International
This day in history
1921 - Canadians Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best isolated insulin for the first time. It proved an effective treatment for diabetes.
This day in history
1940 - The Battle of Britain began in WWII when at least 70 German bombers attacked docks in south Wales.
Unvaccinated tourists will not be allowed into Canada for some time -PM Trudeau
Foreign tourists who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will not be allowed to enter Canada for quite some time, with the government unwilling to jeopardize progress made on containing the virus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday.
World’s tallest sandcastle built in Denmark
In the small seaside town of Blokhus in Denmark, the world’s tallest sandcastle has been completed, weighing nearly 5,000 tonnes and towering over 20 metres high, its designers said Wednesday.
UK lawmakers demand action over China’s alleged Xinjiang abuses
A group of British lawmakers yesterday urged the government to take tougher action against China over its treatment of minority groups, including a partial Winter Olympics boycott and cotton trade ban.
UK lawmakers clear PM of conduct breach over luxury holiday
A British parliamentary standards committee yesterday cleared Prime Minister Boris Johnson of breaching a lawmakers’ code of conduct over a luxury Caribbean holiday, but criticised his handling of the matter.
Chinese researchers propose deflecting 'Armageddon' asteroids with rockets
Chinese researchers want to send more than 20 of China's largest rockets to practice turning away a sizable asteroid - a technique that may eventually be crucial if a killer rock is on a collision course with Earth.
Brazil's Bolsonaro says he may not accept 2022 election under current voting system
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said on Wednesday he may not accept the result of a presidential election next year unless the voting system, which uses computers to record votes, is replaced with printed ballots that he favors.
Police precinct in flames in US protest over death of black man
A police precinct in Minnesota went up in flames late Thursday in a third day of demonstrations as the so-called Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul seethed over the shocking police killing of a handcuffed black man.
Cyclone Amphan makes landfall in West Bengal
Extremely severe cyclone Amphan today slammed into the coastal districts of West Bengal, India, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. At the time of filing this story, there was no immediate reports of loss of lives.
Cyclone Amphan likely to hit Bangladesh on May 20
Cyclone Amphan is likely to intensify into a “very severe” cyclonic storm in the next 12 hours and cross coastal areas between Sagar Islands (West Bengal, India) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) during the afternoon/evening of May 20, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said today.
Sixteen workers sleeping on tracks run over by train in Maharashtra, India
Sixteen migrant labourers were run over by a goods train as they were sleeping on the rail tracks in the western Indian state of Maharashtra today, officials said.
Solemn, virus-hit Europe to mark 75th anniversary of the end of World War II
A continent devastated by the coronavirus will mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe today.
5 more Bangladeshis die of coronavirus in New York in 24 hours, total now 233
At least five Bangladeshis died of coronavirus infection in the state of New York in the last 24 hours.
Vietnam rejects China’s claims over two archipelagoes in the East Sea
Vietnam has rejected China’s claims over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes in the East Sea and reasserted that both groups of islands are under Vietnam’s sovereignty.
Civil society orgs urge UN secretary general to pressure countries out of forced repatriation
Sixteen civil society organisations of Bangladesh have urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Gueterres to appeal to the destination countries to refrain from the policy forced repatriation of migrants in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
US oil prices drop below zero for the first time in history
Wall Street fell sharply on Monday after US crude futures turned negative for the first time in history, underscoring the chaos the coronavirus pandemic has unleashed on the global economy.
Deploy search and rescue mission for boats carrying Rohingyas: rights group to Malaysia
Fortify Rights has called for Malaysia to urgently coordinate with regional governments to deploy search and rescue missions for boats of Rohingya refugees adrift at sea and ensure their safe disembarking.