YONGIN, South Korea: An elephant at a zoo in South Korea has learned to imitate human speech and has a vocabulary of several words, researchers said Friday.
Koshik, a 22-year-old male Asian elephant at Everland zoo in Yongin, a city south of Seoul, greeted visiting journalists by “saying” choah (good) and nuo (lie down).
He can also make the sounds annyong (hi), anja (sit down) and aniya (no), according to a team of scientists from South Korea and Europe who studied his vocalizations.
Elephants cannot use their lips to make sounds like humans do, as their upper lips are fused with their noses to form their trunks.
But Koshik formulates the words by rolling up his trunk and putting it into his mouth. He then either places the tip of his trunk on his tongue or on the ceiling of his mouth to create different sounds.
The researchers said they were not completely sure how the elephant picked up the the skill, but they believe Koshik learned the words from his trainer of 19 years, Kim Jong-Gap.
“The only social bonds Koshik had made was with his trainer and we think he learned and imitated the words to form ties and trust with Kim,” Oh Suk-Hun, a veterinarian at Everland and co-author of the research, told reporters.
Although the elephant can clearly hear and imitate the words, whether he understands them is still being studied, he said.
Everland conducted its research along with scientists from the University of Vienna in Austria and Germany’s University of Jena.
Koshik was born in 1990 in a state-run zoo in Seoul and transferred 49 kilometers south to Everland, part of South Korea’s largest theme park, three years later.
“Koshik is like my baby because I’ve trained him since he came here,” trainer Kim told AFP.
“I slept in a sleeping bag near Koshik for a month when I first started training him and I think that’s why we became so close to the point where he started imitating my voice,” he said.
“I’ve never thought an animal, especially an elephant, could mimic human sounds, so I was surprised and thrilled to see Koshik ‘speak,’” he added.
Elephants are highly social mammals which in the wild live in groups and use low-frequency vocalizations to keep in contact over great distances.
Korean elephant learns to imitate human speech
Korean elephant learns to imitate human speech
Norway warns Israel’s actions in Gaza risk setting dangerous global precedent
- Norway’s international development minister Asmund Aukrust said Gaza crisis was eroding principles that protect civilians everywhere
LONDON: Israel’s conduct in Gaza is undermining international law and fueling a wider global threat, Norway’s international development minister has said, warning that the use of tactics such as blocking aid and targeting humanitarian groups could become a grim new norm in future conflicts.
“For the last one and a half years we have seen very low respect for international law in the war in Gaza and in recent months it is worse than ever before,” Asmund Aukrust said.
“So for the Norwegian government it is very important to protest against this, to condemn this very clear violation,” he added.
Aukrust said that the crisis was not only deepening suffering in Gaza but eroding principles that protect civilians everywhere, The Guardian newspaper reported on Saturday.
“We are very concerned that there will be a new international standard where food is used as a weapon, where the UN is denied entrance to the war and conflict zone, and other NGOs are denied entrance,” he said.
“And Israel is building up something they call Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is to militarise humanitarian aid.”
The GHF, supported by Israel and the US, began food distribution in Gaza this week. Israeli forces said that they fired “warning shots” at a center during chaotic scenes, while local health authorities reported one civilian killed and dozens injured.
A UN-led review earlier this month found all 2.1 million residents of Gaza at critical risk of famine, with 500,000 already in catastrophic conditions.
“We are afraid and very concerned that this might be a new standard in international law and this will make the world a lot more dangerous to all of us,” Aukrust said.
Asked whether Israel’s actions amounted to genocide, Aukrust said that was a matter for international courts, not politicians.
“Genocide is the worst crime a country can do and the worst crime that politicians can do and this should not be polarized,” he said.
He insisted that dialogue must remain open, even with groups such as Hamas, and stressed Norway’s long-term commitment to Gaza’s recovery.
“We have no limitation of who we are talking to. I would say the opposite. We would be happy to, and we want to, talk with those who are responsible, whether it is Israel, Hamas or others,” he said.
“Dialogue is the most important word when it comes to peacemaking and we want to have an open line with all countries, all groups that might have an influence here,” he added.
Norway, which recognized the Palestinian state in May, has long played a mediating role in the region, including hosting the 1993 Oslo Accords. Aukrust said that recognition was meant “to send out a message of hope.”
The country’s sovereign wealth fund, which is the world’s largest, has already blacklisted 11 companies for aiding Israel’s occupation, though Aukrust stressed decisions on investments are made by the bank, not politicians.
