Commentary: The US dollar's supremacy is waning. So will America’s influence

The dollar and the US is not immune to the same kind of progressive degeneration suffered by the pound sterling and the UK in the 20th century, says Professor Benjamin J Cohen. SANTA BARBARA, California: With the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, the United States seems to have developed a severe case of what psychologists call dissociative identity disorder: it is simultaneously projecting two distinct personalities. On the one hand, the US Federal Reserve has responsibly assumed a leadership role in international finance, as it did during the 2008 global financial crisis.
Read more: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/the-us-dollar-losing-influence-america-china-bonds-12758544?source=Snapzu

A new civil lawsuit alleges Harvey Weinstein raped a 17-year-old in the 1990s

Four women identified as Jane Does filed a lawsuit against disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein Thursday, alleging he sexually assaulted them. The allegations include the story of one woman who says Weinstein raped her in 1994 when she was about 17. 
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/29/us/new-weinstein-rape-allegations-lawsuit/index.html?source=Snapzu

In Bolsonaro's Brazil, everyone else is to blame for virus

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — With Brazil emerging as one of the world's most infected countries, President Jair Bolsonaro is deflecting all responsibility for the coronavirus crisis
Read more: https://apnews.com/7a7e8a0d3c524986412245ec9a23fad0?source=Snapzu

NASA’s Next Great Leap

While it may seem like the whole world has come to a standstill, NASA is notably continuing to prep for one of the most important missions in recent memory, set to launch on the 27th of May, coinciding with the week of Memorial Day. Riding aboard a SpaceX-built Falcon 9 rocket, the two veteran astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley will attempt to dock with the International Space Station in orbit.
Read more: https://cleantechnica.com/2020/05/25/nasas-next-great-leap/?source=Snapzu

Oldest 'nearly complete' HIV genome found in forgotten tissue sample from 1966

The oldest known nearly complete gene sequence from the HIV strain that spread across the world has been found in a tissue sample from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a new study finds. The tissue sample was taken and preserved in 1966, making this HIV sequence 10 years older than the previous oldest genome, which came from a blood sample taken in 1976 in the DRC. Gene sequences like these – which come from before the virus that causes AIDS was discovered in 1983 – help pinpoint the timing of genetic mutations in the virus.
Read more: https://www.livescience.com/oldest-hiv-genome.html?source=Snapzu

Up to 130 people come forward claiming they could be child of Epstein, whose fortune is worth £470m

More than 100 people claim they could be the offspring of the deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, who is thought to have had a personal fortune of around £470m. A DNA company, which set up a website called epsteinheirs.com, said as many as 130 people had come forward – including a number of Britons – since the site’s launch.
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/epstein-children-fortune-dna-website-morse-genealogical-services-death-a9531366.html?source=Snapzu

South Korea closes schools again as cases jump

More than 200 schools in South Korea have been forced to close just days after they re-opened, due to a new spike in virus cases. Thousands of students had earlier on Wednesday returned to school as the country began easing virus restrictions. But just a day later, 79 new cases were recorded, the highest daily figure in two months. Most of these cases have been linked to a distribution centre outside Seoul.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52845015?source=Snapzu

Parrot 'who heard victim's last words' to give evidence in rape and murder trial

The comments of a parrot may be used in an upcoming rape and murder trial. Elizabeth Toledo, 46, was raped and then killed in the city of San Fernando, Argentina in December 2018. At the end of the month a police officer was guarding the crime scene when they heard a parrot say "Ay, no, Por favour, soltame!" ("No, please, let me go"), Clarin reports.
Read more: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/parrot-who-heard-victims-last-22082581?source=Snapzu

1 in 5 people tested in New York City had antibodies for the coronavirus

Nearly 1 in 7 people in New York who were randomly tested for coronavirus antibodies turned out to have them, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today (April 23). In New York City, the number is even higher: About 1 in 5 people tested positive for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. If those early results translate to the rest of the New York population, that would mean about 2.7 million people across the state would have been infected.
Read more: https://www.livescience.com/covid-antibody-test-results-new-york-test.html?source=Snapzu

