Protests over George Floyd’s death have gone international, with hundreds of people taking to the streets of London and Berlin to decry the rampant police brutality in the US.
The chants of “No justice, no peace” rang out in the British capital on Sunday as protesters marched towards the US embassy in London. Some stopped at the Trafalgar Square and knelt, imitating the gesture of NFL star Colin Kaepernick.
"It is really powerful that people come out and not just sit down. It is not just a black issue, it is a human issue," a protester named Scott told RT’s Ruptly video agency.
The action in London was a lot less violent than in the US, however. The Metropolitan Police made five arrests, with two people detained for assaulting the officers, and three others – for violating the Covid-19 lockdown guidelines.
In the German capital, the crowd of protesters also gathered outside the US embassy. They held signs that read: “Justice for George Floyd,”“Let us breathe” and “Who’s neckst.”
“I promised that my future beautiful black babies will not die because I did not do enough, because I spent more time crying and complaining and posting than I did taking real action,” one of the Berlin speakers said through a megaphone.
George Floyd, a 46-year-old Houston native, died on May 25 during a police arrest in Minneapolis. Disturbing footage filmed by bystanders showed an officer jamming his knee on the black man’s neck while ignoring his pleas as well as those of the witnesses watching.
Ahead of the brutal arrest, Floyd allegedly tried to use a counterfeit $20 bill at a grocery store, and police said he resisted being handcuffed when detained. But for the millions of people who saw the video in the news and on social media, this hardly justified the police actions. Thousands took to streets across the US in cities like Minneapolis, New York, Atlanta, Portland, Chicago and many others.
But the protests quickly turned into riots – “hijacked” by provocateurs, as some have said – with destroyed property, torched police vehicles and large-scale looting persisting for several nights in a row. With curfews imposed in several cities but troops not deployed, President Donald Trump has so far refrained from invoking federal authority to send in the National Guard. At the same time, he has blamed the “Radical Left” and Antifa in particular for stirring up the riots, promising to designate the latter a terrorist group.
The government has declared wearing of masks mandatory at public places, markets and in public transport to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafaat in a tweet on Sunday said wearing masks or covering face at all public places in Islamabad has been declared compulsory.
He said the civil administration will visit markets, mosques, bus stops, offices and streets to check whether or nor people follow the government-prescribed guidelines, wearing masks in particular.
اسلام آباد میں تمام عوامی جگہوں پر ماسک پہننا /منہ ڈھانپنا اب لازم قراردیدیاگیا ہے۔ مارکیٹس،عوامی مقامات مساجد،پبلک ٹرانسپورٹ،لاری اڈہ،گلیوں،سڑکوں، دفاتر میں چیکنگ ہوگی۔ مجسٹریٹ تین ہزار تک جرمانے اور دفعہ 188 تعزیرات پاکستان کے تحت جیل بھی بھیجا جا سکتا ہے https://t.co/meI0kcjkU5
— Deputy Commissioner Islamabad (@dcislamabad) May 31, 2020
Warning people against failure to wear masks when stepping out, the deputy commissioner said a judicial magistrate can levy a fine of up to Rs3,000 or send a violator to prison under Section 188 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
Earlier today, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr. Zafar Mirza said wearing masks is now mandatory at crowded public places and in public transport.
Taking to Twitter, he said: “Face masks are now mandatory to be worn by everybody while in crowded public places, mosques, bazaars, shopping malls, public transport ie road, rail and flights.”
“We have reviewed our guidelines for wearing masks and have added a mandatory section.”
Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast light rainfall, drizzle in Karachi on Sunday night.
Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), in its forecast, predicted partly cloudy weather with chances of drizzle late Sunday night.
Weather in Karachi is expected to remain partly cloudy and humid with the maximum temperature ranging up to 37 degrees Celsius and humidity up to 80 percent in the morning and 70 percent in the evening.
The Met Office on Saturday forecast rain wind-thunderstorm for the entire country in the next 24 hours.
It said that rain wind-thunderstorm with few hailstorms is expected in Islamabad, Kashmir, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northeast Balochistan and Sindh during the next twelve hours.
“A Westerly wave is affecting most parts of the country and likely to persist in upper parts till Tuesday,” the Met said.
