There is gold on Indonesia’s Sangihe island, and a Canadian-listed mining company has a permit to exploit it. Environmentalists say the gold mine threatens the island’s ancient forests, which are home to endemic birds. Locals fear it will affect their water supply. The BBC visited the remote island to see what’s at stake.
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News: Top 5 Stories For July 22, 2021 (Reuters)
Five stories to know for July 22: Pelosi blocks GOP, infrastructure debate, Oregon wildfire, China floods, Pfizer and AstraZeneca shots
1. The top Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives withdrew his five nominees to serve on the special committee probing the Capitol attack after Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected two of them.
2. Senate Republicans blocked a move to open debate on a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure measure that is a top priority for Democratic President Joe Biden, but the chamber was poised to take it up again as early as Monday.
3. A destructive Oregon wildfire that ranks as the largest among dozens raging across the drought-parched Western United States in recent weeks was ignited by lightning.
4. Tens of thousands of people were being evacuated from flood-hit regions of central China as officials raised the death toll from heavy rain that has deluged Henan province for almost a week to 33 people.
5. Two doses of Pfizer or AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine are nearly as effective against the highly transmissible Delta coronavirus variant as they are against the previously dominant Alpha variant, a study showed.
English County Estates: Trafalgar Park, Salisbury
Writing in Country Life in 1997, the magazine’s then-Architectural Editor the late Giles Worsley referred to stately Grade I-listed Trafalgar Park, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, as ‘the Flying Dutchman of the property world, endlessly seeking an owner and being sold on while the fabric slowly decayed’.
The fine country house built by John James of Greenwich in 1733 for City grandee Sir Peter Vandeput was nevertheless described as ‘an estate agent’s dream, a house that always seemed to come back on the market’.
8K Views: Otobe, Island Of Hokkaido, Japan (Video)
Otobe is a town located in the southwest of Hokkaido with a population of approximately 3,500. Otobe is rich in nature and has magnificent landscape such as Tate-no-Misaki, (chalk-white cliff known as the “Grand Canyon of the East) and Shirafura Coast (meaning white slope land in Ainu Language)SHOW LESS
Front Page Views: Wall Street Journal (July 22)
Views: Lavender And Sunflowers In Valensole, Provence, France (4K)
Valensole is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. The inhabitants are called “Valensolais”. The Valensole Plateau is famous for the lavender, so when lavender is blooming, people come to see the beautiful lavender not only from all over Europe but from all over the world.
Video timeline: 00:00 Intro-Lavender 03:42 Lunch 05:52 Our excursion to Valensole and a small break at cafe 13:51 Lavender
Morning News: What A 3° Warmer World Looks Like, Sudan & Liverpool Let Go
It seems ever more certain that global temperatures will sail past limits set in the Paris Agreement. We examine what a world warmed by 3°C would—or will—look like.
Our correspondent speaks with Sudan’s three most powerful men; will they act in concert or in conflict on the way to democracy? And why Liverpool has been booted from UNESCO’s world-heritage list
Swiss Villages: Foroglio – Waterfall In Ticino (4K)
FOROGLIO in Ticino is probably mostly known for the waterfall of the same name. The waterfall can be seen from all over the village. It is possible to reach, or at least get closer to, the waterfall from two sides, an easy path close to the foot of the fall and a more challenging hike from the opposite end of the village. The reward for the challenging route is a fantastic view over the valley and directly to the side of the waterfall. At a height of more than 100 meters, it splashes down the rocks causing a cooling mist of water. The stream from the Calnegia river then ends up in the Bavona river.
The village Foroglio, like most of the small villages in the Bavona Valley is without electricity, but it is still possible to have a delicious lunch in the Osteria Froda. The stone house village is very picturesque and complete tranquil, except at the most touristic periods.
Front Covers: Scientific American – August 2021
Science: Gun Violence Research Returns, Pikas In Winter & Glass Sponges
Funding for gun violence research in the US returns after a 20-year federal hiatus, and the glass sponges that can manipulate ocean currents.
In this episode:
00:45 Gun violence research is rebooted
For 20 years there has been no federally-funded research on gun violence in the US. In 2019, $25 million a year was allocated for this work. We speak to some of the researchers that are using these funds, and the questions they are trying to answer about gun violence.
News Feature: Gun violence is surging — researchers finally have the money to ask why
Podcast: Stick to the science
09:21 Research Highlights
Strategic laziness and yak dung help pikas survive harsh winters, and how food gets wasted in China’s supply chains.
Research Highlight: Pikas in high places have a winter-time treat: yak poo
Research Highlight: China wastes almost 30% of its food
11:40 How a sea sponge controls ocean currents
Venus’ flower baskets are marine sponges that live at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. These sponges have an unusual glass skeleton that helps them gather food, and even appears to control ocean currents.
Research Article: Falcucci et al.
News and Views: Fluid flow through a deep-sea sponge could inspire engineering designs
18:55 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, investment in non-human primate facilities, and the European Union’s latest climate plan.
Nature News: The US is boosting funding for research monkeys in the wake of COVID
BBC News: EU unveils sweeping climate change plan
Boomers Daily 