New species of “deceptively cute” but fearsome ancient whale named after local who found its skull on beach

Australian scientists have discovered a razor-toothed whale that prowled the seas 26 million years ago, saying Wednesday the species was “deceptively cute” but a fearsome predator. Museums Victoria pieced together the species from an unusually well-preserved skull fossil found on Victoria’s Surf Coast in 2019. In a study published Tuesday, scientists say they discovered a … Read more

Roblox, one of the world’s most popular gaming platforms, bans hate speech. Users have found a way to spread it anyway.

Editor’s note: This article contains descriptions and an image of hate speech found on the Roblox servers and might be triggering to some readers. In Roblox, one of the world’s largest online gaming platforms, users join to play, create, and be themselves in a virtual world — but some might be there for a more … Read more

United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket blasts off on first Space Force-sanctioned flight

United Launch Alliance fired off its first operational Vulcan rocket Tuesday, boosting two military satellites into space in the first U.S. Space Force-sanctioned flight of a new launcher that eventually will replace the company’s Atlas 5 and already-retired Deltas. Equipped with four solid-fuel strap-on boosters for additional takeoff power, the 198-foot-tall Vulcan’s two methane-fueled BE-4 … Read more

‘Our work is largely invisible’: Journey from outer space to frontline aid worker

Ahead of donning a beige WFP vest and boots to face hurricanes, wars and refugee camps, the Portuguese scientist worked with satellite imagery and cartography, creating maps to support humanitarian missions, until he realised he didn’t want to stay behind a computer screen. On the occasion of World Humanitarian Day, marked annually on 19 August, … Read more

World News in Brief: Sudan hospitals under fire, world remembers victims of terrorism, DR Congo

A grenade attack inside Zalingei Hospital in Darfur State, led Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to suspend all of its activities there yesterday.   MSF had previously led a cholera emergency response at the medical facility, providing life-saving treatment for 160 patients in the past two weeks alone. “The rules of war are clear that the wounded … Read more

Terror threat posed by ISIL ‘remains volatile and complex,’ Security Council hears

While multiple Da’esh leaders have perished in the past few years, “the group has managed to retain its operational capacity”, Vladimir Voronkov, head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) told the Security Council Wednesday.   Da’esh makes use of regional and domestic affiliates and continues to receive substantial global donations, operating through regional hubs … Read more

It’s time to end physical punishment of kids once and for all, WHO says

Corporal punishment refers most frequently to hitting children but can refer to any punishments inflicted by parents, caregivers or teachers which are intended to cause some degree of discomfort. It can happen in the home or in more public settings like the school classroom.   But wherever it happens, this sort of punishment has wide-ranging effects, … Read more

UN agencies warn of rising heat stress risks for workers worldwide

The new joint report, Climate change and workplace heat stress, underscores the mounting risks as climate change fuels longer, more extreme, and more frequent heatwaves. Stressing that workers in agriculture, construction, and fisheries are already suffering the impacts of dangerous temperatures, the report points out that vulnerable groups in developing countries – including children, older adults, … Read more