Here are today’s top stories from select sources around the world.
Trump’s wish for an end to the pandemic contradicts reality
President Donald Trump has no intention of accepting any new normal dictated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Former Trump adviser John Bolton’s impending book elicits angry reaction from President Trump
President Trump has threatened authors and publishers before – but this time the stakes are higher, with John Bolton about to release a damning account of his time inside the Trump White House, and Trump determined to stop him.
A gang tried to kidnap one of China’s richest people. It didn’t end well for them
Midea Group founder He Xiangjian was held hostage with his family for hours in a kidnapping attempt that was reportedly foiled when his son swam across a river to alert police, local media and authorities said.
There could be 36 communicating intelligent civilizations in our galaxy, study says
Scientists have calculated that there could be a minimum of 36 active, communicating intelligent civilizations in our Milky Way galaxy, according to a new study published Monday in The Astrophysical Journal.
China’s new coronavirus outbreak sees Beijing adopt ‘wartime’ measures
Beijing is reintroducing strict lockdown measures and rolling out mass testing after a fresh cluster of novel coronavirus cases emerged from the city’s largest wholesale food market, sparking fears of a resurgence of the deadly outbreak.
Pakistan releases Indian embassy staff detained over alleged hit-and-run incident
Two employees at India’s embassy to Pakistan have been released after they were detained in relation to an alleged hit-and-run incident in the capital Islamabad.
Tesla says Model S is the first EV to get 400 miles on a single charge
Tesla says its Model S Long Range Plus is the first electric vehicle to achieve over 400 miles of EPA-rated range.
Swiss authorities search for the person who left $191,000 of gold bars on a train
Swiss police are looking for a forgetful individual who left something rather important on a train — a package full of (CNN) – gold bars, worth more than $190,000.
Oscars delayed until April 2021
Film’s biggest night is being rescheduled for the first time in 40 years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Father arrested after two children die in hot truck in Oklahoma
Oklahoma father Dustin Dennis, 31, has been arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder after police say he left his two young children in a hot truck for five hours.
N Korea ‘blows up joint liaison office’ with South
North Korea blows up joint liaison office with the South in border town of Kaesong, S Korean officials say
Diamond Platnumz and Africa’s most popular YouTube stars
A bare-chested Diamond Platnumz was surprised by his record producers last week when they rocked up at his house with a cake iced with YouTube’s logo to mark a milestone for the Tanzanian pop star.
Fighting Covid-19 fake news in Africa – BBC News
Produced by Olawale Malomo and Yemisi Adegoke. Edited by Hugo Williams. Design by Olaniyi Adebimpe and Sean Willmott. Development by Olawale Malomo and Purity Birir. Contributors: Sally Morales, Adam Allen, Peter Mwai, Aaron Akinyemi, Nkechi Ogbonna, Muthoni Muchiri, Jack Goodman, Joice Etutu and Jameisha Prescod.
NZ’s first Covid cases in 24 days came from UK
New Zealand has confirmed two new cases of coronavirus, ending a 24-day streak of no new infections in the country. Both women, who are from the same family, had travelled from the UK and were given special permission to attend the funeral of a parent.
Former eBay executives charged with cyber-stalking
Six former eBay executives and staff have been charged with cyber-stalking in a campaign against a couple who ran a newsletter critical of the company. Prosecutors allege the harassment included sending the couple live cockroaches, a bloody Halloween mask and a funeral wreath, as well as threatening messages.
The ‘Black Lives Matter Foundation’ isn’t the real BLM, but it’s raised millions in donations
The Black Lives Matter Foundation raised millions of dollars in donations. But it is not associated with the Black Lives Matter movement that sparked worldwide protests against police brutality. BuzzFeed reports the “charitable organization” raised at least $4.35 million in early June, according to estimates.
The 2021 Oscars are getting delayed by the coronavirus
More changes are coming to next year’s Academy Awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday that the annual ceremony, which had originally been scheduled for Feb. 27, 2021, will be pushed back to Sunday, April 25 in 2021. The event is still expected to take place at the Dolby Theater and be broadcast live.
Google Maps adds images of Black Lives Matter mural in Washington, D.C.
Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., is now visible on Google Maps. Over the weekend, Google updated its satellite and street view imagery to show a newly painted stretch of 16th Street NW that leads to the White House. On June 5, the city painted the street art in huge yellow block letters.
Ted Cruz and Ron Perlman are in a strange Twitter fight about … wrestling?
Times are strange. Just look around. So it shouldn’t be that much of a shock that Ted Cruz – a sitting U.S. senator – is doing his best to win a pissing match about wrestling with the actor who played Hellboy. But still… it’s pretty strange.
Samsung’s massive Odyssey monitors finally get a price tag
It took a while, but Samsung’s big, curved Odyssey monitors are available for pre-order. Announced at CES 2020, the Odyssey lineup is aimed at gamers and consists of three models: the humongous, 49-inch Odyssey G9, and the slightly less extreme Odyssey G7, which comes in 27- and 32-inch sizes.
15 great photos of creatively vandalized racist statues from around the world
There’s never been a worse time to be a statue of an old racist dude. The global protests against systemic racism and police brutality, in solidarity with the U.S. Black Lives Matter movement as well as individual nations’ own institutional issues, have been spreading and strengthening since the death of George Floyd, who died after an officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes on May 25.
