Hong Kong’s Newest Stars? Meet the Panda Cub Twins

Hong Kong residents are buzzing with excitement as they compete to name the territory's first locally-born giant panda cubs, who just turned six months old. The twin cubs were born on August 15 and reside at Ocean Park. Residents can submit name suggestions online, with the names set to be announced in the first half of this year. The pandas have already become a major attraction, drawing in visitors and boosting tourism in the city.

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AI is Breathing New Life Into Japan's Ancient Nishijinori Weaving Tradition

In Kyoto’s Nishijin district, where giant looms still pound out silk patterns as they have for centuries, a new kind of collaborator has arrived: artificial intelligence. Nishijinori, the centuries-old weaving style used to make elaborate kimono fabric, faces an uncertain future as fewer Japanese people buy or wear kimonos. Hironori Fukuoka, a fourth-generation weaver, says that survival now depends on innovation. “I want to leave to legacy what my father has left for me,” Fukuoka said in his shop, Fukuoka Weaving. “I’ve been pondering how the art of Nishijinori can stay relevant to the needs of today.” To do that, he’s partnering with Sony Computer Science Laboratories (Sony CSL). Together, they’ve built an AI system that generates new patterns by analyzing thousands of existing Nishijinori designs. The AI doesn’t weave fabric and doesn’t replace the artist. Instead, it suggests possible new designs in seconds—something that would take a human months of trial and error. Fukuoka and his team then evaluate, modify, and weave these ideas by hand using traditional looms. One AI-generated design that caught his eye reinterpreted a classic angular motif with a leaf-inspired structure, an approach he says no human would have considered. The resulting kimono, in soft green, blends tradition with a hint of algorithmic surprise. Not all the suggestions work. “Some of AI’s ideas are interesting but simply off,” Fukuoka admitted. But the technology’s speed and ability to experiment have impressed him. Sony CSL sees the project as a way to combine tradition and innovation. “Human life gets truly enriched only if it has both what’s newly innovated and what never changes,” said Jun Rekimoto, Sony CSL’s chief science officer. Researchers emphasize that the AI is an assistant, not a creative director. It handles the time-consuming digital work, leaving the final aesthetic choices to artisans. The move comes as demand for kimonos continues to decline. Once an everyday garment, kimonos are now expensive, difficult to wear, and often only rented for special occasions. Nishijinori kimonos can sell for up to 1 million yen ($6,700). Beyond AI, Fukuoka is also exploring ways to adapt the intricate weaving techniques to new fields, such as ultra-strong materials for fishing rods and aircraft. For now, in a city that still carries the air of its Heian-era past, Kyoto’s old looms are experimenting with a future in which tradition is supported—not replaced—by machine learning.

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This Trailblazer is Taking the Helm of Afghan Women's Refugee Soccer Team in a Historic Move

Former Scotland international Pauline Hamill has been named head coach of the newly created Afghan women’s refugee football team, FIFA announced Friday. The squad, which was formally approved in May under FIFA’s Strategy for Action for Afghan Women’s Football, is made up of Afghan players who have fled the country and now hold refugee status abroad. Hamill, who earned 141 caps for Scotland and has coached the country’s under-17 and under-19 teams as well as Saudi Arabia’s women’s U-20 side, called the role “unique.” “Every player involved has a story to tell about their personal journey in football, and it's incredible to be part of something that shows them that their dream and ambitions in football still exist,” she said in FIFA’s statement. “They've had to leave their country, they've been displaced as refugees, and now all of a sudden there's this amazing opportunity to come together in this project.” FIFA says the team will begin with three talent-identification camps to form a squad that can play international friendlies. The first year will operate as a pilot program to assess the project’s long-term viability. Afghanistan has not fielded a women’s national team in an official match since 2018. After the Taliban’s return to power, the Afghan Football Federation stopped supporting women’s football, banning women’s sports altogether. FIFA regulations require a team to be recognized by a national federation before it can compete officially. The refugee team will exist outside that structure for now, giving displaced Afghan players a rare chance to play together on the international stage.

