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The day to share jokes, pull pranks and laugh generously, April Fools' Day, though an unofficial holiday, is widely popular across the world. You may not get a day off from work or school on this day, but it's the perfect opportunity to make the atmosphere light-hearted with jokes and hoaxes and even make peace with people you normally don't get along well with.  April Fools' Day is celebrated with much enthusiasm thanks to its widespread…

Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, is the Christian day to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus and His death at Calvary. This Christian holiday is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, and Black Friday. · For Christians, Good Friday is an important day of the year because it celebrates what we believe to be the most momentous weekend in the history of the world. Ever since Jesus died and was raised, Christians…

South Africa dodged a water disaster in 2018, providing lessons for cities facing similar crises. But copying everything from Cape Town would be a mistake. · In terms of navigating, not solving, a water crisis, South Africa's 2018 Day Zero is often viewed as a gold standard. Although many missteps brought Cape Town to the brink of a disaster, its residents became water-wise, technical fixes were put in place and Day Zero never came to pass. ·…

In a world over saturated with voices, anger offers a way of finally being heard, but is emotion overriding our will to fix the world’s problems? · As key elections play out across 2024, many in civic society will speak profoundly about the importance of institutions and how collectively, we the people, need to bolster them against the rising tide of populism and authoritarianism. · However, the same institutions that advocate for this appear…

The Maldives is a key player in the Indian Ocean, positioning itself to benefit from India and China’s rivalry. · India is about to start withdrawing its military personnel from the Maldives – 80 men in uniform who operate two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft that provide humanitarian and medical services in the Indian Ocean nation. · After years of close relations with India, the Maldives elected a new president, Mohamed Muizzu, last year.…

Incorporating a phase-change material into concrete, researchers have created a self-heating material that can melt snow and ice for up to 10 hours without using salt or shovels. The novel material could reduce the need for plowing and salting and help preserve the integrity of road surfaces. · According to the US Department of Transportation (DOT), more than 70% of roads are in snowy regions. Snow and ice accumulation reduces road friction and…

Nights of old: Four-poster is Britain's oldest bed slept in by 15 generations of same family · With an ornately-carved headboard, it has been the luxury resting place for residents of Berkeley Castle  · IF you’re looking for a good knight’s kip this 400-year-old bed ticks all the boxes. · The ancient four-poster has been slept in by FIFTEEN generations of the same aristocratic family. · And it is believed to be the oldest still in use in…

Whether you see AI as an incredible tool with massive benefits or a societal ill that only benefits massive tools, a powerful new chip can train them faster than ever. Cerebras Systems has unveiled the world’s fastest AI chip – the Wafer Scale Engine 3 (WSE-3), which powers the Cerebras CS-3 AI supercomputer with a peak performance of 125 petaFLOPS. And it’s scalable to an insane degree. · Before an AI system can churn out a cute-but-uncanny…

The Tower of London holds a principal place in the complex story of England's Medieval Jewish community. Medieval Jews sought refuge from anti-Jewish attacks at the Tower, but they also experienced it as a place of imprisonment, persecution, and execution. · Exciting recent research by Historic Royal Palaces has revealed the full extent to which Jews and Christians coexisted at the Tower of London. This research provides a more nuanced…

There is a new release on Netflix that I have seen the shorts for, about The Octopus and the death of investigative reporter Danny Casolaro.  · This is one of those 'suicides' that we just never believed in. Casolaro's 'suicide' joins the annals of the long list of suicides that are just too incredible to swallow, a few spring to mind - Rudolf Hess and Phil Schneider to name a few.  Or those whose names I forget who were close to / worked for…