Beijing (AFP) Oct 23, 2023 China said on Monday it welcomes a visit by Australia’s prime minister next month, saying Beijing was keen to “strengthen” ties with Canberra as the two trading partners work to repair a once-frosty relationship. Beijing’s foreign ministry said it hoped Anthony Albanese’s visit, due November 4 to 7 on the invitation of Premier Li Qiang, would help improve relations. “A … Continue reading China ‘welcomes’ Australian PM upcoming visit as ties warm

Memphis (AFP) Oct 24, 2023 In the middle of the shrunken Mississippi, a barge drags a giant metal-edged suction head along the riverbed to remove sediment from shipping lanes. The crew of the dustpan dredge Hurley has been working around-the-clock for months to deepen the channels so boats and barges can pass through. “We’ve worked almost nonstop since last fall, everywhere from New Orleans up … Continue reading The mighty Mississippi, America’s water highway, is dangerously low

Manaus, Brazil (AFP) Oct 22, 2023 An extreme drought in parts of the Amazon has led to a dramatic drop in river water levels, exposing dozens of usually submerged rock formations with carvings of human forms that may date back some 2,000 years. Livia Ribeiro, a longtime resident of the Amazon’s largest city, Manaus, said she heard about the rock engravings from friends and wanted … Continue reading Drought in Brazil’s Amazon reveals ancient engravings

New York (AFP) Oct 21, 2023 At first glance, the spotted lanternfly looks like an elegant butterfly, speckled with black spots on white wings with a splash of bright red. But the insect native to parts of Asia (Lycorma delicatula) is attacking plants and trees in the United States, and officials are moving quickly to try to contain its spread. “The only good spotted lanternfly … Continue reading In US, invasive spotted lanternflies are devastating crops

Stockholm (AFP) Oct 21, 2023 Deadly Storm Babet unleashed extensive flooding and damaged towns in Denmark and Norway into Saturday, while continuing to sweep across the UK. Three people died in Scotland and England and families were trapped in flooded homes on Friday as the storm battered Britain and Ireland. A woman also died in northern Germany on Friday evening after a falling tree landed … Continue reading Storm Babet triggers flooding, power cuts in northern Europe

Washington DC (UPI) Oct 21, 2023 World leaders attending the Cairo Peace Summit on Saturday called for an immediate end to hostilities in Gaza as well as the safe passage of aid across the border into the Palestinian enclave. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is hosting the summit, which is being attended by Jordan’s King Abdullah, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as heads of … Continue reading World leaders at Cairo Peace Summit call for civilian safety in Gaza

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (AFP) Oct 22, 2023 Hurricane Norma slammed into Mexico’s northwestern coast Saturday afternoon, bringing heavy rain and the threat of flash floods, but was downgraded to a tropical storm by evening, authorities said. The storm came ashore about 25 kilometers (15 miles) northwest of the resort city of Cabo San Lucas on the Baja California coast, gradually weakening as it approached … Continue reading Hurricane Norma hits Mexico coast, then weakens to tropical storm

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Oct 19, 2023 Now that improvements in technology mean that some robots work alongside humans, there is evidence that those humans have learned to see them as team-mates – and teamwork can have negative as well as positive effects on people’s performance. People sometimes relax, letting their colleagues do the work instead. This is called ‘social loafing’, and it’s common where people … Continue reading Do humans get lazier when robots help with tasks?

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Oct 19, 2023 Collecting accurate weather data in remote and challenging environments like the polar regions and mountains can be extremely difficult. These areas often lack the infrastructure and resources needed for traditional weather stations, and the harsh weather conditions can make it dangerous for humans to access and maintain these stations. Drones can navigate these challenging terrains, gathehttp://dlvr.it/SxjHwK Continue reading Enhancing the safety and efficacy of drone flights in polar regions

Johannesburg, South Africa (SPX) Oct 19, 2023 The analysis of ancient, superdeep diamonds dug up from mines in Brazil and Western Africa, has exposed new processes of how continents evolved and moved during the early evolution of complex life on Earth. These diamonds that were formed between 650 and 450 million years ago on the base of the supercontinent Gondwana, were analysed by an international … Continue reading Ancient diamonds shine light on the evolution of Earth