Dark
Light

World news letter — November 17, 2023

3 mins read
November 17, 2023

A focussed recap of international news stories by Newsendip: Intriguing iced lemon tea trend smashes through Hong Kong, while a pet snail from Africa smashes through social media, bringing health concerns with it. Other stories cover UK universities failing and a new sustainable farming idea.

  1. In Hong Kong, a smashing new lemon trend
  2. Seemingly harmless pet snails could have health implications
  3. Education survey shows mixed results in global English proficiency
  4. Malaysian citizenship amendments underway: progress for women’s rights and new fears of statelessness
  5. Population control of pigeons in Germany
  6. Renowned UK Universities struggling financially; issue manifestos calling for change
  7. In Latvia, sustainable “no-till” farming has promising results
  8. South Africa: Government and Google collaborate in tourism and data-sharing project
  9. Sexual abuse scandal involves a respected Greek non-profit organization, “forged” letter emerges

In Hong Kong, a smashing new lemon trend

Half a block away on Cannon Street in the busy Causeway Bay district of the city, a line of people are gathered at a bright yellow stand where the staff look flustered as they take orders from the crowd. This is Lam Heung Ling, one of the latest branches of an expanding chain that originated in the Zhangjiang region of China’s Guangdong Province, a little over 400 kilometers from Hong Kong. Across the city, iced lemon tea shops have sprung up everywhere. These new brands emphasize the “homemade” and “healthy” aspects of both their craft, and the lemons themselves. Part of the current iced lemon tea attraction could be attributed to a growing health awareness in the wake of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, or pure commerce with China.


Seemingly harmless pet snails could have health implications

A team of researchers from the University of Lausanne examined the potential risks of a popular exotic pet: the giant African snail. These snails, a popular pet showcased on social media, are potential carriers of pathogens and parasites that can infect human beings, the study says. Mena, a 26-year-old owner of three giant African snails in Naples, claims that her pet snails are safe and clean due to security measures. According to scientists, the jury is still out on these “therapeutic” and “calming” pet snails.


Education survey shows mixed results in global English proficiency

The latest EF Education Survey shows that English proficiency levels overall haven’t changed, but some emerging trends are worth noting. “This year’s index portrays an illusion of global stability — where everyone’s English stays about the same, but the truth is that gains in certain countries and regions are being offset by losses in others,” claims EF EPI author Kate Bell. The decline was the most stark amongst 18–20 year olds and the worldwide gender gap appears to be widening.


Malaysian citizenship amendments underway: progress for women’s rights and new fears of statelessness

Currently, the Federal Constitution grants automatic Malaysian citizenship to children born overseas only to Malaysian men with foreign wives, but not to Malaysian women with foreign husbands. Several months ago, the Malaysian government began proposing constitutional amendments that would enable women and mothers to automatically confer citizenship to children born abroad. However, a number of laws labeled as regressive have been proposed as well.


Population control of pigeons in Germany

On Monday, the municipal council of the German town of Limburg approved the mass culling of pigeons to regulate their population. The method used, which involves snapping the pigeons’ necks, has sparked outrage among animal rights activists, who describe the decision as “mass murder.” They threatened the municipality to file a complaint.


Renowned UK Universities struggling financially; issue manifestos calling for change

A group of 24 top UK universities, The Russell Group, has released a manifesto proposing solutions for the financial problems ailing higher education. Despite being renowned universities, they estimate that by 2030, each UK student they take on would create a deficit of 5,000 pounds. “Universities will be forced into doing research only if they can recruit more international students or replace domestic students with international students,” said Shitij Kapur, vice-chancellor of King’s College London.


In Latvia, sustainable “no-till” farming has promising results

Since 2018, Latvian farmers have been working with scientists to explore potentially more sustainable farming methods, which could play a major role in carbon neutrality in European agriculture. No-till farming involves abstaining from plowing fields and minimizing human intervention as much as possible. “Yields were the same or even higher,” said a Latvian farmer to LSM, Latvian’s public broadcaster, while fuel consumption was reduced by 50% at least.


South Africa: Government and Google collaborate in tourism and data-sharing project

One of the key measures of the project is to remove certain routes leading to Cape Town International Airport from Google Maps, which directed travelers to the outskirts of the Nyanga township. Google’s decision comes after a series of fatal incidents that happened around the neighborhood of Nyanga. The project also includes data sharing between Google and the South African government to provide an overview of tourism trends.


Sexual abuse scandal involves a respected Greek non-profit, “forged” letter emerges

The Greek NGO “Ark of the World” has been the focus of several serious accusations over the last year, including sexual abuse of two underage boys. A letter has surfaced, written by one of the boys, saying the claims of misconduct were fake. The mother of the 16-year-old boy has said that this letter is a forgery, as well as their own signatures on it.

Alexander Saraff Marcos

Alexander is a writer for Newsendip.
He is a dual citizen of the United States and Spain and lives between Spain and France. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a major in philosophy and a minor in French. He loves watching e-sport on his spare time.

Pigeons
Previous Story

In Germany, radical measures to regulate pigeon numbers

University campus, as the study was published from a university hailing from Sydney, Australia.
Next Story

Study gives “unprecedented visibility” to data about child sex offenders in Australia