Israel and UAE in historic direct flight following peace deal
The first commercial flight from Israel to the UAE has landed, marking a major step in normalising relations after the announcement of a peace deal.
The flight was allowed to cross Saudi Arabian airspace, normally blocked to Israeli air traffic.
The UAE has become only the third Arab country in the Middle East to recognise Israel since its founding in 1948.
Arctic wildfires emit 35% more CO2 so far in 2020 than for whole of 2019
About 205 megatonnes emitted in June and July alone as Siberia hit by heatwave
The amount of carbon dioxide emitted by Arctic wildfires this year is already 35% higher than the figure for the whole of 2019.
The latest data, provided by the EU’s Copernicus atmosphere monitoring service, shows that up to 24 August 245 megatonnes of CO2 had been released from wildfires this year. The figure for the whole of last year was 181 megatonnes.
The peak number of active fire observations was about 600 in late July, compared with 400 in 2019. The average equivalent number between 2003 and 2018 was about 100. Copernicus estimated that 205 megatonnes of CO2 was emitted between 1 June and 31 July alone. The wildfires coincided with a heatwave in Siberia, where temperatures soared to more than 30C (86F) in some areas.
Oxford vaccine professor warns of new flu pandemic
Chiara Giordano,Jane Dalton@JournoJane
The scientist behind the Oxford coronavirus vaccine has warned of the rising risk of outbreaks of diseases that pass from animals to humans.
Professor Sarah Gilbert believes the spread of zoonotic diseases has become more likely because of our lifestyles - with growing population density, increased international travel and deforestation to blame in particular.
It comes as a mutated strain of coronavirus said to be “10 times more infectious” was found in Indonesia as well as neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia.
Sudan reaches historic peace deal with rebel groups
Sudan's power-sharing government and rebel commanders agreed Monday on a historic peace deal, a crucial step towards ending 17 years of conflict in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed.
Leaders of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), an umbrella organisation of rebel groups from the western region of Darfur and the southern states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, raised their fists in celebration after inking the agreement.
The deal, reached in the South Sudanese capital Juba, offers rebel groups political representation and devolved powers, integration into the security forces, economic and land rights and the chance of return for displaced people.
India accuses China of 'provocative' military movements at border
China has carried out "provocative military movements" in the disputed Himalayan border area between the two countries overnight from Saturday to Sunday, according to an Indian army statement, in a fresh flare-up between the two nuclear-armed countries.
Indian troops pre-empted Chinese army's activity on the Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh, part of which was transgressed by the Chinese soldiers in May, the statement said on Monday, adding that Indian troops took steps to thwart the Chinese attempt to "unilaterally change" facts on the ground.
The Few, the Proud, the White: The Marine Corps Balks at Promoting Generals of Color
A respected, combat-tested Black colonel has been passed over three times for promotion to brigadier general. What does his fate say about the Corps?By
All things being equal, Col. Anthony Henderson has the military background that the Marine Corps says it prizes in a general: multiple combat tours, leadership experience and the respect of those he commanded and most who commanded him.
Yet three times he has been passed over for brigadier general, a prominent one-star rank that would put Colonel Henderson on the path to the top tier of Marine Corps leadership. Last year, the Navy secretary, Richard V. Spencer, even added a handwritten recommendation to Colonel Henderson’s candidacy: “Eminently qualified Marine we need now as BG,” he wrote.
But never in its history has the Marine Corps had anyone other than a white man in a senior leadership post. Colonel Henderson is Black.
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