This year, the Doomsday Clock has been moved to 90 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been to the hour, due to the specter of nuclear weapon use, particularly in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Former Mongolian President Elbegdorj Tsakhia and former Ireland President Mary Robinson have urged people to take action against the gathering of several existential threats, with Russian leader Vladimir Putin's actions and words chief among them. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists was founded to remind people of the urgency of these topics and the need to take action.
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Panic! at the Disco announced their disbandment on Tuesday, citing lead singer Brendon Urie's desire to focus on his family as the reason. The band, which formed in 2004, has released six studio albums and been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards. Fans can look forward to their final performance on their upcoming European tour.
Walmart, the largest private employer in the United States, announced Tuesday that it will be raising its minimum wage from $12 to $14 an hour to attract and retain workers in a tight labor market. This pay raise will affect 3,000 stores, increasing the average pay to $17.50 an hour from $17. The move is part of a larger trend of companies offering higher wages and benefits to attract and retain workers, with other companies likely to follow suit in the coming months.
Seven people were killed and one seriously wounded in a mass shooting in Half Moon Bay, California, on Tuesday. The suspect, 66-year-old Chunli Zhao, was believed to have been employed at Mountain Mushroom Farm, the only known connection between the victims and the suspect. The motive for the shooting is still under investigation, and the identities of the victims have not yet been released.
In his new memoir, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has criticized the international reaction to the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, dismissing him as an "activist" rather than a journalist. Pompeo wrote that the media helped spread "faux outrage" and should have been more clear about Khashoggi's background and motives for writing his opinion articles. His comments come as the international community continues to grapple with the implications of Khashoggi's killing, which sparked outrage around the world.
Mike Pence's lawyer has informed the National Archives that a "small number of documents" containing potentially sensitive or classified information were found in Pence's personal home. The documents were "inadvertently boxed and transported" to Pence's home at the end of the last administration and Pence is willing to cooperate with any appropriate inquiry. The National Archives has not yet commented on the situation and it is unclear what the documents contain or what will happen to them.
The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has announced that the Doomsday clock is now at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest it has been since its creation more than 75 years ago. This is a warning of the potential for global catastrophe due to threats from nuclear weapons, climate change and infectious diseases such as Covid-19. The organization has called for urgent action to reduce the risks of global catastrophe, urging world leaders to take immediate steps to address these threats.
Archaeologists have uncovered the secrets of a 2,300-year-old Egyptian mummy known as the “golden boy”, revealing a wealth of protective amulets and a golden mask. Radiologists at Cairo University used CT scans to uncover signs of wealth and efforts to ensure safe passage to the afterlife, including a golden heart scarab and gold tongue amulet. The discovery has shed new light on ancient Egyptian mummification and belief in the afterlife, providing researchers with an unprecedented insight into the culture.