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How many giraffe species are in Africa? New scientific analysis quadruples the count

WASHINGTON — Giraffes are a majestic sight in Africa with their long necks and distinctive spots. Now it turns out there are four different giraffe species on the continent, according to a new scientific analysis released Thursday.

Researchers previously considered all giraffes across Africa to belong to a single species. New data and genetic studies have led a task force of the International Union for Conservation of Nature to split the tallest mammal on land into four groups — Northern giraffes, reticulated giraffes, Masai giraffes and Southern giraffes.

Key studies have emerged in the past decade highlighting significant differences between the four species, said the IUCN’s Michael Brown, a researcher in Windhoek, Namibia, who led the assessment.

Naming different giraffes matters because “each species has different population sizes, threats and conservation needs,” he said. “When you lump giraffes all together, it muddies the narrative.”

Northern giraffes — whose range includes parts of Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Central African Republic – face threats from political instability and poaching. Masai giraffes in Kenya and Tanzania face pressure from habitat loss, as open savannas are converted to cattle pastures and fields.

Considering four giraffe species “is absolutely the right decision, and it’s long overdue,” said Stuart Pimm, a Duke University ecologist who wasn’t involved in the analysis.

While in the past researchers scrutinized giraffes’ spots, the new categories made use of newer methods including extensive analysis of genetic data and studies highlighting key anatomical differences, such as skull shape.

What appear like horns sticking up from the foreheads of giraffes are actually permanent bony protrusions from the skull, different from deer antlers that are shed annually.

Over the past 20 years, scientists have also gathered genetic samples from more than 2,000 giraffes across Africa to study the differences, said Stephanie Fennessy at the nonprofit Giraffe Conservation Foundation, who helped in the research.

It used to cost tens of thousands of dollars to sequence each genome, but advances in technology have brought the cost down to about $100, making it more accessible to nonprofit and conservation groups, she said.

According to population estimates from the foundation, the most endangered giraffe is the Northern giraffe, with only about 7,000 individuals left in the wild.

“It’s one of the most threatened large mammals in the world,” said Fennessy.

Southern giraffes are the most populous species, with around 69,000 individuals. There are around 21,000 reticulated giraffes left in the wild, and 44,000 Masai giraffes, according to the foundation.

“If not all giraffes are the same, then we have to protect them individually,” said Fennessy.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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August 21, 2025
China is expanding into digital currencies, hoping to promote use of its ‘people’s money’

BANGKOK — China has been expanding use of digital currencies as it promotes wider use of its yuan, or renminbi, to reflect its status as the world’s second-largest economy and challenge the overwhelming sway of the U.S. dollar in international trade and finance.

However, restrictions on access to Chinese financial markets and limits on convertibility of the yuan, or “people’s money,” are big obstacles blocking its global use.

Still, Hong Kong already has stablecoin regulations and some Chinese experts are pushing for regulations to prepare for a possible stablecoin pegged to the yuan.

Officials at the People’s Bank of China and State Council Information Office in Beijing did not immediately respond to requests for comment on a Reuters report that the State Council, or Cabinet, is preparing to issue a plan for internationalizing the yuan that might include a yuan stablecoin.

In the U.S., President Donald Trump has made cryptofriendly policies a priority for his administration. He signed a law, the GENIUS Act, last month regulating stablecoins.

Stablecoins are digital currencies whose value is linked to a specific currency such as the U.S. dollar. They can be used as a substitute in situations where currency transactions might be difficult or costly. They are different from cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin in that their only purpose is to be a means of payment, not an investment meant to be traded to gain value.

Dollar stablecoins are typically bought and sold for $1 each. They are based on a reserve equal to their value, but are issued by private institutions, not central banks like the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Stablecoins are not Digital Central Bank Currencies, which are digital versions of currencies issued by central banks. They are based on blockchain-based distributed ledgers. They are “stable” in the sense that their value is anchored to the currency they are based on.

