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☆ 'A deaf whale is a dead whale': Activists fight huge Australian fossil fuel project
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Angus Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

According to the Australian Marine Conservation Society, the noise can reach 250 decibels, around a million times “more intense” than the loudest whale sounds. “So, a deaf whale is a dead whale.”Environmental campaigners say Australia should be making greater efforts to reduce its emissions, not build new fossil fuel projects. Campaigners say the projected emissions made a mockery of Australia’s stated commitment to reducing its reliance on fossil fuels. “Scarborough is a part of the Burrup Hub, and that is Australia’s largest fossil fuel project. If it goes ahead we’re looking at emissions equivalent to 12 years of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions,” said Greenpeace’s Richard George.

Persons: Woodside’s, “, Raelene Cooper, Cooper, ”, Richard George, Alex Westover, Scott Morrison, Anthony Albanese’s, it’s, Woodside, ” Woodside, Wendy Mitchell, ” Cooper, “ Woodside, Australia’s, Greenpeace’s Richard George Organizations: Sydney CNN —, Woodside Energy, Federal, Australian Marine Conservation Society, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Energy, CNN, Greenpeace, Whales, ” Locations: Australia, Woodside, “ Scarborough, ”, Scarborough, Western Australia, Asia

☆ Chevron Australia strikes called off by unions at Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG plants
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Union workers have called off strikes at liquefied natural gas facilities belonging to Chevron in Australia, ending a standoff that could have affected about 7% of global LNG supply. “The Offshore Alliance will now work with Chevron to finalize the drafting of the three agreements and members will soon cease current industrial action,” it added. Workers at Chevron’s Gorgon and Wheatstone facilities began walking off the job two weeks ago over pay and other conditions. “There has not been a material impact on global LNG supply. The region has become more dependent on global LNG supplies since deliveries of pipeline gas from Russia slumped following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: Wheatstone, Daniel Toleman, Wood Mackenzie, “, ” Toleman Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Union, Chevron, Offshore Alliance, Australian Workers ’ Union, Maritime Union of Australia, Commission, Workers, Reuters, CNN, ” Locations: Hong Kong, Chevron, Australia, Wheatstone, Western Australia, Europe, Russia, Ukraine

☆ New research may offer clue in search for rare pink diamonds
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Pink diamonds are extremely rare and coveted — a now-closed mine in Australia has been the source of 90% of the colored gemstones. The Argyle diamond mine is located in the remote Kimberley region in the far northeast of Western Australia. At Argyle, this process occurred around 1.8 billion years ago when Western Australia and Northern Australia collided, turning the once-colorless diamonds pink hundreds of miles below Earth’s crust. Pink diamonds from the Argyle diamond mine were formed when an ancient supercontinent was breaking up into fragments, according to a new study. This chain of events, according to the study, suggested that the junctures of ancient continents may be important for finding pink diamonds — and may guide exploration for other deposits.

Persons: ”, Hugo Olierook, Curtin, John de Laeter, Murray Rayner, Murray Rayner Supercontinents, Argyle, ” Olierook, “ Organizations: CNN, Western, Argyle, Nature Communications, Northern Australia, Rio Tinto, “ Argyle Locations: Australia, Argyle, Perth, Kimberley, Western Australia, Northern

"We've certainly seen Australia's reputation being affected as some existing buyers expressed interest in diversifying their suppliers for long-term supply," said Ryhana Rasidi, LNG analyst at analytics firm Kpler. "Australia is the closest gas supplier we can get. By far, Australia, U.S. and Qatar are the three pillars in LNG supply chain. As well as its political stability, its proximity to Asia might be Australia's saving grace, industry analysts say. "Ties are very strong between North Asia and Australia as a legacy supplier, so many participants are keen to continue the relationship," said Kaushal Ramesh, LNG analyst at Rystad Energy.

