Apology for Kevin Spacey's alleged sexual advances on minor falls flat... $400m north Africa UN army awaits verdict... Record high atmospheric temperatures recorded
Hello, this is Anna separating the wheat from the chaff for you on this late October Monday.
Kevin Spacey’s misjudged apology - Revered Hollywood actor Kevin spacey has issued an apology for allegedly making unwanted sexual advances at a 14-year-old child actor in 1986. Anthony Rapp, now 46, said Spacey invited him to a party at his hotel room, before drunkenly trying to seduce him. In light of the allegations, Spacey released a statement of apology but has been slammed by many for using the opportunity to come out as gay, conflating alleged child assault with homosexuality. ‘I honestly do not remember the encounter... but if I did behave then as he describes I owe him the sincerest apology,’ the statement read. ‘I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man. I want to deal with this honestly and openly and that starts with examining my own behaviour.’
UN army’s crunch time - The UN will make a decision today on whether to back an unprecedented step towards tackling Europe’s human trafficking crisis. A 5,000-strong army from five nations is poised to be deployed across the Sahel and into Libya to bring stability to north Africa and curtail the number of migrants trying to reach Europe. Since 2014, 30,000 people have died in the Sahara and 10,000 drowned in the central Mediterranean. The joint G5 force is estimated to cost over $400million in its first year, and has the strong backing of France and Italy, but has yet to get the green light from the Trump administration. So far, the US has refused to allow the UN to back the army with money.
Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen - Japan has managed to find the perfect entertainment for big-baby Donald Trump’s visit to the country. Japanese hosts have hired singer Piko Taro, the ‘brains’ behind the catchy online sensation Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen (PPAP), and whose 45-second viral song contains just a handful of words. He will perform during a dinner in Tokyo next week. Meanwhile, Trump has come under fire (once more) for sending a series of angry tweets about the FBI probe into US election collusion with Russia. The president expressed dissatisfaction with ‘phony Trump/Russia “collusion” which doesn’t exist’, accused Democrats of a ‘witch hunt’ and ‘evil politics’, and that Republicans were ‘fighting back like never before’.
Trump posted a series of angry tweets about the FBI\'s Russia probe
Art world fights back - The art world has come together to say ‘no’ to sexual harassment. More than 150 artists, curators and museum directors have signed a letter rebuking harassment and abuses of power after allegations against Artforum co-publisher Knight Landesman came to light. The letter reads: ‘We are gallerists, artists, writers, editors, curators, directors, arts administrators, assistants, and interns — workers of the art world — and we have been groped, undermined, harassed, infantilised, scorned, threatened, and intimidated by those in positions of power who control access to resources and opportunities.’
Global warming threat - Levels of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere surged to a record high in 2016, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Last year’s increase of CO2 was 50% higher than the average of the past ten years, and is at a level unseen in the past 800,000 years. Researchers say a combination of human activities and the El Niño phenomenon are to blame. According to leading scientists, these results make global climate targets unattainable. Currently, the global goal is set at keeping average temperature rises below 2 degrees. Without worldwide cooperation to tackle climate change, it is one of the earth’s biggest threats.
Atmospheric global CO2 levels surged in 2016
Catalonia conundrum - As workers in Catalonia went back to work today after a tumultuous weekend of politics, many residents are still wondering what will happen next as Spain is set to take direct control over its core institutions. The region’s parliament declared a unilateral declaration of independence on Friday, followed by an invocation of Spain’s Article 155 by Madrid, whereby Spain’s central government can suspend the autonomy of Catalonia to ‘return the order of law’. Carles Puigdemont, Catalonia's leader, as well as his political counterparts, have been removed from office - in theory - but what this looks like in practice is anyone’s guess. Article 155 has never been used before, so the country will sit and wait to see what happens.