News

Red Crab Can Help Protect Great Barrier Reef in Australia Brisbane, Australia, 10 Apr (ONA) --- Scientists fighting to save the Great Barrier Reef have discovered a new secret weapon; namely a tiny red crab. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the natural wonders of the world. But many of its reef-building corals have been devoured by plagues of toxic crown-of-thorns (COTS) starfish. A little red crab could help to stop that, euronews reported. The red decorator crab - or ‘Schizophrys aspera’ - has a voracious appetite for the juvenile starfish, research from the ...

Five Injured after Building Collapse in Marseille in France Marseille, 9 Apr (ONA) --- The collapse of a four-storey residential building in Marseille today left at least five people from surrounding structures injured, but a fire was preventing rescue workers in their search for victims, local officials said. The collapse of the building in the port city in southern France occurred around 12:40 am (2240 GMT). One neighbouring building collapsed later this morning. The streets around the collapsed building were cordoned off and choked with dust. Firefighters could be ...

Tunisia Migrant Boat Shipwrecks Leave 27 Dead or Missing Tunis, 9 Apr (ONA) --- Twenty-seven people are dead or missing after two migrant boats sank off the east coast of Tunisia. The first boat left Tunisia for Italy on Friday, with 37 on board. Twenty are missing while 17 have been rescued. On Saturday, four bodies were recovered from a beach after a second boat sank, BBC news reported. Thirty-six people who were on the second boat were rescued and three are missing. Since the start of March, there have been at least seven similar shipwrecks off Tunisia, with around ...

Coal Capacity Climbs Worldwide Despite Promises to Slash itSan Francisco, 6 Apr (ONA) —- The capacity to burn coal for power went up in 2022 despite global promises to phase down the fuel that’s the biggest source of planet-warming gases in the atmosphere, a report found.The coal fleet grew by 19.5 gigawatts last year, enough to light up around 15 million homes, according to a report by Global Energy Monitor, an organization that tracks a variety of energy projects around the globe.That 1% increase comes at a time when the world needs to retire its coal fleet four and a half times faster ...

Number of Amur Leopards Rises to 125 over Year in Russia Moscow, 5 Apr (ONA) --- The number of Amur leopards, the rarest wild cats on the planet, living in Russia’s Land of the Leopard National Park in the Primorsky Region, has risen to 125 adults and 13 cubs, the science department at the national park said. According to last year’s figures, there were 121 adult leopards in the national park. The Amur leopard is the rarest wild cat in the world and one of the rarest animals on the planet. In Russia, this predator inhabits only the Land of the Leopard National Park in the ...

Catalonia in Grip of Worst Drought in Decades Barcelona, 4 Apr (ONA) --- In the Sau reservoir, teams in small boats are hard at work hauling out fish with nets. The idea is to remove them before they die and rot in the water, making it unusable for human consumption. The water level has dropped so low here - to below 10% of the reservoir's capacity - that there is already a risk the water will be contaminated by silt. Therefore, while the fish are removed, Sau's remaining water is being emptied downstream to another reservoir. The Sau reservoir, 100km (about 62 miles) inland ...

Train Derailment near The Hague Kills 1, Injures Several The Hague, 4 Apr (ONA) ---- A passenger train slammed into a construction crane and derailed near The Hague in the early hours of this morning sending two carriages into a field next to the tracks. One person died and 19 were hospitalized, Dutch emergency services said. Police opened an investigation to establish if any crime was committed. Another independent probe was opened into the cause of the crash. Two of the bright yellow and blue train carriages came to rest perpendicular to the tracks across the small canal ...

230 People Evacuated from Mine in Rostov Region Due to SmokeMoscow, 2 Apr (ONA) --- As many as 230 people working in Obukhovskaya mine near the town of Zverev, the Rostov region were evacuated due to smoke occurred at a depth of 190 m, a source with the emergency services told the Russian TASS today. "Smoking occurred 6 km from the city of Zverevo at the central intermediate substation, located at a depth of 190 m, of the Obukhovskaya mine. There are 229 people there, they are currently being evacuated. There is no open burning, the ventilation system has been launched at the scene," ...

Cold Wave Hits Vast Parts of China Beijing, 2 Apr (ONA) --- A cold front hits China, causing temperature drops and bringing strong winds, the country's top meteorological authority said. Temperatures are forecast to fall by 4-8 degrees Celsius in parts of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi and Heilongjiang, accompanied by strong winds, the National Meteorological Center said in a statement. From today to Tuesday, heavy snow or sleet will hit Gansu, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia, while rainstorms are likely to hit central and eastern parts of ...

Death Toll Grows as Tornados Ravage Several US States Washington, 2 Apr (ONA) --- At least 26 people have been killed after a series of tornadoes tore through towns and cities in the South and Midwest of the United States. Homes were destroyed and thousands left without power after storms caused devastation across several states. According to the Washington Post, more than 60 tornado reports were recorded. States including Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Alabama and Mississippi have all had fatalities as a result of the weather, BBC news reported. One storm ...

