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☆ Universe’s brightest known object and fastest-growing black hole revealed
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Astronomers have spotted the brightest known object in the universe, and it’s a quasar powered by the fastest-growing black hole on record, according to a new study. The black hole powering the quasar devours the equivalent of one sun per day and has a mass about 17 billion times that of our sun, the researchers found. A black hole is massive power sourceThe intense gravitational influence of black holes draws matter toward these celestial objects in such an energetic way that the process creates light. The blinding radiation is due to the black hole’s accretion disk, or the ring around the black hole where material gathers before being consumed. The team followed up with observations from the powerful Very Large Telescope in Chile’s Atacama Desert to confirm details about the black hole, including its hefty mass.

Persons: ”, Christian Wolf, ” Wolf, Samuel Lai, Wolf, Southern Observatory’s Schmidt, Christopher Onken Organizations: CNN —, Southern, National University’s College of Science, National University’s Research, of Astronomy, Astrophysics, Hubble, Southern Observatory’s, Sky Survey, Sky, Dark Energy Survey, Energy Survey, ESO Locations: Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Atacama

☆ Nikki Haley Can’t Count on South Carolina’s Newcomers for Help
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After Nikki Haley’s disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire earlier this year, she promised she would storm back in the next big Republican primary to deliver “a great day in South Carolina,” the state where she was born and raised and where she occupied the governor’s mansion for six years. South Carolina has, since 2017, had a net gain of 372,000 new residents who are old enough to vote. That means that nearly 10 percent of the current electorate did not experience Ms. Haley’s state leadership. South Carolina beat out Florida and Texas last year to be the fastest-growing state in the country. And the largest contingent of new South Carolinians hails from New York and New Jersey, many of them bringing with them an affection for the Republican front-runner, former President Donald J. Trump.

Persons: Nikki Haley’s, Donald J, Trump’s, Carolinians, Trump Organizations: Republican, South Carolina, United Nations, South Locations: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida, Texas, New York, New Jersey

☆ Shane Rose: Olympic show jumper cleared to compete after review into orange mankini outfit
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Shane Rose was stood down from competitions temporarily for wearing a mankini at an event in New South Wales earlier this month, throwing his participation at Paris 2024 into jeopardy. Quinn Rooney/Getty ImagesEA said that “concerns were raised” about Rose’s costume at Wallaby Hill and added that it “has an obligation” to review such complaints. When riding at Wallaby Hills earlier this month, Rose also wore a gorilla costume and a Simpsons-inspired Duffman outfit, as well as the mankini. On social media and across the show jumping community, Rose received widespread support after the review was announced. “Amazed at all this hoo-ha about Shane Rose, who is one of the hardest working, most decent people in the sport,” three-time Olympic show jumper Vicki Roycroft wrote on Facebook.

Persons: Shane Rose, Rose, ”, Darren Gocher, “ Shane, Shane, ” Shane Rose, Quinn Rooney, “, ” Rose, Injuries, it’s, I’ve, Vicki Roycroft, Bowral Organizations: CNN, Olympic, Paris, Australia, EA, Australian, Wallaby, Facebook, Bowral Kubota Locations: New South Wales, Australia, Tokyo, Rio, Beijing, Atlanta, London

☆ Australian Authorities Say More Sydney Schools Tainted With Asbestos
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An asbestos contamination in Sydney widened on Sunday, with authorities saying the toxic material had been detected in more schools, as a weeks-long effort continued to remove it from mulch used in public places. In an update on the contamination on Sunday, the state's Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) said 34 city sites had now returned positive for bonded asbestos. New sites where asbestos had been confirmed were two schools in the city's west, the EPA said, lifting the number of schools confirmed as tainted to four. "There is ongoing testing at a further four schools," EPA head Tony Chappel said, adding that testing was also underway at a hospital and in part of the city's vast Royal National Park. (Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

Persons: Tony Chappel, Sam McKeith, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: SYDNEY, Environmental Protection Authority, Royal, Asbestos Locations: Sydney, New South Wales