Trump threatens to pull Republican convention out of North Carolina

President Donald Trump began a solemn Memorial Day railing against North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, ahead of the 2020 Republican National Convention, threatening to pull it out of Charlotte, where the convention is expected to be held August 24 to 27. Trump contended that Cooper is "unable to guarantee" that the arena can be filled to capacity.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/25/politics/trump-threatens-charlotte-republican-convention/index.html?source=Snapzu

We can't just keep ignoring all the black men who report being sexually assaulted

An important lesson of the #MeToo movement has been that perpetrators of sexual assault include people who have been previously dismissed as potential predators — that sexual assaults can be and are committed by respected members of elite communities, including beloved comedians, Hollywood power players and prominent, well-paid journalists. No one, by virtue of their social or economic status, should be written off as incapable of assault.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/nfl-player-says-united-ignored-his-reports-sexual-assault-problem-ncna1213526?source=Snapzu

World Health Organization Renews Praise for China in Response to Coronavirus

World Health Organization officials have renewed praise for China in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, citing its “openness” to the prospect of scientific inquiries involving foreign experts into the origins of the novel coronavirus.
Read more: https://time.com/5842256/world-health-organization-china-coronavirus-outbreak/?source=Snapzu

Skyrim Grandma takes time off for her health after negative YouTube comments

Shirley ‘Skyrim Grandma’ Curry has been regularly posting Skyrim Let’s Play videos since 2015, and is a figure so beloved that her likeness has been scanned for inclusion in The Elder Scrolls 6. But she’s now taking an extended break for the sake of her health, which Curry says “isn’t very good” – in large part due to the stress of managing a YouTube channel and dealing with negative comments.
Read more: https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/grandma-shirley-curry?source=Snapzu

Twitter's ex-CEO stepped up the Silicon Valley beef and attacked Facebook for being a hotbed of anti-vaxxer Bill Gates conspiracy theories

There's an ongoing spat between Twitter and Facebook right now over whether social media platforms should fact-check politicians, after Twitter slapped warning and fact-check labels on President Trump's recent tweets. The latest salvo is from Twitter's former CEO Dick Costolo, who pitched in to criticize Facebook.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-ex-ceo-attacks-facebook-bill-gates-conspiracy-theories-2020-5?source=Snapzu

New PS4 games must also run on PlayStation 5 from July, Sony tells devs

Sony has told PlayStation 4 game developers that any new titles submitted for certification must also be compatible with PlayStation 5, beginning 13th July. This means all PS4 games received by Sony for testing after the middle of that month are technically forwards compatible - playable on Sony's next-gen console - though it is up to each game's developer to ensure this is the case.
Read more: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-05-29-new-ps4-games-must-be-playstation-5-compatible-from-july-sony-tells-devs?source=Snapzu

Prince William and Kate Middleton were guest bingo callers in call to nursing home

Royal duties aren't all fun and games — at least not usually. But this week, Prince William and his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, put a playful spin on their work. On Wednesday, the pair took turns as guest bingo callers for the residents of Shire Hall Care Home in Cardiff, Wales, in a video call to the center.
Read more: https://www.today.com/news/prince-william-kate-middleton-were-guest-bingo-callers-call-nursing-t182229?source=Snapzu

A $350 “anti-5G” device is just a 128MB USB stick, teardown finds

5GBioShield uses "quantum nano-layer technology" to restructure reality itself.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/05/5g-conspiracy-theorists-sell-350-usb-stick-to-fight-electric-fog/?source=Snapzu

Twitter hides Trump tweet for 'glorifying violence'

Twitter has hidden a tweet by President Donald Trump from his profile, saying it violates rules about glorifying violence. It did the same hours later when the official White House account tweeted a copy of the president's words. Instead of being deleted, both tweets can be viewed by clicking on a prominent warning. It says that "Twitter has determined that it may be in the public's interest for the Tweet to remain accessible."
Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52846679?source=Snapzu

