Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 15, 2024 Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour might be the latest chapter in pop history, but examining our musical past could provide critical clues about our culture and human identity, according to a new study from The Australian National University (ANU). Utilizing The Global Jukebox – an online database of more than 5,000 songs – the study demonstrates music’s unique ability to … Continue reading Music reveals cultural insights into human history

Pasadena CA (JPL) May 15, 2024 An unusual boost in plant productivity can foreshadow severe soil water loss. NASA satellites are following the clues. Flaring up rapidly and with little warning, the drought that gripped much of the United States in the summer of 2012 was one of the most extensive the country had seen since the yearslong Dust Bowl of the 1930s. The “flash … Continue reading How ‘Glowing’ Plants Could Help Scientists Predict Flash Drought

Guatemala City (AFP) May 12, 2024 A powerful earthquake Sunday shook Guatemala near its southwestern border with Mexico, causing some buildings to collapse but claiming no known victims, the country’s National Institute for Seismology reported. The quake, with a magnitude of 6.5, struck at 5:39 am (1139 GMT). Its epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean 90 kilometers (55 miles) from the coast of San Marcos … Continue reading Powerful quake hits Guatemala, no victims reported

Porto Alegre, Brazil (AFP) May 13, 2024 River levels rose again Sunday as strong rains lashed waterlogged southern Brazil, where flooding has killed 145 people and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. Residents of the state of Rio Grande do Sul were bracing for more misery from the new rains, after two weeks of downpours saw rivers burst their banks, swallowing up towns and … Continue reading Brazil authorities warn of more floods, landslides as new rains hit south

Sheikh Jalal, Afghanistan (AFP) May 12, 2024 Emergency aid and rescue teams struggled on Sunday to reach areas of northern Afghanistan hardest hit by flash floods that killed hundreds, AFP journalists saw. Heavy rains caused flash flooding in several provinces in Afghanistan on Friday. Northern Baghlan was the worst impacted, with efforts to deliver aid hampered by destruction to roads and bridges wrought when the … Continue reading Rescuers struggle to reach Afghanistan flood-hit areas

Tanah Datar, Indonesia (AFP) May 13, 2024 The number of people killed by flash floods and cold lava flow from a volcano in western Indonesia over the weekend has risen to 41 with 17 more missing, a local disaster agency official told AFP Monday. Hours of heavy rain caused large volcanic rocks to roll down one of Indonesia’s most active volcanos into two districts on … Continue reading Indonesia flood death toll rises to 41 with 17 missing

Hanoi (AFP) May 13, 2024 Three young children were killed in a landslide in Hanoi, state media and a local resident said Monday, after soil and rocks fell from a hill onto a play centre after heavy rain. Vietnam’s capital city experienced heavy rain, lightning and thunder for more than an hour on Sunday evening, flooding streets and disrupting traffic. The rain caused the sudden … Continue reading Three children killed in Vietnam landslide after heavy rain

Warsaw (AFP) May 10, 2024 Polish farmers on Friday rallied against EU environmental regulations they said were hurting the economy and called for a referendum on the issue. The “Down with the Green Deal” protest drew several thousands of farmers in yellow vests to downtown Warsaw, where they waved Polish flags and union banners, handed out apples and carried signs showing skulls and bones. The … Continue reading Polish farmers protest ‘harmful’ EU environmental rules

Laqayi,Afghanistan, Afghanistan (AFP) May 11, 2024 More than 200 people were killed in flash floods that ripped through multiple Afghan provinces, the United Nations said on Saturday, as authorities declared a state of emergency and rushed to rescue the injured. Heavy rains on Friday sent roaring rivers of water and mud crashing through villages and across agricultural land in several provinces, with northern Baghlan one … Continue reading More than 200 dead in Afghanistan flash floods: UN

Porto Alegre, Brazil (AFP) May 10, 2024 The skies opened once again Friday in southern Brazil, offering little respite for those whose homes have been swallowed by floodwaters, while the number of people forced to evacuate doubled in 24 hours. Residents of the state of Rio Grande do Sul were bracing for a weekend of heavy rainfall, hitting just as waters that turned city streets … Continue reading Fresh rains pound Brazil’s flood-hit south as evacuations double