December 29, 2008 24/7 News Coverage TerraDaily Advertising Kit
China adds 32 deaths to dismal work safety statistics
Beijing (AFP) Dec 27, 2008
Thirty-two people died in two separate accidents in China Saturday, as a blast ripped through a rural area while a lift crashed on an urban building site, highlighting the nation's poor work safety record. In the first of the incidents, an explosion erupted at 1:12 am (1712 GMT Friday) in the village of Donggancheng, in central China's Henan province, the Xinhua news agency reported. ... read more

China toughens school quake standards: state media
Shanghai (AFP) Dec 28, 2008
China has toughened construction standards for schools after the May earthquake in southwest China damaged nearly 14,000 schools and killed an untold number of students, state media reported Sunday. The National People's Congress also passed ammendments calling for a national earthquake emergency rescue team and penalties for anyone who hides information about quake damage, the Southern Dail ... more

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Coral recovering from 2004 tsunami
Jakarta (UPI) Dec 27, 2008
Scientists say they're gaining insight into climate change from rapidly recovering tsunami-damaged coral reefs in the Indian Ocean. Even some reefs badly damaged four years ago in a massive tsunami are showing a rapid growth of young coral, said the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York. "This is a great story of ecosystem resilience and recovery," said Stuart Campbell, a spo ... more

Erratic weather hurts Britain's wildlife
London (UPI) Dec 27, 2008
Britain's puffins are among the wildlife suffering from a second year of erratic weather, the National Trust said Saturday. This year's cold spring, wet summer and dry autumn have made tough going for puffins, the marsh fritillary butterfly and lesser horseshoe bats, the BBC reported. A wet summer in 2009 could be disastrous for insects -- an integral part of the wildlife food ch ... more

Four killed as storms batter eastern Spain
Madrid (AFP) Dec 27, 2008
Storms lashing Spain's Mediterranean coast have left four people dead, including three who were swept away by strong waves, local authorities said Saturday. A 53-year-old man drowned on Saturday after he was caught by a wave in the port of Ganida, south of Valencia, while a security guard suffered the same fate in the northeastern city of Barcelona during the night. A man was also swept ... more

Guinea's junta blocks mining contracts in anti-corruption drive
Conakry (AFP) Dec 27, 2008
Guinea's new military leader promised to renegotiate mining contracts and crack down on corruption Saturday as he met with local people as part of a charm offensive after leading a bloodless coup. Guinea, the world's top bauxite exporter, will renegotiate all mining contracts and freeze gold extraction until further notice, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara said. "We have blocked the mining se ... more

 

  • Malaysia uses satellite to fight illegal logging: report


  • Taiwan home-grown food firms get boost after China scandal


  • Canal would link Dead Sea to Red Sea


  • Activists attack Japanese whalers with stink bombs
  •  

    TECH SPACE
    Launching the idea of data centers in space
    San Francisco, United States (AFP) Feb 3, 2026
    Tech firms are floating the idea of building data centers in space and tapping into the sun's energy to meet out-of-this-world power demands in a fierce artificial intelligence race. ... more
    Anthropic unveils new AI model as OpenAI rivalry heats up
    San Francisco, United States (AFP) Feb 5, 2026
    Anthropic on Thursday released its latest high-performing artificial intelligence model, escalating its challenge to OpenAI in the intensifying AI race. ... more
    Musk merges xAI into SpaceX in bid to build space data centers
    San Francisco, United States (AFP) Feb 3, 2026
    Elon Musk has announced that his rocket company SpaceX will take over his artificial intelligence outfit xAI, as he seeks to raise billions of dollars for his science fiction-worthy outer space projects. ... more

    ROBO SPACE
    Reprogrammable metal bricks give robots muscle-like adaptability
    Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 04, 2026
    Mechanical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a proof-of-concept material system that allows solid Lego-like building blocks to be programmed with different mechanical properties and the ... more
    OpenClaw's AI agent does everything, even social media
    Washington, United States (AFP) Feb 2, 2026
    Meet OpenClaw: the AI assistant that promised to be your dream intern, terrified cybersecurity experts, and now thrives on chatbot-only social media - all in just a few weeks. ... more
    Human taught tactile control lets robots grasp diverse objects
    Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jan 19, 2026
    When humans pick up everyday items such as fragile eggs or slippery metal cups, they instinctively adjust their grip using tactile feedback to avoid breaking or dropping them. In contrast, enabling ... more

     
    China celebrates 115th anniversary of Mao's birth: report
    Beijing (AFP) Dec 26, 2008
    China marked the 115th anniversary of the birth of revolutionary Mao Zedong Friday, with "long-life" noodles and a foot race in the iconic leader's hometown, state press said. Thousands of people gathered in Mao's birthplace of Shaoshan village to commemorate the "Great Helmsman," who founded the People's Republic in 1949 and served as China's leader until his death in 1976, Xinhua news agen ... more

    Chinese, Lebanese men among 13 dead in DR Congo crime wave
    Lubumbashi, Dr Congo (AFP) Dec 26, 2008
    A Chinese man and two Lebanese nationals were shot dead in a crime wave in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo that also left 10 Congolese dead this week, witnesses and officials said Friday. The Chinese man was shot dead in broad daylight in the town of Likasi late Friday, witnesses told AFP. In the city of Lubumbashi, near the border with Zambia, a Lebanese man was shot dead in h ... more

    Chinese dairy firms agree to pay compensation for melamine victims: report
    Beijing (AFP) Dec 27, 2008
    Chinese dairy firms whose products contained the toxic chemical melamine have agreed to pay compensation to the families of babies that died or fell ill from tainted milk, state media said Saturday. The 22 companies will pay a lump sum to victims of the melamine scandal, which has shocked China since it erupted in September and has left six babies dead while sickening nearly 300,000, the Xin ... more

