Study: Arctic getting darker

Study: Arctic getting darker

WASHINGTON

The Arctic isn’t nearly as bright and white as it used to be because of more ice melting in the ocean, and that’s turning out to be a global problem, a new study says.

With more dark, open water in the summer, less of the sun’s heat is reflected back into space. So the entire Earth is absorbing more heat than expected, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

That extra absorbed energy is so big that it measures about one-quarter of the entire heat-trapping effect of carbon dioxide, said the study’s lead author, Ian Eisenman, a climate scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California.

Sinai bombing threatens tourism

CAIRO

A deadly suicide bombing that hit a bus of South Korean Christians visiting biblical sites in Egypt and Israel has raised fears that Islamic militants battling security forces in the Sinai Peninsula are turning to target foreign tourists, a potential new blow to a struggling industry vital to Egypt’s economy.

Though it has proved resilient to past attacks, Egypt’s slumping tourism already is suffering from three years of political turmoil that has scared away visitors. After hopes of a rebound, last year saw the fewest visitors yet since the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

W.Va. school closes; licorice odor present

CHARLESTON, W.Va.

A West Virginia school closed early Monday because of an odor resembling the chemical that spilled into a regional water system last month.

Grandview Elementary in Kanawha County closed and sent students home at 12:15 p.m. Monday because of the licorice odor, said State Department of Education spokeswoman Liza Cordeiro. She said some teachers complained about burning eyes and noses.

Kanawha County Schools Superintendent Ron Duerring said no students reported symptoms and that he expected classes to be back in session today.

Venezuela tensions

CARACAS, Venezuela

A crowd of anti-government activists wrested free an opposition politician as he was being hauled away in handcuffs by security forces after a raid on the party headquarters of President Nicolas Maduro’s biggest foe.

Dario Ramirez, a city councilman, shouted, “I’m an elected official” as national guardsmen, surrounded by journalists and party activists, frantically looked for an escape route from the Caracas shopping mall where they took him into custody. Once outside, dozens of activists banging pots and pans in protest attacked the squad, freeing Ramirez by force and speeding him away on a motorcycle.

The dramatic scene underscored the rising tensions that could spill over into violence today when pro- and anti-government activists have dueling demonstrations in the capital.

Resort roof collapse kills 10 in S. Korea

SEOUL, South Korea

A resort auditorium’s roof loaded down with snow and rain collapsed during a welcoming ceremony for South Korean university freshmen, killing 10 and injuring more than 100, officials said today.

Emergency staff worked through the night to pull people from beneath twisted metal and other debris and rush the injured on stretchers to waiting ambulances. Snow, sleet and icy roads hampered rescue operations.

The collapse happened late Monday. About 560 students from Busan University of Foreign Studies had gathered for a two-day freshman orientation at the Manua Ocean Resort in the southeastern city of Gyeongju.

Associated Press