Dust-thunderstorm with rain is also expected in Mirpurkhas, Badin and Hyderabad on Monday, said the Met Office.
The United States (US) dollar registered an increase of Rs1.32 in its value and touched 163.30 against the Pakistani rupee at the start of day’s trading.
According to forex dealers, the greenback is trading at 163.30 against the local unit in the interbank market.
The US dollar had finished at 161.98 against the rupee the other day.
On May 28, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) recorded $55 million decrease in its liquid foreign reserves.
According to the central bank’s weekly report, the total foreign reserves held by the country stood at $ 18,597.9 million. The net reserves held by commercial banks stood at $6,524 million.
SBP reserves decreased by $55 million to 12,073 million due to external debt repayments, read the report.
An accountability court on Friday issued arrest warrants for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Toshakhana reference.
The hearing was presided over by AC Judge Asghar Ali, in which former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani appeared before the court, while former president Asif Ali Zardari and ex prime minister Nawaz Sharif skipped the appearance.
At the outset of the hearing, the counsel of Asif Ali Zardari presented the medical reports of his client and requested to grant exemption from court appearance.
The plea was opposed by NAB’s Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar, but the court approved the plea and directed former president Asif Ali Zardari to appear on June 11 in the reference.
During the proceedings, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor has requested the court to issue arrest warrants against Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, Yousaf Raza Gillani and Omni Group Director Abdul Ghani Majeed.
But the court turned down the anti-graft watchdog body’s request and only ordered to issue arrest warrants for the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Later, the hearing of the case was adjourned till June 11.
Toshakhana reference
The NAB had filed a reference with the accountability court against the former heads of the state for not depositing luxury vehicles and valuable gifts received from the foreign leaders in the treasury.
NAB sources said that former president Asif Ali Zardari had only paid 15 per cent of the total cost of the vehicles received as gifts through fake accounts.
Zardari had received expensive cars as a gift from Libya and the UAE as president but did not deposit it in the Tosha Khana, the sources added.
Nawaz Sharif and Yousaf Raza Gillani had also received cars as a gift from different foreign leaders as prime ministers and used it themselves instead of depositing them in the treasury.
Owners of Omni Group, Khawaja Anwar Majeed and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majeed were also nominated as accused in the reference.
At least four persons of the same family were killed and a woman got injured when the car they were traveling in overturned in Khairpur, News reported on Friday.
According to police, the accident occurred at the National Highway in Babarlo area of district Khairpur, when the car turned turtle due to over-speeding, killing four persons on the spot while a woman was injured.
Police sources said that the ill-fated car was going to Lahore from Karachi. The injured woman and dead bodied were shifted to the Civil Hospital.
Read more: At least 16 wedding guests killed in Jhal Magsi road accident
Earlier on February 15, at least 13 passengers including women and children were killed while 30 others injured when a bus carrying wedding guests overturned in Jhal Magsi district.
According to police, the ill-fated bus was on its way to Shikarpur from Khuzdar. The bus overturned when it reached Bareecha area, killing 16 persons. According to Levies’ sources,’ the injured had been shifted to Civil Hospital Jhal Magsi for treatment.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa in his message in connection with the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, said sense of purpose and commitment of Pakistan towards global peace under UN charter remains unflinching.
The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is being observed on Friday to pay tribute to the uniformed and civilian personnel’s invaluable contribution in maintaining the peace across the world.
The theme for this year’s Day is “Women in Peacekeeping: A Key to Peace”.
The COAS said that Pakistan commemorates ‘Spirit of Sacrifice’ of our valiant peacekeepers, who continue to serve humanity in challenging and restive regions of the world.
The United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, in his message, said as we commemorate the 20th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, we must do more to achieve women’s equal representation in all areas of peace and security.
He said together, let us continue to wage peace, defeat the pandemic and build a better future.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari on Friday decided not to appear before accountability court in Toshakhana (national depository) case.
The former and ex-prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Yousaf Raza Gillani were asked to appear before an accountability court today in Toshakhana (national depository) reference.
The counsel of former president, Asad Abbasi advocate said an exemption plea from the court appearance would be filed in the court.
My client is critically ill and hospitalized, therefore he should be given exemption from court appearance, he added.