CNN —A sixteen-year-old Taylor Swift fan was killed in a head-on collision with a semi-trailer while on her way to see the pop star in concert in Melbourne on Thursday. Her 10-year-old sister, who was in the backseat, is in critical condition at a local hospital, 7 News Australia reported. “The rear passenger, a 10-year-old girl, was airlifted to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition,” the police statement added. Swift is in Melbourne for the Australia leg of her global “Eras Tour.”The tragedy follows the death in November of a Taylor Swift fan before a concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. That death came amid a record heatwave that had prompted Swift to postpone an earlier show.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Mieka Pokarier, Mieka, ”, Swift, Benevides Machado, ” Swift, I’m, “ Organizations: CNN, Australia, News Australia, Melbourne police, Dubbo Hospital, ” New South Wales police, Westmead Hospital, ” Locations: Melbourne, Dubbo, NSW, New South Wales, ” New South Wales, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Australia

☆ Australia Authorities Say More Sydney Sites Tainted With Asbestos
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian authorities on Saturday said asbestos had been discovered in more places in Sydney including housing estates as the New South Wales government continues a weeks-long scramble to remove the toxic material from mulch used in public spaces. Since then, in what is the biggest investigation by the state's Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in decades, 32 city sites have returned positive results for bonded asbestos, the agency said in a statement on Saturday. The EPA said new sites where asbestos had been detected were a public school and park in the city's north, and two residential estates under construction in Sydney's south-west. The University of Sydney had also been identified as potentially tainted and would be tested this weekend, it said. The rate of positive results is around 10 percent," the EPA said.

Persons: Sam McKeith, Matthew Lewis Organizations: SYDNEY, New South, Environmental Protection Authority, EPA, University of Sydney, Authorities, Sydney Gay, Mardi Locations: Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney's

☆ Sydney Parks Cordoned Off, Mardi Gras Event Cancelled After Asbestos Concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian authorities on Friday cordoned off areas in several parks in Sydney after the discovery of asbestos in mulch, while schools began precautionary testing as the government scrambled to remove the toxic material from public spaces. About 700 students at a public school in Sydney's southwest will be relocated to another school for several weeks after finding asbestos on campus. The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Fair Day event, which usually draws tens of thousands of revellers, scheduled for Sunday was cancelled after traces of asbestos were found around the Victoria Park venue. The New South Wales state government on Thursday set up a taskforce to provide more resources and staff to help support the Environment Protection Authority's investigations. The complex, criminal investigation involves multiple lines of enquiry," New South Wales Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said in a statement.

Persons: Penny Sharpe, Sharpe, Renju Jose, Jamie Freed Organizations: SYDNEY, Sydney City Council, Sydney Gay, Mardi, Sunday, Protection, Environment Protection Authority, Wales Environment Locations: Sydney, Sydney's, Victoria, New South Wales, New, Wales

☆ Tyagarah, New South Wales: Australian nude beach faces possible closure
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Tyagarah Beach, a secluded 800-meter (875-yard) stretch of beachfront north of Byron Bay, has been the topic of heated debate in recent weeks. The beach, long loved by naturists from Australia and around the world, is part of the Tyagarah Nature Reserve and maintained by the New South Wales state government. “Nude recreation is a legitimate way of life,” Benham wrote. In 2018, a similar measure was rejected by the Shire Council and CCTV cameras were installed as a compromise. “I’ve been nude bathing on Byron Shire beaches since I was a child in the 70s and 80s,” Benham told 9 News.

Persons: Bradley Benham, Byron Naturists, Penny Sharpe, ” Benham, “ I’ve, CNN’s Angus Watson Organizations: CNN, naturists, New, 9News, Council, Nature, ” Local, Shire Council Locations: Tyagarah, Byron Bay, Australia, New South Wales, NSW, Shire, Byron Shire

☆ Single HENRYs are fleeing West Coast cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles for the Sunbelt, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Eliza Relman | Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

These movers are disproportionately higher-income, a new Bank of America report found. Las Vegas and Phoenix are the only Western cities Bank of America analyzed that had population increases compared to first quarter 2020. Housing costs are a major reason people are leaving West Coast cities for the Sunbelt. But many Sunbelt cities have more permissive land-use and zoning regulations than their coastal counterparts, meaning they're often better equipped to keep up with rising demand by building more homes. Both West Coast and Sunbelt cities that aggressively restrict housing construction will likely continue to face affordability crises.

