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☆ Scientists solve the genetic puzzle of sex-related Y chromosome
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Males possess one Y and one X chromosome while females have two X chromosomes, with some exceptions. But until now, the Y chromosome part of the human genome had contained big gaps. In addition to identifying some additional Y chromosome genes, the researchers found that some DNA from the chromosome had been mistaken in previous studies as bacterial in nature. The first complete human genome - albeit with the Y chromosome partial - was published last year. Fully sequencing the Y chromosome adds to this.

Persons: Karen Miga, Carolyn Lagattuta, Arang Rhie, Monika Cechova, Cechova, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: University of California, UC Santa Cruz, REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, U.S ., Genome Research, of California, UCSC, Thomson Locations: Santa Cruz , California, U.S, Handout, Santa Cruz

☆ Wildfire rages near Athens for second day, forcing more evacuations
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ATHENS, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Hundreds of firefighters struggled overnight to contain a wildfire on the outskirts of Athens, forcing more evacuations as authorities warned the risk of new blazes was high across the country on Wednesday. Twenty people have been killed since fires erupted in northern Greece on Saturday and quickly spread, fanned by gale force winds in the second major outbreak of the summer. A fire near the village of Fyli on the foothills of Mount Parnitha, some 25 km (15 miles) north of Athens, spread towards the town of Menidi, where about 150 people had to be evacuated from three nursing homes, a local official said. "We kept the fire away from homes," Stathis Topalidis, deputy mayor of Menidi, told state broadcaster ERT on Wednesday. [1/5]A satellite image shows an overview of wildfires in Alexandroupolis, Greece, August 21, 2023.

Persons: Topalidis, Karolina Tagaris, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: ERT, Maxar Technologies, REUTERS Acquire, Volunteers, European Union, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Athens, Greece, Fyli, Mount Parnitha, Menidi, Alexandroupolis, Turkey, East, Asia, Italy, Rhodes

☆ Suspect in 2021 Colorado supermarket shooting determined competent
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, suspect of the King Soopers grocery store shooting, appears in a Boulder County District courtroom at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colorado, U.S. May 25, 2021. Matthew Jonas/Boulder Daily Camera/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDENVER, Aug 23 (Reuters) - A man accused of killing 10 people in a 2021 supermarket shooting in Colorado has been determined competent to stand trial, the prosecutor's office said Wednesday. A judge had ordered Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa in December 2021 to undergo treatment at the state's mental hospital after ruling he was incompetent to stand trial following two court-ordered psychological evaluations. On Wednesday, Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty's office said the Colorado Department of Human Services had recently provided a re-evaluation report that concluded Alissa had been "restored to competency." Alissa is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder stemming from the March 22, 2021 shooting at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, about 28 miles (45 km) northwest of Denver.

Persons: Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, King, Matthew Jonas, Michael Dougherty's, Alissa, Keith Coffman, Donna Bryson, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Boulder County Justice Center, REUTERS, Rights DENVER, Boulder District, Colorado Department of Human Services, Ruger, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Boulder County, Boulder, Boulder , Colorado, U.S, Colorado, Alissa, Denver

☆ Explainer: Why are countries racing to the moon's heavily cratered south pole?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In the same year, another NASA probe that hit the south pole found ice below the moon's surface. WHAT MAKES THE SOUTH POLE ESPECIALLY TRICKY? Russia's Luna-25 craft had been scheduled to land on the south pole but spun out of control on approach and crashed on Sunday. The south pole - far from the equatorial region targeted by previous missions, including the crewed Apollo landings - is full of craters and deep trenches. Both the United States and China have planned missions to the south pole.

Persons: India's, Russia's Luna, Nivedita, Joey Roulette, Kevin Krolicki, Gerry Doyle, Nick Macfie Organizations: Soviet Union, Apollo, Brown University, NASA, Indian Space Research, ISRO, Handout, REUTERS, Artemis Accords, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, WASHINGTON, Soviet, United States, China, U.S, Russia, Bengaluru, Washington

☆ Xi and Putin are seeking to expand the alliance of BRICS nations to challenge the global dominance of the US and the dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

China's Xi Jinping is in South Africa this week for the BRICS summit. Addressing the BRICS summit by video link Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin took swipes at the West, and said the summit represented the "global majority." Together, they make up around 40% of the world's population, around $27.7 trillion of the global economy, and are seen to represent the so-called "Global South" of southern hemisphere nations. Taking on the dollarThere are also proposals on the table to create a BRICS currency to challenge the global dominance of the dollar. AdvertisementAdvertisementChina and Russia may have ambitious plans for the BRICS group, but realizing them still appears some distance away.

