If you've been considering buying a new TV, you've seen it: Companies with super fancy 60-inch QLED TVs bragging about a 50% off sale — except 50% off doesn't do much when the TV was originally $6,000.
Don't succumb to the idea that TV shopping on a budget means a shitty 40-inch: This 60-inch 4K TV from Vizio is on sale at Walmart for just $399, making it $200 cheaper than the sale price at Vizio's site.
The "D" in Vizio's D-Series literally stands for "dependable," offering customers 4K 3840×2160 ultra HD clarity and the ability to handle graphics-heavy gaming. Stream content from all of your favorite apps right on the TV, or use the Vizio SmartCast to cast music, shows, and movies from your phone via the built-in Chromecast. This also means that you can use your smartphone as a remote instead of the actual remote — or you can just ask Alexa or Google Assistant. Read more...
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. Proceed with caution.
11 years of Marvel movies is a long time, and what a beautiful time it has been. Like any momentous decade-ish occasion, no one is where or who they were all those years ago. Some look different (just not Paul Rudd), some evolved as characters, and some were plucked from obscurity to become some of our favorite on-screen characters.
The Avengers may not have had a classic American high school graduation and reunion, but we'd like to give them some superlatives we can look back on fondly as this chapter comes to a close. Read more...
Air Fryers and Instant Pots have been all the rage in the kitchen appliance category in the last year or so — and for good reason: They’re innovative and versatile. The only drawback is that they can get a bit pricey.
The Instant Pot Duo Mini is a three-quart multi-cooker, making it great for side dishes or smaller servings. If it’s just you or you and another person in your household, this Instant Pot will be more than enough for your everyday use. Read more...
Sonic the Hedgehog, star of the upcoming movie Sonic The Hedgehog, looks so unsettling.
The first trailer for Sonic The Hedgehog hit the internet on Tuesday morning, forever changing the way we think about the speedy blue mammal who began his life as a simple video game protagonist. Sonic looks so weird, and people cannot let it go.
Jokes and criticisms immediately flooded Twitter when the trailer hit. The messages form the public vary, but everyone seems to agree that Sonic is looking bad.
Many people were immediately concerned with Sonic's teeth, which look way too human.
Bad news for some fans, good for others: it looks very much like the Starks are going to win Game of Thrones.
Jon Snow, still a Stark on his mother’s side, will squeak through yet another unlikely, heart-stopping victory against the odds. The warring Lannisters will destroy each other. Dany, shorn of nearly all her military power, will die on the battlefield. Jon, failing upwards his whole life, will stay on the Iron Throne just long enough to renounce his name and title, and break the wheel of monarchy itself.
Power will devolve to his Hand, Sansa Stark, the only leader in Westeros who knows how to keep people fed in Winter. Read more...
You really are left to fend for yourself in Red Dead Redemption 2, to the extent that you actually have to track down wild animals to hunt.
We're not going to go as far as to say that we're exactly like the outlaws in Red Dead Redemption, but there are some similarities when it comes to how we track down our prey. Our prey being deals, of course.
We'll find a shiny new product in the wild and observe it from afar. Then we'll track its movements over time, until the time is right to strike. When it comes to the Red Dead Redemption 2 and collectible SteelBookbundle, that time is now.
This bundle started out at £59.99, and has fluctuated over the last few months, but is now down to just £35.99 for PS4 and Xbox. That's the lowest price ever, and needs to be snapped up sooner rather than later. There's no way to tell which way the price will move next, but it's unlikely to drop much lower, if at all. Read more...
Whether you like it or not, Australians can't seem to get enough of Vegemite, the yeast extract spread of dreams. They eat it in popsicles, in chocolate bars, and now, they're practically drinking it.
Sydney-based gin distiller Archie Rose has created what they've called a "hot buttered toast spirit" that channels the flavour of Vegemite-like spreads on toast — an oft-consumed breakfast of Australians.
It's called Archie-Mite, set for release on May 8, and has been distilled with a handful of unnamed yeast-extract spreads (similar to Marmite, which is more popular in the UK). Read more...
At long last, the trailer for the live-action Sonic The Hedgehog movie has arrived, confirming that those leaked images of Sonic were real all along.
Is that a good thing? I don't think so, because wow is that blue hedgehog unsettling looking. Why are his legs so long and beefy? Why are his eyes like that? Does the line "it looks like I'm going to have to save your planet" imply that he's an alien?
This is only two-and-a-half minutes of footage so maybe the whole movie will be a little less unnerving. At least Jim Carrey looks great as Dr. Robotnik and Ben Schwartz nails Sonic's voice.
Sonic The Hedgehog spin-dashes into theaters in November. Read more...
With Avengers: Endgame and the "Long Night" episode of Game of Thrones arriving at roughly the same time, it's fair to say that we're experiencing a golden-age of watching incredible fight scenes. It's actually hard work, and can leave you feeling pretty drained, emotionally and physically.
It you are a glutton for punishment, then you can pre-order the complete boxset of Avengers titles for £24.99 on DVD, and go through the agony and ecstasy all over again. If you would prefer the four-movie collection on Blu-ray, then it'll cost you £34.99 to pre-order.
If you're thinking of holding off to see whether the price falls before the final movie is released on DVD or Blu-ray, then there's no need. That's due to Amazon's pre-order price guarantee. If you order now and the Amazon price decreases between the time you place your order and the release date, you'll be charged the lowest price. So there's nothing stopping you. Read more...
It doesn't matter if you're a hardcore, casual, or completely amateur gamer, because we have a fantastic deal for all of you.
Every once in a while, we'll see a discounted gaming console. The best deals will usually be bundle offerings, and that's the case right here, with the Xbox One S 1TB Battlefield V Deluxe Edition console reduced to just £179.86 on ShopTo.
That's a really low price, and represents a 28 percent saving on the list price of £249.99. You get a lot for your money too, with Battlefield V Deluxe Edition, Battlefield 1943, Battlefield 1 Revolution, and one month of EA Access included in the bundle. Read more...
It's at this time of year that we naturally start to think about cleaning, before the summer gets going and we've got better things to do.
That's why this deals round-up has a vaguely Spring cleaning theme, with deals on robot vacuum cleaners, handheld vacuum cleaners, and lawn mowers included in this list.
There are plenty of other deals to consider if cleaning is the last thing on your mind, though. We have also tracked down the best deals on smartphones from Huawei, Nokia, Motorola, and other top brands. There are also a bunch of deals on Corsair gaming devices, including gaming mice, keyboards, and headsets. Read more...
Amazon Key In-Car delivery launched a year ago as a new package delivery method for the e-retailer, but only to certain Volvo and General Motors car owners. Now some Ford and Lincoln car owners can get in on the straight-to-trunk delivery.
Instead of Amazon packages lingering by your front stoop just begging to be snatched, you can give Amazon delivery folks access to your vehicle for a safer storage spot until you can pick up the delivery.
