“This is not just about wildlife,” an expert said. “It’s about the essential ecosystems that sustain human life.”

Monitored populations of the world’s vertebrate animals declined on average by 73% between 1970 and 2020, according to a major report released Wednesday by the World Wild Fund for Nature and the Zoological Society of London.

Germany has halted all arms deliveries to Israel since March, with Berlin now demanding a written guarantee from the Israeli government that these weapons will not be used against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, according to media reports. 

German tabloid Bild reported on Sunday that Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Economy Minister Robert Habeck, both from the Green Party, were responsible for the decision. Politico later confirmed the report on Monday. 

AS THE WORLD IS GETTING CLOSER TO NUCLEAR ANNIHILATION, THE AMERICA'S CUP IS BATTLED OUT BETWEEN THE NEO-ZEALANDERS AND THE BRITS... WE TAKE TIME OFF FROM THE MAD MEN LEADING THE WORLD, TO SEE HOW THIS 175 YEAR-OLD OLD CONTEST IS GOING....

Tempers were frayed out on the waters, with British skipper Sir Ben Ainslie taking a verbal swipe at Kiwi America's Cup commentator Stephen McIvor, after suffering another loss to Emirates Team New Zealand off Barcelona.

INEOS Britannia have fallen 3-0 behind the cup holders in the first-to-seven series, with Ainslie being heard swearing, seemingly in reference to McIvor, after a post-race interview.

US investment giant BlackRock has hit a new record on assets under management, topping $11.48 trillion in Q3 2024 – equivalent to the nominal GDP of Japan, India and the UK combined, and the valuation growing by nearly $2.4 trillion (the GDP of an Italy or Brazil) since Q3 2023 alone. How does BlackRock make its money? Sputnik explores.

The bombing of the Basque town of Guernica, in Spain, in 1937 “heralded a terrible new age of warfare” that, almost 90 years later, remains graphically notorious as a “wanton man-made holocaust”. Over the last twelve months, Israel has made exceptional progress towards crafting a similar enduring understanding of the hellscape it has created in Gaza.

Guernica

Christian apologist and math academic Professor John Lennox has challenged the views of evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins on the issue of ultimate justice.

The two academics have debated in person before, but Lennox quoted Dawkins when addressing the issue of suffering, in his latest email circular as President of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA).

The heads of six Australian states will miss a reception for King Charles III when he arrives Down Under, while the British monarch has said he would not oppose the former prison colony declaring itself a republic.

While Australia has been fully independent since 1986, its titular head of state is still the British monarch. A 1999 referendum to declare a republic failed, in part due to the popularity of Queen Elizabeth II at the time.

Charles is due to arrive in Australia later this week. On Monday, the premiers of six federal states informed Canberra they would not be able to attend the reception for the monarch, citing prior commitments.

Funding cuts to the BBC World Service have allowed Russian and Chinese media outlets to spread “unchallenged propaganda” across the Global South, the director-general of the British state media giant has complained.

The BBC World Service broadcasts in around 40 languages to an audience of 320 million people per week. Two years ago, the network cut more than 380 jobs and stopped radio broadcasts in ten languages, including Arabic and Persian.

In a speech in London on Monday afternoon, Davie is expected to argue that “when the World Service retreats, state-funded media operators move in to take advantage,”according to remarks shared with British media outlets in advance.

A third attempt on the life of Donald Trump was prevented on Saturday when law enforcement officers arrested an armed man with fake press passes outside the former US president’s rally in Coachella, California, a local sheriff has said.

Vem Miller, a 49-year-old Las Vegas resident, was arrested at a checkpoint outside the rally venue on Saturday with an illegally owned shotgun, a loaded handgun, and a high-capacity magazine, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Sunday.  

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told local media that Miller had presented fake VIP and press passes at the checkpoint.  

“They were different enough to cause the deputies alarm,” Bianco told the Press-Enterprise. “We probably stopped another assassination attempt.” 

Alex Salmond collapsed 'all of a sudden' - conference organiser
A youth conference organiser who witnessed Alex Salmond collapse at a leadership event in North Macedonia said "time stood still".
Mark Donfried of the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy said the former first minister was caught by a fellow delegate as he collapsed at a lunch event.
Speaking from the city of Ohrid in the Balkan country, Mr Donfried said the event was cancelled as paramedics tried in vain to resuscitate Salmond.
"We are all still in a state of shock and that is not something we can easily move forward from."

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cwyl0qp0qg8o

The White House has published a letter from Vice President Kamala Harris’s doctor, describing her physical and mental condition as “excellent.” Her campaign immediately used the report to question whether former President Donald Trump is “hiding” something about his health.

The two-page document, written by Dr. Joshua Simmons and released on Saturday, stated that Harris is “a healthy 59-year-old female with a medical history notable for seasonal allergies and urticaria.” The report noted she has never experienced severe symptoms and that her most recent physical exam in April 2024 was otherwise “unremarkable.”

$1 TRILLION DEAL: Big US Banks Enjoy Billions in Profit as Depositors Are Taken Advantage Of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exyk98RI0RE

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

40 nations 'strongly condemn' attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

The UK is among 40 nations to "strongly condemn" attacks on United Nations (UN) peacekeepers in Lebanon.

There was a time when Netanyahu’s tactics would go unquestioned. That time helps explain those who continue to give Israel unqualified and unquestioning support and ties in with the “hard man” image Peter Dutton wants to own, writes Michael Pascoe.

Cullin-la-Ringo, near Springsure in central Queensland, is the site of Australia’s biggest single massacre of colonists in the Frontier War – also known as the Wills tragedy. Gayiri warriors armed with nulla nullas killed 19 men, women and children camped in preparation for establishing a station on 260 square kilometres of Gayiri land.x

In the way of such things, the attack was in revenge for the murder of Gayiri men by a neighbouring squatter who falsely accused them of stealing cattle.