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RCU Launches Campaign to Protect Arabian Leopard on its International Day

The campaign aims to raise awareness about the critically endangered Arabian leopard. SPA
The campaign aims to raise awareness about the critically endangered Arabian leopard. SPA
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RCU Launches Campaign to Protect Arabian Leopard on its International Day

The campaign aims to raise awareness about the critically endangered Arabian leopard. SPA
The campaign aims to raise awareness about the critically endangered Arabian leopard. SPA

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is celebrating the first International Day of the Arabian Leopard, which was declared by the United Nations on February 10, by launching the 'Leap of Hope' campaign.

The campaign aims to raise awareness about the critically endangered Arabian leopard and support efforts to protect it.
The campaign includes initiatives such as the launch of the 'Quest for Hope' gaming experience on the Metaverse platforms Decentraland and Roblox through advertisement billboards in major cities, including Beijing, London, New York, and Paris, urging support for the conservation efforts of the Arabian leopard and highlighting the commission's goal to thoroughly develop AlUla as a world-leading destination for cultural and natural heritage.

Quest for Hope is an adventure-themed game that lets players from around the world virtually experience and discover the essential role of Arabian leopards in rebalancing the natural environment for vital ecosystems to thrive.
RCU and Catmosphere Foundation will also host the AlUla Catwalk in celebration of the International Day of the Arabian Leopard.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Arabian leopard as critically endangered.

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Japan's Busiest Rail Station Tests Robot Bins

Mobile robotic trash bins are pictured during testing at the Shinjuku Station transport complex in Tokyo on September 18, 2026. (Photo by Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP)
Mobile robotic trash bins are pictured during testing at the Shinjuku Station transport complex in Tokyo on September 18, 2026. (Photo by Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP)
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Japan's Busiest Rail Station Tests Robot Bins

Mobile robotic trash bins are pictured during testing at the Shinjuku Station transport complex in Tokyo on September 18, 2026. (Photo by Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP)
Mobile robotic trash bins are pictured during testing at the Shinjuku Station transport complex in Tokyo on September 18, 2026. (Photo by Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP)

The world's busiest railway station, located at the heart of Tokyo in Japan, is testing whether mobile robotic rubbish bins can ease the workload of sanitation workers, a rail operator representative said on Friday.

Shinjuku Station is a sprawling transport complex with multiple rail firms that serve more than 2.7 million passengers every day, and holds the Guinness World Record for the world's busiest rail station.

In a part of the station operated by East Japan Railway, the bins are emptied manually more than 10 times a day -- though the number of wastebaskets has been reduced in recent years for cleanliness and security reasons.

JR East is testing three automated bins, each standing just over one meter (three feet) tall and moving at a cautious 20 centimeters (eight inches) per second.

"We wanted to test how well something like this can operate automatically and safely in an environment like Shinjuku Station," Shinya Kawamichi, a JR East research official, told AFP.

"We want to see how much of a difference mobile trash bins that collect garbage make, and whether people are actually willing to throw their trash into them," he said.

The trial project, which runs until late November, will put the robots up against the station's always-hectic underground concourse, where they are meant to bring trash to human workers.

Kawamichi said the robots are designed to be "slow so that people can put trash in them and so (they) can stop at any moment".

The company also wanted to test if the robots can navigate busy crowds and be accepted by commuters -- with an eye to expanding the future uses of this technology.

The bulky, googly-eyed devices have become a hit among tourists, many of whom stopped to snap photos.

"The eyes are very cute," said German train driver Chris Genseliein, 30, adding that he had a tough time finding bins in Japanese train stations.

Despite being an enormous complex with two above-ground floors and a massive underground section, JR East's section of Shinjuku Station only has seven sets of bins and recycling boxes.

Some Japanese passengers said stations are kept clean because people take their trash home.

But others welcomed the added convenience.

"It's just easier if you could throw things away while walking," said university student Ryunosuke Noguchi, 22.

