24/7 News Coverage
April 26, 2022
EPIDEMICS
China's low Covid death toll prompts questions



Beijing (AFP) April 26, 2022
Two years into the pandemic, China's resurgent Covid-19 outbreak has revived questions about how the country counts deaths from the virus, with persistently low fatalities despite rising cases. Shanghai, China's largest city, has logged 190 deaths among more than 520,000 infections in nearly two months - a fraction of the rate in outbreaks fuelled by the Omicron variant in other parts of the world. The figures have been trumpeted by the ruling Communist Party as proof its strict zero-Covid pand ... read more

ROBO SPACE
How to compete with robots
Lausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Apr 14, 2022
When it comes to the future of intelligent robots, the first question people ask is often: how many jobs will they make disappear? Whatever the answer, the second question is likely to be: how can I ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Humanity stuck in 'spiral of self-destruction': UN
Geneva (AFP) April 25, 2022
Humanity is suffering from a "broken perception of risk", spurring us into activities and behaviours that cause climate change and a surging number of disasters around the globe, the UN warned Tuesday. ... more
WATER WORLD
Overuse and climate change kill off Iraq's Sawa Lake
Sawa Lake, Irak (AFP) April 26, 2022
A "No Fishing" sign on the edge of Iraq's western desert is one of the few clues that this was once Sawa Lake, a biodiverse wetland and recreational landmark. ... more
FIRE STORM
Meet the forest microbes that can survive megafires
Riverside CA (SPX) Apr 26, 2022
New UC Riverside research shows fungi and bacteria able to survive redwood tanoak forest megafires are microbial "cousins" that often increase in abundance after feeling the flames. Fires of u ... more
24/7 Disaster News Coverage
Previous Issues Apr 25 Apr 22 Apr 21 Apr 20 Apr 19




24/7 Disaster News Coverage
24/7 Technology News Coverage
24/7 China News Coverage


Advertise at Space Media Network
EPIDEMICS
Beijing Covid spike prompts mass testing, panic buying
Beijing (AFP) April 25, 2022
Fears of a hard Covid lockdown sparked panic buying in Beijing on Monday, as long queues for compulsory mass testing formed in a large central district of the Chinese capital. ... more
TECH SPACE
Clever monkeys plan their food trips to avoid stronger rivals
Toronto, Canada (SPX) Apr 26, 2022
Vervet monkeys are quick and clever planners of the best route to follow on foraging trips, shows a new study. When dominant group mates are too far away to interfere, vervets tend to choose the sho ... more
EXO WORLDS
Hydrothermal catering
Bremen, Germany (SPX) Apr 26, 2022
Hydrothermal vents in the deep sea are well-known oases of life. Many living creatures thrive there, benefiting from the nutrient-rich fluids that are commonly the only source of energy. The occurre ... more
ICE WORLD
Satellite data improves model's interpretation of snowfall albedo simulations for Tibet
Beijing, China (SPX) Apr 22, 2022
Albedo is a term that represents the ability of Earth's surface to reflect solar radiation. This is the primary factor of the energy balance between the surface and the atmosphere. When snow falls, ... more
ABOUT US
Discovery sheds light on why the Pacific islands were colonized
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Apr 22, 2022
The discovery of pottery from the ancient Lapita culture by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) has shed new light on how Papua New Guinea served as a launching pad for the colon ... more
ABOUT US
Study challenges theories of earlier human arrival in Americas
Laramie WY (SPX) Apr 22, 2022
A new analysis of archaeological sites in the Americas challenges relatively new theories that the earliest human inhabitants of North America arrived before the migration of people from Asia across ... more
SHAKE AND BLOW
Volcanoes at fault if the Earth slips
Kyoto, Japan (SPX) Apr 22, 2022
The 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes shocked inhabitants of the western island of Kyushu, causing hundreds of casualties and serious damage to vital infrastructure. The epicenter of the quake was traced to ... more
FROTH AND BUBBLE
No 'significant' harm from Galapagos diesel spill: reserve
Puerto Ayora, Ecuador (AFP) April 24, 2022
A diesel spill off one of Ecuador's ecologically sensitive Galapagos islands caused no "significant" damage, the protected nature reserve said Sunday. ... more



