News OF THE World

IRAQ

The rusting wreck of a yacht that belonged to Saddam Hussein is now a picnic destination for Iraqi sightseers and fishermen.

Saddam never even boarded the 396-foot “al-Mansur,” built in the 1980s, but he ordered it from its mooring in the US-led war of liberation in 2003.

However, it was bombed by USled forces and eventually capsized in the Shatt al-Arab waterway, where it remains to this day.

ITALY

Italy is revisiting plans to build a bridge across the Strait of Messina, linking Sicily to the mainland’s Reggio Calabria.

The cabinet of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni approved a decree to revive the multibillion-dollar project to build a twomile-long suspension bridge.

The idea for the infrastructure has been tossed around since ancient Rome.

INDIA

Big-cat conservation efforts have been so successful in the Indian state of Gujarat that a new sanctuary is needed.

Gir National Park, the sole spot outside Africa where a lion can be observed in its natural habitat, houses the world’s only Asiatic lion population.

It faces problems of overcrowding, with 400 living there.

Approximately 40 will be moved from Gir to another home within Gujarat, Barda Wildlife Sanctuary.

BRAZIL

Scientists in the Atlantic Rainforest believe they discovered a new parasitic purple fungus that preys on trapdoor spiders.

The rare organism is part of a group of fungi that infects and kills invertebrates.

Dr. João Araújo, a Brazilian mycologist with the New York Botanical Garden, made the discovery during a field trip to forests north of Rio de Janeiro.

WALES

Rats the size of cats are invading the seaside community of Tenby.

The large rodents, dubbed “super rats,” are overrunning the popular beach town, which attracts thousands of summer tourists.

Residents fear the creatures, which measure 20 inches long, are resistant to over-the-counter poisons and can gnaw through concrete. Angela Barbuti, Wires