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[1/7] Floodwaters from the Pajaro River are seen flowing under Highway 1, currently closed by officials, in Monterey County, California, U.S. March 14, 2023. read moreNine atmospheric rivers already lashed California in rapid succession from late December through mid-January, triggering widespread flooding, levee failures, mudslides and punishing surf. Massive flooding from failed levees on the Pajaro River in Monterey County this weekend prompted hundreds of evacuations and dozens of water rescues. Mandatory evacuation orders remained in effect for residents in 10 California counties on Tuesday, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta and Nathan Frandino in Monterey County, California; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 106-year-old and 103-year-old sisters share longevity tips: 'Be happy, be healthy, and have love in your life'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Ester Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Shirley Hodes, 106, hasn't seen her little sister, Ruth "Ruthy" Sweedler, 103, in person since 2015. Sweedler agrees: The key to longevity is to "be happy, be healthy, and have love in your life." H/O: Shirley Hodes (R) and Ruth Sweedler (L), 2015 Photo by: Trudy GalynkerFrom afar, Hodes and Sweedler seem as similar as two slices of rye bread. Shirley Hodes age 106Where Hodes lives, residents are always coming and going, and she loves the variety. Sisters Shirley Hodes and Ruth Sweedler, circa 1923"When I was a little girl and got my library card, that was the best thing that happened to me," says Sweedler.

☆ Storms bolster California snowpack, ease drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Sharon Bernstein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The snowpack is considered California's largest reservoir, and is vital to fill streams and lakes as it slowly melts. The record precipitation and accompanying powerful storms in December and February have also dramatically lessened California's ongoing drought, a team of U.S. government agencies said this week. By contrast, just three months ago the entire state was considered to be experiencing drought conditions. California has cycled through four periods of drought since 2000, making less water available to irrigate crops and sustain wildlife along with meeting the needs of the state's 40 million residents. Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ For toothed whales, sound production is all in the nose
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Researchers on Thursday offered a comprehensive explanation for sound production by toothed whales - loud clicks for echolocation, and softer burst pulses and whistles for communication. The researchers used sound-recording tags on sperm whales, false killer whales and bottlenosed dolphins to study sound production in the wild. The sounds made by toothed whales differ from the haunting "singing" by filter-feeding baleen whales. "Toothed whales don't sing like baleen whales," Madsen said. During the course of evolution, toothed whales have lost their vocal folds, but evolved an entirely new set of sound sources in the nose."

☆ Open-source software braces for trade war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Pete Sweeney | Thomson Reuters | Asia Economics Editor Pete Sweeney Joined Reuters Breakingviews In Hong Kong In September Previously He Served As Reuters' Chief Correspondent For China Economy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

HONG KONG, Feb 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The open-source software movement has been an unprecedented driver of global innovation and productivity growth. As with most Chinese handset makers, founder Ren Zhengfei relied on Android’s open-source code to run his company’s smartphones. Beijing has reciprocated, per a Nikkei report, by instructing its own tech companies not to incorporate ChatGPT into their platforms - a rare example of a mutual firewall. Dividing the world into competing open-source camps would mark another reverse for free trade. Follow @petesweeneypro on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSRegulators have told major Chinese tech companies not to offer ChatGPT services, the Nikkei news service reported on Feb. 22 citing sources with direct knowledge, causing shares in Chinese companies building chatbots to fall.

☆ California water officials raise State Water Project allocation after storms
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The reservoir, part of the State Water Project, is currently at 35 percent capacity, below the historic average of 43 percent. As California prepared for a powerful winter storm system on Wednesday, state water officials announced that they are increasing supplies for water agencies serving about 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) said in a news release that the modest increase in forecast State Water Project deliveries this year comes because of early gains in the Sierra Nevada snowpack, which translated to an additional 210,000 acre-feet of water. DWR now expects to deliver 35% of requested water supplies, up from 30% forecasted in January. The State Water Project collects water from rivers in Northern California and delivers it to 29 public water suppliers.

