EMERGENCE OF FAST FASHION Clothes were mass-produced as early as in the 1850s, with a few countries dominating the global manufacturing of clothes. Clothes remained affordable, up until in 1973, when the United States and European Union (EU) countries established the now-abolished Multifiber Arrangement,…
DROWNING IN THE SEA OF PLASTIC
Scientists estimate that about 14 million tonnes of microplastics have accumulated in deep sea sediments globally, threatening marine life. These findings suggest that it’s more urgent than ever to find effective solutions to stop plastic pollution before it reaches the oceans.
THAT IS A RACIAL SLUR?
A University of Southern California (USC) professor has come under fire for his apparent use of a racial slur. When illustrating the different filler words in various languages, he brought up “nei-ge” in Mandarin. As it sounds like a racial slur in English, debate ensued regarding the professor’s intentions.
WHAT’S SLOWER THAN SNAIL MAIL?
Amidst a funding crisis, the United States Postal Service announces cost-cutting measures that would slow down mail deliveries. Americans worry for the fate of their mail-in ballots. Having been granted an additional US$25 billion in funding by the US House of Representatives, USPS announced that it will postpone its cost-cutting measures to after the Presidential Election.
DEVELOPED NATIONS PLEDGE MORE INVESTMENTS TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE
What happened? 27 countries recently pledged a total of US$9.8 billion to the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The GCF was established back in 2010 during the Cancun Agreements to help developing countries reduce their emissions and cope with the impacts of climate change. This…
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM… WITH CHINA
Assisting China’s political agendas? A now-deleted controversial tweet by Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey offering support for Hong Kong’s anti-government protests saw hostile backlash from China. Various Chinese companies, such as the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), Li-Ning, Tencent and the Shanghai Pudong Development…
“PUBLIC HEALTH TIME BOMB” TICKS AS ANTI-VAXXING MOVEMENT GROWS
The Fight Over the Time Bomb The resurgence of measles over the last few years in many Western societies has been alarming. In 2016, 5,273 cases of measles were reported, but that number ballooned to 83,540 cases in 2018, with eight European countries reporting…
NOT KOOL OVER #KUTOO
What is #KuToo? The #KuToo movement started in January 2019, when 32-year-old actress and writer Yumi Ishikawa tweeted about her frustration against a workplace stipulation that women had to wear high heels. Ishikawa feels that being required to wear high heels is rooted in…
LEE, MAHATHIR AGREE TO RESOLVE AIR, MARITIME DISPUTES
No more fighting, ok? Singapore and Malaysia have been embroiled in disputes regarding the use of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) at Seletar Airport, as well as Malaysia’s unilateral claims of port limits sovereign to Singapore. Nonetheless, both sides have agreed to resolve the…
NOOO-CLEAR FOR JAPAN’S SUBSIDISED NUCLEAR ENERGY GENERATION?
Increased entropy for the nuclear energy market? In April 2016, Japan liberalised the local electricity market, paving the way for renewable energy companies to sell their electricity to a wider range of consumers at competitive prices. Many consumers have enjoyed the benefits of cheaper…