Latest News
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Rome's Trevi Fountain restored in time for Jubilee year
A brought back Trevi Water fountain was unveiled on Sunday after more than 2 months of cleaning and remediation, part of Rome's preparations for the 2025 Roman Catholic Holy Year. The work, for which the city of Rome set a 327,000 euro spending plan, included eliminating dirt, pollution, iron oxide and limescale from the 18th century monument, among the best understood of Rome's lots of tourist attractions. Throughout that time, the water fountain had been drained but visitors were able to see it from a momentary footbridge. To prevent a return of the big crowds that customarily swallowed up the small square real estate the fountain, Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri stated visitors will have to form a line with 400 individuals at a time permitted by the fountain. Travelers will not have to hurry, with no time limit set to stroll from one end of the fountain to the other, however they will not be permitted to rest on its border. In the future, the city of Rome may consider introducing a ticket for the monument, Gualtieri included. The Vatican expects approximately 32 million tourists will come down on the Italian capital for the Jubilee, putting Rome's. old-fashioned infrastructure under huge stress and adding to. the headaches of handling the flow of visitors. Completed in 1762, the fountain is a late Baroque. work of art, with statues of Tritons guiding the shell chariot. of the god Oceanus, showing the style of the taming of the. waters. Custom dictates that visitors toss a coin into the. fountain to guarantee their return to Rome. Throughout the works,. visitors needed to throw coins into a short-lived swimming pool. It is also kept in mind for among cinema's most popular scenes. when in Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita Anita Ekberg wades. into the fountain and beckons her co-star Marcello Mastroianni. to join her: Marcello! Come here!.
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Russia to begin humanitarian materials of electricity to breakaway Georgian area
Russia will begin humanitarian products of electrical power to Abkhazia, a breakaway Georgian region backed by Moscow, from Monday, Russian news firms priced quote local officials as saying. Electrical energy lacks, common in Abkhazia in the winter season months, started in early December when low water levels at the Enguri hydroelectric dam required an emergency situation shutdown. The area appealed to Russia for help, stating it was dealing with a humanitarian catastrophe due to an important shortage of power. In action to Abkhazia's appeal, the Russian management has once again extended a helping hand to us and is starting to perform a humanitarian transfer of electrical energy to the republic, Interfax news company cited Badra Gunba, Abkhazia's. self-styled president, as stating on Sunday. Shutdowns will be cut to four hours a day, the Abkhazian. state energy company Chernomorenergo stated, rather of the 9-11. hours the area is dealing with now. Abkhazia borders Russia's southern Krasnodar area. Russia's Energy Ministry did not immediately respond to a request. for comment. Russian electricity export operator InterRAO. decreased to comment. Abkhazia broke from Georgia's control in a war after the. collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, throughout which. numerous countless ethnic Georgians ran away the area. Moscow has long supported it and another breakaway Georgian. area, South Ossetia, and identified them as independent after. winning a five-day war versus Georgia in 2008.
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A minimum of 13 dead in 2 crowd crushes in Nigeria
A minimum of 13 individuals died in two events in Nigeria on Saturday as crowds, mainly females and children, rushed for charity, police authorities said. In the state capital Abuja, a minimum of 10 individuals died and many more were hurt in a scramble to receive gifts of charity being dispersed by the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama district. This regrettable event, which occurred around 6:30 a.m., led to a stampede that declared the lives of 10 people, consisting of four kids, and left 8 others with differing degrees of injuries, said Josephine Adeh, a cops representative. In Okija in Anambra state, southeastern Nigeria, a crowd crush occurred after a member of the community provided presents including rice, grease and cash. State police stated 3 people were verified dead however eyewitnesses and Amnesty International Nigeria put the death toll at 20 with more injured. In both incidents, the victims were mostly women and kids who were trampled as crowds tried to reach the provisions being offered. On Thursday, a minimum of 32 individuals passed away in a similar event at an Islamic high school in Ibadan, the capital of Nigeria's. southwest Oyo state. Africa's most populous nation faces its worst. cost-of-living crisis in years as reforms presented by. President Bola Tinubu have actually slashed subsidies for electrical power and. fuel while a decline has actually worn down the value of the currency. Inflation in November rose to 34.60% in annual terms. from 33.88% in October, marking a third consecutive. month-to-month increase. Amnesty International Nigeria in a declaration on Saturday. stated that for lots of Nigerians having regular rice in the house is. developing into a luxury. The London-based human rights group prompted authorities to. immediately, thoroughly, independently, and transparently. examine how these charity events came down into disaster.
