Panda Parents peer at newest addition "Yuan Zai"

High Five? Anybody?

Proud panda father Tuan Tuan and mother Yuan Yuan have been keeping a watch over their newborn cub ‘Yuan Zai’ at Taipei Zoo in Taiwan.

They could see the youngster, who was given her nickname because she resembles a rice ball, has inherited its father’s narrow black ring on its back and, like its mother, the new arrival’s middle and third finger are merged together.

The eager parents have been kept away from their new daughter so far because she is currently being kept in isolation.

Tuan Tuan & Yuan Yuan eagerly awaiting their daughter

But the adult pandas are allowed to view Yuan Zai periodically from a window on the side of her room.

She won’t be allowed to be viewed by the public for another six months and is still currently in an incubator.

Zoo keepers said the panda cub, which weighs 243.4 grams, was doing well and growing every day.

The cub was born on July 6 after Yuan Yuan was artificially inseminated.

Yuan Zai will receive an official name in the upcoming months.

Any ideas? Leave your comment in the box below!

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa premiere to be held in Norwich and London

The premiere of Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa will be held in Norwich before heading to London, it has been announced.

The red carpet bash will take place on Wednesday, July 24 in the character’s home town.

The hapless radio DJ, played by Steve Coogan, will greet fans at Anglia Square before boarding a helicopter to get to London in time for the evening premiere in Leicester Square.

Coogan speaking as Partridge said: ‘You can imagine how hurt and litigious I felt when people said I was planning to debut my movie in London instead of Norwich, or that I’d allowed my head to be turned by the prospect of big city fame.

‘Any suggestion I’ve hastily cobbled together the lunchtime Norwich screening in response to a local Twitter campaign will be met with the full force of the law.’

The news comes after a Facebook campaign attracted 7,100 followers to the cause of returning Alan to his rightful town.

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa is set for release in UK cinemas on August 7. 

Asimo - Honda's latest creation!

Say Hello, or Konichiwa, to Asimo, the impressive Robot created by Honda.

The walking, talking android works at the Miraikan Science Museum, Japan, as a guide. Unfortunately his first day on the job didn't quite go to plan…

The robust little fella is unable, at present, to detect any human body language and will only answer to questions if you raise your hand.

Unfortunately, as visitors were constantly taking pictures with their smartphones, this only confused Asimo who, rather than posing for the crowd, repeatedly asked: ‘Who wants to ask Asimo a question?’

As you can imagine, this glitch was quite embarrassing for Honda and poor Asimo, who has no voice recognition software and can only respond to pre-set questions selected from a touch-panel device.

So, although very impressive, Satoshi Shigemi, Honda’s robotics technology chief is still working to expand Asimo’s features and develop him into a truly masterful machine, rather than a paranoid android.


See his full features to date on our video below, plus, more inspiring tech videos on our YouTube channel.

Enjoyed our post? See more Gadget related posts here.

Magician Dynamo takes the bus – on a gravity-defying ride

Clearly, walking on water isn’t enough of a challenge for mind-blowing magician Dynamo.

The master of levitation has done the seemingly impossible again… this time by walking on air while holding the side of the upper deck of a bus.

Dynamo pulled off his latest stunt today as the number 543 bus, seemingly with open-mouthed passengers on the top deck, travelled through London.

The 30-year-old TV illusionist looked utterly at ease with only his hand placed on the bus roof to stop him falling into the traffic below.

Shoppers and tourists could barely believe their eyes as he passed alongside the Houses of Parliament before crossing Westminster Bridge.

‘The reaction of the public as I was travelling was incredible. It was great to see so many people taking in the excitement,’ said the Yorkshire-born conjurer.

His act was part of a promotional launch for soft drinks giant Pepsi Max.

The company’s British marketing director Sebastian Micozzi said: ‘I think you could see from the reaction of people on the route what an incredible piece of magic this was.’