Dozens Killed in Ferry Blaze in PhilippinesManila, 30 Mar (ONA) —- At least 28 people have been killed and 230 rescued after a passenger ferry caught fire in the Philippines.The blaze began in the ship's air-conditioned cabins, but it is unclear how, local officials said.Among the dead were at least three children, including a six-month-old baby.Earlier, officials said the number of people missing was uncertain because an exact passenger count was not known. Just 205 were listed on a manifest, BBC news reported.The Philippine Coast Guard said search and rescue operations were ongoing and ...

EU Agrees to Exempt e-fuels from 2035 Ban on New Sales of Combustion-engine Cars Brussels, 28 Mar (ONA) --- The European Union (EU) has brought over the finish one of its most ambitious and far-reaching elements of its Green Deal: a ban on new sales of combustion-engine cars as of 2035. The regulation imposes a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions by the cut-off date, effectively prohibiting the purchase of new passenger cars and vans powered by fossil fuels, such as diesel and petrol, across the single market. The deal was made official today during a meeting of energy and ...

At Least 19 Migrants Die as Boat Sinks off Tunisia Tunisia, 26 Mar (ONA) --- At least 19 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa died when their boat sank off the coast of Tunisia as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Italy. In the past four days, five migrant boats have sunk off the southern city of Sfax, leaving 67 missing and 9 dead, after a significant increase in boats heading towards Italy. According to UN data, at least 12,000 migrants who reached Italy in 2023 set sail from Tunisia, compared with 1,300 in the same period of 2022. Previously, Libya was the ...

Deadly Mississippi Tornado Brings Devastation to US State Mississippi, US, 26 Mar (ONA) --- At least 26 people have died in Mississippi and Alabama after a tornado tore through the southern US states. Search and rescue efforts are continuing, and the Mississippi state government has declared a state of emergency, BBC news reported. The tornado hit in the middle of the night - people had been sleeping and had not heard the alerts. For many the first indication that something terrible was happening was the noise. The search and rescue efforts will continue in Mississippi as ...

New Giant Spider Species Found in Australia Canberra, 23 Mar (ONA) --- Australian researchers have discovered a giant-sized species of trapdoor spiders found only in Queensland.The females of this rare species can live for over 20 years in the wild and grow up to 5cm long - large in trapdoor spider terms, while males grow up to 3cm.Unfortunately, much of its habitat has been lost due to land clearing, making it likely to be an endangered species, scientists said.The newfound species, Euoplos dignitas, is a type of golden trapdoor spider discovered in the semi-arid woodlands of the ...

Asteroid Forms a Debris Cloud After Being Hit by Spacecraft Edinburgh, 21 Mar (ONA) --- Debris streamed away from a collision created by the Double Asteroid Redirect Test as a NASA spacecraft that intentionally crashed into an asteroid. New images released today by astronomers who used the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile reveal detailed views of the debris.The DART spacecraft, weighing about 544 kilograms, slammed head-on into the asteroid Dimorphos at a speed of 20,921 kilometers per hour in an attempt to change the space rock’s velocity.It was the ...

UN Releases Survival Guide to Avert Climate Disaster Geneva, 20 Mar (ONA) --- UN chief Antonio Guterres said a major new report on climate change is a "survival guide for humanity". Clean energy and technology can be exploited to avoid the growing climate disaster, the report said. But at a meeting in Switzerland to agree their findings, climate scientists warned a key global temperature goal will likely be missed. Their report lays out how rapid cuts to fossil fuels can avert the worst effects of climate change, BBC news reported. In response to the findings, UN ...

PC Mouse that Inspired Steve Jobs Sold for USD 180K at Auction Boston, UK, 20 Mar (ONA) --- A computer mouse that inspired Steve Jobs was auctioned off for a staggering £147,000 (approximately USD 180,000).The early mouse and coding keyset was created by Douglas Engelbart, a pioneer of the controller system. The lot sold for approximately twelve times its estimate of £12,000 in a sale by Boston-based RR Auction.The rare, early three-button computer mouse designed by Engelbart utilises two metal discs which correspond to the X-axis and Y-axis on the bottom to locate the position of ...

Astronomers Discover Volcanic Activity on VenusWashington, 20 Mar (ONA) --- After decades of speculation, astronomers have discovered the first direct evidence of volcanic activity on Venus. Radar images of Earth’s “twin” taken just a few months apart reveal a recent eruption.While they may have started out quite similar, Venus and Earth evolved along very different lines. Modern Venus is home to a barren surface that is hot enough to melt lead, choking under a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide and clouds of sulfuric acid. In the study, astronomers have found direct evidence ...

Millions of Dead Fish Wash up amid Heatwave in Australia Canberra, Australia, 19 Mar (ONA) --- Millions of fish have washed up dead in southeastern Australia in a die-off that authorities and scientists say is caused by depleted oxygen levels in the river after recent floods and hot weather. Residents of the Outback town of Menindee in New South Wales state complained of a terrible smell from the dead fish. The Australian Department of Primary Industries said the fish deaths were likely caused by low oxygen levels as floods recede, a situation made worse by fish needing more ...

