Chile introduces new marine preserves in the Pacific
Chile President Michelle Bachelet said the country will open two new marine conservation parks in Pacific waters. One of the sites is Easter Island, which is 2,360 miles off of Chile’s coast; the second will be located near the Juan Fernandez archipelago, located in the South Pacific Ocean, to aid in replenishing the fish population. Within both areas, which when combined will span approximately 386,100 square miles, commercial fishing will be prohibited. Bachelet hopes to protect the Pacific from overfishing and preserve ancient fishing practices.
‘Arch of Triumph’ of Palmyra destroyed by ISIS
ISIS bombed the almost-2,000-year-old “Arch of Triumph,” located in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, destroying yet another culturally and historically significant structure. ISIS destroyed the Temple of Bel in Palmyra last August, along with the Temple of Baalshamin. Palmyra is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site and was seized by ISIS last May.
China opens a glass bridge In Hunan Province, cracking almost three weeks later
On Oct. 5, China’s Haohan Qiao, or Brave Men’s Bridge, a 980-foot glass walkway that sits 590 feet above the ground in Shiniuzai National Geological Park, cracked after someone reportedly dropped a stainless steel thermos. As only the first of three layer of glass cracked, no one was injured. Once made entirely out of wood, the overpass was renovated and is now composed of 24 millimeter-thick glass that is 25 times stronger than normal glass. Haohan Qiao was opened on Sept. 20. and is China’s first suspension bridge made completely out of glass. Another glass bridge will be completed 186 miles from it in the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon area. At more than 982 feet high and more than 1,410 feet long, it will be the highest and tallest glass suspension bridge in the world.
Nobel Peace Prize awarded to three scientists for their contributions to parasitic disease treatment
The Nobel Prize was awarded to William Campbell from Ireland and Satoshi Omura from Japan for their discovery of a new drug that treats roundworm parasite infections. The Nobel Assembly said that Campbell and Omura’s drug, Avermectin, and its derivative have drastically reduced cases of river blindness (onchocerciasis) and lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) around the world, particularly in poorer regions. The award also went to Tu Youyou from China for her discovery of a new antimalarial agent after using traditional herbal medicine to find a solution for malaria, a disease carried by mosquitos that kills almost half a million people a year, according to the Nobel Assembly. Artemisinin, derived from the plant Artemisia annua, quickly kills off malaria parasites as they start to develop, effectively treating the aggressive disease.
Over a dozen dead in flood in southeastern France
Officials said severe storms and resulting flooding have killed at least 17 people in southeastern France, and four more are missing. Elderly people are among the deceased, and several others drowned when they were trapped in tunnels and underground parking garages as the floodwaters rose. The river Brauge overflowed, spilling water into the streets of Cannes in the French Riviera, a popular tourist region on the Mediterranean coast of France.
Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal a success
The Trans-Pacific Partnership, one of the largest trade deals, includes 12 countries in the Pacific rim, was successfully settled and will cut trade tariffs and impose common trade standards for all parties involved. Japan and the U.S. are among the countries in the TPP, which accounts for 40 percent of the global economy.
Kenyan students return to school after teachers suspend their strike
Five weeks after teachers went on strike over their pay, resulting in the closure of all public schools, millions of Kenyan children have returned to their studies. The teacher unions are complying with a court-ordered decision giving both parties 90 days to find a solution to the problem. The conflict arose when teachers demanded that their pay increase by at least 50 percent. The government did not want to acquiesce to this demand, citing the unaffordability of the proposal.