The illusionist is probably best known for his documentary show Dynamo: Magician Impossible and for walking on the River Thames in 2011.

Other tricks in his repertoire include transporting a mobile phone into a glass beer bottle and bringing paper butterflies to life.

A new series of Dynamo’s Pepsi Max-sponsored magic show starts on July 11 on Watch with an online premiere airing on July 4.

Eating chocolate could stop you getting sunburn?

First it had health benefits, now it's got skin benefits too! How can we avoid temptation now?

There we were, all proud of ourselves for avoiding chocolate for the last few days (that bag of Galaxy bubbles doesn't count) and then we hear this latest news...that chocolate not only improves your mood, it also acts like a mild sunscreen. It's basically a health food then, right?

German researchers set up a trial where 24 women had to add cocoa to their breakfasts every day for three months. Half of the women drank hot cocoa that was rich in flavonoids, a natural plant-based antioxidant, and the other half drank cocoa that had little or no flavonoid. The volunteers skin was tested against UV light before and after the trial.

The results were striking. The skin of the women who had drunk the antioxidant-rich cocoa did not redden as much as the women who had drunk the alternative. They also reported smoother and moister skin than the others. 

       

Rio Ferdinand: We'll win the title for Moyes

RIO FERDINAND has warned Manchester United’s rivals: We are desperate to win the title again for our new boss.

The veteran defender said: “To win the league under David Moyes would be phenomenal.

“Last season was one of the best when we won title No 20 but this could go beyond that.

“To win it at the first attempt with a new man in charge would be something special.”

Ferdinand is staying on at United despite Alex Ferguson leaving.

And he is convinced the Premier League champions will be as strong as ever next season with Moyes at the helm.

The former England centre-back, 34, added: “Moyes is a real football man and an honest guy.

“His hard working ethic reflects the man himself and he obviously wants success. We’ve got a great chance with this manager.

“Every year when we have the end-of-season party we are thinking about the next season and what we are going to do.

“We always talk about improving on the previous season. That was no different this year just because the manager has changed.”

Ferdinand has also told top players round the world that if Moyes wants to sign them they should seize the chance of going to Old Trafford.

He said: “If United come in for you, you take it."

“Even if you are a great player you become a better one at this club. Cristiano Ronaldo became the best player in the world having come from Sporting Lisbon.

“The likes of Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, David Beckham, Andy Cole all became great players at United. With this platform you cannot believe anyone would ever turn it down.

“We are well paid, of course, but it’s more important for me to be at a club which enjoys success, and historically is the greatest in the world, than to earn a bit extra somewhere else.

“I could have left United for more money but that’s never stimulated me. I’ve had the greatest stage here.

“If you have ambition your aim has to be to make a name for yourself at a top club. Money should not be the over-riding factor.

“As a player aged between say 23 and 27 that is what you should be looking at. It shows you are going somewhere and want to win trophies.”

But Ferdinand hopes returning Chelsea chief Jose Mourinho will not be back on the trophy trail anytime soon.

He said: “As a fan it’s good to see personalities like Mourinho coming into our league.

“But, hopefully, he can wait till I’ve retired before he wins anything at all.”

Mumford and Sons bassist Ted Dwane to have surgery for blood clot on brain...

Folk-rock band Mumford and Sons have postponed three US gigs after bassist Ted Dwane was taken to hospital with a blood clot on his brain.

A statement from the band said the musician had been "feeling unwell for a few days" and was receiving emergency treatment in hospital.

It said: "The scans revealed a blood clot on the surface of his brain that requires an operation. Ted is receiving excellent care and we are being assured that he will recover quickly from surgery."

The four-piece band shot to fame with their debut album, Sigh No More, which was shortlisted for the 2010 Mercury Prize. It's follow-up, Babel, went to number one in the UK and the US.

They said the shows would be rescheduled as soon as possible. For the sake of all festival goers, lets hope that he recovers in time for Glastonbury.

Don't forget to join us on our social channels, take your pick...