“The bank decides where they want to invest. What the politicians do is to decide the rules,” he said. The rules, he added, were “very clear” that the fund should not invest in anything that contributed to a violation of international law.
The Norwegian parliament is expected to vote next week against a proposal to block the fund from investing in firms operating in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Aukrust urged people across Europe to keep up pressure and stay engaged, adding: “As long as the war is going on, from the Norwegian government side we will all the time look into what more can we do. What new initiative can we take. How can we send an even clearer message to those who are responsible for this.”
Pakistan says 96% of children vaccinated in ongoing anti-polio drive
- Pakistan launched the campaign after 74 children were diagnosed with polio last year
- Balochistan offered swings and camel rides in Quetta to draw children for vaccination
KARACHI: Polio vaccinations continued across Pakistan for the sixth consecutive day on Saturday, with 96% of targeted children receiving doses during the first five days of the campaign, the country’s National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) said in a statement.
Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world where polio is still endemic, alongside neighboring Afghanistan.
Efforts to eliminate the disease have been hampered by parental refusals, widespread misinformation and repeated attacks on polio workers by militant groups.
In remote and volatile areas, vaccination teams often operate under police protection, though security personnel themselves have also been targeted during these campaigns.
“During the first five days, 96% of children across the country have been administered polio drops,” the NEOC said at the start of the campaign’s sixth day.
“The vaccination campaign is underway simultaneously in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” it continued, adding this was to curb cross-border transmission of the virus, especially in frontier regions where mobility between the two countries remains high.
According to Pakistani officials, the current vaccination drive aims to reach more than 45 million children nationwide. It is part of Pakistan’s intensified response following a sharp uptick in cases last year, when 74 children were diagnosed with the crippling virus.
Ten cases have been reported so far in 2025, prompting authorities to step up outreach and door-to-door campaigns.
According to the NEOC, provincial breakdowns so far show 97% coverage in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 96% in both Punjab and Balochistan, 94% in Sindh, 98% in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 101% in Gilgit-Baltistan, where more children were reached than initially estimated.
Islamabad reported 97% coverage.
In Balochistan, the country’s most underdeveloped province that reported 27 cases last year, local authorities introduced recreational activities such as free swings and camel rides in Quetta to attract children and facilitate their vaccination.
The effort drew large crowds, allowing teams to immunize children while they took part in the festivities.
“This initiative is critically important as we enter the high-transmission season,” said Ziaur Rehman, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Polio Program. “It will play a key role in timely containment of the virus.”
He urged parents to ensure that all children under five receive polio drops to protect them from lifelong disability.
Oscar Piastri outpaces teammate Lando Norris to grab Spanish Grand Prix pole
The championship leader clocked a near flawless final lap of one minute and 11.546 seconds to beat Norris by 0.209 seconds as McLaren claimed a dominant one-two having also topped all three practice sessions.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen was third for Red Bull ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari and Kimi Antonelli in the second Mercedes.
Charles Leclerc was seventh in the second Ferrari ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, Racing Bulls’ impressive rookie Isack Hadjar and local hero two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin.
It was Piastri’s fourth pole of the season and career as he seeks to extend his three-point lead ahead of Norris in the drivers’ championship.
“Nice work, very nicely done, everyone,” said the cool 24-year-old Australian on team radio. “That’s quite some turnaround from last year. Well done everyone. Let’s have some fun tomorrow!“
He added: “I’m very glad to be on pole here and now I just need a good start. It’s a long run to the first corner!“
Norris said: “Oscar has driven really well and he deserved it. But it is a great result for the team.”
Piastri’s two-second advantage is the biggest this season between pole and second place.
After an early fast lap from Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in Q1, the big guns arrived in torrid heat with a track temperature of 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), and the air at 29, punishing conditions for tires on a high-degradation track.
The session was briefly stalled when Alpine’s Franco Colapinto stopped in the pitlane and, after a delay, forced others to undertake him leading to a frantic final two minutes.
Yuki Tsunoda in the second Red Bull was eliminated in 20th and last place along with Colapinto, Williams’ Carlos Sainz — his worst qualifying result at his home event — in 18th, Esteban Ocon of Haas and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg.
For Tsunoda, it was a major setback as he sought to solve Red Bull’s dilemma in searching for a partner to push Verstappen.
