MAARTEN HOLL/Fairfax NZ

Eldon Tate will use his AMP scholarship win to develop a cheap water-purification method powered by sunlight.

The lives of almost 800 million people without access to clean drinking water could change, thanks to a $10,000 prize for Wellington PhD student Eldon Tate.

The Victoria University student was one of 15 people to win an AMP scholarship or prize at the Do Your Thing awards ceremony last night.

A nanotech researcher, Tate has already developed tiny molecules that, in the lab at least, have shown they can purify water.

"These nanoparticles are anti-bacterial and they also use the sunlight to break down organic contaminants," Tate said.

"We're not really filtering it, we're using the energy from the sun to break down all the bad stuff in it."

The idea of harnessing the power of sunlight to purify water in developing nations is not a new one but, so far, no-one has cracked the magic formula of an efficient and yet inexpensive system, Tate says.

"One of the problems with the materials they're using at the moment is that they can only use high-intensity UV light but we have [nanoparticles] that use visible light which makes them much more efficient and can be used on cloudy days," he said.

"And one of the good things about them is that you don't have to use a lot of them they're highly reactive."

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Student sheds light on water invention

Call them China's millennials. They are young, they are plugged into the culture, they are a growing population, but they feel like the economic system they live in is short-changing them. They are thediaosi, a term that loosely translates as "losers." Even though they are gainfully employed, they are getting left behind in capitalist China.

A report by prestigious Peking University's Market and Media Research Center, unveiled in Chinas The Paperin October, was the first to study the term and delve into the actual conditions of life as diaosi. A slang term that originated from Chinas blogosphere, it has now taken on the meaning of "self-aware, self-deprecating loser."

Using a collection of over 200,000 questionnaire responses from people in 50 large, medium and small cities, the study found that being a diaosi means being a single man between the ages of 21 and 25, or a single woman between ages 26 and 30, with little money to their name. But these are not poor people. Distinguishing themselves from Chinas impoverished population, generally speaking diaosiare gainfully employed and making ends meet, but struggling to establish themselves economically and socially.

Diaosi work at the lower level of their jobs, earning an average of 2,917 yuan a month, or $473. By comparison, the average monthly wage of a Beijing resident in 2013 was roughly 5,793 yuan, or about $950. Nearly 75 percent of those who identified as diaosi lived far from their hometowns, with many of them pursuing higher-paying jobs and making money to send back home to family as the reason they left; 71 percent of those surveyed said they sent part of their wages back home.

Others make a lot more money than they do, and that's leaving thediaosibehind in the race to get married. Socially, diaosi hold the reputation of being perpetually single. A repercussion of trying to stay afloat economically, work leaves little time for a social life. Potentially related emotional or mental issues have also been linked to the diaosi, with 37.8 percent of respondents believing they have some sort of undiagnosed mental disorder, with many of them turning to drinking to cope.

While the label sounds like nothing to brag about, it has become a popular moniker that has established itself as a cultural trend. Many who identify say they arent depressed. Instead, they have humble attitudes and enjoy the perceived no-frills, down-to-earth air that goes along with being a diaosi, but dont actually think they are a loser.

After the report was shared online bynews portal NetEase, several commenters found themselves identifying. My base pay is 5000, including commission, I make 100K a year, yet I still feel like I am a diaosi, one commenter wrote, according to the news-blog ChinaSmack. With overwhelming stress, without a house or car, and not daring to buy a house or car, scrimping and saving where I can in my spending, so much that I even think Ive developed clinical depression.

All of China collapsed in tears in the bathroom, another commenter added.

Even Chinas state media has stepped into the conversation, saying that Chinas youth need to reject the increasingly popular diaosi label and the belittling culture that comes with it. On December 2, the Peoples Daily published an editorial called The Belittling of Oneself, Can We Give It A Rest? where the author says that the label is destructive to the mental health of the population.

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China's 'Diaosi': Growing 'Loser' Population Sheds Light On Chinese Youth

Times are still tough in Florida.

They're even tougher in Hernando County.

Those are the findings of a new study commissioned by the United Way of Florida that, as this paper has reported previously, shows a shocking 45 percent of the state's 7.2 million households can barely make ends meet even if the adults in these households are employed.

In Hernando, not unexpectedly, the results are especially grim.

More than half of its households 52 percent are below an income standard established by the authors of the report at Rutgers University-Newark School of Public Affairs and Administration.

Called the ALICE Threshold, it stands for Asset Limited, Income Restrained, Employed and is an estimate, county by county, of the minimum cost of covering such basics as housing, food and transportation.

A family falling below this threshold, obviously, is in trouble. And for more perspective on just how bad things are in Hernando, the rate of ALICE households here is the sixth-highest among Florida counties.

It is higher than our more urban neighbors to the south Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. It is higher, considerably higher, than our more rural neighbors to the north and east, including Citrus County, which many of us think of as our demographic twin.

It's not.

The cost of living there is lower housing for a typical family is $140 a month cheaper in Citrus, for example and its residents are better paid. Hernando's median household income, $36,515, is about $2,500 less than in Citrus and about $8,500 less than in Florida as a whole.

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DeWitt: Report sheds light on why Hernando continues to struggle

Metal Sheds El Paso TX 79912 | 877-689-0730 Call Now! | Storage Sheds Outlet
For more on Metal Sheds visit- http://www.storageshedsoutlet.com or Call- 1-877-689-0730 Storage Sheds Outlet, leading providers of top quality outdoor stora...

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Metal Sheds El Paso TX 79912 | 877-689-0730 Call Now! | Storage Sheds Outlet - Video

The Sheds - Mouseskinshoes / Julia Delaneys / Drippin #39; Down The Stairs
The Sheds live at Caf Verkehrt, Murg-Oberhof (DE), September 2014 Jonas Guggenheim - Accordion Andrea Kirchhofer - Fiddle Benno Ernst - Guitar.

