Reporting world updates to you
Airlines reacted angrily this week to news that the Italian government plans to cap the cost of flights, particularly to the islands of Sicily and Sardinia – but can they really do this and what impact will it have on prices? Source link
Here’s a word you’ll be seeing everywhere in Italy this month. Source link
Rome CNN — Forty-one people reportedly died in a migrant shipwreck near the Italian island of Lampedusa, survivors say, the latest tragedy amid a spike in efforts in people making the dangerous sea crossing from North Africa to Europe. The survivors told the Red Cross that the migrant boat left…
CNN — At least 25 people were injured in an explosion at an industrial plant northeast of Moscow, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported Wednesday. The blast took place in the area of the boiler room at Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant, in the town of Sergiev Posad, state…
Paris CNN — Eleven people are unaccounted for after a fire broke out at a vacation home in eastern France early Wednesday morning, authorities said. The fire in the Wintzenheim, a small town near the German border about 315 miles east of Paris, broke out at about 6:30 a.m. local…
The story behind why we get a public holiday on August 15th – and the best ways to celebrate. Source link
Fifty years ago, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stopped enforcing deceptive pricing regulations, assuming that competition would keep retailers honest. Since then, competition has increased significantly — yet the practice of posting false, inflated comparison prices alongside sale prices has continued unchecked. Think of an advertisement from a furniture store…
Local residents stand outside an apartment building damaged by a Russian missile strike in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine on August 8. Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters As Ukraine reels from the latest round of Russian missile attacks, residents in the eastern city of Pokrovsk recalled the harrowing experience of a “double-tap” strike Monday that left at least…
In-water monitoring by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) shows hard coral cover across the Great Barrier Reef remains at similar levels to that recorded in 2022, with small decreases in the Northern, Central and Southern regions. Published today (Wednesday 9 August), AIMS’ Annual Summary Report on Coral Reef…
Listening to music and drinking coffee are the sorts of everyday pleasures that can impact a person’s brain activity in ways that improve cognitive performance, including in tasks requiring concentration and memory. That’s a finding of a new NYU Tandon School of Engineering study involving MINDWATCH, a groundbreaking brain-monitoring technology.…
A lack of time management skills, particularly in organization, can lead to poor sleep quality for college students according to research conducted at The University of Alabama. Dr. Adam Knowlden, associate professor of health science with the UA College of Human Environmental Sciences, investigated time management and how it influences…
Researchers have reported the first 3D measurements acquired with quantum ghost imaging. The new technique enables 3D imaging on a single photon level, yielding the lowest photon dose possible for any measurement. “3D imaging with single photons could be used for various biomedical applications, such as eye care diagnostics,” said…
The world of at-home stroke rehabilitation is growing near, incredible news for the 795,000 people in the United States who annually suffer a stroke. A new low cost, portable brain-computer interface that connects the brain of stroke patients to powered exoskeletons for rehabilitation purposes has been validated and tested at…
As climate change progresses, rising temperatures may impact nitrogen runoff from land to lakes and streams more than projected increases in total and extreme precipitation for most of the continental United States, according to new research from a team of Carnegie climate scientists led by Gang Zhao and Anna Michalak…
Gait-related disturbances adversely affect the quality of life of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), a condition affecting millions worldwide. Although various pharmacological, surgical, and rehabilitative treatments exist, their effectiveness is limited. Now, a team of researchers from Japan has successfully addressed this limitation. Using a novel neuromodulation approach that incorporates…
Cattle may seem like uniquely American animals, steeped in the lore of cowboys, cattle drives and sprawling ranches. But cattle didn’t exist on the American continents prior to the arrival of the Spanish, who brought livestock with them from Europe by way of the Canary Islands. In a new study,…
City life favors species that are adaptable and not too fussy about what they eat, among other characteristics. A worldwide consortium of scientists calls the resulting collection of traits an “Urban Trait Syndrome.” Their study includes data from 379 cities on 6 continents, with the largest data set coming from…
When it comes to college-aged adults who are glued to their smartphones, experts argue over whether texting while walking increases the risk of an accident. Some studies have shown that texting pedestrians are more likely to walk into oncoming traffic, while other studies suggest that young adults have mastered the…
We often believe computers are more efficient than humans. After all, computers can complete a complex math equation in a moment and can also recall the name of that one actor we keep forgetting. However, human brains can process complicated layers of information quickly, accurately, and with almost no energy…
Current efforts to protect and restore native biodiversity is being threatened by difficulties in identifying wild and domestic cats, and categorisation is likely to remain fraught for the foreseeable future, experts have warned. Efforts to restore the native wildcat (Felis sivestris) are ongoing in Britain and conservationists in New Zealand…
Cambridge scientists have shown that the hypothalamus, a key region of the brain involved in controlling appetite, is different in the brains of people who are overweight and people with obesity when compared to people who are a healthy weight. The researchers say their findings add further evidence to the…
A remarkable new fossil from China reveals for the first time that a group of reptiles were already using whale-like filter feeding 250 million years ago. New research by a team from China and the UK has shown details of the skull of an early marine reptile called Hupehsuchus that…
In what is believed to be a world first discovery, University of Otago researchers have found wheat gluten causes brain inflammation in mice. The research, led by Associate Professor Alex Tups, and published in the Journal of Neuroendocrinology, may be of importance for human physiology. “Mice are an excellent model…
As an engineering plastic having high transparency and impact resistance, polycarbonate (PC) is employed in eyeglass lenses, camera lenses, DVDs, automobile headlights and bulletproof glass. The industrial production thereof is mainly performed by means of interfacial polymerization reacting highly reactive phosgene with alcohol at the interface of water and an…
Researchers invented a novel method to measure the permittivity of insulators 100 times more accurately than before. This technology is expected to contribute to the efficient development of sensitive radio receivers for radio telescopes as well as to the development of devices for the next generation communication networks, “Beyond 5G/6G.”…
Extreme events in Antarctica such as ocean heatwaves and ice loss will almost certainly become more common and more severe, researchers say. With drastic action now needed to limit global warming to the Paris Agreement target of 1.5°C, the scientists warn that recent extremes in Antarctica may be the tip…
The activity level of six bat species was significantly reduced at solar farm sites, researchers have observed. Their findings, published today in Journal of Applied Ecology, have the potential to impact and inform planning legislation and policy so that the benefits of solar power are reaped without impacting wildlife. Renewable…
University of Waterloo researchers have developed a new explainable artificial intelligence (AI) model to reduce bias and enhance trust and accuracy in machine learning-generated decision-making and knowledge organization. Traditional machine learning models often yield biased results, favouring groups with large populations or being influenced by unknown factors, and take extensive…
Russia’s war in the Ukraine has severe consequences not only for humans, it also has detrimental effects on populations of urban and semi-urban wildlife in the attacked cities and regions. Scientists from the Ukrainian Bat Rehabilitation Center recently examined the effects of war-related damages to buildings on urban populations of…
People with albinism often have poor vision. A new study from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience reveals the underlying cause. In Europe, albinism occurs in 1 in 20,000 individuals. However, in some populations, it is much more common, affecting 1 in 1,000 people. People with albinism lack pigment and frequently…
