24/7 News Coverage
September 28, 2023
WATER WORLD
Desalination system could produce freshwater that is cheaper than tap water



Boston MA (SPX) Sep 28, 2023
Engineers at MIT and in China are aiming to turn seawater into drinking water with a completely passive device that is inspired by the ocean, and powered by the sun. In a paper appearing in the journal Joule, the team outlines the design for a new solar desalination system that takes in saltwater and heats it with natural sunlight. The configuration of the device allows water to circulate in swirling eddies, in a manner similar to the much larger "thermohaline" circulation of the ocean. This ... read more

EARTH OBSERVATION
Japanese scientists find microplastics are present in clouds
Washington (AFP) Sept 27, 2023
Researchers in Japan have confirmed microplastics are present in clouds, where they are likely affecting the climate in ways that aren't yet fully understood. ... more
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Reconstruction aid lagging for 2022 Pakistan floods: UN chief
United Nations, United States (AFP) Sept 27, 2023
A year after deadly floods inundated a third of Pakistan, the broken promises to rebuild the country present "a litmus test for climate justice," the head of the United Nations said Wednesday. ... more
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
East Libya government announces fund for flood-hit Derna
Benghazi, Libya (AFP) Sept 27, 2023
Libya's eastern-based government announced Wednesday the creation of a fund for the reconstruction of Derna, weeks after it was hit by a devastating flood that swept thousands out to sea. ... more
DEMOCRACY
India-China power play dominates Maldives runoff vote
Colombo (AFP) Sept 28, 2023
The Maldives votes in a presidential runoff on Saturday that could drastically rebalance its relations with India and China, two regional giants competing for influence in the geopolitical hotspot. ... more
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EXO WORLDS


Scientists develop method of identifying life on other worlds

EARTH OBSERVATION
NASA-led study pinpoints areas of New York City sinking, rising
Pasadena CA (JPL) Sep 28, 2023
Parts of the New York City metropolitan area are sinking and rising at different rates due to factors ranging from land-use practices to long-lost glaciers, scientists have found. While the elevatio ... more
EARTH OBSERVATION
China launches its latest remote sensing satellite
Jiuquan (XNA) Sep 27, 2023
China on Wednesday sent its latest remote sensing satellite into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The satellite, Yaogan-33 04, was launched on a Long March-4C ... more
EARTH OBSERVATION
First long-duration Lidar satellite mission CALIPSO Ends
Hampton VA (SPX) Sep 27, 2023
CALIPSO, a lidar satellite that advanced the world's understanding of climate, weather, and air quality, ended its scientific mission on Aug. 1, 2023. Across 17 years of operation, the Cloud-A ... more
WEATHER REPORT
Hundreds rescued as new storm pummels Greece
Athens (AFP) Sept 28, 2023
Hundreds of people were rescued from floods in Greece overnight and early on Thursday, officials said, as a new storm hit the country just weeks after floods left 17 dead. ... more
GPS NEWS
Trimble and Kyivstar to provide GNSS correction services in Ukraine
Westminster CO (SPX) Sep 27, 2023
Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) and Kyivstar, Ukraine's largest telecommunications company, are partnering to install a new Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) network to provide Global Navigatio ... more

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WATER WORLD


New method for purifying drinking water could be used in disaster zones

BIO FUEL
Is there more to palm oil than deforestation?
Gottingen, Germany (SPX) Sep 26, 2023
Palm oil is the world's most produced and consumed vegetable oil and everyone knows that its production can damage the environment. But do consumers have the full picture? In fact, replacing palm oi ... more
ICE WORLD
Two 'catastrophic' years melt away 10% of Swiss glacier volume: study
Geneva (AFP) Sept 28, 2023
Two consecutive years of extreme warming in the Alps have obliterated 10 percent of Swiss glacier volume - the same amount lost in the three decades prior to 1990, a report revealed Thursday. ... more
ENERGY NEWS
What is the carbon footprint of a hospital bed?
Waterloo, Canada (SPX) Sep 26, 2023
Researchers from the University of Waterloo completed the first-ever assessment of a Canadian hospital to reveal its total environmental footprint and specific carbon emission hotspots. Studyi ... more
ICE WORLD
Glacier Loss Day indicates record breaking glacier melt
Innsbruck, Austria (SPX) Sep 26, 2023
The Hintereisferner, located at the back of the Tyrolean Otztal, has been closely monitored for more than 100 years, and there have been continuous records of its mass balance since 1952. This makes ... more
CARBON WORLDS
Argyle study reveals crucial third clue to finding new diamond deposits
Perth, Australia (SPX) Sep 25, 2023
Curtin University researchers studying diamond-rich rocks from Western Australia's Argyle volcano have identified the missing third key ingredient needed to bring valuable pink diamonds to the Earth ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE


Youth bring climate case to Europe rights court

SHAKE AND BLOW
Biggest quake in 40 years shakes Italy's volcanic Campi Flegrei
Rome (AFP) Sept 27, 2023
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake shook Italy's Campi Flegrei region west of Naples in the early hours Wednesday, in the biggest tremor in the area for 40 years, according to experts. ... more
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
'We're all dead': Iraqis in shock after wedding fire
Qaraqosh, Iraq (AFP) Sept 27, 2023
A huge portrait of Jesus Christ dominates the crowd, which parts to make way for a stream of coffins after a fire tore through an Iraqi Christian wedding. ... more
SPACE MEDICINE
Brain implants could restore paralyzed patients' arm movements
Washington (AFP) Sept 27, 2023
A paralyzed Swiss man has become the first person to test a new technology that reads his thoughts using AI and then transmits signals through his own nervous system to his arms, hands and fingers in order to restore movement. ... more
SHAKE AND BLOW
Tree rings reveal a new kind of earthquake threat to the Pacific Northwest
Tucson AZ (SPX) Sep 28, 2023
In February, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook the Turkey-Syria border, followed by one nearly as large nine hours later. Shallow faults less than 18 miles beneath the surface buckled and ruptured, c ... more
AFRICA NEWS
French news outlet Jeune Afrique protests Burkina suspension
Ouagadougou (AFP) Sept 26, 2023
French media outlet Jeune Afrique protested Tuesday after Burkina Faso's junta-led government suspended its print and online operations in the country after the publication of two articles about tensions within the military. ... more
FARM NEWS
Syrian beekeepers battle both war and climate change
Rankus, Syria (AFP) Sept 28, 2023
Syrian beekeeper Ibrahim Damiriya struggles to produce honey from his hives on parched land near the capital Damascus after years of war, economic collapse and worsening climate change impacts. ... more
FARM NEWS
Earthworms contribute to 6.5% of world grain production: study
Paris (AFP) Sept 26, 2023
Most gardeners know that earthworms help keep soils healthy, now scientists have assessed just how important their underground activities are to global food production - and how to protect them. ... more
FARM NEWS
As temperatures rise, Sicily turns to exotic fruits
Giarre, Italy (AFP) Sept 28, 2023
Avocados, mangos, bananas and passion fruit - a wealth of exotic produce is growing under the shadow of Sicily's Mount Etna, as the Italian island's farmers adapt to global warming. ... more
FIRE STORM
Canadian wildfire smoke darkens Greenland skies
Copenhagen (AFP) Sept 27, 2023
Smoke from Canadian wildfires has darkened skies in Greenland's west, said residents of the Arctic island who are hundreds of kilometres from Canada's coast. ... more
AFRICA NEWS
Climate migration study launched in DR Congo capital
Kinshasa (AFP) Sept 27, 2023
Experts from nations across Africa and beyond have launched a study on climate migration across the continent, as one speaker warned that 86 million people could be displaced by 2050. ... more
PILLAGING PIRATES
Hong Kong arrests 6,400 in anti-triad bust
Hong Kong (AFP) Sept 27, 2023
Hong Kong police said on Wednesday they have arrested 6,400 people, including children, and seized millions of dollars in cash and contraband after a three-month operation targeting cross-border criminal activity. ... more
WOOD PILE
Ancient Amazonians intentionally created fertile "dark earth"
Boston MA (SPX) Sep 26, 2023
The Amazon river basin is known for its immense and lush tropical forests, so one might assume that the Amazon's land is equally rich. In fact, the soils underlying the forested vegetation, particul ... more
ICE WORLD
Antarctica's glacial border migrates for miles with the tide
London, UK (SPX) Sep 26, 2023
New measurements of how boundary between onshore glacier and floating ice shelf glides back-and- forth could help predict melting. The grounding line of the southern Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarct ... more
WOOD PILE
Scientists call for a tree planting drive to help tackle heatwaves
Guildford UK (SPX) Sep 26, 2023
Adding more natural areas across our towns and cities could cool them by up to 6 C during heatwaves, according to new research from the University of Surrey's Global Centre for Clean Air Research (G ... more
FARM NEWS
We could sequester CO2 by "re-greening" arid lands, plant scientists say
Washington DC (SPX) Sep 26, 2023
Reducing CO2 levels in the atmosphere will take more than cutting emissions-we will also need to capture and store the excessive volumes of already-emitted carbon. In an opinion paper publishing in ... more
ICE WORLD
Antarctic sea ice hits lowest winter maximum on record: US data
Washington (AFP) Sept 26, 2023
The sea ice around Antarctica likely had a record low surface area when it was at its maximum size this winter, a preliminary US analysis of satellite data showed Monday. ... more
FLORA AND FAUNA
Scientists uncover a scaly surprise with new pangolin species
Bangkok (AFP) Sept 26, 2023
The small, scaly, and highly endangered pangolin has been keeping a secret: it comprises not eight species but nine, with a new one discovered through analysis of confiscated scales. ... more
WOOD PILE
Petition against felling trees in historic Tokyo park area
Tokyo (AFP) Sept 25, 2023
Campaigners filed a fresh petition with almost 225,000 signatures on Monday against plans to fell large numbers of trees and tear down a historic baseball stadium in a rare green area of central Tokyo. ... more
WATER WORLD
UK water firms must cut bills over poor performance: regulator
London (AFP) Sept 26, 2023
A UK regulator Tuesday ordered water companies in England and Wales to return a combined Pounds 114 million ($139 million) to customers for failing to meet performance targets, including over river pollution. ... more
FARM NEWS
Malaysia boosts China palm oil exports under EU pressure
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Sept 25, 2023
Malaysia will increase palm oil exports to China by 500,000 tons a year as it faces pressure from new European Union restrictions targeting deforestation, a senior minister told AFP on Monday. ... more
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
At least 100 killed in Iraq wedding fire tragedy
Qaraqosh, Iraq (AFP) Sept 27, 2023
At least 100 people were killed when a fire broke out at a wedding attended by hundreds of guests in northern Iraq after fireworks were set off inside, officials said Wednesday. ... more
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