YOUR WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE
- Despite the harm it can cause bees, the UK government has approved the use of a highly-regulated neonicotinoid pesticide in the EU for emergency use. A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said the use of this pesticide on sugar beet follows rigorous scientific study, and will follow strict guidelines. This pesticide has been shown to impair the neurological and navigational abilities of bees and other pollinators, and also harms aquatic life, which is why it remains banned almost entirely in the EU.
- In a growing corporate backlash to the invasion of Ukraine, Apple has joined other brands in stopping product sales in Russia. The tech brand expressed concern about the invasion and expressed its solidarity with those suffering because of the war. While Nike has not commented on the dispute, it has halted online sale of its products, claiming that delivery to Russian customers could not be guaranteed. Its website directed customers to the closest Nike store. Google has amended its features to exclude Russian state-funded entities like RT.
- Following a reported accident at a power plant, major cities across Taiwan, including the capital Taipei, have experienced extensive power outages. According to Taiwan’s economic affairs minister, Wang Meihua, the accident occurred at a power facility in southern Taiwan, affecting about five million Taiwanese households. According to Taipower, the state-owned electricity provider, a transformer had failed at the Xingda power plant in the southern city of Kaohsiung, but noted that backup power sources were being activated.
- A 30-year-old man, claiming to be a 17-year-old from Canada, has spent a full school year enrolled at a Scottish high school while classmates and teachers believed him to be just another pupil. A new film tells how the imposter, calling himself Brandon Lee, enrolled as a fifth-year student at Bearsden Academy in Glasgow in 1993 where he earned five A-grade Highers. More than a year later, while attending Dundee University’s medical school, a newspaper exposed him as Brian Mackinnon, who had graduated from the school more than a decade before.
- The International Paralympic Committee changed its previous decision about competitors from Russia and Belarus being allowed to compete in the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing. The IPC initially stated that Russian and Belarusian athletes would be allowed to compete as neutrals, claiming athletes to be victims of their respective governments. It also stated that “sport and politics should not mix.” However, the IPC was heavily criticised for this decision.
- According to new study, an increase in wildfires may hinder the repair of the ozone layer, the layer that shields the Earth from harmful UV rays. Satellite imagery suggests that smoke from Australian wildfires two years ago rose into the atmosphere, resulting in a series of ozone-destroying chemical reactions. It was estimated that, during March 2020 alone, this may have resulted in a 1% reduction in ozone. Scientists warned that this could undermine the progress made in recent decades since chemicals that degrade the ozone layer were banned.
NEWS BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMELA MOORE
Date: 04/03/22
To apply for our tuition: click here