Starting Tuesday, FordPass and Lincoln Way remote accessibility apps can be linked to your Amazon Prime account. Once connected, drivers can get into the vehicle to drop off packages. Read more...
Instead of a scooter share, Bird is offering a personal e-scooter monthly lease.
Starting in San Francisco and then heading to Barcelona, Spain, the personal rentals will be available for $24.99 for the month. Bird will drop off a Bird e-scooter, charger, and lock at a selected location. After the month is up Bird comes back to your location to pick up the vehicle, charger, and lock.
For users who want their own scooter without committing to buying one, you can request a monthly rental through the Bird app. Normally, renting a Bird scooter costs $1 to unlock and 15 cents per minute. But for the month you're on the hook for charging, storing, and keeping the Bird out of harm's way. Read more...
When it comes to drug use, some public service announcements try scaremongering or preachiness, or a combination of both, to make their case. (Remember the sizzling egg in a pan from "this is your brain on drugs"?)
But a new PSA about driving while high skips right over fear and goes straight to humor.
The video's hero, a young man first seen smiling in a haze of smoke, is asked to chop a pineapple by his girlfriend. He imagines the dangerous hijinks that would ensue and politely replies, "Nope, I'm high. How 'bout I wash off the grapes?" He comes to a similar conclusion when she proposes driving to get tacos and he can't even catch the car keys she tosses his way. Read more...
As unexpected as the big twist that ended Game of Thrones' "Long Night" was, the set up for Arya's Great War-ending dagger move traces all the way back to Season 1.
Digging into the Valyrian dagger's history on the show only adds layer upon layer of thematic meaning to Arya's clutch moment of glory. And it also might even foreshadow Arya's next target: Cersei Lannister.
Image: hbo
In the Inside the Episode, David Benioff said they've known for about three years that Arya would be the one to deliver the final blow to the Night King. And its clear now they planted a lot of seeds during that time. Read more...
Is anyone still not over Sunday's epic episode of Game of Thrones? We can't wait until the next episode, but until then, let's all try to remember how to breathe, blink, and speak. If you are watching GoT on a small 720p TV or laptop display, you are really doing yourself a disservice. To make sure you can watch the next episode in all its glory, get this Vizio 60" 4K Ultra HD Smart HDTV, for a more immersive experience.
Are you constantly finding ways to reduce your cooking time? With the Instant Pot Duo Mini, you can cook up a delicious meal by just throwing in a bunch of ingredients into the pot, set the time and temp and just let it do its magic. We love to turn it on before work so dinner will be ready when we get home. Need to prepare a larger batch of food? Walmart has the Instant Pot Lux 6-quart 6-in-1 multi cooker for $69.99. It's also a great Mother's Day gift idea for those of you that are still scrambling to find a gift. Read more...
At this year's Mobile World Congress in February, Energizer (and Avenir Telecom, who has partnered with Energizer to manufacture phones under its brand) announced an incredibly thick, 18,000mAh battery phone called the P18K.
The thing was entirely ridiculous, but there was still a possibility that someone cared about battery life so much that they'd actually buy it — after all, with that battery capacity, the phone was likely to last a week between charges.
Alas, it was not meant to be. Avenir launched an Indiegogo campaign for the phone, and — as The Verge noted Tuesday — it failed miserably. Read more...
There are some things you don't expect from children's musicians. Obscenely inappropriate dancing is one of them, without a doubt.
But, Paul Rudd and James Corden went there. Because they're, ya know, them. And, reader, you will weep with laughter.
The pair begin the sketch explaining how they'd both been trying to pursue solo careers as musicians, but were not having much success with that. Then they met and, in Rudd's words, "something just clicked."
"We were gonna be the biggest thing that the world of children's music had ever seen," said Rudd.
Behold, The Naptime Boyz and their horrifyingly sexual dance moves. Don't say we didn't warn you. Read more...
Warning: Contains ice-shattering spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8, episode 3.
All men must die.
We know this. But we also know that it's possible — if you're well equipped with some ninja fighting skills and a pointy dagger — to delay the inevitable for a little bit.
It came in the form of a video of her co-star and BFF Sophie Turner singing "Crank That" by Soulja Boy, coupled with a photo of the Night King himself (swipe right). Read more...
It's no surprise that Tesla & SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is interested in crypto — he's tweeted about it several times in the past.
But now, Musk has directly (and publicly, on Twitter) asked Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin to explain his vision of the cryptocurrency's future, and it's turning into an interesting discussion.
First, it needs to be said that Musk and Buterin are quite similar in certain regards. Both are very active on Twitter. Both are very smart and love talking about complex concepts that will make your head spin. Both love silly jokes, and they regularly drive their users/customers/shareholders up the wall. In 2017, Buterin (who insists he's just one of many cogs inside Ethereum but is largely seen as the project's leader) said he will leave (Ethereum) if its community doesn't get its act together. Musk angered the SEC to the point that he almost lost his CEO position at Tesla. Read more...
A few decades ago, building a website was an impressive feat simply because you had to code everything from scratch. These days, it doesn’t make sense to do that, not with endless resources available to help you whip a professional looking one in no time at allWebsite builders like Wordpress, Squarespace, and Wix have seriously changed the game.
The issue is that their theme-based designs tend to offer a limited array of options, so you're stuck with what you get. Not the end of the world there, but if you do find yourself itching to customize them beyond existing design constraints, then you're going to have to get down with CSS and JavaScript anyways. Read more...
Hoping to ditch your clunky car because of an impending utopian future in which self-driving cars render car ownership obsolete? Think again. While autonomously driving vehicles have been all the talk for a few years now, they're still a distant dream (the closest thing is Waymo's new app, which has a waitlist).
That doesn't mean you have to constantly lug your car to the mechanic for the smallest of issues. Here’s a game-changing hack: Get an OBD scanner.
WTF is that, you ask? Some context: OBD scanners work by accessing the OBD-II (or Onboard Diagnostics) system on your car. OBD-II is a standardized system that runs on its onboard computer and offers an array of communication protocols, codes, and other data used to diagnose car health. Most cars are equipped with an OBD-II system, and that probably applies to your vehicle as well. Read more...
Whether you're a fan or not, it's hard to ignore the immense rise of K-pop heavyweights BTS.
The South Korean boy band has made an unprecedented break into mainstream Western culture. They've topped charts, broken YouTube records, and racked up much-hyped appearances on Saturday Night Live and awards shows like the Grammys.
For K-pop fans, BTS has been big for a long time. But if you're out of the loop, it's fair to think the seven-member band popped out of obscurity before linking up with Halsey for a hit single and setting a record that hasn't been achieved since The Beatles.
The band's social media expertise, internet popularity, dedicated fanbase, and willingness to talk about taboo issues has fueled their global domination. Add a dash of the West's growing openness to music with non-English lyrics, and you've got a recipe for international success. Read more...
Spoiler alert: This post contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame.
Thanos is dead. Like, really dead.
But if the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were hoping that the end of Thanos would be the end of all their problems, they need to read some more comic books. There’s always another enemy.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get any big hints at who could be filling Thanos’s giant shoes after Avengers: Endgame, but there’s a handful of possibilities that are well-established in Marvel comics.
Let’s break down a few of Marvel's biggest, baddest villains that could threaten Earth, the galaxy, or even the universe at large. Read more...
Do you have a metric tonne of questions about Game of Thrones? Don't spend every waking hour pondering, staring into the ether like Bran Stark, call the hotline.
And now, with this happening, and this, and this, it's time to boot up the hotline again.
For $2.99 a minute, you can ask Liam Cunningham what Kit Harington smells like ("a mixture of old yoghurt and Axe body spray, it's a real turn-off,"), or ask Isaac Hempstead Wright where you left your keys. Just don't piss off Maisie Williams, or you'll get on her list. Read more...
After quite a bit of speculation, former Vice-President Joe Biden launched his 2020 presidential run over the weekend.
It got the attention of Stephen Colbert, who spent some time talking about Biden's campaign video, which talked about Trump's reaction to Charlottesville — something that the president had to explain again.
"Trump's already worried about Joe Biden," Colbert said. "And the proof of that is that this ad did something none of the other Democrats have been able to do, and that's put Trump on the defensive." Read more...
Perfect Date star and presumably perfect date Noah Centineo seems to know his way around an awkward high school dance floor.
Everyone's favourite Netflix teen rom-com star challenged Jimmy Fallon to a dance battle on The Tonight Show Monday night, using weird moves that could be found at a school dance.
There's the classic "Dirty Dancing when the Chaperone Ain't Looking," and the extra wavy "Science Room Lava Lamp." But the most relatable is the "Making Eye Contact with Everyone But the Person You're Slow Dancing With."
The 21-year-old will appear in the May 2019 issue of the magazine with a series photographed by Yu Tsai at Kenya's Watamu Beach.
For the shoot, Aden donned a collection of colourful hijabs and burkinis — a swimsuit that covers most of the body except the hands, feet, and face, which is worn by some Muslim women.
New wannabe Lyft and Uber drivers are out of luck in New York City.
Both ride-hailing apps stopped taking on new drivers in the past monthUber's hold went into effect on April 1 and Lyft's waitlist for drivers followedPolitico noticed the hold on new drivers in an article published Monday, almost a month after Uber stopped accepting new drivers.
Lyft confirmed that New York City is the only place where Lyft operates with a waitlist. Uber said NYC is its only U.S. city with a driver hold. Uber suggests interested drivers deliver for Uber Eats or drive outside the city.
Both websites for NYC drivers post information about the hold on new drivers in plain sight: Read more...
Trident Juncture 2018 will take place on land, sea, and in the air over the Baltic and Norwegian seas as well as Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Norwegian armed forces
David Martin reports from north of the Arctic Circle, where, for the first time in decades, the United States has sent a carrier strike group to participate in war games.
NATO, which just marked its 70th anniversary, is widely considered the gold standard of military alliances, binding countries on both sides of the Atlantic in common cause against Russian aggression. But President Trump complains that other members of the alliance don't pay their fair share of what it costs to defend Europe against the intimidation tactics of Vladimir Putin. The president has told aides he doesn't see the point of the alliance and has even mentioned withdrawing from NATO. Despite those misgivings, the U.S. and its NATO allies have been steadily increasing the frequency and size of their military exercises. Last fall, NATO held the largest one yet in Norway, one of the countries President Trump has singled out for failing to spend enough on defense. You might not think of Norway, which has a tiny military, as a vital NATO ally, but we found a country that is on the front lines with Russia and serves as NATO's eyes and ears in the High North.
WNU Editor: In the event of war Russia will focus their energies on the eastern front, and preparing the use of their nuclear arsenal. Norway will just be an after-thought.
The Abraham Lincoln and John C. Stennis carrier strike groups conducted carrier strike force operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility. (MC3 Jeremiah Bartelt/U.S. Navy)
ABOARD THE CARRIER ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA — A commercial airline pilot has a lot of leeway on landing. Airport runways are long and wide, and the flight crew has time to get things just right before setting the wheels down gently. On an aircraft carrier, this is not the case. One minute you are flying, and the next moment — before your body can work out what it is enduring — you are not.
Defense News experienced a carrier landing firsthand on April 23, hitting the deck of the Abraham Lincoln aboard a U.S. Navy C-2A Greyhound aircraft with U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman and Adm. James Foggo, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe. The purpose of the visit was twofold — to kick off a dual-carrier exercise with sister ship John C. Stennis on April 24, and to deliver a sternly worded message to Russia: Stand down.
WNU Editor: Is the U.S. getting the message? That this is no longer a uni-polar world with the U.S. at the head. I think some do. But we are creatures of habit, and we will repeat what we think works. And while it may be impressive to send a carrier strike group into the Mediterranean Sea, the old ways of conducting diplomacy by using the military as your hammer will not have the impact that many in Washington are hoping for.
Neither leader appears to want escalating conflict—yet that's precisely where things seem to be headed.
President Donald Trump doesn't want conflict. Ayatollah Khamenei doesn't want economic collapse. Yet that is where things are headed.
Put yourself in the shoes of Iran's 80-year-old supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His regime is beset by nearly 50 percent inflation, a collapsed currency, persistent labor strikes, and an irrepressible women's-rights movement. Epic floods recently killed more than 75 people and caused nearly $3 billion in damage. A locust plague is threatening 300,000 hectares—$9 billion worth—of farming land. "Things have never been this bad" is a refrain commonly heard from Iran these days.
For the first time in five years, the leader of IS has appeared on video. He talks about recent incidents, including the fall of Baghouz last month, and praises the Sri Lanka attacks.
The leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, appeared in new video published by the Islamist terror group on Monday.
In the 18-minute clip, a bearded man is seen sitting in casual conversation with three other people, whose faces are blurred.
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Global military expenditure reached its highest level last year since the end of the Cold War, fueled by increased spending in the United States and China, the world's two biggest economies, a leading defense think-tank said on Monday.
In its annual report, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said overall global military spending in 2018 hit $1.82 trillion, up 2.6 percent on the previous year.
That is the highest figure since 1988, when such data first became available as the Cold War began winding down.
U.S. military spending rose 4.6 percent last year to reach $649 billion, leaving it still by far the world's biggest spender. It accounted for 36 percent of total global military expenditure, nearly equal to the following eight biggest-spending countries combined, SIPRI said.
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. — Being a B-2 pilot means experiencing the rush of takeoff and the pressure of weapons drops while flying in the nation's only stealth bomber. But it also involves having to manage nap times with your co-pilot during daylong-plus flights.