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San Diego Comic-Con 2025: Day 1's Most Dazzling Cosplay Revealed

San Diego Comic-Con is back, and the first day of the 2025 convention set the tone: crowded halls, major pop culture reveals, and fans turning up in their best cosplay. Opening night highlights included buzz around Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, Toxic Avenger, and South Park, but as always, it was the fans who stole the spotlight. Costumes ranged from Marvel heroes and Star Wars favorites to imaginative mash-ups like Harley Quinn-inspired cats. Panels and booths filled quickly as the four-day celebration of comics, movies, television, and gaming kicked off. For many, the real spectacle was outside the panels, where elaborate costumes brought fictional worlds to life on the convention floor. Day 1’s energy suggests another huge year for Comic-Con, with more announcements and cosplay to come throughout the weekend.

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Why This Bay Area Man Swapped His Phd for a Mission to Help the Homeless

For more than a decade, Vincent Pannizzo has been a lifeline for people living on the streets of the East Bay. His nonprofit, Mission for the Homeless, serves more than 100 unhoused people every day with food, clothing, blankets, tents, and sometimes a ride to the hospital. Pannizzo wasn’t always focused on homelessness. “I was a graduate student at UC Berkeley studying ancient history. I really didn’t care much for the homeless,” he told CBS News Bay Area. That changed after he began reading the Bible. “I was really surprised at what I found in there about caring for people,” he said. Feeling called to act, he left his PhD program and dedicated his life to helping those without shelter. Today he drives from Fremont to El Cerrito daily, bringing donated groceries, checking on people’s health, and helping them get off the streets when he can. His nonprofit also rents several homes where 10 formerly unhoused people now live. Eric, one of the residents, said Pannizzo saved him during a dark night. “He saved me the night I was in the rain, very depressed,” he said. “Put himself out to put me in. It’s crazy. He made me happy.” In fact, Pannizzo sleeps in a tent outside the very houses he rents for others, giving up his own bed so they can have one. “We have limited space. And I’m perfectly comfortable in a tent,” he said. Pannizzo’s work began in 2012 and hasn’t slowed. “God does love them, and I want to bring the light and love of Christ to them,” he said. His work has come at a cost—his wife left years ago, taking their young son to the East Coast—but Pannizzo remains committed. Looking ahead, he hopes to secure corporate sponsorships to buy more houses and expand his mission. As one Oakland woman he regularly checks on said: “Somebody paying attention to me. That matters.”

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This Homeowner Transformed An Old TV Into A Stunning Work Of Art

An old TV set has found a new lease on life, thanks to a creative homeowner who shared their project on Reddit. The vintage television has been transformed into a chic drinks cabinet, sparking admiration from the online upcycling community. The original post in the r/upcycling subreddit showcased the retro box TV complete with its screen and dials. But instead of filling up space in a landfill, this relic from the past now serves as a functional piece of furniture. The user removed the outdated tube screen and electronics, but wisely kept the knobs and dials that add to its nostalgic charm. They also swapped out the short legs for longer, slender wire ones, enhancing its retro appeal. Upcycling is not just about giving old items a fresh purpose; it’s an effective way to combat waste. In the U.S., there are 3,000 landfills covering roughly 728,000 hectares of land. That’s about 1.8 million acres used solely for our garbage, according to data from the University of Colorado. Beyond taking up space, landfills contribute significantly to pollution through landfill gas emissions. Methane makes up half of this gas and is 84 percent more efficient at trapping heat in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide. By repurposing items like this TV set, individuals can help curb landfill growth and reduce these harmful emissions. The Reddit post received enthusiastic responses from users who were impressed by the clever reuse of an old item. Comments ranged from simple admiration like "So amazing!" to appreciation for its aesthetic transformation: "Looks great! The new legs are a tremendous improvement giving it a cool, retro look!" Another commenter saw potential beyond drinks storage: "This is very cool," they said. "I want to find one for a cat bed."

