A worker assembles a pleasure doll at the WMDoll factory in 中山 (Zhōngshān), 广东省 (Guǎngdōng province), China. The factory counts more than 200 full-time staff workers, and claims to produce AI-powered handcrafted dolls, even if, for now, the AI’s soul is still very basic as they can whisper a few words and move eyes and arms, but cannot yet hold long conversations. Photos: 阿里宋 (Ālǐ Sòng)/Reuters.
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The final touches are applied to a 24k edible gold leaf soft ice-cream at the Small Potatoes Ice Creamery shop in Singapore. Photo: Edgar Su/Reuters.
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First lady Melania Trump plays a harmonica she made out of household items at Joint-Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Photo: Mark Thiessen/AP.
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Owners with more than one canine in 青岛 (Qīngdǎo) must give others to an adoption agency under controversial new law. [Read more].
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Certain canines are seen as status symbols, and trends come and go, sometimes leading to a glut of a once-popular breed. Photo: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters.
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Sea turtle that lived in public pond in Thailand dies of blood poisoning despite surgery to remove 5kg of loose change from her stomach
A sea turtle nicknamed “Bank” has died of complications following surgery to remove nearly 1,000 coins she swallowed during captivity, vets in Thailand have said. The cause of death was blood poisoning from the loose change, doctors at the veterinary faculty at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University confirmed. “She at least had the chance to swim freely and eat happily before she passed”, said Dr. Nantarika Chansue, who removed 5kg (11lbs) of coins from the turtle’s stomach in a lengthy operation on 6 March. “At 10.10am she went with peace”, Chansue, the vet in charge of Chulalongkorn Hospital’s aquatic research centre, told reporters, adding: “She is my friend, teacher and patient”. Thai media began publicising the turtle’s tale last month and members of the public donated about 15,000 baht (£350) towards her surgery. [Read more]. |
For years, visitors to “Bank”’s pond in Thailand’s Chonburi province tossed coins with the hope of having their wishes come true. No one knew that “Bank” had been accidentally consuming the coins – hundreds of them – until vets discovered her floating in the pond in severe pain. At first they suspected that the 25-year-old turtle had a tumor because her shell was cracked. Following a CT scan, however, they discovered the shocking truth. Photo: Nantarika Chansue.
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An officer shows the coins the turtle ate over many years. Some had corroded or partially dissolved. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images.
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Vets hope that media coverage of the stricken creature will make people think twice about throwing coins into ponds where animals live.
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Chonburi, Thailand: Clear Sky, a six-month-old elephant, is cleaned before being lowered into a pool for a hydrotherapy session. Photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images.
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Jeju, South Korea: In South Korea, 45% of the diving women of Jeju are over the age of 70. Ja Kang Song, 71, and Ja Hyun Su, 72, dive for shellfish and are the main breadwinners for their families. Routinely diving to depths of 20m and staying under for an average of two to three minutes, the pressure on the body takes its toll and, like many others, burst eardrums have left Ja Hyun Su deaf. Each season, between seven and 10 women die diving the waters around Jeju Island (제주도). Photo: Andy W. Langton/Age International.
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Mumbai, India: Aspiring models wait for their turn to be judged during auditions for an upcoming fashion week. Photo: Shailesh Andrade/Reuters.
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Penang, Malaysia: Members of Malaysia’s civil defence force pose with a python caught near a construction site in Paya Terubong. Photo: Reuters.
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Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân was elected Chairwoman of the National Assembly of Vietnam with 95.5 percent of votes after a poll in the country’s 500-strong legislative body early Thursday. She has a degree in finance and a masters in economics. She has been a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) since 1981 and of its Political Bureau in the mandates 11th and the current 13th. She has also served as vice minister of finance and of Commerce, as well as head of the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs. Photo: VnExpress.net.
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余少鐳 (Yú Shǎoléi), culture editor of Southern Metropolis Daily, says: “I’ve been kneeling so long I can’t bear it. I’d like to change posture”
The editor of a Chinese newspaper has published a resignation letter denouncing increased controls on the media under Xí Jìnpíng, according to a cached version of his online post. Yú Shǎoléi, the culture editor of the Southern Metropolis Daily, posted a photo of his resignation letter on his Weibo social media account. [Read more]. |
“This spring, let’s make a clean break. I’m getting old; after bowing for so long, I can’t stand it anymore. I want to see if I can adopt a new posture. To the person responsible for monitoring my Weibo and notifying his superiors about what I should be made to delete: you can heave a sigh of relief. Sorry for the stress I’ve caused you these last few years, and I sincerely hope your career can take a new direction. And to those friends who care about me, I won’t even say goodbye, Southern Media Group”. [Chinese].
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An anonymous, online call for the president to quit has sparked a furious manhunt for its author, betraying paranoia at the top of the Communist party
It wasn’t a very long letter – the equivalent of about 920 words in English and it appeared only briefly on a Chinese website. But its content was potentially incendiary. It called for president 习近平 (Xí Jìnpíng) to resign. [Read more]. |
For the full text of the letter, both in Chinese and English languages, see https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2016/03/open-letter-devoted-party-members-urge-xis-resignation/ (English) as well as http://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/2016/03/忠诚党员促习近平辞职的公开信（全文）/ (Chinese).
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“Comrade Xí Jìnpíng, we feel that you do not possess the capabilities to lead the party and the nation into the future, and we believe that you are no longer suitable for the post of general secretary”, the letter stated. “For the party cause, for the long-term peace and stability of the country, and for your own personal safety and that of your family, we ask you to resign from all positions ...”. [Read more].
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Paris, France: A visitor inspects a sculpture by Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa at the Art Paris Art Fair. Photo: Chesnot/Getty Images.
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Police are investigating three pharmaceutical companies that might have been involved in sales of expired or improperly stored vaccines
Police in eastern China have arrested 37 people for illegal sales of vaccines in a widening scandal that again has raised questions about product safety in China and a possible government cover-up. [Read more]. |
Newly born babies receive vaccines at a hospital in 阿克苏 (Ākèsù), China. Police have arrested 37 people for sales of vaccines that might have expired. Photo: Stringer/China/Reuters.
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Manila, Philippines: A worker feeds crocodile Shaquille at Malabon zoo on the third world wildlife day. Photo: Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images.
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New Delhi, India: Horses eat food by the roadside. Photo: Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images.
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A lotus blooms in Bueng Boraphet, a freshwater swamp and lake in Nakhon Sawan, central Thailand. Photo: Li Mangmang/Corbis.
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Mumbai, India: A worker is silhouetted against the sky as he repairs power lines. Photo: Divyakant Solanki/EPA.
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