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Seven chateaux and counting: Chinese billionaire is big in Bordeaux![]() Saint-Laurent-Des-Combes, France (AFP) May 4, 2018 Over the past decade Chinese investors have conquered dozens of chateaux in Bordeaux, France's famed wine-growing region. Some left after seeing their investments wither on the vine, but Peter Kwok, who has no fewer than seven vineyards to his name, says he is here for the long haul. The 69-year-old Hong Kong-based billionaire has been in southwest France for the past 20 years, recently snapping up Chateau Bellefont-Belcier, a Saint-Emilion grand cru. Some in France's winemaking community ar ... read more |
Researchers levitate water droplets to improve contaminant detectionWashington DC (SPX) May 04, 2018 In a new study, researchers showed that using sound waves to levitate droplets of water in midair can improve the detection of harmful heavy metal contaminants such as lead and mercury in water. Det ... more
Seven chateaux and counting: Chinese billionaire is big in BordeauxSaint-Laurent-Des-Combes, France (AFP) May 4, 2018 Over the past decade Chinese investors have conquered dozens of chateaux in Bordeaux, France's famed wine-growing region. ... more
Engineered polymer membranes could be new option for water treatmentSouth Bend IN (SPX) May 07, 2018 The world's freshwater resources are in short supply. According to the United Nations, water scarcity affects an estimated 1.9 billion people and 2.1 billion people live with drinking water services ... more
Engineers upgrade ancient, sun-powered tech to purify waterBuffalo NY (SPX) May 04, 2018 The idea of using energy from the sun to evaporate and purify water is ancient. The Greek philosopher Aristotle reportedly described such a process more than 2,000 years ago. Now, researchers ... more |
Philippines digs out from Typhoon Fung-wong as death toll climbs
Philippines digs out from Typhoon Fung-wong as death toll climbs to 18 Three Vietnam men survive 40 hours at sea after typhoon Typhoon Fung-wong floods Philippine towns, leaves 5 dead in its wake Typhoon Fung-wong leaves flooded Philippine towns in its wake Typhoon exposes centuries-old shipwreck off Vietnam port Weakening Typhoon Fung-wong exits Philippines after displacing 1.4 million Super Typhoon Fung-wong makes landfall in Philippines Over 1 million evacuate as deadly Super Typhoon Fung-wong nears Philippines Dam reservoir levels drop below 3% in Iran's second city: media |
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| Previous Issues | May 08 | May 07 | May 04 | May 03 | May 02 |
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EU to ban bee-killing pesticidesBrussels (AFP) April 27, 2018 EU countries voted on Friday for a near-total ban on insecticides blamed for killing off bee populations, in what campaigners called a "beacon of hope" for the winged insects. ... more
As water crisis bites, Venezuela governor outraged over empty poolCaracas (AFP) April 26, 2018 The chronic water shortage in Venezuela which has left millions struggling to cope sparked fresh headlines this week after a state governor expressed outrage that his swimming pool was empty. ... more
After Cape Town, Ivory Coast city feels the thirstBouake, Ivory Coast (AFP) April 26, 2018 Earlier this year, Cape Town grabbed the world's headlines as it careened towards a water armageddon. ... more
In southern Iraq, drought tightens its gripSayyed Dakhil, Iraq (AFP) April 25, 2018 Abu Ali carefully crank-starts a generator to pump water from a well out into his parched field in southern Iraq. ... more
Mediterranean fears bitter future for citrus cropsParis (AFP) April 25, 2018 Could we soon be forced to do without a glass of orange juice or a slice of grapefruit at breakfast? The answer is unfortunately yes. ... more |
![]() South Africa wine production drying up in water crisis
Moss capable of removing arsenic from drinking water discoveredStockholm, Sweden (SPX) Apr 22, 2018 A moss capable of removing arsenic from contaminated water has been discovered by researchers from Stockholm University. And it happens quickly - in just one hour, the arsenic level is so low that t ... more |
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California to 'whiplash' between drought, floods: studyParis (AFP) April 23, 2018 California will zigzag between droughts and floods which will become more intense and more frequent in the coming decades unless global emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases are checked, researchers said Monday. ... more
