Plankton increase may be due to rising carbon dioxide levels
Johns Hopkins University researchers have expressed concern after finding a major increase in the world’s population of plankton, citing rising carbon dioxide levels as a potential cause.
Johns Hopkins University researchers have expressed concern after finding a major increase in the world’s population of plankton, citing rising carbon dioxide levels as a potential cause.
Catholic zealots in the Philippines re-enacting the last moments of Jesus Christ were nailed to wooden crosses while others whipped themselves bloody in extreme displays of religious devotion on Good Friday.In San Juan village, a short, wiry man with wild, white hair playing the role of Jesus Christ and two others were dragged by neighbours dressed as Roman centurions to a raised mound where wooden crosses lay on the ground.
A new three-part documentary, "Superpowered", charts the 90-year history of DC Comics, which brought the world "Superman", "Batman", "Wonder Woman" and countless other superheroes. Does the simplistic black-and-white morality of superhero stories still have a place in today's world?
Georgia's Legislature gave final approval Thursday to a bill that would require local jailers to check the immigration status of inmates and work with federal immigration officials instead of sheltering people who are in the country illegally. Under the measure, local law enforcement agencies would risk losing state funding for failing to work with immigration officials. Jose Ibarra was arrested last month on murder and assault charges in the death of 22-year-old Laken Riley.
Sunday is International Transgender Day of Visibility, observed around the world to bring attention to a population that's often ignored, disparaged or victimized. The “day” is Sunday, but celebrations and educational events designed to bring attention to transgender people are occurring for several days around March 31. Last year, those lit included New York's One World Trade Center and Niagara Falls. HOW DID IT BEGIN?
A Texas appeals court tossed out a woman's five-year prison sentence for voting illegally Thursday, ending a yearslong saga that garnered national attention.
Vietnam's economy grew by 5.66 percent on-year in the first quarter, according to official data published Friday, boosted by strong exports.A major global manufacturing hub, Vietnam also earned $93 billion from goods exports in the first quarter, up 17 percent year-on-year.
When a French minister compared Italy's nationalist Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last year to the leader of the French far right, the Italian premier rang French President Emmanuel Macron to complain. Meloni was so incensed that the French leader felt compelled to send an emissary to Rome to appease her, said two sources with knowledge of the conversations. The Italian premier's message to Macron was clear, according to one of the sources: she was no Italian version of Marine Le Pen.
At 53, Guan Junling is too old to get hired at factories anymore. Toiling in sweatshops and building apartment complexes they could never afford to live in, they played a vital role in China's transformation into an economic powerhouse. As they grow older, the first generation of migrant workers is struggling to find jobs in a slowing economy.
A judge ruled this week that a top Georgia Republican Party official, who has promoted former President Donald Trump's claims of widespread voter fraud affecting the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, has repeatedly voted illegally.
All of them are U.S. citizens, and all are behind bars in Russia on charges of varying severity. Arrests of Americans in Russia have become increasingly common as relations between Moscow and Washington sink to Cold War lows. Washington accuses Moscow of targeting its citizens and using them as political bargaining chips, but Russian officials insist they all broke the law.
His soldier son toured Afghanistan with insurgents in his crosshairs, but American traveller Oscar Wells has a different objective -- sight-seeing promoted by the Taliban's fledgling tourism sector.Marvelling at the 15th century Blue Mosque in northern Mazar-i-Sharif, Wells is among a small but rising number of travellers coming to Afghanistan since the war's end.
Thailand's government said on Friday its 2025 fiscal budget could be adjusted to accommodate its signature 500 billion baht ($13.71 billion) handout scheme. Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said there was "good news" ahead for the repeatedly delayed programme, but did not elaborate. The "digital wallet" handout plan, a key campaign promise of the ruling party, entails giving 10,000 baht to 50 million Thais to spend in their communities, but has been delayed over funding issues.
Political dignitaries, family and friends are gathering Friday to honor the late Joe Lieberman at a funeral service in Stamford, Connecticut, the hometown of the four-term U.S. senator who grew up as the son of a liquor store owner and came within hundreds of votes of becoming the first Jewish vice president in 2000. Lieberman died Wednesday in New York City from complications from a fall, according to his family. Services will be held at Congregation Agudath Sholom in Stamford.
Police in Northern California briefly chased a Volkswagen that sped away during a traffic incident Wednesday — and were surprised to find a 9-year-old boy behind the wheel, authorities said.
Chicago plans to close five shelters for migrants in the coming weeks and move nearly 800 people, including families, in order to reopen park district buildings hosting popular summer camps, athletic contests and other community events in time for summer. Advocates for the newly arrived have frequently criticized Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, and argued that the available services are inadequate. Others believe Chicago is unfairly prioritizing new arrivals over longtime residents, including unhoused people with similar needs. WHY CLOSE THE SHELTERS NOW?
Authorities removing twisted wreckage from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge are deploying nearly a mile's worth of barriers in the water, testing samples for contamination and monitoring the Patapsco River for oil and other hazardous spills as they confront the potential for environmental fallout. The Unified Command, which includes state agencies and the Coast Guard, said Thursday they have unfurled 2,400 feet (732 meters) of an absorbent containment device, along with another 2,400 feet (732 meters) of barrier to try to prevent the spread of any hazardous materials. It's a scenario that environmental experts are watching closely for a number of reasons, including the river's location in a metropolitan area that plays an important role in commercial shipping, as well as for marine life and migratory birds moving northward at this time of year.
Rebuilding Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge could take anywhere from 18 months to several years, experts say, while the cost could be at least $400 million — or more than twice that. Realistically, the project could take five to seven years, according to Ben Schafer, an engineering professor at Johns Hopkins University. Others are more optimistic about the potential timeline: Sameh Badie, an engineering professor at George Washington University, said the project could take as little as 18 months to two years.
The largest crane on the Eastern Seaboard was being transported to Baltimore so crews on Friday can begin removing the wreckage of a collapsed highway bridge that has halted a search for four workers still missing days after the disaster and blocked the city's vital port from operating. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the crane, which was arriving by barge and can lift up to 1,000 tons, will be one of at least two used to clear the channel of the twisted metal and concrete remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and the cargo ship that hit it this week. "The best minds in the world” are working on the plans for removal, Moore said.
Donald Trump is running one of the strangest general election campaigns America has ever seen.
Hours before gunmen last week carried out the bloodiest attack in two decades in Russia, authorities made an addition to a government register of extremist and terrorist groups: They included the international LGBTQ+ “movement.” While the register also lists al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, an affiliate of which claimed responsibility for the concert hall attack, the inclusion of LGBTQ+ activists raised questions about how Russia's vast security services evaluate threats to the country. The March 22 attack that killed over 140 people marked a major security failure under President Vladimir Putin, who came to power 24 years ago by taking a tough line against those he labeled terrorists from the Russian region of Chechnya waging a bloody insurgency.