Features

  Frankfurt / DPA Russian tsars and Polish princes once hunted in the forest of Bialowieza, which stretches over a huge area now divided by the Poland-Belarus border. This primeval forest, prized for the variety of its wildlife, came to the attention of nature conservationists in the 20th century. In 1979 the national park on the Polish side of the …

  LOS ANGELES / AP Like prom for movie stars, the Academy Awards is Hollywood’s most glamorous night. It’s also the most photographed celebrity event of the year, its starry images beamed instantly around the world and endlessly reproduced in fashion magazines. That’s why it takes about a month and a team of specialists to get an A-list actress red-carpet …

  Edinburgh/Munich / DPA Dolly is looking a bit bemused at the visitors arriving these days at the Royal Museum in Edinburgh. It was 20 years ago – February 23, 1997 – that reports surfaced about the birth of an extremely exceptional lamb. Dolly – named after the country and western singer Dolly Parton – is now a stuffed specimen, …

  Emirates Business Visitors to Sharjah considering the best way of taking in the emirate’s diverse array of attractions should look no further than City Sightseeing Sharjah. The company’s fleet of tour buses are playing a pivotal role in promoting the emirate’s rich culture, its heritage environment and its modern amenities. The stylish and colourful modes of transport launched in …

  Beijing / DPA A critically endangered species of antelope in Mongolia is facing the threat of extinction due to a virus that has wiped out 40 per cent of its population after being passed on from sheep and goats. More than 3,880 saiga antelope have been found dead in the Great Lakes Depression of western Mongolia since late December. …

  TULA, Russia / AP Claims of hacking by the Russian state may be feeding international tensions, but they’ve given Californian musician David Brown a great icebreaker when selling his line of Russian-made microphones. “We give free hacking lessons with these microphones,” he tells potential buyers in Los Angeles. “Watch what you say because they never turn off.” Brown, who’s …

  Tijuana / DPA There is no wall dividing Tijuana from San Diego in the Eagles’ Nest region of northern Mexico. Instead, a rusty metal fence sporting a “Danger” sign ends there abruptly, as if unsure of where else to go. Shrubs and rocks make land access difficult in the Nido de las Aguilas area. Combined with the elevation, this …

  BOSTON / AP A circus is under fire for bringing back animal acts a year after earning praise from animal rights groups for dropping them to keep up with changing public attitudes. The Melha Shrine Circus, which has seven performances over four days scheduled for May in western Massachusetts, brought back performing elephants, tigers and dogs because that’s what …

  JOHANNESBURG / DPA One of the most damaging pests in North and South America has reached Africa and is threatening the maize crop in many countries there. Experts are also warning that the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), the larva of the fall armyworm moth, could soon spread from Africa across the Mediterranean to southern Europe. “Whether this year, next …

  Frankfurt / DPA Afram Shamoun, who for decades practiced medicine in Damascus, is now lying on a doctor’s couch in Frankfurt pretending to be a patient with knee problems. The 59-year-old is taking part in a course that prepares doctors qualified in other countries to take the exam to be able to practise in Germany. Today they’re going over …