Critics of stablecoins say that since they are essentially a proxy for ordinary currencies that can bypass banking systems and safeguards set up to manage traditional financial transactions they may be most useful for illegal purposes.

China launched its own digital yuan, the e-CNY issued by its central bank, on a trial basis in 2019, and McDonalds was an early participant in that project. Chinese regulators have banned mining, trading and other dealings in private, decentralized digital currencies like Bitcoin, while encouraging use of the digital yuan.

The nearly universal use of electronic payments has facilitated use of the e-CNY in the Chinese mainland, with some cities using it to pay wages of civil servants. State media reported that as of July 2024, there were 7.3 trillion yuan worth of transactions using the currency in areas where it is being used on a trial basis.

China has also been promoting use of e-CNY in Africa, as it expands business dealings on the continent.

But e-CNY are not stablecoins. Experts say regulations are needed to safely manage use of stablecoins and to ensure they could be used smoothly with bank accounts and payment systems.

Hong Kong, a former British colony that has its own financial markets, currency and partly autonomous legal system, enacted a stablecoin law that took effect on Aug. 1.

Aimed at attracting wealthy investors who want to use digital currencies and other financial products, it requires that a stablecoin linked to the Hong Kong dollar must be equal to the Hong Kong dollar reserves for that digital currency.

As a global duty-free port and financial hub, Hong Kong has often served as a base for trying out paths toward liberalizing Chinese financial markets. But new regulations specifically governing yuan stablecoin would be needed if such a digital currency were issued for use in Hong Kong, Liu Xiaochun, deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of New Finance, recently wrote in a report on the Chinese financial website Yicai.com.

China’s currency is not freely convertible in world financial markets and its stringent controls on foreign exchange are the biggest hindrance toward making the yuan a global currency, experts say.

According to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or SWIFT, as of June, the yuan was the sixth most active currency for global payments by value, with a share of 2.88%. Its use peaked in July 2024 at about 4.7%.

It’s used more often in trade financing, where it accounts for nearly 6% of such dealings, according to that report.

The lion’s share of yuan transactions take place in Hong Kong.

The U.S. dollar’s share as a global payment currency was over 47% as of June, followed by the euro, the British pound, the Canadian dollar and the Japanese yen, the report said.

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AP Researcher Shihuan Chen contributed from Beijing.

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August 21, 2025
Early Hearing Aid Use Linked to Reduced Dementia Risk

Early hearing aid use is linked to an increased risk for dementia, new research has shown.

Results of a new observational study found that individuals aged 70 years or younger with hearing loss had a 61% lower risk for dementia than their counterparts with hearing loss who did not wear the aids.

“Only 17% of individuals with moderate-to-severe [hearing loss] use hearing aids. Our study underscores the importance of early intervention for [hearing loss] to reduce risk for incident dementia,” study investigator Lily Francis, MBBS, MPhil, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and colleagues noted.

The study was published online on August 18 in JAMA Neurology.

Unique Research

Age-related hearing loss is widespread. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders estimates that 37.5 million Americans have some degree of hearing difficulty, and about 28.8 million could benefit from hearing aids.

The association between hearing loss and dementia is not new. Research shows that treating hearing loss — particularly with hearing aids — can slow cognitive decline and lower dementia risk for dementia in middle-aged and older adults. Among patients who already have dementia, those who use hearing aids experience fewer neuropsychiatric symptoms than those who do not.

However, this is the first study to show early intervention may play a role in reducing dementia risk, the researchers noted.

For the study, the investigators used data on dementia from 2953 participants from the Framingham Heart Study original and offspring cohorts who had at least mild hearing loss as measured by pure-tone audiometry. Participants had a mean age of 68.9 years, 59% were women, and 42% were aged less than 70 years during their hearing assessment.

The researchers compared incident dementia and hearing aid use across three models that adjusted for age and sex (model 1); age, sex, and Framingham Stroke Risk Profile (model 2); and age, sex, and education (model 3).

