KOLKATA — “Sesame Street,” the popular American TV show, has introduced two new Muppets to help educate and relieve the childhood trauma of Rohingya children living in Cox’s Baazar, the world’s largest refugee settlement, in Bangladesh. Noor and Aziz, two 6-year-twin Muppets, will appear in educational videos for the children. More than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled a vicious army crackdown in Myanmar since 2017, and half of those in the refugee camp are children. “Noor and Aziz are at the heart of our efforts to bring early education and learning through games to children and caregivers affected by the…
Author: zenger.news
NEW DELHI — An Indian army captain and two others have been charged in the abduction and killing of three laborers in the conflict-torn Kashmir valley, five months after the incident sparked outrage in the region. Authorities say weapons were planted on the victims to make it look like they were militants in the insurgency in the region. Imtiyaz Ahmed, 18, Abrar Ahmed, 25, and Mohammed Abrar, 16, were killed in July in Amshipora village of south Kashmir’s Shopian district. Army officials initially said three “unidentified” militants were killed in a gunfight. Families of the three men in the remote…
ZAPOTE, Costa Rica — The Costa Rican town of Zapote, in the San José Canton, celebrates the end of the year with a folk festival dedicated to Saint Joseph. It spans from December 25-January 5. Issues surrounding COVID-19 may curtail festivities this year. But traditionally, Costa Rican students are on vacation and attend the event by the hundreds. The festival’s inception happened shortly after Costa Rica’s declaration of independence in 1821. A law enacted in 1824 allowed its four main cities — Cartago, San José, Alajuela, and Heredia — to hold their patron saints’ celebrations. Zapote’s festival is a consequence…
Those hoping for a lucky new year, may want to stock up on either red or yellow underwear. The origins of many holiday traditions have been lost over time, including the habit of wearing underwear of a specific color to attract positive energies on New Year’s Eve. A fun and unique tradition Many think this tradition is of Latin American origin, yet countries such as Spain and Italy also practice it. People all over the world see New Year’s Eve as the end of a chapter and believe starting the new cycle with a focused mind and heart will bring…
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK — A multiple world record-holder freediver has achieved multiple goals while setting another world record. The 47-year-old Danish freediver, Stig Severinsen, last month broke the world record for the longest longitudinal dive in one breath in open water, swimming a symbolic 202.0 meters (663 feet) underwater. He has also succeeded in promoting the cause of the environment while giving a message to the world that people should not get stressed due to disproportionate fears caused during the pandemic. In doing so, he broke the existing Guinness World Records listing by 25 meters (882 feet), the length of a standard swimming pool. The…
CARAS-SEVERIN, Romania — A rare white wild boar, once the official emblem of England’s King Richard III, has been captured on film. Surveillance cameras mounted in a protected area caught the white wild boar in a forest in south-western Romania’s Caras-Severin county in mid-November. The albino boar eats with other wild boars, a sign it is part of a family group. The Wild Caras-Severin preserve posted the video. The animal is a cross between the domestic pig and the wild boar, and it’s more typically seen in Hungary. Wild Caras-Severin wrote alongside the footage: “Dear friends, as we told you on…
MADRID, SPAIN — A 104-year-old woman became Spain’s latest centenarian to survive COVID-19 after doctors declared her fit after recovering from the coronavirus recently. The elderly patient was identified as Elena and released from Madrid’s Hospital Universitario Gregorio Maranon. She was suffering from fever and fatigue symptoms when brought to the hospital. Elena, who stays alone in Madrid, was greeted with a standing ovation from the hospital staff when she left the premises. She was the oldest patient to be treated at the hospital and the second oldest in Spain. Earlier, Maria Branyas — who is 113-years-old — had beaten…
MANNHEIM, Germany — Researchers in Germany have unearthed new secrets about three Egyptian mummies using CT scans. In studying the mummies, scientists discovered they were buried with money, jewelry and their internal organs intact. The coins are believed to be payment to the Greco-Roman ferryman Charon for transporting their souls across the River Styx. The study’s findings were released mid-November. Stephanie Zesch, lead researcher of an international team of experts, said the three mummies found in a rock-cut tomb were unique. They are the only ones from the necropolis of Saqqara near Memphis, 15 miles south of Cairo, which are preserved…
MOSCOW — A puppy with five paws has been born in the Aleksandrovsky Zavod village of Russia’s Transbaikal region. Veterinary officials from the same part of the region confirmed the incident. The fifth paw of the black puppy starts at the knee joint and can move independently of the other. The additional paw makes it difficult to walk but it still manages, said the officials. The puppy has been named Kid by the owner Tatiana Terentyeva, who noticed the extra paw a few days after his birth. “Despite the extra paw, he is very active, smart, and loving. I treat…
VERACRUZ, Mexico — For Jarochos, the people of Veracruz, Mexico, it is essential to celebrate the new year’s arrival with family and friends. Due to the pandemic, the yearly ritual of visiting with friends at the terraces of the main square’s restaurants may not happen. Given COVID-19 restrictions on crowds and social distancing, large gatherings are a health concern. In the past, the tradition has helped Jarochos build a cohesive community. Every December 31, hundreds of parishioners gather at the restaurants’ terraces, waiting for a moment to greet and hug each other before the year ends. People begin showing up…