Two nearly 2-year-old panda cubs are seen here rolling around and play fighting at the Zoological Garden in Berlin, Germany.Zoo Berlin announced that Pit and Paule, the first panda cubs to be born in the country, have become a star attraction in the capital and are developing well.Panda keeper Corvin Schmohl is closely monitoring their growth on a daily basis. They were born on August 31, 2019. However, despite being twins, the two are quite different from each other. Pit is a laid-back cub, always ready for a nap, while his brother Paule makes an incredible amount of noise and…
Author: zenger.news
TIWI ISLANDS, Australia — The Northern Territory, an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia, is another step closer to switching on solar power for remote Indigenous communities. Solar panel arrays and batteries are set to replace diesel generators in 72 communities across the Top End. The Top End of Australia’s Northern Territory is a geographical region encompassing the northernmost section of the Northern Territory, which aside from the Cape York Peninsula is the northernmost part of the Australian continent. “That’s cheap, green stable power and jobs for locals,” said chief minister Michael Gunner on April 12.…
CANBERRA, Australia — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison claims it’s possible all civilians could receive first doses of coronavirus vaccines by the end of the year, with a surge before Christmas. The prime minister, on April 14, abandoned his opposition to major vaccine hubs, which Labor Party and doctors have pushed for. He changed his position after announcing he would meet with state and territory leaders twice a week to get the derailed rollout back on track, with the first of the meetings scheduled for April 19. Morrison used a business speech in Perth to talk about the progress being made on the…
SYDNEY — An Australian orthopedic surgeon who saw Mathew Dunbar, a grazier from southeastern Australian state New South Wales, the day before he was allegedly murdered, was “extremely happy” with the improvement in his leg injury, a jury has been told. While Mathew Dunbar had previously been informed that his leg may have to be amputated, surgeon Max Leibenson said most of his symptoms had resolved and his ankle stiffness was likely to improve with physiotherapy. He said Dunbar did not appear to be upset, anxious, or show any signs of emotional distress at the consultation on Aug. 1, 2017. His…
A violinist who was scared about paragliding for the first time found an unusual way to steady his nerves. He took his instrument with him. Fikret Eren, a violin teacher, told his childhood friend Semih Er that he was jealous of his status as a professional paraglider since he had always dreamed of flying. Er, who has been paragliding professionally for eight years, suggested Eren try it. He told him he just needed something to distract him from the fear. That’s when Eren decided to take the violin with him. He admits he was scared at first, but found courage…
CANBERRA, Australia — Young people in Australia are being urged to get their flu shot as they wait to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners on April 13 recommended all people over the age of six months get their annual influenza vaccination when it becomes available this month. They said the best time to get the vaccine is before starting the flu season, which usually peaks from June to September. Their President, Karen Price, described the twin rollouts of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines as an “enormous logistical exercise”, especially as the two vaccines are not recommended to be…
FREMANTLE, Australia — Australia’s fire-damaged Antarctic resupply ship has docked in Western Australia, carrying several expeditioners who haven’t seen home in more than a year. The MPV Everest, sailing on auxiliary power after a fire tore through its port side engine room on April 5, reached Fremantle Port on April 13 (Tuesday) at 5:30 pm after completing 1,700 nautical mile voyage at reduced speed. The chartered ship was originally supposed to dock in Hobart but was diverted following the blaze, which destroyed two inflatable boats on deck. None of the 109 people aboard, including about 70 expeditioners, were injured. Some of the expeditioners have…
LIDCOMBE, Australia — The cold-case murder of Quanne Diec, a 12-year-old girl from Australia, remains a mystery after an inquest hearing focused on the acquitted suspect of her death. Vinzent Tarantino was found not guilty by a New South Wales Supreme Court jury in 2019, three years after walking into a police station to “confess” to the Sydney schoolgirl’s murder and after other so-called confessions to past girlfriends. Quanne’s devastated family struggled to understand this decision and were not present at their daughter’s inquest at the New South Wales Coroners Court in Lidcombe, Australia, on April 14. No new evidence surfaced, and…
SYDNEY — It would have been clear to Australian National Rugby League player Jack de Belin and his male friend Callan Sinclair that a 19-year-old woman was not consenting to sex, a retrial of the men has heard. De Belin, 30, and Sinclair, 23, have pleaded not guilty to five charges of aggravated sexual assault in an apartment after meeting the teenager on a Wollongong dance floor in December 2018. “De Belin was, having got the complainant back to the unit, determined to have sex with her … and was not going to take no for an answer,” David Scully, the crown prosecutor informed…
CANBERRA, Australia — Airborne microplastic particles from broken-down rubbish have become so widespread that humans are breathing, drinking, and eating them on a daily basis. The near-invisible, dust-like pieces leach chemicals and can cause inflammation and internal scarring in animals and people, with fears they could be linked to some cancers. Scientists are sounding the alarm and say more research is needed to fully understand the problem’s extent. “We’ve been using plastics since before the Second World War, and it’s an industry that’s allowed to produce products they’re largely not responsible for after they’re used,” Mark Browne, an ecologist, said. Browne…