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☆ Invasive species cost the world $423 billion every year and are causing environmental chaos, UN report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Scroll through the gallery to see more of the planet's most problematic invasive species. Sarefo / Wikimedia Commons In pictures: Invasive species around the world Prev Next‘Prevention, prevention, prevention’Along with invasive species, other key drivers of biodiversity loss include destruction of land and sea habitats, exploitation of organisms, climate change and pollution. As well as flammable invasive plants sparking and spreading wildfires, climate change is enabling invasive species to move north – even to remote areas such as high mountains, deserts and frozen tundra. Preventing the arrival of new species into new regions is the best way to manage threats from invasive species, according to the report. For invasive species that have already taken hold, eradication has been a useful tool, especially on islands, according to the report.

Persons: ”, Helen Roy, ” Roy, David Gray, Peter Stoett, Anibal Pauchard, Ian Hitchcock, Starling, MENAHEM KAHANA, Phil Mislinski, Jeff J Mitchell, SANJAY KANOJIA, MUNIR UZ ZAMAN, ” Stoett, Stoett, –, ” Pauchard Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UN, Services, billabong, Nile Virus, Ontario Tech University, Chile’s Institute of Ecology, Pacific, World Wildlife Fund, US Department of Agriculture, USA, Studies, New Zealand Government, European, Starlings, AFP, Getty, North, Wikimedia Locations: Darwin, Australia, Africa, Caribbean, Guam, North America, Hawaii, Maui, Antarctica, Pacific, North, South America, Azov, China, Japan, Europe, Bermuda, New Zealand, New York, USA, Australasia, South Africa, United States, AFP, East Africa, Western Asia, Americas, Kenya, India, Puerto Rico, Kunming, Montreal

☆ Jack Ma's run-in with Beijing not only saw him disappearing for over 2 years, it also cost his companies over $850 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Jack Ma's Alibaba and Ant Group collectively lost $850 billion in value since their peak in 2020. They came under pressure following Ma's criticism of Beijing, which spurred a regulatory crackdown. On Friday, Beijing announced a $985 million fine for Ant Group, signaling an end to the crackdown. In April, he was appointed an honorary professor at the University of Hong Kong. Alibaba shares in Hong Kong were up 3.1% at 86.90 Hong Kong dollars apiece at midday, buoyed by news of the fine.

Persons: Jack Ma's Alibaba, Jack Ma, Ma, —, Ant — Organizations: Ant Group, Ant, Michelin, University of Hong, Hong Locations: Beijing, China's, Alibaba, China, Bangkok, Thai, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, University of Hong Kong, Japan, New York

Garmin's Forerunner fitness trackers have long been one of the brand's most popular among serious runners. After dozens of technological generations and improvements over the years, the latest is the Forerunner 935. To truly put this advanced running watch to the test, we had competitive distance runner, Ted Westbrook, put the 935 through 1,000 cumulative miles of running. A mid-size watch with premium featuresThe Forerunner 935 is a mid-sized watch for the average man and a large watch for the average woman. Whether you're a competitive runner or just want to improve your fitness and cardio, the Garmin Forerunner 935 is a worthwhile investment.

☆ What does 'No Animals Were Harmed' mean? The disclaimer is not a guarantee of animal safety
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Crystal Raypole | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The American Human Association monitors roughly 70% of animal action in Hollywood productions. Since they've trademarked the "No Animals Were Harmed" disclaimer, only they can issue and define it. And despite past accounts of cover-ups, AHA guidelines aim to provide productions and animal trainers with a better understanding of animal safety limitations. Video footage released in 2016 showed Michael Hackenberger, Hollywood animal trainer and owner of the Bowmanville Zoo, whipping a tiger named Uno multiple times. Even so, many people believe the only movies that can truly state "No Animals Were Harmed" are movies that replace animal actors with computer-generated imagery.

☆ 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' smashes box office records with the biggest global opening for an animated film ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" had the biggest opening for an animated film on record. The movie, based on Nintendo's video game, stars Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Jack Black. In the US the film took $31.7 million on Wednesday, $26 million on Thursday and a further $146.4 million Friday to Sunday. It's also the biggest opening of any film so far this year, beating "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter said "Super Mario" was set to be "the first all-audience blockbuster of 2023."

☆ 'The Last of Us' is based on real science: A fungus pandemic is unlikely, but not impossible
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

"The Last of Us" on HBO Max depicts a zombie apocalypse caused by a fungus pandemic. Here's the science fact and fiction behind the show, and the possibility of a fungal pandemic. The new scenario, first realized in the video game that the show is based on, is making viewers wonder whether a fungus pandemic can happen in real life. "A fungal pandemic is definitely possible," Norman Van Rhijn, a mycologist researching fungal infections at the University of Manchester, told Insider in an email. Still, fungal infections are on the rise worldwide, and researchers are concerned that more and more people are at risk.

