Shortage of Suzuki car mirrors reflects Sri Lanka's growing economic crisis

Thu, February 17, 2022
By Devjyot Ghoshal and Uditha Jayasinghe

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Car spare parts dealers in Sri Lanka's main city of Colombo are receiving a steady stream of customers looking for what is fast becoming a prized commodity in the island nation - side mirrors for Suzuki's compact Wagon R.

The scramble for the humble product highlights rising economic risks for the South Asian country as imports slump, foreign exchange reserves plummet and a potential sovereign default looms.

Suzuki's boxy, five-seater vehicle is hugely popular in Sri Lanka, given its low running costs. With some 30,000 of the cars sold over the past four years in a nation that has relatively high road crash rates, replacement side mirrors are commonly sought in the spare parts shops scattered across the suburb of Nugegoda.

"Everyone is looking for Wagon R parts," said Supun Deshak, a salesman at one store in the district where shop fronts are piled high with reconditioned spare parts.

The difficulty is that importers are struggling to source car parts because they are deemed non-essential imports under rules drawn up by the government to save dwindling foreign exchange reserves after the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Reserves have plummeted to $2.36 billion from $7.5 billion in January 2020. At the same time, the government faces a debt obligation of around $4 billion this year, and local banks are often unable to provide dollars that importers need.

"The biggest concern right now is the difficulty in importing spare parts for maintaining the existing fleet of vehicles," said Yasendra Amerasinghe, chairman of the Ceylon Motor Traders Association (CMTA), which represents the country's major vehicle importers.

The CMTA estimates imports of car spare parts will fall by around 30% in value terms this fiscal year, compared to pre-pandemic levels, primarily because of the foreign exchange shortages in the past few months.

Five auto dealers in Colombo told Reuters many spare parts were already in short supply, with only a trickle of new stock coming in from abroad, driving up local prices.

Exacerbating the problem are thieves looking to make a quick buck by stealing side mirrors of popular models like the Wagon R to sell in a thriving grey market, the dealers said.

The price of reconditioned Wagon R mirrors has surged by more than 35% from pre-pandemic levels to at least 30,000 Sri Lankan rupees ($148.5) per piece, the dealers said.

SECOND-HAND CAR PRICE SURGE

The economic crisis facing the country - its worst in a decade - has also triggered an escalation in second-hand vehicle prices.

Almost all car imports were banned in March 2020, followed by a stop on imports of other non-essential goods like airconditioners, refrigerators and video games consoles, as part of the government's bid to deal with the financial strife.

That has pushed the cost of some second-hand vehicles up by more than 100%, the CMTA said. Sri Lanka does not mass produce any cars locally.

A used Wagon R currently costs around 5 million rupees ($24,752), well above the 2.8 million rupees a brand new vehicle cost in 2018, said CMTA Vice Chairman Virann De Zoysa.

That's added further pressure on the spares market as many car owners look to cash in on the price jump but first try to spruce up their vehicle with replacement parts, said Musthaq Nazeer of Azka Auto Supply, a small shop packed with car mirrors and lights.

As global automotive supply chain disruptions add another layer to the problem, the CMTA said it has asked the government to classify car spare parts as an essential item, along with some food and medicine, to increase imports.

"Every distributor's out of many, many key parts," De Zoysa said. "We're turning away customers on a daily basis."

(Reporting by Devjyot Ghoshal and Uditha Jayasinghe; editing by Jane Wardell)

California officials say 500-pound bear that broke into 38 homes must be killed

Bear League, an advocacy group, told the outlet that euthanizing the bear is unnecessary and cruel.

Asha C. Gilbert, USA TODAY
Thu, February 17, 2022, 

A search has started for a 500-pound bear in California after it broke into homes, but an advocacy group doesn't want the animal to be killed.

CBS 13 reports the bear has broken into 38 homes in South Lake Tahoe, resulting in more than 150 calls to police. And now the California Department of Fish and Wildlife says there is only one option to resolve the issue: Killing the bear.

Bear League, an advocacy group, told the outlet that euthanizing the bear is unnecessary and cruel.

“He’s always lived his life in that area,” Ann Bryant, executive director of the Bear League, told CBS 13. “We don’t want anybody to get hurt. Nobody wants that. We don’t want the bear to die either.”

As word spread about the plans to have the bear killed, some residents disagreed with Fish and Wildlife's stance and sided with the Bear League.

"They do not want the bear to pay the price for human ignorance. So when a bear is set to die in their community, people take a stand,” Bryant said.

Attempts to trap the bear have failed so far. The Bear League hopes to have the animal relocated to a sanctuary in Colorado.

