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Rare giant rat that can grow to the size of a baby caught on camera | World | News

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A rare giant rat that can grow to the size of a baby and chew through coconuts has been caught on camera for the first time.

The rat, called Uromys vika, is known for being “one of the world’s rarest rodents,” according to the University of Melbourne.

The rodent is found in only one isolated spot throughout the world – the 210-square-mile island of Vangunu in the Solomon Islands in a forest area of less than 30 square miles.

It was first identified in 2017, but university researchers recently documented the species when they placed out glass oil lamps filled with sesame oil and captured 95 images of four different animals in the species using trap cameras.

It is believed one of the animals documented is a male, while the others are female.

READ MORE: ‘Rat plague’ strikes small town as waves of dead rodents wash up onto beach

And while little is known about the species, one thing is for sure – they’re humongous.

The University of Melbourne said in a press release: “The rare giant rat is at least twice the size of a common rat, is tree-dwelling and reportedly can chew through coconuts with its teeth.”

The giant rats can grow to be about a foot-and-a-half long, which is the size of a newborn baby, LiveScience said.

Researchers also found the rodents are known to have long tails and “very short ears.”

The species is considered to be critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

Lead study author Tyrone Lavery from the University of Melbourne said: “Capturing images of the Vangunu giant rat for the first time is extremely positive news for this poorly known species.

“The images show the Vangunu giant rat lives in Zaira’s primary forests, and these lands (particularly the Dokoso tribal area) represent the last remaining habitat for the species.

“Logging consent has been granted at Zaira, and if it proceeds it will undoubtably lead to extinction of the Vangunu giant rat.”

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Watch: Tourists seen racing for sunbeds dubbed ‘idiots’ in staggering video | World | News

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There’s nothing quite as blissful as a sun-drenched getaway to get away from the hustle and bustle of modern life and simply relax. However, with everyone vying for a spot around the pool, it can often mean competing with other holidaymakers for the best place to sunbathe.

The war to grab a sunbed has become a growing issue over the years, with some turning to unusual and occasionally even bizarre methods to ensure they have their place for the day. Now popular travel TikToker @getlostwebsite has shared an eyebrow-raising clip showing tourists running to snare themselves an early sunbed for the day.

The video shows a quiet pool area at a hotel – but within seconds people are seen running to the sunbeds, with the ambience quickly quashed. It’s not clear which resort or country the hotel is located in.

The TikToker captioned the video “Look at them go!@arkbykomi #fyp #sunbedwars #holiday Tourists race for sunbeds”.

The video sparked a big reaction on social media.

One user said: “Please tell where this is so I know where NOT to go”.

Another added “how sad” and one called the people running to the sunbeds “idiots”.

Another user wrote: “Never again will I take a holiday like this in a hotel…Villa, no issues, own space”.

One user simply asked: “I just don’t get it. Why pay £££££ to sit around a pool all day?”

Sunbed wars have been raging across Europe over recent years, with many tourists competing for the best spots and seating arrangements at hotel pools.

Recently, a British tourist discussed her joy at finally enjoying a well-deserved holiday at a luxury five-star hotel in Egypt – apart from the sunbed issue.

Mrs May, who runs the Tiktok account @themrsmay, discussed how despite being on vacation, she has to set her alarm for 6:30am in order to get to the pool and bag herself a front row seat with the best sunbed.

Sadly, this behaviour has negatively impacted many holiday makers, with 66% of the British general public admitting they deal with sunbed anxiety each time they go abroad, according to data from Silentnight.





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The 8 contenders to be next pope – with 1 considered the favourite to succeed Pope Franci | World | News

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As the world said goodbye to His Holiness Pope Francis at his funeral in Rome today (Saturday), machinations are already underway in the background to decide who will become his successor. Several key players are emerging as potential candidates who could be voted for during the secretive Conclave ceremony due to take place next month. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote.

