Heat waves in australia

Panic among parents, underlying health conditions or incidental coronavirus infection – these are the top reasons behind the admission of children in hospitals due to Covid-19, paediatricians across India told News18.com. While the doctors haven’t seen any increase in the hospitalisation among children in the ongoing third wave caused by heavily mutated variant Omicron, they are expecting a few cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) – a rare but possible side effect of Covid – by mid-February or March. More than half a dozen medical child health experts News18.com spoke to confirmed that children – in all the three waves – have only reported “mild Covid-19” disease and recover “within one week”. “This time, Covid doesn’t appear to be causative but is rather incidental in children getting admitted to Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU),” said Dr Maninder Singh Dhaliwal, associate director, paediatrics, Medanta. It means that children are not admitted in … [Read more...] about Children are Doing Fine in the Omicron-led Covid Third Wave, Say Experts, and Here are the Reasons Why

Brazil’s Amazon forests are ablaze with dozens of fires, most of them set intentionally by loggers and others seeking greater access to forest land. How long the fires can continue is unclear. But at this scale, they are paving the way for a global climate catastrophe. While European leaders and civil society in many places are organising protests to oppose policies that encourage the fires, the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has stated that they are an internal matter and that they were actually started by the very non-governmental organisations who are now shouting “fire”. The American President Donald Trump has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement stating that it is against the national interests of the U.S. Across the Atlantic, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a vocal critic of European integration, has spoken from both sides of his mouth on climate change, receiving funding from climate science denial groups while saying that he would lobby the U.S. to take … [Read more...] about A new ethics for a sustainable planet

California has led the nation in setting ambitious climate change goals and policies. But the state’s progress is threatened by a nasty fight between rival camps in the energy industry that both consider themselves proponents of renewable energy. The dispute is about who will get to build the green energy economy — utilities or smaller companies that install solar panels and batteries at homes — and reap billions of dollars in profits from those investments. At stake is whether the state can reach its goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2045 . For years, the rooftop solar business was ascendant in California, growing as much as 62 percent a year. That angered utilities and their labor unions, which long controlled the production, sale and distribution of electricity, and they lobbied state leaders to rein in the rooftop solar business — an effort that is on the cusp of success. The infighting couldn’t come at a worse time, some energy experts said. President Biden’s main … [Read more...] about A Fight Over Rooftop Solar Threatens California’s Climate Goals

Produced by ‘The Ezra Klein Show’ It’s been a year since Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. And what a roller coaster of a year it’s been. The Biden administration blew past its Covid vaccination goal of 100 million shots in 100 days, only to run into the realities of vaccine skepticism, the Delta wave and now Omicron. The president oversaw an unprecedented economic recovery — including the sharpest one-year drop in unemployment in American history — but now faces the highest inflation in decades, supply chain crises and souring approval ratings. Congress passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan and the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law, but negotiations collapsed over the administration’s signature Build Back Better bill, and on Thursday the Senate failed to pass any voting rights legislation. [You can listen to this episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” on Apple , Spotify , Google or wherever you get your … [Read more...] about The View From the White House

January 17, 2022 08:08 A massive volcanic eruption in Tonga that triggered tsunami waves around the Pacific caused "significant damage" to the island nation's capital and smothered it in dust, but the full extent was unclear with communications still hampered Monday. The eruption on Saturday was so powerful it was recorded around the world and heard as far away as Alaska, triggering a tsunami that flooded Pacific coastlines from Japan to the United States. The capital Nuku'alofa suffered "significant" damage, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, adding there had been no reports of injury or death but a full assessment was not yet possible with communication lines down. "The tsunami has had a significant impact on the foreshore on the northern side of Nuku'alofa with boats and large boulders washed ashore," Ardern said after contact with the New Zealand embassy in Tonga. "Nuku'alofa is covered in a thick film of volcanic dust but otherwise conditions are calm and … [Read more...] about Huge Tonga Volcanic Eruption Caused ‘Significant Damage’

