A government minister who visited the Queen accidentally ate biscuits meant for the monarch’s corgis, reported the Daily Mail. Alan Johnson, the former Labour health secretary, admitted to mistakenly munching on the dog food following a meal at Windsor Castle in 2008. His “amusing gaffe” was revealed in Queen Of Our Times: The Life Of Elizabeth II, a new book by royal biographer Robert Hardman, which is published today.
World’s largest potato is not a potato
A New Zealand couple who believed they had dug up the world’s largest potato “have had their dreams turned to mash” after Guinness World Records wrote to them to say that scientific testing had found it wasn’t a potato but a tuber, reported The Guardian. “We can’t say we don’t believe you, because we gave them the DNA stuff,” said Colin Craig-Brown, who first hit the tuber with a hoe last August when gardening with his wife.
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Dodo may be brought back to life
The dodo could be brought back from extinction after an entire genome of the bird was sequenced for the first time, said The Daily Telegraph. Beth Shapiro, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said that her group would soon publish the complete DNA of a specimen in the Natural History Museum of Copenhagen. The flightless 3ft-tall bird was wiped out in the 17th-century, just 100 years after it was first discovered on the island of Mauritius.
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October 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's consolation prize, government workers during shutdown, and more
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Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
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The Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners being releasedThe Explainer Triumphant Donald Trump addresses the Israeli parliament as families on both sides of the Gaza war reunite with their loved ones
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Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
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Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
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China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
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How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
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One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
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Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
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Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
