Here are today’s biggest stories.
Is the sultan of Brunei imposing Sharia law to clean up his family’s image?
For decades, he was known as a godfather of excess. The wealthiest man in the world for many years, the sultan of Brunei knew how to spend the vast riches that flowed from the oil deposits bestowed upon the tiny Southeast Asian nation he controls with absolute power.
Israel is voting today. Here’s what you need to know
Netanyahu saw his challenge crystalize after a dramatic announcement in February, which saw three former army chiefs come together with a former TV news anchor-turned-politician to create the Blue and White party.
Trump designates elite Iranian military force as a terrorist organization
President Donald Trump announced Monday the US will formally designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, a move some in the administration had opposed over concerns about potential risks to US troops in the Middle East.
Cuban baseball group criticizes Trump move to cancel player deal
The Trump administration, Monday, cancelled a deal between Major Leage Baseball and the Cuban Baseball Federation to allow Cuban players to play in the United States.
Read Felicity Huffman’s full statement
Felicity Huffman has apologized for her part in a college admissions scam.
About 1 in 4 Japanese adults in their 20s and 30s is a virgin, study says
Japanese adults have their first heterosexual sexual experiences later than their counterparts in the United States and the UK, according to a new study.
14 tons of pangolin scales seized in Singapore in a single smuggling bust
Authorities in Singapore have seized one of the largest ever shipments of pangolin scales en route to Vietnam, worth an estimated $38.7 million.
China launches app to teach schoolkids ‘belief in the party’
Kids in the United States may be busy playing Fortnite and Apex Legends, but their Chinese counterparts are getting into socialist theory.
US skyscrapers kill 600 million — yes, million — birds every year
Around 600 million birds die every year in the United States after striking tall buildings — with Chicago, Houston and Dallas being especially deadly, according to research from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Thousands flee clashes in Libya
At least 2,800 people have fled from the fighting near Libya’s capital, Tripoli, according to the UN. Other civilians are trapped by the clashes and are cut off from vital emergency services, it says. Forces under Gen Khalifa Haftar began an attack on the city last Thursday with aim of wresting it from Libya’s UN-backed government.
May to meet Merkel and Macron for talks
Theresa May is to hold last-minute Brexit talks with the leaders of Germany and France later, four days before the UK is due to leave the EU. Mrs May is meeting Angela Merkel in Berlin, followed by Emmanuel Macron in Paris, to urge them to back her request to delay Brexit again until 30 June.
US actress pleads guilty in ‘sex cult’ case
US actress Allison Mack has pleaded guilty to charges linked to an alleged sex trafficking operation disguised as a mentoring group. Appearing in Brooklyn federal court, Ms Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges related to the suspected sex cult Nxivm.
Why airlines make flights longer on purpose
In the 1960s it took five hours to fly from New York to Los Angeles, and just 45 minutes to hop from New York to Washington, DC. Today, these same flights now take six-plus hours and 75 minutes respectively, although the airports haven’t moved further apart. It’s called “schedule creep”, or padding.
K-pop stars Blackpink have just broken a bunch of YouTube records
K-pop stars Blackpink are breaking records where they see them. The girl group’s video for their new single, “Kill This Love,” is now the fastest to hit 100 million views on YouTube. It did so in under three days, as confirmed by a YouTube spokesperson to Mashable. Released on Apr.
Trump administration wants to build a wall around Burning Man
Donald Trump’s main policy initiative involves building a pointless wall across miles of empty desert. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that one local chapter of his administration has proposed doing the same at the annual arts and culture gathering known as Burning Man.
Earth’s glaciers lost 9 trillion tons of ice. That’s the weight of 27 billion 747s.
Nine trillion metric tons. That’s how much ice Earth’s glaciers lost in the 55 years between 1961 and 2016. An international team of scientists used satellite and direct field observations to conclude that Earth’s glaciers have melted such a profound sum of ice in the last half-century.
Videos of the ‘Game of Thrones’ cast bidding farewell will definitely make you cry
Just when you thought saying goodbye to Game of Thrones couldn’t get tougher, the cast is chiming in with their own emotional farewells. In a new set of videos called “The Cast Remembers,” the actors get personal about their time on the show. Fair warning: you will tear up.
‘Avengers: Endgame’ clip reveals the plot of the whole movie
“So let’s get [the Infinity Stones], use them to bring everyone back,” Captain Marvel says. Yeah, that’s pretty much what we’ve all been thinking since Thanos snapped half the population into dust in Avengers: Infinity War. With Captain America in agreement, and Thor’s support of Captain Marvel, it looks like we’ve a three-act movie brewing.
Samsung Galaxy S10+ can be tricked by a 3D-printed fingerprint
Every product here is independently selected by Mashable journalists. If you buy something featured, we may earn an affiliate commission which helps support our work. Samsung’s ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner can apparently be fooled by using a 3D-printed fingerprint.
