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IS 'annihilation' of Iraqi farms leaves haunting legacy![]() Baghdad (AFP) Dec 13, 2018 The Islamic State group's "deliberate, wanton annihilation" of agricultural lands in Iraq's northern Sinjar amounts to war crimes, haunting farmers a year after the jihadists' defeat, Amnesty International said Thursday. Based on interviews with dozens of farmers, Amnesty's new report found the jihadists' "scorched-earth tactics" meant Sinjar's farmers, particularly those from the minority Yazidi community, could not come home. The report was released a day after Nobel Prize winner and Yazidi ac ... read more |
Floods kill 13 in central VietnamHanoi (AFP) Dec 13, 2018 Floods caused by heavy downpours have killed 13 people in central Vietnam, officials said Thursday, as farmers scrambled to save crops and livestock ahead of more bad weather forecast for this week. ... more
Trump administration rolls back clean water protectionsWashington (AFP) Dec 11, 2018 The US government on Tuesday unveiled a plan to roll back clean water rules protecting the nation's waterways and wetlands, fulfilling a pledge from President Donald Trump to farmers and supporters who view environmental regulations as too strict. ... more
Red gold: Afghanistan saffron production growsHerat, Afghanistan (AFP) Dec 12, 2018 Starting before dawn has even broken, Afghanistan's army of saffron pickers shift their way across sun-baked fields to pluck brightly the coloured crocuses that are providing the country's farmers with a new means of income. ... more
BASF and VanderSat collaborate to provide farmers with high-precision, field-specific crop optimizationLudwigshafen, Germany (SPX) Dec 10, 2018 BASF and the Dutch Earth observation company VanderSat are collaborating to support farmers worldwide with even more precise, satellite data-based recommendations on application of crop inputs. Vand ... more |
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 Japan observes tiny tsunami following 6.7 magnitude quake |
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| Previous Issues | Dec 12 | Dec 11 | Dec 10 | Dec 09 | Dec 08 |
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Increasing crop insurances adoption in developing countriesZurich, Switzerland (SPX) Dec 06, 2018 Farmers in developing countries often rely heavily on their yearly harvest to feed their families. A bad crop can have severe consequences for their livelihood. Despite the significant advantages cr ... more
'Worst drought I have seen': Afghan farmers forced to fleeHerat, Afghanistan (AFP) Dec 7, 2018 Wheat and opium farmer Murad Khan Ishaqzai, 80, has never seen a drought as bad as the one ravaging western Afghanistan where more than 250,000 people have been forced to abandon their homes. ... more
Flint, Michigan lead crisis should have buried the city in water bottles. So, why didn't it?West Lafayette IN (SPX) Dec 06, 2018 One hundred thousand residents of Flint, Michigan could only use water from bottles or filters during a years-long lead contamination crisis, which started when the city switched to a new drinking w ... more
US farmers more cautious than hopeful after China trade dealNew York (AFP) Dec 4, 2018 President Donald Trump says American farmers will see immediate benefits from the trade detente with Beijing, but farm belt representatives are still cautious about declaring victory. ... more
US groundwater in peril: Potable supply less than thoughtTucson AZ (SPX) Dec 04, 2018 The U.S. groundwater supply is smaller than originally thought, according to a new research study that includes a University of Arizona hydrologist. The study provides important insights into ... more |
![]() Soil tilling, mulching key to China's potato crop
Study shows regions increasingly suffer hot, dry conditions at the same timeStanford CA (SPX) Dec 03, 2018 A new study from Stanford University suggests that the kind of hot, dry conditions that can shrink crop yields, destabilize food prices and lay the groundwork for devastating wildfires are increasin ... more |
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Scientists reveal substantial water loss in global landlocked regionsManhattan KS (SPX) Dec 03, 2018 Along with a warming climate and intensified human activities, recent water storage in global landlocked basins has undergone a widespread decline. A new study reveals this decline has aggravated lo ... more
UK will have 'completely safe' water after BrexitLondon (AFP) Nov 28, 2018 Britain's environment minister reassured the country on Wednesday that it would have plenty of safe drinking water should it crash out of the European Union without a deal. ... more
