Monday 14 November 2016

Myanmar probes controversial China-backed dam


WATER WORLD
Myanmar probes controversial China-backed dam Yangon (AFP) Nov 12, 2016 - Myanmar is probing whether to resume construction on a controversial Chinese-backed dam, state media reported Saturday, with promises to listen to fierce public opposition to the project. The fate of the $3.6 billion Myitsone dam in northern Kachin state has hung in the balance since it was abruptly halted by Myanmar in 2011 following protests over environmental and safety concerns. The ... more

Pest control: Wicked weeds may be agricultural angels


FARM NEWS
Pest control: Wicked weeds may be agricultural angels Ithaca NY (SPX) Nov 14, 2016 - Farmers looking to reduce reliance on pesticides, herbicides and other pest management tools may want to heed the advice of Cornell agricultural scientists: Let nature be nature - to a degree. "Managing crop pests without fully understanding the impacts of tactics - related to resistance and nontarget plants or insects - costs producers money," said Antonio DiTommaso, professor of soil and ... more

Pest control: Wicked weeds may be agricultural angels

FARM NEWS
Pest control: Wicked weeds may be agricultural angels Ithaca NY (SPX) Nov 14, 2016 - Farmers looking to reduce reliance on pesticides, herbicides and other pest management tools may want to heed the advice of Cornell agricultural scientists: Let nature be nature - to a degree. "Managing crop pests without fully understanding the impacts of tactics - related to resistance and nontarget plants or insects - costs producers money," said Antonio DiTommaso, professor of soil and ... more

WATER WORLD
Myanmar probes controversial China-backed dam Yangon (AFP) Nov 12, 2016 - Myanmar is probing whether to resume construction on a controversial Chinese-backed dam, state media reported Saturday, with promises to listen to fierce public opposition to the project. The fate of the $3.6 billion Myitsone dam in northern Kachin state has hung in the balance since it was abruptly halted by Myanmar in 2011 following protests over environmental and safety concerns. The ... more


+ Chile's cold south makes wine in warming climate
+ Vietnam destroys huge ivory, rhino horn cache
+ Agriculture victim of and solution to climate change
+ New York braces for the looming threats of climate change
+ Former top Chinese cop gets death for murder
+ Conservation meeting mulls fate of bluefin, swordfish
+ Oil taking on green sheen
+ Vietnam to scrap planned nuclear plants: state media
+ Scientists come up with light-driven motors to power nanorobots of the future
+ Study: Math scares everyone, even physicists
+ EU nears tougher rules on China dumping
+ International engineering team develop self-powered mobile polymers
+ Tesla's and SolarCity's launch of solar roof tiles is great news
+ Interior set to rule on future of BLM's Renewable Energy Program
+ Crowd workers help robot keep conversation fresh
+ Pakistan, China launch new trade route
+ Artificial-intelligence system surfs web to improve its performance
+ Copper hammers above $6,000 on Trump, China
+ A new type of convection is proven in granular gases
+ Japan, India sign controversial civil nuclear deal

Traumatic stress shapes the brains of boys and girls in different ways


ABOUT US
Traumatic stress shapes the brains of boys and girls in different ways Palo Alto, Calif. (UPI) Nov 11, 2016 - New research show the brains of boys and girls are affected differently by trauma. The structural differences between young male and female PTSD patients were found inside the insula, one of the brain's processing centers for empathy and other emotions. "The insula appears to play a key role in the development of PTSD," Victor Carrion, professor of psychiatry and behavioral scien ... more

Kerry tells Trump that Americans want climate action


CLIMATE SCIENCE
Kerry tells Trump that Americans want climate action Wellington (AFP) Nov 13, 2016 - US Secretary of State John Kerry made an impassioned plea Sunday for America to maintain action on global warming, despite the election of climate-change denier Donald Trump. While US President-elect Trump has labelled climate change a hoax and threatened to pull out of the Paris emissions deal, Kerry said most Americans wanted the problem addressed. "We will wait to see how the next adm ... more

Brave faces at climate talks despite Trump win


CLIMATE SCIENCE
Brave faces at climate talks despite Trump win Marrakesh, Morocco (AFP) Nov 12, 2016 - The host of global climate talks insisted Saturday that Donald Trump's election has not cast a cloud over the negotiations tasked with translating the landmark Paris climate pact into reality. Moroccan foreign minister Salaheddine Mezouar put on a brave face as the talks hit the half-way point, saying they remained on track for the arrival next week of some 60 heads of state. "No, the el ... more

Buying peace? Chinese money brings Tibet growth, apathy


SINO DAILY
Buying peace? Chinese money brings Tibet growth, apathy Lhasa (AFP) Nov 13, 2016 - Traditional teahouses and fashion boutiques have sprung up in Bayi, one of the liveliest districts of Lhasa, and are owned and patronised by both Tibetans and Han Chinese. But some say increasing prosperity is just Beijing buying peace. Tibet was China's fastest-growing region last year with expansion of 11.0 percent - albeit from a low base - boosted by government subsidies and investment ... more

China's Communist pilgrims pay homage in Xi Jinping village


SINO DAILY
China's Communist pilgrims pay homage in Xi Jinping village Liangjiahe, China (AFP) Nov 13, 2016 - Three caves in a remote Chinese village where Xi Jinping was sent during the Cultural Revolution receive a constant stream of Communist pilgrims, come to pay homage four years after he came to power. Xi, then 15, was ordered to Liangjiahe in 1969 as part of Mao Zedong's "Up to the Mountain and Down to the Countryside Movement", which saw educated city youth deployed to rural areas. The u ... more

Africa waits and wonders on Trump's foreign policy


AFRICA NEWS
Africa waits and wonders on Trump's foreign policy Johannesburg (AFP) Nov 12, 2016 - Across Africa, the approaching presidency of Donald Trump has provoked deep uncertainty over how the United States will pursue policies ranging from counter-terrorism and trade, to aid and climate change. Many African countries had high hopes that Barack Obama would bring transformative benefits to the continent and were left disappointed as he winds down his time in office. But Trump's ... more

Two dead after NZ quake, residents flee tsunami


SHAKE AND BLOW
Two dead after NZ quake, residents flee tsunami Christchurch, New Zealand (AFP) Nov 13, 2016 - Rescuers in New Zealand were scrambling Monday to reach the epicentre of a powerful 7.8 earthquake that killed at least two people and sparked a tsunami alert that sent thousands fleeing for higher ground. The jolt, one of the most powerful ever recorded in the quake-prone South Pacific nation, hit just after midnight Monday near the South Island coastal town of Kaikoura. As dawn broke t ... more

As Delhi chokes, farmers defend scorched earth policy


FARM NEWS
As Delhi chokes, farmers defend scorched earth policy Karnal, India (AFP) Nov 13, 2016 - As he surveys his acres of charred farmland outside New Delhi, Ishwar Singh has little sympathy for people choking in India's capital or any reason to stop the fires that are fuelling pollution. "Everyone does it and we've got no option as we can't afford to waste time or money clearing our land in other ways," says Singh. "All those complaining about what we're doing to our fields don't ... more