A plague of oysters is threatening a key venue at the Tokyo Olympics. The Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo Bay, which will host the canoeing and rowing events, was ready ahead of schedule, but the oysters have caused damage costing $1.3m (£930,000) in emergency repairs. They had attached themselves to floats intended to stop waves bouncing back across the water and on to the athletes.
Asteroid to pass Earth
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Escaped tortoise moves half a mile in a year
A runaway tortoise that had been missing for a year was found just 0.6 miles away from his family home. Maxi, 14, had absconded from his enclosure but his escape attempt was finally thwarted after dog walkers spotted him in the middle of a Wiltshire field. His delighted owner said: “Just before he came back, I had basically given up home but he got found and came back home - it's crazy.”
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Film reviews: ‘Send Help’ and ‘Private Life’Feature An office doormat is stranded alone with her awful boss and a frazzled therapist turns amateur murder investigator
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Movies to watch in Februarythe week recommends Time travelers, multiverse hoppers and an Iraqi parable highlight this month’s offerings during the depths of winter
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ICE’s facial scanning is the tip of the surveillance icebergIN THE SPOTLIGHT Federal troops are increasingly turning to high-tech tracking tools that push the boundaries of personal privacy
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Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
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China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
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Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
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Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
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Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
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US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
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What will happen in 2026? Predictions and eventsIn Depth The new year could bring peace in Ukraine or war in Venezuela, as Donald Trump prepares to host a highly politicised World Cup and Nasa returns to the Moon
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How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
