World’s largest diamond previewed in London

London: ‘Lesedi la Rona’, the world's largest gem-quality rough diamond discovered in more than 100 years, goes on display in London this week before it heads for the auction block where it is expected to fetch more than $70 million. The 1,109-carat diamond, shown to British media on Tuesday, was uncovered last November in Botswana by Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp. reuters

Google honours discoverer of blood groups

New York: On what would be his 148th birthday, Google has honoured Nobel laureate Karl Landsteiner, the discoverer of blood groups with a Doodle. Landsteiner’s work made blood transfusion safer and helped millions lead longer, healthier lives. With the discovery of blood groups A, B and C (later renamed ‘O’), Landsteiner was able to show that the allergic reaction occurs only when blood samples of different types are mixed, not when the same type are mixed. IANS

Osteria Francescana world’s best restaurant

New York: Italy’s ‘Osteria Francescana’ was crowned the world’s best restaurant of 2016 at an awards ceremony in New York, the first Italian establishment to win the annual accolade. Run by chef Massimo Bottura, ‘Osteria Francescana’ pipped last year’s winner, Spain’s ‘El Celler de Can Roca’, in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, after coming second in 2015. AFP

May 2016 hottest-ever month on record

Geneva: May was the hottest on record and the Northern Hemisphere spring has been the hottest spring ever, according to NASA data released on Monday. The UN weather agency is warning of 'fundamental change' afoot in the global climate and continued warming, accompanied recently by unusually high rainfall in parts of the US and Europe. Dr David Carlson, World Meteorological Organisation global climate director, said the new data showed 370 straight months of warm or warmer-than-average temperatures worldwide. AP