JAPAN
Panda’s sex determined
A panda born earlier this month is a female, Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo said yesterday, adding that the little cub appeared to be in good health. The cub’s sex was confirmed based on photographs sent to a panda research center in the shy animal’s native China, a zoo spokesman said. Pandas are born pink, hairless and weighing about 100g — so small it can be difficult to determine their sex. The little cub is drinking her mother’s milk, the spokesman said, adding she is now 17.6cm long and weighs 283.9g.
UNITED STATES
Roadkill added to menu
Some folks in Oregon might not want to ask, when served an elk burger or a venison steak, where the meat came from. Under a roadkill bill passed overwhelmingly by the state legislature and signed by the governor, motorists who crash into the animals can now harvest the meat to eat. About 20 other states also allow people to take meat from animals killed by vehicles. Aficionados say roadkill can be high-quality, grass-fed food. “Eating roadkill is healthier for the consumer than meat laden with antibiotics, hormones and growth stimulants, as most meat is today,” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said.
UNITED STATES
CIA admits candy theft
The CIA this week said that it had been compromised for months in 2013 by a network of high-tech snack thieves. A report shows the intelligence body discovered that insider hackers had stolen more than US$3,300 worth of potato chips, chocolate bars and other snacks from its vending machines. The culprits were “contractors,” the report said, adding that an unidentified contractor figured out how to get snacks without paying. The machines took stored value payment cards from the FreedomPay company. The contractor figured out that if you disconnect the cable that connects the machines with FreedomPay’s cloud-based payment systems, they would accept a card that has no more funds.
BRAZIL
Road pileup kills 21
Twenty-one people were killed in the country’s southeast on Thursday when a truck loaded with rocks smashed into a bus and two ambulances, officials said. The pileup in Espirito Santo state also left 13 people injured, the security services said. It was the third major road accident in the nation this month. The injured were taken to a hospital in Guarapari, near the site of the accident, the state security department said. Thirteen of the dead were in the bus, while the other victims were in the ambulances and truck. About 47,000 people die on Brazil’s roads each year, according to 2013 figures from the WHO.
FLYBY: The object, appears to be traveling more than 60 kilometers per second, meaning it is not bound by the sun’s orbit, astronomers studying 3I/Atlas said Astronomers on Wednesday confirmed the discovery of an interstellar object racing through the solar system — only the third-ever spotted, although scientists suspect many more might slip past unnoticed. The visitor from the stars, designated 3I/Atlas, is likely the largest yet detected, and has been classified as a comet, or cosmic snowball. “It looks kind of fuzzy,” said Peter Veres, an astronomer with the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center, which was responsible for the official confirmation. “It seems that there is some gas around it, and I think one or two telescopes reported a very short tail.” Originally known as A11pl3Z before
Hundreds of protesters marched through the Mexican capital on Friday denouncing gentrification caused by foreigners, with some vandalizing businesses and shouting “gringos out!” The demonstration in the capital’s central area turned violent when hooded individuals smashed windows, damaged restaurant furniture and looted a clothing store. Mexico City Government Secretary Cesar Cravioto said 15 businesses and public facilities were damaged in what he called “xenophobic expressions” similar to what Mexican migrants have suffered in other countries. “We are a city of open arms... there are always ways to negotiate, to sit at the table,” Cravioto told Milenio television. Neighborhoods like Roma-Condesa
‘CONTINUE TO SERVE’: The 90-year-old Dalai Lama said he hoped to be able to continue serving ‘sentient beings and the Buddha Dharma’ for decades to come The Dalai Lama yesterday said he dreamed of living for decades more, as the Buddhist spiritual leader prayed with thousands of exiled Tibetans on the eve of his 90th birthday. Thumping drums and deep horns reverberated from the Indian hilltop temple, as a chanting chorus of red-robed monks and nuns offered long-life prayers for Tenzin Gyatso, who followers believe is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Looking in good health, dressed in traditional maroon monk robes and a flowing yellow wrap, he led prayers — days after confirming that the 600-year-old Tibetan Buddhist institution would continue after his death. Many exiled Tibetans
BRICS leaders are to meet in Rio de Janeiro from today, with the bloc depleted by the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), who is skipping the annual summit of emerging economies for the first time in 12 years. The grouping meets as its members face imminent and costly tariff wars with the US. Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be dominated by Beijing, which grew much faster and larger than the rest. China has not said why Xi would miss the summit, a first since he became president in 2013. “I expect there
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