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Primatologist Jane Goodall Gets Barbie Doll in Her Likeness

A handout picture shows primatologist Jane Goodall posing with the new Jane Goodall Barbie doll, in Los Angeles, US, April 2022. (Jane Goodall Institute/Handout via Reuters)
A handout picture shows primatologist Jane Goodall posing with the new Jane Goodall Barbie doll, in Los Angeles, US, April 2022. (Jane Goodall Institute/Handout via Reuters)
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Primatologist Jane Goodall Gets Barbie Doll in Her Likeness

A handout picture shows primatologist Jane Goodall posing with the new Jane Goodall Barbie doll, in Los Angeles, US, April 2022. (Jane Goodall Institute/Handout via Reuters)
A handout picture shows primatologist Jane Goodall posing with the new Jane Goodall Barbie doll, in Los Angeles, US, April 2022. (Jane Goodall Institute/Handout via Reuters)

British primatologist Jane Goodall has got a Barbie in her likeness, fulfilling a longtime wish of having her own doll to inspire young girls.

Mattel Inc unveiled the new Barbie, which the toymaker says is made from recycled plastic, as part of its Inspiring Women Series, nodding to Goodall's groundbreaking studies of chimpanzees and conservation efforts.

Dressed in a khaki shirt and shorts and holding a notebook, Goodall's doll has a pair of binoculars around her neck and David Greybeard by her side, a replica of the first chimpanzee to trust the primatologist as she conducted her research at Gombe National Park, in what is now Tanzania in east Africa.

"I wanted a doll to be me even before this idea came up. I've seen...little girls playing with Barbie dolls and certainly at the beginning, they were all very girly girly and I thought little girls need...some choice," Goodall told Reuters.

"Mattel has changed its range of dolls and there's all kinds of astronauts and doctors and things like that. So many children learn about me at school. They'll be thrilled to have the Barbie doll."

Goodall, 88, began her research in east Africa in 1960, observing that chimpanzees make tools, hunt and eat meat and show compassion among other traits.

"When I got to Gombe, it was beautiful, my dream had come true," she said. "But for four months the chimps ran away from me...so although the forest was wonderful, I couldn't enjoy it until this David Greybeard lost his fear and helped the others to lose their fear too."

Mattel said it would also partner with the Jane Goodall Institute and her youth service movement Roots & Shoots to help teach children about their environmental impact.

"I see us at the mouth of a very long, very dark tunnel with a little shining star at the end and it's no good sitting at the mouth of the tunnel and saying 'Oh, I hope that star comes to us.' Hope is about action," Goodall said.

"We... work around all these obstacles between us and the star, which is climate change, loss of biodiversity, poverty, unsustainable lifestyles, pollution, you name it. And as we go along the tunnel, we reach out to others because there are people working on each one of these problems but so often they're working in silos."

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Saudi Interior Ministry Issues Special Passport Stamp for Hajj Conference and Exhibition 2025

The Saudi Ministry of Interior issued a special passport stamp for the fifth edition of the Hajj Conference and Exhibition. (SPA)
The Saudi Ministry of Interior issued a special passport stamp for the fifth edition of the Hajj Conference and Exhibition. (SPA)
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Saudi Interior Ministry Issues Special Passport Stamp for Hajj Conference and Exhibition 2025

The Saudi Ministry of Interior issued a special passport stamp for the fifth edition of the Hajj Conference and Exhibition. (SPA)
The Saudi Ministry of Interior issued a special passport stamp for the fifth edition of the Hajj Conference and Exhibition. (SPA)

The Saudi Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate of Passports and in cooperation with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, has issued a special passport stamp for the fifth edition of the Hajj Conference and Exhibition, the Saudi Press Agency said on Monday.

The exhibition is held from November 10 to 12 under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The stamp will be available to travelers arriving in the Kingdom through King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah during the conference period.