Power-hungry aluminium producers in Yunnan and neighbouring provinces were already operating at reduced capacity, some of them since September, dragging down China's national output. The latest cuts will impact around 740,000 tonnes of annual production capacity, adding to the million tonnes already offline, according to industry consultancy Mysteel. Aluminium capacity has grown to around 5.25 million tonnes, making it the fourth largest provincial producer after Shandong, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. January's estimated annualised production was 40.50 million tonnes, a drop of almost one million tonnes over the last five months. Registered inventory on both exchanges has risen fast, cushioning the supply chain from the loss of Chinese production momentum.

Houseboats on Lake Oroville during a drought in Oroville, California, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 11, 2021. Lake Oroville, California's second-largest reservoir, has experienced a dramatic rise in water levels after a series of atmospheric river storms in January triggered widespread flooding while boosting the Sierra Nevada snowpack and the state's drought-stricken reservoirs. Previous record-low water levels at Oroville were triggered by drought conditions exacerbated by climate change. While California consistently experiences drought, climate change has fueled especially high temperatures and dry soil that have significantly reduced water runoff into the reservoirs. Photos taken in 2021 and 2023 show how much more full Oroville is following the January storms:

☆ California’s heavy rains deliver hope of a lifeline for one devastated industry – rice
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

After years of drought, California has received an epic amount of rain already in 2023. The Sacramento Valley is the hub of California’s rice production. During the seed planting and growing season, which runs from March through August, farmers flood rice fields with up to five inches of water. The way the rice business goes is how the economy goes,” Ponciano said. “After harvest season, the sky over the rice fields would be filled with geese and ducks,” he said.

☆ Colorado River deadline passes with no deal on voluntary water cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The proposal, titled the "consensus-based modeling alternative," was jointly submitted by Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The proposal notably excluded California, the largest user of the Colorado River, which supplies water to 40 million people. The Colorado River has long been over-allocated, but climate change has worsened drought conditions in the region and reservoir levels have plummeted over the past couple decades. As the western U.S. experiences its driest two decades in at least 1,200 years, water levels in the country's two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have reached record lows. Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University, said the states' proposal appeared to be a "very sincere commitment" to advance negotiations over water cuts and keep reservoirs from falling to dangerous levels.

☆ U.S. arms left in Afghanistan are turning up in a different conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Junaid Kathju | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

At least six people were injured on Jan. 21 in two explosions in the city of Jammu. Though more than half of it was ground vehicles, it also included more than 316,000 weapons worth almost $512 million, plus ammunition and other accessories. The Defense Department report also pointed out that the operational condition of the Afghan army’s equipment was unknown. Manoj Sinha said the government was aware of the issue and that measures were in place to combat the infiltration of U.S. weapons into Kashmir. Kashmir police official Vijay Kumar also said authorities were fully capable of countering the militant threat.

☆ Israel refills the Sea of Galilee, supplying Jordan on the way
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Ari Rabinovitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] A bay at the Sea of Galilee can be seen in northern Israel, January 23, 2023. The Sea of Galilee, whose waters Christians believe Jesus walked upon, is Israel's main reservoir and a big tourist draw. It feeds the Jordan River that flows south to the Dead Sea. The national water carrier is empty at the moment, undergoing seasonal repairs and upgrades. At one junction in northern Israel, engineers work on a pipe more than large enough for them to stand inside.

☆ Why desalination won't save states dependent on Colorado River water
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The Colorado River wraps around Horseshoe Bend in the in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Page, Arizona. "Ocean water desalination has tremendous allure," said Robert Glennon, a professor emeritus of law and water policy scholar at the University of Arizona. Pipes containing drinking water are shown at the Poseidon Water desalination plant in Carlsbad, California, U.S., June 22, 2021. The cost of water is highSince desalination is a drought-resistant process, some have argued that states with such facilities could make themselves less dependent on water from the Colorado River. That's significantly more than the amount the San Diego County Water Authority pays for water sourced from the Colorado River and the Sacramento San Joaquin River Delta.

LONDON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Global aluminium production rose by a marginal 2.0% last year, a rate of growth that was down from 2.7% in 2021 and the slowest since 2019, according to the International Aluminium Institute (IAI). Global aluminium production by region change versus 2021EUROPE POWERS DOWNWestern European aluminium output was running at an annualised 2.73 million tonnes in December, down by 540,000 tonnes on December 2021 and the lowest production rate this century. Latin America was the fastest-growing aluminium production region last year with output up 10.7% year on year. As ever more smelters switch to green energy sources, global aluminium production is ever more dependent on seasonally variable power availability. Such regional adjustments are now part and parcel of the global aluminium production landscape but they have injected a new degree of volatility into aluminium's previously slow-changing supply side.

