Author: News Desk

North Carolina: A new scientific study has discovered the reason behind the transparent nature of glass frogs. According to the research published in the scientific journal Science, the frog is able to pool blood in its body without being negatively affected by clots. “When they are transparent, it’s for their safety. When they are awake, they can actively evade predators, but when they’re sleeping and most vulnerable, they have adapted to remain hidden,” Mr. Junjie Yao, a Duke University biomedical engineer and study co-author, stated. “Because they have transparent skin and other tissues, it’s the blood circulating through their bodies…

Canada: According to Canadian government reports, the polar bear population in the country’s western Hudson Bay has fallen by 27 percent in just five years. The report estimates that 618 animals lived in the area in 2021, which is down from 842 in 2016. The new estimate is roughly a 50 percent drop from the 1980s. “The observed declines are consistent with long-standing predictions regarding the demographic effects of climate change on polar bears,” the Canadian government report stated. Mr. John Whiteman, chief research scientist at conservation nonprofit Polar Bears International, expressed that the report is really “shocking” and added…

India: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged people to start wearing masks again as the country increases surveillance due to the global rise of COVID cases. Mr. Modi held a meeting to review the COVID situation and other related aspects in the country amid a new variant scare. “COVID is not over yet,” Prime Minister stated, calling for more testing and a return to COVID-appropriate behavior. The Indian states are becoming more cautious as mask rules are brought back in crowded places. Earlier, India relaxed its COVID rules, including mask-wearing, after a fall in infection levels. According to Union…

Russia: The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, is preparing a “rescue” plan to return three crew members from the International Space Station (ISS) earlier than expected after their Soyuz capsule suffered a coolant leak. Representatives from Roscosmos and NASA cited they were still looking into how the coolant line of the spacecraft’s external radiator developed a minor hole last week, just as two cosmonauts were getting ready for a routine spacewalk. The exact method by which the three Russian crew members will return to Earth is still unknown. Options include launching another empty Soyuz to rescue them or, perhaps less likely,…

United States: Mr. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has declared that he won’t sell any more of his company’s stock for two years. The company’s founder, Mr. Musk, stated that a “serious recession” is expected to hit the economy next year while speaking in a Twitter Spaces audio chat. Tesla’s board is open to the possibility of a share buyback but that will depend on how bad the recession is, the CEO observed. The billionaire, who also controls Twitter and SpaceX, had made a commitment to refrain from selling any more Tesla stock before breaking that promise. In April,…

United Kingdom: The UK government has declared that it will block a new law that would make Scotland the first part of the nation to introduce a self-identification system for people who want to change gender. Westminster announced that it would adopt a “nuclear option” of blocking the bill from going for royal assent, which would enrage supporters of the changes and nationalists. The Scottish government warned against the threat that any attempt to do so would be “vigorously contested.” Scotland became the first part of the UK to approve gender self-identification plans, which was widely applauded as a “historic…

London, UK: A recent research found that an oral antiviral pill for COVID speeds up recovery among vaccinated yet vulnerable patients, but does not reduce their likelihood of needing hospital care or dying. The UK became the first nation in the world to approve molnupiravir for the treatment of COVID in November 2021. A study that revealed the antiviral lowered the risk of hospitalization or death in high-risk, unvaccinated people at the time raised expectations. However, soon after the medicine was approved, additional research, carried out when the Delta variation predominated, revealed the treatment had a lesser impact than initially…

Chile: The President of Chile Mr. Gabriel Boric, whose country has the largest Palestinian population outside of the Middle East, has announced that the country is planning to open an embassy in Palestine. The Palestinian foreign ministry welcomed Chile’s plans to open an embassy in the occupied territories, a move that the Chilean President stated “will signal a demand that international law be respected.” One of the decisions we have taken as a government, I think we have not yet made it public is that we will raise the level of our official representation in Palestine. We will open an…

Hong Kong: The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled that the United States is breaking international trade laws by labelling imports from Hong Kong as those from China. The WTO decision dealt with a move by the former US administration of Mr. Donald Trump to revoke special commercial privileges for the Chinese-ruled city. Mr. Trump made the decision – which meant goods made in the city could no longer be stamped “Made in Hong Kong” – after Beijing imposed a sweeping security law on the financial hub in 2020 to stamp out dissent. Until 2020, the US had treated Hong…

United States: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has passed a landmark resolution ordering Myanmar’s ruling military junta to release all political prisoners, including deposed State Counselor Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and former President Mr. Win Myint. UNSC Resolution 2669 on Myanmar expressed “deep concern at the ongoing state of emergency imposed by the military,” and stressed on the need to resolve the long-standing issues. The resolution also called for greater humanitarian assistance for victims of violence, with emphasis on women, children and displaced populations, including the Rohingya Muslims. “Today we’ve sent a firm message to the military that…