Persons: Inpex, Resources Madeleine King, We've, Ryhana, Jane Liao, Kaushal Ramesh, Emily Chow, Yuka Obayashi, Muyu Xu, Andrew Hayley, Joyce Lee, Lewis Jackson, Florence Tan Organizations: Reuters, Chevron, Handout, REUTERS, Rights, Workers, Japan's Kyushu Electric Power, Chevron's, Woodside Energy, West Shelf, South, Resources, Taiwan, Tohoku Electric Power, Kyushu Electric Power, Osaka Gas, Rystad Energy, Thomson Locations: Chevron, Barrow Island, Australia, Rights SINGAPORE, TOKYO, Qatar, United States, Western Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ukraine, Oman, U.S, Asia, Singapore, Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul, Sydney

☆ SpongeBob Lives in a Pineapple. These Sharks Live in Sponges.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Darren Incorvaia | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

John Pogonoski, an ichthyologist in Australia, wasn’t about to be fooled by any moray eels. He knew the serpentine fish like to hide among the nooks and crannies of large sponges. But as he surveyed sponges collected from a remote seabed off the coast of Western Australia, he stumbled on a complete surprise — a small shark tail poking out of a sponge’s cavernous body. “Sponges, though, this is new.”The word “shark” may conjure images of gargantuan great whites or hefty hammerheads. The banded sand catshark, maxing out around a foot and a half in length, is on the smaller end of the spectrum.

Persons: John Pogonoski, Atelomycterus, Pogonoski, ”, David Shiffman Organizations: Commonwealth Scientific, Industrial Research Organization, CSIRO, Fish Biology, Arizona State University Locations: Australia, Western Australia

London CNN —Workers at Chevron’s liquified natural gas facilities in Australia have begun to walk off the job in a dispute that threatens as much as 7% of global supplies and could add to rising pressure on energy prices. The alliance represents 500 workers at the Gorgon and Wheatstone facilities, both off the coast of Western Australia. “Unfortunately, following numerous meetings and conciliation sessions before the Fair Work Commission, we remain apart on key terms,” a Chevron spokesperson said. “The unions continue to seek terms that are above and beyond equivalent terms with others in the industry, including in agreements recently reached.”News of the breakdown in talks sent European natural gas prices rising. The two Chevron sites are hugely significant, accounting for approximately 6% of global supply, according to analysts at ANZ.

Persons: ” Ben Cahill, Kunro Irie, Daniel Toleman, Wood Mackenzie, ”, — Juliana Liu Organizations: London CNN — Workers, Australian Offshore Alliance, Chevron, Facebook, ”, European Commission, “, Center for Strategic, International Studies, ANZ, Offshore Alliance Locations: Australia, Western Australia, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, United States, Qatar, Asia

[1/2] AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken June 23, 2023. Some have expressed concern that students might similarly rely on AI to produce work and effectively cheat - especially as AI content gets better with time. Passing off GenAI as original work could also raise copyright issues, prompting questions over whether AI should be banned in academia. It has provided that tool free to more than 10,000 education institutions globally, although it plans to charge a fee from January. So far, the AI detection tool has found that only 3% of students used AI for more than 80% of their submissions and that 78% did not use AI at all, Turnitin data shows.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, OpenAI, ChatGPT, Bard, Leif Kari, Rachel Forsyth, Sophie Constant, Stefania Giannini, Kirsten Rulf, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Lund, University of Western, University of Hong, Microsoft, Royal Institute of Technology, United Nations Educational, Cultural Organization, UNESCO, Strategic, Lund University, England's University of Oxford, Reuters, European Union, EU, Boston Consulting Group, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, University of Western Australia, Perth, University of Hong Kong, Stockholm, Sweden, Britain, Singapore

☆ Chevron’s LNG plants in Australia face strike action
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“If a strike were to go ahead, prices would rise, particularly if industrial action escalates, and it is unclear how long it would last. Last week, European natural gas prices soared to €42.9 per megawatt hour, “their highest closing level since April” in anticipation of looming industrial action, according to Deutsche Bank analysts. But on Friday, union workers announced a deal in principle with Woodside and called off a planned strike. Impending strike actionChevron, too, had presented a new offer to workers at its Gorgon and Wheatstone facilities last week. A Chevron Australia spokesperson confirmed to CNN on Tuesday that it had received notice of planned action next week.

