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 S17S45Biden's 'hard look' at liquefied natural gas exports raises a critical question: How does natural gas fit with US climate goals?   Emily Grubert served in 2021-2022 as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Carbon Management and, later, as Senior Advisor in the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management at the US Department of Energy, which has permitting authority over LNG terminals. She was not involved with LNG decisions.The Biden administration has frozen pending decisions on permit applications to export liquefied natural gas, or LNG, to countries other than U.S. free trade partners. During this pause, which will last for up to 15 months, the administration has pledged to take a “hard look” at economic, environmental and national security issues associated with exporting LNG.
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S39Gaza is now the frontline of a global information war  The conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine have become key battlegrounds in an information war that goes far wider than their tightly drawn physical borders. Carefully crafted social media posts and other online propaganda are fighting to make people around the world take sides, harden their positions and even move broader public opinion. Propaganda has always been a weapon of war, but the digital revolution increases its reach, immediacy and effectiveness and makes it a more potent tool. This makes it harder and harder for the average person, as well as professionals with expertise, to work out what is true and what isn’t.
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S1How much it costs to attend the Burning Man festival  It's not easy – or cheap – to pop up a bustling city from empty desert ground. But that's exactly what happens at the Burning Man festival, held annually in Nevada's Black Rock Desert.
Burning Man started in 1986 at a San Francisco beach with 35 people united by "the pursuit of a more creative and connected existence in the world"; this week, nearly 70,000 people are making their way out of the muddy desert after Burning Man's 37th year. The now nine-day festival has morphed into a massive brand and destination, where so-called "Burners" from around the world build a civilisation together from scratch, complete with art installations, healing camps, inspiring talks and live DJs.
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S23The motherhood pay gap: Why women's earnings decline after having children  Inequalities between men and women persist in many areas, with women still earning less than men on average. An even more striking difference is the “motherhood pay gap” that happens when women have children. Also known as the “family gap” or child penalties, women’s earnings plummet after the birth of a child, while men’s barely budge.Many studies have investigated the causes of gender inequalities and concluded that women have been unable to catch up to the earnings level of men in part because of parenting responsibilities.
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S61Nintendo Switch Just Quietly Added This Lo-fi Horror Masterpiece  At the start of any year, people seem like they're only waking up. The same is true for video games — anticipation builds up as releases slow down, and, before you know it, you're dropping 60 hours into Palworld just to take the edge off. The timing is just right for a lo-fi horror game that until now could only have been played on PC. Enter Alisa: Developer's Cut, coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on February 6.Belgian indie developer Casper Croes first released a demo (which is free-to-play on Steam and itch.io) for the Alice in Wonderland spin-off Alisa in 2020. Around then, he raised over $30,000 on Kickstarter to fund the project before fully releasing the game on PC in 2021. Screenshots of its lo-fi Victorian mansion have since periodically blown up on Twitter. In other words, the few enthusiasts who played the game kept it going for years. Now, it’s about to get the wide release it deserves.
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S38S66'Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth' Devs Address Fan Theory That Remake Trilogy Is a Sequel  Ever since the release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake almost four years ago, one fan theory has run wild: this new trilogy isn’t just a reimagining but a sequel. It’s a tantalizing idea that has fans wondering if events in Remake are actually happening post-Final Fantasy 7 in an alternate universe. The theory is pushed forward by an array of story changes, certain characters being aware of events they shouldn’t be, and the return of Zack Fair, all of which has only created even more anticipation for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.Final Fantasy 7 is a game with an undeniable legacy, and Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi knows that full well. When asked about the sequel fan theory, he coyly admits that the team is aware of the feeling of “anxiety” this might cause fans, especially in terms of how their favorite character’s fates could change.
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S7North Korea has demolished its monument to reunification but it can't fully erase the dream  North Korea has demolished the Arch of Reunification, a monument that symbolised hope for reconciliation with the South. The decision to demolish the monument came shortly after the regime’s leader, Kim Jong-un, delivered a speech declaring it an “eyesore”. In the same speech, Kim said that the peaceful reunification of the two Koreas, which have remained divided since August 1945, was no longer possible and called for an amendment to the North Korean constitution to reflect South Korea’s status as his country’s “principal enemy”.
