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Shrinking Sea of Galilee has some hoping for a miracle![]() Ein Gev, Israel (AFP) Nov 13, 2018 It was not so long ago when swimmers at Ein Gev would lay out their towels in the grass at the edge of the Sea of Galilee. Today, they put up their parasols 100 metres (yards) further down, on a sandy beach that has appeared due to the shrinking of the iconic body of water. "Every time we come we feel an ache in our hearts," said Yael Lichi, 47, who has been visiting the famous lake with her family for 15 years. "The lake is a symbol in Israel. Whenever there is a drought, it is the first th ... read more |
In China's Himalayas, a wine 'flying above the clouds'Adong, China (AFP) Nov 12, 2018 A $300 bottle of wine sold in the United States and Europe is made in the unlikeliest of places: at the foot of the Himalayas in China, where farmers sing traditional songs while picking grapes. ... more
Exposure to pesticides makes bees less social, reduces colony sizeWashington (UPI) Nov 9, 2018 Exposure to pesticides can reduce the size of bee colonies and cause the insect to become less social. ... more
Fruit, vegetable shapes controlled by newly discovered genetic mechanismWashington (UPI) Nov 12, 2018 The diversity of morphologies available at the farmers market is impressive. Fruits and vegetables come in infinite shapes and sizes. But how? ... more
New tool to predict which plants will become invasiveBurlington VT (SPX) Nov 12, 2018 Around the world, over 13,000 plant species have embedded themselves in new environments - some of them integrate with the native plants, but others spread aggressively. Understanding why some plant ... more |
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 Philippines evacuates one million, woman dead as super typhoon nears |
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| Previous Issues | Nov 12 | Nov 09 | Nov 08 | Nov 07 | Nov 06 |
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ASU geoscientists discover an overlooked source for Earth's waterTempe AZ (SPX) Nov 08, 2018 Where did Earth's global ocean come from? A team of Arizona State University geoscientists led by Peter Buseck, Regents' Professor in ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) and School of ... more
US votes good for farm animals, not wild salmonLos Angeles (AFP) Nov 7, 2018 Hens, cows and pigs owe Californians a thank you for approving a law Tuesday guaranteeing minimum living space on farms - though Alaskans had some bad news for wild salmon and trout. ... more
Plasma-based system provides radical new path for water purificationWashington DC (SPX) Nov 07, 2018 Many of today's methods of purifying water rely on filters and chemicals that need regular replenishing or maintenance. Millions of people, however, live in areas with limited access to such materia ... more
Turning marginal farmlands into a win for farmers and ecosystemsIndianapolis, IN (SPX) Nov 06, 2018 Many farms have areas where the ground either floods or does not retain enough water or fertilizer for crops to thrive. Such marginal lands could become useful and potentially profitable if they are ... more
A real vintage: China unearths 2,000-year-old wineBeijing (AFP) Nov 6, 2018 Archeologists in central China Tuesday believe they have unearthed a 2,000-year-old pot of wine that had been sealed and buried in a tomb. ... more |
![]() New material cleans and splits water
Mexico City's massive water outage extendedMexico City (AFP) Nov 6, 2018 Authorities in Mexico City said Monday they had to extend a massive water outage that has affected millions of people for five days by another 40 hours because of an infrastructure glitch. ... more |
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A carbon neutral solution for desalination by tapping into geothermal sourcesFort Myers, FL (SPX) Nov 06, 2018 Water shortages are hitting some areas of the world hard, and with increasing global temperatures, more regions may be experiencing drought conditions. Countries such as Saudi Arabia rely on d ... more
Poop in hand, Bill Gates backs China's toilet revolutionBeijing (AFP) Nov 6, 2018 As one of the world's richest men and most active philanthropists, Bill Gates usually has his hands full. Just not with poop. ... more
France bans popular pesticide suspected of sickening dozensParis (AFP) Nov 5, 2018 French health authorities announced Monday a permanent ban on a widely used pesticide, after alarms were raised when several dozen people fell ill in western France recently. ... more
Heineken seals $3 bn deal with China's top brewerThe Hague (AFP) Nov 5, 2018 Dutch brewing behemoth Heineken said Monday it had finalised a $3 billion deal to merge its Chinese operations with the country's top brewer, expanding its access to the world's largest beer market. ... more
How one tough shrub could help fight hunger in AfricaColumbus OH (SPX) Nov 05, 2018 The trick to boosting crops in drought-prone, food-insecure areas of West Africa could be a ubiquitous native shrub that persists in the toughest of growing conditions. Growing these shrubs si ... more |
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Improving Alignment and Testing of Earth Observation Satellites Guildford, UK (SPX) Nov 13, 2018
Optical Surfaces Ltd. has received an order from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) for two high precision reference mirrors to accelerate the precise alignment and testing of their Earth Observation Satellite Telescopes.
Based in Guildford, UK, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) manufacture and operate small to medium sized satellites, covering a range of use cases, from tele ... more |
Finnish PM: Jammed GPS signals may be work of Russia Helsinki (AFP) Nov 12, 2018
Russia denied Monday being behind the recent disruption to GPS signals across Lapland which put civil aviation at risk, after Finland's prime minister said the interference was "almost certainly deliberate".
Finnish prime minister Juha Sipila told state broadcaster YLE on Sunday that "civil air safety has been endangered" by the GPS interference.
The authorities were still investigating ... more |
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Global reforestation efforts need to take the long view Baltimore, Brazil (SPX) Nov 12, 2018
Many countries have made commitments to restore huge areas of forest as part of the Bonn Challenge, organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. For example, Costa Rica has promised to preserve 1 million hectares (3,861 square miles) of forest by 2020--about 20 percent of the nation's total area.
