Jacques Chirac dies, aged 86

Head of state from 1995-2007 led opposition to the Iraq war and was first president to acknowledge France’s role in the Holocaust

Chirac in his office at the Elysée Palace in April 1996

Photograph: Jacques Demarthon/AFP/Getty Images

Boris Johnson cartoon

Huge red-bellied black snake

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - An Australian snake catcher was called to a rifle shooting range on the outskirts of the northern city of Brisbane on Wednesday to capture a huge red-bellied black snake, which he named “Chonk” for its healthy condition.

The 1.8-metre (6-ft) -long male reptile was probably hunting for suitable mates as the breeding season began, snake catcher Bryce Lockett told Reuters, after it slithered out of a large creek system where fish and frogs would have kept it well-fed.

Black Kookaburra spotted

Yesterday, a photo was submitted to BirdLife Australia on Facebook 

'I spotted this black Kookaburra in my backyard this morning. Brisbane western suburbs'.

Temple Church, London

Behind a small stone archway on London's Fleet Street, a hidden world opens up

The Temple Church is a church in the City of London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. 

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20160510-the-hidden-world-of-the-knights-templar

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Last Night at the Proms

London, UK revellers wave union jacks as they enjoy the Last Night of the Proms celebration in Hyde Park

Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

Ghost Heart

A ghost heart is obtained by washing away all donor cells until you’re left with a protein scaffold. This ghost heart is ready to be injected with a transplant recipient’s stem cells so a new heart – one that won’t be rejected – can be grown.

US Ownership of Australia's biggest companies

Child Labour 1900s

1908 A tipple boy at Turkey Knob Mine in Macdonald, West Virginia. USA.

Liberal MP Gladys Liu

Liberal MP Gladys Liu has refused to call China’s actions in the South China Sea “theft” in gaffe-prone interview in which she repeatedly claimed she couldn’t remember being a member of organisations linked to the Chinese Communist Party.

Hippo Infanticide

A newborn hippo was keeping close to its mother in the shallows of Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe, when a large bull made a beeline for them. He chased the mother, then seized the calf in his huge gape, clearly intent on killing it. All the while, the distraught mother looked on. Infanticide among hippos is rare but may result from the stress caused through overcrowding when their day-resting pools dry out. (Behaviour: Mammals category)

Photograph: Adrian Hirschi

South Korean dog meat farm

A dog rescued from a South Korean dog meat farm gets more affection from David Manko, a volunteer for the Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team aboard their animal transport vechicle near Kennedy Airport, Sunday in the Queens borough of New York

Dr Peter Ridd questioning Climate Science

Dr Peter Ridd Wins $1.2 Million In Damages For Unlawful Sacking By JCU For Questioning Climate Science

“The very fact that an Australian university is willing to force the weight of an entire administration backed by taxpayer funds to stifle an academic’s freedom of speech sends a massive chilling effect to any academic engaging in public debate in Australia.”

“James Cook University’s shameful actions prove without doubt there is a crisis of free speech at Australian Universities…..

https://ipa.org.au/publications-ipa/media-releases/dr-peter-ridd-wins-1-2-million-in-damages-for-unlawful-sacking-by-jcu-for-questioning-climate-science

Younger brother of Boris Johnson resigns

Jo Johnson, the younger brother of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has dramatically resigned as a Conservative Party minister and member of Parliament, saying in a tweet Thursday that he is “torn between family loyalty and the national interest.”

Boris Johnson's defeat

The former prime minister, Theresa May, leaves the Houses of the Parliament after Boris Johnson’s defeat

Knife Angel

Knife Angel sculpture is made from 100,000 blades handed into police across the UK.  It was unveiled in 2017 and was displayed in Liverpool and Hull before arriving in Coventry. ... Messages from families of the victims of knife crime have been engraved on the sculpture's wings.

Chinese-Australian Liberal MP linked to China influence network

 

New Federal MP Gladys Liu, the first Chinese-Australian woman to ever sit in the House of Representatives, is facing questions over her links to a secretive Chinese influence network.

The ABC can reveal ties have been discovered between the Liberal member for Chisholm and an organisation linked to Beijing's United Front, which aims to influence politics in foreign countries.

https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/am/chinese-australian-liberal-mp-linked-to-china-influence-network/11411930

Bidis

Bidis (pronounced bee-dees and also known as beedis) are small hand-rolled cigarettes made of tobacco and wrapped in tendu or temburni leaf (plants that are native to Asia—Diospyros melanoxylon). They are manufactured in India and other southeast Asian countries and exported to more than 100 countries.

In India, bidi cigarettes are cheaper and more heavily consumed than traditional commercial cigarettes. It is a common misconception that because the cigarettes are less expensive, they are also less harmful. That is a dangerous misconception.

Nipani, India 

A bidi tobacco taster employed by Shah Chhaganlal Ugarchand, one of the largest tobacco commission agents of the region. A tobacco taster can smoke up to 100 bidis a day to grade the different batches of tobacco before purchase.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/aug/21/bitter-leaves-tobaccos-devastating-global-legacy

Rings

Rings on the hands of an Orange Order member shot in Edinburgh at around the time of the Scottish independence referendum. This close up detailing George and the dragon and King Billy was one of the rare occasions they requested permission to take a picture

Photograph: The Bragdon Brothers

How many orange orders are there in Scotland?

Its headquarters are in Bridgeton, Glasgow and it claims about 50,000 members, the vast majority of whom are working-class Protestants from the Scottish Lowlands. The Orange Order was formed in Ulster in 1795 by Ulster Protestants, many of whom had Scottish roots.