Sino-French satellite launched into orbit

Beijing: A satellite developed by China and France, the most powerful yet for studying the farthest explosion of stars, was launched into orbit, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported. The satellite to study phenomena, including gamma-ray bursts, was lifted on Saturday by a Chinese carrier rocket launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan, CCTV said. Reuters

‘Onigiri’, not world-famous sushi, Japan’s soul food

Tokyo: The word “onigiri” became part of the Oxford English Dictionary this year, proof that the humble sticky-rice ball and mainstay of Japanese food has entered the global lexicon. The rice balls are stuffed with a variety of fillings and typically wrapped in seaweed. Onigiri is “fast food, slow food and soul food,” says Yusuke Nakamura, who heads the Onigiri Society, a trade group in Tokyo. Reuters

Nature’s Wrath A portion of a highway washed away by raging Moesa river in rain-affected Lostallo, Switzerland, on Sunday. AP