Author: staff

Two species of tiny Desertas Islands snails have been bred at the UK’s Chester Zoo and released back into the wild onto one of Portugal’s islands. Believed to have already disappeared from the planet, a team of experts was surprised to find a small number of the creatures living on a remote island in the Madeira Archipelago.The species had not been recorded living for more than 100 years.The tiny snails are native to the mountainous island of Deserta Grande, but their habitat has been destroyed in recent years by rats, mice and goats brought there by humans.It was believed the…

The U.S. has seen “some early indications” of possible Russian involvement in the Christmas Day crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane that killed 38, according to the White House.American officials “have seen some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems,” White House National Security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Friday.Kirby said that the U.S. has offered its assistance in the investigation of the plane crash, but would not comment further.Azerbaijan’s Transport Minister Rashan Nabiyev said on Friday that the witness testimonies and debris point to external…

Scientists hope the data from Parker will help them better understand why the Sun’s outer atmosphere is hundreds of times hotter than its surface. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has successfully made the closest approach to the Sun, the space agency has confirmed.Earlier this week, the spacecraft passed within a record-breaking six million kilometres of the scorching star at the centre of the solar system.NASA received an all-clear message from Parker late on Thursday night confirming it had survived the journey.Launched in 2018 to get a close-up look at the Sun, Parker has since flown straight through its outer atmosphere, known as the…

Five months after their shock offensive into Russia, Ukrainian troops are bloodied and demoralised in the losing battle for Russia’s Kursk region. Kursk – it’s a region some want to hold at all costs while others question the value of having gone in at all.Battles are so intense that some Ukrainian commanders can’t evacuate the dead. Communication lags and poorly timed tactics have cost lives, and troops have little way to counterattack, seven front-line soldiers and commanders told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity so they could discuss sensitive operations.Since being caught unaware by the lightning Ukrainian incursion, Russia…

The Biden administration has argued in court that TikTok poses a national security risk due to its connections to China. US President-elect Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to pause the potential ban of video streaming platform TikTok from going into effect until his administration can pursue a “political resolution” to the issue.The request comes after TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court.TikTok argued the court should strike down a law that could ban it by 19 January, while the government emphasised its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk.”President…

He has also taken Plenković to task for his pro-European stance, calling him a “fire-spewing badger” who is remote-controlled by Brussels and European Commission President “Ursula von der Leyen’s errand boy.” He has cast immigration as Croatia’s top challenge, accusing the ruling party of mismanaging it. Plenković, for his part, has sought to portray the vote as one about Croatia’s future in the EU. “Milanović is a cancer of Croatian politics,” said Plenković at the beginning of December, urging voters to vote for Primorac. “The difference between him and Milanović is quite simple. Milanović is leading us East, Primorac is…

An official probe into the crash has not yet finished but survivors told authorities they heard three blasts that seemed to come from outside as the aircraft flew over Grozny. The White House has said there are “early indications” that Russian air defence systems may have brought down an Azerbaijani passenger plane that crash landed in Kazakhstan earlier this week.Friday’s assessments by national security spokesman John Kirby echoes those made by some Azerbaijani officials and aviation experts who blamed the crash on Russia’s response to a Ukrainian aerial attack.The statements have raised pressure on Russia, where officials said a drone attack…

In the South China Sea, meanwhile, Beijing continues a campaign of maritime harassment against civilian vessels from neighboring nations, including Vietnam and the Philippines. Yes, our oceans are under threat. And lest we forget, climate change is contributing even further harm. The shipping industry is a significant carbon emitter, and in the past decade, its grown by 20 percent. Now, ambitious countries’ green policies are being derailed by geopolitics. The bulk-carrier Yi Peng 3 allegedly sabotaged two undersea cables in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). | Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images But paradoxically, the fact that the oceans face so…

Hungary has granted political asylum to a Polish opposition politician wanted on suspicion of corruption, an act that triggered a diplomatic spat between the two nations. Poland plans to take Hungary to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over its decision to grant asylum to Polish opposition politician Marcin Romanowski, who is wanted on criminal corruption charges.The announcement was made by Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna. On 19 December, the Warsaw Regional Court issued a European Arrest Warrant for Romanowski, the former Deputy Minister in the Law and Justice government. The warrant has now been sent to Hungary.The Polish…

This article was originally published in Portuguese Lisbon’s waste collection workers are on strike, leaving piles of trash across the city as unions demand better conditions and accuse the authorities of failing to address the issues. Lisbon is grappling with a growing waste crisis as waste collection workers are on the second and final day of a citywide strike on Friday. Organised by the Municipal Workers Union of Lisbon (STML) and the Local Administration Workers Union (STAL), the strike has left piles of uncollected rubbish across the Portuguese capital during the busy festive season, when waste levels typically spike.Residents have taken…