22-year-old Guatemalan asylum-seeker dies in ICE custody

CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY


A 22-year-old asylum-seeker from Guatemala detained by U.S. immigration authorities died at a Texas hospital Sunday, becoming the eighth immigrant to die in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in fiscal year 2020. Maria Celéste Ochoa Yoc de Ramírez, whose death was first reported by BuzzFeed News, had been hospitalized since February 18.

According to officials, Ochoa Yoc de Ramírez died of "autoimmune hepatitis, complicated by septic shock and acute liver failure" at a hospital in Fort Worth.


Ochoa Yoc de Ramírez had family in the U.S. and passed her credible fear interview, the first step for migrants to request humanitarian protection in the U.S. Traditionally, these factors have allowed migrants with no criminal records to continue their immigration proceedings outside of a detention center, but the young Guatemalan woman was in U.S. immigration custody for more than six months.

Since fiscal year 2020, which began last October, seven other immigrants have died in ICE custody. With Ochoa Yoc de Ramírez's death, there have now been as many deaths in fiscal year 2020 as there were in the entirety of fiscal year 2019. Like Ochoa Yoc de Ramírez, some of them, including a Cuban asylum-seeker who died by apparent suicide in October, were seeking humanitarian protection at the time of their death.

"ICE is firmly committed to the health and welfare of all those in its custody and is undertaking a comprehensive agency-wide review of this incident, as it does in all such cases," the agency said in a statement Monday.

Conditions at detention facilities used by ICE, which oversees the main component of the largest immigration detention system in the world, have come under severe scrutiny by immigration advocates and Democrats. They've accused the agency of not having adequate medical standards in its facilities and have called on officials to allow asylum-seekers who do not pose threats to public safety to fight their deportation outside of detention centers.

ICE has repeatedly maintained that deaths in the agency's custody "are exceedingly rare and occur at a fraction" of the national average.

According to ICE, Ochoa Yoc de Ramírez was first apprehended by Border Patrol in early September after she crossed the southern border without documents near Hidalgo, Texas. Two days later, she was transferred to ICE custody, which initially detained her at the El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, Texas.

In early October, Ochoa Yoc de Ramírez was given a notice to appear before an immigration judge after she proved to an asylum officer that her fear of returning to Guatemala was credible. Sometime before February, Ochoa Yoc de Ramírez was transferred to a detention center in Oklahoma, according to Guatemala's Foreign Ministry.

Ochoa Yoc de Ramírez was hospitalized on February 7 and underwent gallbladder surgery two days later. She then returned to the detention center in Oklahoma. On February 13, she was transferred to the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, according to ICE.

On February 18, ICE took Ochoa Yoc de Ramírez to a hospital near the detention center. The Guatemalan Foreign Ministry said this occurred because she was suffering from abdominal pain. Ochoa Yoc de Ramírez remained there until February 28, when she was transported to the Forth Worth hospital, where she died on Sunday.

Ochoa Yoc de Ramírez's family in Guatemala has requested help from the government there to repatriate her remains.

CBS

---30---

Jury hung in case of CIA coder accused of cyberweapon leak


AFP

A New York federal judge declared a mistrial Monday after a jury failed to convict a former CIA programmer accused of passing the agency's most valuable hacking tools to WikiLeaks, deeply hobbling its online spying operations.© SAUL LOEB The 2017 leak of the CIA's cyberwar tools was the most damaging leak ever for the US syp group

The government had said that Joshua Schulte gave the anti-secrecy group the "Vault 7" collection of hacking tools, malware, viruses, trojans, and "zero day" exploits which comprised the CIA's most valuable tools for tapping into adversaries' computers.


The March 2017 breach was the largest-ever leak of classified information at the US spy agency, allowing hackers in other countries, government and non-government alike, to use the tools for criminal activity, and helping the CIA's targets close vulnerabilities.

But in an embarrassing defeat for the Justice Department, after a four-week trial the jury remained divided on whether there was proof that Schulte had in fact provided the files to WikiLeaks, and failed to convict him on the eight most serious charges in the case.

They did find him guilty on lesser charges of lying to the FBI and contempt of court.

Schulte was arrested in August 2017 and charged initially with multiple counts of possessing child pornography on his computer, with no suggestion that there was any national security issue involved.

Ten months later the Justice Department filed additional charges accusing him of stealing and transmitting classified "national defense information" to give it to WikiLeaks.

Schulte had already left the CIA when WikiLeaks published the information in March 2017, but testimony indicated that investigators quickly focused on him as the prime suspect.

But defense lawyers appeared successful, based on questions submitted by the jurors, in raising doubt over whether the government had proof it was Schulte who stole and transmitted the materials to WikiLeaks.