Persons: Daniel Toleman, Wood Mackenzie, ”, Wheatstone, Mark Hatfield Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Chevron, Offshore Alliance, Australian Workers ’ Union, Maritime Union of Australia, CNN, Traders, Deutsche Bank, ”, “ Offshore Alliance, ” Chevron, Chevron Australia, Energy Locations: Hong Kong, Australia, Asia, Woodside, Australian, Ukraine

A worker walks near conveyer belts loaded with iron ore at the Fortescue Solomon iron ore mine located in the Valley of the Kings, around 400 km (248 miles) south of Port Hedland in the Pilbara region of Western Australia December 2, 2013. The world's fourth-largest iron ore miner, which has been beset by senior management turnover over the past two years, earlier in the day announced the resignation of its metals division head and co-CEO Fiona Hick. Fortescue shares, up nearly 2.1% so far this year, fell as much as 6% to A$19.7 by 0200 GMT. A review of its assets at the company's Iron Bridge project resulted in a pre-tax impairment charge of $1 billion. The company said rising interest rates and industry-wide inflation had fuelled the asset write-down at its Iron Bridge project, a major plank in the group's growth strategy.

Persons: Fortescue Solomon, David Gray, Australia's Fortescue, Fiona Hick, Fortescue, Echha Jain, Roushni Nair, Rashmi Organizations: REUTERS, Metals, Fortescue Future Industries, Fortescue Energy, Gibson, Phoenix Hydrogen, Thomson Locations: Port Hedland, Pilbara, Western Australia, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ The unlikely love affair between Australia and Bollywood
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —It is the kind of unlikely love story that would make the scriptwriters of Asia’s biggest movie business proud. Film & Casting TempleHarman Baweja starred alongside Priyanka Chopra in “Love Story 2050,” shot in South Australia and released in 2008. “Australia realized that after ‘servicing’ Bollywood for over 13 years it was time to shift gears and move to collaboration with Indian cinema,” said Sharma. Salim MerchantChanging global appetiteOf no little importance is the growing audience for Bollywood productions in Australia. Anupam Sharma films for Australia's first ethnic reality show, "Bollywood Star," on SBS TV by WTFN.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Narendra Modi, Tony Burke, “, ”, Anupam Sharma, Sharma, Feroz Khan –, “ Bollywood’s Clint Eastwood ” –, I’m, ’, “ Prem Aggan, Khan, Harman Baweja, Priyanka Chopra, Mike Rann, Baweja, Harry Baweja, Ajay Devgan, ” Sharma, Garth Davis, Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, David Wenham, Weinstein, ” Brothers Salim, Sulaiman Merchant, “ UnIndian, Salim Merchant, Salim, Sulaiman, Mitu Bhowmick Lange, Bhowmick Lange “, ” Bhowmick Lange, Bhowmick Lange, La Trobe, Anupam, “ Everyone’s Organizations: CNN, Asia’s, Australian, Indian Film, of Melbourne, Sydney Opera House, Baweja Studios, “, Mumbai, –, ”, Co, “ Salaam, La Trobe University, La, SBS, WTFN Locations: Australia, Delhi, Brisbane, Sydney, Australian, Melbourne, India, Lake Gairdner, South Australia, Western Australia, “ Australia, ” Australia, Canada, China, Mumbai, Victoria, China Town

It's likely that the lower spot prices for iron ore in recent weeks are encouraging traders and steel mills to boost imports. The problems at Country Garden are stoking fears of contagion in China's property sector, which is facing a cash crunch. China iron ore imports vs priceLOANS TUMBLEAdding to the property woes was data released on Tuesday showing China's industrial output and retail sales slowed and undershot forecasts. Another potential factor supporting iron ore imports is the low state of port inventories, which last week dropped to the lowest in just over three years. They are also below the 138.6 million metric tons in the same week in 2022 and the 127.2 million in 2021.

Persons: Fortescue, David Gray, Refinitiv, It's, SteelHome, Robert Birsel Organizations: Port Hedland, REUTERS, HK, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Port, Pilbara, Western Australia, LAUNCESTON, Australia, China, Beijing, Singapore, China's

☆ Natural gas prices are soaring as energy workers in Australia look poised to strike, threatening global supply
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Natural gas prices surged as much as 9% on Wednesday as energy workers in Australia threatened to strike. Australia is the world's second-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, so potential work stoppages could threaten global supply of the commodity. Natural gas prices have surged 22% over the past week, but are still down 60% from a year ago. Natural gas prices are up 22% over the past week, but are still down 60% from a year-ago. Shares of Cheniere Energy, a US-based exporter of liquefied natural gas, surged as much as 5% in Wednesday's trading session.