SHAKE AND BLOW
'Fresh wound': S.Africa flood survivors bury loved ones
Durban, South Africa (AFP) April 24, 2022
Betraying no sign of emotion, Ayanda Jileka emerges from the ruins of his family home in South Africa with some wood that he drops into two small holes at the gate. ... more
SHAKE AND BLOW
Indonesia raises alert level for Krakatoa's offspring volcano
Jakarta (AFP) April 25, 2022
Indonesia raised the alert status for the offspring of the infamous Krakatoa volcano to its second highest level on Monday, a day after it erupted and spewed a towering ash cloud 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) into the sky. ... more
AFRICA NEWS
Six soldiers killed, 20 injured in Mali 'terror' attacks
Bamako (AFP) April 24, 2022
Six soldiers were killed and 20 injured in simultaneous attacks targeting three army bases in central Mali Sunday, the Malian army said. ... more
DEMOCRACY
Myanmar junta chief calls for peace talks with ethnic rebels
Yangon (AFP) April 22, 2022
Myanmar's junta chief on Friday called for face-to-face peace talks with the country's established ethnic rebel groups, as the military struggles to crush newer anti-junta militias that have sprung up to fight the coup. ... more
DEMOCRACY
Marine Le Pen, a fighter suffering another big defeat
Paris (AFP) April 24, 2022
Marine Le Pen, who on Sunday lost the second round of France's presidential election to Emmanuel Macron, had fought hard to make her far-right party electable but in the end failed by a wide margin to win over a majority of voters. ... more


Lesser known ozone layer's outsized role in planet warming

24/7 News Coverage



TECTONICS
Earliest geochemical evidence of plate tectonics found
Boston MA (SPX) Apr 22, 2022
A handful of ancient zircon crystals found in South Africa hold the oldest evidence of subduction, a key element of plate tectonics, according to a new study published in AGU Advances, AGU's journal ... more
FARM NEWS
Biden protects US forests but struggles on biggest climate goals
Seattle (AFP) April 22, 2022
President Joe Biden marked Earth Day on Friday by ordering protections for ancient forests and pondering a future without his beloved gas-guzzling Corvette sports car, but after 14 months in office his more ambitious climate goals look elusive. ... more
FROTH AND BUBBLE
Scientists to scour African waters to gauge ocean pollution
Cape Town (AFP) April 23, 2022
Scientists on Saturday began a five-month mission to study how plastic pollution in Africa's main rivers and climate change stresses are impacting microorganisms in the Atlantic ocean, they announced. ... more
WATER WORLD
US warns against China military presence in Solomon Islands
Honiara (AFP) April 22, 2022
US officials visiting the strategic Solomon Islands on Friday warned of serious repercussions if China were to establish a permanent military presence there after the Pacific nation signed a defence pact with Beijing. ... more
SHAKE AND BLOW
S.Africa's deadly floods shine spotlight on housing crisis
Durban, South Africa (AFP) April 23, 2022
Thulisile Ntobela, once lived in an apartment, but when her rent went up 25 percent, the unemployed mother of five could no longer afford and moved out. ... more
24/7 Nuclear News Coverage
24/7 War News Coverage
24/7 War News Coverage



IAEA chief to visit Chernobyl next week
Vienna (AFP) April 22, 2022
The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency will visit Chernobyl next week as the organisation ramps up efforts to "prevent the danger of a nuclear accident", a statement said Friday. Chernobyl, the scene of the worst nuclear disaster in history, fell into Russian hands on the first day of the country's invasion of Ukraine, and suffered a power and communications outage. ... more
+ S. Africa ministers to the front as flood effort stutters
+ Web of support for Ukrainian refugees in Romania
+ British PM says navy to patrol Channel for migrants
+ Russian soldiers dug up 'many places' in Chernobyl
+ 'Safer' higher ground becomes fatal site in Philippine landslide
+ Search for survivors in Philippine villages hit by landslides
+ 'Russia, our sacred state!': school reopens under Moscow control
AFRL is developing green power for satellites
Kirtland AFB NM (SPX) Apr 22, 2022
The Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, Space Vehicles Directorate is developing a new "green energy" fuel cell technology, that will allow thruster equipped spacecraft to convert chemical energy in its bipropellant into electrical power. This technology, called BEEPS for Bipropellant Enabled Electrical Power Supply, is being developed by a three-year Seedlings for Disruptive Capabilit ... more
+ Experts issue call to regulate space debris as levels of junk mount
+ New Air Force priority topics unveiled for industry partners
+ Clever monkeys plan their food trips to avoid stronger rivals
+ Researchers create exotic magnetic structures with laser light
+ Lasers trigger magnetism in atomically thin quantum materials
+ Stanford engineers develop new kind of 3D printing
+ Embry-Riddle to develop camera system for upcoming Polaris Dawn Space Mission