"After you do a few [long-duration flights], anything under 20 hours doesn't seem like a big deal," said Capt. Chris "Thunder" Beck, a former B-52 pilot who recently graduated from B-2 pilot training school. Beck spoke to journalist and Defense News contributor Jeff Bolton during a visit to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
Beck has yet to conduct a long-endurance flight in the B-2 Spirit, the stealth bomber produced by Northrop Grumman and introduced to the U.S. Air Force's inventory in 1997. However, he got used to long missions while flying in the B-52, with one especially extended haul taking him from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, to Japan, and then back.
The International Monetary Fund is forecasting Iran's economy to shrink by 6% this year as it faces pressure from U.S. sanctions.
In a report released Monday, the IMF said its estimates for Iran, which include the potential for inflation to top 40%, predate a U.S. decision to end waivers that have allowed some Iranian oil buyers to continue making their purchases despite new sanctions that went into effect last year.
The Trump administration is due to formally end the waivers on Thursday for some of Iran's top crude purchasers, including China, India, Japan, Turkey and South Korea.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has opened a four-day Loya Jirga, or grand assembly, with more than 3,200 delegates seeking to agree on a common approach to peace talks with the Taliban.
The Loya Jirga bringing together politicians, tribal elders, and other prominent figures was overshadowed by no-shows by several high-ranking officials, including Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Ghani's partner in a unity government.
President Ghani's special envoy, Omar Daudzai, said that delegates from Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan were among the participants of the gathering taking place under tight security in Kabul on April 29.
Haftar's eastern forces make aerial and ground push against militias allied with UN-recognised government.
Libyan officials have said that eastern-based forces loyal to renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar have intensified their air attacks around Tripoli over the past two days.
Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) launched an operation to take the capital from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) on April 4 and has been engaged in fighting with its militias in and around the city.
* The B-2 Spirit bomber is a multi-role stealth bomber able to penetrate sophisticated enemy defenses to strike targets with conventional and nuclear payloads. * For the first time in the 30-year history of the B-2 program, the US Air Force has allowed a civilian journalist to record a flight from inside the cockpit of one of these powerful bombers.
A new video offers a look at the inside of the B-2 Spirit bomber for the first time in the three-decade history of one of America's most secretive aerial weapons.
The US Air Force allowed a civilian journalist to board a B-2 stealth bomber and record the flight from inside the cockpit, capturing exclusive footage of one of the service's most closely-guarded secrets.
Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was pictured in a new video for the first time since July 2014, SITE Intelligence Group said Monday.
The video was released by ISIS's propaganda arm al-Furqan.
Rumors of al-Baghdadi's death have persisted as ISIS militants who have surrendered to U.S.-backed coalition forces, believed their ideological leader abandoned their cause.
Baghdadi also suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure and injuries sustained during an airstrike years ago.
* The head of the U.S. Navy warned China that hostile behavior from its coast guard and fishing boats will not be treated any differently from the Chinese navy, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. * These non-naval ships have been used to help Beijing stake its claim in the disputed South China Sea, the London-based newspaper reported Richardson as saying. * The warning comes as China increasingly relies on its coast guard and maritime militia — or marine industry workers trained alongside its navy — to expand its military presence in the region.
The head of the U.S. Navy has warned China that hostile behavior from its coast guard and fishing boats will not be treated any differently from the Chinese navy, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
In an interview with the FT, Admiral John Richardson said he told Chinese vice-admiral Shen Jinlong in January that Washington will respond to aggressive acts by these non-naval ships the same way it has with the People's Liberation Army Navy.
Crime scene officials inspect the site of a bomb blast inside a church in Negombo, Sri Lanka April 21. An estimated 253 people perished in a coordinated series of blasts targeting churches and hotels, shattering the relative calm that has existed in Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka since a civil war against mostly Hindu ethnic Tamil separatists ended 10 years ago. REUTERS/Stringer
The bombings in Sri Lanka have once again put a spotlight on the rising tide of violence against Christians all over the world. According to Open Doors USA, an average of 105 churches and/or Christian buildings are burned or attacked every month. That is more than three per day, and almost all of those attacks get ignored by the mainstream media in the western world. In addition, an average of 345 Christians are killed for faith-related reasons every single month. Of course these numbers will soon be out of date, because violence against Christians continues to escalate all over the globe, and the horrifying attacks that we just witnessed in Sri Lanka are a perfect example.
Gunmen have opened fire on a church in northern Burkina Faso, killing at least six people, officials say.
The attackers reportedly arrived on seven motorbikes at the end of Sunday's service and killed the pastor, two of his sons and three other worshippers.
It is the first attack on a church since jihadist violence erupted in the West African country in 2016.
Fighters affiliated to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group as well as the local Ansarul Islam have been active.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he would grant citizenship to 'representatives of all nations that suffer from authoritarian and corrupt regimes.' Photograph: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has offered to grant Ukrainian citizenship to Russians, responding to a similar move by Russia. However, he coupled the offer with a dig at the situation in the neighboring country.
President-elect Volodymyr Zelenskiy has offered Ukrainian citizenship to Russians, but combined the proposal with criticism of the Kremlin.
"We will provide Ukrainian citizenship to representatives of all peoples who suffer from authoritarian and corrupt regimes. In the first place — the Russians, who today suffer probably the most," Zelenskiy wrote on Facebook on Sunday.
* Norwegian fisherman have freed a beluga whale wearing a tight harness * The crew jumped into the freezing water to release it on Friday * The strap featured a camera mount and 'equipment of St. Petersburg' label * This has prompted speculation the whale may have escaped the Russian Navy
Norwegian fisherman have discovered a beluga whale wearing a tight harness with a camera attachment - sparking speculation the animal belongs to the Russian Navy.
The crew worked together to release the animal from the straps on Saturday.
One of the fisherman told Norway's state broadcaster NRK they jumped into the freezing water to help the animal.
He said: 'When I was lying in the water, he came all the way up to the side, and I managed to reach the front buckle and open it.'
1/6 My interpretation of the demolition of significant mosques (part or whole) in Xinjiang, based on @shawnwzhang 's gathering of satellite evidence: https://t.co/BekCNCnoj0@XJscholars
* China is waging an unprecedented crackdown on a Muslim minority called the Uighurs, who live in the country's western frontier region, Xinjiang. * Muslims have for centuries settled in the region, sometimes referred to as East Turkestan. * As part of its crackdown, which has seen the installation of facial-recognition cameras and seemingly arbitrary detentions, China's government has also destroyed traditional Uighur architecture including mosques and large parts of an ancient city called Kashgar. * Before-and-after images show the extent of some of the destruction of these historical locations.
China is installing a 21st-century police state in its western frontier of Xinjiang, which is home to the Uighurs, a majority-Muslim ethnic minority.
It involves installing hundreds of thousands of facial recognition cameras, making Uighurs download software on their phones, and holding at least 1 million Muslims in prison-like detention centers.