The judge, Paul Crotty, set a new conference for both sides in the case for March 26, in which the government could demand a new trial.

Trump Jr denies profiting his from father's presidency as he challenges Hunter Biden to debate him 
ROFLMAO
With the presidential election looming ever closer the prospect of Donald Trump and Joe Biden locking horns is looking more and more likely, should the Democrat overcome Bernie Sanders in what remains of the race.

If Biden and Trump do end up going head-to-head then it is sure to be an interesting affair as both men have shown a tendency to fly loose with the facts and have a unique grasp on the English language.

While most eyes are likely to be on the men vying for the White House, the more interesting conflict might be between their sons and who has benefitted the most from having their very famous surname.

This isn’t a prediction but something that Donald Trump Jr actually wants to happen. While speaking to Jim VandeHei, the co-founder of Axios on HBO, Trump Jr laid out a challenge to Hunter Biden about his overseas dealings, which were a big part of Trump’s impeachment trial.

"Listen, I think it's got to be a big part. I was an international business person before my father got into politics 

That's what we did. I'm not going to say I haven't benefited from my father's last name, just like Hunter Biden did. I'd be foolish to say that. But I haven't benefited from my father's taxpayer-funded office, OK? 

We stopped doing any new international business deals when my father won the presidency. So you know what would be great? I'll let you host it 

You moderate a debate between Hunter Biden and myself. Come on. Let's do it. No, no, seriously. We can go full transparency.

We show everything, and we can talk about all of the places where I'm supposedly grifting but Hunter Biden isn't. 

I would love to do it. As it relates to the grifting, they're saying we're profiting off of the presidency. Let's talk about it."

VandeHei then attempted to switch the conversation by asking if Trump Jr had profited from the fact that his father is the current president of the United States of America, which he, of course, denied.

Trump Jr said:
I don't know that I've profited off of the presidency.

VandeHei then pointed out that Trump Jr, who oversees the Trump Organisation with his brother Eric, has in many ways benefitted from his Dad's ascension to the oval office.

You have a bestselling book. You do paid speeches. Don’t you co-own the Trump Hotel?

Trump Jr tried to argue that he had done speeches for more than a decade and doesn't make any more money from them than he had before.

[I've] done paid speeches for over a decade. I do a lot. I don't even do the international ones anymore.

And again, if you looked at my tax returns, which maybe we could talk about in this debate.

When pressed if he would release his tax returns, a subject which has been a constant thorn in this side of his father, by saying that he would be more than happy to talk to Biden about who had profited the most from their father's public service.

I'd 100 percent debate him. Let's talk about who profited off of whose public service. Happy to do it. Let's make it happen.

HT The Hill

Donald Trump Jr. swears he’s not a grifter — even after the RNC and conservative groups bought out his book in bulk

A grifter is generally defined as someone “engages in petty or small-scale swindling.”

March 8, 2020 By Sarah K. Burris


In an interview with Axios, Donald Trump Jr. swore that he isn’t a grifter, a complaint often lodged at the president and his children for profiting off of President Donald Trump’s time in office.

“We can go full transparency, we show everything, and we can talk about all of the places where I am supposedly grifting, but Hunter Biden isn’t,” said the younger Trump.

Neither Don Jr. nor Hunter Biden is running for elected office. It’s unclear why the president’s son is trying to make the campaign an issue between the children of the politicians instead of the officials themselves. The last living Biden son has also never worked for his father’s company.

Don Jr.’s sister and brother-in-law are both loosely employed by the White House, which is generally seen as against nepotism laws. The president got around it by not paying them from the federal government.

It was revealed Thursday (March 5) that Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka would profit about $25 million to 50 million from the president’s tax bill, for a provision that benefited the Kushner development projects. After two years, Kushner said he would be happy to divest from the company. It comes only now that the profits are so high.

In the case of the president’s son, it was revealed that his recent book Triggered was purchased in bulk by the Republican Party and nine other conservative groups. As a result, it drove the pre-sales up, so it appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list. It’s unknown how many total copies of the book were bought out by conservative groups and how many individuals actually purchased the book.

A grifter is generally defined as someone “engages in petty or small-scale swindling.”

Axios reporter Jim VandeHei asked if the younger Trump meant he was willing to turn over his taxes.

“If we do it both, 100 percent,” Don Jr. said. “Let’s talk about who profited off of whose public service. Happy to do it. Let’s make it happen.”

It’s an odd pledge, given his father has refused to do the same and ultimately could make his father look bad because it appears that he’s hiding something when his own son is willing to publish his taxes.

