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A magnitude-4.7 earthquake rattled Northern California near Lake Tahoe and Reno, Nevada, Thursday evening, according to the U.S. Geographical Survey. The quake's epicenter was said to be northwest of Truckee, and the temblor was felt as far away as Sacramento. It hit around 9:35 p.m., preceded by a magnitude 3.2 temblor and followed by a 3.1 aftershock a few miles away near Sierraville. There were no immediate reports of major damage

Source: foxnews.com

Colombia has entered its second week of violent unrest as riot police continued a brutal crackdown on nationwide protests against poverty and inequality exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. As many as 37 people have died in the protests so far according to Temblores, a local NGO that monitors police violence, though that number is expected to rise, with at least 89 people reported missing since protests began on 28 April. Fresh clashes broke out on Wednesday night in Bogotá and other cities across the country as heavily armoured police unleashed their arsenal of flash-bangs, teargas and water cannons on protesters.

Source: theguardian.com

At least 25 people including a police officer have been killed in a shootout in Rio de Janeiro, according to local media. The shootout took place during a police operation in a favela in the Jacarezinho area of the city. Police launched the operation after receiving reports that drug traffickers were recruiting children for their gang. Two passengers on a metro train were hit by bullets but survived. Police in the Brazilian city confirmed the death of one of their officers.

Source: bbc.com

Morocco recalled its ambassador to Berlin for consultations on Thursday in protest at what it described as Germany's "destructive attitude" towards Rabat's position on the Western Sahara issue. It accused Germany of engaging in "antagonistic activism" after the United States in December recognised Moroccan sovereignty over the territory, which is also claimed as an independent state by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front movement.

Source: reuters.com

Coldplay has unveiled the first single from its upcoming album, with the premiere of Higher Power taking place on board the International Space Station. Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, and Will Champion teamed up with French astronaut Thomas Pesquet for the stunt, which saw the track played on the ISS and beamed back to Earth by satellite.

Source: news.sky.com

The Biden administration is weighing unfreezing $1 billion in Iranian funds that the country could use for humanitarian relief, amid the negotiations for the US to reenter the 2015 nuclear deal and bring Iran back into compliance with its terms.

Source: cnn.com

Paul McCartney has numerous hits, awards and even a knighthood to his name. Now the former Beatle can add a personalised set of stamps to his long list of accolades. Britain's Royal Mail (RMG.L) said on Thursday it will issue a set of 12 stamps depicting McCartney and his work, saying it was paying tribute to "one of the most iconic and enduring music artists of all time".

Source: reuters.com

Under the cover of darkness in desert habitats about 70 million years ago, in what is today Mongolia and northern China, a gangly looking dinosaur employed excellent night vision and superb hearing to thrive as a menacing pint-sized nocturnal predator. Scientists said on Thursday an examination of a ring of bones surrounding the pupil and a bony tube inside the skull that houses the hearing organ showed that this dinosaur, called Shuvuuia deserti, boasted visual and auditory capabilities akin to a barn owl, indicating it could it hunt in total darkness.

Source: reuters.com

Scientists have discovered a giant sequoia still smoldering in California’s Sequoia national forest, months after wildfires tore through the region last August. Charred tree – which may be thousands of years old – looks like chimney spouting smoke in national forest.

Source: theguardian.com

Finnegan Lee Elder, 21, and Gabriel Natale Hjorth, 20, must serve Italy’s stiffest sentence of at least 21 years behind bars for killing Italian cop Mario Cerciello Rega in 2019. Elder had admitted to stabbing Rega 11 times in the attack on July 26, 2019, but argued he acted in self-defence, believing the cop was a thug. His friend Natale-Hjorth, then 18, was convicted of helping him conceal the weapon after the pair hid the seven-inch Rambo knife in a concealed panel in their hotel room. Under Italian law, accomplices can also be charged with murder.

Source: thesun.co.uk

The international criminal court has sentenced a former militia leader and child soldier from Uganda to 25 years in prison after he was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity in a landmark judgment. The presiding judge, Bertram Schmitt, said the panel of judges had considered sentencing Dominic Ongwen to life imprisonment, the court’s harshest punishment, but had sided against it due to the defendant’s own personal suffering.

Source: theguardian.com

A glimpse of human grief, at the loss of a child 78,000 years ago, has been revealed in the discovery of the oldest burial site in Africa. The Middle Stone Age grave - of a three-year-old child - was found in a cave in Kenya. The researchers who studied the fragile, ancient remains described how its head appeared to have been laid on a pillow. Scientists have named the child Mtoto, meaning "the kid" in Swahili.

Source: bbc.com

The 25-second clip, posted on their social media channels on Wednesday opens with the couple relaxing on a sofa at home in Norfolk. William quips "Be careful what you say now because these guys are filming everything", and a laughing Kate replies "I know".

Source: news.sky.com

An online petition calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be canceled has gained tens of thousands of signatures since being launched in Japan only days ago. The rollout of the petition comes with Tokyo, Osaka and several other areas under a state of emergency with coronavirus infections rising — particularly new variants. The state of emergency is to expire on May 11, but some reports in Japan say it is likely to be extended. The postponed Olympics are to open in just under three months on July 23.

Source: apnews.com

A giant moth with a wingspan measuring up to 25cm has been found at a Queensland school next to a rainforest. Builders found the giant wood moth, the heaviest moth in the world, while constructing new classrooms at Mount Cotton state school. Giant wood moths are found along the Queensland and New South Wales coast, according to the Queensland Museum. Females can weigh up to 30 grams and have a wingspan of up to 25cm. Males are half that size.

Source: theguardian.com

Infections in India hit another grim daily record on Thursday as demand for medical oxygen jumped seven-fold and the government denied reports that it was slow in distributing life-saving supplies from abroad. The number of new confirmed cases breached 400,000 for the second time since the devastating surge began last month. The 412,262 cases pushed India’s tally to more than 21 million. The Health Ministry also reported 3,980 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 230,168. Experts believe both figures are an undercount.

Source: apnews.com

Mourners in traditional dress have paraded through the streets of Johannesburg to honour South Africa's Zulu queen on the eve of her funeral. Queen Shiyiwe Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu, 65, became interim leader of the country's largest ethnic group last month after the death of her husband, King Goodwill Zwelithini. The cause of the queen's death is yet to be announced by the royal family. The family has dismissed rumours that she had been poisoned.

Source: bbc.com

The Romanian NGO Agent Green and the Austrian NGO VGT alleged in a statement that the bear, who was called Arthur, was shot in March in a protected area of the Carpathian Mountains by Prince Emanuel von und zu Liechtenstein. According to the NGOs, the prince, who is a resident of Riegersburg in Austria, had been given special approval by the Romanian environment ministry to shoot a female bear that had been causing damage to farms in Ojdula. “But in reality, the prince did not kill the problem bear, but a male that lived deep in the woods and had never come close to localities,” the NGOs claim.

Source: theguardian.com