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☆ Iceland resumes fin whale hunting, but killing needs to be faster
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Sigtryggur Johannsson/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOSLO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Iceland's government said on Thursday it will resume hunting fin whales after a two-month halt, but with new guidelines aimed at killing them as quickly as possible to reduce suffering. Iceland resumed hunting fin whales, which can reach lengths of over 20 metres (65 feet), in 2006 after a 20-year pause. Although several are still endangered or even on the brink of extinction, Iceland, along with Norway and Japan, have resumed commercial whaling. The hunting will be resumed after a government working group concluded that it was possible to improve the hunting methods. Iceland's public broadcaster said whale hunters would be required to complete a course in whale biology, pain perception and stress.

Persons: Sigtryggur, Nerijus, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, International Whaling Commission, Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Fisheries, Thomson Locations: Reykjavik, Rights OSLO, Iceland, Norway, Japan

☆ African climate summit seeks to shift focus to finance from floods, famine
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A report last year by the non-profit Climate Policy Initiative found Africa has received only 12% of the finance it needs to cope with climate impacts. The thousands of delegates are expected to debate solutions ahead of a U.N. climate summit next month in New York in September and the COP28 U.N. summit in the United Arab Emirates from the end of November. The summit's organisers also say they expect deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars to be concluded in Nairobi. In June, it hosted an auction where companies from Saudi Arabia bought more than 2.2 million tonnes of carbon credits. One project generating carbon credits in Kenya is BURN Manufacturing's production of clean cooking stoves to replace heavily polluting wood and charcoal-based fires.

Persons: Finbarr O'Reilly, Soipan Tuya, Amos Wemanya, Chris McKinney, Joseph Ng'ang'a, Duncan Miriri, Christophe Van Der, Aaron Ross, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Initiative, Kenyan Environment, United, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Africa Carbon Markets, Thomson Locations: Haute Uele, Congo, Rights NAIROBI, Africa, Nairobi, New York, United Arab, Gabon, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Egypt

☆ Ali Bongo: who is Gabon leader ousted in military coup?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] A still image from video shows Gabon President Ali Bongo being interviewed in Libreville, Gabon, September 24, 2016. Following a stroke, his fitness to rule was questioned, sparking a failed coup in 2019 as he convalesced in Morocco. Before sitting down for a televised interview with Reuters after his 2016 election win, Bongo removed a large silver watch and several gold rings. When Bongo won a 2016 election, accusations of vote meddling stoked public anger amid a period of low crude prices and belt-tightening. In 2019, a military coup was foiled, with the coup plotters citing a lack of information following Bongo's stroke in 2018.

Persons: Ali Bongo, Bongo, Michael Jackson, Omar, Junior, Alain Bernard Bongo, Ali, Keen, Britain's Prince Charles, Alessandra Prentice, Edward McAllister, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Omar's, WikiLeaks, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Gabon, Libreville, autocrats, Morocco, French, Congo Republic, France, U.S

☆ Gabon dollar-denominated bonds slide after military says it seized power
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON/Johannesburg, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Gabon's dollar-denominated bonds fell by more than 13 cents on Wednesday after the military said it had seized power in the west African nation, according to Tradeweb data. The 2025 maturity fell the most, by 13.238 cents on the dollar to 79.673 cents at 0724 GMT. A group of senior military officers in Gabon claimed to have seized power in the early hours of Wednesday, minutes after the Central African state's election body announced that President Ali Bongo had won a third term. Gabon completed a $436 million "debt for nature" swap earlier this month, where it exchanged parts of the 2025 and 2031 Eurobonds for a "blue bond" maturing in 2038. Reporting By Libby George and Rachel Savage; Editing by Amanda Cooper and Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ali Bongo, Libby George, Rachel Savage, Amanda Cooper, Conor Humphries Organizations: Central African, U.S . Development Finance Corporation, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, Gabon

☆ Fact Check-Mumbai’s Gilbert Hill is a rock formation, not an ancient tree stump
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Images of Gilbert Hill, a black basalt rock structure in Mumbai, India, are described falsely online as an ancient tree stump. “Huge old world tree stump, in modern day Mumbai” read posts on Facebook (here) and messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter (here) sharing images of Gilbert Hill. Conspiracy theories have tied narratives of giant trees with an idea that the Earth is flat and “real” trees no longer exist (here). Reuters has previously fact-checked similar claims about Devils Tower, a basalt rock formation in Wyoming (here) and (here). Gilbert Hill in Mumbai is a basalt rock structure, not the stump of an ancient giant tree.

