Month: June 2017

After shooting, investigators probe trail of political anger left by attacker
“The day before he turned a semiautomatic rifle on congressional Republican baseball players and was fatally shot in a firefight with police, James T. Hodgkinson went on a profane rant against President Trump at a nearby garage…” (The Washington Post)

Trump lashes out at Russia probe; Pence hires a lawyer
“A heightened sense of unease gripped the White House on Thursday, as President Trump lashed out at reports that he’s under scrutiny over whether he obstructed justice, aides repeatedly deflected questions about the probe and Vice President Pence acknowledged hiring a private lawyer to handle fallout from investigations into Russian election meddling…” (The Washington Post)

B.C. contractor exposed to asbestos blows whistle, says government made his life a ‘nightmare’
“When general contractor Don Garrett was invited to bid on plumbing work in Agassiz’s Kent Prison in 2008, he had no idea that such routine work would expose him to asbestos and touch off a nine-year battle that would cast him on the national stage as a whistleblower, make it impossible to obtain bonding, and cost him future contracts. He says the exposure to asbestos has compromised his health, and the government has made his life a “nightmare”…” (The Vancouver Sun)

Trudeau reaffirms support for Kinder Morgan pipeline, Notley says
“Premier Rachel Notley says she’s confident that Ottawa is fully behind the expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion as it faces fierce opposition in British Columbia…” (The Vancouver Sun)

United Nations Criticizes Brazil’s Indigenous Policies
“SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – Indigenous rights experts, including the United Nation Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Victoria Tauli Corpuz, stated on Thursday (June 8th) that the rights of the indigenous are being attacked in Brazil…” (The Rio Times)

Organizers May Cancel the 2018 Carnival Samba School Parades in Rio
“RIO DE JANEIO, BRAZIL – In a surprising move, the Independent League of Samba Schools (LIESA) announced on Wednesday night that if the League is unable to receive subsidies from the city of Rio de Janeiro, the world’s most famous samba parades will be cancelled for Carnival 2018…” (The Rio Times)

Police launch criminal inquiry into Grenfell Tower blaze
“Police have launched a criminal inquiry into the Grenfell Tower blaze as it emerged that cladding panels similar to those likely to have been used on the 24-storey building have been widely prohibited on tall buildings in the US since 2012…” (The Guardian)

Brendan Cox: ‘Jo’s death took the heart out of our family. But we are not broken’
“The widower of Jo Cox has spoken out on the anniversary of the MP’s killing, describing how her murder had “taken the heart out of our family” but not broken them. Brendan Cox was joined by all four of Britain’s living former prime ministers in paying tribute to the MP and the impact she had on the country’s political discourse…” (The Guardian)

China Focus: China launches space telescope to search for black holes, pulsars
“JIUQUAN, June 15 (Xinhua) — China launched its first X-ray space telescope to observe black holes, pulsars and gamma-ray bursts, via a Long March-4B rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gobi Desert at 11 a.m. Thursday…” (XINHUANET)

China’s quantum satellite establishes photon entanglement over 1,200 km
“HEFEI, June 16 (Xinhua) — A team of Chinese scientists have realized the satellite-based distribution of entangled photon pairs over 1,200 kilometers. The photon pairs were demonstrated to be still entangled after travelling long distances…” (XINHUANET)

 

After the shootings, calls for unity amid recriminations and finger-pointing
“In the charged environment of 2017, it took only a few hours for a baseball diamond to be transformed from a peaceful practice field to a horrific crime scene and then to a vivid symbol of the tensions between the angry politics of our time and the better angels of the American people…” (The Washington Post)

Senate overwhelmingly votes to curtail Trump’s power to ease Russia sanctions
“The Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to allow Congress to block any efforts by the president to scale back sanctions against Russia, and to strengthen those sanctions in retaliation for Moscow’s alleged interference in the 2016 election and its actions in Syria…” (The Washington Post)

China’s tomato paste colonialism
“Who knew that a Mao-era Chinese agricultural conglomerate dominates the African tomato market and supplies global food companies?”
(Le Monde diplomatique)

The Fula turn to arms
“The pastoralist Fula have taken up arms across a great stretch of Africa to back their claims to their traditional way of life. That may upset the regional balance…”
(Le Monde diplomatique)

Marine expert warns of climate emergency as fish abandon tropical waters
“As climate change pushes marine species towards cooler waters, and the fishing industry expands around the globe, the tropics are emptying out, a leading fisheries expert has warned…” (The Guardian)

Grenfell Tower: 12 dead in fire that destroyed 24-storey building
“Firefighters and police were searching through the still smouldering debris of a tower block inferno in London to retrieve bodies as police warned the death toll of 12 would rise in the coming hours…” (The Guardian)

Arab Coalition: Houthis attack UAE ship off coast of Yemen
“The Arab Coalition in support of restoring the legitimate government in Yemen said on Wednesday that a boast launched a missile targeting a UAE ship off the coast of Yemen…” (Al Arabiya – English)

US moves long-range rocket launchers into southern Syria
“The US military has moved a new truck-mounted, long-range rocket launcher from Jordan to a US base in Tanf, Syria, near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders, stepping up its presence in the area, two regional intelligence sources said on Wednesday…”
(Al Arabiya – English)

After 130 Years, Scientists Might Have Just ‘Rediscovered’ an Eighth Wonder of The World
“After more than a century of being buried by a volcanic eruption, New Zealand’s long-lost pink and white terraces might have finally been rediscovered under layers of ash and mud…” (Science Alert)

Our Sun Could Have Been Born With an Evil Twin Called “Nemesis”
“A new model on how stars are formed has added weight to the hypothesis that most – if not all – stars are born in a litter with at least one sibling…” (Science Alert)

 

Photo: By Kathrin Tausch [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons