ISRAEL
Mammal weigh-in bad news
The total weight of Earth’s wild land mammals is now less than 10 percent of the combined tonnage of men, women and children living on the planet. A study by scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science, published this month, concludes that wild land mammals alive today have a total mass of 22 million tonnes. By comparison, humanity now weighs in at about 390 million tonnes. The figures demonstrate starkly that humanity’s transformation of the planet’s wildernesses and natural habitats into a vast global plantation is now well under way. “These creatures are not doing well at all. Their total mass is around 22 million tonnes, which ... amounts to only about six pounds [2.7kg] of wild land mammal per person,” lead author Ron Milo told the Observer. “And when you add all our cattle, sheep and other livestock, that adds another 630 million tonnes. That is 30 times the total for wild animals. It is staggering. This is a wake-up call to humanity.”
PAKISTAN
Police storm ex-PM’s home
Police on Saturday stormed former prime minister Imran Khan’s residence in Lahore and arrested 61 people amid tear gas and clashes between Khan’s supporters and police, officials said. Senior police officer Suhail Sukhera said police removed a barricade erected by members of Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party and his supporters. He said they blocked the lanes around Khan’s residence with concrete blocks, felled trees, tents and a parked truck. Khan was not in the home, having traveled to Islamabad to appear before a judge to face charges he sold state gifts while in office and hid his assets. The judge postponed that hearing until Thursday next week. Sukhera said baton-wielding Khan supporters attempted to resist police by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails, and a man on the roof of Khan’s residence opened fire. At least three police officers were injured.
UNITED STATES
California targets insulin
The state of California and nonprofit drugmaker Civica Rx on Saturday announced a 10-year partnership to produce affordable, state-branded insulin that they hope will rival longtime producers and push down prices for a medication used by 8 million Americans. The product is not expected on store shelves until at least next year, and it was difficult to predict what effect it would have on a market already shaken by change. Earlier this week another major insulin maker promised steep price cuts as pressure builds on drugmakers and insurers to slash the cost of the drug. “We are intent to make this about market disruption,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said at a ceremony announcing the pact at a pharmaceutical warehouse near Los Angeles.
UNITED STATES
Red tide ruins spring break
Lido Key Beach would make for a perfect postcard of Florida beaches if it were not for the dozens of dead fish lying on the shore, killed by a toxic algae bloom known as a red tide. The bloom usually hits Florida’s Gulf Coast in the summer, but this year it has come during spring, when thousands of families flock to the Sunshine State during school break, and the outbreak bodes ill for its tourism sector. “We had a lot of cancelations. People get sick,” Lido Beach Resort emplyoee Jeff Napier said. “Why would you want to spend that kind of money and stay here?” High amounts of the harmful algae, known as Karenia brevis, can kill marine life and cause respiratory complications in some people.
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,
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
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,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
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