Latest news with #Hirono
Time Out
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Pop Toy Show Singapore is back this August featuring Hirono and other collectibles
Third time's the charm – the Pop Toy Show is back, and it's set to be bigger and better than ever. Singapore's largest Pop Mart event returns to the Sands Expo and Convention Centre this August, promising three days of fun for collectors and fans alike. Expect exclusive drops, limited-edition figurines and plenty of shopping opportunities – you'll want to start saving up ASAP. This year's spotlight falls on Hirono, a beloved character known for its expressive features and intricate details. Designed by a Chinese artist, the whimsical series has since captured the hearts of many Pop Mart lovers. or check back here for the latest updates.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Thieves steal £150k worth of Pop Mart toys
Thieves have stolen £150,000 worth of Pop Mart toys. A shipment of the viral toy Hirono was intercepted by thieves in the early hours of April 8 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, just weeks before they were to be released to UK shops. The crime is the second in a month targeting expensive toys, after £20,000 worth of Jellycat stuffed animals were stolen from an independent store in Cheddar, Somerset, on March 30. Criminal groups are becoming increasingly aware of the collectable toy market, experts warn, because of the prices these figurines fetch online. Hirono, a small plastic figurine that resembles a small boy in a range of different costumes, was due to go on sale in May. Pop Mart also makes Labubu, figurines that resemble monsters, which are loved by celebrities, including former Love Islander Olivia Atwood, who posted a video unboxing one. Dua Lipa and Rihanna are also known to enjoy the toys, designed by Hong Kong-based artist Kasing Lung. The toys retail from £30 but have sold on eBay for as much as £1,000. The most valuable is the £164 Monsters Zimono I Found You doll, according to the Pop Mart website. A spokesman for Pop Mart said he was 'deeply saddened' by the 'recent rise in toy theft', adding that he was 'working diligently' to ensure it didn't impact the launch next month. A spokesman for Hertfordshire Constabulary said: 'Police are investigating following a theft from a motor vehicle in Hemel Hempstead. 'Between 1.30am and 5.27am on Tuesday April 8, a trailer curtain was cut on a HGV parked on Eaton Road, causing extensive damage. A large number of items were reported stolen.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Popular toy store set to open location in East Bay
(KRON) – Toy company POP MART is opening a new location in a popular East Bay mall. POP MART, according to Stoneridge Shopping Center, is a market-leading character-based entertainment company and a global champion of designer toy culture. POP MART said on its website that the store is 'not just a brand, it's a galaxy of creative possibilities.' POP MART provides innovative and unique products that appeal to a wide range of consumers. The toy store offers action figures, blind boxes, plush toys and diverse accessories. The store has many items of globally well-known characters, such as Skullpanda, Tinytiny, The Monsters, Hirono, Peach Riot and Barbie. The toy store has more than 450 stores in more than 30 countries. Hello Kitty Cafe Truck set to make 3 Bay Area stops There are two POP MART stores in the Bay Area, which are in the Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco and Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara. POP MART has several robo shops, which are vending machines, throughout the Bay Area in San Francisco, Fairfield and San Jose. The store will be located in Stoneridge Shopping Center in Pleasanton near Kay Jewelers. Per the Stoneridge's website, the best entrances will be Entrance E and D. There is not yet an opening date for the latest store. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Japan Times
23-02-2025
- Science
- Japan Times
Japan looks to save seafood and seaweed farming from warming oceans
From Pacific saury to seaweed to shrimp, ocean warming stemming from climate change is having an adverse effect on marine species all over the world. The impact in waters around Japan is showing up in myriad ways: decreased sizes of species including mackerel and anchovy in the country's typically rich eastern coastal waters, a dramatic drop in konbu (kelp) yields off Hokkaido and an increase in hybrid species of pufferfish, posing concerns for catches of the delicacy. The issue is likely to become more pronounced as warming continues — ocean temperatures are rising four times faster now than in the late 1980s, a recent study by the University of Reading shows. And yet, seafood is a vital part of the Japanese diet and a crucial source of sustenance for billions around the world. On the whole, it's also more environmentally friendly than land-based animal proteins like beef, pork and even chicken, while seaweed is potentially a major carbon sink, making the industry an important part of decarbonization efforts. Faced with these challenges, researchers in Japan aren't sitting still. At home and abroad, a series of aquaculture projects are underway that aim to improve the sustainability of aquaculture and boost production even against the strong current of climate change. 