For participants with hearing loss who were aged less than 70 years at their hearing assessment, there was a 61% lower risk of developing incident all-cause dementia among those who wore hearing aids than participants who did not wear hearing aids (hazard ratio [HR], 0.39; 95% CI, 0.17-0.89; P = .03).

There was also a 21% lower risk of developing incident all-cause dementia for participants aged less than 70 years old at their hearing assessment who did not have hearing loss than those who did have hearing loss and did not wear hearing aids (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.54-0.95; P = .02).

The likelihood of developing dementia was not significantly different in the model that considered the participants’ Framingham Stroke Risk Profile or education level.

The researchers found no significant differences in incident dementia risk for participants older than 70 years across any of the models, regardless of whether they experienced hearing loss or wore hearing aids.

Study limitations included reliance on participants’ self-reported hearing aid use, measured only with a binary response, which “does not capture the extent of use,” Francis and colleagues noted. The study also could not distinguish whether benefits were related to early intervention by age or by severity of hearing loss. In addition, researchers pointed out that participants who could afford hearing aids generally had better access to healthcare than those without them.

This study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging. The authors reported receiving university endowments and federal grants both during and outside of the study period.

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August 21, 2025
Foldable iPhones coming? Rollout, price, look-and-feel leaks – Gulf News
1. Foldable iPhones coming? Rollout, price, look-and-feel leaks Gulf News
2. Report: Apple to switch up its iPhone launch cycle with the 18 series – GSMArena.com news GSMArena.com
3. Apple may ditch regular iPhone 18 model for foldable iPhone in 2026 Deccan Herald
4. Foldable phone market set to double as Apple prepares 2026 launch Communications Today
5. Return of the flip phone: does Apple’s foldable iPhone signal a new era in design? The Guardian
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August 21, 2025
VNL 2025 smashes broadcast records across key markets

The Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2025 has showcased unprecedented levels of success, with record-breaking audiences and expanded coverage driving volleyball to new levels of popularity in key markets, including: Brazil, Poland and Türkiye. The latest figures highlight the competition’s rapid growth and confirm volleyball’s position among the most-watched live sports worldwide.

In Brazil, enthusiasm for the VNL reached some of its highest levels ever. More than 666 hours of dedicated coverage aired in 2025, a 24% increase from the previous year, and 16% of the national TV panel population – some 11.1 million people – tuned in to watch the action.

Additionally, since 2022, the VNL has attracted 12.4 million new viewers in the country, underlining its expanding footprint. The women’s pool match between Brazil and Italy on Globo drew a live average audience of 2.7 million, making it the second most-watched sports broadcast of the year outside football. On pay TV, the VNL dominated the sports charts in Brazil, securing all of the top 10 live sports broadcasts in 2025. With an impressive weekly average cumulative audience of 1.6 million, volleyball outperformed other live major sports properties such as Formula 1 (F1), Wimbledon and the NBA.

Poland also experienced a surge in viewership across the VNL. Just over 1,046 hours of dedicated VNL coverage were broadcast in Poland in 2025 – a 42% increase from 2024. The Men’s Final between Poland and Italy proved historic, drawing a combined audience of 3.8 million across Polsat Sport 1 and free-to-air television. It marked the largest sports audience on Polsat Sport in a quarter of a century. Read more here.

Notably, eight of the ten biggest VNL audiences on Polsat over the last two years came from this year’s edition. The competition’s popularity far outpaced other live sports on the network, with a weekly average cumulative audience (5.3 million) higher than the Open Championship, F1, UFC and the NBA.

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August 21, 2025
Verra and S&P Global Commodity Insights to Advance Carbon Market Integration with Next-Generation Registry
Verra and S&P Global Commodity Insights to Advance Carbon Market Integration with Next-Generation Registry
World’s Largest GHG Standards Body Collaborates with the World’s Leading Commodities Information and Registry Infrastructure Provider

SINGAPORE and NEW YORK and LONDON and WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A new collaboration between two major leaders in environmental markets and commodities information has been announced to advance broader market integration, beginning with the development of a next-generation registry, marking a major step toward a more scalable, interoperable, and digitally integrated infrastructure.

