From Francis to Fauci, Vatican health conference focuses an eclectic mix of voices on COVID
CBSN
Rome — A Vatican-hosted conference focused on COVID-19 is drawing an almost surreal line-up of virtual guests. The idea behind the gathering is to foster an open dialogue among a large group of people from all disciplines to share insights about health, humanity, and the future of medicine.
With Pope Francis, Dr. Anthony Fauci, supermodel Cindy Crawford and Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry among the cadre of doctors, scientists, faith leaders, CEOs and philanthropists joining the 3-day virtual conference, a diversity of viewpoints, at least, seemed assured. The Vatican Conference — organized by the Vatican's culture ministry in conjunction with the Cura Foundation — also aims to explore how religion and spirituality contribute to health and well-being, with representatives of the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths discussing topics including "Religion and the Pandemic" and "Religious Dietary Practices and Health."Two Japanese navy helicopters carrying eight crew members crashed in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo during a nighttime training flight after possibly colliding with each other, the country's defense minister said Sunday. One crew member who had been recovered from the waters was later pronounced dead, while rescuers searched for seven others who were still missing.
Tokyo — In North Korea, the release of Taylor Swift's new double album was completely eclipsed by the surprise drop of another brand-new song, complete with an elaborately produced music video. There were no tortured poets in sight for the release of "Friendly Father," an energetic pop-style piece of state propaganda praising North Korea's dictatorial leader Kim Jong Un.
Berlin — German authorities say they have arrested two people suspected of spying for Russia. The suspects, identified as German-Russian nationals, are accused of scouting targets for potential attacks, including U.S. military facilities in Germany, the Federal Public Prosecutor General for Karlsruhe said in a statement released Thursday.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Heavy rains lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, flooding portions of major highways, leaving vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai and grinding traffic at the city-state's huge international airport briefly to a complete halt. Meanwhile, the death toll from separate heavy flooding in neighboring Oman rose to 18, with others still missing as the sultanate prepared for the storm.
Paris — Five years have passed since Notre Dame cathedral in Paris was engulfed in flames. The iconic spire and timber roof were destroyed in the blaze. People around the world were shocked at the scale of the fire and the damage it caused, but work to restore the iconic landmark to its former glory continues.