On Friday, the World Health Organization announced that the coronavirus pandemic is not a global emergency anymore. The disease is now spreading much more slowly than before. The WHO says Covid-19 is still a problem, but the hardest part of the pandemic is over.
Published in “Australasia”
Governments worldwide are making special rules to limit the popular social media app TikTok. The governments have safety concerns about TikTok because it's owned by a Chinese company. But many people think banning TikTok may not be the best answer.
On Monday, a United Nations climate group released a major new report on climate change. The report explains that the climate crisis has become even more serious, and that massive climate action must be taken before 2030 to avoid the worst effects of the crisis.
COP15, an important United Nations meeting of nearly 200 countries, is being held in Montreal, Canada. The goal of the meeting is to agree on how to best protect all the different kinds of living things on our planet - Earth's "biodiversity".
Last Friday, Britain’s Prince William announced the winners of this year's Earthshot Prize. The prize is meant to encourage new ideas and rapid action to help protect the planet. Each prize-winner won $1.2 million for their efforts.
Around the world, workers are striking. The main cause is that prices have gone up sharply, while workers' pay has not. Many striking workers have extremely important jobs, and some governments have blocked them from striking.
On November 15, the United Nations reported that the number of people on Earth had grown to eight billion. That came just 11 years after the world reached seven billion people. The world faces challenges ahead as the population continues to grow.
US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have both met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. These were the first in-person meetings the leaders have held in a long time, and represent an effort to improve relations between the countries.
Southeast Australia has been struggling as it faces its third year of flooding in a row. Thousands of homes have been flooded or cut off by flood waters. Because the ground is already soaked, and more rain is on the way, more flooding is expected.
Researchers in Australia have shown that human nerve cells in a dish can form a "brain" that can learn to play a simple video game. The research could help scientists understand the brain better. It could also lead to new kinds of computers.
A recent report by the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London shows that, on average, wildlife numbers have dropped sharply since 1970. The main cause of the drop is human activity. The report is alarming, but there are some signs of hope.