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Patrik Laine, Habs shoot for home-and-home sweep of Wings
Patrik Laine has actually been mighty productive, particularly on the power play, given that signing up with the Montreal Canadiens. He likewise stays especially effective versus the Detroit Red Wings throughout his career. After notching the game-winner at Detroit on Friday, Laine seeks to stay hot and help the host Canadiens sweep a back-to-back set versus the Red Wings on Saturday night. Laine, obtained by the Canadiens from the Columbus Blue Jackets in an August trade, missed Montreal's first 24 video games due to a knee injury. However, in eight games since making his Canadiens debut Dec. 3, he has totaled 7 goals-- remarkably, all on the power play. In truth, all of Montreal's power-play goals, in 25 opportunities given that Dec. 3, have been scored by Laine. His newest objective featured 7:58 left in regulation on Friday and offered the Canadiens a 4-3 lead. That margin stood, and Montreal has actually now published back-to-back triumphes following a 1-3-0 stretch. Him scoring objectives and assisting the group win on the power play is big, Montreal coach Martin St. Louis stated. It's a big part of when your special groups are running good. The Canadiens, who are in the middle of a 6-3-1 stretch in your home, made simply their fourth road win of the season, tied for 2nd least in the NHL. A really good one for us, and turn the page for (Saturday), Montreal defenseman Kaiden Guhle said. Laine, who has actually scored four goals in the past two contests, has 11 goals (2. on the power play) plus 8 assists in 21 career video games vs. the Reds Wings. Detroit gets in the back end of the home-and-home amid a 3-5-2 stretch. On Friday, goals from Patrick Kane, Joe Veleno and Tyler Motte had the Red. Wings up 3-2 early in the 3rd duration. However, they might not hold that. benefit in their bid for a third consecutive success. Perhaps fortunately for Detroit is that it does not have long to wait for a. chance to avenge the defeat. That's the very best part about it, said Red Wings star Dylan Larkin, who was. blanked Friday after totaling six points, all assists, in the previous five. games. We've just got to capitalize on our opportunities and play with a little bit more. intensity. Reduce our errors. Kane has two objectives with 2 helps in the past three games after going nine. directly without a point. On the other hand, teammate Michael Rasmussen had two. assists Friday, and he has 4 points in the previous three video games. Detroit goalie Cam Talbot was credited with 29 saves on Friday, and he has actually a. 3.89 goals-against average during his current 0-3-1 stretch. Alex Lyon could get the start in the back-to-back situation after he enabled. four objectives on 19 shots dealt with throughout a 6-4 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on. Wednesday in his return from missing nine games with a lower-body injury. Montreal's Sam Montembeault (2.93 GAA) made 25 conserves to win his second. straight begin on Friday, and it's possible he could be in net once again on. Saturday. Canadiens backup Cayden Primeau has actually allowed 11 objectives on 60 shot. attempts in his past 3 outings-- two of which were starts. Teammate Jake Evans, who scored a short-handed objective in his 300th profession NHL. video game on Friday, and has four points in the past four contests. -- Field Level Media
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France adds first atomic power plant in 25 years to grid
France connected the Flamanville 3 atomic power plant to its grid on Saturday morning, staterun operator EDF stated, in the first addition to the country's nuclear power network in 25 years. The reactor, which began running in September ahead of the grid connection, is going online 12 years behind originally prepared and at an expense of around 13 billion euros - four times the original budget. EDF groups have attained the very first connection of the Flamanville EPR to the nationwide grid at 11:48 am (1048 GMT). The reactor is now creating electrical energy, EDF stated in a statement. The Flamanville 3 European Pressurised Reactor is France's. biggest at 1.6 gigawatts (GW) and among the world's greatest,. together with China's 1.75 GW Taishan reactor, which is based on a. similar style, and Finland's Olkiluoto. It is the very first to be connected to the grid because Civaux 2. in 1999 however is being brought into service at a time of sluggish. consumption, with France exporting a record amount of. electrical power this year. EDF is planning to construct another 6 new reactors to fulfil. a 2022 pledge made by President Emmanuel Macron as part of the. nation's energy shift plans, although concerns stay. around the funding and timeline of the brand-new jobs.
