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In 1917, Hawaii planted albizia to restore slopes; after 2014's Hurricane Iselle, the brittle invader helped drive $13 million in utility repairs

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Albizia was planted in Hawaiʻi to help eroding hillsides. More than a century later, it is a costly invader. (Unsplash)

Hawaii once planted a tree to protect its hillsides. Today, that same tree is associated with damaged homes and costly power repairs. The Big Island Invasive Species Committee, a group based on Hawaii Island, says foresters brought albizia to Hawaii because they wanted trees that grew quickly on eroding slopes. But the plan backfired over … Read more

US calls report on Trumps deportation drive fake news; claims historic drop in illegal immigration

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US Department of Homeland Security has disputed an analysis of deportations under President Donald Trump. (Unsplash)

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has disputed an analysis of deportations under President Donald Trump, defending its immigration crackdown after the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) estimated that the administration had deported about 980,000 people during its first 18 months in office. US Department of Homeland Security has disputed an analysis of deportations under … Read more

Barclays to cut 5,000 jobs as AI-led cost-cutting drive expands after mixed Q3 results and trading revenue falls

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Barclays plans to cut 5,000 jobs as part of its AI-led cost-cutting drive. (Reuters)

British bank Barclays Plc has announced plans to cut 5,000 jobs, or about 5% of its total workforce, as part of a wider effort to reduce costs and improve efficiency using technology and artificial intelligence (AI). According to Barclays’ third-quarter earnings statement, the bank is focusing on simplifying its organisation and making its operations more … Read more

Microsoft President warns Trumps H-1B, green card crackdown could drive tech talent out of US

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Microsoft President Brad Smith has warned the Trump administration that restricting skilled immigrants’ path to green card could weaken the US technology sector. (Bloomberg)

Microsoft President Brad Smith has warned the Trump administration that restricting skilled immigrants’ path to permanent residency could weaken the US technology sector and drive top talent to other countries, days after the government moved to block Microsoft and seven other companies from seeking green cards for foreign workers. Microsoft President Brad Smith has warned … Read more

Miami Beach’s Savoy Hotel dates to the 1930s and survived decades on Ocean Drive; Florida laws could now allow most of it and the neighboring Arlington to be demolished for a 38-story, 480-foot tower

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Miami Beach’s Savoy Hotel dates to the 1930s and survived decades on Ocean Drive; Florida laws could now allow most of it and the neighboring Arlington to be demolished for a 38-story, 480-foot tower

Photo credit: State Archives of Florida/FloridaMemory.com The Savoy Hotel has stood on Miami Beach’s Ocean Drive since 1937, a low-rise Art Deco landmark in a neighbourhood defined by that style. Now, a plan filed by Allied Partners would demolish most of the Savoy and the neighbouring Arlington Hotel to make way for a 38-story, 480-foot … Read more

American chestnut returns to Bronx Zoo more than 120 years after blight was first documented; 25 hybrid saplings planted on 265-acre grounds; NYC expands 1,000-tree restoration drive after disease killed nearly 4 billion trees

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American chestnut returns to Bronx Zoo more than 120 years after blight was first documented; 25 hybrid saplings planted on 265-acre grounds; NYC expands 1,000-tree restoration drive after disease killed nearly 4 billion trees

American chestnut trees are returning to the Bronx Zoo more than 120 years after the blight was first documented. (Photo: TACF.org) More than 120 years after the American chestnut blight was first documented at the Bronx Zoo, the iconic tree is making a historic return to the same grounds where its devastating decline was first … Read more

Oil prices hit 11-day low: How US-Iran talks, Saudi shipments drive crude lower

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Oil prices fall as US-Iran talks and Saudi oil shipments ease supply fears. (Pexel/Representative image) (Pexel)

Oil prices fell to their lowest level in 11 days on Monday, as investors looked for signs that the US-Iran conflict could move toward diplomacy and watched for a recovery in Saudi Arabia’s oil shipments. Oil prices fall as US-Iran talks and Saudi oil shipments ease supply fears. (Pexel/Representative image) (Pexel) Brent crude futures fell … Read more

Greenland and Antarctica have lost 11,309 billion tonnes of ice between 1979 and 2023, raising sea levels by 31.4 mm; glaciers drive 84% of loss, surface melting 16%

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Greenland and Antarctica have lost 11,309 billion tonnes of ice between 1979 and 2023, raising sea levels by 31.4 mm; glaciers drive 84% of loss, surface melting 16%

Greenland and Antarctica have lost 11,309 billion tonnes of ice since 1979. (Photo: SWNS) Greenland and Antarctica have lost a combined 11.3 billion tonnes of ice since the late 1970s, contributing more than 3 centimetres to global sea level rise, according to a new international assessment by polar scientists.As per SWNS, the comprehensive study, led … Read more

A teenager who survived childhood cancer started collecting LEGO for the hospital that treated him; his drive has now donated 573 mini-figures and raised $2,575

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A teenager who survived childhood cancer started collecting LEGO for the hospital that treated him; his drive has now donated 573 mini-figures and raised $2,575

Sometimes a small act of kindness goes so far that it touches your heart for an entire lifetime. Alexander Ackled-Dold still remembers the little things when he was receiving treatment for leukaemia as a child at Southlake’s pediatric oncology clinic. The teen recounted how the staff were always kind as he was in and out … Read more

In the 1850s, pigs brought to Santa Cruz Island became feral; golden eagles drawn by piglets helped drive foxes down 95%, then 5,036 pigs were removed as foxes rebounded to 1,300+

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In the 1850s, pigs brought to Santa Cruz Island became feral; golden eagles drawn by piglets helped drive foxes down 95%, then 5,036 pigs were removed as foxes rebounded to 1,300+

An ambitious conservation project off the coast of California has helped save the endangered Santa Cruz Island fox from near extinction. The rescue effort involved removing 5,036 feral pigs, allowing the native island fox (Urocyon littoralis santacruzae) population to recover from fewer than 100 animals to more than 1,300 across the 96-square-mile island. According to … Read more