Caracas has accused Colombia and US of plotting to overthrow president Maduro; says military found abandoned vessels in Orinoco river

Venezuela’s military says it has seized three abandoned Colombian light combat vessels that soldiers found while patrolling the Orinoco river on Saturday, several days after the government accused its neighbour of aiding a failed invasion plot.

In a statement, the defence ministry said the boats were equipped with machine guns and ammunition, but had no crew, adding they were discovered as part of a nationwide operation to guarantee Venezuela’s “freedom and sovereignty”.

Tatiana Akhmedova wants high court to have access to son’s papers in her fight for £453m – but he says her claim is unlawful

It is proving to be a very modern divorce. Armies of lawyers and advisers; hundreds of millions of pounds at stake; priceless art; a superyacht; a key lieutenant switching sides; the son dragged into the proceedings by his mother. No wonder some involved have likened it to The War of the Roses, the dark Hollywood comedy about a feuding couple starring Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas.

But now attempts to secure the assets awarded following Britain’s biggest, bitterest marital breakup may hinge on how the high court views an arcane financial practice dating back to feudal times.

London and Manchester already have measures to restrict traffic, encourage walking and cycling, and cut air pollution

Roads are to be temporarily closed near schools when parents drop off and pick up their children, in order to deter people from driving on the school run – and to encourage more walking, cycling and scooting.

The plans to shut off roads at school rush hours, using barriers, cones and other measures, are already far advanced in London and Manchester and are expected to be followed in other cities and towns.

Follow the science, they say… So here are 12 new ‘observations’ about life in a post-pandemic world

Apologies in advance: this column will be distressing to scientists (including those in my own family, but thankfully none of them read what I write).

The rules of the physical world seem to be abandoning us. The virus acts like no other pathogen. Two metres is entirely subjective now, expanding and contracting to meet our needs. Time is non-Newtonian, like the cornflour you’ve probably resorted to if you have small children to entertain, stiff and fluid at once. Numbers are basically meaningless: in pandemic maths, a figure such as 413 deaths – the one released on the day I am writing, an unthinkable catastrophe at another time – is encouraging, a cause for some optimism.

State reports 73 cases of children falling severely ill with toxic shock-like reaction that has symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease

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The deaths of three children in New York of inflammatory complications possibly linked to Covid-19 has prompted Andrew Cuomo, the state’s governor, to warn of “an entirely different chapter” of a disease that had been believed to cause only mild symptoms in children.

The governor reported the first death, of a five-year old boy, on Friday. At his morning press conference on Saturday, Cuomo raised the number of fatalities to three, after the death of a seven-year-old and a teenager.

• Two-week isolation means Dresden cannot play next week
• Two players from Bundesliga 2 side test positive for Covid-19

Germany’s plans to restart competitive football next Saturday suffered an early setback after the entire Dynamo Dresden team were placed in a two-week quarantine following two positive coronavirus tests among the players.

The Bundesliga 2 club announced on their website that tests taken on Friday had revealed two new positive cases and local health authorities had ordered the team into quarantine. Dresden were scheduled to play Hannover 96 next Sunday in their first game back following the stoppage caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

Twenty-six of the new coronavirus cases were domestically transmitted, including 14 in Seoul

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South Korea has reported 34 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily number in a month, after a small outbreak emerged around a slew of nightclubs that a confirmed patient had visited.

Of the new cases announced on Sunday, 26 were domestically transmitted infections and eight were imported cases, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.

Metropolitan Police Federation says No 10 is sending mixed messages and authorities needed to be ‘firmer right from the beginning’

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A body representing police officers in London has criticised the government’s pandemic response as “wishy-washy” amid concerns that the public has begun ignoring lockdown restrictions.

The Metropolitan Police Federation (MPF) said that, despite its assertions to the contrary, the government is sending out mixed messages.

People can contribute to projects that aim to leave a map of the national mood and allow future historians a glimpse of 24 hours in a pandemic

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“I have underlying health conditions, including asthma,” writes a frightened 40-year-old woman , shortly before Sunday’s news of whether the lockdown will be eased. “I’m terrified to leave the house, even for exercise, but I’m not sick enough to be ‘extremely vulnerable’. Covid-19 could quite probably kill me.”

The anonymous contributor is part of a project called Covid-19 and Me, run jointly by the Young Foundation and the Open University, two of a number of organisations which are asking thousands of men and women of all ages, ethnicities, incomes, beliefs and backgrounds across Britain to keep diaries, complete questionnaires and be interviewed by their peers. They want to know what it is like, at an everyday level, to live through a global pandemic, to create an ongoing “weather map of public feeling”.

As hundreds of test kits claim to offer accurate results on previous Covid-19 infection, scientists around the world are working hard to assess their accuracy

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At the Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, Marion Koopmans and a team of scientists are going throught the laborious process of verifying antibody tests for Covid-19. Over the last two months, dozens of prospective tests have hit the market, and with many governments wanting to feed the results of large-scale testing into their decisions whether to end lockdowns, biological tests have rarely carried such weight.