Ecuador Earthquake Kills at Least 15 People Quito, 19 Mar (ONA) --- At least 15 people have died and more than 400 are injured after a 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Ecuador's southern coast. Buildings were damaged in several cities when the earthquake hit at around midday local time. The southern province of El Oro was the worst affected and 12 people died there, local authorities said. Northern Peru felt the quake and a 14-year-old girl died in Tumbes, a border province, when her home collapsed. In Ecuador, Machala and Cuenca were among the cities that suffered damage ...

Indonesia Landslide Leaves 30 Dead Jakarta, 9 Mar (ONA) --- The death toll of the landslide which crashed onto a hilly village on Indonesia’s remote Natuna islands reached 30, officials said. The landslide, triggered by torrential downpours, plunged down surrounding hills, burying 30 houses in Genting village on a tiny remote island in the Natuna archipelago at the edge of the South China Sea, the National Search and Rescue Agency said in a statement.Seasonal rains and high tides in recent days have caused dozens of landslides and widespread flooding across various parts of ...

Four Dead, 40,000 Flee Homes as Floods Hit MalaysiaKuala Lumpur, 5 Mar (ONA) --- Rescue efforts are underway in parts of Malaysia after seasonal floods killed at least four people and displaced more than 40,000.Malaysia, like many of its Southeast Asian neighbors, is vulnerable to seasonal floods. Neighboring Singapore has seen heavy torrential rains since February.Malaysia’s worst floods in decades occurred in 2021, when there were 54 deaths. The widespread floods that year hit eight states and strained emergency services across the country.The country’s annual monsoon season ...

Historic Ocean Treaty Agreed after Decade of Talks New York, 5 Mar (ONA) --- Nations have reached a historic agreement to protect the world's oceans following 10 years of negotiations. The High Seas Treaty aims to place 30% of the seas into protected areas by 2030, to safeguard and recuperate marine nature. The agreement was reached after 38 hours of talks, at UN headquarters in New York. The negotiations had been held up for years over disagreements on funding and fishing rights. The last international agreement on ocean protection was signed 40 years ago in 1982 - ...

Fierce Winter Storm Brings Snow, Frigid Cold in Northern US Minneapolis, 22 Feb (ONA) --- Fierce winter weather bringing snow, dangerous gusts of wind and bitter cold today settled over much of the northern US, shutting down roadways, closing schools and businesses and prompting dire warnings for people to stay home. The massive storm with blizzard-like conditions to the north were part of a wild weather day across the US. Wind gusts, combined with snow and rain, forced closure of a long stretch of interstate highway in the Southwest. Meanwhile, many places in the ...

IEA Report Highlights High Methane Emissions Mombasa, Kenya, 21 Feb (ONA) --- The International Energy Agency (IEA) today accused fossil fuel industries of doing too little to curb methane emissions and undermining global climate goals to limit warming. Economic uncertainty, high energy prices and concerns over the security of supply, which should have led to emissions cuts in 2022, were ineffective as methane emissions remained “stubbornly high,” it said. “Methane cuts are among the cheapest options to limit near-term global warming,” said IEA’s ...

Meteorites Monitoring Field Survey Programme Conducted Muscat, 15 Feb (ONA) --- The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism today implemented a field survey project aimed to monitor meteorites fall by distributing devices in various desert sites in the Sultanate of Oman. The project is undertaken in cooperation with a specialized team of scientists from the University of Bern and the Natural History Museum in Bern, Switzerland, with technical support from Curtin University, Australia. Hussein Ali Al Ghafri, Director of Heritage Department at the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, ...

Hundreds Rescued from Rooftops After Cyclone Hits NZAuckland, 15 Feb (ONA) —- New Zealand officials said at least four people have died in the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle, which has caused significant flooding and landslides across the North Island.Rescue helicopters there had rescued about 300 people stranded on rooftops.The cyclone has moved away from New Zealand, but about 10,500 people were still displaced.While the rain has ceased in most parts, many remote towns and areas remain cut off by high floodwaters and a lack of power, BBC news reported.Cyclone Gabrielle hit New Zealand's ...

India Prepares to Welcome 12 African CheetahsNew Delhi, 15 Feb (ONA) —- A dozen African cheetahs are set to arrive in India, months after eight of the big cats were transferred from Namibia last year (2022).Five females and seven males will be flown from South Africa to a national park in central India.The transfer is part of an agreement signed by South Africa in January to introduce dozens of cheetahs to India over the next decade. Asiatic cheetahs became extinct in India in the late 1940s.Experts say that excessive hunting and loss of habitat led to their disappearance.In 2022, eight ...

Cyclone Gabrielle Leaves Thousands without Power in New ZealandAuckland, 13 Feb (ONA) —- Some 46,000 homes have lost power as Cyclone Gabrielle lashes the north of New Zealand.Local authorities have issued warnings of heavy rain and winds, and hundreds of flights have been cancelled.Some areas have declared a state of emergency, as Gabrielle nears the North Island.It comes weeks after Auckland and surrounding areas were hit by record rainfall that sparked floods and killed four people.A state of emergency has already been declared in five northern regions including Auckland. The declaration ...