See the clip below:

STD/STI FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA

Dozens of kinds of chlamydiae discovered two miles below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean 

- the first time bacteria is found to be living without first infecting a host

Scientists exploring a hydrothermal vent in the Atlantic Ocean found chlamydia

They believe it's the first form of the bacteria capable of living outside a host 

The discovery was made halfway between Norway and Greenland

By MICHAEL THOMSEN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 9 March 2020

In sediment two miles below the surface of the ocean, researchers have stumbled on a treasure trove of chlamydiae.

The discovery was made by a team of scientists from the Uppsala University and the University of Bergen, who had traveled to a region of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean to study the chemical composition of sediment on the ocean floor.

They made the discovery while analyzing samples near a hydrothermal vent named Loki’s Castle, halfway between Norway and Greenland on the edge of the Arctic Ocean.


A team of scientists discovered several new kinds of chlamydiae in the sediment around a hydrothermal vent in the Atlantic Ocean halfway between Norway and Greenland

‘The discovery of this expanded diversity in deep marine sediments was rather surprising, because we did not expect to find Chlamydiae in this type of environment,’ Thijs Ettema from Uppsala University, told Newsweek.

‘All previous studies have pointed out that Chlamydiae need a host organisms in order to survive, and these host organisms are absent in the marine sediments we sampled.’

‘Our work would represent the first indication that Chlamydiae are able to survive outside of a host organism.’


While chlamydia is most widely known as a sexually transmitted disease among humans, the bacteria also affects cows, chickens, sheep, pigs, and koalas.

The team still isn’t clear how to classify the new form of chlamydiae, but the samples collected so far point to the existence of dozens of new strains, and potentially even new species of the bacteria.

‘We found a wide diversity of new Chlamydiae, perhaps well over a hundred. It is a bit hard to pinpoint this number exactly, as the definition of 'a species' is rather difficult,’ Ettema said.

‘The discovered Chlamydia-related bacteria are only distantly related to the human pathogens.’

‘They share a common ancestry that dates back several hundred million years, and perhaps well over a billion years for some of the discovered lineages.’


Chlamydiae is a bacteria that infects humans, cows, sheep, koala, and chickens, but according to the team the new kinds discovered in the ocean are the first examples of the backteria capable of surviving independent of a host

While the newly discovered chlamydiae can live outside a host, unlike the kind that infects humans, the researchers have so far been unable to grow any of them in a laboratory setting.

This suggests they may still be dependent on the presence of other microbial life in the undersea sediment to thrive and survive the extreme pressure and lack of oxygen.

‘We have found that the group Chlamydiae is much more diverse that previously assumed, and they also have a more diverse lifestyle than previously thought—being able to live outside of a host organism,’ Ettema said.

‘Given their abundance in some of the samples we examined, these Chlamydiae might have a significant ecological impact on the environment they live in.’

WHAT IS CHLAMYDIA?

Chlamydia is a sexually-transmitted disease.

It stems from bacteria called chlamydia trachomatis. It is passed through contact, via vaginal, anal or oral sex.

If left untreated it can damage a woman's fallopian tubes and cause infertility. In very rare cases it can cause infertility in men too.

What are the symptoms?

The majority of people do not feel symptoms of chlamydia. Doctors recommend getting regular STD tests (urine test or swab) to detect it.

However, some do experience some side effects.

Symptoms in women:
Abnormal vaginal discharge
Burning feeling when you urinate
Pain in the eyes
Pain in the abdomen
Pain in the pelvis
Pain during sex
Vaginal bleeding

Symptoms in men:
Discharge from the penis
Burning feeling when you urinate
Pain and swelling in one or both testicles (rarely)

How is it treated?

The infection is easily treated with antibiotics.

Doctors typically prescribe oral antibiotics, usually azithromycin (Zithromax) or doxycycline

RIP MAX VON SYDOW

Game Of Thrones and The Exorcist star Max Von Sydow dies at his home in France aged 90

'An iconic presence in cinema for seven decades': British director Edgar Wright leads tributes to Game Of Thrones and The Exorcist star Max Von Sydow after he died aged 90

Max von Sydow's family announced his death with 'infinite sadness' on Monday

Swedish-born actor made his film debut in 1949 and became a Hollywood star 

He had more recent roles in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Game of Thrones 




By AMIE GORDON FOR MAILONLINE 9 March 2020

Stars of the silver screen have today paid tribute to the actor  Von Sydow, who has died at the age of 90. Max

The Hollywood legend, known for roles in Star Wars, Game Of Thrones, Flash Gordon and The Exorcist, died at his home in France on Sunday.

His family announced the Swedish-born actor's death 'with a broken heart and infinite sadness' today.

Actress Mia Farrow, who appeared alongside Von Sydow in the 1979 movie Hurricane, was among those paying tribute, remembering him as a 'great artist and true gentleman.'

British director Edgar Wright called Von Sydow 'A God', tweeting: 'Max Von Sydow, such an iconic presence in cinema for seven decades, it seemed like he'd always be with us.

'He changed the face of international film with Bergman, played Christ, fought the devil, pressed the HOT HAIL button & was Oscar nominated for a silent performance.'

The Swedish- French actor Max Von Sydow and his wife, producer Catherine Brelet, at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016

Max Von Sydow (right) as the Three-Eyed Raven in HBO's Game of Thrones 2016, alongside Isaac Hempstead Wright who played Bran Stark

Sam Jones and Von Sydow, who has died aged 90, in the 1980s film Flash Gordon


A scene from the 1973 film The Exorcist, in which Von Sydow played Lankester Merrin

+10




Actress Mia Farrow and British director Edgar Wright are among those paying tribute today

The actor's agent Jean Diamond said: 'It is with a broken heart and with infinite sadness that we have the extreme pain of announcing the departure of Max Von Sydow, March 8, 2020.'

Born in 1929, Von Sydow made his film debut in 1949, going on to appear in several films by Ingmar Bergman including a role as a knight in The Seventh Seal.

The film's scenes of him playing chess with the figure of Death would become renowned in cinematic circles.

Before his big-screen career took off, Von Sydow studied at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm.

He went on to work with Bergman at the Malmo Municipal Theatre in the 1950s.

He also went on to star in other Bergman films including Wild Strawberries, The Virgin Spring and Hour Of The Wolf.

Subsequently, he enjoyed an illustrious Hollywood career with movies including The Exorcist and Minority Report.

He played Jesus in The Greatest Story Ever Told and Lassefar Karlsson in Pelle the Conqueror, which earned him an Oscar nomination for best actor. 

Max von Sydow appears in classic Flash Gordon 1980's movie


Catherine Brelet (left) and Max Von Sydow at the European Premiere of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' in Leicester Square on December 16, 2015

Max Von Sydow and his wife Catherine at the Emmys in Los Angeles in September 2016

+10






Hollywood stars have taken to social media to share their tributes and fond memories of the late actor

He received a second Oscar nomination, for best supporting actor, in 2011 for his role in the post-9/11 film Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close.

He also played sinister James Bond super-villain Ernst Blofeld in 1983's Never Say Never Again.

During his extensive film career he worked with a number of heavyweight directors, such as Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Woody Allen and Steven Spielberg.

In 2015, von Sydow joined the cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, portraying Lor San Tekka who appeared at the very start of the film.

The following year, he portrayed the mysterious Three-Eyed Raven in HBO's Game Of Thrones, receiving a Primetime Emmy nomination.

Although originally from Sweden, Von Sydow lived in France for many years and eventually took French citizenship.

While his characters were often sinister, tormented or evil, the soft-spoken Von Sydow said he became an actor to overcome his own shyness.

'I was a very shy boy when I was a kid,' he once said in an Associated Press interview.

'When I started acting in an amateur group in high school, although I wasn't aware of it at the time, I suddenly got a tool in my hand that was wonderful.

'I was allowed to express all kinds of strange things that I never dared to express before. Now I could do it with the character as a shield, as a defense, and as an excuse.

'I think that for many years I used my profession as some kind of a mental therapy.'

Von Sydow married Swedish actress Christina Olin in 1951 and had two sons, Clas and Henrik.

The couple later divorced and he married French filmmaker Catherine Brelet in 1997, with whom he had two more sons, Yvan and Cedric. 

Watch the trailer for the iconic 1974 film The Exorcist

From Swedish arthouse to Hollywood: Max Von Sydow's 65 year career included starring roles in Ingar Bergman's The Seventh Seal and William Friedkin's The Exorcist

Max von Sydow was known for his many collaborations with Ingmar Bergman before he made the leap to Hollywood .

The actor, who has died aged 90, worked with the Swedish film-maker multiple times.

Their credits included The Seventh Seal, in which he famously played chess with the figure of Death, The Magician, The Virgin Spring, Through A Glass Darkly, Hour Of The Wolf and Shame.

In the 1960s, he made the move from European to US films.

More recently, he appeared in Game Of Thrones and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

A scene from the film Minority Report, with Max Von Sydow (left) portraying Lamar Burgess and Tom Cruise (right) as John Anderton

Von Sydow was born in Lund, Sweden, but later became a French citizen.

He was born Carl Adolf von Sydow, according to reports, but changed his name after deciding to act for a living.

"During my military service, I performed a sketch in which I played a flea called Max. So when critics kept misspelling my name, I decided to change it and thought, 'Ah! Max!'," he later told The Guardian.

