World

Roughly 5,000 discarded toilets have been repurposed as artificial reef structures beneath the water. The initiative, run by New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection alongside the Billion Oyster Project, converted old porcelain fixtures from public schools into a foundation for oyster growth. According to the Jamaica Bay reef project, instead of ending up in…

Quote of the day by Emma Watson Emma Watson was nine years old when she was cast as Hermione Granger. For the next decade, audiences watched her grow up on screen. When the Harry Potter films ended, many assumed they already knew the course of her life. She had become one of the world’s most…

Neighbourhoods in Chicago that lost more tree canopy also recorded higher mortality rates. (Representational photo) Tree canopy loss in cities may be linked to higher death rates, according to a new study. Researchers have found that Chicago neighbourhoods that lost more tree cover over 11 years also recorded higher mortality, especially in areas with hotter…

French streamers Owen Cenazandotti, known online as Naruto, and Safine Hamadi have received suspended prison sentences for repeatedly attacking and humiliating Jean Pormanove during livestreams. A court in Nice, France, gave Naruto a two-year suspended sentence and a €15,000 fine, while Safine received an 18-month suspended sentence and a €5,000 fine. The court also banned…

Millions of old vehicle tyres were placed offshore near Broward County for artificial reefs. Shifting currents and storms scattered these tyres, damaging existing coral reefs. Government agencies are now undertaking a massive, multi-year cleanup operation. Specialist divers and equipment are required for this extensive recovery effort. This project highlights the long-term consequences of environmental initiatives….

Every morning, children in Harford, Cheshire, a quaint village 2 miles southwest of the town of Northwich, would go on a treasure hunt. They look for the mysterious gifts hidden in a zip-lock bag that can appear almost anywhere: in gardens, on doorsteps, tucked into hedgerows like gifts from some benevolent fairy tale. One may…

It’s so hot in Japan that the country invented a word for it, really. Deadly heat waves have transformed a major part of the world into a plot of a sci-fi movie where people are cooping up at homes and fighting for air conditioners at marts. Large parts of East Asia have been gripped in…

Patrick McGee remembers talking to the woman sitting beside him as his Southwest Airlines flight approached Phoenix. His next clear memory was waking up in an ambulance.Somewhere between Omaha, Nebraska, and Phoenix, the 77-year-old grandfather suffered a major cardiac emergency. His heart stopped, and fellow passengers had to perform CPR in the narrow aisle of…

For millions of people in Indonesia, the Citarum River is both a lifeline and an environmental disaster. Stretching for nearly 300 kilometres across West Java, the river supplies water to around 30 million people, irrigates vast agricultural land and supports major industries. Yet in many places, the water is barely visible beneath sprawling blankets of…

The introduction of agriculture, around 11,500 years ago in the Middle East was a milestone for humankind. For decades, the image of the prehistoric hunter-gatherer has been remarkably consistent: hunters skilled in living off mainly meat, with plants as occasional supplements. It’s an image deeply embedded in popular culture, in documentaries and even in modern…