|
|
Made in Fukushima: Japan farmers struggle to win trust![]() Koriyama, Japan (AFP) Aug 1, 2018 The pumpkin is diced, the chicken carved and the eggs beaten into an omelette, but the people preparing the food are not chefs - they are scientists testing produce from Japan's Fukushima region. Seven years after the March 2011 nuclear disaster caused by a devastating tsunami, rigorous testing shows no radioactive threat from Fukushima's produce, officials and experts say. But local producers say they still face crippling suspicion from consumers. More than 205,000 food items have been tes ... read more |
Starbucks and Alibaba join forces as China coffee war brewsShanghai (AFP) Aug 2, 2018 Starbucks coffees will be delivered to Chinese consumers with the help of e-commerce giant Alibaba, the companies said Thursday, as two of the world's biggest names in retail join forces in a China coffee war that is rapidly heating up. ... more
Deadly heatwaves threaten China's northern breadbasketParis (AFP) Aug 1, 2018 The North China Plain, home to nearly 400 million people, could become a life-threatening inferno during future heat waves if climate change continues apace, researchers have warned. ... more
Cuba to study whether climate change is hurting sugar harvestsHavana (AFP) July 28, 2018 Cuba is studying whether to adjust its sugar-harvest calendar in response to damaging changes in the island's climate, an official newspaper reported Saturday. ... more
Iraqi farmers fight to save cattle from droughtAl-Attassiya, Iraq (AFP) July 30, 2018 Iraqi farmer Sayyed Sattar knows he'll soon have to let some of his buffalo go as he surveys the herd bathing in a dwindling pond close to the holy city of Najaf. ... 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 |
|
|

| Previous Issues | Aug 02 | Aug 01 | Jul 31 | Jul 30 | Jul 29 |
|
EU court extends GMO rules to new techniquesLuxembourg (AFP) July 25, 2018 Plants and animals created by new techniques of genetic modification should be treated as Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and follow European rules aimed at preventing damage to the environment and health, the EU's top court said on Wednesday. ... more
NASA's 'Space Botanist' Gathers First DataPasadena CA (JPL) Jul 24, 2018 Just days after its successful installation on the International Space Station, NASA's newest Earth-observing mission, the ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTR ... more
Sri Lanka waives debt for 200,000 women in drought areasColombo (AFP) July 25, 2018 Sri Lanka announced Wednesday it would waive debts for 200,000 women unable to repay microfinance loans and cap lending rates after a number of borrowers in drought-hit areas killed themselves. ... more
In Colombia, human rights activists live in constant fearCaloto, Colombia (AFP) July 25, 2018 One day after Luis Dagua last left his farm in Colombia's southwest his body was found, his head shattered with a rock. ... more
Ancient farmers transformed Amazon and left an enduring legacy on the rainforestExeter UK (SPX) Jul 24, 2018 Ancient communities transformed the Amazon thousands of years ago, farming in a way which has had a lasting impact on the rainforest, a major new study shows. Farmers had a more profound effec ... more |
![]() China's persistent food and drug safety problem
We can feed the world if we change our waysLancaster UK (SPX) Jul 24, 2018 Current crop yields could provide nutritious food for the projected 2050 global population, but only if we make radical changes to our dietary choices, a new study shows. Researchers from Lanc ... more |
|
Japan lifts ban on Canadian wheat importsTokyo (AFP) July 20, 2018 Japan on Friday lifted a ban on Canadian wheat imports more than a month after it halted shipments following the discovery of unauthorised genetically modified (GM) plants there. ... more
China's 'livestock revolution' demands 'new transition'London, UK (SPX) Jul 23, 2018 Demand for animal protein and increasing wealth fuelled a tripling in the domestic production of livestock in China between 1980 and 2010, and the rise, despite some improvements in efficiencies at ... more
Dying groundskeeper to testify in Roundup cancer trialSan Francisco (AFP) July 23, 2018 A California groundskeeper dying of cancer is slated to testify Monday before jurors hearing evidence in his lawsuit blaming Monsanto weed killer Roundup for his terminal illness. ... more
HRW urges Brazilian lawmakers to reject new pesticide lawSao Paulo (AFP) July 20, 2018 Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday called on Brazilian lawmakers to reject a proposed law to relax regulations on the use of pesticides as it published a report blaming powerful landowners for the poisoning of rural residents. ... more
Environmental changes in the Mekong Delta spell trouble for farmersUrbana IL (SPX) Jul 24, 2018 The Mekong Delta is home to 15 million people, many of whom rely on the delta's rich soil and water resources for farming and fishing. But their livelihoods are being threatened by rising sea levels ... more |
|
|
|
|
China launches high-resolution Earth observation satellite Taiyuan, China (SPX) Aug 03, 2018
China on Tuesday launched Gaofen-11, an optical remote sensing satellite, as part of the country's high-resolution Earth observation project.
The Gaofen-11 satellite was launched on a Long March 4B rocket at 11 am Beijing Time from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province. It was the 282nd flight mission by a Long March carrier rocket.
The satellite can be used ... more |
UK could develop independent satellite system after leaving EU London (Sputnik) Aug 03, 2018
The Guardian has reported that the UK law enforcement and military will continue to access the encrypted signal of the Galileo satellite system post-Brexit.
According to the sources, the EU chief Brexit negotiator is contemplating an offer to the UK that will give London an advantage over the use of the encrypted service compared to other third-party nations.
Radio Sputnik has discus ... more |
|
|
Animal and fungi diversity boosts forest health Washington (UPI) Aug 1, 2018
Forest health depends on more than just a healthy variety of tree species. New research suggests animal and fungi diversity also plays an important role in forest health.
