Passenger ferry in Indonesia catches fire at sea, 5 killed
Hundreds were rescued after a ferry caught fire off Indonesia’s Sulawesi island....
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order promoting the use of plastic drinking straws, reversing policies aimed at reducing single-use plastics. The move comes as several countries enforce bans on non-biodegradable plastics.
The new order, signed on Monday, encourages federal agencies and consumers to purchase plastic straws, undoing a Biden-era initiative to phase out all single-use plastics on federal lands by 2032.
Trump’s policy shift contradicts a global trend of plastic bans, following the United Nations' 2018 call for a worldwide cleanup of plastic pollution. Multiple countries have since restricted or banned single-use plastics, citing environmental damage and food contamination risks.
Among the nations enforcing bans:
Nigeria (2024) – Nationwide ban expanded from government offices.
India (2022) – Prohibited plastic straws, cups, and cigarette packs.
France (2021) – Banned plastic straws, cups, and cutlery.
England (2020) – Banned plastic straws and stirrers.
Kenya (2020) – Extended restrictions to include plastic straws.
China (2020) – Announced a phased ban on single-use plastics.
Several U.S. cities, including Seattle, Los Angeles, and New York, had already introduced restrictions on plastic straws before the federal reversal.
Environmental advocates warn that Trump's policy may increase plastic waste, while supporters argue it protects consumer choice and business interests.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
Iran launched 18 ballistic missiles late Sunday targeting the U.S. military’s Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American installation in the Middle East.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
Australian researchers have created a groundbreaking “biological AI” platform that could revolutionise drug discovery by rapidly evolving molecules within mammalian cells.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
Hundreds were rescued after a ferry caught fire off Indonesia’s Sulawesi island.
Two people were confirmed dead and five missing in Gapyeong, South Korea, on Sunday, after heavy rain triggered landslides and flooding, raising the country’s storm-related death toll to 17.
U.S. President Donald Trump may meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea or China this autumn, with talks expected around the late October APEC summit as both sides seek progress on ending their tariff dispute.
President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he would intervene to assist Afghans who have been detained in the United Arab Emirates for years after fleeing their country when the Taliban seized control.
Bangladesh has signed a deal to import 700,000 tonnes of wheat annually from the United States over the next five years, aiming to ease trade tensions and secure tariff relief from the Trump administration, officials confirmed on Sunday.
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