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Vietnamese Entrepreneur Develops Rice ATM to Help People amid Pandemic

People get rice from a 24/7 automatic rice dispensing machine, ‘Rice ATM’, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. Reuters
People get rice from a 24/7 automatic rice dispensing machine, ‘Rice ATM’, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. Reuters
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Vietnamese Entrepreneur Develops Rice ATM to Help People amid Pandemic

People get rice from a 24/7 automatic rice dispensing machine, ‘Rice ATM’, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. Reuters
People get rice from a 24/7 automatic rice dispensing machine, ‘Rice ATM’, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. Reuters

A Vietnamese entrepreneur in Ho Chi Minh City has invented a 24/7 automatic dispensing machine providing free rice for people out of work following an ongoing nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

According to Reuters, Vietnam has reported no deaths so far, but as a result of a 15-day social distancing program that began on March 31 many small businesses have been shuttered and thousands of people temporarily laid off from work.

Nguyen Thi Ly's husband was among those who have lost their job. "This rice ATM has been helpful. With this one bag of rice, we can have enough for one day. Now, we only need other food. Our neighbors sometimes gave us some leftover food," said the 34-year-old mother of three children.

The machine distributes a 1.5kg bagful of rice from a small silo to waiting workers, many of whom are street sellers or people who earned a living from cash-in-hand jobs. Hoang Tuan Anh, the businessman behind the idea, had initially donated a batch of smart doorbells to hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City before turning his technological expertise to food distribution.

Similar "rice ATMs" have been set up in other big cities like Hanoi, Hue and Danang, according to state media. Anh told state media he wanted people to feel they still had access to food and resources, despite the current economic difficulties they found themselves in.

"I read about this rice ATM on the internet. I came to check it out, and couldn't believe it came out for real. I really hope the sponsors would keep doing this until the end of the pandemic," said Ly, adding that her family's biggest problem was now paying their rent.

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Varieties

Film AlUla Expands Visual Production in the Region

Kandahar film marks the first major Hollywood production in the region (Film AlUla)
Kandahar film marks the first major Hollywood production in the region (Film AlUla)
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Film AlUla Expands Visual Production in the Region

Kandahar film marks the first major Hollywood production in the region (Film AlUla)
Kandahar film marks the first major Hollywood production in the region (Film AlUla)

The Royal Commission for Saudi Arabia’s AlUla Province is actively seeking to attract major global production companies to film in its territories.

This effort is being carried out through the agency of Film AlUla, established in 2020, which has been entrusted with the task of promoting local, regional, and international film and television productions in the region, as well as providing support.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Executive Director of Film AlUla Charlene Deleon-Jones emphasized that the goal is to establish a significant gateway and destination in AlUla for talented and ambitious filmmakers and producers.

Furthermore, there are plans underway to soon open a state-of-the-art production facility that offers comprehensive services, including a 30,000 square foot filming location.

Deleon-Jones pointed out that the agency has so far hosted 694 days of production for a number of films.

Among them are the action film “Kandahar,” starring Gerard Butler, and the drama film “Karaz,” directed by the Russo brothers and featuring Tom Holland.

Additionally, there is “Nora,” a film by Saudi director Tawfiq Al Zaidi, which is the first Saudi narrative film shot in the province with a team of Saudi actors, with over 40% of the crew being local talents from the kingdom.

Regarding television productions filmed in AlUla, they include the British series “Expedition” featuring Steve Backshall, as well as National Geographic documentaries.

Additionally, commercial advertisements, promotional presentations, photo shoots, and short films have also been produced in the region.

Deleon-Jones further added that work is underway on more international productions, including significant films from Hollywood, Bollywood, and South Korea, which will be announced within the next two months.

Regarding Film AlUla’s strategy to attract filmmakers to the region, the executive director affirmed that the agency continues to work on developing an attractive and supportive environment for film production, backed by strong infrastructure, high-quality services, and other encouraging factors.

