Red Sea International Film Festival Announces Baz Luhrmann as Head of Jury for 2023 Editionhttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/4574691-red-sea-international-film-festival-announces-baz-luhrmann-head-jury-2023-edition
Red Sea International Film Festival Announces Baz Luhrmann as Head of Jury for 2023 Edition
The Red Sea International Film Festival has said that internationally renowned writer, director and producer Baz Luhrmann will preside over the festival's Red Sea: Features Competition Jury this year.
The festival's third edition will take place from November 30 to December 9 in Jeddah.
The Red Sea: Features Competition will showcase various films from filmmakers from the Arab region, Asia and Africa.
SPA quoted Luhrmann saying: "After visiting Saudi Arabia, I felt truly inspired by the remarkable young filmmaking talent coming up across the region. It's an honour to be presiding over this year's Red Sea International Film Festival's Jury and to be part of the evolution of change that is happening through cinema across the Arab region, Asia and Africa."
For 2022, the Golden Yusr for Best Feature Film was awarded to "Hanging Gardens", directed by Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji.
A Bangka slow loris hangs from a tree on the Indonesian island of Bangka, east of Sumatra, in this undated photograph released on October 20, 2026. Andre Septian/Alobi Wildlife Rescue Center/Handout via REUTERS
Feared Extinct, Bangka Slow Loris Primate Rediscovered in Indonesia
A Bangka slow loris hangs from a tree on the Indonesian island of Bangka, east of Sumatra, in this undated photograph released on October 20, 2026. Andre Septian/Alobi Wildlife Rescue Center/Handout via REUTERS
The Bangka slow loris is one of Earth's most exotic primates, a slow-moving tree dweller that happens to be venomous. It was listed as critically endangered and possibly extinct, last scientifically documented in the 1930s, but now has been rediscovered on the tropical Indonesian island of Bangka.
Scientists revealed in a new study that an animal rescue organization came across more than 90 Bangka slow loris individuals in recent years on Bangka, located off the southeastern coast of Sumatra. Most were returned to the wild.
"The Bangka slow loris is still alive," said Timon Glaw, a graduate student in nature conservation and biodiversity management at the Haus des Meeres Aqua Terra Zoo in Vienna, Austria, and one of the authors of the study published in the journal Spixiana.
The rescued animals came from different parts of Bangka, showing the species has survived in several areas despite extensive habitat destruction and decades of scientific neglect, Glaw said. Its habitat has been diminished due to tin mining and land clearing for oil palm plantations, Reuters quoted Glaw as saying.
"What I find particularly astonishing is that such a charismatic and distinctive primate has received so little scientific attention for nearly a century. Its rediscovery also offers hope that other species feared to be extinct may still survive in places where scientists have not looked for decades. After all, Bangka is just about an hour flight from Jakarta, one of the largest cities in the world," Glaw said.
The Bangka slow loris, whose scientific name is Nycticebus bancanus, is a relatively small, nocturnal primate, with reddish-brown fur, distinctive facial markings and large eyes. It moves slowly and deliberately in the trees, unlike other arboreal primates such as apes, monkeys and lemurs that can move quickly across branches.
In the primate evolutionary lineage, the Bangka slow loris is more closely related to the lemurs of Madagascar and the galagos of Africa than to monkeys or apes — or people.
"The last historical scientific records from Bangka discussed in our study date back to the early 1930s, more precisely to the period between 1930 and 1932. For decades, there was no reliable information on whether the species survived on the island," Glaw said.
In 2020, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the organization that monitors the status of species, deemed the Bangka slow loris critically endangered and possibly extinct. The species also was listed as one of the "lost primates" by the conservation group Re:wild.
Like the world's other slow loris species, it is venomous — a rare trait among mammals. Slow lorises produce a secretion from specialized glands near their elbows, which they mix with saliva by raising their arms when threatened and then licking the glands before delivering the venom through a bite.
"The venom can cause severe allergic reactions in humans, potentially even life-threatening ones. Research on other slow loris species suggests that the venom is used primarily in conflicts with other lorises, although it may also serve defensive functions against predators and parasites," Glaw said.
Its diet is not well understood, but it likely feeds on insects, tree gums, nectar and other plant parts like other slow loris species, Glaw said.