‘Sorry, no mask allowed': Texas bar resists coronavirus guidance, turns away mask wearers

“Sorry for the inconveniences please bear with us thru the ridiculous fearful times,” reads the sign on the front of the Liberty Tree Tavern in Texas.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/28/elgin-texas-restaurant-liberty-tree-tavern-says-no-masks-allowed/5273257002/?source=Snapzu

SpaceX's Starship Prototype Just Erupted in a Dramatic Fireball During Testing

To realize its ambitious plans for sending up to 100 passengers to the Moon and Mars inside a massive Starship spacecraft, SpaceX is racing through prototypes.
Read more: https://www.sciencealert.com/spacex-s-mars-rocket-prototype-just-blew-up-in-a-dramatic-fireball?source=Snapzu

NASA astronauts blast off into space on SpaceX rocket

A rocket ship designed and built by Elon Musk's SpaceX company has lifted off with two Americans on a history-making flight to the International Space Station.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/spacex-rocket-launch-1.5591728?source=Snapzu

NSA: Russian agents have been hacking major email program

BOSTON (AP) — The U.S. National Security Agency says the same Russian military hacking group that interfered in the 2016 presidential election and unleashed a devastating malware attack
Read more: https://apnews.com/c5900ca1facfaf6eeb0827211f3f8e61?source=Snapzu

Australians to receive potential coronavirus vaccine in southern hemisphere's first human trials

More than 100 people in Melbourne and Brisbane have signed up to be involved in the first human trials of a vaccine for COVID-19. Clinical research organisation Nucleus Network will be in charge of the early stages of testing the vaccine NVX-CoV2373, before the trial expands to Brisbane within a week.
Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-26/coronavirus-vaccine-trail-begins-in-melbourne-brisbane/12286028?source=Snapzu

Minneapolis police officer arrested in death of George Floyd

News of the arrest came moments after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz acknowledged the ‘abject failure’ of the response to this week’s protests and called for swift justice for officers involved
Read more: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-minnesota-governor-acknowledges-abject-failure-in-response-to/?source=Snapzu

Archaeologists in Norway are about to dig up a Viking ship

The Gjellestad ship is roughly 1,200 years old.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/05/archaeologists-in-norway-are-about-to-dig-up-a-viking-ship/?source=Snapzu

Twitter hides Trump tweet for 'glorifying violence'

For the first time, Twitter has hidden a tweet on the president's profile behind a warning.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52846679?source=Snapzu

Breakthrough: Scientists Discover New Antibodies That Can Fight Toxic Particles Causing Alzheimer's Disease

This discovery is a potential advance in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
Read more: https://www.ibtimes.com/breakthrough-scientists-discover-new-antibodies-can-fight-toxic-particles-causing-2982518?source=Snapzu

New Trump public land rules will let Alaska hunters kill bear cubs in dens

The Trump administration is finalizing rules that will allow hunters in Alaska’s national preserves to shoot bears and wolves, and their cubs and pups, while they are in their dens. The National Park Service is reversing regulations written by the Barack Obama administration, which banned some of the much-criticized practices for hunting the predators, including luring bears with food like doughnuts.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/28/alaska-bears-wolves-trump-rules-hunters?source=Snapzu

Looking Glass starts shipping its 8K holographic display

When Looking Glass Factory showed of its first holographic display way back in August 2018, it felt more like a proof of concept than anything — though it was immediately an impressive concept. In November of last year, the Brooklyn-based startup showed off an 8K display that used its holographic t…
Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/26/looking-glass-starts-shipping-its-8k-holographic-display/?source=Snapzu

Millions Of U.S. Jobs Are Never Coming Back From The Covid-19 Recession

It’s a nice, rosy notion, but one that would strike anyone most workers as wishful—maybe the job losses incurred because of the coronavirus shutdown were largely temporary, and will come roaring back as soon as the economy ‘reopens.’ The reality is a lot more harsh. As weekly jobless claims skyrocket past 30 million in just a matter of weeks, a new study from the Becker-Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago offers a sobering assessment of the extent of permanent damage to the job market.
Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/pedrodacosta/2020/05/27/millions-of-us-jobs-are-not-coming-back/#7bd133c75b0c?source=Snapzu

Scientists working on an artificial eye that works like a real one

Scientists have been working for years to create an artificial eye that will be able to mimic the shape and behavior of the real eye. Of course it is an extremely difficult task, but it seems that they have finally found the right path to it. The result is an artificial eye whose functions and structure largely mimic the human eye. This eye is powered by a network of nano photo-sensors placed inside a spherical alumina membrane that “plays” the retina, while a network formed of an alloy of liquid metal replicates the nerves through which signals are sent from the sensor to the external processor.
Read more: https://tehvibes.com/news-2/scientists-working-on-an-artificial-eye/?source=Snapzu

Amazon under threat: Fires, Loggers and now Virus

How the loss of the Amazon goes beyond deforestation - and what the nine countries that share this natural resource are doing to protect it.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51300515#?source=Snapzu

Android Mirroring App 'Scrcpy' Just Added a Bunch of New Features

If you read this blog regularly enough you’ll be familiar with scrcpy, an ace root-free way to mirror your Android smartphone on your Ubuntu desktop and interact with it. Scrcpy is free, it’s open source, it’s awesome. Oh yeah, and it’s updated regularly! Which is what this post is about: telling you what’s new and notable in the latest release, scrcpy 1.14 — so let’s get to it!
Read more: https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2020/05/scrcpy-1-14-seamless-clipboard?source=Snapzu

Trump signs executive order targeting protections for social media platforms

The president has escalated his attacks against Big Tech in recent days.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/trump-executive-order-social-media-protections-8a53f1c6-3c05-4844-98a3-071373b497a8.html?source=Snapzu

Half the universe’s ordinary matter was missing — and may have been found

At long last, all of the universe’s ordinary matter seems to be present and accounted for. Astronomers have taken a new census of matter in the universe by examining how bright flashes of radio waves from other galaxies, called fast radio bursts, are distorted by particles on their way to Earth. This analysis shows that about half of the universe’s ordinary matter, which has eluded detection for decades, is lurking in intergalactic space, researchers report online May 27 in Nature.
Read more: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/universe-missing-matter-found-fast-radio-bursts?source=Snapzu

1 in 4 American workers have filed for unemployment benefits during the pandemic

More than 40 million Americans have filed for first-time unemployment benefits since the coronavirus pandemic forced the US economy to shut down in March. One in four American workers has filed for unemployment insurance.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2020/05/28/economy/unemployment-benefits-coronavirus/index.html?source=Snapzu

GE is saying goodbye to its 129-year-old light bulb business

General Electric is saying goodbye to the light bulb. The conglomerate is shedding a struggling business founded by Thomas Edison more than a century ago. After years of failing to find a buyer, GE announced Wednesday it will sell its 129-year-old lighting division to smart home company Savant Systems.
Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/27/business/ge-light-bulbs-sale/index.html?source=Snapzu

Remote cheering app could boost atmosphere in Japan's empty stadiums

System allows fans following a match on TV, the radio or online to encourage – or berate – players via their smartphones
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/27/japan-launches-remote-cheering-app-to-boost-atmosphere-in-empty-stadiums?source=Snapzu

Trump to sign executive order on social media Thursday

President Trump is set to sign an executive order "pertaining to social media" on Thursday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Wednesday.She did not offer any further details.
Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/technology/499847-trump-to-sign-executive-order-on-social-media-thursday?source=Snapzu

Coronavirus pandemic claims another victim: robocalls

Have you been missing something amid the lockdowns and stay-at-home orders? No, not human contact. Not even toilet paper. Robocalls. Industry experts say robocalls are way down — scam calls as well as nagging from your credit-card company to pay your bill. The coronavirus pandemic has inflicted millions of job losses, and scammers have not been immune.
Read more: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/coronavirus-pandemic-claims-another-victim-robocalls?source=Snapzu

Zuckerberg says Twitter is wrong to fact-check Trump

""I just believe strongly that Facebook shouldn't be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online," the Facebook CEO told Fox News. "In general, private companies probably shouldn't be."
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/zuckerberg-says-twitter-wrong-fact-check-trump-1506958?source=Snapzu

The Dark Core of Personality

Over 100 years ago Charles Spearman made two monumental discoveries about human intelligence. First, a general factor of intelligence (g) exists: people who score high on one test of intelligence also tend to score high on other tests of intelligence. Second, Spearman found that the g-factor conforms to the principle of the "indifference of the indicator": It doesn't matter what test of intelligence you administer; as long as the intelligence test is sufficiently cognitively complex and has enough items, you can reliably and validly measure a person's general cognitive ability.
Read more: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-dark-core-of-personality?source=Snapzu

Spain is deploying a basic income to citizens to ease the coronavirus impact

Spain has approved the first nationwide basic income, but there are doubts the initiative will reduce high levels of unemployment and inequality.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/27/spain-new-basic-income-may-not-fix-unemployment-and-inequality.html?source=Snapzu

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’ attack on new criminal charge ‘too much,’ feds argue

Alleged crime could be affected by five-year statute of limitations if grand jury were needed, prosecutors say.
Read more: https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/27/theranos-founder-elizabeth-holmes-attack-on-new-criminal-charge-too-much-feds-argue/?source=Snapzu

13 Reasons Why: Get ready to bid goodbye to Netflix's controversial hit series this June -

Netflix announced that the 13 Reasons Why finale season will debut in June, so it’s almost time to bid farewell to the Liberty High School seniors, who are preparing for graduation. According to Netflix 13 reasons why will return for the fourth and final time on Friday 5th June having shorter episodes than usual which only consists of 10 of them instead of customary 13.
Read more: https://siniteco.com/13-reasons-why-get-ready-to-bid-goodbye-to-netflixs-controversial-hit-series-this-june/?source=Snapzu

Walkers found after 19 days in NZ wilderness

Two missing walkers have been found in the New Zealand wilderness, 19 days after they set off. Jessica O'Connor and Dion Reynolds, both 23, began walking in the Kahurangi National Park on 9 May, and expected to be gone for six or seven days. But after getting lost in fog they were both injured in a fall. They found water and were rescued when a search helicopter noticed smoke from their camp fire.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52819043?source=Snapzu

Minister of rural development 'open' to internet access becoming public utility

Minister for Rural Economic Development Maryam Monsef says internet access is an essential service, and the idea of it becoming a public utility, funded like water or electricity, is not out of the question.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-may-26-2020-1.5584823/minister-of-rural-development-open-to-internet-access-becoming-public-utility-1.5585095?source=Snapzu

J.K. Rowling is releasing a new book chapter-by-chapter online for free

Rowling’s latest venture is a children’s book called The Ickabog that’s been stashed away in her attic.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/26/21270489/jk-rowling-ickabog-new-story-online-chapters-art-competition-harry-potter-digital-release?source=Snapzu

'Billions of years of evolutionary history' under threat

Scientists say more than 50 billion years of cumulative evolutionary history could be lost as humans push wildlife to the brink. "Weird and wonderful" animals unlike anything else on Earth are sliding silently toward extinction, they say. And regions home to the greatest amounts of unique biodiversity are facing unprecedented human pressures. They include the Caribbean, Western Ghats of India and large parts of Southeast Asia.
Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52808103?source=Snapzu

An ‘Avalanche of Evictions’ Could Be Bearing Down on America’s Renters

The economic downturn is shaping up to be particularly devastating for renters, who are more likely to be lower-income and work hourly jobs cut during the pandemic.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/us/coronavirus-evictions-renters.html?source=Snapzu