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Muhammad Was Most Popular Boys' Baby Name in England and Wales in 2023

A man speaks at the phone outside the entrance of Bank station, in the financial district of the City, in London, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
A man speaks at the phone outside the entrance of Bank station, in the financial district of the City, in London, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
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Muhammad Was Most Popular Boys' Baby Name in England and Wales in 2023

A man speaks at the phone outside the entrance of Bank station, in the financial district of the City, in London, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
A man speaks at the phone outside the entrance of Bank station, in the financial district of the City, in London, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Muhammad was the most popular name given to baby boys in England and Wales in 2023, ousting Noah to take the top spot, official figures showed on Thursday.
Muhammad had been among the 10 most popular names since 2016 and had been in second place in 2022, according to the annual list produced by the Office for National Statistics, Reuters said.
Oliver replaced George as the third most popular.
For baby girls, the top three most popular names in 2023 - Olivia, Amelia and Isla - were unchanged from the previous year.
The ONS said that the world of celebrity appeared to have influenced the increased popularity of some names, citing babies named Reign and Saint after those from the Kardashian-Jenner family and a rise in those sharing the names of pop musicians such as Billie Eilish.

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Not Just Penguins on Antarctic Islands Hit by Trump Tariffs

Australia's remote, uninhabited outposts were slugged with US levies - AFP
Australia's remote, uninhabited outposts were slugged with US levies - AFP
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Not Just Penguins on Antarctic Islands Hit by Trump Tariffs

Australia's remote, uninhabited outposts were slugged with US levies - AFP
Australia's remote, uninhabited outposts were slugged with US levies - AFP

A pair of sub-Antarctic volcanic islands unexpectedly hit by Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs may be the world's most inhospitable spot for international trade.

When Australia's remote, uninhabited outposts were slugged with US levies, memes of their best-known residents -- king penguins -- exploded on social media.

In fact, scientists say there is a lot more than penguins to the Heard and McDonald Islands territory, home to volcanoes and an "amazing" array of sea birds, elephant seals, mosses, grasses and herbs, according to AFP.

Even for hardened researchers, however, the islands, which lie 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) southwest of mainland Australia, are fearsomely wild.

They are not conducive to creating an industry for trade, nor for countries re-exporting goods to the United States in search of a tariff loophole.

No human is known to have set foot there since 2016, and access is allowed only with permission from the Australian government.

- No port, no runway -

"There is no infrastructure or commercial industry of any sort on land," said Justine Shaw, a researcher who camped on Heard Island for two months in 2023.

To get there, scientists approach in inflatable boats, or fly in by helicopter from a research ship docked offshore, said Shaw, a conservation scientist with Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future.

The only signs of human occupation are the wood-and-metal remnants of a research station abandoned in 1955 and battered ever since by the freezing rain and wind.

"It's a true wilderness," Shaw said.

But also the "most amazing place" -- with sweeping cliffs and glaciers groaning as they melt, populated by thousands of king penguins, elephant seals and sea birds.

On the ground, there are 70 types of lichen, huge leafy plants, and cushion plants that resemble lush green carpets.

- 'Storms raged' -

Marine ecologist Andrew Constable oversaw a 40-day research expedition to Heard Island in 2004.

For days, a fierce storm stopped them from landing.

"At one point, we had to point the ship into the sea for nine days as storms raged and we couldn't do anything," Constable said.

"The waves were pretty big: they were 10 metres (32 feet) tall."

But Constable said scientists were able to study its melting glaciers, seal and penguin behaviour and how human activity impacted its pristine ecosystem.

One of the key aims for future research trips will be to find out how much more of Heard Island's icy terrain has turned green, he said.

Researchers will also need to probe changing food webs and document marine debris and fishing gear washing up on the coast, Constable said.

With so little human activity, it is one of the few places "where you see the world in action".