Guns once owned by Al Capone, one of the most notorious gangsters in United States history, are among 174 lots to go under the hammer this week at a California auction, A Century of Notoriety: the Estate of Al Capone. Auctioneers are billing the sale as ‘one of the most important celebrity auctions in history’.
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‘We want dignity’: the vanishing craft of Kashmir’s papier-mache artists
Award-winning artist Maqbool Jan is one of a handful still practising the ancient artform, but without government help he fears it could be lost
Kashmir’s ancient papier-mache artworks are famous throughout the world. The art form is a staple of the luxury ornamental market, and has a rich and long cultural lineage. It is closely associated with the advent of Islam in Kashmir, and depicts scenes from the Mughal court, Arabic verses from the Qu’ran, Persian poetry, as well as Kashmir’s iconic tourist attractions.
However, this ancient art form is vanishing, with only a handful of artisans left practising.
Continue reading...China could mount full scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025, island’s defence minister says
Comments come as Biden and Xi agree to stick to Taiwan agreements amid rising tension in the Indo-Pacific
China will be capable of mounting a full scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025, the island’s defence minister Chiu Kuo-cheng has said, describing current tensions as the worst in 40 years.
Speaking to the China Times on Wednesday, Chiu said China was capable now, but would be completely prepared to launch an invasion in three years.
Continue reading...Huawei hopes US decision on Meng Wanzhou heralds new era in relations
US justice department suspended fraud charges against chief financial officer of Chinese telecoms giant
The Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei hopes that the US justice department’s decision to abandon its efforts to extradite Meng Wanzhou may mark the starting point in a new era in relations between the company, China and the US government.
Meng, the firm’s chief financial officer and daughter of its founder, was freed last month after three years of house arrest in Canada following an agreement with the justice department to suspend fraud charges against her.
Continue reading...‘Genius dogs’ can learn names of more than 100 toys, study finds
Six canines, all border collies, have proved some possess a remarkable grasp of human language
Your dog might follow commands such as “sit”, or become uncontrollably excited at the mention of the word “walkies”, but when it comes to remembering the names of toys and other everyday items, most seem pretty absent-minded.
Now a study of six “genius dogs” has advanced our understanding of dogs’ memories, suggesting some of them possess a remarkable grasp of the human language.
Continue reading...Shooting stars: Russians beating US in race for first film shot in space
Actor and director on International Space Station push ahead of Hollywood project led by Tom Cruise
The list of “firsts” in orbit under the Soviet space programme is legendary: first satellite, first dog, first man, first woman.
Now another looms after Russia sent an actor and a director to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of plans to make the first film in orbit – and once again put one over on the Americans.
Continue reading...France threatens to cut UK and Jersey energy supply in fishing row
French government pushing EU to take stronger stance in dispute over access to Channel waters
The EU could hit Britain and Jersey’s energy supply over the UK’s failure to provide sufficient fishing licences to French fishers, France’s EU affairs minister has said.
Clément Beaune, who is a close ally of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said action would be decided on within days and discussions were already in motion.
Continue reading...Germany’s Greens and CDU report ‘constructive’ coalition talks
Decision not likely to be reached in coming days – with any possible coalition likely to need a third party
Germany’s Green party and conservatives have described initial rounds of exploratory coalition talks as “constructive”.
The comment came after the first formal meeting since last month’s election between the likely chief kingmaker in a future government and the second-placed Christian Democrats (CDU).
Continue reading...Reports of mysterious Mossad operation to find Israeli airman confirmed
Israel prime minister tells Knesset of ‘bold’ mission concerned with fate of missing navigator Lt Col Ron Arad
The Israeli spy agency, the Mossad, launched a complex intelligence operation last month to find information on the whereabouts and fate of an Israeli airman who was shot down over southern Lebanon in 1986.
The existence of the operation to find Lt Col Ron Arad, a navigator on an Israeli jet whose plane went down during a bombing raid, was confirmed by the Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett, who told the country’s parliament on Monday that he could share no more details of the “courageous mission”.
Continue reading...Global deal on 15% minimum tax rate for multinationals edges closer
Almost 140 countries understood to be in final OECD talks on measures to stop firms moving profits to tax havens
Almost 140 countries are edging closer to a global deal on the taxation of multinationals, with agreement on a minimum 15% rate of corporation tax set to be announced as part of a landmark statement at the OECD in Paris on Friday.
Governments representing more than 90% of the world economy are understood to be in the final stages of talks on a global minimum rate and other measures designed to stop multinationals shifting profits into tax havens.
