Ottawa (AFP) Aug 13, 2023 Canada’s military deployed to far north Sunday in the fight against hundreds of out-of-control wildfires as residents of several remote communities fled the advancing blazes. The province of British Columbia, on the country’s Pacific Coast, meanwhile, braced for a heat wave expected to further fuel fires burning there. “We stand with the people of the Northwest Territories as they deal … Continue reading Military joins wildfire fight in Canada’s far north

Baghdad (AFP) Aug 14, 2023 A pair of Siberian tigers pant incessantly beside a pond at their zoo enclosure in the scorching summer heat of the Iraqi capital. Temperatures on Monday breached 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) in Baghdad for the second day in a row – making life outdoors unbearable for both humans and animals. The orange, striped felines from far-eastern Russia are more … Continue reading Baghdad zoo animals suffer as mercury hits 50 degrees

Habbaniyah, Iraq (AFP) Aug 14, 2023 Iraqi merchant Mohamed has never seen such a grim tourist season: years of drought have shrunken the majestic Lake Habbaniyah, keeping away the holidaymakers who once flocked there during summer. “The last two years, there was some activity, but now there’s no more water,” said 35-year-old Mohamed, asking to be identified by his first name only. He laid out … Continue reading ‘No more water’: Iraq drought claims lakeside resort

Chittagong, Bangladesh (AFP) Aug 13, 2023 At least 55 people have been killed and more than a million affected by two weeks of torrential rains causing floods and landslides in southeast Bangladesh, officials said Sunday. Administrators of four of the worst-hit districts said floods and landslides since August 1 killed 21 people in Cox’s Bazar, 19 in Chittagong, 10 in Bandarban and five in Rangamati. … Continue reading 55 killed in Bangladesh floods in August: officials

Dehradun, India (AFP) Aug 14, 2023 At least 58 people were killed, nine of them in a temple collapse, and many more were feared missing after intense rains caused floods and landslides in India, officials said Monday. Days of torrential downpours have washed away vehicles, demolished buildings and destroyed bridges in the northern Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Flooding and landslides are common … Continue reading Death toll from heavy rain in north India rises to almost 60

Yangon (AFP) Aug 14, 2023 At least 25 people are missing after a landslide at an unregulated jade mine in a remote region of Myanmar, rescue workers said Monday. The incident on Sunday outside northern Kachin’s Hpakant township – near where hundreds of miners were entombed in a landslide in 2020 – comes days after much of the country was swamped by torrential rain and … Continue reading At least 25 missing after Myanmar jade mine landslide

Rome (AFP) Aug 14, 2023 A closure of Sicily’s Catania airport due to an eruption at the nearby Mount Etna volcano was extended for a second time on Monday, the operator said. Departures and arrivals at the airport will now be suspended until 6:00am local time (0400GMT) Tuesday, the operator said on its website. The closure was due to “falling volcanic ash” caused by the … Continue reading Closure of Sicily’s Catania airport extended over Mount Etna eruption

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Aug 11, 2023 New research led by Macquarie University earth scientist Dr Chunfei Chen sheds new light on geological processes from up to three billion years ago and marks a significant shift in the scientific community’s understanding of the early Earth. The research published this week in Nature gives insight into the profound impact of the planet’s gradual cooling on the deep … Continue reading Deep cycling of carbon and chlorine were likely flipped in Earth’s early history

Edwards AFB Ca (SPX) Aug 11, 2023 On July 24, students from 30 middle and high schools selected for NASA’s TechRise Student Challenge watched their experiments launch aboard a high-altitude balloon, marking the culmination of months of hard work. Flight tests play a critical role in advancing the agency’s space exploration priorities. TechRise – led by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program and administered by Future Engineerhttp://dlvr.it/StYDCC Continue reading NASA TechRise Student Challenge tests experiments in stratosphere

Santa Barbara CA (SPX) Aug 11, 2023 In an age where exploration seems long since passed, geology professor Bruce Luyendyk presents a modern story of research and adventure. His memoir “Mighty Bad Land” (Pemuted Press, 2023) chronicles his first expedition of many to the frozen reaches of Marie Byrd Land to uncover how the southern supercontinent broke apart. Working beyond the reach of helicopter rescue, … Continue reading ‘Mighty Bad Land’: A tale of danger and discovery in West Antarctica