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Athens revives 2,000-year-old aqueduct to combat water shortage

Athens revives 2,000-year-old aqueduct to combat water shortage

In a suburban area of Athens, the capital of Greece, workers are repairing a pump. The pump is connected to an ancient stone well that accesses an aqueduct built almost 2,000 years ago.
Officials are using European Union money to restore access to Hadrian's Aqueduct. It is a 24km underground channel named after the Roman emperor, who funded its construction in the year 140.
Experts have hailed it as an 'engineering marvel'.
Last year, public utility company Eydap repeatedly warned Athenians to save drinking water as reserves shrank. The Greek capital has been battling soaring temperatures and creaking infrastructure.
Katerina Apostolopoulou, who manages the project at Eydap, said the water from the aqueduct would not be of drinking quality. Instead, it would be used 'to clean or to irrigate parks and gardens' in the summer.
Answer: to help Athens deal with a water shortage

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Foreign diplomatic missions in Hong Kong mourn Tiananmen crackdown with social media posts
Foreign diplomatic missions in Hong Kong mourn Tiananmen crackdown with social media posts

HKFP

time3 days ago

  • HKFP

Foreign diplomatic missions in Hong Kong mourn Tiananmen crackdown with social media posts

Four diplomatic missions in Hong Kong – the consulates general of Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US – have taken to social media to commemorate the 36th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown in Beijing. The US, Canadian, and Australian consulates general shared photos of candles on Facebook on Wednesday. In a caption accompanying the photo, the Australian mission wrote: 'On this day, we join communities around the world to remember the loss of life at Tiananmen Square on 4 June 1989.' It added: 'Australia remains committed to protecting and supporting human rights – including freedom of association, freedom of expression and freedom of political participation.' The Canadian consulate wrote: 'We won't forget #June4,1989: the tragic date when peaceful demonstrators were violently suppressed in and around Beijing's #TiananmenSquare. Canada joins Hong Kong and the international community in solemn remembrance.' The US mission also shared a statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying that 'the world will never forget' the crackdown, although Beijing 'actively tries to censor the facts.' Meanwhile, the UK consulate general posted a black-and-white photo showing an empty chair, the Roman numerals 'VIIV' – an apparent reference to June 4, the date of the 1989 crackdown, and a Chinese phrase: 'Don't want to remember; don't dare to forget.' The phrase is a slogan chanted during Hong Kong's annual Tiananmen candlelight vigils before they were banned in 2020. Vigils banned The Tiananmen crackdown occurred on June 4, 1989, ending months of student-led demonstrations in China. It is estimated that hundreds, perhaps thousands, died when the People's Liberation Army cracked down on protesters in Beijing. Hong Kong used to be the only place on Chinese soil – besides Macau – where commemoration of the crackdown could be held in public. Tens of thousands of residents gathered annually in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay for candlelight vigils on June 4 every year to mourn the victims. But authorities banned the Tiananmen vigil gathering at Victoria Park for the first time in 2020, citing Covid-19 restrictions, and imposed the ban again in 2021, nearly a year after a national security law imposed by Beijing came into effect. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organised the vigils, disbanded in September 2021 after several of its members were arrested. With public commemoration of the crackdown becoming rare, some foreign consulates in the city continue to remember the event openly. For the third year, a days-long patriotic food carnival organised by pro-Beijing groups is being held in Victoria Park on the crackdown anniversary day. A heavy police presence can be spotted patrolling the park, the former site of the candelight vigils, on Wednesday. Detained barrister-activist Chow Hang-tung, formerly vice chairperson of the Alliance, said in a social media post on Sunday that she would launch a 36-hour hunger strike in prison to mark the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown. Chow, two former Alliance chairpersons, and the Alliance itself stand accused of subversion under the Beijing-imposed national security law. They face life behind bars if convicted.

Vatican unveils details of Pope Francis's marble tomb
Vatican unveils details of Pope Francis's marble tomb

South China Morning Post

time24-04-2025

  • South China Morning Post

Vatican unveils details of Pope Francis's marble tomb

A simple, marble tomb nestled in a niche of a Roman basilica beloved by Pope Francis will mark the pontiff's last resting place, the Vatican said on Thursday, releasing an image of the project. Advertisement The tombstone will bear only the inscription 'Franciscus' – the pope's name in Latin – and its marble will be sourced from Liguria, the northwestern Italian region that was once home to the Argentinian pontiff's Italian ancestors. A reproduction of the pectoral cross worn by Francis during his lifetime will hang above it. The tomb will be located near the altar of Saint Francis in the side nave of Santa Maria Maggiore, a fifth-century church in the heart of Rome that already holds the tombs of seven popes, the Vatican said. Francis was devoted to the worship of the Virgin Mary and made a point of praying in Santa Maria Maggiore before leaving on trips abroad and upon his return to Rome. A handout image shows the project of the tomb of late Pope Francis in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Italy, on Thursday. Photo: Holy See Press Office via EPA-EFE The pope declared in 2023 his desire to be entombed in the basilica.