    Dogs of War: The humanitarianism market
    Washington (UPI) Dec 26, 2008
    Where are the future markets for private security contractors? In recent years, thanks to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, their clients have been primarily governments or contractors doing reconstruction work. By definition, such clients are officious and bureaucratic but are organizationally and culturally familiar, if only because most security contractors once served in those very same go ... more

     

  • Indonesia marks four years since Indian Ocean tsunami


  • Over 95,000 affected by southwest China quake: state media


  • Chinese navy off on historic anti-piracy mission


  • Analysis: Rivals in Africa -- Part 1
  •  
    NUKEWARS
    China shuns calls to enter nuclear talks after US-Russia treaty lapses
    Beijing (AFP) Feb 5, 2026
    China rejected calls to enter talks on a new nuclear treaty after a US-Russian agreement expired on Thursday, ending decades of restrictions on how many warheads the two powers can deploy. ... more
    Trump urges new nuclear treaty after Russia agreement ends
    Washington, United States (AFP) Feb 6, 2026
    US President Donald Trump on Thursday called for a brand new nuclear treaty after the last agreement with Russia expired, prompting fears of a new global arms race. ... more
    Iran, US prepare for Oman talks after deadly protest crackdown
    Muscat, Oman (AFP) Feb 6, 2026
    Iran and the United States were preparing for talks on Friday in Oman, with Washington looking to see if there was any prospect of diplomatic progress on the Iranian nuclear programme and other issues while refusing to rule out military action. ... more

    SUPERPOWERS
    Why did Xi hold back-to-back calls with Putin, Trump?
    Beijing (AFP) Feb 5, 2026
    China's leader Xi Jinping held back-to-back calls with Russia's Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump this week, timing analysts said on Thursday was rare and significant as Beijing positions itself as a stable global power. ... more
    Russia, US agree to resume military contacts at Ukraine talks
    Abu Dhabi (AFP) Feb 5, 2026
    Russia and the United States agreed to resume high-level military contacts, in a major step of rapprochement between the world's top nuclear powers at Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. ... more
    China's Xi calls for 'orderly' world in talks with Uruguay leader
    Beijing (AFP) Feb 3, 2026
    China's leader Xi Jinping called Tuesday for an "equal and orderly multipolar world" in the face of "unilateral bullying", in an apparent jab at the United States. ... more

    IRAQ WARS
    Iraq starts investigations into IS detainees moved from Syria
    Baghdad (AFP) Feb 2, 2026
    Iraq's judiciary announced on Monday it has begun its investigations into more than 1,300 Islamic State group detainees who were transferred from Syria as part of a US operation. ... more
    Where does Iraq stand as US turns up heat on Iran?
    Baghdad (AFP) Jan 29, 2026
    Faced with political deadlock, open American meddling and the threat of war across its borders, is Iraq being dragged back to darker times after achieving hard-won stability? ... more
    Rubio warns Iraq on Iran ties as Maliki sets return
    Washington, United States (AFP) Jan 26, 2026
    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Iraq on Sunday against a pro-Iranian government as the expected return of Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister stirs Washington's concern. ... more

    THE STANS
    Pakistan seeks out perpetrators after deadly separatist attacks
    Quetta, Pakistan (AFP) Feb 1, 2026
    Pakistan forces hunted on Sunday for the separatists behind a string of coordinated attacks in restive Balochistan province, with the government vowing to retaliate after more than 190 people were killed in two days. ... more
    US judge grants asylum to Chinese man who filmed alleged Uyghur camps
    Washington, United States (AFP) Jan 29, 2026
    A US immigration judge on Wednesday granted asylum to a Chinese man who fled his country after documenting sites of alleged human rights abuses against Uyghurs, his mother and lawyer told AFP. ... more
    Kurdish women braid their hair in show of solidarity with Syria Kurds
    Erbil, Iraq (AFP) Jan 23, 2026
    Women in Iraqi Kurdistan and beyond have taken to the streets and social media to braid their hair in a show of solidarity after a Syrian soldier bragged in a video about cutting off a Kurdish fighter's braid in Raqa. ... more
     

  • Himalayan villagers on global warming frontline
  • Seventeen dead in gas leak at China steel plant: report
  • SKorea announces 28.5 bln dollar energy plan
  • OriginOil Announces Automation Of The Helix BioReactor System
  • Researchers Find Nature's Shut-Off Switch For Cellulose Production
  • Turning Over A New Leaf For Future Energy Supplies
  • New Processes Release Energy From Cellulose
  • Green energy thwarted by winter

  • Japan to go ahead with maglev train despite crisis: company
  • Analysis: Nigeria creates delta ministry
  • China starts filling tanks at largest oil reserve: report
  • Analysis: Brazil oil bidding tepid
  • Spanish wind energy firm Gamesa receives Chinese order
  • Energy Dept. biofuels grants available
  • China says 2008 crude production up 1.6 pct: state media
  • Analysis: Russian-Ukrainian gas dispute

  • Indonesia marks four years since Indian Ocean tsunami
  • Heavy snow forces cancelation of flights, trains in Japan
  • Ex-head of China milk-powder firm could face death penalty: lawyer
  • Nine injured in earthquake near China-Myanmar border: report
  • Hope and disappointment four years on from Asian tsunami
  • Ebola epidemic kills nine in central DR Congo: report
  • German warship, helicopter foil Egyptian ship hijack: watchdog
  • China detains 59 over 'subversive rumours' in Tibet: state media



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