Persons: — Organizations: Coasters, Bank of America, Service, Bank of, Jacksonville, Las, metros Locations: Southwestern, West Coast, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Austin, San Antonio, Francisco, Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, South, West

☆ 'Saltburn' actor Jacob Elordi involved in police investigation following alleged 'altercation' in Australia, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Jacob Elordi is reportedly involved in a police investigation following an alleged assault. The actor is said to have had an "altercation" with a radio producer in Sydney, Australia. AdvertisementJacob Elordi is reportedly involved in a police investigation following an alleged assault in Sydney, Australia, local media reported. The 26-year-old "Saltburn" actor got into an "altercation" with KIIS FM radio producer and TikToker Joshua Fox, 32, outside a hotel on Saturday, The Sunday Telegraph reported. The Sunday Telegraph reported that Fox approached Elordi outside a hotel in east Sydney where the actor had been socialising.

Persons: Jacob Elordi, —, TikToker Joshua Fox, News.com.au, Fox, Elordi, Barry Keoghan, Felix Catton Organizations: Service, KIIS, Sunday Telegraph, South Wales Police, Eastern, Eastern Beaches Police, Command, Australian Academy of Cinema, Television Arts, British, University of Oxford, New South Wales Police Locations: Sydney, Australia, Eastern Beaches, Eastern, Coast , Queensland, New

☆ YouTube helped solve an evolutionary mystery that's puzzled biologists for decades
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

One of his videos provided the missing piece to link 400-year-old fossils with living euglenoids. And it helped them solve a scientific mystery that's confused biologists for decades. To find ancient evidence of euglenoids, van de Schootbrugge and his colleagues looked at microfossils — teensy fossils that are only a few millimeters in size. AdvertisementA chance viewing of a YouTube video helped van de Schootbrugge and his colleagues link the fossils and living euglenoids. The proof was in a pond (and on YouTube)There were two main problems with the cyst microfossils: what they were called and what they looked like.

Persons: Fabian Weston, —, who's, Euglenoids, Bas, de, de Schootbrugge, they've, van de Schootbrugge, van de Schootbrugge's, Paul Strother, Strother, Van de Schootbrugge, Wilson Taylor Organizations: Service, Utrecht University, YouTube, New South Wales, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire Locations: New South, Vouliagmeni, Greece

☆ Australia Sweats Through Heatwave, Bushfire Risk Rated 'Extreme'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Large swaths of Australia on Sunday sweltered through a heatwave as authorities warned of elevated bushfire risk in an already high-risk fire season during an El Nino weather pattern. The nation's weather forecaster had heatwave alerts in place for Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Western Australia, warning temperatures in some parts of the country could hit the low 40s Celsius (over 104 degrees Fahrenheit). The high in the west of Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, was forecast at 39 C (102 F), almost 10 degrees above the February mean, forecaster data showed. Hot and dry conditions combined with gusty winds prompted the forecaster to issue "extreme fire danger" warnings for parts of Victoria and South Australia states. Sunday's hot weather - the latest in a string of heatwaves to scorch Australia - comes after the country's east was hit last month by damaging floods.

Persons: El, Sam McKeith, William Mallard Organizations: SYDNEY, Australian Capital, El Nino Locations: Australia, El Nino, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Western Australia, Sydney, Victoria, South Australia, scorch Australia

☆ Australian Police Say No Evidence of Offensive Slogan at Pro-Palestinian Protest
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian police said on Friday a forensic analysis did not find evidence pro-Palestinian protesters chanted "gas the Jews" outside the Sydney Opera House last year, but the investigation found some used anti-Semitic slogans. Around 1,000 pro-Palestinian supporters marched through downtown Sydney in October to the city's iconic Opera House, which the government had illuminated in the colours of the Israeli flag following an attack by Hamas. "The phrase chanted during that protest ... was 'Where's the Jews? Lanyon said there was evidence of other "offensive and completely unacceptable" anti-Semitic statements used by protesters. Police will continue to investigate if offences were committed during the protests, Lanyon said.

