Researchers now argue in a new study that animals drinking alcohol, or more specifically ethanol, might be more commonplace in the natural world than previously thought.

In nature, plants don’t produce ethanol directly. Instead, it’s made primarily by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiaeas it ferments sugars. Evidence suggests that yeast began making ethanol 100 million years ago, when flowering plants first started producing sugar-rich fruits. Today, ethanol-laden fruits can be detected in nearly every terrestrial ecosystem, the researchers say. Concentrations of ethanol in naturally fermented fruits can be as low as 1-2% alcohol by volume (ABV), and as high as 10.2% ABV in some overripe palm fruits.

Fierce seasonal winds had cast embers up to three miles (five kilometers) from the seat of the fire around Camarillo, with new spots burning on hillsides, farmland and in residential areas.

The Mountain Fire grew rapidly from a standing start early Wednesday, and by the following day had consumed 20,485 acres (8,290 hectares), with towering flames leaping unpredictably and sending residents scrambling. The fire was only five percent contained as of Thursday evening, authorities said, although wind patterns were expected to favor firefighters through the night.

Authorities said that based on initial inspections, at least 132 homes had been completely destroyed, with 88 more damaged by the fires.

Ventura County Fire Department officials said they were throwing resources at the blaze in an area that is home to 30,000 people, but that changing wind patterns meant there was hope the fire could die down in the coming days.

At least 400 homes had been evacuated, Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff said, adding that 250 residents had chosen to stay behind.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but meteorologists had raised a Red Flag Warning and a rare Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) warning in the area, indicating dangerous fire conditions.

A four-hour drive south of the smog-filled capital New Delhi, among fields bristling with brickyard smokestacks, the small town of Barsana welcomes pilgrims who come to honour the Hindu goddess Radha. But Sardana is also proud because his methanisation plant that opened in March is the "most technologically advanced and the largest biogas facility" in India.

It was built in Barsana to be as close as possible to its raw fuel -- cattle dung and harvest stubble

Cows have been blamed for contributing to global warming because they produce methane -- a powerful greenhouse gas -- in their manure or when they belch. But in this case, the region is finding a creative use for the waste produced by the cattle, which are used for their milk. Eating them is taboo for many Hindus.

Long lines of tractors dump dung and straw in the factory's tanks, from which 10 tonnes of gas and 92 tonnes of fertiliser are produced each day.

Biogas is considered a clean energy because the waste used to produce it is completely natural, said Suneel Pandey of The Energy and Resources Institute.

But the contribution of biogas to India's transition away from heavily polluting coal -- currently fuelling nearly 70 percent of electricity

will be relatively small. India plans to more than double the share of gas in its energy mix -- from six to 15 percent by 2030.

Burning gas to produce electricity also releases damaging emissions, although less than coal and oil.

the investments required are vast. The Barsana plant cost $25 million, while the price of biogas remains uncompetitive: $14 per cubic metre, compared to $6 for LNG.

LNG : liquefied natural gas

The IDF said in a statement that it had taken steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including using precise munitions and aerial surveillance.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107233047/https://www.euronews.com/2024/11/08/14-killed-in-israeli-strike-on-unrwa-school-used-as-shelter-for-displaced-gazans

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Arseny Turbin, one of Russia's youngest political prisoners, has lost an appeal to overturn his five-year jail sentence.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107230413/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8ekwzkj2ejo

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Israel cut ties with UNWRA, attacked the West Bank and Lebanon, and announced a pending “complete evacuation” of northern Gaza earlier this week.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107205216/https://theintercept.com/2024/11/07/america-election-israel-netanyahu-gaza/

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Taipei says it is paying close attention to reported request by Elon Musk’s firm

Archived version: https://archive.ph/uFsSR

SpinScore: https://spinscore.io/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2024%2Fnov%2F07%2Fspace-x-taiwan-manufacturing-claims-elon-musk

Dads say rule change granting both parents equal time off has helped build bond between children and fathers

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107224649/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/07/finnish-fathers-paternity-leave-finland

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Authorities in Spain say the drug bust is the second-largest ever recorded in Europe and one of the biggest worldwide.

Archived version: https://archive.ph/F1F76

SpinScore: https://spinscore.io/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.euronews.com%2Fmy-europe%2F2024%2F11%2F07%2Fspanish-police-seize-record-13-tonnes-of-cocaine-in-banana-shipment-from-ecuador

The 2.2 metre (7.5 feet) portrait "A.I. God" by "Ai-Da", the world's first ultra-realistic robot artist, smashed pre-sale expectations of $180,000 when it went under the hammer at London auction house Sotheby's Digital Art Sale.

Ai-Da Robot, which uses AI to speak, said: "The key value of my work is its capacity to serve as a catalyst for dialogue about emerging technologies." Ai-Da added that a "portrait of pioneer Alan Turing invites viewers to reflect on the god-like nature of AI and computing while considering the ethical and societal implications of these advancements."

The ultra-realistic robot, one of the most advanced in the world, is designed to resemble a human woman with a face, large eyes and a brown wig. Ai-Da is named after Ada Lovelace, the world's first computer programmer and was devised by Aidan Meller, a specialist in modern and contemporary art.

Ai-Da generates ideas through conversations with members of the studio, and suggested creating an image of Turing during a discussion about "A.I. for good". The robot was then asked what style, colour, content, tone and texture to use, before using cameras in its eyes to look at a picture of Turing and create the painting.