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S44Synthetic human embryos let researchers study early development while sidestepping ethical and logistical hurdles  Embryonic development, also known as embryogenesis, is a cornerstone in understanding the origins of life. But studying this marvel of intricate and layered biological processes in people faces considerable challenges. Early-stage human embryos are difficult to obtain. Then there are ethical issues surrounding their use. This has made it difficult for scientists to understand early human development.Embryogenesis begins with the fertilization of an egg. This triggers the egg to rapidly divide into embryonic cells that soon form an inner cell mass that eventually develops into the fetus and a outer layer of cells that will give rise to the placenta.
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S48Could flag football one day leapfrog tackle football in popularity?  One hundred years into the future, what if millions of people gathered every February, not to watch the Super Bowl, but to instead watch the annual world flag football championship?Once a casual activity played at family reunions, the competitive sport of flag football is “soaring,” “exploding” and “skyrocketing in popularity nationwide,” according to mainstream news outlets.
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S19S43Indonesians head to polls amid concerns over declining democracy, election integrity and vote buying  In a record year for elections around the world, Indonesia’s Feb. 14, 2024, vote is set to be one of the largest – and it will be one of the sternest tests for democracy’s progress.Voters are expected to turn out in record numbers to choose between some 20,000 national, provincial and district parliamentary representatives in what will be the world’s largest single-day election – unlike, say, in the U.S., Indonesia does not allow votes to be cast in advance.
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S58Your ultimate Persona 3 Reload quiz and exam cheat sheet  Person 3 Reload is a remake even bigger than the original game, filled with new story elements, social links, and more. Of course, if you want to max all those links you’ll need to raise the protagonist's social stats to the max. While there are plenty of activities to do that, one of the easiest ways is to make sure you get every single answer right while attending class at Gekkoukan High. While Reload is a remake, it’s completely changes all of the questions you’re asked during classes, midterms, and finals. To that end, we’ve compiled a list of every quiz and test answer in Persona 3 Reload, making it as easy as possible.
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S67'Final Fantasy VII' Director Talks Star Wars, Remakes, And What's Next  It’s the 30th of January, a chilly night in Piccadilly, London and I’m sitting right at the back of a packed screening room, eyes locked on a giant two-handed sword with sharp obsidian edges and an unwieldy shape that make it look more like an obelisk than a weapon. Set against the black background on an illuminated stage, it looks as though it was plucked straight from a fictional universe — which is exactly the intent. This replica is Cloud Strife’s “buster sword,” the impossibly huge weapon carried by the series’ protagonist that has come to visually define Final Fantasy VII. I wonder how many people in the audience wished – as I wished – they could hold and lift it, to pretend for just a moment that they’re the hero of a tale that changed video games.Yoshinori Kitase stands at the other end of the stage with a translator, ready to give a masterclass on his long career in video games. Kitase is dressed in dark colors and has a low, pleasant voice. We’re in the Princess Anne Theatre at the BAFTA building. BAFTA Games is a renowned UK arts charity for “celebrating & supporting” the games industry. In 2021 the organization nominated part one of the remake of Final Fantasy VII (which Kitase produced) for two awards. The second part of the remake (named Final Fantasy VII Rebirth) is due to release at the end of February, after four years of debate and speculation about how the developers will handle the rest of the original story. I’m excited to see what Kitase has to say about his career, and especially the original FFVII, but I (and I’m sure many people in the room) also hope for more information on Rebirth.
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S5519 Years Ago, Marvel's Most Iconic Hero Nearly Played a DC Villain  Tony Stark is Iron Man, and by extension, so is Robert Downey Jr. The actor is synonymous with the role that put Marvel Studios on the map, and for good reason. Downey portrayed Stark for over a decade; his tenure with Marvel rehabilitated his career in a major way, and vice-versa for the then-struggling studio. It’s hard to imagine the actor outside the role, especially since his post-Marvel projects have felt a bit lackluster.Downey’s appearance in Oppenheimer is a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing output. As Lewis Strauss, Downey turned in another career-best performance, causing many to wonder why it’s taken so long for him to connect with director Christopher Nolan. The answer, it seems, is a pretty simple one. The duo nearly worked together almost 20 years ago, on a very different superhero movie: Nolan’s Batman Begins.
