G20 summit’s primary topic of discussion quickly deviates from financial and economic growth, to reprimand Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the G20 summit in Brisbane, Australia (Image courtesy of Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press).
The focus soon turned to the debate of Russia, and Western sanctions placed on the country following its annexation of Crimea, and its actions in Ukraine. The topic was sparked when Prime Minister Stephen Harper told Russian President Vladimir Putin that he needs “to get out of Ukraine.” Though Putin argued that the sanctions preventing Russian companies from accessing Western financial markets violate international law, many others are warning Russia that there will be greater sanctions placed against the country if it does not change its current course of action in Ukraine.
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Pro-democracy protesters on route to China were denied flight to Beijing.
Hong Kong student leaders were prevented from boarding flight to Beijing (Image courtesy of Alex Ogle/AFP/Getty Images).
Three pro-democracy student leaders, representing the Hong Kong Federation of Students, an organization that has played a vital part in mobilizing the Hong Kong protests, were on their way to Beijing. They hoped to secure a meeting with China’s leaders to push for greater democracy. However, they were prevented from boarding the flight to Beijing due to invalid travel permits. Beijing has a history of blocking Hong Kong activists from travelling to mainland China.
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Japanese magnetic levitation (maglev) train races passengers along its debut tracks at 500 km/h.
Japanese maglev train prepares to depart carrying its first 100 passengers. (Image courtesy of Toru Yamanaka/AFP/Getty Images)
Passengers boarded a new Japanese hovering maglev train to experience travelling at 500 km/h. For eight days, the Central Japan Railway Company will be testing the maglev Shinkansen train on its 27 mile tracks in Yamanashi Prefecture. Being faster than Japan’s current bullet trains, Shinkansen’s speed reduces a 90 minute trip down to a mere 40 minutes. To do this, the maglev train hovers above the rail by magnetic levitation. When it is released for public commute, the train is expected to have 16 carriages and have a capacity over 1 000 passengers.
Source and more information can be found here and here.
Study finds that scarcity of food does not encourage the increased use of tools in non-human primates.
A chimpanzee using a stone to crack a nutty treat.(Image courtesy of Kathelijine Kroops.)
This lead to the theory that the use of tools is driven by ecological opportunity and ultimately, the environment plays a fundamental role in shaping cultures.
In the study, chimpanzees, orangutans, and bearded capuchins used tools in contests such as cracking open the shells of nuts, extracting seeds from fruits, and preying on insects. Surprisingly, the use of tools became more frequent when opportunities arose from the environment. When desirable, yet hard-to-reach foods, such as nuts and honey appeared, they acted as an incentive for the primates to craft tools for extraction.
Source and more information can be found here.
