Author: zenger.news

Passengers either boarding or flying on two separate Colombia-based Avianca flights were treated to musical concerts sponsored by the carrier. But the in-flight performance has drawn flak from authorities, who say it violates pandemic-related safety protocols. The on-board concert, featuring the brass section of the Medellin Philharmonic Orchestra, took place aboard flight AV8565, which regularly travels from the José María Córdova International Airport near Medellin to Bogota. The second performance took place at the same airport on the same day, but was limited to a brass band playing at the boarding gate for flight AV0030, which goes to Miami. …

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A Turkish woman is facing a nine-year jail sentence after an altercation with police over her face mask usage during the coronavirus pandemic. Rana Bati and her friend, identified only as Zeynep K., were confronted by two police officers because she was not wearing a face mask in the Kadikoy district of Istanbul on Aug. 19. The friend filmed Bati, who objected to being fined for the offense, screaming as she was detained by the officers, who can be seen manhandling her to the ground while passersby urge them not to be so rough. At least one of the officers…

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Employees at a zoo in Cheshire, England are celebrating the birth of an endangered Bornean orangutan infant. Chester Zoo staff were surprised when mother Leia gave birth to her second baby, since she tested negative just months before. Orangutans are typically pregnant for 259 days, or eight and a half months. Zookeepers said the new arrival is “bright and alert” and suckling well from Leia, who is protective of her new baby. The baby was born in June, but Leia had kept it hidden from keepers since its birth. Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) are listed by the International Union…

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Germany has spent 1.6 million euros ($1.8 million) on a bridge to help endangered bats cross busy train tracks at night. Deutsche Bahn, the national German railway operator, is hoping to protect nine local bat species, some endangered, as part of its environmental strategy. (Humans also benefit, as healthy ecosystems purify the environment.) The bat bridge sits near Muellheim on the new Karlsruhe-Basel line along the Rhine Valley, in southern Germany. At 8 meters (26 feet) high, 11 meters (36 feet) wide and 31 meters (101 feet) long, the unusual bridge has a singular design. It has been built…

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Aspiring medical students in India, particularly those coming from the state-run educational boards, are in limbo after the government’s adoption of a National Education Policy that includes a common entrance exam for students applying to undergraduate and postgraduate courses across disciplines. The policy is to be phased in from the 2021-22 academic year. Students from the state-run educational boards are already under a lot of pressure after the government replaced the annual All India Pre-Medical Test with the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in 2016. Students and the various state-run educational boards say the syllabi and courses taught by…

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To avoid the sugar and wheat crises as happened in Pakistan in 2019, Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the relevant departments to ensure abundant availability of those commodities. Following a meeting to review wheat and sugar stocks, their availability, demand and supply, imports to meet future requirements, and the prices of essential commodities, Khan told the authorities to go after those involved in hoarding. He ordered provincial governments to increase the supply of wheat to ensure its sufficient availability in the market. The prime minister also asked for a detailed schedule of wheat imports. Farmers organizations fear there will…

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A new paper-based test developed by the scientists in India has triggered hope for faster detection of the SARS CoV-2. Named FELUDA, after the famous Indian fictional detective, the test is inexpensive and boasts of better accuracy and its mass availability could play a crucial role in the fight against the novel coronavirus. FELUDA stands for FNCAS9 Editor-Limited Uniform Detection Assay. It has been developed by a team of scientists from the Delhi-based CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB). “There is no paper or strip based assay in the market currently to detect COVID-19,” said Souvik Maiti, a scientist…

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The first high-level meeting between Bangladesh and the United States aimed at advancing the two countries’ economic partnership is also widely seen as another step by the U.S. to challenge China’s presence in the region. “The meeting participants noted that the United States and Bangladesh share the common vision of a free, open, inclusive, peaceful and secure Indo-Pacific region with shared prosperity for all, and expressed hope that the two countries would continue to work together to realize this vision,” a joint statement from the two governments says. While Bangladesh has maintained a cordial relationship with most of the countries…

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India has thrown open its vast coal deposits for commercial mining. Private players can now freely sell or use coal, which will eventually dismantle the monopoly of state-owned Coal India Ltd. (CIL). Global players, however, have given thumbs down to this move. The decision to end government monopoly in coal comes at a time when much of the world is moving toward renewable energy, raising questions about India’s power sector policies. “The decision to have more players is absolutely right, but it is happening with a big delay,” said Partha Bhattacharya, former chairman and managing director, of CIL, which controls…

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Dutch police are hailing a dog whose actions led to the arrest of three burglars as a hero. Authorities in Harderwijk, Netherlands, shared details about the incident on social media over the weekend, along with a photo of an officer holding Frodo, the West Highland White Terrier who helped them catch three men suspected of stealing his owner’s purse. “Not only in the movie @lordoftherings_official, little Frodo was brave, but also in real life,” the local police department said on Instagram. The dog’s owner was asleep in her home on the night of the robbery but was woken by…

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