Entertainment
UN warns migratory freshwater fish numbers are spiralling
Migratory freshwater fish populations crucial to river health and sustaining the livelihoods of millions of people are in freefall and risk collapse, a major UN assessment warned on Tuesday.
Habitat destruction, overfishing and water pollution from the Amazon to the Danube threaten the very survival of hundreds of species whose epic voyages along the world´s great rivers go largely unnoticed.
Freshwater fish face multiple threats, said the report published at the opening of the COP15 summit on migratory species in Brazil, making them “among the most imperilled vertebrates”.
Populations of Mekong giant catfish, European eel and various sturgeon species are among those that have been decimated in recent decades due to man-made pressures that include the construction of dams and harvest for caviar.
Some — including the Chinese paddlefish — have already been declared extinct, while others are functionally reliant on captive breeding stock and reintroductions to support wild populations.
According to conservation group WWF, migratory freshwater fish numbers have plunged some 81% since 1970.
These fish — a vital protein source for people and animals around the globe — require unimpeded passage to move between spawning and feeding grounds, which can span across borders.
This means international cooperation is needed to arrest their decline.
The report, by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), identifies nearly 350 migratory fish species that could benefit from greater protection under the international framework.
Species including salmon, eels, and lampreys are among those to be considered during the March 23-29 meeting in Campo Verde.
Of these, the vast majority are found in Asia, followed by South America and Europe.
The river basins deemed priorities are the Amazon and La Plata-Parana in South America, the Danube in Europe, the Mekong and the Ganges-Brahmaputra in Asia and the Nile in Africa.
“This assessment shows that migratory freshwater fish are in serious trouble, and that protecting them will require countries to work together to keep rivers connected, productive, and full of life,” said Zeb Hogan, the lead author of the assessment, in a statement.
Tom Felton has revealed he had absolutely no idea that his sneering pronunciation of the word Potter would become one of the most celebrated moments in Harry Potter history, and credits his older brothers for unknowingly teaching him how to do it.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast on Thursday, 26 March, the 38-year-old actor said of the now-famous delivery.
“I don’t know how that’s become an iconic thing. I certainly had no idea.” He traced the pronunciation back to his childhood dynamic as the youngest of four brothers.
“I have three older brothers, so they all would always call me something like maggot or runt. Runt of the pack. Because I was the youngest and the shortest considerably. So I don’t remember ever thinking about it for a second. But ‘Potter,’ it just got more and more venomous.”
He marvelled at the reaction it still prompts.
“All you have to do is say that in the company of a Potter fan and… goosebumps and, like, applause, something happens,” he said.
“I never knew any of these things were gonna be iconic lines.”
Felton is currently back in the Slytherin robes on Broadway, playing Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which picks up 19 years after the events of Deathly Hallows and follows the next generation of Hogwarts students.
He told podcast host Josh Horowitz that he has smuggled at least one of his most famous film lines into the stage production, not through planning, but instinct.
“I said it once spontaneously in rehearsals and John Tiffany, our fabulous director, who’s been doing it out for ten years, I could see his eyes twinkle and go, ‘Yes. Put that back in.'”
The response from audiences has been predictable.
“It’s, needless to say, quite a hit every night,” he added.
Sean Diddy Combs’ son, Christian King Combs and his girlfriend Raven Tracy were targeted in an attempted break-in at their Los Angeles home early Thursday morning.
The LAPD rushed to their Porter Ranch mansion after an employee called police around 12:45 a.m.
The horrifying incident was a “burglary hot prowl,” which means someone tried to break in while people could have been home.
Luckily, neither King nor Raven were inside at the time as police said that no shots were fired and no suspects have been caught.
Reports, however, revealed that the people, who did that, tried to force open the back door but failed.
Tracy owns the mansion and last year she shared on her Instagram that it was their first home together. King is very close to his father Diddy and often works with him on projects.
This is not the first time celebrities in Los Angeles have faced such issue and been targeted as recently, homes belonging to Rachel Zoe, Kathy Hilton, Sutton Stracke, Lionel Richie, Brad Pitt, Teddi Mellencamp and Nicole Kidman were also faced attempted burglaries.
Many of these incidents, however, happened while the stars were away, showing how careful celebrities need to be about home security.
And just like that… Sarah Jessica Parker turned 61.
The Emmy-winning actress marked another trip around the sun on Wednesday, March 25. And among the first to wish her were her Sex and the City castmates, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis.
Nixon, who plays Miranda Hobbes opposite SJP’s Carrie Bradshaw, celebrated her longtime friend by sharing an Instagram carousel of their friendship through the years, including one of them sharing the screen on the 1981 ABC movie My Body, My Child — long before they starred together on Sex and the City.
“A very happy birthday to my incredible and very dear friend Sarah Jessica. 47 years and counting!” wrote Nixon. “As well as I know you, you never cease to amaze and inspire me.”
Kristin Davis, beloved as Charlotte York on SATC, wrote, “Happy birthday Sarah… It’s so wonderful to get to go through all these many years with you… Looking forward to many more.”
Davis’ wish was also accompanied by a series of photographs of the pair from red carpets to supermarkets.
After dominating the ‘90s and 2000s with six seasons and two movies of Sex and the City, the trio reunited for the 2021 reboot, And Just Like That, which ran for three seasons before being abruptly cancelled last year.
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Tom Felton exhibits shock over fans reaction to ‘Potter’ pronunciation
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