Drinking water sucked from the dusty desert airThuwal, Saudi Arabia (SPX) Nov 27, 2018 A simple device that can capture its own weight in water from fresh air and then release that water when warmed by sunlight could provide a secure new source of drinking water in remote arid regions ... more
The tragedy of the commons - minus the tragedyColumbus OH (SPX) Nov 27, 2018 Sometimes, there is no "tragedy" in the tragedy of the commons, according to a new analysis that challenges a widely accepted theory. Scientists have long believed that when there is open acce ... more
Floods ravage rice production in Niger's Diffa regionNiamey Nov 26, 2018 Floods destroyed more than 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of rice in Niger's southeastern Diffa region, already beset by deadly attacks by Boko Haram jihadists, the local governor said. ... more |
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Copernicus Sentinel-5P ozone boosts daily forecasts Paris (ESA) Dec 06, 2018
Measurements of atmospheric ozone from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite are now being used in daily forecasts of air quality.
Launched in October 2017, Copernicus Sentinel-5P - short for Sentinel-5 Precursor - is the first Copernicus satellite dedicated to monitoring our atmosphere. It is part of the fleet of Copernicus Sentinel missions that ESA develops for the European Union's envir ... more |
Lockheed Martin prepares GPS III satellite for SpaceX launch Washington (UPI) Dec 12, 2018
The U.S. Air Force's first GPS III satellite has been encapsulated for its planned Dec. 18 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on a SpaceX Falcon 9 satellite-delivery vehicle.
The GPS III Space Vehicle 01 has undergone pre-launch processing, fueling and other services in Titusville, Fla. The GPS III SV01 was loaded in its launch cartridge in anticipation of its coming la ... more |
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Chile's pine forests: a botanical dinosaur bound for extinction Quinquen, Chile (AFP) Dec 11, 2018
In Quinquen, an indigenous community in southern Chile, Ricardo Melinir shows off a forest of Chilean pine trees - the araucaria araucana, a "living fossil" seen as sacred by several local tribes.
He managed to save the "Monkey Puzzle" trees - some of which are 1,000 years old or more - from logging companies, but they are still under threat from blight and climate change.
"It is diff ... more |
More bioplastics do not necessarily contribute to better outcomes Bonn, Germany (SPX) Dec 11, 2018
Bioplastics are often promoted as an environmentally and climate-friendly alternative to conventional petroleum-based plastics. However, a recent study from the University of Bonn suggests that shifting to plant-based plastics could have less positive effects than expected.
Specifically, an increased consumption of bioplastics in the following years is likely to generate increased greenhou ... more |
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Lithuanian scientists' approach to perovskite solar cells - cheaper production and high efficiency Kaunas, Lithuania (SPX) Dec 12, 2018
A team of chemists from Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania together with physicists from Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) science institute, Germany are offering novel approach for the selective layer formation in perovskite solar cells. The molecule, synthesised by the KTU chemists, assembles itself into a monolayer, which can cover a variety of surfaces and can function as a hole t ... more |
Widespread decrease in wind energy resources found over the Northern Hemisphere Beijing, China (SPX) Dec 06, 2018
As climate change is becoming more and more a matter of concern, efforts on mitigation are being undertaken by the world community. Developing clean and renewable energy is a major component of those efforts for its significant contribution to reducing carbon emission to the atmosphere compared with fossil fuel.
In 2016, renewable energy contributes more than 19% to the global final energy ... more |
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China's unbridled export of coal power imperils climate goals Paris (AFP) Dec 5, 2018
Even as China struggles to curb domestic coal-fired power and the deadly pollution it produces, the world's top carbon emitter is aggressively exporting the same troubled technology to Asia, Africa and the Middle East, an investigation by AFP has shown.
The carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from these Chinese-backed plants could cripple global efforts to rein in global warming caused by the bur ... more |
China cracks down on unofficial Christian church Beijing (AFP) Dec 10, 2018 Dozens of members of a prominent unofficial Protestant church and their pastor have gone missing in southwest China after authorities raided their homes, churchgoers said Monday, amid increasing restrictions on religious worship.
The police sweep occurred Sunday night, according to a statement from the Early Rain Covenant Church, which is based in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. ... more |
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Robot shown on Russian TV revealed to be man in costume Moscow (AFP) Dec 12, 2018
A "state-of-the-art" robot that appeared in a report on Russia's main TV news channel was revealed by internet users on Wednesday to be a man in a costume.
The Rossiya 24 rolling news channel on Tuesday broadcast footage of what it presented as a dancing, singing robot at a technology forum for school pupils.
"At the forum there's the opportunity to see state-of-the-art robots," the pre ... more |
Waste plant fire stokes Italy garbage crisis Rome (AFP) Dec 11, 2018
Twelve teams of firefighters battled Tuesday to put out a vast fire at a garbage dump in Rome as critics slammed the capital's beleaguered waste manager and warned of chaos to come.
The odour of burning refuse wafted across the historic centre as the blaze, which began overnight, crept steadily from the site in the north-east of the city.
City hall said it had called the national civil p ... more |
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Atmospheric scientists find causes of firenado in deadly Carr Fire Reno NV (SPX) Dec 07, 2018
A destructive fire-generated vortex - a massive stream of rising, spinning, smoke, ash and fire - that topped out at 17,000 feet above the earth, accelerated the Carr fire that killed eight people and devastated a widespread area in the Redding, California region in July 2018. The vortex, a little-observed atmospheric phenomena, was spinning with the power of a class three tornado, which earned ... more |
Ocean fertilization by unusual microbes extends to frigid waters of Arctic Ocean Santa Cruz CA (SPX) Dec 12, 2018
Microbes that provide natural fertilizer to the oceans by "fixing" nitrogen from the atmosphere into a form useable by other organisms were once thought to be limited to warm tropical and subtropical waters. Now, however, researchers have documented nitrogen fixation by an unusual type of cyanobacteria in the cold waters of the Bering and Chukchi Seas.
"This goes against all the textbook a ... more |
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Heatwave death threat soars for elderly, city dwellers Paris (AFP) Nov 29, 2018 More than 150 million vulnerable people worldwide were exposed to potentially life-threatening heatwaves last year, scientists said Thursday, warning that climate change posed an unprecedented global health risk.
In a worldwide stocktake of public health trends, dozens of international agencies said people over 65, those living in large cities, and sufferers of heart and lung disease were al ... more |
Beijing offers to cut auto tariffs, buy soy: US official Washington (AFP) Dec 12, 2018
China has agreed to cut tariffs on autos imported from the United States, and resume soybean purchases, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Wednesday, confirming the reports that delighted investors.
Ross told CNBC the moves by Beijing will "prove that President (Donald) Trump was right when he announced his summary of the talks" held recently with China's President Xi Jinping.
The leade ... more |
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Preparing for discovery with NASA's Parker Solar Probe Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 13, 2018
Weeks after Parker Solar Probe made the closest-ever approach to a star, the science data from the first solar encounter is just making its way into the hands of the mission's scientists. It's a moment many in the field have been anticipating for years, thinking about what they'll do with such never-before-seen data, which has the potential to shed new light on the physics of our star, the Sun. ... more |
Study considers how climate change, shifting winds will impact migratory birds Washington (UPI) Dec 11, 2018
New research suggests migratory birds in North America will be more likely to encounter headwinds as they fly southward each fall. However, changing wind patterns will make their springtime return less strenuous.
Scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology used radar observations collected at 143 weather stations to measure the altitude, density and direction of birds migrating during ... more |
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