The revelation is the result of a decade-long survey of several subtropical forests, all of them rich in biodiversity. Scientists conducted the survey in order to detail the importance of understanding forest health mo ... more |
Soil bugs munch on plastics Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Aug 02, 2018
Our world is drowning in a flood of plastic. Eight million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year. Agricultural soils are also threatened by plastic pollution. Farmers around the world apply enormous amounts of polyethylene (PE) mulch films onto soils to combat weeds, increase soil temperature and keep the soil moist, thereby increasing overall crop yields.
After harvest, it often ... more |
|
|
Europe may thrive on renewable energy despite unpredictable weather Washington DC (SPX) Aug 01, 2018
Researchers in Ireland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom have shown how long-term weather patterns affect wind and solar renewable energy technologies across Europe. Using 30 years of meteorological data, the scientists have examined and further modelled the impact of renewable energy on the electricity sector out to the year 2030.
The work suggests that despite the unpredictable nature ... more |
Searching for wind for the future Thuwal, Saudi Arabia (SPX) Jul 19, 2018
Using outputs from a high-resolution regional climate model, KAUST researchers have confirmed the potential for wind as a significant energy resource across the Arabian Peninsula. This is an important first step in developing a strategy for Saudi Arabia's wind energy sector.
As part of an ongoing collaboration with the University of Notre Dame in the United States, Marc Genton's research g ... more |
|
|
Mapping mountaintop coal mining's yearly spread in Appalachia Durham NC (SPX) Jul 30, 2018
The coal industry may have declined in the last decade because of the rise of cheap natural gas, but a coal mining method called mountaintop removal is still taking place, particularly in central Appalachia.
A new web-based mapping tool shows, in more detail than ever before, the land laid bare by mountaintop coal mining in central Appalachia each year, going back more than three decades. ... more |
UK foreign secretary met human rights figures on China visit Beijing (AFP) July 31, 2018
Britain's new foreign minister Jeremy Hunt met Chinese human rights figures while in Beijing on his first major international trip, the wife of a detained lawyer said Tuesday.
Visiting leaders often shun meetings with activists or their relatives during trips to China - a decision which critics say is motivated by fear that scolding Beijing could harm trade prospects.
Li Wenzu wrote on ... more |
|
|
Research identifies key weakness in modern computer vision systems Providence RI (SPX) Aug 03, 2018
Computer vision algorithms have come a long way in the past decade. They've been shown to be as good or better than people at tasks like categorizing dog or cat breeds, and they have the remarkable ability to identify specific faces out of a sea of millions.
But research by Brown University scientists shows that computers fail miserably at a class of tasks that even young children have no ... more |
Australia supermarket bagged after plastic backflip Sydney (AFP) Aug 2, 2018
A leading Australian supermarket was Thursday forced into a backflip after facing a barrage of criticism for reneging on plans to phase out free plastic bags.
The nation's two major grocery chains, Coles and Woolworths, banned lightweight single-use plastic bags from their stores nationally last month in response to mounting community calls for change.
Instead, they began offering more e ... more |
|
|
Sweden's wildfires abating, foreign firefighters leave Stockholm (AFP) July 31, 2018
Wildfires that have been raging across Sweden are abating, Swedish authorities said Tuesday, as French, Italian and German firefighters who came to assist gradually leave the country.
Two Canadair firefighting aircraft, dispatched from France to Sweden in mid-July, departed on Tuesday, days after planes from Italy and Portugal returned home.
Swedish emergency services SOS Alarm said mea ... more |
Chile to restrict tourists and non-locals on Easter Island Santiago (AFP) July 30, 2018
Easter Island is known for its unique Moai monumental statues carved by the Rapa Nui people, believed to have arrived on the remote landmass in the southeastern Pacific Ocean in around the 12th century.
Despite its isolated location some 3,500 kilometers (2,000 miles) from the coast of Chile, the island is a popular tourist destination, not least due to its remarkable collection of around 90 ... more |
|
|
China could face deadly heat waves due to climate change Boston MA (SPX) Aug 01, 2018
A region that holds one of the biggest concentrations of people on Earth could be pushing against the boundaries of habitability by the latter part of this century, a new study shows.
Research has shown that beyond a certain threshold of temperature and humidity, a person cannot survive unprotected in the open for extended periods - as, for example, farmers must do. Now, a new MIT study sh ... more |
China calls on US to be 'cool-headed' in trade war Beijing (AFP) Aug 2, 2018
China's top envoy called on the United States to remain "cool-headed" Thursday as Washington threatened to raise the tariff rate on the next $200 billion of Chinese imports.
Slapping additional tariffs on Chinese imports - 60 percent of which are made by foreign firms, including American companies - will only raise costs for domestic US consumers, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. ... more |
|
|
NASA's Parker Solar Probe and the curious case of the hot corona Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 30, 2018
Something mysterious is going on at the Sun. In defiance of all logic, its atmosphere gets much, much hotter the farther it stretches from the Sun's blazing surface.
Temperatures in the corona - the tenuous, outermost layer of the solar atmosphere - spike upwards of 2 million degrees Fahrenheit, while just 1,000 miles below, the underlying surface simmers at a balmy 10,000 F. How the Sun m ... more |
Over 100 wildlife rangers died on duty in past year: WWF Paris (AFP) July 31, 2018
More than 100 wildlife rangers died on the job in Asia and central Africa over the last year, nearly half killed by poachers, the WWF reported Tuesday.
Illegal hunters are decimating endangered wildlife to gather rhino horns and big cat body parts to sell in East Asia, as well as bush meat - including gorillas, monkeys, lions and pangolins - to eat.
One-in-seven park rangers across the ... more |
|
| Buy Advertising | Media Advertising Kit | Editorial & Other Enquiries | Privacy statement |
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement |