AFP UK – Page 787 – Squid Videos

US scientists train rats to drive small cars to study benefits to brain

08/21/2022 10/03/2022 / AFP UK, UK

Richmond (United States) (AFP) – Dr. Kelly Lambert’s research lab at the University of Richmond, in the US state of Virginia, trains rats to drive small cars and rewards them with treats, exploring the potential benefits to the brain in the process. Watching rodents drive tiny custom-made cars is “kind of magical,” says Lambert, a professor of behavioral neuroscience, adding that she wants to “make sure that it’s not just a circus trick, that it is done in a scientific manner.”

©AFP

The urban climber reaching for the stars, without a safety net

08/21/2022 10/03/2022 / AFP UK, UK

Bagnolet (France) (AFP) – Having scaled skyscrapers in La Défense and mounted the Montparnasse Tower, Alexis Landot conquers the Mercuriales towers in the suburbs of Paris. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he admits. The young Parisian is one of the only climbers in the world to go “free solo”, meaning he foregoes ropes and security. “I’m the only one who has control over my own survival, over what will happen, and that makes me feel amazing,” Landot says.

©AFP

One year after the return of the Taliban, Afghan kites fly in London skies as a sign of solidarity

08/21/2022 10/03/2022 / AFP UK, UK

London (AFP) – One year after the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan, kites fly in London’s sky as a sign of solidarity with the Afghan people. The event was co-organized by the humanitarian association “Afghan Aid” and in which more than a hundred people participated in the park of Hampstead Heath. Since their return to power in August 2021, the Taliban have not been as strict as under their previous regime, between 1996 and 2001, when they banned television, cinema, photography, kites and almost all forms of entertainment, considered immoral.

©AFP

Zelensky warns Russia may try to do something ‘particularly violent’ next week

08/21/2022 10/03/2022 / AFP UK, UK

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warns that “Russia may try to do something particularly disgusting and particularly violent next week,” as Ukraine prepares to celebrate 31st Independence Day. In his nightly address, he adds that “there’s a feeling literally in Crimea’s air that its occupation is temporary and that Ukraine is coming back.”

©AFP

From the grounds of American coffee, Stars is born in Moscow

08/20/2022 10/03/2022 / AFP UK, UK

Moscow (AFP) – After the Starbucks chain left Russia following the conflict in Ukraine, a new homegrown brand has taken over the American giant’s former cafes with the backing of pro-Putin rapper Timati.

Glasgow returns artefacts stolen by British to India

08/19/2022 10/03/2022 / AFP UK, UK

Glasgow (AFP) – A museum in Glasgow performs a handover ceremony to return seven items that were stolen from India during the Colonial era to the country. Dignitaries from the High Commission of India join members of Glasgow Life, the charity that manages the Scottish city’s museum collections, at the transfer of ownership ceremony, following more than 18 months of talks.

Finnish PM Marin says she took drug test after partying scandal

08/19/2022 10/03/2022 / AFP UK, UK

Helsinki (AFP) – Finland’s prime minister Sanna Marin says she has taken a drug test and reiterates she has never taken narcotics, after a video of the 36-year-old partying sparked criticism. The leaked video, which shows Sanna Marin dancing and partying with a group of friends and celebrities, has been shared widely on social media.

Russian strikes in Kharkiv destroy chemical factory and university building

08/19/2022 10/03/2022 / AFP UK, UK

Kharkiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Firefighters work among the rubble of a household chemicals factory, destroyed by Russian missile strikes in the southern outskirts of Kharkiv. A three-storey building of the National Technical University in the centre of the city was also partially destroyed in a separate strike.

Spanish emergency unit tackles wildfires in Valencian community

08/19/2022 10/02/2022 / AFP UK, UK

Begís (Spain) (AFP) – Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit tackles a forest fire near the pilgrimage destination of Cueva Santa Sanctuary in the Bejís area. So far this year, Spain has suffered nearly 400 wildfires following punishing heatwaves and long dry spells that have devastated more than 283,000 hectares of land, more than three times the total area destroyed in 2021.

Hunting pythons in Florida, for profit and therapy

08/19/2022 10/02/2022 / AFP UK, UK

Everglades National Park (United States) (AFP) – When not working at his job staging cultural events in Miami, Enrique Galan, regularly disappears into the Everglades to hunt down Burmese pythons, an invasive species that has been damaging Florida’s wetland ecosystem for decades.

Firefighters struggle to control fires in eastern Spain

08/19/2022 10/02/2022 / AFP UK, UK

Alcublas (Spain) (AFP) – Spanish firefighters struggle to control the fires in Alcublas, located in the east of Spain and near Bejís, where several fires have ravaged more than 10,000 hectares and led to the evacuation of 1,500 people. The blazes have been curbed by the emergency services, helped by the arrival of rain.

India devotees attend three-day Hindu dance festival

08/19/2022 10/02/2022 / AFP UK, UK

Guwahati (India) (AFP) – Hundreds of Hindu devotees in northern India participate in an annual dance festival dedicated to the snake Goddess Manasa. People flock to the Kamakhya temple in the Assam region to see believers paint their bodies red and perform dances with sacrificial pigeons and goats. Those participating in the festival believe they will receive power from the goddess.