In Brief: The Toll And Damage From Japan's Deadly Earthquake

Helena, Mont. — The reported birth of a rare white buffalo in Yellowstone National Park fulfills a Lakota prophecy that portends better times, according to members of the American Indian tribe who cautioned that it’s also a signal that more must be done to protect the earth and its animals. “The birth of this calf is both a blessing and warning.

Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender is searching for an actor to play the beloved Earthbender, Toph. The show, a live-action adaptation and remake of the much-loved 2005 Nickelodeon animated series, premiered on Netflix in February and was renewed for two more seasons less than a month later, after receiving relatively mixed reviews.

Elon Musk dropped a lawsuit alleging OpenAI and its chief executive officer Sam Altman breached a founding promise last year by prioritizing profits over humanity. The billionaire withdrew his complaint a day before a California judge was set to hear OpenAI’s request for dismissal. Musk had accused the company of becoming a “de facto subsidiary” of Microsoft Corp.

Two animal rights protestors vandalized the new portrait of King Charles III on Tuesday at the Philip Mould Gallery in London, placing a cartoon picture over the painting. Advocates plastered posters on the original painting with a printed picture of Wallace, a popular British character from the 1989 claymation film A Grand Day Out.

A fire has killed around 1,000 caged animals at Bangkok’s Chatuchak Weekend Market, one of South East Asia’s largest open air markets. The early morning blaze broke out at around 4:10 a.m. local time and engulfed more than 100 pet shops in the famous market, according to Bangkok officials. Caged animals including dogs, birds, cats, and snakes were reportedly burned to death in their cages. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] No human casualties have been reported as a result of the fire.

KYIV, Ukraine — The U. S. has removed restrictions on the transfer of American weapons and training to a high-profile Ukrainian military unit with a checkered past, the State Department said on Tuesday. The move will help the Azov Brigade, among Ukraine’s most effective and popular fighting units, move beyond its reputation as a far-right movement, a perception its commanders have been trying to dispel as Russian propaganda. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The State Department applied the Leahy vetting process to the Azov Brigade, which has been absorbed into Ukraine’s National Guard as the 12th Special Forces Brigade.