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.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the