Thousands trapped on Australia beaches encircled by fire

Thousands of holidaymakers and locals were forced to flee to beaches in fire-ravaged southeast Australia Tuesday,…

Kenya tea producers turn over a new leaf as prices stumble

In a humming factory in Kenya’s highlands, tea is hand-plucked from the fields, cured and shredded…

Grown from necessity: vertical farming takes off in ageing Japan

The nondescript building on an industrial site near Kyoto gives little hint to the productivity inside:…

Death toll from Philippines typhoon hits 50

The number of people killed by a powerful storm that pummeled the central Philippines over Christmas…

Smokey Sydney to kick off New Year parties with fireworks

Smoke-choked Sydney was gearing up Tuesday for a huge fireworks display, kicking off a wave of…

Panama marks 20 years in charge of canal, faces climate threat

Panama on Tuesday marks two decades of control over the vital interoceanic Canal following its return…

Looking down on a decade: Satellite images tell the stories

There has been no shortage of big news over the last decade. Spanning the globe, some…

The experimental demonstration of a spin quantum heat engine

The theoretical notion of a ‘quantum heat engine’ has been around for several decades. It was…

The mysterious case of the ornamented coot chicks has a surprising explanation

The American coot is a somewhat drab water bird with gray and black feathers and a…

Life could have emerged from lakes with high phosphorus

Life as we know it requires phosphorus. It’s one of the six main chemical elements of…