'The natural stock of fish and shrimp is not increasing and may be decreasing due to climate change and overfishing and some pollution of the environment,' says Ikuo Hirono, a professor with the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. 'However, the world population is increasing, so we need more and more animal protein sources.' Invasive fish While seafood produced through aquaculture compares favorably with beef, poultry and pork in terms of emissions, the industry still accounts for 0.49% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to a 2020 study in Nature. Not all types of aquaculture are climate friendly, either. Farmed shrimp, for example, produces 12 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent for each kilogram of food — less than a quarter of that produced by beef production but double that of poultry. There are also concerns about pollution via fish farms, as nutrient-rich water that leaks from them into the natural environment can cause severe ecological damage. Ikuo Hirono, a professor with the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, has helped spearhead the Thai Fish Project since 2019. | JICA Even with those issues, there's little hope of reducing reliance on aquaculture, particularly in tropical nations. A separate study published in Nature in 2020 shows that the catch potential in some tropical exclusive economic zones is expected to fall by as much as 40% by 2050 from the 2000s under an extremely high emissions scenario, due to warming, a reduction in the ocean's pH level, deoxygenation and sea-level rise. With aquaculture making up over half of all seafood production, the impetus to improve sustainability is clear. Since 2019, Hirono has helped spearhead the Thai Fish Project, an initiative funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency that aims to boost the sustainability of aquaculture in the Southeast Asian nation. It's not a small undertaking — in 2019, Thailand ranked 10th in the world in aquaculture production in 2022, making the sector an important part of the country's economy. Seafood is also a key food source in the developing nation, with 56% of Thais saying they eat fish one to four times a week, and another 19% five or more times a week, according to 2023 data from Statista. But all of that production has come with a major drawback: invasive species. Thai fish farms have typically raised tilapia, a fish native to Africa, and whiteleg shrimp, which comes from South America, both of which are among the most farmed species in the world, according to Hirono. Tilapia is popular as a farmed species in part because it can be raised in freshwater, making it possible to convert agricultural land into aquaculture ponds. Whiteleg shrimp, on the other hand, are omnivorous, making them cheaper to feed, Hirono says. A worker moves fish from a truck filled with water in Bangkok in April 2024. Aquaculture is an important part of Thailand's economy. | Bloomberg The potential for specimens to escape into the wild poses a threat to natural ecosystems. A report by researchers involved with the Thai Fish Project noted that whiteleg shrimp has been found in Thai waters since it was introduced to the country through aquaculture in the 1990s, causing the spread of an exotic pathogen and increasing competition with native shrimp species. 'Some of the tilapia and shrimp escaped from cultured ponds and they already reproduced in nature,' Hirono said. 'Such an escaped alien species gives a lot of negative impact to the native species.' Hirono added that, at the government level, there are no plans to curtail production of these species despite the mishaps, because the industry is simply too important for food security and the economy. So Hirono's project decided to focus on raising species native to Southeast Asia, namely Asian seabass and banana shrimp. The overarching goal is to improve productivity while employing sustainable practices that limit the impact of infectious diseases and preserve the natural environment. The initiative also promotes the education of young researchers with an eye toward the future. The challenges with raising Asian seabass had been finding the right feed and solving issues related to breeding. So far, the results for the project, which was due to wrap up in 2025 but was recently extended for another five years, have been promising. Scientists successfully developed a new type of seabass feed to lower costs while also making the fish more nutritious for consumers. It's also passing taste tests and is gaining interest for its commercial potential among Japanese businesses, according to JICA. For banana shrimp, researchers have achieved artificial insemination, which is necessary to make genetic selections to improve growth and disease resistance. This posed a significant hurdle because the species is highly sensitive to changes in its environment. A cultured banana shrimp | Courtesy of JICA In the area of disease prevention, the researchers have also developed new vaccines for seabass and have found certain microorganisms that have benefited the shrimp. Now, part of the project's focus is about scaling up their innovative techniques, including by bringing their know-how to other countries in the region. The populations of Japan and Thailand are graying, but many Southeast Asian nations are seeing growth. 