HONG KONG
Limbs operation criticized
An animal rights group yesterday called for an e-commerce company to stop conducting experiments that it said involve keeping detached animal heads and limbs “viable” for hours. Hong Kong Technology Venture Co (HKTV), the parent company of popular shopping platform HKTV mall, announced in a stock exchange filing on Monday that its research team has been developing “equipment designed to maintain the viability of detached body organs.” Without specifying what animals were involved, the company said its team of doctors, professors and researchers had conducted “38 experiments in which the animals’ limbs or heads were separated from their bodies” since 2022. “The detached heads remained viable for approximately seven hours,” the company said, adding that it believes the case to be a world first. The detached limbs were kept alive for approximately 46 hours, according to measurements made using electrodes. PETA Asia president Jason Baker called on the company to “immediately cease and permanently prohibit” the experiments and other similar tests. “In addition to being cruel, this research is purely exploratory, with highly speculative benefit,” Baker said in a letter sent to HKTV and the media.
Photo: AFP
BRAZIL
Rio zipline blocked
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked plans to build a zipline on Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Sugarloaf Mountain, a project that had faced strong opposition from residents and environmental advocates. Construction had begun in September 2022 with drilling into the rock. The project later received approval from the Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (Iphan). The case had been in court since 2023. In his ruling, Judge Paulo Andre Manfredini declared Iphan’s administrative actions to install the zipline null and void. The institute and the developer were ordered to pay 30 million reals (US$5.8 million) for “collective moral damages,” the judge said, noting the “inestimable value of Sugarloaf Mountain, not only for Brazilians, but for people worldwide.” Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012 alongside other Rio landmarks such as Corcovado Hill and its Christ the Redeemer Statue, Sugarloaf Mountain each year welcomes more than 1.6 million visitors who take the cable car to the peak for a breathtaking view of the “Marvelous City.” The developer, Companhia Caminho Aereo Pao de Acucar, had hoped visitors would be able to descend via four ziplines connecting the famous rock hill about 396m above sea level with its neighbor Urca, at 220m high. Covering the 755m zipline distance could bring riders to speeds of nearly 100kph.
UNITED STATES
Toilet mocks Trump
Here is one monument President Donald Trump probably is not too happy to see emblazoned with his name: a golden toilet near the White House. Ensconced in the kind of over-the-top faux marble that Trump loves, the gold-painted toilet bears a plaque reading: “A throne fit for a king.” The pop-up installation created by a clandestine artistic group calling itself the “Secret Handshake” drew long lines of tourists and Trump opponents near the Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday, blocks from the White House. “I came to Washington to take this photo because I hate Trump,” said Nancy Chase, 78. William Hoker, who bicycled to the satirical golden toilet, said it was a fitting memorial. “I wanted to see this statue before it disappeared, and I think it epitomizes perfectly the guy in the White House,” he said.
A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China’s technological leaps. The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 21km race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, said a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race began. That was faster than the human world record holder, Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in about 57 minutes in March at the Lisbon road race. The performance by the robot marked a significant step forward
Four contenders are squaring up to succeed Antonio Guterres as secretary-general of the UN, which faces unprecedented global instability, wars and its own crushing budget crisis. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal’s Macky Sall are each to face grillings by 193 member states and non-governmental organizations for three hours today and tomorrow. It is only the second time the UN has held a public question-and-answer, a format created in 2016 to boost transparency. Ultimately the five permanent members of the UN’s top body, the Security Council, hold the power, wielding vetoes over who leads the
South Korea’s air force yesterday apologized for a 2021 midair collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said the pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident. “We sincerely apologize to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesman told a news conference, adding that one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. The apology followed a report released on Wednesday by the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection,
An earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 off northern Japan on Monday prompted a short-lived tsunami alert and the advisory of a higher risk of a possible mega-quake for coastal areas there. The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a 1% chance for a mega-quake, compared to a 0.1% chance during normal times, in the next week or so following the powerful quake near the Chishima and Japan trenches. Officials said the advisory was not a quake prediction but urged residents in 182 towns along the northeastern coasts to raise their preparedness while continuing their daily lives. Prime
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