Graphic News Planner (news) 30/07/2021 18:13:33
News graphics in preparation or recently published (see also Sports
Click on subject to toggle details
TECH: New surgical tool inspired by a wasp (Graphic DUE Aug 2, 16:30GMT)
August 2, 2021 -- Scientists in the Netherlands have developed a prototype surgical tool for keyhole surgery, based on egg-laying methods of parasitoid wasps.
A needle-like surgical tool that mimics the egg-laying organ of parasitic wasps could be used to remove tumours and blood clots.
Researchers from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have based their prototype on an ovipositor — the long needle-like tube that protrudes from the abdomen of some parasitic wasps.
The insects use their ovipositors to deposit eggs under the skin or exoskeleton of unsuspecting hosts. After a short gestational period, the larvae hatch and begin consuming their host, eating them from the inside out.
Current surgical devices for removing cancerous tissues, or other matter that needs extracting, use suction which can lead to frequent clogging of the instrument.
Instead, the prototype tool uses the mechanical design of the wasp ovipositor – a friction-based solution that sees segments of a tiny metal tube, no thicker than a matchstick, move up and down at different times to carry tissue away.
It could also be used for internal radiotherapy, whereby a small amount of radioactive material is inserted into a specific part of the body for targeted treatment of cancer.
Scientists hope to have the new tool ready for use in a few years, opening the door to treating diseases currently not treatable and reachable with existing equipment
TECH: New surgical tool inspired by a wasp
GN41643 Graphic shows how the new keyhole surgical device works.
(107mm by mm deep)
A needle-like surgical tool that mimics the egg-laying organ of parasitic wasps could be used to remove tumours and blood clots.
Researchers from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have based their prototype on an ovipositor — the long needle-like tube that protrudes from the abdomen of some parasitic wasps.
The insects use their ovipositors to deposit eggs under the skin or exoskeleton of unsuspecting hosts. After a short gestational period, the larvae hatch and begin consuming their host, eating them from the inside out.
Current surgical devices for removing cancerous tissues, or other matter that needs extracting, use suction which can lead to frequent clogging of the instrument.
Instead, the prototype tool uses the mechanical design of the wasp ovipositor – a friction-based solution that sees segments of a tiny metal tube, no thicker than a matchstick, move up and down at different times to carry tissue away.
It could also be used for internal radiotherapy, whereby a small amount of radioactive material is inserted into a specific part of the body for targeted treatment of cancer.
Scientists hope to have the new tool ready for use in a few years, opening the door to treating diseases currently not treatable and reachable with existing equipment
TECH: New surgical tool inspired by a wasp
GN41643 Graphic shows how the new keyhole surgical device works.
(107mm by mm deep)
Planned:
Available:
POLITICS: German election climate policy (Graphic)
July 30, 2021 -- Recent devastating floods that swept through western Germany have put climate change to the heart of the country’s election campaign.
The climate emergency was already prominent in the campaign for September elections in Germany, but the floods have further shone the spotlight on what has become a hot button issue for all candidates.
Most German political parties agreed global warming was to blame for a catastrophe that has left at least 140 people dead and visited destruction on towns and villages across two of the country’s most populous states.
The dramatic scenes could benefit the Greens, who even before the floods were set to make big gains in September’s poll.
On the other hand, the focus on climate could prove tricky for Armin Laschet, the conservative running to succeed Angela Merkel in the election. As governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, home to some of Germany’s biggest companies, he strongly opposes parts of the Greens’ agenda, saying they could endanger the country’s status as an industrial powerhouse.
POLITICS: German election climate policy (Graphic)
GN41640 Graphic shows Germany’s CO2 emissions and key climate topics at the centre of the election campaign.
(107mm wide by 154mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
The climate emergency was already prominent in the campaign for September elections in Germany, but the floods have further shone the spotlight on what has become a hot button issue for all candidates.
Most German political parties agreed global warming was to blame for a catastrophe that has left at least 140 people dead and visited destruction on towns and villages across two of the country’s most populous states.
The dramatic scenes could benefit the Greens, who even before the floods were set to make big gains in September’s poll.
On the other hand, the focus on climate could prove tricky for Armin Laschet, the conservative running to succeed Angela Merkel in the election. As governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, home to some of Germany’s biggest companies, he strongly opposes parts of the Greens’ agenda, saying they could endanger the country’s status as an industrial powerhouse.
POLITICS: German election climate policy (Graphic)
GN41640 Graphic shows Germany’s CO2 emissions and key climate topics at the centre of the election campaign.
(107mm wide by 154mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
GAMING: Playdate: The hand-cranked games console (Graphic)
July 29, 2021 -- A cute new handheld games console is set to shake up the established order with its unique control input – a hand crank attached to the side.
Games developer, Panic, with no previous history of ever making hardware, is taking preorders for its highly unusual Playdate handheld games machine.
At first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking the Playdate is just another Game Boy knock-off, but if you give it more than a cursory glance, you will see a silver bar on the right-hand side of the console’s bright yellow casing.
On closer inspection, you'll find that this is, in fact, a crank that can be wound by the user to control aspects of gameplay.
As absurd as it sounds, the crank is, according to early reviewers, great fun to use. Although not needed for every game in its upcoming library (when it can be neatly folded away), many do use it for controlling things like the movement of time (Crankin's Time Travel Adventure) or the actions of a surfer cresting a wave (Whitewater Wipeout).
Unusual controller input is not the only original feature of the Playdate – method of delivery for its games is another. When you take possession of your new console, included in the price is a 12-week games subscription, whereby two new games will automatically be installed every week, giving a total of 24 games. You may not like them all, but it's going to be interesting to see what comes out each week.
With its cheerful yellow shell, crisp black and white widescreen display, crank handle and eight-hour battery life, Playdate’s emphasis is most certainly on fun, fun, fun.
Pre-orders opened on July 29, with 2021 delivery units selling out in 20 minutes. Orders are still open but further shipments may not arrive until 2022, or possibly beyond.
GAMING: Playdate: The hand-cranked games console (Graphic)
GN41637 Graphic explains what the unusual Playdate games console is.
(107mm by 160mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
Games developer, Panic, with no previous history of ever making hardware, is taking preorders for its highly unusual Playdate handheld games machine.
At first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking the Playdate is just another Game Boy knock-off, but if you give it more than a cursory glance, you will see a silver bar on the right-hand side of the console’s bright yellow casing.
On closer inspection, you'll find that this is, in fact, a crank that can be wound by the user to control aspects of gameplay.
As absurd as it sounds, the crank is, according to early reviewers, great fun to use. Although not needed for every game in its upcoming library (when it can be neatly folded away), many do use it for controlling things like the movement of time (Crankin's Time Travel Adventure) or the actions of a surfer cresting a wave (Whitewater Wipeout).
Unusual controller input is not the only original feature of the Playdate – method of delivery for its games is another. When you take possession of your new console, included in the price is a 12-week games subscription, whereby two new games will automatically be installed every week, giving a total of 24 games. You may not like them all, but it's going to be interesting to see what comes out each week.
With its cheerful yellow shell, crisp black and white widescreen display, crank handle and eight-hour battery life, Playdate’s emphasis is most certainly on fun, fun, fun.
Pre-orders opened on July 29, with 2021 delivery units selling out in 20 minutes. Orders are still open but further shipments may not arrive until 2022, or possibly beyond.
GAMING: Playdate: The hand-cranked games console (Graphic)
GN41637 Graphic explains what the unusual Playdate games console is.
(107mm by 160mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
HISTORY: Gun that killed Billy the Kid for sale (Graphic)
August 27, 2021 -- A Colt single action revolver, famously used by Sheriff Pat Garrett to kill outlaw Billy the Kid in 1881, is heading to auction.
An iconic weapon of the American Wild West goes to auction in California in August. Pat Garrett’s Colt Single Action Army revolver, that he used to slay 19th century outlaw Billy the Kid, is estimated to fetch $2-$3 million.
Billy the Kid, aka William H. Bonney (born Henry McCarty), was a wanted man in Arizona and New Mexico, for killing eight men. Sheriff Pat Garrett, a former friend of Billy the Kid, tracked him down to a ranch in Fort Sumner, New Mexico and shot and killed him with a single gunshot to the chest on the night of July 14, 1881.
Their story has been chronicled in pop culture for a century, including over forty feature films.
Bonhams auctioneers describe the gun as “the most iconic treasure of early Western history” in the United States.
The revolver, and other items of note from the Old West, go under the hammer in Los Angeles on August 27.
HISTORY: Gun that killed Billy the Kid for sale (Graphic)
GN41633 Graphic shows Garrett’s gun, accompanied by a brief history of events.
(107mm by 160mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
An iconic weapon of the American Wild West goes to auction in California in August. Pat Garrett’s Colt Single Action Army revolver, that he used to slay 19th century outlaw Billy the Kid, is estimated to fetch $2-$3 million.
Billy the Kid, aka William H. Bonney (born Henry McCarty), was a wanted man in Arizona and New Mexico, for killing eight men. Sheriff Pat Garrett, a former friend of Billy the Kid, tracked him down to a ranch in Fort Sumner, New Mexico and shot and killed him with a single gunshot to the chest on the night of July 14, 1881.
Their story has been chronicled in pop culture for a century, including over forty feature films.
Bonhams auctioneers describe the gun as “the most iconic treasure of early Western history” in the United States.
The revolver, and other items of note from the Old West, go under the hammer in Los Angeles on August 27.
HISTORY: Gun that killed Billy the Kid for sale (Graphic)
GN41633 Graphic shows Garrett’s gun, accompanied by a brief history of events.
(107mm by 160mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
MILITARY: China’s new nuclear missile base (Graphic)
July 28, 2021 -- Satellite images appear to show China is building a new nuclear missile silo field, indicating a potentially vast expansion of Beijing’s nuclear arsenal. It is the second such discovery in weeks.
The images from Xinjiang province suggest the site could house about 110 silos when it is finished, says the report from the Federation of American Scientists (FAS).
For decades, they noted, China has operated about 20 silos for big, liquid-fuel missiles, called the DF-5. But the new fields will provide around 250 new silos – more than 10 times the number currently
in operation.
Also, the new silos may be loaded with the new three-stage, solid fuel DF-41 missile, which can carry multiple warheads and reach targets up to 15,000km, putting U.S. mainland within reach.
A 2020 Pentagon report estimated China's nuclear warhead stockpile in “the low 200s” and said it was projected to at least double in size as Beijing expands and modernizes its forces. Analysts say the U.S. has around 3,800 warheads, and according to a State Department factsheet, 1,357 of those were deployed as of March 1.
MILITARY: China’s new nuclear missile base (Graphic)
GN41634 Graphic shows known locations of Chinese underground nuclear weapons silos
(107mm wide by 152mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
The images from Xinjiang province suggest the site could house about 110 silos when it is finished, says the report from the Federation of American Scientists (FAS).
For decades, they noted, China has operated about 20 silos for big, liquid-fuel missiles, called the DF-5. But the new fields will provide around 250 new silos – more than 10 times the number currently
in operation.
Also, the new silos may be loaded with the new three-stage, solid fuel DF-41 missile, which can carry multiple warheads and reach targets up to 15,000km, putting U.S. mainland within reach.
A 2020 Pentagon report estimated China's nuclear warhead stockpile in “the low 200s” and said it was projected to at least double in size as Beijing expands and modernizes its forces. Analysts say the U.S. has around 3,800 warheads, and according to a State Department factsheet, 1,357 of those were deployed as of March 1.
MILITARY: China’s new nuclear missile base (Graphic)
GN41634 Graphic shows known locations of Chinese underground nuclear weapons silos
(107mm wide by 152mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
POLITICS: Lebanon crisis (Graphic)
July 28, 2021 -- Lebanese lawmakers have tasked ex-premier and billionaire Najib Mikati with forming a government and ending a political deadlock that has crippled the economy.
Mikati faces the daunting challenge of trying to steer Lebanon out of what the World Bank says is one of the world’s worst financial crises in more than 150 years.
Since October 2019, tens of thousands of largely peaceful protesters have taken to the streets calling for economic accountability and an end to rampant political corruption. Although the cabinet of Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned, many of the individuals who dominate Lebanon’s political scene remained in power.
In January 2020, a new cabinet under Prime Minister Hassan Diab was appointed, but protests continued. Following a government default on the repayment of a $1.2-billion Eurobond, Diab applied for $10 billion in aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). When Iran-backed Hezbollah lawmakers rejected cooperation with the IMF, the negotiations floundered.
On August 4, an explosion at the port of Beirut killed more than 200 people, injured 7,500 others, and left around 300,000 people homeless. The blast -- caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate -- triggered public outrage. Diab quit within days.
