The young orangutan looks back at her rescuers before clambering over her steel cage and into the trees, swinging from hand to hand and hanging upside down. Five-year-old primate Elaine, covered in fuzzy cinnamon-coloured hair, was one of two critically endangered Sumatran Orangutans released back into the wild Tuesday. Both female apes were rescued after being kept as pets by villagers in Aceh province on Sumatra island. Elaine and four-year-old Reipok Rere spent nearly two years learning to fend for themselves at a rehabilitation centre and "forest school" before being returned to the wild at Pinus Jantho Forest Reserve. The healthy pair have joined nearly 120 other orangutans freed from captivity at the conservation site, said the Aceh natural resources conservation agency. The rescue is a rare spot of bright news for the critically endangered species, which has seen its habitat shrink drastically over the past few decades largely due to the destruction of forests … [Read more...] about Indonesia pet orangutans released back into the wild
King’s mansion in need of repairs in Hà Giang
Vương Mansion has been a tourist destination in Hà Giang Province due to its values of architecture, art, history and more. Photo vietnamplus.vn HÀ GIANG — Representatives of the Vương family from Đồng Văn District in the northern province of Hà Giang have confirmed they will continue to share the responsibility with the State of preserving and developing the value of the Mông King's Palace (Vương mansion) relic site. “12 years since it last renovation in 2007, the site is once again in need of repair,” said Vương Duy Bảo, a descendant of the Mông King, at a recent meeting with local authorities. “Many walls have cracks, the ceilings are damp and the drainage system is blocked,” he said. “The building could collapse at anytime. If we continue to let tourists visit the site, the family will not be held responsible … [Read more...] about King’s mansion in need of repairs in Hà Giang
‘Kingdom of caves’ enjoys tourism boom
A view of the world’s biggest cave, Sơn Đoòng in Quảng Bình Province. — Photo quangbinhtravel.vn QUẢNG BÌNH — The tourism sector in the ‘kingdom of caves’, Quảng Bình, has witnessed an increase in the number of visitors thanks to its karst cave system. A report by the local Department of Tourism said the central province received 2.45 million visits in the last six months, marking an increase of 20 per cent over the same period last year. The total number was counted from January to mid-June. The department’s director Hồ An Phong said the number of foreign visitors to Quảng Bình in the period stood at 133,000, accounting for the record increase of 31 per cent over last year. Phong said the sector was doing well in boosting the province’s tourism profile around the world. Experts, however, appraised the cooperation between public agencies in the field with private entities in … [Read more...] about ‘Kingdom of caves’ enjoys tourism boom
Euthanasia law comes into effect in first Australia state
SYDNEY — Euthanasia laws for terminally ill patients came into effect in Australia's second-most populous state in a "bold change" on Wednesday, the only place in the nation where the practice will be legal. Assisted suicide is illegal in most countries and was banned in Australia until Victoria state introduced laws to legalise the practice in 2017. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews -- who supported the bill after the death of his father in 2016 -- said the laws were about giving patients a "dignified option at the end of their life". "We've taken a compassionate approach to give to people that choice... that dignity for hopefully a good death which is a really important part of a good quality of life as well," Andrews told commercial broadcaster Channel Nine. "This is bold change. No other state has done this... but we think this is the right step to take." The scheme will be accessible only to terminally ill adult patients with less than six months to live, or one year for … [Read more...] about Euthanasia law comes into effect in first Australia state
MH17 crash probe set to name suspects
THE HAGUE — International investigators are on Wednesday expected to announce charges against several suspects in the shooting down of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine five years ago in an attack which killed all 298 people on board. The Dutch-led probe has said it will first inform families, and then hold a press conference to unveil "developments in the criminal investigation" into the downing of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777. The breakthrough comes nearly a year after the investigators said that the BUK missile which hit the plane had originated from a Russian military brigade based in the southwestern city of Kursk. The airliner travelling between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur was torn apart in mid-air on July 17, 2014 over territory in eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russian separatists. Ukraine's deputy foreign minister Olena Zerkal told Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Tuesday that four people would be named over MH17, including senior Russian army officers. "The names will be … [Read more...] about MH17 crash probe set to name suspects