Persons: China's, Jinping, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Graeme Thompson, China Xi, Cyril Ramaphosa, PHILL MAGAKOE, Xi Jinping, Steve Tsang, Thompson, Xi, Wang Wentao, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Organizations: Service, Eurasia Group, South, Getty Images, US, SOAS China Institute, University of London, CNN, Russia, Anadolu Agency, Getty Locations: South Africa, China, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Johannesburg, Brazil, India, AFP, Western, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Ukraine, Beijing, Pacific, United States

☆ South Korea to hold first nationwide defence drills in 6 years amid North threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

South Korean soldiers with 20mm vulcan cannon take part in an anti-drone drill in Yangju, South Korea, in this handout picture provided by the South Korean Defence Ministry on December 29, 2022. The South Korean Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Aug 23 (Reuters) - South Korea is set to hold its first nationwide air defence drills in six years on Wednesday amid North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats, with pedestrians required to take shelter and drivers asked to pull over in some areas. The drills are a key element of the annual Ulchi civil defence exercises, held alongside the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, which South Korean and U.S. troops began on Monday, to improve responses to a North Korean attack or other contingencies. The Ulchi civil defence exercises were launched in 1969 in the wake of a raid by North Korean commandos into the presidential compound in Seoul. But the air defence training has not taken place since 2017.

Persons: Hyonhee Shin, Gerry Doyle Organizations: South Korean Defence Ministry, REUTERS, Rights, South Korean, North Korean, Thomson Locations: Yangju, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, U.S, Korean, Seoul, North Korea

☆ US wildland firefighter pay threatened by Republican feud in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Firefighters cannot be held hostage to congressional infighting," said Lucas Mayfield, president of the advocacy group Grassroots Wildland Firefighters. More than 10 million acres were affected in 2015 and 2017. Last year, the cost of suppressing wildfires across 7.6 million acres surpassed $3.5 billion, according to the center. "Now is not the time ... to be engaging in this kind of the political gamesmanship around something as important as the livelihood of our wildland firefighters," he told Reuters. Neguse and Senator Kyrsten Sinema, an independent from Arizona, have introduced legislation in their respective chambers that would avoid the pay cliff and authorize future pay increases for wildland firefighters.

Persons: Matthew A, Foster, Handout, Mike Simpson, Joe Biden, Lucas Mayfield, Mayfield, Joe Neguse, Kyrsten Sinema, David Morgan, Scott Malone, Alistair Bell Organizations: Force, U.S . Army National Guard, Staff, REUTERS, Rights, Interagency Fire, Idaho Republican, Reuters, Republicans, Democrats, Democratic, Biden, Grassroots, Firefighters, Republican, National Interagency Fire Center, Colorado Democrat, House, Thomson Locations: Lahaina , Hawaii, U.S, Washington, West, British Columbia, Idaho, United States, Neguse, Arizona

Children receive first aid after they were rescued from the stranded chairlift, in Battagram, Pakistan August 22, 2023. "I can't tell you what we experienced yesterday when one cable of the cable car suddenly snapped and we were stranded in the air," said Faraz, who at 20 years old was the only adult aboard, and the only person with a cell phone. The journey by cable car usually took just a matter of minutes, whereas travelling on the rough mountain roads and tracks takes hours. "Our first priority was to secure the children," caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar said, describing the feat as "near impossible". Those prayers were answered for Faraz and the children.

Persons: Gul Faraz, Faraz, Anwar ul Haq Kakar, Kakar, Mushtaq Ali n, Asif Shahzad, Simon Cameron, Moore, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Commandos, Geo, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Battagram, Pakistan, PESHAWAR, Jhangri, Battangi, Karachi, Mushtaq Ali n Peshawar, Islamabad

☆ Explainer: Why are space agencies racing to the moon's south pole?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BENGALURU/WASHINGTON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - India's space agency is attempting to land a spacecraft on the moon's south pole, a mission that could advance India's space ambitions and expand knowledge of lunar water ice, potentially one of the moon's most valuable resources. India's much-awaited moon mission Chandrayaan-3 has been scheduled for launch on July 14, 2023. In the same year, another NASA probe that hit the south pole found water ice below the moon's surface. Russia's Luna-25 craft had been scheduled to land on the south pole this week but spun out of control on approach and crashed on Sunday. The south pole - far from the equatorial region targeted by previous missions, including the crewed Apollo landings - is full of craters and deep trenches.

