Red markings on a stalagmite dome in a cave system in southern Spain were created by Neanderthals more than 60,000 years ago, a new study says. The staining was applied by a process of splattering and blowing about 20,000 years before modern humans arrived in Europe, the research suggests. An earlier study attributing the markings to the extinct cousins of modern humans was questioned. Some experts argued the staining in the Cueva de Ardales occurred naturally. But a new study published in the journal PNAS supports the view that the red ochre pigments discovered in three caves in the Iberian Peninsula are a form of Neanderthal cave art. It states that the deposits stand out from other natural materials sampled in the caves because of their unusual colours and textures.(BBC)…[+]

The head of a group helping people who have fled Belarus has been found dead near his home in neighbouring Ukraine. Vitaly Shishov’s body was found hanged in a park in Kyiv, a day after he failed to return from a jog. Police have opened a murder inquiry. Police said they were investigating whether he had been killed and his death made to look like suicide. Meanwhile a Belarusian Olympic sprinter who feared for her safety has been granted a humanitarian visa by Poland. Mr Shishov led the Belarusian House in Ukraine (BHU), a group helping people who left Belarus, where opposition to the government is stifled. He was one of many Belarusians who left the country as the security forces violently suppressed protests following the disputed re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko in August 2020.(NU)…[+]

Actor Matt Damon says he only recently stopped using the homophobic “f-slur for a homosexual” after his daughter explained it was unacceptable. Damon told The Sunday Times she had written him “a very long, beautiful treatise on how that word is dangerous”, after he used it in a joke. He said the derogatory term for gay men “was commonly used when I was a kid, with a different application”. “She left the table,” the star recalled about the family disagreement. “I said, ‘Come on, that’s a joke! I say it in the movie Stuck on You!’ “She went to her room and wrote a very long, beautiful treatise on how that word is dangerous. I said, ‘I retire the f-slur!’ I understood.”

At least eight people have been killed in wildfires that have ripped through southern Turkey, ravaging coastal resorts and forcing tourists to flee. The blazes have been raging for six days as Turkey grapples with its worst fire crisis in a decade. On Monday Turkish authorities said more than 130 blazes had been contained as firefighting efforts continued. Elsewhere, firefighters are trying to contain wildfires in parts of Greece, Spain and Italy. Italy’s national fire service said it had to deal with more than 1,500 flare-ups across the country on Sunday. In the eastern city of Pescara, at least five people were injured after a fire forced the evacuation of hundreds from beach resorts and homes.(BBC)…[+]

The UK has summoned Iran’s ambassador over last week’s attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman in which two crew members – a Briton and a Romanian – were killed. “Iran must immediately cease actions that risk international peace and security”, the UK Foreign Office said. The UK, US and Israel blame Iran for the attack, which comes amid long running tensions between Iran and Israel. Iran calls the accusations baseless. Foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh warned that Iran would not hesitate in defending its security and national interests and would respond strongly to any “possible adventurism”. In comments carried by the semi-official Isna news agency, Mr Khatibzadeh said the allegations “were contradictory, false and provocative accusations”. Both the US and UK said a drone was used in the attack on the MV Mercer Street, which is managed by the London-based company Zodiac Maritime.(BBC)…[+]

A Georgia man charged with shooting dead eight people in three Atlanta-area spas in March has pleaded guilty to murdering four of the victims. Robert Aaron Long made the plea as part of an agreement with state prosecutors. They have recommended a sentence of four life terms without parole. However, they are seeking the death penalty for Long, 22, if he is convicted on the other four counts. Six of the victims of the attack on 16 March were women of Asian descent. Mr Long has said his attack was not racially motivated.Police say Mr Long shot and killed four people – three women and a man – at Young’s Asian Massage near Woodstock, in Cherokee County. The police say he then drove to Atlanta, in Fulton County, where he shot dead three women at the Gold Spa and another woman at the Aromatherapy Spa. Mr Long pleaded guilty to murdering four people during his court appearance on Tuesday in Canton, Cherokee County.(BBC)…[+]

Prosecutors in Sweden have charged an Iranian with war crimes over the mass execution of prisoners in 1988. The suspect was not named but has been widely identified as Hamid Nouri, 60. In 1988, Iran was at war with Iraq. Iran’s supreme leader ordered the mass execution of prisoners linked to an armed opposition group allied to Iraq. The suspect was working in a prison near the Iranian capital Tehran, prosecutors say. His lawyer told news agencies he denied the charges. Human rights groups have long campaigned for justice over the executions across Iran, in which an estimated 5,000 people were killed. Prosecutors were able to invoke the principle of “universal jurisdiction” for serious crimes to bring the case. The killings have come under renewed focus following Ebrahim Raisi’s election as president of Iran last month.(BBC)…[+]

A police officer who defended the US Capitol during a riot by Donald Trump supporters on 6 January has said he feared he would be crushed by the mob. “This is how I’m going to die,” a tearful Aquilino Gonell told a Congressional committee as an inquiry opened into the Washington DC attack. Another officer, Harry Dunn, who is black, said he was racially abused. At least 535 rioters have been arrested since the attack that left five dead, including one police officer. Prosecutors have so far secured only a few convictions. The assault led to the political impeachment and acquittal of Republican Mr Trump, who was accused by lawmakers of inciting the riot – a claim he has repeatedly denied. The inquiry in the House Select committee is being conducted almost entirely by Democrats, after most Republicans boycotted the proceedings. However, two Republicans – Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger – have broken ranks to join the investigation. “If those responsible are not held accountable… this will remain a cancer on our constitutional republic,” Ms Cheney said as the hearing began on Tuesday. The nine-member select committee was formed after Republicans objected to an independent commission such as the one that investigated the 11 September 2001 attacks.(BBC)…[+]

At least five policemen in India have died after police from two states fired at each other. The unusual incident happened along the border between Assam and Mizoram states in north-eastern India. Officials from both sides, including chief ministers, have accused each other of provoking violence. The firing incident follows months of simmering tensions over a long-running border dispute between the two states. Assam shares a 164km (about 101 miles) border with Mizoram, and both states contest its demarcation. The two sides have often sparred over it, sometimes violently. But this was the first time police in the states had fired at each other in a direct confrontation. The officers killed in the attack were from Assam. The federal government has been trying to mediate a truce between the states since 1994 but has failed to achieve a breakthrough.(BBC)…[+]

Sri Lankan authorities say the world’s largest star sapphire cluster has been found in a backyard – by accident. A gem trader said the stone was found by workmen digging a well in his home in the gem-rich Ratnapura area. Experts say the stone, which is pale blue in colour, has an estimated value of up to $100 million in the international market. The cluster weighs around 510 kilograms or 2.5 million carats and has been named the “Serendipity Sapphire”. “The person who was digging the well alerted us about some rare stones. Later we stumbled upon this huge specimen,” Mr Gamage, the owner of the stone, told the BBC. He did not want to give his full name or location for security reasons.(BBC)…[+]