24/7 News Coverage
December 22, 2023
SHAKE AND BLOW
Fleeing drought, vulnerable populations face flood risk in most African countries



Washington DC (SPX) Dec 22, 2023
In 80% of African countries, moved toward rivers and into cities during drought, increasing the number of people living in flood-risk areas in recent decades, according to a new study. This resettlement pattern will likely intensify in coming decades as climate change is expected to make droughts more frequent and severe. "It's a cycle that exacerbates how many people are negatively impacted by drought, and not only in the ways we might normally expect," said Serena Ceola, a hydrologist at the Uni ... read more

FIRE STORM
Scientists develop 'flying dragon' robot to fight fires from a distance
Osaka, Japan (SPX) Dec 22, 2023
Imagine a flying dragon that doesn't spout fire, but instead extinguishes it with blasts of water. Thanks to a team of Japanese researchers, this new kind of beast may soon be recruited to firefight ... more
FROTH AND BUBBLE
China air pollution worsens in 2023, first time in decade
Beijing (AFP) Dec 22, 2023
China's air pollution worsened in 2023, the first time it has done so in a decade, a study released on Friday said. ... more
WATER WORLD
Egypt, Ethiopia trade blame over failed dam talks
Addis Ababa (AFP) Dec 20, 2023
Ethiopia and Egypt have traded blame for the failure of a fourth round of negotiations aimed at resolving a long-running dispute over a controversial mega-dam built by Addis Ababa on the Nile. ... more
ICE WORLD
As the Arctic warms, its waters are emitting carbon
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 22, 2023
When it comes to influencing climate change, the world's smallest ocean punches above its weight. It's been estimated that the cold waters of the Arctic absorb as much as 180 million metric tons of ... more
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WOOD PILE


'Doom for forests': fears over new Cambodia land grants

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Morocco faces sixth consecutive year of drought: minister
Rabat (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
Morocco is heading towards its sixth consecutive year of drought as rising temperatures lead to decline in rainfall, the North African country's water minister said on Thursday. ... more
ICE WORLD
Antarctic octopus DNA reveals ice sheet collapse closer than thought
Washington (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
Scientists investigating how Antarctica's ice sheets retreated in the deep past have turned to an innovative approach: studying the genes of octopuses that live in its chilly waters. ... more
SHAKE AND BLOW
China earthquake death toll rises to 148
Beijing (AFP) Dec 22, 2023
The toll from China's deadliest earthquake in years rose to 148 on Friday, state media reported, as authorities turned their attention to resettling thousands of people displaced by the disaster. ... more
SHAKE AND BLOW
Residents return to Iceland town as volcano eruption peters out
Reykjavik (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
Evacuated residents of the Icelandic town of Grindavik returned Thursday for daytime visits as a nearby volcanic eruption appeared to be petering out, though their hopes of spending Christmas at home were dashed. ... more
AFRICA NEWS
Last French troops bow out of Africa's Sahel
Niamey, Niger (AFP) Dec 22, 2023
The last French troops withdrew from Niger on Friday, marking an end to more than a decade of French anti-jihadist operations in west Africa's Sahel region, AFP saw and Niger's military announced. ... more

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FLORA AND FAUNA


Elephants on the loose, S.African rangers on the chase; Peru seizes 4,000 live Amazon turtles at airport

WATER WORLD
Spain's Galicia struggles with mass shellfish die-off
Illa De Arousa, Spain (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
The fisherwomen at the heart of Europe's shellfish industry in northwest Spain have been reporting a worrying die-off that is hitting just when holiday season demand is soaring. ... more
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
'Find someone to bury the dead': life on the run in Gaza
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 21, 2023
When Ibrahim fled his home in Gaza City after the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out, it was with an extended family of 25 people. But as they headed south alongside hundreds of thousands of refugees, the family split up into smaller groups - not by accident, but on purpose, as part of a grim new reality in the war-torn territory ... more
WAR REPORT
Gaza health ministry says 12 killed in strikes in Rafah
Rafah, Palestinian Territories (AFP) Dec 20, 2023
Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry said at least 12 people were killed and dozens were wounded on Wednesday in a series of air strikes in Rafah near the border with Egypt. ... more
DEMOCRACY
Hong Kong court refuses to drop Jimmy Lai sedition charge
Hong Kong (AFP) Dec 22, 2023
A Hong Kong court on Friday rejected jailed pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai's bid to throw out a charge of seditious publication in a trial that has attracted international attention. ... more
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Ottawa offers 3-year visas to those in Gaza with Canadian relatives
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 21, 2021
People in Gaza with Canadian relatives will be able to apply for temporary residency, Ottawa announced Thursday, as the death toll in the Palestinian enclave amid Israel's offensive reaches nearly 20,000 with the vast majority of those who live there having been displaced. ... more
FROTH AND BUBBLE


