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Greece Experiences Weather 'Rollercoaster'

A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)
A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)
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Greece Experiences Weather 'Rollercoaster'

A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)
A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)

Greece is riding a weather "rollercoaster", with weekend temperatures spiking to a record high for March just ahead of a forecast bout of snow and frost, meteorologists said on Sunday.

The mercury soared to 31.4 degrees Celsius (88.5 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday in the central town of Livadia -- the highest-ever recorded for March, according to National Observatory of Athens’ Meteo.gr.

Across the country, other weather stations registered temperatures more typical of balmy May than the closing days of winter.

"The very high maximum temperatures recorded during the last four days (from Wednesday to Saturday) in the country, were record highs for the month of March in many areas," Meteo.gr said.

Following a surge of wildfires, a nationwide ban on burning material on rural properties is in effect until March 18.

"To have such temperatures so early in March, this has never happened before!" meteorologist Panagiotis Giannopoulos told ERT television.

The unusual spike was attributed to a blanket of Saharan dust in the air.

This winter is listed as the 13th warmest in Greece. The previous one, in 2023-2024, remains the warmest on record.

Inhabitants in Greece will have to brace for plunging temperatures from Tuesday, though, weather-watchers said.

"A cold air mass on Tuesday will give showers and snow all over the country," Giannopoulos said.

"In Athens, where today we have 27 degrees the maximum temperature will be 11 degrees. This is a rollercoaster," he added.

The abrupt change is particularly problematic for the agricultural sector.

In Greece's region of northern Macedonia -- which experienced 27 degrees on the weekend -- the expected frost is set to cause severe damage to fruit trees that are in full bloom.

Greece has become a climate-change hotspot. It had its hottest summer and warmest winter on record in 2024, according to data from the Meteo.gr network.

The year brought unprecedented temperatures, extreme rainfall and a notable frequency of impactful weather events.

Thirty-one significant weather incidents disrupted daily life in 2023, well above the 2000-2024 average, while nine weather-related deaths were registered.

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Benefit of Taking Magnesium Does Not Get Enough Attention

Nutrition experts recommended trying to get more of magnesium in our diet from food first (Harvard University)
Nutrition experts recommended trying to get more of magnesium in our diet from food first (Harvard University)
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Benefit of Taking Magnesium Does Not Get Enough Attention

Nutrition experts recommended trying to get more of magnesium in our diet from food first (Harvard University)
Nutrition experts recommended trying to get more of magnesium in our diet from food first (Harvard University)

Nutrition experts revealed that magnesium is often not given the same attention as other vitamins and minerals, although it plays a pivotal role in supporting the overall health of our body, especially improving blood sugar management and supporting neuro-psychological balance.

According to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), magnesium is an abundant mineral in our body and it’s naturally present in many foods.

The mineral is required in more than 300 different reactions in our body, including those that regulate muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure.

“Magnesium plays a role in how our body handles sugar,” Scott Keatley, RD, co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy told Prevention magazine.

“It helps with the action of insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar levels.” When you have enough magnesium in your body, insulin can work better and your body can manage blood sugar more effectively, Keatley said.

Also, stress can cause our body to use more magnesium than usual, which can limit our body’s ability to do other tasks with the nutrient, Keatley said.

“In addition, magnesium can help reduce the release of stress hormones like cortisol,” he said. “It’s like a natural chill pill that can help keep our body’s stress response in check.”

Magnesium helps regulate brain function and mood. It plays a role in releasing and using neurotransmitters, which are chemicals in our brain that affect our mood and emotions.

The mineral may help improve bone density and decrease fracture risk.
“Magnesium is stored in bones and is an important part of bone health,” said Deborah Cohen, DCN, an associate professor in the department of clinical and preventive nutrition sciences at Rutgers University School of Health Professions.

At baseline, magnesium can help to relax and widen your blood vessels, Keatley said. “This makes it easier for blood to flow and can help lower blood pressure,” he added. “It’s like making the highways wider so that traffic can move more smoothly.”

A 2025 review in hypertension found that magnesium seems to be beneficial for lowering blood pressure in people with high blood pressure and magnesium deficiency, but larger studies are needed.

There are a lot of foods that are high in magnesium. Nutrition experts recommended trying to get more of the nutrient in our diet from food first.

