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Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
US President Joe Biden has pledged to lower carbon emissions to between 50-52% of 2005 levels by 2030. He said the 2020s will be a "decisive decade" in the battle to slow down climate change. The US is said to be hoping that its ambitious new target will inspire the likes of China, which is by far the world's largest polluter, to contribute more to protecting the planet.
Today I’m bringing together leaders from around the world to meet this moment of climate peril, and extraordinary opportunity. No nation can solve this crisis on its own, and this summit is a step on a path to a secure, prosperous, and sustainable future. https://t.co/lcUUsgyEo3
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 22, 2021
A NASA tool on Mars has created oxygen from the Red Planet's carbon dioxide atmosphere. It's the second pioneering use of technology on Mars this week, coming after Monday's helicopter flight. The instrument produced five grams of oxygen, about as much as an astronaut would breathe in 10 minutes on Mars.
Another huge first: converting CO2 into oxygen on Mars. Working off the land with what’s already here, my MOXIE instrument has shown it can be done!
— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) April 21, 2021
Future explorers will need to generate oxygen for rocket fuel and for breathing on the Red Planet. https://t.co/9sjZT9KeOR
Some of the troops Russia had sent to the Ukraine border have been stood down, the country's defence minister has said. Sergei Sholgu explained that units on exercises will return to their bases. It comes after over 100,000 troops from Russia amassed at the border of its neighbour, increasing tensions in the region.
JUST IN: Russia announces end to massive troop buildup near Ukraine https://t.co/fHijRWYzND
— Axios (@axios) April 22, 2021
Tech giants Apple and Google are under fire once again, this time for the "anti-competitive" behaviour of their app stores. The Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel heard from Spotify, Tile and others about how Apple and Google charge excessive fees to use their app stores, and copy other firms' ideas. Senator Amy Klobuchar said Apple's App Store is a "literal monopoly".
Apple and Google ‘hold data hostage’ and stifle competition, Senate told https://t.co/zZmrrA0kTq
— The Guardian (@guardian) April 22, 2021
Pharma giant Pfizer has said it has identified fake versions of its COVID-19 vaccine. The fakes were seized by authorities in Mexico and Poland. In Poland, the "vaccine" turned out to actually be anti-wrinkle treatment. The World Health Organization has previously warned of the serious risks posed by counterfeit vaccines.
Pfizer confirms fake COVID vaccines found in Mexico, Poland black markets https://t.co/ka6TZp119L
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) April 22, 2021