He attended the acting academy at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm.

"I didn't dream of becoming a movie actor when I was a boy, I wanted to go to the theatre," he later told The Wall Street Journal.

"I was very impressed by the first theatre I was introduced to ... and it made an enormous impression on me."

The actor made his film debut in the Swedish film Only A Mother in 1949.

He was Oscar nominated twice - for best actor for his role in Pelle The Conqueror (1987) and for supporting actor for Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close (2011).

He was also acclaimed for his role in The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (2007) and played sinister James Bond super-villain Ernst Blofeld in 1983 movie Never Say Never Again.

Hollywood credits included The Exorcist, Minority Report, Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island and Ridley Scott's Robin Hood.

Other titles included Hawaii, The Kremlin Letter, Three Days Of The Condor and Woody Allen's Hannah And Her Sisters,

He appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as Lor San Tekka and Game Of Thrones as the Three-eyed Raven, for which he was nominated for an Emmy.

Von Sydow was previously married to actress Christina Inga Britta Olin and tied the knot with second wife Catherine Brelet in 1997.

---30---

Bears are coming out of hibernation more than a month early after one of the hottest winters in human history
Bears in Russia, Finland, and New England have come out of hibernation early
Researchers believe the record high winter temperatures have woken the bears
In some parts of Siberia, bears never started hibernation as temperatures hovered in the mid-50-degrees Farenheit

By MICHAEL THOMSEN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 6 March 2020 
Bears all over the world are coming out of hibernation more than a month ahead of schedule after one of the hottest winters in human history.

Moscow Zoo CEO Svetlana Akulova announced the zoo was making preparations for two Himalayan bears held in captivity at the zoo to come out of hibernation more than a month earlier than the April window they had been expecting.

The zoo staff had begun around the clock monitoring of the bears in February and noticed they were much more actively astir than normal, indicating they were ready to come out of full hibernation.


In Vermont and New Hampshire there have been multiple sightings of bears coming out of hibernation more than a month earlier than is typical, something researchers attribute to warmer temperatures

‘Our zoologists were preparing for the bears to wake up earlier due to the abnormally warm winter, ’Akulova said, in a statement reported by The Moscow Times.

To avoid shocking the bears’ digestive systems, the zoo prepared a steady range of small meals.

The bears will indulge in frequent but low calorie meals of apples, pears, salad, vegetables, while staple ingredients like honey, fish, and nuts will be gradually added to the mix.

Similar reports of bears coming out of hibernation early have come from other regions in Russia, and from all over the world.

In Voronezh, the city zoo's resident brown bear Masha woke up a month ahead of schedule after zoo workers noticed her hibernation state was unusually light and she was more sensitive to sounds than normal.

Something similar happened with two brown bears at the Korkesaari Zoo in Helsinki, Finland, who woke in mid-February after just two months of hibernation.


The Moscow Zoo's two resident Himalayan bears showed signs they were ready to come out of hibernation as early as February, and they fully work in early March, more than a month ahead of the expected April window they would normally have come out in

Depending on the species, bears typically hibernate for around four or five months a year, though some can go for as long as eight months.

In New Hampshire, bear researchers said there had been multiple bear sightings as early as February.

‘We have a lot less snow this winter, and temperatures have been higher than normal, making it even more tempting for bears to wake up and seek a snack,’ Andy Timmins, a biologist with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, told the New Hampshire Union Leader.


To avoid shocking the bears systems, staff at the Moscow Zoo prepared a steady diet of small, low calorie meals for the bears, comprised of apples, pears, salad and more, while slowly adding in staple foods like fish and nuts

In some regions, this winter has been so warm, local bears never even started hibernation.

Several bears kept in captivity at Bolsherechensky Zoo in Omsk, Siberia were still awake in December, as local temperatures hovered in the mid-50 degrees Farenheit.

Typically, bears won’t begin hibernating until the temperature drops below at least 50 degrees Farenheit.

WHAT IS HIBERNATION?


Hibernation is a mechanism employed by many animals to help them survive cold weather.

Throughout winter months temperatures dip, food is scarce and survival can be difficult.

Hibernation is different depending on the species but all awaken in the spring when temperatures recover again.

A hibernating animal's metabolism slows and its temperature plunges, this helps conserve energy and resources.

Breathing slows as well and in some animals, so does the heart rate.

Some cold-blooded animals, such as wood frogs, produce natural antifreezes to survive being frozen solid.

Mammals entering hibernation must store up large amount of fat by eating considerably in the weeks approaching hibernation,

This layer of extra fat allows them to survive hibernation - insufficient fat reserves can result in starvation during hibernation.