The NAB had filed a reference with the accountability court against the former heads of the state for not depositing luxury vehicles and valuable gifts received from the foreign leaders in the treasury.
NAB sources said that former president Asif Ali Zardari had only paid 15 per cent of the total cost of the vehicles received as gifts through fake accounts.
Zardari had received expensive cars as a gift from Libya and the UAE as president but did not deposit it in the Tosha Khana, the sources added.
Nawaz Sharif and Yousaf Raza Gillani had also received cars as a gift from different foreign leaders as prime ministers and used it themselves instead of depositing them in the treasury.
Owners of Omni Group, Khawaja Anwar Majeed and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majeed were also nominated as accused in the reference.
Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has issued an alert about thunderstorm rains in different areas of the province from Thursday to Tuesday, News reported.
The alert, addressed to all district administrations in the province, has advised to remain alert in view of a forecast of Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) about heavy rainfall with thunderstorm.
The administration officials have also been advised to take all precautionary measures in order to avoid losses and damage to property.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has also issued advisory for upcoming thunderstorms and rainfall starting from today to Tuesday.
The advisory asks all provincial departments, NHA, FWO and other institutions to remain alert. They have been advised to ensure the presence of staff during emergency situations.
The weather department in a statement predicted rain or dust-thundershowers in upper and central parts of the country from today (Thursday) to June 2 (Tuesday).
According to the MET office, dust-raising winds/ isolated thunderstorm with light rain is expected in Potohar region, South Punjab, Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, North East Balochistan and Kashmir.
Temperature of some major cities recorded this morning:
The Chinese parliament on Thursday passed a national security bill that ramps up security in Hong Kong. Anti-Beijing protests in the autonomous city were reignited by the draft’s introduction.
The bill was approved by the National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing and will now go to the country’s leadership to be enacted into law. The parliament session was attended by President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.
The details of the new legislation, which is expected to come into force by August, have not been made public yet. The bill is widely believed to introduce harsher punishments for things like insulting China’s national symbols, attempting to break away from the country, and using violence to intimidate people in order to further a political cause.
Incidentally, radical elements of the Hong Kong protest movement have been involved in acts that fall under the description. During the months of anti-government protests, some activists have defaced the Chinese flag, called on foreign powers to send troops into Hong Kong, and waged a campaign of vandalism against businesses they see as being loyal to Beijing.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX will launch its first manned mission into orbit on Wednesday – a feat already being hailed by some as ‘historic’. RT has asked veteran cosmonauts what it would mean for the US, Russia, and space exploration.
The company’s Falcon 9 rocket, carrying its Crew Dragon capsule, will blast off into space from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida – the first ever launch conducted by a private spacecraft firm. NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are expected to link up with the ISS and spend between one and four months in orbit, depending on how well the equipment performs.
If successful, the launch would represent a major symbolic achievement for the US, say Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Aleksandr Lazutkin. Since 2011, the leading space nation has had to rely on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft for manned missions, after its own space shuttle program was scrapped.
Alternative space ‘route’ & technological competition
The launch is far more than a simple matter of prestige, though. The emergence of another organization capable of manned space launches would end not only the US’ but the world’s dependence on the Russian Soyuz program when it comes to manned ISS missions. While it might not exactly sound like a good thing for Moscow, the cosmonauts believe it to be a positive development.
“There will be another transport route,” Kotov said. His experience includes travelling to orbit three times and spending almost a year and a half onboard the ISS in total, while also working in open space for a total of over 36 hours. Reliance on Soyuz was “primarily a serious technical dependency,” he explained, adding that there was a potential risk of humanity losing contact with the International Space Station in the event that something terrible happened to the Russian spacecraft.
“There will just be another organization capable of producing and launching spaceships. That is a good thing,” agreed Lazutkin, who spent 184 days aboard the Soviet ‘Mir’ space station, surviving both a fire and a pressurization failure onboard.
Still, one should not expect an explosive growth of manned space launches or a significant technological leap in the space industry just because SpaceX succeeds in its endeavor, the cosmonauts warn. “The space industry is a very knowledge-intensive and slow-developing field. One should not expect any sort of a ‘boom’ from the emerging private sector,” Lazutkin said.
