A zoo in China has been accused of attempting to trick visitors over dog pandas by dyeing two dogs black and white to resemble panda bears. Videos circulating on Chinese social media show the two “panda dogs” at an exhibit at Taizhou Zoo, in the eastern province of Jiangsu, which opened on May 1.

Though the dog pandas are designed to resemble pandas, which are unique to China and an iconic symbol of the country, their swinging tails reveal their identity.

Zoo administrators claimed Chinese state media that they were Chow Chows, a fluffy dog breed native to northern China, painted black and white to resemble gigantic pandas, and that they had explicitly sold them as “panda dogs” without making any misleading claims.

The dogs are still at the zoo, officials told NBC News by phone on Friday, and the number of people visiting them is “at a normal level.”

Despite the fact that the zoo does not have real pandas, state media and others have attacked it for misleading visitors and mistreating the dogs.

“It is not funny at all to dye Chow Chow dogs to attract tourists,” one Weibo user said. “Their fragile skin and naturally thick coats make them susceptible to skin diseases.”

Zoo administrators defended the exhibit, claiming that the dogs were unharmed.

“Normal people dye their hair,” a spokesman told NBC News. “Dogs can also dye their hair. It is the same as hair.

In 2019, a dog cafe in the southern province of Sichuan prompted animal rights issues with its six Chow Chows that had also been dyed to resemble bears.

In 2020, in the same province, a “panda” walked by a woman in a viral video was discovered to be a dyed Chow Chow.

Other Chinese zoos have also been accused of keeping phony animals, usually dogs disguised as wolves or African cats.

After a video showing one of its Malayan sun bears standing like a person went viral in July, a zoo in the eastern province of Zhejiang denied that the bears were humanoid.

Experts refuted the story, and the zoo stated that a person wearing a fur suit would not be able to tolerate such hot summer conditions.

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CAPE Florida’s Cape Coral — This weekend, a very powerful solar storm approaching Earth may cause communications outages and cause the northern lights to appear in the United States.

For the first time in almost 20 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a rare geomagnetic storm watch. The entire weekend is under scrutiny, beginning on Friday.

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Strong Solar Storm Could Disrupt Communications And Produce Northern Lights In US

According to NOAA, the sun started to create powerful solar flares on Wednesday, which led to five plasma explosions that might have disrupted Earth’s power infrastructures and satellites in orbit. A coronal mass ejection, or eruption, can produce billions of tons of solar plasma.

The flares appear to be connected to a sunspot that is 16 times the diameter of Earth, which is why NOAA is classifying this as an uncommon occurrence. In 2003, a strong geomagnetic storm destroyed power transformers in South Africa and knocked out power in Sweden.

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Strong Solar Storm Could Disrupt Communications And Produce Northern Lights In US

According to NOAA, the most recent storm may cause northern lights as far south as Alabama and Northern California in the United States.

An amazing natural occurrence is the aurora borealis, sometimes known as the northern lights. The night sky in Earth’s polar regions is home to these vibrant, dancing lights. When charged solar particles clash with atmospheric gasses, these lights are created. 

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Strong Solar Storm Could Disrupt Communications And Produce Northern Lights In US

Though the lights are usually observed in green, pink, and violet hues, they can occasionally be seen in other colors as well. Countless people travel to locations like Alaska, Canada, and Scandinavia every year to see this amazing show in person since it is such a stunning sight.

SOURCE – (AP)

Afghanistan’s KABUL —On Thursday, the Taliban warned academics and journalists not to collaborate with Afghanistan International TV, claiming that doing so would be illegal. They have never before advised people not to work with a certain channel.

Afghanistan International TV can be accessed via social media, cable, and satellite. Its headquarters are located in London.

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The Taliban Warn Journalists And Experts Against Cooperating With Afghanistan International TV

A representative for the Ministry of Information and Culture, which is under the control of the Taliban, claimed that the station was going beyond the law and moral and professional standards.

Ministry spokesman Habib Ghofran stated that the Media Violations Commission requested that all journalists and experts in Afghanistan stop working with the station.

“It was decided at the commission meeting yesterday (Wednesday) that it is not permitted to participate in discussions or facilitate the broadcast of this media outlet in public places,” Ghofran continued.

Zia ul Haq Haqmal, the deputy minister of broadcasting, claimed cooperating with the station would be criminal activity.

He listed ten reasons—the purported information manipulation, falsification, and opposition to the government—why one should not collaborate with Afghanistan International TV.

According to Haqmal, it is the responsibility of the court to punish someone who refuses to comply for any of the ten reasons listed above.

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The Taliban Warn Journalists And Experts Against Cooperating With Afghanistan International TV

Harun Najafizada, the director of Afghanistan International TV, stated that the channel had no employees or independent contractors in the nation, so the commission’s ruling would not impact it.

Najafizada stated, “We rely on the reporting of Afghan citizens and don’t have anyone on the ground.” That is a greater challenge, but our verification is rigorous. It puts pressure on us to compromise our professional standards and poses a threat to other media outlets and free media. It is not going to succeed.

Afghanistan performs appallingly in terms of journalistic freedom. In Reporters Without Borders’ most recent index, the nation was ranked 178 out of 180. Last year, it was rated 152.

According to the group, three radio journalists were detained in April for playing music during shows and answering calls from female listeners. Local authorities could not confirm the arrests.

The Taliban suspended two TV stations earlier this month for failing to “consider national and Islamic values.”

The director of Barya TV, one of the stations shut down, refuted the Taliban’s claims. The radio station remains down.

According to Latif Sadiq, the station was not notified of the suspension. On Thursday, Sadiq declared, “The reports that they repeatedly warned (Barya) are absolute lies.” “They said the case will go to court and decided on their own that (Barya) television is off, broadcasting is off.”

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The Taliban Warn Journalists And Experts Against Cooperating With Afghanistan International TV

Following the Taliban takeover in 2021, several journalists lost their employment as media institutions closed due to financial difficulties or employee departure. Travel limitations and prohibitions on work present extra challenges for women journalists.

The majority of radio, television, and newspapers were outlawed by the Taliban in the late 1990s when they were in power.

SOURCE – (AP)