Large black bear seen roaming around California neighborhood


Read more:
Warm Winter Wakes Moscow’s Bears Early - The Moscow Times

Spectacular pictures show the 'worm' supermoon lighting up night skies around the world and it will only get brighter as it reaches its peak TONIGHT

The full point of brightness for the March supermoon will be at 5:48pm GMT on March 9 in the evening

Supermoon events mark the point when the moon appears bigger and brighter than would usually be the case

The March supermoon is also known as the 'Worm Moon' and is named for the coming of springtime

The March full moon will reach peak fullness tonight at 5:48pm GMT - but it appeared full from Sunday night and will still be visible through to Tuesday.

The Worm Moon will be 'spectacularly bright', according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, and appear about seven per cent larger than a normal full moon.

A supermoon occurs when the full moon nearly coincides with perigee – the point in the orbit of the moon at which it is nearest to the Earth.


Scroll down for video

+8




The near full supermoon sets over London. Also know as the Worm Moon at this time of year - it will be at it's fullest as it rises later today

+8



The first Supermoon of 2020 rises above Tenerife's Teide National Park The Worm Moon can be viewed from Sunday Evening through to Tuesday morning

+8



The moon at 99.0 per cent rises behind One World Trade Center and the skyline of lower Manhattan in New York City at sunset on March 8, 2020

+8




Earlier Sunday evening an almost full moon at 97.6 per cent sets behind the Statue of Liberty in New York City. The Super Worm Moon will rise on March 9 and reach peak at 5:48pm GMT

At perigee a supermoon can appear as much as 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than normal, when viewed from Earth, depending on the time of year.

Full moon names, which are used to describe the supermoons, were historically used to track the seasons and therefore are closely related to nature.

‘Worm Moon’ is the common name for March’s full moon because at the time it appears the ground begins to soften and heaps of soil left by worms start to appear.

This invites the return of birds to feed, which is seen as a sign of springtime starting to return after a long winter.

There will be two additional supermoons this season – April 8, when a ‘Pink Moon’ will be 221,851 miles from Earth, and the ‘Flower Moon’ on May 7, at 224,429 miles away.

Dr Daniel Brown, an astronomy expert at Nottingham Trent University said supermoons often encourage people to go out and take their first steps in astrophotography thinking the moon will be much larger than normal.

'However, in reality supermoons are never huge at all so don’t get fooled in thinking that you can see it being larger than usual,' he said.

'Supermoons appear only 14% larger than the smallest possible moon –so it would be very difficult to recall its smallest apparent size when that happened in September last year?

“The so-called ‘moon illusion’ will make the moon appear much larger than it really is, when it is close to the horizon, but that happens for any full moon or moon phase you observe.

'So go out there, enjoy spotting the moon and watching it rise and glide through the sky.'

Last night the moon was at 99 per cent and can be seen rising behind One World Trade Center and the skyline of lower Manhattan in New York City as a man stands next to the Hudson River at sunset


The worm moon signifies the oncoming spring and can be seen here next to One World Trade Center in New York - as seen from New Jersey

Here the moon rises behind the spire of One World Trade Center in New York City at sunset on March 8, 2020 as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey

Lady Liberty is framed in front of the orange tinged worm supermoon as it set in New York City on Sunday. The moon is the second supermoon of 2020

WHAT IS A SUPERMOON?

A 'supermoon' appears to us as a larger-than-usual Moon in our night sky.

A supermoon takes place when the moon is full and its orbit at its perigee point is closest to Earth.

As the moon orbits in an ellipse its closest point - the perigee - will come very close to earth. The farthest point of the ellipse is called the apogee.

When a full moon appears at perigee, the moon looks brighter and larger than a regular moon, hence the nickname supermoon.

The Worm Moon is the second of the supermoons to grace the sky this year, following the ‘Snow Moon’ in early February, so-called as it often coincides with heavy snowfall.

The supermoon on November 14, 2016 was the closest full supermoon since January 26, 1948, and will not be surpassed until November 25, 2034, according to Earth Sky.

The closest full supermoon of the 21st century will occur on December 6, 2052.

Astronomers differ on what they believe constitutes a ‘supermoon’ – however, the original definition as coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 puts it as a full moon or new moon that comes within 90 per cent of its closest approach to Earth.

If possible, the best time to view the full moon is when it is close to the horizon, due to an optical illusion that makes it appear bigger due to its relative size compared to buildings, trees and other objects in the foreground.

Astronomers advise photographers to download apps and maps to track the progress of the moon across the sky, in order to make sightings easier.

NASA demonstrates what exactly makes a Supermoon super

FULL MOON NAMES AND THEIR MEANINGS

January: Wolf Moon because wolves were heard more often at this time.

February: Snow Moon to coincide with heavy snow.

