| | | | 1. Last Day of Historic Chauvin Trial as Tensions High Closing arguments take place today in the Derek Chauvin trial before jurors decide the former police officer’s fate in a court case that has gripped America. Protests flared over the weekend as the trial over George Floyd’s death wraps up and after the fatal police shooting of another Black Minneapolis man last week, Daunte Wright, and 13-year-old Adam Toledo in Chicago. Rep. Maxine Waters took part in one rally on Saturday, saying: “I hope that we’re going to get a verdict that says, guilty, guilty, guilty.” It remains to be seen how long the jury will take to reach a unanimous verdict. Sources: The Guardian, Washington Post, NPR |
| 2. Navalny Close to Death in Jail as US Warns Putin Russian dissident Alexei Navalny’s health has deteriorated in prison and he could die “at any moment,” his doctors have said. Washington has warned Moscow “there will be consequences” if the opposition leader dies in jail while serving a 2.5-year sentence on what many see as spurious charges. The 44-year-old survived a poisoning last year that he blamed on President Vladimir Putin. His daughter Dasha appealed on Twitter yesterday that her father be allowed to see a doctor of his choice. Navalny’s supporters are planning mass protests for Wednesday, the same day Putin gives a state of the nation address. Sources: Reuters, NYT, Washington Post |
| 3. Multiple Shooting Incidents in Texas, Louisiana, Wisconsin The number of multiple shootings in the U.S. rose to three on Sunday. Five people were killed in a shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, while three were killed at an apartment in Austin, Texas, and another three at a bar in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. This comes days after eight workers at an Indianapolis FedEx facility were killed by a gunman, and following President Joe Biden’s calls for tighter gun laws. Police describe the Austin shooting as a domestic violence incident and are on the hunt for the suspect, a former deputy sheriff facing charges of child sexual assault. Sources: USA Today, Reuters |
| 4. Bitcoin Falls Amid Money-Laundering Crackdown Rumors The cryptocurrency has taken its biggest plunge in almost two months, after hitting a high last week ahead of the debut trade of the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global on the Nasdaq. Some reports put the drop down to speculation that the U.S. Treasury plans to crack down on money laundering through digital assets. Others said it could have been due to a blackout in China’s Xinjiang region where a lot of Bitcoin mining takes place. The cryptocurrency fell 15.1 percent at one point on Sunday to $51,707.51, after surging last week to a high of $64,869.78. Sources: Bloomberg, Reuters |
| 5. Also Important ... Russia has expelled 20 Czech diplomats in a tit-for-tat move after Prague said Russian spies were behind a deadly explosion at a Czech ammunition depot in 2014. Syria will hold a presidential election next month with Bashar Assad expected to retain his grip on power despite 10 years of civil war. And 13 million people tuned in to watch the funeral of Britain’s Prince Philip on the BBC on Saturday, which saw the mask-clad Queen sitting alone. Coronavirus Update: A complete curfew begins in Delhi tonight, after the Indian city reported a record rise in infections and as hospitals struggle with a shortage of beds and oxygen. Facebook has said remote work is “the future” and promises its employees can continue working from home after the pandemic. |
| | | Katty Kay and Carlos Watson discuss police brutality in the United States. What needs to change? Last year 1,127 people were killed by American police; most of them were shot. People of color were disproportionately the victims. Katty and Carlos speak to civil rights attorney John Burris, famously Rodney King's attorney, and Mecole Jordan-McBride, a community advocacy worker. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, the iHeart Radio app or wherever else you get your podcasts. |
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| | | 1. Massive Cape Town Fires Destroys Precious Library A book burning. A massive wildfire in South Africa has destroyed a university library collection and other cultural heritage, with thousands of students forced to evacuate. The fire started Sunday on the mountains behind the University of Cape Town and was still smouldering today after firefighters worked through the night. With “a deep sense of sorrow and loss” Ujala Satgoor, executive director of the university’s library, said “some of our valuable collections have been lost.” Some of the oldest and rarest books on the continent were destroyed — as was another famous 18th century Cape landmark, the Mostert Mill. Sources: UCT Twitter, News24, TimesLIve |
| 2. Self-Driving Tesla Crash Kills Two Passengers in Texas Would you go to the moon with Musk? Two people were killed yesterday after one of Elon Musk’s self-driving Teslas crashed in Texas. Nobody was driving the vehicle, though it was unclear whether it had its autopilot driver assist system activated. The car veered off the road, hit a tree and burst into flames. The company has been criticised for the fire risks associated with its vehicles’ battery packs, but just last week Musk, who is also involved in space travel, tweeted: “Tesla with Autopilot engaged now approaching 10 times lower chance of accident than average vehicle.” Sources: The Verge, Bloomberg What do you think? Would you get a self-driving car? Take our poll here. |
| 3. Historic Mars Helicopter Flight Set for Today Will it or won’t it? After several setbacks NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter is expected to take its first flight over the red planet today. You can watch the historic occasion, the first flight on another planet, on NASA TV from 6:15 a.m. ET. It will take several hours for data from the 4-pound drone to reach Earth. The $85 million gadget was supposed to take its inaugural flight on April 11 but was delayed by a technical glitch. If all goes well today it will fly at a height of 10 feet for 40 seconds. Sources: Space.com, NASA Twitter |
| 4. Atlanta Aquarium Staffer Gives Otters Coronavirus They otter have worn masks. Several Asian small-clawed otters at the Georgia Aquarium have come down with COVID-19, potentially having caught the infection from an asymptomatic staff member. “They began exhibiting mild respiratory symptoms such as sneezing, runny noses, mild lethargy, and some began coughing,” the aquarium said in a statement. The semiaquatic mammals are not the first animals to have caught the virus. Dogs, cats, minks and gorillas have come down with the disease, while several tigers and lions in a New York zoo tested positive last year. Luckily the otters are expected to make a full recovery. Sources: NBC, People |
| 5. FIFA Furious After Breakaway Clubs Form Super League It was a kick in the teeth for FIFA. The football association is not pleased after 12 of Europe’s top clubs announced they were launching a breakaway Super League on Sunday. AC Milan, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Internazionale, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur have all joined and will withdraw from the European Club Association. They argue it will shore up financial support amid the pandemic and secure the game’s long-term future. FIFA denounced the move, however, saying it was “outside international football structures.” Sources: ESPN, SkySports |
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