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Independent Singapore
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Independent Singapore
'First dates without first-class prices: What did you do besides eat and caffeinate?'
SINGAPORE: When one Redditor turned to the internet for advice on arranging a budget-friendly first date in Singapore, he probably wasn't thinking of cemetery strolls and animal healing to come up, but these were exactly what came up. In a post that rapidly collected responses, the user wrote: 'Besides eating and coffee, what's the most fun first date that you had in Singapore? Looking for activities that preferably won't cost money or cost very little, and can get to know each other better. I can think of park/beach walks, but the weather recently is so unpredictable, either super-hot or super heavy rain.' The platform community didn't fail to surprise. A combination of romance, comicality, wit, and pragmatism poured in, depicting an astonishingly delightful image of what dating can look like on a shoestring budget in the Lion City. Talking life among the dead? One of the most eyebrow-raising recommendations was dull yet extraordinarily poetic: 'Go cemetery to talk about life.' While not the average rom-com situation, there's something irrefutably profound about contemplating one's existence while sauntering among gravestones. Scary and unnerving? Maybe. But unforgettable? Definitely. See also Age matters during CNY Culture, air-con, and free admission For those who wish their dates to be slightly more conservative (and less eerie), museums were the top suggestion. 'A museum date? Like the National Gallery or National Museum, which should be free for locals.' It's a win-win — good conversation starters, a break from the heat, and zero entrance fee for Singaporeans. Additionally, you get to amaze your date with art evaluations, or at least, your best effort at one. More than just monkeys Another happy-go-lucky response came from a user who advocated for the Singapore Zoo as an entertaining and guaranteed choice: 'I like zoo! Because 1) Talk about animals, 2) Talk about anything, 3) Walk non-stop, 4) If hate each other, can just look at animals.' It's an unexpectedly strategic idea—sufficient walking, natural chat starters, and an elegant way to sidestep awkward stillness. Worst case, you bond over a shared love for alligators. A perspective on dating itself Some users reflected on the character of first dates in general. 'It's not about what you do on a date, it's about the person you are with. Even the most boring activities can be enjoyable.' This is a reminder that connection outdoes location and it hit a nerve with many. After all, the most fruitful first dates often depend less on the plan and more on the person one is with. Coffee, but make it strategic Nonetheless, the tried-and-tested coffee date got its portion of love, specifically from users who see it as both low on pressure and logistically shrewd. 'First date should always be over coffee, get to know a person first. If it's good, go out on park walks. If it's bad, you can 'escape' easy.' With Singapore's café culture booming, it's hard to go wrong with this scenario. Sunsets and snacks on rooftops Then, some provided full-on date schedules, like this picturesque recommendation: 'Buy a few snacks and drinks from 7-11… Go to Esplanade rooftop or Marina Barrage at blue hour (usually 6–7:30 p.m.)… Should be quiet and comfortable enough for conversations.' See also Ageless beauty: 80-year-old shines in Miss Universe pageant A sunset, a view, and a mini picnic—all for the of a price of a Slurpee and a pack of Pocky? That's dating done right. So, whether you're scheduling a first date or just attempting to revive an old spark but have no intention of emptying your wallet, Singaporeans know how to take advantage of their city. From graveyards to towering rooftops, the message is strong — great dates don't have to come with a fee, just a little imagination and the right company.
Deccan Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
India-France cultural ties to inspire creativity, shared future
India and France share a "rich, growing partnership" spanning defence, climate action, AI, trade and a strong cultural bond, and the Indo-French ties will continue to inspire a "shared future", Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said on Monday. He said this on X after attending the French National Day celebrations in Delhi. "Gave me great joy to join the French National Day celebrations in Delhi today. Bastille Day's values of liberty, equality and fraternity resonate deeply in Bharat too. India and France share a rich, growing partnership spanning defence, climate action, AI, trade and a strong cultural bond," he said. In his post, he also shared some photos of the celebrations. "Happy to note France's support for the 'Yuge Yugeen Bharat' Museum, which will be the largest national museum in the world. As we look ahead to the 'Year of Innovation 2026', our cultural ties will continue to inspire creativity, understanding and a shared future. Vive la France, Jai Hind!," Shekhawat said. In December 2024, India's National Museum and France Muséums Développement signed an agreement under which the French agency will share modalities and best practices to transform the British-era North Block and South Block into a "global cultural landmark". The ambitious project has been dubbed the 'Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum'. The upcoming museum -- billed to be the largest in the world -- will have eight thematic segments telling the story of India spanning over 5,000 years.