Persons: Malcolm Lanyon, Lanyon, Israel, Renju Jose, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, Sydney Opera House, Opera House, Police, Opera, Hamas, Health Locations: Sydney, New South Wales, Israel, Gaza, Australia, Iran

Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesHow did Deep Sea Vision detect the object that could be Earhart's plane? But it wasn't until the team reviewed sonar data in December that they saw the fuzzy yellow outline of what resembles a plane. “In the end, we came out with an image of a target that we believe very strongly is Amelia’s aircraft," Romeo told The Associated Press. But he said that Romeo’s team must provide “a forensic level of documentation” to prove it’s Earhart’s Lockheed. He would have expected to see straight wings and not swept wings, like the new sonar suggests, as well as engines.

Persons: Amelia Earhart, Tony Romeo, Electra, Romeo, Earhart, Fred Noonan, Noonan, “ Amelia, James Delgado, ”, Delgado, Romeo's, David Jourdan, Dorothy Cochrane, Cochrane, ’ ”, Lockheed Electra, Ole Varmer, Varmer, ” Varmer, “ It’s, —, Finley, Pollard Organizations: COLUMBIA, Lockheed, Archaeologists, Pan American Airlines, Air Force, Associated Press, Navy, National Air and Space Museum, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, The Ocean Foundation, Purdue Research Foundation, Purdue University in, Smithsonian, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: South Carolina, Norwegian, Howland, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, New Guinea, U.S, New Jersey, “, Maritime, Connecticut, Howland Island, Purdue University in Indiana, Norfolk , Virginia

☆ Sydney Harbour shark attack puts Australian swimmers on edge
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Monday night’s attack was the first in Sydney Harbour since 2009, when a bull shark tore off the arm of an Australian Navy diver near Green Island. “Sydney residents do love swimming in Sydney Harbour. Dan Himbrechts/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockWarmer waters mean more sharksAustralia is second only to the United States when it comes to “unprovoked” shark attacks, according to the International Shark Attack File. January and February are peak months for bull sharks in Sydney Harbour, which go there to feed and breed during the warmer months. Despite the frequency of visits by bull sharks to Sydney Harbour, there’s no separate system to monitor them.

Persons: Lauren O’Neill, Elizabeth Bay, Linda Scott, ”, “, Gerard Soury, Michael Porter, ” Porter, Fiona Crago, ” Crago, Dan Himbrechts, Amy Smoothey, Smoothey, ” Smoothey, Scott Organizations: Australia CNN, Sydney Harbour, Opera, Sydney, Australian Navy, CNN, Bank, Sky News, Local, Tweed Heads, NSW Department of Primary Industries, East Australian Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Sydney, Elizabeth, Sydney Harbour, Green Island, Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay, United States, New South Wales, Bega, Tweed, Queensland, there’s, NSW, ”

☆ Shark Attacks Woman Swimming in Sydney Harbour
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A woman swimmer was seriously injured in a shark attack in Sydney Harbour and had been taken to the hospital in a stable condition, authorities said on Tuesday. Police said they had been told the woman was swimming off the wharf when the shark attacked her. While shark sightings along Sydney's ocean-facing beaches are common, attacks in its iconic harbour are rare. Monday's incident took place near the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. "Shark bites are really rare ... the last incident that occurred in Sydney Harbour was in 2009," Amy Smoothey, senior shark scientist at the New South Wales department of primary industries, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.Based on the bite patterns and images provided, the woman was likely attacked by a bull shark, Smoothey said.

