Single-use plastic cutlery and plates to be banned in England

Single-use items like plastic cutlery, plates and polystyrene trays will be banned in England, the government has confirmed. It is not clear when the ban will come into effect but it follows similar moves by Scotland and Wales. Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said the move would help protect the environment for future generations. Campaigners welcomed the ban, but called for a wider-ranging plastic reduction strategy. … Continue reading Single-use plastic cutlery and plates to be banned in England

Safety agency considers ban on gas stoves amid health fears

A federal agency says a ban on gas stoves is on the table amid rising concern about harmful indoor air pollutants emitted by the appliances. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission plans to take action to address the pollution, which can cause health and respiratory problems. “This is a hidden hazard,” Richard Trumka Jr., an agency commissioner, said in an interview. “Any option is on the table. … Continue reading Safety agency considers ban on gas stoves amid health fears

Jair Bolsonaro rushed to hospital in US after his supporters riot & storm Congress

FORMER Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been rushed to hospital in the US. The 67-year-old was admitted to a hospital in Orlando, Florida with severe abdominal pain, according to reports. He was taken to AdventHealth Celebration – an acute care hospital, O Globo reports. A source close to his family said his condition was “not worrying”. The far-right ex-president has been hospitalised a number of times … Continue reading Jair Bolsonaro rushed to hospital in US after his supporters riot & storm Congress

Irish Govt Reopens ‘Tent City’ for Migrants as Public Protest Open Borders

Amid an influx of tens of thousands of migrants, the Irish government has reportedly decided to reopen a tent ‘city’, as locals protest the EU member-state’s open borders policies. Protests against the Irish government’s open borders approach to migration continue to spread across the country as state officials requisition more and more premises to house asylum seekers. With Ireland in the midst of a crippling … Continue reading Irish Govt Reopens ‘Tent City’ for Migrants as Public Protest Open Borders

Bosnian Serbs celebrate banned holiday, praise Putin

Thousands of flag-waving Bosnian Serbs gathered on the outskirts of the capital Sarajevo Monday to celebrate an outlawed holiday associated with Bosnia’s brutal inter-ethnic war in the 1990s. Neighboring Serbia’s top diplomat attended a military-style parade that was part of a series of festivities which Bosnian Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik also used to profess his allegiance to Russia. Some 2,000 Bosnian Serb law enforcement … Continue reading Bosnian Serbs celebrate banned holiday, praise Putin

The first orbital space launch from British soil will take off on Monday

The first orbital space launch from British soil is scheduled to take off on Monday. A modified Boeing 747 airplane known as Cosmic Girl will take off from Spaceport Cornwall in England. Once it reaches 35,000 feet in the air, the converted aircraft will deploy a rocket, called LauncherOne, into space. The LauncherOne rocket will deliver several payloads into orbit, including Wales’ first satellite and … Continue reading The first orbital space launch from British soil will take off on Monday

Biden inspects US-Mexico border in face of GOP criticism

President Joe Biden walked a muddy stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border and inspected a busy port of entry Sunday on his first trip to the region after two years in office, a visit shadowed by the fraught politics of immigration as Republicans blame him for record numbers of migrants crossing into the country. At his first stop, the president observed as border officers in El … Continue reading Biden inspects US-Mexico border in face of GOP criticism

Over 400 arrested after Bolsonaro supporters storm Brazil’s Congress

World leaders condemned what they described as a “cowardly and vile” attack after thousands of supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro invaded the country’s Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace. On an extraordinary day of political violence, rioters on Sunday ransacked Brazil’s three branches of power as part of a failed attempt to overthrow President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s week-old government. … Continue reading Over 400 arrested after Bolsonaro supporters storm Brazil’s Congress

Sun Unleashes Intense X-Class Solar Flare, With More Expected

A powerful solar flare exploded on the surface of the sun late Thursday from a complex sunspot that could, quite literally, flare up again very soon.  The blast of charged particles was recorded as an X1.2-class flare. X flares are the most powerful category of flares, and can cause geomagnetic storms to affect Earth’s magnetic field with the potential to damage satellites, communications equipment and … Continue reading Sun Unleashes Intense X-Class Solar Flare, With More Expected

Moscow to mobilize 500,000 new conscripts, Kyiv military intelligence says

Ukrainian intelligence officials are warning that the Kremlin plans a new mobilization wave for up to 500,000 men to fight in Ukraine starting in mid-January. The new conscription drive, which would be larger than last autumn’s Russian draft of 300,000, would include a push in big cities, including some strategic industrial centers in Russia, Andriy Cherniak, an official with the Main Military Intelligence Directorate of … Continue reading Moscow to mobilize 500,000 new conscripts, Kyiv military intelligence says

Jerusalem’s 2,000-year-old Pilgrimage Road preparing for modern revival

This road might not lead to Rome, though it is indeed Roman. For nearly a decade, archaeologists in Jerusalem’s City of David National Park have been working hard to uncover the Pilgrimage Road and bring a 2,000-year-old journey to life. Hidden from view beneath the Arab neighborhood of Silwan, the underground road is marked by stone steps that lead all the way from the Pool … Continue reading Jerusalem’s 2,000-year-old Pilgrimage Road preparing for modern revival

Once in 50,000-year comet may be visible to the naked eye

A newly discovered comet could be visible to the naked eye as it shoots past Earth and the Sun in the coming weeks for the first time in 50,000 years, astronomers have said. The comet is called C/2022 E3 (ZTF) after the Zwicky Transient Facility, which first spotted it passing Jupiter in March last year. After travelling from the icy reaches of our Solar System … Continue reading Once in 50,000-year comet may be visible to the naked eye