At the end of August, the former Lebanese ambassador to Germany, Mustapha Adib, was named prime minister-designate. Shia Amal and Hezbollah lawmakers also blocked Adib’s attempts at reforms and a deal with the IMF.
In October, Saad Hariri returned as prime minister for the fourth time.
By June 2021, Hariri’s government had raised fuel prices by more than 35 per cent and hiked bread prices for the fifth time in a year. The Lebanese pound pegged to the U.S. dollar at 1,507 plunged to 17,500 on the black market. Protesters tried to storm central bank branch offices.
Hariri quit on July 15 to be replaced by Harvard-educated Mikati, 65, on Monday (July 26).
POLITICS: Lebanon crisis (Graphic)
GN41636 Graphic shows a timeling of Lebanon’s politica crisis.
(107mm by 165mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
Mikati faces the daunting challenge of trying to steer Lebanon out of what the World Bank says is one of the world’s worst financial crises in more than 150 years.
Since October 2019, tens of thousands of largely peaceful protesters have taken to the streets calling for economic accountability and an end to rampant political corruption. Although the cabinet of Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned, many of the individuals who dominate Lebanon’s political scene remained in power.
In January 2020, a new cabinet under Prime Minister Hassan Diab was appointed, but protests continued. Following a government default on the repayment of a $1.2-billion Eurobond, Diab applied for $10 billion in aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). When Iran-backed Hezbollah lawmakers rejected cooperation with the IMF, the negotiations floundered.
On August 4, an explosion at the port of Beirut killed more than 200 people, injured 7,500 others, and left around 300,000 people homeless. The blast -- caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate -- triggered public outrage. Diab quit within days.
At the end of August, the former Lebanese ambassador to Germany, Mustapha Adib, was named prime minister-designate. Shia Amal and Hezbollah lawmakers also blocked Adib’s attempts at reforms and a deal with the IMF.
In October, Saad Hariri returned as prime minister for the fourth time.
By June 2021, Hariri’s government had raised fuel prices by more than 35 per cent and hiked bread prices for the fifth time in a year. The Lebanese pound pegged to the U.S. dollar at 1,507 plunged to 17,500 on the black market. Protesters tried to storm central bank branch offices.
Hariri quit on July 15 to be replaced by Harvard-educated Mikati, 65, on Monday (July 26).
POLITICS: Lebanon crisis (Graphic)
GN41636 Graphic shows a timeling of Lebanon’s politica crisis.
(107mm by 165mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
MILITARY: U.S. troops in Iraq (Graphic)
July 27, 2021 -- President Joe Biden has confirmed that the U.S. combat mission in Iraq will be over by the end of this year, with the remaining 2,500 U.S. troops shifting to advisory, air support and surveillance roles to aid the Iraqi government in its fight against the Islamic State group (IS).
By the end of the year, the U.S. is “not going to be in a combat mission” in Iraq, President Biden said while meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi Monday (July 26).
“Our shared fight against IS is critical for the stability of our region and our counterterrorism cooperation will continue, even as we shift to this new phase we’re going to be talking about,” Biden said.
Several U.S. officials have said the 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq are already mainly in that kind of advise-and-assist role.
In January 2020, during the Trump administration, a series of tit-for-tat attacks between Iraqi militias and U.S. forces led to an assault on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad by supporters of the Iran-backed militia Kata’ib Hizbollah.
Days later, President Donald Trump ordered the airstrike that killed Iran’s most powerful general Qassem Soleimani, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force commander. Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the leader of Kata’ib Hizbollah, also died in the attack outside Baghdad International Airport.
The drone strike further inflamed anti-American sentiment among Shiite militias, and Iraq’s parliament -- with a majority of Shiite lawmakers -- voted to expel U.S. troops.
A spokesperson for the Popular Mobilization Forces, which includes Kata’ib Hizbollah, described Biden’s statement as a “cheap trick.” Nasser al Shammari warned that they “will not differentiate between advisers of the occupation or soldiers of the occupation,” adding they are all targets until the last foreign soldier leaves Iraq.
MILITARY: U.S. troops in Iraq (Graphic)
GN41632 Graphic shows U.S. troop numbers in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.
(107mm by 155mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
By the end of the year, the U.S. is “not going to be in a combat mission” in Iraq, President Biden said while meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi Monday (July 26).
“Our shared fight against IS is critical for the stability of our region and our counterterrorism cooperation will continue, even as we shift to this new phase we’re going to be talking about,” Biden said.
Several U.S. officials have said the 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq are already mainly in that kind of advise-and-assist role.
In January 2020, during the Trump administration, a series of tit-for-tat attacks between Iraqi militias and U.S. forces led to an assault on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad by supporters of the Iran-backed militia Kata’ib Hizbollah.
Days later, President Donald Trump ordered the airstrike that killed Iran’s most powerful general Qassem Soleimani, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force commander. Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the leader of Kata’ib Hizbollah, also died in the attack outside Baghdad International Airport.
The drone strike further inflamed anti-American sentiment among Shiite militias, and Iraq’s parliament -- with a majority of Shiite lawmakers -- voted to expel U.S. troops.
A spokesperson for the Popular Mobilization Forces, which includes Kata’ib Hizbollah, described Biden’s statement as a “cheap trick.” Nasser al Shammari warned that they “will not differentiate between advisers of the occupation or soldiers of the occupation,” adding they are all targets until the last foreign soldier leaves Iraq.
MILITARY: U.S. troops in Iraq (Graphic)
GN41632 Graphic shows U.S. troop numbers in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.
(107mm by 155mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
AFGHANISTAN: Record civilian casualties (Graphic)
July 27, 2021 -- Civilian casualties reached record levels in the first half of 2021, spiking from May when the U.S. began withdrawing its last troops.
Some 5,183 casualties were recorded in the first six months of the year – a 47% increase from 2020 – the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) found in a report.
Nearly 2,400 Afghan civilians were killed or injured in May and June as fighting between Taliban insurgents and Afghan security forces escalated, the highest number for those two months since records started in 2009.
The figures underscore the dire situation for Afghan civilians as intense fighting picked up in May and June after U.S. President Joe Biden announced American troops would withdraw by September, bringing an end to 20 years of foreign military presence in the country.
UNAMA says that 2021 would be the deadliest year for Afghan civilians since its records began unless urgent action is taken to tackle violence in the country.
AFGHANISTAN: Record civilian casualties (Graphic)
GN41630 Graphic shows civilians killed and injured in Afghanistan from Jan 1 to June 30 of 2009-2021.
(107mm wide by 143mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
Some 5,183 casualties were recorded in the first six months of the year – a 47% increase from 2020 – the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) found in a report.
Nearly 2,400 Afghan civilians were killed or injured in May and June as fighting between Taliban insurgents and Afghan security forces escalated, the highest number for those two months since records started in 2009.
The figures underscore the dire situation for Afghan civilians as intense fighting picked up in May and June after U.S. President Joe Biden announced American troops would withdraw by September, bringing an end to 20 years of foreign military presence in the country.
UNAMA says that 2021 would be the deadliest year for Afghan civilians since its records began unless urgent action is taken to tackle violence in the country.
AFGHANISTAN: Record civilian casualties (Graphic)
GN41630 Graphic shows civilians killed and injured in Afghanistan from Jan 1 to June 30 of 2009-2021.
(107mm wide by 143mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
TOKYO 2020: Olympic Covid cases up 147% in a week (Graphic)
July 26, 2021 -- Tokyo Olympics organisers have reported sixteen more coronavirus cases, including three infections among athletes, giving a total of 153.
The much maligned Tokyo 2020 Olympics were struck by sixteen new coronavirus cases on Monday, including three infections among athletes, despite the spectatorless Tokyo Games operating under tight restrictions.
Those testing positive on July 26 include athletes, Olympic personnel, media workers, contractors, employees and volunteers. Total Olympic infections now stand at 153 – up 147% on a total 62 of cases reported last Monday (July 19).
Overall, however, total Covid-19 cases linked to the event are relatively small as a percentage of the number of attendees, with only 0.02% of tests in the three days to Sunday, July 25, returning a positive result.
TOKYO 2020: Olympic Covid cases up 147% in a week (Graphic)
GN41628 Graphic charts Olympic Covid-19 infections by occupation.
(107mm by 115mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
The much maligned Tokyo 2020 Olympics were struck by sixteen new coronavirus cases on Monday, including three infections among athletes, despite the spectatorless Tokyo Games operating under tight restrictions.
Those testing positive on July 26 include athletes, Olympic personnel, media workers, contractors, employees and volunteers. Total Olympic infections now stand at 153 – up 147% on a total 62 of cases reported last Monday (July 19).
Overall, however, total Covid-19 cases linked to the event are relatively small as a percentage of the number of attendees, with only 0.02% of tests in the three days to Sunday, July 25, returning a positive result.
TOKYO 2020: Olympic Covid cases up 147% in a week (Graphic)
GN41628 Graphic charts Olympic Covid-19 infections by occupation.
(107mm by 115mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
POLITICS: Tunisian government sacked (Graphic)
July 26, 2021 -- Tunisia’s President Kais Saied invoked the constitution to oust the government of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and freeze parliament for 30 days in a move his critics call a coup.
Protesters celebrated President Saied’s decision late Sunday night with shouts of joy, honking of horns and waving Tunisian flags. But his critics accused him of a power grab, and the North African country’s overseas allies expressed concern that its young democracy might be descending again into autocracy.
Tunisia, which ignited the Arab Spring in 2011 when protests led to the overthrow of its longtime autocratic leader, is often regarded as the only success story of those uprisings. But democracy did not bring prosperity: Tunisia’s economy was already flailing before the pandemic hit, with 18% unemployment, and young people demanding jobs and an end to police brutality protested in large numbers earlier this year. The government recently announced cuts to food and fuel subsidies as it sought its fourth loan from the International Monetary Fund in a decade, fuelling anger in impoverished regions.
POLITICS: Tunisian government sacked (Graphic)
GN41627 Graphic shows brief timeline since Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution.
(107mm by 140mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
Protesters celebrated President Saied’s decision late Sunday night with shouts of joy, honking of horns and waving Tunisian flags. But his critics accused him of a power grab, and the North African country’s overseas allies expressed concern that its young democracy might be descending again into autocracy.
Tunisia, which ignited the Arab Spring in 2011 when protests led to the overthrow of its longtime autocratic leader, is often regarded as the only success story of those uprisings. But democracy did not bring prosperity: Tunisia’s economy was already flailing before the pandemic hit, with 18% unemployment, and young people demanding jobs and an end to police brutality protested in large numbers earlier this year. The government recently announced cuts to food and fuel subsidies as it sought its fourth loan from the International Monetary Fund in a decade, fuelling anger in impoverished regions.
POLITICS: Tunisian government sacked (Graphic)
GN41627 Graphic shows brief timeline since Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution.
(107mm by 140mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
BUSINESS: Olympic global audience (Graphic)
July 26, 2021 -- The 2008 Beijing Olympics in China drew the largest television audience in Olympic Games history, with 4.7 billion people globally, or roughly two out of every three people on the planet.
NBC’s broadcast of the Tokyo Olympic Games opening ceremony on July 23 drew 17 million U.S. viewers across all platforms, the smallest American television audience for the event in the past 33 years, according to preliminary data from Comcast-owned NBCUniversal.
Viewing figures were down about 36% from the opening ceremony in Rio in 2016, which attracted approximately 26.5 million people.
In 2011, Comcast, which acquired a majority stake in NBCUniversal, agreed to a $4.38 billion deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for U.S. broadcast rights through Tokyo 2020 -- the most expensive television rights deal in Olympic history.
In 2014, NBCUniversal paid $7.65 billion to the IOC to extend its U.S. broadcast rights for the Olympics through to 2032.
Broadcast rights are the IOC’s most valuable revenue stream and have surged from $898 million in 1996 to $2.87 billion for the Rio Games in 2016. The IOC projected revenue of around $3.06 billion from broadcasting rights for Tokyo 2020.
Like the other Olympic events this year, the opening ceremony took place inside a mostly empty venue after Olympics organizers banned most spectators due to rising Covid-19 cases in Tokyo.
BUSINESS: Olympic global audience (Graphic)
GN41629 Graphic shows changing Olympic Games global audiences and cost of broadcast rights.
(107mm by 126mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
NBC’s broadcast of the Tokyo Olympic Games opening ceremony on July 23 drew 17 million U.S. viewers across all platforms, the smallest American television audience for the event in the past 33 years, according to preliminary data from Comcast-owned NBCUniversal.
Viewing figures were down about 36% from the opening ceremony in Rio in 2016, which attracted approximately 26.5 million people.