Deleon-Jones also noted that the film industry is an investment and commitment, so the agency strives to give all diverse stories and narratives a fair chance to come to fruition in AlUla.

Furthermore, she revealed that the agency offers a 40% cash rebate as an incentive for all types of productions in AlUla, along with providing comprehensive logistical support.

Deleon-Jones mentioned that production works that employ talents and workforce from Saudi Arabia, showcasing the culture, history, and natural beauty of AlUla can also benefit from in-kind incentives, as well as financial support by covering travel and accommodation expenses.

Regarding logistics, Deleon-Jones confirmed that Film AlUla has a team of experts on the ground who can be contacted at any time to support production operations.

The team provides assistance in identifying and resolving issues, from the pre-production stage to delivery.

They also help with obtaining the cash rebate, as well as handling other administrative tasks such as production regulations, customs clearance, visa applications, filming permits, location selection, and talent recruitment.

Deleon-Jones touched upon infrastructure and revealed the nearing completion of the first phase of constructing a state-of-the-art production facility that offers comprehensive services.

This facility includes a 30,000 square foot soundstage equipped with advanced audio equipment, an outdoor filming location, production support buildings, workshops, warehouses, a recording studio, training and rehearsal spaces, a cafeteria, event space, and an administrative building.

The filming area will be located just 14 minutes away from the accommodation buildings of Film AlUla, with a dedicated team of professionals.

Accommodation options include 300 high-quality residential units and fully furnished living spaces, with private office areas for short and long-term stays specifically designed for film productions.

Additionally, there will be a selection of upscale hotels and mid-range accommodation options available.

Varieties

40 Days Alone...4 Siblings Found Alive After Surviving Amazon Plane Crash

In this photo released by Colombia's Armed Forces Press Office, soldiers and Indigenous men pose for a photo with the four Indigenous brothers who were missing after a deadly plane crash, in the Solano jungle, Caqueta state, Colombia, Friday, June 9, 2023. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Friday that authorities found alive the four children who survived a small plane crash 40 days ago and had been the subject of an intense search in the Amazon jungle. (Colombia's Armed Force Press Office via AP)
In this photo released by Colombia's Armed Forces Press Office, soldiers and Indigenous men pose for a photo with the four Indigenous brothers who were missing after a deadly plane crash, in the Solano jungle, Caqueta state, Colombia, Friday, June 9, 2023. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Friday that authorities found alive the four children who survived a small plane crash 40 days ago and had been the subject of an intense search in the Amazon jungle. (Colombia's Armed Force Press Office via AP)
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40 Days Alone...4 Siblings Found Alive After Surviving Amazon Plane Crash

In this photo released by Colombia's Armed Forces Press Office, soldiers and Indigenous men pose for a photo with the four Indigenous brothers who were missing after a deadly plane crash, in the Solano jungle, Caqueta state, Colombia, Friday, June 9, 2023. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Friday that authorities found alive the four children who survived a small plane crash 40 days ago and had been the subject of an intense search in the Amazon jungle. (Colombia's Armed Force Press Office via AP)
In this photo released by Colombia's Armed Forces Press Office, soldiers and Indigenous men pose for a photo with the four Indigenous brothers who were missing after a deadly plane crash, in the Solano jungle, Caqueta state, Colombia, Friday, June 9, 2023. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Friday that authorities found alive the four children who survived a small plane crash 40 days ago and had been the subject of an intense search in the Amazon jungle. (Colombia's Armed Force Press Office via AP)

Four Indigenous children survived an Amazon plane crash that killed three adults and then wandered on their own in the jungle for 40 days before being found alive by Colombian soldiers.

The announcement of their rescue on Friday brought a happy ending to a saga that had captivated many Colombians, a watch with highs and lows as searchers frantically combed through the rainforest hunting for the youngsters.

President Gustavo Petro celebrated the news upon returning from Cuba, where he signed a cease-fire with representatives of the National Liberation Army rebel group. He said he hoped to talk with them Saturday, and officials said late Friday that the youngsters were being brought to Bogota to be checked at a hospital.

An air force video showed a helicopter using lines to pull the youngsters up because it couldn´t land in the dense rainforest where they were found. The craft flew off in the fading light, the air force said it was going to San Jose del Guaviare, a small town on the edge of the jungle.

No details were released on how the four siblings aged 13, 9, 4 and 11 months managed to survive on their own for so long, though they belong to an Indigenous group that lives in the remote region.

The military tweeted pictures showing a group of soldiers and volunteers posing with the children, who were wrapped in thermal blankets. One of the soldiers held a bottle to the smallest child´s lips.

The crash happened in the early hours of May 1, when the Cessna single-engine propeller plane with six passengers and a pilot declared an emergency due to an engine failure, The Associated Press reported.

The small aircraft fell off radar a short time later and a frantic search for survivors began. Two weeks after the crash, on May 16, a search team found the plane in a thick patch of the rainforest and recovered the bodies of the three adults on board, but the small children were nowhere to be found.

Sensing that they could be alive, Colombia´s army stepped up the hunt and flew 150 soldiers with dogs into the area. Dozens of volunteers from Indigenous tribes also helped search.

During the search, in an area where visibility is greatly limited by mist and thick folliage, soldiers on helicopters dropped boxes of food into the jungle, hoping that it would help sustain the children. Planes flying over the jungle fired flares to help search crews on the ground at night, and rescuers used speakers that blasted a message recorded by the siblings´ grandmother, telling them to stay in one place.

Rumors also emerged about the childrens' wheareabouts and on May 18 the president tweeted that the children had been found. He then deleted the message, claiming he had been misinformed by a government agency.

The group of four children were travelling with their mother from the Amazonian village of Araracuara to San Jose del Guaviare when the plane crashed.

They are members of the Huitoto people, and officials said the oldest children in the group had some knowledge of how to survive in the rainforest.

On Friday, after confirming the children had been rescued, the president said that for a while he had believed the children were rescued by one of the nomadic tribes that still roam the remote swath of the jungle where the plane fell and have little contact with authorities.

But Petro added that the children were first found by one of the rescue dogs that soldiers took into the jungle.

Officials did not say how far the children were from the crash site when they were found. But the teams had been searching within a 4.5-kilometer (nearly 3-mile) radius from the site where the small plane nosedived into the forest floor.

As the search progressed, soldiers found small clues in the jungle that led them to believe the children were still living, including a pair of footprints, a baby bottle, diapers and pieces of fruit that looked like it had been bitten by humans.

"The jungle saved them" Petro said. "They are children of the jungle, and now they are also children of Colombia."

Petro called them an "example of survival" and predicted their saga "will remain in history."

Varieties

Norwegian Climber Hopes to Become World's Fastest to All 14 Tallest Peaks

Norwegian climber Kristin Harila, 37, arrives after summiting Annapurna in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, June 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Norwegian climber Kristin Harila, 37, arrives after summiting Annapurna in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, June 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
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Norwegian Climber Hopes to Become World's Fastest to All 14 Tallest Peaks