Opponents say the legislation, which would apply to close family members, is unconstitutional.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107224442/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1mlp9xdxl1o

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Trump has been a persistent critic of the Fed, which lowered rates for the second time in a row as inflation continues to ease

Archived version: https://archive.ph/lKPFy

SpinScore: https://spinscore.io/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fbusiness%2F2024%2Fnov%2F07%2Ffederal-reserve-interest-rates-lowered

Moscow’s increasing use of drones is stretching Ukrainian air defences and ‘terrorising civilians,’ a senior Ukrainian official said.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107221752/https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/11/07/russia-blasts-kyiv-with-eight-hour-drone-barrage-as-war-nears-1000-day-mark

SpinScore: https://spinscore.io/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.euronews.com%2Fmy-europe%2F2024%2F11%2F07%2Frussia-blasts-kyiv-with-eight-hour-drone-barrage-as-war-nears-1000-day-mark

The nuclear fuel sample, the size of a grain of rice, was placed into a secure container Thursday, marking the end of the mission, according to the company.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107231919/https://apnews.com/article/japan-nuclear-fukushima-sample-robot-decommissioning-b7dd956a86401b39f04ae839f768d29f

SpinScore: https://spinscore.io/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapnews.com%2Farticle%2Fjapan-nuclear-fukushima-sample-robot-decommissioning-b7dd956a86401b39f04ae839f768d29f

The Erdoğan government’s decision in recent days to remove from office four democratically elected mayors and dissolve municipal councils is a significant blow to Türkiye’s democratic credentials and violates the rights of over half a million voters, Human Rights Watch said today. The mayors in four constituencies, one in Istanbul and three in southeast Türkiye, were elected in the March 31, 2024, local elections.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107214202/https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/11/07/turkiye-government-removes-elected-opposition-mayors

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Hurricane Rafael brought strong winds, causing a shutdown of the country's electricity system for the second time in just weeks.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107231633/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74l15270l9o

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Gambling Commission figures show shock rise to 85,000 in number of young people suffering gambling harms

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107220423/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/nov/07/proportion-of-young-people-in-the-uk-with-gambling-problem-has-more-than-doubled-official-data-reveals

SpinScore: https://spinscore.io/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fsociety%2F2024%2Fnov%2F07%2Fproportion-of-young-people-in-the-uk-with-gambling-problem-has-more-than-doubled-official-data-reveals

The first lady is accused of accepting a luxury Dior handbag and stock manipulation.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107221617/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr41499pdlo

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A strong typhoon has hit the northern Philippines, prompting a new round of evacuations in a region still recovering from back-to-back storms a few weeks ago.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107232432/https://apnews.com/article/philippines-typhoon-yinxing-876e9d337a65d3c5c2069ab41d36be28

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Kyiv is scrambling to up the pressure on its allies for more support in its fight against Moscow following the victory of Donald Trump in this week's US presidential election. Trump has boasted he could end the conflict within hours and repeatedly criticised American aid to Kyiv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukraine cede swathes more territory in its east and south as a precondition to peace talks, while Kyiv has repeatedly ruled out ceding any land to Moscow in exchange for peace. Ukraine and many in the West fear any settlement that rewards Putin would only embolden the Kremlin leader and lead to more aggression.

"There has been much talk about the need to yield to Putin, to back down, to make some concessions," Zelensky said, according to a copy of the address provided to AFP by the Ukrainian presidency. "It's unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for all Europe," he added.

He also blasted some European leaders, without specifying who, of "strongly" pushing Ukraine to compromise. "We need sufficient weapons, not support in talks. Hugs with Putin won't help. Some of you have been hugging him for 20 years, and things are only getting worse," Zelensky said.

The head of Russia's Security Council Sergei Shoigu said the West faced a choice between opening direct talks with Moscow or the continuing "destruction" of Ukraine's population. "Now, when the situation in the theatre of combat is not in Kyiv's favour, the West is faced with a choice," Shoigu said at a meeting with defence officials of other former Soviet states.

Zelensky has previously said that without US aid, Ukraine would lose the war.

Ukrainian media reported that Donetsk region authorities were preparing to announce mandatory evacuations from seven more villages in the region that the Kremlin claimed in 2022 was part of Russia. Moscow's overnight drone attack on Ukraine damaged buildings in the southern Black Sea city of Odesa where AFP journalists saw residents inspecting destroyed cars and residential buildings as dawn broke.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, brought attention to the humanitarian crisis ongoing in Lebanon before the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday. Grandi highlighted alleged violations of international law including mass destruction caused by Israeli airstrikes that has resulted in the deaths of civilians and damage to civilian infrastructure.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107213711/https://www.jurist.org/news/2024/11/un-refugee-high-commissioner-warns-of-humanitarian-crisis-in-lebanon/

SpinScore: https://spinscore.io/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jurist.org%2Fnews%2F2024%2F11%2Fun-refugee-high-commissioner-warns-of-humanitarian-crisis-in-lebanon%2F

The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) announced the arrest of 2,517 and the rescue of 3,222 trafficking victims as result of a worldwide operation against human trafficking involving police in 116 countries on Wednesday.

Archived version: https://archive.fo/ywjtT

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The hydrogen industry, which has relied on oil and gas companies both financially and through lobbying efforts, is preparing for a grim outcome.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241107182034/https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/05/oil-giant-bp-is-killing-18-hydrogen-projects-chilling-the-nascent-industry/

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The Sanctuary of the Eleona sits in a Jerusalem compound owned by France, and along with three other sites in Israel makes up the French national domain in the Holy Land. The sites have been the focus of diplomatic incidents in the past.

The national domain was attributed to France before Israel's creation and is administered as a private property by the French consulate in Jerusalem.

The AFP journalist saw Israeli police surround the two French gendarmes before pushing one of them to the ground. The gendarme identified himself and shouted "Don't touch me" several times, according to the journalist. Both gendarmes were then led into police cars. They were later released.

"The Eleona Domain... has not only belonged to France for more than 150 years, but France also ensures its security, maintains it," Barrot said.