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Happy Gilmore 2: Adam Sandler Tees Up with Sports Legends for a Star-Studded Sequel

Happy Gilmore 2" is hitting the screens, and it's bringing back some familiar faces from the original film. Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, and Julie Bowen return to their iconic roles in this much-anticipated sequel. But they're not alone. This time, the movie features cameos from a host of sports legends across different fields. Golf enthusiasts will be thrilled to see appearances by some of the sport's biggest names. Jack Nicklaus, with his record 18 major championships, has a playful moment in the film involving a mix-up with Arnold Palmer. John Daly lives in Sandler's basement and plays an important role in family scenes that director Kyle Newacheck highlights as key components of the movie. The golf lineup doesn't end there. Current stars like Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler make appearances too. Scheffler even joins fresh off winning the 2025 Open Championship. Other golfers such as Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, and Nelly Korda bring authenticity and flair to "Happy Gilmore 2." Even Paige Spiranac appears as a sporting goods store employee. Football fans will spot Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce showing off his comedic chops as a server. Reggie Bush also makes an appearance, nodding to his standout college football career at USC. Basketball gets its share of representation with Kelsey Plum and Boban Marjanovic. Plum brings her expertise from winning two WNBA championships while Marjanovic pays tribute to Richard Kiel's character from the original film. Pro wrestling adds more flavor to the mix with Bad Bunny playing Happy's caddie alongside Becky Lynch and Nikki Garcia. Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF), wrestler in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), injects some heel energy typical of professional wrestling. With such a diverse range of athletes making appearances, "Happy Gilmore 2" taps into nostalgia while showcasing current sports stars in unexpected roles.

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Uber Eats' Bold Move: Battery Swaps For Electric Mopeds Aim To Transform Delivery In London

Uber Eats is making a significant shift towards sustainability by encouraging its drivers to switch from gas-powered vehicles to electric ones. The company has launched a pilot program in London aimed at delivery drivers who use mopeds. Instead of waiting for their vehicle batteries to charge, these drivers can now swap out a depleted battery for one that's fully charged, allowing them to continue their deliveries without delay. Graziano Milone, a leader in this project, emphasized the company's mission: "Our … mission: to improve urban e-mobility by making it simpler, more sustainable, and more affordable while enhancing the quality of work for many users by optimizing efficiency." This initiative isn't just limited to London. Uber Eats is also testing systems in Boston and Phoenix designed to improve access to charging stations for various electric vehicle types. These programs use digital tools to provide city planners with data on how many charging stations are necessary, advocating for increased accessibility. Rebecca Tinucci, Uber's head of global sustainability, highlighted the benefits of reliable access to charging facilities: "Reliable, accessible charging will help accelerate economic opportunity for thousands of drivers and create healthier communities in the process." Switching to an electric vehicle can lead to savings on fuel and maintenance costs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Additionally, Earth.org reports that electric vehicles contribute less pollution compared to traditional gas-powered cars.

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Canoers Saved a Drowning Foal and Reunited It with Its Mother in a Wild River Rescue

Two students from the University of Calgary found themselves in an unexpected rescue mission while canoeing down Alberta's Kananaskis River. Anna Gleig and Ava Haddad, both studying environmental science, were enjoying a peaceful afternoon on the water when they stumbled upon a trapped foal struggling to stay afloat. As they paddled under a highway bridge, their path was blocked by a horse standing in the river. It quickly became apparent that the horse was trying to reach its foal, which was caught against the concrete side of a bridge support. The young animal could barely keep its head above water. Gleig and Haddad decided to intervene. They maneuvered their canoe to scare away the mother horse temporarily, making it safer for them to approach the foal. With Gleig’s experience as a former lifeguard and Haddad's determination, they swam over to help. Gleig supported the foal while Haddad pushed it toward safety. “He didn’t fight back against us,” Haddad told CBS News. “He just let us take him, so that worked out really well.” With considerable effort, they managed to get the 40-kilogram foal onto the riverbank. However, another challenge awaited them—its mother had disappeared. Under the midday sun, they waited at a safe distance for her return but she never came back. Every time they attempted to leave, the foal would follow them into the water again, needing further rescuing each time. Realizing they couldn't just leave it there alone, Gleig ingeniously placed her life-jacket on the foal and lifted him into their canoe. Surprisingly calm and exhausted from his ordeal, he even dozed off during their journey. After about 20 minutes of paddling with their new passenger onboard, Gleig and Haddad made contact with someone from a local First Nations community who recognized which horse herd the foal belonged to. The man arrived promptly and transported the foal in his pickup truck back home. By day's end Gleig and Haddad received word that their little rescue had been successfully reunited with its mother.