At the front, Piastri topped Verstappen and Norris.
In Q2, McLaren’s duo led the first runs ahead of Verstappen, Russell and a revived Hamilton before choosing not to take a second go as Hadjar shone, taking sixth and splitting the Ferraris.
Out went Alex Albon of Williams, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, Stroll and Oliver Bearman in his Haas.
The top 10 shootout began with Piastri lapping in 1:11.836 before Norris overhauled him by 0.017sec for provisional pole on the opening charge.
Russell was third ahead of Leclerc, Verstappen and Hamilton before a late Alonso lap lifted him to fifth amid roaring appreciation.
Cloud cover affected conditions for the second runs as both McLaren men fought for pole with the Australian prevailing.
It was McLaren’s first front row lockout in Spain since 1998.
Real Madrid most valuable soccer team for fourth straight year, say Forbes
- Real became the first soccer club to bring in a billion dollars in a single year
- England’s Manchester United are second in Forbes’ list with a $6.6 billion valuation
MADRID: LaLiga side Real Madrid topped the list of the most valuable soccer teams in the world for the fourth year in a row with a valuation of $6.6 billion, business magazine Forbes has said.
Real became the first soccer club to bring in a billion dollars in a single year after they posted a record $1.13 billion in revenue for the 2023-24 season, the magazine added in a report published on Friday.
The Spanish club, the second sports team in history to hit the 10-figure threshold after National Football League side Dallas Cowboys, are the first soccer team to register one billion euros in revenue in a single season, Deloitte had said earlier this year.
England’s Manchester United are second in Forbes’ list with a $6.6 billion valuation after generating $834 million in revenue in the 2023-24 season despite a forgettable Premier League campaign where they finished eighth.
Real’s LaLiga rivals Barcelona are third, valued at $5.65 billion, while Liverpool and Manchester City are fourth and fifth.
Forbes named six Premier League sides among the top 10 most valuable teams with Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea making the list after Bayern Munich and Paris St. Germain.
“Together, the 30 most valuable soccer teams are worth more than $72 billion, or an average of $2.4 billion, up 5 percent from 2024’s record $2.26 billion,” Forbes said.
PM Sharif announces 25% federal development share for insurgency-hit Balochistan
- The prime minister calls for efforts to bring back ‘misguided’ individuals who have joined militant groups
- He recognizes Balochistan’s history of economic deprivations but says ‘terrorists’ know nothing but brutality
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said Pakistan’s restive southwestern province of Balochistan will receive 25% share from the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) in the upcoming budget, as the government continues to grapple with a decades-long separatist insurgency that has surged in recent years.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, is strategically significant as the centerpiece of the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a major infrastructure development and regional connectivity initiative linking western China to the Arabian Sea.
While the state touts CPEC as a game-changer for the region’s development, Baloch separatist groups accuse the government of exploiting the province’s vast mineral resources without benefiting the local population. Officials reject the narrative, pointing to ongoing investments in various sectors aimed at improving livelihoods.
Sharif announced the allocation while addressing a grand jirga, an assembly of provincial elders and influential figures alongside top military leadership, in Quetta, where he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to Balochistan’s development.
“I think that PSDP will be of Rs1,000 billion [in the next budget],” he told the gathering. “So, out of this [amount], a fund of approximately Rs250 billion is for Balochistan alone. That is, 25% of the total federal PSDP for Balochistan.”
The PSDP is Pakistan’s central development program used to fund infrastructure, energy, education and other long-term public investment projects across the country.
It includes both federal initiatives and financial support for provincial projects, particularly in underdeveloped regions like Balochistan.
The prime minister said the allocation was the province’s “right.”
“Along with this,” he continued, “these resources should be used transparently, whether it is Gwadar, whether it is Pasni, whether it is Chaman, whether it is Killa Saifullah, whether it is Quetta, whether it is Jhal Magsi or any other areas,” he continued. “Every single penny there should be used honestly for the development and prosperity of the people.”
Addressing the challenge of militancy in the province, Sharif said efforts must continue to bring back “misguided” individuals who had joined militant groups.
He acknowledged Balochistan’s history of economic deprivation, while reiterating that those engaged in violence offer no solutions.
“Terrorists do not know anything but brutality,” he said.
Calling for national unity, Sharif maintained: “Let’s sit together and talk. It is only by sitting together that a family becomes strong and prosperous. No evil eye can harm a united household.”
