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☆ Yellow-crested cockatoos find an unlikely urban refuge in Hong Kong
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Hong Kong CNN —It’s dusk in Hong Kong Park. On a sweltering summer day in Hong Kong Park, nestled between skyscrapers in the urban center of the Asian metropolis, a yellow-crested cockatoo perches on a branch. Noemi Cassanelli/CNN Yellow-crested cockatoos nest in old trees, typically more than 100 years old, which form cavities in the trunk. Hong Kong, despite its urban sprawl and concrete veneer, is a stronghold for several endangered species, including Chinese pangolins, Hong Kong groupers, and the black-faced spoonbill. (According to the AFCD, it has “not received any report related to poaching of yellow-crested cockatoos in the past three years.”)Extremely picky about where they roost, the yellow-crested cockatoos use cavities that form in the trunks of trees that are typically older than 100 years.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, –, Astrid Andersson, it’s, ”, Andersson, Quadrupling, Noemi Cassanelli, Cassanelli, CNN Andersson, CNN There's, they’ve, “, Tom Booth, Fox, It’s, ’, Fiona Woodhouse, Woodhouse, Hong Kong’s, Jovy Chan, Chan, “ They’ve Organizations: CNN, Hong Kong CNN, Press, University of Hong, Timor Leste, International Trade, Fisheries, Conservation Department, CITES, Scottish wildcats, ADM Capital Foundation, Society for, Bird, Cultural Services Department, Facebook, Hong, SPCA HK, WWF Locations: Hong Kong, Swedish, Indonesia, Timor, Australia, University of Hong Kong, Hong, ”, Mainland China, HKD28,000, Indonesian

☆ The story behind this playful rooftop portrait
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Hong Kong’s humidity – already oppressive – was intensified in the dark, maze-like alleyways of an unruly enclave known as Kowloon Walled City. Greg Girard, courtesy of Blue Lotus GalleryA ‘strange, vertical village’Girard first visited Kowloon Walled City in 1986 while on a shoot at the nearby airport. As such, the Walled City remained technically subject to Chinese rule, though this was never enforced. The site of the Walled City has since been transformed into a public park, which opened in 1995. Ongoing interest in the Walled City is, Girard suggests, because of the spirit it encapsulates: the aptitude for survival even in the harshest of circumstances.

Persons: –, Greg Girard, wasn’t, ” Girard, ”, Girard, Greg Girard ., ’ Girard, “, Ian Lambot, Lambot, Girard — Organizations: CNN, Kai Tek International, Lotus Locations: Hong, Kowloon Walled City, Walled City, Walled, Tung, Hong Kong, British, ”, “, City, Girard

☆ Dieuveil Malonga visited 48 African countries to create a new 'Afro-fusion' cuisine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Malonga visited 48 of the 54 African countries in a bid to better understand the diverse traditions, dishes and ingredients. Combining his Euro-centric training with his experiences of African cuisine, Malonga developed his signature style. Nigerian restaurant Ikoyi became the first Michelin-star West African restaurant in the UK in 2018, and the meteoric success of Chika’s, a multi-million-pound UK snack brand that highlights Nigerian flavors, shows a growing appetite for West African food. While the trend caused controversy and a backlash from some in Africa, it also sparked interest in West African cuisine among US internet users that has continued since. Next will be African cuisine – that’s why we are preparing the market,” he adds.

Persons: Meza Malonga, Dieuveil Malonga, ”, Malonga, –, Dieuveil, Chris Schwagga, Europe’s, “, matriarchs, Meza Organizations: CNN, Michelin, Chefs, Malonga's, Ikoyi Locations: Uganda, Cameroon, Africa, “ Africa, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, Germany, Kigali, Rwanda, France, Europe, Malonga's Congolese, Congolese, Münster, Ivory Coast, Ghana, West, West African, Musanze, Lake Ruhondo

☆ This company wants to be the ‘Booking.com for rocket launches’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Cargo-carrying space missions can often take years to get off the ground, and cost millions of dollars. Precious Payload wants to be the “Booking.com for rocket launches,” says Andrey Maksimov, the company’s Russian-born CEO and founder. “Similar to looking at the search results of a booking engine, you can view all the commercially available rocket launches around the planet,” says Maksimov. Precious Payload streamlines the process by gathering data from space agencies and rocket launches across the globe. He plans to make the company a one-stop-shop for space missions by expanding to include ground services and even satellite development.

☆ One-fifth of water pollution comes from textile dyes. But a new material inspired by shellfish could clean it up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Every year, the textile industry uses 1.3 trillion gallons of water to dye garments – enough to fill 2 million Olympic-sized swimming pools. Textile wastewater contains toxic chemicals from dyes that pollute the enviornment -- like wastewater released from factories into Dravyavati River, in India (pictured). Noemi Cassanelli/AFP/Getty ImagesThey targeted “anionic dyes,” because there are not many effective methods to remove these types of dye from water. He also hopes to devise solutions for cleaning more than just textile dyes from water. Nashef says that using membrane-based nanomaterials in pre-treatment could cut the energy needed to clean the water.

☆ A new generation of airships is taking to the skies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

It’s an airship, and French aeronautics company Flying Whales hopes its hybrid-electric, helium-lift vessel will change the shape of sustainable transport. Flying Whales' airships, pictured here in a render, could access remote locations without roads, railways or airports. That’s why most companies, including Flying Whales and LTA Research, are using helium, which is non-flammable. Prentice is also the founder and president of BASI, a Manitoba-based company specializing in airships adapted for cold climates. Flying Whales expects to test its first airship at the end of 2025, with commercial operations beginning in 2027 once the airship is certified.

Persons: ”, Romain Schlack, Sergey Brin, It’s, Barry Prentice, Prentice, “, Schlack Organizations: CNN, Flying Whales, ” Airship, Research, Google, LTA Research, Moffett, American Chemical Society, Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba, Prentice ., FAA, European Aviation Safety Agency, Libre de Bruxelles, Prentice, Companies, Akron Airdock, Vehicles, Air Vehicles Locations: San Francisco, California, Manitoba, Prentice . California, Belgium, Laruscade, Bordeaux, France, Ohio, San Francisco Bay, England, Quebec, Asia, Canada

☆ These animals went extinct in the wild. Scientists brought them back
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-16 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

All of them went extinct in the wild – and all of them came back, thanks to reintroduction programs. One of the most iconic reintroduction success stories, Przewalski's horse went extinct in the wild in the 1960s, but were returned to the Mongolian steppe in 1992. “The less time that has passed, the more likely that environment is the same as when the species went extinct,” she says. “But you still need to address the reason why it went extinct in that environment to begin with.”Read more: This palm tree nearly went extinct. Without these projects, species such as Przewalski’s horse and the Guam rail would almost certainly be extinct in the wild.

Persons: Natasha Robinson, Sergei Bobylev, Robinson, ” Read, Karim Sahib Organizations: CNN, Conservation, Australian National University, United, United Arab Emirates, Getty Locations: Israel, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab, AFP, Guam

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