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The Sheds - Mouseskinshoes / Julia Delaneys / Drippin' Down The Stairs - Video

Ken Wyatt MP speaks about Men #39;s Sheds and the Walridge community shed
Federal Member for Hasluck, Ken Wyatt MP, speaks in Parliament about Men #39;s Sheds in the electorate and the new community shed built in the Walridge Country Estate. Ken thanks the dedicated...

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Ken Wyatt MP speaks about Men's Sheds and the Walridge community shed - Video

Weekend floods believed caused by bad weather from a low-pressure area destroyed four houses and two waiting sheds in Naawan town in Misamis Oriental last weekend.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said the destruction may have stemmed from a tornado, GMA Northern Mindanao's Kaye Mercado reported on GMA News TV's "Balita Pilipinas Ngayon."

Four houses in Purok 8 in Barangay Tagbalugo were destroyed due to the floods.

"Pagbaba ko sobrang malaki na ang ilog doon sa silong ng bahay namin. Nagmadali akong lumabas para kunin ang aking dynamo ng makina. Nakuha ko lang ng sandali bigla nalang naanod ang mga gamit ko," said Ermolindo Labis, whose house was among those destroyed.

The floods also washed away two waiting sheds in Purok 8 and 2, and destroyed the approach to the bridge at Barangays Tagbalugo and Mapulog.

Affected residents are now staying with relatives.

Some 15 families stayed in a covered court though they eventually returned to their homes Sunday.

Local government officials assured the affected residents of assistance. Joel Locsin/LBG,GMA News

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Weekend floods destroy 4 houses, 2 sheds in Misamis Oriental

Officers are urging local people to ensure their sheds are secure following nine burglaries in one weekend in Haverhill.

Two separate addresses in the town's Chauntry Road were burgled overnight between Friday and Saturday, with a nail gun and pressure washer stolen.

Four further incidents took place overnightbetween Saturday and Sunday.

Two sheds in Chainey Pieces and one in Chauntry Road were broken into and an attempted burglary of a garage took place in Woodcock Close.

Power tools and golf clubs were only some of the items stolen.

A yellow and black Suzuki RMZ 250 motorcross bike was taken alongside power tools worth several hundred pounds from a garage in Sandpiper Close.

This happened between Friday and Sunday.

A Woodfield petrol strimmer was stolen from a shed in Burton End between Thursday and Sunday, and a mans black, white and red Trek Series 1 road bike was taken from another shed in the town over the course of the weekend.

Officers from the town's Safer Neighbourhood Team are urging residents to lock their sheds and outbuildings with close-shackle padlocks, if possible. A shed alarm shuold also be installed.

For further protection, tools and bikes should be marked with postcode and business name, if appropriate, with a forensic marking solution or etching.

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Plea to review shed security after nine burglaries over one weekend in Haverhill

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Tinashe Gets Seductive With DJ Mustard on New Track, 'Fuckin Wit Me'

Mary J. Blige has taken a risk with her new album, The London Sessions, a sonically adventurous project from the reigning Queen of Soul that stemmed from a summer of recording in the U.K. with British bigwigs like Sam Smith, Disclosure, Naughty Boy, and Jimmy Napes. One of the album's rawest, sparsest tracks is "Whole Damn Year," which weaves through Blige's blow-by-blow tale of heartbreak and the time it takes a heart to recover.

In the new, domestic abuse-themed video for "Whole Damn Year," Ms. Mary takes a backseat as other couples fight dramatically, with women and men cowering in fear for their lives. It's a blistering, starkly literal take on the song's dramatic lyrics, though it does end with forgiveness and a hair flip of acknowledgment.

Stream the video above, and be sure to listen to The London Sessions, now in stores.

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Mary J. Blige Sheds Spotlight on Domestic Violence in 'Whole Damn Year' Video

The equities market closed on a negative note for the third straight session on Tuesday as investors gave in to selling pressure.

After recording gains for three sessions, following the announcement of the devaluation of the naira, equities fell on Friday as negative investment sentiment and the pressure to conserve value outweighed bargain hunting.

On Tuesday, the Nigerian Stock Exchange All Share Index fell by 1.07 per cent to close at 33,550.73 basis points, a day after it fell by 1.82 per cent from 34,543.05 basis points to 33,914.25 basis points.

The market capitalisation of the listed equities suffered the same fate. It fell by N120bn or 1.07 per cent, compared to the N208bn decline it recorded the previous day.

Only three market indicators did not decline on Tuesday. The NSE Insurance Index gained 1.9 per cent, the NSE Oil and Gas Index rose by 1.3 per cent, while the NSE Alternative Securities Market Index closed flat at 1,036.13 basis points.

The NSE 30 Index fell by 1.5 per cent to 1,525.27 basis points, the NSE Banking Index shed 2.4 per cent to close at 353.63 basis points and the NSE Consumer Goods Index declined by 1.2 per cent.

The NSE Lotus Islamic Index fell by 1.2 per cent as well to 2,093.75 basis points, while the NSE Industrial Index shed 0.6 per cent to 1,971.91 basis points.

Meanwhile, the banking sub-sector sustained its grip on the activity chart, accounting for 40.2 per cent of the 218.664 million shares valued at N4.577bn that were exchanged by investors in 4,675 deals.

In the sub-sector, 87.974 million shares worth N1.181bn were traded in 1,465 deals.

Volume was driven in the sub-sector by trading in the shares of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated Plc, Access Bank Plc and Zenith Bank Plc.

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NSE index sheds 1.07%