Musk has already helped boost technological developments in this field, having opted to create some new technologies of his own for the SpaceX spacecraft instead of adapting existing ones. “This is what manned space exploration urgently needs,” Kotov said, while Lazutkin noted that competition in the space industry would likely force other space nations to “seek new ways.”
Security risks?
One of the possible problems associated with private space exploration is that it would sacrifice astronauts’ security in the name of cost effectiveness, Kotov warns. “The most secure spacecraft is not the most effective one when it comes to commercialization,” he said.
The cosmonaut noted that the approach seemingly embraced by Musk is similar to that of civil aviation, where planes must reach certain safety standards to be allowed to fly but a certain number of technical incidents are “accepted.”
That is what makes SpaceX different from Russia’s Soyuz program, which is based on the idea of absolute safety and multiple safeguard systems. “Modern space exploration is, however, drifting towards more acceptability for the use of less secure systems,” Kotov said.
“The very idea behind Musk’s reusable rockets is that they are not tested anew before each launch. Otherwise there is no economic sense in them.”
NASA will now be conveniently relieved of the burden of bearing the costs and security risks associated with manned space launches. Instead, it would just “book a service” from a private company and leave them to deal with all the risks, the cosmonaut said.
A private company’s technical ability to launch its own space missions without government involvement could provide completely new opportunities for various companies whose access to space was previously severely limited by state bureaucracy, Kotov believes.
“Private spacecraft companies could potentially develop their own manned missions, not dependent on government contracts,” the cosmonaut said – and that is not just about space tourism.
“That could potentially open up the way for hi-tech or pharmaceutical corporations to strike deals and conduct space experiments they would deem useful or necessary without the need to agree it with the state.”
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Three people have reportedly been killed by a gunman at a radio station run by Thailand’s public broadcaster NBT. The shooter appears to be a disgruntled employee.
The shooting attack happened on Wednesday morning at the office of NNT3, a radio station broadcasting from the city of Phitsanulok. According to local media, the station director and two senior engineers were killed while another person was injured and taken to the hospital after the attack.
The gunman was identified as a mechanic working at the station, who presumably resorted to violence in a workplace conflict. The police arrested him and seized two handguns that were in his possession.
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Beijing has reportedly shut down a widely popular anti-US account on its social media platform, WeChat, after the profile took up a bizarre theory positing that American Covid-19 victims are being ground up into lunch meat.
The social media account in question – Zhidao Xuegong (the Scholar Forum for Ultimate Truth) – had millions of followers under its belt prior to its ban, but apparently crossed the line with a controversial post alleging that “The US has been processing dead bodies from Covid-19 diseases into hamburgers.” It was shut down on Sunday for “fabricating facts, stoking xenophobia and misleading the public,” according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
An article published on the account earlier this month elaborated further, explaining that “cannibalism” was a common practice in the United States until recently, and that it had only been “a few dozen years” since Americans consumed “blacks, Indians and Chinese” as a matter of course. The piece garnered at least 100,000 readers, 753 of them even donating money to the account.
The decision to scrub the handle is thought to be part of an effort by Beijing to defuse an escalating war of words with Washington, as the countries trade accusations over their respective responses to the pandemic. With relations continuing to sour, certain segments of Chinese society have sought to take advantage of growing hostility toward the US, the SCMP reported, at times encouraging far-fetched conspiracy theories.
In addition to the Zhidao Xuegong account, WeChat says it banned seven others for similar policy violations.
On Friday, the Cyberspace Administration of China began what it said would be an eight-month campaign to purge China’s internet of “illegal and false information.” It is unclear whether the WeChat purge is related to the campaign, however.
Throughout the coronavirus epidemic, misleading content has run rife on the internet in China. Tencent, WeChat’s parent company, said that it had closed down 2,500 accounts for “misleading content,” as well as at least 20,000 others for “fake news” since the beginning of the outbreak.
The coronavirus face mask game has hit a new height – or rather low – at a post office in Ukraine, where a woman without the protective gear instead chose to strip off her panties and wear them on her face to comply with the law.
Captured by a CCTV camera at a Nova Poshta (New Post) office in Ukraine’s capital of Kiev, the salacious video surfaced online late on Monday evening. The footage shows a woman without a protective face mask – which are now mandatory across the country – as she speaks with an office clerk. Confronted about having no face covering, the woman unexpectedly snapped, brusquely peeling off her pants and underwear right in front of the post workers and bewildered customers waiting in line.
She then placed the undergarments on her head – maskwise – before putting her trousers back on as if nothing happened. The DIY ‘face mask’ apparently checked out with the employees, who continued business as normal and eventually serviced the woman.
The bizarre stunt was confirmed by the post service to local media, and somewhat surprisingly, the company seemed quite understanding about the incident, saying it “by no means condemns the behavior of the client” and that it won’t report her to the police. The New Post said the woman was offered a free face mask when she entered the office, yet she refused to use it, sticking to a more familiar piece of cloth instead.
The only person to land in hot water over the incident is the employee who leaked the scandalous security footage, as the company deemed it a breach of its “information security” policies. The New Post is currently considering dismissal for the cheeky worker.
A bizarre robbery attempt at a jewelry store in Brazil has been captured on film, in which a disabled man held a cashier at gunpoint – clutching the weapon with his feet. The would-be thief was eventually brought to heel.
The unusual incident unfolded in the Brazilian town of Canela on Monday. Security camera footage of the ill-fated heist shows a wheelchair-bound, medical mask-clad man rolling into the jewelry shop before trying to rob it.
La cámara de seguridad de una joyería de Canela (Brasil) captó el momento en el que un minusválido asaltó el local usando una pistola con sus pies. El incidente se produjo el pasado 25 de mayo pic.twitter.com/8xt93kw4py
According to local media, the 19-year-old suspect handed a note to the cashier, instructing him to stay calm and fork over the cash. But apparently interpreting the demand to be some sort of joke, the store clerk ignored the disabled criminal.
The attacker – who also happens to be mute – then produced a gun to reinforce his written statement and prove it was no prank. As the man’s arms do not work, he grasped the gun with his feet, at one point even cocking the weapon with his lower limbs to drive the point home further.
Still, the robbery attempt was unsuccessful, as police were soon called to the scene to apprehend the suspect, who apparently didn’t make it very far. Apart from his gun – which turned out to be a plastic toy – the man had also stashed a large kitchen knife in his wheelchair.
The suspect was promptly released after the booking, as law enforcement deemed him an unlikely flight risk, given his condition. He now faces charges for attempted robbery.
The colossal space rock that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago collided with Earth at the perfect angle for death and destruction, shrouding the planet in a catastrophic “nuclear winter,” a new study has found.
The fearsome event that exterminated some three-quarters of all life on Earth was especially deadly thanks to the asteroid’s flight path, according to researchers at Imperial College London, who ran 3D simulations of the Chicxulub impact to better understand its apocalyptic aftermath. Their findings were published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday.
“The asteroid strike unleashed an incredible amount of climate-changing gases into the atmosphere, triggering a chain of events that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs,” said Gareth Collins of the Imperial College, who headed up the research team. “This was likely worsened by the fact that it struck at one of the deadliest possible angles.”
For the dinosaurs, the worst-case scenario is exactly what happened.
The asteroid hurdled to Earth at a steep angle of around 60 degrees, maximizing the amount of gas and “hazardous debris” launched into the upper atmosphere at the moment of collision – “the very thing that led to a nuclear winter,” Collins said. Kicking up a thick blanket of dust and smoke, the impact blackened the ancient skies, blotting out the sun and sending temperatures plummeting to inhospitable levels. Many of the organisms that survived the initial explosion perished in the artificial winter.
The scientists combined collision models with geological data from the impact site – located in modern-day Chicxulub, Mexico, which gave the 200 kilometer-wide crater its name – creating a 3D simulation of the event and its after effects for the first time.
“Despite being buried beneath nearly a kilometre of sedimentary rocks, it is remarkable that geophysical data reveals so much about the crater structure – enough to describe the direction and angle of the impact,” said Dr Auriol Rae of the University of Freiburg, a co-author on the study.
Previous studies have modeled the impact, but only looked at its early stages, rather than the chain of events it set off. Other research has also theorized that the asteroid came in at approximately 30 degrees, but the latest findings may offer a better explanation for why the event was so deadly, suggesting that a collision at a shallower or steeper angle would have been much less destructive.
US President Donald Trump said he was planning to do something about Beijing’s moves to limit the political autonomy of Hong Kong, but would not say what. Chinese media, meanwhile, called US threats a ‘nothingburger’ bluff.
“We're doing something now. I think you'll find it very interesting. But I won't be talking about it today,” Trump told reporters at a White House event about healthcare on Tuesday. “It's something you're going to be hearing about ... before the end of the week – very powerfully I think.”
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said earlier that Trump was “displeased” about China’s actions concerning Hong Kong, but likewise would not elaborate what specific action that might translate into.
Trump’s cryptic comments come as China is attempting to outlaw “any act of treason, secession, sedition [or] subversion against the Central People's Government” in the city that was ruled by the British Empire for a century, before being ceded back to China in 1997.
While official Beijing has not commented directly, a Monday editorial by Global Times – an English-language outlet of the ruling party’s People’s Daily newspaper – dismissed the prospect of US sanctions as a “nothingburger” and a bluff.
“Washington has always used national security as an excuse to suppress normal commercial activities,” said the editorial, adding that Trump’s claims about Hong Kong “will hardly fool all Westerners, let alone manipulate the whole international community.”
“As the US is entangled in the [Covid-19] epidemic, its actual ability to intervene externally is weakening. The White House claimed it would impose sanctions on China, but the tools and resources at its disposal are fewer than those it could mobilize before the outbreak. It is only bluffing,” the editorial concluded.
Trump campaigned on labeling China a currency manipulator and renegotiating its trade relationship with the US. He kicked off a tariff war shortly following his inauguration that only ended in March with a tentative trade pact with Beijing. By that time, however, Trump was accusing China of misinformation about the novel coronavirus, whose first outbreak was registered in the city of Wuhan last December.
SpaceX has agreed to let the US Army test out its Starlink satellite broadband network – made up of thousands of individual satellites in low-earth orbit – with the presumed aim of integrating it into existing military systems.
The military has signed a deal with the billionaire’s spaceflight company to test out the Starlink network over the next three years, evaluating its suitability for their data-transfer needs, an inside source told SpaceNews on Tuesday. Signed last week, the agreement, known as a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), is typically used by the military to test-drive private-sector technologies before buying them.
At issue will be how Starlink performs in connection with the military’s own communications systems, which are somewhat lacking in flexibility and compatibility between hardware and software. They’re also not particularly mobile, relying on large dishes mounted on trailers that can’t handle the amount of data they’re currently having to put through. Army deputy program executive officer for command, control, communications tactical Joseph Welch has compared the Army’s woefully inadequate network capacity to a “soda straw.”
However, the Army will require a whole new system of ground terminals in order to use the Starlink system, which won’t be cheap. The CRADA will evaluate the cost of that overhaul, as well as the security of data as it is transferred from Starlink satellites to ground stations.
SpaceX already has hundreds of Starlink satellites orbiting the planet. While the broadband network eventually hopes to blanket the earth in high-speed internet, it is nowhere near complete, aiming to send up as many as 42,000 satellites in total within the decade. Musk hopes to launch 1,400 satellites this year alone at a rate of 60 every two weeks and plans to begin service for some US and Canadian customers later in the year.
The sky-clogging devices have irritated stargazers and professional astronomers, who find it increasingly difficult to see into space with so many scenery-chewing satellites reflecting light. Space agencies have even considered billing companies like SpaceX for every satellite launched in the hope of cutting back on the proliferation of “space junk.” Were the military to begin using the satellites, however, SpaceX might be permitted greater latitude to pollute the night sky – after all, the US would never put a price on “national security,” no matter how frivolous the invocation of that excuse.
An environmentalist documentary produced by Oscar-winning director Michael Moore has been removed from YouTube. The filmmakers said that they have angered “green capitalists” who are in bed with Wall Street.
The film ‘Planet of the Humans,’ produced by Michael Moore and directed by Jeff Gibbs, was pulled from YouTube due to a copyright claim after it had garnered more than 8.3 million views since being released online last month. The copyright claim in question concerned a four-second clip showing the mining of rare earth materials, which are used in the manufacture of wind turbines.
In a statement to the Deadline news website, Gibbs called the removal of the film “a blatant act of censorship by political critics,” and claimed that he had included the disputed footage under “fair use.”
It is a misuse of copyright law to shut down a film that has opened a serious conversation about how parts of the environmental movement have gotten into bed with Wall Street and so-called ‘green capitalists.’
Gibbs said that he is working with YouTube to resolve the issue and get the film back up as soon as possible.
The author of the copyright claim, Toby Smith, who had previously worked on environmental issues, told the Guardian that he contacted YouTube directly instead of approaching Moore and Gibbs because he “wasn’t interested in negotiation.” He explained that he fundamentally disagrees with the nature of the film.
I don’t support the documentary, I don’t agree with its message, and I don’t like the misleading use of facts in its narrative.
‘Planet of the Humans’ is an unusual case because it offers a critique of the existing environmentalist movement not from a right-wing perspective, but from the perspective of devout left-wingers. While promoting the film, Gibbs argued that commonly-touted ‘green solutions’ in renewable energy are “desperate measures not to save the planet but to save our way of life.”
Moore, who has gained fame as a fierce opponent of US Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump, pointed out that things like electric cars and solar panels are made using raw materials and fossils fuels.
The filmmakers also raise questions about possible financial conflicts of interest among leading environmentalist figures who promote green energy, such as former US vice president Al Gore.
The movie immediately stirred up controversy upon its release, with environmentalist campaigners branding it as biased, “unscientific,” and “dangerous.”
There has been an ongoing debate about the ways to tackle climate change, and whether the proposed green energy solutions are as sustainable and feasible as their proponents claim. A 2019 study published in Nature Communications said that organic farming may “exacerbate” greenhouse gas emissions. That same year, a report in Forbes magazine highlighted that solar farms take 450 times more land than nuclear power plants, and wind farms take 700 times more land than natural gas wells, to produce the same amount of energy.
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Novavax is testing a new coronavirus vaccine on human subjects for the first time, launching a phase one clinical trial with a massive grant from an agency founded by Bill Gates, kicking off a storm of concerns online.
The Maryland-based pharma has begun its trial, which will dose some 130 Australian participants with the new inoculation, hoping to see results as early as July and proceed to the second phase.
“Administering our vaccine in the first participants of this clinical trial is a significant achievement, bringing us one step closer toward addressing the fundamental need for a vaccine in the fight against the global Covid‑19 pandemic,” Stanley Erck, Novavax President and CEO, said in a statement on Monday night.
We look forward to sharing the clinical results in July and, if promising, quickly initiating the Phase 2 portion of the trial.
The new initiative got off the ground with a massive $388 million-dollar investment from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovation (CEPI) – its largest donation to date – a public health foundation established by billionaire Bill Gates.
In doling out his vast fortune to a number of similar health initiatives over the years – primarily through his own Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – the Microsoft mogul has drawn intense suspicion and doubt from the conspiracy-minded, who posit that Gates is committed to a “depopulation” agenda to rid the planet of its useless eaters. News of Gates’ connection to the Novavax trial set off alarms for some netizens, many warning the project is “not to be trusted” and urging Gates himself to volunteer to be the first guinea pig to receive the rushed-out vaccine.
Novavax is not the first US biotech firm to launch clinical trials for a coronavirus inoculation, however, with Massachusetts’ Moderna rolling out human testing in March and reporting positive results – to which internet sleuths have yet to discover any ‘damning ties’. At least five other vaccines are underway elsewhere, including three in China and two others in the United Kingdom and Russia.
The outgoing US ambassador to Berlin, Richard Grenell, has lashed out at a lawmaker who called out his “hostile” stance towards Germany. The envoy said he merely followed Washington’s policies and defended American interests.
As the controversial envoy was about to leave his post, Andres Nick, a German lawmaker and the head of the nation’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), took to Twitter to question Grenell’s legacy.
For decades, every previous US envoy left his post as “a highly respected figure and trusted friend of Germany,” the MP wrote in a scathing post, adding that Grenell was the only one to step down while “issuing threats as if he were representing a hostile power.”
For a generation, each and every US Ambassador I got to know personally - career dipomat or political appointee alike - used to leave his post as a highly respected figure and trusted friend of Germany. Now someone leaves issuing threats as if he were representing a hostile power
The ambassador, who never hesitated to lecture his hosts on how they should behave, immediately struck back, arguing that Berlin merely wanted him to “stop asking you publicly to pay your NATO obligations and calling for an end to Nord Stream 2” – a Russian pipeline bringing natural gas to Europe and Germany in particular.
These are US policies. And I work for the American people.
You always wanted me to stop asking you publicly to pay your NATO obligations and calling for an end to Nord Stream 2. But these are US policies. And I work for the American people. https://t.co/AK240eMM3H
A Trump appointee, Grenell has had quite a thorny relationship with Germany from the beginning of his tenure. The ambassador has repeatedly volunteered unsolicited ‘advice’ to Berlin on a range of policy issues, be it Germany’s trade with Iran, relations with Russia or insufficient contribution to the NATO budget. That’s not to mention numerous other controversies and blunders he's embroiled himself in, such as openly calling to “empower Europe’s conservatives.”
It seems that the ambassador, who recently confirmed his decision to resign, decided to stick to his guns until the very end and to go out with a bang. Last week, when Washington’s decision to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty (OST) sparked concern in Berlin, Grenell – true to form – once again scolded German officials for “complaining about the US,” advising they put pressure on Russia instead.
Scandinavian millennials have embraced robot bankers over their human peers amid the Covid-19 crisis, according to regional banks Nordea and Danske. But is this a sign of robotic success or human failure?
Nordea's robotic banker named Nora brought in an impressive 40 percent more business in the last quarter than in the same period last year. The bot also outstripped its human competitors at the same bank, who were relegated to helping established clients scramble to manage their tanking portfolios amid the Covid-19 financial crisis.
Nora did more than just protect the bank from the downturn – millennials flocked to her over human financial advisers. These mostly first-time investors even went on "opportunistic buying sprees," Tanja Eronen, co-head of investment products at Nordea's Helsinki wealth division, told Bloomberg on Sunday, calling the phenomenon "an interesting development."
It was only the 60+ age group who wanted a human adviser to "hold their hand through the panic," helping them frantically sell off their holdings as their value cratered.
And it wasn’t only Nordea that saw a sudden spike in silicon favoritism. Danish bank Danske's investment robot, named June, has helped the institution weather the coronavirus crisis with a shining 42 percent increase in new customers, according to Jacob Hvidberg Falkencrone, a senior wealth management analyst who also serves as the robot's PR man.
Tanja Eronen is emphatic that the age of the robots is upon us, thanks to the coronavirus "help[ing] us win over clients to digital services. Maybe they've been reluctant to use them before, and now that they have to, they learn how it's done and it lowers the threshold for the future." Eronen suggested she doesn't want to give customers a chance to change their minds, adding: "We are constantly looking to automate functions where humans bring no added value."
But what about where humans actually take away value?
Millennials may be investing with robots not because they especially trust the bots (no matter how adorable and friendly they look), or even because the Covid-19 crisis made bankers less accessible – Nordea mainstay Sweden, for one, didn't undergo the lockdown seen in other countries – but because they come without the overheads and psychological baggage associated with human bankers.
Nora's rollout came with access to low-cost investment funds, a fact that probably served as a more powerful draw for millennials than the novelty of investing with a robot banker. Robots don't have to be paid a commission, and any fund that lets the investor keep more of their money is going to appeal to first-time market participants that don't have an existing relationship with an advisor they trust.
Indeed, increasing antipathy toward human bankers – especially among millennials who entered the workplace during the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis and may now be seeing any gains they've made since then wiped out by the coronavirus crisis – could play a role in driving them into the arms of robots. It's easier to see a computer program as incorruptible, even if the bots still work for a financial institution on the receiving end of government bailouts.
Millennials presumably trust robots not to open millions of fake accounts in the names of actual customers, as human bankers working for US bank Wells Fargo did in a decade-long spree of institutional fraud that became public in 2016 and finally led to a $3 billion settlement earlier this year.
They also likely believe robots won't engage in what's ironically known as "robo-signing," the illegal practice of authorizing home foreclosures without verifying the legitimacy of the underlying loans that reached its catastrophic peak during the 2008 crisis. They've been taught to trust robots (and their artificial intelligence cousins) to be fair and impartial, a step above the venal humans populating the financial industry.
Hopefully, they won't have to wait until the next financial crisis to find out if their trust has been misplaced.