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S4Why companies often get Lunar New Year wrong in the workplace  For Lunar New Year, Aivee's office was decorated with Chinese lanterns. The Sydney location of the global tech-consulting firm, where she worked as a lawyer, also hosted a traditional lion dance, and convened a panel discussion about Lunar New Year traditions that lacked diverse representation other than one Chinese colleague.Yet 32-year-old Aivee, who is Malaysian, felt dissatisfied. The entire effort felt lacklustre, if not generic. Little about the organisation of the festivities, she says, felt inclusive or genuine. "I came in with the expectations of hearing more about Lunar New Year traditions of different Asian countries across the office."
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S12S13Israel isn't complying with the International Court of Justice ruling -- what happens next?  More than a week has passed since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) mandated provisional measures against Israel following South Africa’s accusation of genocide.The court’s demands were clear: Israel must take immediate steps to prevent genocidal actions in Gaza; prevent and punish incitement to genocide; allow access to humanitarian aid; and prevent the destruction and ensure the preservation of evidence of alleged crimes. It must also report back to the court within a month on the implementation of these measures.
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S35Macky Sall throws Senegal's democratic credentials into doubt  Senegal’s President Macky Sall announced in early February that presidential elections, originally scheduled for 25 February, would be postponed indefinitely. The announcement has raised fears of popular protests, violent repression, a once democratic president transforming into an authoritarian ruler – and possibly even another coup d’état in west Africa. There has been a flurry of coups in the region since 2020 – Mali in August that year followed by a second in 2021. Guinea also saw a coup that year and Burkina Faso a year later. In July 2023 the military took control in Niger.
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S68"Trench Foot" Is Just One Risk Of Cold Water Therapy --  Immersion in cold water is definitely an activity that divides people — some love it, others hate it. But many now practice it weekly or even daily in the belief that it’s good for their mental and physical health.Cold water therapy, as it has come to be known, can take the form of outdoor swimming — in lakes, rivers, or the ocean — cold showers or even ice baths. It has been used for a while by sportspeople as a way to reduce muscle soreness and speed up recovery time — with people typically spending about ten minutes after exercise in cold water that’s about 10 to 15°C.
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S33S5A chocolate cake made for Denmark's newly crowned king  Conditori La Glace in the heart of Copenhagen has been crafting cakes and confectionery since 1870. From weddings to silver jubilees, Denmark's oldest patisserie has a tradition of celebrating royal occasions.On the morning of my visit, people were huddled outside its shopfront, taking photos of its window display where royal family portraits and vintage gold candlesticks stood alongside trays of fancy cakes.
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S16Why Heartstopper is Gen Z's defining publishing phenomenon  When Volume 5 of Heartstopper, Alice Oseman’s graphic novel series (turned Netflix adaptation, turned cultural juggernaut) was published in December last year, the book was declared an instant number-one bestseller. In Australia alone, it sold 12,300 copies in its first week.To every generation a publishing phenomenon is born – and for Generation Z, it’s Heartstopper, which Oseman started writing aged 22 (she’s still just 29).
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S24Proton beam therapy: A modern treatment for cancer, but not in Canada (yet)  Radiation is a targeted form of cancer treatment used for up to half of all patients with cancer. Most radiation treatments are delivered using focused X-rays. Because X-rays travel through tissues, this can lead to extra exposure to radiation for healthy organs and tissue. Proton beam therapy is a more precise treatment that can better focus radiation on a cancer, reducing the side-effects of treatment. However, proton therapy is not available in Canada. Currently, Canadians do not have easy access to this key cancer treatment.
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S32Five signs that you might be rightwing  Europe is anticipated to take a sharp right turn in this year’s European parliament elections. The past decade has already seen a rightward shift in India, and the United States has the greatest gap between left and right for 50 years. In light of these global trends, it’s crucial to understand what being “rightwing” actually means, rather than simply using the term as an insult.The idea of “the right” originated in the French National Assembly of 1789. There, it described those who supported giving the king veto powers (who were to gather on the right hand side of the assembly hall). Today, however, “the right” covers a wide range of political positions.
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S34Do women have to be naked to get into museums? Why female artists continue to be underrepresented in the art world  We challenge you to name, off the top of your head, a few women artists exhibited in museums. If male names come more readily to mind, it’s not by chance: women, in art as in many other spheres associated with a form of power, influence or prestige, are far less recognised, exhibited and studied than their male counterparts.The anger over this state of affairs boiled over decades ago. Back in the 1980s, the Guerrilla Girls, a collective of anonymous women artists, took issue with the lack of representation of women at the MoMa’s “International Retrospective of Contemporary Painting and Sculpture”, which aimed to showcase the biggest names in contemporary art. Of the 169 artists chosen, only 13 were women – less than 8%. The feminists would ask a question that would go on to ring into the 21st century: “Do women have to be naked to get into the Met museum?
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S46S64The Nintendo Switch Is on the Verge of Making Console History  Nintendo has released its yearly earnings report, and it’s filled with interesting tidbits of data on the last year’s releases. What’s particularly interesting, however, is the sales milestone the Nintendo Switch has hit of 139.36 million units sold. It officially puts the Switch as the third best-selling console of all time. Past that, though, Nintendo has increased its sales forecast of the system for the next fiscal year, and it’s starting to look entirely possible that the Switch could claim the coveted top record that the PlayStation 2 has held for nearly two decades. The Nintendo Switch has hit those sales numbers in a surprisingly short amount of time, especially when compared to the two systems sitting above it. The Nintendo DS was released in 2004 and stopped production in 2014, selling roughly 154 million units in that time. Meanwhile, the PS2 launched in 2000 and ended production in 2013, selling 155 million units. By comparison, the Nintendo Switch has achieved its sales numbers in far less time, just seven years after its launch in 2017.
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S10We've found out how earless moths use sound to defend themselves against bats - and it could give engineers new ideas  An acoustic battle between bats and their insect prey has been raging in the night skies for over 65 million years. Many different techniques are used, and our new study reveals the fascinating strategy of the small, deaf ermine moth, which has evolved a tiny wing structure that produces warning sounds. We hope this insight could inspire engineers to create new technology.Bats count on their secret weapon, echolocation, to find and catch their flying prey, and in response, nocturnal insects have evolved interesting defences. Many silk moths, for instance, rely on a kind of sound-absorbing stealth cloak that makes them “disappear” from bat sonar. Some large moth species have evolved reflective decoys that draw bat attacks away from their body and towards the tips of their wings.
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S52Ghana: Kumasi city's unplanned boom is destroying two rivers - sewage, heavy metals and chemical pollution detected  Ghana’s urban population has more than tripled in the past three decades, from 4 million to nearly 14 million people. Competition for land in cities has increased among various land uses. These trends have led to encroachment in ecologically sensitive areas such as wetlands.Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city, has a high level of encroachment and this has led to the pollution of water bodies. Kumasi’s population growth has been rapid because of its central and strategic location and its functions as a major commercial, traditional and administrative centre. In 2022, the population of Kumasi was 3,630,326 with a growth rate of 4.02%. The city’s growth puts pressure on its natural assets.
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S11One year on from Cyclone Gabrielle, NZ still needs a plan to fix its failing infrastructure  Cyclone Gabrielle caused chaos one year ago. Repairs due to that storm and the Auckland floods have required substantial time and resources. Hawkes Bay, parts of Auckland and the Coromandel all still bear the scars of the worst storm to hit New Zealand this century. The good news is that most initial repairs are complete. The bad news is that the restored infrastructure is just as vulnerable as it was prior to Gabrielle. Restoring infrastructure to the way it was before a natural disaster is not necessarily the best approach for a resilient future.
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S14S15More than 78 'friends' of the Supreme Court offer advice on the 14th Amendment and Trump's eligibility  Members of the U.S. Capitol Police targeted with “brutal violence” on Jan. 6, 2021, 25 historians of the U.S. Civil War and Reconstruction, the San Francisco Taxpayers Association and dozens of other parties have weighed in at the U.S. Supreme Court with their opinions about the case that has the potential to disqualify Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential election.The justices will hear oral arguments in that case, Trump v. Anderson, on Feb. 8. 2024. The plaintiffs, a group of Colorado voters, claim that under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Trump is not constitutionally qualified to run for president because he “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the U.S. Constitution. When the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump could not appear on that state’s ballot, Trump appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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