A whale calf which got stranded in London's River Thames was put down on Monday, after its condition deteriorated and hopes for its survival faded.The minke whale was first spotted on Sunday night at Richmond Lock, where it became beached on concrete.Rescuers worked for hours to refloat it and then towed it a mile downstream.They hoped it would make its way to the ocean, but it was later spotted by Reuters swimming several miles upstream.When it became stuck again, rescuers decided the best thing to do would be to end its suffering and put it to sleep.The size of the whale, estimated at around 4.5 meters, suggested that it was still maternally dependent.There was no sign of its mother and it was in poor nutritional health.It's very rare for whales to come into the River Thames. The port authority says the calf would have come from the North Sea, the divide between Great Britain and Norway.
The B.1.617 variant is the fourth variant to be designated as being of global concern and requiring heightened tracking and analysis. The others are those first detected in Britain, South Africa and Brazil."We are classifying this as a variant of concern at a global level," Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, told a briefing. "There is some available information to suggest increased transmissibility."
Eyewitness video shows the white contrails of Israel's missile defense system cutting across the sky, then moving to intercept Palestinian rockets fired from the Gaza Strip on Monday. Islamist militants fired a barrage of rockets toward Jerusalem and southern Israel in what the Palestinian Hamas group said was punishment for violent confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters.The rockets triggered air raid warnings, sending Israeli schoolchildren into bomb shelters.There were no immediate reports of casualties from the rocket fire in Israel.Retaliation from Israel was swift.In Gaza, the health ministry said at least 20 people, including nine children, were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Palestinian territory.Some of the injured were brought to this hospital in northern Gaza, where a child cried out in pain and a woman who lost her husband screamed as she followed his body out of the hospital.Israel's military said it carried out strikes against armed groups, rocket launchers and military posts in Gaza after militants there crossed what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a "red line" by firing on the Jerusalem area for the first time since a 2014 war."The terrorist organizations crossed a red line on Jerusalem Day and attacked us, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Israel will respond very forcefully."U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday urged all sides to take steps to reduce tensions."Needless to say we are very focused on the situation in Israel, West Bank, Gaza. Very deeply concerned about the rocket attacks that we are seeing now, that need to stop, need to stop immediately."Tensions have been rising for weeks in Jerusalem.Jewish groups are trying to evict Palestinian residents from a neighborhood in the eastern part of the city. As Israel celebrated "Jerusalem Day" earlier on Monday with marches marking its capture of eastern sections of the holy city in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, violence erupted at the Al Aqsa mosque, Islam's third most sacred site.The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said more than 300 Palestinians were injured in clashes with police who fired rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear gas.
Jordanians denounce Israeli Occupation aggression in protest in Irbid Jordanians in Irbid condemned the brutal attacks carried out by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and settlers against the residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and in Jerusalem outside the Great Irbid camp mosque on Monday, May 10. Demonstrators emphasized the importance of Jerusalem to Palestinians, stressing that they are the rightful owners of the land in Sheikh Jarrah and the rest of the Jerusalem neighborhoods. Additionally, they denounced what they described as "international silence about what is happening in Sheikh Jarrah in terms of killing." They noted that the violent confrontations by the IOF are systematic attacks that affect the rights of the owners of the land and those in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.
“Our economic plan is working.” U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday defended his strategy to grow the U.S. economy after a disappointing jobs report released last week triggered a flood of Republican criticism that Americans are choosing to stay at home – rather than seek new work - because unemployment benefits are too generous. “Americans want to work.” Biden hit back at critics Monday, noting that since he took office, the U.S. had created most jobs in the first 100 days of “any U.S. president on record.” Biden refuted the notion that unemployment insurance is a driving factor behind an apparent labor shortage and said unemployed Americans can’t continue to collect insurance checks if they’re offered a suitable job. “We’re going to make it clear that anyone collecting unemployment who is offered a suitable job must take the job or lose their unemployment benefits. There are a few COVID-19 related exceptions, so that people aren’t forced to choose between their basic safety and a paycheck but, otherwise, that’s the law. I know there’s been a lot of discussion since Friday’s report, that people are being paid to stay home, rather than go to work. Well, we don’t see much evidence of that.” Biden also said he is directing the U.S. Labor Department to work with states to reinstate requirements that those receiving unemployment benefits must demonstrate they are actively looking for work. Republican lawmakers blamed a report last week showing weak job growth on the Democratic president's decision to offer expanded unemployment benefits through August as part of his stimulus plan.Some Republican governors have scrapped the added benefits, directing the additional dollars elsewhere. Democrats say other factors are contributing to the problem - including childcare issues and fear. To address that, Biden said the next phase of getting people back to work will place special emphasis on childcare, reopening schools safely, and incentivizing employers to get their staff vaccinated so Americans can have the confidence to go back to work safely.