US says 'only a handful of people' have seen China-Solomons deal
Sydney (AFP) April 26, 2022
US officials who visited the Solomon Islands are convinced "only a handful of people in a very small circle" have seen the final version of its controversial new security deal with China. The high-level delegation arrived in the Pacific nation for talks with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare last Friday, three days after Beijing announced the deal had been signed. A draft version of the p ... more
+ Australia accuses China of paying bribes to win deals
+ Japan, New Zealand plan talks on expanded defence cooperation
+ Parched Iraq's water resources 'down 50 percent'
+ After floods, S.Africans wait hours for water amid fear of disease
+ Overuse and climate change kill off Iraq's Sawa Lake
+ US warns against China military presence in Solomon Islands
+ Taiwan pledges to protect migrant fishermen after abuse claims
Satellite data improves model's interpretation of snowfall albedo simulations for Tibet
Beijing, China (SPX) Apr 22, 2022
Albedo is a term that represents the ability of Earth's surface to reflect solar radiation. This is the primary factor of the energy balance between the surface and the atmosphere. When snow falls, albedo changes quickly, as snow is able to reflect most wavelengths of light back into the atmosphere. Naturally, albedo fluctuates often during winter and spring in the Tibetan Plateau, which has a g ... more
+ No glacial fertilization effect in the Antarctic Ocean
+ Record low Antarctic sea ice extent could signal shift
+ Thawing permafrost is roiling the Arctic landscape
+ Abrupt climate change during last ice age driven by critical CO2 levels
+ The global "plastic flood" reaches the Arctic
+ Young Sami return to reindeer herding despite climate fears
+ Russia expands definition of "local" in the Arctic




Biden protects US forests but struggles on biggest climate goals
Seattle (AFP) April 22, 2022
President Joe Biden marked Earth Day on Friday by ordering protections for ancient forests and pondering a future without his beloved gas-guzzling Corvette sports car, but after 14 months in office his more ambitious climate goals look elusive. The Democrat has campaigned heavily for environmental protections and US leadership in the response to global warming, but regularly run up against l ... more
+ Small bees better at coping with warming, bumblebees struggle: study
+ Climate, big agriculture slashing insect populations 'by half'
+ Vertical farming will play a role in future food production
+ 'Green cities' focus of largest Dutch garden expo
+ An uncertain future for livestock production in the tropics
+ Colombian researchers seek safety for bees in urban jungle
+ Fly less? Go vegan? How people can take climate action
S.Africa's deadly floods shine spotlight on housing crisis
Durban, South Africa (AFP) April 23, 2022
Thulisile Ntobela, once lived in an apartment, but when her rent went up 25 percent, the unemployed mother of five could no longer afford and moved out. She found a piece of vacant land in Durban and put up a shack. That was five years ago and much cheaper than paying rent, which had gone up to 200 rand ($12.80). "That's why we moved here, we don't pay the rent. You just build your h ... more
+ Indonesia raises alert level for Krakatoa's offspring volcano
+ One killed, several injured as 5.7 quake shakes Bosnia: reports
+ 'Fresh wound': S.Africa flood survivors bury loved ones
+ Volcanoes at fault if the Earth slips
+ Floods heap woes on South Africa trading hub
+ Scientists scour 'Mexico's Galapagos' for quake, volcano clues
+ 6.7-magnitude quake strikes off Nicaragua coast: USGS