Most of the tests are enthusiastically marketed, boasting of their ability to accurately detect whether someone has previously been infected with the Sars-CoV-2 virus. The painstaking job of proving whether the tests do what they say has fallen to a worldwide network of 12 independent centres, of which Koopmans’s team is one.

A summary of the biggest developments in the global coronavirus outbreak

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Key developments in the global coronavirus outbreak today include:

Leaders of Unison, Unite, the GMB and Usdaw join TUC in calling for radical overhaul of health and safety in the workplace
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Britain’s biggest trades unions have warned Boris Johnson that they will not recommend a return to work for their three million members until the government and employers agree a nationwide health and safety revolution as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a letter to the Observer, leaders of the “big four” – Unison, Unite, the GMB and Usdaw – together with the Trades Union Congress, say many of their members have already lost their lives “transporting people and goods, protecting the public and caring for the vulnerable”.

A Democratic-led subcommittee overseeing federal coronavirus aid is demanding that five companies return loans the panel says should have gone to smaller businesses. The subcommittee led by Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., sent letters Friday to the companies as its first official action. The House voted last month to create the panel over the objections of Republicans who say it is partisan and duplicative of other oversight efforts around the federal government.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the firm will leave California after he is ordered to keep a factory shut.

The government says "operational issues" in the UK meant 50,000 samples had to be flown to US labs.

Experts warn the true number of infections may be higher due to low testing rates in many countries.

Ex-president strongly criticises successor Donald Trump over his handling of the coronavirus crisis.

The singer's hits included Good Golly Miss Molly, which made the UK charts in 1958.

The tests are for people arriving in Austria who want to avoid 14 days of quarantine, and cost €190.

Laura Fuchs is capturing New Yorkers who are trying to stay positive in the midst of the pandemic.

What a pleasant story to read! We’re all familiar with the entirely fictional story of Lord of the Flies, in which ship-wrecked boys revert to the natural savagery of all humans and set up a brutal regime and start oppressing and killing each other. It makes for a good story, I guess. Except that similar […]

Willy Thuan is a French photographer who started to travel the world early and never stopped until he settled in Thailand in 1994. Then for the past 25 years, his passion for photography has taken him to every corner of Thailand. He has been a Phuket blogger since January 2011. 

One day, during a casual lunch with friends on the Bangtao beach in Phuket, he saw this baby elephant walking towards the water and with the instincts of an experienced photographer, he started taking photos. 

On his blog, he recalls that day: "I saw a small elephant walking alone toward the water and I, of course, thought he would stop there and wait. But no, once approaching the sea, he just started to run faster and rammed into the waves like the kid he was! He came in and out several times; his mahout was casually waiting nearby, apparently used to the elephant's behaviour. The elephant suddenly did something hilarious, totally unexpected: he put his head into the sand and pushed himself forward. I happened to carry a 28-300 mm lens on that day, giving me this perspective, and the photo of a lifetime"

Soooo cute! 

Japan's #1 TV anime & world's longest animated show halted recordings in April

Delays follow COVID-19 diagnosis for Kiramager star Rio Komiya in March

Event to take place this summer

Hi from Estonia. This is Bjanka. She is very sweet and cheerful. She really likes to dance on her hind legs. Bjanka also loves to play with balls and soft toys.

From the Electronic Frontier Foundation comes this lengthy timeline of the history of the United States government has of domestic spying.Click here for the EFF's description and full timeline from 1791-2013

Master of lying in wait for an ambush

Diego Maradona has lent a hand in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in his hometown by autographing an Argentina national team jersey for a raffle. The sale raised money for an underprivileged area on the outskirts of Buenos Aires affected by quarantine rules. "We're going to get through it," Maradona wrote on the jersey, a replica of the one he wore when he led his country to victory in the 1986 World Cup.

The jersey was first offered at auction, but is being raffled to those who have given donations in an initiative that has collected hygiene products, masks and around 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of food for charity. "Diego can't even imagine what he has done for us, it's priceless. I'll be grateful to him until the day I die," said local resident Marta Gutierrez.

In addition to the pandemic, Argentina is facing a serious economic crisis and is in laborious negotiations on debt restructuring with creditors.

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The coronavirus pandemic has brought the entire country to a complete stand-still and one of the most hit industries is Bollywood. Not just have the releases been stalled, but also the shooting schedules have been indefinitely cancelled. Bollywood Hungama has exclusively learnt that producer Sajid Nadiadwala and his studio partner; Fox Star Studios are yet to receive money from their distributors for their recently released film Baaghi 3.

“It is usually a three to four week clearance window, but since the national lockdown, the workings in the industry were halted, with cinema halls downing their shutters. The top four national multiplex chains – PVR, INOX, CINEPOLIS and Carnival – will transfer the money to the stakeholders once the business is back to normal,” revealed a source close to the development. An estimated amount due to from the National Multiplex Chains is approximately Rs. 15 crores, while the other plexes and single screens are liable to pay around Rs. 20 to 25 crores, total amounting to Rs 35 to 40 crores.

Hungama has also learnt that the producers too are not putting any pressure on the national multiplex chains as well as the independent sub-distributors in the interiors to clear their dues due to the situation of chronic cash crunch in the country. “It’s a long term association and the losses due to delay in payments will be made up for in the future slate of release for the studio. Sajid Nadiadwala, on other hand, has got enough revenue from satellite, digital and sale of theatrical rights to not just recover the budget, but also make profits,” the source explained.

