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Alibaba shows off automated wine store in Hong Kong![]() Hong Kong (AFP) May 29, 2018 With no shop workers or cash tills and payments made using facial recognition, China's largest e-commerce platform Alibaba created a fully automated wine store at Hong Kong's Vinexpo fair Tuesday. Billed by the company as a way to show off its latest smart tech to retailers, customers browsed a pop-up shop stacked with bottles, set up inside the city's convention centre for the annual wine show. All bottles are embedded with a tracking tag, so as soon as a customer picks it up, information abo ... read more |
Radish cover crop traps nitrogen; mystery followsWashington DC (SPX) May 31, 2018 When you think of a radish, you may think of the small, round, crunchy, red-and-white vegetable that is sliced into salads. You might be surprised to learn that a larger, longer form of this root ve ... more
Italy's oldest olive oil discovered in peculiar potCastelluccio, Italy (SPX) May 31, 2018 Olive oil is a staple of Italian cuisine. It's been that way for thousands of years. And new chemical analysis conducted on ancient pottery proves the liquid gold has existed in Italy hundreds of ye ... more
Sugarcane pest produces foam to protect itself from heatSao Paulo, Brazil (SPX) May 31, 2018 Tiny balls of froth can often be seen near the roots of plants in sugarcane plantations in Brazil during summer. The foam protects nymphs of the root spittlebug Mahanarva fimbriolata, a major pest o ... more
EU top court fines Italy over failure to treat sewageLuxembourg (AFP) May 31, 2018 The European Union's top court on Thursday fined crisis-ridden Italy 25 million euros for years of failure to treat urban sewage, warning of steeper fines with more delays. ... 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 | Jun 03 | Jun 01 | May 31 | May 30 | May 29 |
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France vows to outlaw glyphosate weedkillers within 3 yearsParis (AFP) May 29, 2018 The French government reiterated Tuesday a campaign pledge by President Emmanuel Macron to ban glyphosate-based herbicides by 2021, after senators refused to enshrine the pledge into law. ... more
Virtual safe space to help bumblebeesExeter UK (SPX) May 29, 2018 The many threats facing bumblebees can be tested using a "virtual safe space" created by scientists at the University of Exeter. Bumble-BEEHAVE provides a computer simulation of how colonies w ... more
Thailand stops short of banning hazardous weedkillersBangkok (AFP) May 23, 2018 A toxic weedkiller linked to Parkinson's disease and banned in more than 30 countries will not be outlawed in Thailand, after authorities announced Wednesday they would instead restrict its use. ... more
'Unprecedented' hailstorm hits Bordeaux winegrowersBordeaux (AFP) May 27, 2018 Winemakers in western France in the famed Bordeaux and Cognac areas were inspecting damage to their vines on Sunday after an "unprecedented" storm saw pebble-sized hailstones cause widespread destruction. ... more
A hidden world of communication, chemical warfare, beneath the soilMadison WI (SPX) May 25, 2018 The soil supporting a field of crops teems with life. Untold numbers of bacteria and fungi strive for space and food. Most are harmless. Many are vital to creating healthy soil. But farmers worry ab ... more |
![]() Long-term study shows crop rotation decreases greenhouse gas emissions
Twin Spacecraft Launch to Track Earth's Water MovementVandenberg AFB CA (SPX) May 24, 2018 A joint U.S./German space mission to track the continuous movement of water and other changes in Earth's mass on and beneath the planet's surface successfully launched at 12:47 p.m. PDT Tuesday from ... more |
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Twin sportscar-sized satellites to chase water changes on EarthTampa (AFP) May 21, 2018 A pair of identical, sportscar-sized satellites are poised to zoom around the Earth and track changes in water and ice, offering new insights into global warming and sea level rise, NASA said Monday. ... more
Research suggests sweet potatoes didn't originate in the Americas as previously thoughtBloomington IN (SPX) May 24, 2018 Sweet potatoes may seem as American as Thanksgiving, but scientists have long debated whether their plant family originated in the Old or New World. New research by an Indiana University paleobotani ... more
