The fossilised remains of Big John, the world’s largest triceratops dinosaur, were auctioned off in the French capital. The skeleton sold for €6.65 million ($7.74 million; £5.6 million), a European record. 

Big John roamed modern-day South Dakota in the United States 66 million years ago, and his bones were discovered in 2014. The plant-eating triceratops was a Cretaceous behemoth with its massive collared skull and three horns. Big John’s skeleton was purchased by a private, unknown American collector and put on public display at the Drouot auction house in Paris last week.

Big John’s skeleton was discovered by palaeontologists, who were able to recover 60% of the dinosaur’s skeleton. Its 200 pieces were painstakingly built by specialists in Trieste, Italy, including the dinosaur’s 2m-wide skull. These bones make up an 8-meter-long, 3-meter-high skeleton.

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On Tuesday Bulgaria launched its COVID-19 “Green Certificate” as a mandatory requirement to access at restaurants, theatres, cinemas, concert halls, gyms, clubs and shopping malls as the country faces a rise in coronavirus infections.

On Tuesday Health Minister Stoycho Katsarov explained that the new digital or paper health pass confirms that the person has been vaccinated, has recently recovered from COVID-19 or has tested negative.

He also said “The number of infected is growing, the number of deaths is also increasing, which forces us to take additional measures,” its also a warning that venues that do not follow the rules will be closed.

On the same day the Balkan country of 7 million reported 4,979 new COVID-19 cases and 214 coronavirus-related deaths, furthering the rise in new infections since the start of September.

As per the official data, Bulgaria has had the highest COVID-19 death rate in the 27-nation European Union in the past two weeks and 94% of those deaths were unvaccinated people.

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Protesters unleashed widespread violence against the decision to make the Covid Greenpass mandatory in the country. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets, including in Rome and Milan. Several policemen and protesters were injured.

Police used tear gas and water cannon as violence in the heart of Rome escalated. Juliano Castelino, leader of the neo-fascist Forza Nouveau group, led a protest rally in the Piazza del Popolo. Angry protesters stormed the headquarters of CGIL, the country’s largest trade union.

The protest was in protest of the government’s decision to make green pass certificates mandatory for Italian workers, including locals, from October 15. Officials have warned that those who fail to produce a green pass at work in the public-private sector from the 15th will face unpaid suspension.

Health Minister Roberto said the violence was unacceptable and would not back down from the decision. Foreign Minister Luigi de Mayo accused the protesters of being “not criminals” but protesters.

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Two researchers have been awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering the principles of a new type of chemical that can help make the field of chemistry more green.

The award was won by German researcher Benjamin List and British-American researcher David Macmillan. Born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1968, List holds a PhD from Goethe University in Frankfurt. He is currently the director of the Max Planck Institute for Cochlear Implants.

Born in Bellshill, UK in 1968, Macmillan holds a PhD from the University of California, Irvine, USA. He is currently a professor at Princeton University in the UK. The prize money of $ 11.4 lakh (Rs 8.2 crore) will be shared between the two.

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The top 16 airlines in Europe will refund within seven days of cancelling their flight. The decision was made in discussions with the European Commission and the National Protection Authority. The companies also said they were committed to providing information about their rights if the airlines were likely to cancel.

Aegean Airlines, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, Air France, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, EasyJet, Iberia, Eurowings, KLM, Lufthansa, TAP, Norwegian and Ryanair are all committed to providing better conditions for passengers.

Airlines have also indicated that passengers with unused vouchers received by passengers during the early stages of the Covid 19 epidemic can be reimbursed only if they clearly select them.

Passengers who book a flight through an agent and find it difficult to get a reimbursement from them can ask the airline directly for their refund. Transportation Commissioner Adina Valian said the airlines were committed to resolving concerns, including reimbursement.

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Australia approves India’s Covid vaccine Covishield. With the launch of the International Air Service, passengers who have been vaccinated by the Covishield will be admitted to the Vaccinated category.

The decision is reassuring for many, including students from India. The ban on international flights will be lifted next month. The Chinese vaccine is approved by Sinovac, along with Covishield.

At the same time, the World Health Organization (WHO) says that covid mortality rates are declining worldwide. The last week of September saw 33 lakh new cases and 55,000 deaths. 10% less than the previous week.

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