The ancient mountains of the Andes are home to spectacled bears, pumas and the magnificent Andean condor. They’re also home to forests of lesser-known but critically important polylepis – known as “cloud trees.” Growing up to 5,000 meters above sea level, they are the highest-altitude trees in the world and are known to absorb and retain water from clouds and ...

New Zealand plans to outlaw greyhound racing because too many dogs are hurt or killed, the government said Tuesday, spelling an end to the practice in one of the few countries where it still operates. The racing of greyhounds as a betting sport was wildly popular at times last century. But the number of dogs euthanized due to race-day injuries, ...

Editor’s Note: Help is available if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters.In the US: Call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.Globally: The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide have contact information for crisis centers around the world. Former South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun has attempted to end ...

Vandals attacked a Jewish area of Sydney overnight, torching a stolen car and scrawling antisemitic words on walls, prompting a swift response from authorities who say antisemitism has no place in multicultural Australia. The attack comes as police search for three suspects over an arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on Friday and follows other antisemitic attacks ...

A New Zealand man hailed as a Scrabble phenom dominated the Spanish World Scrabble Championships – despite reportedly not speaking the language. Nigel Richards claimed victory at this year’s tournament in Granada, Spain last month, Reuters reported, showcasing once again his remarkable abilities to outperform even native speakers in their own languages. “This is an incredible humiliation,” Benjamín Olaizola, who ...

The Tokyo government plans to introduce a four-day workweek for its employees in an attempt to support young families and boost record-low fertility rates nationwide. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike announced that starting in April, employees of the metropolitan government will have the option to take three days off each week. “We will review work styles … with flexibility, ensuring no ...

China on Monday accused U.S. chipmaker Nvidia of violating its anti-monopoly law, a move likely to escalate already tense trade relations between the two countries as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office for a second time. China’s state market regulatory arm said the probe is related to Nvidia’s 2019 acquisition of Mellanox, a global supplier of computer networking equipment. ...

OpenAI said Monday it’s releasing its buzzy AI video-generation tool, Sora, later in the day. The AI video-generation model works similarly to OpenAI’s image-generation AI tool, DALL-E: A user types out a desired scene, and Sora will return a high-definition video clip. Sora can also generate video clips inspired by still images and extend existing videos or fill in missing ...

The pieces are coming together for the startup basketball league Unrivaled. The 3×3 women’s hoops league announced Tuesday that it has signed a multiyear deal for Under Armour to become its official uniform partner and performance outfitter. This follows the league announcing a number of recent big player signings and reaching a media broadcast deal in October with TNT Sports. Financial terms of the deal were ...

At the historic Umayyad Mosque in the heart of Damascus, a red, white, black and green flag flies. On the other side of the Syrian capital, former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s palace burns. An anchor reads the Sunday news: “We announce to you from the Syrian news channel the victory of the great Syrian revolution after 13 years of patience ...