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Five years of COVID-19: Comments from the Society of Virology on dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany | Society of Virology
Friday June 6th, 2025 at 11:35 PM

Gesellschaft für Virologie
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References

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Methane leaks from dormant oil and gas wells in Canada are seven times worse than thought, study suggests
Friday June 6th, 2025 at 11:27 PM

Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories
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Methane emissions from Canada's non-producing oil and gas wells appear to be seven times higher than government estimates, according to a new study led by researchers at McGill University. The findings spotlight a major gap in the country's official greenhouse gas inventory and raise urgent questions about how methane leaks are monitored, reported and managed.

"Non-producing wells are one of the most uncertain sources of methane emissions in Canada," said Mary Kang, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at McGill and senior author on the paper. "We measured the highest methane emission rate from a non-producing oil and gas well ever reported in Canada."

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Over a 20-year period, it traps about 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than the same amount of carbon dioxide. It's also associated with air pollution and health risks. Kang's team directly measured methane emissions from 494 wells across five provinces using a chamber-based method and analyzed well-level data such as age, depth and plugging status.

The national emissions estimate they arrived at—230 kilotonnes per year—is sevenfold higher than the 34 kilotonnes reported in Canada's National Inventory Report. The study was published in Environmental Science & Technology.

There are more than 425,000 inactive oil and gas wells across Canada, most of which are in Alberta and Saskatchewan. This means that the number of measured wells is very small, at only 0.1 percent.

"One surprising finding was just how much the drivers of emissions varied between provinces," said Kang. "We thought geological differences within provinces would matter more, but the dominant factors appear to be at the provincial scale, likely due to variations in policy and operational practices."

The results reveal that a small fraction of wells—especially unplugged gas wells—are responsible for the vast majority of non-producing well methane emissions. Kang says targeting these high emitters would be an efficient way to reduce emissions.

"Rather than just measuring more wells at random, we can use well attributes to identify where emissions are likely to be highest, and focus monitoring and mitigation efforts there," she said.

The study serves as a reminder of the need to rethink how old wells are managed.

"There's potential to repurpose these sites in ways that generate funding for long-term monitoring and emissions reduction," said Kang.

"Many of these sites can be transformed to produce clean energy, such as wind, solar, and geothermal," said Jade Boutot, a Ph.D. student in Kang's lab and co-author of the study.

The researchers emphasize that improving methane data is critical to meeting Canada's climate targets.

"If we don't have accurate estimates of methane emissions, we can't design effective climate policies," Kang added.

More information: Louise A. Klotz et al, Sevenfold Underestimation of Methane Emissions from Non-producing Oil and Gas Wells in Canada, Environmental Science & Technology (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c05602

Citation: Methane leaks from dormant oil and gas wells in Canada are seven times worse than thought, study suggests (2025, June 6) retrieved 6 June 2025 from <a href="https://phys.org/news/2025-06-methane-leaks-dormant-oil-gas.html" rel="nofollow">https://phys.org/news/2025-06-methane-leaks-dormant-oil-gas.html</a>

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

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Activist Standing In Front Of ICE SUV Knocked Down During Mass Immigration Raid in DTLA ~ L.A. TACO
Friday June 6th, 2025 at 11:27 PM

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An unidentified protester who put his body on the line to prevent a white SUV full of more than a dozen detainees from being driven away was knocked down by the driver of the truck as he attempted to stop it. The event happened at around 2 PM and was broadcast on both KTLA and ABC as federal agents detained more than a dozen workers at Ambiance Apparel. This massive apparel company boasts being one of the largest West Coast suppliers of fashion resources to retailers worldwide, with a branch in China as well. 

Instagram users are already flooding the company’s Instagram with comments denouncing the raid. 

The mass raid was just one of many reported to take place today in Los Angeles. Earlier today, a northeast Los Angeles-based Instagram account posted a video showing more than a dozen armed agents walking up the sidewalk at The Home Depot, located at 2055 N. Figueroa St. More than a dozen migrants were reportedly detained there. ABC News confirmed this second raid earlier in the day. 

The raid was documented by helicopters, much like broadcast news covers live pursuits.

The LAPD issued a statement saying they were not assisting in today’s raids. However, Ron Gochez, an activist with Union Del Barrio, alleged that the LAPD was assisting with traffic control and at 3:15 PM on a live interview with ABC, LAPD chief Jim Mcdonnell just confirmed that he received a call from the FBI requesting assistance by LAPD officers to protect their heavily armed agents after the federal agents feared for their safety after seeing the crowd of community advocates.

In 2021, Sang Bum Noh, owner of Ambiance Apparel in Los Angeles' Fashion District, was sentenced to one year in prison for undervaluing imported garments to evade millions in customs duties, laundering money, and failing to report millions in income and large cash transactions.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement standing against these raids:

“This morning, we received reports of federal immigration enforcement actions in multiple locations in Los Angeles. As Mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place. These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. My Office is in close coordination with immigrant rights community organizations. We will not stand for this.”

