Latest news with #Institute
New York Post
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
20-foot shark trails behind tiny boat on Block Island, sparking ‘Jaws' comparison: ‘There's a shark in the pond!'
Rhode Island diners got to feast their eyes on a massive 20-foot shark lurking dangerously close to a small boat in a pond on Block Island, according to authorities. Local Jen Seebeck recorded the humongous dorsal and tail fins of the blood-sniffer cutting through the water on Memorial Day while chowing down at local eatery Dead Eye Dicks located on Great Salt Pond, The Atlantic Shark Institute reported. A pair of boaters motored away from the massive shark that was in the saltwater pond on Block Island. The Atlantic Shark Institute The sight of the toothy predator in the small body of water brought to mind the classic film 'Jaws,' which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Advertisement 'There's a shark in the pond!' one person could be heard shouting in the video, a reference to a line in the Steven Spielberg classic. Video showed one small boat motoring in the opposite direction of the quick-moving shark that was of an unknown species, according to the Institute. It appeared to be about 20 feet long, according to Advertisement 'Sharks are arriving in Rhode Island daily as water temperatures continue to rise and more and more species of shark find them suitable to their liking,' the Atlantic Shark Institute wrote in their post. 'Hopefully this shark will find its way out of Great Salt Pond soon and continue on its way!' the institute added. Block Island was recently named one of the 10 best summer destinations in the United States, according to USA Today. Warmer waters off the coast of Long Island are also drawing in the man-eating fish. Advertisement A monster Great White Shark was spotted along the shores of Montauk, which is a popular feeding ground for the toothsome predators, earlier this month, drone footage showed. Experts said the sighting, though a bit early in the season, was normal for this time of year. As summer draws more fish to the shores, experts say sharks will follow, but chances of an unwanted encounter are low.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Massive' Shark Was Spotted Near Rhode Island Town
Residents and tourists on Rhode Island's Block Island were treated to quite a sight on Memorial Day: a "very large" shark making its way around the Great Salt Pond. In a now viral video, taken by a woman named Jen Seebeck from the deck of a nearby seafood restaurant, you can see the shark's dorsal and tail fins moving through the water behind a small boat. You can also hear someone in the background say "There's a shark in the pond" in a quintessential New England accent. The Atlantic Shark Institute shared footage of the incident on its official social media accounts, along with some more information. "We got a number of calls yesterday as people on Block Island, RI were treated to quite the scene, kicking off the 2025 summer season!" the Institute wrote. "We got some wonderful video but loved this one from Jen Seebeck who was enjoying dinner at Dead Eye Dicks when she noticed the fin slicing through the water inside Great Salt Pond. Clearly a very large shark and reminiscent of a scene from Jaws on this 50th anniversary of the film." The Atlantic Shark Institute also solicited guesses as to the species of the shark. While the image of the creature creeping through the water may have given off Jaws vibes, this was not a deadly great white. Instead, it was a basking shark, according to the Institute's executive director Jon Dodd. "They are harmless filter-feeders but that wouldn't matter much if you were in the water when one came cruising by," Dodd said, adding that this particular species eat plankton and are usually found in the ocean. "This guy made a mistake," Dodd said of the shark being in the pond. "It's the first one this year, but it won't be the last." Whenever the next mistake happens, we can bet there will be someone there to capture it on camera again. 'Massive' Shark Was Spotted Near Rhode Island Town first appeared on Men's Journal on May 29, 2025
The Star
a day ago
- Business
- The Star
Confucius Institute Ljubljana celebrates 15th anniversary
LJUBLJANA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Over 100 distinguished guests from the business, education, and cultural sectors of both China and Slovenia gathered here Tuesday to mark the 15th anniversary of the Confucius Institute Ljubljana. Zhao Binghui, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Slovenia, spoke highly of the Institute's contributions to deepening multi-level and multi-field exchanges between China and Slovenia by promoting high-quality Chinese language education and organizing diverse cultural activities over the past 15 years. The Institute was jointly established by the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics (SUIBE) and the University of Ljubljana in May 2010. To date, the Institute has established five Confucius Classrooms and 26 teaching centers throughout Slovenia, providing Chinese language education from kindergarten to university level. "Language is a bridge for exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations," he noted. Qi Ming, chairman of SUIBE, also emphasized the Institute's role as a vital bridge between the two universities, helping foster mutual understanding between the Chinese and Slovenian peoples. He noted the partnership has led to diverse collaborations, including faculty and student exchanges, as well as joint research initiatives. Meanwhile, Danijela Voljc, the Slovenian director of the Institute, said that over 600 Slovenians are currently studying Chinese through its programs. Over the past 15 years, the Institute has trained several thousand more students, bringing Chinese and Slovenian cultures closer together, the director added. Since 2012, Chinese has been officially included in Slovenia's national education system.
