Near extinct bird species making a comeback
Wellington: One of the world’s oldest and most distinctive songbird species might be coming back from the brink of extinction thanks to a relocation project.
The project established a new population of the species on an almost predator-free island, Xinhua reported Monday citing New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC).
A DOC team had relocated 41 tiny alpine rock wrens from around Fiordland in the far southwest of New Zealand’s South Island to Secretary Island from 2008 to 2011, and the number has grown to 66 in April, said a DOC statement.
“The increased safety of the island, a place where predators pose a lesser threat, provides insurance against the birds’ steady demise on the mainland,” DOC ranger Megan Willans said in the statement.
Of the 66 birds on the island, where the population of predatory stoats was tightly controlled, 63 had hatched and fledged there, indicating the birds have settled in well enough to breed.
The rock wren is the only true alpine bird in New Zealand and one of the most ancient bird species in the world.
They stem from a species present more than 80 million years ago and have no close structural resemblance to any other group of birds in the world.
Of the seven wren species that lived in New Zealand when humans arrived, the rock wren and the rifleman are the only two species surviving today.
Rock wrens are vulnerable to predation by stoats and mice. Both stoats and mice prey on rock wren chicks and eggs on the nest. (IANS)
‘Snake on board’ delays Qantas flight to Tokyo
Melbourne: A Tokyo-bound Qantas flight was grounded in Sydney after the cabin crew found a snake on board when the flight was being prepared for take-off.
The tiny serpent was found at the entrance to flight QF21 from Sydney to Narita International Airport, News.com.au reports.
A Qantas spokeswoman confirmed that the snake was around eight inches long, about the size of a ball-point pen.
It was taken to quarantine in order to determine where it came from, the report added.
According to the report, hundreds of passengers had to spend the night in a hotel, while a replacement flight was being organised to Narita. (ANI)
China’s richest man to build world’s largest film studio
Beijing: China’s richest man Wang Jianlin on Sunday said he would build the world’s biggest film studio in the city of Qingdao.
Wang, owner of Dalian Wanda Group, intends to invest 30 billion yuan (almost $5 billion) in the Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis, which will consist of 20 studios, including one – which he says will be the world’s largest – of 10,000 sq m and a permanent underwater stage.
The 540-hectare park will include a movie theatre, wax museum, exhibition centre, yacht club, hotels and other cultural and tourist facilities.
Expected to be completed by 2017, the park will host around 30 foreign production groups and at least 100 domestic teams annually.
The property and entertainment conglomerate, who acquired the America-based cinema operator AMC last year, has high hopes for China’s film industry, estimating the nation’s box office will surpass that of the US by 2018.
The centre is part of Wang’s cultural development strategy and an attempt to create Chinese cultural brand. (IANS)
No Bottles or Plates Allowed at Ukraine’s Unique Jar Bar
KIEV: The Jar Bar, in Kiev, Ukraine, is the only place in the world where every item on the menu is served in glass pickle jars.
To make sure patrons understand the concept, there’s even a sign on the door that shows bottles, glasses, bowls, cups and any other kind of dishes are strictly forbidden.
Although there are a handful of cafés and bars that use glass jars as dishes, the founders of Kiev’s Jar Bar claim no other venue in the world has taken such a radical approach to the concept as to serve every single item on the menu in jars.
From soup, to ice cream, coffee and cocktails everything at this unique venue comes in glasses of various sizes.
According to the bar’s official site, eating from a jar reminds people of home, taking them back to their childhood days when they tasted the delicious pickles made by their grandmothers, straight out of the jar.
The unusual dishes also make it easy for customers to order their favorite foods and drinks to-go, or take leftovers with them. All they have to do is ask waiters for a jar lid.
Apart from being the only available dishes, jars are also used for decoration purposes. The light fixtures are all large glass jars, the bar is lined with pickle jars, and the wallpaper is also jar-themed. (Agencies)
Armored Sports – Russia Holds World’s First Ever Tank Biathlon
RUSSIA: Probably bored with the usual sporting event, the Russian Military decided to introduce tanks into the mix as a way of spicing things up.
Tank Biathlon is a mechanized sport in which tank crews have to guide their vehicles across an obstacle course and prove their accuracy by shooting various targets, in as little time as possible.
The world’s first ever tank biathlon was held at the Alabino proving ground,Russia, on 2013 August 11–17 and pitted tank crews from several of Russia’s Military Districts against teams from three ex-Soviet countries: Kazakhstan, Armenia and Belarus.
All teams competed in T-72Bs tanks, an iconic weapon for all post-Soviet armies, and had to complete three 6,100 meters-long laps across a large racing field while completing different objectives. During the first round, crews had to use the tank’s main gun to hit targets at distances of up to 2,200 meters, which is close to their maximum range, while racing across the field in minimal time.
Failure to miss a target cost the teams a 500-meter penalty lap. In the second round, teams had to use the tanks’ 7.62mm coaxial machine gun to hit targets imitating anti-tank mortar (RPG) squads and infantry units, placed at distances of between 600 and 700 meters.
During the final round, crews had to maneuver their tanks across an obstacle course that included a scarp, ford, minefield, bridge and roadblocks, as fast as possible.
Missed or crashed obstacles added a 10-seconds increment to the teams’ final timing. Russia’s team won the competition, followed by Kazakhstan, with Belarus third and Armenia last. (Agencies)