عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Egypt, Greece Agree to Protect Status of Mount Sinai Monastery

A general view of St. Catherine's Monastery in South Sinai, Egypt, March 7, 2019. Picture taken March 7, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
A general view of St. Catherine's Monastery in South Sinai, Egypt, March 7, 2019. Picture taken March 7, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
TT
TT

Egypt, Greece Agree to Protect Status of Mount Sinai Monastery

A general view of St. Catherine's Monastery in South Sinai, Egypt, March 7, 2019. Picture taken March 7, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
A general view of St. Catherine's Monastery in South Sinai, Egypt, March 7, 2019. Picture taken March 7, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo

Greece and Egypt have agreed to safeguard the status of one of the world's oldest sites of Christian worship, foreign ministers of both countries said late on Wednesday, after an Egyptian court ruling last week cast uncertainty over its future.

The St Catherine's Monastery, at the foot of Egypt's Mount Sinai, was founded in the 6th century and is the oldest Christian monastery still in use for its original function, says UNESCO, which has listed the area as a World Heritage site, Reuters reported.

Revered by Christians, Muslims and Jews, the monastery is at the site where by Biblical tradition Moses received the Ten Commandments.

But last week, an Egyptian court ruling seen by Reuters ordered Orthodox monks to vacate several plots of land that the monks have used for years, including vineyards and gardens adjacent to the monastery compound, on the grounds that they were illegally sequestered, prompting a diplomatic flurry between Cairo and Athens over the site's status.

"We agreed in the immediate future to work towards safeguarding the rights of the monastery, as well as its legal status," Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said after meeting his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty in Cairo.

"Both Egypt and Greece intend to move forward based on the long-standing tradition and the already established status of an emblematic monastery for its Greek Orthodox character of worship".

Abdelatty said that the ruling preserves the monastery’s profound spiritual value and religious standing, and confirmed that the monks would continue to have access to and use of the monastery and its religious and historical sites, according to a foreign ministry statement. With a long history of diplomatic ties, Greece and Egypt have deepened cooperation in recent years.

St Catherine's is a sprawling complex, and according to tradition it was built around a burning bush where God was said to have spoken to Moses as described in the Book of Exodus. Its library is one of the most extensive worldwide, containing some of the world's earliest Christian manuscripts.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

French Duo Finish Walking from France to Shanghai After 1.5 Years

Performers throw molten iron to create sparks during a performance on the Bund promenade along the Huangpu river, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Horse in Shanghai on February 2, 2026. (AFP)
Performers throw molten iron to create sparks during a performance on the Bund promenade along the Huangpu river, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Horse in Shanghai on February 2, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

French Duo Finish Walking from France to Shanghai After 1.5 Years

Performers throw molten iron to create sparks during a performance on the Bund promenade along the Huangpu river, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Horse in Shanghai on February 2, 2026. (AFP)
Performers throw molten iron to create sparks during a performance on the Bund promenade along the Huangpu river, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Horse in Shanghai on February 2, 2026. (AFP)

Two French adventurers reached the end of an epic walk from France to Shanghai on Saturday, after nearly a year and a half crossing 16 countries almost entirely on foot.

Loic Voisot and Benjamin Humblot embraced as they stood by the river on the Bund promenade, the financial hub's distinctive skyline glittering in the background.

Voisot and Humblot set off from Annecy in September 2024.

"We were thinking about this moment almost every day for more than a year now, so it's a really strong feeling," Humblot said of reaching their destination.

Hanging out after work one day, the two friends realized they both yearned for a "great adventure".

They wanted to visit China -- but without flying, which they believe is too harmful to the environment.

A plan to set out on foot was hatched, and except for a stretch in Russia which was done by bus for safety reasons, 518 days and around 12,850 kilometers (7,980 miles) later they took the last steps to completing it.

Around 50 people gathered at the start point for the last 10km stretch of their odyssey, many local people who have been following them on social media.

Along the way their numbers swelled, as media, French residents of Shanghai and others joined.

"If your dreams are crazy, just take it step by step and sometimes you will not succeed, but sometimes you will," said Voisot.

Asked what he would do first now the walk was over, he joked: "Sleep a lot!"

Varieties

Annual Orchids Show Brings Vivid Color to Chicago Winter

Orchids adorn a Volkswagen Beetle as finishing touches are placed on the 12th annual Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Glencoe, Ill. (AP)
Orchids adorn a Volkswagen Beetle as finishing touches are placed on the 12th annual Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Glencoe, Ill. (AP)
TT
TT

Annual Orchids Show Brings Vivid Color to Chicago Winter

Orchids adorn a Volkswagen Beetle as finishing touches are placed on the 12th annual Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Glencoe, Ill. (AP)
Orchids adorn a Volkswagen Beetle as finishing touches are placed on the 12th annual Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Glencoe, Ill. (AP)

A soft layer of white snow blankets the grounds of the Chicago Botanic Garden. The air is chilly, the sky gray.