Economic Times
a day ago
- Business
- Economic Times
China's loans bite back: 75 poorest and most vulnerable nations need to pay $22 bn
China is putting growing financial pressure on developing countries, as debt repayments hit record levels. In 2025, these countries are expected to pay USD 35 billion to China, USD 22 billion of that from the world's 75 poorest and most vulnerable nations. Most of these payments are for loans taken under China's Belt and Road Initiative during the Institute, a think-tank based in Sydney in its report said, "Developing countries are grappling with a tidal wave of debt repayments and interest costs owed to China. Debt service flows to China from developing countries will total USD 35 billion in 2025 and are set to remain elevated for the rest of this decade. The bulk of this debt service, some USD 22 billion, is owed by 75 of the world's poorest and most vulnerable countries."It added, "Pressure from Chinese state lending, along with surging repayments to a range of international private creditors, is putting enormous financial strain on developing economies. The result is rising debt vulnerability and the crowding out of critical spending priorities such as health, education, poverty reduction, and climate adaptation."The report further said that China went from being a minor lender in the early 2000s to the largest supplier of new bilateral credit to developing countries by the mid-2010s. At the peak of its Belt and Road Initiative lending surge in 2016, new Chinese state-backed loans totalled more than USD 50 billion, outweighing the combined lending of all Western creditors in that year. China's lending boom was most pronounced in low-income and high-vulnerability countries reliant on loans from bilateral and multilateral creditors and with limited access to international private capital. "In these economies, China rose from holding less than 5 per cent of external debt in 2005, to more than 40 per cent by 2015. However, shortly thereafter China's global lending entered a period of protracted decline. Rising debt risks, implementation difficulties, and domestic financial pressures saw China's signing of new loans drop to just USD 18 billion in 2019, with further decreases through the Covid pandemic. The largest recipients of new lending include immediate neighbours, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia, and developing countries that are critical mineral or battery metal exporters, such as Argentina, Brazil, Congo DR, and Indonesia," the report said. "The nation that was once the developing world's largest source of new finance has now wholly transitioned to being the world's largest single destination for developing country debt service payments. The Belt and Road Initiative hit its peak in the mid-2010s; peak repayment was reached in the mid-2020s. Now, and for the rest of this decade, China will be more debt collector than banker to the developing world," it added.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘Reminiscent of a scene from Jaws': Massive shark spotted in water off New England
In a sure sign that summer is near, a massive shark was spotted in the water off New England on Monday. The Atlantic Shark Institute shared a video of a basking shark wowing boaters in Great Salt Pond off Rhode Island's Block Island. Jen Seebeck was enjoying dinner at Dead Eye Dick's when she noticed the shark's fin slicing through the water, according to the Institute. The sighting comes just weeks ahead of the 50th anniversary of 'Jaws,' which hit theaters on June 20, 1975. "Clearly, a very large shark, and reminiscent of a scene from Jaws on this 50th anniversary of the film," the Institute wrote in a social media post. In the video, someone with a recognizable New England accent calls out, 'There's a shark in the pond!' The onlooker's comment references a classic scene from the hit movie. The basking shark is the second-largest fish in the world behind the whale shark, reaching lengths of 40 feet, according to Oceana. They are filter feeders that eat tiny, planktonic prey. The Institute noted that 'more and more species" of shark have been migrating to New England as water temperatures continue to rise. 'Hopefully, this shark will find its way out of Great Salt Pond soon and continue on its way!' the Institute wrote in the post. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