In 2011, Comcast, which acquired a majority stake in NBCUniversal, agreed to a $4.38 billion deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for U.S. broadcast rights through Tokyo 2020 -- the most expensive television rights deal in Olympic history.
In 2014, NBCUniversal paid $7.65 billion to the IOC to extend its U.S. broadcast rights for the Olympics through to 2032.
Broadcast rights are the IOC’s most valuable revenue stream and have surged from $898 million in 1996 to $2.87 billion for the Rio Games in 2016. The IOC projected revenue of around $3.06 billion from broadcasting rights for Tokyo 2020.
Like the other Olympic events this year, the opening ceremony took place inside a mostly empty venue after Olympics organizers banned most spectators due to rising Covid-19 cases in Tokyo.
BUSINESS: Olympic global audience (Graphic)
GN41629 Graphic shows changing Olympic Games global audiences and cost of broadcast rights.
(107mm by 126mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
HISTORY: On this day August 15-21, 2021 (week 33) (Graphic)
August 15-21, 2021 -- Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries for each day of the week. This week features the sovereign state of Bahrain, elections in Belarus, France’s first woman in space, Claudie Andre-Deshays, Scottish explorer Alexander Gordon Laing, the overthrow of Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, the building of the Berlin wall and Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya
August 15, 1971: Bahrain declared itself a fully independent and sovereign state. It has become wealthy via tourism and banking services, as unlike its neighbours it has not much oil
August 16, 2020: Mass protests intensified in Belarus calling for President Alexander Lukashenko to step down following his contested re-election
August 17, 1996: France’s first woman in space, Claudie Andre-Deshays, took off from the Baikonur cosmodrome for a 16-day mission aboard Russia’s Mir space station
August 18, 1825: Scottish explorer Alexander Gordon Laing became the first European to reach Timbuktu, now in Mali, while crossing the Sahara from north to south
August 19, 1991: Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev was overthrown in a coup by Communist hardliners. The coup failed but soon led to the collapse of the Soviet Union
August 20, 1961: East Germany began to erect a wall in Berlin and elsewhere along the border with the West. It was a potent symbol of the Cold War until it was torn down in 1989
August 21, 2011: Libyans took to the streets to celebrate the end of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s 42 years in power as rebel forces advanced into the capital, Tripoli
HISTORY: On this day August 15-21, 2021 (week 33) (Graphic)
GN41619 Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries on each day for the week.
(Each 52mm wide by 118mm deep packaged as a set) View graphic
August 15, 1971: Bahrain declared itself a fully independent and sovereign state. It has become wealthy via tourism and banking services, as unlike its neighbours it has not much oil
August 16, 2020: Mass protests intensified in Belarus calling for President Alexander Lukashenko to step down following his contested re-election
August 17, 1996: France’s first woman in space, Claudie Andre-Deshays, took off from the Baikonur cosmodrome for a 16-day mission aboard Russia’s Mir space station
August 18, 1825: Scottish explorer Alexander Gordon Laing became the first European to reach Timbuktu, now in Mali, while crossing the Sahara from north to south
August 19, 1991: Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev was overthrown in a coup by Communist hardliners. The coup failed but soon led to the collapse of the Soviet Union
August 20, 1961: East Germany began to erect a wall in Berlin and elsewhere along the border with the West. It was a potent symbol of the Cold War until it was torn down in 1989
August 21, 2011: Libyans took to the streets to celebrate the end of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s 42 years in power as rebel forces advanced into the capital, Tripoli
HISTORY: On this day August 15-21, 2021 (week 33) (Graphic)
GN41619 Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries on each day for the week.
(Each 52mm wide by 118mm deep packaged as a set) View graphic
HISTORY: On this day August 8-14, 2021 (week 32) (Graphic)
August 8-14, 2021 -- Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries for each day of the week. This week features tennis star Roger Federer, Mahatma Gandhi of India, an explosion in thee port of Beirut, U.S. artist Jackson Pollock, the last quagga, the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez and the Mainz Psalter
August 8, 1981: Swiss tennis star Roger Federer was born. The 20-time Grand Slam champion, whose achievements include a record eight Wimbledon titles, turns 40 today
August 9, 1942: Mahatma Gandhi launched his Quit India campaign, demanding an end to British rule in India. He was immediately arrested and imprisoned
August 10, 2020: Lebanon’s government resigned amid mounting anger over the huge explosion that devastated the port area of Beirut and left over 200 people dead
August 11, 1956: U.S. artist Jackson Pollock, who led the Abstract Expressionist movement and introduced the technique of pouring paint on to canvas, died in a car accident
August 12, 1883: The last quagga, distinguished from other zebras by its pattern of brown and white stripes on the front of the body and plain brown rear, died at a zoo in Amsterdam
August 13, 1521: Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez captured the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, the present-day Mexico City, following a three month siege
August 14, 1457: The Mainz Psalter was published. It contained the psalms and was the second major book printed with movable metal type, after the Gutenberg Bible
HISTORY: On this day August 8-14, 2021 (week 32) (Graphic)
GN41618 Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries on each day for the week.
(Each 52mm wide by 118mm deep packaged as a set) View graphic
August 8, 1981: Swiss tennis star Roger Federer was born. The 20-time Grand Slam champion, whose achievements include a record eight Wimbledon titles, turns 40 today
August 9, 1942: Mahatma Gandhi launched his Quit India campaign, demanding an end to British rule in India. He was immediately arrested and imprisoned
August 10, 2020: Lebanon’s government resigned amid mounting anger over the huge explosion that devastated the port area of Beirut and left over 200 people dead
August 11, 1956: U.S. artist Jackson Pollock, who led the Abstract Expressionist movement and introduced the technique of pouring paint on to canvas, died in a car accident
August 12, 1883: The last quagga, distinguished from other zebras by its pattern of brown and white stripes on the front of the body and plain brown rear, died at a zoo in Amsterdam
August 13, 1521: Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez captured the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, the present-day Mexico City, following a three month siege
August 14, 1457: The Mainz Psalter was published. It contained the psalms and was the second major book printed with movable metal type, after the Gutenberg Bible
HISTORY: On this day August 8-14, 2021 (week 32) (Graphic)
GN41618 Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries on each day for the week.
(Each 52mm wide by 118mm deep packaged as a set) View graphic
TOKYO 2020: Scandal-plagued Olympics finally open (Graphic)
July 23, 2021 -- A subdued opening ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has taken place, with around 1,000 spectators – mostly dignitaries, including less than 20 global leaders – in attendance.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games opening ceremony went off almost without a hitch, heralding the beginning of 16 days of athletic competition.
Postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the build up to the rescheduled Games has been mired in controversy for months. With around 80% of the Japanese public against the Olympics taking place while the country struggles with rising coronavirus cases and low vaccination levels, it was touch and go whether the event would take place at all.
In recent days the director and composer of the opening ceremony were fired over controversies to do with past conduct. Similarly, the creative head was pushed out in March and the Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori, was axed at the beginning of the year.
Now, with competition underway, Olympic organisers are struggling to maintain control of the coronavirus, which has infected over a hundred people linked to the event, including numerous athletes.
It remains to be seen if the Tokyo Olympics will make it all the way to its scheduled ending on August 8.
TOKYO 2020: Scandal-plagued Olympics finally open (Graphic)
GN41625 Graphic shows scandals and gaffes which have befallen the Tokyo Olympics.
(107mm by 145mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games opening ceremony went off almost without a hitch, heralding the beginning of 16 days of athletic competition.
Postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the build up to the rescheduled Games has been mired in controversy for months. With around 80% of the Japanese public against the Olympics taking place while the country struggles with rising coronavirus cases and low vaccination levels, it was touch and go whether the event would take place at all.
In recent days the director and composer of the opening ceremony were fired over controversies to do with past conduct. Similarly, the creative head was pushed out in March and the Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori, was axed at the beginning of the year.
Now, with competition underway, Olympic organisers are struggling to maintain control of the coronavirus, which has infected over a hundred people linked to the event, including numerous athletes.
It remains to be seen if the Tokyo Olympics will make it all the way to its scheduled ending on August 8.
TOKYO 2020: Scandal-plagued Olympics finally open (Graphic)
GN41625 Graphic shows scandals and gaffes which have befallen the Tokyo Olympics.
(107mm by 145mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
AVIATION: Hydrogen-powered airliners (Graphic)
July 23, 2021 -- Universal Hydrogen and MagniX have developed conversion kits that include hydrogen fuel cells and electric powertrains to turn De Havilland Canada Dash 8s into zero-emissions airliners.
Paul Eremenko, a former Airbus and Raytheon Technologies executive, has co-founded Los Angeles-based Universal Hydrogen intending to bring green hydrogen-fuel technology to regional airliners within three years.
Owing to surging demand for clean energy, Eremenko predicts Universal’s technology will take off. He estimates annual revenue could hit $1 billion by 2030 and up to $100 billion by 2040.
“It is very energy dense and is completely clean,” Eremenko says of hydrogen fuel. The by-product, he adds, is just water.
Unlike lithium-ion batteries, hydrogen fuel’s high energy density is sufficient for airliner applications, he adds.
Eremenko plans to “get the market going” by developing a kit to retrofit Dash 8-Q300 systems. The kit includes a fuel cell and twin, two-megawatt Magnix electric motors to replace conventional turboprops built by Pratt & Whitney. Once fitted, the Dash-8 will become the world’s largest hydrogen aircraft.
Universal’s hydrogen supply system will use two or three two-metre-long (seven-feet) modules, each carrying two hydrogen-storage capsules holding either gaseous or liquid hydrogen.
“For the Dash 8-300 with the gaseous capsules, we get 400nm range (740km). With the liquid hydrogen capsules, we get 550nm (925km),” Eremenko says.
The modules will replace the last few rows of seats, bringing capacity down from 50 to 40 passengers. Despite the loss of seats, the cost advantage of hydrogen fuel cells and maintenance suggest “at least a 25% improvement,” Eremenko says.
On July 13, Reuters reported that Universal had signed letters of intent with Spain’s Air Nostrum for 11 aircraft, Ravn Alaska for five aircraft, and Icelandair Group for an unspecified number of planes.
AVIATION: Hydrogen-powered airliners (Graphic)
GN41622 Graphic shows how green hydrogen retrofit kit works.
(107mm by 160mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
Paul Eremenko, a former Airbus and Raytheon Technologies executive, has co-founded Los Angeles-based Universal Hydrogen intending to bring green hydrogen-fuel technology to regional airliners within three years.
Owing to surging demand for clean energy, Eremenko predicts Universal’s technology will take off. He estimates annual revenue could hit $1 billion by 2030 and up to $100 billion by 2040.
“It is very energy dense and is completely clean,” Eremenko says of hydrogen fuel. The by-product, he adds, is just water.
Unlike lithium-ion batteries, hydrogen fuel’s high energy density is sufficient for airliner applications, he adds.
Eremenko plans to “get the market going” by developing a kit to retrofit Dash 8-Q300 systems. The kit includes a fuel cell and twin, two-megawatt Magnix electric motors to replace conventional turboprops built by Pratt & Whitney. Once fitted, the Dash-8 will become the world’s largest hydrogen aircraft.
Universal’s hydrogen supply system will use two or three two-metre-long (seven-feet) modules, each carrying two hydrogen-storage capsules holding either gaseous or liquid hydrogen.
“For the Dash 8-300 with the gaseous capsules, we get 400nm range (740km). With the liquid hydrogen capsules, we get 550nm (925km),” Eremenko says.
The modules will replace the last few rows of seats, bringing capacity down from 50 to 40 passengers. Despite the loss of seats, the cost advantage of hydrogen fuel cells and maintenance suggest “at least a 25% improvement,” Eremenko says.
On July 13, Reuters reported that Universal had signed letters of intent with Spain’s Air Nostrum for 11 aircraft, Ravn Alaska for five aircraft, and Icelandair Group for an unspecified number of planes.
AVIATION: Hydrogen-powered airliners (Graphic)
GN41622 Graphic shows how green hydrogen retrofit kit works.
(107mm by 160mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
HEALTH: Covid-19 breakthrough infections (Graphic)
July 22, 2021 -- Most hospitalisations and deaths from coronavirus have occurred among unvaccinated people, yet there have also been so-called breakthrough infections of fully vaccinated people.
With Covid-19 shots reaching billions of people, reports have grown more common of people being infected with the coronavirus despite being vaccinated. Just as a natural infection does not guarantee protection from reinfection with the virus, neither does immunisation provide a perfect shield, according to Bloomberg.
Still, those who have immunity – either from vaccination or infection – carry a fraction of the risk of those who have none. Breakthrough cases among the immunised are a reminder that as long as the pandemic virus is prevalent in the world, it remains a threat to everyone, Bloomberg said.
