: 54612  : should  : 2019/12/08

Ben Pearson, from World Animal Protection, says he has an additional concern: "What happens if this private zoo goes bankrupt? Zoos Victoria [in Melbourne] and Sydney's Taronga Zoo are publicly funded so they're able to to maintain high welfare standards. "If Sydney Zoo goes bust, the elephant they shipped all the way from Dublin will likely have to be shipped back, adding to its distress." Animal rights group Peta has said the new zoo is "nothing to celebrate" and that "Australians passionate about wild animals" should donate to organisations supporting animals in the wild instead.

: 54611  : evolved  : 2019/12/08

Sydney's first new major zoo in more than 100 years will open on Saturday. With such debate about animal welfare these days, can zoos still be a force for good? Gary Nunn reports from Sydney. Zoos have evolved significantly since they were first created. Their original purpose was braggadocio: a way for the wealthy to display their power in private collections. Later, they helped with science research. Then they became tourist attractions the public would pay to view. It wasn't until the 1970s onwards that conservation emerged as a priority.

: 54610  : backed  : 2019/12/08

Prof Bekoff's research into the sentience of animals reported on the stress, fear and boredom animals experience when confined in claustrophobic zoo enclosures that can be one millionth the size of their natural ranges. "They'll feel the exact same emotions as companion animals - dogs and cats - if they're just kept locked up," he says. This is backed up by a study which found that elephants in zoos often endure stress and have significantly shorter life spans than wild elephants. Then there are the horror-story incidents: Harambe the gorilla was shot and killed in 2016 after dragging a toddler who'd climbed into an enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo; Tilikum the orca killed trainer Dawn Brancheau at Sea World Orlando; London Zoo keeper Jim Robson was killed by an elephant in front of a packed crowd in 2001.

: 54609  : Senator  : 2019/12/08

Senator Rick Scott, the ex-governor of Florida, called for a review of training programmes for foreign military personnel on US soil. "We shouldn't be providing military training to people who wish us harm," he said. The US defence secretary, Mark Esper, said he wanted to make sure that vetting was adequate. "I want to make sure that we're doing our due diligence to understand: What are our procedures? Is it sufficient?" he told reporters. Meanwhile Saudi officials have continued to condemn the attack, including vice-minister of defence, Khalid bin Salman, who said he trained at a US base like many others in the Saudi military.

: 54608  : Mohammed  : 2019/12/08

Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani was a second lieutenant in the Saudi Air Force in training at the site, US officials say. There are reports that he posted an online manifesto before the attack but this is yet to be confirmed. Several Saudi nationals were detained near the scene of the shooting, the New York Times reported, citing unnamed sources. According to the US Navy, there had in recent weeks been 18 Saudi naval aviators and two aircrew members training at Pensacola. An investigation was taking place and names of victims would not be released until next of kin had been notified, it said in a statement.

: 54607  : reports  : 2019/12/07

The FBI are yet to declare a motive but are believed to be investigating for links to terrorism. "There are many reports circulating, but the FBI deals only in facts," special agent Rachel Rojas told a news conference on Friday night. Saudi Arabia is a key US ally in the Middle East and the two countries have longstanding military exchange programmes. The shooting has already prompted questions about the vetting of foreign military personnel sent to the US for training. It is the second shooting to take place at a US military base this week. A US sailor shot dead two workers at the Pearl Harbor military base in Hawaii on Wednesday.

: 54606  : tweeted  : 2019/12/07

Saudi Arabia's King Salman condemned a gun attack at a US naval base by a Saudi student as "barbaric", President Donald Trump said. He tweeted that the monarch had called him to offer "sincere condolences". The gunman, an aviation student, killed three people and injured at least eight at the base in Pensacola, Florida, before being shot dead. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the Saudi government was "going to owe a debt" to the victims. The attacker has been named by US media as Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani. He used a handgun during the shooting.

: 54605  : separate  : 2019/12/07

What has Saudi Arabia said? "King Salman of Saudi Arabia just called to express his sincere condolences and give his sympathies to the families and friends of the warriors who were killed and wounded in the attack," President Trump tweeted. "The King said that the Saudi people are greatly angered by the barbaric actions of the shooter, and that this person in no way shape or form represents the feelings of the Saudi people who love the American people." In a separate statement, the Saudi foreign ministry called the attack "horrific" and said it would provide "full support" to the investigation.

: 54604  : Invented  : 2019/12/07

For a long time, there have been only two contraceptive solutions which rely directly on men. They can either wear a condom, or have sterilising surgery called a vasectomy to cut or seal the two tubes that carry sperm to the penis. A male birth control pill and a contraceptive gel are still in the works. But India says it is going to launch the world's first male birth control injection soon. Will this be the male contraceptive that succeeds? Invented by Sujoy Guha, a maverick 78-year-old Delhi-based biomedical engineer, the drug is a single preloaded syringe shot into the tubes carrying sperm from the testicle to the penis, under local anaesthesia. The non-hormonal, long-acting contraceptive, researchers claim, will be effective for 13 years.

: 54603  : candidates  : 2019/12/07

The prime minister and Mr Corbyn were also asked about security - an issue that has risen to prominence since the London Bridge attack on 29 November. Both candidates were asked by an audience member if they would prioritise the safety of citizens over human rights. Mr Corbyn said the choice was "not an either/or". He added the UK could not have security "on the cheap", and so Labour would "back the police up" with an increase in officer numbers. When it came to his turn, Mr Johnson referred to the London Bridge attack, and said it was "extraordinary and wrong" that the attacker was given automatic early release from prison after an earlier terrorism conviction.