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Ahead of a virtual gathering of dozens of world leaders in a climate summit called by Joe Biden, which begins on Thursday, the White House said the US will aim to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by between 50% and 52% by 2030, based on 2005 levels. This new target, to be formally submitted to the United Nations, represents a stark break from the climate denialist presidency of Donald Trump and will “unmistakably communicate that the United States is back”, according to a White House official who was briefed on the emissions goal.
Source: theguardian.com
Egyptian firm Minapharm announced Thursday it will produce 40 million doses of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. It was the first partnership for the production of Sputnik V in the Middle East and North Africa, Minapharm said in a joint statement with the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
Source: france24.com
After weeks of tension over a build-up of Russian troops close to Ukraine's border, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered a number of units in the area back to their bases. The EU estimated this week that more than 100,000 Russian soldiers had amassed near the border and in Crimea, seized and annexed by Russia in 2014. Speaking in Crimea, Mr Shoigu said units on exercise would return to base.
Source: bbc.com
A farmer said the vet that examined the calf after being delivered told him it was functioning normally. The calf has fused skulls, two pairs of eyes, two mouths, one pair of ears, and when sucking milk with one mouth, the other one reproduces the movement simultaneously. However local media quoted veterinarians as saying cases of polycephaly are rare and the calf only has a small chance of long-term survival. But the farmer said he was determined to keep the newborn animal “no matter how long”.
Source: wistv.com
A lucky mystery buyer has snapped up Australia's largest ever diamond ring after it was auctioned for a whopping $1.25million this week. The 25.02 carat square emerald-cut diamond ring had a price guide of between $900,000 to $1.2million as it went to Leonard Joel's Important Jewels auction on Tuesday night. As well as being the largest, the ring's sale has also quickly made it the most expensive ring auctioned in the country.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
Police and local councils are warning that there could be another collapse after several tonnes of earth slid down onto a beach at Nefyn, Wales, Monday around 11am.
Source: thesun.co.uk
India recorded the world's highest daily tally of 314,835 COVID-19 infections on Thursday as a second wave of the pandemic raised new fears about the ability of crumbling health services to cope. The previous record one-day rise in cases was held by the United States, which had 297,430 new cases on one day in January, though its tally has since fallen sharply. India's total cases are now at 15.93 million, while deaths rose by 2,104 to reach a total of 184,657, according to the latest health ministry data.
Source: reuters.com
A bomb explosion at a luxury hotel in the Pakistani city of Quetta has killed at least four people and wounded 12. The Chinese ambassador to Pakistan is suspected to have been the target of the attack in the car park of the Serena Hotel, correspondents say. He is understood to be in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province near the Afghan border, but was not present.
Source: bbc.com
The State Department announced Monday that it would begin to update its travel advisories to more closely align with those from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a change that "will result in a significant increase in the number of countries at Level 4: Do Not Travel, to approximately 80% of countries worldwide."
Source: cnn.com
The new NOSEiD app from IAMS uses image-detection technology to scan a lost dog's unique nose print and provide their rescuer with the owner's contact information.
Source: people.com
Jean Castex is being sent ladies' underwear in the mail, as part of a protest by lingerie store owners whose outlets have been forced to close under the country's lockdown. The protest, organized by the group Action Culottée, came about after lingerie stores were classed as non-essential businesses, and were therefore forced to close to reduce transmission of Covid-19.
Source: cnn.com
Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde has tested positive for coronavirus, and will miss the clash with Chelsea in the Champions League next week. Real said on Sunday that Valverde was self-isolating after coming into contact with a positive case, missing the 0-0 league draw with Getafe, and he has now tested positive.
Source: eurosport.com
Police in Ohio have released body camera footage of the shooting of a 16-year-old black girl who was killed on the same day as the verdict in George Floyd’s case was announced. The girl, identified by family as Makiyah Bryant, was shot and killed by police in Columbus on Tuesday afternoon, after officers were called to a disturbance on the southeast side of the city following reports of an attempted stabbing.
Source: independent.co.uk
Dozens of US and Brazilian celebrities have urged President Joe Biden to not sign any environmental deal with Brazil as deforestation in the Amazon rises. In a letter, they said an accord risked legitimising a government that was encouraging environmental destruction. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio and singers Katy Perry, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso are among those who signed it. President Jair Bolsonaro has weakened protections and called for economic development in the rainforest.