Nuggets of contention: Chinese mine gold in CameroonLonga Mali, Cameroun (AFP) April 22, 2018 Killings, land grabs, corruption... tensions and violence are rising in eastern Cameroon as Chinese firms take advantage of a regulatory twilight zone to mine gold. ... more
How NASA and John Deere Helped Tractors Drive ThemselvesWashington DC (SPX) Apr 19, 2018 There has been a lot of talk lately of self-driving cars, but farmers have already been making good use of self-driving tractors for more than a decade-in part due to a partnership between John Deer ... more
UTA expands efforts to develop water recycling technologiesArlington TX (SPX) Apr 19, 2018 The Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation at The University of Texas at Arlington has expanded its partnership with oil field equipment supplier Challenger Water Solu ... more
US treaty with Native Americans put to test in Supreme Court salmon caseWashington (AFP) April 18, 2018 The US Supreme Court was transported to the American West and another century on Wednesday as it heard a case involving Native Americans and salmon fishing rights. ... more |
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CryoSat reveals retreat of Patagonian glaciers Paris (ESA) May 03, 2018 While ESA's CryoSat continues to provide clear insight into how much sea ice is being lost and how the Antarctic and Greenlandic ice sheets are changing, the mission has again surpassed its original scope by revealing exactly how mountain glaciers are also succumbing to change.
Glaciers all over the globe are retreating - and for the last 15 years, glacial ice has been the main cause of se ... more |
Satellite row tests UK's post-Brexit security plans London (AFP) May 10, 2018
Britain outlined its proposals Wednesday for close security cooperation with the EU after Brexit, but these risk being undermined by the bloc's refusal to share sensitive data on the Galileo satellite project.
Prime Minister Theresa May has called for a deep trade and security relationship with Brussels after Britain leaves the European Union in March 2019, and hopes to have a deal agreed ... more |
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May the Forest Be With You: GEDI Moves Toward Launch to Space Station Greenbelt MD (SPX) May 07, 2018
A first-of-its-kind laser instrument designed to map the world's forests in 3-D is moving toward an earlier launch to the International Space Station than previously expected.
The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation - or GEDI, pronounced like "Jedi," of Star Wars fame - instrument is undergoing final integration and testing this spring and summer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center i ... more |
Solar powered sea slugs shed light on search for perpetual green energy New Brunswick NJ (SPX) May 04, 2018 In an amazing achievement akin to adding solar panels to your body, a Northeast sea slug sucks raw materials from algae to provide its lifetime supply of solar-powered energy, according to a study by Rutgers University-New Brunswick and other scientists.
"It's a remarkable feat because it's highly unusual for an animal to behave like a plant and survive solely on photosynthesis," said Deba ... more |
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Asian markets have renewable energy edge Washington (UPI) May 8, 2018
Though more workers globally are on the payroll in the renewable energy sector, the industry is concentrated in Asia, an annual report found.
The International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that 60 percent of all renewable energy jobs are in the Asian economies. For the solar panel industry, China has about 60 percent of the payrolls, representing about 2.2 million employees. China ... more |
German utility E.ON sees renewable sector growth Washington (UPI) May 8, 2018
In a market transitioning in a low-carbon way, German utility E.ON said Tuesday that its renewable energy segment saw earnings rise 7 percent.
Adjusted net income for the first quarter was up 38 percent from the same period last year to $862 million. Its renewables division saw earnings increase by about 7 percent to $203 million.
Across the board, the utility company said it add ... more |
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Two Polish miners killed, three missing after quake Warsaw (AFP) May 6, 2018
Two miners were killed and rescuers were struggling to locate three others after an earthquake hit a coal mine in the country's south, the mine's management company said Sunday.