"The Bear League reached out to the director of an excellent out-of-state wildlife sanctuary, who agreed he has room and would be very willing to give this bear a permanent home," Bryant told KCRA.

According to KCRA, the Department of Wildlife isn't sure that plan will work because black bears can't be imported into Colorado without permits and approval from the state's parks and wildlife agency.

Until the bear is captured, the department wants anyone who spots the animal to call law enforcement or the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Revolutionary new solar panels don’t need sunlight to generate energy


Joshua Hawkins
Wed, February 16, 2022


The idea of solar panels that don’t need sunlight might sound crazy, but it’s not completely impossible. As a cornerstone of the revolution to bring more clean energy to people, solar panels have become one of the best options out there. However, these energy conductors have one fatal flaw. They require direct sunlight to create energy. What if we could remove that flaw, though? That was the idea behind AuREUS, a new solar panel that doesn’t rely on direct sunlight to generate energy.

These solar panels don’t need sunlight to generate electricity

But how do you make solar panels that don’t rely on sunlight? Well, you don’t. At least, not entirely. Instead, you make solar panels that can feed off the ultraviolet rays of the Sun that clouds don’t hinder.

Carvey Ehren Maigue is a student at Mapua University in the Philippines. To create the panels, Maigue used luminescent particles from fruit and vegetable waste. These are the same particles that absorb the Sun’s ultraviolet rays and turn them into visible light. By using particles like this, Maigue created a solar film capable of capturing ultraviolet rays. The film then converts the rays into visible light which is used to generate energy.

The idea is an ingenious one, and one that helps cut down on even more waste around the world. Additionally, because it doesn’t rely on direct sunlight, it can continue to generate power even when it’s cloudy outside. The current prototype is only a 3-by-2-foot panel installed in a window of Maigue’s apartment. It’s capable of generating enough electricity to charge two phones each day, though. When scaled up, Maigue says he believed it could enable buildings to completely run off their own electricity.

Expanding renewable energy

Part of what is really exciting about solar panels that don’t need sunlight, though, is the scalability. The film-like panel that Maigue created is flexible. It’s made of resin and could possibly even be applied to pieces of clothing. The idea was so good, in fact, it won the Sustainability Award from the James Dyson Foundation in 2020.

Because it is so flexible, the solar film leaves a lot of room for more innovators to step up and find new applications. Even the basic design that Maigue used could prove useful, as it would only require you to apply the film to your window to gather electricity. This means less worry about expensive solar panels being on your roof or having to install them some other way. We could even see it installed in cars, too, giving new means of energy creation to electric vehicles.

STATE CAPITALI$M AMERICAN STYLE
What is the US Government Doing With Billions of Pounds of Cheese?

Angela L. Pagán
Wed, February 16, 2022,

Photo: Anadolu Agency / Contributor (Getty Images)

Deep in the caves of Missouri the U.S. government has stored 1.4 billion pounds of cheese for decades, reports Deseret News. We’re not just talking cheddar here either, the cave has Swiss, American, and many others.

Funny that government and private agencies are sitting on a cheese mine in Missouri when over in New York City there’s a bagel and schmear crisis. This insane reserve of cheese was actually started because of a surplus with the intention of it being used for those in need. Back in the 1970s the U.S. government started buying up cheese to help out farmers, but then farmers actually started producing too much so the government had to figure out what to do with everything that was left.


The solution came in the form of government food assistance programs that would distribute millions of pounds of dairy products. However, that wasn’t enough to deplete the surplus so then big business got involved. A semi-public marketing board was formed and the government started making deals with fast food companies to sell the cheese and make some cheddar. This marketing board is actually responsible for the creation of the “Got Milk?” campaign that had celebrities sporting milk mustaches and the rest of us chugging back 2%.

What happened to all that government cheese?

Today, the underground of Missouri holds more than just government cheese. According to the website, “Springfield Underground contains 3.2 million square feet of leasable space free from exposure to the outdoor elements.” The website also explains that the former limestone mine maintains a constant temperature of 62 degrees and offers refrigerated buildings from negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit to 55 degrees. So, no need to worry about spoiled Swiss.

As grocery prices continue to rise and supply chain issues run rampant, you’d think the U.S. government would put a pause on its cheese stockpiling, but apparently not. As recently as August of 2020, the Department of Agriculture announced the Cheese Purchase Program. The program is meant to “purchase Mozzarella, Process and Natural American Cheddar Cheese for the National School Lunch Program and other Federal food nutrition assistance programs.” Though the announcement came in 2020, the actual cheese deliveries were intended for the entire year of 2021.

Now that I think about it, a government conspiracy makes a lot more sense to me than celebrities genuinely just wanting people to drink more milk.

