A report released Thursday by the nonprofit conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said the world’s wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 68% in just four decades, with human consumption behind the decline.FILE – In this Nov. 23, 2019 photo, a burned area of the Amazon rainforest is seen in Prainha, Para state, Brazil.However, wildlife populations are not the only ones who are in danger as a result of species decline and deforestation. Scientists say that the rapid destruction of the environment plays a dramatic role in the spread of zoonotic diseases, which are passed from animals to humans, such as COVID-19.Forests act as buffers to keep zoonotic diseases away from humans, environmentalists say, and the more that are destroyed, the greater the risk of exposure for people.’Russian roulette'”The longer the wildlife stay in supply chains with other humans and people, the greater the risk of spillover of a wildlife disease to humans,” said Rebecca Shaw, chief scientist at WWF. “We are playing Russian roulette with the threat of pandemics, and in the end, we will lose … big. And COVID-19 is only the beginning.”The authors of the report say that regions of Latin American and the Caribbean faced the biggest impacts, with an average decline of 94% in wildlife populations in the area. Price believes large-scale commercial production of palm oil, soy and beef in the area has contributed substantially to the drop.FILE – A truck transporting cut trees sits parked for inspection at a government checkpoint for environmental control, customs and migration in Chepo, Panama, Oct. 7, 2019.Environmentalists say conserving existing forests and restoring damaged ones reduces the risk of flooding, helps limit global warming by storing more carbon, and protects biodiversity. As of 2019, data from Global Forest Watch, a real-time monitor of forests worldwide, indicates that tropical rainforests are disappearing at a rate of 12 million hectares a year as a result of deforestation.Experts say that while climate change is not yet the biggest cause of biodiversity loss, in the coming years, climate change will become a key driver of species decline.Stronger commitmentsIn their report, WWF members called for stronger commitments by governments and corporations around the world to make global supply chains more sustainable. Experts say that consumers, too, must understand the impacts of their purchasing habits on nature.Researchers at the University of Oxford said Thursday that climate change solutions must go beyond tree planting and greenhouse gas removal. They recommended nature-based interventions, such as restoring forests and mangroves. These have been shown to alleviate approximately 60% of climate-related pressures, such as flooding and a loss of food production, in areas around the world.
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Day: September 10, 2020
Diana Rigg, a commanding British actress whose career stretched from iconic 1960s spy series “The Avengers” to fantasy juggernaut “Game of Thrones,” has died. She was 82. Rigg’s agent, Simon Beresford, said she died Thursday morning at home with her family. Daughter Rachael Stirling said she died of cancer that was diagnosed in March. Rigg “spent her last months joyfully reflecting on her extraordinary life, full of love, laughter and a deep pride in her profession. I will miss her beyond words,” Stirling said. Rigg starred in “The Avengers” as secret agent Emma Peel alongside Patrick Macnee’s bowler-hatted John Steed. The pair were an impeccably dressed duo who fought villains and traded quips in a show whose mix of adventure and humor was enduringly influential. FILE – Actor George Lazenby, the new James Bond, and British actress Diana Rigg share a moment during takes of “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” at Schilthorn near Muerren, Switzerland, Jan. 10, 1969.Rigg also starred in the 1969 James Bond thriller “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” as Tracy di Vicenzo, the only woman ever to marry, albeit briefly, Agent 007. Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said Rigg was “much beloved by Bond fans for her memorable performance.” George Lazenby, who made his only appearance as Bond in the film, said on Instagram that he was “so sad to hear of the death of Diana Rigg. She undoubtedly raised my acting game when we made On Her Majesty’s Secret Service together in 1968-9.” In later life, Rigg played Olenna Tyrell, the formidable Queen of Thorns, in “Game of Thrones.” She received an Emmy nomination for the role. Other television roles included the Duchess of Buccleuch in the period drama “Victoria.” Rigg starred alongside her daughter in the gentle British sitcom “Detectorists.” Rigg spent several years in the 1960s as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and combined screen work with a major stage career, in plays including William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” Bertolt Brecht’s “Mother Courage” and Tom Stoppard’s “Jumpers” at the National Theater in London. She had several acclaimed roles in the 1990s at London’s Almeida Theater, including Martha in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and the title role in Greek tragedy “Medea.” Rigg won a Tony Award for “Medea” on Broadway and was nominated on three other occasions — most recently in 2018 for playing Mrs. Higgins in “My Fair Lady.” Jonathan Kent, who directed Rigg in some of her great stage roles, said her “combination of force of personality, beauty, courage and sheer emotional power made her a great classical actress — one of an astonishing generation of British stage performers.” FILE – British actress Diana Rigg and actor Anthony Hopkins attend the opening night of “Macbeth” at the National Theater, London, Sept. 20, 1972.She never retired. One of Rigg’s final television roles was in the rural veterinary drama “All Creatures Great and Small,” which is currently running on British television. Stoppard said Rigg was “the most beautiful woman in the room, but she was what used to be called a Trouper.” “She went to work with her sleeves rolled up and a smile for everyone. Her talent was luminous.” Rigg is survived by her daughter, son-in-law Guy Garvey — lead singer of the band Elbow — and a grandson.
