Here are some of today’s biggest headlines.
Edward Snowden agrees to give up more than $5 million from book and speeches
Edward Snowden, the former CIA contractor who leaked intelligence secrets in 2013, has agreed to forfeit more than $5 million he earned from his book and speaking fees to the US government, according to court records.
NYPD officer accused of acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government
A New York police officer who rose through the ranks of the department is accused of using his position in the department’s community affairs unit to give Chinese officials access to NYPD officials and offered insider information about its operations, according to a criminal complaint.
Nepal’s Ang Rita Sherpa, first to climb Mount Everest 10 times, dies at 72
Ang Rita Sherpa, the first man to climb Mount Everest 10 times, died of a lengthy illness on Monday, his family said, an event that fellow sherpas called a major loss to Nepal and the climbing community.
Xinjiang government confirms huge birth rate drop but denies forced sterilization of women
Chinese officials have officially acknowledged birth rates in Xinjiang dropped by almost a third in 2018, compared to the previous year, in a letter to CNN in which they also denied reports of forced sterilization and genocide by authorities in the far western region.
Madrid opera canceled after audience revolts over social distancing concerns
A live audience is always difficult to impress, perhaps even more so in the age of social distancing.
California city announced $4 million settlement over fatal police shooting of mentally ill Black man
A California city announced a $4 million settlement of a federal lawsuit with the family of Miles Hall, a 23-year-old Black man who was shot by police last year while having a mental health episode.
Burping cows are fueling the climate crisis. Could seaweed solve the problem?
Cows produce masses of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. A new Australian company says it has a solution: seaweed supplements.
Ellen DeGeneres addresses toxic workplace allegations in season premiere
Ellen DeGeneres returned to the studio for the season premiere of talk show and addressed allegations of a toxic production environment at the daytime series in her opening monologue.
The incredible tale of a man who formed an unlikely bond with an octopus
Craig Foster was diving, bare-chested, in bitterly cold waters off the (CNN) – southern-most tip of Africa when he saw her — an octopus hiding under a cloak of shells and stones. Enchanted, he began following this incredibly shy creature, trying to prove he wasn’t a predator by staying very still in her presence.
Why passenger jets could soon be flying in formation
(CNN) – Birds are the undisputed masters of aerodynamics. No matter how many supercomputers and wind tunnels scientists throw at solving flight’s thorny calculations, they’ll never match the perfection of airborne avians. A focused peregrine falcon diving on its prey, a pair of feisty hummingbirds in a territorial dogfight, or a huge albatross soaring effortlessly for days over the ocean are the envy of aerodynamicists and pilots.
Trump to name Supreme Court nominee ‘by week’s end’
President Trump has said he will name a replacement to Ruth Bader Ginsburg by week’s end and urged the Republican-controlled Senate to confirm his Supreme Court choice before 3 November. The plan has launched a high-stakes battle with far-reaching political consequences ahead of the election.
Plan for fans to return in October is off
Plans for fans to return to watch live sport events in England from 1 October will not go ahead, says cabinet office minister Michael Gove. The plans were placed under review earlier this month after a rise in coronavirus cases, with pilot events restricted to 1,000 people.
China tycoon critical of Xi gets 18 years in jail
A former real estate tycoon and an outspoken critic of China’s President Xi Jinping has been sentenced to 18 years in jail on charges of corruption. A court in Beijing found Ren Zhiqiang “guilty of corruption, bribery and embezzlement of public funds”, said state media outlet the Global Times.
Australia whales: 90 dead in mass stranding off Tasmania
Rescuers are racing to save the survivors of a group of 270 whales beached off Tasmania’s west coast.
GE to stop building coal-fired power plants
In a dramatic reversal, one of the world’s biggest makers of coal-fired power plants is to exit the market and focus on greener alternatives. US industrial giant General Electric said it would shut or sell sites as it prioritised its renewable energy and power generation businesses.
Airbus unveils plan for ‘first zero emission planes’
Aerospace giant Airbus has unveiled plans for what it hailed as the first commercial zero-emission aircraft. It said its hydrogen-fuelled passenger planes could be in service by 2035. Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury said the three ZEROe concept designs marked “a historic moment” for commercial aviation sector”.
Ellen DeGeneres addresses workplace allegations in ‘Ellen’ monologue: ‘I take that very seriously’
Ellen is back for Season 18, but not without significant shakeups in the wake of toxic workplace allegations over the summer. Host Ellen DeGeneres addressed the allegations directly as promised in her first monologue of the season, in front of a virtual audience.
YouTube puts human content moderators back to work
The humans are tagging in. YouTube is re-assigning the work of content moderation to more actual humans, Neal Mohan, YouTube’s chief product officer, told the Financial Times . At the start of the pandemic, YouTube had to reduce the staff and workload of in-office human moderators.
Famed NYC clock is now counting down to Earth’s climate change ‘deadline’
Anyone who has walked through New York City’s Union Square and managed to look up has seen it: A large, multi-numeral digital clock embedded on the side of a sky scraper. The public art project known as Metronome typically counts the hours, minutes, and seconds to and from midnight.
Apple’s smallest new iPhone will be called iPhone 12 mini, leaker claims
With Apple’s iPhone event (probably) happening next month, we have a pretty good idea about the phones the company’s about to launch. Most of the reports agree that we’ll see four new iPhones, the most Apple has ever launched at one time.
Here are all the Emmys 2020 winners
The 2020 Emmy Awards proceeded as planned on Sunday – all virtual, but still celebrating the best in a fine year of television (an otherwise un-fine year in every other respect). Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel in Los Angeles, the Emmys honored a variety of TV shows including many first-time nominees and fan favorites like Schitt’s Creek and The Mandalorian.
