Along with other news, please read: Vietnamese tourists to Korea are the most in Southeast Asia ; Peng Yuyan's film and dog Xin won an award in Cannes; Djokovic failed to reach the final of ATP 250; Iron pillar over 1,600 years old still not rusted.
WHO reports global average life expectancy has decreased by nearly 2 years
Illustration photo.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the average global life expectancy has decreased by nearly 2 years due to Covid-19, disrupting humanity's medical progress this decade.
According to a report from WHO released on May 24, the average global life expectancy decreased by 1.8 years to 71.4 years in the period 2019-2021 - the time when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, equal to the average life expectancy in 2012.
Previous research published in The Lancet - one of the world's most prestigious medical journals - showed that global life expectancy decreased by 1.6 years during the pandemic.
Euronews quoted medical experts as saying that the decline in average life expectancy has disrupted the progress of the world's medical industry over the past years, because one of the biggest goals of medicine is to prolong human life.
WHO's 2024 report shows that Covid-19 ranked 3rd among the leading causes of death in 2020 and 2nd in 2021.
During these two years, Covid-19 was the leading cause of death in the Americas, with about 13 million people dying during the pandemic.
In addition, the main causes of decline in average life expectancy at pre-pandemic times were cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia.
In addition, environmental factors such as air pollution , water pollution, food safety and hygiene, etc. are also 'killers' causing millions of deaths worldwide each year.
Vietnamese tourists travel to Korea the most in Southeast Asia
In the first four months of the year, more than 167,000 Vietnamese visitors came to Korea, making it the largest international tourist market in Southeast Asia.
Figures released this morning by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) show that Vietnam is the largest international tourist market in Southeast Asia in Korea in 2023 and the first four months of 2024. In 2023, the number of Vietnamese visitors to Korea reached 420,000, ranking fifth in the world. In the first four months of the year, Korea welcomed more than 167,000 Vietnamese visitors, an increase of more than 32% over the same period last year and a recovery of 97% over the same period in 2019. "This steady growth increasingly demonstrates the importance of the Vietnamese market to Korean tourism," KTO commented.
On the other hand, South Korea is also the largest international tourist market in Vietnam after the pandemic, accounting for nearly 30%. In 2023, more than 3.6 million Korean visitors came to Vietnam out of a total of 12.6 million international visitors.
Eddie Peng's film and the dog Xin won an award at Cannes
The film is set in the Gobi Desert and tells the story of a man named Lang (Eddie Peng) who returns home after being released from prison.
While working for the local patrol to clear the town of stray dogs before the 2008 Olympic Games, he spotted a peculiar black dog.
Two lonely souls start a new journey together.
Through Black Dog , the director wanted to tell the story of ordinary people left behind in the whirlwind of economic development in China. He chose actors who brought a sense of authenticity to the project.
During filming, actor Eddie Peng became so attached to the dog Xin that he adopted the dog after the film wrapped.
Black Dog had its world premiere in Cannes on May 18. The dog was also a very notable character on the red carpet alongside the director and cast.
A day before the Un Certain Regard awards, the film's star dog also won the Grand Jury Prize at the Palm Dog awards in Cannes.
Djokovic failed to reach the ATP 250 finals
Losing all six final games against Tomas Machac, Novak Djokovic was defeated 4-6, 6-0, 1-6 in the semi-finals of the ATP Geneva Open on May 24.
Djokovic played well at times but could not maintain consistency throughout the match. After taking a 4-1 lead, the world number one lost five games in a row and lost the first set.
Nole then won seven consecutive games to make it 4-6, 6-0, 1-0, before losing the last six games and retiring. Machac will meet Casper Ruud or Flavio Cobolli in his first ATP 250 final.
With 2,000 points to defend in Paris, Djokovic needs to reach at least the semi-finals of Roland Garros to retain his world number one ranking after the tournament. Nole will begin his journey at the clay Grand Slam against home player Pierre-Hugues Herbert on May 27.
Iron pillar over 1,600 years old still not rusted
Inside the UNESCO-listed Qutb Minar complex in New Delhi is a collection of historical monuments and buildings built in the early 13th century. Among them, a mysterious architectural work - a 6-ton, 7.2-meter-high iron pillar that has survived for more than 1,600 years and still retains its pristine appearance as it did in its early days.
Scientists in India and around the world have begun to investigate the reason for the mysterious iron pillar’s resistance to oxidation over time. The pillar is mainly made of wrought iron with a high phosphorus content (about 1%) but lacking sulfur and magnesium (unlike today’s iron).
In addition, ancient craftsmen also used a technique called “Forging”. Craftsmen heated and forged iron to preserve the high phosphorus content inside the iron.
In addition, the outer shell of the pillar is also covered with a thin protective layer called “misawite”. This protective layer is a compound of iron, oxygen and hydrogen. According to Indian experts, this thin protective layer is formed based on the high phosphorus content of iron and the absence of lime, which helps to increase the durability of the pillar over time.
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