Persons: Rankin, Goodwyn, Chevron's Wheatstone Organizations: Service, Workers, Australian Financial, Chevron, Cheniere Energy Locations: Australia, Wall, Silicon, Western Australia, Qatar, Woodside, Australian, Chevron's, Ukraine, Russia, US

☆ Western Australia to overturn 2021 Aboriginal heritage protection laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Melanie Burton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Aboriginal groups' members take part in a protest against what they say is a lack of detail and consultation on new heritage protection laws, after the Rio Tinto mining group destroyed ancient rock shelters for an iron ore mine last year, in Perth, Australia August 19, 2021. Courtesy Gabrielle Timmins/Kimberley Land Council/Handout via... Read moreMELBOURNE, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Western Australia will overturn its 2021 Aboriginal cultural heritage protection laws, set out after the destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelter after community uproar, the state's premier said on Tuesday. Instead, the state government will restore and amend 1972 legislation to ensure the protection of important sites, Cook said. "These are simple and effective amendments that will prevent another Juukan Gorge from happening," he said. Reporting by Melanie Burton; Editing by Kim Coghill, Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gabrielle Timmins, Read, Rio, Cook, Melanie Burton, Kim Coghill, Robert Birsel Organizations: Kimberley Land, ., Rio Tinto, Thomson Locations: Rio Tinto, Perth, Australia, Kimberley, MELBOURNE, Western Australia, . Farmers

A truck carrying iron ore moves along a road at the Fortescue Metals Christmas Creek iron ore mine located south of Port Hedland in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, November 17, 2015. But it's worth noting that China's two main imports from Australia, iron ore and liquefied natural gas (LNG), were left untouched throughout the dispute. China gets about 70% of its iron ore from Australia and about one-third of its LNG, some of it under a low, fixed-price contract signed two decades ago. But overall it would seem that the ending of Beijing's trade actions against Australia will be net positive for both countries. This suggests Beijing didn't learn the lessons from the trade tariffs imposed on it by the U.S. administration of former president Donald Trump.

Persons: Jim Regan, hadn't, Beijing didn't, Donald Trump, Trump, Sonali Paul Organizations: Fortescue, REUTERS, China's Ministry of Commerce, Australia, Labor Party, Liberal, National, Labor, Canberra, Beijing, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Port Hedland, Pilbara, Western Australia, LAUNCESTON, Australia, China, China's, Beijing, Canberra, Indonesia, Russia, United States, India, Vietnam, U.S, Ukraine

Most of the recent arrivals have settled in Perth, Western Australia, where they have enrolled in courses such as childcare, hospitality and accounting. Tashi Kipchu, a 25-year-old education consultant, is one of many who came to Australia last year in search of better opportunities. People don't see an opportunity out there," said Kipchu, who studied marketing at the University of Western Australia. That accelerated after the reopening of borders in Australia in 2022, with official data showing student visa applications from Bhutan jumping fivefold in the fiscal year ended June. At Kingston International College, a vocational education provider in Western Australia, about 150 Bhutanese students receive training, said managing director Tandin Dorji, himself a Bhutanese migrant.

Persons: Cathal McNaughton SYDNEY, Tashi Kipchu, Kipchu, Phil Honeywood, Sonam Tobgay, Tandin Dorji, Dorji, Stella Qiu, Gopal Sharma, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, University of Western, International Education Association of Australia, Bhutan's, Kingston International College, Thomson Locations: Thimphu, Bhutan, KATHMANDU, Australia, Perth, Western Australia, University of Western Australia, South Asia, China, India, Nepal, Bhutanese, Sydney, Kathmandu

☆ The Whales Gathered in a Heart Shape. Experts Feared What Would Come Next.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Even when whales are successfully returned to sea, they will often strand themselves again. By Wednesday, 52 of the whales had died, the authorities said. However, that afternoon, the whales re-stranded themselves further along the beach, the authorities said. The Australia Broadcasting Corporation reported that the whales had again formed a huddle before drifting back to shore. “Veterinarians will continue to assess the re-stranded whales and advise of the most appropriate course of action to ensure the most humane outcome for the whales,” the state’s department of conservation said in a statement.