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Meet The Lumberjills: Women Axe Their Way Into Timber Sports History

Every July, Hayward, Wisconsin, transforms from a quiet “big small town” into the center of the timber sports world. Thousands of fans crowd into bleachers overlooking a glassy inlet of Lake Hayward, where competitors chop, saw and sprint across floating logs at the Lumberjack World Championships. Once dominated by images of burly Paul Bunyan types, the 65th annual event this year told a different story: nearly half of the 100 competitors were women, or “lumberjills.” Athletes came from 16 U.S. states and as far away as Canada, Australia, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Spain and Wales. While women have been competing in sawing and chopping events at Hayward since 1994, their numbers and their impact are growing. Events like the women’s single-hand crosscut saw and the underhand chop now feature intense competition, and newer events such as the standing block chop have become crowd favorites. Kate Witkowski of Hayward set a new women’s world record this year, slicing through a 23-centimeter vertical log in just 21.17 seconds. Samantha Graves, who works for a tree company in New York, says people often underestimate the level of athleticism involved. “They’ll be like, ‘Oh, Sammy throws axes,’” she said. “And then they just assume I’m doing, like, the little hatchets at the bar. So I try to explain to them that it’s a little bit more than that. You know, we’re professional athletes.” There is an axe-throwing event in Hayward, but it involves heavy double-bit axes, not barroom hatchets. Erin LaVoie, a former collegiate forestry student turned seven-time all-around champion from Spokane, Washington, recalled being hooked the first time she tried chopping. “My hands were bloody before I was done with it,” she said. This year, Canadian lumberjill Stephanie Naud took the overall women’s title. Pennsylvania competitor Martha King says the growth of women’s events has made victories harder won. “Earlier on, it was a little bit easier to win,” she said. “But this is what you want. You want intense competition. You want to raise the bar. You want people to push you.” On the other side of the lake, fans pack in for log rolling and the boom run. In the boom run, athletes sprint across a chain of floating logs, trying to stay on their feet as the logs spin. Log rolling is a balance duel. Competitors stand on a floating log, shifting direction and speed to knock the other into the water. “So much of log rolling is mental,” said event director and competitor Samantha LaSalle. “It’s a sparring sport, so it relies on your mental [focus] and not just brute force.” This year, 24-year-old Livi Pappadopoulos of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, won her seventh U.S. championship in log rolling. Sixteen-year-old Aini Anderson, who trains with her, finished second. Anderson says watching Pappadopoulos out-roll boys inspired her: “Just seeing her being able to get falls on them and compete with them and humble them. It’s like, ‘I want to do that too one day!’” Pappadopoulos says the competition is deeply personal. “No matter how many years I’ve been competing here, no matter how much time passes by or how much older I get, something about this view standing here at the Bowl makes me a little teary,” she said. “This is what our entire year is centered around. There are some people that wait for Christmas … but this is it for us.” In Hayward, the axes are sharp, the logs are slick, and the women of timber sports are proving every summer that the sport is no longer a man’s domain.

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Nasa's New Satellite Tool Lets You Explore Your Neighborhood From Space

NASA has unveiled an interactive online tool that lets anyone track subtle shifts in the Earth’s surface — movements smaller than an inch — across much of North America. Developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory with the Alaska Satellite Facility, the platform turns complex radar data from orbiting satellites into user-friendly visual maps. It allows people to monitor ground changes caused by earthquakes, volcanic activity, or even human activities like groundwater extraction. “You can zoom in to your country, your state, your city block, and look at how the land there is moving over time,” said David Bekaert, OPERA project manager and radar scientist. “You can see that by a simple mouse click.” Currently, the tool covers areas including the American Southwest, northern Mexico, and parts of the greater New York region. Clicking on a location brings up a timeline showing how that spot has shifted since 2016. The technology relies on radar signals sent from satellites. When the signals bounce back, specialized software measures tiny changes in the land’s height. Work that once required days of processing now happens in seconds. Water management agencies in Arizona are already using the maps to track slow land subsidence caused by groundwater depletion. “It’s a great tool to say, ‘Let’s look at those areas more intensely with our own SAR processing,’” said Brian Conway, principal hydrogeologist with Arizona’s Department of Water Resources. NASA plans to expand the map over the next two years, covering all of the United States, neighboring Canada, and Central America by 2026. The tool is free and designed for scientists, policymakers, and ordinary people alike — anyone curious about how the ground beneath them is shifting over time.

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