News OF THE World

THAILAND

Thailand is in mourning after the death of Mariam, a beloved baby dugong that was found orphaned by rescuers in April.

An autopsy shows the dugong, a cousin species of the manatee, died from an infection caused by plastic in its intestines, the Guardian said.

Dugongs are considered a “vulnerable” species, according to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and primarily live in coastal regions across Southeast Asia.

LIECHTENSTEIN

Liechtenstein is celebrating its 300th birthday.

To mark the occasion, residents of the tiny alpine nation drank beer and reveled with the country’s leader Prince Hans-Adam II during a garden party at his Schloss Vaduz castle, Reuters reported.

IRAQ

An Iraqi man is making music from weapons of war.

Instead of using his Kalashnikov rifle for killing, Majed Abdennour fashioned the weapon into a guitar.

Iraq has long been riven with sectarian violence and Abdennour said he first acquired the rifle in order to protect his family, AFP reported.

He had a metal worker transform the gun into the musical instrument.

WALES

Toilets are theh latest contraceptive in this Welsh town.

The seaside enclave of Porthcrawl plans to install futuristic bathroom fixtures to stop sex in public restrooms, The Guardian reported.

People doing the dirty inside stalls will be soaked with water jets and interrupted by a high-pitched alarm.

ENGLAND

Churches in Britain are trying out a novel way of boosting attendance: installing carnival rides.

Many of the country’s oldest cathedrals have been decked out with ornate slides and minigolf courses.

“We are sharing our building with lots of new people and having conversations about faith,” Rev. Canon Andy Bryant of Norwich Cathedral told The New York Times.