Persons: India's, Russia's Luna, Nivedita, Joey Roulette, Kevin Krolicki, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Soviet Union, Apollo, Brown University, NASA, Indian Space Research, ISRO, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, United Nations, Artemis Accords, Chandrayaan, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, WASHINGTON, Soviet, United States, China, U.S, Russia, Bengaluru, Washington

☆ Neptune’s disappearing clouds linked to solar cycle
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The findings are “extremely exciting and unexpected, especially since Neptune’s previous period of low cloud activity was not nearly as dramatic and prolonged,” Chavez added. The findings also contradict the idea of the clouds being affected by Neptune’s four seasons, which each last about 40 years. Additionally, Neptune storms rising from the deep atmosphere do influence the planet’s cloud cover — but aren’t related to clouds formed in the upper atmosphere. That variable could interfere with studies looking at correlations between photochemically produced clouds and the solar cycle. More research could also suggest how long the near absence of clouds on Neptune might last.

Persons: ”, Imke de Pater, Neptune brightened, Erandi Chavez, ” Chavez, Neptune, Patrick Irwin, wasn’t, Irwin, Carlos Alvarez, ” Irwin, “ Organizations: CNN —, University of California, NASA, Hubble, Keck, Lick, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, JPL, Caltech, University of Oxford, Keck Observatory Locations: Berkeley, Hawaii, California

☆ Why are space agencies racing to the moon's south pole?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

India's much-awaited moon mission Chandrayaan-3 has been scheduled for launch on July 14, 2023. In the same year, another NASA probe that hit the south pole found water ice below the moon's surface. Russia's Luna-25 craft had been scheduled to land on the south pole this week but spun out of control on approach and crashed on Sunday. The south pole - far from the equatorial region targeted by previous missions, including the crewed Apollo landings - is full of craters and deep trenches. Both the United States and China have planned missions to the south pole.

Persons: India's, Russia's Luna, Nivedita, Joey Roulette, Kevin Krolicki, Gerry Doyle Organizations: ISRO, Handout, REUTERS, Soviet Union, Apollo, Brown University, NASA, Indian Space Research, United Nations, Artemis Accords, Chandrayaan, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, WASHINGTON, Soviet, United States, China, U.S, Russia, Bengaluru, Washington

Net borrowing, excluding state-owned banks, stood at 4.3 billion pounds ($5.49 billion) last month, less than the median forecast of 5.0 billion pounds in a Reuters poll of economists. In the first four months of the financial year, borrowing stood at 56.6 billion pounds. "As inflation slows, it's vital that we don’t alter our course and continue to act responsibly with the public finances," Hunt said in a statement after the data. Interest costs rose by 1.5 billion pounds compared with July last year to 7.7 billion pounds, the highest for July since records began in April 1997. The public finances were boosted by inflows of self-assessed income tax receipts which are typically strong in July, which stood at 11.8 billion pounds, 2.5 billion pounds more than in July last year.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Jessica Taylor, Handout, Hunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss's, Ruth Gregory, Gregory, Gabriella Dickens, William Schomberg, Sachin Ravikumar, Andrew Heavens, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, Bank of England, Conservative Party, Treasury, Capital Economics, Senior, National Statistics, Britain's, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Trump's being booked at Fulton County Jail and can 'expect a humiliating experience' if he's treated like everyone else, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump is in for a "humiliating" time when he's booked at a Georgia jail, a local lawyer said. Detainees at the Fulton County Jail are typically processed front of others, the attorney said. A landscaper works near one of the entrances to the Fulton County Jail on August 21, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. AdvertisementAdvertisement"It's the worst county jail in Georgia," Harper said. A photo of the cell at the Fulton County Jail where Lashawn Thompson was held in squalid conditions.