The ultrafast dance of liquid waterStockholm, Sweden (SPX) May 23, 2018 Typically we consider that water molecules in the liquid state move randomly on ultrafast timescales due to thermal fluctuations. Now, scientists at Stockholm University have discovered correlated m ... more
Scientists' new way to identify microscopic worm attacking coffee cropsLeeds UK (SPX) May 23, 2018 The plants which produce one of the most popular drinks in the world, coffee, are targeted by a microscopic worm, but scientists are fighting back. An underestimated problem in coffee farming, ... more
Some calories more harmful than othersDavis CA (SPX) May 22, 2018 While calories from any food have the potential to increase the risk of obesity and other cardiometabolic diseases, 22 nutrition researchers agree that sugar-sweetened beverages play a unique role i ... more |
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Sentinels modernise Europe's agricultural policy Paris (ESA) May 28, 2018
In a move that could benefit around 22 million farmers, the EU's Common Agricultural Policy has entered the space age. Offering detailed and timely information on crops and farmland, the Copernicus Sentinels are now being used to simplify and modernise this longest-serving EU policy.
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) came into force in 1962 to ensure affordable food for European citizen ... more |
Research shows how 'navigational hazards' in metro maps confuse travelers Kent UK (SPX) May 17, 2018
Peter B. Lloyd, a PhD student in the School of Computing, working alongside Dr Peter Rodgers in the same department, and Dr Maxwell J. Roberts, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Essex, is carrying out a series of studies on the New York City subway map. This is sometimes ranked as the most complex metro map in the world, but the results are expected to be applicable to other cities. ... more |
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New research finds tall and older Amazonian forests more resistant to droughts New York NY (SPX) May 29, 2018
Tropical rainforests play a critical role in regulating the global climate system - they represent the Earth's largest terrestrial CO2 sink. Because of its broad geographical expanse and year-long productivity, the Amazon is key to the global carbon and hydrological cycles.
Climate change could threaten the fate of rainforests, but there is great uncertainty about the future ability of rai ... more |
Polymer researchers discover path to sustainable and biodegradable polyesters Blacksburg VA (SPX) Jun 04, 2018
There's a good chance you've touched something made out of the polyolefin polymer today. It's often used in polyethylene products like plastic bags or polypropylene products like diapers.
As useful as polyolefins are in society, they continue to multiply as trash in the environment. Scientists estimate plastic bags, for example, will take centuries to degrade.
But now, researchers at ... more |
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Indonesia makes strides in solar power Washington (UPI) May 24, 2018
More than $150 million in loans will help Indonesia build its first utility-scale solar power plants, the Asian Development Bank said Thursday.
ADB said it would offer financial support for a project led by Vena Energy, the largest power producer in the Asia-Pacific, to advance renewable energy projects in Indonesia. The first phase of the project calls for the construction of a 72 mega ... more |
Cryptocurrency blowing in the wind as mine opens in Estonia Tallinn (AFP) June 1, 2018
A state-owned Estonian wind farm launched a cryptocurrency mine on Friday, hoping to cash-in on Mother Nature's unlimited supplies of power on a windswept Baltic Sea island, a company official said.
Mining virtual currencies, like bitcoin, ethereum or ripple, requires powerful computers that are voracious users of electricity, making it uneconomical to mine without a cheap source of energy l ... more |
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Dutch to close two oldest coal-fired plants by 2025 The Hague (AFP) May 18, 2018
The Dutch government Friday unveiled plans to shut the country's two oldest coal-fired electricity plants by 2025, as it seeks to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The other three remaining plants, using coal to produce electricity, will have to close down by 2030, the year the Dutch has vowed to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 49 percent.