During the ancient ritual more than 130 Catholic cardinals will cast their votes for who they think should become the next head of the Holy See. According to betting firm William Hill, cardinal Pietro Parolin is the early favourite with odds of 9/4.

Next among the religious runners and riders is Luis Antonio Tagle priced at 3/1, if successful he would also become the first pontiff of Asian heritage.

Scroll down for the full list of cardinals and odds…

Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps, said: “There’s already plenty of speculation on who the Vatican will announce as the next Pope to follow Pope Francis, and currently we make the Vatican Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, our favourite at 9/4.

“Luis Antonio Tagle is second in our market at 3/1 and would become the first Asian Pope in history, while Matteo Zuppi and Peter Turkson are both priced at 6/1.”

There are just a handful of Catholic cardinals across the UK and Ireland, some of whom are expected to cast a vote for the next pope. Technically, any baptised Catholic man is eligible to become the next pontiff, but for centuries only cardinals have been chosen.

Both cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, 79, who is from London, and Archbishop of Westminster cardinal Vincent Nichols, 79, appeared to rule themselves out of the papal election contest.

This week cardinal Nichols told reporters he was “too old, not capable”, while cardinal Radcliffe said he believed the Holy Spirit was “far too wise to even think of me (as pope) for the shortest moment”.

Cardinal Arthur Roche, 75, from West Yorkshire, is the youngest of the UK and Ireland’s cardinals. He is based in Rome and has been a key adviser to Pope Francis in recent years.

Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald, from Birmingham, will turn 88 in August, meaning he will be unable to vote for a new pope, and cardinal Sean Brady, Ireland’s only Catholic cardinal, will turn 86 this summer and so is also unable to vote due to his age.

Scotland currently has no Catholic cardinals. It is not thought that any of the UK or Irish cardinals are among the favourites expected to succeed Pope Francis.

At the time of writing, William Hill had odds on the following cardinals to be the next Pope.

Pietro Parolin – 9/4

Luis Antonio Tagle – 3/1

Peter Turkson – 6/1

Matteo Zuppi – 6/1

Robert Sarah – 8/1

Pierbattista Pizzaballa – 8/1

Peter Erdo – 10/1

Bar – 16/1



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Iran explosion: More than 500 injured after devastating blast at Bandar Abbas oil port | World | News

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More than 500 people are reported injured after huge explosion at an Iranian oil facility in Bandar Abbas, on the south coast. The site, which is one of Iran’s main oil facilities, could be seen in video footage engulfed in large plumes of smoke.

Iranian state media outlet Tasnim reports that local emergency services have described large amounts of scattered glass and debris being sprayed across a wide area. Emergency services working on the area have said “the port remains in a state of chaos” as precise casualty numbers and any fatalities remain unknown. The cause of the explosion remains unclear at this stage, but local media site Tasnim reports a fuel tank had “exploded for an unknown reason”.

A local crisis management official told state TV: “The source of this incident was the explosion of several containers stored in the Shahid Rajaee Port wharf area.

“We are currently evacuating and transferring the injured to medical centres.”

State TV has blamed “negligence in handling flammable materials” for the explosion.

Local media footage shows confused scenes in the aftermath, with men lying on the ground and the uninjured attempting to provide first aid to those in need.

A spokesperson for the country’s emergency services said that 516 people are known to have been injured.

Mehrdad Hasanzadeh, a provincial disaster management official, told Iranian state TV that emergency services were attempting to make their way to the site of the explosion, while others are attempting to safely evacuate it.

Efforts are still ongoing to extinguish fires on the site with the explosion believed to have been heard as far away as Qeshm, an island 26 kilometres (16 miles) south of Bandar Abbas.

Rajaei port is around 650 miles southeast of Iran’s capital, Tehran, on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil traded passes.

The blast comes as Iran prepares to open talks on a potential nuclear deal with the United States, for the third round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program

US President Donald Trump, who is in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis has warned that Iran “cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.”



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