Nigeria probes crash of military aircraft that killed two
Abuja (AFP) April 20, 2022
Nigeria's air force said on Wednesday it had ordered an inquiry after a military training aircraft crashed in the restive northern state of Kaduna, claiming two lives. At least four Nigerian military aircraft have been involved in deadly crashes since last year, including one that killed the nation's army chief and 10 other soldiers on board. A Super Mushshak trainer went down on a milit ... more
+ Mali army says uncovered mass grave near former French base
+ Attacks on Burkina Faso military units kill 15
+ Ethiopian peacekeepers from Tigray seek asylum in Sudan
+ Six soldiers killed, 20 injured in Mali 'terror' attacks
+ Niger parliament votes in favour of foreign troop presence
+ Chinese mine manager jailed in Rwanda for torture
+ Niger MPs to vote on foreign troop presence
Prehistoric people created art by firelight, new research reveals
York UK (SPX) Apr 21, 2022
Our early ancestors probably created intricate artwork by firelight, an examination of 50 engraved stones unearthed in France has revealed. The stones were incised with artistic designs around 15,000 years ago and have patterns of heat damage which suggests they were carved close to the flickering light of a fire, the new study has found. The study, by researchers at the Universities ... more
+ Discovery sheds light on why the Pacific islands were colonized
+ Gabon counts on visitors to help preserve great apes
+ Study challenges theories of earlier human arrival in Americas
+ Brazil's Lula slams Bolsonaro indigenous policies
+ 'Worse to be gay than corrupt' in Venezuela's military
+ Early human habitats linked to past climate shifts
+ Brazil's first indigenous fashion show 'a form of resistance'




Humanity stuck in 'spiral of self-destruction': UN
Geneva (AFP) April 25, 2022
Humanity is suffering from a "broken perception of risk", spurring us into activities and behaviours that cause climate change and a surging number of disasters around the globe, the UN warned Tuesday. In a fresh report, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, or UNDRR, found that between 350 and 500 medium- to large-scale disasters took place globally every year over the past two decades ... more
+ Third dust storm in two weeks sweeps through Iraq
+ Under shadow of drought, Santiago ditches exotic plants
+ 20 million risk starvation as Horn of Africa drought worsens: UN
+ Climate activists disrupt traffic in London, Paris
+ Global warming: even cacti can't take the heat
+ Chile unveils plan for water rationing in capital
+ Somalia at risk of famine 'catastrophe': UN agencies
BlackSky upgrades site monitoring with enhanced analytics and imaging capabilities
Herndon VA (SPX) Apr 25, 2022
BlackSky (NYSE: BKSY) upgraded its site monitoring capabilities with new analytics and imaging features to meet customers' varied needs for information gathering and intelligence across geographically diverse environments. "BlackSky released new imaging and analysis upgrades that, when combined with our high-revisit satellite imaging capabilities, will make monitoring the world's most crit ... more
+ Weather satellite prepares for lightning
+ From supercomputers to symbiotes
+ China receives data from atmospheric environmental monitoring satellite
+ Moody's and Planet Labs form strategic relationship for asset verification services
+ Planet joins ESA Third Party Mission Program for satellite imagery
+ Maxar extends 3D Geospatial capabilities through partnership with Blackshark
+ PAR Government teams up with BlackSky to deliver near real-time imagery




Study: T. rex's short arms may have reduced biting risk of hunting in packs
Washington DC (UPI) Apr 5, 2021
The Tyrannosaurus rex's arms may have evolved to become extremely short to lower the risk of bites while feeding in packs, a new study says. A 45-foot-long T. rex may have 3-feet long arms--the equivalent of a 6-foot human with 5-inch arms, study author Kevin Padian, emeritus professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and a curator of the UC Museum of Paleontology, noted in a ... more
+ How did cockroaches survive the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs
+ Ancient helium offers clues to Earth's formation
+ How a major volcanic eruption paved the way for the rise of the dinosaurs
+ Researchers find Spinosaurus' dense bones allowed it to hunt underwater
+ Ancient ancestors evolved to be strong and snappy, study finds
+ Meteorites that helped form Earth may have formed in the outer solar system
+ Microbes and minerals may have set off Earth's oxygenation
EU needs to recycle more to hit green energy goals: report
Paris (AFP) April 25, 2022
Europe must act fast to secure supplies of crucial metals required for a green energy transition and its best bet is to recycle, a report said Monday. The 27-nation EU aims to be "carbon neutral" by 2050 - reducing greenhouse gases to a level where the amount produced is balanced out by the amount removed from the atmosphere. The bloc also wants to wean itself off dependence on Russian ... more
+ Paris climate targets feasible if nations keep vows
+ Lots of low- and no-cost ways to halt global warming
+ Compact, green and car-free. Can city living beat climate change?
+ Govts, businesses 'lying' on climate efforts: UN chief
+ Mexico, US talks fail to end energy reform frictions
+ IEA approves third term for chief pushing clean energy
+ Study shows that realistic models could make for more environmental wins




Sulfonamides make robust cathode material for proton batteries
Hunan, China (SPX) Apr 22, 2022
Proton batteries are an innovative and environmentally friendly type of battery in which charge is carried by protons, which are positively charged hydrogen ions. A team of researchers has now developed organic sulfonamides as a robust and flexible material for cathodes in these batteries. As the team explain in the journal Angewandte Chemie, sulfonamide cathodes also achieve a higher output vol ... more
+ Reversible fuel cells can support grid economically
+ A catalyst for the development of carbon-neutral technology of the radiation accelerator
+ Lithium's narrow paths limit batteries
+ A new heat engine with no moving parts is as efficient as a steam turbine
+ Freeze-thaw battery is adept at preserving its energy
+ Novel use of iron-laced carbon nanofibers yields high-performance energy storage
+ Nuclear fusion hit a milestone thanks to better reactor walls
Study: Humans interrupting 66-million-year-old relationship among animals
Washington DC (UPI) Apr 21, 2021
Diet and body mass are inextricably linked in vertebrates, but a 66-million-year-old relationship linked to animal evolution and survival is being interrupted by humans, according to new research. Animals that are exclusively herbivores or carnivores are generally much larger in size than omnivores or invertivores - animals that only eat invertebrates - according to the study, publish ... more
+ Dingoes aren't just feral dogs, says study
+ Ecotourism giving rare iguanas a sweet tooth
+ Leopard shot dead after attacking policeman in Iranian city
+ DRCongo plans elephant safe-zone after church intrusion
+ Researchers find declining nitrogen availability in a nitrogen rich world
+ Lost golden toad heralds climate's massive extinction threat
+ Can sunflowers help defeat the 'insect apocalypse'?
Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy



Hong Kong press club scraps rights awards over 'red line' fears
Hong Kong (AFP) April 25, 2022
Hong Kong's foreign press club scrapped its annual human rights awards on Monday citing fears it could be prosecuted for crossing "new red lines" as Beijing stamps out dissent in the international business hub. The decision has triggered a row within the Foreign Correspondents' Club Hong Kong (FCCHK) and sparked resignations from within its press freedom committee, four people with knowledge ... more
+ YouTube removes channel promoting future Hong Kong leader
+ Hong Kong pro-democracy DJ gets 40 months in jail for sedition
+ Hong Kong judge rules in favour of abused domestic worker
+ First Hong Kongers convicted for online vote-boycott calls
+ Hong Kong TV show ignites 'brownface' row with Filipina role
+ Hong Kong leadership candidate says one-horse race 'not easy'
+ Veteran Hong Kong journalist arrested for 'sedition'
Planet Partners with Canadian universities to research boreal forests
San Francisco CA (SPX) Apr 20, 2022
Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL), a leading provider of daily data and insights about Earth, has announced a new partnership with a group of interconnected research programs at the University of Alberta, Yukon University, Universite Laval, and the University of Calgary, researching biodiversity, regeneration, and human impact in the Canadian Boreal Forest. Leveraging Planet's satellite data, the ... more
+ Indigenous lands block Brazil deforestation: study
+ Radio eye on tree-counting Biomass
+ Deforestation drives climate change that harms remaining forest
+ Record 1st-quarter deforestation of Amazon; Lula slams Bolsonaro indigenous policies
+ Kenyans heal devastated land with the power of mangroves
+ US trees may provide over $100 billion dollars in savings via environmental benefits
+ NASA releases breakthrough forest biomass-carbon product






Buy Advertising About Us Editorial & Other Enquiries Privacy statement
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2020 - 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