Persons: Gilbert Hill, Read Organizations: Facebook, Survey, Reuters, Devils Locations: Mumbai, India, U.S, Gilbert, Wyoming

☆ For Migrating Birds, It’s the Flight of Their Lives
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Emily Anthes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +17 min

Simone NoronhaFor Migrating Birds, It’s the Flight of Their Lives Leer en españolAmerica’s birds are in trouble. If migrating birds lose their winter refuges, the consequences will ripple across the hemisphere. MissouriMissouri provides breeding habitats for many grassland bird species, which have been faring especially poorly in recent decades. “This is a classic Pacific Northwest to west Mexico species,” Mr. Jiang said. The birds breed at marshes and wetlands across the Western United States and Canada.

Persons: Simone Noronha, “, ”, Viviana Ruiz, Gutierrez, Jeremy Radachowsky, Ken Rosenberg, Deb Hahn, Hahn, Anna Lello, Smith, Sarah Kendrick, Nick Bayly, That’s, Andrew Stillman, Archie Jiang, Mr, Jiang, Dr, Stillman, Camila Gómez, ” Dr, Ruiz Organizations: Center, Avian, Cornell, of Ornithology, Wildlife Conservation Society, Partners, New, New York Metro Area, UNITED STATES, BERMUDA BAHAMAS MEXICO Maya, PERU Moderate, Forest, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Southern Wings, The, Central, Mesoamerican Alliance for People, Forests Initiative, Forests Initiative . Missouri, CANADA UNITED STATES, BERMUDA CUBA MEXICO VENEZUELA COSTA RICA BRAZIL, U.S . Fish, Wildlife Service, Missouri Department of Conservation, Colorado Colorado, CANADA, ARGENTINA CANADA Colo, U.S, Bird Conservancy, Rockies, , Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, UNITED STATES Calif, Western Locations: North America, United States, Canada, Costa Rican, Caribbean, U.S, eBird, New York, BERMUDA BAHAMAS MEXICO, BRAZIL, PERU, CHILE, ARGENTINA, PERU Moderate CHILE, Forest BRAZIL, CHILE ARGENTINA, Forest BRAZIL PERU, New York City, Bahamas, The New York, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Central America, Central American, Forests Initiative ., Forests Initiative . Missouri Missouri, South America, BERMUDA MEXICO VENEZUELA COSTA RICA, Missouri, BERMUDA MEXICO VENEZUELA COSTA RICA BRAZIL, BERMUDA CUBA MEXICO VENEZUELA COSTA RICA, BERMUDA CUBA MEXICO VENEZUELA COSTA RICA BRAZIL PERU, Venezuela, Argentina, Cuba, Central, South, SELVA, Colombia, Costa Rica, Plains, UNITED STATES MEXICO ECUADOR, Colorado, UNITED STATES Colo, MEXICO ECUADOR BRAZIL, Northern Mexico, Texas, California, West Coast, Alaska, Pacific, MEXICO, URUGUAY ARGENTINA Alaska, Salt, CHILE URUGUAY ARGENTINA Alaska, BRAZIL PERU BOLIVIA, URUGUAY ARGENTINA, Sierra Nevada, Chile, Western United States

[1/4] Smoke rises as a wildfire burns at Dadia National Park in the region of Evros, Greece, August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS, Aug 29 (Reuters) - A wildfire burning in northeastern Greece for 11 days has destroyed an area larger than New York City, the European Union-backed Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Tuesday, as firefighters from five countries battled to contain the flames. New York City takes up 778.2 square kilometres (300.5 square miles). Panagiota Maragou, head of conservation at the Greece division of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), said at least 30% of the National Park of Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest had been lost to flames. Thanks to its high biodiversity, the national park was "one of the most important protected areas in Greece and also in Europe, perhaps also on an international scale", she said.

