Cluster of Big Earthquakes Rattles Iceland’s Katla Volcano

Last night, a brief earthquake swarm rattled the caldera at Katla in southern Iceland. The largest earthquakes were over M4, ranging from a few kilometers deep to near the surface (although the depth locating is likely problematic for many of the smaller earthquakes).

 These M4+ earthquakes (see below) are the largest temblors to occur to Katla since 1977 (note: those earthquakes did not lead to any eruption). However, although a few of the earthquakes were fairly large, the swarm seems to have petered out quickly as seismicity returned to background levels by Icelandic morning.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office is reporting no tremor recorded currently at Katla, which suggests that at least for the moment, no magma is making its way to the surface. Icelandic officials have not changed the alert status for Katla from normal at this point.

China, US climate negotiators meet in Beijing

Full coverage: G20 Hangzhou Summit

As leaders from the G20 nations prepare to travel to Hangzhou, Chinese and US climate negotiators have met and held talks in Beijing. Both nations are hoping to show even greater momentum in tackling climate change, which is a key topic at the G20 summit.

Mosquitoes can spread Zika to their eggs, study shows

Miami-Dade mosquito control worker Carlos Vargas points to the Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae at a home in Miami, Florida, on June 7, 2016. Female mosquitoes can transmit the Zika virus to their eggs and offspring, suggesting that efforts to kill adult mosquitoes will fall short, researchers said August 29, 2016.

Female mosquitoes can transmit the Zika virus to their eggs and offspring, suggesting that efforts to kill adult mosquitoes will fall short, researchers said Monday.

Enyeama @34: Remembering Nigeria’s most capped player and free-scoring goalkeeper

Monday marks another milestone in the life of ex Nigerian captain and goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, the most capped Nigerian footballer ever.

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 He was capped 101 times and it would have been more had he chosen to continue at a time his experience was till needed.

Born August 29, 1982 Enyeama is also an exceptional goalkeeper. He is a consistent goalkeeper who scores goals, mostly from penalty kicks just like Colombian Rene Higuita. Enyeama has scored a record 20 goals, from his first club Ibom Stars (1999-2000) till date.

Nigeria’s Oshoala on target as Arsenal Ladies beat Notts County

Nigeria’s Super Falcons striker Asisat Oshoala was on target as Arsenal Ladies secured a 2-0 win over Notts County in the Women’s Super League on Sunday.

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The Gunners grabbed the lead when Oshoala rounded Notts County keeper Megan Walsh before slotting in the opener in the 47th minute.

Arsenal’s Emma Byrne was dismissed for a foul on former Gunner Ellen White in the second half.
But the London side scored again just 10 minutes after the red card.
Oshoala has now scored 2 goals in 9 games in the English Womens Super League this season.

China unveils first Mars mission details

Concept portrayal of China's Mars rover and lander released on August 23, 2016 by lunar probe and space project center of Chinese State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.

China has unveiled details of its first mission to Mars, expected to be launched in 2020. On Tuesday (23 August) the Chinese State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence released images of designs for a probe and rover that will make their way to the Red Planet, state news agency Xinhua reported.

All hail Octobot! Harvard debuts adorable 3D-printed soft robot

 

Not all robots are metal monstrosities with unchecked artificial intelligence that could jeopardize mankind's future. Meet Octobot, a 3D-printed autonomous soft robot out of Harvard crafted exclusively of flexible parts.

Obama creates world’s largest marine protected area

FILE - In this Aug. 4, 2016 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon. The White House says that Obama will expand a national monument off the coast of Hawaii, creating the world’s largest marine protected area.

President Barack Obama on Friday expanded a national monument off the coast of Hawaii, creating a safe zone for tuna, sea turtles and thousands of other species in what will be the world’s largest marine protected area.

Intelsat S.A. (NYSE:I),

 Operator of the world’s first Globalized Network, powered by its leading satellite backbone, today announced that Intelsat 33e, the second of seven planned Intelsat EpicNG high throughput satellites, was launched successfully from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle. Liftoff occurred at 6:16 p.m. EDT. The Intelsat 33e satellite separated from the rocket’s upper stage at 6:44 p.m. EDT, and signal acquisition has been confirmed.

Newly-discovered 'micro lion' was a feisty creature

Despite being the smallest of its kind, Microleo attenboroughi was still a predator to be reckoned with.

Don’t let its cute exterior fool you – this tiny creature was a fierce predator in its day. Paleontologists from the University of New South Wales have announced a new species of marsupial lion that lived about 18 million years ago. Skull fragments and teeth belonging to the now-extinct creature were unearthed at the Riversleigh World Heritage fossil site in Queensland, Australia.

