid-latitude windstorms globally for the past 20 years, doing billio ... more Ottobrunn, Germany (SPX) Feb 22, 2017Airbus to develop payload for first Franco-German Earth observation satellite  Paris (ESA) Feb 17, 2017Sentinel-2 teams prepare for space  Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 17, 2017Earth Science on the Space Station continues to grow |
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 Beijing (AFP) Feb 21, 2017  A prefecture in China's restive Xinjiang region has ordered all vehicles to be equipped with GPS-like tracking software, police and media reports said Tuesday, as authorities step up an "anti-terrorism" campaign.
All drivers in the Bayingol Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture must install a China-developed satellite navigation system called Beidou "to prevent theft, but also primarily to maintai ... more New Delhi (Sputnik) Feb 15, 2017GLONASS station in India to expedite 'space centric' warfare command  Canberra, Australia (SPX) Feb 14, 2017Australia and Lockheed field 2nd-Gen sat-based augmentation system  Moscow (Sputnik) Feb 14, 2017UK may lose access to EU Galileo GPS system after Brexit |
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 Syracuse, N.Y. (UPI) Feb 22, 2017 
Every year the forest gets farther away. According to researchers at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, between 1990 and 2000, the average distance between any point the United States and the nearest forest grew by a third of a mile - 14 percent.
Surprisingly, the survey - detailed in the journal PLOS ONE - showed rural forests and forests on public lands were mo ... more Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Feb 17, 2017Laissez-faire is not good enough for reforestation  Yangon (AFP) Feb 22, 2017Myanmar makes record seizures of illegal timber  Jena, Germany (SPX) Feb 17, 2017How much biomass grows in the savannah |
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 Edmonton, Alberta (UPI) Feb 10, 2017 
The provincial government of Alberta said it was creating new jobs by offering funding to support bioenergy and a low-carbon future.
The government said it was offering up to $45 million to support a bioenergy producer program aimed at deriving fuels from crops and livestock waste.
The industry already powers the equivalent of 200,000 average households in Alberta and contributes ... more Syracuse NY (SPX) Feb 01, 2017A better way to farm algae  Leiden, The Netherlands (SPX) Jan 31, 2017DuPont Industrial Biosciences to develop new high-efficiency biogas enzyme method  Hong Kong (AFP) Jan 31, 2017Cathay Pacific to cut emissions with switch to biofuel |
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 Toronto, Canada (SPX) Feb 17, 2017 
A U of T Engineering innovation could make printing solar cells as easy and inexpensive as printing a newspaper. Dr. Hairen Tan and his team have cleared a critical manufacturing hurdle in the development of a relatively new class of solar devices called perovskite solar cells. This alternative solar technology could lead to low-cost, printable solar panels capable of turning nearly any surface ... more Minneapolis MN (SPX) Feb 22, 2017Dream of energy-collecting windows is one step closer to reality  Washington (UPI) Feb 22, 2017U.S. renewables a job engine, trade groups say  Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Feb 21, 2017Trina Solar modules eligible for calls for tenders in France |
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 Newark DE (SPX) Feb 22, 2017 
Injecting large amounts of offshore wind power into the U.S. electrical grid is manageable, will cut electricity costs, and will reduce pollution compared to current fossil fuel sources, according to researchers from the University of Delaware and Princeton University who have completed a first-of-its-kind simulation with the electric power industry.
The researchers consulted with PJM Inte ... more Lansing, Mich. (UPI) Feb 16, 2017Michigan meets renewable energy targets  Stavanger, Norway (UPI) Feb 9, 2017British grid drawing power from new offshore wind farm  Milan, Italy (SPX) Jan 31, 2017Prysmian UK to supply land cable connections for East Anglia ONE offshore wind farm |
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 Beijing (AFP) Feb 18, 2017  China will suspend all imports of coal from North Korea for the rest of the year, Beijing said Saturday, depriving Pyongyang of a crucial source of foreign exchange following its latest missile test.
"(China) will temporarily stop its imports of coal from North Korea for the rest of this year (including coal for which customs applications have been made but not yet processed)," the commerce ... more Brussels (AFP) Feb 9, 2017EU must shut coal plants by 2030 to meet climate pledge: study  Canberra, Australia (UPI) Feb 7, 2017Do more to advance CCS, BHP Billiton says  Beijing (UPI) Feb 6, 2017Beijing's mayor vows step away from coal |
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 Hong Kong (AFP) Feb 22, 2017  More than 30,000 people gathered in Hong Kong Wednesday to show their support for seven police officers who were sentenced to two years in jail for beating up a pro-democracy activist in 2014, reports said.
Television news footage showed long queues leading up to the packed football pitch of the Police Sports and Recreational Club in Kowloon, with off-duty and retired members of the force ma ... more Beijing (AFP) Feb 22, 2017China jails safety boss who was sacked over huge blast  Shanghai (AFP) Feb 22, 2017China selfie-app leader seeks to 'beautify the world'  Hong Kong (AFP) Feb 22, 2017Film depicts crackdown on China labour advocates |
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 Lausanne, Switzerland (UPI) Feb 17, 2017 
Robotics engineers often find their inspiration from nature. For six-legged robots, a nature-inspired gait proved an impediment to maximum speed.
Researchers at the University of Lausanne and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, UNIL and EPFL, wanted to find out if there was a faster way for their insect-inspired robot to scurry.
Most insects walk with a tripod gait, keeping th ... more Chicago IL (SPX) Feb 14, 2017Now you can 'build your own' bio-bot  Washington (AFP) Feb 11, 2017How algorithms secretly run the world  Singapore (SPX) Feb 14, 2017Will androids dream of quantum sheep? |
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 Manila (AFP) Feb 23, 2017  After two decades as a yoga missionary, Philippine Environment Secretary Regina Lopez is unleashing her inner rage on the mining industry while aiming for Bhutan-style gross national happiness.
Lopez has in recent months moved global commodity markets with a campaign to close roughly two-thirds of the existing mines in the Philippines, which is the world's biggest supplier of nickel ore and ... more Hanoi (AFP) Feb 22, 2017Vietnam to punish officials over mass fish deaths  Ithaca NY (SPX) Feb 17, 2017Underwater seagrass beds dial back polluted seawater  Geneva (AFP) Feb 21, 2017Tiny plastic particles from clothing, tyres clogging oceans: report |
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 Sydney (AFP) Feb 13, 2017 
Australia was counting the cost to property and livestock Monday after firefighters battled weekend blazes in some of the hottest conditions on record.
At least 19 homes were destroyed in eastern Australia as emergency teams were sent out to assess the damage after a "catastrophic" weekend saw over 100 fire outbreaks, with 2,500 firefighters deployed and thousands more on standby.
About ... more Albany CA (SPX) Feb 07, 2017Vegetation resilient to salvage logging after severe wildfire  Hobart, Australia (SPX) Feb 07, 2017Research predicts extreme fires will increasingly be part of our global landscape  Santiago (AFP) Jan 29, 2017More than 40 detained in Chile for spreading forest fires |
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 Paris (AFP) Feb 20, 2017  Tiny natural ponds pose an overlooked danger for speeding up global warming, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change.
In experiments designed to simulate moderate future warming, scientists in Britain found that such ponds - a metre (three feet) across - gradually lose the capacity to soak up one kind of greenhouse gas and give off even more of another. ... more Rio De Janeiro (AFP) Feb 20, 2017Cash-strapped Rio de Janeiro to privatize water utility  Exeter, UK (SPX) Feb 22, 2017Basking sharks seek out winter sun  Paris (AFP) Feb 15, 2017Oceans have lost 2 percent of oxygen, says study |
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 Los Angeles (AFP) Feb 18, 2017 
A devastating storm billed by forecasters as the worst to hit California in years pounded the southern half of the state, wreaking devastation that claimed four lives, authorities said on Saturday.
The powerful storm blew in from the Pacific Ocean, hitting California on Friday with high winds and heavy rain that downed power lines, leaving 60,000 people in the Los Angeles area without power ... more Albuquerque (UPI) Feb 14, 2017Extreme heat threatens desert songbirds  University Park PA (SPX) Feb 08, 2017Broader updrafts in severe storms may increase chance of damaging hail  Los Angeles (AFP) Jan 24, 2017California state of emergency over storm damage |
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 Beijing (AFP) Feb 20, 2017 
Chinese banks lent more money in January alone than the annual GDP of South Africa, as borrowers rushed to take advantage of government policies intended to stimulate the economy with easy credit.
But the free-for-all has had unintended consequences, creating a tottering tower of unsustainable debt, with Beijing now trying to tighten monetary policy and reduce access to credit without bringi ... more London (AFP) Feb 21, 2017HSBC profits plunge as bank navigates political storms  Beijing (AFP) Feb 16, 2017China outbound investment plunges under new curbs  Washington (AFP) Feb 16, 2017Trump trade strategy 'doomed to failure:' US trade expert |
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 Paris (ESA) Feb 17, 2017 
Today, ground control in Belgium switched off a package that had been continuously watching the Sun from the International Space Station for nine years. 'Solar' has been measuring most of the radiation emitted by our closest star across the electromagnetic spectrum. Built to run for only 18 months, it was still working until today - exceeding all expectations.
Solar's observations are impr ... more Nagoya, Japan (SPX) Feb 08, 2017What happened to the sun over 7,000 years ago?  Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 03, 2017NASA Scientist Studies Whether Solar Storms Cause Animal Beachings  Palm Coast FL (SPX) Feb 08, 2017Friday Night's Deep Penumbral Lunar Eclipse |
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 Tokyo (AFP) Feb 21, 2017  A Japanese zoo has culled 57 native snow monkeys by lethal injection after finding that they carried genes of an "invasive alien species", officials said Tuesday.
The Takagoyama Nature Zoo in the city of Futtsu in Chiba prefecture east of Tokyo, housed 164 simians which it believed were all pure Japanese macaques.
But the operator and local officials discovered about one-third were cross ... more Washington (AFP) Feb 21, 2017Bye Bye, Bao Bao: Panda leaves Washington for China  Laramie WY (SPX) Feb 17, 2017Decline of grass threatens world's most endangered antelope  Lund, Sweden (SPX) Feb 22, 2017Those who help each other can invade harsher environments |
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