Over 20% plant species found on islands: Study

Sydney: In a study published in Nature magazine, researchers mapped the diversity of plant life on Earth’s islands and found that 21 per cent of the world’s total plant species are endemic to islands, meaning they occur nowhere else on the planet. At least 94,052 plant species or 31 per cent of the world’s total are native to islands. Of these, 63,280 or 21 per cent only occur on islands, it found. The study assumes importance since island plants are at higher risk of extinction than those on the mainland.

Peru dismantles over 60 criminal gangs

Lima: Peruvian President Dina Boluarte announced that the government has successfully dismantled over 60 criminal gangs in at least 14 districts of Lima and Callao under the state of emergency declared in September. “During the state of emergency in Lima and Callao, more than 180 wanted individuals (under prosecution) have been captured, and we have taken down over 60 criminal gangs,” Boluarte said. Of all detained, over 80 are involved in extortion, while 763 were arrested for theft, 379 for robbery and 15 for homicide.

17 Indian fishermen repatriated by Lanka

Colombo: Seventeen Indian fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly poaching in the island nation’s waters have been repatriated. Fishermen from both countries are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other’s waters. “Homecoming! 17 Indian fishermen have been successfully repatriated and are on their way to Tamil Nadu,” the High Commission of India here said in a post on X on Friday.

Over 3 million in Sudan at risk of cholera

Khartoum: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that over three million people are at risk of cholera in Sudan. “At least 3.1 million people, including 500,000 children under five, are at risk of cholera,” UNICEF said on social platform X on Friday. The vaccination coverage in Sudan has plummeted to some 50 per cent from 85 per cent before the outbreak of the internal conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023, it noted.