Persons: Trump, he's, Donald Trump, Michael Harper, Harper, Joe Raedle, he'll, It's, Lashawn Thompson, Thompson's, Michael Harper A, Rudy Giuliani, Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, Labat Organizations: Service, Sheriff's Office, Trump, Getty, Jail, Justice, New York City, Fulton County Sheriff Locations: Georgia, Fulton, Wall, Silicon, Fulton County, Atlanta, Jail, Atlanta , Georgia, Michael Harper A Georgia, Trump's Georgia

☆ Ukrainian and Serbian presidents hold 'good' and 'open' talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, August 21, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic held talks in Athens on Tuesday which both leaders described as "good" and "open". Vucic said Serbia had never sold weapons or ammunition to Ukraine or Russia although Serbian arms might have reached the battlefield via third countries. "An open, honest, and fruitful meeting with the President of Serbia," Zelenskiy wrote on the Telegram messaging app under a photograph of the two leaders shaking hands. "We have tackled developments in Ukraine and Kosovo and I have stressed once again that Serbia respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine," Vucic wrote.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Aleksandar Vucic, Vucic, Zelenskiy, ’, Dan Peleschuk, Max Hunder, Aleksandar Vasovic, Timothy Organizations: Serbian, Presidential Press Service, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, United Nations, European Union, UN, Balkan, EU, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, Serbian, Serbia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Kosovo, Belgrade, Kyiv

India's Chandrayaan-3 is heading for a landing on the lunar south pole on Wednesday. NASA, by comparison, is on track to spend roughly $93 billion on its Artemis moon programme through 2025, the U.S. space agency's inspector general has estimated. Russia had been considering a role in NASA’s Artemis programme until 2021, when it said it would partner instead on China's moon programme. Space research firm Euroconsult estimates China spent $12 billion on its space programme in 2022. India’s last attempt to land failed in 2019, the same year an Israeli startup failed at what would have been the first privately funded moon landing.

Persons: India's, Russia's Luna, Narendra Modi, Ajey Lele, Luna, Vadim Lukashevich, NASA'S, Elon Musk’s, Musk, Jeff Bezos, ”, Bethany Ehlmann, Kevin Krolicki, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO, NASA, New, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, SpaceX, International Space, California Institute of Technology, Thomson Locations: Handout, BENGALURU, WASHINGTON, India, United States, Soviet Union, U.S, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, China, Saudi, South Korean

☆ India says spacecraft heading to moon working 'perfectly'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A view of the moon as viewed by the Chandrayaan-3 lander during Lunar Orbit Insertion on August 5, 2023 in this screengrab from a video released August 6, 2023. ISRO/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT./File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Aug 21 (Reuters) - All systems on an Indian spacecraft heading to the moon are working "perfectly" and no contingencies are anticipated on the landing day, the country's space agency said on Monday, days after the failure of a Russian lander. India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is on course to land on Aug. 23 on the lunar south pole, a region where shadowed craters are thought to contain water ice which could support a future moon settlement. Reporting by Shivam Patel in New Delhi, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Shivam Patel, Ed Osmond Organizations: ISRO, Handout, REUTERS, DELHI, Thomson Locations: Russian, New Delhi

☆ Storm brewing in Gulf of Mexico to strengthen en route to Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A graphic map shows a two-day tropical weather forecast above Atlantic ocean in this handout image obtained August 21, 2023. National Hurricane Centre/NOAA/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY Acquire Licensing RightsAug 21 (Reuters) - A storm system brewing in the Gulf of Mexico could strengthen into a named storm as it takes aim at the Texas coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Monday. There are a total of five storm systems now swirling in the Atlantic Ocean, with U.S. forecasters recently saying they now expect a more dangerous Atlantic storm season than previously projected. Tropical storms are closely watched, especially in the Gulf of Mexico, because of the threat they pose to offshore oil and natural gas production in the United States and Mexico. Offshore operations in the U.S.-regulated northern Gulf of Mexico accounts for 15% of total crude oil production and 5% of total dry natural gas output.