Tracks of elusive endangered animal found in Yosemite National Park. ‘Rare treat’

Maddie Capron
Thu, February 17, 2022

An elusive endangered animal wanders Yosemite National Park — but it’s rarely seen.

A critter the size of a cat with a long, bushy tail, short legs and feet that can turn nearly backwards left behind footprints for researchers to track down, Yosemite park rangers said.

Fishers roam Yosemite, but they’re almost never seen. But researchers recently found fisher tracks in the snow while collecting data.

“Sometimes, tracks are the only way to ‘see’ a fisher; they are usually silent, elusive mammals, and a sighting is a rare treat for most people,” park rangers said Feb. 15 on Facebook. “When snow records the impressions made by wildlife tracks, it is like a time-lapse photograph.”

The tracks show researchers how the fisher traveled through the snow. The animal used its typical “loping gate” to get across.

Fisher tracks were spotted in Yosemite National Park.

“It starts by thrusting its front feet forward with the spring action of its spine, then brings its back feet forward to replace the front feet as it begins another bound,” rangers said.

The fisher also leaves behind a scent that humans couldn’t notice. The critter has tiny scent glands on the bottom of its paw pads that are used for mating.

Yosemite researchers have been actively looking for fishers to collect data. The team wants to better understand the population.

Since 2014, up to half of habitat that’s suitable living space for fishers has been destroyed by wildfires. The animal often finds shelter in hollowed-out trees to make their dens, according to the National Park Service.

A fisher is about the size of a house cat, according to the National Park Service

Prolonged drought and beetle infestations have also harmed fisher habitat.

“By identifying suitable fisher habitat, we can better manage and protect these areas, so fishers will always have a home in Yosemite,” park rangers said.

Cameras spot a rare, weasel-like animal called a fisher roaming Yosemite National Park

Endangered fisher seen running from Creek Fire before Shaver Lake property burns

Should logging halt over endangered California animal? Here’s what appeals court says

Bird of Prey Spotted in U.S. For the First Time, Drawing Crowds to Texas

Meghan Overdeep
Thu, February 17, 2022

Bat falcon

©Juan Carlos Vindas/Getty Images

A small bird of prey native to Mexico and Central America is making headlines after its apparent decision to spend the winter in Texas.

The now-famous bat falcon was spotted for the first time at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in Alamo around Thanksgiving. According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), this is the first recorded time that a bat falcon has ever been seen in the U.S.

Based on the bird's "buff-cinnamon throat and crest bars," officials determined that it was a juvenile, while "the thickness of the tarsus and beak" indicate that it's a male.

Peter Witt told KSAT that he and his wife visited the refuge on the Mexico border specifically to see the bird.

"We could see him fly off from a tree shag perch, skim the lake, grab an insect and return to chow down, then rest a bit and repeat. We watched him for about 20 minutes... a wonderful and unique experience," he told the local news station.

USFWS shared Witt's photos of the bird on its Facebook page this week.

Joe Barnett, USFWS deputy refuge manager for the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, told Border Report that about 4,000 birders have come to the refuge since the bat falcon was first spotted.

"Somebody even came from Europe, so it's drawing a lot of attention. People coming just to see this bird," Barnett said. "It's always awesome to see something you're not expecting to see."

Builders find 2,000-year-old Roman cemetery in Gaza



Thu, February 17, 2022
By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA (Reuters) - A 2,000-year-old Roman cemetery containing at least 20 ornately decorated graves has been uncovered near the shoreline in the northern Gaza Strip, with the antiquities ministry calling it the most important local discovery of the past decade.

Gaza is rich with antiquities having been an important trading spot for many civilisations, from as far back as the ancient Egyptians and the Philistines depicted in the Bible, through the Roman empire and the crusades.

Ruins discovered there include the remains of a siege by Alexander the Great as well as a Mongol invasion.

Twenty Roman graves have been located so far and the team expect to unearth 80 in total within the 50-square-meter cemetery. Only two graves have been opened, one contained skeletal remains and some clay jars.

Because of the shape of the graves and the relatively ornate decorations, they likely belonged to "senior ranking people" in the Roman empire during the first century, said Jamal Abu Rida, director-general of Gaza's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Unlike Muslim graves from later periods that face north to south, the Roman graves lie east to west, he said.

"We have made several discoveries in the past, this is the most important archaeological discovery in the past 10 years," said Abu Rida.

The area is closed off to journalists and the public while the site is organised and made safe for visitors, the ministry said.

The site, which is being supervised by a French team of experts, was found by a construction crew working on an Egyptian-funded housing project. When they came upon some of the cemetery's large, ancient bricks, they stopped work and called in the archaeologists.