HEALTH: Covid-19 breakthrough infections (Graphic)
GN41623 Graphic shows selected details on Covid-19 breakthrough infections.
(107mm by 140mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
With Covid-19 shots reaching billions of people, reports have grown more common of people being infected with the coronavirus despite being vaccinated. Just as a natural infection does not guarantee protection from reinfection with the virus, neither does immunisation provide a perfect shield, according to Bloomberg.
Still, those who have immunity – either from vaccination or infection – carry a fraction of the risk of those who have none. Breakthrough cases among the immunised are a reminder that as long as the pandemic virus is prevalent in the world, it remains a threat to everyone, Bloomberg said.
HEALTH: Covid-19 breakthrough infections (Graphic)
GN41623 Graphic shows selected details on Covid-19 breakthrough infections.
(107mm by 140mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
TOKYO 2020: Olympics attract muted global interest (Graphic)
July 22, 2021 -- Global interest in the spectatorless Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is muted at below 50%, according to an Ipsos poll of 28 countries.
A new Ipsos poll finds that, out of almost 20,000 people questioned across 28 nations, only 46% are interested in the Tokyo Olympics – and only 16% of those are “very interested”.
Consequently, 54% of those polled are not interested in the Games and 29% of those are “not at all interested”.
Overall, 57% of respondents would like to see the Olympics cancelled, with South Korea polling the highest at 86%. Japan is second at 78%. Turkey, however, would like the Olympics to go ahead, with only 29% wanting them cancelled.
On Tuesday, July 20, head of The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Toshiro Muto, refused to rule out cancelling the Games as Covid-19 cases continue to rise among athletes and support staff.
TOKYO 2020: Olympics attract muted global interest (Graphic)
GN41624 Graphic charts poll results on the popularity of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
(107mm by 160mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
A new Ipsos poll finds that, out of almost 20,000 people questioned across 28 nations, only 46% are interested in the Tokyo Olympics – and only 16% of those are “very interested”.
Consequently, 54% of those polled are not interested in the Games and 29% of those are “not at all interested”.
Overall, 57% of respondents would like to see the Olympics cancelled, with South Korea polling the highest at 86%. Japan is second at 78%. Turkey, however, would like the Olympics to go ahead, with only 29% wanting them cancelled.
On Tuesday, July 20, head of The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Toshiro Muto, refused to rule out cancelling the Games as Covid-19 cases continue to rise among athletes and support staff.
TOKYO 2020: Olympics attract muted global interest (Graphic)
GN41624 Graphic charts poll results on the popularity of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
(107mm by 160mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
BUSINESS: Netflix slump triggers move into gaming (Graphic)
July 21, 2021 -- Netflix has reported its worst slowdown in subscriber growth for eight years, adding just 1.5 million subscribers in Q2 2021. The streaming giant now plans to add video games to keep subscribers loyal.
A second quarter slump in new subscribers to Netflix, the world’s largest paid streaming service, is its worst performance since the first half of 2013.
After the boom of 2020’s coronavirus lockdown-driven subscriber boost, which saw government lockdowns sending people into binge-watching frenzies, the latest figures are disappointing but not unexpected.
The company blames this year's slowdown on pandemic-induced production delays that has left its video roster with fewer new hit shows than usual, but it is optimistic that subscriber numbers will rise again later this year as new seasons of hits shows like “The Witcher” return.
Also, in a rebuff to sceptics, Netflix announced it will offer free video games to existing subscribers – likely appearing sometime in the next 12 months.
To get the ball rolling, the streaming behemoth has hired gaming industry veteran, Mike Verdu, to serve as Netflix’s Vice President of Game Development, reporting to COO and chief product officer Greg Peters.
Verdu's resumé dates back to the 1990s in a career that has seen him work for Atari, Zynga and Electronic Arts among others – with involvement in hits like “Sim City”, “Plants vs. Zombies 2” and “FarmVille”.
Initially, the company will focus on mobile games – tied to its most popular shows – before eventually expanding to consoles and smart TVs.
Its planned service sounds not dissimilar to Apple's successful Arcade subscription gaming service, where users pay $4.99 a month to gain access to almost 200 ad-free video games playable across iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac.
BUSINESS: Netflix slump triggers move into gaming (Graphic)
GN41620 Graphic charts Netflix subscribers from 2013 to now.
(107mm by 130mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
A second quarter slump in new subscribers to Netflix, the world’s largest paid streaming service, is its worst performance since the first half of 2013.
After the boom of 2020’s coronavirus lockdown-driven subscriber boost, which saw government lockdowns sending people into binge-watching frenzies, the latest figures are disappointing but not unexpected.
The company blames this year's slowdown on pandemic-induced production delays that has left its video roster with fewer new hit shows than usual, but it is optimistic that subscriber numbers will rise again later this year as new seasons of hits shows like “The Witcher” return.
Also, in a rebuff to sceptics, Netflix announced it will offer free video games to existing subscribers – likely appearing sometime in the next 12 months.
To get the ball rolling, the streaming behemoth has hired gaming industry veteran, Mike Verdu, to serve as Netflix’s Vice President of Game Development, reporting to COO and chief product officer Greg Peters.
Verdu's resumé dates back to the 1990s in a career that has seen him work for Atari, Zynga and Electronic Arts among others – with involvement in hits like “Sim City”, “Plants vs. Zombies 2” and “FarmVille”.
Initially, the company will focus on mobile games – tied to its most popular shows – before eventually expanding to consoles and smart TVs.
Its planned service sounds not dissimilar to Apple's successful Arcade subscription gaming service, where users pay $4.99 a month to gain access to almost 200 ad-free video games playable across iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac.
BUSINESS: Netflix slump triggers move into gaming (Graphic)
GN41620 Graphic charts Netflix subscribers from 2013 to now.
(107mm by 130mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
HEALTH: Children orphaned by Covid-19 (Graphic)
July 21, 2021 -- More than 1.5 million children worldwide saw a parent, custodial grandparent or other related caregiver die from Covid-19, according to a study published by the Lancet.
The study estimates that more than one million children experienced the death of one or both parents during the first 14 months of the pandemic, and another half a million experienced the death of a grandparent caregiver living in their own home.
The researchers based their estimates on mortality data for 21 countries that collectively account for 77 percent of global Covid-19 deaths, according to UPI.
The analysis included both reported Covid-19 deaths between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021 and the number of excess deaths during the same period.
Covid-19 death rates were linked with fertility data for males and females from the 21 countries to estimate the number of children who had lost a parent to the virus, UPI said.
HEALTH: Children orphaned by Covid-19 (Graphic)
GN41621 Graphic shows selected study findings.
(107mm by 140mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
The study estimates that more than one million children experienced the death of one or both parents during the first 14 months of the pandemic, and another half a million experienced the death of a grandparent caregiver living in their own home.
The researchers based their estimates on mortality data for 21 countries that collectively account for 77 percent of global Covid-19 deaths, according to UPI.
The analysis included both reported Covid-19 deaths between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021 and the number of excess deaths during the same period.
Covid-19 death rates were linked with fertility data for males and females from the 21 countries to estimate the number of children who had lost a parent to the virus, UPI said.
HEALTH: Children orphaned by Covid-19 (Graphic)
GN41621 Graphic shows selected study findings.
(107mm by 140mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
HEALTH: Rising Covid-19 cases loom over Olympics (1) (Graphic UPDATED Jul 21)
July 21, 2021 -- Despite strict quarantine procedures, organisers of the Tokyo Olympics are seeing a multitude of Covid-19 infections befall teams and staff.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, postponed to 2021 due to the global coronavirus pandemic, will be held under strict quarantine measures to try and prevent the spread of Covid-19 infections in a city currently seeing a six-month high of rising cases.
However, despite its best efforts, there are a growing number of coronavirus cases being found in arriving foreign teams, as well as among locally employed contractors.
HEALTH: Rising Covid-19 cases loom over Olympics (1) (Graphic UPDATED Jul 21)
GN41617 Graphic charts number of Covid-19 cases at the Tokyo Olympics.
(107mm by 160mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital))
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, postponed to 2021 due to the global coronavirus pandemic, will be held under strict quarantine measures to try and prevent the spread of Covid-19 infections in a city currently seeing a six-month high of rising cases.
However, despite its best efforts, there are a growing number of coronavirus cases being found in arriving foreign teams, as well as among locally employed contractors.
HEALTH: Rising Covid-19 cases loom over Olympics (1) (Graphic UPDATED Jul 21)
GN41617 Graphic charts number of Covid-19 cases at the Tokyo Olympics.
(107mm by 160mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital))
WORLD AGENDA: August 2021 interactive (Interactive)
August 1, 2021 -- Each month Graphic News moves a World Agenda -- an illustrated diary of upcoming events -- in both print format and as a responsive interactive version for digital devices.
Events in August include a decision by Israel’s Civil Administration over a 3,412-unit West Bank settler building project known as E1, Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou is set to return to court in Canada in her U.S. extradition case, and Nigeria expects to receive nearly 8 million additional doses of Covid-19 vaccines.
The withdrawal of the last 3,000 troops formally ends the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, turns 40, and Zambia holds general elections.
WORLD AGENDA: August 2021 interactive (Interactive)
GN41602 Responsive interactive graphic shows news events in August 2021.
(640px wide by 568px deep) View graphic
Events in August include a decision by Israel’s Civil Administration over a 3,412-unit West Bank settler building project known as E1, Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou is set to return to court in Canada in her U.S. extradition case, and Nigeria expects to receive nearly 8 million additional doses of Covid-19 vaccines.
The withdrawal of the last 3,000 troops formally ends the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, turns 40, and Zambia holds general elections.
WORLD AGENDA: August 2021 interactive (Interactive)
GN41602 Responsive interactive graphic shows news events in August 2021.
(640px wide by 568px deep) View graphic
HEALTH: Delta variant fuels coronavirus surge (Graphic)
July 20, 2021 -- The World Health Organisation says that coronavirus cases and deaths are climbing globally after a period of decline, spurred by the highly contagious Delta variant.
The Delta variant is exacting a grim toll on dozens of developing countries, where vaccination levels are insufficient to prevent a surge in cases from becoming a wave of deaths, according to the Financial Times.
As economies in Europe and the US that have successfully weakened the link between infections and deaths have started to reopen, poorer countries with low vaccination rates are in some cases entering their worst phase of the pandemic, the FT said.
Experts are saying Indonesia has become a new epicentre for the pandemic as outbreaks worsen across Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, some athletes have tested positive for Covid-19 at Tokyo’s Olympic Village, with the Games due to open Friday.
HEALTH: Delta variant fuels coronavirus surge (Graphic)
GN41616 Graphic shows selected data on Covid-19 infections worldwide.
(107mm by 150mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
The Delta variant is exacting a grim toll on dozens of developing countries, where vaccination levels are insufficient to prevent a surge in cases from becoming a wave of deaths, according to the Financial Times.
As economies in Europe and the US that have successfully weakened the link between infections and deaths have started to reopen, poorer countries with low vaccination rates are in some cases entering their worst phase of the pandemic, the FT said.
Experts are saying Indonesia has become a new epicentre for the pandemic as outbreaks worsen across Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, some athletes have tested positive for Covid-19 at Tokyo’s Olympic Village, with the Games due to open Friday.
HEALTH: Delta variant fuels coronavirus surge (Graphic)
GN41616 Graphic shows selected data on Covid-19 infections worldwide.
(107mm by 150mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
GAMING: Steam Deck threat to new Nintendo Switch (Graphic)
July 19, 2021 -- Valve is to release a portable PC gaming platform, soon after the launch of Nintendo’s revamped Switch games console.
The Steam Deck is a small, portable PC computer, albeit one running a custom Steam OS. Its main function is to let gamers access their Steam PC game library, but it can be used for web browsing and video streaming also.
Until now, PC gamers wanting a good handheld experience have had to wait (and hope) for the game they want to play to be ported over to the Nintendo Switch. But even if that happens, the Switch's innards are very underpowered when compared to a PC, meaning games often do not look or play as well when released on Switch. Also, it can take years for a game to be ported over.
Enter Valve and their Steam Deck portable. No need to wait for a conversion – the entire Steam library of 30,000 games is available and ready as soon as the user logs in.
Such power comes at a price, however. The Steam Deck starts at $400 (€420) and goes up to $650 (€680) for one with decent internal storage.
The Switch underpowered as it may be, is cheaper, has a good library of some 4,000 games and is, of course, home to Mario, Zelda, Metroid and a host of other franchises unique to Nintendo and unavailable on PC... unless of course somebody installs a console emulator and plays illegally downloaded video game ROMs on their PC.