Persons: Harshit Verma, Rahul Paswan, Jonathan Oatis, Sandra Maler Organizations: National Hurricane Centre, REUTERS, U.S, National Hurricane Center, Thomson Locations: Gulf, Mexico, Texas, Port Mansfield , Texas, Miami, Gulf of Mexico, United States, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Turkey says UN peacekeepers intervention of Turkish Cypriot roadworks unacceptable
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Scuffles broke out on Friday between U.N. peacekeepers and Turkish Cypriot security personnel when peacekeepers tried to prevent roadworks starting in an area the U.N. says is part of a buffer zone under its jurisdiction. Erdogan also said Turkey will continue to side with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a breakaway state recognised only by Ankara. Turkish Cypriot authorities want to build a road that would give residents of Pyla/Pile, a village in the U.N.-administered buffer zone, direct access to territory under Turkish Cypriot control. Turkish Cypriot authorities say the peacekeeping force, known as UNFICYP, overstepped its boundaries. Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar characterised the road project as essential.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Anitkabir, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Erdogan, Scuffles, Ersin Tatar, Ezgi, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Supreme Military Council, Presidential Press, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, Peacekeeping Force, Turkish Cypriot, Thomson Locations: YAS, Ankara, Turkey, Rights ISTANBUL, Cyprus, Pyla, U.N, Turkish, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Turkish Cypriot

☆ Cargill chartered ship sets sail to test wind power at sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Jonathan Saul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Pyxis Ocean retrofitted with WindWings sets sail during its maiden voyage, in this undated handout picture, Mid-Sea, August 2023. Cargill, one of the world’s biggest ship charterers, has been exploring wind assisted propulsion as one cleaner energy option. Pyxis Ocean will sail from Singapore and head to Brazil and is likely to transport a cargo of grain to Denmark, Dieleman said. The vessel is then likely to remain in the north Atlantic area to maximise wind usage, he added. BAR Technologies, which has designed boats for the America's Cup, developed the sails, which were built by Norway's Yara Marine Technologies.

Persons: Jan Dieleman, Dieleman, Cargill, Norway's, Jonathan Saul, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Cargill, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, BAR Technologies, Norway's Yara Marine Technologies, Thomson Locations: U.S, Singapore, Brazil, Denmark

☆ Ukraine's anti-graft police zero in on major wartime corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Semen Kryvonos, director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) speaks with Reuters, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine August 18, 2023. But now, according to Kyiv's top anti-graft cop, it's a matter of sheer survival as the country battles against Russia's invasion. "Corruption is no longer seen as a just a crime, but as a crime against national security," said Semen Kryvonos, head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). A bigger staff of 300 detectives, compared to the current level of nearly 250, would allow for a new unit dedicated solely to reconstruction-related crimes and to strengthen an existing one probing defence-related corruption, Kryvonos added. A Transparency-commissioned opinion poll in June found that at least 77% of Ukrainians believe corruption is currently among Ukraine's main problems.

Persons: Semen Kryvonos, NABU, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kryvonos, Zelenskiy, Dan Peleschuk, Tom Balmforth, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Reuters, Bureau Press Service, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Russia, Supreme, Ukraine, European Union, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russian, Brussels

☆ North Korea says Camp David agreements raise possibility of 'thermonuclear war'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A South Korean Air Force F-35A fighter jet takes off during an air drill as part of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise between South Korea and U.S., in South Korea, August 21, 2023. The Defense Ministry/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Aug 22 (Reuters) - North Korea on Tuesday denounced the annual military drills between the United States and South Korea, warning of a "thermonuclear war" over recent trilateral agreements to deepen ties between the leaders of the U.S., South Korea and Japan at Camp David. South Korea and the United States began the Ulchi Freedom Shield summer exercises on Monday, designed to enhance their joint responses to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. In a commentary carried by the KCNA news agency, North Korea said the summit between the United States, South Korea and Japan at the Camp David presidential retreat on Friday was aimed at formulating a "nuclear war provocation." "If the agreements fabricated at the Camp David Resort are additionally put into practice in the war drill ... the possibility of outbreak of a thermonuclear war on the Korean peninsula will become more realistic," the commentary said.

Persons: Camp David, Soo, hyang Choi, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Korean Air Force, The Defense Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, United States, Camp, Japanese Coast Guard, South, Thomson Locations: South Korea, U.S, Rights SEOUL, North Korea, United States, Japan, Camp David, Pyongyang, Korea, East China, Seoul

☆ Lucy Letby: Who is the killer British nurse jailed for whole life?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Cheshire Constabulary/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - British nurse Lucy Letby was jailed for life on Monday, with no prospect of release, for murdering seven babies and trying to kill another six at the hospital where she worked in northwest England. Here are details about Letby, one of the country's worst serial child killers, and the case:WHO IS LUCY LETBY? WHAT IS THE LUCY LETBY CASE ABOUT? Other babies, who suddenly collapsed and did not die, recovered, with both their collapse and recovery defying usual medical norms. The police and medical experts were called in and as they looked for a cause, they eventually focused on one common factor -- Lucy Letby.

