YOUR WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE
- The toymaking giant said it will invest more than $1bn (£760m) in the project, which will be near the country’s main business hub of Ho Chi Minh City. It will be the Danish company’s second factory in Asia, after it opened a plant in China five years ago. This firm has seen increased growth in the region since 2019. Construction on the site is due to start next year, with plans to match its energy consumption with solar panels on its roof and on a nearby farm.
- Anyone who was born after 2008 will not be able to buy cigarettes or tobacco products in their lifetime, under a law expected to be passed next year. Doctors and health experts in the country have welcomed the “world-leading” reforms, which will reduce approach to tobacco and restrict nicotine levels in cigarettes. “This will help people quit or switch to less harmful intakes, and make it much less likely that young people get addicted to nicotine,” said Prof Janet Hook from the University of Otago.
- The Trump Media & Technology Group is working to launch a social media app called “Truth Social” early next year”. It comes as Mr. Trump remains banned from Twitter and Facebook following the attack on the US Capital in January. Mr. Trump has announced plans to launch Truth Social earlier this year, saying it would allow conversation “without discrimination on the basis of political ideology.” The Trump Media and Technology Group has partnered on the project with Digital World Acquisition.
- Many of the creatures are coastal species living miles from their usual habitats on a patch halfway between the coast of California and Hawaii. Plants and animals including anemones, tiny marine bugs, molluscs and crabs, were found on 90% of the debris. Scientists are concerned that plastic may help transport invasive species. The study examined plastic items more than 5cm (2in) in diameter gathered from a gyre – in the Pacific.
- The video sharing app is famous for its short clip sync videos, dance routines and humour and its popularity has soared during the pandemic. TikTok is now introducing its first live shopping and entertainment event on Wednesday where people can buy products directly on the platform – tapping into the rise of “social shopping”. The pandemic has accelerated this shift as stores are closed during lockdowns. Retailers raced to get more of their products online. Social media also really upped their game to help businesses and brands sell directly to shoppers.
- The loss of bogs, marshes and swamps is driving a rapid, global decline in dragonflies, according to researchers. Their plight has been highlighted by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s latest Red List of Threatened Species, following its first comprehensive assessment of this colourful group of species. “Wetland loss is due to urbanisation and unsustainable agriculture,” it says. Now 16% of the world’s dragonflies are under threat of extinction.
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