☆ SLB wins Russia business as oilfield rivals exit after Ukraine invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Liz Hampton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Jan 19 (Reuters) - Following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, world's largest oilfield firm SLB (SLB.N) has boosted its business in Russia by cherry-picking service and equipment contracts from rivals who left, according to company documents and people familiar with its operations. For example, SLB's Russia and Central Asia reservoir performance division in the third quarter of 2022 grew revenue by 25% over the prior quarter. The company said in March that, while it is continuing operations in Russia, it has halted new investments there. One reason SLB is finding new success in Russia is that rivals have exited the region. "The message from HQ is to take mostly exclusive contracts with high revenue," said a SLB employee involved in the business wins.

110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Redding Sacramento Sacramento San Francisco San Francisco Fresno Fresno Los Angeles Los Angeles San Diego San Diego 110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Redding Sacramento Sacramento San Francisco San Francisco Fresno Fresno Los Angeles Los Angeles San Diego San Diego 110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Redding Sacramento Sacramento San Francisco San Francisco Fresno Fresno Los Angeles Los Angeles San Diego San Diego 110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Redding Sacramento San Francisco Fresno Los Angeles San Diego Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Sacramento San Francisco Fresno Los Angeles San Diego 110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Redding Sacramento San Francisco Fresno Los Angeles San Diego Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Sacramento San Francisco Fresno Los Angeles San Diego 110 30% 50 70 90 150 200 300 400 Short-term view: Past month Long-term view: Past 3 years Redding Redding Sacramento Sacramento San Francisco San Francisco Fresno Fresno Los Angeles Los Angeles San Diego San Diego Source: PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University Note: Data from the past six months is preliminary. California has built its water infrastructure — reservoirs, wells and irrigation systems — in part to account for the imbalanced timing in precipitation. California has a naturally variable climate: Periods of drought are punctuated by periods of wetter weather. A chart shows average snow water equivalent levels for each water year from 2003 through Jan. 17, 2023. Atmospheric rivers don’t always bring more snow; storms can actually shrink the snowpack if precipitation falls as rain instead of snow at high elevations.

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☆ Arizona suburb sues the city of Scottsdale for cutting off its water supply
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A saguaro-cactus lined road where new homes are being built in in Rio Verde Foothills, Arizona, on January 7, 2023. An Arizona suburb has filed a lawsuit against the city of Scottsdale after the city cut off the community from its municipal water supply amid extreme drought conditions and declining water levels in the Colorado River. In the lawsuit, filed Thursday in Maricopa County Superior Court, residents in the unincorporated community of Rio Verde Foothills are seeking an injunction against Scottsdale to force the city to resume water services. The dispute comes after the federal government last year announced unprecedented water cuts in Arizona due to water shortages along the Colorado River. Earlier this month, hundreds of homes outside of Scottsdale could no longer access water from the city, leaving residents with no reliable source of water.

☆ A suburb outside of Scottsdale, Arizona has had its water shut off due to the drought, in a 'worst-case scenario'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rio Verde, Arizona, a suburb a few miles out of Scottsdale, has had its water access shut off. The suburb shares water access with Scottsdale, but a major drought led Scottsdale to hold on to its water. Until recently, Rio Verde Foothills purchased all of its water from Scottsdale, Arizona, since it did not own a water reservoir of its own. However, Scottsdale shut off the flow of water to the suburb earlier this month, citing its own water supply needs during this historic drought period. Many of the community's problems also stem from a 1980 Arizona law that requires subdivisions with six or more lots to show proof that they have a 100-year water supply.

☆ Consumer Reports: Best Drip Coffee Makers of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Daniel Wroclawski | Consumer Reports | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

There’s no shortage of drip coffee makers on the market today. Each drip coffee maker we rate brews roughly 65 cups by the time our engineers are through with it. Below you’ll find reviews of nine top-rated drip coffee makers, with prices from around $37 to $330. To see even more options, check out our full coffee maker ratings, which include not only drip coffee makers but also cold-brew coffee makers, espresso machines, and more. This drip coffee maker grinds whole coffee beans just before brewing.