California Braces for ‘Parade of Cyclones’ After Storms Kill 7

California was bracing on Sunday for more severe weather after a week of torrential downpours and damaging winds killed at least seven people and left hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power. Forecasters warned on Sunday that northern and central California was still in the path of a “relentless parade of cyclones,” promising little relief for the region until the middle of the … Continue reading California Braces for ‘Parade of Cyclones’ After Storms Kill 7

Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invade Brazil’s Congress in Brasilia

Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have stormed the National Congress building in Brasilia. The protestors invaded the building and are calling for the military to overthrow current President Luiz Inacio.  Left-wing veteran Inacio has only been in power for a week, after being inaugurated a week ago as supporters of the former president claim the election was stolen. Footage from the scenes strike … Continue reading Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invade Brazil’s Congress in Brasilia

Border Patrol union rips Biden’s border visit, says El Paso cleaned up ‘just in time’

The Border Patrol union is slamming President Biden’s trip to El Paso, Texas, on Sunday amid reports that state and local authorities have ramped up detentions and cleaned up much of the migrant encampments in the area ahead of the visit. “El Paso being cleaned up as if nothing unusual ever happened there,” the National Border Patrol Council tweeted Friday. “Just in time for Biden’s ‘visit … Continue reading Border Patrol union rips Biden’s border visit, says El Paso cleaned up ‘just in time’

6 journalists detained after South Sudan president wet himself live on TV

Six journalists in South Sudan have been detained over the circulation of footage showing President Salva Kiir appearing to wet himself at an official event, the national journalists union said on Saturday.  The footage from December showed a dark stain spread down the 71-year-old president’s grey trousers as he stood for the national anthem at a road commissioning event. The video never aired on television … Continue reading 6 journalists detained after South Sudan president wet himself live on TV

US releases top Cuba spy Ana Belén Montes after 20 years in prison

One of the highest-ranking US officials ever proven to have spied for Cuba has been released from prison early after spending more than two decades behind bars. Ana Belén Montes pleaded guilty in 2002 to conspiracy to commit espionage after she was accused of using her leading position as a Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) official to leak information, including the identities of some US spies, … Continue reading US releases top Cuba spy Ana Belén Montes after 20 years in prison

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Promises to ‘Never Give Up’ on the American People

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told Congress that the lead-up to his Speakership election made clear that he “never” gives up and would “never give up” on the American people during his first address as Speaker. McCarthy addressed members of the House of Representatives as Speaker of the House for the first time in the early morning hours of Saturday after he secured the speakership on the 15th … Continue reading House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Promises to ‘Never Give Up’ on the American People

Worker dies after being ‘ingested into engine’ at airport in Alabama

A US ground crew worker has died after being “ingested into the engine” of an aircraft while they worked a shift at an airport in Montgomery, Alabama. The National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement to Insider that the tragic accident happened while an American Airlines Embraer 170 was parked at the gate with at least one engine on. “A preliminary report is expected … Continue reading Worker dies after being ‘ingested into engine’ at airport in Alabama

Biblical site where Jesus healed blind man excavated for public view

The Israel Antiquities Authority, the Israel National Parks Authority and the City of David Foundation announced days before the new year that the Pool of Siloam, a biblical site cherished by Christians and Jews, will be open to the public for the first time in 2,000 years in the near future. “The Pool of Siloam’s excavation is highly significant to Christians around the world,” American Pastor John Hagee, … Continue reading Biblical site where Jesus healed blind man excavated for public view

Moscow says Ukrainian rocket strike kills 63 Russian troops

Ukrainian forces fired rockets at a facility in the eastern Donetsk region where Russian soldiers were stationed, killing 63 of them, Russia’s defense ministry said Monday, in one of the deadliest attacks on the Kremlin’s forces since the war began more than 10 months ago. Ukrainian forces fired six rockets from a HIMARS launch system and two of them were shot down, a defense ministry … Continue reading Moscow says Ukrainian rocket strike kills 63 Russian troops

NASA: China could ‘claim the moon as its territory’ and ban the USA from landing there

The head of Nasa is worried China may claim the moon as its own territory – and prevent the US from landing there again. ‘It is a fact: we’re in a space race,’ the current Nasa Administrator, Bill Nelson, said in an interview. ‘And it is true that we better watch out that they [China] don’t get to a place on the moon under the … Continue reading NASA: China could ‘claim the moon as its territory’ and ban the USA from landing there

One third of world economy expected to be in recession in 2023, says IMF chief

This year is going to be tougher on the global economy than the one we have left behind, the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva has warned. “Why? Because the three big economies, US, EU, China, are all slowing down simultaneously,” she said in an interview that aired on CBS Sunday. “We expect one third of the world economy to be in recession,” she … Continue reading One third of world economy expected to be in recession in 2023, says IMF chief

Bahamas Regulators Seize Crypto Assets from FTX Worth $3.5 Billion for ‘Safekeeping’

The Securities Commission of the Bahamas claims that it has moved $3.5 billion from FTX’s Bahamian subsidiary, FTX Digital Markets, into its own digital wallets for “safekeeping” while former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried awaits trial in the United States. CNBC reports that the Securities Commission of the Bahamas recently announced that it has seized $3.5 billion worth of cryptocurrency from failed crypto exchange FTX. In a … Continue reading Bahamas Regulators Seize Crypto Assets from FTX Worth $3.5 Billion for ‘Safekeeping’

EU wary of further Kosovo-Serbia tensions as it pushes final deal

Repeated border roadblocks, shootings and attacks on journalists have imperiled months of EU-led negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia. In the past week, a long-running dispute between the two countries once again reached a tipping point, with new barricades going up and Serbia moving its troops to high readiness after Kosovo deployed police to its northern, Serb-majority areas. While Serbia announced late Wednesday that the fresh … Continue reading EU wary of further Kosovo-Serbia tensions as it pushes final deal