North America
US sanctions 11 entities for aiding Iran’s oil sector
The US imposed sanctions on 11 entities and three executives Thursday for allegedly aiding an Iranian energy firm that was blacklisted in January, and helping Iran export petroleum products . The new designations of companies and executives include six under the Treasury Department’s authorities and five under the State Department. All are based in Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or China. The State Department’s sanctions target Iran-based Abadan Refining Company; China-based Zhihang Ship Management, New Far International Logistics LLC and Sino Energy Shipping; and UAE-based Chemtrans Petrochemicals Trading. The department also imposed sanctions on New Far executive Min Shi, Sino Energy executive Zuoyou Lin and Abadan managing director Alireza Amin. “All entities targeted today contin...
UK education academy confers prestigious senior fellowship on Nigerian born academic
A UK-based Nigerian academic from Osun State and Chairman of TEXEM UK, Dr Alim Abubakre has been awarded UK’s prestigious Senior Fellowship of the Advanced Higher Education Academy (HEA). According to a statement on Tuesday from TEXEM’s website signed by Caroline Lucas, this followed a rigorous review of Abubakre’s impressive record of accomplishment of contributing to advancing Executive Development in the UK, Africa and North America. He was subsequently adjudged worthy and conferred with the UK’s prestigious Senior Fellowship of the HEA which is the UK’s Gold standard in pedagogy. The senior HEA fellowship is also a UK national recognition for leadership, excellence, expertise and commitment to professionalism in teaching and learning. Abubakre has been able to present a thorough unders...
10 hikes through the cleanest air in the world
From Canada’s wild backcountry to the jungles of Brunei, we take a look at some fantastic hikes through the cleanest air in the world The view wasn’t so bad. Sure, it was over the communal bin area but there was a roof so you didn’t really notice it. We had to put up some net curtains because precisely six flats and nine balconies had a direct view into our flat but that was okay – privacy was always hard to come by in London. Even the noise wasn’t really a problem. Being on the road wasn’t always quiet. It was the air. Heavy pollution, barely noticeable before we left London, left my skin shockingly grimey at the end of the day. My every-other-morning run by the River Lea would wind through a host of unnatural smells and the city’s cars were always numerous as ever. Statis...
What is the greenest country in the world?
The greenest country in the world is Denmark according to the latest data analysis from the 2020 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) The Environmental Performance Index evaluates and ranks 180 countries on 32 performance indicators across 11 categories covering environmental health and ecosystem vitality. The aim is to gauge, at a national scale, how close countries are to meeting the environmental policy goals outlined in the United Nations 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. Now in its 22nd year, the EPI report has become the world’s premier framework for global environmental policy analysis. The report is compiled every two years using the following categories to create an EPI score out of 100 for every nation. Climate Change Air Qualit...
13 stunning natural phenomena
From the famous northern lights to the lesser known sea of stars, we share elusive natural phenomena from across the globe As Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken made history this week as the first astronauts to launch to orbit on a private spaceship, the world took pause to watch. Given the turmoil of our times, one observer quipped, ‘Congratulations to the Astronauts that left Earth today. Good choice.’ The off-the-cuff comment was amusing, but also surprisingly poignant for it reminded us of the damage being wreaked by humans – not only on each other but the planet itself. Seeing the curvature of the Earth reminded us of the extraordinary natural phenomena that exist right here at home. Below, we share the best of them. 1. Aurora Borealis The Aurora Borealis, more commonly known as the northern...
10 things park rangers wish you knew
From grizzly bears to bugbears, five park rangers share the vagaries of their unique job There’s no doubt that nature is flourishing under lockdown. There are heartening stories of the Himalayas emerging from Indian smog, moles in the UK being seen above ground and deer wandering the streets of Japan. Sadly, these phenomena will likely end not too long after lockdown, as humans return to business as usual. In an effort to remind readers – and ourselves – to re-engage with nature as responsibly as possible when we’re allowed to return, we asked five park rangers to share some things they wish we knew. The rangers are based in the US (and remain unnamed for the sake of discretion), but nearly all their points are applicable worldwide. We hate it when you disrespect the park...
International borders: 10 remarkable frontiers
From mountains to libraries, we take a look at some of the most extraordinary international borders to be found across the globe Over the last few years, we’ve seen an impressive collection of new websites, blogs and social media accounts dedicated to ‘travel porn’. They’re filled with big, sweeping images of fairytale lands and precarious precipices. Sometimes, like this incredible piece on architectural density in Hong Kong, they’ll depict urban decay or stifling poverty – always gilded by the photographer’s lens. At Atlas & Boots, we always wanted to strike the right balance between travel porn and more in-depth content; the type that provided some previously unknown knowledge or insight. We’re using the current downtime to update some old content and came across this post about unu...
Climbing the seven summits: a route to the top
Climbing the seven summits – the highest mountain on every continent – is an improbable dream of mine… but that’s the beauty of dreams I have always loved trekking and climbing. I usually spend several weeks of any given year on the grades of the Scottish Highlands or Welsh Snowdonia or ideally further afield such as the Arctic Circle Trail in Greenland or the K2 base camp trek in Pakistan. It was one of these trekking trips – to Tanzania in 2010 – that ignited something new inside me. It was while climbing Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, that an idea, an ambition, began to formulate. My hobby deepened into passion and I realised that I wanted to achieve something great: to climb the seven summits, the highest mountain on every continent. Mountain Continent Altitude Tech....
Happiest countries in the world 2020
The happiest countries in the world 2020 have been ranked in the latest World Happiness Report. For the third year running, Finland holds on to top spot Happiness is a nebulous thing; hard to grasp and harder to hold onto. Scientists, economists and philosophers have defined it through the ages as a combination of different things, among them health, wealth, companionship and security. Various indices attempt to rank the happiest countries in the world on an annual basis. The World Happiness Report from the UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) is particularly interesting as it ranks 153 countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be. The SDSN employs an international group of economists, neuroscientists and statisticians to survey citizens on their subject...