☆ Ana Walshe disappearance: Key moments in the search for the Massachusetts mother
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Her husband, Brian Walshe, 47, was arrested and accused of misleading officials and lying about his whereabouts on Jan. 1 and 2. “Our hearts go out to her family and especially to her young children, who deserve to be reunited with their mother.”Key moments in the case:39-year-old Ana Walshe. via Cohasset PoliceJan. 1: Ana Walshe reportedly headed to airportCohasset police say Ana Walshe was at her home on Chief Justice Cushing Highway shortly after midnight before she allegedly took a ride share to Boston’s Logan Airport for a flight to Washington, D.C., to attend to a work emergency. Jan. 5: Search for Ana Walshe goes publicPolice announced their search for Ana Walshe, urging the public to contact them if they have any information on her whereabouts. The testing of the unspecified items will "determine if they are of evidentiary value" in Ana Walshe's disappearance, the DA's office said.

☆ California has been hammered with rain. It may not be enough to reverse its drought.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Evan Bush | Evan Bush Is A Science Reporter For Nbc News. He Can Be Reached At Evan.Bush Nbcuni.Com. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

California counts on a system of about 1,400 human-made surface reservoirs and thousands upon thousands of miles of levees to manage surface water. During the recent storms, extreme drought has buffered some impacts of intense rainfall with plenty of space in the state’s largest reservoirs, which have withered under drought. Before the series of atmospheric rivers, it was storing less than 1 million acre-feet of water. In the Central Valley, Californians extract about 2 million acre-feet more than what returns to the ground, on average, every year, Lund said. California legislators in 2014 passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which requires local agencies to reach groundwater sustainability by 2042.

☆ California is deluged by record rain with more storms coming
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Kate Fishman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The parade of storms is forecast to continue, bringing even more heavy rain next week, the weather service said. Large stretches of central California received over half their normal annual rainfall since Dec. 26. [1/12] View of flooding from the rainstorm-swollen Sacramento and American Rivers, near downtown Sacramento, California, U.S. January 11, 2023. The storms have killed at least 17 people since the start of the year, California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday. Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago and Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China approves 17 bln yuan hydro power plant in Qinghai province
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, Jan 2 (Reuters) - China Energy Investment Corporation said on Monday China's National Development and Reform Commission in Qinghai province has approved a hydro power plant worth 17 billion yuan ($2.46 billion) on Dec. 30 in the province. The plant is a so-called pumped storage hydropower facility that is used to pump water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir during periods of high electrical demand. The plant will start full production in 2028. ($1 = 6.8972 Chinese yuan)Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

But Jean Paul Prates, nominated on Friday to be chief executive, has been advocating for higher investments in renewables. "Petrobras is a company for the long run and cannot just keep exploring sub-salt oil and paying dividends," Prates said in a press conference this month. Prates, a senator for the past four years, will become the first politician to hold a high-ranking office at Petrobras in several years. Petrobras, Prates and the transition team's press officer did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Prates has defended higher Petrobras investments in the refining sector as a way to secure Brazil's fuel supply.

☆ Soccer-In year of drama, World Cup shines spotlight on growth in the sport
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Manasi Pathak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Dec 20 (Reuters) - Lionel Messi's World Cup fairytale lit up the year in soccer as heroics and heartbreak at the finals captivated fans and highlighted the growth of the world's most popular sport despite the criticism of host country Qatar's human rights record. With matches played in air-conditioned stadiums to cope with the heat of the desert state and no beer on tap in stadiums, spectators experienced a World Cup like never before. Playing in a fifth World Cup for Argentina, the incomparable Messi once again left everyone in awe of his magical powers on the field as he smashed records and delivered on the hopes of a nation, bringing the World Cup home after 36 years. The South American giants were handed a shock defeat by Saudi Arabia in their first group game, which statisticians Gracenote credited as the biggest upset in World Cup history. With every continent represented in the World Cup last 16, the most diverse knockout stage in the tournament's history was evidence of the sport's expanding reach.

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