Honduras plans to build the only island prison colony in the Western Hemisphere and send its most-feared criminals there. President Xiomara Castro plans to build an isolated prison for 2,000 gang leaders on the Islas del Cisne archipelago 155 miles off the coast in a larger crackdown after the gang-related massacre of 46 women in one prison. Once common across Latin America, island prisons were located in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Peru. The last island prison closed in Mexico in 2019. On June 20, 46 women were killed in a fight between gang members in one p
Singapore’s passport is the most powerful in the world, according to the latest Henley Passport Index, which was published on July 18. According to the index, Singaporeans can travel to 192 out of 227 travel destinations in the world without a visa. Japan’s passport ranked No. 1 on the index for the last five years. The country fell behind Germany, Italy and Spain, all of whom are tied for second place, offering visa-free access to 190 travel destinations to their passport holders. Japan is now in a tie for third on the index with six other nations, Austria, France, Finland, L
Doctors from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston have suggested the use of active ingredients in “magic mushrooms” and other psychedelics to bring comfort to women with late-stage cancer. Conventional approaches to soothe women suffering from malignancies such as late-stage gynaecological cancer include psychotherapeutic approaches like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) but take too long to change old habits and need much stamina, wrote the researchers in a commentary published in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. Late stages associated wi
Muslim World League Chief Mohammad Bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa on July 12 lauded Indian philosophy and tradition that taught harmony to the world, and said that he salutes the democracy and Constitution of India. He also highlighted the “peaceful coexistence that he witnessed in India is unique.” The current Secretary General of the Muslim World League (MWL), an organisation based in Saudi Arabia and representing Muslims worldwide was on a five-day visit to India beginning July 10. He hailed India while addressing the “Dialogue for Harmony among Religions,” an event organised in collabo
The renowned tourist destination of Thailand, Koh Samui is facing severe water shortage, amid a tourist boom in the country. The water stress has made authorities work tirelessly to ensure that the island known globally for its white sandy beaches, scenic temples and opulent resorts does not turn into a disaster zone. Many water reserves in Koh Samui such as the Phru Na Mueang and Phru Krajud reservoirs and Hin Lad waterfall have seen a decline in their water levels. The dip has further intensified the freshwater crisis. Local estimates done early July said that there is barely enough w
Members of the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) have presented evidence from a lake in Ontario, Canada that they believe can help pinpoint a start date for the new human-driven epoch. According to the chair of the AWG, Colin Waters, a geologist with University of Leicester, human activity is “no longer just influencing Earth’s sphere, it’s actually controlling” it. The announcement on July 11 centred on discoveries made in Lake Crawford, located about 60 km west of Toronto. Sediment settled at the bottom of lakes can provide scientists with a geological record of changing enviro
The Indonesian Parliament on July 11 passed into law the nation’s Health Bill, allowing foreign medical specialists to practise and be based in the country. The law aims at simplifying bureaucratic processes for general physicians to become specialists, and regulating the collection of the country’s biomedical, genomic data for processing overseas. President Joko Widodo must sign it within a month to officially turn it into law. With foreign specialists coming into the country, the traffic of middle-class and rich Indonesians going overseas to seek treatment will be curbed, said the He
Starting 2024, Bali in Indonesia will impose a 150,000 rupiah (S$13.30) tax on tourists to preserve its culture. The payment of a fee for foreign tourists applies only one time during their visit to the “Island of Gods.” The fee will have to be paid electronically and will apply to foreign tourists entering Bali from abroad or from other parts of Indonesia. The levy will not apply to domestic Indonesian tourists. The resort haven of Bali attracts millions of foreign visitors annually. More than two million tourists visited the island in 2022. The government plans to use it for the e
The first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus outside India will come up in Tanzania’s Zanzibar, and offer two academic programmes from October. The new campus will also be the first to be led by a woman director. The Union government on July 6 announced that the first IIT campus overseas will be established by IIT-Madras (IIT-M), in the Tanzanian island city of Zanzibar after an MoU was signed between India and Tanzania. The move is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which recommends that “high-performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up cam
Astronomers across the world announced on June 29 that they have found the first evidence of a long-believed form of gravitational waves that create a “background hum” rumbling throughout the universe. The breakthrough has been made by hundreds of scientists using radio telescopes in North America, Europe, China, India, and Australia after years of work. It has been hailed as a major milestone that opens a new window into the universe. Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of the universe that travel through everything at the speed of light. First predicted by Albert Einstei