Norwegian climber Kristin Harila, 37, arrives after summiting Annapurna in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, June 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Norwegian climber Kristin Harila, 37, arrives after summiting Annapurna in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, June 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A Norwegian woman climbed Mount Manaslu in Nepal on Saturday, her ninth highest mountain in 45 days, a hiking official said and was on track to become the fastest mountaineer to climb the world’s 14 tallest peaks in three months.
Kristin Harila, 37, scaled Manaslu, the world’s eighth highest at 8,163 metres (26,781 feet) in west Nepal with Tenjen (Lama) Sherpa and five other guides before dawn.
She climbed Shishapangma in Tibet region of China on April 26 and has completed Dhaulagiri, Kanchenjunga, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu and Annapurna in Nepal since then.
She will now head off to Pakistan to climb Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, K2, and the Broad Peak, local sponsors said.
"She is now descending from the summit and will leave for Pakistan with Tenjen, who has been with her on all nine climbs," Tashi Lakpa Sherpa of the Seven Summit Treks company, which is providing her logiscis, told Reuters.
Harila hopes to finish climbing all 14 peaks taller than 8,000 metres (26,246 feet) by sometime in July and if successful she would set the fastest climber record by beating Nirmal Purja from Nepal who completed all these peaks in six months and one week in 2019.
"That is the target and I think I can do it," she told Reuters in May in Kathmandu.
With Manaslu, her "quest for the 14 summits enters a new phase", a post in her website said.

Varieties

Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau Volcano Erupts Twice, Spewing Big Ash Cloud 

Anak Krakatau volcano erupting in the Sunda Straits. (AFP file photo)
Anak Krakatau volcano erupting in the Sunda Straits. (AFP file photo)
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Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau Volcano Erupts Twice, Spewing Big Ash Cloud 

Anak Krakatau volcano erupting in the Sunda Straits. (AFP file photo)
Anak Krakatau volcano erupting in the Sunda Straits. (AFP file photo)

Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano erupted twice in just over one hour on Friday, spewing volcanic ash as high as 3,000 meters (9,843 ft) into the air, according to country's volcanology agency.

The volcano erupted at 7.46 a.m. (0046 GMT) local time on Friday then again 62 minutes later. Time-lapse images shared by the agency showed the widening of a large cloud that was billowing from the volcano and moving southwest.

The 157 meter (515.09 ft) high Anak Krakatau, located in Indonesia's Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra islands, has erupted more than 10 times since March this year. The nearest settlement to the volcano is 16.5 km (10.25 miles) away.

Authorities have issued the second-highest alert level, Oktory Prambada, an official at the volcanology and geological agency told Reuters, adding there had been no evacuation order but tourists and residents were advised not to approach or climb the volcano.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and has 127 active volcanoes, according to the volcanology agency.

A December 2018 eruption of Anak Krakatau triggered an underwater landslide that set off a tsunami in Banten, West Java province and Lampung province that killed at least 430 people.

As of Friday, four Indonesian volcanoes were at the second-highest alert level, including Anak Krakatau, Merapi in Central Java, Semeru in East Java, and Karangetang in North Sulawesi.

Anak Krakatau, or the child of Krakatau, emerged from Krakatau volcano, which famously erupted in 1883 and killed more than 36,000 people in a series of tsunamis.

Varieties

Thousands Evacuated in China’s Tianjin After Cracks Appear Near High-Rises 

A general view of Tianjin, China, September 7, 2021. Picture taken September 7, 2021. (Reuters)
A general view of Tianjin, China, September 7, 2021. Picture taken September 7, 2021. (Reuters)
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Thousands Evacuated in China’s Tianjin After Cracks Appear Near High-Rises 

A general view of Tianjin, China, September 7, 2021. Picture taken September 7, 2021. (Reuters)
A general view of Tianjin, China, September 7, 2021. Picture taken September 7, 2021. (Reuters)

Thousands of people were evacuated from several high-rise apartment buildings in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin in recent days after land collapses created large cracks on nearby streets, according to state media and the local government.

Large fissures appeared on roads near a residential complex in Tianjin's Jinnan district and geological experts said they were likely caused by underground cavities below a depth of 1,300 m (4,270 feet), the Tianjin government said on Thursday on social media.

As of June 3, a total of 3,899 residents from at least three 25-storey high-rise buildings were evacuated to nearby hotels, state-backed Global Times quoted the district government as saying.

The Tianjin government called the incident a "sudden geological disaster" following preliminary information from geological experts and several government departments after they did surveying, mapping and monitoring at the site.

"The situation is very rare," according to an expert questioned about the incident at the Tianjin government municipal headquarters.

