Wrapping up the week with a global round up of news nuggets.
Teen Joins Team Trump
Quickly acting upon the yet more criminal charges being brought against him, as the world looks on aghast, former US President Donald Trump has confirmed the hiring of a new advisor to his team: Dublin teen Jayo Byrnes. They met during Trump's rainy whistle-stop visit to Ireland in May this year. After racking up a staggering 345 convictions over his short 19 year life, Byrnes will join Team Trump in a bid to help him cope with a litany of charges, including recently being indicted for racketeering and a string of election crimes in Georgia. Well, not really. By that we mean that the teen joining Team Trump is fake news; not the latest indictments.
Florida Conservation
Florida has allocated almost $1 billion for conservation in its most recent budget. The landmark funding will help protect the remaining acreage needed to conserve a vital stretch of land from the Everglades to Pensacola that is a critical panther habitat and home to other endangered plants and animals, reports News Press. Described as a "colossal win for conservation", this funding brings the total amount dedicated by the Florida Legislature for land conservation programs and initiatives to an astounding $2 billion over the last three years.
Landmark Montana Climate Ruling: For the youth climate movement, and until now the legally undefeated fossil fuel industry in America, it was a seismic shock. More...
Progress in Mexico
When was the last time you heard any news out of Mexico that wasn't about migrants, drugs or crime? How about this: between 2020 and 2022 the number of people living in poverty in Mexico declined by 8.9 million and average household incomes increased by 11 percent, thanks to a new national minimum wage and the provision of social programs.
Schooled at Camp
College isn’t the only way to jumpstart a career. What if kids in middle school and high school could learn the skills - and get the mentoring needed - to pick up a trade? At skills-based camps, they can. These camps provide training in areas like carpentry, welding and much more - including, in the case of the multi-location Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs, a “metal mania” program for girls. The growing popularity of programs like these, alongside STEM camps and other kinds of educational programs, is a reminder that you can’t always learn everything you need to know at school.
Students Attempt to Sell Their School: Many students play pranks on teachers, but a group of US teenagers went a step further by attempting to sell their school. Yes, really...
Vietnamess EV Debut
It's been a great week for Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast as it's stock market valuation soared above Ford and General Motors on its first day of trading in New York, reports Bloomberg. That gave VinFast a stock market valuation of $85bn, much higher than Ford's $48bn and GM's $46bn. It comes as motor industry giants and newer manufacturers fight for a slice of the booming EV market. Whilst shares have since fallen back, the listing initially added around $39bn to the wealth of VinFast's chairman and founder Pham Nhat Vuong, who was already Vietnam's richest man.
Progress in Boston
Boston’s mayor just banned the use use of fossil fuels in new construction and renovated municipal buildings. The city owns over 16 million square feet of property, so the order makes a big stride toward its goals of decarbonization and electrification.
"It always seems impossible until it's done." Nelson Mandela
On this Day
18 August 1920: the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified after Tennessee - by just one vote - became the 36th state to approve it, capping the 72 year fight to win women the right to vote in the United States.
A new drug has been found to “annihilate” solid tumours in the lab, researchers in the US have announced. Trials...
Even though the world is seemingly awash with streaming services, NASA believes there is room for one more. Especially if it's free! NASA+
The classifieds are a treasure trove for both intended and unintended humour. Here's a handful we spotted recently. Hilarious...
Mood Booster
Thrown from a high balcony, boiling water turns to vapour instantly in Siberia.