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Islamist militants in northwest Pakistan kill 16 security personnel, law enforcement officers states
Sixteen security personnel were killed in northwest Pakistan in an attack by Islamist militants early on Saturday, a senior authorities official in the South Waziristan region stated, as Islamist fighters step up their attacks on the security forces. Another eight personnel were injured in the attack on a. security forces post, which took place at 2 a.m. (2100 GMT on. Friday), authorities deputy superintendent Hidayat Ullah informed. Reuters. A search operation is under way in the area, he added,. stating the assailants had actually utilized light and heavy weapons. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), likewise referred to as the Pakistan. Taliban, claimed obligation for the attack, giving a higher. figure for the number of security workers eliminated. At least 35 security personnel were killed and 15 hurt. in the attack, the group stated in a WhatsApp channel broadcast. It did not say whether any of its fighters had actually been killed. The TTP has performed more regular attacks in current. months, primarily targeting members of the security forces. An umbrella group of different Sunni Islamist militant groups,. it has actually long been combating in a quote to topple the federal government. and change it with a stringent Islamic-led system of governance. It is separate from the Afghan Taliban movement, however pledges. commitment to the Islamist group that now rules Afghanistan after. the withdrawal of U.S.-led worldwide forces in 2021.
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Petrobras Steps Closer to Developing Hydrogen Plant Powered by Renewables
Petrobras has signed a protocol of intent Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) and CSN Inova Soluções, marking a first step towards structuring a business partnership aimed at setting up a low-carbon hydrogen plant on a commercial scale in Brazilian state of Paraná.Low-carbon hydrogen can be used in industrial processes or as fuel and will be obtained through the electrolysis of water from renewable sources of electricity. The initiative aims to support the decarbonization efforts of CSN and Petrobras' operations and products.Petrobras did not specify which renewable energy sources would be used to power the production of hydrogen.The signing of this Protocol of Intent is in line with the Petrobras’ Strategic Plan 2050 and Business Plan 2025-2029, which aim to prepare Petrobras to lead the fair energy transition, reducing its emissions and expanding the supply of more sustainable products.
