Field study report

North Korea could be using fertilizer factories it is building to produce more nuclear material by extracting uranium from phosphoric acids, according to a new study. Researcher Margaret Croy said this technique can be used by North Korea as a way to conceal it was attaining uranium as part of the country's fervent drive to boost agricultural output. If North Korea—officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea—is building fertilizer plants for this purpose, it "has the potential to considerably alter open-source estimates of how much yellowcake uranium the DPRK is able to produce annually, which in turn affects estimates of how many nuclear warheads the DPRK can make," Croy told Newsweek . Croy, a research associate of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey's James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, made her case in a paper published by the center called "Dual Use in the DPRK: Uranium Extraction from Phosphate Fertilizer … [Read more...] about North Korea could be using fertilizer plants to make more nuclear material, report shows

The production of firearms in the U.S. has ramped up exponentially in recent decades with domestic manufacturing more than doubling and imports more than quadrupling, according to a new study by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. MORE: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul unveils new gun law proposals in wake of Buffalo shooting The increases between the years 2000 and 2020 were fueled by the mass proliferation of the pistol as the most widespread firearm type and a 24,080% percent increase in manufacturing of short-barreled rifles, according to the ATF report. The number of firearms made in the U.S. increased by 187% and the number imported increased by 350% over the same period. The report comes as the nation is still reeling from a mass shooting that left 10 Black people dead in a Buffalo, New York, supermarket last weekend. The suspected gunman legally purchased the Bushmaster rifle used to carry out the shooting with some modifications … [Read more...] about US firearm production, imports ramp up in recent decades: Report

The “pandemic gap” is starting to show up in datasets and research studies. These statistical holes were expected after researchers weren’t able to get into the field to collect data because of Covid-19 and the various lockdowns and restrictions brought on by the pandemic. For example, sea lion researchers from the Department of Conservation (DOC) were unable to visit the subantarctic islands​ last season. They managed a brief visit this season but didn’t accomplish the full suite of data collection and other work they hoped for. A budget squeeze and boat availability were also partially responsible. READ MORE: Sea lions monitored after unexpected reaction to glue used during research Trawling ban could help stop endangered sea lion deaths at Auckland Islands Sea lion numbers roaring back to health at NZ's first new breeding site in 150 years Sea lions on the verge of establishing first breeding colony on mainland NZ in 200 years Sea lion pups make a … [Read more...] about Pandemic creates gaps in research on sea lions, penguins

Sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, “ will be a thing of the past ,” according to Carmel Harrington, a sleep researcher at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, in Australia. A press release describes her new study, out this month, as a “game-changing” effort and a “world-first breakthrough” that could prevent future deaths from the tragic illness. Celebrations quickly spread on social media: “THEY FOUND THE CAUSE OF SIDS. Excuse me while I cry for all the parents,” one viral tweet declared. “Closest thing to a miracle in a long time,” said another . The press soon picked up the story. On Friday, a segment on Good Morning America touted Harrington’s “very, very important study” of SIDS, while a story in the New York Post promised that her data would “ bring closure to countless parents who have endured the nightmare of losing a child.” Rarely is a medical research finding a "breakthrough." But this one - discovering a biomarker in blood that indicates babies' … [Read more...] about No, They Didn’t Find the Cause of SIDS

Tom Major radio-tracking a colony of snakes (Image: Dr Wolfgang Wuster) Sign up for FREE for latest news plus tips to save money and the environment SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Aesculapian snakes have been clinging on since one escaped from a zoo almost half a century ago. The non-venomous snakes were imported from Italy by Robert Jackson, founder of the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Conway, in the mid-1960s. Related articles Sexually aroused dolphins seen playing with anaconda in rare encounter 'Spoilt brat' jet skiers filmed careering through seabird colonies In the early 1970s, baby snakes were found in the zoo grounds - being mistaken for grass snakes at the time - but were later identified as Aesculapian … [Read more...] about Rat-eating snake ‘bigger than an adder’ found breeding in the UK

SIR – The Government has had ample time to solve the problem of the cross-Channel illegal-immigrant business. The hot air must end and the Government must demonstrate that it is not being outwitted by the rules, the French, people-smugglers or Left-wing lawyers. This demonstration needs to come very soon or the Conservatives can kiss goodbye to their parliamentary majority. Mick Ferrie SIR – British taxpayers have little knowledge of the induction process for the vast numbers of illegal immigrants crossing the Channel. Where are they all accommodated? What sort of identity papers are they supplied with? How much money are they given? Are they immediately vaccinated against Covid? Surely we have a right to know. Cameron Morice SIR – The Tory Party will not resolve the migration problem unless it can devise some legal means of differentiating between, and dealing with, economic migrants and true refugees. Adrian Fyles SIR – The attraction of Britain to migrants … [Read more...] about Letters: Voters will punish the Government for not acting on the migrant crisis

There’s dancing in the garden, and ball games. A soft wind blows, cooling the spring sunshine. But there is an ominous accompaniment to the music and laughter: the unmistakable dull thud of not-so-distant artillery fire. Still, the ball game goes on without interruption at the facility for mentally and physically disabled people in the village of Tavriiske, near the front line in Ukraine's war. But it’s yet another reminder of the dilemma the staff face: Do they evacuate the facility, and how can it be done with minimum disruption to the residents, some of whom have very severe disabilities and others for whom changes in environment can be disorientating and highly stressful. Then there’s the issue of where to go, and how. With around 425 residents, it is the largest such facility in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region. Finding suitable accommodation elsewhere is far from easy, said director Oleksandr Starosvitskyi. Various options are being explored, including … [Read more...] about Facility for disabled on Ukraine front line mulls evacuation

Wedged into a recliner in the corner of her assisted living apartment in Portland , Skylar Freimann, who has a terminal heart condition and pulmonary illness, anxiously eyed her newly arrived hospital bed on a recent day and worried over how she would maintain independence as she further loses mobility. There to guide her along the journey was the Rev. Jo Laurence, a hospice and palliative care chaplain. But rather than invoking God or a Christian prayer, she talked of meditation, chanting and other Eastern spiritual traditions: “The body can weigh us down sometimes,” she counseled. “Where is the divine or the sacred in your decline?” An ordained Sufi minister and practicing Zen Buddhist who brings years of meditation practice and scriptural training to support end-of-life patients, Laurence is part of a burgeoning generation of Buddhist chaplains who are increasingly common in hospitals, hospices and prisons, where the need for their services rose dramatically … [Read more...] about Buddhist chaplains on the rise in US, offering broad appeal

There was an air of levity on the firing range as Ukrainian Territorial Defence soldiers took their first breather from the war in weeks. One by one, they took a knee to test their rocket-propelled grenades as watching comrades cracked jokes. Others turned their faces to the sun and enjoyed a moment of calm between explosions. "You guys don't have long before you get back out there," a commander reminded the group. "Rest while you can." Almost three months into Russia's invasion of Ukraine , Moscow's forces are stalled in eastern regions that President Vladimir Putin promised to "liberate." READ MORE: Ukraine war: Finland confirms Nato bid as alliance says 'Russia is losing momentum' Ukraine's Zelenskyy defiant as Russia retreats from Kharkiv Russia ‘refusing’ to take soldiers’ corpses as it tries to hide scale of losses in Ukraine In Donbas, which Russia no longer recognises as part of Ukraine, Moscow's gains have been limited. To the west near Kharkiv, it has … [Read more...] about In southeast Ukraine, a stalemate in ghost villages on the front line

David White stuff.co.nz Simon Henry wasn't keen to engage with media when approached at the Parnell Lawn Tennis Club about his Nadia Lim comments. Damien Grant is an Auckland business owner, a member of the Taxpayers’ Union and a regular opinion contributor to Stuff, writing from a libertarian perspective. OPINION: The problem with being a social justice advocate in a progressive liberal democracy is that there isn’t always enough overt sexism and racism from which to draw the requisite amounts of indignation. The gender pay-gap can now only be found by being willfully blind when interpreting statistical data, te reo is widely used and accepted, colonial names are dropping faster than vaccine mandates, and boards are always on the hunt for diverse talent. There are no longer any institutional or legal barriers to success based on gender, race, religion nor, I should add, in many cases criminal background. Of course, individual bias and prejudice remains. … [Read more...] about How the media stoked the Simon Henry-Nadia Lim controversy