Nintendo's rejigged Switch OLED comes out in October, with the Steam Deck following after in December. Both are available for pre-order and are selling out fast.
GAMING: Steam Deck threat to new Nintendo Switch (Graphic)
GN41615 Graphic shows valve's Steam Deck handheld gaming PC.
(107mm by 195mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
The Steam Deck is a small, portable PC computer, albeit one running a custom Steam OS. Its main function is to let gamers access their Steam PC game library, but it can be used for web browsing and video streaming also.
Until now, PC gamers wanting a good handheld experience have had to wait (and hope) for the game they want to play to be ported over to the Nintendo Switch. But even if that happens, the Switch's innards are very underpowered when compared to a PC, meaning games often do not look or play as well when released on Switch. Also, it can take years for a game to be ported over.
Enter Valve and their Steam Deck portable. No need to wait for a conversion – the entire Steam library of 30,000 games is available and ready as soon as the user logs in.
Such power comes at a price, however. The Steam Deck starts at $400 (€420) and goes up to $650 (€680) for one with decent internal storage.
The Switch underpowered as it may be, is cheaper, has a good library of some 4,000 games and is, of course, home to Mario, Zelda, Metroid and a host of other franchises unique to Nintendo and unavailable on PC... unless of course somebody installs a console emulator and plays illegally downloaded video game ROMs on their PC.
Nintendo's rejigged Switch OLED comes out in October, with the Steam Deck following after in December. Both are available for pre-order and are selling out fast.
GAMING: Steam Deck threat to new Nintendo Switch (Graphic)
GN41615 Graphic shows valve's Steam Deck handheld gaming PC.
(107mm by 195mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
WEATHER: Germany floods aftermath (Graphic)
July 19, 2021 -- As the death toll from devastating floods in western Germany climbs above 190, with scores missing and more flood warnings, insurers prepare for one of the most expensive natural catastrophes in decades.
Efforts to find any more victims and clean up the mess left behind by the floods across a swath of western Germany, eastern Belgium and the Netherlands continued on Monday as floodwaters receded.
So far, 117 people have been confirmed dead in the worst-affected German region, Rhineland-Palatinate; 46 in the neighbouring state of North Rhine-Westphalia; and at least one in Bavaria, parts of which saw heavy rain and flooding over the weekend. At least 31 people died in Belgium.
The floods could be one of the most expensive natural catastrophes in Germany in the past 20 years. German insurance industry association GDV plans to give its first estimate of the damage next week, Reuters said.
WEATHER: Germany floods aftermath (Graphic)
GN41603 Graphic shows details of flood affected areas and past natural disasters in Germany.
(107mm by 140mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
Efforts to find any more victims and clean up the mess left behind by the floods across a swath of western Germany, eastern Belgium and the Netherlands continued on Monday as floodwaters receded.
So far, 117 people have been confirmed dead in the worst-affected German region, Rhineland-Palatinate; 46 in the neighbouring state of North Rhine-Westphalia; and at least one in Bavaria, parts of which saw heavy rain and flooding over the weekend. At least 31 people died in Belgium.
The floods could be one of the most expensive natural catastrophes in Germany in the past 20 years. German insurance industry association GDV plans to give its first estimate of the damage next week, Reuters said.
WEATHER: Germany floods aftermath (Graphic)
GN41603 Graphic shows details of flood affected areas and past natural disasters in Germany.
(107mm by 140mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
WORLD AGENDA: August 2021 (Graphic)
August 1, 2021 -- Each month Graphic News moves a World Agenda -- an illustrated diary of upcoming events -- in both print format and as a responsive interactive version for digital devices.
Events in August include a decision by Israel’s Civil Administration over a 3,412-unit West Bank settler building project known as E1, Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou is set to return to court in Canada in her U.S. extradition case, and Nigeria expects to receive nearly 8 million additional doses of Covid-19 vaccines.
The withdrawal of the last 3,000 troops formally ends the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, turns 40, and Zambia holds general elections.
WORLD AGENDA: August 2021 (Graphic)
GN41601 Graphic shows news events in August 2021.
(163mm wide by 210mm) View graphic
Events in August include a decision by Israel’s Civil Administration over a 3,412-unit West Bank settler building project known as E1, Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou is set to return to court in Canada in her U.S. extradition case, and Nigeria expects to receive nearly 8 million additional doses of Covid-19 vaccines.
The withdrawal of the last 3,000 troops formally ends the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, turns 40, and Zambia holds general elections.
WORLD AGENDA: August 2021 (Graphic)
GN41601 Graphic shows news events in August 2021.
(163mm wide by 210mm) View graphic
HEALTH: Covid-19 outbreaks at Tokyo Olympics (1) (Graphic UPDATED Jul 19)
July 19, 2021 -- Despite strict quarantine procedures, organisers of the Tokyo Olympics are seeing numerous Covid-19 infections befall arriving teams.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, postponed to 2021 due to the global coronavirus pandemic, will be held under strict quarantine measures to try and prevent the spread of Covid-19 infections in a city currently at a six-month high of rising cases.
However, despite its best efforts, there are a growing number of cases within arriving foreign teams as well as with locally employed contractors.
Teams hit by Covid-19 infections include Australia, Brazil, Israel, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, Uganda and the United States.
Tokyo entered its fourth state of emergency on June 12, one that is set to run the full duration of the Olympic Games, until August 22 – shortly before the start of the Paralympic Games.
Olympic infections timeline:
Jun 20: Coach with Uganda squad tests positive on arrival.
Jun 23: Uganda athlete tests positive.
Jul 4: Serbia rowing team member tests positive on arrival.
Jul 9: Israel athlete tests positive.
Jul 14: Masseur for Russia women’s rugby sevens team tests positive and is hospitalised.
Refugee Team (which competes under Olympic flag) delays arrival in Japan due to positive case from team official in Qatar.
Seven staff in Brazil team hotel test positive.
South Africa rugby team (21 individulas) in isolation after coming in contact with virus carrier on flight to Japan.
Jul 15: Eight athletes from Kenya women’s rugby team come into contact with virus carrier on plane to Japan.
U.S. basketball star Bradley Beal dropped from Team USA after being forced into quarantine in United States.
Olympic athlete tests positive for virus (not resident in Olympic Village) – team nationality unknown. Five staff also test positive.
July 16: Australia tennis player Alex de Minaur tests positive prior to departure Japan.
Nigeria delegation member tests positive, requiring hospitalisation.
Foreign Olympic worker tests positive – team nationality unknown.
Three local contractors also test positive.
July 17: Two South African football players and team video analyst test positive.
July 18: U.S. tennis player Coco Gauff pulls out after positive test.
South Korea IOC member tests positive.
Six UK athletes and two staff from the athletics squad forced to isolate after contact with a virus carrier on the flight to Japan.
July 19: A U.S. women’s gymnast and Czech beach volleyball player test positive.
HEALTH: Covid-19 outbreaks at Tokyo Olympics (1) (Graphic UPDATED Jul 19)
GN41598 Graphic shows known coronavirus infections at the Tokyo Olympics.
(107mm by 146mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital))
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, postponed to 2021 due to the global coronavirus pandemic, will be held under strict quarantine measures to try and prevent the spread of Covid-19 infections in a city currently at a six-month high of rising cases.
However, despite its best efforts, there are a growing number of cases within arriving foreign teams as well as with locally employed contractors.
Teams hit by Covid-19 infections include Australia, Brazil, Israel, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, Uganda and the United States.
Tokyo entered its fourth state of emergency on June 12, one that is set to run the full duration of the Olympic Games, until August 22 – shortly before the start of the Paralympic Games.
Olympic infections timeline:
Jun 20: Coach with Uganda squad tests positive on arrival.
Jun 23: Uganda athlete tests positive.
Jul 4: Serbia rowing team member tests positive on arrival.
Jul 9: Israel athlete tests positive.
Jul 14: Masseur for Russia women’s rugby sevens team tests positive and is hospitalised.
Refugee Team (which competes under Olympic flag) delays arrival in Japan due to positive case from team official in Qatar.
Seven staff in Brazil team hotel test positive.
South Africa rugby team (21 individulas) in isolation after coming in contact with virus carrier on flight to Japan.
Jul 15: Eight athletes from Kenya women’s rugby team come into contact with virus carrier on plane to Japan.
U.S. basketball star Bradley Beal dropped from Team USA after being forced into quarantine in United States.
Olympic athlete tests positive for virus (not resident in Olympic Village) – team nationality unknown. Five staff also test positive.
July 16: Australia tennis player Alex de Minaur tests positive prior to departure Japan.
Nigeria delegation member tests positive, requiring hospitalisation.
Foreign Olympic worker tests positive – team nationality unknown.
Three local contractors also test positive.
July 17: Two South African football players and team video analyst test positive.
July 18: U.S. tennis player Coco Gauff pulls out after positive test.
South Korea IOC member tests positive.
Six UK athletes and two staff from the athletics squad forced to isolate after contact with a virus carrier on the flight to Japan.
July 19: A U.S. women’s gymnast and Czech beach volleyball player test positive.
HEALTH: Covid-19 outbreaks at Tokyo Olympics (1) (Graphic UPDATED Jul 19)
GN41598 Graphic shows known coronavirus infections at the Tokyo Olympics.
(107mm by 146mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital))
HISTORY: On this day August 1-7, 2021 (week 31) (Graphic)
August 1-7, 2021 -- Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries for each day of the week. The week features Racing driver Niki Lauda, Apple, black athlete Jesse Owens, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, Guangwu emperor of China, the founding of Bogotá in Colombia and the Brooklands Grand Prix race track in Britain.
August 1, 1976: Racing driver Niki Lauda was engulfed in flames when his car crashed at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. He returned to Formula 1 six weeks later
August 2, 2018: Apple became the world’s first public company to be worth $1 trillion, beating Silicon Valley rivals Amazon and Microsoft to hit the valuation
August 3, 1936: Black athlete Jesse Owens won the 100m, the first of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics, scuppering Adolf Hitler’s aim of demonstrating Aryan superiority
August 4, 1981: Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, was born. The U.S. former actress turns 40 today. She and Prince Harry live in California after stepping away from royal life
August 5, AD 25: Guangwu became emperor of China, restoring the Han Dynasty after the fall of the short-lived Xin Dynasty. The Han Dynasty is seen as a golden age in Chinese history
August 6, 1538: Bogotá, capital of Colombia, was founded by Spanish explorer Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Its indigenous name was Bacatá, meaning “The Lady of the Andes”
August 7, 1926: The first British Grand Prix was held at Brooklands. The winner took just over four hours to win the 110-lap race at an average speed of almost 72mph
HISTORY: On this day August 1-7, 2021 (week 31) (Graphic)
GN41600 Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries on each day for the week.
(Each 52mm wide by 118mm deep packaged as a set) View graphic
August 1, 1976: Racing driver Niki Lauda was engulfed in flames when his car crashed at the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. He returned to Formula 1 six weeks later
August 2, 2018: Apple became the world’s first public company to be worth $1 trillion, beating Silicon Valley rivals Amazon and Microsoft to hit the valuation
August 3, 1936: Black athlete Jesse Owens won the 100m, the first of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics, scuppering Adolf Hitler’s aim of demonstrating Aryan superiority
August 4, 1981: Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, was born. The U.S. former actress turns 40 today. She and Prince Harry live in California after stepping away from royal life
August 5, AD 25: Guangwu became emperor of China, restoring the Han Dynasty after the fall of the short-lived Xin Dynasty. The Han Dynasty is seen as a golden age in Chinese history
August 6, 1538: Bogotá, capital of Colombia, was founded by Spanish explorer Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Its indigenous name was Bacatá, meaning “The Lady of the Andes”
August 7, 1926: The first British Grand Prix was held at Brooklands. The winner took just over four hours to win the 110-lap race at an average speed of almost 72mph
HISTORY: On this day August 1-7, 2021 (week 31) (Graphic)
GN41600 Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries on each day for the week.
(Each 52mm wide by 118mm deep packaged as a set) View graphic
HISTORY: On this day July 25-31, 2021 (week 30) (Graphic)
July 25-31, 2021 -- Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries for each day of the week. This week features the prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse 2, Insulin, the Tangshan quake in northern China, the wedding of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer, England’s win of the FIFA World Cup, and the Lunar Roving Vehicle, nicknamed the “moon buggy”.