Persons: Peter Hartley Organizations: The Australia Broadcasting Corporation Locations: Australia’s

☆ Cheynes Beach: Dozens of whales die in mass stranding in Western Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —More than 50 whales have died in a mass stranding event in Western Australia as officials and volunteers race to save dozens of others stuck in shallow waters, authorities said Wednesday. A pod of stranded pilot whales off Cheynes Beach in Western Australia. Toothed whales such as pilot whales that use sonar to navigate are more commonly prone to stranding than their toothless counterparts, Pirotta said. Tasmania’s largest stranding was in 2020, when more than 450 pilot whales were found. Earlier this month, a pod of more than 50 pilot whales died after a mass stranding on a northwestern Scottish island.

Persons: ”, Allan Marsh, Vanessa Pirotta, Pirotta Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Parks and Wildlife Service, Western, Southern Hemisphere Locations: Western Australia, Tasmania, Australia, Scottish

☆ Mystery cylinder on Western Australia beach could be space junk, authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —A mystery object that washed ashore on Australia’s western coast sparking a flurry of local excitement and speculation over its origin is most likely space junk, police said Tuesday. The Western Australia Police Force said in a statement on Tuesday that the item is believed to be “space debris”, echoing similar comments from the country’s space agency which was working on the same hypothesis. But space junk looks the most likely explanation. “The object could be from a foreign space launch vehicle and we are liaising with global counterparts who may be able to provide more information,” the Australian Space Agency tweeted on Monday. “Just as general rule, you don’t touch space junk unless you need to,” she said.

Persons: Alice Gorman, ” Gorman, Gorman, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Western Australia Police Force, Police, Department of Fire, Emergency Service, Chemistry, of Western, Australian Space Agency, Flinders University, CNN Locations: Hong Kong, Perth, of Western Australia, Adelaide, India

☆ Mystery Object Is Found on Remote Beach in Western Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Amanda Holpuch | More About Amanda Holpuch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A remote beach in a part of Western Australia known for its rock lobsters and wildflowers has become home to a hulking metallic mystery object and the police officers guarding it. The Western Australia Police Force asked people on Monday not to draw conclusions about the origins of the cylindrical object while it was being investigated. But in news reports and on social media, people speculated that it could be from a military or commercial airplane, or even a spacecraft. The mystery object appears to be metal, has cables or wires hanging from the top and is at least two meters, or about 6 feet 6 inches, tall, according to local news reports. A civilian reported the object to the police on Sunday after it was found near Green Head, a coastal town of fewer than 300 people about 155 miles north of Perth that is known for its fishing and sea lions.

Organizations: Western Australia Police Force Locations: Western Australia, Green, Perth

☆ Rio Tinto iron ore train derailed at weekend in Western Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SummarySummary Companies About 30 wagons of self-driving train derailedNo injuries reportedUnclear if Rio will be able to meet customer commitmentsMELBOURNE, June 19 (Reuters) - Rio Tinto (RIO.AX) was working on Monday to recover about 30 wagons of a self-driving iron ore train that derailed in Western Australia, an accident that analysts said had the potential to disrupt its exports, although no one was injured. Saturday's incident was the second such event after peer BHP Group (BHP.AX) derailed a runaway iron ore train in the same region in late 2018. "The regulator has approved recovery of the site and work to recover the derailed wagons has commenced." Rio exports from Dampier port and through Cape Lambert in the northern part of Western Australia state. Shares in Rio, which said it was investigating the incident, were down 1.2%, alongside smaller declines in other iron ore miners.