Beijing is waging this crackdown partly because it sees Uighurs as a national security threat, and has tried to stoke Islamophobia to justify its controversial policies in the region.
Just a few suggestions for any Iron Throne wannabes.
The past seasons of Game of Thrones were full of castle-storming goodness, and that's unlikely to change for the show's eighth and final outing. While humanity hasn't had dragons to help breach a foreboding keep, it's gotten pretty good at the art of the siege.
Here are a few pointers for whoever makes a grab for the Iron Throne this season.
There's perhaps no military action older than castle storming. Whether you're talking about paleolithic Scotland, medieval France, or the fictional kingdoms of Westeros, the pattern appears to be the same: As soon as people had any possessions at all, other people have coveted the lands and possessions of their neighbors.
And so, the people with lands and possessions built castles for protection. Siege warfare against those castles is brutal and blunt. It's a style of fighting characterized by a combination of ungodly long, boring waits punctuated by short spurts of terrifying action.
There is a lot more to besieging a walled fortress than simply running around with ladders. A lot more.
Japan is set to usher in a new imperial era come May 1: Crown Prince Naruhito will take the throne, ushering in the Reiwa Era and becoming the 126th emperor of Japan.
The Japanese monarchy is said to be the world’s oldest, but Japan is just one of roughly a dozen countries in Asia with monarchs as their head of state. In some, the monarchs play a solely ceremonial role, while in others, such as Brunei, they possess considerable political power. Given all the attention over his succession, Naruhito is probably the best known scion of an Asian royal house—along with Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn, whose three-day coronation ceremony begins on May 4.
Here are some other Asian royals you may be less familiar with.
Prince Azim of Brunei
Prince Azim, 36, is the second son of the tiny nation’s Sultan. Described by Forbes as a “paparazzi favorite”, the prince is well known for hosting A-list parties with celebrity guests the likes of Janet Jackson and Pamela Anderson. In 2007, he reportedly hired a private jet to fly an almost $4 million necklace to Mariah Carey.
The prince is also involved in the film business, having produced a number of pictures under the name Azim Bolkiah. On IMDb, he is credited for his work in six movies including You’re Not You, a 2014 film that stars Hilary Swank and saw a sellout premier at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Phil Dent—Redferns Mariah Carey and Prince Azim of Brunei, London, 2011.
Prince Mateen of Brunei
The 27-year-old Prince Abdul Mateen is the fourth son of the Sultan of Brunei. Leading a less extravagant (though still opulent) life than his older half-brother, the prince graduated from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in 2016, where his Facebook page states he studied international diplomacy. Prior to that, he served as a lieutenant in the Brunei armed services and graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the U.K., according to an interview he did with GQ Thailand in 2016.
The Prince’s active lifestyle is evident on his Instagram page, where he has 1 .1 million followers. He plays water polo competitively, is an equestrian and also does martial arts. “The moment I feel my fitness level dropping, it makes me feel funny, so being active and staying in shape is very important to me,” he told GQ Thailand.
Prince Jigme became king after his father, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, abdicated the throne in 2006. The 39-year-old studied at boarding school Phillips Andover Academy in Massachusetts before obtaining a degree in political science from Oxford University. He and his wife hosted the U.K.’s Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they visited Bhutan in April 2016.
His looks earned him the title “Prince Charming” before his ascension to the throne, and his affable personality has seen him referred to as the “People’s King.” He is a fan of basketball, notably the Philadelphia 76ers, and enjoys impersonating singer Elvis Presley, according to the Washington Post.
Shekhar Yadav/India Today Group/Getty ImagesPresident Pranab Mukherjee with Chief Guest King of Bhutan, Jigme Kheser Namgyel Wangchuck, during At Home reception hosted by him on the occasion of 64th Republic Day at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Saturday.
Tengku Amir Shah of Malaysia’s Selangor State
The son of the current sultan of Malaysia’s Selangor state, located north of Kuala Lumpur, Tengku Amir Shah is known for his philanthropy work. The 28-year-old provides financial backing for a number of youth organizations in his community, according to local news outlet Malay Mail, and regularly participates in their events. He is said to have joined an expedition to the country’s Mount Kinabalu, the country’s tallest peak, with physically handicapped children some years ago.
He is also the president of the Football Association of Selangor and has been photographed with kids supported by the organization’s youth projects on his Instagram page.
Faris Hadziq/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Football Association of Selangor (FAS) president Tengku Amir Shah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah seen speaking during a press conference.
Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana of Thailand
Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana, 31, is one of two daughters of King Vajiralongkorn, who will be formally crowned the monarch of Thailand next week. The princess is the founder and director of an eponymous fashion label, beginning her journey into fashion when, as a 20-year-old fashion student, was invited to present her collection at Paris Fashion Week.
Fashion aside, the Princess is also an accomplished equestrian and regularly travels to Europe for practice. She is a former national badminton player and won a gold medal in the women’s team event at the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in 2005.
Stephane Cardinale—Corbis via Getty Images Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana attends the Elie Saab show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2019 on September 29, 2018 in Paris, France.
Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti of Thailand
Fourteen-year-old Dipangkorn Rasmijoti is the seventh and youngest child of King Vajiralongkorn, and also the presumed heir to the throne after his father. He attends a private school in Germany, according to Reuters, and a letter he wrote in German to rescuers that freed 12 young footballers and their coach trapped in a cave in northern Thailand last year suggests he is fluent in the language.
AFP Contributor—FP/Getty Images This picture by Thailand’s Dailynews shows Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti (2nd R), 12, greeting well-wishers in Bangkok on October 25, 2017, near the site of where his grandfather, the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, will be cremated on October 26.
An Osaka restaurant has a new menu item: pizzas that spell out the characters “rei” and “wa” with cheese. They aren’t the only ones celebrating the name of Japan’s new imperial era. Baristas are spelling it out in foam atop lattes, while a seal at an aquarium southeast of Tokyo has apparently learned to write it.
Reiwa fever has swept Japan, as the country prepares to welcome its 126th emperor—the current Crown Prince Naruhito—who will usher in the era on May 1. His father, Emperor Akihito, abdicates the throne on Apr. 30.
After heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer, Akihito, 85, has hinted for some time that he wanted to step down for health and age reasons. “I am worried that it may become more difficult for me to carry out my duties as the symbol of the state,” he said in 2016 in a rare televised address. Japan’s monarchs are expected to serve until death, but parliament passed special legislation to allow Akihito to step down.
Here’s what you need to know as Japan’s Heisei (achieving peace) era ends and the Reiwa (beautiful harmony) era begins.
Who is the emperor-in-waiting?
Kōtaishi Naruhito Shinnō, more commonly known as Crown Prince Naruhito, was born February 23, 1960 as Akihito’s oldest son. He grew up with his siblings and parents in Tokyo’s moat-protected Imperial Palace.
