Finland temperature rising fastest in the world, say meteorologists |
- Finland temperature rising fastest in the world, say meteorologists
- Napoli edge Juventus to win Super Cup in drama-packed game and penalty shootout
- Champs-Elysées to close streets for first-ever New Year’s Eve countdown
- Exotic pet warning: Reptiles a health risk to infants, study shows
- Next Media Video: Muhammad Ali in hospital with pneumonia
- Sony hack: Internet appears crippled in North Korea
| Finland temperature rising fastest in the world, say meteorologists Posted: 22 Dec 2014 04:47 PM PST
Since 1847 "the average temperature in Finland has risen by more than two degrees," the Finnish Meteorological Institute said. "During the observation period, the average increase was 0.14 degrees per decade, which is nearly twice as much as the global average." The meteorologists based their statement on a study from the University of Eastern Finland, which concluded the climbing temperatures from 1847-2013 in the Nordic country are "in line with the notion that warming is stronger in higher latitudes." November, December and January have seen the biggest temperature rises, with less significant increases in March, April and May, says professor Ari Laaksonen of the University of Eastern Finland and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. These changes have been visible in daily life with lakes freezing later in winter and trees blooming earlier in spring. Record high temperatures in Alaska, below average snow cover across the Arctic and excess summer ice melting in Greenland were observed by scientists in 2014, raising new concerns about global warming. The worrying weather was reported in the annual Arctic Report Card, compiled by 63 scientists in 13 countries, and was released on December 17 at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco. — AFP  |
| Napoli edge Juventus to win Super Cup in drama-packed game and penalty shootout Posted: 22 Dec 2014 04:46 PM PST
Carlos Tevez fired league champions Juventus ahead twice but Gonzalo Higuain scored two equalisers to send the game to penalties. Tevez looked to have won the game in extra time when he handed Juventus a 2-1 lead with a low shot into the bottom corner of the net. But with three minutes to go, Higuain also found the back of the net for a second time to set up the electrifying finish. In a thrilling penalty shootout that saw both keepers produce a string of stunning saves, Buffon made three saves but his acrobatic efforts were not enough as Juve missed four spot kicks. The shootout started ominously for both teams, with Tevez and Jorginho failing to score. Both teams then scored each of their next five penalties, before missing the next two. When Kalidou Koulibaly put Napoli 6-5 ahead, goalkeeper Rafael Cabral finally brought the shootout to an end by denying Simone Padoin, allowing Napoli fans to celebrate a memorable upset victory. As Rafa Benitez's side rejoiced at winning their second Super Cup, their first triumph in the competition since 1990, Juventus were left to reflect on the missed chances that denied them a third straight title in the competition. The last time the teams met in the Super Cup final was in 2012 when the Turin giants secured a comfortable win in Beijing. — Reuters |
| Champs-Elysées to close streets for first-ever New Year’s Eve countdown Posted: 22 Dec 2014 04:45 PM PST
Beginning at 11.45pm, a light show themed after "la vie en rose" and the art of being a Parisian will be projected against the 50-metre-tall monument. Likewise, the show will also feature an environmental theme to represent the important role Paris will play in 2015, when the city plays host to a major climate conference next year. The spectacle will end with a countdown to midnight and lights shift skywards to mark the moment 2014 ends and 2015 begins. The Champs-Elysées has been one of the most popular gathering places for New Year's revelers, even though no organised festivities have taken place. This year marks the first time the Champs will put on a show. The next day, the boulevard will remain closed to host a parade with bands and floats. Elsewhere in Paris, the Eiffel Tower also marks the New Year with a special light show, flashing a rainbow of colors and erupting in its signature sparkles. ― AFP-Relaxnews |
| Exotic pet warning: Reptiles a health risk to infants, study shows Posted: 22 Dec 2014 04:35 PM PST
Researchers in the southwestern English county of Cornwall found that out of 175 cases of salmonella in children under five over a three-year period, 27 per cent occurred in homes which had reptile pets. Salmonella is a germ that, in humans, can cause gastroenteritis, colitis, blood infections and meningitis. Reptiles, though, are unaffected by the bug, which colonises their gut and is passed on in their stools. If the pet is allowed to run free in the home, this poses a risk, especially if the child is at an exploratory stage of crawling or licking surfaces. The average age of children who fell ill with "reptile-associated salmonellosis" (RAS) was just six months, said the study, led by Dan Murphy of the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro. "RAS is associated with a severe outcome — hospitalisation and disease," it said. "Coupled with evidence of increasing ownership of indoor reptile pets, the incidence of RAS hospitalisation is likely to increase. Health professionals such as general practitioners and paediatricians need to be aware of this risk." The investigation is published in a specialised British journal, Archives of Disease in Childhood. A US study in 2004 estimated that RAS was behind 21 per cent of all of laboratory-confirmed cases of Salmonella among people aged under 21. — AFP |
| Next Media Video: Muhammad Ali in hospital with pneumonia Posted: 22 Dec 2014 04:22 PM PST Duration: 01:20, Published 23 Dec 2014 Three-time world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, who has been battling Parkinson's disease for three decades, has been hospitalised with mild pneumonia. ― Reuters |
| Sony hack: Internet appears crippled in North Korea Posted: 22 Dec 2014 04:21 PM PST
Pyongyang's apparent connection woes came after US President Barack Obama vowed to retaliate for the cyber assault on the Hollywood studio blamed by the FBI on the isolated Asian nation. While US officials refused to confirm whether Washington had already taken any action against Pyongyang, they did call for compensation for Sony which — following threats against movie-goers — pulled the Christmas Day debut of the comedy action film "The Interview," which lampoons North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. "If they want to help here they could admit their culpability and compensate Sony for the damages that they caused," State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters. According to respected US-based cyber security firm Dyn Research, Internet connectivity between North Korea and the outside world, never good at the best of times, seems to have been severely affected over the weekend. "I haven't seen such a steady beat of routing instability and outages in KP (North Korea) before," Doug Madory, director of Internet analysis at Dyn Research, told the North Korea Tech website. "Usually there are isolated blips, not continuous connectivity problems. I wouldn't be surprised if they are absorbing some sort of attack presently." North Korea's communist authorities however have denied being behind the Sony hacking that also led to the release of a slew of embarrassing company emails. Instead Pyongyang has called for a joint investigation, and vowed reprisals if the US brings in new sanctions, including putting the country back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. The diplomatic row comes as China failed yesterday to block the first-ever UN Security Council meeting on North Korea's dismal rights record after a strong majority of members voted in favour of it. North Korea has limited Internet access, available only to trusted government officials. Networks under duress Its main Internet presence is through its Uriminzokkiri website, which has Twitter and Flickr feeds and is best known for posting propaganda videos excoriating South Korea and the United States. Yesterday the website was slow to load, and then eventually just timed out. A graph by Dyn appeared to show that from around 2200 GMT Sunday to 1000 GMT Monday the number of unstable networks seen in North Korea dramatically increased. "Their networks are under duress," Madory told the New York Times. "This is consistent with a DDoS attack on their routers," he said, a reference to a "distributed denial of service" attack in which attackers flood a network until it collapses under the strain. Obama had vowed a "proportional" response, saying he saw the attack as an act of "cyber vandalism" not a declaration of war. But US officials have been tight-lipped about exactly what action they will take, and Harf refused to confirm reports that North Korea's cyberspace was under attack. The US administration is "discussing a range of options" in response to the Sony hacking, she said. "As we implement our responses, some will be seen, some may not be seen," she said. Washington has urged Beijing — Pyongyang's closest ally — to help rein in the North's cyber hacking activities, with US Secretary of State John Kerry speaking with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi over the weekend to discuss the problem. "Despite our differences, I would say on this or other issues, we have affirmed that malicious cyber activity like this attack can pose a risk to international peace and security," Harf told reporters. In Beijing, a foreign ministry statement yesterday said the country "opposes cyber attacks and cyber terrorism in all of its forms," without referring directly to North Korea. — AFP |
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