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A child's tooth unearthed from a French cave has revealed the earliest evidence of humans -- Homo sapiens -- living in western Europe. The discovery of the molar from Grotte Mandrin, near Malataverne in the Rhône Valley in southern France, along with hundreds of stone tools dating back about 54,000 years ago, suggests that early humans lived in Europe about 10,000 years earlier than archaeologists had previously thought.

Source: cnn.com

Film star Angelina Jolie was back on Capitol Hill Wednesday pleading with US lawmakers to immediately pass measures to combat domestic violence. At a press briefing in the US Capitol, Jolie expressed support for renewing legislation that would provide victims of such abuse with medical and legal assistance, as well as support to children who have been exposed to violence in the home. "The ugly truth is that violence in homes is normalized in our country," said the filmmaker and Academy Award winning actress.

Source: france24.com

A billion-year-old black diamond, believed to be the world's largest cut diamond, has sold for £3.16m ($4.3m). Named The Enigma, the 555.55 carat gem, which weighs about the same as a banana, had been expected to fetch more than £4.4m in the online action. Auctioneer Sotheby's said "the buyer has opted to use cryptocurrency for the purchase." There are competing theories about the origins of the stone, including that it was carried to Earth by an asteroid.

Source: bbc.com

Gunmen have attacked Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah’s convoy in the capital, Tripoli, according to sources. The attack took place early on Thursday as the interim leader was returning home, the sources told Al Jazeera. One of the bullets penetrated the windscreen of the prime minister’s car, but he and his driver escaped unhurt.

 

A manhunt is under way in Pakistan for a faith healer who allegedly hammered a nail into a pregnant woman's head. The woman arrived at a hospital in Peshawar after trying to extract the 5cm nail with pliers. Initially, she told doctors that she had carried out the act herself, but later admitted a faith healer who had claimed he could guarantee she gave birth to a baby boy was responsible. The staff member at the Lady Reading Hospital added that the woman was mother to three daughters, and that her husband had threatened to leave her if she gave birth to another girl.

Source: bbc.com

In a stone classroom in rural Kenya's Rift Valley, Priscilla Sitienei, who turns 99 on Friday, takes notes alongside fellow pupils who are all more than eight decades younger than her. Dressed in the school uniform of grey dress and green sweater, Sitienei said she went back to class to set a good example for her great grandchildren and to pursue a new career. "I would like to become a doctor because I used to be a midwife," she told Reuters, adding that her children were supportive of her decision.

 

A Syrian soldier has been killed and five wounded in an Israeli attack near the capital, Damascus, Syrian state media said. The Israeli army acknowledged it struck Syrian facilities early on Wednesday using targeting aircraft, including “radar and anti-aircraft batteries”.

Source: aljazeera.com

Egypt’s president on Wednesday swore in the first-ever Coptic Christian to head the country’s highest court. Judge Boulos Fahmy is the 19th person to preside over the Supreme Constitutional Court since it was established in 1969. President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi picked the 65-year-old Fahmy from among the court’s five oldest of 15 sitting judges, as is prescribed by law.

Source: apnews.com

The death toll from Cyclone Batsirai, which left Madagascar on Monday morning, has risen to 30, according to an updated count from authorities, and could rise further as bodies continue to be found in the rubble of collapsed houses. On Wednesday morning, Madagascar's disaster management agency (BNGRC) announced that the number of dead on the Indian Ocean island had risen from 21 to 30 the previous evening. The BNGRC said that 94,000 people were victims of Batsirai with 60,000 now homeless.

Source: france24.com

China and South Korea have become embroiled in a cultural appropriation row after a woman appeared at the opening ceremony of the Beijing winter Olympics wearing traditional Korean dress. The Chinese embassy in Seoul defended the decision to include a participant wearing hanbok, describing her as a representative of the country’s dozens of ethnic groups. Her appearance sparked anger among many South Koreans, who denounced it as another attempt by China to claim parts of Korean culture – including its national dish, kimchi – as its own.

Source: theguardian.com

The young girl, named Narmada, had been playing on the banks of the Nakatiya river in Bareilly, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, with friends when the swarm of monkeys attacked her. As the group of children cried for help, local villagers rushed to the scene and  rescued the injured girl from the monkeys. The bleeding child, whose skin was ripped off by the monkeys and who had been 'bitten almost everywhere', was rushed to hospital where she died from her injuries.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

New Zealand has seen a second day of demonstrations against pandemic restrictions with protesters camping outside the nation's parliament. Inspired by large anti- vaccine rallies in Canada, hundreds of Kiwis arrived on Tuesday to stage new protests against vaccine mandates and other Covid rules. Protesters adopted the name "Convoy for Freedom" and blocked streets in the capital Wellington. But by Wednesday, their numbers had dwindled to the dozens.

Source: bbc.com

The halt is temporary — the Leiden plant is expected to start churning out the Covid vaccine again after a pause of a few months — and it is not clear whether it has had an impact on vaccine supplies yet, thanks to stockpiles. But over the next several months, the interruption has the potential to reduce the supply of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid vaccine by a few hundred million doses, according to one of the people familiar with the decision.

Source: nytimes.com

Israel launched strikes against targets in Syria early Wednesday, hitting anti-aircraft batteries in response to a missile fired from Syria, the military said. Sirens were sounded in the northern Israeli Arab city of Umm Al-Fahm after the Syrian missile launch but it exploded in mid-air, the Israel Defense Forces tweeted.

Source: france24.com

A Belarusian cross-country skier has fled the country with her family because of fears of reprisals by authorities after she was barred from competition over the family's political views, she and her father said. Darya Dolidovich and her family are now in Poland, where she hopes to continue training, Sergei Dolidovich, a seven-time Olympian cross-country skier who also coaches Darya, told Reuters in an interview by video call with his daughter on Tuesday.

 

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City's Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez and Kyle Walker would not be punished after video footage showed them on a night out, joking he should fine his players because he was not invited. The video, reportedly shot on Sunday, appears to show Grealish being refused entry to a Manchester venue before being led away.

Source: france24.com

Researchers were studying chimpanzees in the Loango National Park, Gabon. Suzee, an adult female, was seen inspecting an open wound on her son's foot. She then caught an unidentified insect and applied it three times to the cut. The team believe that the bugs may have sterilising or pain relieving properties.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

West Ham defender Kurt Zouma has apologised after a disturbing video surfaced online of him kicking and slapping a cat, with his club publicly condemning the footage and vowing to deal with the matter. Zouma is seen in the disturbing clip dropping, kicking and slapping the animal, while laughter can be heard in the background. The 27-year-old centre-back then chases the cat, before throwing a pair of shoes at it and slapping its head.

Source: independent.co.uk