Over 130 countries will be signing climate agreement on April 22.
The pact was reached in Paris in December 2015 (Image courtesy of AP)
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is hosting a signing ceremony for a climate change agreement at U.N. headquarters on April 22, the first day the agreement opens for signature. Leaders from all 193 U.N. member states have been invited to the event. This international agreement surpasses the previous record of 119 signatures on opening day of signing of the Law of Sea Treaty in 1994. The climate agreement sets a goal of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times.
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China’s ‘ghost children’ are becoming persons in the eyes of the law with the end of the one-child policy .
In 2010, there were an estimated 13 million improperly registered people, many of who were ‘ghost children’ barred from full legal status. (Image courtesy of Shuttershock)
Parents of children born in contravention of China’s one child policy were required to pay a $60 000 fine to obtain a hukou household registration, without which the children would not be considered legal in China. With the end of the one child policy this year, authorities have begun to remove barriers to allow these ‘ghost children’ to have legal status without paying the fines. Some districts, such as Xicheng and Dongcheng, are registering children but others are not, leaving many frustrated. However, China has not banned all birth controls – they currently have a two child policy replacing the previous one child policy.
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Leaked Panama Papers shows global corruption.
11.5 million files from Mossack Fonseca, headquarters pictured, have been leaked. (Image courtesy of Mathieu Tourliere/Proceso)
11.5 million files from Mossack Fonseca, a law firm headquartered in Panama, have released information regarding the assets and shady dealings of hundreds of politicians, billionaires, athletes, and drug lords. The company is one of the top creators of shell companies—corporate structures often used to hide ownership of assets to avoid paying tax on them. While offshore accounts are not illegal, they can be used to cover up illegal and illicit dealings. Notable people in the files include soccer player Lionel Messi, Iceland Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, movie star Jackie Chan, and several associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin. For many of the people named in the files there is no evidence of any illegal activity. However, the files also show other customers attempts to hide fortunes from taxes.
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Massive black hole stuns astronomers.
A computer simulated image of a massive black hole in the centre of a galaxy. (Image courtesy to NASA, ESA, and D. Coe, J. Anderson, and R. van der Marel (STScI))
Scientist have discovered a massive black hole that is 17 billion times the mass of the sun. However, unlike other massive black holes who are located in places with hundreds of large galaxies, this black holes is in the centre of the galaxy NGC 1600, located in a cluster of around 20 galaxies. Due to this discovery, scientists have realized that the size of a black hole is not related to the mass of stars near the centre of their host galaxy. This may mean that massive black holes are much more common than thought of before and are located in other small galaxy clusters.
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Greece starts sending refugees back to Turkey.
Greek police catch refugees attempting to smuggle their way further into Greece. (Image courtesy of AFP/Getty Images)
Greece has given 4 000 refugees at Piraeus, one of Europe’s busiest ports and vital to Greek’s tourism industry, two weeks to either pack up and go back to Turkey voluntarily, or be forcefully expelled. Greece’s position towards the refugees has toughened, especially after part of the agreement between the European Union and Turkey was to take in refugees from Greece on 20 March. Greek officials have attempted to convince refugees to go to Turkey by showing them aerial photos of the camps they would be held in and explaining what facilities were available. However, refugees are afraid that they will be cut off and run out of money and feel safer in Greece. Many protests have been held against the deportation of refugees. Regardless, refugees were sent back to Turkey on Monday, 4 April and continued Friday, 8 April.
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Romantic marriage proposal on California’s Morro Rock ends with helicopter rescue.
Morro Bay fire department captain Todd Gailey advises others to chose a proposal location “where you’re not in danger of falling off a cliff.” (Image courtesy of AP)
Michael Banks, 27, decided to scale a cliff off California’s Central Coast to propose to his girlfriend, who was watching via FaceTime video. On the way down, Banks got stuck on the 182 meter Morro Rock and had to be rescued by helicopter from 24 meters off the ground. Banks said nothing during the rescue about any second thoughts on his choice of location for his proposal. For all those who are wondering: his girlfriend said yes.
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