Kumbh Mela: how a superspreader festival seeded Covid across India
From across India, millions of Hindu pilgrims came to take a ritual dip in the Ganges, then returned home carrying Covid-19. Here are their stories
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Aakash Hassan in Delhi
On 12 April, as India registered another 169,000 new Covid-19 cases to overtake Brazil as the second-worst hit country, three million people gathered on the shores of the Ganges.
They were there, in the ancient city of Haridwar in the state of Uttarakhand, to take a ritual dip in the holy river. The bodies, squashed together in a pack of devotion and religious fervour, paid no visible heed to Covid protocols.
This was one of the holiest days of the Kumbh Mela, a festival that has become a highlight of the Hindu religious calendar and is known for drawing millions of pilgrims, seers, priests and tourists.
Lukashenko's RevengeHow Far Will the Belarusian Dictator Go in Hunting Down the Opposition?
The hijacking of a passenger plane shows the extremes to which Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is willing to go in his efforts to persecute his opponents abroad. Members of the opposition fear further shocking acts of repression.
By Giorgos Christides, Christian Esch, Christina Hebel, Katrin Kuntz und Alexander Sarovic
Two young people in their enemies' clutches. In two videos, each 30 seconds long, they introduce themselves and their offenses. Roman Protasevich, 26 years old, looks directly into the camera, speaking loudly and clearly. "I continue cooperating with investigators and am confessing to having organized mass unrest in the city of Minsk,” he says. His girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, 23, allows her gaze to wander around the room. She barely moves her lips. "I am also the editor of the Telegram channel Black Book of Belarus that published personal information about employees of the Interior Ministry,” she says.
These two young people are the spoils dictator Alexander Lukashenko can show following the forced rerouting of Ryanair Flight 4978 from Athens to Vilnius last Sunday. Lukashenko was willing to risk a worldwide outcry to get his hands on Protasevich and Sapega. Greece’s foreign minister called the incident an "act of state air piracy.” Poland’s prime minister decried what he called an "unprecedented act of state terrorism.” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, for his part, called for an independent international investigation.
Mali's new president and coup leader to attend regional ECOWAS summit
West African leaders will meet in Ghana on Sunday to discuss a response to Mali's second coup in nine months, with the new president Colonel Assimi Goita attending.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) invited Goita to come to Ghana's capital Accra for "consultations" ahead of an extraordinary summit on Sunday devoted to Mali, according to a letter from the 15-nation bloc seen by AFP.
He flew to Accra on Saturday, military and airport sources said.
Virus-weary South Koreans compete to be the best at doing nothing at all
By Min Joo Kim
Organisers of South Korea’s annual competition to be the best at doing nothing - seriously, nothing - needed just the right spot for the work-from-home parents, remote-learning students and others weary of the pandemic.
So what could be better than a “healing forest” on the southern island of Jeju? The woodlands are known as a site for other therapeutic programs.
Twenty-eight pandemic-battered competitors gathered under the leafy canopy on Thursday for the Space Out Competition. The premise is simply: zone out for 90 minutes, with the winner having the lowest and most stable heart rate. Spectators also cast votes for the top three who displayed the best zen. (A Jeju-based hair stylist, who barely moved during the 90 minutes, won.)
‘Wake up screaming’: Gaza’s children traumatised by Israeli war
Thousands of children in Gaza suffer from trauma in the aftermath of the 11-day Israeli onslaught on the besieged enclave.
As Gaza tries to recover from the deadly 11-day Israeli attack, mothers and mental health workers have raised concerns that the psychological effects of the violence will long linger among the children in the Strip.
Hala Shehada, a 28-year-old mother from northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun area, told Al Jazeera when the air strikes started hitting Gaza earlier this month she found herself reliving the tragic memories of the 2014 Israeli offensive as if it were “yesterday”.
French Open 2021: Naomi Osaka faces default from Grand Slam for refusing to speak to media
By Katie FalkinghamBBC Sport
World number two Naomi Osaka faces expulsion from the French Open if she continues to refuse to speak to the media, Grand Slam organisers said.
Japan's Osaka said last week she will not give any news conferences during the Grand Slam because she wants to protect her mental health.
She was fined $15,000 (£10,570) for not doing media after her first-round win against Romania's Patricia Maria Tig on Sunday.
The second seed won 6-4 7-6 (7-4).
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