Afghanistan
Hawaii approves telescope on volcano sacred to indigenous people
(Reuters) – A team of scientists won approval from Hawaii officials on Thursday to build a $1.4 billion telescope atop a volcano indigenous people consider sacred, but opponents vowed to continue fighting. The Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources voted 5-2 to allow construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii’s Big Island, state officials said in a statement. Astronomers consider the summit one of the world’s best places to view the cosmos, while Native Hawaiians say the project would disturb holy
Read MorePuerto Ricans on the mainland desperate to hear from family in communication ‘black zones’ – World #CBC
When it struck Puerto Rico last week, Hurricane Maria’s violent, shrill winds screamed for hours. Now, it’s the silence from the Caribbean island that most unnerves a Puerto Rican community of some five million people on the mainland. Desperate to reach loved ones affected by a virtual communications blackout on the island, Puerto Ricans have turned to modern and antiquated wireless technologies, including smartphone apps and ham radios, for help. ‘I don’t know how he reached me, but he reached me. I haven’t talked to my brother yet because he has
Read MoreShell Convent Louisiana refinery shut by substation fire
(Reuters) – A large fire in an electrical substation shut Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s 227,586-barrel-per-day (bpd) Convent, Louisiana, refinery on Tuesday night, said sources familiar with plant operations. No injuries were reported due to the blaze, which broke out at about 8 p.m. CDT Tuesday (0100 GMT Wednesday), according to a Shell statement posted on-line. The only units still operating at the refinery were the plant’s boilers, the sources said. The refinery was scheduled to begin a planned overhaul next week on its 45,000 bpd heavy-oil hydrocracker, called the H-Oil
Read MoreTrump’s tweets about NFL, Puerto Rico debt draw ire as island crippled by Hurricane Maria
President Trump took a break on Monday from tweeting about the controversy over NFL player protests to talk about Puerto Rico’s financial woes, but critics say the president’s message is off-base as the island faces widespread devastation. In his first tweets since the island was ravaged by Hurricane Maria last week, Trump said Puerto Rico’s “broken infrastructure & massive debt” have left it in worse straits than mainland states. Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in
Read MoreKayla Mueller: The Girl Left Behind
No. 4 Penn State beats Iowa 21-19 with TD on final play
It was happening like it had so often in the past. A once-sluggish Iowa team had come to life in the fourth quarter at home under the lights, and another top-five opponent was set to go down. Trace McSorley, Juwan Johnson and the resilient Nittany Lions flipped the script, scoring on the game’s final play to survive a wild Big Ten opener. Johnson caught a seven-yard TD pass as time expired and fourth-ranked Penn State rallied to stun Iowa 21-19 Saturday night. Saquon Barkley had 211 yards rushing and 94
Read MoreDental work tied to heart infections in people with artificial valves
(Reuters Health) – Invasive dental procedures may raise the risk of rare but serious infections in people who have prosthetic heart valves, a recent French study suggests. Some previous research has linked dental work to an increased risk of what’s known as infective endocarditis – infections of the heart valve or lining – in people with prosthetic valves, but results have been mixed and inconclusive about whether antibiotics would prevent these infections. For the current study, researchers examined data on 138,876 adults with prosthetic heart valves, roughly half of whom
Read MoreStorm Katia rapidly weakens after making landfall in Mexico
(Reuters) – Storm Katia rapidly weakened on Saturday after it made landfall near the working-class beach resort of Tecolutla in the state of Veracruz on the Mexican Gulf coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Katia was downgraded to a tropical storm from a hurricane when it was about 115 miles (185 km) northwest of Veracruz with sustained winds of 40 mph (65 km/h), the center said in an advisory. The storm was to stall near the Sierra Madre Mountains, the center said. Veracruz state officials said in a
Read MoreCanada’s top marijuana producer to double production
TORONTO (Reuters) – Canada’s biggest licensed producer of medical marijuana has bought land next to its greenhouse production site that will allow it to more than double the total volume of cannabis it can grow, its chief executive said on Thursday. Canopy Growth Corp’s (WEED.TO) Tweed Farms Inc subsidiary expects to spend at least C$25 million ($21 million) to upgrade the property, a flower farm it purchased for about C$9 million in cash and equity, with work including the installation of security cameras and fences due to start in October.
Read MoreIsraeli archaeologists uncover rare 1,500-year-old mosaic
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A 1,500-year-old mosaic floor with a Greek inscription has been uncovered during works to install communications cables in Jerusalem’s Old City – a rare discovery of an ancient relic and an historic document in one. The inscription cites 6th-century Roman emperor Justinian as well as Constantine, who served as abbot of a church founded by Justinian in Jerusalem. Archaeologists believe it will help them to understand Justinian’s building projects in the city. The full inscription reads: “The most pious Roman emperor Flavius Justinian and the most 6God-loving
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