News
- AP News
Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction is overturned by New York's top court
informed Summary
- New York's highest court has overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction on the grounds that the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony based on allegations not part of the case. However, Weinstein will remain in prison due to another rape conviction in Los Angeles in 2022.
News5 min read - El Pais
The cycling revolution in Paris continues: Bicycle use now exceeds car use
informed Summary
- Bicycles have surpassed cars as a means of transport in Paris, accounting for about 11% of trips, according to a study by the Paris Région Institute. The trend is similar for trips between the suburbs and the city center, with 14% made by bicycle.
News5 min read - NBC
Venice launches world first tourist entrance fee in bid to fight overcrowding
informed Summary
- Venice has introduced a 5 euro ($5.5) charge for day-trippers to the city, which is expected to be in place for 80 days of the year. The charge is aimed at reducing the number of tourists on the busiest days.
News1 min read - CNN
Private rooms coming to some of Japan’s bullet trains
informed Summary
- Japan's Shinkansen trains will be upgraded to include private rooms in the upper class section on some trains from 2026. They will initially be introduced on theTokaido line, Japan's busiest, which connect Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka.
News1 min read - CNN
Indian teenager becomes youngest challenger for world chess title
informed Summary
- Indian chess prodigy Gukesh D, aged 17, has become the youngest player to win the men's Candidates Tournament in Toronto, Canada. This victory sets him up to challenge reigning world champion Ding Liren of China at the 2024 World Chess Championship.
News2 min read - CNN
The week that life in Dubai ground to a halt
informed Summary
- Dubai experienced its heaviest rainfall in at least 75 years lat week, causing significant disruption and damage in the city. The storm led to a near halt of life in the city, with emergency services working round the clock to manage the situation.
News5 min read - CNN
The UK just moved a step closer to banning smoking. Here’s the sticking point
informed Summary
- The U.K. House of Commons has voted in favor of a proposed smoking ban, which would prevent anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, from ever being able to buy tobacco. The bill easily cleared its first parliamentary hurdle this week.
News4 min read - CBS
John Lennon and Paul McCartney's sons Sean and James release first song together
informed Summary
- James McCartney and Sean Ono Lennon, sons of Beatles legends Paul McCartney and John Lennon respectively, have released a new single titled "Primrose Hill."
News2 min read - AP News
Paris prepares for 100-day countdown to the Olympics. It wants to rekindle love for the Games
informed Summary
- The Paris Olympics and Paralympics will leave a legacy of new and refurbished sports infrastructure in the disadvantaged Seine-Saint-Denis region, including an Olympic pool that will be dismantled and moved to the area after the Games. The region is mainland France's poorest and has a diverse population of 1.6 million people.
News4 min read - CNN
Why Scotland’s ‘ghost’ whisky distilleries are coming back to life
informed Summary
- The Port Ellen distillery on the Isle of Islay in Scotland has reopened after staying closed for four decades due to a global recession and overproduction of Scotch. The distillery, owned by international drinks giant Diageo, has been refurbished following a boom in demand for single malt whisky.
News6 min read - CBS
Vietnam property tycoon Truong My Lan sentenced to death in $27 billion fraud case
informed Summary
- Truong My Lan, a top Vietnamese property tycoon and chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, was sentenced to death for swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank for a decade. This is one of the biggest corruption cases in history.
News3 min read - CNBC
A landmark ruling in Europe's top rights court delivers a watershed moment for climate litigation
informed Summary
- The European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of over 2,000 elderly Swiss women who argued that the Swiss government's efforts to combat climate change were insufficient to protect them from increasing heatwaves. The court found that the government had violated the human right to respect for private and family life and failed to comply with its duties.
News3 min read - AP News
Even in the age of Google Earth, people still buy globes. Here's why they remain so alluring
informed Summary
- London globemaker Peter Bellerby believes that the human desire to "find our place in the cosmos" has helped globes endure their original purpose of navigation and the rise of the internet. He suggests that globes offer a connection to the planet that digital technologies like Google Earth cannot replicate.
News6 min read - AP News
The world's oldest man says the secret to his longevity is luck, plus regular fish and chips
informed Summary
- John Alfred Tinniswood, a 111-year-old Englishman, has been confirmed as the world's oldest man by Guinness World Records.
News1 min read - CNN
Europe saved its bears from extinction. Now some countries want more rights to shoot them
informed Summary
- A brown bear that injured five people in a Slovakian town was hunted down and killed by a team of 14 armed officers. The incident has sparked debate about the protections enjoyed by the species, with some arguing that the law is too much in the bears' favor at the expense of human lives.
News5 min read - NBC
French diver slips during Paris Olympics pool inauguration
informed Summary
- French diver Alexis Jandard slipped and fell off his springboard during the inauguration of the Paris Aquatics Centre, one of the venues for the upcoming Summer Olympics.
News2 min read - El Pais
Tropicana: The refuge of the mafia and the Rat Pack in Las Vegas closes after 67 years
informed Summary
- The Tropicana, a historic Las Vegas casino, has closed its doors after 67 years of operation. The casino, which was a regular spot for performers like Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., will be demolished to make way for a baseball stadium for the Athletics, an MLB franchise planning to move from Oakland, California.
News5 min read - AP News
Germany has legalized possession of small amounts of cannabis. Not everyone is mellow about that
informed Summary
- Germany has legalized the possession of small amounts of cannabis for recreational use, making it the third European Union country to do so after Malta and Luxembourg. The German Cannabis Association celebrated the new law with a “smoke-in” at Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate.
News2 min read - NBC
Glistening buildings, crisp bed sheets and security worries: Inside Paris’ Olympic prep
informed Summary
- Paris is preparing for the 2024 Olympics, with the athletes' village already completed ahead of schedule. However, security concerns are looming, particularly around the grand opening ceremony -- a 3.5-mile flotilla along the river Seine.
News5 min read - AP News
Olympics taster: Paris race celebrates the waiters and waitresses who nourish city's life and soul
informed Summary
- Paris has revived a 110-year-old race for waiters and waitresses, which involves participants balancing a tray with a croissant, a coffee cup, and a glass of water through the streets of the city. The race is a celebration of the men and women who work in France's cafés and restaurants.
News3 min read