Gaza is run by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which has fought four wars with Israel since 2008.

The conflict has crippled the local economy and authorities usually engage international groups to help excavate and preserve archaeological findings, said Abu Rida.

(Writing by Nidal Almughrabi; Editing by Alison Williams)

NOT A CHUBACABRA

DNA Test Finally Reveals What Emaciated 'Mystery Animal' Is After It Was Rescued Last Month


unidentified animal

Dan Heching
Wed, February 16, 2022, 

An animal rehabilitation center in western Pennsylvania has released the findings of a DNA test for a rescued critter brought in to the center last month.

"The results are in!" the agency wrote on its Facebook page on Monday. "Our 'mystery animal' DNA sample came back, 100% coyote!"

The Youngwood-based organization began treating the then-unidentified creature on Jan. 17, after a woman in Fairfield Township found paw prints outside her home that led her to an emaciated, freezing animal.

At first, the woman kept the animal in her basement until TJ's Rescue Hideaway, a local foster-based rescue, could transport it to Wildlife Works.

RELATED: Rescue Awaits DNA Results to Help Identify Emaciated Animal Under Their Care: 'Dog or Coyote?'

No one at Wildlife Works, a wildlife rehab, could identify the animal species with certainty because of the creature's poor health and physical appearance.

The staff then took samples from the animal for DNA testing to determine what species is under their care, the results of which were revealed this week.

"What do you think I am, dog or coyote?" Wildlife Works wrote with a photo of the animal on Facebook in January. "This pup was admitted to us last night. Suspect it has mange and we will be treating it accordingly. We also will be doing testing to confirm what it is!"

Morgan Barron of Wildlife Works told WPXI at the time that the animal was "very timid, very scared and not aggressive" and that this behavior led her to believe the creature was a dog.

"I honestly can't definitively say what it is, but to err on the side of caution, since they can carry rabies and since it might be a coyote ... [we will] get genetic testing done and go from there," Barron added.

In another update since finding the animal, the rehab center shared the animal's progress while awaiting test results. "We are overwhelmed and thankful for all the love and support this guy is getting! Thank you to everyone that has donated and shared his story," the facility wrote on Jan. 24.

"We did not expect his story to get as big as it did, but we are thankful for the awareness it has given to wildlife rehabilitation. With that being said, we are still waiting for the results of the DNA sample to come in," Wildlife Works added. "He is doing much better now and is much more alert than when he came to us last week. He is still not showing extreme signs of aggression but is more on the defensive side."

However, before the center got the DNA results back to identify the coyote, it escaped. It has not been located.

Mysterious yellow plastic strands on Cape Cod beaches leads to explosive revelation

Eric Williams, Cape Cod Times
Fri, February 18, 2022, 2:58 AM·4 min read

When a veteran beach clean-up expert noticed a bloom of yellow plastic tubing along Outer Cape strands, she began to ask questions.

"I had never seen it before," said Laura Ludwig, manager of the Center for Coastal Studies Marine Debris and Plastics Program. "Where was it coming from?"

Thus began a journey to unravel the stringy mystery. Ludwig first encountered the tubing in September 2021 at Long Point in Provincetown during a beach clean-up. During the days that followed, more of the plastic was picked off beaches in Outer Cape towns.

"It was mind-blowing how much of the stuff there was," she said in a recent phone interview.

An example of the explosive shock tubing, made of plastic, that has been washing up on beaches on Cape Cod and beyond.

The yellow tubing has a thin rope-like appearance, and continues to wash up on Cape Cod beaches in varying lengths, from very short (1 millimeter) to 90 feet. Ludwig said it has been found on beaches in Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet, Orleans, Brewster and Yarmouth. It has also been found on beaches in Hull, Scituate and beyond.

"I found a piece in Newport, Rhode Island last week," said Ludwig.
Where is the plastic washing up on Cape shores coming from?

So far, Ludwig's beach cleanups and other volunteer efforts have plucked more than 2,000 feet of the tubing from Cape beaches.

Picking up beach debris is no easy task, but determining where it came from can also be a tall order. Because of its sudden appearance, Ludwig figured the tubing must have been related to a new situation, perhaps a recent project or unusual occurrence. She reached out to beach debris colleagues, asking for assistance on the mystery.

One of those colleagues posted a picture of the tubing on Facebook.

According to Ludwig, someone from the United Kingdom said it looked similar to material used in blasting rocks in quarries.

This explosive theory led Ludwig to reach out to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to see if similar tubing had been used in projects in the region.

The answer, according to Ludwig was "yes."

