Category Archives: Viva!

Something on Mars Is Producing Gas Usually Made by Living Things on Earth

Mars emits methane, a European orbiter has confirmed. But scientists can’t say yet whether the source is geological or biological.

Neo-fascist violence keeps Roma out of Rome neighbourhood

Fascist run amok!

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City council appears to capitulate after protesters set cars on fire and destroy food

Hundreds of neo-fascists, far-right activists and local residents took to the streets of a Rome suburb on Tuesday in a violent protest against 70 Roma people, including 33 children and 22 women, who were to be temporarily transferred to a reception centre in the area.

Demonstrators set fire to cars and bins, destroyed food that was meant for Roma and prevented their entry into a shelter for vulnerable people.

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Michelle Williams ‘paralysed’ by news she was paid $1,000 as male co-star got $1.5m

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The actor has expressed disappointment over the huge gap in pay compared to Mark Wahlberg for reshoots on All the Money in the World

Michelle Williams has spoken of her upset over revelations she was paid drastically less than her male co-star for work reshooting the thriller All the Money in the World.

Williams reportedly received less than $1,000 for her work on the hurried reconvention of production on Ridley Scott’s film, which was reshot with Christopher Plummer taking over the lead role following allegations of sexual misconduct against Kevin Spacey, its original lead. Her co-star, Mark Wahlberg, pocketed $1.5m.

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Deadly appetite: 10 animals we are eating into extinction

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From eel and sturgeon to pangolin and turtle, hundreds of species are threatened by human hunger or greed. Here are some of the most at risk

If there is a single dish that has come to symbolise humans’ willingness to eat other animals out of existence, it is the ortolan bunting. Traditionally, you devour this diminutive songbird, prized since Roman times, whole, in one fell bite, your head hidden under a napkin to hide your shame from God (although, drowned in armagnac and deep-fried, this “delicacy” is also just plain messy).

In France, where hunting ortolans has been banned since 1999, 30,000 birds are still trapped every year, according to the RSPB; they are said to fetch up to €150 (£130) apiece. Despite conservation efforts, ortolan numbers dropped by 84% between 1980 and 2012.

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Donald Trump wrongly claims his father was born in Germany – again

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President made the claim about his New York-born father, Fred Trump, during a press conference with the Nato secretary general

Donald Trump has wrongly claimed his father was born in Germany, again, during a press conference with the Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg.

Trump made the claim while criticizing Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, whose country, the president said, “was not paying their fair share” toward the military alliance.

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‘Grassroots’ Facebook Brexit ads secretly run by staff of Lynton Crosby firm

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Exclusive: ‘grassroots’ groups that spent up to £1m on targeted Facebook ads share administrator who works for lobbying firm

A series of hugely influential Facebook advertising campaigns that appear to be separate grassroots movements for a no-deal Brexit are secretly overseen by employees of Sir Lynton Crosby’s lobbying company and a former adviser to Boris Johnson, documents seen by the Guardian reveal.

The mysterious groups, which have names such as Mainstream Network and Britain’s Future, appear to be run independently by members of the public and give no hint that they are connected. But in reality they share an administrator who works for Crosby’s CTF Partners and have spent as much as £1m promoting sophisticated targeted adverts aimed at heaping pressure on individual MPs to vote for a hard Brexit.

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Muslims and Jews face a common threat from white supremacists. We must fight it together | Jonathan Freedland and Mehdi Hasan

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From Christchurch to Pittsburgh, the two communities are under attack. It is time to stand united

The two of us have been having the exact same conversation for the past decade. About antisemitism and Islamophobia. One of us a Muslim, the other a Jew, we have conducted it in public and in private, on Twitter and on TV. We’ve agreed; we’ve argued; we’ve even wandered off topic to trade tips on how to get through a fast. Now we’ve come together because of the urgent and common threat that we face. Both of our communities are under violent attack from far-right white supremacists.

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H.R. 2029: To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to submit a report on the response of law enforcement agencies to reports of missing or murdered Indians.

Introduced: Sponsor: Rep. Ruben Gallego [D-AZ7]

This bill was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources and House Committee on the Judiciary which will consider it before sending it to the House floor for consideration.

Rep. Ruben Gallego [D-AZ7] is a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources.