Suspected Covid-19 case on Royal Caribbean cruise to nowhere
Royal Caribbean cruise ship Quantum of the Seas has turned back on day three of a four-day cruise to nowhere due to a suspected Covid-19 case on board.
The ship's captain made an announcement over the public announcement system at about 2.45am on Wednesday, informing guests to remain in their rooms and adding that the ship would arrive in Singapore by about 8am.
Royal Caribbean last week resumed three- and four-night Ocean Getaway cruises as part of a safe cruising pilot programme announced in October by the Singapore Tourism Board.
Pandemic safety measures include a reduced 50 per cent capacity and pre-boarding testing for passengers.
Trump vows to use Defence Production Act if needed for coronavirus vaccines
President Donald Trump celebrated the development of coronavirus vaccines at a White House summit on Tuesday and vowed to use executive powers if necessary to acquire sufficient doses, as the number of US cases surpassed 15 million.
"This will quickly and dramatically reduce deaths and hospitalisations," Trump said of the vaccines.
He added that there were also "some big ones we're going to be announcing soon," naming drugmaker Johnson & Johnson.
Venice under water as downpours and wind take city by surprise
Venice was under water on Tuesday as heavy rain and strong winds pushed into the lagoon city, catching the authorities off guard before they could activate the huge flood barriers that were rolled out just two months ago.
The system of 78 flood gates, known as Mose, guard the entrance to the Venetian lagoon and are designed to protect the city from tides of up to 3m.
However, they require 48-hours notice to be activated.
Arctic endured one of its hottest years in 2020, study shows
Every year for the past 15, environmental scientists working under the aegis of a US government agency issue a report on the state of the Arctic, and Tuesday's edition confirms an alarming trend: the North Pole is heating up twice as fast as the rest of the planet.
The year 2020 did not beat the record set in 2012, but it got so close there is no reason to feel encouraged.
The sea ice floating the Arctic ocean melts in summer and freezes again in winter. The problem is each year it is melting a bit more in the warm weather and refreezing a bit less.
Champions League game suspended over alleged racist abuse
Paris Saint-Germain's decisive Champions League game with Istanbul Basaksehir on Tuesday was suspended in the first half as the players walked off amid allegations of racism by one of the match officials, in an unprecedented incident in European football's elite club competition.
The row erupted after Basaksehir assistant coach Pierre Webo, the former Cameroon international, was shown a red card during a fierce row on the touchline with staff from the Turkish club appearing to accuse the fourth official of using a racist term.
Television microphones picked up a furious Webo repeatedly asking why a racist term had been used to describe him.