Persons: David Lennox, Melanie Burton, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: MELBOURNE, Rio Tinto, BHP Group, Thomson Locations: Rio, Western Australia, Dampier, Sydney, Cape Lambert

The referendum, which comes amid a wider reckoning over race relations, proposes to change the constitution and establish an advisory body called the Indigenous Voice to Parliament to give Indigenous Australians a direct say in policies that affect them. Five of those polled were funding or planned to fund the "Yes" campaign, while none endorsed nor were contributing to "No". Commonwealth Bank told Reuters it plans to fund the "Yes" campaign and had hosted two panel discussions with Indigenous speakers. Rio Tinto, which faced criticism in 2020 for destroying Indigenous rock shelters, said the Voice would bring an "additional lens" to government decision-making. Aurora Milroy, a lecturer in Indigenous affairs at the University of Western Australia, said supporting the Voice was easy publicity for companies.

Persons: Rita Wright, Loren Elliott, Anthony Albanese, Intifar Chowdhury, Albanese, Meg O'Neill, Ross Piper, Baker McKenzie, Thomas Mayo, Kate Gillingham, Peter Dutton, Coles, Rio Tinto, Fortescue, Aurora Milroy, Byron Kaye, Praveen Menon, Melanie Burton, David Crawshaw, Devayani, Anant Chandak, Veronica Khongwir, Sujith Pai Organizations: Australian, REUTERS, Australia's, BHP, Rio Tinto, Woodside Energy, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Labor, Voice, National, Nine Entertainment, Reuters, Commonwealth Bank, Ethical Investment, Qantas, Australian Financial, Liberal, Fair Australia, Miners, Fortescue Metals, University of Western, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Rio, Western Australia, Woodside, Queensland, University of Western Australia, Melbourne

SYDNEY, May 29 (Reuters) - The leader of Western Australia resigned on Monday in a surprise announcement, citing exhaustion, after guiding the resource-rich state through the COVID pandemic. Premier Mark McGowan, elected in 2017, is a member of Australia's ruling Labor Party, which also holds a large majority in Western Australia. But the truth is I'm tired, extremely tired. McGowan won a landslide re-election in 2021, with his COVID policies that effectively isolated the state from the rest of Australia proving wildly popular. Western Australia is the country's largest state by area and is rich in resources including iron ore and natural gas.

☆ The US Navy has its eyes on a new submarine base that will help it keep track of China's growing undersea fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

As part of the AUKUS agreement, US and British subs will operate out of western Australia by 2027. The deal on the base comes as rivals, mainly China, increase their submarine activity in the region. Ray Mabus, then US navy secretary, departs a Chinese Yuan-class submarine in Ningbo in November 2012. The Defense Department report also says China's six operational Jin-class nuclear-powered ballistic-missile subs are likely already conducting "near-continuous at-sea deterrence patrols," a sign that China's submarine force continues to improve its operational capabilities. For the US Navy, those developments make the ability to base subs closer to the Western Pacific a greater priority.

☆ Ocean census aims to discover 100,000 marine species
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Researchers have embarked on an ambitious global initiative to discover and record marine life hidden in the world’s oceans. Ocean Census aims to identify 100,000 unknown species in the next 10 years, allowing scientists to better understand and protect the deep-sea ecosystem. The initiative builds on past projects such as the Census of Marine Life, which concluded in 2010 and identified 6,000 potential new ocean species. Ocean Census will also help to identify how marine ecosystems are responding to the climate crisis, and assess how marine life could adapt to a warmer climate. The project is being led by Nekton, a UK-based marine science and conservation institute, and funded by The Nippon Foundation, a nonprofit foundation based in Japan.

☆ Touching the sky: A rare solar eclipse and a new hotel in the clouds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Courtesy Amelia Earhart Hangar MuseumAmelia Earhart wasn’t just the first woman to fly solo over the Atlantic. Camelot Theme Park (England): Set in the leafy Lancashire countryside, the Magic Kingdom of Camelot resurrected tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Scott Audette/AP Pripyat Amusement Park (Ukraine): This theme park was orphaned in 1986 following the Chernobyl meltdown just five kilometers (three miles) away. Considered the first theme park in Southeast Asia, it featured an artificial lake, huge swimming pool with giant water slides and a Prehistoric Animal Kingdom. Anne Jones/Alamy Stock Photo 10 fascinating theme parks that have closed forever Prev NextThat’s the question posed by these no-longer-in-operation theme parks around the world.

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