Protesters Demand Gov’t Action on Puerto Rico’s Ongoing Water Crisis

In Puerto Rico, protesters took to the streets of San Juan and other cities Tuesday demanding the government take action on the island’s ongoing water crisis. In recent months, residents have faced re...

democracynow.org

New Scientist Book Club: Read an extract from The Dog Stars by Peter Heller | New Scientist

In this extract from Peter Heller’s novel, the August read for the New Scientist Book Club, we are introduced to pilot Hig, who lives alone after most of the world was killed in a superflu pandemic

newscientist.com

New Zealand is Racing to Vaccinate Its Endangered Birds Against Bird Flu

Conservation experts are trying to slow the march of the viral disease in a country that is home to rare and endangered bird species.

nyti.ms

Galápagos wastewater is creating new reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

A mobile microbiology laboratory deployed in the Galápagos archipelago reveals that wastewater-contaminated marine sites have substantially higher densities of antimicrobial resistance genes and drug-resistant bacteria, raising concerns about potential risks to human, animal, and ecosystem health. Study: Human wastewater contamination drives the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria in the Galápagos marine ecosystem. Image Credit: Ezume Images / Shutterstock A recent Nature Communications study evaluated how human wastewater contamination may promote the introduction, persistence, and diversification of multidrug-resistant bacteria in the Galápagos marine environment, using mobile laboratory-based metagenomic surveillance. AMR Surveillance Challenges Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, acquire the ability to withstand drugs intended to kill or inhibit them. This phenomenon is a critical global health concern, with bacterial AMR associated with approximately five million deaths worldwide in 2021 and a burden projected to increase further. The impact of AMR is especially acute in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where factors such as insufficient surveillance, inadequate infrastructure, rapid urbanization, and misuse of antimicrobials accelerate the spread of resistance. Relatively few studies have explored how environmental mechanisms and pathways contribute to AMR dissemination, particularly in LMICs where surveillance is constrained by limited resources. This knowledge gap...

news-medical.net

'Follow the Money': Senate Report Reveals How Wall Street Banks 'Protected Epstein' | Common Dreams

“This report is a ready-made roadmap for prosecutors, investigators, and members of Congress to finally start holding the Epstein class accountable," said Sen. Ron Wyden.

commondreams.org

Opinion | Trump Is Bending History to His Will. He Will Fail.

The Trump White House and its history police want us all to live in their chosen bubble, immune from instability or perceived disorder.

nytimes.com

Rare Runestone Discovered in the Faroe Islands - Medievalists.net

A rare runestone found at a possible medieval chapel in the Faroe Islands may bear the words “Here lies” or “Here rests.”

medievalists.net

Major banks' providing billions in 'sustainable' loans to deforestation-linked companies

Over 100 banks arranged $31 billion in sustainability-linked loans to palm oil companies despite firms’ alleged links to deforestation Standard Chartered and HSBC amongst major banks who together provided half a billion dollars in ‘sustainability-linked loans’ (SLLs) to major palm oil producers Wilmar and Musim Mas, as they faced allegations of corruption and deforestation Data suggests that palm oil producer Wilmar could be linked to 4,200 hectares of deforestation - an area the size of 6000 football pitches - between 2016-2024, despite introduction of ‘no deforestation’ policy Spanning that period (2018 –2024), Wilmar received $950 million in sustainability-linked loan commitments from major banks London - Major international banks are handing out billions of dollars in sustainability-linked loan deals (SLLs) to palm oil companies despite links to deforestation, corruption and human rights violations in Indonesia, a new Global Witness investigation reveals today. In some cases, this includes bank re-financing of revolving credit facilities. Global Witness found that banks including Barclays, HSBC, Crédit Agricole, Rabobank and Bank of China provided billions of dollars’ worth of sustainability-linked loans to palm oil firms while facing allegations of deforestation in their supply chains. The analysis found that one major palm oil producer in receipt of...

globalwitness.org

U.N. Warns 3 Global Crises Are About To Push Food Prices Higher

FRANKFURT, Aug 5 (Reuters) - The world is on the verge of another bout of food inflation as wars in Iran and Ukraine along with El Nino create a perfect storm of higher costs and lower crop yields, the chief economist of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said. Food prices were a key driver of the 2022 global inflation surge but have been relatively benign so far this year, even tempering in some places the surge caused by high energy costs. Advertisement This calm is likely to be temporary, however, as higher crude oil prices, the loss of fertiliser from the Gulf region, the shortage of diesel in some parts of the world and extreme weather are feeding through to costs and will show up in consumer prices, even if with a delay. COSTS SEEN ACCELERATING BY YEAR-END, NEXT YEAR “I expect that commodity prices will start to increase more now ... and food prices will start increasing by the end of the year, and next year for sure they will increase more,” Maximo Torero told Reuters in an interview. “The transmission from the commodity to the final food price is around three to six months,” he said...

huffpost.com

Food shortage fears as UK farmers warn of worst harvest on record after hot, dry summer

British farmers are facing a "completely brutal" year, with analysis suggesting the 2026 harvest could be the worst on record due to extreme summer weather. The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) estimates that the exceptionally hot and dry spring and summer conditions have slashed the country’s cereals and oilseed harvest by 2.5 million tonnes compared to earlier projections, potentially costing UK farmers up to £390 million. This stark outlook contrasts sharply with forecasts made in March and April by European and US agricultural bodies, which had indicated that UK yields for 2026 were on track to meet or even exceed 10-year averages. However, the latest harvest data from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) now reveals significant drops in wheat, barley, and oat yields. Wheat, which is approximately halfway through harvesting, is currently averaging 6.8 tonnes per hectare, a figure considerably below the decade-long average. If the provisional yield estimates hold, the UK cereal and oilseeds harvest would be 19.5 million tonnes, overtaking 2020 as the worst on record since detailed records began in 1984, even after good yields for oilseed rape, ECIU said. And even if things pick up, 2026 is likely to be one of the...

independent.co.uk

Immigration Officials Misused Weapons Hundreds of Times During Protests, Report Finds

From L.A. to Minneapolis, agents and officers improperly used tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets against protesters and journalists.

capitalandmain.com

Warren Decries $1.4 Billion Cost of Trump's National Guard Deployment in DC | Common Dreams

Cost of National Guard deployment in DC under Trump projected to reach $1.4 billion by 2029. Sen. Warren criticizes spen

commondreams.org

New Polling Reveals Strong Support for Public Lands Across Political Lines • CALWILD

New polling data released today shows that public lands are extremely important to voters across the political spectrum in key Congressional Districts. According to new polling data from the Republica...

calwild.org

Graceful Manta Ray Gliding Over Coral Reef

ALT: Graceful Manta Ray Gliding Over Coral Reef

static.klipy.com

Blanche assures anti-abortion supporters that Dobbs will be ‘permanent in every single state’

The acting attorney general made the remarks during a private call with faith leaders.

politico.com

“Slow Pay, Low Pay or No Pay”: Trial Reveals How Insurers Try to Wield Power Over Doctors

Blue Cross authorized mastectomies and breast reconstructions for women with cancer but refused to pay the full doctors’ bills. A jury called it fraud and awarded the practice $421 million.

propublica.org