DENMARK
Bee species drop by 25%
The number of wild bee species recorded by an international database of life on Earth has declined by one-quarter since 1990, a global analysis of bee declines found. Researchers analyzed bee records from museums, universities and citizen scientists collated by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, a global, government-funded network providing open-access data on biodiversity. They found that about 25 percent fewer species were reported between 2006 and 2015 than before the 1990s. Although this does not mean these species are extinct, it might indicate that some have become so scarce that they are no longer regularly observed in the wild. “With citizen science and the ability to share data, records are going up exponentially, but the number of species reported in these records is going down,” said Eduardo Zattara, the lead author and a biologist from the Universidad Nacional del Comahue and Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council. “It’s not a bee cataclysm yet, but what we can say is that wild bees are not exactly thriving.”
UNITED STATES
Nukes ‘priority for NK’
The top intelligence officer for North Korea on Friday said that the country sees diplomacy only as a means to advance its nuclear weapons development, even as President Joe Biden’s administration said that it would look for ways to bring Pyongyang back to talks. National Intelligence Officer for North Korea Sydney Seiler told the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank that Pyongyang’s weapons development had been a consistent policy for 30 years. “Every engagement in diplomacy has been designed to further the nuclear program, not to find a way out... I just urge people not to let the tactical ambiguity obstruct the strategic clarity about North Korea that we have,” he said. “So we should not be overly encouraged if suddenly [North Korea leader Kim Jong-un] proposes dialogue tomorrow, nor should we be overly surprised, or discouraged, if there’s an [intercontinental ballistic missile] launch by Sunday.”
UNITED STATES
Taliban pact to be reviewed
President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday said that it would review a landmark deal with the Taliban. Washington struck a deal with the Taliban in Qatar last year, to begin withdrawing its troops in return for security guarantees from the militants and a commitment to begin peace talks with the Afghan government, but violence across Afghanistan has surged despite the two sides engaging in those talks since September last year. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke with his Afghan counterpart, Hamdullah Mohib, and “made clear the United States’ intention to review” the deal, US National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said.
BRAZIL
Rio calls off carnival
Rio de Janeiro has canceled its famous carnival this year due to a deadly revival of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, city Mayor Eduardo Paes announced. Rio’s samba schools, which organize the parades, had hoped to hold the signature event in July after it was postponed from its usual slot in February or March, but this depended on a national vaccination campaign being well under way. Brazil’s inoculation drive only started on Monday with an initial 6 million doses available for the country’s 212 million inhabitants. Brazil has been in the grips of a second wave of infections since November last year, with more than 1,000 daily deaths and an overall of more than 215,000 deaths.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
ENTERTAINMENT: Rio officials have a history of organizing massive concerts on Copacabana Beach, with Madonna’s show drawing about 1.6 million fans last year Lady Gaga on Saturday night gave a free concert in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for the biggest show of her career. “Tonight, we’re making history... Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd. The Mother Monster, as she is known, started the show at about 10:10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary. Cries of joy rose from the tightly packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Concert organizers said 2.1 million people attended the show. Lady Gaga
CONFLICTING REPORTS: Beijing said it was ‘not familiar with the matter’ when asked if Chinese jets were used in the conflict, after Pakistan’s foreign minister said they were The Pakistan Army yesterday said it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border. At least 45 deaths were reported from both sides following Wednesday’s violence, including children. Pakistan’s military said in a statement yesterday that it had “so far shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones” at multiple location across the country. “Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed
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