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IMPORTANT
| | | Seismic | Battle Lines Harden in Wake of Supreme Court Decision The decision to overturn Roe v. Wade set off a weekend of frenzied activity on both sides of the U.S. abortion debate. Within hours, conservative states implemented trigger laws that had been waiting on ice for this moment. The National Right to Life Committee renewed calls for a constitutional amendment to ban abortion nationwide. Pro-choicers protested across the land, with New York City’s Pride parade putting abortion rights front and center. Abortion rights groups vowed to challenge the trigger laws. “This is a fight-like-hell moment,” said Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who’s filed suit to stop a century-old abortion ban from taking effect. (Sources: NYT, NBC) |
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| | Tightening the Screws | G-7 to Agree Price Caps on Russian Oil as Moscow Defaults In an attempt to further curtail funding for the Kremlin’s war effort, leaders of the G-7 will use their three-day Alpine retreat to finalize an agreement to cap the price of Russian oil. The details of how such a cap would actually work will be hammered out by the nations’ finance ministers in the months to come. The leaders, who will be conferring with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy via video link, will also target Russia’s defense supply chain with further sanctions and new tariffs on Russian goods. The news came as Russia defaulted on its international debt for the first time since 1918. (Sources: AP, NYT, Reuters) |
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| | Unexplained Tragedy | At Least 21 Die in Suspected Poisoning in South African Tavern Initial forensic results suggest the people who died at a nightclub in the coastal city of East London inhaled or ingested a substance that led to their deaths. Rumors of a stampede were debunked by the fact that the victims, aged between 13 and 20, were found slumped over couches and chairs and in a circle on the floor, with no visible injuries. Attention has turned to the beers they were drinking and the hookah pipes they were smoking. Family members have identified 15 of the 21 bodies, and a further four victims remain in hospital. South Africa’s legal drinking age is 18. (Sources: Daily Maverick, BBC) |
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| | Doing it for Themselves | Companies Move to Pay Travel Costs for Employees’ Abortions Many of the biggest companies in America have already announced they’ll be providing support and financial assistance to employees who are now unable to access abortions in their home states. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, Apple, Disney, Netflix and Meta all announced “critical healthcare” packages. “We will continue to provide benefits that support our colleagues’ family planning choices wherever we are legally permitted to do so,” wrote Citigroup’s Sara Wechter in an employee memo Friday. But millions of Americans don’t work for large corporations — and many firms, including McDonald’s, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, General Motors and Walmart, remained silent on the issue. (Source: The Guardian) |
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| | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: Collapse. At least four people were killed and more than 300 injured when a wooden stand collapsed during a bullfight in El Espinal in central Colombia. (Source: BBC) Running dry. Residents were urged to work from home and schools were closed in a bid to stretch Sri Lanka’s dwindling fuel reserves. It’s hoped that talks with the International Monetary Fund will yield a $3-billion bailout package. (Source: Reuters) No end in sight. Confusion and alarm reigned in Beijing after authorities announced China’s zero-COVID policy would remain in place for five years. The exact time frame was swiftly removed from most online articles. (Source: The Guardian) |
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INTRIGUING
| | | Eureka Moment | Frozen Woolly Mammoth Baby Discovered in Canada A miner in Yukon’s Eureka Creek was digging with a front-end loader when he struck gold of a different type: a perfectly preserved baby woolly mammoth, complete with ears, tail and trunk. His bosses sent a picture to Grant Zazula, the territory’s paleontologist, who said they’d made the “most important discovery in paleontology in North America.” Zazula estimates she was 30 to 35 days old when she died between 35,000 and 40,000 years ago. In a “powerful” ceremony, the mammoth was named Nun cho ga (“big baby animal”) by the Trʼondëk Hwëch on whose land she was found. (Source: CBC, Photo source: Prof Dan Shugar, @WaterSHEDLab) |
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| | ‘Zero-Star Hotel’ | Guests Urged to Ponder World’s Problems During Sleepless Nights The bed looks comfy enough, and there’s a dedicated butler — but the absence of walls or a roof, and the location next to a gas station, mean staying at the “zero-star hotel” is unlikely to be a restful experience. “Sleep is not the point,” said Swiss concept artist Frank Riklin who’s also created similar “hotels” in idyllic locations with his brother Patrik. “What’s important is reflecting about the current world situation. Staying here is a statement about the need for urgent changes in society.” The $340-a-night suites are open for bookings this summer, and breakfast and drinks are included. (Source: Reuters) |
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| | Big Bug | Bacteria the Size of an Eyelash Discovered in CaribbeanWhen biologist Olivier Gros first saw the white tendrils coating submerged mangrove leaves in a sulfurous swamp in Guadeloupe, he thought they may be some kind of fungus. Closer examination revealed that the filaments — which can attain lengths of almost an inch — were by far the largest bacteria ever discovered. Thiomargarita magnifica, or “magnificent sulfur pearl,” is around 10,000 times bigger than E. Coli. “It would be like meeting another human the size of Mount Everest,” said Jean-Marie Volland, a microbiologist and co-author of the study. The discovery has shattered the long-held assumption that bacteria’s simple structures keep them tiny. (Sources: NYT, The Scientist) |
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| | Your Nose Knows Best | Good Friends Often Smell the SameScientists have long explored the role of body odor compatibility in romantic relationships. Now, a new study shows BO might also determine who our friends are. Researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science used online questionnaires, unwashed T-shirts and an electronic nose to determine that people who reported an instant “click” often emitted similar chemical signatures. “There is chemistry in social chemistry,” said co-author Inbal Ravreby. But neurodynamics researcher Leslie Kay warned the findings weren’t conclusive enough to suggest “you can just walk up and sniff strangers and say ‘Oh, you’re going to be a really good friend.’” (Source: The Scientist) |
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| | Wading In | Sports World Reacts to Roe v. Wade BombshellSportspeople often refuse to comment on politics, but not this time. Tennis great Billie Jean King and rising star Coco Gauff both called it a “sad day”. Megan Rapinoe took aim at the senators who believed the pre-confirmation assurances of Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh — and plenty of male players joined the conversation too, with LeBron James, Damien Harris, Karl-Anthony Towns and Austin Rivers all speaking out against the Supreme Court decision. Even the federations got involved, with the NBA and WNBA putting out a joint statement asserting that “women should be able to make their own decisions concerning their health and future.” (Source: NBC) |
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COMMUNITY
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