SEIU California’s President David Huerta was also confirmed to be injured and detained at an ICE raid in Los Angeles, according to a statement by SEIU. Bass confirmed on ABC’s afternoon news that Huerta is in the hospital recovering from getting “pepper-sprayed” and having an altercation with agents.  

SEI is calling for an emergency protest against today’s raids to be held at the L.A. Federal Building located at 300 N. Los Angeles Street  at 4 PM 

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Protection from endpoint protection - privacy security workplace | Ask MetaFilter
Friday June 6th, 2025 at 7:31 PM

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Where I work, you need something like intune to get email on your phone. There's no requirement that you get email on your phone, though, so it's very much an opt in thing. What is your company using your phone for, and is it necessary?
posted by Spike Glee at 7:14 AM on June 5 [1 favorite]

Are you being compensated specifically for the use of your personal devices? I think it's a terrible practice to be asked to use our own devises period. Is this an opportunity, perhaps with some sympathetic coworkers, to push for your employer to provide devices for work use? Or can you claim some bullshit like, "my computer is too old and running out of memory for this, I'll need a dedicated machine for work"?
posted by latkes at 8:13 AM on June 5 [4 favorites]

You shouldn't use a personal device for work, full stop. They can malware up a computer they bought as much as they want.
posted by so fucking future at 9:29 AM on June 5 [3 favorites]

(Yes, the software is terrible and yes the policy is abusive. A lot of people work their gigs on their personal devices because they need the job. Telling someone who is in a toxic job situation that they need that it's toxic and they should make demands or get another job is not helpful. OP said "Appealing or having the policy changed is a non-starter" so maybe just believe them.)
posted by DarlingBri at 9:41 AM on June 6

Echoing the above, you should really push to get them to provide a separate device for work (or get a separate device on your own and claim the tax deduction, if you must, but I'd consider that a last resort); IME that's the best way to ensure the Intune policy doesn't end up compromising your personal privacy.
posted by Aleyn at 12:00 PM on June 6

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West Virginia Prosecutor Warns Miscarriages Could Lead To Criminal Charges | HuffPost Latest News
Friday June 6th, 2025 at 6:51 PM

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Group stranded with Ice in Djibouti shipping container after removal from US | US immigration | The Guardian
Friday June 6th, 2025 at 6:49 PM

The Guardian
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A group of men removed from the US to Djibouti, in east Africa, are stranded in a converted shipping container together with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officers sent to supervise them after a deportation flight to South Sudan was stopped by an American court.

The eight deportees and 13 Ice staff have begun to “feel ill”, the US government said.

Eight men, from Latin America, Asia and South Sudan, and the Ice staff have been stuck at a US naval base since late May. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that the Ice officers began to fall ill “within 72 hours of landing” in Djibouti, and continue to suffer from suspected bacterial upper respiratory infections.

The Trump administration had attempted to send the eight detainees, who it said had been convicted of criminal offenses, to South Sudan, but a judge intervened to stop their flight in May, arguing that they were entitled to challenge the deportation in the courts.

Mellissa Harper, a top official at the DHS and Ice, said in a court declaration that the detainees are being held in a shipping container that was previously converted into a conference room. The Ice officers are “sharing very limited sleeping quarters”, Harper said, with only six beds between 13 people.

In the declaration, Harper said burn pits in Djibouti have led to Ice officials experiencing “throat irritation”. She said the outside temperature frequently exceeds 100F (38C) in the daytime, and said Ice officials were at risk of malaria because they did not take anti-malaria medication before arriving in Djibouti.

“Within 72 hours of landing in Djibouti, the officers and detainees began to feel ill,” Harper said, but they were unable to obtain proper testing for a diagnosis.

Harper added: “Upon arrival in Djibouti, officers were warned by US Department of Defense officials of imminent danger of rocket attacks from terrorist groups in Yemen. The Ice officers lack body armor or other gear that would be appropriate in the case of an attack.”

The declaration detailed the conditions that the detainees face, including only being allowed to shower once a day, and being subjected to “pat-downs and searches” during trips to the restroom, which is 40 yards from the shipping container where they are being held. Harper said there is limited lighting in the area, “which makes visibility difficult and creates a significant security risk for both the officers and aliens”.

The Trump administration had attempted to send the eight men to their home countries of Myanmar, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Mexico and South Sudan. Those countries declined to accept them, however, and US authorities then arranged to fly them to South Sudan in late May.

Brian Murphy, a US district judge in Boston, intervened, ruling that the administration had “unquestionably” violated his earlier order, issued in April, which ruled that anyone facing deportation to third-party countries had the right to challenge it legally.

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