Economy Minister Eric Wiebes said the ban on the old ... more |
Nine jailed in Hong Kong for 'Fishball Revolution' riots Hong Kong (AFP) May 31, 2018
Nine protesters were jailed in Hong Kong Thursday after being found guilty of rioting during the "Fishball Revolution" clashes with police two years ago, the latest in a series of legal actions against demonstrators.
Aged from their late teens to over 70 years old, they were handed sentences ranging from 28 months to over four years for their involvement in the city's worst violence for deca ... more |
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'Smart' material enables novel applications in autonomous driving and robotics Luxembourg (SPX) May 30, 2018
Research led by scientists from the University of Luxembourg has shown the potential of liquid crystal shells as enabling material for a vast array of future applications, ranging from autonomous driving to anti-counterfeiting technology and a new class of sensors.
Liquid Crystals, already widely used in flat-screen TVs, are materials that are in a state between solid and liquid. Prof Jan ... more |
Delhi slum drowning in plastic as Environment Day focuses on India New Delhi (AFP) June 4, 2018
A sea of plastic spreads through the New Delhi slum of Taimur Nagar, a symbol of the grime and waste that makes the Indian capital one of the world's most polluted cities.
The plastic bottles, bags, food wrappers and other detritus have gushed out of a drain that ends in the shanty, leaving stinking sewer water clogging the roads.
Stray dogs, goats and cows munch the plastic waste as tod ... more |
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Climate change increasing risks of lightning-ignited fires, study finds Portland OR (SPX) Jun 04, 2018
Fires ignited by lightning have and will likely continue to increase across the Mediterranean and temperate regions in the Southern Hemisphere under a warmer climate, according to a new study co-led by a Portland State University researcher.
The study, published online in May in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, examined the observed and forecasted relationship between lightning-ig ... more |
A clearer future for underwater exploration Thuwal, Saudi Arabia (SPX) May 15, 2018
A system that simultaneously transmits ultrahigh-definition live video and receives feedback signals offers greatly improved underwater optical communications.
The oceans provide an abundance of natural resources that support human life, from food and medicines to energy resources in oil and gas. The deep oceans are largely unexplored yet hold the potential for new resources to support the ... more |
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At least 18 killed as fresh storms hit north India New Delhi (AFP) June 2, 2018
Fresh wind storms swept across northern India killing at least 18 people and leaving a trail of damage, officials said Saturday.
The latest in a series of freak storms that have left hundreds dead battered Uttar Pradesh state late Friday with winds of 100 kilometers (60 miles) an hour toppling walls, power pylons and thousands of trees.
Sixteen people died in the state, according to T.P. ... more |
Eurozone inflation leaps higher delivering 'headache' to ECB Brussels (AFP) May 31, 2018
Inflation in the eurozone leaped to the ECB's target in May, data showed on Thursday, fuelled by a huge increase in oil prices as the US decided to pull out of a nuclear deal with Iran.
The EU's statistics authority, Eurostat, said inflation in the eurozone jumped to 1.9 percent in May, a sharp pick-up from the 1.2 percent recorded in April.
That puts inflation right at the European Cent ... more |
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Study shows how Earth slows the solar wind to a gentle breeze College Park MD (SPX) Jun 01, 2018
As Earth orbits the sun at supersonic speed, it cuts a path through the solar wind. This fast stream of charged particles, or plasma, launched from the sun's outer layers would bombard Earth's atmosphere if not for the protection of Earth's magnetic field.
Just as a motorboat creates a bow-shaped wave ahead of itself as the hull pushes through the water, Earth creates a similar effect - ca ... more |
Massive beach clean-up for Hong Kong sea turtles Hong Kong (AFP) May 27, 2018
More than two thousand volunteers hit the beach on an outlying island of Hong Kong for a mass rubbish clean up Sunday as environment campaigners warned plastic is killing sea turtles and other wildlife.
There has been increasing concern over the amount of rubbish in Hong Kong waters which washes up on its numerous beaches. Authorities and environmentalists have pointed the finger at southern ... more |
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