Persons: Alexandros Avramidis, Copernicus, Jiri Nemcik, Maragou, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, We've, Karolina Tagaris, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European Union, Twitter, Emergency Management Service, New York City, . Aircraft, World Wildlife Fund, of, Thomson Locations: Evros, Greece, New York City, Alexandroupolis, New York, Serbia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Albania, Czech, Soufli, Europe, Athens, Turkey

AQUIFERS AQUIFERS AQUIFERS WASH. MAINE MONT. MONITORING WELLS MONITORING WELLS MONITORING WELLS WASH. MAINE MONT. FLA. DECLINING WELLS DECLINING WELLS DECLINING WELLS WASH. MAINE MONT. FLA. UNCHARTED WATERS America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow Overuse is draining and damaging aquifers nationwide, a New York Times data investigation revealed. Groundwater level trends Rising Declining Groundwater level trends Rising Declining Groundwater level trends Rising Declining Groundwater level trends Rising Declining Note: Colors depict the median trend for each site over the previous 20 years.

☆ Tian Tian: Giant panda celebrates last birthday in DC zoo
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Piper Hudspeth Blackburn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The 26-year-old bear, Tian Tian, along with two other pandas in the zoo, are slated to leave by December 7. On Sunday, Tian Tian received a special “fruitsicle” cake made with fruits and vegetables with a “frosting” of sweet potatoes, mashed carrots and honey for his birthday, the museum said. The National Zoo’s Giant Panda Program celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian first arrived at the zoo in the early 2000s and were originally supposed to stay for 10 years. According to the National Zoo, giant pandas have an estimated lifespan of about 15-20 years in the wild and about 30 years in human care.

Persons: Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji, Mei Organizations: Washington CNN, Conservation Biology Institute, China Wildlife and Conservation Association, Panda Program, National Zoo Locations: United States, China

☆ Texas grid operator appeals for conservation as heat wave persists
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Katharine Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Wind turbines operate at sunrise in the Permian Basin oil and natural gas production area in Big Spring, Texas, U.S., February 12, 2019. REUTERS/Nick Oxford/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Texas' electric grid operator asked residents and businesses to conserve energy on Sunday as its reserves were expected to decrease during a scorching heat wave that has caused demand to surge. "We request Texas businesses and residents conserve electricity use, if safe to do so," ERCOT said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. ERCOT had issued another conservation appeal for the afternoon and evening on Saturday, which was lifted at around 10 p.m. that night. The fragility of the Texas grid was highlighted in 2021, when a massive blackout killed dozens and left millions without power, water and heat for days as gas supply lines and power plants froze.

Persons: Nick Oxford, ERCOT, Katharine Jackson, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reliability, of Texas, National Weather Service, Thomson Locations: Big Spring , Texas, U.S, Texas, Houston, Galveston , Texas

☆ Mom takes son to Churchill, Canada, for a week of education no school can match
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Terry Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

We were in Churchill, a town of roughly 900 people nicknamed the “Polar Bear Capital of the World,” in Canada’s Manitoba province. A male polar bear rests during a Tundra Buggy ride into the Churchill Wildlife Management Area in August. People have to learn to co-exist with polar bears in Churchill, where some of them stay waiting for sea ice to refreeze. Hudson Bay polar bears are among the most vulnerable on Earth because of loss of sea ice, with their numbers in sharp decline. They arrive as soon as the sea ice breaks up to feast on small fish called capelin that spawn here.

Persons: we’re, I’d, Nico, Ursula, Jim Baldwin, Baldwin, Alex Cupeiro, “, Terry Ward, you’re, Terry Ward I’d, we’d, Barba, can’t, Jennifer Diment, “ Churchill, Ward, Chantal Maclean, ”, ” Maclean, ” Nico, Chantal, he’d, John Gunter, Fronters, velcroed, Indiana Jones, Joe, he’d maxed, Sandra Cook, Churchill Organizations: CNN, Polar Bears, Churchill Wildlife Management, Churchill Wildlife Management Area, Frontier North, Zodiac, Helicopters, Bear Holding, “, Churchill Locations: Churchill, Canada’s Manitoba, Florida, Hudson Bay, Hudson, Tampa, Winnipeg, Churchill’s, Svalbard, Norway, Stockholm, Oslo, Toronto, Denver, Vancouver, Washington, Ithaca, SS Ithaca

☆ Bob Barker, long-time US TV game show host, dies at age 99
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Bob Barker introduces the "Plinko" game segment during the taping of his final episode of the game show "The Price Is Right" in Los Angeles June 6, 2007. Barker died on Saturday morning of natural causes at his longtime Hollywood Hills, California, home, his publicist Roger Neal said. "No, I'm working," deadpanned Barker, known for his good-natured humor. In the film "Happy Gilmore," Barker played himself in a memorable scene in which he was playing in a golf pro-am tournament with Sandler's character, an excitable failed hockey player turned golfer. Even before his stint on that show wrapped up, Barker began hosting "The Price Is Right" on CBS.