However, a new paper in Conservation Letters suggests that quickly refores ... more |
New system opens the door to transforming CO2 into industrial fuels Boston MA (SPX) Nov 09, 2018
Imagine a day when - rather than being spewed into the atmosphere - the gases coming from power plants and heavy industry are instead captured and fed into catalytic reactors that chemically transform greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into industrial fuels or chemicals and that emit only oxygen.
It's a future that Haotian Wang says may be closer than many realize.
A Fellow at the ... more |
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High-performance solar cells: Physicists grow stable perovskite layers Halle, Germany (SPX) Nov 09, 2018
Crystalline perovskite cells are the key to cutting-edge thin-film solar cells. Although they already achieve very high levels of efficiency in the laboratory, commercial applications are hampered by the fact that the material is still too unstable. Furthermore, there is no reliable industrial production process for perovskites.
In a new study published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry ... more |
Denmark-based Orsted adds to its U.S. wind energy assets Washington (UPI) Nov 8, 2018
Orsted, the largest energy company in Denmark, which aims to become a global leader in offshore wind energy, has closed two transactions within the past four months as part of an expansion effort in the United States.
Orsted closed the $510-million purchase of Deepwater Wind, and created Orsted US Offshore Wind, a company that will deliver clean energy to every state "in the densely-pop ... more |
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Asia coal plants worrying for climate targets: IEA Paris (AFP) Oct 31, 2018
Coal-fired power plants operating and under construction in Asia pose a threat to achieving the goal of halting global warming, the head of the International Energy Agency told the Financial Times on Wednesday.
The coal burning plants would "lock in the emissions trajectory of the world, full stop," IEA chief Fatih Birol told the newspaper in an interview.
Last year, greenhouse gas emiss ... more |
Hong Kong domestic helpers jump in deep end Hong Kong (AFP) Nov 12, 2018
Every Sunday in Hong Kong the city's army of domestic helpers packs into parks or onto pavements, bridges and walkways on their one mandatory day off.
With a marginalised position in society and low income, the force of more than 300,000 maids, mainly women from Indonesia and the Philippines, can find it hard to access public facilities like libraries and leisure centres.
Some NGOs say a ... more |
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'Autonomous Warrior': UK Army Conducts its Largest Test of Battlefield Robots London, UK (Sputnik) Nov 13, 2018
The exercises are but the latest in a series of noticeable efforts by the British military establishment to increase know-how in the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotic weapons technologies.
The British Army has started an unprecedentedly large testing of battlefield robots, according to the Daily Mail.
The event, dubbed the 'Autonomous Warrior 2018,' will last for abou ... more |
Delhi's toxic air spikes after Diwali firework frenzy New Delhi (AFP) Nov 8, 2018
Indian police arrested hundreds of revellers after a frenzied night of festival fireworks turned city air toxic nationwide on Thursday despite a preemptive court ban on the smog-fuelling party.
More than 300 people were arrested in Delhi, the world's most polluted major city, where the Supreme Court had restricted public fireworks to two hours in the evening and insisted on use of cleaner "g ... more |
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Hell in Paradise: fire crews in grim search for California's dead Paradise, United States (AFP) Nov 11, 2018
Search teams scoured the carnage of California's most destructive ever wildfire for victims on Sunday, as the state-wide death toll rose to 26 with high winds hampering the effort to rescue property and save lives.
Firefighters took advantage of a brief calm overnight to make headway against the multiple blazes, but conditions were expected to be hellish on Sunday with winds reaching as high ... more |
Scientists theorize new origin story for Earth's water Washington DC (SPX) Nov 08, 2018
Earth's water may have originated from both asteroidal material and gas left over from the formation of the Sun, according to new research. The new finding could give scientists important insights about the development of other planets and their potential to support life.
In a new study in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, researcher ... more |
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'Total disaster' as Italy storms kill at least 30 Casteldaccia , Italy (AFP) Nov 4, 2018
Floods killed 12 people on the island of Sicily, including nine members of a single family, pushing Italy's week-long storm toll beyond 30, rescuers said Sunday.
After a river burst its banks, the bodies of the family including children aged one, three and 15 were discovered in the coastal town of Casteldaccia east of the capital Palermo.
Rescue services said the house where they were sp ... more |
China-backed trade deal pushed back to 2019 Singapore (AFP) Nov 13, 2018
A China-backed bid to complete the world's largest trade deal - without the United States - was pushed back to next year after Asia-Pacific trade ministers failed to agree key terms at a Singapore summit.
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), covering half the world's population, is billed as an antidote to Donald Trump's "America First" agenda, which has seen tariffs imp ... more |
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Parker Solar Probe Reports Good Status After Close Solar Approach Greenbelt MD (SPX) Nov 08, 2018
Parker Solar Probe is alive and well after skimming by the Sun at just 15 million miles from our star's surface. This is far closer than any spacecraft has ever gone - the previous record was set by Helios B in 1976 and broken by Parker on Oct. 29 - and this maneuver has exposed the spacecraft to intense heat and solar radiation in a complex solar wind environment.
"Parker Solar Probe was ... more |
China postpones lifting rhino, tiger parts ban Beijing (AFP) Nov 12, 2018
China appeared to backtrack on a controversial decision to lift a ban on trading tiger bones and rhinoceros horns, saying it has been postponed, state media reported Monday.
The State Council, China's cabinet, unexpectedly announced last month that it would allow the sale of rhino and tiger products under "special circumstances", a move conservationists likened to signing a death warrant fo ... more |
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