Canada bids farewell to plastic straws, cutlery and checkout bags

FLORA AND FAUNA
Peru seizes 4,000 live Amazon turtles at airport
Lima (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
Peruvian authorities have seized some 4,000 turtles that originated in the Amazon at the country's main international airport, the national wildlife service said Thursday. ... more
THE STANS
Three Indian soldiers killed in Kashmir gunfight
New Delhi (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
Three soldiers were killed in India-administered Kashmir during a gun battle in the disputed Himalayan territory, the army said Thursday. ... more
WOOD PILE
A new map showing all above-ground biomass in the Brazilian Amazon
Sao Paulo, Brazil (SPX) Dec 21, 2023
Publication of a new map showing all the above-ground biomass in the Brazilian Amazon is good news in the context of the severe crisis afflicting the world's largest contiguous tropical rainforest. ... more
FLORA AND FAUNA
Study uncovers major hidden human-driven bird extinctions
Bailrigg UK (SPX) Dec 21, 2023
Humans have wiped out around 1,400 bird species - twice as many as previously thought - with major implications for the ongoing biodiversity crisis, a new study has found. Many of the world's ... more
EARLY EARTH
Mysterious fruit shown to be the oldest known fossils of the Frankincense and Myrrh family
Gainesville FL (SPX) Dec 21, 2023
Early in the 1970s, a paleontologist working on the outskirts of an Indian village found small, bead-like fossils embedded in the gray chert dotting the surrounding fields. The site was notorious fo ... more
WHITE OUT
The science behind snowflakes
Salt Lake City UT (SPX) Dec 21, 2023
Tim Garrett has devoted his scientific career to characterizing snowflakes, the protean particles of ice that form in clouds and dramatically change as they fall to Earth. Now the University o ... more
WATER WORLD
Shrinking Caspian Sea worries secretive Turkmenistan
Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
On the Caspian Sea coast in Turkmenistan - one of the world's most secretive states - Batyr Yusupov can no longer ferry his passengers between two ports. There is not enough water. ... more
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
China in 'race against time' to house quake victims for winter
Jishishan, China (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
Chinese authorities are facing a "race against time" to ensure victims of the deadliest earthquake in years can be sheltered from freezing winter temperatures, a local official told AFP on Thursday. ... more
WHITE OUT
More records tumble as China cold snap persists
Beijing (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
More low temperature records tumbled across China on Thursday, as the country endures a persistent cold snap that has crowned a year of extreme weather. ... more
SHAKE AND BLOW
Icelandic volcano eruption eases as evacuated village remains off limits
Reykjavik (AFP) Dec 20, 2023
A volcanic eruption that rocked Iceland this week diminished in intensity for a second day Wednesday, though media reports said a nearby evacuated fishing village would remain off limits for at least another week. ... more
FLORA AND FAUNA
Dogs, antennas and honey for Japan's big bear problem
Karuizawa, Japan (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
Thousands of bears are being shot in Japan each year as they become more and more of a problem. Junpei Tanaka and his dog Rela, straining at her leash in the woods, have a kinder, smarter way. ... more
FLORA AND FAUNA
EU looks to downgrade wolf protection status
Brussels (AFP) Dec 20, 2023
The European Commission said Wednesday it wants to change the protection status of wolves - allowing them to be hunted - based on new data suggesting the animals pose a rising threat to livestock. ... more
FLORA AND FAUNA
Heartbreak in Zimbabwe park: elephants' desperate hunt for water
Hwange, Zimbabwe (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
Storm clouds are finally gathering over Zimbabwe's biggest animal reserve, but it has come too late for more than 110 elephants that have died in a searing, extended drought. ... more
WATER WORLD
Denmark sees record precipitation for 2023
Copenhagen (AFP) Dec 20, 2023
A record amount of precipitation fell in Denmark in 2023, meteorologists said Wednesday, noting that more increases could be expected as a result of climate change. ... more
FIRE STORM
Hundreds battle wildfire threatening S. Africa naval base
Simon'S Town, South Africa (AFP) Dec 20, 2023
Hundreds of firefighters on Wednesday battled a wildfire that has spread across a mountain near Cape Town and threatened South Africa's biggest naval base. ... more
EXO WORLDS
Earth may have had all the elements needed for life within it all along
Knoxville TN (The Conversation) (SPX) Dec 15, 2023
For many years, scientists have predicted that many of the elements that are crucial ingredients for life, like sulfur and nitrogen, first came to Earth when asteroid-type objects carrying them cras ... more
FIRE STORM
A new tool to better model future wildfire impacts in the United States
Columbus OH (SPX) Dec 18, 2023
Wildfire management systems outfitted with remote sensing technology could improve first responders' ability to predict and respond to the spread of deadly forest fires. To do this, researcher ... more
EARTH OBSERVATION
Ancient bricks shed light on Earth's magnetic field anomalies 3,000 years ago
London, UK (SPX) Dec 19, 2023
Ancient bricks inscribed with the names of Mesopotamian kings have provided crucial insights into a significant anomaly in Earth's magnetic field that occurred around 3,000 years ago. This discovery ... more
EXO WORLDS
Some Icy Exoplanets May Have Habitable Oceans and Geysers
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 14, 2023
A NASA study expands the search for life beyond our solar system by indicating that 17 exoplanets (worlds outside our solar system) could have oceans of liquid water, an essential ingredient for lif ... more
EARTH OBSERVATION
China's civil military dual-use space strategy
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 18, 2023
China has taken another significant step in enhancing its space-based Earth observation (EO) capabilities with the successful launch of the Yaogan-41 satellite. This latest addition to China's satel ... more
FARM NEWS
Jordan's mission to save its ancient olive trees
Ajlun, Jordan (AFP) Dec 20, 2023
Every morning, Jordanian farmer Ali Saleh Atta swallows two cloves of garlic with a cup of olive oil before heading out to check on his ancient olive trees. ... more
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