StrangeSights: Vienna’s ‘Vegetable Orchestra’; the world’s smallest park; and Chicago’s pie-shaped house…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Intuitive Machines embarks on second moon landing mission with Athena lander
Denver, US Reuters Intuitive Machines’ second moon lander was launched on Wednesday atop a SpaceX rocket, setting off for the latest private US moonshot one year after the company’s first attempt ended early with a lopsided landing. The six-legged lander, named Athena and roughly as tall as a giraffe, will spend about a week heading […]
Most countries miss UN deadline for new climate targets
Brussels, Belgium Reuters Many of the world’s biggest polluter nations have missed a UN deadline to set new climate targets as efforts to curb global warming come under pressure following US President Donald Trump’s election. The nearly 200 countries signed up to the Paris Agreement faced a Monday deadline to submit new national climate plans […]
Postcards: Homegrown veg, cheap substitutes – Japanese get creative to fight soaring food prices
MARIKO KATSUMURA and KAORI KANEKO, of Reuters, report from Tokyo on the impacts of rising food prices…
Essay: From new commercial Moon landers to asteroid investigations, expect a slate of exciting space missions in 2025
In an article first published on The Conversation, aerospace engineer ZHENBO WANG looks at what we can expect in terms of space missions in 2025…
A growing concern: Bear attacks are rising in Japan. Aging hunters are on the front line
SAKURA MURAKAMI, ADOLFO ARRANZ AND HAN HUANG, of Reuters, report on how Japan is grappling with a growing bear problem…
Analysis – New mpox vaccines for Congo’s children held up by old problem
London, UK/Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo Reuters Adults started getting vaccinations against mpox in Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital this week. But there were no shots available for children, the most vulnerable group, after a key dose donation was held back by an old legal hurdle. Japan pledged in September to donate three million doses […]
Postcards: Japanese manicurist takes on plastic pollution, one nail at a time
TOM BATEMAN, of Reuters, says Japanese manicurist Naomi Arimoto acknowledges her nail art is a drop in an ocean of plastic pollution, but says raising consciousness of the problem is a step towards a solution…
Japan’s Mount Fuji eyes China-made tram to transport hikers, source says
Tokyo, Japan Reuters Japanese authorities seeking to reduce the carbon footprint and overcrowding at Mount Fuji will propose a trackless, rubber-tyred tram system made by China’s CRRC to transport climbers, a person with direct knowledge of the plan said. The new proposal, which has not been previously reported, would replace the original plan to build […]
Japan PM Ishiba survives parliament vote as Trump looms large
Tokyo, Japan Reuters Japanese lawmakers voted for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to stay on as leader on Monday, after his scandal-tarnished coalition lost its parliamentary majority in a lower house election last month. Ishiba, who called the snap poll after taking office on 1st October, must now run a fragile minority government as protectionist Donald […]