Six In The Morning Tuesday 26 July 2022

 

Russia to pull out of International Space Station

By Ben Tobias
BBC News

Published

Russia says it will withdraw from the International Space Station (ISS) after 2024 and build its own station instead.

The new head of Russia's space agency, Yuri Borisov, said Roskosmos would honour all its obligations until then.

The US and Russia, along with other partners, have successfully worked together on the ISS since 1998.

But relations have soured since Russia invaded Ukraine, and Russia previously threatened to quit the project because of Western sanctions against it.

Scientists find 30 potential new species at bottom of ocean

Natural History Museum scientists seek to unlock mysteries of deep sea but some fear activity will disturb diversity of the depths

Helena Horton Environment reporter

Scientists have found more than 30 potentially new species living at the bottom of the sea.

Researchers from the UK’s Natural History Museum used a remotely operated vehicle to collect specimens from the abyssal plains of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the central Pacific. Previously, creatures from this area had been studied only from photographs.

The study, published in the journal Zookeys, found there is a high species diversity of larger organisms in the abyss. Of the 55 specimens recovered, 48 were of different species.

War crimes: How are they defined, investigated and punished?

International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has already announced an investigation into Russia’s conduct in Ukraine as invasion continues and atrocities are alleged in Bucha

Joe Sommerlad

Karim Khan, chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), announced just four days into Russia’s war in Ukraine that he would open an investigation into alleged war crimes “as rapidly as possible”.

“I am satisfied that there is a reasonable basis to believe that both alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Ukraine,” he said in a statement on the decision.

US president Joe Biden has since branded Russian president Vladimir Putin a “war criminal”, drawing an angry repsonse from the Kremlin, although the accusation has seemingly been validated by reports that 20 civilians were left dead in the street in Bucha, some with their hands bound, as satellite imagery revealed the presence of a mass grave.

Pope apologizes for 'evil' against Indigenous people in Canada

During a landmark visit to Canada, the head of the Catholic Church apologized to Indigenous survivors for the "cultural destruction" at Church-run residential schools.

Pope Francis arrived in Canada on Sunday, for a historic visit where he personally apologized for the horrors of Catholic Church-run Indigenous residential schools.

He was met by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mary May Simon, an Inuk who is Canada's first Indigenous governor general.

Saied’s supporters celebrate new constitution, but turnout is low

Opposition largely boycotted the referendum, refusing to legitimise President Saied’s new constitution.

By Elizia Volkmann

Published On 26 Jul 202226 Jul 2022

Some Tunisians have begun celebrating a win for the “Yes” vote in a constitutional referendum brought by President Kais Saied, despite the election authority saying only about a quarter of registered voters had turned out.

An exit poll from Sigma Conseil, a Tunisian polling company, said 92.3 percent of voters had backed the new constitution, which opponents say will entrench one-man rule.

Only 7.7 percent voted “No”.  Out of some nine million registered voters, just 1.9 million people came out to vote, with the opposition mainly choosing to boycott the vote.

Japanese city thought they had a rogue wild monkey. As attacks rise, now they fear there's more than one

By Jessie Yeung and Emiko Jozuka, CNN

Updated 0756 GMT (1556 HKT) July 26, 2022

Wild monkeys have attacked dozens of residents of a city in southwestern Japan in recent weeks, with reports of the animals crawling through house windows and striking from behind, as police step up an unsuccessful search for them.

Since July 8, at least 45 people have been injured by Japanese macaques -- also known as snow monkeys -- in and around Yamaguchi city, according to Yoshitaka Morishige, an official from the Yamaguchi prefectural government's conservation department.

Initially, officials reported that the attacks were the work of one rogue monkey -- but authorities now say they cannot confirm if one or several of the animals were responsible.