In Brief – April 2023

UN for ocean protection

After negotiating terms for over 10 years, almost all the United Nations member countries have signed the legally-binding High Seas Treaty, which aims to grant protected status to 30 per cent of the world’s oceans lying outside national boundaries. The European Union announced nearly 820 million euros towards the cause.

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Bill for cigarette butts clean-up

Tobacco businesses will have to pay for the clean-up of millions of cigarette ends discarded by smokers each year under a new environmental legislation in Spain. The decision is part of a package of waste-reduction and recycling efforts.

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First female boxing club in Gaza

A female-only boxing club in the Gaza Strip is training 40 girls in boxing. This first female boxing centre has a full-size boxing ring, training equipment and posters of boxing heroes such as Mike Tyson, on the walls. Through the club, Palestinian women are challenging traditional gender stereotypes in sports.

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Second life for car batteries

Nottingham authorities have installed 40 two-way electric vehicle chargers that are connected to solar panels and a battery energy storage system. This will power a number of onsite facilities as well as charge a fleet of 200 municipal vehicles, simultaneously helping to decarbonise the UK’s electrical grid.

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Show of solidarity by football fans

Fans of Turkish Super League club Besiktas Istanbul interrupted a match against Antalyaspor by throwing thousands of stuffed toys onto the pitch in a show of support for children impacted by the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. The game was paused after 4 minutes and 17 seconds — a reference to the time the earthquake hit at 4.17am local time on Feb 6.