German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for 'fundamental rethink' to protect the environment at the annual CDP Europe Awards 2021.View on euronews
Rio Tinto says its chair and a board director will step down. The mining giant has bowed to pressure from investors over the destruction of two Aboriginal sites in Australia.There was uproar last year when the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters were destroyed in the course of mining operations. Chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques eventually resigned over the affair. But campaigners were outraged by the board's handling of an investigation into the matter. The probe found no single person accountable. Now chair Simon Thompson and board director Michael L'Estrange will both step down in the coming months. Investors welcomed the move as a sign of accountability. Rio Tinto last year chose Danish executive Jakob Stausholm as the firm's new chief executive. Some Australian investors had pressed for a leader with strong experience of local indigenous issues.
Protests against the military coup showed no sign of abating with more planned across the country, as Southeast Asian neighbors struggled for consensus in their efforts to end the month-long crisis.Video obtained by Reuters showed protesters using the fire extinguishers as well as smoke grenades as they retreated after shots were heard in Sanchaung in Yangon.Meanwhile, Myanmar security forces and protesters faced off in Mandalay, with protesters using a fire extinguisher to create cover and throwing objects towards police.At least 21 people have been killed since the Feb. 1 coup against Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected government.The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) failed to make any breakthrough in a virtual meeting on Myanmar by its 10 foreign ministers. While they were united over call for restraint, only four members - Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore - called for the release of detainees including Suu Kyi.
Insurer Hiscox has slumped to a pre-tax loss of $268.5m and admitted it suffered "brand damage" over a court wrangle with businesses making claims after the pandemic forced them to shut.
These gloves give people with a tremor a helping handUK start-up GyroGear has invented this wearable technologyto help people with debilitating shakes regain control of their hands(SOUNDBITE) (English) GORDON MCCABE, GYROGEAR DEVELOPMENT MANAGER SAYING: "The GyroGove is essentially, you have what we call our little puck which sits on the back of the hand. It is a spinning flywheel and while that spins, that flywheel, it exerts a gyroscopic force. So much like a spinning top that will always stay upright as long as it's spinning, your hand will always stay level while the flywheel is spinning."56-year-old Jenny Field has had to develop a range of strategiesto cope with her tremors(SOUNDBITE) (English) JENNY FIELD, ESSENTIALTREMOR SUFFERER, SAYING:"Essential Tremor is quite a hidden disability. You don't see how much it affects us, how our muscles hurt, the beating they take with the tremor on the move all day. As soon as you put GyroGlove on it puts your muscles at ease because they are not under so much pressure all the time so it just frees you up. You can enjoy your hobbies more, you could work more effectively at typing. The GyroGlove is huge because there is not a lot out there to help us."
O vulcão localizado no Monte Sinabung, na Indonésia, entrou em erupção, lançando uma coluna de cinzas de quase 5.000 metros de altura em direção ao céu. Nenhuma ordem de evacuação foi emitida para a população e tampouco houve relatos de interrupções nos voos da região. A filmagem acima foi realizada nessa terça-feira (2 de março).
This Canadian dancer performs bhangra dancing on a frozen lake to share his delight at receiving the Covid-19 vaccine. Gurdeep Pandher, from the Yukon, went viral with the uplifting video that showed him spreading joy through the traditional Indian dance. He says Bhangra is a dance of positivity designed to make people feel that everything is all right.
Meet the sex education teacher who has swapped lessons in the classroom for making sex myth-busting TikTok videos in her bedroom - and has amassed millions of views.
Parts of Western Australia’s Wheatbelt were lashed by intense rainfall on Tuesday, March 2, causing flash flooding in the town of Northam.According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the town was drenched by 108 millimetres of rain in the 27 hours to midday on March 3.The Avon river in Northam swelled to 14 meters at 2pm local time, and was expected to rise further on Wednesday.This video provided by Anthony Deegenaars, shows flood waters carrying debris down a street, as a thunderstorm rumbles in the distance. Credit: Anthony Deegenaars via Storyful
Boeing has raised concern over the design of a jet made by its European rival Airbus.The model in question the extra-long range version of its newest plane, the A321neo.Boeing says it could pose a fire risk due to its fuel tank.In a submission to European regulators, Boeing said the design of the fuel tank intended to increase the plane's range posed many potential hazards.In most jets, fuel is carried in wings and central tanks, but to meet demand for longer routes Airbus plans to mold a tank directly into the fuselage.Its shape would follow the contours of the jet and carry more fuel.The design is crucial to the A321XLR's main marketing ploy - to be the longest range of any single-aisle jet - and is due for release in 2023.Boeing's intervention is not unusual in a global system which regularly allows manufacturers to chime in when safety rules are being interpreted.But the timing is pivotal.The U.S. plane giant is trying to repair its image following the crisis over its 737 MAX.That plane model was grounded for almost two years following two deadly crashes.The airline industry, which has been battered by the global health crisis, is now facing tougher scrutiny.While insisting they never compete on safety, Airbus and Boeing have a record of goading each other on technical issues.
