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A rare snow leopard at the San Diego Zoo that hadn't been vaccinated has tested positive for coronavirus. But the zoo is continuing to roll out shots to protect other animals. Last Thursday, wildlife care specialists noticed the snow leopard had a cough and nasal discharge, the zoo said in new release. Preliminary tests confirmed the virus that causes Covid-19. The zoo said it doesn't know how the snow leopard got infected. According to the Snow Leopard Trust, there may be only about 4,000 to 6,000 snow leopards left in the world.
Source: cnn.com
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday she has agreed to a request from Turkish authorities to accept the return of a New Zealand citizen accused of having links to the Islamic State, and her two young children. The three have been in immigration detention in Turkey after they were caught earlier this year trying to enter Turkey from Syria. Turkish authorities requested that New Zealand repatriate the family.
Source: reuters.com
Japan's Momiji Nishiya became one of the youngest individual Olympic champions in history when she won the inaugural women's skateboarding gold at the age of 13 years and 330 days on Monday. Nishiya finished ahead of Brazil's Rayssa Leal -- who at 13 years and 203 days could have become the youngest ever individual Olympic champion -- and Japan's Funa Nakayama, 16.
Source: france24.com
Tunisia's president has sacked the prime minister and suspended parliament, after violent protests broke out across the country. Thousands of protesters, angry at the government's mishandling of Covid-19, had flooded onto the streets and clashed with police on Sunday. President Kais Saied announced he would take charge with help from a new prime minister, saying he intended to bring calm to the country. But opponents branded his move a coup.
Source: bbc.com
The chief executive of tobacco business Philip Morris International has called on the UK government to ban cigarettes within a decade, in a move that would outlaw its own Marlboro brand. Jacek Olczak said the company could “see the world without cigarettes … and actually, the sooner it happens, the better it is for everyone.” Cigarettes should be treated like petrol cars, the sale of which is due to be banned from 2030, he said.
Source: theguardian.com
UNESCO added Madrid's historic Paseo del Prado boulevard and Retiro Park to its list of world heritage sites on Sunday. The tree-lined Paseo del Prado, in the centre of the Spanish capital, is home to the Prado museum, while Retiro Park, just off the Paseo del Prado, is one of the city's most visited attractions.
Source: reuters.com
The victims of the terror attack at the Munich Olympics have been remembered during Tokyo's opening ceremony, the first time in nearly half a century. A moment's silence commemorated the 11 Israeli athletes killed by Palestinian gunmen in 1972. Families of the victims had for years been urging Olympic organisers to honour them at an opening ceremony, but had their requests repeatedly rejected. "Finally there is justice," two of the victims' widows said.
Source: bbc.com
China is imposing sanctions on several US individuals and organisations in response to recent US sanctions on Chinese officials in Hong Kong. Those targeted include former US Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross. The counter-sanctions come days before US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is due to visit China.
Source: bbc.com
The UK is eroding its global reputation for conserving its “unparalleled” historic assets, culture bodies have warned, with Stonehenge expected to be next in line to lose its coveted World Heritage status after Liverpool. The UN’s heritage body has told ministers that Wiltshire’s cherished stone circle will be placed on its “in danger” list – the precursor to it being stripped of world heritage status – if a £1.7bn road tunnel goes ahead as planned.
Source: theguardian.com
An Algerian judo competitor has chosen to ditch the Tokyo Olympics rather than hit the mat with an Israeli. It was the second time in two years that ninth-ranked Fethi Nourine withdrew from a major judo competition rather than take on sixth-ranked Israeli Tohar Butbul. Nourine and his coach, Amar Benikhlef, told Algerian media that they were boycotting Butbul to support the Palestinians.
Source: nbcnews.com
MBC -- one of the largest national television networks -- used images of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster for Ukraine, a riot for Haiti and a promotional bitcoin poster for El Salvador when each nation entered the stadium. The broadcaster issued an apology following the opening ceremony, saying "inappropriate images and captions were used to introduce some countries." For some countries, the descriptions were more gastronomic, with images of pizza for Italy, sushi for Japan, and salmon for Norway.
Source: france24.com
Firefighters have declared the end of their search for bodies at the site of a collapsed Florida condo building, concluding a month of painstaking work removing layers of dangerous debris that were once piled several stories high. The collapse on 24 June at the oceanside Champlain Towers South killed 97 people, with at least one more missing person yet to be identified. The site has been mostly swept flat and the rubble moved to a Miami warehouse. Although forensic scientists are still at work, including examining the debris at the warehouse, there are no more bodies to be found where the building once stood.
Source: theguardian.com
Thousands of anti-lockdown protesters have taken to the streets of Sydney and other major Australian cities to protest against coronavirus restrictions as infections hit a new record and authorities warned of a “growing problem”. In Sydney, the unmasked participants on Saturday marched from Victoria Park to Town Hall in the central business district, carrying signs calling for “freedom” and “the truth”. There was a heavy police presence in the city, including mounted police and riot officers in response to what authorities said was unauthorised protest activity.
Source: aljazeera.com
President Xi Jinping has visited the politically troubled region of Tibet in the first official visit by a Chinese leader in 30 years. The president was in Tibet from Wednesday to Friday, but state media reported the visit after it ended. China is accused of suppressing cultural and religious freedom in the remote and mainly Buddhist region. The government denies the accusations and says Tibet has developed considerably under its rule.
Source: bbc.com
At least 110 people have been killed in landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rains in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. The rains overwhelmed hundreds of villages, sweeping away houses and leaving residents stranded. Rescue crews have been racing to evacuate survivors but many people are feared missing. The Indian military has been helping the efforts, which have been hampered by difficult conditions. The western state has recorded its heaviest spell of July rain for decades.
Source: bbc.com
Ecuador has raised to 27 the number of inmates killed in riots in two jails this week that forced the government to declare a state of emergency. President Guillermo Lasso had issued the order “to mobilise all necessary human and economic resources to re-establish order” in Ecuador’s prisons after violence erupted on Wednesday at jails in Guayas, in southwestern Ecuador, and Cotopaxi, in the centre of the country.
Source: aljazeera.com
A California appeals court has disqualified a private judge being used by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in their divorce case, handing Jolie a major victory. On Friday, the second district court of appeal agreed with Jolie that Judge John W Ouderkirk didn’t sufficiently disclose business relationships with Pitt’s attorneys. The decision means that the custody fight over the couple’s five minor children, which was nearing an end, could be starting over. The judge already ruled the pair divorced, but separated the child custody issues.
Source: theguardian.com
England winger Jadon Sancho says joining Manchester United is "a dream come true" after he completed his £73m move from Borussia Dortmund. Sancho is the second most expensive English player of all time behind his new United team-mate Harry Maguire. He joins United on a five-year deal.
Source: bbc.com
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