Source: bbc.com
Cher has urged the father of pop star Britney Spears to step down from his conservatorship role. Since 2008, Spears’s affairs have been controlled by a court-ordered conservatorship that allowed her father, Jamie Spears, to oversee her financial affairs as well as her personal life. While he no longer oversees her personal life due to health reasons, he continues to manage her estate, despite her telling a judge that she wants him removed from the role.
Source: independent.co.uk
An Indonesian navy submarine with 53 people on board has gone missing after failing to report the results of an exercise as expected. The submarine was taking part in a torpedo drill in North Bali waters.
Source: dailystar.co.uk
When Glyn Stafford moved into his new house in Derbyshire, the previous owners told him their cat had recently gone missing. Stafford initially left out some food and milk to see if the cat would return, but stopped after a few days passed and there was no sign of the pet. A few weeks later, however, Stafford reportedly heard a meowing coming from one of the walls near the kitchen ceiling. When he investigated, he found the cat, Molly, stuck in a space between the house’s walls. He contacted the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and inspector Jenny Bethel soon arrived on the scene.
Source: foxnews.com
Breakaway European Super League founder and Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli said on Wednesday that the league can no longer go ahead after six English clubs withdrew. Asked whether the project could still happen after the exits, Agnelli told Reuters: “To be frank and honest no, evidently that is not the case.”
Source; reuters.com
Chip fat and other oils are considered waste, so when they are used to make biodiesel it saves carbon emissions by displacing fossil oil. But such is the demand across Europe that imports now account for more than half of the UCO that's made into fuel. According to the study, there's no way to prove these imports are sustainable. With no testing of what's coming in, experts believe it is also ripe for fraud. While UCO is considered a waste material in the UK, in China, Indonesia and Malaysia it has long been used to feed animals. The report raises the question of what people in these countries are replacing the UCO with, when it is exported.
Source: bbc.com
A panel of jurors has found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty Tuesday on all three charges in connection with the May 2020 death of George Floyd, after one of the most closely watched criminal trials in recent memory. Chauvin, 45, was charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. With Americans on edge as they awaited the verdict, the jury announced that it has found him guilty across the board. Chauvin's sentencing is scheduled for eight weeks from now, the judge said. He could be sent to prison for decades.
Source: foxnews.com
The reigning Mrs World, Caroline Jurie, has resigned her title, the organisation running the pageant said late on Tuesday, weeks after she was involved in a controversy at the Mrs Sri Lanka event. Jurie was arrested and released on bail this month after a fracas at the Mrs Sri Lanka pageant in Colombo, where Jurie forcibly removed the winner's crown, claiming the other woman was a divorcee and not qualified to win the title.
Source: reuters.com
The UN has called for the United Arab Emirates to provide "concrete" proof that Princess Latifa Al Maktoum, the daughter of Dubai's ruler reportedly being held in detention, is alive. In a statement issued in Geneva on Tuesday, UN human rights experts also said she should be released "urgently". Princess Latifa tried to flee Dubai in 2018. In footage shared with BBC Panorama, she says commandos drugged her and flew her back to detention.
Source: bbc.com
The new London Resort theme park has announced the first land which will open in 2024, dedicated to dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures. Base Camp will be one of the six lands at the Kent theme park, with a range of rides, rollercoasters and exciting features.
Source: thesun.co.uk
McDonald's is partnering with BTS, the massively popular Korean pop band, for its next celebrity meal — and this time it's going global. The aptly titled "BTS Meal" goes on sale May 26 in the United States, Canada and Brazil and soon after in nearly 50 countries spanning six continents and consists of the "superstar band's signature order," the company announced Monday.
Source: cnn.com
Ferocious tyrannosaur dinosaurs may not have been solitary predators as long envisioned, but more like social carnivores such as wolves, new research unveiled Monday found. Using geochemical analysis of the bones and rock, a team of researchers with the University of Arkansas determined that the dinosaurs died and were buried in the same place and were not the result of fossils washing in from multiple areas.
Source: foxnews.com
In a letter addressed to Boris Johnson, 156 UK musicians have called on the government to take action over streaming rights. The letter asks for changes in legislation to “put the value of music back where it belongs – in the hands of music makers”.
Source: independent.co.uk
Angry Byron Bay locals are protesting the filming of a reality television series that some fear will damage the reputation of their trendy Australian tourist town. Around 100 surfers paddled to sea Tuesday to form a cancel symbol off the coast of the New South Wales state town in the hope that Netflix will can the series about social media influencers. Several Byron Bay businesses have refused to sign filming permits that would allow “Byron Baes,” a contemporary abbreviation of “Byron Babes,” to be shot on their premises.
Source: apnews.com
Chad's President Idriss Deby has died while visiting troops on the frontline of a fight against northern rebels, an army spokesman said on Tuesday, the day after Deby was declared the winner of a presidential election. Deby, 68, came to power in a rebellion in 1990 and was one of Africa's longest-ruling leaders.
Source: reuters.com
US Senate lawmakers are proposing to ban private ownership of big cats such as lions and tigers in the wake of the Netflix documentary series Tiger King. Support for the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which would also ban public contact with big cat cubs, was announced by four bipartisan senators. The US has more captive tigers than there are wild ones around the world. The Animal Welfare Institute says the Tiger King series helped to highlight "the exploitation of captive big cats".
Source: bbc.com
The U.S. ambassador in Moscow said Tuesday he will head home for consultations — a move that comes after the Kremlin prodded him to take a break as Washington and Moscow traded sanctions. Ambassador John Sullivan said in a statement that he is returning to the United States this week to discuss U.S.-Russian ties with members of President Joe Biden’s administration. He emphasized that he would come back to Moscow within weeks.
Source: apnews.com
A subsidiary of South Korean bio-tech company GL Rapah will begin producing Russian COVID-19 vaccines in the country in May, with all doses bound for export, industry sources said Tuesday. Under the agreement with Russia's sovereign wealth fund, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Hankook Korus will first manufacture 150 million doses of Sputnik V at a local factory, they said. All of the doses manufactured in South Korea will be for export and not for domestic usage.
Source: en.yna.co.kr
Compared with PCR tests - the gold standard for testing - the disposable breathalyser's sensitivity rate so far has been over 95 per cent, and its specificity, more than 99 per cent. It is also cheaper, costing around US$20 (S$26) each currently. Trials have already started in NCID, Changi Airport Terminal 1 and Certis, with more than 400 individuals tested to date. Silver Factory's breathalyser, TracieX, has been shown to be almost as accurate as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, while taking a fraction of the time - at two minutes - to turn in results.
Source: straitstimes.com
Walter F Mondale, the former vice-president and liberal leader who lost to Ronald Reagan in one of the most lopsided presidential elections, has died at the age of 93. A towering figure in the Democratic party who resolutely put humility and honesty before the glitz of mass communication, Mondale’s death marked something of an end of an era in US politics. He was described by a biographer as the last major American politician to resist the allure of television. The death of the former senator, ambassador and Minnesota attorney general was announced in a statement on Monday from his family. No cause was cited.
Source: theguardian.com
Mercedes has unveiled its largest and most luxurious electric car yet. The Mercedes EQS is the battery-powered equivalent of the Mercedes S-Class sedan, the brand's flagship model.
Source: cnn.com
The government has said it will do "whatever it takes" to prevent a breakaway European Super League involving six leading English clubs. Boris Johnson said ministers would be working to make sure the league did not go ahead in the way being proposed. The Duke of Cambridge also said he shared fans' concerns about "the damage it risks causing to the game we love". But the president of Real Madrid told a Spanish TV show: "We are doing this to save football at this critical moment."
Source: bbc.com
Former U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon urged his successor on Monday to engage directly with Myanmar's military to prevent an increase in post-coup violence and said southeast Asian countries should not dismiss the turmoil as an internal issue for Myanmar. "Given the gravity and urgency of the situation, I believe the secretary-general himself should use his good offices to engage directly with the Myanmar military, to prevent an escalation of violence," Ban, secretary-general from 2007 to 2016, told a U.N. Security Council meeting.
