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  Cape Town (AFP) Feb 20, 2018 Residents of drought-stricken Cape Town received good news Tuesday when city officials said they now face losing piped water to their homes by July 9 - a month later than last forecast. But Capetonians are not yet out of the woods. If drastic consumption reductions are not achieved by so-called "Day Zero" - the last day of normal water supply - people will have to queue at 200 standpipes for daily rations of 25 litres (6.6 US gallons). The city, which attracts millions of tourists every year, ... read more |
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Pesticide traces in three-quarters of French fruit: reportParis (AFP) Feb 20, 2018 Almost three- quarters of fruit and more than two-fifths of non-organic vegetables contain traces of pesticide in France, with grapes and celery the most affected, a report said Tuesday. ... more  
Indonesians arrested for shooting an orangutan some 130 timesJakarta (AFP) Feb 19, 2018 Four Indonesian men have been arrested over the killing of an orangutan shot some 130 times with an air rifle, police said Monday, in the latest fatal attack on a critically endangered species. ... more 
France to let wolf packs grow despite angry farmersParis (AFP) Feb 19, 2018 The French government announced Monday it will allow the wolf population to grow 40 percent despite pressure from farmers in mountain regions who are worried about their sheep flocks. ... more 
Giant London glasshouse to reopen with world's rarest plantsLondon (AFP) Feb 14, 2018 A gleaming monument to the ambition and creativity of its age, the world's largest Victorian glasshouse will once again welcome visitors to see some of the world's rarest plants following a lengthy facelift. ... more |
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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 Fierce mountain storms kill 9 in Nepal Indonesia rescuers search for 23 missing after floods Nepal avalanche kills seven |
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| Previous Issues | Feb 20 | Feb 19 | Feb 16 | Feb 15 | Feb 14 |
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Rapid decompression key to making low-density liquid waterWashington DC (SPX) Feb 15, 2018 Water makes up more than 70 percent of our planet and up to 60 percent of our bodies. Water is so common that we take it for granted. Yet water also has very strange properties compared to most othe ... more 
Tiny membrane key to safe drinking waterCanberra, Australia (SPX) Feb 15, 2018 Sydney's iconic harbour has played a starring role in the development of new CSIRO technology that could save lives around the world. Using their own specially designed form of graphene, 'Grap ... more 
Drought forces Mozambique capital to ration waterMaputo (AFP) Feb 14, 2018 Mozambique authorities on Wednesday introduced water rationing to more than a million residents in the capital Maputo due to a severe drought. ... more 
New model for evaluating rangeland systems launchesFort Collins CO (SPX) Feb 15, 2018 Rangelands are the dominant land type across the planet and millions of people rely on the natural goods and services and food security the lands provide. A recently released model, G-Range, allows ... more 
App delivery boom shakes up China food sectorShanghai (AFP) Feb 14, 2018 Guo Bonan has opened several new branches of his "8Peppers" spicy Sichuan-style restaurants across Shanghai since last year, and not one has a dining room. ... more |
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 A lightning-based approach to immediate short-duration rainfall predictions 
For global water crisis, climate may be the last strawParis (AFP) Feb 13, 2018 Before man-made climate change kicked in - and well before "Day Zero" in Cape Town, where taps may run dry in early May - the global water crisis was upon us. ... more  |
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Worsening Ethiopian drought threatens to end nomadic lifestyleDabafayed, Ethiopia (AFP) Feb 13, 2018 Down a sandy track past a desiccated animal carcass lies a cluster of half-built huts that Ethiopia's government and aid agencies hope will blunt the worsening toll of repeated droughts. ... more 
S.Africa declares drought a 'national disaster'Cape Town (AFP) Feb 13, 2018 South Africa on Tuesday declared a "national disaster" over a drought that has ravaged parts of the country and threatened to leave homes in Cape Town without running water. ... more 
Aerial imagery gives insight into water trendsLogan UT (SPX) Feb 12, 2018 With an ever-growing human population and its inherent demand for water, there is a critical need to monitor water resources. New technology could make it more feasible than ever to measure changes ... more 
Water: Why the taps run dryParis (AFP) Feb 13, 2018 The world has abundant freshwater but it is unevenly distributed and under increasing pressure, UN agencies say, as highlighted by the severe shortages in Cape Town. ... more 
Bordeaux's 'magnificent' lost vintage pushes small growers to the edgeBarsac, France (AFP) Feb 10, 2018 Surveying a nearly empty cellar, Frederic Nivelle of Bordeaux's prestigious Chateau Climens, reflects on what might have been an outstanding year for the sweet white Sauternes wine. ... more |
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 Princeton NJ (SPX) Feb 16, 2018 
Climatologists are often asked, "Is climate change making hurricanes stronger?" but they can't give a definitive answer because the global hurricane record only goes back to the dawn of the satellite era. But now, an intersection of disciplines - seismology, atmospheric sciences, and oceanography - offers an untapped data source: the continuous seismic record, which dates back to the early 20th ... more |
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 Moscow (Sputnik) Feb 12, 2018 
The Pentagon and Israel's Defense Ministry have launched 'Urban Navigation Challenge', a startup competition to create advanced 'counter-terror' navigation systems which don't use GPS. The project makes no mention of officially designated US "rivals" like Russia or China, but according to Russian experts, it would make no difference even if it did.
The project, officially dubbed the Combat ... more |
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 Luxembourg (AFP) Feb 20, 2018 
Poland's rightwing government breached EU law by allowing logging in one of Europe's last primeval forests, the legal advisor to the bloc's top court said Tuesday, setting up a new clash between Brussels and Warsaw.
Logging in the Bialowieza Forest began in May 2016 but the European Commission took Poland to court last year arguing that it was destroying a forest that boasts unique plant and ... more |
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 York UK (SPX) Feb 20, 2018 
An international team of researchers, including scientists from the University of York, has discovered a set of enzymes found in fungi that are capable of breaking down one of the main components of wood. The enzymes could now potentially be used to sustainably convert wood biomass into valuable chemical commodities such as biofuels.
As an alternative to coal and oil, wood is increasingly ... more |
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 Aiken, SC (SPX) Feb 20, 2018 
United Sun Systems and the CEO Lars Jacobsson has signed an exclusive license agreement on a high-temperature, metal hydride-based thermal energy storage technology for concentrating solar power, with Savannah River National Laboratory.
The technology is based on metal hydride materials that efficiently store thermal energy in the form of chemical bonds and then release that energy when th ... more |
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 Washington (UPI) Feb 15, 2018 
Put to the test with high winds and strong seas, Norway's Statoil said a floating wind farm in Scottish waters shows promise for deepwater installations.
During its first three months in service, the company's Hywind Scotland floating wind farm, the first of its kind, was put to the test and performed better than expected. Hurricane Ophelia in October pummeled the wind farm with 80 mile ... more |
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 Washington (UPI) Feb 20, 2018 
Coal will no longer be used as an energy source for Michigan residents as more renewables come on stream in the decades ahead, a utility company said.
Public utility company Consumers Energy, which provides gas and electricity to about 60 percent of the state population, said it would no longer be using coal as a power source by 2040. By then, the company said it expects more than 40 pe ... more |
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 Beijing (AFP) Feb 20, 2018 
The theft of a thumb of an ancient Terracotta Warrior statue on display in the US incited a wave of criticism on Chinese social media Tuesday, following China's calls to "severely punish" the thief.
Michael Rohana, 24, has been arrested over the theft during an after hours "ugly sweater party" just before Christmas at the Franklin Institute in Pennsylvania where 10 of the figures are on disp ... more |
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 Washington (AFP) Feb 18, 2018 
Artificial intelligence and its impact on weapons of the future has made US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis doubt his own theories on warfare.
A question on the subject prompted the retired Marine general to give an impromptu seminar on his theory of war Saturday to reporters returning with him from a week-long tour of Europe.
Recalling his own writings, he differentiated between the essent ... more |
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 Miami (AFP) Feb 13, 2018 
Chemicals used in food wrappers, non-stick pan coatings and clothing may boost body weight by interfering with metabolism, especially in women, US researchers said Tuesday.
These chemicals - known as perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) - have previously been linked with cancer, hormone disruption, immune dysfunction, high cholesterol, and obesity.
"Now, for the first time, our findings h ... more |
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 Pekanbaru, Indonesia (AFP) Feb 21, 2018 
Indonesia was battling a rash of forest fires Wednesday as it raised an alert over the blazes which occur every year and emit choking smog that can envelop neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia.
Fires have broken out in four provinces - South Sumatra, Riau, West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan - prompting them to declare "alert emergency" status, one notch below the most severe warning. ... more |
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 Paris (AFP) Feb 20, 2018 
How quickly humanity draws down the greenhouse gases driving global warming will determine whether sea levels rise half-a-metre or six times that, even if Paris climate pact goals are fully met, researchers reported Tuesday in a study.
"The trajectory of emissions in the next few decades will shape our coastlines in the centuries to come," lead author Matthias Mengel, a scientist at the Pots ... more |
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 Edinburgh UK (SPX) Feb 13, 2018 
Lightning may strike less often in future across the globe as the planet warms, a scientific study suggests.
The research forecasts a 15 per cent drop in the average number of lightning flashes worldwide by the turn of this century, if global temperatures are in the top range of forecasts.
A drop in the incidence of lightning strikes could impact on the frequency of wildfires, especi ... more |
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 Washington (AFP) Feb 16, 2018  The US Commerce Department on Friday recommended imposing heavy tariffs on China, Russia and other countries to counter a global glut in steel and aluminum which it says threatens national security.
The move gives President Donald Trump the opportunity to strike a highly public blow for his "America first" trade policy, but raises the prospect of retaliation from countries targeted and was s ... more |
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 Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 21, 2018 
Sometimes on a dark night near the poles, the sky pulses a diffuse glow of green, purple and red. Unlike the long, shimmering veils of typical auroral displays, these pulsating auroras are much dimmer and less common. While scientists have long known auroras to be associated with solar activity, the precise mechanism of pulsating auroras was unknown.
Now, new research, using data from NASA ... more |
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 Washington (UPI) Feb 20, 2018  Scientists have designed a new model to identify which organisms are capable of consuming other cells through a process called phagocytosis.
The research, detailed this week in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, could help scientists more accurately simulate the evolution of early complex lifeforms.
The earliest life forms on Earth were made up of prokaryotes, simple, sing ... more |
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