After earning a history degree at Gakushuin University, where he wrote a thesis on medieval water transport, the prince became the first Japanese royal to study overseas when he spent two years at Merton College, Oxford. The book he wrote chronicling his time there, The Thames and I: A Memoir of Two Years at Oxford, has just been re-issued in English.
The prince’s interest in water management extends beyond academia. Since 2007, he has served as honorary president of the U.N. Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation, and he has spoken frequently on the topic at international conferences. “He has been actively involved in international environmental issues in recent years,” Hideya Kawanishi, associate professor at Nagoya University and an author of several books on Japan’s emperors, tells TIME.
Prince Naruhito’s hobbies include mountain climbing, jogging, tennis, skiing and playing the viola, according to the Associated Press.
What role do Japan’s monarchs play?
Believed to be the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world, Japan’s imperial tradition became purely symbolic after World War II, when the primarily U.S.-drafted constitution stripped the emperor of political power. Previously believed to be a near divine being descended from the Shinto deity Amaterasu, the Japanese emperor become a ceremonial and unifying figure, not unlike the role practiced by monarchs in the United Kingdom, Norway and Spain.
Under Emperor Akihito, Japan’s modern-day monarchy became more accessible and outgoing. He and Empress Michiko maintained a demanding schedule of around 250 public meetings and 75 trips around the country and overseas each year, as they served as emissaries of post-war reconciliation.
The emperor remains an important part of people’s lives in Japan. “The emperor is the means by which the Japanese define the national identity, what it means to be Japanese,” Ken Ruoff, professor of history and director of the Center for Japanese Studies at Portland State University tells TIME.
The constitution defines the emperor’s role as a “symbol of the state and of the unity of the people.”
Ruoff says “Each emperor puts his stamp on his particular reign, and Naruhito will do that.”
Is the Crown Prince’s family ready for the throne?
Naruhito first met his wife, Masako Owada, in 1986. He pursued the Harvard and Oxford-educated former-diplomat for several years. Although she was initially reluctant to become part of the imperial family, the pair married in 1993.
The princess reportedly struggled to adjust to the pressures of royal life and battled stress-related illnesses, according to Reuters.
Naruhito has often jumped to Owada’s defense. “He is fiercely protective of his wife who has endured media bashing over her health issues,” Jeffrey Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University Japan, tells TIME.
In 2004, the Crown Prince surprised the country when he openly criticized the Imperial Household Agency, the government agency responsible for managing the royals’ lives, for their role in his wife’s health issues. The princess “has worked hard to adapt to the environment of the Imperial Household for the past 10 years, but from what I can see, I think she has completely exhausted herself trying to do so,” Naruhito said, according to the JapanTimes.
The pair have one daughter, Princess Aiko, born in 2001. Deeply ingrained beliefs about gender roles mean that women have historically been relegated to child-rearing while men were viewed as breadwinners, but Naruhito has bucked tradition and advocated for a hands-on approach with Aiko.
Beliefs are slowly changing. A few years ago the government launched a media campaign called the “Ikumen project” which roughly translates as “men raising children” to encourage fathers to take on child care duties, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has set a target to raise the number of new fathers who take paternity leave to 13% by 2020, from about 3% last year.
The next emperor, who tooks turns bathing and feeding his daughter in infancy, is “a symbol of a new definition of fatherhood,” says Ruoff.
What will Naruhito do once he takes the throne?
Japan-watchers believe that Naruhito will largely follow in the footsteps of his father, who worked to repair the country’s image after World War II.
Emperor Akihito “never shied away from making statements about war memory, and from showing ‘deep remorse’ and ‘sorrow’ for Japan’s aggression in Asia,” Jeremy Yellen, assistant professor in the Department of Japanese Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, tells TIME. “I believe that Naruhito will largely follow in his father’s footsteps, especially in his rejection of revisionist views of Japan’s wartime past.”
“Although I was born after the war and did not experience it, I think that today, where memories of the war have started to fade, it is important to look back in a humble way on the past and pass on correctly the tragic experiences of war,” Naruhito said at a news conference in 2015, according to the Japan Times.
With his formative experience as a student overseas, Naruhito may bring a more global perspective to the role than his predecessors did. “By adopting a concrete issue, namely water, that is far more of concern to the world than to Japan, he is already taking the imperial house in a new direction, lending his prestige to the neediest members of global society,” Ruoff says.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Antonio Guterres raised the plight of an estimated 1 million Uighurs incarcerated in re-education camps in China during a recent meeting with the country’s president, Xi Jinping, the United Nations said Monday.U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters the U.N. chief told the Chinese leader that “human rights must be fully respected in the fight against terrorism and in the prevention of violent extremism.”
Criticism has grown over China’s internment of the Uighurs as well as members of other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups — and Guterres has been criticized by human rights groups and some governments for his behind-the-scenes approach and failure to address their plight publicly.
Last week, Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth wrote a harsh op-ed in the Washington Post saying halfway through his five-year term Guterres “is becoming defined by his silence on human rights — even as serious rights abuses proliferate” including against the Uighurs.
Roth said numerous governments have voiced concerns about China’s detention of the Uighurs “for forced indoctrination,” but “Guterres has not said a word about it in public. Instead, he praises China’s development prowess and rolls out the red carpet for President Xi Jinping.”
Dujarric has been pressed about whether the secretary-general was going to raise the Uighur issue — and did raise it — with Xi during his trip to Beijing from April 25-27 to attend a gathering of leaders to celebrate China’s sprawling multibillion-dollar Belt and Road infrastructure-building initiative.
For the first time, the U.N. spokesman confirmed Monday that Guterres discussed “the situation in Xinjiang,” where the sweeping crackdown against the Uighurs has taken place, with president Xi, adding that “this follows several other contacts in the recent past on this same issue that he’s had with Chinese authorities.”
Dujarric called Guterres’ discussions with Xi “very cordial” and “frank.”
“The secretary-general’s position on this has always been the same in private as it is in public, and those are based on three indivisible principles,” he said.
They are respect for China’s unity and territorial integrity, condemnation of terrorist attacks, “and that human rights must be fully respected in the fight against terrorism and in the prevention of violent extremism,” Dujarric said. “Each community must feel that its identity is respected and that it fully belongs to the nation as a whole.”
He said Guterres told the Chinese “that he fully stands by the initiatives” of U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet who has been trying to send a fact-finding mission to Xinjiang since December. She complained last month that she still hasn’t received approval from Beijing.
Asked whether Guterres was satisfied with his response from the Chinese, Dujarric said “this is part of a dialogue that the secretary-general has had with Chinese authorities in the past and that he will continue to have.”
(BEIRUT) — The shadowy leader of the Islamic State group claimed to appear for the first time in five years in a video released by the extremist group’s propaganda arm on Monday, acknowledging defeat in the group’s last stronghold in Syria but vowing a “long battle” ahead.
The man said to be Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the video also claimed the Easter Day bombings in Sri Lanka which killed over 250 people were “part of the revenge” that awaits the West.
