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Vulnerable fear Cape Town's water shut-off![]() Cape Town (AFP) Feb 8, 2018 At Cape Town's Nazareth House, a care home for dozens of vulnerable, disabled and orphaned children, feeding time is executed with military precision. The youngsters who depend on the Catholic charity's care are fed according to strict instructions on a whiteboard that shows each child's name and how much water they need. "We make so many bottles a day - this is such a big place. And before you go to each child, you need to wash your hands," care assistant Carmilla Slamdien told AFP as she desc ... read more |
Chemists develop a simple, easy-to-use method to break down pollutants in waterHalle-Wittenberg, Germany (SPX) Feb 08, 2018 Chemists from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have found out how stubborn pollutants in water can be disintegrated easily and cost-effectively. To do so researchers only need a green ... more
Lab experiment yields evidence of superionic iceWashington (UPI) Feb 6, 2018 Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have found experimental evidence of superionic ice - a first. ... more
'Monster fatberg' goes on public display in LondonLondon (AFP) Feb 8, 2018 History enthusiasts with strong stomachs can now come face-to-face with part of the 130-tonne "monster fatberg" found last year clogging a Victorian-era sewer, in a new London exhibit. ... more
Amazon unveils grocery delivery via Whole Foods chainWashington (AFP) Feb 8, 2018 US online giant Amazon on Thursday unveiled plans to launch grocery delivery to a number of US cities for its Prime subscriber using its recently acquired Whole Foods supermarket chain. ... more |
Typhoon death toll soars past 90 in the Philippines
Typhoon death toll climbs to 66 in the Philippines CORRECTED: Typhoon Kalmaegi kills 66 in Philippines: civil defence office Reeling from earthquakes, Afghans fear coming winter Typhoon flooding kills over 40, strands thousands in central Philippines Indonesia floods kill 15 Afghan govt says quake death toll rises to 27 Fierce mountain storms kill nine in Nepal Typhoon flooding kills 26, strands thousands in central Philippines Vietnam flood death toll hits 40 as Typhoon Kalmaegi looms |
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| Previous Issues | Feb 08 | Feb 07 | Feb 06 | Feb 05 | Feb 03 |
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Nigeria to send troops to restive central states: armyAbuja (AFP) Feb 7, 2018 Nigeria's army on Wednesday said it would send troops into the country's volatile central states to quell violence between farmers and herders that has killed hundreds in recent weeks. ... more
Farm sunshine, not cancer: Replacing tobacco fields with solar arraysHoughton MI (SPX) Feb 08, 2018 Although tobacco use is the leading cause of avoidable death globally, farming tobacco continues to provide the primary source of income to many farmers. But two Michigan Technological University re ... more
UTIA research examines long-term economic impact of cover cropsKnoxville TN (SPX) Feb 06, 2018 It isn't often that researchers have the luxury to examine data from a long-term research project. While most research projects last from three to five years, scientists with the University of Tenne ... more
New Year canines stashed away in Muslim MalaysiaKuala Lumpur (AFP) Jan 26, 2018 As the Year of the Dog approaches, some shops run by the Chinese diaspora in Malaysia are keeping canine figurines hidden inside to avoid causing offence in the Muslim-majority country. ... more
More rice, please: 13 rice genomes reveal ways to keep up with ever-growing populationCold Spring Harbor, NY (SPX) Feb 05, 2018 Billions of people around the world rely on rice as a mainstay of their diet. The grain provides about 20 percent of the calories consumed by humans worldwide. Rice production is critical for global ... more |
![]() Cape Town now faces dry taps by May 11
Tiny Michigan town in water fight with NestleOsceola Township , United States (AFP) Feb 4, 2018 Global food conglomerate Nestle is in a battle with critics in tiny Osceola Township, Michigan where residents complain the Swiss company's water extraction techniques are ruining the environment. ... more |
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Australia toughens foreign investment rules amid China concernsSydney (AFP) Feb 1, 2018 Australia announced tougher restrictions on foreign buyers of agricultural land and electricity infrastructure on Thursday amid fears over rising Chinese influence. ... more
World Bank funds fight against Baghdad water woesBaghdad (AFP) Feb 1, 2018 The Iraqi capital's decrepit water network will be overhauled under a $210 million World Bank project aimed at tackling chronic supply shortages and outbreaks of disease. ... more
EU seeks to give millions better access to drinking waterBrussels (AFP) Feb 1, 2018 The European Union proposed Thursday giving millions of people in the 28-nation bloc better access to safe tap water and reduce water consumption via wasteful plastic bottles. ... more
Vines from Napa, Bordeaux tough against heat, droughtWashington (AFP) Feb 1, 2018 Worry not, wine drinkers. Some of the world's most popular wines, grown in California's Napa Valley and the Bordeaux region of France, are more resistant to drought than previously believed, researchers have concluded. ... more
Dutch farmers protest fracking as govt set to cut gas outputThe Hague (AFP) Feb 1, 2018 The Dutch government Thursday appeared poised to meet demands to halve production at Europe's biggest gas field, as dozens of farmers mounted tractors to protest damaging earthquakes in the region. ... more |
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Ozone at lower latitudes not recovering, despite ozone hole healing London, UK (SPX) Feb 08, 2018
The ozone layer - which protects us from harmful ultraviolet radiation - is recovering at the poles, but unexpected decreases in part of the atmosphere may be preventing recovery at lower latitudes.
Global ozone has been declining since the 1970s owing to certain man-made chemicals. Since these were banned, parts of the layer have been recovering, particularly at the poles.
However, ... more |
Europe claims 100 million users for Galileo satnav system Paris (AFP) Feb 06, 2018
The Galileo satellite navigation system, Europe's rival to the United States' GPS, has nearly 100 million users after its first year of operation, the French space agency CNES said Thursday.