Shafaq News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraq recovers six ancient tablets from Turkiye
Shafaq News – Baghdad On Monday, Iraq's Foreign Ministry announced the recovery of six ancient clay tablets from Turkiye, with plans to transfer them to the National Museum in Baghdad. In a statement, Ambassador Shorsh Khalid Saeed, the Undersecretary for Multilateral and Legal Affairs at the ministry, welcomed Turkiye's initiative, underlining the ongoing cooperation between the two countries in safeguarding cultural heritage and returning smuggled antiquities. He also added that once the necessary legal and technical procedures are finalized, the tablets will join the Iraqi National Museum's expanding collection, further illustrating the depth and continuity of Iraq's ancient civilizations. The Iraqi government continues working with Arab and international partners, including UNESCO and other regional and global organizations, as part of a national strategy to recover hundreds of antiquities taken over past decades and to protect cultural heritage.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Science
- The Guardian
‘It's always been some white dude': how Ethiopia became the world leader in uncovering the story of humankind
When Berhane Asfaw was in California beginning his graduate studies into the origins of humanity, he realised all the fossils he was examining had come, like himself, from Ethiopia. They had been shipped to the US to be researched and pieced together. Back then, in the early 1980s, the only Ethiopians working on archaeological digs in their own country were labourers, employed by foreigners. 'Because everything discovered in Ethiopia was exported, there was no chance for Ethiopians to study the items and develop expertise,' says Berhane, who returned home in the late 1980s as his country's first palaeoanthropologist – a scientist who studies human evolution. 'You can't train people if everything is taken to France, the US or Britain,' the 70-year-old says. With his American colleagues, Berhane clawed together funding to establish a laboratory at the National Museum of Ethiopia to clean fossils clogged with rock-hard bits of sediment, a painstaking process that can take years. The laboratory could also produce perfect replicas of specimens for foreign researchers to take home. 'Once we had the lab organised, there was no need to export fossils. We could do everything in-house,' says Berhane. Housed in an unremarkable grey office block in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, his lab is now home to the world's most extensive collection of the remains of modern humans' ancestors: about 1,600 fossils representing 13 of more than 20 confirmed species of early humans. They are stored in a series of bullet-proof safes. The oldest is of an ape-like creature called Ardipithecus kadabba that lived 6m years ago. The most recent, at 160,000-years-old, represents Homo sapiens, or modern humans, who evolved in east Africa before colonising the rest of the world. The discoveries led to Ethiopia being viewed as the cradle of mankind. 'The range is absolutely staggering. Ethiopia is the only place on Earth where you can find fossils stretching that far back to the present, without any gaps in the record,' says Berhane in his office. It is crammed with books, piles of papers and copies of hominin skulls; in one corner sits the huge, fossilised remains of a 400,000-year-old pair of buffalo horns. 'The history of all humanity is housed in this place,' he says. On the third floor of the building, a palaeontologist, Yared Assefa, lays several hominin fossils out on a conference table. They include 'Lucy', a 40% complete, 3.2m-year-old skeleton of a female hominin, whose discovery in Ethiopia's arid Afar region in 1974 was a global sensation. At the time, the Australopithecus afarensis skeleton represented the oldest human ancestor to be discovered by fossil hunters, and significantly advanced our understanding of humanity's evolutionary trajectory. Today, her 47 bones are neatly arranged in a series of wooden drawers. In the cavernous basement are kept the non-human fossils. The vast rows of filing cabinets contain everything from 3m-year-old chimpanzee teeth to fossilised frogs. The giant jaws and tusks of prehistoric elephants and hippos sit on low-slung trolleys. One of the earliest stone tools used by humans' ancestors lies in one drawer. It is 2.6m years old and was used for chopping. 'This is an amazing piece,' says a geologist, Gemechis Getaneh, holding it in his palm. 'All the technology we have today comes from this stone.' This vast collection has nurtured a generation of world-leading Ethiopian scholars. Their research has been crucial to shining a light on humanity's origins. Berhane, for example, is co-leader of the Middle Awash Project in the Afar region, which since the 1990s has discovered eight early humans, including one who lived 6m years ago. Sign up to Global Dispatch Get a different world view with a roundup of the best news, features and pictures, curated by our global development team after newsletter promotion In 2000, Zeresenay Alemseged, now a professor at the University of Chicago but who started out as a young geologist at the laboratory, unearthed 'Selam', the almost complete skeleton of a child who lived 3.3m years ago and the most complete remains of a human ancestor yet found. The early career of Yohannes Haile-Selassie, who heads the Institute for Human Origins at Arizona State University, also began here. While still a university student, Yohannes discovered two early hominins that pushed understanding of humanity's origins back beyond 5m years ago, challenging many assumptions about evolution. Yohannes lays out his fossil haul from a recent field trip on a table. He says the prominence of local scholars in the continent's paleoanthropological research is unique to Ethiopia. 'When you look at other African countries with rich fossil records – like Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa – you don't see the same level of participation, it's always some white dude,' says Yohannes. 'So Ethiopia takes the lead, and that is a great source of pride for us. The discoveries from the Middle Awash have literally rewritten the history of humanity.' Ethiopia's fossil riches stem from a geographic quirk. Its arid northern and southern regions were once full of rivers, lakes and forests – an environment of abundance, perfect for evolution. These areas sit in the Rift Valley, a great fissure where tectonic activity heaves layers of prehistoric sediment upwards. If they get lucky, fossil hunters can spot and collect specimens on the surface. If no one happens to be there when the fossils appear, they will weather away into dust. There are now more than 30 Ethiopian palaeoanthropologists at institutions around the world, says Yohannes. He is setting up an online master's course in the discipline and related subjects at five universities, in which Arizona State University professors will teach Ethiopian students. It is due to start next year. 'As palaeoanthropologists who live and work abroad, it is our personal responsibility to think about the next generation,' he says. 'We want to double, triple, the number of scholars.'
