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Safeguarding our most precious resource: water![]() Paris (ESA) Mar 23, 2018 According to this year's Global Risk Report by the World Economic Forum, water crises are one of the five biggest risks to society. ESA is working with development banks to help water-resource authorities use information from satellites to manage this precious resource. With water under pressure from over-exploitation and pollution, one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals is to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. While progress is being mad ... read more  | 
 
Low-tech, affordable solutions to improve water qualityHoughton MI (SPX) Mar 23, 2018 Most of us are used to turning on a tap and water coming out. We rarely question whether this will happen or whether the water is clean enough to bathe in or drink. Though the process of maintaining ... more  
French food fest wants to whet the world's appetiteParis (AFP) March 21, 2018 Truffled frogs legs with spiced raisins, and apple and pear tart with prune and Armagnac ice cream... French chefs were setting out Wednesday to make mouths water in a global celebration of the country's cuisine. ... more  
UN and EU say food insecurity worsens as conflicts rageParis (AFP) March 22, 2018 The food security of around 124 million people worldwide was under acute threat at the end of last year, mostly because of worsening conflicts and drought, the UN and EU said Thursday. ... more  
Indonesia women face daily swim for clean waterMakassar, Indonesia (AFP) March 22, 2018 Indonesian villager Mama Hasria swims upstream with about 200 empty jerry cans tied to her back, a daily trip she and other local women make to get clean water for their community on Sulawesi island. ... more  | 
 
Jamaicans mobilize aid in aftermath of Melissa's wreckage 
Spain regional leader resigns, a year after deadly floods French warship delivers 40 tonnes of aid to hurricane-hit Jamaica Three killed, four missing in Nepal avalanche Tens of thousands shelter as typhoon slams into Philippines Thousands evacuated as typhoon bears down on Philippines CORRECTED: Thousands evacuated as typhoon bears down on Philippines Afghan govt says quake kills 20, injures over 500 Third quake in three months rattles Turkey's Sindirgi Spain regional leader resigns, year after deadly floods  | 
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| Previous Issues | Mar 24 | Mar 23 | Mar 22 | Mar 21 | Mar 20 | 
 
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NZ dairy giant Fonterra posts loss on China writedown, CEO to goWellington (AFP) March 20, 2018 New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra slumped to a first-half loss Wednesday after massive write-downs on its China business, and announced long-time chief executive Theo Spierings' departure. ... more  
Algorithm could streamline harvesting of hand-picked cropsChicago IL (SPX) Mar 21, 2018 Farmers are the latest beneficiaries in a world of data analytics. Over the past few years, precision agriculture has been helping farmers make smarter decisions and producing a bigger yield. But mo ... more  
Agriculture must make water use go further: expertsBrasilia (AFP) March 20, 2018 In a world where water risks running short for many, the especially thirsty agricultural industry must learn how to manage the vital resource better, experts said Tuesday. ... more  
Dead Sea's revival with Red Sea canal edges closer to realityGhor Al-Haditha, Jordan (AFP) March 18, 2018 Israel and Jordan have long pursued a common goal to stop the Dead Sea from shrinking while slaking their shared thirst for drinking water with a pipeline from the Red Sea some 200 kilometres away. ... more  
US Supreme Court gives go ahead to Flint water lawsuitsWashington (AFP) March 19, 2018 The US Supreme Court on Monday gave the go ahead to two class-action lawsuits filed by residents of Flint, Michigan in response to a lead-contaminated water crisis. ... more  | 
![]() Dead tress across Mongolian lava field offer clues to past droughts  
Background radiation in UAE's agricultural topsoil found to be lower than global averageWashington DC (SPX) Mar 19, 2018 A team of researchers in the United Arab Emirates have revealed the presence of a significantly lower level of background radiation present in the nation's agricultural topsoil in comparison to the ... more  | 
 