March: Worm Moon as the Sun increasingly warmed the soil and earthworms became active.

April: Pink Moon as it heralded the appearance of Phlox subulata or moss pink – one of spring’s first flowers.

May: Flower Moon because of the abundance of blossoms.

June: Strawberry Moon because it appeared when the strawberry harvest first took place.

July: Buck Moon as it arrived when a male deer’s antlers were in full growth mode.

August: Sturgeon Moon after the large fish that was easily caught at this time.

September: Corn Moon because this was the time to harvest corn.

October: Hunter's Moon after the time to hunt in preparation for winter.

November: Beaver Moon because it was the time to set up beaver traps.

December: Cold Moon because nights at this time of year were the longest.

Source: Old Farmer's Almanac

Emissions from coal power see 'biggest fall' in decades as electricity generation switches toward solar and wind — but more is needed to meet climate targets, report finds

The analysis was undertaken by Ember, the London-based climate think tank

Electricity generation from coal is estimated to have fallen by 3 per cent in 2019

This led to a reduction of 2 per cent in power sector carbon dioxide emissions

But coal use needs to fall by 11 per cent a year until 2030 to meet climate goals

Emissions from coal power saw the 'biggest fall' in decades last year as electricity generation switched toward solar and wind, a report has found.

The global study by climate think tank Ember found that electricity generation from coal fell 3 per cent in 2019 — leading to a 2 per cent reduction in carbon emissions.

This is the biggest decrease on both counts since the International Energy Agency began reporting on them in the year 1990.

However, declining coal generation is not yet 'the new normal' — and more will be needed in the coming years to meet climate targets, the Ember report concluded.

The analysis was based on data on 2019 electricity generation that covered 85 per cent of the world — including China, the EU, India and the United States.



Emissions from coal power saw the 'biggest fall' in decades last year as electricity generation switched toward solar and wind, a report has found (stock image)

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels — which scientists warn is necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change — will be extremely difficult, Ember said.

While coal power usage has collapsed in both the EU and the US, the use of electricity sourced from the fossil fuel grew in contrast in China last year, with the country now responsible for half of the world's coal generation, the report found.

The fall in coal usage is partly due to a structural shift towards wind and solar but also one-off factors, such as the restarting of nuclear power generation in Japan.

However, coal use would need to collapse at a rate of at least 11 per cent each year until 2030 to keep global warming down to 1.5°C or less, the report warned.

The reduction in coal use in the US — which fell by 16 per cent in 2019 — is undermined in terms of its climate impact by the fact that the power sector has undergone a significant switch over to gas.

In the EU, coal generation fell by 24 per cent, with the bloc leapfrogging from coal straight to wind and solar power, the report noted.


The global study by climate think tank Ember found that electricity generation from coal fell 3 per cent in 2019 — leading to a 2 per cent reduction in carbon emissions (stock image)

Wind and solar generation rose by 15 per cent in 2019, generating 8 per cent of the world’s electricity.

This level of growth will need to continue for many years in order to to tackle the climate crisis — a feat possible with falling prices, but one that will require a concerted effort from all regions, the report warned.

The researchers' analysis also revealed that the growth in demand for electricity has slowed down to 1.4 per cent — the smallest increase since the 2009 recession — due to a combination of low economic growth and a milder winter in the EU and the US.
Protesters are arrested after Home Office anti-coal stunt

'The global decline of coal and power sector emissions is good news for the climate,' said report author and Ember electricity analyst Dave Jones.

'But governments have to dramatically accelerate the electricity transition so that global coal generation collapses throughout the 2020s.

'To switch from coal into gas is just swapping one fossil fuel for another. The cheapest and quickest way to end coal generation is through a rapid roll-out of wind and solar.'

Without concerted efforts to boost the uptake of solar and wind power, however, the world will fail to meet climate targets, Mr Jones said.

'China’s growth in coal — and to some extent gas — is alarming, but the answers are all there,' he added.

'The EU leaps out with 18 per cent of electricity now coming from wind and solar, but with the US on 11 per cent, China at 9 per cent and India at 8 per cent — the race is on.'

The full findings of the report were published on the Ember website.

'TIME IS RUNNING OUT': DAVID ATTENBOROUGH'S WARNING TO HUMANITY


Sir David urged action against global warming and called it a man-made disaster that poses 'our greatest threat in thousands of years'

Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.

'We the peoples of the United Nations'.

These are the opening words of the UN Charter.

A charter that puts people at the centre.

A pledge to give every person in the world a voice on its future.

A promise to help protect the weakest and the strongest from war, famine and other man-made disasters.

Right now, we are facing a man-made disaster of global scale.

Our greatest threat in thousands of years. Climate Change.