Fulham were relegated from the Premier League following a 2-0 home defeat to Burnley. Scott Parker spoke with reporters after the match.
An area of forests larger than France has regrown around the world since 2000, new data suggests.
Stocks slid into the close on Monday as investors shunned high-flying tech stocks. The Dow finished lower after touching a fresh record high during the session. The S&P 500 fell 44 points. The Nasdaq got walloped, tumbling 350 points. Stock losses outside of the tech sector were limited by strength in economically-sensitive names. That portfolio adjustment towards sectors that should do well in an economic upswing isn’t done, says Julia Carlson, CEO, Financial Freedom Wealth Management Group."I think we're going to still see strength in value based companies, in real estate investment trust, the equity real estate. I also think financials will do well and, you know, more of those consumer staple investments."But in a reminder that the rebound is still in its early phase – look at travel and tourism stocks. Profits and sales at hotel chain Marriott came in weaker than expected. Marriott, which gets about three-quarters of its revenues from North America said bookings in the U.S. were still down sharply.Tyson Foods topped earnings and revenue forecasts for the quarter and guided full-year sales estimates higher. But it had a warning. The largest U.S. meat processor said it is "seeing substantial inflation across our supply chain," which it says will put a squeeze on profits in the second-half of the year.Colonial Pipeline, the largest fuel pipeline in the United States and the victim of a cyber attack that shut down its entire network, expects to "substantially" restore operational service by the end of the week. Energy watchers fear the disruption, which comes as more Americans hit the road, could push gasoline prices to their highest level since 2014. In cryptocurrency news: ethereum hit a record high above 4,000 dollars amid rising demand for the bitcoin alternative.
A 78-year-old woman graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, on May 8 after pursuing her Liberal Studies bachelor’s degree for six years, according to the university.Vivian Cunningham took courses decades ago through a tuition reimbursement program when she was employed at the Alabama Power Company, but never had the time to earn a bachelor’s degree until she retired.A Samford University press release said Cunningham, a single mother of two children, worked at an Atlanta dress shop, and then returned to Birmingham to work as a night-shift custodian at the Alabama Power Company for the next 13 years. Cunningham then worked her way up to a daytime job in Alabama Power’s mail room.Throughout the years, Cunningham acquired course credits at various colleges and universities in Birmingham. Cunningham earned an Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies from Virginia College and then furthered her education at Samford University, according to the press release.Samford University provided this footage of Cunningham attending her commencement ceremony at Seibert Stadium in Homewood on May 8.“I might go for the master’s degree,” Cunningham said in the press release. “I don’t want to stop. I love to read, I love to sew, I love to watch movies. I don’t want to just sit because I’m retired. I want the knowledge.” Credit: Samford University via Storyful
Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired rockets toward the Jerusalem area and southern Israel, carrying out a threat to punish Israel for violent confrontations with Palestinians in Jerusalem.The Gaza health ministry said nine Palestinians, including three children, were killed "in a series of strikes in northern Gaza." It did not explicitly blame Israel for the deaths, in an area that has been a staging ground for militants' cross-border rocket attacks.Rocket sirens sounded in Jerusalem, in nearby towns and in communities near Gaza minutes after the expiry of an ultimatum from the enclave's ruling Hamas Islamist group demanding Israel stand down forces in the al Aqsa mosque compound and another flashpoint in the holy city.Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus said that on Monday, at least six of the 45 rockets fired from Gaza were launched towards Jerusalem's outskirts, where a house was hit. No casualties were reported.He said Israel had carried out an air strike in northern Gaza against Hamas militants and was looking into reports that children were killed.
