Residents of an Indian village have erected a shrine to “goddess corona” and are offering her prayers in a bid to beat the deadly virus. Devotees in Shuklapur village, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, have also been offering holy water, and flowers at the bright yellow shrine where they have placed their idol of “Corona Mata”. The numbers have dropped in the village and are now sharply lower than they were at the height of the pandemic.
Fishermen swallowed and spat out by whale
A lobster fisherman in the US says he was almost swallowed up by a humpback whale. Michael Packard escaped with severe bruising to his legs after being accidentally engulfed by the feeding humpback off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The 56-year-old was 45 feet (almost 14 metres) below the ocean’s surface when he suddenly “felt this huge bump and everything went dark”. He says he thought he was going to die before the whale spat him out.
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Ed Sheeran school video up for auction
A home video of a teenage Ed Sheeran singing in a school production of Grease is going up for auction. The two hours of footage shows Sheeran as a 15-year-old playing the character Roger or ‘Rump’. Auctioneer Paul Fairweather has high hopes for a significant sum. He said: “Over the last year or so we’ve seen an exponential increase in interest for memorabilia and collectables relating to contemporary artists, especially Ed Sheeran.”
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Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetimeFeature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
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Book reviews: ‘We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution’ and ‘Will There Ever Be Another You’Feature The many attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution and Patricia Lockwood’s struggle with long Covid
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Philadelphia’s Calder GardensFeature A permanent new museum
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Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
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Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
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'Axis of upheaval': will China summit cement new world order?Today's Big Question Xi calls on anti-US alliance to cooperate in new China-led global system – but fault lines remain
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A private zoo run by Asia's richest family is facing criticism and investigationsUnder the radar The zoo is owned by Anant Ambani, the son of Asia's richest person
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China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
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Delhi's dogs earn Supreme Court reprieveIN THE SPOTLIGHT After an outcry from the public and animal rights activists, India's Supreme Court walks back a controversial plan to round the city's stray dog population into shelters
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India's fake weddingsUnder The Radar New party trend promises all the fun of a wedding without any of the downsides
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How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