If we don't take action the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.

The United Nations provides a unique platform that can unite the whole world.

And as the Paris agreement proved, together we can make real change happen.

At this crucial moment, the United Nations has invited the world's people to have their voice heard, by giving them a seat.

The People's Seat; giving everyone the opportunity to join us here today, virtually, and speak directly to you the decision makers.

In the last two weeks, the world's people have taken part in building this address, answering polls, sending video messages and voicing their opinions.

I am only here to represent the 'Voice of the People': to deliver our collective thoughts, concerns, ideas and suggestions.

This is our 'We the peoples' message.

The world's people have spoken. Their message is clear.

Time is running out.

They want you, the decision makers, to act now.

They are behind you, along with civil society represented here today.

Supporting you in making tough decisions but also willing to make sacrifices in their daily lives.

To help make change happen, the UN is launching the Act Now bot.

Helping people to discover simple everyday actions that they can take, because they recognize that they too must play their part.

The People have spoken.

Leaders of the world, you must lead.

The continuation of our civilisations and the natural world upon which we depend, is in your hands.

US surgeon general mocked after saying Trump is 'healthier than he is'

Jerome Adams, the US surgeon general has been ridiculed after saying that Donald Trump 'sleeps less than him' and is 'healthier' than him.

Adams, who is in his mid-40s, appeared on CNN to discuss the White House reaction to the continued spread of coronavirus but somehow found himself defending the 73-year-old president's health.

Speaking to Jake Tapper, Adams said:

If people are going to go out there we want them and we want them to wash their hands more frequently.

I was with the president on Friday and I said 'Sir, when was the last time that you washed your hands?'

He said 'I washed my hands just a few minutes ago.'

This shouldn't be a surprise as Trump is a well-documented germaphobe but what he said next saw him subjected to widespread mockery.

Speaking of being at risk, the president sleeps less than I do and he's healthier than what I am.

That's the other reason why this messaging is hard because there are 70-year-olds who run marathons who are healthier than some 30-year-olds.

OK...

We're no experts on this kind of stuff but at a glance, we would say that Adams looks a lot healthier than Trump does. After all, this is a man who reportedly drinks 12 cokes a day.

Needless to say, Adams bizarre defence of Trump was the subject of much derision on Twitter.

This is reminiscent of the time that Trump was declared by his own doctor to be the "healthiest president ever elected" which seemed to be more than an extension of the truth.

Coronavirus researcher accused of scaremongering for calling it 'most frightening disease I've ever encountered'

THE INDEPENDENT 

Dr Richard Hatchett, a doctor leading the efforts for a potential vaccine for COVID-19, took some time away from his research yesterday to appear on Channel 4 news and remind viewers of the dangers of the novel coronavirus.

When asked about his potential vested interest in "making people fearful" in order to receive investment for his research, he said:

It's the most frightening disease I've ever encountered in my career, and that includes Ebola, it includes MERS, it includes SARS. And it's frightening because of the combination of infectiousness and a lethality that appears to be manyfold higher than flu.

According to the World Health Organization, the flu's mortaility rate is below 1 per cent, while COVID-19 has killed 3.4 per cent of reported cases so far. However, estimates suggest there could be many more people who have been infected with the virus, but have had symptoms so mild that they have not been tested, meaning the mortality rate could be much lower.

Hatchett also compared the outbreak to the Spanish flu, which emerged in 1918 and estimated to have killed around 50 million people globally over two years.

We have not since 1918 seen a virus that combined those two qualities in the same way. We have seen very lethal viruses [...] but they don't have the infectiousness that this virus has. They don't have the potential to explode and spread globally.

So far, there have been 3,524 deaths since the first case was discovered in December 2019. This would average at around 1,175 deaths per month, which would mean 14,100 per year.

Of course, as the virus spreads, rate of infection and therefore mortality would likely increase, but it's still a long way off 50 million, especially considering the huge increase in scientific understanding of pandemics, vaccination and treatments which have been developed in the past 100 years.

The clip of the interview was tweeted by Channel 4, and has since gone viral given the gravity implied in this statement, which stands in somewhat stark contrast to the official statement from the UK's chief medical officers, which places the UK risk level at "moderate", while stressing that:

It is likely there will be individual cases and we are confident in the ability of the NHS in England, Scotland and Wales and HSC in Northern Ireland to manage these in a way that protects the public and provides high quality care.

Many have criticised the nature of Hatchett's comments, calling them "scaremongering", "unhelpful" and "sensationalism".

While it's crucial we take this virus seriously to avoid further spread, we must also avoid causing global panic, which we are already seeing as people panic-buy and stockpile, with dangerous consequences to the most vulnerable.