The video released Monday by a media outlet run by the extremists, Al-Furqan, shows al-Baghdadi with a bushy grey and red beard, wearing a black robe with a beige vest and seated on the floor with what appears to be an AK47 rifle propped up next to him. He is speaking with three men seated opposite him whose faces were covered and blotted out.
It is his first video appearance since he delivered a sermon at the al-Nuri mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014. In that video, he appeared as a black-robed figure with a trimmed black beard to deliver a sermon from the pulpit of the mosque in which he urged Muslims around the world to swear allegiance to the caliphate and obey him as its leader.
Since then, he has only released audio messages through the group’s media outlets.
In the video released Monday, al-Baghdadi acknowledged that IS lost the war in the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz, the group’s last sliver of territory, which was captured last month by the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The fall of Baghouz marked the militants’ territorial defeat and the end of their self-declared Islamic caliphate over parts of Syria and Iraq.
Al-Baghdadi said that the battle for Baghouz demonstrated the “barbarism and brutality” of the West and the “courage, steadfastness and resilience of the nation of Islam.”
“This steadfastness shocked the hearts of the Crusaders in what increased their rage,” he added.
Referring to the setbacks in battle, he said the “brothers” of the many fallen fighters “will avenge that, as they will not forget as long as they have blood in their veins, and there will be a battle after this one.”
Al-Baghdadi called specifically on his followers to intensify attacks on France.
He made repeated references to current events, including Benjamin Netanyahu winning the elections in Israel and the fall of longtime dictators Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Omar al-Bashir in Algeria and Sudan.
Most significantly, he praised the recent attacks in Sri Lanka which he said have “pleased the hearts of Muslims,” and said it is “part of the revenge that awaits the Crusaders and their followers.”
The group has claimed responsibility for the suicide attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, and investigators are looking into the extent of the extremist group’s involvement with the local radicalized Muslims who carried out the suicide bombings.
It is unclear when or where the video was filmed. Al-Baghdadi appeared to be in good health, although he spoke slowly and sometimes haltingly in the video.
With a $25 million U.S. bounty on his head, al-Baghdadi is the world’s most wanted man, responsible for steering his chillingly violent organization into mass slaughter of opponents and directing and inspiring terror attacks across continents and in the heart of Europe.
Despite numerous claims about his death in the past few years, al-Baghdadi’s whereabouts remain a mystery. Many of his top aides have been killed, mostly in U.S.-led coalition airstrikes. He is among the few senior IS commanders still at large after two years of steady battlefield losses that saw the self-styled “caliphate” shrink from an area the size of Britain to a tiny speck in the Euphrates River valley.
The video appeared to be aimed at boosting the morale. He bragged his group carried out 92 attacks in eight countries to avenge the loss of territory in Syria, citing Sri Lanka, Libya and Saudi Arabia, without offering evidence for his claim.
Although largely seen as a symbolic figurehead of the global terror network, al-Baghdadi’s capture would be a coveted prize for the various players across both Syria and Iraq.
But so far, he has eluded the Americans, Russians, Syrians, Iraqis and Kurds.
“Our battle today is a war of attrition to harm the enemy, and they should know that jihad will continue until doomsday,” al-Baghdadi said.
(WARSAW, Poland) — Poland’s artists and opposition politicians are posting photos of themselves eating bananas in protest after authorities called an artwork featuring the fruit obscene and removed it from a top national gallery.
The 1973 video “Consumer Art,” by prominent artist Natalia LL, showing a young woman eating a banana with great pleasure, was removed from the National Museum in Warsaw last week after the new museum head, Jerzy Miziolek, was summoned to the Ministry of Culture.
Miziolek said in an interview with the Onet.pl portal last week that he was “opposed to showing works that could irritate sensitive young people” and suggested some visitors had complained. The work had been in the gallery for many years.
A separate 2005 video by another controversial female artist, Katarzyna Kozyra, showing a woman walking two men dressed as dogs on a lead, was also removed.
On Monday, Miziolek announced that the works would be reinstated, but only until May 6, when the whole modern art gallery is due for reorganization. He denied pressure from the ministry.
Miziolek, who was appointed to the state-run museum by the right-wing government in November, said Monday he appreciated the role of both artists in Poland’s culture, but the gallery’s limited space requires “creative changes” to the exhibition.
The dispute is the latest in a string of controversies surrounding art and culture under the conservative and nationalist government that won power in 2015.
Culture Minister Piotr Glinski has repeatedly drawn criticism for cutting subsidies to art festivals that were planning to show controversial theater plays on Catholic themes. Glinski has fired a popular theater director who criticized him as well as the director of a World War II museum, saying the exhibition did not show Poland’s suffering or heroism enough.
He recently cut funds for the European Solidarity Center, an exhibition and culture center popular with government critics, saying its activity went beyond its history-teaching mission.
Twitter and Facebook users ridiculed the removal of the art works as narrow-minded and a case of censorship, and many posted photos of themselves enjoying bananas.
Actress Magdalena Cielecka told The Associated Press that the image she posted, of her pointing a banana at her head like a gun, was in protest against any ideological or political limits put on artists.
“An artist, to create, must be free,” Cielecka said.
The controversy was widely commented on in national media. A collective banana-eating protest is planned Monday in front of the state-run museum, which is closed on Mondays.
Art critics note that “Consumer Art” was a critical comment on food shortages under communist rule in the 1970s.
(COPENHAGEN, Denmark) — A beluga whale found with a tight harness that appeared to be Russian made has raised the alarm of Norwegian officials and prompted speculation that the animal may have come from a Russian military facility.
Joergen Ree Wiig of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries says “Equipment St. Petersburg” is written on the harness strap, which features a mount for an action camera.
He said Monday fishermen in Arctic Norway last week reported the tame white cetacean with a tight harness swimming around. On Friday, fisherman Joar Hesten, aided by the Ree Wiig, jumped into the frigid water to remove the harness.
Ree Wiig said “people in Norway’s military have shown great interest” in the harness.
Audun Rikardsen, a professor at the Department of Arctic and Marine Biology at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsoe, northern Norway, believes “it is most likely that Russian Navy in Murmansk” is involved. Russia has major military facilities in and around Murmansk on the Kola Peninsula, in the far northwest of Russia.
It wasn’t immediately clear what the mammal was being trained for, or whether it was supposed to be part of any Russian military activity in the region.
Rikardsen said he had checked with scholars in Russia and Norway and said they have not reported any program or experiments using beluga whales.
“This is a tame animal that is used to get food served so that is why it has made contacts with the fishermen,” he said. “The question is now whether it can survive by finding food by itself. We have seen cases where other whales that have been in Russian captivity doing fine.”
Hesten told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the whale began to rub itself again his boat when he first spotted it.
Russia does not have a history of using whales for military purposes but the Soviet Union had a full-fledged training program for dolphins.