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India's Silicon Valley faces man-made water crisisBangalore, India (AFP) March 17, 2018 Every day more than 1,000 water tankers rumble past Nagraj's small plywood store in Bangalore, throwing up clouds of dust as they rush their valuable cargo to homes and offices in India's drought-stricken tech hub. ... more  
World needs 'greener' water policies as demand rises: UNParis (AFP) March 19, 2018 Governments should focus on "greener" policies to improve the supply and quality of water as climate change and a growing global population threaten the water security of billions, the United Nations said on Monday. ... more  
World water forum opens after dire UN warningBrasilia (AFP) March 19, 2018 The world must race to avert disastrous loss of water supplies, Brazil's President Michel Temer told a conference Monday, after the UN said some 5.7 billion people may run short of drinking water by 2050. ... more  
Harnessing the power of soil microbes for more sustainable farmingBerkeley CA (SPX) Mar 16, 2018 There's a farm in Arkansas growing soybeans, corn, and rice that is aiming to be the most scientifically advanced farm in the world. Soil samples are run through powerful machines to have their micr ... more  
Top bottled water brands contaminated with plastic particles: reportMiami (AFP) March 15, 2018 The world's leading brands of bottled water are contaminated with tiny plastic particles that are likely seeping in during the packaging process, according to a major study across nine countries published Wednesday. ... more  | 
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Sentinel-3B launch preparations in full swing Plesetsk, Russia (ESA) Mar 26, 2018  
With the Sentinel-3B satellite now at the Plesetsk launch site in Russia and liftoff set for 25 April, engineers are steaming ahead with the task of getting Europe's next Copernicus satellite ready for its journey into orbit. 
After arriving at the launch site on 18 March, the satellite has been taken out of its transport container and is being set up for testing. 
Kristof Gantois, ESA ... more | 
Indra Expands With Four New Stations The Ground Segment Managing Galileo Satellites Madrid, Spain (SPX) Mar 15, 2018  
Indra has been awarded a contract for implementing four new Uplink Stations (ULS), thus expanding the ground segment of the European global positioning system, Galileo. Awarded by the company Thales Alenia Space (France), this contract also includes maintenance and upgrades for all Uplink stations. 
The new stations will join the ten uplink stations that Indra has already put into service a ... more | 
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Invasive beetle threatens Japan's famed cherry blossoms Tokyo (AFP) March 22, 2018  
 Across Japan's capital, delicate pink and white cherry blossoms are emerging, but the famed blooms are facing a potentially mortal enemy, experts say: an invasive foreign beetle. 
The alien invader is aromia bungii, otherwise known as the red-necked longhorn beetle, which is native to China, Taiwan, the Korean peninsula and northern Vietnam. 
The beetles live inside cherry and plum trees,  ... more | 
Wood pellets: Renewable, but not carbon neutral Millbrook, NY (SPX) Mar 26, 2018  
A return to firewood is bad for forests and the climate. So reports William Schlesinger, President Emeritus of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, in an Insights article published in the journal Science. 
In the race to meet clean energy standards, biomass energy is often touted as carbon neutral. To satisfy European Union (EU) demand, forests in the United States are turned into wood  ... more | 
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Wartsila delivers world's largest solar hybrid power plant Helsinki, Finland (SPX) Mar 26, 2018  
The technology group Wartsila has announced that it has delivered the world's largest solar hybrid power plant. Wartsila will provide a reliable and sustainable supply of round-the-clock energy which is essential in operating the off-grid gold mine and demonstrate the enormous potential of integrating renewables as the baseload electricity. 
Wartsila was selected by the global renewable ene ... more | 
BP sees onshore wind as the cheapest future source of electricity Washington (UPI) Mar 15, 2018  
 In a report on energy efficiency trends, British energy company BP said onshore wind could become the most economical source of electricity within 30 years. 
 A technology outlook for 2018 by the British supermajor finds coal is currently the largest source of global energy generation. There's enough on hand, the report read, to keep the grid satiated for more than a century based on curr ... more | 
