Major arrests at NYU campus as Gaza protests spread - CNA

This "dramatically changed" the situation, the spokesman said in a statement on the school's website on Monday, citing "disorderly, disruptive and antagonising behaviour" along with "intimidated chants and several antisemitic incidents".

"Given the foregoing and the safety issues raised by the breach, we asked for assistance from the NYPD. The police urged those on the plaza to leave peacefully, but ultimately made a number of arrests."

The spokesman said the school continues to support freedom of expression and the safety of students.

But protests have grown large and disruptive enough - New York Police Department spokesmen have spoken of their officers facing violence when confronting protesters at NYU - to draw the attention of President Joe Biden and his administration.

"Anti-Semitic hate on college campuses is unacceptable," US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona posted on X on Tuesday, expressing concern about the unrest.

The protests began last week at Columbia University, also in New York, with a large group of demonstrators establishing a so-called "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on school grounds.

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2024-04-23 17:35:00Z
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'Like a Noah's Ark of plants': Conservation facility in the UK builds up collection of 2.4 billion seeds - CNA

WEST SUSSEX, England: With two in five plant species at the risk of extinction, giving a safe home to some of the world’s most threatened flora is a pressing concern.

In an effort to address the problem, the Millennium Seed Bank in the United Kingdom has built up a collection of 2.4 billion seeds representing more than 40,000 species. 

They come from around 11,000 trees and shrub species.

The huge collection of wild plant seeds from around the world is kept safe underground in rural Sussex in England. They include contributions from Mozambique, Madagascar, and Armenia.

The seeds are X-rayed, dried, weighed, and sorted, then kept as a backup of the world’s wild plant species.

“There are various objectives. I would say perhaps the two main ones are first of all, to create almost like a Noah's Ark of plants so that if anything goes extinct, then we can use the seeds to reintroduce them to the wild,” said Asia coordinator of Millennium Seed Bank Partnership Kate Hardwick.

“But a more immediate use is to use the seeds for research. So this might be research into crop production, looking at the wild relatives of crop species, or it might be research into rare species perhaps to find out why they are so rare, and how to propagate them, and how to reintroduce them to the wild.”

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2024-04-23 10:23:03Z
CBMicWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQvbWlsbGVubml1bS1zZWVkLWJhbmstdWstc3Vzc2V4LWVuZ2xhbmQtcGxhbnRzLWNvbnNlcnZhdGlvbi10aGFpbGFuZC00Mjg1ODU20gEA

'We want to enjoy now': Young Japanese choose work-life balance over notoriously long office hours - CNA

“LIFESTYLES HAVE DIVERSIFIED”

However, one young worker told CNA that as much as she wants to prioritise work-life balance, it remains difficult for her to accomplish this on a typical day.

Ms Yuki Sato, who works in public relations for Japanese consumer goods giant Kao, said she clocks up to two-and-a-half hours of overtime daily.

“I come home from work, I am tired, so I sleep. This is how it is usually,” the 24-year-old added.

Ms Sato graduated in 2022 when the world was recovering from the pandemic, which left her generation with fear of how uncertain life could be.

“We suddenly were not allowed to do anything. Wages stopped coming in. Something could collapse. Stability was gone. Wages might fall and rise. Prices might fall and rise,” she said.

The pandemic also changed one crucial aspect of Japan’s corporate culture: Drinking parties after work.

Bars were shuttered during the coronavirus outbreak, accelerating a shift towards sobriety – especially among young workers who want quality of life and are less apologetic about setting boundaries.

Ms Sato now mainly socialises with her colleagues over lunch, saying she enjoys having a platform to mingle with them while developing her skills.

“We want to enjoy now, do what we want to do now,” she added. “Lifestyles have diversified.”

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2024-04-23 08:09:06Z
CBMiiQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5jaGFubmVsbmV3c2FzaWEuY29tL2FzaWEvd2Utd2FudC1lbmpveS1ub3cteW91bmctamFwYW5lc2UtY2hvb3NlLXdvcmstbGlmZS1iYWxhbmNlLW92ZXItbm90b3Jpb3VzbHktbG9uZy1vZmZpY2UtaG91cnMtNDI4NTU3NtIBAA

10 killed after 2 Malaysian military helicopters collide mid-air during navy parade rehearsal - CNA

Footage of the incident circulating on social media showed seven helicopters flying over the base in a loose formation. The camera then pans to a pair that had separated to the right.

The helicopters collided, the impact shooting out smoke and debris, before falling to the ground.

"The RMN urges the public not to share videos of the incident to preserve the sensitivities of the family and the investigation process," it added.

In a statement released on the day of the incident, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim sent his condolences to the families of the victims.

"This tragedy turned out to have a profound effect on the families of the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) and a great loss for the country.

I was informed that an immediate investigation will be carried out by the Ministry of Defense, specifically TLDM, to find the cause of the crash," he said.

Malaysia's king Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar also offered his condolences in a Facebook post on Tuesday, calling those who died "national heroes".

"I also want the Malaysian Armed Forces to conduct a thorough investigation to get the fullest information regarding this incident," he wrote.

Additional reporting by Ahmad Zamzahuri Abas and Rashvinjeet S Bedi

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2024-04-23 04:23:00Z
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Fossils formed millions of years ago could give clues on how to conserve Australia's endangered animals - CNA

SAVING MOUNTAIN-PYGMY POSSUMS

From his laboratory, Prof Archer is helping to forge a better understanding of how wildlife existed millions of years ago. 

Thanks to his work on the Riversleigh area of far north Queensland, it was discovered that 20 million or more years ago, a critically endangered Australian marsupial lived in temperate rainforest much further north. 

According to the Australian Conservation Foundation, mountain pygmy-possums were thought to be extinct until they were rediscovered at Mt Hotham, which is nestled amongst the Victorian Alps, in the 1960s.

Today, these mountain pygmy-possums live in alpine areas, which they had to adapt to due to climate change. The possum is Australia’s only hibernating marsupial and hibernates for up to seven months under the snow. 

The foundation added that there are fewer than 2,000 endangered mountain pygmy-possums left in the wild. It said that they continue to be under pressure from threats including lack of food as Bogong moth numbers decline, climate change as their habitat warms, and the development of ski resorts.

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2024-04-23 03:14:11Z
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Series of earthquakes rattle Taiwan, centred on east coast - CNA

TAIPEI: More than 80 earthquakes, the strongest of 6.3 magnitude, struck Taiwan's east coast starting Monday (Apr 22) night and into the early hours of Tuesday. Some caused shaking of buildings in the capital Taipei, the island's weather administration said.

The quakes were centred on the largely rural eastern county of Hualien, where on Apr 3 at least 17 people died after a 7.2 magnitude temblor. Singaporean couple Sim Hwee Kok and Neo Siew Choo are the only people still unaccounted for. They are believed to have gone missing along the Shakadang Trail.

Taiwan has been jolted by hundreds of aftershocks since then.

The fire department in Hualien said early on Tuesday that a hotel which had already been damaged on Apr 3 and was no longer in operation was now slightly leaning on its side.

However, there were no reports of any casualties.

The first strong quake - a magnitude 5.5 - hit on Monday at around 5.08pm, according to Central Weather Administration. It could be felt in the capital Taipei.

That was followed by a series of aftershocks and quakes, with two intense tremors hitting one after another around 2.30am Tuesday, according to AFP reporters and witnesses in Taipei.

"I was washing my hands, and suddenly felt what I thought was vertigo," Olivier Bonifacio, a tourist staying in Taipei's Da'an district, told AFP.

"I stepped into my room and noticed the building was rocking and I heard the desk creak," he said, adding that it was then he realised it was another aftershock.

The Central Weather Administration said a magnitude-6.0 quake had hit at 2.26 am, followed six minutes later by the magnitude-6.3 tremor.

The US Geological Survey put the first one at a magnitude-6.1, followed by a magnitude-6.0.

Dozens more smaller tremors were recorded by the Central Weather Administration over the rest of the night, with a new one every few minutes, according to its website - all in the Hualien region.

Through Monday, AFP reporters could feel their buildings swaying during intense quakes, while one said "glass panels of bathroom and windows were making noises" as the island shuddered.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes.

More than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a 7.3 magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999.

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2024-04-23 00:33:09Z
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Record-breaking floods hit China’s Guangdong, killing 4 and displacing thousands - South China Morning Post

Helicopters and rubber boats have been deployed as floods hit central-northern areas along the Bei River, a southern tributary of the Pearl River, which flows from Shaoguan to the Pearl River Delta.

The Bei River’s water levels were confirmed to have exceeded 50-year highs at Feilaixia reservoir in Qingyuan on Monday, according to Xinhua. Water flow to the Feilaixia hydropower plant approached 100-year highs.

Provincial authorities earlier warned that the river’s water levels were expected to hit “once in a century” levels, but they later lowered their predictions.

Rescuers were sent to relocate trapped residents in Shaoguan and transport food and other materials, according to Guangzhou-based news site dayoo.com, owned by Guangzhou Daily.

Shaoguan, located in the north of the province, on Monday downgraded the city’s flood emergency response warning to level three in a four-tier alert system in which level one is the most severe.

More than 300 emergency personnel were deployed on Saturday to rescue trapped residents in six villages in the town of Jiangwan, where roads were cut off by landslides. At least six people in the villages were injured, according to online news site The Paper.

Mobile phone and internet services were restored in the town on Sunday after the landslide disrupted telecoms cables.

In central Guangdong’s Qingyuan city, water levels in some areas reached the first floor of buildings on Sunday morning and flooded homes and shops. As of 4pm on Sunday, more than 60,000 residents had been transferred from affected areas, according to Xinhua.

Some schools in heavily affected areas of Qingyuan were suspended on Monday.

Average rainfall across Guangdong totalled 121.8mm (4.8 inches) from Friday 10am to Sunday 11am, according to the provincial department of water resources.

China Meteorological Administration predicted heavy downpours to continue until Tuesday, with 100mm to 170mm of rainfall in 24 hours in some areas of southeastern Guangdong from Monday afternoon.

Cumulative rainfall has broken records for April in the cities of Guangzhou, Shaoguan and Lechang as well as the counties of Lechang and Shixing, according to regional newspapers Guangzhou Daily and Nanfang Daily.

China issues ‘once in a century’ flood warning for Guangdong’s Bei River zone

The rain also affected rail services, with more than 300 trains returning or being suspended between Friday and Sunday, according to the China Railway Guangzhou Group. All trains were operating again as of Monday.

Provincial party secretary Huang Kunming and governor Wang Weizhong on Sunday visited Shaoguan city and held meetings with regional emergency management offices, Nanfang Daily reported.

They also visited the city’s Mengzhou dam along the Bei River and a primary school in Longgui town where residents have been staying since flooding hit their homes.

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2024-04-22 14:13:22Z
CBMikQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5zY21wLmNvbS9uZXdzL2NoaW5hL3BvbGl0aWNzL2FydGljbGUvMzI1OTg4MC9yZXNjdWVycy1jaGluYXMtZ3Vhbmdkb25nLXJhY2Utc2F2ZS1yZXNpZGVudHMtZmxvb2RpbmctYWZ0ZXItaGVhdnktcmFpbi1wdW1tZWxzLXByb3ZpbmNl0gGRAWh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLnNjbXAuY29tL25ld3MvY2hpbmEvcG9saXRpY3MvYXJ0aWNsZS8zMjU5ODgwL3Jlc2N1ZXJzLWNoaW5hcy1ndWFuZ2RvbmctcmFjZS1zYXZlLXJlc2lkZW50cy1mbG9vZGluZy1hZnRlci1oZWF2eS1yYWluLXB1bW1lbHMtcHJvdmluY2U