Bhutan has emerged as a country with impressive net zero emissions. It has not only curbed its carbon footprints, but has also transformed into a carbon sink, absorbing more carbon dioxide (CO2) than releasing, said a report on August 15. In addition to Bhutan, Comoros, situated in the Indian Ocean and Gabon in Central Africa have managed to control their carbon emissions. Comoros accomplished the feat by conscientiously managing its agricultural, fishing, and livestock sectors, and implementing rigorous environmental safeguards. Bhutan is one among the 196 nations that committed to the
Microscopic plastic particles have been traced in the fats and lungs of two-thirds of marine mammals in a recent study on ocean microplastics. The presence of polymer particles and fibers in these animals suggests that microplastics can travel out of the digestive tract and lodge in the tissues of the animals. Plastic particles identified in tissues ranged on average from 198 microns to 537 microns. Researchers said that these microplastics pose an extra burden in addition to other challenges the marine mammals face, such as climate change, pollution, and noise. While scientists have yet t
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