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Michigan utility company to go zero coal 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 | 
China to reorganise propaganda efforts at home and abroad Beijing (AFP) March 21, 2018  
 China Wednesday announced a series of changes aimed at strengthening its global influence, including the creation of a centralised news service to better communicate the ruling Communist Party's message at home and abroad. 
The changes are part of a larger overhaul of government functions that will also see an increased role for the United Front Work Department, a shadowy organisation that ha ... more | 
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How accurate is your AI Kyoto, Japan (SPX) Mar 23, 2018  
As AI's role in society continues to expand, J B Brown of the Graduate School of Medicine reports on a new evaluation method for the type of AI that predicts yes/positive/true or no/negative/false answers. 
Brown's paper, published in Molecular Informatics, deconstructs the utilization of AI and analyzes the nature of the statistics used to report an AI program's ability. The new technique  ... more | 
Researchers create new low-cost, sustainable material for reducing air and water pollution Washington DC (SPX) Mar 23, 2018  
A new class of low-cost and sustainable hybrid materials could possibly displace activated carbon as the preferred choice for reducing wastewater and air pollution. The material, described in Frontiers in Chemistry, is synthesized inexpensively from solid wastes and a naturally abundant polymer - and can cut down pollutants in air and wastewater with more success than activated carbon, the curre ... more | 
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Residents get first look at town devastated by Australia bushfire Sydney (AFP) March 20, 2018   Residents got their first look Tuesday at the devastation wrought by a bushfire that ravaged a town in Australia, but fears over asbestos and unstable structures mean even those with houses still standing cannot move back. 
Sixty-nine homes were incinerated in Tathra on the south coast of New South Wales, and another 39 damaged, after a blaze fanned by gusty winds and hot, dry conditions swep ... more | 
Revolutionary new filter can improve drinking water quality Sydney, Australia (SPX) Mar 23, 2018  
Scientists have developed a world-first, graphene-based, laboratory-scale filter that can remove more than 99% of the ubiquitous natural organic matter left behind during conventional treatment of drinking water. 
In a research collaboration with Sydney Water, the team has demonstrated the success of the approach in laboratory tests on filtered water from the Nepean Water Filtration Plant i ... more | 
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World sees rapid upsurge in extreme weather: report Paris (AFP) March 21, 2018  
 A world addled by climate change has seen a four-fold increase in major flooding events since 1980, and a doubling of significant storms, droughts and heat waves, Europe's national science academies jointly reported Wednesday. 
In Europe, where precise data reaches back decades, the number of severe floods has jumped five fold since 1995, according to the report, which updates a 2013 assessme ... more | 
US launches WTO challenge against China Washington (AFP) March 23, 2018   The United States launched Friday a challenge at the World Trade Organization against China over intellectual property breaches, a statement said. 
"The United States is taking action at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to address China's unfair technology practices that run counter to WTO rules," the statement from the US Trade Representative's office said. 
US President Donald Trump on ... more | 
 
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New 3-D measurements improve understanding of geomagnetic storm hazards Washington DC (SPX) Mar 14, 2018  
Measurements of the three-dimensional structure of the earth, as opposed to the one-dimensional models typically used, can help scientists more accurately determine which areas of the United States are most vulnerable to blackouts during hazardous geomagnetic storms. 
Space weather events such as geomagnetic storms can disturb the earth's magnetic field, interfering with electric power grid ... more | 
Biodiversity 101: Are Earth's wild megafauna doomed? Paris (AFP) March 22, 2018   Pop quiz: How many species of big, land-dwelling animals are there in the world? 
Count all the different kinds of big cats, bears, wolves, wild dogs and other carnivores weighing at least 15 kilos. Add large herbivores - 100 kilos or more - such as bison, zebra and deer, along with rhinos, elephants, large apes, giraffes, hippos, wild pigs, tapirs...  
What's the final tally? 
The an ... more | 
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