Eid al-Adha around the world

People around the world are observing Eid al-Adha, one of the most important Islamic festivals in the Muslim calendar. Meaning the "feast of the sacrifice", Eid al-Adha commemorates the prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son on God's orders and is marked by special prayers and feasts.

 This year, it begins on 28 June. The festival coincides with the end of the Hajj - the annual Islamic pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. 

 Here is a selection of images showing people marking the festival around the world.

 

South Koreans will turn a year or two younger under a new law

Previously, the most widely used calculation method in Korea was the centuries-old "Korean age" system, in which a person turns one at birth and gains a year on 1 January. This means a baby born on 31 December will be two years old the next day. 

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After A Heavy Rain in Yangon, Myanmar

Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP/Getty Images

Beekeeping, Özgün Tiran

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Why Are Chickens So Bad at Flying?

The modern chicken evolved from wild junglefowl. Junglefowl were already adapted to living on the ground, and when humans bred chickens for meat, they prized the heaviest birds.

 So modern domesticated chickens are large and heavy, with wings too small and inadequate for long-distance flight. 

 Sara Hallager, curator of birds, National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute 

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Flies like blue objects because they mistake colour for food

Biting flies are strongly attracted to blue objects because they mistake the colour for an animal they want to feast on, scientists have said. 

 The finding may help the fight against diseases that are spread by flies, such as sleeping sickness, by making traps more effective. 

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Tidying Up

Incidental Comics

 

When the Wind Changes

Neil Farber

 

Artwork by Michael Dumontier & Neil Farber

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Why are orcas suddenly ramming boats?

Orcas are commonly known as killer whales but are actually part of the dolphin family, and have never been known to be aggressive towards humans in the wild. Since 2020, however, the strange new behaviour of a group of them living in the waters around the Iberian Peninsula, in south-western Europe, has been baffling sailors, scientists and now a global audience. 

The cetaceans appear to have invented a risky new game: It involves chasing sailboats and pushing the rudders, breaking them in the process.

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Why 101 people and a dog want to be Toronto's mayor

Toronto will soon decide who will be its next mayor, after revelations of an extramarital affair pushed the city's long-time leader out of office. There is no shortage of candidates to choose from - in fact, a historic total of 102 names will be on the ballot, including Molly, the dog. 

 The six-year-old wolf-husky canine, and her owner Toby Heaps, are running on the promise to "Stop the Salt Assault" on city roads during the winter.

 The overuse of salt on roads during the winter, Mr Heaps argued, can hurt the paws of tender-footed canines like Molly. His campaign also proposes a fix to housing unaffordability, a tax-hike on billion-dollar businesses and a ban on fossil-fuel heating systems in new homes and commercial buildings. If he wins, he said he will designate Molly as the city's first honorary dog mayor.

 "I think city hall would make better decisions if there was an animal in the room," he told the BBC.

 

Dog's Life

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Friday night, amiright?

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Why does a phone ring at the end of Bowie's "Life on Mars"?

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the single release of David Bowie's now-iconic Hunky Dory track, "Life on Mars." If you've ever wondered if that phone ringing at the end of the track was intentional or not, here's producer Ken Scott explaining.

 

Should She Send Her Dog to the Moon?

Moon Dog is a short and charming little film by Australian filmmaker Nat Kelly. 

The premise is sort of dumb, and in the middle you'll think the story is awful, but stay with it because the payoff is worth it. No animals were harmed in the making of this video, especially Molly.

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I See What You Did There

Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

 

Why do we love ugly animals?

Evolution plays a role. According to Austrian zoologist Konrad Lorenz, human attraction to infantile features, such as big eyes, large heads and soft bodies, is an evolutionary adaptation that helps ensure that adults care for their offspring, guaranteeing the survival of their species.

 These infantile features were coined "baby schema" by Lorenz in 1943. 

 Weird-looking animals such as blobfish, pugs, aye-ayes and bulldogs all share these infantile qualities that trigger an affectionate response among humans and an innate instinct to nurture and protect. 

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The Eagle Has Landed

Photo by Aaron Doster/AP 

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Audubon Photography Awards

About two-thirds, or 389 species, of birds native to North America are at risk of extinction due to the effects of the climate crisis. Rising global temperatures are predicted to force adaption or migration to new territories, two consequences of human-caused change that imperil avian survival. 

Some of the most threatened species include the dunlin, short–eared owl, and Baltimore oriole, all of which are featured in this year’s Audubon Photography Awards.

 

Zagreb Classic Open Air Festival

Classical music enthusiasts are set to be enchanted by the mesmerising melodies of renowned musicians from both Croatia and around the globe at the Zagreb Classic Open Air Festival. From the 21st of June to the 1st of July, the festival will grace the vibrant city of Zagreb, offering a unique stage beneath the twinkling stars on the magnificent King Tomislav Square. Zagreb Classic open air has been held since 2016, and among artists and music lovers it enjoys the cult status, further reinforced by this year’s edition.

 

Hello Summer

People have attended summer solstice celebrations at Stonehenge near Amesbury. 

 

Common People

Todd Alcott

 

How the 'end of history' illusion shapes your life choices, David Robson

When you reflect on your life story, you can probably identify a series of transformations that made you the person you are today. You might have been shy as a child but found greater confidence in the workplace, or perhaps you were a wild child who eventually found inner peace. Many people describe this as a personal journey.

 If you now look to the future, I'm sure you can picture some important landmark events, but you may be hard-pressed to imagine further transformation in your core characteristics. It is as if your sense of self has reached its final destination, and you assume you'll keep the same traits, values and interests that you have today. "Although we recognise that we've evolved from who we once were to who we are now, we fail to see that we will continue to change in the future," notes the psychologist Hal Hershfield at the University of California, Los Angeles in his new book Your Future Self.

 This bias is known as the "end-of-history illusion" and it can have many unfortunate consequences for our personal and professional lives.

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The Dust Sphere, Trey Ratcliff

Stuck in Customs