"We're very focused on the situation in Israel, West Bank, Gaza, very deeply concerned about the rocket attacks that we're seeing now, that they need to stop, they need to stop immediately," Blinken said ahead of a meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.Tensions have been running high in the region for days. On Monday, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired rockets toward the Jerusalem area and southern Israel, carrying out a threat to punish Israel for violent confrontations with Palestinians in Jerusalem.Gaza's ruling Islamist group Hamas had given an ultimatum demanding that Israel stand down forces in the al Aqsa mosque, Islam's third most sacred site.
The ransomware group accused of crippling the leading U.S. fuel pipeline operator said on Monday that its goal was to make money and not sow mayhem. The FBI accused the group that calls itself DarkSide of a digital extortion attempt that prompted Colonial Pipeline to shut down its vast network that transports nearly half of the East Coast's fuel supplies.Deputy National Security Adviser for cyber Anne Neuberger told reporters that the FBI had been tracking DarkSide since at least last October. “In this case the ransomware that was used is a known variant..." And the intelligence community is investigating whether the hackers have ties to the Russian government. "At this time, we assessed that DarkSide is a criminal actor but that's certainly something that our intelligence community is looking into." President Joe Biden on Monday weighed in: BIDEN: "I'm going to be meeting with President Putin and so far there's no evidence based on, from our intelligence people that Russia is involved. Although there is evidence that the actors' ransomware is in Russia. They have some responsibility to deal with this." The terse news release posted to DarkSide's website early on Monday did not directly mention Colonial Pipeline but, under the heading "About the latest news," it noted that "our goal is to make money, and not creating problems for society." The statement - which had several spelling and grammatical errors - did not say how much money the hackers were seeking.Some security experts interpreted the statement as an indication that the DarkSide hackers were now trying to put some distance between themselves and the chaos they had unleashed. Days after shutting down the pipeline, Colonial on Monday said it has a phased restart program and hopes to "substantially" restore service by the end of the week. U.S. Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall said the company was moving cautiously.“Colonial is currently working with its private cybersecurity consultants to assess potential damage and to determine when it is safe to bring the pipeline back online. Thus far, Colonial has told us it has not suffered damage and can be brought back online relatively quickly, but that safety is a priority, given that it has never before taken the entire pipeline down.” As to whether the U.S. government was advising Colonial on whether to pay a ransom, officials said it's up to the company... adding that the administration has not offered further advice at this time.
A young minke whale that became stranded in the River Thames has been put down. Crowds gathered at Teddington Lock in south-west London on Monday to catch a glimpse of the animal, thought to be between 10ft and 13ft long. But due to its “deteriorating condition” the decision was made to put the animal to sleep, said Julia Cable, national co-ordinator at the British Divers Marine Life Rescue service.
A doorbell camera captured a bright ball streaking across the sky in Rosemount, Minnesota, on May 9.Meteorologist Laura Betker said the ball of light was likely a meteor, but she expects that will be verified at some point on Monday, according to reports.Homeowner Steve Muench posted the video from his security camera on Twitter and shared the video with friends and family. Credit: Steve Muench via Storyful
New variants of the coronavirus can "come out of a blue sky", Professor Chris Whitty has warned.
Elon Musk's SpaceX will start accepting dogecoin for lunar missions, but Financial Freedom Wealth Management CEO Julia Carlson tells Reuters' Fred Katayama why she thinks investors are best off dodging it altogether.
Attorneys general from 44 states and territories urged Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Monday to ditch plans to launch a version of Instagram for children under 13.In a letter - signed by the attorneys general of New York, Texas, California, Massachusetts and others - they said: "Use of social media can be detrimental to the health and well-being of children, who are not equipped to navigate the challenges of having a social media account."In the letter the attorneys general said Facebook has "historically failed to protect the welfare of children on its platforms."The officials cited 2019 media reports that showed Facebook’s Messenger Kids app, intended for kids between ages six and 12, contained a design flaw that allowed them to bypass restrictions and join group chats with strangers that were not previously approved by their parents.In response to the letter, a Facebook spokesman said the company has just started exploring a version of the photo-sharing app for kids.And that with any Instagram experience it would prioritize the children's safety and privacy and commit to not showing ads.