Varieties

Typhoon Exposes Centuries-old Shipwreck Off Vietnam Port

People stand next to a centuries-old shipwreck uncovered in the aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi on a beach off the Hoi An coast in central Vietnam, on November 10, 2025. (Photo by Tam Xuan / AFP)
People stand next to a centuries-old shipwreck uncovered in the aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi on a beach off the Hoi An coast in central Vietnam, on November 10, 2025. (Photo by Tam Xuan / AFP)
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Typhoon Exposes Centuries-old Shipwreck Off Vietnam Port

People stand next to a centuries-old shipwreck uncovered in the aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi on a beach off the Hoi An coast in central Vietnam, on November 10, 2025. (Photo by Tam Xuan / AFP)
People stand next to a centuries-old shipwreck uncovered in the aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi on a beach off the Hoi An coast in central Vietnam, on November 10, 2025. (Photo by Tam Xuan / AFP)

Severe coastal erosion caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi exposed a centuries-old shipwreck in Vietnam, providing a narrow window to salvage what experts say could be a historically significant find.

Initially discovered in 2023 off the coast of Hoi An, the at least 17.4-metre (57-foot) vessel -- whose heavy wood-ribbed hull survived hundreds of years of rough seas almost perfectly intact -- was resubmerged before authorities could reclaim it.

Experts have not yet dated the wreck, but preliminary findings suggest it was built between the 14th and 16th centuries -- when UNESCO-listed Hoi An was at the center of a thriving regional trade in silk, ceramics and spices.

"We are currently preparing to apply for an emergency excavation (permit)," Pham Phu Ngoc, director of the Hoi An Center for the Preservation of World Cultural Heritage, told AFP on Monday after the wreck resurfaced following the passage of Typhoon Kalmaegi last week.

"The discovery of this ancient ship is clear evidence of Hoi An's significant historical role in regional trade," he said, adding more of the ship had been exposed this time "which could provide us with more information.”

A team of experts from the Hoi An preservation center, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City and a local museum surveyed the wreck last year.

In addition to the rough age estimate, they found it had been made from "durable and high-strength timber" and reinforced with waterproofing materials to seal its joints.

"The ship's structure suggests that it was capable of long-distance voyages, likely used for maritime trade or naval operations," the Hoi An center said in an earlier statement.

The relic is at risk of "serious deterioration without immediate conservation actions" given the severe coastal erosion and the ship's frequent exposure to harsh weather conditions, it said.

The wreck was still clearly visible on Monday, with crowds gathered on the beach to view its striking skeletal frame.

Varieties

German Bread Could be More Famous Than the French Baguette

According to the bread register of the German Institute for Bread, there are now more than 3,200 officially recognized types of bread in the country
According to the bread register of the German Institute for Bread, there are now more than 3,200 officially recognized types of bread in the country
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German Bread Could be More Famous Than the French Baguette

According to the bread register of the German Institute for Bread, there are now more than 3,200 officially recognized types of bread in the country
According to the bread register of the German Institute for Bread, there are now more than 3,200 officially recognized types of bread in the country

You’ve seen the French sauntering around with slender baguettes under their arms or sporting jaunty berets as they pedal bicycles laden with crusty bread.

Those cinematic scenes are nice, but when you really get down to business — as my countrymen are inclined to do — it’s obvious that the world’s best bread comes from Germany, according to CNN news.

It said Germans have more varieties of bread than most other countries.

According to the bread register of the German Institute for Bread, there are now more than 3,200 officially recognized types of bread in the country. German bread culture was officially added by UNESCO to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2015.

A key German term rests upon those hearty loaves: one of the words for work is Broterwerb, literally “gaining one’s bread.”

Bread is a staple for most meals in Germany: at breakfast, break-time (sometimes called Pausenbrot, or “break bread”) and dinner or Abendbrot, literally the “bread of the evening.”

“It sells like sliced bread” is a German proverb describing fast-selling items.

Bread even stars on TV: a talking loaf named Bernd has become a popular character among German children. The comedy series “Bernd das Brot.” hosted by the titular character, began airing on the children’s channel KI.KA since 2000.

One of the reasons for this immense variety in bread products is the fragmented history of Germany up until the 19th century.

Until then, what is known as Germany now was a cluster of hundreds of small duchies or kingdoms, all with their own distinct culture and dialect, and with their own bread.

So, bread has evolved in Germany from a staple food to a strong symbol of cultural and historical identity, and a source of national pride no less valuable than any of its famous landmarks.