| | | | 1. The Price of Education: Afghans Bury Murdered Schoolgirls Dozens of Afghan girls killed in a weekend bombing outside their school have been buried, as U.S. troops pull out and insurgent groups make gains. Nearly 70 people died in the massacre on Saturday, mainly girls and many members of the persecuted ethnic Hazara minority. Some bodies were so badly disfigured by the blast they couldn’t be identified. The girls’ burnt backpacks and notebooks were among the rubble. The government has blamed the Taliban. This morning two more people were killed in an attack on a minibus, despite the group announcing a three-day ceasefire for Eid al-Fitr. Tomorrow has been declared a national day of mourning. Sources: NYT, Reuters, The Guardian |
| 2. Ex-Boyfriend Suspected of Mother’s Day Mass Shooting A Mother’s Day massacre and a bloody birthday. Seven people were killed in a shooting at a birthday party in Colorado Springs early yesterday morning. The ex-boyfriend of one of the victims is suspected to be behind the attack, later turning the gun on himself. This was the second recent mass shooting in the state after 10 were killed at a supermarket in Boulder in March. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis called the incident “devastating, especially as many of us are spending the day celebrating the women in our lives.” President Joe Biden is pushing for stricter gun control laws, but faces opposition in Congress. Sources: Washington Post, |
| 3. Israel on Edge Ahead of Jewish Nationalist MarchIsraeli forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas, wounding hundreds of Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa Mosque this morning ahead of a march planned by Jewish nationalists. The provocative annual parade through East Jerusalem marks the anniversary of the Israeli capture of the city in 1967. There are concerns there could be more violence later today. Tensions are already high in Israel ahead of a now-delayed court ruling on the eviction of dozens of Palestinians to make way for Jewish settlers in a nearby Arab neighborhood. The Supreme Court has ruled the hearing must be held within the next month. Sources: Al Jazeera, The Guardian |
| 4. Cyber Attack on US Fuel Pipeline Shows Vulnerability Experts say that a cyber attack on the U.S.’s largest fuel pipeline on Friday has exposed the risk of cybercrime on the energy sector. The Colonial pipeline, which transports 2.5 million barrels per day of gasoline, was forced to close its network after the ransomware attack. President Biden was briefed on the operation over the weekend. Colonial has not said for how long its pipelines would be shut, but prolonged closure would cause gas prices to spike. The U.S. government is investigating the incident, one of the worst digital attacks ever, and suspects a professional cybercriminal group of hackers of being behind it. Sources: WSJ (sub), Reuters, BBC |
| 5. Also Important … Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said her country plans to hold a second referendum on independence from Britain, after her Scottish National Party secured a fourth term. Parts of China’s biggest rocket landed in the Indian Ocean yesterday, with most of the debris burnt up in the atmosphere. And Bo, the Obamas’ beloved Portuguese water dog, died over the weekend, with the family calling him a “true friend and loyal companion.” Coronavirus Update: Dr Anthony Fauci has said regulations on facemasks indoors in the U.S. could be relaxed as more people get vaccinated. Sixty percent of people in Japan want the Tokyo Olympics canceled, a new poll has shown. |
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| | | | 1. ‘Doge-ing’ a Bullet, Elon Musk Appears on SNLDuring his controversial hosting of this weekend’s Saturday Night Live, South African-born billionaire Elon Musk announced he has Asperger’s, poked fun at his tone-deaf tweets and caused a cryptocurrency to plummet. “ To anyone I’ve offended I just want to say … I’m sending people to Mars in a rocket ship. Did you think I was also going to be a chill, normal dude?”, the Tesla and SpaceX founder joked. While his jibe that Dogecoin is a “hustle,” saw its value crash, the following day Musk’s Falcon 9 rocket launcher landed successfully for the 10th time. SpaceX also confirmed it will launch a Dogecoin-funded satellite to the moon in 2022. Sources: AFP, Vox, The Verge What do you think? Do you think Dogecoin will survive the dog-eat-dog world of crypto? Vote here or on Twitter. |
| 2. Under the Tuscan Sun: Italian Towns Seek Remote Workers Working from your balcony with a strong espresso, gazing out over rolling vineyards. What? It hasn’t been like that for you? Well it could be! Two Italian towns are offering to pay 50 percent of your rent if you move there to work — which would leave you more money to spend on pasta and vino. The medieval village of Santa Fiora in Tuscany, and town of Rieti near Rome, are hoping to entice teleworkers to boost the pandemic-hit economy. Rentals range between about $360-560 a month, and you’d only be paying half. So, say “arrivederci” to your cramped apartment and “ciao” to Italy! Sources: CNN, Forbes |
| 3. Vaccine Vampires: Free COVID Shots at Dracula’s Castle It’s not likely to inspire the vaccine hesitant. Romania is encouraging people to get vaccinated by offering free inoculations at Dracula’s 14th-century castle in Transylvania. But don’t worry, there are no vampires here, just doctors with fang stickers on their scrubs. After getting your jab you can explore the castle, purported to be the setting of Bram Stoker’s famous novel, and its exhibition of medieval torture instruments. Romania is hoping people will be bitten by the tourism bug, as the pandemic has seen visitor numbers drop. Stop by a local restaurant after getting your shot and sink your fangs into some delicious sarmale (cabbage rolls). Sources: Reuters, BBC |
| 4. Leopards on the Loose Spark Fear in Chinese City They’ve been spotted! A video of leopards that escaped a safari park in the Chinese city of Hangzhou has been viewed 4 million times by fearful citizens, who hadn’t even been informed that the three big cats were on the loose. Although the leopards had been out on the prowl for the past week, an announcement of the escape was only made on Saturday when two were recaptured. The park has apologized to angry netizens on Weibo, saying the leopards are juveniles and it didn’t want to cause panic. Drones as well as hunting dogs are now being used in the search for the third cat, which was still missing Monday. Sources: The South China Morning Post, AP |
| 5. F1 Star Lewis Hamilton Winning in Races and on Race The British Mercedes driver roared to victory in the Spanish Grand Prix yesterday, a day after hitting a hundred pole positions. After beating Red Bull's Max Verstappen, the 36-year-old now has a 14-point lead as he pursues an historic eighth title. It was the seven-time champion’s fifth win at Barcelona and 98th career win. And aside from his success on the circuit, Formula 1’s only Black driver is also being awarded for his part in the fight against racism, being crowned Laureus Athlete Advocate of the Year. The F1 season continues with the Monaco Grand Prix on May 23. Sources: ESPN, Sky Sports, F1 |
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