Research indicates the possibility that the banana will go extinct.
A fungus threatens the existence of Cavendish bananas. (Image Courtesy of Amy Sancetta/AP Photos)
Dying Cavendish bananas around the world are suffering from a fungus, known as the Panama Disease. Cavendish bananas make up 99% of the world’s market and already the fungus has spread around Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Middle East. Scientists know that soon bananas in Latin America, the world’s top exporter of bananas, will also be infected. The reason why the fungus has been able to spread so quickly lies in the way bananas are produced. Commercially produced bananas are clones of each other, making them incredibly vulnerable to disease and pests.
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Uruguay creates 95% of its electricity from clean energy.
Uruguay has changed 95% of its energy to clean energy in less than 10 years. (Image Courtesy of Etchebehere/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
In less than a decade, Uruguay has made almost 95% of its electricity from clean energy, without government subsidies or higher consumer costs. Before, the South American country had been importing oil and gas from Argentina. Now, biomass, solar panels, hydropower, and wind turbines create 55% of the country’s energy. At the UN Climate Summit in Paris last week, Uruguay pledged to cut its current carbon emissions further by 88% by 2017.
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Tesco plastic bags usage decreases by 80%.
The usage of Tesco plastic bags has gone down 80%. (Image courtesy of PA)
Since the government of England introduced the 5 pence charge on plastic bags in October, Tesco has reported an almost 80% decrease in the usage of their plastic bags. Clothing stores have also seen around a 50% decrease on plastic bags. The money earned from plastic bags is being donated to charity.
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Triple suicide bombing near Lake Chad.
Triple suicide bombings on an island in Lake Chad killed at least 27 people. (Image courtesy of CBC)
Triple suicide bombings happened in a market on an island in Lake Chadethat killed at least 27 people and injured 90 others. The three bombings were carried out by women, suspected to be part of the Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Hara. The borders of Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad all meet at Lake Chad (see image). Lake Chad has been regularly targeted by the extremists and a state of emergency has been declared on the area.
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Iraq ordering Turkey to withdraw all forces at the border immediately.
Peshmerga forces prepare for the fight against ISIS. (Image courtesy of Sam Tarling/The Telegraph)
Iraqi officials are calling on Turkey to withdraw forces, including tanks and artillery that it has sent to the border without Baghdad’s approval. They are being called on to remove all of their forces from Iraqi territory. The deployment “is considered a serious violation of Iraqi sovereignty”, authorities added. Turkish news stations reported that 150 Turkish soldiers, backed by 20 to 25 tanks, had been sent by road to the city of Mosul; one of ISIS’s biggest strongholds in Iraq. The news station further reports that the troops were sent to train the Peshmerga, one of the biggest resistant forces helping in the fight against ISIS.
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Sharia courts in Britain are locking women into “marital captivity”.
A Sharia courts offers mediation in a marital cases. (Image courtesy of The Independent)
Sharia courts in Britain doing nothing to report domestic violence, ignoring calls for divorce; according to an insider academic with unprecedented access to Islamic divorce case hearings. These courts follow different principles such as “uphold the theory and practice of the strong hold men have over women”. Judges at Sharia courts are condoning husbands not wanting their wives to leave, even for domestic violence issues and excessive bodily harm done. The case made will be discussed at Houses of Parliament next month.
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