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U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Thursday called for $35 billion in additional funding for the World Health Organization’s Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator program, designed to develop and equitably distribute COVID-19 vaccines and treatments worldwide.
The funding includes $15 billion in the next three months.
Guterres spoke Thursday at a virtual inaugural meeting of the ACT Facilitation Council, an international collaboration of leaders looking to use the program as a mechanism to speed the development of COVID vaccines and treatments.
In his remarks, the U.N. chief told the group the nearly $3 billion that has been contributed so far is “seed funding” and is less than 10% of what WHO wants for the program.
“We now need $35 billion more to go from startup to scale up and impact,” he said.
In his remarks, WHO General Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said bilateral vaccine deals and what he calls “vaccine nationalism”— the hoarding of treatments and vaccines by individual nations — could “compromise equitable access and hold up progress for all countries.”
Financial support for the ACT program has lagged behind its goals, as nations or governments, including the European Union, Britain, Japan and the United States, reach bilateral deals for vaccines.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged the commissions backing. In August, the commission pledged $474 million to WHO’s cooperative vaccine access program COVAX, which is part of the ACT program.
Tedros renewed calls for scaling up COVID-19 clinical trials. AstraZeneca this week suspended late-stage trials on its potential vaccine after an illness in a participant in Britain.
AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said Thursday if safety reviewers allow a restart, the company should still know by year’s end if its vaccine works.
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American football, the most popular sport in the United States, kicks off its season tonight, but instead of the usual holiday-like atmosphere surrounding opening day, the event is clouded by concerns over the coronavirus and controversial protests for racial justice.The National Football League’s (NFL) opening matchup features the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs playing the Houston Texans, but don’t expect the contest to resemble a normal game.For one, the stands will appear fairly empty. Tonight’s game will be played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, which has a capacity of more than 76,000, but the team is only going to allow 22% capacity.Fans will be required to wear masks and maintain social distancing, according to the Chiefs’ website.Sorry, fansMany teams around the league will not be allowing any fans in the stadiums, at least for now.Fans will not be the only ones missing. Reportedly, some 60 players in the league have said they are opting out of games for now, citing virus-related health concerns.Players and team staff are tested daily, with game day being an exception as their eligibility to play will be announced the day before. The NFL said that during the week of September 5, 44,510 tests had been administered to a total of 8,349 players and staff.The sidelines also will look very different, as there will be no cheerleaders, mascots or sideline reporters.In addition to the national anthem, which is traditionally played before the game, the NFL will play the song “Lift Every Voice,” which is considered by some to be the Black national anthem. It’s unclear if or how many players will kneel in protest during “The “Star-Spangled Banner,” a controversy dating to 2016 when former player Colin Kaepernick first knelt.On the field, players will be allowed to add social justice message decals to their helmets, and the NFL will paint “End Racism” and “It Takes All of Us” in the end zones for every game.After the game, the tradition of players exchanging greetings, hugs, handshakes and trading jerseys will be ended as the players maintain social distancing.The National Basketball Association has taken many similar measures but has faced a drop-off in TV viewership. How NFL fans will react remains to be seen.
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С момента крайне неудачного для обиженного карлика пукина разрешения газового спора с Украиной, ситуация на этом политически важнейшем для него мировом рынке посыпалась окончательно…
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Турецкий президент в этом плане действует крайне предусмотрительно. Он по-прежнему
демонстрирует всеобъемлющую поддержку законному правительству, но не стремится к эскалации конфликта. Его вполне устраивает сценарий, при котором крысы сожрут друг друга без лишней помощи
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В путляндии сейчас с радостью признали бы, что не только Украина, но и Хабаровский край, – это тоже не россия, и нет им никакого дела до всего этого. Системный кризис нарастает и путиноидам всё больше хочется просто спрятать голову от него куда-нибудь, и таким приятным способом снять все свои проблемы. Разумеется, не в песок, а в подушки уютного бункера и с приятной компанией. Вот только системный кризис в путляндии им это не позволит сделать
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Фірми з орбіти дегенератів суркісів отримали судове рішення, що дозволяє стягнути з українського ПриватБанку майже 10 мільярдів гривень. Чи витримає держбанк, якщо їх таки спишуть? І що взагалі це рішення означає для наших грошей?
