Domestic
Last weekend, Alex Honnold, an American rock climber, successfully climbed Taiwan’s Taipei 101 skyscraper without the use of protective equipment. He achieved this 1,667ft climbing feat in about 90 minutes, which was captured on a live Netflix broadcast. While Honnold is not the first person to have scaled the Taipei 101 (that title goes to Alain Robert), he is the first person to have climbed it without the aid of ropes. Once at the top, Honnold took a selfiebefore rappelling down to a platform to take the elevator down.
On Saturday, border patrol agents in Minneapolis shot and killed 37-year old Alex Pretti during an anti-ICE protest. This marks the second time in January that an American citizen has been killed by federal agents in Minneapolis. Pretti worked as an ICU nurse for the Minneapolis VA Health Care System and was an avid mountain biker. His family has released a statement remembering Pretti as “a good man” while also calling for the truth to be told.
International
Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, the last two pandas in Japan, have returned to China at a time when diplomatic relations have deteriorated between the two countries. China often lends pandas to other countries, but still retains ownership, including over any cubs that are produced. For the first time in over 50 years, Japan is without pandas, to the disappointment of many. According to Katsuhiro Miyamoto, an economics professor at Kansai University, the removal of the pandas is expected to result in an estimated $128 million loss for the Ueno Zoo, where the twins were kept.
Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, has been arrested in Mexico. Authorities allege that he is the largest cocaine distributor in Canada. Wedding faces criminal charges related to drug trafficking and several murders. He competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics in a single snowboarding event, where he placed 24th. Last month, officials seized several of Wedding’s motorcycles, which were worth over $40 million, a $13 million Mercedes hypercar and two Olympic gold medals. It was not clear who the medals belonged to.
