China's plans for Himalayan super dam stoke fears in India

China is planning a mega dam in Tibet able to produce triple the electricity generated by the Three Gorges—the world's largest power station—stoking fears among environmentalists and in neighbouring India.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-china-himalayan-super-stoke-india.html

Rhino population in Nepal grows in conservation boost

Nepal's population of endangered one-horned rhinoceros has grown by more than a hundred over the past six years, officials said, with campaigners hailing the increase as a conservation "milestone".

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-rhino-population-nepal-boost.html

Electric vehicle battery firms settle trade spat

Two big South Korean electric vehicle battery makers have settled a long-running trade dispute that will allow one of them to move ahead with plans to make batteries in Georgia, a person briefed on the matter says.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-04-electric-vehicle-battery-firms-spat.html

Famed Egyptian archaeologist reveals details of ancient city

Egypt's best-known archaeologist on Saturday revealed further details on a Pharaonic city recently found in the southern province of Luxor.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-famed-egyptian-archaeologist-reveals-ancient.html

Ash-covered St. Vincent braces for more volcanic eruptions

People who ignored an initial warning to evacuate the area closest to a volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent raced to get clear Saturday, a day after it erupted with an explosion that shook the ground, spewed ash skyward and blanketed the island in a layer of fine volcanic rock.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-ash-covered-st-vincent-braces-volcanic.html

NASA delays Mars copter flight for tech check

NASA has delayed by at least several days the first flight of its mini-helicopter on Mars after a possible tech issue emerged while testing its rotors, the US space agency said Saturday.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-nasa-mars-copter-flight-tech.html

Study: Facebook delivers biased job ads, skewed by gender

Facebook is showing different job ads to women and men in a way that might run afoul of anti-discrimination laws, according to a new study.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-04-facebook-biased-job-ads-skewed.html

St. Vincent awaits new volcanic explosions as help arrives

Cots, tents, and respirator masks poured into the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent as officials expected to start distributing them on Saturday, a day after a powerful explosion at La Soufriere volcano uprooted the lives of thousands of people who evacuated their homes under government orders.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-st-vincent-awaits-volcanic-explosions.html

Union drive at Amazon warehouse fails after bitter campaign

A contentious unionization drive at an Amazon warehouse in the southern US state of Alabama failed Friday as a vote count showed a wide majority of workers rejecting the move.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-04-union-amazon-warehouse-bitter-campaign.html

Duke University to require COVID vaccinations for fall term

Duke University will require all new and returning students to present proof of vaccination to student health officials before they can enroll for the fall semester, the school's president said Friday.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-duke-university-require-covid-vaccinations.html

4 gray whales found dead in San Francisco Bay Area in 9 days

Four dead gray whales have washed ashore San Francisco Bay Area beaches in the last nine days, with experts saying Friday one was struck by a ship. They were trying to determine how the other three died.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-gray-whales-dead-san-francisco.html

Two dead whales wash up on Bangladesh beach

Two dead whales have washed up on the same stretch of Bangladesh coastline in two days, officials said Saturday, raising suggestions that they were killed by sea pollution.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-dead-whales-bangladesh-beach.html

NASA space copter ready for first Mars flight

The helicopter that NASA has placed on Mars could make its first flight over the Red Planet within two days after a successful initial test of its rotors, the US space agency said Friday.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-nasa-space-copter-ready-mars.html

Workers urge Google parent to get tough on harassment

A letter calling for Google's parent company Alphabet to better protect people who report sexual harassment on the job was signed by more than 1,000 workers soon after being posted online Friday.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-04-workers-urge-google-parent-tough.html

All aboard! Next stop space...

Several hundred people have already booked their tickets and begun training for a spectacular voyage: a few minutes, or perhaps days, in the weightlessness of space.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-04-aboard-space.html

China hits Alibaba with record $2.78bn fine for market abuses

Chinese regulators hit e-commerce giant Alibaba with a record 18.2 billion yuan ($2.78 billion) fine on Saturday over practices deemed to be an abuse of the company's dominant market position.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-04-china-alibaba-278bn-fine-abuses.html