Minnesota. Employees at a Burger King in the Minneapolis suburb of Coon Rapids smashed the windows of the fast food joint after receiving a call from someone claiming to be with the fire department. The Friday night caller said the building was going to explode due to a pressure buildup. The restaurant manager, believing the caller, had employees begin breaking windows to ensure the structure would not blow up. A similar situation at a Burger King in Morro Bay, California, in February ended in a manager driving his car into the restaurant’s walls. The total cost of the damage to the Minnesota site is still unknown.
The Guardian
Denmark. Researchers from Aarhus University began releasing ant colonies around apple plantations in hopes of preventing the spread of recent pest infestations. The researchers expect the ants will eat insects that have been causing severe damage to the apple trees this spring, mostly in the Djursland peninsula. Moth larvae, one of the more common pests, have been eating the leaves of the apple trees, preventing the orchards from flourishing. To make the ants’ distance from their native pine tree habitats smoother, the researchers have been spreading pine needles around the apple plantations to build the ant colonies. They are transplanting the ants delicately — by hand with buckets and shovels — to ensure each colony maintains a queen.
BBC
Russia. A cafe adorned with photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin recently opened in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. Aptly named President Cafe, the establishment has caused some controversy over also featuring images of “non-friendly Western leaders” in the restrooms. Additionally, images of U.S. President Barack Obama were placed on the toilet paper. The cafe’s owners provide visitors with black markers if they wish to mark up the images in the bathrooms. Some residents of Krasnoyarsk are hesitant to support the new cafe, unhappy with its promotion of hatred.
BBC
Venezuela. As Venezuela continues to suffer from an energy crisis, President Nicolas Maduro recently encouraged women to stop using hairdryers. In a short video, officially released by the national government, Maduro offers women alternative styling tips for their hair. “I think a woman looks better when she runs her fingers through her hair and lets it dry naturally,” he said. He also called for other minor changes to help the recover from the ongoing crisis. He urged citizens to hang dry their clothes, cut the use of air conditioning appliances and “embrace the tropical heat.” The water at the Guri Dam — a hydroelectric plant that provides 70 percent of the country’s electricity — has decreased to a nearly nonoperational level and may even be closed down soon.
The Independent