It cannot be ruled out that the drilling of geothermal wells had resulted in soil loss and land subsidence in the area, the Tianjin government said.

Experts said the high-rise buildings facing the street were affected to varying degrees.

Roads could be seen buckled and warped in photos on social media, while others showed a section of wall tile from a building collapsed on the floor.

The incident adds to concerns for building safety in China, where the government has enforced stricter rules and policies and handed out hefty punishment for lax management of properties.

In addition, the Chinese government has recently had several high-level meetings on geological and hidden disaster preparation.

Varieties

Two Giant Rubber Ducks Debut in Hong Kong in Bid to Drive Double Happiness’ 

A woman poses for a photo as an art installation, dubbed "Double Ducks" by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, is seen in the background at Victoria Harbor, in Hong Kong, China June 9, 2023. (Reuters)
A woman poses for a photo as an art installation, dubbed "Double Ducks" by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, is seen in the background at Victoria Harbor, in Hong Kong, China June 9, 2023. (Reuters)
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Two Giant Rubber Ducks Debut in Hong Kong in Bid to Drive Double Happiness’ 

A woman poses for a photo as an art installation, dubbed "Double Ducks" by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, is seen in the background at Victoria Harbor, in Hong Kong, China June 9, 2023. (Reuters)
A woman poses for a photo as an art installation, dubbed "Double Ducks" by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, is seen in the background at Victoria Harbor, in Hong Kong, China June 9, 2023. (Reuters)

A pair of Rubber Ducks made a splash in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor on Friday, part of an art installation dubbed "Double Ducks" by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, who says he hopes the ducks will bring happiness to the city.

The inflatable yellow ducks, 18 meters (59 feet) high, will sail on the harbor for two weeks and come a decade after Hofman's "Rubber Duck" sculpture drew crowds in the Asian financial hub in 2013.

Hofman said his pair of ducks represent "twice the fun, double the happiness" and bring new excitement to Hong Kong.

"I hope it will bring as much pleasure as it did in the past and in a world where we suffered from a pandemic, wars and political situation, I think it's the right moment to bring back the double luck."

Curator AllRightsReserved (ARR) said the ducks were like the symmetrical Chinese characters "xi" for happiness and "peng" for friends.

Hofman, who was inspired by a world map and rubber duck to create his giant inflatable rubber duck installation, began a world tour starting from the Netherlands in 2007, making stops in harbors from France to Brazil.

Stationed near Hong Kong's central district and Tamar Park, the ducks swam across Victoria Harbor to the delight of dozens of bystanders.

Anna, a 40-year old woman, who was walking the promenade said she enjoyed seeing the ducks.

"We would like more installation art like the rubber ducks in Hong Kong. Right now there isn't much space for art in Hong Kong if we compare it to Macau or Shenzhen, they have more art installations."

A 40-year-old engineer named Kane said the ducks were positive for Hong Kong. "It's a silver lining when the society is in such low spirits. It's better for the government to spend public money on this than on other areas."

Varieties

GCC, Jordan Citizens to Access ETA System for Only 10 Pounds

Travelers are seen at Heathrow Airport. Reuters file photo
Travelers are seen at Heathrow Airport. Reuters file photo
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GCC, Jordan Citizens to Access ETA System for Only 10 Pounds

Travelers are seen at Heathrow Airport. Reuters file photo
Travelers are seen at Heathrow Airport. Reuters file photo

Nationals from the GCC countries and Jordan will soon be required to pay £10 only to apply for an ETA permit, which allows them to visit the UK multiple times over a two-year period.

Before the recent decision, GCC citizens and Jordanians paid 30 and 100 sterling pounds respectively to visit the UK in accordance with the current electronic visa waver (EVA).

The new project includes citizens from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, and Jordan.

The ETA system is expected to launch for Qatari citizens in October 2023, and for citizens of the rest of the GCC countries and Jordan in February 2024.

