Hello, this is Anna bringing you news from around the world.
An iconic pastor dies - US evangelist Billy Graham, one of the most influential preachers of the 20th Century, has died aged 99. He died at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, a spokesman for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association said.
Evil in Syria - Assad-regime warplanes, rockets and artillery have been raining down in an area known as Eastern Ghouta outside Damascus. Eastern Ghouta has been under rebel control, and under siege, since 2012. On Monday alone, the government killed more than 100 residents. And the day's death toll exceeded 50 by Tuesday evening. The international community is being called on to make change, but a stunned sense of powerlessness can be felt.
#NeverAgain - Survivors of the recent Florida school shooting that left 17 people dead are marching in the state capital to demand lawmakers take more action on gun control. It is the first organised protest of the youth-led anti-gun movement that has swept the US since the attack. About 100 students arrived in Tallahassee hours before the state legislature rejected a ban on assault rifles like the one used in the attack.
A-peeling - A Japanese farm uses what it calls the ‘freeze thaw awakening method’ to grow bananas that have a digestible peel. D&T Farm said the method involved slowly cooling the banana growth cells to -60C (-76F) before thawing them. ‘It was created following research conducted by Setsuzo Tanaka who worked on this for a long time as a hobby,’ a spokesman for the farm said. ‘The motivation for its development was the fact he wanted to eat a banana that was delicious and safe: people can eat the peel because it is cultivated organically without chemicals.’
Dementia risk - Heavy drinkers are more at risk of dementia, according to a new study. Research published in the Lancet Public Health journal provides evidence that people who drink enough to end up in hospital are putting themselves at serious risk of vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It will also raise questions for moderate drinkers about the possible long-term consequences of their drinking habits.
AI danger - The future of the world is under threat from artificial intelligence and more must be done to keep people safe, experts have urged. A new report compiled by 26 of the world’s leading experts paints a scary picture of the world in the next 10 years. Physical attacks as well as those on our digital worlds and political system could undermine the safety of humanity, it warns, and people must work together now if they want to keep the world safe.