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Scientists Turn Cockroaches into Superbugs to Help Rescuers in Disaster Sites

A Madagascar hissing cockroach is pictured in this photo provided by the San Francisco Zoo. | REUTERS
A Madagascar hissing cockroach is pictured in this photo provided by the San Francisco Zoo. | REUTERS
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Scientists Turn Cockroaches into Superbugs to Help Rescuers in Disaster Sites

A Madagascar hissing cockroach is pictured in this photo provided by the San Francisco Zoo. | REUTERS
A Madagascar hissing cockroach is pictured in this photo provided by the San Francisco Zoo. | REUTERS

Cockroaches are known to infiltrate homes through the tiniest of gaps, and this innate ability now has engineers in Singapore working to turn the pesky insect into an ally of rescuers at disaster sites.

One variety of the insect, in particular, has the team at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) excited – the Madagascar hissing cockroach. On average, an adult is 6cm long, 2cm longer than the local variety.

The species is large enough for associate professor Hirotaka Sato and his team at the school of mechanical and aerospace engineering, to equip the bug with a 5.5g “backpack” consisting of several sensors, including those that can warn of the presence of gasses such as carbon dioxide.

The cyborg bugs also carry a small infrared camera that can detect life by picking up temperature signatures. The idea is to release a team of them at a disaster site.

Prof. Sato’s research, which started four years ago, is being conducted in partnership with Singapore’s Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) and engineering firm Klass Engineering and Solutions.

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Varieties

Greece Battles New Fire Near Athens Driven by Winds

This photograph taken on August 5, 2026, shows a burnt area after a wildfire in Porto Germeno, some 70 kilometers (45 miles) northwest of Athens. (Photo by Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP)
This photograph taken on August 5, 2026, shows a burnt area after a wildfire in Porto Germeno, some 70 kilometers (45 miles) northwest of Athens. (Photo by Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP)
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Greece Battles New Fire Near Athens Driven by Winds

This photograph taken on August 5, 2026, shows a burnt area after a wildfire in Porto Germeno, some 70 kilometers (45 miles) northwest of Athens. (Photo by Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP)
This photograph taken on August 5, 2026, shows a burnt area after a wildfire in Porto Germeno, some 70 kilometers (45 miles) northwest of Athens. (Photo by Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP)

A new wildfire broke out in Greece Monday morning southeast of the capital Athens, fanned by strong winds of more than 70 kilometers per hour, firefighters said.

At least 172 firefighters and around 40 vehicles have been deployed to fight the blaze in Kouvaras, 60 km (37 miles) southeast of Athens, in the Attica region, the fire service announced on X.

"Two water-bombing aircraft and four helicopters" are also taking part, the service added.

Agios Stylianos, a village near Kouvaras, has been ordered to evacuate by civil protection authorities.

Just hours later the flames appeared to have subsided, an AFP photographer said.

It marks the second fire near Athens this summer, after one that broke out 10 days ago northwest of the Greek capital and destroyed more than 11,000 hectares of pine forests and farmland.

Because of gusts reaching up to 130 km/h, it took five days to bring the fire under control.
Two helicopter crew members died in a collision with another helicopter while battling the flames.

Like much of the Mediterranean, Greece has experienced increasingly frequent and intense wildfires that scientists link to climate change.

The country remains on extreme alert and several regions are still classified at a very high fire risk.

Experts have warned about the increased severity of the fires affecting Attica, where Athens is located.

From 2017 to 2026, 42 percent of the total forest area in the region burned because of 15 major fires.

Varieties

Etna Volcano Ash Cloud Halts Arrivals at Sicily’s Catania Airport

Lava flows from Mount Etna as lights from nearby communities are seen in the background during an eruption in Sicily, Italy, July 30, 2026. (Reuters)
Lava flows from Mount Etna as lights from nearby communities are seen in the background during an eruption in Sicily, Italy, July 30, 2026. (Reuters)
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Etna Volcano Ash Cloud Halts Arrivals at Sicily’s Catania Airport

Lava flows from Mount Etna as lights from nearby communities are seen in the background during an eruption in Sicily, Italy, July 30, 2026. (Reuters)
Lava flows from Mount Etna as lights from nearby communities are seen in the background during an eruption in Sicily, Italy, July 30, 2026. (Reuters)

Flights ‌arriving at Catania airport in eastern Sicily were suspended until 1500 GMT on Monday after volcanic ash from a fresh eruption of Mount Etna drifted into airspace around the airport, operator SAC said.

Etna, which towers over Sicily's east coast, is one of ‌the world's most ‌active volcanoes and ‌frequently ⁠disrupts air traffic at ⁠Catania, the island's main airport and Italy's fifth busiest by passenger traffic.

"As the situation is significantly affecting operations, passengers are kindly advised to check the status ⁠of their flight with their ‌airline before ‌heading to the airport", SAC said in ‌a statement on Monday.

The situation ‌is being constantly monitored, and further updates will be provided depending on the evolution of volcanic activity and ‌weather conditions, it added.

The latest eruptive phase on Europe's ⁠highest ⁠volcano was continuing from vents at altitudes of 2,750 meters (9,022 ft) and 2,360 meters, feeding several lava flows and creating extensive lava fields, Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) said.

INGV's Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) remained at the highest alert level, red, indicating ongoing hazards for aircraft from ash emissions.

Varieties

Porter Airlines Flight in Canada Canceled after Child Refuses to Sit Down and Buckle Up

A Porter Airlines plane taxis to a terminal in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, July 6, 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
A Porter Airlines plane taxis to a terminal in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, July 6, 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
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Porter Airlines Flight in Canada Canceled after Child Refuses to Sit Down and Buckle Up

A Porter Airlines plane taxis to a terminal in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, July 6, 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
A Porter Airlines plane taxis to a terminal in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, July 6, 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

A Porter Airlines flight in Canada was canceled last week after a young child refused to sit down and buckle up, forcing the plane back to the terminal and delaying it past the airport’s runway closure.

The Toronto-based airline said Sunday the parent and crew repeatedly tried unsuccessfully to secure the child in the seat before returning the plane to the terminal in Victoria International Airport in British Columbia to remove the parent and child, The Associated Press said.

Porter said removing the parent and child and their baggage delayed the Toronto-bound flight on Thursday past the airport's 12:30 a.m. runway closure, forcing the remaining passengers to disembark.

Porter apologized to the other passengers, who were rebooked on a flight the following day.