The rescue workers managed to pull two miners up to the surface on Sunday but doctors there pronounced them dead, Daniel Ozon, the CEO of the Jastrzebie Coal Company (JSW) managing the mine, told reporters.
One o ... more |
China will continue to 'hold high the great banner of Marxism', Xi says Beijing (AFP) May 4, 2018
Chinese president Xi Jinping pledged Friday his country will keep following Marxism, as the world's largest communist party prepares to mark the 200th birthday of Karl Marx.
China will continue to "hold high the great banner of Marxism" and the party will forever remain "guardians and practitioners" of the philosophy, Xi said during an official tribute at Beijing's Great Hall of the People. ... more |
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First robotic system plays tic tac toe to improve task performance New York NY (SPX) May 07, 2018
Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Beer-Sheva, Israel have demonstrated for the first time the feasibility of a robotic system that plays Tic Tac Toe with rehabilitation patients to improve real-life task performance.
The interdisciplinary research team designed a game with a robotic arm to simulate "3D Functional Activities of Daily Living" - actions people under ... more |
Kanpur leads WHO blacklist of cities with worst air pollution Lucknow, India (AFP) May 2, 2018
Residents of Kanpur reacted with dismay Wednesday after the Indian city was found to have the worst air quality in a global World Health Organization survey that urged the nation to clean up its act.
Fourteen Indian cities, led by the northern metropolis known for its leather and shoe industries, feature in the 15 cities with the dirtiest air in the WHO's global list.
The capital New Del ... more |
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Earlier humans used dried fungi as tinder for fires during the Neolithic period Washington (UPI) Apr 26, 2018
Some 7,300 years ago in what's now Spain, humans collected and dried fungi for use as tinder to start fires. It's the earliest evidence of technological use of fungi, according to researchers at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
Archaeologists discovered remains of the novel fire-starting material among the artifacts left behind by the people of la Draga, a Neolithic community loc ... more |
Australia hikes aid in Pacific as China pushes for influence Sydney (AFP) May 9, 2018
Australia is refocussing its foreign aid programmes in a move to win hearts and minds in the island nations of the Pacific, as an increasingly assertive China flexes its muscles in the region.
The country has pledged more than Aus$1.3 billion (US$970 million) - its largest ever aid commitment to the Pacific - to fund projects including an undersea communications cable to Papua New Guinea a ... more |
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At least 125 killed as storms batter India Agra, India (AFP) May 3, 2018
A huge dust storm and lightning strikes killed at least 125 people across India which braced Thursday for more wild weather.
Dust clouds plunged swathes of north India into darkness as choking winds of more than 130 kilometres (80 miles) per hour swept across the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab, flattening houses, walls, trees and power pylons.
At least 111 people were kill ... more |
US tells German businesses to stop trade in Iran 'immediately' Berlin (AFP) May 8, 2018 German businesses should immediately halt their operations in Iran following President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, the US ambassador to Germany said Tuesday.
"As @realDonaldTrump said, US sanctions will target critical sectors of Iran's economy.
"German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately," tweeted newly-appointed R ... more |
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What will happen when our sun dies? Manchester UK (SPX) May 08, 2018
Scientists agree the sun will die in approximately 10 billion years, but they weren't sure what would happen next...until now.
A team of international astronomers, including Professor Albert Zijlstra from the University of Manchester, predict it will turn into a massive ring of luminous, interstellar gas and dust, known as a planetary nebula.
A planetary nebula marks the end of 90% o ... more |
Traumatised bears, wolves find solace at Greek sanctuary Nymfaio, Greece (AFP) May 8, 2018
Orphaned as an infant, three-year-old Patrick takes a wary view of visitors. He crouches low, licks his claws and starts humming - a bear's equivalent of thumb-sucking.
"It soothes him when he's stressed," says Melina Avgerinou, a caretaker at the Arcturos bear sanctuary in northern Greece.
Patrick's tale is typical of many bears that have found refuge in the Arcturos sanctuary at Nymf ... more |
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