By Sabrina Collier and Mathilde Frot
Been too busy to keep up with the week's news? Allow us to bring you up to speed with everything important (and some slightly-less-important dinosaur-related news) from the last seven days in less than five minutes.
Brexit, and other politics
We miss EU. Europeans said goodbye to the United Kingdom on Wednesday after Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50. The French newspaper Libération’s splash features a photo of the Queen’s Guard with the caption: “We Already Miss You […] Or Not”, while Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine opted for the morose headline “Divorce Hurts” above a gloomy photograph of Winston Churchill’s statue.
EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE: Theresa May severs ties with the EU #Brexit #Article50 #BrexitDay pic.twitter.com/lLia5is9J6
— JOE.co.uk (@JOE_co_uk) March 29, 2017
A united Ireland? Against a backdrop of political upheaval in Northern Ireland, Brexit Secretary David Davis admitted in a letter to the Northern Ireland MP Mark Durkan that the country would enjoy an automatic return to the EU if the country formed part of a united Ireland. Which could be an appealing prospect, given 55.8% of the country voted Remain.
India's Trump Trump imitators seem to be springing up in almost every country at the moment and India is no different. Yogi Adityanath, who gave his first speech as head of the Uttar Pradesh assembly this week, is known for a history of hate speech and inciting racial violence. However, the hardline Hindu priest, who supports Trump's Muslim ban, struck a very different tone in his 15-minute address, asking for greater cooperation between the government and opposition and promising to end religious discrimination.
Technology fails
Big Brother On Wednesday, a bill granting internet service providers the right to sell the browsing habits of their consumers reached President Donald Trump’s desk. The bill would strike a major blow to advocates of online privacy and has been criticised by many. Cards Against Humanity co-creator Max Temkin has pledged to buy and publish the entire browsing history of every member of Congress who voted in favour of the bill. On the same day, Trump issued an executive order rolling back the Clean Power Plan, a signature piece of climate change legislation introduced by Barack Obama, as part of attempts to reignite the coal industry. Which, it turns out, probably won't happen...
So, Brexit, the end of internet privacy and the trashing of environmental protections. All in one day. Nice work
— alan rusbridger (@arusbridger) March 29, 2017
Facebook copies Snapchat They say imitation is the best form of flattery, but that's probably not going to make Snapchat feel any better this week. Facebook has become the latest social media platform to jump on the bandwagon and unveil a Snapchat copycat feature. Stories lets you use the in-app Facebook Camera to share pictures privately with friends or post them on your news feed. Much like its competitor, you’ll be able to add a variety of interactive elements to decorate your photos. Facebook also owns Instagram, Whatsapp as well as Facebook Messenger, all of which you may have noticed have also recently introduced features which copy Snapchat. Find out more about Facebook Stories.
Snapchat looking at the new Facebook Stories like... pic.twitter.com/o3TQKDdRJQ
— The Shadow League (@ShadowLeagueTSL) March 28, 2017
Uber crash A self-driving car from Uber was involved in an accident in Arizona this week, suggesting the technology still has some way to go. Fortunately the crash wasn’t as bad as it looks, as no one was hurt. Interestingly, police say that the human driver was at fault, having failed to yield, whereas the Uber car was following the law. Read more on this story here.
Report shows what happened in Uber's self-driving car crash https://t.co/YIhzyG7E4C pic.twitter.com/t8LMRnbp2R
— 12 News (@12News) March 31, 2017
Swim/sleep your way to graduation
Thrown in the deep end Elite Chinese university Tsinghua University has made waves after announcing an unusual requirement for students hoping to obtain a degree – a swim test. The university, known as the "Harvard of the East" insists swimming is an "essential survival skill" and they want students to get more active for the health benefits. Hopefully nobody sinks...
RIT’s nap map Enjoy taking a quick nap in-between lectures? Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in New York has created Naps, a website dedicated to helping students find the best napping spots on campus. RIT’s Physical Wellness Team found the benefits of 20-30 minute power naps include better test performance, greater alertness, increased productivity, reduced irritability, and a reduced need for coffee. Read more at RIT’s website.
Jurassic Park!
You wait ages for a good dinosaur story and then two come along at once. This week, a massive dinosaur footprint was discovered in Australia, measuring 1.7m long. That wasn't even the best dino discovery of the week though. Scientists in America announced they have reason to believe the fearsome T-Rex was actually a very gentle and sensitive lover. Maybe they can include that in the next Jurassic World movie...
Lead image: Jurassic Park