It's shaping up to be a battle over fast-food workers. Burrito chain Chipotle Mexican Grill threw its hat in the ring on Monday, announcing that it plans to hire 20,000 more employees as fast-food chains scramble to reopen dining rooms now that the health crisis has eased. In order to lure workers to its restaurants, Chipotle is bumping-up its average hourly wage to $15 by the end of June, but pay could go as high as $18 an hour.In addition, Chipotle is offering a $200 employee referral bonus for crew members and $750 for apprentices or general managers. It is not alone in its efforts. Several U.S. chains, including the biggest of them all, McDonald's, are adding benefits or running hiring events in attempt to lure new employees. Some business leaders say they are facing a worker shortage, even though there are still millions of Americans out of work. There is a debate over the reason why. Extra jobless benefits are being blamed for keeping lower-wage workers at home, lack of adequate child care is another factor believed to be a cause and then there are some Americans who might still feel it is not yet safe to go back to work.
Brussels had been considering both applications together, but last week Olivér Várhelyi, the European commissioner for enlargement, told Euronews that decoupling the bids "might be an option" if Bulgaria continues to oppose North Macedonia's entrance in the bloc.View on euronews
The Florida Keys will be the site of an experiment this summer, releasing genetically-modified mosquitos into the wild. The project is aimed at reducing the spread of deadly mosquito-borne illnesses such as dengue, yellow fever, and the Zika virus. You’re probably wondering how releasing more mosquitos might lessen the problem. These Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Designed in a lab, these males carry a gene that, when they reproduce, passes into eggs. If that egg hatches into a female, the gene kills the immature mosquito. The hope is that by introducing this gene into wild populations, the population of biting females will plummet. And that's good news for the rest of us, because only female mosquitos bite, and transmit illnesses to people. The experiment in the Keys is a partnership between biotech firm Oxitec and the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District. Meredith Fensom is the head of Oxitec global public affairs."We have a small container, and this is what we put the mosquito eggs in. [FLASH] We close the lid, and after a week or two, our non-biting male mosquitos begin to emerge." Andrea Leal of the mosquito control district says the experiment comes just in time. "We are seeing resistance in some of our current control methods, which has made our job at Mosquito Control that much harder. Nothing out there's a silver bullet. We're looking to integrate whatever we can into our current control methods just to make sure that we can suppress that population below disease transmission thresholds." The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an experimental use permit or EUP to Oxitec at the beginning of May. Some local environmentalists such as Barry Wray, head of the Florida Keys Environmental Coalition, say the approval was haphazard and risky. "You're going to ask the people in our community to be sacrificial lambs, really. Because how else are you going to produce your mosquitos if it weren't for the people in the Keys donating their blood?" But others aren't scared by the laboratory bugs. Doug Mader is a local veterinarian. "I hear all the time that people are afraid of GMOs, and they hear that word and they get an immediate visceral reaction that it has to be bad. Well it isn't bad. It's a way to do prevention." Oxitec says similar projects have had over a 90-percent success rate in Brazil, Panama, and Malaysia.
The baby whale that was rescued by the RNLI before it escaped has been spotted again in the River Thames near Teddington Lock. It was first spotted on Sunday and was captured later that evening but managed to escape an inflatable cushion that was being used to guide it to safety.
Scotland's separatist parties won a majority of seats at last Thursday's election, meaning leaving the United Kingdom is once again being talked about. View on euronews
Parts of eastern and southern Texas including Dallas-Fort Worth saw thunderstorm systems that brought heavy precipitation including hail on Monday, May 10. The footage was filmed and posted on social media by @jshiplett; @JClarkHFB247.
In an interview with the National Press Club, Kinzinger said Cheney was being attacked by her fellow Republicans for her "consistency.""If you want to hide because you don't want to tick off the base and tell the truth about Jan. 6 and you don't want to have to admit that Joe Biden won an election, Cheney makes it uncomfortable for you," said Kinzinger.Top House Republicans, including Rep. Kevin McCarthy, have sought to portray their expected ouster of Cheney from her leadership role as an act of unity, despite warnings that the move could deepen divisions over Trump and sink party hopes in the 2022 elections.Kinzinger was among 10 House Republicans, including Cheney, who voted to impeach Trump on a charge of inciting insurrection after hundreds of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in a riot that left five people dead including a police officer.
Global Conversation interviews Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama ahead of the State of the Union conference in Florence and discusses the country's ongoing efforts to join the European Union.View on euronews