Persons: Bob Barker, Fred Prouser, Barker, Happy Gilmore, Adam Sandler, Roger Neal, bray, deadpanned Barker, Sandler, Chuck Norris, Dorothy, Will Dunham, Paul Grant, Timothy Gardner, Bill Trott, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Hollywood, Sea, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Hartford Courant, Miss USA, Miss Universe, NBC, CBS, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles, Hollywood Hills , California, Sea Shepherd, U.S, Darrington , Washington

☆ In New York City, the Odds of Spotting a Rare Bird are Rising
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Lola Fadulu | More About Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Birds that were once rare in New York City have been making more frequent appearances in recent years, to the thrill of local bird-watchers. Birders have also noticed a reduction in the number of birds passing through New York City, said Marshall Iliff, the project leader for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird project. Many birders love to watch warblers on their southward migration in mid-August, but Mr. Iliff noted that the wildfires in Canada caused many birds to leave earlier than expected. “It’s those kind of things that sort of raise the question of whether birds are going to be able to adapt to these changing environments,” Mr. Iliff said. He said that as the forests dry out and as fires increase, birds that are expected to be seen passing through Central Park in spring could become “these really rare, rare events.”

Persons: ”, Heather Wolf, Marshall Iliff, Iliff, “, Mr Organizations: Cornell, of Ornithology Locations: New York City, Canada, Central

Utility poles lead to downtown Dallas during a heat advisory due to scorching weather in Dallas, Texas, U.S. July 12, 2022. REUTERS/Shelby Tauber/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Texas Power Systems FollowAug 25 (Reuters) - Texas power prices hit a 30-month high with demand expected to reach record-breaking levels on Friary as homes and businesses crank up their air conditioners to escape a scorching heat wave. The state grid that supplies power to 26 million customers was operating normally Friday morning, but supplies are expected to tighten when the sun goes down and solar power drops, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid operator's website. To reduce demand, the grid urged consumers to conserve energy for a second day in a row on Friday afternoon. The fragility of the Texas grid was highlighted in 2021 when a massive blackout killed dozens and left millions without power, water and heat for days as gas supply lines and power plants froze.

Persons: Shelby Tauber, ERCOT, Scott DiSavino, Rahul Paswan, Susan Fenton, Emelia, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights Companies Texas Power, Electric, of Texas, National Weather Service, Thomson Locations: Dallas, Dallas , Texas, U.S, Texas, Friary, Houston, New York

A man with American Electric Power (AEP) repairs an electricity cable during a heatwave in Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S. July 28, 2023. REUTERS/Adrees Latif/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 24 (Reuters) - Two U.S. electric grids issued alerts warning of the potential for power shortages on Thursday due to a brutal heat wave blanketing Texas and U.S. Central states. ERCOT faces "a high potential to enter emergency operations this evening" due to low wind generation and high power demand, the grid operator said. AccuWeather forecast temperatures in Houston, the biggest city in Texas, would reach 107 degrees Fahrenheit (41.7 degrees Celsius) on Thursday. MISO projected power use would reach 127,195 MW on Thursday, topping the system's all-time high of 127,100 MW in July 2011.

Persons: Adrees Latif, ERCOT, MISO, Brandon Morris, Morris, Scott DiSavino, Brijesh Patel, Nick Zieminski, Jonathan Oatis, David Gregorio Our Organizations: American Electric Power, REUTERS, Reliability, of Texas, Thomson Locations: Pass , Texas, U.S, Texas, Central, Houston, Dallas, Minnesota, Louisiana

A man with American Electric Power (AEP) repairs an electricity cable during a heatwave in Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S. July 28, 2023. Power grids carry reserves to ensure the system remains reliable in case a large power plant or transmission line fails unexpectedly. ERCOT forecast demand would reach 85,296 megawatts (MW) on Thursday, just shy of its 85,435 MW record set Aug. 10. MISO projected it would have 125,907 MW of supplies available with 120,656 MW from internal resources and 5,251 MW of imports. That would not be enough to meet the grid's forecast peak of 127,692 MW, which would top the system's all-time high of 127,100 MW in July 2011.