Persons: Lucy Letby, LUCY LETBY, Countess, Chester, Prosecutors, Letby, Paul Hughes, James Goss, Nicola Evans, Evans, Hughes, Michael Holden, Christina Fincher, William James Our Organizations: Cheshire Police, Manchester Crown, Reuters, . Cheshire Constabulary, REUTERS Acquire, WHO, Chester University, Chester Hospital, Chester Hospital ., Police, Liverpool Women's Hospital, Thomson Locations: Manchester, Britain, England, Hereford

☆ Race for moon resources has begun, says Russia's space chief after failed lunar mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Aug 21 (Reuters) - The race to explore and develop the moon's resources has begun and Russia must remain a player despite the failure of its first lunar mission in 47 years, the head of Russia's space agency Roskosmos said on Monday. Russia's Luna-25 space craft spun out of control and crashed into the moon on Saturday after a problem preparing for pre-landing orbit, underscoring the post-Soviet decline of a once mighty space programme. "Today it is also of a practical value because, of course, the race for the development of the natural resources of the moon has begun. And in the future, the moon will become a platform for deep space exploration, an ideal platform." Russia has said it will launch further lunar missions and then explore the possibility of a joint Russian-China crewed mission and even a lunar base.

Persons: Roskosmos, Russia's Luna, Yury Borisov, Vladimir Soldatkin, Gareth Jones Organizations: NASA, Artemis Accords, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Handout, Russian, China, United States

☆ Earth, wind and fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Earth, wind and fire The wildfire that ripped through Lahaina last week, reducing what had once been the jewel of the historic Hawaiian kingdom to rubble, was decades in the making, scientists say. Illustration of smoke rising above mountains How wind spreads fire As wind cascades over mountains, sinking air compresses, heats up and loses moisture. Over Aug. 7 to 9, gale-force wind gusts reached 67 miles per hour (108 kilometres per hour) in Maui County, according to the National Weather Service. Hot and dry air, colored in orange, moves over Hawaii throughout the timelapse. Today, over 90% of Hawaii’s native dry forests have disappeared, and non-native grasses cover roughly a quarter of the state, according to scientists.

Persons: didn’t, ”, Abby Frazier, Dora —, John Bravender, Dora, Hurricane Dora, “ Dora, Bravender, climatologist Frazier, Thomas Smith, Jennifer Balch, Mike Opgenorth, ” Smith, Matthew A, Foster, Handout Organizations: U.S . Drought Monitor, Clark University, National Weather Service, National Oceanic, Pacific Hurricane Center, North Pacific, London School of Economics, Political, University of Colorado Boulder, Pacific Fire Exchange, University of Hawaii, U.S . Army National Guard, Staff Locations: Lahaina, Lahaina —, West Maui, Lahaina simmered, Maui, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Maui County, Honolulu, Canada, India, South America, Caribbean, Lahaina , Hawaii, U.S

"The main issue with methanol at this stage is increasing access and the scale of green production," Peter Lye, global head of shipping at Anglo American, said. Reuters GraphicsNetherlands-based OCI, which supplied green methanol to Maersk's first ship, can produce up to 200,000 tpy of the renewable fuel. Bashir Lebada, CEO of OCI's methanol and fuels business, said the vessel orders have given suppliers a confidence boost in advancing their green methanol projects even though production is "very small" now. Most green methanol projects are located in China, northern Europe and North America - far from major bunker hubs Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, creating a logistical gap. Within Asia, South Korea and China are set to increase their capacity to fuel ships with green methanol.

Persons: A.P . Moller, Moller, Emma Mazhari, Rashpal Singh Bhatti, we're, Peter Lye, Greg Dolan, Bashir Lebada, Anita Gajadhar, Jeslyn Lerh, Jacob Gronholt, Johannes Birkebaek, Florence Tan, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Reuters, Maersk, Handout, REUTERS, Container, A.P, CMA, Apple, Nike, Adidas, Walmart, Global, Reuters Graphics, United Arab, Pedersen, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, COPENHAGEN, South Korea, Reuters Graphics Netherlands, China, Europe, North America, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Chile, Argentina, Asia, Copenhagen

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