News & Current Events

[ad_1] World's 'exceptional' heat streak lengthens into March (AFP Image) Global temperatures hovered at historic highs in March, the EU agency that monitors climate change said on Tuesday, prolonging an unprecedented heat streak that has pushed the bounds of scientific explanation. In Europe, it was the hottest March ever recorded by a significant margin, said the Copernicus Climate Change Service. That drove rainfall extremes across a continent warming faster than any other, as planet-heating fossil fuel emissions keep rising.The world meanwhile saw the second-hottest March in the Copernicus dataset, sustaining a near-unbroken spell of record or near-record-breaking temperatures that has persisted since July 2023.Since then, virtually every month has been at least 1.5 degrees Celsius hotter than it was before the industrial revolution, when humans began burning massive amounts of coal, oil and gas.March was 1.6C above pre-industrial times, extending […]

[ad_1] Image credit: Stedsans' website Danish couple, who gained popularity for their "forest resort” in Sweden fled from tax authorities and were traced to Guatemala—leaving behind 158 barrels of human waste, the Guardian reported.Flemming Hansen and Mette Helbæk launched their allegedly eco-conscious retreat, Stedsans, in Halland, southern Sweden, inspired by what they described as a “call of the wild” they experienced while operating a well-known rooftop restaurant in Copenhagen.However, a few months ago, it was revealed that the couple had disappeared, abandoning numerous animals and leaving behind 158 barrels of human waste, according to an investigation by newspapers Dagens Nyheter and Politiken. The probe also uncovered that wastewater had been discharged directly into the surrounding forest.According to staff, several animals—including ducks—died after being left outdoors overnight by the couple, while others were abandoned when the owners disappeared.Stedsans was officially declared […]

[ad_1] Russian state TV reveled that Trump destroyed trust in the economy. Russian state TV cheered for Donald Trump as the president imposed reciprocal tariffs across the world, leading to a global economic meltdown. Russia has been kept out of the list and political scientist Dmitry Kulikov said on a TV program that Trump's tariffs look like the end of the global system that is 50 years old. "This is the Swan Lake; Trump is playing the Black Swan," Kulikov said. “The price of goods will certainly go up in the United States,” Kulikov predicted, according to Daily Beast. “The old political and economic global system is practically dead.”Host Vladimir Solovyov said: “What we’re observing is an event of historic proportions.” Solovyov added that “Trump destroyed the trust” while undermining America’s economy.“In reality, a monument should be erected to him,” […]

[ad_1] Vivek Ramaswamy's faith again came on radar as he posted a photo of taking part in a Christian prayer with pastors in Ohio. An old controversy caught up with Vivek Ramaswamy as he went to meet the pastors in Ohio as part of his governor election campaign in the state. The former co-chief of the Department of Government Efficiency posted a photo of praying along with the pastors and social media users asked whether he has converted to Christianity. "Who are you praying to, Vivek?" one asked. "What god we praying to here. I’m confused," another wrote.A supporting comment read: "Vivek is not Christian, he is loyal to his people, he sees America as a piggy bank, nothing more.""Did you convert?" one asked. "Wait, now you’re pretending to be a Christian?" one said. "You’re not Christian. You worship a […]

[ad_1] Iran, Saudia Arabia and Iraq accounted for 90% of the recorded cases and were responsible for the steep spike. Iran topped the list. It put at least 972 people to death, up from 853 the year before.In Saudi Arabia figures doubled to at least 345 — the most ever recorded for the country by the human rights watchdog Amnesty International. In Iraq, the death penalty was implemented 63 times, almost a quadrupling of numbers in comparison to 2023.Amnesty International, however, named China as the "world's lead executioner" in its annual report, saying that the information available indicated that thousands had been executed there. The country refuses to disclose data. The NGO also suspects North Korea and Vietnam of extensively resorting to the death penalty.The silencing of dissentSaudi Arabia has seen a steep escalation in executions despite Crown Prince Mohammad […]

[ad_1] "I'm a modern witch, I admit it," says 59-year-old Barbara. She has spent her entire life feeling that she is in contact with the spirit world. Her room smells of incense, and she's about to consult the runes for her future. In the Early Modern period, Barbara would likely have ended up burned at the stake.This fate also threatened Maria Anna Schwegelin, for the people wanted to see the former maid burned in April 1775. She had confessed to fornication with the devil. Maria Anna Schwegelin was the last witch to be sentenced to death in Germany, in the Bavarian town of Kempten, even though leading thinkers and authorities no longer truly believed in witchcraft in the Age of Enlightenment. However, they didn't want to disappoint the people, who were still deeply mired in superstition.It wasn't until 1995 that […]

[ad_1] A Soyuz spacecraft, adorned to commemorate the 80th anniversary of World War II's conclusion, departed from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday, transporting an American and two Russians to the International Space Station.The MS-27 vessel lifted off at 10.47 am local time (0547 GMT), with Russian Roscosmos space agency broadcasting the launch. The spacecraft achieved orbit shortly after and was scheduled to connect with the ISS's Russian segment at 0904 GMT.Soyuz rocket launches US-Russian crew of 3 to International Space StationThe crew comprised Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, alongside Nasa astronaut Jonny Kim. Their mission includes conducting 50 scientific studies in space before their scheduled December 9 return.Roscosmos reported that approximately 2,500 tourists witnessed the launch at Baikonur, where Russia maintains a lease agreement with Kazakhstan dating back to the Soviet Union's dissolution 43 years ago. The arrangement […]

[ad_1] China on Tuesday lashed out at US vice president JD Vance, calling him "ignorant and impolite" after he made a controversial remark about the United States borrowing money from "Chinese peasants.""China's position on China-US economic and trade relations has been made very clear," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian during a press briefing. "It is surprising and sad to hear such ignorant and impolite words from this vice president," he added.Vance's comment came during an interview with Fox News, where he defended the Trump administration's tough trade stance, including sweeping tariffs that have roiled global markets. Speaking in support of those measures, Vance said: "We borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture."“That is not a recipe for economic prosperity. It's not a recipe for low prices, and it's not a recipe for […]

[ad_1] The US supreme court on Monday lifted a lower court's order that had blocked the deportation of undocumented Venezuelan migrants under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act (AEA)—a wartime law. In a narrow 5–4 ruling, the justices allowed deportations to resume, siding with the Trump administration’s decision to expel the migrants under a proclamation targeting the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. However, the court also said that those deported under the AEA must be given a fair chance to challenge their removal in court.Trump praised the court’s decision in a post on his Truth Social: “The supreme court has upheld the rule of law in our nation by allowing a president, whoever that may be, to be able to secure our borders, and protect our families and our country, itself. A great day for justice in America!”What is Alien Enemies […]