What happens after a pope dies? Explaining the rites, rituals, funeral and burial
What happens after a pope dies? Explaining the rites, rituals, funeral and burial

South China Morning Post

time23-04-2025

  • South China Morning Post

What happens after a pope dies? Explaining the rites, rituals, funeral and burial

Well before the conclave to elect a successor, the death of a pope sets off a series of carefully orchestrated rites and rituals, including the certification of death, public display of his body for the faithful to pay their respects, and a funeral and burial. Pope Francis, who died on Monday, revised various rites last year, simplifying the funeral rituals to emphasise his role as a mere bishop and allowing for burial outside the Vatican in keeping with his wishes. But the core elements remain, including the three key moments that must be observed between the death of a pope and his burial. Pope Francis dies at 88: first Latin American pope advocated for peace and compassion Why were changes to the funeral rites necessary? While it is common for popes to adjust the rules regulating the conclave that elects their successor, there had not been a revision of the papal funeral rites since 2000. The changes became necessary when Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI died on December 31, 2022, and the Vatican had to work out a funeral for the first retired pope in 600 years. A few months later, Francis revealed he was working with the Vatican's master of liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, to overhaul and simplify the entire book of rites. Explaining the reforms, Ravelli said the changes aimed 'to emphasise even more that the Roman Pontiff's funeral is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful man of this world'. The three main stations – or moments – occur first in his home, then in St Peter's Basilica and finally in the burial place. The reform allows the formal confirmation of death to occur in Francis' personal chapel rather than his bedroom. The change may be due to practicality: Francis chose to live in a small suite in the Vatican's Santa Marta hotel rather than the Apostolic Palace and has a personal chapel at Santa Marta. A woman sits in St Peter's Square as people wait to pay their respects to the late Pope Francis. Photo: AP The declaration of death Upon the pope's death, the head of the Vatican health service examines the body, establishes the cause of death and writes a report. The body is dressed in white and rests in the pope's personal chapel for the ritual pronouncement of death, presided over by the camerlengo, the Vatican official who runs the Holy See administration between the death or resignation of one pope and the election of another. The camerlengo is American Cardinal Kevin Farrell, one of Francis' most trusted aides. The rite no longer requires the body to be placed in the traditional three coffins made of cypress, lead and oak. Now, the pope's body is placed in a wooden coffin with a zinc coffin inside. The pope is dressed in red liturgical vestments, his mitre – the traditional headdress of bishops – and the pallium woollen stole, a kind of scarf. The Pasqual candle, a large, decorated candle used at Easter, is placed nearby. The camerlengo drafts the formal declaration of death, attaching the certificate prepared by the health service chief. The master of liturgical celebrations, Ravelli, then decides when other faithful can pay their respects before the coffin is moved to St Peter's Basilica for public viewing. January 2023: Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, pays tribute to recently-deceased pope emeritus Benedict In the basilica When the body is brought into the basilica, the Litany of Saints chant is sung. The camerlengo leads the procession. Instead of placing the pope's body on an elevated moving frame, the simplified wooden coffin will face the pews, with the Pasqual candle nearby. The sealing of the coffin The night before the funeral, the camerlengo presides over the closing and sealing of the coffin in the presence of other senior cardinals. A white cloth is placed over the pope's face. A bag containing coins minted during his papacy is placed in the coffin along with a one-page written account of his papacy – known in Italian as a rogito, an official deed. It is read aloud by the master of liturgical ceremonies and then rolled up and slipped inside a cylindrical tube placed inside the coffin. Another copy is kept in the Vatican archives. The covers of both the zinc coffin and the wooden one bear a cross and the papal coat of arms. Francis' coat of arms, which he kept from when he was bishop, features a shield and the monogram of his Jesuit order, with the words miserando atque eligendo, Latin for 'Having had mercy, he called him'. It comes from an episode in the Gospel where Christ picks a seemingly unworthy person to follow him. Faithful and well-wishers will be able to pay their respects to the spiritual leader, who died on 21 April 2025, aged 88, until his funeral on 26 April. Photo: EPA-EFE The funeral and burial The funeral is presided over by the dean of the College of Cardinals or, if that is not possible, by the vice dean or another senior cardinal. Various seals are impressed on the coffin before it is placed inside the tomb. Francis' reform allows for burial outside the Vatican and he had said he wants to be buried in the St Mary Major Basilica across town. His choice reflects his veneration of an icon of the Virgin Mary that is located there.

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