We begin this evening with news from the non-human world, beginning with this, from The Guardian:
Italian farmers have protested in recent years about soaring wild boar population wreaking havoc on crops
A herd of wild boar surrounded a woman who had just come out of a supermarket near Rome and stole her shopping, rekindling a debate about the presence of the animal in Italian towns and cities.
From the BBC:
A grey whale, dubbed "Wally" by the marine biologists tracking it, is lost in the Mediterranean - and it must find its way home soon if it is to survive.
At this time of year, Wally should be 5,600 miles (9,000km) away, off the coast of Alaska. The species normally migrates up and down the cost of North America but melting ice in the Arctic has opened up previously closed off passageways to the Atlantic Ocean.
What happens if Wally can't get back?
From The Guardian:
Lightning or poisoning cited as possible causes of deaths in protected area in Assam state
Authorities are trying to establish how 18 wild Asiatic elephants died in a remote corner of India’s north-east.
The elephants, including five calves, were found dead in the protected Kondali forest reserve in the state of Assam, Jayanta Goswami, a wildlife official, told Associated Press. The forest guard reached the area on Thursday and found 14 elephants dead atop a hill and four at its bottom.
From The Guardian:
Beavers cause internet outages, steal posts and even put 30 sq km of a town underwater – but experts say the animals have a profound effect on ecosystems
At first, the theft of wooden fence posts seemed like a crime of opportunity – amid soaring lumber costs, stacks of wood have gone missing from construction sites across North America.
But officers in the Canadian prairie community of Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan, soon identified the culprit: local beavers had stolen the posts to build their dam.
One more from The Guardian:
John Cox may have violated city law when he brought campaign mascot Tag with him to San Diego
Turns out campaigning across California with a 1,000lb bear is not a foolproof political plan.
John Cox, a candidate vying to replace Gavin Newsom in the state’s gubernatorial recall vote, is under investigation for violating a San Diego city law that bans anyone, except zoos, from bringing wild animals – including lions and tigers and bears – into the area.
There is a lot of other news, of course. This comes from Reuters:
Taiwan reported a record rise in domestic COVID-19 cases on Friday with 29 new cases and will close bars and nightclubs in the capital, Taipei, as community transmissions in part of city spread.
While Taiwan has reported just 1,291 cases, mostly imported from abroad, out of a population of some 24 million, a recent small rise in domestic infections has spooked residents and the stock market.
From the BBC:
By Andreas Illmer
The Tokyo Olympics are now just over two months away and calls to ditch the Games in the face of the pandemic are getting louder by the day. So why isn't Japan talking about cancelling the Games? The answer as it turns out, is not that simple.
The situation is not looking great in Japan.
A coronavirus state of emergency has been extended in the capital Tokyo and three other major prefectures as cases continue to rise.
From the BBC:
China has successfully landed a spacecraft on Mars, state media announced early on Saturday.
The six-wheeled Zhurong robot was targeting Utopia Planitia, a vast terrain in the planet's northern hemisphere.
From The Guardian:
The good news is, we think existing vaccines will protect us against this rapidly spreading strain. But we need more data
The new variant of the Covid-19 virus first detected in India comes in three forms: B.1.617.1 (abbreviated as variant 1), B.1.617.2 (variant 2) and B.1.617.3 (variant 3). Each of these has a slightly different genetic makeup. The one that is surging in England is variant 2.
From NBC:
KEY POINTS
- The U.K. will now accelerate second doses of vaccines for the over-50s and the clinically vulnerable due to concerns about the variant from India.
- Speaking at a news conference Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the variant looked to be more transmissible than other strains, but cautioned that it wasn’t clear by how much.
LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Friday that the coronavirus variant first discovered in India has the potential to derail the lockdown easing currently underway in the country.
From the Guardian:
Tourists threaten the island’s economic recovery by ignoring Covid protocols, including refusing to wear masks and even making a porn film
A Russian Instagrammer who launched his motorbike off a dock, crashing into the sea. Two YouTube pranksters who fooled a supermarket guard with drawn-on face masks, violating the island’s health rules. A couple allegedly filming porn on a sacred mountain.
Bali has hosted a range of badly behaved influencers during the pandemic. And now it’s had enough.
From Reuters:
Andrew Osborn, Alexander Marrow
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his annual address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow, Russia April 21, 2021. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo/File Photo
President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that neighbouring Ukraine was becoming 'anti-Russia' and that Moscow would be ready to react to what he said were threats to its own security.
From CNBC:
KEY POINTS
- One of the key government strategies to support tourism was to waive priority for certain age groups and the medically vulnerable in its vaccination program, instead focusing on the residents of the many Greek islands.
- Data shows that as of Wednesday more than 25% of the Greek population have received at least one dose of a vaccine.
- The British government recently decided to not include Greece on its “green list” of foreign destinations, but the southern nations hopes to be “included soon.”
Andreas Patiniotis can’t help sounding cheerful as Greece once again welcomes tourists back to the country.
From the BBC:
British tourists will be allowed to enter Portugal from next Monday, the Portuguese authorities have announced.
Portugal is on the UK's "green" list for unrestricted travel from then, but there had been confusion over whether the Portuguese would reciprocate.
From Deutsche Welle:
Don't we all feel a little awkward, venturing out after lockdown - amidst the COVID-19 pandemic? Deciding how close to get to someone. Holding back a handshake or a hug.
Also from Deutsche Welle:
Medical teams are making long, at times difficult journeys to vaccinate people all over the world against COVID-19. Their job takes them over mountains and across water, by boat or by plane — or by foot.