Snakes on a plane: Indian smuggler caught with venomous vipers

A spider-tailed horned viper caught by Mumbai Customs police on June 1, 2025.  — X/@mumbaicus3 MUMBAI: A passenger smuggling dozens of venomous vipers was stopped after flying into the financial capital Mumbai from Thailand, Indian customs officials said. The snakes, which included 44 Indonesian pit vipers, were “concealed in checked-in baggage”, Mumbai Customs said in…

With AI and more shade, Saudi Arabia to welcome over a million Hajj pilgrims

Muslim pilgrims perform Hajj at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, June 16, 2024. — Reuters With artificial intelligence, more shade and misting machines, Saudi authorities are preparing to welcome more than a million Hajj pilgrims amid extreme summer heat.  Saudi Arabia’s Hajj Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah told AFP on Thursday that efforts to mitigate the searing…