Earlier this year, the British government announced the launch of the new ETA system in light of its efforts to digitize UK border crossings by 2025 to enhance border security and visiting experience.

The ETA is a digital pass for travelers visiting the UK or transiting through the UK who don’t hold a short-visit visa or another type of UK visa.

Gulf visitors are of high importance for the UK economy. The latest figures showed that over 790,000 travelers from the GCC countries visited the UK and spent two billion sterling pounds last year.

Varieties

Report: King Charles Visit to France Envisaged for September

Britain's King Charles III salutes people as he exits the fortified evangelical church in in the village of Viscri, central Transylvania, Romania on June 6, 2023. (AFP)
Britain's King Charles III salutes people as he exits the fortified evangelical church in in the village of Viscri, central Transylvania, Romania on June 6, 2023. (AFP)
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Report: King Charles Visit to France Envisaged for September

Britain's King Charles III salutes people as he exits the fortified evangelical church in in the village of Viscri, central Transylvania, Romania on June 6, 2023. (AFP)
Britain's King Charles III salutes people as he exits the fortified evangelical church in in the village of Viscri, central Transylvania, Romania on June 6, 2023. (AFP)

Britain's King Charles may travel to France in September after a planned state visit in March was cancelled because of sometimes-violent protests over reforms to the French pension system, BFM TV reported.

Charles had planned a three-day visit to France in late March in what would have been his first state visit since succeeding his mother Queen Elizabeth as British monarch in September.

But the visit was cancelled after social unrest over President Emmanuel Macron's new pension law erupted into some of the worst street violence seen in years across the country.

Instead, he visited Germany on his first overseas trip as monarch.

Reuters could not immediately confirm BFM's report.

Varieties

Self-Made Millionaire Sits China’s University Exams for 27th Time 

Students leave after their first exam during the first day of the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), known as “gaokao”, in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on June 7, 2023. (AFP)
Students leave after their first exam during the first day of the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), known as “gaokao”, in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on June 7, 2023. (AFP)
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Self-Made Millionaire Sits China’s University Exams for 27th Time 

Students leave after their first exam during the first day of the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), known as “gaokao”, in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on June 7, 2023. (AFP)
Students leave after their first exam during the first day of the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), known as “gaokao”, in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on June 7, 2023. (AFP)

Among the millions of fresh-faced high schoolers sitting China's dreaded "gaokao" college entrance exam on Wednesday, Liang Shi sticks out like a sore thumb -- a grey-haired, self-made millionaire stubbornly taking the test for the 27th time.

Liang, 56, is no fool. He worked his way up from a menial job on a factory floor to establishing his own successful construction materials business.

But one dream has always eluded him: getting a high enough score on the notoriously grueling gaokao to study at the top-tier Sichuan University.

To compete with the nearly 13 million high school seniors taking the exam this year, Liang said he has been living "the life of an ascetic monk" for the past few months, rising just after dawn to furiously study textbooks for 12 hours a day.

"It's an uncomfortable thought that I didn't manage to get a college education," Liang told AFP.

"I really want to go to university and become an intellectual."

Over the past four decades, the Sichuan native has taken the gaokao 26 times but has consistently failed to get the required result to send him to his chosen university.

"They call me 'the gaokao holdout'," he said, proudly owning a mocking nickname given to him by local media.

For students, a good gaokao result can decide one's life trajectory, with a degree from an elite university conferring respect, status and better job opportunities.

Liang took the exam for the first time in 1983, when he was only 16.

He kept trying to boost his score for the next decade -- until he had to give up in 1992, as the test at that time was restricted to single people aged under 25.

As soon as those limits were lifted in 2001, Liang's desire for a prestigious college education was rekindled.

He has since taken the gaokao another 16 times, including every year since 2010 -- even when harsh zero-Covid restrictions made taking the exam more challenging than normal.

Online, some have questioned whether his apparent obsession is merely a publicity stunt.