Persons: Adrees Latif, ERCOT, MISO, Brandon Morris, Morris, Scott DiSavino, Nick Zieminski Organizations: American Electric Power, REUTERS, Reliability, of Texas, Thomson Locations: Pass , Texas, U.S, Texas, Central, Houston, Dallas, Minnesota, Louisiana

The United Nations headquarters building is pictured though a window with the UN logo in the foreground in the Manhattan borough of New York August 15, 2014. Canada said it would put in 200 million Canadian dollars ($147.20 million) and the United Kingdom contributed 10 million pounds ($12.60 million). Campaign group Avaaz said the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund needed $200 million from at least three donors by December to be considered operational. "Surely donors can come up with the paltry $40 million" needed to get the fund up and running. Framework Convention on Climate Change which has provided more than $23 billion to thousands of projects in the past 30 years.

Persons: Carlo Allegri, David Cooper, Avaaz, Oscar Soria, Gloria Dickie, Isla Binnie, David Gregorio Our Organizations: United Nations, UN, New York, REUTERS, Biological Diversity, Nations, Global Environment, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New, Vancouver, Canada, United Kingdom, Kunming, Montreal, London, New York

☆ Puma gives birth to rare albino cub in Nicaragua
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JUIGALPA, Nicaragua, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Curled up in a zoo in central Nicaragua, eyes alert and ears pricked, a puma is nursing her month-old snow-white cub. The tiny, pink-nosed puma at Thomas Belt Zoo in Juigalpa marks the Central American country's first albino puma to be born in captivity and, according to estimates from zoo veterinarian Carlos Molina, one of only four worldwide. Though the cub is healthy and eating well, Molina warned that it is still early days and that albino pumas require plenty of care and are vulnerable to sunlight. Pumas are found across the Americas, from the high Andean region of southern Peru to the jungles of Central America. Reporting by Maynor Valenzuela in Juigalpa; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: puma, Carlos Molina, Molina, Maynor Valenzuela, Sarah Morland, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: puma, Thomas Belt Zoo, American, pumas, Thomas Belt, Pumas, Central America, The International Union for Conservation, Nature, Thomson Locations: JUIGALPA, Nicaragua, Americas, Peru, Central, North America, Juigalpa

☆ A baby giraffe was born without spots, a Tennessee zoo says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The calf is a reticulated giraffe, one of four giraffe species. The zoo said she might be the “only solid-colored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet.” (The last spotless giraffe in captivity was likely a calf born at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo in 1972, CBS News reported.) And underneath each spot is a “sophisticated system of blood vessels,” according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on sustaining and growing the wild giraffe population across Africa. Zoo founder Tony Bright said that the weeks-old calf is casting a “much-needed spotlight” on giraffe conservation. The new calf joins a growing herd at Bright’s, following another baby giraffe that was born just weeks before.

Persons: CNN —, she’s, Tony Bright Organizations: CNN, Bright’s, Tokyo’s Ueno, CBS News, Denver Zoo, Giraffe Conservation, Labor Locations: Tennessee, Limestone, Tokyo’s, Kenya, Africa

☆ Hawaii wildfires: Fights over water amid west Maui's charred ruins ignite new fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Bill Weir | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Wailuku, Hawaii CNN —On a Hawaiian tourist brochure, fire and water are selling points for a volcanic paradise where lava flows and waterfalls mist. “There has been a great deal of water conflict on Maui for many years,” Hawaii Gov. “It’s disaster capitalism at its finest.”A rushing canal is seen on Hokuao Pelligrino's family farm in Wailuku on Maui on August 20, 2023. After watching Pellegrino and his Wailuku community litigate their streams back to life, locals around Lahaina followed suit. You restore the water and families are going back to their ancestral land.”Hokuao Pellegrino poses for a portrait on August 20, 2023.

