Mamdani faces criticism over ‘rude’ welcome to King Charles III
New York, May 1: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism for extending a “rude” welcome to King Charles III and for failing to “set aside his obsession with colonialism” when he called for the Koh-i-Noor diamond to be returned. Just hours before he met King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Wednesday at the 9/11 Memorial in Manhattan, Mamdani had said he would encourage the British monarch to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond. When asked at a press conference what he would say to the king when he met him at the World Trade Center memorial, Mamdani had said that he would be attending a wreath-laying alongside a number of other elected officials, including New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill. When pressed further on what he would say to the British monarch, Mamdani had said, “If I was to speak to the king separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond.” In stinging criticism, The New York Post Editorial Board called out Mamdani’s “rude” welcome extended to King Charles. (PTI)
Israeli police arrest man suspected of attacking nun
Ramallah, May 1: Israeli police said Friday that they arrested a 36-year-old caught on video attacking a nun in the latest incident targeting Christians near Jerusalem’s Old City. Police said the unnamed man was arrested after the attack Wednesday near David’s Tomb – a holy site outside Zion’s Gate on the southern side of the Old City – “on suspicion of a racially motivated attack,” and remained in custody. Police video showed the nun bruised and the attacker wearing tzitzit, a fringed undergarment worn by some observant Jewish men. Olivier Poquillon, the director of the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research, said the nun was a researcher at the school. He called the attack an “act of sectarian violence.” (AP)
China plans to expand its space station as NASA phases out ISS
Beijing, May 1: China plans to expand its low-earth orbiting space station, potentially more than doubling in size, as the rival International Space Station (ISS) is set to be phased out by 2031. Currently, China’s Tiangong and the ISS, a collaborative project involving NASA along with the space agencies of Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada, are in orbit. NASA plans to retire ISS, the largest human-made structure in space and serve as a continuously occupied laboratory orbiting Earth, which will make the Chinese space station one of its kind orbiting Earth. China built its space station after it was reportedly excluded from the ISS over concerns that its space programme is manned by the People’s Liberation Army. It is currently the only country to have a space station. The station is relatively small compared to the football court-sized ISS, in which several international astronauts have carried out over 3,000 experiments since 1998. NASA plans to retire the ISS in early 2031, using a dedicated de-orbit vehicle, being developed by SpaceX, to guide it into a controlled re-entry over the South Pacific, according to reports. (PTI)
