Copenhagen skyline with wind turbines in the background, Denmark. Copenhagen was named the world’s safest city by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for the first time on Monday. The capital of Denmark overtook Tokyo and Singapore – the usual frontrunners of the index. The EIU has undertaken the survey every two years since 2015. To come up with the rankings, it evaluates 76 indicators across digital, health, infrastructure, environmental, and personal security sectors. In 2019, when the survey was last completed, Tokyo took the top spot, Singapore placed second, and Osaka was ranked third. This year, Copenhagen, Toronto, and Singapore ranked first, second, and … Continue reading Amazing: Copenhagen has been named the world’s safest city

Czech President Milos Zeman has been criticised after saying he thinks transgender people are “disgusting” in a TV interview. “If you undergo a sex-change operation you are basically committing a crime of self-harm,” he said at the weekend. Mr Zeman was responding to a question about a controversial law in Hungary banning the portrayal or promotion of homosexuality among under-18s. He said he backed the legislation, which has been condemned by EU leaders. Mr Zeman is a divisive figure with a history of making controversial remarks. He has a tendency of expressing his views, which are often at variance with … Continue reading What? Czech president calls transgender people ‘disgusting’

Global food prices have jumped at their fastest monthly rate in over a decade, according to the United Nations. The UN uses a broad index of global food costs, which have also climbed for 12 months in a row. Suppliers have been affected by disruptions to production, labour and transport during the pandemic. Concerns are growing about broader inflation and how higher grocery bills will impact the world’s economic recovery. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index tracks prices around the world of a range of food including cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar. On an … Continue reading Cost of food rises at fastest pace in over a decade according to the UN

Miss Mexico Andrea Meza was crowned Miss Universe at the 69th annual pageant, which was delayed last year due to Covid-19.Miss Mexico Andrea Meza is crowned Miss Universe onstage at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The competition was held in Hollywood, Florida, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. “Access Hollywood’s” Mario Lopez and Olivia Culpo, the 2012 Miss Universe, co-hosted the event, which also featured a performance by Luis Fonzi. Meza beat 73 other women, including Miss Brazil Julia Gama, who was runner-up, and Miss Peru Janick Maceta Del Castillo, who was second runner-up. “I am so honored … Continue reading Mexico’s Andrea Meza crowned Miss Universe

Singer-songwriter Joy Chapman, from Surrey, British Columbia, set a new Guinness World Record for the “lowest note ever sung by a female.” In February, Chapman recorded a C1 note, the lowest one on a piano and she ended up striking a chord with the officials at Guinness who enshrined her in their famous book. Her note not heard around the world clocked in at 34.21 hertz (cycles per second) Singing unique notes is nothing new to Chapman and early on in her life, she noticed the versatility in her voice. “I was in choirs throughout school and church, but when … Continue reading Canadian singer sets record for lowest note ever sung by woman

American astronaut Michael Collins, who as pilot of the Apollo 11 command module stayed behind on July 20, 1969, while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin travelled to the lunar surface to become the first humans to walk on the moon, died on Wednesday at age 90, his family said. A statement released by his family said Collins died of cancer. Often described as the “forgotten” third astronaut on the historic mission, Collins remained alone in the command module for more than 21 hours until his two fellow astronauts returned in the lunar module. He lost contact with mission control in Houston, … Continue reading Michael Collins, astronaut of Apollo 11, dies at 90

Four of the world’s five top executioners in 2020 were Middle East states, Amnesty International says. Iran, Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia accounted for 88% of the 483 reported executions worldwide, according to a report by the human rights group. It accuses them of displaying “a ruthless and chilling persistence” in putting people to death despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. The global total was the lowest in a decade, but it did not include China. China is believed to execute thousands of people each year, but the true extent of its use of the death penalty is unknown … Continue reading Middle East states dominate list of top executioners in 2020 – Amnesty

Pop group BTS have been named the best-selling artists of 2020 by the IFPI, the organisation that represents the global recorded music industry. The accolade caps a stellar year for the Korean boyband, who released two chart-topping albums in 2020 – Map of the Soul: 7 and Be. The boyband beat Taylor Swift, who took the crown last year, into second place. They are the first non-Western act to win, and the first whose songs are not predominantly sung in English. The award is calculated according to an artist or group’s worldwide sales, downloads and streams, covering their whole body … Continue reading BTS named world’s best-selling artists of 2020

According to new economic data, China dethroned the US as Europe’s top trade partner in 2020, likely buoyed by strong demand in China for European goods, and Chinese medical products in Europe. The European Union’s statistics office, Eurostat, said trade between the 27-country bloc and the rest of the world was down across the board in the first quarter of last year because of the pandemic. Between Jan. and Dec. 2020, euro area goods exports fell 9.2% year-on-year, while imports fell 10.8% compared with the same period in 2019. European trade appears to be slowly recovering. In Dec. 2020, euro area goods … Continue reading China dethroned the US as Europe’s top trade partner in 2020

Joe Biden has been sworn in as president of the United States, pledging to unite a deeply divided nation reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. Raising his right hand and placing his left on a Bible, Biden took the oath of office on Wednesday during a scaled-down inauguration due to the coronavirus, which has killed more than 400,000 people in the US. “We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts,” Biden said in his first address as president. “This is … Continue reading A New Dawn: Joe Biden sworn in as US president

Singapore has given regulatory approval for the world’s first “clean meat” that does not come from slaughtered animals, the decision paves the way for San Francisco-based startup Eat Just to sell lab-grown chicken meat. The meat will initially be used in nuggets, but the company hasn’t said when they will become available, demand for alternatives to regular meat has surged due to consumer concerns about health, animal welfare and the environment. According to Barclays, the market for meat alternatives could be worth $140bn (£104bn) within the next decade, or about 10% of the $1.4tn global meat industry. Plant-based meat options … Continue reading Singapore approves lab-grown ‘chicken’ meat

Israeli scientists say they have managed to not only successfully stop the biological ageing process but to reverse it, using only oxygen, the study, a collaboration between Tel Aviv University and the Shamir Medical Center, administered high-pressure oxygen in a pressurized chamber and said it reversed two processes relating to ageing and illness. Using hyperbaric oxygen treatments (HBOT) on ageing healthy adults, the researchers found the shortening of telomeres (chromosome ends) and the accumulation of old and malfunctioning cells in the body could be reversed. That is, the adults’ blood cells actually grow younger as the treatments progress, some 35 adults … Continue reading Israeli scientists claim to stop and reverse the ageing process