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Співвиконавець другого замовного нападу костянтин карбенюк опинився у СІЗО. Але не за те, що на авто поліціянта брав участь у нападі на Стерненка, а за те, що викрав поляка та представлявся працівником Інтерполу
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A new study suggests that if you find yourself annoyed by seagulls at the beach or, more increasingly, urban areas, the best way to discourage them is to make eye contact.Researchers at Britain’s University of Exeter observed 155 herring gulls – the most common variety of seagull, and a variety, they say, that is becoming more common in urban areas.The gulls tend to be seemingly fearless around people in either setting when it comes to stealing food. They have been known to fly off with whatever a person might be eating if it is left unguarded.For their study, the researchers approached the seagulls while either looking directly at them or facing toward them, while keeping their eyes to the ground. They found when their eyes were locked with the gulls, the birds tended to flee. The gulls reacted the same way in both beach and urban areas. A similar 2019 study led by University of Exeter PhD student Madeleine Goumas, examined how the gulls reacted when people looked at them or looked away. The study found looking directly at birds while they ate prompted them to fly away sooner.Goumas is lead author on the new study, which refined the methodology by having experimenters only move their eyes as they approached the gulls. She said the study shows the gulls responded specifically to human eye direction. It was as true in young gulls as it was mature ones, indicating it was innate behavior, not the result of any one gull’s negative interaction with people.The researchers suggest the behavior reflects the gull’s large brains that have allowed them to adapt to survive a life of interacting with humans.The study was published online on September 4 and will appear in the October 2020 issue of the journal Animal Behavior.
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Diana Rigg, a British actress who became a 1960s style icon as secret agent Emma Peel in TV series “The Avengers,” has died. She was 82.
Rigg’s agent Simon Beresford said she died Thursday morning at home with her family. Daughter Rachael Stirling said she died of cancer that was diagnosed in March.
Rigg “spent her last months joyfully reflecting on her extraordinary life, full of love, laughter and a deep pride in her profession. I will miss her beyond words,” Stirling said.
Rigg starred in “The Avengers” alongside Patrick McNee’s bowler-hatted John Steed. The pair were an impeccably dressed duo who fought villains and traded quips in a show whose mix of adventure and humor was enduringly influential.
Rigg also starred in 1967 James Bond thriller “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” as the only woman ever to marry Agent 007.
In later life, she played Olenna Tyrell in “Game of Thrones” and the Duchess of Buccleuch in “Victoria,” and starred alongside her daughter in British sitcom “Detectorists.”
Rigg spent several years in the 1960s as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and combined screen work with an acclaimed stage career, in plays including Bertolt Brecht’s “Mother Courage” and Tom Stoppard’s “Jumpers” at the National Theatre in London.
Stoppard said Rigg was “the most beautiful woman in the room, but she was what used to be called a Trouper.”
“She went to work with her sleeves rolled up and a smile for everyone. Her talent was luminous.”
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NYC has always attracted creative people – those who are happy to wait tables in the evening as long as it pays the bills, only to run to auditions and have time for their art during the day. But the coronavirus pandemic has forced over a thousand Big Apple restaurants to close, and that means no jobs for the NYC bohemia. Anna Nelson looked into how New York’s art scene has been adapting to the new reality. Anna Rice narrates her story.
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Ronald “Khalis” Bell, a co-founder of the legendary group Kool and the Gang, died Wednesday at his home in the U.S Virgin Islands. He was 68 years old.Bell’s publicist did not disclose his cause of death.Bell sang and composed songs for the Grammy-winning group, which blended jazz, funk, R&B and pop.Kool and the Gang’s heyday during the ‘70s led a loyal following behind the group’s biggest hits written by Bell, including “Celebration,” “Jungle Boogie” and “Summer Madness.”Bell is credited with orchestrating the group’s decades-old popularity that was punctuated with a star for Kool and the Gang being placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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