Coronavirus vaccines meant for Palestinian medical workers have been administered to VIPs including ministers and the national football team, the country's health ministry has admitted.
Hundreds of protesters, many wearing hard hats and clutching makeshift shields, gathered behind barricades in different parts of Yangon to chant slogans against military rule.There were no reports of injuries in Yangon but four people were wounded in the northwestern town of Kale, where police fired live ammunition to disperse a crowd after protesters threw things at advancing police, a witnesses said.At least 21 protesters have been killed since the turmoil began. The army has said one policemen was killed.The Feb. 1 coup halted Myanmar's tentative steps towards democracy after nearly 50 years of military rule, and has drawn condemnation and sanctions from the United States and other Western countries, and growing concern among its neighbours.
U.S. President Joe Biden withdrew Neera Tanden's nomination to serve as budget director on Tuesday, bowing to pressure from lawmakers over her controversial tweets.In a statement, Biden wrote that he had accepted Tanden’s request to withdraw her name from consideration.And in a letter to the president released by the White House, Tanden wrote that she did not want her nomination to be a quote "distraction" from other priorities.It's the first Senate rebuff of one of Biden's nominees, and reflects the tenuous hold Democrats have on the upper chamber, which is split 50-50 with Republicans.During her confirmation hearings, Tanden had apologized for bashing Republicans on Twitter in the past, but was ultimately unable to win any GOP support.And her confirmation appeared doomed last week when moderate Democratic senator Joe Manchin also said he would not vote to approve her.The confirmation fight further underscores the challenges Biden will face as he works with a narrowly divided Congress.However, Biden has said that he still plans to have Tanden serve in his administration in some capacity.
Washington targeted seven mid-level and senior Russian officials along with more than a dozen government entities.View on euronews
A majority of Japanese people are opposed to holding the Tokyo Olympic Games this year, due to concerns over the global health crisis.That’s according to a Yomiuri daily poll released on Wednesday.The Tokyo Games were already postponed last year and rescheduled for this July.While 70 percent of those surveyed said they were at least “somewhat interested” in the Summer Games, Yomiuri found that 58 percent were against holding the event this year.If the Games were to go on, over 90 percent said the crowd should be kept to a minimum or not allowed at all.The poll was conducted between mid-January through February, when much of the country remained under a state of emergency.A Reuters poll last month showed nearly two-thirds of Japanese companies also oppose holding the Games this year, a shift from the last survey which showed most in favor.As for now, Greater Tokyo remains in a state of emergency, with restrictions on gathering, business hours and foreign travel into the country.Local media reported earlier this week that those restrictions are likely to extend two weeks longer than expected.
Demonstrators also targeted the road to the airport and near the city of Baalbek while others shut down a foreign exchange bureau in the southern city of Sidon, local media said.The financial collapse, on a scale Lebanon has never seen, has slashed about 85% of the currency's value in a country relying heavily on imports.The cost of scarce dollars hit 10,000 Lebanese pounds on Tuesday, said three currency dealers on the informal market, a main source of cash since banks stopped dispensing dollars. Two other dealers said earlier the greenback had traded at 9,900.That makes Lebanon's minimum wage worth about $68 a month.Political leaders have failed to agree a rescue plan since the crisis, rooted in decades of state graft, erupted in late 2019 as dollar inflows dried up.At the time, protests had gripped the country, fuelled by anger over economic hardship and new tax plans, including a daily 20-cent fee on Whatsapp calls.Prices of many consumer goods such as diapers or cereals have nearly tripled since then and charities warn of rising hunger.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday said the country was on track to have enough vaccines for every adult by the end of May.That's 300 million doses - to be ready two months sooner than his original target of the end of July."Let me say that again: When we came into office, the prior administration had contracted for not nearly enough vaccine to cover adults in America. We rectified that. / This country will have enough vaccine supply, I'll say it again, by the end of May."Vaccine production is getting a huge boost by a new partnership Biden announced Tuesday, in which pharmaceutical company Merck will help make rival Johnson & Johnson's single-shot COVID-19 vaccine.With three vaccines now available, including Pfizer and Moderna's, he said he was confident of reaching his goal of delivering 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office.And he stressed the importance of reopening schools - citing growing mental health concerns and the risk of widening disparities caused by the challenges of remote learning - and threw down the gauntlet to local officials."We want every educator, school staff member, child care worker to receive at least one shot by the end of the month of March."To meet that goal, Biden said the federal pharmacy program would prioritize the vaccination of pre-K through 12 educators and staff, as well as child care workers.He said he's still aiming to have most schools open by the end of his first 100 days, but said that required passage of the $1.9 trillion rescue plan currently working its way through Congress."Now's not the time to let our guard down."Biden also implored Americans to remain vigilant in their fight against the pandemic, by abiding protocols such as wearing face masks.But that advice came on the same day Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued the most sweeping rollback of restrictions of any U.S. state, saying Tuesday that most businesses in the state may open at full capacity next week and lifting the statewide mask mandate.
The 47 activists in Hong Kong who were charged with "conspiracy to commit subversion" were escorted by police to a detention centre on March 3. Hong Kong's government charged the individuals on February 28 under the controversial National Security Law after they organised "unofficial" election primaries in 2020.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will give evidence to the Scottish parliament's harassment committee today.
The five-year-long detainment of a British mother in Iran is a “blot on British diplomacy”, her husband has said. British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been detained in Tehran since 2016, when she was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government.
A pilot from the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia successfully navigated an intense storm on February 6, landing his plane on Mornington Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria.This video uploaded to Facebook shows the pilot tactfully approaching a runway through heavy rain, strong winds and limited visibility.According to the Bureau of Meteorology, a tropical low swept the region on February 6 bringing heavy rainfall and damaging winds. Credit: Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia via Storyful
Houston’s mayor Sylvester Turner criticized Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s decision on March 2 to lift a statewide mask mandate and allow businesses to operate normally.“I’m very disappointed by the decision of the governor,” Sylvester said on Tuesday. “Quite frankly, to put it in very stark terms, it makes no sense.”Sylvester also questioned whether Abbott made the decision to draw attention away from the state’s handling of deadly winter weather in February that left many Texans without power.On March 2, Texas reported some 6,613 new cases — as well as 1,761 probable cases — and 271 new deaths tied to the virus. Credit: Mayor Sylvester Turner via Storyful
A winter storm warning was issued for regions of Newfoundland and Labrador as blizzard-like conditions swept across Atlantic Canada on Tuesday, March 2.Footage shared by Corina Norris Reid shows a calmer winter scene in the coastal town of Winterton just a few hours after it was hit by piercing winds.Environment and Climate Change Canada warned of active winter weather through Tuesday bringing -20 wind chills and blowing snow. Credit: Corina Norris Reid via Storyful
Drone footage taken on March 2 shows the extent of flooding in Breathitt County, Kentucky, where officials ordered mandatory evacuations on Tuesday.Communities in eastern Kentucky have struggled against rising tides after the Kentucky River burst its banks.This drone footage, taken by David Lorimer, shows floodwaters in and around Jackson, Kentucky. Among the locations filmed by Lorimer is Kentucky Mountain Bible College in Jackson. Credit: David Lorimer via Storyful
An elderly man vowed to walk 100 miles in Belford, England, as part of a campaign to save Britain’s pubs.Footage taken by Twitter user @JMarkDodds shows the man, identified as @JMarkDodds’s father, walking in Belford.According to the Campaign for Pubs, the 91-year-old, Roy, had walked to “give many pubs a better, sustainable future.”“The Campaign for Pubs exists to be a powerful voice representing pubs, publicans and pub campaigners, fighting to support, promote and protect our pubs in all communities across the United Kingdom,” wrote the organization on their website, advocating for pub protection against large corporate interests and high taxes, as well as pushing for a “better and stronger planning system that recognizes the community value of pubs.” Credit: @JMarkDodds via Storyful