Gareth Bale's New Contract Shows His Turnaround at Real Madrid Is Complete

Real Madrid's start to the 2016/17 season has been near-perfect: a win in the UEFA Super Cup, an opening-day victory inLaLiga at Real Sociedad with a clean sheet and now news that several players are about to be tied down to new contracts.

Marca's Carlos Carpio reported that the Spanish club are to handGareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Martin Odegaard new long-term deals, and while all three are cause for celebration for Los Blancos' fans, it is Bale's that is most noteworthy.

I Don’t Know What I Did To Dalung - Siasia

Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung

Nigeria U-23 head coach, Samson Siasia has admitted he does not know what he did to the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung to deserve the manner of treatment he got from the minister.

Thousands of strange blue lakes are appearing in Antarctica, and it’s very bad news

Scientists have confirmed that thousands of pristine blue lakes have appeared on the ice sheets of East Antarctica, and it’s got them very worried.

The problem? They’ve seen this kind of thing happen before. Greenland’s ice sheet has been disintegrating rapidly, losing a whopping 1 trillion tonnes of ice between 2011 and 2014, and research suggests it’s because of these lakes.

Nearby Earth-Sized Exoplanet GJ 1132b Might Have Oxygen-Rich Atmosphere

A new study revealed that the first rocky planet beyond our solar system containing oxygen might not be suitable for life.

The study, published in the Astrophysical Journal, showed that the Venus-like planet, about 39 light years away from Earth, might have a thin and wispy atmosphere, indicating the presence of oxygen.

Ants Mistakened For Fire At French Church

In Lisieux, north of France, firefighters rushed to tackle what seemed to be a flame at a church, only to find that it was a giant swarm of flying ants.

The incident happened at the basilica on Wednesday.

A local resident had raised the alarm after seeing “smoke” apparently coming out from the church roof.
Laurent Boivin at the town’s centre for emergencies said “we quickly identified the cloud as flying insects. We had feared a big fire inside the basilica.”
“It was sheer coincidence that the ants chose to swarm above the basilica,” he added.
According to scientists, ants pick a summer day for mating by sensing temperature, humidity and day length.
They like warm, humid conditions, which make it easier for them to fly and for mated queens to dig nests in the soft ground. Queens mate with males during flight.

Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt smuggled Brazilian student Jady Duarte into the Olympic village

Usain Bolt's post-Olympics partying is showing no signs of slowing down.

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Details of how Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt smuggled a 20-year-old Brazilian student into the Olympic village on his 30th birthday have emerged.

Nasa launches million dollar contest to create 'Valkyrie' AI robot that will accompany astronauts on the first mission to Mars

Nasa has launched a competition encouraging teams to develop and display the ability of a Robonaut 5 robot (pictured) with a series of tasks in a virtual environment. Called Space Robotics Challenge, teams will create skills for aligning a communications array, repairing a broken solar array and identifying and repairing a habitat leak

Nasa is competition challenges innovators to program a R5 with skills for aligning a communications array, repairing a broken solar array and identifying and repairing a habitat leak - all in a virtual environment.

Nigeria to experience annular eclipse on September 1

Nigeria is set to experience an annular solar eclipse that will be visible all over the country with different degrees of totality on September 1, 2016, even as astronomers in the United States (U.S.) prepare for a spectacle of solar eclipse on August 21, 2017.

An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object is temporarily obscured, either by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer.

The term eclipse is most often used to describe either a solar eclipse, when the Moon’s shadow crosses the Earth’s surface, or a lunar eclipse, when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow.

American Swimmers Pulled Off Plane in Rio

Jack Conger, left, and Gunnar Bentz after they were taken off a flight to the United States.

Two American swimmers were pulled off their flight to the United States by the Brazilian authorities and detained for several hours on Wednesday night, Olympic officials said. It was the latest indication that the police were skeptical of the swimmers’ claims that they had been held up at gunpoint during the Rio Games.

João Havelange, Who Transformed Soccer for Good and Bad, Dies at 100

FIFA President Joao Havelange hands a soccer ball to Pope John Paul II during a visit to Vatican City in December 1989.

João Havelange, who transformed FIFA from a tiny administrative office into the most powerful sports organization on the planet amid great controversy and ceaseless accusations of corruption, died Tuesday at age 100, FIFA confirmed.

Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Poldolski to play final Germany games

Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski were part of Germany's 2014 World Cup triumph.

Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski will receive an official send-off and represent Germany one final time, the German FA (DFB) has announced.

Scientists may have found 'fifth force of nature'

Scientists at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), believe they have identified a “fifth force of nature.”

“If true, it’s revolutionary,” said Jonathan Feng, professor of physics and astronomy, in a press release. “For decades, we’ve known of four fundamental forces: gravitation, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces. If confirmed by further experiments, this discovery of a possible fifth force would completely change our understanding of the universe, with consequences for the unification of forces and dark matter.”