Varieties

Swimmer Killed in Shark Attack at Popular Australia Beach

Greg Metzger, lead field biologist for SOFO's shark research and education program, catches a sand tiger shark off the coast of Hampton Bays, N.Y., Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Greg Metzger, lead field biologist for SOFO's shark research and education program, catches a sand tiger shark off the coast of Hampton Bays, N.Y., Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Swimmer Killed in Shark Attack at Popular Australia Beach

Greg Metzger, lead field biologist for SOFO's shark research and education program, catches a sand tiger shark off the coast of Hampton Bays, N.Y., Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Greg Metzger, lead field biologist for SOFO's shark research and education program, catches a sand tiger shark off the coast of Hampton Bays, N.Y., Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A man died on Friday after being mauled by a shark while swimming at a popular beach in the state of Western Australia, police said.

It is the latest in a spate of shark attacks in the country and comes just days after a surfer was bitten in an attack in the same state.

The Western Australia Police Force said emergency services were called to a reported shark-related incident in the water off Sorrento Beach ⁠at around 10.30 ⁠a.m. local time (0230 GMT).

"It was reported a male swimmer had been bitten by a shark while swimming along the coast," WA Police said in a statement.

Authorities launched an extensive air and sea search, but the swimmer died ⁠as a result of the attack, the statement said, according to Reuters.

Sorrento Beach is a popular swimming spot around 20 km (12.5 miles) from Perth's central business district. The local council said it closed down all beaches in its jurisdiction after the attack.

A 5-meter-long (16.4-foot) white shark was reported to monitoring website SharkSmart at the nearby Boyinaboat reef just after noon on Friday. There was no confirmation that ⁠it ⁠was the shark involved in the attack.

On Monday, a surfer was attacked at a beach in the town of Geraldton, around 400 km north of Perth. The surfer lost his foot in the attack and suffered serious leg injuries, local media said.

It follows the death of a 35-year-old man killed while spearfishing off the state's south coast in June, while a 38-year-old man was mauled to death off an island near Perth in May.

Varieties

Australia to Detain Tourists Who Overstay Visa, Minister Says

A ferry passes in front of apartments in Sydney, Australia, August 18, 2026. (Reuters)
A ferry passes in front of apartments in Sydney, Australia, August 18, 2026. (Reuters)
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Australia to Detain Tourists Who Overstay Visa, Minister Says

A ferry passes in front of apartments in Sydney, Australia, August 18, 2026. (Reuters)
A ferry passes in front of apartments in Sydney, Australia, August 18, 2026. (Reuters)

Australia will detain tourists who overstay visas to send a message of deterrence under new rules aimed at reducing levels of migration, a minister said on Friday.

Australia's ruling Labor party has denied it is tightening visa rules in response to the rise of the far-right One Nation, which has become one of the country's most popular parties this year with pledges to drastically slash migration.

Under reforms announced Thursday, Australia will stop family members accompanying students, introduce ballots for working holiday makers and crack down on overstayers.

Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Matt Thistlethwaite said on Friday that tourists would be put in immigration detention to reduce the level of visa overstayers, which has risen to 77,000.

"Once the word gets around, 'hey, I overstayed on my tourist visa for a couple of weeks, I got picked up and I spent a couple of weeks in immigration detention, it's not a nice place, I'm going home'. Once that gets around, then we think that obviously that deterrence will ensure that people abide by the conditions," he told broadcaster News24.

People who don't have the right to remain in Australia will face a "consequence" and be removed, he added.

Since 2015, Australia's immigration detention centers have swelled with people with criminal convictions awaiting deportation after a policy change that saw mandatory cancellation of permanent visas for certain criminal offences.

Immigration Minister Tony Burke, announcing the new policy on Thursday, said the government would open 250 beds and add 100 compliance officers to house the visa overstayers in different facilities.

Australian Tourism Industry Council chief executive Erin McLeod said talk of detaining tourists was not good for Australia's image.

"I don't think it does our reputation as a welcoming destination any good and can become quite damaging -- tourism is an important part of the Australian economy," she told AFP.

The council represents thousands of small tourism businesses.

Refugee Council of Australia director of policy Rebecca Eckard said the move raised safety and legal concerns.

"It is being framed as punitive to change behavior. The use of punitive detention is not permitted under Australia's immigration act," she told AFP.

"There has been a major problem with immigration detention," she added, pointing to concerns raised by the government ombudsman over insufficient staffing and healthcare access.