Japanese researchers to give official name to element 113
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry announced that scientists from RIKEN, a large research institute in Japan, will name element 113, currently under the placeholder name ununtrium, due to research studies published between 2004 and 2012. The studies prompted IUPAC to credit the Japanese scientists at the institute with discovering the synthetic element. Japan is the first Asian country to give an official name to an element, and one possible name is “japonium.” Ununtrium is one of four newly discovered elements, and their discovery completes the seventh row of the periodic table. Teams of Russian and American scientists discovered the remaining three elements, which have atomic numbers 115, 117 and 118. Their respective placeholder names are ununpentium, ununseptium and ununoctium; they will also receive official names. The last two elements to be officially added to the periodic table were element 114, flerovium, and element 116, livermorium, in 2011.
Spanish police seize cocaine, arrest smugglers
In what is the largest seizure of cocaine in Galicia since 1999, Spanish police said they confiscated more than three tons of cocaine and took 11 suspected drug smugglers into custody. The UK National Crime Agency, a law enforcement agency, received a tip, and Spanish police discovered the cocaine in van in a warehouse, along with one million euros (more than $1 million) and a gun. The alleged smugglers hail from Spain, Britain and the Netherlands.
U.S. justice department sues Volkswagen
Following the emissions scandal of September 2015, the U.S. department of justice filed a lawsuit against the German car manufacturer on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The suit posits that Volkswagen’s faulty emission control systems caused emissions that exceeded the EPA’s standards, “resulting in harmful air pollution,” and that VW “violated” clean air laws by selling vehicles with a different design than that of those approved by the EPA. Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said the filing is a step toward maintaining public health in holding VW accountable. VW also faces separate criminal charges, as well as class-action lawsuits. The car manufacturer will recall millions of cars worldwide and has set aside more than $7 million to cover expenses, although experts project that the cost will be much higher.
France passes law banning excessive skinniness in modeling
Modeling agents could face six months of imprisonment and a fine of up to 75,000 euros, or more than $80,000, for violating new legislation prohibiting the hiring of excessively skinny models. The law maintains that models must provide medical proof of good health and an appropriate Body Mass Index (BMI). Along with the new law, deputies in France’s National Assembly agreed to an article requiring that photos of models that have been digitally edited to be identified as such. Violators will face a fine of at least 37,500 euros, equivalent to more than $40,000. In April 2015, France’s Parliament passed a bill requiring models to provide medical proof of a BMI of at least 18 before they are able to work.
Mexican governor attributes mayor’s death to gang activity
Mayor Gisela Mota was shot dead at her home in Temixco, located near Mexico City in the state of Morelos, less than 24 hours after she took office. Morelos Governor Graco Ramirez took control of police in 15 cities and towns following Mota’s murder, saying that the government would not be “intimidated” by organized crime. Mota pledged to clean up the drug- and organized crime-ridden city of Temixco, which is one of Mexico’s most violent states. Graco said Mota’s murder was “a message and a clear threat for the mayors who recently took office to not accept the police coordination scheme that we have supported and that is being built at a national level.” Police shot and killed two of Mota’s attackers and arrested at least two more.
World’s largest blue star sapphire discovered in Sri Lanka
Nicknamed “The Star of Adam,” the gem, weighing 1,404.49 carats, is worth between $100 million and $175 million. The current owner of the gem, who wishes to remain anonymous, bought the gem for an undisclosed price after suspecting that it was the largest blue star sapphire. He named it “The Star of Adam” after a Muslim belief that Adam came to Sri Lanka after he was cast out of the Garden of Eden. The gemology institute in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital, has not certified anything larger than the million-dollar sapphire, and a leading gem and jewellry dealer in Sri Lanka confirmed the gem’s status as the largest of its kind. The next largest blue star sapphire weighs in at 1,395 carats. Sapphires are the main export in Sri Lanka’s gem industry; the gem was found in Ratnapura, a southern city also called the City of Gems.