These are the most magnesium-rich foods, according to the NIH are: Pumpkin seeds, Chia seeds, almonds, spinach, cashews, peanuts, shredded wheat, soymilk, black beans, edamame, peanut butter, potato with skin, brown rice and plain yogurt.

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SpaceX Prioritizes Lunar 'Self-growing City' over Mars Project

FILE - A SpaceX logo is displayed on a building, May 26, 2020, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
FILE - A SpaceX logo is displayed on a building, May 26, 2020, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
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SpaceX Prioritizes Lunar 'Self-growing City' over Mars Project

FILE - A SpaceX logo is displayed on a building, May 26, 2020, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
FILE - A SpaceX logo is displayed on a building, May 26, 2020, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

Elon Musk said on Sunday that SpaceX has shifted its focus to building a "self-growing city" on the moon, which could be achieved in less than 10 years.

SpaceX still intends to start on Musk's long-held ambition of a city on Mars within five to seven years, he wrote on his X social media platform, "but the overriding priority is securing the future of civilization and the Moon is faster."

Musk's comments echo a Wall Street Journal report on Friday, stating that SpaceX has told investors it would prioritize going to the moon and attempt a trip to Mars ⁠at a later time, targeting March 2027 for an uncrewed lunar landing.

As recently as last year, Musk said that he aimed to send an uncrewed mission to Mars by the end of 2026.

The US faces intense competition from China in the race to return humans to the moon this decade. Humans have not visited the lunar surface since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Less than a week ago, Musk announced that SpaceX ⁠acquired the artificial intelligence company he also leads, xAI, in a deal that values the rocket and satellite company at $1 trillion and the artificial intelligence outfit at $250 billion.

Proponents of the move view it as a way for SpaceX to bolster its plans for space-based data centers, which Musk sees as more energy efficient than terrestrial facilities as the demand for compute power soars with AI development.

SpaceX is hoping a public offering later this year could raise as much as $50 billion, which could make it the largest public offering in history.

On Monday, Musk said in response to a user on X that NASA will constitute less than 5% of SpaceX's revenue this year. SpaceX is ⁠a core contractor in NASA's Artemis moon program with a $4 billion contract to land astronauts on the lunar surface using Starship.

"Vast majority of SpaceX revenue is the commercial Starlink system," Musk added.

Earlier on Sunday, Musk shared the company's first Super Bowl ad, promoting its Starlink Wi-Fi service.

Even as Musk reorients SpaceX, he is also pushing his publicly traded company, Tesla, in a new direction.

After virtually building the global electric vehicles market, Tesla is now planning to spend $20 billion this year as part of an effort to pivot to autonomous driving and robots.

To speed up the shift, Musk said last month Tesla is ending production of two car models at its California factory to make room for manufacturing its Optimus humanoid robots.

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Saudi Arabia Participates in Drafting the International AI Safety Report 2026

General view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
General view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Participates in Drafting the International AI Safety Report 2026

General view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
General view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), participated for the second consecutive year in the preparation of the International AI Safety Report 2026, reinforcing its international efforts to advance AI safety and support responsible innovation worldwide, the Saudi Press Agency said on Monday.

The report, emerging from the 2023 AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park, provides a scientific assessment of advances in advanced AI systems, examines associated risks, and outlines practical approaches to strengthening safety standards and global governance, serving as a key reference for policymakers, regulators, and researchers.

The report is a comprehensive global document assessing AI risks and related challenges and serves as a trusted scientific reference to support regulatory policies and the development of governance frameworks for the safe and responsible use of advanced technologies.

The report was developed by a distinguished group of international scientists and experts in AI safety and technology governance, featuring specialists from prestigious universities and research centers, as well as representatives from over 30 countries and major international organizations, including the United Nations, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the European Union.

The report highlights several key messages, notably the importance of keeping pace with the rapidly growing capabilities of AI through advanced regulatory and scientific frameworks, the need to invest in safety and technical compliance research to ensure systems remain under effective human oversight, and the promotion of international coordination to establish common standards supporting the safe and responsible use of advanced technologies.

It also emphasizes the need to consider economic and social dimensions to ensure the fair distribution of AI benefits and reduce inequality gaps.

Saudi Arabia’s participation in this international effort aligns with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to establish the Kingdom as a global hub for technological innovation while upholding the highest standards of responsibility and technical security.

It reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to actively shaping the global future of AI, promoting sustainable development, safeguarding community security, and enhancing international cooperation toward a safer, more stable technological future.