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The island was protected as a National Seashore in 1965. (Picture: NPS) Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland is known for its undeveloped beaches, wildlife and natural coastal habitats. But plans were once in place to turn large parts of Assateague into a resort community with homes, roads, commercial areas and other infrastructure.The island's story took a different turn after two major storms, National Park Service says. A hurricane in 1933 changed the shape of the land by opening an inlet between the southern end of Ocean City and Assateague. Nearly three decades later, the Ash Wednesday storm of 1962 destroyed roads and structures that had already been built on the island and disrupted plans for large-scale development.The island soon became a protected area and the Assateague Island National Seashore was officially established on September 21, 1965, by President Lyndon B Johnson.Today, the National Park Service manages most of the Maryland portion of the seashore, ..

Luca McGillPhoto: Society for Science When 13-year-old Luca McGill set out to measure carbon dioxide in Arizona, he assumed the busiest city streets would naturally produce the highest levels. However, his custom drone experiments revealed a completely different reality. As documented by the Society for Science, which highlights young researchers through its Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, Luca’s breakthrough project earned him a spot as a 2025 finalist. By flying sensor equipment 120 meters into the air, he discovered that rural landscapes often contained higher ground-level carbon dioxide concentrations than nearby urban areas. This surprising finding directly challenged long-held assumptions about local air pollution, proving that greenhouse gas behaviour is far more nuanced than simple city traffic patterns. Luca’s work offers fresh clarity on environmental science while proving that meaningful scientific contributions can come from anywhere.Rethinking how gre..

Swedish police are investigating whether an 18-year-old man who attacked students at a high school with a sword on Friday, killing one, was involved in online communities promoting school violence, a police source said. The attacker struck at a school in the central ‌Swedish town of Fagersta, also severely injuring two teenage boys before being arrested by police. The parents of a 17-year-old girl told local newspaper Fagersta-Posten that their daughter was killed in the attack.
Police are…

AdvertisementHong Kong societyHong KongSocietyElderly woman allegedly pressured into spending HK$100,000 on beauty productsCustoms launches investigation after woman claims 88-year-old mum left exhausted and confused with huge bill from company already under scrutiny
3-MIN READ3-MIN1 ListenConnor MycroftPublished: 10:34pm, 22 Aug 2026Updated: 10:42pm, 22 Aug 2026Hong Kong customs is investigating whether an 88-year-old was pressured into spending HK$100,000 (US$12,750) on beauty products at an outlet linked to a company already accused of aggressive sales tactics.
In a social media post on Saturday, a woman surnamed Ng wrote that her mother was targeted during a three-hour ordeal in April at the Avinichi booth in the Wing On department store in Sheung Wan.
The allegations are the latest in a string of complaints over Hong Kong’s beauty product sector following a crackdown on the local operations of Opatra London.
In the post, Ng said that her mother visited the store in April. After th..

Caden Terence Pohlkamp (7th Grade, Brookside Intermediate School, Friendswood, TX) A Texas seventh-grader has built a remote-controlled underwater robot to test water quality in 12 suburban neighbourhood ponds, finding that artificial fountains can help create healthier aquatic ecosystems. Caden Terence Pohlkamp, a student at Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth, Texas, designed and used the submersible device to measure environmental conditions at different depths. His research earned him a place among the national finalists in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, according to candidate profiles published by the Society for Science.Building an underwater probePohlkamp became interested in the project after noticing differences in water clarity and algae growth in suburban retention ponds near his home. He wanted to collect data below the water without using expensive commercial equipment. He built an underwater remotely operated vehicle with a waterproof body, moto..

Alamgir visited the graves of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman and former PM Khaleda Zia before the ceremony. He has been a close political ally of Khaleda Zia, the former BNP chief. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was sworn in as Bangladesh’s 23rd President on Friday, taking charge as the country’s head of state after defeating his lone rival in the first contested presidential election in 35 years.The 78-year-old veteran politician and longtime secretary general of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) took the oath at Bangabhaban, the official office-cum-residence of the President, where Jatiya Sangsad Acting Speaker Kayser Kamal administered the oath at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman, former Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, Cabinet ministers, senior military officials and other dignitaries.Alamgir’s swearing-in came a day after he secured 255 votes against 88 for Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed, the candidate of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-..

Southeast Asian leaders have long insisted they will not be forced to pick sides in the great-power rivalry between the US and China. But their posture is about to be further tested.
This time, the battleground is AI. While Washington wants the region locked into Pax Silica – its bid to build a China-free artificial intelligence supply chain – Beijing wants its neighbours to join China’s own World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (Waico).
Sources told the South China Morning Post…

AdvertisementCrimeWorldEuropeMan armed with sword injures several at Swedish high schoolThe incident comes a year after Sweden’s worst mass shooting, in which a gunman killed 10 before turning the ‌weapon on himself
1-MIN READ1-MIN ListenReutersPublished: 10:49pm, 21 Aug 2026Updated: 10:52pm, 21 Aug 2026A man armed ⁠with a sword injured several people at a Swedish high school on Friday and one person was later detained, local authorities said.
The incident occurred on Friday afternoon at the ‌Brinell high school, which has some 450 students aged 16 to 20, in the town of Fagersta in central Sweden.
“A call was received regarding a case of ongoing deadly violence at a school in Fagersta,” police said in a statement, adding that one ⁠person at the scene was later taken into custody. A police spokesperson said there was no longer any danger to the public.
Several other schools and public buildings in Fagersta had ‌been placed in lockdown after the sword attack took place. Citing ⁠unnamed s..

Val Ripley and her sister opened the Ty Twt Dolls House and Toy Museum in Newport (Wales). At eight, Val Ripley woke up on Christmas morning in 1932 to find a huge parcel waiting for her. Inside was her first dolls' house. It was a gift from her parents. More than nine decades later, that childhood fascination is still a part of her life. Now 101, Val continues to collect dolls' house pieces and welcomes visitors to the museum she created with her sister in Newport, Pembrokeshire in Wales.”I remember thinking 'they can't have bought me that one', and it was my pride and joy my whole childhood,” Val recalled to BBC. But the dolls' house almost disappeared from her life.A childhood toy lost during the warThe museum opened 26 years ago and has since become a window into another era. In 1939, when Val's father returned to the Army as World War II began, the family's possessions including the dolls' house and other toys were packed away in pre-wa..

Clément Vandenkerckhove (R) with his father Prince Laurent (Source: Instagram) A Belgian car salesman has gone from ordinary life to royal status after Prince Laurent formally recognised him as his son, bringing a long-hidden paternity story into the Belgian royal family.Clément Vandenkerckhove, 26, is the son of Prince Laurent and Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten. The relationship between Laurent and Van Wanten took place before the prince married Princess Claire in 2003.Vandenkerckhove was quietly brought into Laurent’s family at a town hall ceremony six months ago, although details of his new status have only now emerged.Vandenkerckhove had known for years that Laurent was his biological father. His mother revealed the identity to him when he was 16, and four years later he contacted the prince himself.The pair eventually underwent a DNA test together, which showed a 99.5% match, according to Vandenkerckhove’s account in a Flemish TV documentary.Although the recognition makes him a p..