Inside, however, the air is warm and lights illuminate more than 10,000 vividly colored orchids. Staff members move in and out of greenhouses, preparing to open the garden’s 12th annual Orchid Show on Saturday.

This year’s theme is “Feelin’ Groovy" with several installations calling back to the 1970s, including a yellow Volkswagen Beetle filled with orchids.

“It’s just a really great way to get out of the winter cold and come into our greenhouses,” said Jodi Zombolo, associate vice president of visitor events and programs. “I think people are really looking for something to kind of bring happiness and something that they will enjoy and find whimsy in.”

The orchid family is one of the largest in the plant world and some of the species in the show are rare, exhibits horticulturist Jason Toth said. One example is the Angraecum sesquipedale, also known as Darwin’s orchid, on display in the west gallery.

Toth said the orchid led Darwin to correctly conclude that pollinators have adapted in order to reach down the flower's very long end.

"It has a great story and it’s quite remarkable-looking,” said Toth.

Elsewhere, massive, gnarly roots dangle from purple, pink and yellow Vanda orchids in the south greenhouse. These epiphytic orchids grow on the surface of trees instead of in soil.

“I think everyone’s tired of the winter,” said Toth. “So having some kind of flower show at this point is what we’re all craving. And 'Orchids' fits the bill.”

The show is expected to draw 85,000 visitors this year.

Varieties

UK Zoo Says Tiny Snail ‘Back from Brink’ of Extinction

This photo taken on February 2, 2026 shows a greater Bermuda snail, which is part of a breeding program, sitting under a microscope at Chester Zoo in Chester, north-west England. (AFP)
This photo taken on February 2, 2026 shows a greater Bermuda snail, which is part of a breeding program, sitting under a microscope at Chester Zoo in Chester, north-west England. (AFP)
TT
TT

UK Zoo Says Tiny Snail ‘Back from Brink’ of Extinction

This photo taken on February 2, 2026 shows a greater Bermuda snail, which is part of a breeding program, sitting under a microscope at Chester Zoo in Chester, north-west England. (AFP)
This photo taken on February 2, 2026 shows a greater Bermuda snail, which is part of a breeding program, sitting under a microscope at Chester Zoo in Chester, north-west England. (AFP)

A minuscule snail once thought to have disappeared has been saved from the edge of extinction, a British zoo said Saturday.

The greater Bermuda land snail had not been spotted for years until a cluster of shells was caught slithering through an alleyway in the capital Hamilton in 2014.

Some were flown to Chester Zoo, where experts spent years building up the population before they released thousands back into the wild in 2019.

Unique to Bermuda, this type of snail traces its lineage back over a million years -- a relic of the island's ancient ecosystem.

Now "we can officially say the species is back from the brink", said Chester Zoo in a statement sent to AFP.

The snail "once thought lost has officially been saved from extinction by experts in Chester Zoo, London Zoo, and Bermuda," it said.

They confirmed this after a study in the Oryx biodiversity conservation journal found that six colonies of the re-wilded snails had settled successfully on the archipelago.

"The fact that the snails are firmly established in six areas is massive," said Gerardo Garcia, animal and plant director at Chester Zoo.

From specially designed pods in northwest England, they are now breeding and roaming freely in Bermuda, he said.

"Being able to say that the snails are now safe from extinction is amazing ... and something that conservationists might get to say once or maybe twice in their whole career."

At one point, keeper Katie Kelton said the zoo housed around 60,000 snails.

It was "a lot of snails to look after ... a lot of chopping lettuce, sweet potato and carrot," she told AFP.

- Conservation 'success' story -

The snails faced many threats, including habitat loss, pesticide use, and the cannibalistic "wolf snail".

They were rescued in a process Garcia described as "a war game" with growing numbers tracked by flags pinned across a map of Bermuda.

While they cannot say the species is safe forever, he noted they now knew how to rebuild the population quickly and effectively.

But long-term recovery, he said, would go hand in hand with nature regeneration projects carried out by the Bermudian government.

Chester Zoo has now turned its attention to the lesser Bermuda land snail -- even smaller and much harder to breed.

These snails, which can reach about 23 millimeters (0.9 inches) in length, may now be extinct in the wild.

"We're considering things like seasonality, how long it takes a colony to establish and the complexity of their environments," said expert Iri Gill.

But their experience with the greater Bermuda snail should point them "in the right direction", she said.

"These snails are tiny, but this has been one of the biggest success stories in conservation."