July 25, 2018: Former cricketer Imran Khan became prime minister of Pakistan after his Tehreek-e-Insaf party won a majority of seats in a general election marred by violence
July 26, 2016: The solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse 2, pictured over San Francisco, landed in Abu Dhabi after completing the first fuel-free circumnavigation of the Earth
July 27, 1921: Insulin was first isolated at Toronto University by Canadians Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best. It proved an effective treatment for diabetes
July 28, 1976: A 7.9 earthquake completely destroyed the city of Tangshan in northern China. At least 242,000 people died, the highest quake death toll in modern times
July 29, 1981: Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, a ceremony witnessed by over 700 million TV viewers around the world
July 30, 1966: The England football team, captained by Bobby Moore, beat West Germany 4-2 to win the FIFA World Cup final at London’s Wembley Stadium
July 31, 1971: Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin took the first ever drive on the moon in their Lunar Roving Vehicle, nicknamed the “moon buggy”
HISTORY: On this day July 25-31, 2021 (week 30) (Graphic)
GN41571 Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries on each day for the week.
(Each 52mm wide by 118mm deep packaged as a set) View graphic
July 25, 2018: Former cricketer Imran Khan became prime minister of Pakistan after his Tehreek-e-Insaf party won a majority of seats in a general election marred by violence
July 26, 2016: The solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse 2, pictured over San Francisco, landed in Abu Dhabi after completing the first fuel-free circumnavigation of the Earth
July 27, 1921: Insulin was first isolated at Toronto University by Canadians Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best. It proved an effective treatment for diabetes
July 28, 1976: A 7.9 earthquake completely destroyed the city of Tangshan in northern China. At least 242,000 people died, the highest quake death toll in modern times
July 29, 1981: Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, a ceremony witnessed by over 700 million TV viewers around the world
July 30, 1966: The England football team, captained by Bobby Moore, beat West Germany 4-2 to win the FIFA World Cup final at London’s Wembley Stadium
July 31, 1971: Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin took the first ever drive on the moon in their Lunar Roving Vehicle, nicknamed the “moon buggy”
HISTORY: On this day July 25-31, 2021 (week 30) (Graphic)
GN41571 Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries on each day for the week.
(Each 52mm wide by 118mm deep packaged as a set) View graphic
POLITICS: Germany election prospects (Graphic)
July 16, 2021 -- Opinion polls suggest that with three potential chancellors standing to replace Angela Merkel, Germany’s September election could result in a fragmented parliament.
Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), along with the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), have governed together for the most of the last two decades. Many Germans are ready for change.
The latest Politico poll of polls has the CDU/CSU at 29%, the Greens at 18%, and the SPD is at 16%. The pro-business FDP is at 12%, the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) is at 10%, and the left-wing Die Linke is at 7%.
The three most popular parties are fielding a trio of candidates vying to succeed Merkel:
• The CDU’s candidate for chancellor, Armin Laschet
• The SPD’s candidate, Olaf Scholz
• The co-leader of the Greens, Annalena Baerbock
With no party likely to emerge with an absolute majority from September’s election, observers suggest a fragmented Bundestag, which would result in months of coalition talks that would slow down the policy-making process in Germany and the European Union.
Following the federal election of 2017, the process to appoint a government took some six months. The CDU/CSU, the Greens and the FDP tried to form a coalition, but the negotiations collapsed over ideological disagreements. Eventually, the CDU/CSU formed a “grand coalition” with the SPD.
POLITICS: Germany election prospects (Graphic)
GN41599 Graphic shows changing election results since 1980 and latest poll averages.
(107mm by 158mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), along with the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), have governed together for the most of the last two decades. Many Germans are ready for change.
The latest Politico poll of polls has the CDU/CSU at 29%, the Greens at 18%, and the SPD is at 16%. The pro-business FDP is at 12%, the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) is at 10%, and the left-wing Die Linke is at 7%.
The three most popular parties are fielding a trio of candidates vying to succeed Merkel:
• The CDU’s candidate for chancellor, Armin Laschet
• The SPD’s candidate, Olaf Scholz
• The co-leader of the Greens, Annalena Baerbock
With no party likely to emerge with an absolute majority from September’s election, observers suggest a fragmented Bundestag, which would result in months of coalition talks that would slow down the policy-making process in Germany and the European Union.
Following the federal election of 2017, the process to appoint a government took some six months. The CDU/CSU, the Greens and the FDP tried to form a coalition, but the negotiations collapsed over ideological disagreements. Eventually, the CDU/CSU formed a “grand coalition” with the SPD.
POLITICS: Germany election prospects (Graphic)
GN41599 Graphic shows changing election results since 1980 and latest poll averages.
(107mm by 158mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
HEALTH: U.S. drug overdose fatalities soar (Graphic)
July 15, 2021 -- A record number of Americans died of drug overdoses last year, rising almost 30% to over 90,000 deaths, according to a new CDC report.
Drug overdose deaths in the United States rose by 29.4% in 2020, according to a new report by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.
An estimated 93,331 drug overdose deaths were reported in 2020 up from 72,151 estimated fatalities the year before.
Overdose deaths from opioids rose 37% in 12 months, to 69,710, largely fuelled by synthetic opioids like fentanyl and semi-synthetic opioids such as prescription painkillers.
HEALTH: U.S. drug overdose fatalities soar (Graphic)
GN41596 Graphic charts U.S. drug overdose deaths since 2015.
(107mm by 115mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
Drug overdose deaths in the United States rose by 29.4% in 2020, according to a new report by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.
An estimated 93,331 drug overdose deaths were reported in 2020 up from 72,151 estimated fatalities the year before.
Overdose deaths from opioids rose 37% in 12 months, to 69,710, largely fuelled by synthetic opioids like fentanyl and semi-synthetic opioids such as prescription painkillers.
HEALTH: U.S. drug overdose fatalities soar (Graphic)
GN41596 Graphic charts U.S. drug overdose deaths since 2015.
(107mm by 115mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
WEATHER: Storms cause flooding across Europe (Graphic)
July 15, 2021 -- More than 20 people have died and scores are missing after devastating floods followed heavy precipitation in Benelux and Germany, as slow-moving storms brought the region’s single-day heaviest rainfall since 1983.
The worst of the flooding has been in the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, where homes and vehicles have been swept away as major rivers burst their banks. Up to 70 people are missing after houses collapsed in the village of Schuld. At least four people have died in neighbouring Belgium, while the Netherlands has also been badly hit.
A slow-moving low pressure system has set up across northern Europe and is expected to continue bringing record rainfall to parts of France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic and Italy.
WEATHER: Storms cause flooding across Europe (Graphic)
GN41597 Graphic shows areas worst affected by flooding and areas still expecting heavy rainfall in the coming days.
(107mm wide by mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
The worst of the flooding has been in the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, where homes and vehicles have been swept away as major rivers burst their banks. Up to 70 people are missing after houses collapsed in the village of Schuld. At least four people have died in neighbouring Belgium, while the Netherlands has also been badly hit.
A slow-moving low pressure system has set up across northern Europe and is expected to continue bringing record rainfall to parts of France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic and Italy.
WEATHER: Storms cause flooding across Europe (Graphic)
GN41597 Graphic shows areas worst affected by flooding and areas still expecting heavy rainfall in the coming days.
(107mm wide by mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
AFGHANISTAN: Taliban take key border post (Graphic)
July 15, 2021 -- Taliban fighters in Afghanistan have seized control of Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak crossing with Pakistan – one of the most important objectives they have achieved as U.S. forces pull out.
The crossing, south of Afghanistan’s main southern city Kandahar, is the landlocked country’s second busiest entry point and main commercial artery between its sprawling southwest region and Pakistani sea ports. Afghan government data indicate that the route is used by 900 trucks a day, Reuters said.
The Taliban have in recent days seized other major border crossings, in Herat, Farah and Kunduz provinces in the north and west. Control of border posts allows the Taliban to collect revenue, said Shafiqullah Attai, chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment in the capital Kabul.
AFGHANISTAN: Taliban take key border post (Graphic)
GN41594 Graphic shows areas of control, and Afghanistan trade via crossing points.
(107mm by 135mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
The crossing, south of Afghanistan’s main southern city Kandahar, is the landlocked country’s second busiest entry point and main commercial artery between its sprawling southwest region and Pakistani sea ports. Afghan government data indicate that the route is used by 900 trucks a day, Reuters said.
The Taliban have in recent days seized other major border crossings, in Herat, Farah and Kunduz provinces in the north and west. Control of border posts allows the Taliban to collect revenue, said Shafiqullah Attai, chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment in the capital Kabul.
AFGHANISTAN: Taliban take key border post (Graphic)
GN41594 Graphic shows areas of control, and Afghanistan trade via crossing points.
(107mm by 135mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
BUSINESS: U.S. household debt record (Graphic)
July 15, 2021 -- U.S. consumer debt soared by $85 billion to $14.64 trillion in the first three months of 2021, driven by a jump in mortgages, auto and student loans -- the largest components of household debt.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit show that total household debt increased by $85 billion (0.6 per cent) to $14.64 trillion in the first quarter of 2021.
Fueled by low rates and a red-hot housing market, mortgage debt rose by $117 billion in the first quarter of 2021 and stood at $10.16 trillion at the end of March.
Auto and student loan balances increased by $8 billion and $29 billion in the first quarter, respectively.
One surprise in the report came from a substantial decline in credit card debt. Credit card balances now total $770 billion, or $157 billion lower than they were at the end of 2019, “consistent with both paydowns among borrowers and reduced consumption opportunities,” the report stated.
In total, non-housing balances (including credit card, auto loan, student loan, and other debts) decreased by $18 billion and are now $49 billion below the 2019-Q4 level.
BUSINESS: U.S. household debt record (Graphic)
GN41595 Graphic shows U.S. consumer debt since 2004.
(107mm by 130mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit show that total household debt increased by $85 billion (0.6 per cent) to $14.64 trillion in the first quarter of 2021.
Fueled by low rates and a red-hot housing market, mortgage debt rose by $117 billion in the first quarter of 2021 and stood at $10.16 trillion at the end of March.
Auto and student loan balances increased by $8 billion and $29 billion in the first quarter, respectively.
One surprise in the report came from a substantial decline in credit card debt. Credit card balances now total $770 billion, or $157 billion lower than they were at the end of 2019, “consistent with both paydowns among borrowers and reduced consumption opportunities,” the report stated.
In total, non-housing balances (including credit card, auto loan, student loan, and other debts) decreased by $18 billion and are now $49 billion below the 2019-Q4 level.
BUSINESS: U.S. household debt record (Graphic)
GN41595 Graphic shows U.S. consumer debt since 2004.
(107mm by 130mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
NATURE: Manatee death rate soaring in Florida (Graphic)
July 14, 2021 -- More manatees have died in 2021 than at any time in Florida’s known history, says the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
At least 841 manatees have died in Florida, just this year (to July 2), surpassing the previous record set in 2013 when 830 manatees died of exposure to an influx of "red tide" neurotoxin-producing algae.
The Florida manatee (trichechus manatus latirostris), affectionately referred to as a "sea cow", is a gentle obligate herbivore that can move freely between fresh water and salt water, predominantly living off a diet of various seagrasses.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reports the increase in deaths as extreme and more than twice the number recorded in same period last year, when 354 manatees died (637 over the whole year).
According to the FWC, most of the deaths have occurred in the Indian River Lagoon, on the eastern side of the Florida Panhandle – a popular winter home for Florida manatees (a subspecies of the West Indian manatee), mostly found along the coast of Florida, but also as far north as Massachusetts or as far west as Texas.
Indian River Lagoon, once a busy estuary spanning 250 kilometres of seagrass, is now a polluted ecosystem where an estimated 58% of grass has died off since 2009.
A healthy manatee will consume 10% of its body weight in seagrass every day – for a 450 kilogram mammal, that means 45kg of grass per day. Without ample supplies, manatees will overgraze the same areas (preventing seagrass from regrowing), become malnourished and eventually starve to death.
Seagrasses will continue to die if sunlight is shaded out by toxic algae blooms which feed off nitrogen and phosphorus from increasing water pollution brought about by neglected septic tanks, municipal drains spewing out raw sewage and chemical pollutants found in fertiliser – the latter a worsening problem from increasingly active hurricane seasons which wash huge amounts of it into waterways.
With the arrival of warm summer waters, most manatees have now dispersed from overcrowded areas with low seagrass to more plentiful coastal regions. However, watercraft-related woundings have now replaced starvation as the leading cause of manatee deaths – in a typical year, boat collisions cause around a quarter of all manatee fatalities.
There were around 7,520 manatees in Florida, before this year's mortality surge, meaning more than 11% of the population has been wiped out in just six months. Manatee experts fear a return to the near-extinction levels of the 1970s, when only a few hundred remained.
NATURE: Manatee death rate soaring in Florida (Graphic)
GN41591 Graphic summarises what is happening to the Florida manatee.