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Thai ceremony for the dead brings good karma and psychological closure
When two month old Bibeam passed away in November 2023, the temples in her district would not cremate her, considering her too young for such an event. Rather she was buried without any religious rites in a. cemetery in Rayong, about two hours southeast of the Thai. capital Bangkok and one hour from her household's home. It was just this year that Bibeam was given the Buddhist. cremation her parents had wanted when she was consisted of in a rare. Lang Pa Cha cemetery cleaning ceremony, a ritual that. originated during China's Tune dynasty and was brought to. Thailand by Chinese immigrants. I am extremely pleased and delighted that my baby can have her. funeral rite like others, her mother, 26-year-old Paikaew. Thaijaroen, informed Reuters. Lang Pa Cha ceremonies occur every year at cemeteries. throughout Thailand's 77 provinces and are organised by a small. group of non-profit organisations. The ritual involves exhuming remains and performing Buddhist. and Taoist rites in an event that is now special to the. Southeast Asian country, stated Sayomphu Kiatsayomphu, president. of Thailand's Cemeteries Cleansing Network. Cremation is extensively practised in Thailand, but people who. pass away without being officially identified, perhaps because they. moved a lot of were a migrant worker, are normally buried. Bibeam was included in the ceremony because when the. volunteers exhumed her grave, which was in the very same area as. those who were unclaimed, her body was found to have actually been. uncommonly well protected. The ultimate objective is to guarantee the ascension of these. unclaimed souls to paradise, Kiatsayomphu stated. When exhumed, the remains are cleaned by Buddhist volunteers. before a medium identifies their gender. For some of the volunteers the event assists in benefit. making - a Buddhist principle where performing kindness. adds to that individual's own joy and wellness. I first started Lang Pa Cha around 20 years back as a. volunteer, stated Tonploy Boonporn, a 63-year-old masseur. After. that, I found real spiritual fulfilment in this ceremony, so I. kept going. As the day of cremation draws near, the volunteers utilize. tooth brushes and holy water to carefully wash the mud from the. remains, before decorating them with gold leaf. The embellished remains are then set up in two different. pyres - one for males and one for women. The cemetery in Rayong, where Bibeam was cremated, had not. been cleansed for almost twenty years and included about 1,000. unclaimed bodies, according to Pakkhapoom Boonchothirun, an. executive member of the Sawang Pornkuson Foundation that runs. the graveyard and arranged the ceremony. The Lang Pa Cha happened between March and May. On the day of the cremation, Bibeam's body was put on top. of the funeral pyre, symbolically leading the souls of the. left on their journey to heaven. Seeing her maintained body put on the top of a female. funeral pyre makes me feel more complete, Paikaew said.
How AI and cloud computing might delay the shift to clean energy
A spike in electrical power demand from the world's big data companies is raising a distressing possibility for the world's climate: a. nearterm surge in fossilfuel use.
Energies, power regulators and scientists in a half-dozen. nations told Reuters the unexpected development in power need. driven by the increase of expert system and cloud. computing is being met in the near-term by fossil fuels like. natural gas, and even coal, due to the fact that the pace of clean-energy. releases is moving too slowly to maintain.
In the United States, home to a third of world data centers,. energies are adding brand-new gas plants and postponing the retirements. of fossil-fuel power plants as a multitude of sprawling brand-new information. centers plug in to the grid. In Poland, Germany and Malaysia,. coal could likewise remain in the mix, according to interviews with. business executives, regulators and experts. The outlook poses a brand-new obstacle to world governments, now. collected at the UN's yearly climate conference in Baku, which. are currently struggling to meet ambitious targets to decarbonize. power systems.
COP29 host Azerbaijan held the first-ever Digitalization Day. at a world climate summit and launched a declaration, endorsed. so far by 68 nations consisting of China and Korea, to restrict the. environmental effect of digitalization.
The outlook likewise reveals the drawbacks of data-company. promises to be green. Business consisting of Meta Platforms. , Microsoft and Amazon.com are. dedicating to sourcing renewable resource and zeroing out. emissions with clean power and balance out credits - however often that. just means siphoning tidy power out of the grid that might have. been utilized somewhere else. On the other hand, arrangements by information service providers to power new data. centers with innovative atomic power plants or resurrected nuclear. plants doubt and years off.
I think everyone agrees that we need increasingly more. renewable resource to keep up with a growing demand, stated Meta. spokesman Jim Cullinan. I believe it is up to the energies to. discuss how they will fill the supply.
Amazon told Reuters that purchasing brand-new renewable resource. for the grid, consisting of in areas relying greatly on fossil. fuels, belongs to its method to decarbonize.
Financial investment bank Morgan Stanley projects the worldwide. data-center market will produce around 2.5 billion metric tons. of carbon dioxide-equivalent through the end of the years, the. equivalent of Russia's yearly emissions.