Baaghi 3 released on March 6 and was doing just about average business at the box-office. However, owing to the complete closure of cinema halls a week after its release, the Studio Partner, Fox Star Studios, will lose money on the product. “Even without lockdown, the project was a loss making venture for Fox Star Studios due to the price of acquisition.”

Also Read: Tiger Shroff’s Baaghi 3 may not re-release in theatres; will release now on digital platform

Owing to the lockdown, old popular shows like Ramayan and Mahabharat are being retelecasted for the viewing of the younger generation. Ever since the show has gone on air, the cast from the show has been revealing interesting stories that went behind the scenes. Recently actor Sunil Lahri aka Lakshman revealed another interesting fact related to late actress Lalita Pawar who played the role of Manthara. 

Recently, during a virtual press conference, Sunil Lahri said that while they were shooting the scene where Lord Ram returns to Ayodhya, Lalita Pawar suffered injuries and still chose to shoot despite the pain. "Lalita Pawar ji once suffered an injury. During a sequence when Lord Ram returns to Ayodhya, the entire set was lit with diyas. Lalita ji being an enthusiastic actor did not realise and she walked over them, by mistake she stepped on the lanterns and both her feet got burnt. The spot dadas would carry her till the set from the room and she used to give her shot. In fact, she was asked to relax and rest, but she was such an excited actor that she would love to work. Nobody got to know that she was in pain, she showed no signs when she was on camera. She was so committed that despite the injuries she continued to shoot and hat's off to her. She was a great lady," said the actor.

Lalita Pawar has also been a part of over 100s of films including Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi where she is seen playing character actors. The actor passed away in 1998 after suffering from mouth cancer. 

ALSO READ: “Ramanand Sagar was born to make Ramayan,” says his son Prem Sagar

The Labor Department said Friday that 20.5 million jobs vanished in April in the worst monthly loss on record, triggered by coast-to-coast shutdowns of factories, stores, offices and other businesses

Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has donated an undisclosed amount to financially help 4,000 underprivileged people, including children from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) schools, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Tendulkar made the donation to the Hi5 Foundation, a non-profit organisation based out of Mumbai.

"Best wishes to team Hi5 for your efforts in supporting families of daily wage earners," Tendulkar tweeted. The organisation, through a tweet, thanked Tendulkar for doing his bit for the needy. "Thanks @sachin_rt for proving once again that #sports encourages compassion! Your generous donation towards our #COVID19 fund enables us to financially aid 4000 underprivileged people, including children from @mybmc schools. Our budding sportspersons thank you, Little Master!"

The legendary batsman had earlier contributed Rs 25 lakh each to Prime Minister's Relief Fund and Chief Minister's Relief Fund for the country's fight against COVID-19. Tendulkar had earlier pledged to bear the cost of feeding 5,000 people for a month in a couple of areas in Mumbai.

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Apart from impressing people with her acting skills, Sara Ali Khan has also been acing her social media game. The actress who often uses rhyme schemes in her Instagram captions also entertains people with her 'Knock Knock Jokes'. Her brother Ibrahim Ali Khan is often seen accompanying her in these videos. In an exclusive chat with Bollywood Hungama, Sara Ali Khan spoke about these videos and how Ibrahim reacts to them.

Recently Sara Ali Khan posted a Tik Tok video where they are seen taking the challenge of ‘Who’s most likely to’. When asked about whose idea it was to make Tik Tok videos, Sara said, “I think Ibrahim was the first among all of us to get on to TikTok and he often tells me that 'Let's make a TikTok’. I asked him what to do because I am not good at this. The only thing I can do is Knock Knock Who's There, you don't find that very funny. He would be like ‘let's do this one’ and we just did it. As you can see, we did not know what the questions were going to be. We did not listen to the questions first and wanted it to be a surprise.

Talking about her popular Knock Knock jokes, Sara said, “I think Ibrahim needs to be told that. Because every time I go into his room in my nightie with my phone saying ‘knock knock’ and he is like ‘No Sara’ and I am like ‘Common please’. He always thinks I am not going to put it up because I am puffy, in my nightie, and choti (Ponytail). And I am like ‘Check Instagram’.”

Meanwhile, on the work front, Sara had started shooting for Atrangi Re before the lockdown was imposed. Atrangi Re directed by Aanand L Rai also stars Akshay Kumar and Dhanush.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Sara Ali Khan opens up on brother Ibrahim Ali Khan’s Bollywood plans, says it’s only a dream right now

More than 78,400 people with COVID-19 have died in the United States and more than 1.3 million people have tested positive, according to the latest estimates from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University

Coronavirus update: Quidel said that the test can provide an accurate, automated result in 15 minutes. The company said it specialises in testing for diseases and conditions including the flu and Lyme disease.

Coronavirus Delhi update: The teacher had last come to school on April 28 and started showing COVID-19 symptoms from May 2. His test report came on Friday

The deadline for research scholars to submit their theses/dissertations has been extended to December 31