Monk (briefly) takes up residence in UK abbey ruins ahead of 1000th anniversary celebrations
Norfolk, UK Weighing more than 250 kilograms, a giant more than two metre tall stainless steel sculpture of a monk has taken up residence amid the ruins of a Benedictine abbey in Bury St Edmunds, UK. The placement of the sculpture marks the start of the abbey church’s celebrations marking more than 1,000 years since it’s […]
Looted Gilgamesh tablet returns to Iraq in formal ceremony
Baghdad, IraqReuters Ancient artifacts looted and smuggled out of Iraq after the US invasion in 2003 were put on display in Baghdad on Tuesday. Among the artifacts returned by the United States was a 3,500-year-old clay tablet bearing part of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the ancient Sumerian tale believed to be one of the world’s […]
Hope, sadness as volunteers search for victims of Indonesian volcano
Curah Kobokan, Indonesia Reuters At the foot of Indonesia’s Mount Semeru, what is left of the houses along the main village road are covered in a thick layer of hardened volcanic ash. Curah Kobokan was among the worst-hit areas when the 3,676-metre Mount Semeru erupted on Saturday, sending a cloud of ash into the sky […]
Up to a million COVID vaccines wasted in Nigeria last month
Dakar, SenegalReuters Up to one million COVID-19 vaccines are estimated to have expired in Nigeria last month without being used, two sources told Reuters, one of the biggest single losses of doses that shows the difficulty African nations have getting shots in arms. Governments on the continent of over one billion people have been pushing […]
“Ashamed”: Pakistan grapples with fallout from mob killing
Islamabad, Pakistan Reuters A shocking and deadly mob attack on a Sri Lankan factory manager accused of blasphemy in eastern Pakistan last week prompted days of soul searching as the man’s remains were flown to his home country. The violence, which was condemned by rights watchdogs including Amnesty International, also drew intense responses from politicians, […]
Rohingya refugees sue Facebook for $US150 billion over Myanmar violence
New York City, USReuters Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are suing Meta Platforms Inc, formerly known as Facebook, for $US150 billion over allegations that the social media company did not take action against anti-Rohingya hate speech that contributed to violence. A US class-action complaint, filed in California on Monday by law firms Edelson PC and Fields […]
On the Screen: ‘Dune’ makes a bold and beautiful beginning
MARCUS CHEONG watches the first part of the Dune saga…
Next pandemic could be more lethal than COVID, vaccine creator says
London, UKReuters Future pandemics could be even more lethal than COVID-19 so the lessons learned from the outbreak must not be squandered and the world should ensure it is prepared for the next viral onslaught, one of the creators of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine said. The novel coronavirus has killed 5.26 million people across the world, […]
As eco-anxieties mount, Africa’s young people urge action on climate
Thomson Reuters Foundation As climate change takes a heavy toll on Africa, about two-thirds of the continent’s young people are pushing for bolder policy action or trying to reduce their own carbon footprint, a new survey has found. From locust infestations in the east to devastating droughts in the south, the impacts of climate change […]
Malaria deaths rise by 69,000 in 2020 due to COVID-19 disruptions, says WHO
Dakar, Senegal Reuters Healthcare disruptions linked to the coronavirus pandemic helped malaria kill 69,000 more people in 2020 than the previous year, but a worst-case scenario was averted, the World Health Organization said on Monday. In total over 627,000 people globally – most of them babies in the poorest parts of Africa – were killed […]