Persons: Josh Green, Green, ” Hokuao Pellegrino, “, ”, Evelio Contreras, Eha, Pellegrino, ’ ”, they’ll, Glenn Tremble, couldn’t, ” Pellegrino, Taro, Joe Biden’s Organizations: Hawaii CNN, ”, Maui Land Company, New York Times, CNN, West Maui Land Company Locations: Wailuku, Hawaii, Lahaina, Maui, ” Hawaii, Venice, Hawaiian Kingdom, West Maui, Maui County

☆ New find throws light on life of slaves in Ancient Rome's Pompeii
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ROME, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Archaeologists have discovered a small bedroom in a Roman villa near Pompeii that was almost certainly used by slaves, throwing light on their lowly status in the ancient world, the culture ministry said on Sunday. The room was found at the Civita Giuliana villa, some 600 metres (2,000 ft) north of the walls of Pompeii, which was wiped out by a volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago. Archaeologists said part of one of the beds had been destroyed by a tunnel used by robbers to access another part of the villa. Pompeii and the surrounding countryside was submerged by volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius exploded in AD 79, killing thousands of Romans who had no idea they were living beneath one of Europe's biggest volcanoes. The eruption buried the city in a thick layer of ash, preserving many of its residents and buildings.

Persons: Gabriel Zuchtriegel, Gennaro Sangiuliano, Crispian Balmer, Christina Fincher Organizations: EU, Culture, Thomson Locations: Vesuvius

☆ Texas power grid operator calls for voluntary conservation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Aug 20 (Reuters) - The Texas power grid operator on Sunday urged consumers to reduce electricity use due to extreme temperatures, high demand, and loss of thermal generation. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) also requested all government agencies to implement programs to reduce energy use at their facilities, adding that it is not experiencing emergency conditions at this time. Power use hit a record for the 10th time this summer, at 85,435 megawatts (MW) on Aug. 10. Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kanjyik Ghosh, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Reliability, of Texas, Thomson Locations: Texas, Bengaluru

Revenue from beekeeping will reach $624 billion this year in the United States alone, reports IBISWorld, a market research firm. While techniques for nurturing hives have improved, honey bees remain vulnerable animals. As of a few years ago, nearly 30 percent of commercial honey bees still did not survive the winter months, says the Environmental Protection Agency. That’s a large number and one that puts a financial strain on commercial beekeepers. There are more than 20,000 species of wild bees in the world, and many people don’t realize they exist.

Persons: Honey, Black, It’s, IBISWorld, ” Mr Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Agriculture Organization, Nations Locations: United States, California, That’s

☆ Conditions are ripe for a global coral bleaching event: ‘Florida is just the tip of the iceberg’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

NOAA, coral reefs, Florida Keys, coral reefs, coral bleaching, climate change, warm oceansCoral reefs off the coast of Florida are being hit by a mass bleaching event due to record high ocean temperatures, and early indications suggest a global mass bleaching event could be underway. The Sentinel climate research and monitoring site in the Florida Keys has recorded 100% coral bleaching since late July. There have been eight mass coral bleaching events that have impacted the entire Florida Keys since 1987, Manzello said. "We're talking about thousands upon thousands of miles of coral reefs undergoing severe bleaching heat stress," Manzello said. "Now, it's still way too early to predict whether or not there will be a global bleaching event, but if we compare what is happening right now to what happened in the beginning of the past global bleaching event, things are worse now than they were in 2014 to 2017."

Persons: Derek Manzello, Ian Enochs, They're, Enochs, Manzello, zooxanthellae, El Nino, Andy Bruckner, Bruckner, what's, Jennifer Koss, Koss Organizations: NOAA, National Oceanic, Reef Watch, Oceanographic, Meteorological Laboratory, Southeast, Florida Keys, Florida Keys National, Islands, Reef Conservation Locations: Florida, Southeast Florida, Columbia, Cuba, El, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Belize, Panama , Puerto Rico, elkhorn

☆ Nuclear-free campaigner says the nuclear industry is a 'high cost, high risk' one
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailNuclear-free campaigner says the nuclear industry is a 'high cost, high risk' oneDave Sweeney, a nuclear analyst and nuclear-free campaigner at the Australian Conservation Foundation, discusses the energy transition and says "nuclear isn't the answer, in fact, it's a distraction."

Persons: Dave Sweeney Organizations: Australian Conservation Foundation

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