'After we develop our technologies, we can introduce the seabass and banana shrimp to not only Thai farms, but also (farms in) Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos and Myanmar,' Hirono says. Vegetables of the sea It's not just the ocean's protein sources that are under threat from climate change. Seaweed, a key part of the Japanese diet and a primary food source for many fish as well as marine mammals like the manatee, is being impacted by rising water temperatures and ocean acidification — a gradual reduction in the pH level of the ocean, caused primarily by the absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere. Essentially, warmer oceans risk becoming deserts, devoid of the nutrients needed to support seaweed growth. Seaweed is also a major carbon sink, although some researchers have warned that it's not a silver-bullet solution and its support of other marine life may actually increase emissions on the whole. Already in some parts of the world, kelp forests — rich ecosystems that are important drivers of marine biodiversity — are disappearing. According to agriculture ministry statistics cited by the Yomiuri Shimbun, seaweed production in Japan fell by as much as 70% over three decades to about 60,000 tons in 2022, in part due to sea-temperature rise. Thai fishermen catch freshwater tilapia fish at a fish farm in Samut Prakarn province in June 2012. The fish are native to Africa, and the potential for specimens to escape into the wild poses a threat to natural ecosystems. | REUTERS With the ocean no longer providing a reliable environment for cultivation, multiple Japanese projects are looking toward land-based solutions and growing seaweed in large tanks where water conditions can be carefully controlled. Last month at a meeting of international participants in the upcoming Osaka Expo, a project by KaisouLab was highlighted as a 'Best Practice,' an expo program that highlights solutions to important global issues. The project, based in Tokushima Prefecture, aims to tackle the twin issues of high costs associated with land-based farming and limited cultivation periods by combining two species of seaweed — aosa (green seaweed) and akanesou (red seaweed) — to form one that can be harvested year-round. Employing biotechnology techniques and observations from the natural world, researchers have developed a new method of growing seaweed that is less susceptible to environmental changes. In 2023, the method obtained organic certification from the government-run Japanese Agricultural Standards. 'We believe that this method is a system that can be used anywhere in the world, as long as there is easy access to water from the surrounding seas,' Hirofumi Yamamoto, a professor at Tokushima Bunri University and a research adviser for the project, said during a presentation at the Osaka Expo meeting. 'We hope that this technology will be deployed worldwide, so that we will be able to provide safe and nutritious food to children all over the world,' he said.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Native Hawaiian scholar is the face of new $1 coin
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Next time you sift through your coin pouch, check out the newest face of the $1 coin: Native Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui will be featured on the U.S. Mint's 2025 Native American $1 Coin thanks to a letter sent by U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono to then-Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. What is the Year of the Snake, how to navigate it In 2021, Hirono sent the letter 'urging the U.S. Mint to feature three prominent women from Hawaii in the American Women Quarters Program.' Officials said all three women were selected with Edith Kanakaole and Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink featured on quarters in 2022 and 2023. Mary Kawena Pukui was the last woman on the list. 2021.05.21_Personal-Letter_MKH-to-Treasury-Secretary-Yellen-re-Hawaii-Women-on-Quarters-FINALDownload Mary Kawena Pukui is credited for preserving and protecting the Native Hawaiian language and culture, sustaining it for many generations. She showcased her efforts as an author, composer and dancer. 'I am glad to see the Mint honoring Mary Kawena Pukui on this year's Native American $1 Coin design, and hope that people across the country will learn more about her valuable contributions to uplift Native Hawaiian language, history and culture,' said Senator Hirono. Check out more news from around Hawaii The $1 coin features Mary Kawena Pukui wearing a hibiscus flower, kukui nut lei and a muumuu with kukui nut tree leaves. It also features the inscription of 'Nānā I Ke Kumu,' which is the title of a series of books she helped create. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