Continue reading...Taiwan must be on alert against ‘over-the-top’ China, says premier – video
Taiwan needs to be on alert for China's 'over-the-top' military activities which are violating regional peace, Premier Su Tseng-chang has said after incursions by Chinese warplanes into Taiwan's air defence zone. China has sent nearly 150 planes into the zone in the first four days of October, in what mainland figures and media have labelled a demonstration of strength but which world governments have condemned as an act of intimidation
Continue reading...Coronavirus live news: California deploys National Guard; Pfizer jab ‘highly effective’ against hospitalisations
Extra help called in for overwhelmed hospitals in California; two doses of Pfizer/BioNTech about 90% effective at preventing hospitalisations for at least six months, research reveals
- New Zealand ends Covid elimination strategy in favour of suppression approach
- England sees sustained decline in hospital admissions for the first time out of lockdown
- US sees dramatic drop in Covid cases and hospitalizations over past few weeks
- See all our coronavirus coverage
Senegal has had only a handful of new daily Covid infections so far this week, with only two cases yesterday – the lowest number since the pandemic reached the country.
“Two cases were recorded today, the lowest ever recorded,” said the health ministry spokesperson Ngone Ngom. “They were in the past seven, 10 cases, but from the top of my head I think this is the lowest.”
Continue reading...‘They wanted to kill me’: the lawyer taking on police brutality in Kenya
Almost 20 years ago, a police shooting left David Makara without an arm and facing jail. Inspired by the blind lawyer who saved him, he now defends others facing injustice
When the police started shooting at David Makara in his home town of Nyahururu, in Kenya, he ran before quickly collapsing. Two bullets had hit him – one in his right arm, one in his hip – but he only realised when he looked down and saw his hand dangling from his wrist and blood pouring out.
“I thought I was going to die,” he says.
Continue reading...Estimated 216,000 children abused by French Catholic priests, report finds
Abuses committed by priests as well as non-religious people, says independent commission
An investigation into sexual abuse in the French Catholic church has found that an estimated 216,000 children were victims of abuse by clergy since 1950.
The revelations in France are the latest to rock the Roman Catholic church after a series of sexual abuse scandals around the world, often involving children, over the past 20 years.
Continue reading...Russian actor and director blast off to make first film in orbit
Pair will spend 12 days on International Space Station in effort to beat US to making first film in space
A Russian actor and a director have blasted off to the International Space Station (ISS) in an attempt to beat the US to the filming of the first movie in orbit.
The Russian crew are set to beat a Hollywood project announced last year by Tom Cruise, Nasa, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Continue reading...Nollywood moment: African film industries ‘could create 20m jobs’
UN study finds streaming services have increased demand for film productions from across the continent, but warns piracy and underinvestment hampering growth
Film industries in Africa could quadruple their revenue to $20bn (£15bn) and create an extra 20m jobs in creative industries, according to a UN report about cinema on the continent.
The booming film industry in Nigeria – Nollywood is the world’s second-largest film industry in terms of output – and Senegal were examples of African countries with defined business models and growing avenues for local film productions, which are increasingly sought after by television and streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+, said the report by the United Nation’s cultural body, Unesco.
Continue reading...Taiwan and China: line that Biden must tread is finer than ever
Analysis: the fallout from a conflict triggered by miscalculation or accident could be catastrophic
A surge of Chinese aerial sorties over the sea separating mainland China and Taiwan has served as a reminder that the strait has the potential to be one of the most dangerous places on Earth.
According to Taiwan’s defence ministry, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) made a total of 149 sorties in four days over the southern section of the Taiwan Strait, including flights by a dozen bombers and many jet fighters.
Continue reading...‘Volcanoes are life’: how the ocean is enriched by eruptions devastating on land
Lava is destroying much of La Palma but the last eruption in the Canaries appears to have ‘fertilised’ the surrounding seas
The eruption of the volcano on La Palma in the Canary Islands is a vivid reminder of the destructive power of nature but, as it lays waste all before it on land, for marine life it is likely to be a blessing.
When the lava reached the sea near the La Palma marine reserve on Tuesday night, every marine organism that was unable to swim out of danger was instantly killed. However, unlike on land, which lava renders lifeless for decades (and with forest not returning for more than a century), marine life returns quickly and in better shape, research shows.
Continue reading...Taiwan president warns of ‘catastrophic consequences’ if island falls to China
Tsai Ing-wen says Taiwan will ‘do whatever it takes to defend itself’ against an increasingly assertive Beijing
Taiwan is committed to defending its democracy against an increasingly aggressive China, the island’s president has vowed, warning of “catastrophic consequences” for the region should it fall.
The comments from Tsai Ing-wen, in an essay published on Tuesday, came amid record-breaking incursions by Chinese warplanes into its air defence zone. On Tuesday Taiwan’s premier, Su Tseng-chang, said the “over the top” activity violated regional peace, and Taiwan needed to be on alert.
Continue reading...Global vaccine rollout vital to securing deal for nature, warns UN biodiversity chief
Elizabeth Maruma Mrema says access to Covid jabs for developing world will be critical to the success of in-person Kunming Cop15 summit
Governments hoping for a global agreement to halt biodiversity loss must put more effort into access to Covid-19 vaccines for developing countries, the UN’s biodiversity chief has warned.
Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, said the Kunming Cop15 summit, at which governments will try to forge a “Paris agreement for nature”, was vital for halting the global crisis of species loss.
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