A length of explosive shock tubing alongside a Sharpie pen gives an idea of its thickness.

The tubing on the beaches came from a Boston Harbor dredging project that began in June 2021 and concluded in January 2022.

Known as explosive shock tubing, the yellow plastic strand is used to transmit a signal to explosives. In this case, the explosives were underwater, placed to break up rocks as the harbor channel was deepened.

According to Ludwig, the contractor involved with the project did have a containment strategy, with vessels on the surface picking up the tubing as it floated to the surface, but some escaped, likely mixed in with rocky debris.

Photo gallery: Sandwich Boardwalk damaged by storm

Ludwig said both the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the contractor are seeking ways to improve containment on future projects. To deal with the current situation, Ludwig is organizing a beach clean-up along the Boston Harbor shoreline in collaboration with the Corps and the contractor.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not immediately respond to a phone message and email seeking comment about the debris.

According to a press release from the Center for Coastal Studies, "the shock tube is made out of low‐density polyethylene (the same plastic used to make grocery bags) and is considered safe for humans to touch. But many of the pieces are small enough for birds or other animals to eat and can create health problems if ingested."

PFAS in lobsters? Another sign these harmful compounds are everywhere, researchers say

Cape Cod beachcombers may recall a somewhat similar situation in 2011, when a New Hampshire wastewater treatment plant accidentally released millions of small plastic discs, with many ending up on area beaches. Ludwig said she still finds those disks along Cape beaches.

Ludwig is working with oceanographers at the Center for Coastal Studies and NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole on drift models that may help predict where the tubing will come ashore. She is also asking for help from people who find the tubing on the beach.

Reports of shock tube location and length can be emailed to Ludwig at lludwig@coastalstudies.org.

'Things are worse': Cape Cod water quality is declining, says environmental group's report

Over the years, Ludwig has become more concerned over the amount of plastic in our region's waters and on the beaches.

"These are things that never go away," she said. "We find plastic lobster trap tags from the 1990s."

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Plastic tubing washing up on Cape Cod beaches likely from Boston

Exclusive-Ericsson informed U.S. DoJ in 2019 about Iraq probe - sources

Supantha Mukherjee
Thu, February 17, 2022

A general view of an exterior of the Ericsson headquarters in Stockholm


STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Ericsson informed the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) about an internal investigation into payments in Iraq when it signed a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) in 2019 to settle separate corruption probes, sources familiar with the matter said.

The Swedish company's shares fell 14% on Wednesday over concerns that it might be subject to another fine by the DoJ following the disclosure of its Iraq investigation that found evidence of misconduct.


One of Ericsson's largest shareholders, Cevian Capital, told Reuters the company's actions were "unacceptable" after disclosure that some payments made in Iraq may have reached militant organisations, including Islamic State.

"The information that has now emerged is serious and the company’s actions are, of course, unacceptable," Christer Gardell, Cevian's managing partner and co-founder said in a statement to Reuters.

"As we understand the situation, the DoJ was informed about the internal investigation at the time of the so-called Deferred Prosecution Agreement, and Ericsson losing almost SEK 50 billion in market value yesterday is a strong overreaction," he said.

The DoJ did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

An Ericsson spokesman said it does not comment on dialogue with the U.S. authorities under the terms of its DPA.

Analysts said if Ericsson had not shared its findings with the DoJ, this could have posed serious financial risks for the company.

'OLD MISMANAGEMENT'

Ericsson went through several rounds of restructuring over the past decade and it faced a U.S. investigation into its anti-corruption programme.

"What has emerged with the 'Iraqi situation' is a remnant of this old mismanagement, " Cevian's Gardell said.

Swedish investment company Investor AB and Industrivarden are two of the largest investors in Ericsson with big voting rights and a say on how the company is operated.

An Investor AB spokeswoman said Ericsson's Board and management had its full support. Industrivarden did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ericsson started to turn around under CEO Borje Ekholm, who had served for a decade as CEO of the Wallenberg family-backed investment firm Investor AB.

"The company today takes these issues very seriously and has invested significant resources in solving the historical problems and ensuring that no new issues arise," Gardell said. "It needs to urgently address the remaining complexity and loss making businesses to help reduce such mismanagement in the future."

Ericsson's shares have doubled in the last five years, but Gardell thinks the valuation is still low. Cevian, which started investing in Ericsson in 2017, currently holds around a 4.55% stake based on stock market disclosures.

"With a valuation below 8x 2022's expected operating profit, the company is one of the cheapest large caps in Europe," Gardell said.

(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee, European Technology & Telecoms Correspondent, based in Stockholm. Editing by Jane Merriman)