MOSCOW: More than 50 polar bears have gathered on the edge of a village in Russia’s far north, environmentalists and residents said, as weak Arctic ice leaves them unable to roam. The Russian branch of the World Wildlife Fund said climate change was to blame, as unusually warm temperatures prevented
HONG KONG: Hong Kong prodemocracy activists yesterday vowed to hold another massive rally over the weekend and warned the city’s pro-Beijing leader not to think a recent lull in violence means public anger is weakening. The semi-autonomous financial hub has been battered by six months of increasingly violent protests pushing
SYDNEY: Several Australian bush fires have combined to form a “mega fire” that is burning out of control across a swathe of land north of Sydney, authorities said yesterday, warning they cannot contain the blaze. New South Wales Rural Fire Service deputy commissioner, Rob Rogers said “there are probably more
STAR Wars fans will get a chance to enter the Jedi ranks in a new Disney+ TV game show — if they can stomach the return of the muchmaligned Jar Jar Binks. ‘Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge’ will be hosted by Ahmed Best, who played the bumbling, comedic alien sidekick
As the 2010s winds to a close streaming titan Spotify recently announced that poppy rap sensation Drake is the most globally streamed artist of the decade with more than 28 billion streams. British crooner Ed Sheeran, hip hop warbler Post Malone, pop royalty Ariana Grande and rap iconoclast Eminem rounded
SYDNEY: Australian bush fires have caused unprecedented pollution in Sydney and along the country’s east coast, officials said yesterday, with smoke and dust burning residents’ eyes and prompting a spike in respiratory complaints. Hundreds of bushfires have burned out of control since September up and down the eastern seaboard, blanketing
PARIS: Doctors treating a patient with a rare lung disease usually caused by exposure to industrial metals say it may instead be the first case linked to vaping. Electronic cigarettes are sold as safer alternatives to traditional tobacco products and as aids to stop smoking. But they have been implicated
TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (pic) unveiled $120 billion in stimulus measures yesterday, to help the world’s third largest economy overcome the aftermath of the nation’s recent natural disasters. The package is also aimed at helping the nation alleviate the impact of last month’s tax hike and survive a
CHINA: Chinese telecoms giant Huawei said yesterday it has petitioned a US court to overturn a ban that prevents carriers in rural America from buying the firm’s equipment by tapping an $8.5-billion federal fund. Huawei’s petition said the ban — imposed last month against the company and its Chinese rival
Five tigers that narrowly survived a harrowing journey across Europe before being impounded at the Polish border arrived on Monday at an animal shelter in southeastern Spain. Following several weeks of recovery at a Polish zoo, the big cats set out for their new home on Saturday, arriving on Monday