PUMPING THE GAS
Northern Virginia in the U.S. has the most significant concentration. of data centers in the world. Energy Rule, which. serves the area, has an answer: gas.
The utility is constructing a 1,000-megawatt gas plant in. Chesterfield County and just recently slashed its 15-year forecast. for renewables to 80% from 95% of its power mix.
In general, power need in our service area is growing. at an unprecedented pace, said spokesman Aaron Ruby.
A number of other U.S. energies said they are keeping. fossil-fired power plants longer and constructing new facilities as. data-center need grows, according to a Reuters evaluation of. recent company incomes calls.
Entergy, for example, began constructing its very first. natural gas-fired power plant in a half-century, the business. stated. The 754-MW power station will serve 2 Amazon data-center. complexes being built in Mississippi.
Almost half of energy NiSource's new $19.3 billion. capital expenditure plan through 2029, meanwhile, will be spent. on gas system improvements, the company stated. NiSource. covers a few of the most quickly developing information center markets. in parts of Indiana, Ohio and Virginia.
Rob Thummel, senior portfolio manager at Tortoise Capital,. said natural gas is a clear response for data centers.
It's simply the lowest cost, most trustworthy and it is. decarbonizing in terms of it replacing coal, he stated. Is it. ideal service? No. But I do not know if we have an ideal. option to power these data centers.. S&P stated data centers might include in between 3 billion and 6 billion. cubic feet each day to U.S. natural gas need by the end of the. decade.
That will worsen the U.S. efficiency on emissions, possibly. for years, clean-energy consultancy RMI said.
Information centers are just a warm-up act compared to the quantity. of electrification we're going to have moving forward. And if our. initially instinct is to begin developing gas plants and nuclear. plants in order to do that, we're just going to produce an energy. system we can not afford, RMI CEO Jon Creyts stated. President-elect Donald Trump has said he intends to increase the. U.S. power system when he takes office, and sources near to his. shift group have said his strategies are likely to focus on gas. advancement over renewables.
COAL IN THE MIX?
Research study company McKinsey said in a report last month most of. the increase in data-center power consumption in the European. Union by 2030 will be supplied low-carbon sources.
McKinsey declined to elaborate when asked whether low-carbon. sources included natural gas, and whether the pattern could. prolong the life of coal.
In some parts of Europe, information centers will need coal.
In Poland, for example, a rush of new datacenter projects. will require to run at least partly off baseload sources like. coal because of the still-low volume of renewables in the. country, according to Szymon Kowalski, deputy head of Re-Source. Poland, a platform for corporate renewable resource sourcing.
The share of coal in Poland's energy mix has been falling. for several years as it increases renewables, but still stood above 60%. in 2023, according to the International Energy Agency.
In Ireland, meanwhile, information centers now account for over 20%. of electricity usage, according to the IEA.
System operator EirGrid informed Reuters it will satisfy need. with 650 MW of momentary emergency situation generation capacity, and by. postponing the retirement of older generators. It said gas. would be a vital part of the mix.
Ireland's only coal station, ESB Group's 915 MW Moneypoint. plant, extended its retirement date in 2015 to 2029 from 2025,. however intends to burn fuel oil instead of coal throughout that period.
In Germany, Microsoft this year revealed strategies to expand. data-center capability with a 3.2 billion euro ($ 3.38 billion). financial investment, near the 400-meter-deep Hambach coal mine.
Microsoft declined to say whether the project would depend on. coal. We are still in an early stage of the job, that's why. we do not comment, representative Jo Klein said.
In Malaysia, some data business are taking power from the. coal and gas-dominated grid rather of paying a premium for. renewables, according to a federal government official knowledgeable about the. matter. Less than 50% of the green power Malaysia has actually sought to. auction this year has actually been bought, the official said.
(source: Reuters)