Prince Harry helped raise around $1 million (S$1.35 million) in charity by participating in the annual Sentebale charity polo match at the Singapore Polo Club on August 13. While the British royal scored two goals, these were not enough to help his team, the Royal Salute Sentebale win the Sentebale ISPS (International Sports Promotion Society) Handa Polo Cup. The match with the Singapore Polo Club Team ended in a 7-7 draw and both teams shared the trophy. Argentinian polo player Nacho Figueras captained the Singapore Polo Club Team. The match had about 260 guests, and Prince Harry, the
Director and co-writer Greta Gerwig’s film, Barbie has become the highest-grossing movie domestically in Warner Bros. Pictures’ 100-year history. With an approximate international gross of $660.6 million so far, the film stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Released on July 21, it totals roughly $1.192 billion worldwide. In the process, Gerwig has become the first female solo director to gross a billion dollars on a film. Barbie, the fantasy comedy based on the iconic Mattel doll, has done better by the company’s 2008 film, The Dark Knight. According to trade reports,
The space tourism company of British billionaire Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic finally launched its first space tourists to the edge of the cosmos on August 10. The first flight of private space tourists, known as Galactic 02, took off shortly after 11am ET from Spaceport America in New Mexico. The company’s reusable rocket-powered space plane VSS Unity successfully landed after a brief flight that gave passengers a few minutes of weightlessness. The vehicle reached more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) above Earth’s surface – at an altitude the US government considers the edge of ou
Saudi Arabia has expanded its visitor eVisa programme to travellers from eight more countries, taking the total up to 57. Now, tourists from Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, the Maldives, South Africa, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan can apply online to travel to the country. South Africa is the first African country to be added to the list. The multi-entry eVisa is valid for one year and allows travellers to visit the Gulf nation for up to 90 days at a time. The visa costs 535 Saudi riyals ($142) and includes medical insurance. The visa holders can use the document for tourism, perform
A massive pyramid from the Bronze Age and dating back 4,000 years to the 2nd millennium BC has been discovered after years of research and excavation in Kazakhstan. The discovered structure is located in the Kyrykungir complex in Toktamys, approximately 420 miles southeast of the country’s capital Astana. Carved from stone with an extraordinary degree of sophistication and grandeur, the pyramid was unveiled by the L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University on August 8, 2023. The extraordinary steppe pyramid is carved from stone with an extraordinary degree of sophistication and grandeur
The global average temperature for July 2023 was the highest on record and likely for at least 120,000 years, the UN weather agency and partners said on August 8. Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director at the European Commission’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, said that the month is estimated to have been around 1.5 degree Celsius warmer than the average for 1815 to 1900, so the average for pre-industrial times. Speaking to media in Geneva, Burgess noted that July had been marked by heat waves in multiple regions around the world. Based on data analysis known as proxy records, which i
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first ever pill for treating postpartum depression, called Zurzuvae (zuranolone). The makers of the new pill, Sage Therapeutics and Biogen Inc. have said that the drug will be commercially available in the fourth quarter of this year, as soon as October. A potentially life-threatening condition, postpartum depression affects hundreds of thousands of new parents across the US every year. It will have an impact on one in seven people who give birth in the weeks after delivery, and can seriously disturb the health of the parent and child
The Australian government has welcomed the draft decision from UNESCO not to list the Great Barrier Reef “in danger.” While a UNESCO heritage committee on August 1 stopped short of listing the reef in its danger list, it warned that the world’s biggest coral reef ecosystem remains under “serious threat” from pollution and the warming of oceans. The Great Barrier Reef contributes about A$6 billion ($4 billion) to the Australian economy and supports 64,000 jobs. Australia has been lobbying for years to keep the reef off the endangered list, as it could lead to losing the heritage s
Russia has introduced an “e-visa” system effective from August 1 this year, to simplify the visa process for travellers visiting the country. The facility is available to 52 countries, including India, allowing travellers from these nations to apply for the e-visa. The Ministry of Public Security of Russia has established the e-visa system to “simplify visa applications.” The e-visa can be used just like any other regular visa, avoiding the need to check with embassies or any other associations. It facilitates entry into the Russian Federation for purposes, such as business trips,
President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa in July signed legislation into law to recognise sign as the country’s 12th official language, in a bid to empower people with disabilities in the country. Only 41 countries globally recognise sign language as an official language and four of these countries – Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe – are in Africa. At the signing ceremony at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the seat of government, Ramaphosa said that South African Sign Language (SASL) will empower those living with disabilities. A number of learners with hearing impairme