The world's fastest land animal, the cheetah, is in danger of extinction because it is running out of space, research led by the Zoological Society of London has found.After a sharp decline in numbers there are now just 7,100 cheetahs in the world, or 9 percent of the historic range, the ZSL, Wildlife Conservation Society and Panthera study found.In Zimbabwe, the study found, these pressur.... Read More
A new scientific report finds man-made climate change played some role in two dozen extreme weather events last year but not in a few other weird weather instances around the world.An annual report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found climate change was a factor in 24 of 30 strange weather events.They include 11 cases of high heat, as well as unusual winter.... Read More
Globalization, the path that the world economy has largely followed for decades, took some hefty blows in 2016.The election of Donald Trump as U.S. president and Britain’s decision to leave the European Union have raised questions over the future of tariff-free trade and companies’ freedom to move production to lower-cost countries.Borders are back in vogue. Economic nationalism is pay.... Read More
Embracing Soviet-style communism, Fidel Castro overcame imprisonment and exile to become leader of Cuba and defy the power of the United States at every turn.The strongman's half-century rule was marked by the unsuccessful U.S.-backed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 and the Cuban Missile Crisis a year later that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. But after surviving a crippling trade em.... Read More
The Syrian government’s capture of eastern Aleppo, held for more than four years by rebels, marks a horrific new chapter for Syria’s largest city.Here’s a look at key events in Aleppo since the start of Syria’s uprising nearly six years ago:March 2011Protests erupt in the southern city of Daraa over the detention of a group of boys accused of painting anti-government graffiti on th.... Read More
Like many foreign scientists in Britain, Joanna Bagniewska was devastated when Britons voted to leave the European Union. The biology lecturer, a Polish migrant who found Britain a welcoming place to build her academic career over a decade, is suddenly seeing her job security and research prospects up in the air.“I’m worried that after my current contract finishes, one of the prerequisites.... Read More
The Obama administration on Dec. 8 issued a final rule to implement the Seafood Import Monitoring Program to address illegal fishing and seafood fraud in the United States.This rule will require imported seafood at risk of illegal fishing and seafood fraud to be traced from the fishing boat or farm to the U.S. border, helping to stop illegally caught and mislabeled seafood from entering t.... Read More
Wildlands League has gone to court against De Beers Canada Inc. for allegedly failing to report levels of mercury and methylmercury at its Victor Diamond Mine site in northern Ontario.Methylmercury, a neurotoxin, can threaten the health of human and aquatic life.Wildlands League alleges De Beers failed to report properly on mercury levels from five out of nine surface water monitoring st.... Read More
Working at the site of a demolished supermarket, archaeologists dug 10 feet down to find a temple built more than 650 years ago, researchers said this week.The circular platform, about 36 feet in diameter and four feet tall, now sits in the shadow of a shopping mall under construction. The site is believed to have been built to worship the god of wind, Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl, and the plans to pr.... Read More
LGBT rights supporters succeeded in November in safeguarding the position and work of the first-ever U.N. Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.This expert is responsible for investigating violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity — SOGI in U.N.-speak.The position was mandated June 30 with the passage of a historic resolution.But in .... Read More
