The tropics lost 10 percent more primary rainforest in 2022 than in 2021 – the equivalent of 11 soccer pitches of forest disappearing per minute – according to a global analysis of 2022 tree cover loss data released on June 27. The forest loss was highest in Brazil, Bolivia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Indonesia and Malaysia maintained their recent trend of low rates of tree loss, said the study. The total tropical primary forest loss was 4.1 million hectares, an area about the size of Switzerland. The study based on satellite measurements was done jointly by the University of
About 2 million Muslim pilgrims took part in the annual Hajj pilgrimage that began on June 26, making it the ‘largest’ Hajj pilgrimage in history. This year, Hajj was held between June 26 and July 1, with the celebration of Eid al-Adha on June 28. One of the five pillars of Islam that is mandatory for Muslims to take part, the pilgrimage absolves sins, brings them closer to God, and unites over 1.8 billion followers across the world. In 2023, Hajj returned to full capacity for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic three years ago. This year’s Hajj was also a chal
Infosys’ Co-founder Nandan Nilekani has donated ₹315 crore to IIT Bombay, making his total contribution to the institute to ₹400 crore. The recent grant will be used to enhance world-class infrastructure, foster research in emerging areas, and support a deep-tech start-up ecosystem. Nilekani joined IIT Bombay in 1973 for a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He has donated $38.5 million to his alma mater. IIT Bombay plans to raise $500 million over the next five years and establish centres of excellence in artificial intelligence, green energy and quantum computing. Nileka
Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Canada, on June 27 announced that the government will establish an open work-permit stream for 10,000 American H-1B visa holders, to attract skilled workers from the United States and provide them with employment opportunities in Canada. In addition, the program will allow for study or work permits for family members of H-1B visa holders. The official release said that thousands of workers in high-tech fields are employed with companies that have large operations in both Canada and the US, and those working in the US often hol
Doha, Dubai, and Istanbul are the world's most competitive job markets with the highest number of candidates per LinkedIn job posting, according to online resume builder Resume.io. These cities saw an average of 399, 283 and 168 applicants per job, respectively. Other cities with competitive job markets include Johannesburg, Abu Dhabi, Madrid, San Jose, Buenos Aires, San Francisco, and Tel Aviv. With cities like Doha and Dubai topping the List of World’s Most Competitive Job Markets, the study of LinkedIn job postings showed that candidates are flocking to the Middle East and Silicon Val
Prince William has launched a five-year project to end long-term homelessness in the United Kingdom. He plans to use 1,30,000-acre land of his Duchy of Cornwall estate for public housing. William launched the initiative, called Homewards, by visiting pilot projects that have received grants of up to 500,000 pounds ($637,000) each from the Royal Foundation, the charity that supports his and his wife, Kate’s work. All of the initiatives, with more to be unveiled, involve collaborative efforts between local people, organisations and businesses to develop programs built as per the needs o
Singapore on June 20 became the most expensive city globally for luxury living. The city-state surpassed Shanghai and Hong Kong, said a report by Swiss wealth manager Julius Baer Group Ltd. The city-state was ranked fifth last year, while Shanghai was on the top as per the Global Wealth and Lifestyle 2023 report. The reason for its success has been attributed to reopening of its borders during the pandemic that contributed to its attractiveness to high-net-worth individuals. By the end of 2022, the city counted around 1,500 family offices, twice the number from the year before. Julius B
At least 135 countries represented at the Yoga session hosted at the United Nations headquarters in New York on the International Day of Yoga (June 21), creating a Guinness World Record for seeing the participation of most nationalities in a Yoga session. The Yoga celebration was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his inaugural state visit to the United States, following an invitation from President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. PM Modi was joined by President of the77th session of the UN General Assembly Csaba Korisi and Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed. The event, c
In a remarkable archaeological find in decades, Etruscan and Roman statues were pulled from the mud in Tuscany in Italy with “the intuition” of a retired garbage man. After months of restoration, these statues were put on display at Quirinale Palace in Rome on June 22. About two dozen bronze statues from the third century BC to the first century AD were extracted from the ruins of an ancient spa. The statues were found in 2021 and 2022 in the hilltop village of San Casciano dei Bagni, a place known for its thermal baths. Archaeologists had long suspected ancient ruins could be discover
Gautam Adani has offered to provide free school education to children who lost parents in the Odisha train crash. The billionaire, in a tweet in Hindi, said it is a joint responsibility of all to support the victims and their families and give a better tomorrow to the children. The deadliest rain accident in nearly three decades left nearly 300 dead and hundreds injured. “We are all deeply disturbed by the train accident in Odisha. We have decided that the Adani Group will take care of the school education of the innocents who have lost their parents in this accident. It is the joint