At Stephen Hawking Funeral, Eddie Redmayne and Astronomer Royal Give Readings

WORLD NEWSLeave a comment

At Stephen Hawking Funeral, Eddie Redmayne and Astronomer Royal Give Readings Photo The coffin of Stephen Hawking arriving at St Mary the Great Church in Cambridge, England. Credit Joe Giddens/Press Association, via Associated Press LONDON — Hundreds of people lined the streets of the British city of Cambridge on Saturday, breaking into applause as the hearse carrying the remains of the famed scientist Stephen Hawking arrived at a local church for a private funeral for 500 invited guests.
Dr. Hawking died on March 14 at age 76 after capturing popular imagination with his writings about space and time.
Photo The actor Eddie Redmayne, who played Stephen Hawking in the 2014 film “The Theory of Everything,” gave a reading. Credit Joe Giddens/Press Association, via Associated Press His book “A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes,” published in 1988, has sold more than 10 million copies and inspired a documentary film by Errol Morris. His own story was the basis of an aw..

Pippa Middleton’s Father-in-Law Faces Rape Investigation in France

WORLD NEWSLeave a comment

Pippa Middleton’s Father-in-Law Faces Rape Investigation in France Photo David Matthews with his wife, Jane, at the wedding of their son James Matthews to Pippa Middleton, the sister of Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, in May. Credit Pool photo by Justin Tallis PARIS — A millionaire British hotel owner who is the father-in-law of Pippa Middleton, the sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, is under formal investigation in France over allegations that he raped an underage girl in the 1990s, a French judicial official said.
The businessman, David Matthews, an owner of the luxury resort Eden Rock, faces potential charges of “rape on a minor by a person with authority over the victim” for events said to have taken place in 1998 and 1999 and for which a complaint was filed last year, according to the official.
Mr. Matthews, 74, was questioned in Paris on Tuesday by police officers who specialize in crimes involving minors, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with depar..

‘2 Bitter Options’ for Syrians Trapped Between Assad and Extremists

WORLD NEWSLeave a comment

‘2 Bitter Options’ for Syrians Trapped Between Assad and Extremists Photo The Syrian government has been bombing Idlib Province, which has been a refuge for people fleeing the war. Credit Ahmed Rahhal/Anadolu Agency, via Getty Images BEIRUT, Lebanon — When pro-government forces retook her hometown from Syrian rebels, Nisrine accepted the same surrender deal the government has offered tens of thousands of Syrians: a one-way bus trip to a place she had never been — the northern, rebel-held province of Idlib.
Since Syria’s war began, the population of Idlib has doubled as it has taken in a motley mix of fleeing civilians, defeated rebels, hard-line jihadists and those like Nisrine who have packed up their families to ride the government surrender bus.
But as government forces wrap up a blistering campaign in eastern Ghouta, Idlib is likely to be the next target. And this time, there will be nowhere else to run.
“Maybe this is the last chapter of the revolution,” Nisrine, 36, an Arabic tea..

Denmark Gets Statue of a ‘Rebel Queen’ Who Led Fiery Revolt Against Colonialism

WORLD NEWSLeave a comment

Denmark Gets Statue of a ‘Rebel Queen’ Who Led Fiery Revolt Against Colonialism Photo The statue of Mary Thomas called “I Am Queen Mary” is the first public monument to a black woman in Denmark, according to the artists. Credit Nick Furbo COPENHAGEN — The statue of the woman is nearly 23 feet tall. Her head is wrapped and she stares straight ahead while sitting barefoot, but regally, in a wide-backed chair, clutching a torch in one hand and a tool used to cut sugar cane in the other.
In Denmark, where most of the public statues represent white men, two artists on Saturday unveiled the striking statute, portraying a 19th-century rebel queen who led a fiery revolt against Danish colonial rule in the Caribbean.
It’s being billed as Denmark’s first public monument to a black woman.
The sculpture was inspired by Mary Thomas, who with two other female leaders known as “Queens” unleashed an uprising in 1878 called the “Fireburn.” Fifty plantations and most of the town of Frederiksted on the w..