It possesses a toothcomb formed by forward-projecting lower teeth, used mainly for grooming, gouging of tree bark for gum and delivering the venom during bites. It also has a specialized second tongue beneath the main tongue that helps clean the toothcomb.
Between 2015 and 2025, the Indonesian conservation organization Alobi Wildlife Rescue Center documented more than 90 Bangka slow lorises from different localities across the island, Glaw said.
Many were rescued from houses, gardens, plantations or roads, while others suffered severe injuries, particularly from electrical wires, with a few dying despite treatment, Glaw said. Following their recovery, 86 of them were released into suitable natural habitats, Glaw said.
"The most urgent priority is to protect the remaining natural forests on Bangka from further destruction, particularly through tin mining and the expansion of oil palm plantations. We also need systematic field surveys to determine where the species still survives and how large its populations are," Glaw said.
"Every species is the result of millions of years of evolution and part of a complex ecological network, and losing the Bangka slow loris would mean losing something truly irreplaceable," Glaw said.
South Korea Launches New Bid to Guide Crowd-pulling Shark to Seahttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5331824-south-korea-launches-new-bid-guide-crowd-pulling-shark-sea
South Korea Launches New Bid to Guide Crowd-pulling Shark to Sea
Visitors watch a 3.5-meter shark trapped in an artificial waterway in the southeastern port city of Busan on October 7, 2026. Jung Yeon-je / AFP/File
South Korean authorities began a new attempt Wednesday to coax a shark-turned-viral sensation back to sea, with falling temperatures in the Busan canal where it is stranded raising concerns for its survival.
The dusky shark -- affectionately nicknamed "Bukhangi" by fans -- was spotted last month in an artificial waterway in the southeastern port city, with climate activists linking its appearance to climate change, said AFP.
The three-meter shark, a species typically found in tropical climates, has since amassed a huge following, drawing more than 1.6 million people to the Busan canal for a glimpse in person -- bringing an unexpected boon to the local economy.
South Korean authorities twice tried unsuccessfully to steer Bukhangi back to sea -- using water jets and then nets -- before launching a third attempt Wednesday as the water grows colder.
"The operation began at 10 am this morning, and we are not entirely sure when it's going to end -- given our previous attempts were not successful," an oceans ministry official told AFP.
Officials initially opted to wait for the shark to leave on its own, but growing overall concerns for its well-being prompted a third attempt, she added.
In a separate statement, the ministry said the limited water depth in the artificial waterway also prompted authorities to decide to launch their third attempt.
Busan authorities livestreamed the operation as curious onlookers gathered along the canal for another glimpse of the shark.
For Wednesday's operation, authorities fixed nets to floating pontoons, to be moved gradually as the shark heads towards the open sea.
Once it passes, the nets will block its return to the waterway, they said.
The shark has also been celebrated for its unexpected boost to the local economy, with Busan Mayor Chun Jae-soo thanking it for generating publicity he said would otherwise have cost "trillions".
But environmental groups say the shark's appearance should be seen as a warning of the climate crisis, rather than a spectacle or economic boost.
They link its arrival to warming seas, saying rising temperatures are pushing warm-water fish northward -- and subtropical sharks in pursuit.
Japan Launches Spacecraft to Mysterious Moons of Marshttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5331434-japan-launches-spacecraft-mysterious-moons-mars
People watch the launch of the H3 rocket, carrying the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft, at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on October 20, 2026. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP)
Japan Launches Spacecraft to Mysterious Moons of Mars
People watch the launch of the H3 rocket, carrying the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft, at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on October 20, 2026. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP)
A Japanese spacecraft rocketed toward Mars on Tuesday on a quest to explore its mysterious moons and bring back samples.
Five of the world’s space agencies joined forces for the five-year mission that will attempt to land a robotic prospector plus a rover on Phobos, the larger and closer of Mars’ two pint-sized moons.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, which is leading the bold sampling effort, launched the spacecraft before dawn from the country's main spaceport on Tanegashima Island.
Officials declared success an hour later when the spacecraft separated as planned from the rocket's upper stage. Flight controllers burst into applause and jumped to their feet, shaking hands and embracing.