Persons: Amy Smoothey, Smoothey, Renju Jose, Michael Perry Organizations: SYDNEY, Police, Opera, New South, Australian Broadcasting Corp Locations: Sydney Harbour, Elizabeth Bay, New South Wales, Sydney

☆ Australia's New South Wales State Premier Condemns Neo-Nazi Rally
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The premier of Australia's New South Wales state condemned on Sunday a neo-Nazi rally in the state capital Sydney as "appalling", a day after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said neo-Nazism was on the rise in the country. "Police are meeting these obnoxious and appalling racists head-on in New South Wales streets," Premier Chris Minns told reporters in Sydney, describing the event as a "neo-Nazi demonstration". The prime minister said Australia had seen a rise in neo-Nazism, which was condemned "by all decent people". At the time, the centre-left Labor government said the laws sent a clear message there was no place in Australia for those who glorify the Holocaust or terrorist acts. (Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Chris Minns, Albanese, Sam McKeith, Kim Coghill Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Nazi, Police, Labor Locations: Australia's New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Israel, Gaza

☆ World first IVF rhino pregnancy could save northern white rhinos from extinction, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jessie Gretener | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A world first in rhinoceros reproductive health could save northern white rhinos from extinction, scientists said Wednesday. The team at the BioRescue project successfully impregnated a southern white rhino via in vitro fertilization (IVF), according to a press release, creating a possible path for restoring the northern white rhino species. Northern white rhinos are critically endangered and the only two remaining rhinos, Najin and Fatu, are infertile females that live under constant surveillance in Kenya. However, there are living cells from 12 different northern white rhinos stored in liquid nitrogen in Italy and Germany. Female northern white rhinos Fatu, left, and Najin, right, the last two northern white rhinos on the planet, graze in their enclosure at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya on Aug. 23, 2019.

Persons: Ben Curtis, Athos, Thomas Hildebrandt, It’s, Curra, Hildebrandt, Fatu Organizations: CNN, Pejeta Conservancy, Zoo Salzburg, Conservancy Locations: Kenya, Italy, Germany, Pejeta, Austria, Elenore, Belgium, Ol

☆ Thousands Protest Australia Day Holiday With 'Invasion Day' Rallies
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Thousand's marked Australia's national day on Friday with "Invasion Day" rallies in support of the country's Indigenous community, many of whom oppose celebrating the day a British fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour in 1788. Australia Day commemorates the day Britain established the state of New South Wales a penal colony, arriving in what is now the state capital Sydney with a "First Fleet" bringing colonists and convicts. Many people celebrate the holiday with barbecues and trips to the beach, and it is also a popular date for immigrants to receive their Australian citizenship. In Sydney, thousands of protesters, many waving Indigenous flags, gathered in the city centre at an "Invasion Day" rally before a march that closed nearby city streets. Two statues of colonial figures were vandalised in Melbourne earlier this week ahead of the contentious national holiday.

Persons: Browne, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Sam McKeith, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, Sydney Harbour, Australian Broadcasting Corp, Labor Party Locations: British, Sydney, Britain, New South Wales, Victoria's Melbourne, Canberra, Melbourne

☆ Australia Sweats in Heatwave Lifting Bushfire Risk, Amid El Nino
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Large swaths of Australia sweltered on Sunday in a heatwave, the nation's weather forecaster said, raising bushfire risk in an already high-risk fire season amid an El Nino weather pattern. Heatwave alerts at "extreme" level, the highest danger rating, were in place for a second day for parts of Western Australia and were extended to South Australia, while areas of Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory were under "severe" warnings, the weather forecaster said. It cautioned that in Western Australia, the nation's largest state, the remote Pilbara and Gascoyne areas could hit high forties degrees Celsius (about 120 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday. On the east coast, parts of New South Wales' capital Sydney were forecast on Sunday to reach 40 C, almost 10 degrees above the average January maximum. The hot, dry conditions raised the risk of bushfires in some areas, the weather forecaster said, as Australia endures an El Nino weather event, typically associated with extreme phenomena such as wildfires, cyclones and droughts.

Persons: Sam McKeith, Sandra Maler Organizations: SYDNEY Locations: Australia, El Nino, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland , New South Wales, Northern, Gascoyne, Perth, Paraburdoo, Jan, New South Wales, Sydney, Turkey

☆ Asia markets mixed after falling on Wednesday; Australia unemployment data in focus
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Sydney Opera House Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Gallo Images | Brand X Pictures | Getty ImagesAsia-Pacific markets were set for a mixed open Thursday after stocks fell in the previous session, with mainland Chinese shares touching a near-five-year low. Investors will be watching Australia's unemployment numbers on Thursday for clues on the Reserve Bank of Australia's moves in its February meeting. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index were flat, standing at 15,274 compared with the HSI's close of 15,276.9. Hong Kong stocks plunged almost 4% to hit their lowest level since November 2022 on Wednesday.