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Irish Times
As Europe risks fracturing, the message of St Columbanus needs to be heard again
Speaking during his weekly papal audience on June 11th, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI described St Columbanus as 'the best known Irishman of the early Middle Ages'. But it is in the interest of all ages that his life's work is known of now and is celebrated. Columbanus was the first to coin the phrase 'totius Europae' (of all Europe), which appeared in one of his letters written around 600 AD to Pope Gregory the Great, showing then that it was possible to be Irish, Frankish, Spanish or German while also sharing a common European identity. That a son of Carlow, our Columbanus, would have such vision and foresight more than 1,400 years ago is quite astonishing. And some fruits of this vision are apparent at an exhibition at the National Museum , Dublin, entitled, Words on the Wave: Ireland and St Gallen in Early Medieval Europe. READ MORE This remarkable showcase offers an opportunity to unravel the early medieval journeys of Columbanus, Gall and other monks who travelled to Europe, and to discover what inspired their journey and their mission through manuscripts and other memorabilia of the time. This exhibition is hosted as a collaboration between the National Museum, Switzerland's Stiftsbezirk St Gallen and the Abbey Library of St Gall. I had the pleasure of visiting the Abbey Library in July 2023 as part of the XXVI Columbanus Day when it was hosted in the Swiss city of St Gallen, and having a guided tour by the library's director Dr Cornel Dora. I remember being intrigued by these Irish manuscripts. I wondered at the genius of these saints, their gift with words and how these words have passed through the generations. I recall the glass cases that were home to gospel texts, Latin grammar books – with corrections by monks written in Irish along the margins – and parchments telling of celestial events observed by the monks, for instance a solar eclipse and the appearance of Halley's Comet as far back as the year 989. It was in Saint Gallen during the XXVI Columbanus Day celebrations that the Columban Charter of Partnership was signed by representatives from cultural, social and religious groups across the countries that make up the Columban Way today, a pathway that follows the footsteps of Columbanus and others. These countries include Ireland, Britain, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Italy. The charter is an agreement to develop pilgrim routes, trails and circuits to map out the entire Columban Way and to develop religious and cultural tourism. The annual Columbanus Day celebrations are one such way of giving life to this partnership and promoting the ideals Columbanus expressed in his letters and sermons; ideals that speak to the issues of the environment, climate change and interfaith dialogue. It is a privilege for Carlow, and for the diocese of Kildare & Leighlin, to host this year's celebrations, the XXVI iteration, which concludes today. In a Europe that risks more fracturing at this time, with hostilities on so many fronts and a much more polarised polemic, the message of Columbanus needs to be heard once again. This year's Columbanus celebrations have welcomed pilgrims attending from all over Ireland and throughout Europe. It was uplifting to hear of Ireland's contribution to the birth of Europe from Dáibhí Ó Cróinín of the University of Galway as well as witness the launch of an exhibition supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs themed Ireland and the Birth of was complemented by a symposium on creation, taking inspiration from the first sermon of Columbanus: if you want to know the creator, understand creation. An ecumenical evensong in the Adelaide Memorial Church in Myshall, Co Carlow, in the presence of the relic of St Columbanus, took place in advance of a pilgrim procession with the relic to the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Myshall, appropriately reflecting the collaborative character of Columbanus. This spirit of walking together was also captured in our 9km pilgrimage of the Columban Way, from Columbanus' Cairn on the Nine Stones to the village of Myshall, his reputed place of birth. This wonderful collective undertaking was underscored by former president Mary McAleese , who spoke on Columbanus, the Man from Myshall, followed by a concert in Carlow Cathedral. A Mass in Carlow Cathedral to honour the XXVI Columbanus Day concluded the 2025 European gathering. Pope Leo XIV , in a message for our XXVI Columbanus Day celebrations in Carlow, reminded participants that St Columbanus can 'still teach our world today about how love of God and neighbour requires us to care for creation and to cultivate our souls in the theological virtues, for every aspect of our world reflects in some way the grandeur and goodness of its divine maker'. This is another way of saying that the message of St Columbanus is as relevant in 2025 as it was 14 centuries ago. Is Columbanus as well-known as he should be? We need to reintroduce this European giant of the Middle Ages again to the place where he was born, to the area where he was raised and to the people he left behind. Without Myshall, the birthplace of Columbanus, there would be no Saint Gallen, Luxeuil or Bobbio – key places associated with the missionary – and the totius Europae vision may never have crystallised. Most Rev Denis Nulty is Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin
