| | | | 1. Enough ‘Prayers’ Biden Says in Wake of Mass Shootings President Joe Biden is tired of people offering “thoughts and prayers” after mass shootings. In candid comments on Thursday, the U.S. leader also said gun violence in America was an “international embarrassment,” as he announced his administration’s first steps to curb the “epidemic.” The president’s remarks came the same day a former NFL player killed five people in South Carolina. But the changes so far are minor, including a crackdown on self-assembled “ghost guns,” whereas far bigger challenges, like banning assault weapons, still face an uphill battle to garner 60 votes in the Senate. Sources: NYT, ABC, AP What do you think? Should assault weapons be banned? Send your opinion to pdbvoice@ozy.com, along with your city and state, and we might include it in our next newsletter. |
| 2. Sanctions and Border Closures Hit North Korea Hard Wage “an arduous march.” That’s what North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has urged officials to try to stem an economic crisis, using a term coined during a famine in the 1990s that killed millions. Despite having no reported cases of coronavirus, Kim said the state faces the “worst-ever” situation, after international sanctions over nuclear tests took a toll on the economy and trade came to a halt due to border closures. Aid groups have also warned North Korea faces major food shortages. However, there are now signs Pyongyang is looking to reopen its border with China, its biggest trading partner. Sources: BBC, Reuters, AP |
| 3. Concerns Over Russian Troop Buildup at Ukraine Border The U.S. and Germany have expressed concern over what the White House called growing “Russian aggressions” in light of a military buildup at the country’s border with Ukraine. In a call to Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged her counterpart to pull back troops, while he accused Kiev of “provocative actions.” Russia now has the most soldiers on the border since 2014, when it annexed Crimea and backed separatists who took control of parts of the Donbas region. Despite President Biden having labeled him “a killer” recently, Putin is set to attend the U.S. president’s climate change summit this month. Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters, Bloomberg |
| 4. Unionization Side Losing as Amazon Vote Count Underway Votes against the unionization of Amazon were leading two-to-one compared to those in favor last night, with about half the ballots counted so far. When counting halted overnight there were 463 votes for unionization and 1,100 against. Campaigners want to see the first unionized Amazon warehouse in the United States. The e-commerce giant is America’s second-biggest employer but has been plagued by reports of poor working conditions in warehouses and for delivery workers. Vote counting continues today but whatever the result, it could be tied up in litigation for some time to come. Sources: CNBC, NYT |
| 5. Also Important … Deprivation of oxygen from former police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck, not drugs, was what caused George Floyd’s death, a medical expert testified at the murder trial on Thursday. Last night saw the seventh evening of unrest in Northern Ireland, as Belfast police used water cannons to contain clashes between loyalist and nationalist areas. And a Chinese court has handed suspended death sentences to two Uyghur education officials from Xinjiang accused of publishing “separatist” textbooks. Coronavirus Update: Japan has tightened coronavirus measures in Tokyo, amid a surge in cases in parts of the country ahead of the July Olympics. A man in the Philippines has died after police forced him to perform hundreds of squats for breaking the lockdown curfew. Try This! Feeling smarter after a week of briefings? Prove it with the OZY News Quiz! |
| Your Weekend Binge: A preacher, a pitcher and a presenter walk onto a show. Of course, it could only be The Carlos Watson Show, featuring TV's most diverse lineup. This weekend, hear LA Dodgers fastball maven Walker Buehler share how his small-town upbringing prepared him for the World Series, watch CNN's Lisa Ling share the wildest stories from her career on the road and don't miss viral pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts share how she overcame teen pregnancy to find success. All this, only on The Carlos Watson Show. Subscribe now! |
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| | | | | 1. Gozilla Vs. 7-Eleven: Giant Monitor Lizard Invades Thai StoreForget seeing Godzilla Vs. Kong in the cinema. In Thailand, shoppers at a 7-Eleven got a live viewing when a giant monitor lizard entered the store and scaled a shelf, sending products flying as he went. Freaked out shoppers could be heard screaming and laughing, but the massive reptile just wanted to chill out — literally. Upon reaching the top shelf, he sprawled out next to the ice machine until authorities came and escorted him back to some nearby bushes. Asian monitor lizards are the second largest in the world after Komodo dragons, and can be dangerous. Sources: NBC, Today |
| 2. Take That, COVID! Mexicans Are Bashing Pandemic Piñatas Fed up with COVID? Want to take out your anger on the multi-crowned virus? There’s a piñata for that. Piñata-makers in Mexico have been hit hard by the pandemic, given the dearth of parties, but some creative artisans have added coronavirus figures to their inventory — and they’re increasingly popular, with store owner Ivan Mena Álvarez explaining: “We Mexicans laugh even at death. It’s become just another monster.” Mexico has the world’s third highest COVID-19 death toll, after revised figures last month. Only 1 percent of the population has been inoculated so far, and vaccine supplies are running low. Sources: NYT, dpa |
| 3. UK Woman Gets Pregnant While Already Pregnant In a rare case of superfetation, Rebecca Roberts gave birth to “super twins,” conceived three weeks apart, after she underwent fertility treatment. “This wasn't supposed to happen, but it has. The female body is amazing,” she said. Superfetation happens when two eggs are released at a single ovulation and are fertilized by two different sperm. While dubbed “super twins,” the babies actually share the same genetic relationship as non-twin siblings. There have been a few other cases like this, including one where one baby was Black and the other was white. Sources: Washington Post, CBS |
| 4. Not So Pretty on the Inside: Mrs. World Arrested for Assault There’s at least one beauty queen who doesn’t wish for world peace. Reigning Mrs. World Caroline Jurie snatched the crown from the newly declared Mrs. Sri Lanka — Pushpika De Silva’s — head, saying that the winner of the pageant couldn’t be divorced. Jurie, also from Sri Lanka, has been released on bail after being arrested by Colombo police yesterday on an assault charge. De Silva needed hospital treatment after the incident, and the crown has been returned to her after she confirmed she was separated and not divorced. It remains to be seen whether Jurie will be stripped of her title. Sources: Reuters, AFP |
| 5. A Freudian Slip? McIlroy Hits Dad With Golf Ball at Masters “I'll autograph a bag of frozen peas for him!” That’s what Rory McIlroy joked after hitting his father in the leg with a ball at the Masters at Augusta National in Georgia yesterday. The 31-year-old also had a tough start to the competition, which saw him with a 4-over-par 76. Should he turn things around and triumph, the Northern Irishman, who has slid to 12th in the world rankings, could complete a career Grand Slam. England’s Justin Rose had a four-shot lead at the tournament’s opening, with the second round of the 85th Masters continuing today. Sources: SkySports, AFP, BBC |
| Caption Contest Winner! "Loving the Environment; A Brief Tree-tise," from Jae in Silver Spring, Maryland. | |
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