"What for?" Liang retorted.

"No one in their right mind would spend decades taking the gaokao for a stunt."

He had to give up drinking and playing mahjong during the preparation period, he jokingly pointed out.

Liang's quest hasn't got much support from his son, who took the gaokao himself in 2011.

"At first he didn't approve, and now, he's just indifferent," Liang said.

Asked how he would celebrate once the test is over this weekend, he said he was planning to make up for lost fun.

"I'm going to play mahjong with my friends for three days and three nights."

Varieties

Pope Francis to Undergo Intestinal Surgery Under General Anesthesia 

Pope Francis reacts as he meets faithful during the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, June 7, 2023. (Reuters)
Pope Francis reacts as he meets faithful during the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, June 7, 2023. (Reuters)
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Pope Francis to Undergo Intestinal Surgery Under General Anesthesia 

Pope Francis reacts as he meets faithful during the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, June 7, 2023. (Reuters)
Pope Francis reacts as he meets faithful during the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, June 7, 2023. (Reuters)

Pope Francis went to the hospital Wednesday to undergo abdominal surgery to treat an intestinal blockage, two years after he had 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon removed because of a narrowing of the large intestine.

The Vatican said Francis, 86, would be put under general anesthesia for the procedure Wednesday afternoon and would be hospitalized at Rome's Gemelli hospital for several days.

Francis' Fiat 500 car pulled out of the Vatican shortly after 11 a.m. with an escort, and arrived at the Gemelli some 20 minutes later.

The pope is undergoing what the Vatican said was a "laparotomy and abdominal wall plastic surgery with prosthesis" to treat a "recurrent, painful and worsening" constriction of the intestine.

A laparotomy is open abdominal surgery. It can help a surgeon both diagnose and treat issues. The statement said Francis was suffering from a blocked laparocele, which is a hernia that formed over a previous scar.

"The stay at the health facility will last several days to allow for the normal post-operative course and full functional recovery," the statement said. An update was not expected until after the procedure.

Francis remains in charge of the Vatican and the 1.3-billion strong Catholic Church, even while unconscious and in the hospital.

In July 2021, Francis spent 10 days at Gemelli to remove 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his large intestine. He had suffered what the Vatican said was a severe inflammation and narrowing of the colon. In an interview with The Associated Press in January, Francis said the diverticulosis, or bulges in his intestinal wall, that had prompted the 2021 surgery, had returned.

Francis had come out of the 2021 surgery saying he could eat whatever he wanted, but he lamented that he hadn’t responded well to the general anesthetic used in the longer-than-expected procedure. That reaction in part explained his refusal to have surgery to repair strained knee ligaments that have forced him to use a wheelchair and walker for over a year.

The fact that he is going back for surgery suggests he had little choice but to treat the intestinal issue, especially given the rigorous upcoming travel schedule this summer.

The Argentine pope had part of one lung removed when he was a young man. He also suffers from sciatica nerve pain. In late March, Francis spent three days at Gemelli for an acute case of bronchitis, during which he was treated with intravenous antibiotics. He emerged April 1 saying "Still alive!"

Francis initially went to the Gemelli on Tuesday for what the Vatican said were medical tests. It revealed no details at the time.

The 86-year-old had appeared in good form Wednesday morning at his audience in St. Peter’s Square, zipping around the square in his popemobile greeting the faithful. He also had two meetings beforehand, the Vatican said.

Francis has had a packed schedule of late, with multiple audiences each day. The Vatican has recently confirmed a travel-filled August, when the Holy See and Italy are usually on vacation, with a four-day visit to Portugal the first week of August and a similarly long trip to Mongolia starting Aug. 31.

In a sign that the trips were very much on, the Vatican on Tuesday released the planned itinerary for Francis’ visit to Portugal for World Youth Day events from Aug. 2-6. The itinerary confirms a typically busy schedule that includes all the protocol meetings of an official state visit plus multiple events with young people.