No one has managed to get samples from Mars or its moons yet While NASA has successfully landed nine spacecraft on Mars over the past 50 years and China scored a 2021 touchdown, no one has ever reached Phobos or its sidekick Deimos. And no one has managed to fetch samples from Mars, let alone its moons.
If successful, bits of dust, soil and rocks from Phobos will arrive on Earth in 2031.
“There’s a lot of adrenaline and a lot of excitement and a lot of wow,” said NASA astrophysicist Tom Statler, who’s involved with the project.
Japan has an edge going in, with two asteroid sample returns already under its cosmic belt.
Mars' moon Phobos is a lumpy, little rock Phobos is a lumpy, potato-shaped rock just 22 kilometers (14 miles) or so across. Examining pieces of it can explain how Mars’ moons — and possibly moons elsewhere — came to be.
Dubbed MMX for Martian Moons Exploration, the $578 million mission features a hefty 5-ton spacecraft that should reach Mars by late next summer. It will sync up with Phobos’ tight orbit around the red planet, before ejecting the French-German rover that’s named Idefix after the white terrier in the Asterix comics.
No bigger than a microwave oven, Idefix will plop onto Phobos by itself, bouncing for several minutes before coming to a halt in the moon's extraordinarily low gravity.
Employees of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and others celebrate as a Japanese spacecraft launched aboard an H3 rocket successfully separated as planned, at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan, Tuesday Oct. 20, 2026. (Naoki Hiraoka/Kyodo News via AP)
What happens after European Idefix rover lands The four-wheeled rover is designed to right itself if it lands upside down. All bets are off, though, if it sinks into soft soil or gets wedged between rocks, said the French Space Agency’s Julien Baroukh. Once the rover’s solar panels are deployed, the vehicle can no longer right itself, he added, which is why it will move at a glacial 1 millimeter per second (0.04 inches per second).
Idefix will serve as a “scout for safety,” according to Baroukh, as it prowls around Phobos for 100 days. Japanese flight controllers want to avoid powdery soil and rough terrain when the mothership — a four-legged stationary lander — descends to the surface to gather samples in late 2028 or 2029.
The lander will spend just two hours on Phobos, drilling and vacuuming up at least 10 grams (one-third of an ounce) of material, before launching back into space. It will study Deimos during a series of flybys before leaving the Martian neighborhood in 2030 and hustling back to Earth for a 2031 sample delivery in the Australian desert.
It’s a treacherous undertaking, with wreckage littering the path.
The moons’ names aren’t exactly comforting: Phobos is Greek for fear and Deimos means dread. They’re the twin sons of the god of war Ares — Mars in Roman mythology.
Scientists hope to learn how Mars' 2 moons formed Russia stumbled in all three of its Phobos attempts as well as many other Mars endeavors. In its only other Mars mission, Japan failed to get a spacecraft into orbit around the red planet.
Even NASA has had its share of flops in a bid to answer the burning question: Did life ever exist on Mars?
By studying Mars’ moons, scientists hope to learn whether Phobos and Deimos formed in the aftermath of an ancient collision between Mars and a battering space rock. It’s also possible that the moons might be stray asteroids that became ensnared in Mars’ gravity.
Either way, scientists anticipate finding traces of Mars on Phobos, making the samples an irresistible two-for-one that should help demystify planetary and moon formation, and perhaps even the recipe for life. The findings will help shape future Mars missions, including those by astronauts, said NASA’s acting planetary science director Lindsay Hays.
“It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. We are part of the first sample return mission from the Martian system,” The Associated Press quoted the German Space Agency's rover chief Markus Grebenstein as saying.
Japan isn’t the only one looking to claim the scientific riches packed into the Martian system’s rocks and dirt. China plans to launch a sample return mission to Mars in 2028, while NASA is still debating how to retrieve the more than 30 sample tubes collected by the Perseverance Mars rover, the new champion for off-Earth driving.
Japan and China could be neck-and-neck in getting samples back from the Martian system. Both are targeting 2031.
Japan is investing $350 million in this mission. NASA is contributing $87 million, the French Space Agency about $68 million, the German Space Agency about $56 million and the European Space Agency some $17 million.
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