The collaboration between Verra, the world’s leading standards body for climate action and sustainable development, and S&P Global Commodity Insights, the world’s leading commodities and benchmark information provider, combines deep climate expertise with market infrastructure capabilities. Together, the two organizations will strengthen the integrity, accessibility, and performance of the carbon markets, including through a sophisticated new registry designed to = increase transparency and deliver greater value to market participants.

“This is a technological and strategic transformation for Verra,” said Mandy Rambharos, Chief Executive Officer, Verra. “We’re building the infrastructure required for a robust and resilient carbon market: one that is agile, smarter, and better connected, starting with the registry. Registries are the backbone of the carbon market, tracking the issuance, transfer, and retirement of all credits. Given this, the infrastructure underlying registries must always parallel higher integrity demands, greater scale, and more complex digital requirements. Our partnership with S&P Global Commodity Insights ensures we’re doing just that, grounded in a solid foundation with the right partner.”

The sophisticated new registry will be powered by S&P Global Commodity Insight’s customizable, registry-build infrastructure software Environmental Registry. This technology incorporates quality standards, centralizes verification documentation, provides unique identification and traceability for carbon credits, and enables users to efficiently track and manage carbon, water, and biodiversity credits throughout their life cycles.

“This is a defining moment for the future of carbon markets and the advancement of energy transition and climate goals,” stated Leanne Todd, Head of Energy Transition, Sustainability & Services, S&P Global Commodity Insights. “Integration of Verra into the Environmental Registry and Meta Registry® will further underpin these platforms as the foundation for a unified, transparent, community that can foster greater trust and growth in carbon markets. Our alliance sets the stage for tangible benefits of improved transparency, credibility, and credit tracking efficiency for customers seeking to advance carbon credit markets and better incentivize a future of lower greenhouse gas emissions.”

The new registry, powered by S&P Global Commodity Insights, will roll out in two stages, with a foundational phase launching within the next six months and the second phase launching in 2026. This will deliver tangible improvements for every part of the market, including the following:
- Integration, and a two-way data exchange with, the Verra Project Hub, enabling project proponents to prepare project documents and move through the full lifecycle (i.e., registration, monitoring, issuance) with less duplication and greater efficiency
- Expanded digitization and system connectivity, reducing administrative burden for developers and accelerating verification and credit issuance timelines
- Transaction-ready application-programming-interfaces (APIs) that allow for automated transfers and retirements, replacing manual processes and enabling frictionless, high-volume trading across brokers, exchanges, and marketplaces, including for existing connectivity to CBL and Xpansiv Connect, ensuring no disruption for market participants who utilize these platforms
- Improved transparency and customizable reporting tools, giving buyers and other market participants better insight into project-level data and credit history
- Foundational infrastructure for future innovations, including expanded Article 6 and CORSIA functionality and integration with various programs, governments, market participants, exchanges, insurers, and financial platforms.
Verra will provide dedicated support and training to all of its registry users in advance of the transition. Details on timelines, new access procedures, and system improvements will be shared in September.

Media Contacts:
Verra: Erdem Koch +971-589-656275 ekoch@verra.org
S&P Global Commodity Insights: Kathleen Tanzy + 1 917-331-4607, kathleen.tanzy@spglobal.com

About Verra: Verra is a global leader helping to tackle the world’s most intractable environmental and social challenges. As a mission-driven nonprofit organization, Verra is committed to helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve livelihoods, and protect natural resources by working with the private and public sectors. We support climate action and sustainable development with standards programs and tools that credibly, transparently, and robustly assess environmental and social impacts and enable funding for sustaining and scaling up projects that verifiably deliver these benefits.

