The Pigeon Express
A walrus that had become a popular attraction in the Oslo Fjord has been put down out of concern for the safety of the public, Norwegian officials say. The walrus, nicknamed Freya, rose to fame after clambering on to boats to sunbathe – sometimes sinking them. People refused warnings not to get too close to […]
When teacher and recreational caver Rick Haley set out to help map a cave on August 6, he had no idea he would end up staging a rescue mission, reuniting a lost dog with her owner. Haley, along with a team of around 30 spelunkers, was mapping a cave north of Perryville, Missouri, as part […]
Climate activists in southern France have filled golf course holes with cement to protest against the exemption of golf greens from water bans amid the country’s severe drought. The group targeted sites near the city of Toulouse, calling golf the “leisure industry of the most privileged”. The exemption of golf greens has sparked controversy as […]
An unknown, highly toxic substance in the Oder river, which runs through Poland and Germany, appears to be the cause of a mass die-off of fish, the German state of Brandenburg’s environment ministry said. An analysis of river water from Monday showed evidence of “synthetic chemical substances, very probably also with toxic effects for vertebrates,” […]
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) will stop making and selling its talc-based baby powder around the world from next year. The announcement comes more than two years after the healthcare giant ended sales of the product in the US. J&J faces tens of thousands of lawsuits from women who allege its talcum powder contained asbestos and […]
An Indian man has won a case related to an overpriced railway ticket after almost 22 years. Tungnath Chaturvedi, a lawyer, was charged 20 rupees extra for two tickets he had bought in 1999. The incident occurred at Mathura cantonment railway station in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. A consumer court last week […]
A multi-million dollar Australian app used to track Covid-19 contacts has been decommissioned and branded “a failure” after identifying only two unique infections. Health Minister Mark Butler urged people to delete the app, calling it a “colossal waste” of taxpayer’s money. COVIDsafe was previously touted “as essential as putting on sunscreen” by former Prime Minister […]
Meta’s new prototype chatbot has reportedly said that Mark Zuckerberg exploits its users for money. Meta says the chatbot uses artificial intelligence and can chat on “nearly any topic”. Asked what the chatbot thought of the company’s CEO and founder, it replied “our country is divided and he didn’t help that at all”. Meta said […]
Disney will launch a new ad-supported streaming service in the United States in December, as it overtakes Netflix in the race for paid subscribers. The firm reported 221.1 million subscribers across its three streaming platforms at the start of July. That put it just ahead of Netflix, which has been losing customers. But Disney warned […]
Scientists are tracking a new, animal-derived virus in eastern China that has infected at least several dozen people. The novel Langya henipavirus (LayV) was found in 35 patients in the Shandong and Henan provinces. Many had symptoms such as fever, fatigue and a cough. They are thought to have contracted the virus from animals. There […]
Domino’s Pizza’s last stores in Italy have been closed after the firm that operated its outlets in the country filed for bankruptcy, reports say. Franchise holder ePizza SpA was hit by the pandemic, according to reports. Domino’s had struggled to win over customers in the birthplace of pizza since launching there in 2015. EPizza SpA […]
The Met Office has issued a four-day amber extreme heat warning, meaning vulnerable people’s health could be impacted and travel could be disrupted. The warning applies to southern and central England and parts of Wales from midnight on Thursday until Sunday. The amber alert is the longest the Met Office has issued since it introduced […]