Sinosphere Blog: In China, Pigs Are Flying. Almost.

Geneva — A global treaty to fight pandemics like COVID is going to have to wait: After more than two years of negotiations, rich and poor countries have failed — for now — to come up with a plan for how the world might respond to the next pandemic. After COVID-19 triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future.

The U. K. is headed for a general election on July 4, after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak requested that King Charles III dissolve parliament earlier this week, sooner than many analysts expected. While the U. K. has transitioned to a parliamentary democracy over the last few centuries, the monarchy still plays a symbolic role in many aspects of the U.

A British-born teenager who died of leukemia at age 15 in 2006 is set to be recognized as the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint, the Vatican announced Thursday. Nicknamed “God’s Influencer,” Carlo Acutis was known for his computer prowess and spreading Roman Catholic teachings online. Acutis was born in London in 1991, before his Italian parents Andrea Acutis and Antonia Salzano relocated to Milan.

LONDON — A British neonatal nurse who was convicted of murdering seven babies and the attempted murder of six others has lost her bid to appeal. Lucy Letby, 34, had asked for permission to challenge the verdict after she was convicted and sentenced to life in prison last year. A three-judge panel of Britain’s Court of Appeal heard the case in April and released its decision on Friday. “Having heard her application, we have decided to refuse leave to appeal on all grounds and refuse all associated applications,″ Judge Victoria Sharp said.

TEL AVIV, Israel — The bodies of three more hostages killed on Oct 7. were recovered overnight from Gaza, Israel’s army said Friday, as the top United Nations court prepares to rule on whether Israel must halt its military operations and withdraw from the enclave. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The bodies of Hanan Yablonka, Michel Nisenbaum, and Orion Hernandez Radoux were found and their families have been notified.

Kabosu, the Japanese shiba inu that became famous as the face of the ‘doge’ meme and inspired one of the largest cryptocurrencies, has died at 18 years old. She “passed away quietly” while being stroked by her owner, Atsuko Sato, who shared the news in a blog post on Friday.