About S&P Global Commodity Insights: At S&P Global Commodity Insights, our complete view of global energy and commodity markets enables our customers to make decisions with conviction and create long-term, sustainable value. 

We’re a trusted connector that brings together thought leaders, market participants, governments, and regulators and we create solutions that lead to progress. Vital to navigating commodity markets, our coverage includes oil and gas, power, chemicals, metals, agriculture, shipping and energy transition. Platts^® products and services, including leading benchmark price assessments in the physical commodity markets, are offered through S&P Global Commodity Insights. S&P Global Commodity Insights maintains clear structural and operational separation between its price assessment activities and the other activities carried out by S&P Global Commodity Insights and the other business divisions of S&P Global. 

S&P Global Commodity Insights is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI). S&P Global is the world’s foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workﬂow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help many of the world’s leading organizations navigate the economic landscape so they can plan for tomorrow, today. For more information visit https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights.

SOURCE S&P Global Commodity Insights; Verra
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August 21, 2025
Uncovered: Yugoslavia vs Lithuania – FIBA EuroBasket 1995

The official EuroBasket app

MUNICH (Germany) – The Uncovered series dives into classic showdowns from the FIBA EuroBasket archives, bringing new life to unforgettable games as key players relive the action and share their insights.

The iconic battle between Yugoslavia and Lithuania in the FIBA EuroBasket 1995 Final has gone down in the history books as a game to remember. Two players at the heart of the drama and intensity of that night, Aleksandar Djordjevic and Sarunas Marciulionis, look back on the events 30 years on.

For Lithuania, it was a landmark moment – their first EuroBasket appearance since regaining independence, building on the momentum of a bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

For Yugoslavia, the tournament provided a welcome escape during a difficult period off the court and a chance to reaffirm their status as a true European basketball powerhouse.

FIBA

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August 21, 2025
Living organisms successfully reach orbit in Bion-M satellite capsule – Roscosmos – Interfax
1. Living organisms successfully reach orbit in Bion-M satellite capsule – Roscosmos Interfax
2. Russia launches Bion-M No.2 research satellite NASASpaceFlight.com –
3. We’ve been sending animals into space for 7 decades – yet there are still no rules to protect them from harm The Conversation
4. Soyuz launches a life-science mission RussianSpaceWeb.com
5. Russia Launches Mice, Fruit Flies And Microbes Into Space For Radiation Study Mashable India
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August 21, 2025
US Open women’s singles: how the top players are shaping up for Flushing Meadows | US Open Tennis 2025

How the top five shape up

Aryna Sabalenka Is 2025 just not the world No 1’s year? Finishing as runner-up in Melbourne and Paris and falling in the semi-finals at Wimbledon, Sabalenka has failed to get over the line at slams this season despite being a constant favourite. But with her powerful game and a devastating serve – especially on hard courts – she has the tools to make a deep run as the defending champion in New York. The Belarusian has racked up a total of 52 weeks as the world No 1, surpassing her compatriot Victoria Azarenka’s 51 for the 13th-most weeks atop the WTA rankings since they began in 1975. Perhaps, like Roger Federer in 2008, the 27-year-old can triumph in the final slam of the year after making two finals and a semi.

Aryna Sabalenka is the defending champion at Flushing Meadows. Photograph: Wally Nell/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Coco Gauff The love the 2023 winner receives at Flushing Meadows is palpable and it seems to elevate her game. Gauff stunned with a French Open win this summer, but the American’s grass season was a struggle, culminating in a first-round exit at Wimbledon. The 21-year-old’s weak serve, in particular, has been a point of discussion. “I am disappointed in myself when it comes to that part of my game,” she has said. “Serving well in practice, I would like to transfer it to the matches. I am winning, having one part of my game on a crutch. So if I can stand on both feet, then I can only imagine it is going to be a lot more straightforward.” Her 23 double faults in a win against Danielle Collins in Montreal were the most in a WTA level match since 2011.