The Soviet Union used a base in Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula during the Cold War to train the mammals for military purposes such as searching for mines or other objects and planting explosives. The facility in Crimea was closed following the collapse of the Soviet Union, though unnamed reports shortly after the Russian annexation of Crimea indicated that it had reopened.
The Russian Defense Ministry published a public tender in 2016 to purchase five dolphins for a training program. The tender did not explain what tasks the dolphins were supposed to perform, but indicated they were supposed to have good teeth. It was taken offline shortly after publication.
When British Royals Meghan Markle and Prince Harry started an Instagram account last month, they broke a world record by gaining a million followers in less than six hours.
This week in Japan, a new set of royals is coming to the world stage. On Wednesday, 59-year-old Crown Prince Naruhito will take over the “Chrysanthemum Throne” from his father, 85-year-old Emperor Akihito, who decided to step down due to his health and age. Naruhito’s wife, Princess Masako, will be by his side as the country’s next Empress.
Although the new royals are believed to be more modern than their predecessors, soon-to-be Emperor Naruhito steps into an imperial system that has been in place for thousands of years and is steeped in history. The monarchy — despite its lack of social media accounts — plays an important symbolic role in Japanese culture.
Here are five things you need to know.
Emperors have a job for life
When Emperor Akihito steps down this week, he will be the first Japanese emperor to do so in more than 200 years. A 1889 law required monarchs to reign until their death to avoid power struggles between current and retired emperors, but an exception is being made for the elderly emperor, who has had heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer.
He hinted in 2016 that it might be time for him to retire. “I am worried that it may become more difficult for me to carry out my duties as the symbol of the state,” he said in a rare televised address.
After several months of discussions and expert consultations, Japan’s parliament passed special legislation in June 2017, to allow him to step down. The new rules apply only to Akihito, and not to future rulers.
The last emperor to abdicate was Emperor Kokaku in 1817, who also handed the throne to his son.
It is believed the be the oldest monarchy in the world
Although the Gregorian calendar is widely used in Japan, the country maintains its own calendar system. It begins in the year 660 B.C., when Emperor Jimmu, Japan’s first emperor, is believed to have founded Japan. He reigned until 585 B.C.
When Crown Prince Naruhito takes over the throne on Wednesday, he will become the 126th emperor of Japan.
The newly-namedReiwa (beautiful harmony) era will also start when the changeover happens. The country has had more than 250 eras,as rulers sometimes started new eras to mark a new beginning after difficult periods in the country’s history.
The U.S. re-wrote the emperor’s job description after World War II
After World War II, the U.S. occupied Japan from 1945 to 1952, and led the Allied effort to rehabilitate Japan. Major reforms were enacted, including an overhaul of the political system.
The U.S. drafted constitution, which came into effect in 1947, gave more power to the country’s Diet (two-house legislature) and stripped the emperor of all political power. Under the new document, the emperor’s role was to act as the “the symbol of the State and of the unity of the People.”
Although there were calls from some Allied leaders to have Japan’s wartime leader, Emperor Hirohito, tried for war crimes, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur who led rehabilitation efforts, believed that reforms might be easier to enact if the emperor remained in power.
It’s a boy’s club
Women are not eligible to take the throne in Japan, and they are required to give up their royal titles if they marry commoners.
Japan has discussed the possibility of changing the rules to allow for female participation over the last few decades due to concerns that the monarchy might die out.
Prince Naruhito and his wife have only one child. Princess Aiko was born in 2001, and is not eligible to take the throne. Polls show that the Japanese public supports the amending of the law to allow for female heirs, and Prince Naruhito himself is believed to support a change in succession laws.
“I don’t think he sticks to the narrow idea that only a male on the throne is acceptable,” said Mototsugu Akashi, a friend of Emperor Akihito’s since childhood, according to the New York Times.
The debate fizzled out after Crown Prince Naruhito’s brother, Prince Akishino, had a son in 2006. He is next in line to the throne after Naruhito.
According to Reuters, the legislation allowing Akihito to step down also mooted the idea of letting female royals stay in the imperial family after they marry, but it did not specifically seek to address whether females might one day be allowed to take the throne.
Emperor: Man or God?
According to Japanese mythology, the emperor and his family are considered direct descendants of the sun-goddess Amaterasu, a Shinto deity.
For most of the country’s history, emperors acted as figureheads, while shoguns effectively controlled the country with their military powers. This changed during the Meiji Restoration in the 1800’s when power was consolidated under imperial rule, as Japan looked to strengthen itself against the threat of Western power. At this time, the emperor became the head of the country’s native Shinto religion, giving him more religious importance.
Although the role of the emperor in World War II is controversial, the Allies took steps to remove power from the omnipotent emperor and the ‘Shinto State’ after the war. A 1945 directive was issued to “prevent recurrence of the perversion of Shinto theory and beliefs into militaristic and ultra-nationalistic propaganda designed to delude the Japanese people and lead them into wars of aggression.”
To cooperate with rehabilitation efforts, after World War II, the emperor asked the Japanese public to reject the “false conception that the Emperor is divine and that the Japanese people are superior to other races.” After announcing his mortality, he reportedly turned to his wife and asked: ”Do you see any difference? Do I look more human to you now?” according to the New York Times.
In 2000, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori sparked controversy when he compared the emperor to a god. “Japan is a country of the gods with the emperor at its center,” he said, according to The Guardian.
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Heatwave relief in Ahmedabad likely from today The India Meteorological Department says that there will be some relief in the coming days as mercury is likely to travel southward for the remaining week
Mumbai: Voters brave heat, come out in large numbers to vote The percentage voting for all the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies till 6 pm is estimated one and it would change when the final figures would come.
In MP Kirit Somaiya's absence, Marathi votes to play decider in Mumbai North East Voters weathered heat wave to cast their votes especially between 7 am and 1 pm, but the voter turnout dipped post lunch till 4 pm.
Gujarat: Sabarmati River to run dry, Vasana barrage gates to be repaired The irrigation authority has decided to repair gates of Vasana Barrage from May 15.
Lok Sabha election tracker LIVE: People in jail, on bail don̢۪t want strong govt, says PM Modi Live updates of the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign. Phase 5 of polling will happen on May 6.
Zydus Cadila inks pact with Italy#39;s SIFI to market intraocular lenses in India "SIFI#39;s innovative IOLs (Intraocular lenses) have been approved by the Indian Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (Directorate General of Health Services) and Ministry of Health Family Welfare (Medical Device and Diagnostic Division)," Zydus Cadila said in a regulatory filing.
Live updates of the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign. Phase 5 of polling will happen on May 6.
"SIFI#39;s innovative IOLs (Intraocular lenses) have been approved by the Indian Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (Directorate General of Health Services) and Ministry of Health Family Welfare (Medical Device and Diagnostic Division)," Zydus Cadila said in a regulatory filing.