The system, seen as strategically important to Europe, went live in December 2016, having taken 17 years at more than triple the original budget to get there.
Initial services offered only a weak sig ... more |
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Increased UV from ozone depletion sterilizes trees Berkeley CA (SPX) Feb 08, 2018 Pine trees become temporarily sterile when exposed to ultraviolet radiation as intense as some scientists believe the Earth experienced 252 million years ago during the planet's largest mass extinction, lending support to the theory that ozone depletion contributed to the crisis.
The effect of high UV on conifers and potentially other trees also suggests caution today in introducing chemic ... more |
Calculating the CO2 emissions of biofuels is not enough Lausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Feb 05, 2018
"In my study, I wanted to show that calculating the greenhouse gas emissions of biofuels tells just half of the story. What we really need to do is quantify the emissions of each product coming out of biorefineries," says Edgard Gnansounou, professor at EPFL and head of the school's Bioenergy and Energy Planning Research Group. To that end, Gnansounou has developed a sophisticated computer model ... more |
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NREL scientists demonstrate remarkable stability in perovskite solar cells Golden CO (SPX) Feb 08, 2018 Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) created an environmentally stable, high-efficiency perovskite solar cell, bringing the emerging technology a step closer to commercial deployment.
Over the past decade, perovskites have rapidly evolved into a promising technology, now with the ability to convert about 23 percent of sunlight into elec ... more |
Ireland pushing for greener economy Washington (UPI) Jan 31, 2018
The Irish government, despite what happens for Great Britain, is committed to the European Union's energy and renewable policies, the environment minister said.
"Ireland is now a world leader in integrating renewables onto the electricity grid," Irish Environment Minister Denis Naughten said in comments emailed Wednesday from a renewable energy conference in Dublin. "Whatever the final ... more |
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Australia won't fund mega Adani mine rail link Sydney (AFP) Feb 4, 2018
Embattled Indian miner Adani's plans for a massive coal project in Australia has been dealt another blow after the government confirmed Sunday it would not fund a rail link to the facility.
The development of the controversial US$16 billion Carmichael mine near the Great Barrier Reef is set to be one of the world's largest. But it has been delayed by several years amid regulatory and legal h ... more |
China says Swedish publisher held under criminal law Beijing (AFP) Feb 6, 2018 China acknowledged Tuesday that Swedish book publisher Gui Minhai was in custody under criminal law, brushing aside Stockholm's protests after he was seized under the eyes of Swedish diplomats last month.
Gui, 53, was arrested on a train to Beijing just over two weeks ago while being assisted by two Swedish diplomats - the second time he has disappeared in murky circumstances into Chinese c ... more |
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Army researchers develop new algorithms to train robots Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD (SPX) Feb 08, 2018 Researchers at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the University of Texas at Austin have developed new techniques for robots or computer programs to learn how to perform tasks by interacting with a human instructor. The findings of the study will be presented and published at the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, Feb. 2-7.
A ... more |
Siberian smog monitors battle for clean air Moscow (AFP) Feb 9, 2018
Weary of local officials dismissing the deadly smog that covers their city, citizens of Siberia's industrial hub Krasnoyarsk decided to take action and monitor air quality themselves.
But they quickly came up against those same authorities in the remote region 4,200 kilometres (2,600 miles) east of Moscow.
Krasnoyarsk boasts dozens of factories as well as one of the world's biggest alum ... more |
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NASA Covers Wildfires from Many Sources Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jan 25, 2018
NASA's satellite instruments are often the first to detect wildfires burning in remote regions, and the locations of new fires are sent directly to land managers worldwide within hours of the satellite overpass. Together, NASA instruments, including a number built and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, detect actively burning fires, track the transport of smoke ... more |
WSU researchers build alien ocean to test NASA outer space submarine Pullman WA (SPX) Feb 08, 2018
Building a submarine gets tricky when the temperature drops to -300 Fahrenheit and the ocean is made of methane and ethane.
Washington State University researchers are working with NASA to determine how a submarine might work on Titan, the largest of Saturn's many moons and the second largest in the solar system. The space agency plans to launch a real submarine into Titan seas in the next ... more |
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Reflective surfaces alleviate heatwaves Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Feb 01, 2018
Climate change will make heatwaves more common, and continental areas and urban regions that become significantly warmer in summer will be particularly affected. Together with colleagues from Australia and the US, ETH researchers have now detailed a practical approach that combines clever land use and urban radiation management to help cool extreme summer temperatures locally. Their study has ju ... more |
China 'worried' over US trade relations as surplus narrows Beijing (AFP) Feb 8, 2018 China expressed concern on Thursday over the US ramping up trade investigations as official data showed its surplus with America narrowed in January after reaching record levels last year.
This week China announced an investigation into imports of a US agricultural product after President Donald Trump's administration launched a spate of new trade tariffs and probes into Chinese goods. ... more |
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What's behind the most brilliant lights in the sky Madison WI (SPX) Feb 01, 2018
Space physicists at University of Wisconsin-Madison have just released unprecedented detail on a bizarre phenomenon that powers the northern lights, solar flares and coronal mass ejections (the biggest explosions in our solar system). The data on so-called "magnetic reconnection" came from a quartet of new spacecraft that measure radiation and magnetic fields in high Earth orbit.
"We're lo ... more |
Red pandas rescued in Laos stir fears over exotic pet trade Bangkok (AFP) Feb 7, 2018
The rescue in Laos of three endangered red pandas trafficked from China has raised fears the rare animals are increasingly being coveted by exotic pet owners.
Landlocked Laos, which borders China and Vietnam, is a key transit hub in the global trade in illegal wildlife, but experts say the discovery of red pandas there is virtually unheard of.
Six of the cat-sized bears were found on Jan ... more |
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