Coco Gauff will want to rebound from a difficult time at Wimbledon. Photograph: Robert Prange/Getty Images

Iga Swiatek After a stunning Wimbledon victory that included a historic double bagel in the final, the Pole enters the US Open as a favourite after a difficult start to the year. The 2022 champion appears to be back to her most dominant form and with a formidable head-to-head record against most of the field, the 24-year-old may have a significant mental edge over other contenders. Since the start of the 2020 season, she has claimed the most wins at the WTA level over grand slam champions with 44.

Jessica Pegula This year the American has won three singles titles, in Bad Homburg, Charleston and Austin, and reached finals in Miami and Adelaide, but has failed to go further than the fourth round in a slam. She is coming off a third-round upset to Magda Linette in Cincinnati, where her slow movement hindered her game. At 31, her chance to win a grand slam is getting slimmer, but she has a strong record on hard courts and in New York, finishing as runner-up last year.

Jessica Pegula is running out of time to win a grand slam. Photograph: Robert Prange/Getty Images

Mirra Andreeva Though she has yet to win a grand slam, the 18-year-old is quickly becoming a serious contender. She has an aggressive baseline game, but her ability to keep focus when things fail to go her way needs improving. The Russian’s 36-12 record in 2025 gives her two more wins than her previous best of 34 last year, and her run to the Wimbledon quarter-finals made her the youngest player to reach the top five since Maria Sharapova.

Other home hopes

Madison Keys It is a good time for American tennis. Outside Gauff and Pegula, Keys will be another name that is expected to impress in New York. Her breakthrough grand slam win came this year in Australia, where she defeated Sabalenka in the final and, though she has not maintained that form, she remains a dangerous opponent. Emma Navarro, ranked No 11, will also hope to better her semi-final appearance last year.

Madison Keys comes to New York as a grand slam champion for the first time. Photograph: Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images

Best British hopes

Emma Raducanu The British No 1 is playing with a newfound freedom, saying she has never felt more confident heading to Flushing Meadows since she won the tournament. Since winning 10 matches to win the 2021 edition as a qualifier, Raducanu has not had a single victory in New York, suffering first-round losses in 2022 and 2024 and missing the 2023 tournament due to surgery. This will be her first grand slam with her new coach, Francisco Roig, who was part of Rafael Nadal’s team from 2005 until 2022. It will also be interesting to watch Sonay Kartal in her main draw debut in New York. The Brighton native had an exciting Wimbledon run but lost in the first round in Cincinnati and lacks hard-court experience.

Emma Raducanu says she has never felt more confident about her chances in the US Open since winning it in 2021. Photograph: Frey/TPN/Getty Images

Big name most likely to crash out early

Venus Williams A legend of the sport and a former world No 1, Williams has received a wildcard into the main draw, an obvious decision given the much-beloved former champion will draw massive crowds. However, she has only three wins from 14 since January 2023 and last won a US Open match in 2019. While her love for the game is undeniable, an early exit seems probable.

One to watch

Victoria Mboko The 18-year-old arrives brimming with confidence after winning her maiden WTA title at her home Canadian Open, defeating four grand slam champions along the way. Mboko started the season ranked outside the top 300. Seven months later she is the world No 24 and for the first time anywhere will be seeded. “The US Open, it’s been one of my favourite tournaments ever since I was really little. It is very special for me.” Mboko said. “I don’t really have many expectations for myself. I just want to have as much fun as possible.”

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August 21, 2025
Pakistan is tapping into solar power at an 'unprecedented' rate. Here's why – NPR
1. Pakistan is tapping into solar power at an ‘unprecedented’ rate. Here’s why NPR
2. Solar innovation set to support economic growth amid energy challenges The Nation (Pakistan )
3. Sindh vows clean energy push The Express Tribune
4. Itel energy elevates Pakistan’s solar industry with Cutting-Edge Products and State-of-the-Art Experience Center Daily Parliament Times
5. Pakistan’s solar and battery surge reshapes power sector Energy Monitor
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August 21, 2025