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In findings published on Monday in Nature Sustainability, researchers mostly from Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) in the U.S. reported the invention of a new coating that could reduce bacterial growth, water waste, and odor when sprayed onto an ordinary house toilet by rendering its surface too slippery for anything to remain attached for long. According to the research team, half of all people worldwide are affected by limits on their water supply, while daily fresh water usage to flush the planet's roughly 1 billion toilets and fl

Yesterday, former United States Senator Kay Hagan died, according to a statement released by her family. Hagan, North Carolina's first female Democratic Senator, was 66. Hagan, first elected to Congress in 2008, was born on May 26, 1953 in Shelby, North Carolina. She received her undergraduate degree in 1975 from Florida State University, and then graduated from Wake Forest University in 1978 with a law degree. In 1998, following ten years working for NationsBank, Hagan successfully ran for a seat in North Carolina's state Senate. A decade la

Leaders of African Union (AU) member states met in Niamey, Niger's capital, for an AU summit where on Sunday Presidents Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria and Patrice Talon of Benin signed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. Nigeria previously announced it planned to join the AfCFTA in the week leading up to the summit. AU trade and industry commissioner Albert Muchanga announced Benin was to join. The commissioner said, "We haven't yet agreed on rules of origin and tariff con[c]essions, but the framework we have is enough to

Police in Barcelona, Spain yesterday were searching, according to reports, for a Moroccan man suspected of plotting an attack using a bus as a weapon during Christmas holidays. The United States State Department alerted the nation to the suspected plans. Las Ramblas, the scene of an Islamic State van ramming attack in the city in 2017, became the site of heavy police activity. The US State Department urged its citizens to be vigilant when in the area. Police were also patrolling a Christmas market at the nearby Plaza Cataluna, a major square.

On Friday, German police investigators continued their previous day's search of the headquarters of Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt, Germany, for evidence of money laundering and other wrongdoing in connection to the group of leaked financial documents called the Panama Papers. A police spokesperson explained the roughly 170 searchers, including officers, prosecutors and tax experts, encountered such a volume of material the matter could not be concluded in one day. The allegations are that, from 2013 onward, two employees of Deutche Bank helped c

On Friday, the US presidential administration of Donald Trump released the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4), a massive two-part congressionally mandated 1,656-page National Climate Assessment by the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). The report, which focuses on the United States, warned consequences of climate change are increasing across the country. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere has exceeded 400 parts per million. The last time this level was reached was approximately three million

On Monday, online rental firm Airbnb announced its intent to remove housing listings in Israeli West Bank settlements. The decision would likely affect about 200 properties within the coming days. Airbnb said they made the decision because of the controversy surrounding the settlements, describing them as "at the core of the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians". The company stated: "US law permits companies like Airbnb to engage in business in these territories. At the same time, many in the global community have stated that companies s

In a statement on Wednesday, Brad Banducci, the chief executive of Woolworths, a large retail supermarket in Australia, announced a plan to ban free single-use plastic bags in Woolworths stores in Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia. The ban would apply from June 20 this year, eleven days earlier than the deadline of July 1 set by some of the states' legislation. The planned bans in the stores in Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia follow state legislation requiring the single-use bags to be banned by July 1.

Schools reopened on Monday in Sri Lanka and the government said they had arrested hundreds of people for participating in anti-Muslim riots. A state of emergency remained in effect in the island nation which had been gripped by widespread violence which started in the Central Province. At least two people died. At least eleven mosques were reported torched and 200 homes and businesses burned when the violence was at its peak. Police reported 230 arrests, both for direct involvement and for spreading anti-Muslim hate speech on the internet. Pol

On Tuesday representatives from US-based online retailer Amazon.com and smart doorbell company Ring announced the startup company will be acquired by Amazon. Ring builds WiFi-connected video doorbells that allow homeowners to view and talk to people at their door from their smartphone. Ring also sells security cameras. The deal was not officially announced to have happened, although an Amazon spokesperson told about the acquisition to US television channel CNBC (Consumer News and Business Channel). Analysts suggested the deal could aid the Am

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Wikinews attends ComicCon in Bangalore, India}} Wikinews attended the Bangalore Comic Con comic-book convention on Saturday. Beginning on Saturday morning, it continued through to Sunday. Organised by Comic Con India, who organised Comic Con in Hyderabad in October and Mumbai in November, this event was held at Karnataka Trade Promotion Organisation (KTPO)'s convention hall. Wikinews spoke to convention guests Sailesh Gopalan and John Layman. Freelancer comic book artist and illustrator Scott Hampton, known for sketching Batma

In a study scheduled for publication in the December 1 issue of Forest Ecology and Management, scientists from the University of California, Davis; USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station; and University of Washington have found a way to resolve the conflict that has sprung up between protecting forests from increasingly frequent wildfires and droughts and preserving sufficient habitat for the endangered spotted owl, Strix occidentalis. The study was performed in two national parks in California, United States. For the past twe