Organizations: Sydney Opera House, Getty, Reserve Bank, Nikkei Locations: Sydney Opera House Sydney , New South Wales, Australia, Asia, Pacific, Chicago, Osaka, Hong Kong

☆ Deadly fire ants are forming rafts to cross Australian flood waters
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Hafsa Khalil | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Red fire ants are forming rafts to travel on flood waters in the northeastern Australian state of Queensland, with the extreme weather threatening a countrywide spread of the highly invasive species. Two rafts of fire ants are seen floating on water in this screengrab taken from video released by Australia's Invasive Species Council in January 2024. Invasive Species CouncilQueensland has seen brutal weather and heavy flooding in recent weeks. Modeling by the ISC suggests fire ants will spread to “every corner of Australia” if the outbreak in Queensland isn’t curbed. Red ants can spread quickly on their own, but an infestation is typically accelerated by human activity, such as in cargo containers or shipments of potted plants or soil.

Persons: ” Reece Pianta, ” Pianta, ‘, ”, Pianta, Murray, Tara Moriarty, “ Organizations: CNN, Species Council, ISC, Council, invicta, Agriculture Locations: Australian, Queensland, Species Council Queensland, Cairns, Cyclone Jasper, Australia, Victoria, South America, United States, Mexico, Caribbean, China, Europe, Brisbane, New South Wales, NSW, Darling

SYDNEY (AP) — An Australian task force devoted to stopping illegal reptile exports announced the disruption of a “cold-blooded and cruel” criminal group allegedly trying to send AU$1.2 million ($808,000) worth of highly-sought native lizards and other reptiles from Sydney to Hong Kong. The Whyaratta Strike Force, part of the anti-biker Raptor Squad, said that four people have been charged over the alleged plot to hide hundreds of the bound reptiles in small chip packets and handbags. Police released 257 reptiles, mostly lizards, New South Wales state Police Force said in a statement Monday. The rescued reptiles were handed to various zoos and wildlife parks to be examined by veterinarians before being released into the wild, police said. They have been charged with various offenses relating to the alleged smuggling operation.

Persons: —, Andrew Koutsoufis Organizations: SYDNEY, Whyaratta, Force, Raptor, Police Force, Police Locations: Australian, Sydney, Hong Kong, New South Wales

☆ How to Survive Long-Haul Flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-22 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“Purchase a ‘Do Not Disturb’ eye mask if you plan on sleeping through meal service,” she said. You can look ahead on the airline’s website to see what in-flight entertainment will be available on your flight. Move when you canMany people prefer an aisle seat so they are able to get up frequently without disturbing their seat neighbor. Ahead of booking, research the layout and model of planes on websites like SeatGuru to find the most legroom. “But it makes a huge difference to how quickly you adjust to the new time zone.”

Persons: ”, Patrick Quade, Nathan Weinrich Locations: New South Wales, Australia, United States, New Jersey

☆ Australia says it's going to shoot wild horses from helicopters in a bid to cull 14,000 of them
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-07 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Officials in New South Wales say they've authorized the shooting of wild horses from helicopters. They've been given a task of eliminating some 14,000 wild horses at a national park in four years. "Aerial shooting" would involve operatives firing on the horses from helicopters — a tactic that the local government trialed in November. AdvertisementCurrent government estimates of the national park's wild horse population sit between 12,934 and 22,546 horses, with a best gauge of around 17,400. Supporters of protecting the wild horses say the animals are part of Australia's heritage, and have decried the revival of the aerial shootings.

Persons: they've, They've, they'll, insensibility, it's, Brook Mitchell, Jan Carter, Carter Organizations: Service, Kosciuszko, New South, brumbies, Australians, Brumbies, Heritage Brumbies Locations: New South Wales, South Wales, Australia

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