(107mm by 144mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
At least 841 manatees have died in Florida, just this year (to July 2), surpassing the previous record set in 2013 when 830 manatees died of exposure to an influx of "red tide" neurotoxin-producing algae.
The Florida manatee (trichechus manatus latirostris), affectionately referred to as a "sea cow", is a gentle obligate herbivore that can move freely between fresh water and salt water, predominantly living off a diet of various seagrasses.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reports the increase in deaths as extreme and more than twice the number recorded in same period last year, when 354 manatees died (637 over the whole year).
According to the FWC, most of the deaths have occurred in the Indian River Lagoon, on the eastern side of the Florida Panhandle – a popular winter home for Florida manatees (a subspecies of the West Indian manatee), mostly found along the coast of Florida, but also as far north as Massachusetts or as far west as Texas.
Indian River Lagoon, once a busy estuary spanning 250 kilometres of seagrass, is now a polluted ecosystem where an estimated 58% of grass has died off since 2009.
A healthy manatee will consume 10% of its body weight in seagrass every day – for a 450 kilogram mammal, that means 45kg of grass per day. Without ample supplies, manatees will overgraze the same areas (preventing seagrass from regrowing), become malnourished and eventually starve to death.
Seagrasses will continue to die if sunlight is shaded out by toxic algae blooms which feed off nitrogen and phosphorus from increasing water pollution brought about by neglected septic tanks, municipal drains spewing out raw sewage and chemical pollutants found in fertiliser – the latter a worsening problem from increasingly active hurricane seasons which wash huge amounts of it into waterways.
With the arrival of warm summer waters, most manatees have now dispersed from overcrowded areas with low seagrass to more plentiful coastal regions. However, watercraft-related woundings have now replaced starvation as the leading cause of manatee deaths – in a typical year, boat collisions cause around a quarter of all manatee fatalities.
There were around 7,520 manatees in Florida, before this year's mortality surge, meaning more than 11% of the population has been wiped out in just six months. Manatee experts fear a return to the near-extinction levels of the 1970s, when only a few hundred remained.
NATURE: Manatee death rate soaring in Florida (Graphic)
GN41591 Graphic summarises what is happening to the Florida manatee.
(107mm by 144mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
ENVIRONMENT: EU emissions trading scheme (Graphic)
July 14, 2021 -- The EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) is an effort to reduce greenhouse gases by putting a price on each tonne of carbon emitted by some 12,000 EU businesses and aircraft operators.
The European Commission is to roll out the world’s most ambitious climate change legislation to cut pollution by at least 55% from 1990 levels by 2030.
According to “Fit for 55” proposals, the EU plans to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century.
For example, road transport emissions must be cut by 60% to 90% by 2030, with hefty penalties for carmakers who fail to meet targets. All cars must be zero-emission by 2035, and airlines will eventually have to pay for every tonne of carbon dioxide they emit.
There will be more alternative refuelling points for hydrogen trucks, and the number of electric charging points will rise to one million by 2025 and three million by 2030.
All aircraft departing EU airports are to use sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), from a 2% SAF requirement in 2025, moving to 5% in 2030, 20% in 2035, 32% in 2040, and 63% by 2050.
Fit for 55 plans to boost the use and production of sustainable alternative maritime fuels. Maritime accounts for 11% of EU transport emissions, around 3-4% of total EU CO2 emissions.
The EU’s 27 nations have cut emissions by 24% between 1990 and 2019, primarily driven by limits on pollution imposed by the ETS.
ENVIRONMENT: EU emissions trading scheme (Graphic)
GN41592 Graphic shows EU greenhouse gas emissions and cap and trade system.
(107mm by 149mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
The European Commission is to roll out the world’s most ambitious climate change legislation to cut pollution by at least 55% from 1990 levels by 2030.
According to “Fit for 55” proposals, the EU plans to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century.
For example, road transport emissions must be cut by 60% to 90% by 2030, with hefty penalties for carmakers who fail to meet targets. All cars must be zero-emission by 2035, and airlines will eventually have to pay for every tonne of carbon dioxide they emit.
There will be more alternative refuelling points for hydrogen trucks, and the number of electric charging points will rise to one million by 2025 and three million by 2030.
All aircraft departing EU airports are to use sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), from a 2% SAF requirement in 2025, moving to 5% in 2030, 20% in 2035, 32% in 2040, and 63% by 2050.
Fit for 55 plans to boost the use and production of sustainable alternative maritime fuels. Maritime accounts for 11% of EU transport emissions, around 3-4% of total EU CO2 emissions.
The EU’s 27 nations have cut emissions by 24% between 1990 and 2019, primarily driven by limits on pollution imposed by the ETS.
ENVIRONMENT: EU emissions trading scheme (Graphic)
GN41592 Graphic shows EU greenhouse gas emissions and cap and trade system.
(107mm by 149mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
ECONOMICS: Ageing population threat to U.S. economy (Graphic)
July 13, 2021 -- The Biden administration is warning that the U.S. is heading for a dangerous economic deficit as post-WWII baby boomers become senior citizens, highlighting the need for increased federal aid.
In March, U.S. President Joe Biden proposed boosting federal medical programmes for lower-income citizens by $400 billion to fund at-home care for the elderly and infirm, but is finding it hard to gain enough support even from his own Democratic party.
Post-World War II baby boomers are now becoming senior citizens, highlighting a potentially dangerous lack of caregivers.
Presently, 16.5% of the U.S. population or 54 million people (a figure close to the entire population of Italy), are over the age of 65. By 2030, that is set to reach 74 million elderly. The number of people over the age of 85, who need the most care, is growing even more rapidly.
The global pandemic has highlighted the lack of affordable care for children, the elderly and disabled – with even some Republicans who originally opposed the spending package now seeing the need for change.
Failure to act would likely also further harm the U.S. economy by making it harder for women (who left jobs in their millions during the Covid-19 pandemic to look after out-of-school children and/or elderly relatives), to return to work.
ECONOMICS: Ageing population threat to U.S. economy (Graphic)
GN41582 Graphic maps and charts the ageing population in the United States.
(107mm by 160mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
In March, U.S. President Joe Biden proposed boosting federal medical programmes for lower-income citizens by $400 billion to fund at-home care for the elderly and infirm, but is finding it hard to gain enough support even from his own Democratic party.
Post-World War II baby boomers are now becoming senior citizens, highlighting a potentially dangerous lack of caregivers.
Presently, 16.5% of the U.S. population or 54 million people (a figure close to the entire population of Italy), are over the age of 65. By 2030, that is set to reach 74 million elderly. The number of people over the age of 85, who need the most care, is growing even more rapidly.
The global pandemic has highlighted the lack of affordable care for children, the elderly and disabled – with even some Republicans who originally opposed the spending package now seeing the need for change.
Failure to act would likely also further harm the U.S. economy by making it harder for women (who left jobs in their millions during the Covid-19 pandemic to look after out-of-school children and/or elderly relatives), to return to work.
ECONOMICS: Ageing population threat to U.S. economy (Graphic)
GN41582 Graphic maps and charts the ageing population in the United States.
(107mm by 160mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
AVIATION: C919 nears commercial service (Graphic)
July 13, 2021 -- After more than a decade in development and $72 billion in state support, China’s first passenger jet, the single-aisle Comac C919, is nearing approval to start commercial flights.
Spun out of China’s military aviation industry in 2008, Comac has announced close to 1,000 orders and options for the plane, mainly from domestic customers. The first delivery, to China Eastern Airlines, is due to take place by the end of this year, according to the Financial Times.
The C919 is no match in fuel efficiency or range for the newest versions of the Airbus A320 or Boeing’s 737 family. But the big worry for the western groups is that future iterations could make a large dent in orders from China.
The country is on course to become the world’s largest aviation market. Boeing predicts the country’s airlines will acquire a total of 8,600 new planes over the next 20 years alone, FT said.
AVIATION: C919 nears commercial service (Graphic)
GN41580 Graphic shows selected C919 suppliers, and comparison with Boeing and Airbus rivals.
(107mm by 130mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
Spun out of China’s military aviation industry in 2008, Comac has announced close to 1,000 orders and options for the plane, mainly from domestic customers. The first delivery, to China Eastern Airlines, is due to take place by the end of this year, according to the Financial Times.
The C919 is no match in fuel efficiency or range for the newest versions of the Airbus A320 or Boeing’s 737 family. But the big worry for the western groups is that future iterations could make a large dent in orders from China.
The country is on course to become the world’s largest aviation market. Boeing predicts the country’s airlines will acquire a total of 8,600 new planes over the next 20 years alone, FT said.
AVIATION: C919 nears commercial service (Graphic)
GN41580 Graphic shows selected C919 suppliers, and comparison with Boeing and Airbus rivals.
(107mm by 130mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
SPACE: Hubble’s hitches (Graphic)
July 13, 2021 -- NASA has placed its Hubble Space Telescope in “safe mode” configuration after the payload computer -- which controls its science instruments -- suddenly stopped working.
SPACE: Hubble’s hitches (Graphic)
GN41583 Graphic shows timeline of Hubble Space Telescope glitches.
(107mm by 160mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
SPACE: Hubble’s hitches (Graphic)
GN41583 Graphic shows timeline of Hubble Space Telescope glitches.
(107mm by 160mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
AVIATION: Youngest solo pilot breaks world record (2) (Graphic)
July 12, 2021 -- An 18-year-old British pilot has broken the world record for the youngest person to fly solo round the world in a single-engine aircraft.
Travis Ludlow, from Buckinghamshire, England, departed Teuge in The Netherlands on May 29, heading east across Europe via Poland, before flying through Russia, crossing the International Date Line and entering Alaska.
After meandering through north America and crossing the Atlantic Ocean, Ludlow flew into western Europe and north Africa before, before his trip back to Teuge – landing safely back where he started, on July 12 – breaking the world record.
The teenage pilot made the trip in a Cessna 172R, regarded as the safest single engine aircraft ever built, upgraded with the latest avionics and aerodynamic fairings. Another useful aspect is that the plane has sold 44,000 units, meaning there were very few aviation maintenance facilities in the world that did not have experience of the 172 aircraft, when Travis’ plane required repairs.
The previous world record holder was Mason Andrews from the U.S., who completed his round-the-word trip aged 18-and-a-half, in 2018.
AVIATION: Youngest solo pilot breaks world record (2) (Graphic)
GN41525 Graphic shows the flight path of Travis Ludlow on his journey around the world.
(107mm by 140mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
Travis Ludlow, from Buckinghamshire, England, departed Teuge in The Netherlands on May 29, heading east across Europe via Poland, before flying through Russia, crossing the International Date Line and entering Alaska.
After meandering through north America and crossing the Atlantic Ocean, Ludlow flew into western Europe and north Africa before, before his trip back to Teuge – landing safely back where he started, on July 12 – breaking the world record.
The teenage pilot made the trip in a Cessna 172R, regarded as the safest single engine aircraft ever built, upgraded with the latest avionics and aerodynamic fairings. Another useful aspect is that the plane has sold 44,000 units, meaning there were very few aviation maintenance facilities in the world that did not have experience of the 172 aircraft, when Travis’ plane required repairs.
The previous world record holder was Mason Andrews from the U.S., who completed his round-the-word trip aged 18-and-a-half, in 2018.
AVIATION: Youngest solo pilot breaks world record (2) (Graphic)
GN41525 Graphic shows the flight path of Travis Ludlow on his journey around the world.
(107mm by 140mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
HISTORY: Conquest of Mexico 500th anniversary (Graphic)
August 13, 2021 -- After a three-month siege, Spanish conquistadores under Hernán Cortés captured the city of Tenochtitlan on August 13, 1521, bringing an end to Aztec civilisation. Modern-day Mexico City was built on the ruins of the Aztec capital.
The world-changing battle started on May 22, 1521, when Cortés and his 800 Spaniards, including infantry, cavalry, and ships loaded with cannons – plus 50,000 indigenous allies – lay siege to Tenochtitlan.
They had entered the city in 1520, but had been chased out with great losses a few months later, leaving most of their plundered gold behind.
But the Spaniards were able to draw on their experience of sieges during the recently concluded Christian Reconquista of Muslim Spain. They cut off supplies of fresh water and food for the city.
During Cortés’ brief stay in Mexico City in 1520, the Aztecs had begun to be infected with smallpox. The illness decimated Tenochtitlan’s population and greatly weakened their fighting power.
The siege of Tenochtitlan lasted for months until the city finally fell to the conquistadores on August 13. It was one of the few times an organised indigenous army, under local command, fought European colonisers to a standstill. After many months, their final defeat became a template for much of the colonisation that followed.
The marking of the 500th anniversary is straining the relation between Mexico and Spain. In March, Mexico’s president Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent a letter to Spain’s King Felipe VI and Pope Francis urging them to apologise for human rights abuses committed during the conquest of the region 500 years ago.
