Jornais pelo Mundo

June 16, 2025 

Researchers at the Cambridge University Library, England, discovered a manuscript with stories about King Arthur and Merlin, which had been used as a book cover. This manuscript was part of the binding of a book from the 1500s that contained property records and had been overlooked for centuries. The manuscript comprises episodes from the story of King Arthur called ‘Suite Vulgate du Merlin’. To view the story without destroying the book and the delicate cover, scientists used numerous techniques including carrying out computed tomography (CT) scans. This helped them create a digital version of the cover, which they were able to read.

DID YOU KNOW?
Though the stories of King Arthur are an important part of British literature, historians aren’t sure if the character was inspired by a real person.

June 01, 2025 

• Marking a significant advancement, the University of Western Australia (UWA) intends to set up branch campuses in different parts of India.
• Mumbai will be designated as the main hub and the UWA has reached out to the University Grants Commission to facilitate the initiative.
• The university will offer different master’s and undergraduate programmes, including business and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
• The university will also facilitate academic exchange opportunities.
• This move was unveiled during a meeting between UWA’s chancellor, Maharashtra’s chief minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Mumbai.

June 01, 2025 

A designer named Juyong Shim made use of waste and unused speaker parts to create furniture and other objects. The designer’s ‘Horn Series’, which included a table, shelves, a stool and a trolley, was part of Milan Design Week 2025. The series also includes a product that serves as both a lamp and a table. Shim integrated other elements with parts of speakers to create these objects. Through his creations, he demonstrates how waste objects can be redesigned for practical uses.

DID YOU KNOW?
Repurposing not only helps reuse objects, but also conserves water, trees and other resources.

June 01, 2025 

A huge power outage affected parts of Europe including Portugal, Belgium, Spain and some areas of France on April 28. The outage impacted communication services, transportation services, hospitals and other systems, bringing the lives of millions of people to a halt. While the exact cause of the outage is unknown, experts link it to an interconnector fault. Temperature changes due to an unusual atmospheric event are another possible reason being considered for the outage. Officials took prompt action to bring back electricity, however, achieving full recovery required about a week.

June 01, 2025 

• Japan has announced that it will provide India with Shinkansen trains from the E3 and E5 series as a gift. These trains will be used to evaluate the upcoming Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor.
• These trains will be fitted with instruments that help study how factors such as dust affect the operation of trains.
• Carrying out trials with the Shinkansen train sets will ensure efficient operations of the E10 trains expected to be introduced in 2030. These trains can travel at speeds as high as 400kms/hr.
• This move will further strengthen the relationship between Japan and India.

June 01, 2025 

Egypt is investing $51 million to transform the tourism experience at the Giza Plateau, home to the iconic Pyramids of Giza. The project, led by Orascom Pyramids Entertainment, aims to tackle long-standing problems such as animal mistreatment, overcrowding and unregulated street vendors that have marred the visitor experience. Key improvements include enhanced animal protection measures, the renovation of select tombs, relocating vendors to designated zones and introducing 45 electric buses to ease transportation. The initiative seeks to preserve the historic site while restoring its appeal as a world class tourist destination.

DID YOU KNOW?
The Giza pyramids were built around 4,500 years ago.

May 16, 2025 

• China is preparing to inaugurate the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, which is believed to be the tallest bridge in the world, in June 2025. 
• This bridge has been built over a canyon. It stands at a height of 2,050ft and stretches across 3.22kms. Constructed at a cost of around ₹2,200 crore, this structure will significantly decrease travel time in the region, making transport more efficient. 
• The bridge, located in Guizhou, China, is expected to attract tourists from around the world. 
• With a height that exceeds the height of France’s Eiffel Tower by 1,083ft, this structure highlights China’s prowess in infrastructure projects. 

May 16, 2025 

Japan has made a groundbreaking advancement by creating a 3D-printed railway station in a few hours. This new structure at Hatsushima Station in Arida, Japan, spans approximately 10 sq mts and has a height of about 2.6mts. It was built by a Japanese company named Serendix with 3D-printed elements that were crafted in advance. These elements were put in place in just a night, showcasing the potential of adopting 3D-printing in infrastructure projects. This railway station, the first of its kind in the world, sets a new benchmark for efficient and cost-effective construction.

Watch this video to learn more about Japan’s 3D-printed railway station

May 16, 2025 

Switzerland has revealed the country’s next-generation passport design, seamlessly combining security with art. The passport, designed by RETINAA, a design studio based in Geneva, Switzerland, features custom typefaces and 3D-modelled reliefs to represent the country’s geographical characteristics. The cover features the country’s valleys and mountains, while the passport also contains a representation of the country’s topography, which illuminates when kept under ultraviolet lights. These characteristics make counterfeiting the document more challenging.

DID YOU KNOW?
The Aletsch Glacier, which is the largest glacier in the Alps, is located in Switzerland. It spans 171 sq kms.

May 01, 2025 

A new symbol for the national currency of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been introduced by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE). With this initiative, UAE aims to enhance the recognition of its currency on a global scale. The UAE Dirham symbol’s design has been influenced by the country’s national flag. It features a ‘D’ with two horizontal lines that stand for the currency’s stability. The symbol will be used for the country’s digital and physical currency. The digital symbol features a ring encircling the ‘D’ and also includes the colours of UAE’s national flag.

DID YOU KNOW?
The UAE Dirham began circulating as the country’s national currency in 1973.