Climate change and rapidly rising temperatures across the globe pose a threat to children in the womb, claims a new study. Premature birth is more likely as a result of the rapidly rising temperature. It could also result in problems like hospitalisation and weight gain among young children, the study further claims. In six separate studies, scientists have claimed that rising temperatures pose a significant risk to the health of the foetus, newborns, and babies. The results of this study were published in the Journal of Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology’s Special Edition. The study was conducted by Gregory A. Wellenius, guest editor of the journal and professor of environmental health at Boston University and researcher Amelia K. Wesselink. The findings of the study show that rapidly increasing heat and the smoke generated by storms and forest fires are increasing the risk of premature birth and health problems in children. Researchers came to this conclusion after … [Read more...] about Climate Change, Rising Temperatures Fueling Premature Births, Claims New Study

MELBOURNE, Australia — New day, very different opponent: That remains the cruel beauty of tennis. In the third round of the Australian Open, Amanda Anisimova, a 20-year-old American, got the chance to trade baseline bolts and full cuts with Naomi Osaka, bending low and swinging away to earn an upset. In the fourth round on Sunday night, the unseeded Anisimova found herself in a more subtle form of combat. If playing the 13th-seeded Osaka was toe to toe, playing the No. 1 Ashleigh Barty was cat and mouse. Barty, who had to rally to beat Anisimova at the 2019 French Open, knew firsthand the danger posed by Anisimova’s easy power and aggressive mentality and returns. Barty did a fine job on Sunday of giving her the tennis equivalent of bad pitches to hit. Barty deployed her skidding backhand slice and precise, hard-to-read serve. She changed pace and shape with her topspin forehand, moving Anisimova, who is much more at ease from stable ball-striking positions than on the stretch. … [Read more...] about Ashleigh Barty Mixes It Up and Heads to Australian Open Quarterfinals

Today is Thursday . Welcome to Equilibrium, a newsletter that tracks the growing global battle over the future of sustainability. Subscribe here: thehill.com/newsletter-signup . Scientists have reverse-engineered the nasal prowess of camels — who track down water on long desert treks with their uniquely sensitive nostrils — to design a more effective, more resilient moisture sensor, according to the American Chemical Society. These impressive snouts contain narrow, curling passages that contain a wide surface area covered in mucus — which changes its ability to hold an electric charge depending on the moisture in the air. ADVERTISEMENT By replicating this living structure using a porous polymer network festooned with moisture-attracting molecules called “zwitterions,” the Chinese team created a device that could sense moisture leaving a human body, find a water source or sniff out changes in water levels within industrial exhaust. The artificial nose was so … [Read more...] about Equilibrium/Sustainability — Artificial camel nose sniffs out hidden oases

“I’ve got you, bubby.” An audio recording of the moment that 4-year-old Cleo Smith was discovered in a locked home almost three weeks after she went missing has been released by Australian police. At the beginning of the clip shared by officials, an officer can be heard saying: "We've got her, we've got her." He then asks the child what her name is. She hesitates. “My name is Cleo,” she finally responds. “Your name is Cleo,” an officer says. “You’re all right, bubby," another replies. A 36-year-old man has been charged with various offenses related to Cleo's disappearance from her family's tent at a campsite, according to Reuters. Police have not named him. Earlier on Thursday, Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde told reporters that the man had been taken to hospital while in custody to treat self-inflicted injuries. Cleo disappeared in the middle of the night from a tent in the remote Australian outback on Oct. 16. The family had been camping about 60 … [Read more...] about Moment Australian police find missing 4-year-old Cleo Smith caught on video

Tonga's Pita Taufatofua, the bare-chested Olympian who captivated the world while carrying his country's flag during the opening ceremonies at the Summer and Winter Games, is raising money to help the island nation recover from widespread destruction caused by Saturday's volcanic eruption and tsunami. Taufatofua set up a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising $1 million AUD ($750,000 USD) to help rebuild schools and hospitals that were severely damaged after an underwater volcano erupted off the coast of Tonga. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano sent a plume of volcanic ash more than 100,000 feet in the air. NASA said the eruption was so powerful that it triggered tsunami and atmospheric shock waves around the globe. The ash fell on the islands of Tonga, covering everything in sight and contaminating drinking water. Some of the smaller islands were almost completely decimated by 49-foot-high tsunami waves. The United Nations said at least three people died, with several … [Read more...] about Tongan Olympic flag bearer Pita Taufatofua nears fundraising goal to rebuild after tsunami