CHINA
Forest found in sinkhole
An ancient forest has been found at the bottom of a giant sinkhole, with trees up to 40m tall. Scientists believe it could contain undiscovered plant and animal species. Cave explorers in the southern Guangxi Province alerted scientists when they found the sinkhole, which had a primitive forest inside. Among 30 sinkholes in Leye County this is the largest, at 306m long, 150m wide and 192m deep. Zhang Yuanhai (張遠海), a senior engineer at the Institute of Karst Geology of the China Geological Survey, told Xinhua news agency that the site had three caves in its walls and a well-preserved primitive forest at the bottom. Scientists trekked for hours to reach the base of the sinkhole to see what it contained. Chen Lixin (陳立新), who led the expedition team, said that as well as the trees there was dense undergrowth on the floor that came up to his shoulders. “I wouldn’t be surprised to know that there are species found in these caves that have never been reported or described by science until now,” he said.
UNITED STATES
Agency sparks wildfire
The Forest Service on Friday called a temporary nationwide halt to controlled burns meant to reduce fire risk after the agency accidentally started part of New Mexico’s largest-ever wildfire. The Hermits Peak Calf Canyon fire has burned more than 123,000 hectares, destroyed up to 1,500 properties and displaced tens of thousands of people, and is still out of control. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore said fire danger levels were too high to use prescribed fire and ordered a 90-day review of policies before operations planned for this fall. “Lessons learned and any resulting program improvements will be in place prior to resuming prescribed burning,” Moore said in a statement. The move stops a practice many forest biologists see as crucial to reducing high fuel levels in national forests after a century of fire suppression and decades of logging bans in the case of New Mexico.
CHILE
Easter Island to reopen
Popular Pacific Ocean tourist destination Easter Island would reopen to the world on Aug. 1, after more than two years closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government said on Friday. The island, 3,500km west of the coast of Chile, is world-famous for its moais, huge stone statues in human form partially buried in the earth. “It has been agreed that the opening of Rapa Nui [Easter Island] would take place on Monday, August 1, 2022,” the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism said in a statement. The original reopening date was February, but that plan did not materialize under the government of then-president Sebastian Pinera.
VIETNAM
Bear cubs rescued
Two bear cubs are starting a new life in a sanctuary after being rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, an animal welfare group said on Friday. The two sisters, named Be and Em, were confiscated by authorities from a man who admitted to catching them in a cardamom field with a plan to sell them, the Four Paws organization said. The country is a major hub for the illegal trade in wild animals, and bears are kept to drain the bile from their gall bladders for use in traditional medicine. The rescued cubs have been taken to a sanctuary run by Four Paws, where they are to be reared and spend the rest of their lives. They cannot be returned to nature, because there are no safe places for bears in Vietnam and no projects to reintroduce them to the wild.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number