☆ DC's slate for its new movie and TV universe is bizarre, risky, and a bit confusing — but still promising
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

DC Studios announced the first wave of movies and TV shows for the new DC universe. There are also aspects of the old DC movie universe — but it still shows promise. The slate, titled "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters," is, to put it plainly, bizarre — and even a bit risky. If anything, it's still a bit of the old DC Extended Universe. If Gunn and Safran wanted to keep any aspects of the old DC movie universe, they picked the right ones.

☆ A fungus pandemic is unlikely, but not impossible. There's real science behind the mushroom zombies in HBO's new series 'The Last of Us.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The new HBO Max series "The Last of Us" depicts a zombie apocalypse caused by a fungus pandemic. Here's the science fact and fiction behind the show, and the possibility of a fungal pandemic. The new scenario, first realized in the video game that the show is based on, is making viewers wonder whether a fungus pandemic can happen in real life. "A fungal pandemic is definitely possible," Norman Van Rhijn, a mycologist researching fungal infections at the University of Manchester, told Insider in an email. Still, fungal infections are on the rise worldwide, and researchers are concerned that more and more people are at risk.

☆ Marvel movies are finally returning to China after being shut out for nearly four years
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" will be released in China next month. They're the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movies to be approved in the region since 2019. "Wakanda Forever" will debut in China three months after it hit theaters elsewhere. Marvel announced on Tuesday that "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" will be released in China on February 7 and February 17, respectively. "Wakanda Forever" has grossed $835 million worldwide, lagging behind its 2018 predecessor, which grossed $1.3 billion globally.

☆ 'Avatar 2' dethrones 'Top Gun: Maverick' to become 2022's biggest movie in the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

"Avatar: The Way of Water" passed "Top Gun: Maverick" at the global box office. But "Maverick" is still the top movie at the US box office for the year. The director's long-awaited "Avatar" followup, "Avatar: The Way of Water," became 2022's biggest movie at the global box office on Wednesday, with $1.5 billion. That's a rare occurrence at the box office these days, where big-budget tentpoles often see big significant drops week to week. The first "Avatar" is the biggest movie of all time, with $2.9 billion at the global box office.

☆ 'Avatar 2' crossed $1 billion, halfway to the mark James Cameron said it needs to break even. It will have to overcome 2 hurdles to do it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"Avatar: The Way of Water" has grossed over $1 billion at the global box office. But it may need to double that to reach the mark James Cameron has said it needs to break even. It declined just just 2% in its second weekend, and then only 9.5% from that in its third. "The Way of Water" still had a better hold in its second weekend than most recent blockbusters, falling 52% in its second weekend in the US. Repeat viewing would help its momentum at the box office in the coming weeks.

☆ 'Avatar: The Way of Water' is set to crush the box office. It won't be enough to salvage 2022 for theaters.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"Avatar: The Way of Water" is on pace for a solid box-office debut. "This is great news for theaters that have been looking for a proper blockbuster to take us out of 2022 and into 2023 with some much-needed box office momentum." Its box office dropped just 2% in its second weekend, for instance. Comscore is projecting the US box office to end the year with $7.2 billion — a vast improvement from last year's $4.5 billion, but still far below the $11 billion-plus that the US box office totaled every year from 2015 through 2019. There have been 37 fewer wide releases in theaters through December 5 this year than in 2019, Dergarabedian said.

☆ China's 'social credit' system ranks citizens and punishes them with throttled internet speeds and flight bans if the Communist Party deems them untrustworthy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Katie Canales | Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Since China doesn't have a central social credit system, many local government agencies have been experimenting with what the system could look like. But the plan is for the social credit system to eventually be mandatory and unified across the nation, with each person given their own unique code used to measure their social credit score in real-time, per Wired. In fact, a national social credit system is currently being proposed. Companies will also be at risk if China passes on its Establishment of the Social Credit System law. Citizens with good social credit can also get discounts on energy bills, rent things without deposits, and get better interest rates at banks.

☆ Millions of fire ants threaten to 'rain down' on Hawaii residents and sting them in their sleep, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kauai's most extensive infestation of fire ants poses a health risk to Hawaii's residents and tourists, officials say. Welts caused by fire ants stings can "last for weeks," according to the Kauai Invasive Species Committee. Welts caused by the stings can "last for weeks," the Kauai Invasive Species Committee said, per SFGATE. The Kauai Invasive Species Committee has launched a significant media campaign to alert residents of the free-at-home test kits available to help them detect the presence of the invasive species, SFGATE reported. The Wailua River cuts through the lush tropical vegetation on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, Hawaii.

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