highlights | Common News Update

Aug142022 by adminNo Comments

Climate change: Drought highlights dangers for electricity supplies

Science

Getty ImagesThe ongoing drought in the UK and Europe is putting electricity generation under pressure, say experts.Electricity from hydropower - which uses water to generate power - has dropped by 20% overall.And nuclear facilities, which are cooled using river water, have been restricted.There are fears that the shortfalls are a taste of what will happen in the coming winter.In the UK, high temperatures are hitting energy output from fossil, nuclear and solar sources.That is because the technology in power plants and solar panels work much less well in high temperatures.The prolonged dry spell is putting further pressure on energy supplies as Europe scrambles for alternative sources after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Millions hit by hosepipe bans as drought declaredUS Senate passes sw...

Mar12021 by adminNo Comments

Ben Stiller’s baked trophy… and 7 other Globe highlights

Entertainment

ReutersAn awards ceremony hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler is up there with raindrops on roses as one of our absolute favourite things. But there was plenty more to enjoy about Sunday's Golden Globe Awards beyond the comedy duo's excellent bicoastal hosting.Nomadland and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm were the big winners of the night, while The Crown dominated the TV categories.Meanwhile, there were three significant surprises in the film categories - with Andra Day, Rosamund Pike and Jodie Foster all beating the favourites in their respective acting groups to claim victory.Mank was the most nominated film of the night and yet went home empty-handed, which may not bode well for its Oscar chances next month.But the biggest surprise was that the Golden Globes almost finished on time, running ...

Dec272020 by adminNo Comments

Art in 2021: The highlights to hope for

Entertainment

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Sep212020 by adminNo Comments

Study highlights carbon sequestration services provided by U.S. forests

Science

Sept. 21 (UPI) -- Forests in the United States currently sequester approximately three decades worth of carbon dioxide emitted by the American fossil fuel industry, according to a new a study. What's more, forests and harvested wood products uptake approximately 14 percent of economy-wide CO2 emissions in the United States annually. Advertisement Despite declining carbon emissions in the United States, the contribution of forests to emissions offsets has remained stable. This, researchers say, suggests the ability of U.S. forests to absorb new carbon -- an ability driven largely by forest regrowth -- is slowly declining. To better understand the ability of afforestation and reforestation activities to improve carbon sequestration capabilities, researchers analyzed data from more than 130,...

Jul122020 by adminNo Comments

The Latest: Vatican highlights plight of maritime workers

Health

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican is highlighting the plight of maritime workers during the pandemic, saying bans on shore leave are severely stressing crews stuck aboard ship, some to the point of suicide. Cardinal Peter A. Turkson, who heads a Vatican office dealing with issues of human development, said in a message Sunday that maritime workers “really deserve our esteem and gratitude” for ensuring movement of goods for a “healthy global economy” while much of the world is in lockdown to combat spread of COVID-19 infection. He said that tens of thousands of seafarers who were due to fly home for leave between long stints at sea were prevented from doing so due to lockdown rules. Similarly, thousands of seafarers due to head to sea on new tours of duty were stranded in hotels and dormitories. ...