Spain rejected his request and called for a “constructive perspective” instead.
HISTORY: Conquest of Mexico 500th anniversary (Graphic)
GN41486 Graphic shows the layout of the ceremonial complex of Tenochtitlan, and a timeline of the conquest of the Aztec Empire.
(284mm wide by 262mm deep) View graphic
The world-changing battle started on May 22, 1521, when Cortés and his 800 Spaniards, including infantry, cavalry, and ships loaded with cannons – plus 50,000 indigenous allies – lay siege to Tenochtitlan.
They had entered the city in 1520, but had been chased out with great losses a few months later, leaving most of their plundered gold behind.
But the Spaniards were able to draw on their experience of sieges during the recently concluded Christian Reconquista of Muslim Spain. They cut off supplies of fresh water and food for the city.
During Cortés’ brief stay in Mexico City in 1520, the Aztecs had begun to be infected with smallpox. The illness decimated Tenochtitlan’s population and greatly weakened their fighting power.
The siege of Tenochtitlan lasted for months until the city finally fell to the conquistadores on August 13. It was one of the few times an organised indigenous army, under local command, fought European colonisers to a standstill. After many months, their final defeat became a template for much of the colonisation that followed.
The marking of the 500th anniversary is straining the relation between Mexico and Spain. In March, Mexico’s president Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent a letter to Spain’s King Felipe VI and Pope Francis urging them to apologise for human rights abuses committed during the conquest of the region 500 years ago.
Spain rejected his request and called for a “constructive perspective” instead.
HISTORY: Conquest of Mexico 500th anniversary (Graphic)
GN41486 Graphic shows the layout of the ceremonial complex of Tenochtitlan, and a timeline of the conquest of the Aztec Empire.
(284mm wide by 262mm deep) View graphic
BUSINESS: Tokyo Olympic costs (Graphic)
June 23, 2021 -- Tokyo’s postponed Olympics budget has more than doubled from the $7.3 billion Japan initially earmarked when the International Olympic Committee awarded the games in 2013.
Japanese taxpayers learned last December that the entire cost of holding the Games would come to about $15.4 billion. The price tag includes $2.8 billion for postponement due to the pandemic. Taxpayers will be responsible for two-thirds of this bill.
Organisers initially sold some 4.48 million tickets worth some 90 billion yen ($815 million). On June 21, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto announced a cap on spectators at half venue capacity, with an upper limit of 10,000 -- and a ban on overseas spectators. This cap will result in lost ticket revenue of $335 million.
When the IOC awarded the Games to Japan, Tokyo expected spectators to spend some $2 billion on tickets, hotels, sushi meals, merchandise and travel around the country. Most revenue would have come from overseas spectators.
In 2019, Japan hosted 31.9 million foreign visitors, who spent nearly 4.81 trillion yen ($44 billion). Numbers plunged 87% in 2020 to just 4.1 million, a 22-year low -- equivalent to a plunge of $38.4 billion in tourism revenue.
BUSINESS: Tokyo Olympic costs (Graphic)
GN41497 Graphic shows soaring cost of the Olympics since 1992.
(107mm by 115mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
Japanese taxpayers learned last December that the entire cost of holding the Games would come to about $15.4 billion. The price tag includes $2.8 billion for postponement due to the pandemic. Taxpayers will be responsible for two-thirds of this bill.
Organisers initially sold some 4.48 million tickets worth some 90 billion yen ($815 million). On June 21, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto announced a cap on spectators at half venue capacity, with an upper limit of 10,000 -- and a ban on overseas spectators. This cap will result in lost ticket revenue of $335 million.
When the IOC awarded the Games to Japan, Tokyo expected spectators to spend some $2 billion on tickets, hotels, sushi meals, merchandise and travel around the country. Most revenue would have come from overseas spectators.
In 2019, Japan hosted 31.9 million foreign visitors, who spent nearly 4.81 trillion yen ($44 billion). Numbers plunged 87% in 2020 to just 4.1 million, a 22-year low -- equivalent to a plunge of $38.4 billion in tourism revenue.
BUSINESS: Tokyo Olympic costs (Graphic)
GN41497 Graphic shows soaring cost of the Olympics since 1992.
(107mm by 115mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
SPACE: NASA’s Psyche mission (Graphic)
August 1, 2022 -- NASA is to explore a giant asteroid which, unlike most other asteroids that are rocky or icy bodies, appears to be the exposed metal core of a planet from the early days of our solar system.
Most of the objects in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter are rocky, but 16 Psyche appears to be made primarily of iron and nickel similar to Earth’s core.
The mission will help scientists assess the hypothesis that the 226km-wide asteroid may be the exposed core of an ancient planet, whose rocky outer layers were stripped away by impacts long ago.
The spacecraft will also carry a technology demonstration called Deep Space Optical Communication. This instrument will transmit data to Earth using photons, a more efficient strategy than the traditional radio-wave method, mission team members have said.
If all proceeds as planned, Psyche will be launched atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida in Aug 2022, perform a gravity-assist flyby of Mars in May 2023, and arrive in orbit around Psyche in 2026.
SPACE: NASA’s Psyche mission (Graphic)
GN41211 Graphic shows details of NASA’s Psyche mission.
(107mm wide by 161mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
Most of the objects in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter are rocky, but 16 Psyche appears to be made primarily of iron and nickel similar to Earth’s core.
The mission will help scientists assess the hypothesis that the 226km-wide asteroid may be the exposed core of an ancient planet, whose rocky outer layers were stripped away by impacts long ago.
The spacecraft will also carry a technology demonstration called Deep Space Optical Communication. This instrument will transmit data to Earth using photons, a more efficient strategy than the traditional radio-wave method, mission team members have said.
If all proceeds as planned, Psyche will be launched atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida in Aug 2022, perform a gravity-assist flyby of Mars in May 2023, and arrive in orbit around Psyche in 2026.
SPACE: NASA’s Psyche mission (Graphic)
GN41211 Graphic shows details of NASA’s Psyche mission.
(107mm wide by 161mm deep (print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
HEALTH: Coronavirus pandemic interactive (6) (Interactive UPDATED Jan 28)
January 28, 2021 -- Countries around the world are struggling to control the pandemic of the pneumonia-like virus that originated in China late 2019 as it spreads across the globe.
The number of people around the world who have contracted coronavirus is continuing to surge, with the death toll from the pandemic rising rapidly, as the global outbreak continues to take lives and wreak havoc on economies and established routines of life.
Medical workers and health services around the world are also at breaking point and the livelihoods of millions are at risk amid a widespread shutdown caused by the virus and the damage the viral outbreak is inflicting on the global economy. Layoffs are sure to accelerate as the world sinks into a recession with revenue collapsing at restaurants, hotels, movie theatres, gyms, airlines and numerous other businesses.
HEALTH: Coronavirus pandemic interactive (6) (Interactive UPDATED Jan 28)
GN40054 Interactive graphic shows cases, fatalities, and recovered cases from the COVID-19 coronavirus. N.B. This data is updated weekly on a Monday.
(800px wide by 568px deep)
The number of people around the world who have contracted coronavirus is continuing to surge, with the death toll from the pandemic rising rapidly, as the global outbreak continues to take lives and wreak havoc on economies and established routines of life.
Medical workers and health services around the world are also at breaking point and the livelihoods of millions are at risk amid a widespread shutdown caused by the virus and the damage the viral outbreak is inflicting on the global economy. Layoffs are sure to accelerate as the world sinks into a recession with revenue collapsing at restaurants, hotels, movie theatres, gyms, airlines and numerous other businesses.
HEALTH: Coronavirus pandemic interactive (6) (Interactive UPDATED Jan 28)
GN40054 Interactive graphic shows cases, fatalities, and recovered cases from the COVID-19 coronavirus. N.B. This data is updated weekly on a Monday.
(800px wide by 568px deep)
ISRAEL: Palestinian Sheikh Jarrah evictions (1) (Graphic)
July 30, 2021 -- Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett may seek to postpone a Supreme Court decision on the forced eviction of four Palestinian families in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah, ahead of a planned trip to Washington.
On Monday (August 2), the Israeli Supreme Court will hold a hearing to decide whether to evict the Iskafi, Kurd, Jaanoi and Qassem families -- consisting of 30 adults and ten children -- from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah. Currently, 38 Palestinian families are living in the district.
According to The Times of Israel, Bennett does not want the evictions to create problems for his first planned visit to the White House as prime minister, due in August.
An impartial “amicus curiae” brief prepared by four prominent Israeli legal experts -- Professor Eyal Benvenisti, Professor Orna Ben Naftali, Professor David Kretzmer and Dr Natalie Davidson -- presents hitherto unheard arguments rooted in international human rights law.
According to the brief, more than 1,000 Palestinian residents in Silwan neighbourhood south of Jerusalem Old City and Sheikh Jarra to the north have a human right to housing. This right includes continuing to live in properties that have served as their homes for decades.
The brief concludes that the Supreme Court case is not just another property rights dispute between equal parties because it involves the Israeli government.
“In terms of international law, there is an institution called state responsibility. At some point, the state must be held accountable for human rights violations,” wrote Professor Eyal Benvenisti.
In May, the Sheikh Jarrah dispute helped to trigger 11 days of intense fighting between Israel and Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group.
Since the beginning of 2020, Israeli courts have ordered the eviction of 13 Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah.
ISRAEL: Palestinian Sheikh Jarrah evictions (1) (Graphic)
GN41541 Graphic shows Palestinian homes under threat in Sheikh Jarrah.
(107mm by 161mm deep
(print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
On Monday (August 2), the Israeli Supreme Court will hold a hearing to decide whether to evict the Iskafi, Kurd, Jaanoi and Qassem families -- consisting of 30 adults and ten children -- from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah. Currently, 38 Palestinian families are living in the district.
According to The Times of Israel, Bennett does not want the evictions to create problems for his first planned visit to the White House as prime minister, due in August.
An impartial “amicus curiae” brief prepared by four prominent Israeli legal experts -- Professor Eyal Benvenisti, Professor Orna Ben Naftali, Professor David Kretzmer and Dr Natalie Davidson -- presents hitherto unheard arguments rooted in international human rights law.
According to the brief, more than 1,000 Palestinian residents in Silwan neighbourhood south of Jerusalem Old City and Sheikh Jarra to the north have a human right to housing. This right includes continuing to live in properties that have served as their homes for decades.
The brief concludes that the Supreme Court case is not just another property rights dispute between equal parties because it involves the Israeli government.
“In terms of international law, there is an institution called state responsibility. At some point, the state must be held accountable for human rights violations,” wrote Professor Eyal Benvenisti.
In May, the Sheikh Jarrah dispute helped to trigger 11 days of intense fighting between Israel and Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group.
Since the beginning of 2020, Israeli courts have ordered the eviction of 13 Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah.
ISRAEL: Palestinian Sheikh Jarrah evictions (1) (Graphic)
GN41541 Graphic shows Palestinian homes under threat in Sheikh Jarrah.
(107mm by 161mm deep
(print) and 2-screen responsive graphic (digital)) View graphic
HISTORY: ON THIS DAY auto-updating (1) (Interactive UPDATED Jun 2)
January 1 - December 31, 2021 -- Have a look at how this interactive graphic auto-updates each day to show a range of international anniversaries and events today in history - a daily feature to engage your online visitors day after day.
EDITORS: This graphic is a responsive interactive that can be published in an iframe. The events and picture displayed are determined by the system clock on the device on which it is viewed.
The graphic can be published using embed code. If you host the graphic yourself you may wish to substitute some of the events or images to give a more national or local interest. The image and text for each day are held in the hypresources folder. Data is supplied for a whole year (instructions available - see below)
HISTORY: ON THIS DAY auto-updating (1) (Interactive UPDATED Jun 2)
GN40881 Responsive graphic shows anniversaries and events from today’s date in history. Changes automatically each day. Come back tomorrow to see anniversaries and events for that date.
(800px wide by 650px deep - auto updating)
EDITORS: This graphic is a responsive interactive that can be published in an iframe. The events and picture displayed are determined by the system clock on the device on which it is viewed.
The graphic can be published using embed code. If you host the graphic yourself you may wish to substitute some of the events or images to give a more national or local interest. The image and text for each day are held in the hypresources folder. Data is supplied for a whole year (instructions available - see below)
HISTORY: ON THIS DAY auto-updating (1) (Interactive UPDATED Jun 2)
GN40881 Responsive graphic shows anniversaries and events from today’s date in history. Changes automatically each day. Come back tomorrow to see anniversaries and events for that date.
(800px wide by 650px deep - auto updating)