Source: reuters.com
A stalker who claims pop star Taylor Swift is communicating with him on social media was arrested on a trespassing charge after trying to break into the singer’s Manhattan apartment, police said Monday. Hanks Johnson, 52, was arrested at 8:30 p.m. Saturday after a 911 caller reported he was inside Swift’s Tribeca building without permission, a police spokesperson said. Johnson was charged with criminal trespass and released on his own recognizance after an arraignment Sunday night. It wasn’t clear if he had an attorney who could comment.
Source: apnews.com
Boris Johnson’s planned visit to India next week has been cancelled because of the country’s escalating coronavirus crisis, a joint statement by the UK and India has announced. “In the light of the current coronavirus situation, prime minister Boris Johnson will not be able to travel to India next week,” said the statement, released by Downing Street.
Source: theguardian.com
Auction house Christie's unveiled on Monday what it called "the highest-estimated Asian artwork" to ever go under the hammer, a Xu Beihong painting called "Slave and Lion," which it expects to fetch between $45 million and $58 million. The 1924-dated painting by Xu, who is regarded as one of the most important figures of Chinese realism, will go on public preview in Beijing and Shanghai this month before being auctioned in Hong Kong on May 24. The painting was sold in the global financial hub in 2006 at Christie's for HK$53.9 million ($6.9 million), a record at the time for a Chinese oil painting.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
Joe Biden faces a key test of his commitment to climate action this week, when he sets out his core plans for tackling the climate crisis and calls on all of the world’s major economies to join him in bold action to slash greenhouse gas emissions in the next ten years. The US president has made the climate emergency one of his administration’s top priorities, and stated that clean growth must be the route for the US to rebound from the coronavirus crisis.
Source: theguardian.com
For the first time in their party's four-decade history, the German Greens have announced a candidate to run as chancellor. Equally historic is the central role the Greens will play in September's general election. On Monday, the Green Party announced that 40-year-old Annalena Baerbock would be its choice to take over from Angela Merkel after September's election. Ms Baerbock is likely to be the only woman in the race.
Source: bbc.com
South Korea's government on Monday said it had proposed a law to require its citizens to get official permission before using the internet to exchange digital material such as movies, music, scanned books, or artwork with anyone in North Korea. If approved by parliament, the measure would be the first major amendment to South Korea's Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act in three decades and is part of its recent efforts to improve relations with North Korea.
Source: reuters.com
A World War II-era plane was forced to land off the coast of Cocoa Beach, Florida, Saturday afternoon after it experienced engine failure. Authorities are now working on getting the plane, which was part of an air show, out of the water, according to Cocoa Beach Air Show spokesperson Chris Dirato. The only person on board the plane, the TBM Avenger, was the pilot. When he realized the plane was having engine problems, he initially tried to make it to the nearby Patrick Space Force Base where the air show was being held.
Source: cnn.com
More than 13 million people in the UK watched live television coverage of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral which saw a Queen in mourning, masked and sitting alone, during her first public appearance since the death of her husband of 73 years. During it, the Queen will mark her 95th birthday on Wednesday at Windsor Castle, where she and Philip had been shielding during the pandemic. The Queen Mother’s 2002 funeral was watched by 10.4 million, while that of Diana, Princess of Wales, had a record 32 million in 1997.
Source: theguardian.com
Footballer Marcus Rashford has launched a book club to get disadvantaged children reading more. The England and Manchester United striker has teamed up with publisher Macmillan Children's which will donate 50,000 books. They will be distributed in more than 850 primary schools across England and Scotland through children's food charity Magic Breakfast.
Source: bbc.com
Eleven people were killed and 98 injured on Sunday in a train accident in Egypt's Qalioubia province north of Cairo, the health ministry said in a statement. The train was heading from Cairo to the Nile Delta city of Mansoura when four carriages derailed at 1:54 p.m., about 40 kms north of Cairo, Egyptian National Railways said in a short statement.
Source: reuters.com
Foreign spies operating in Britain face being prosecuted and deported under new laws to protect the nation from hostile states such as China and Russia. Boris Johnson will use the Queen’s Speech on May 11 to announce a bill to counter hostile states, including a requirement for all individuals working on behalf of foreign governments in Britain to register their presence. Failure to do so would be a criminal offence.
Source: thetimes.co.uk
Uefa, the Premier League and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have condemned 12 major European clubs, including the 'big six' from England, signing up to a breakaway European Super League. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham are part of the group. La Liga's Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid and Serie A's AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus are involved. Uefa said it will use "all measures" possible to stop the "cynical project". Senior figures at European football's governing body are furious about the proposals.
Source: bbc.com
Syria is to hold a presidential election next month, the country's parliament says - a move likely to maintain President Bashar al-Assad's grip on power. Mr Assad is not expected to face serious opposition despite continuing conflict and a growing economic crisis. After 10 years of war the Syrian government controls most of the big population centres in the country. About 400,000 people have been killed and over half of Syrians displaced. The election for a president who will serve a seven-year-term will take place on 26 May.
Source: bbc.com
Around 200 tonnes of illegally harvested giant clam shells worth nearly $25 million (£18 million) have been seized in the Philippines. The seizure is one of the largest ever hauls of the endangered species. Four suspects have been arrested on an island in the ecologically protected province of Palawan. Giant clams can grow larger than one metre across, and weigh up to 250kg. They are seen as vital to the local marine ecosystem.
Source: bbc.com
Hundreds of UK church leaders have told the prime minister that plans to use vaccine passports for entry into venues is “one of the most dangerous policy proposals ever to be made in the history of British politics” with the “potential to bring about the end of liberal democracy as we know it”. An open letter to Boris Johnson signed by more than 1,250 clergy from different Christian denominations across the UK says the “introduction of vaccine passports would constitute an unethical form of coercion and violation of the principle of informed consent”.
Source: theguardian.com
The 300-million-year-old shark’s teeth were the first sign that it might be a distinct species. The ancient chompers looked less like the spear-like rows of teeth of related species. They were squatter and shorter, less than an inch long, around 2 centimeters.
Source: apnews.com
A busy road in the Estonian capital Tallinn has been closed for April nights to keep thousands of frogs and toads travelling to their breeding grounds safe from cars. Volunteers usually help carry frogs and toads over roads in the spring and say they have saved 97,000 of them in previous years, including 2,000 last year on the Tallinn road. But with the coronavirus pandemic making such help impossible this year, road closures are the only lifeline for the amphibians.
Source: reuters.com
Just days after the International Space Station's crew reached 10 people, three have returned to Earth. Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins ended their 185-day mission on the space station Friday.
Source: cnn.com
Rafa Nadal suffered a shock quarter-final defeat by Russian Andrey Rublev at the Monte Carlo Masters on Friday as he was overpowered 6-2 4-6 6-2, only his sixth ever loss at the tournament he has won 11 times.
Source: reuters.com
U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday called Iran's enrichment of uranium to 60% purity unhelpful but said he is pleased Tehran is still in indirect talks with Washington about both countries resuming compliance with the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal.
Source: reuters.com
The global coronavirus death toll was expected to reach 3 million on Saturday as the race for immunisation continues and countries such as India grapple with rising infections and new lockdowns. India racked up 234,692 Covid-19 infections in the 24 hours to Saturday morning, health ministry data showed, which was the eighth record daily increase in the last nine days.
Source: theguardian.com
Helen McCrory, the British actress best known for her roles in the 'Harry Potter' films and 'Peaky Blinders,' has died, her husband, actor Damian Lewis, announced on Friday. McCrory, who was 52, died "peacefully at home" after "an heroic battle with cancer," the "Homeland" star said in a tweet.
Source: cnn.com
Kyrgyzstan will use a herbal tonic to treat COVID-19, its health minister said on Friday after his president praised the remedy - despite warnings from a medical expert that it contained a potentially lethal poison. Minister Alymkadyr Beishenaliyev drank a solution made from the roots of aconitum soongaricum at an online briefing to show that it was safe.
Source: reuters.com
Prince Philip's funeral service will be broadcast by major television networks and streamed online. The service honoring the Duke of Edinburgh will begin at 3 p.m. local time in St George's Chapel, Windsor with a national minute of silence, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace. The Queen and members of the royal family will take part in the event, with attendance limited to 30 because of coronavirus restrictions. A ceremonial procession inside the grounds of Windsor Castle — led by the band of the Grenadier Guards, one of the oldest regiments of the British Army — will begin at 2:45 p.m..
Source: cnn.com
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