Pannonhalma, Hungary
AP
 — 

Tens of thousands of centuries-old books are being pulled from the shelves of a medieval abbey in Hungary in an effort to save them from a beetle infestation that could wipe out centuries of history.

The 1,000-year-old Pannonhalma Archabbey is a sprawling Benedictine monastery that is one of Hungary’s oldest centers of learning and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Restoration workers are removing about 100,000 handbound books from their shelves and carefully placing them in crates, the start of a disinfection process that aims to kill the tiny beetles burrowed into them.

The drugstore beetle, also known as the bread beetle, is often found among dried foodstuffs like grains, flour and spices. But they also are attracted to the gelatin and starch-based adhesives found in books.

They have been found in a section of the library housing around a quarter of the abbey’s 400,000 volumes.

“This is an advanced insect infestation which has been detected in several parts of the library, so the entire collection is classified as infected and must be treated all at the same time,” said Zsófia Edit Hajdu, the chief restorer on the project. “We’ve never encountered such a degree of infection before.”

The beetle invasion was first detected during a routine library cleaning. Employees noticed unusual layers of dust on the shelves and then saw that holes had been burrowed into some of the book spines. Upon opening the volumes, burrow holes could be seen in the paper where the beetles chewed through.

The abbey at Pannonhalma was founded in 996, four years before the establishment of the Kingdom of Hungary. Sitting upon a tall hill in northwestern Hungary, the abbey houses the country’s oldest collection of books, as well as many of its earliest and most important written records.

For over 1,000 years, the abbey has been among the most prominent religious and cultural sites in Hungary and all of Central Europe, surviving centuries of wars and foreign incursions such as the Ottoman invasion and occupation of Hungary in the 16th century.

Ilona Ásványi, director of the Pannonhalma Archabbey library, said she is “humbled” by the historical and cultural treasures the collection holds whenever she enters.

“It is dizzying to think that there was a library here a thousand years ago, and that we are the keepers of the first book catalogue in Hungary,” she said.

Among the library’s most outstanding works are 19 codices, including a complete Bible from the 13th century. It also houses several hundred manuscripts predating the invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century and tens of thousands of books from the 16th century.

While the oldest and rarest prints and books are stored separately and have not been infected, Ásványi said any damage to the collection represents a blow to cultural, historical and religious heritage.

“When I see a book chewed up by a beetle or infected in any other way, I feel that no matter how many copies are published and how replaceable the book is, a piece of culture has been lost,” she said.

To kill the beetles, the crates of books are being placed into tall, hermetically sealed plastic sacks from which all oxygen is removed. After six weeks in the pure nitrogen environment, the abbey hopes all the beetles will be destroyed.

Before being reshelved, each book will be individually inspected and vacuumed. Any book damaged by the pests will be set aside for later restoration work.

The abbey, which hopes to reopen the library at the beginning of next year, believes the effects of climate change played a role in spurring the beetle infestation as average temperatures rise rapidly in Hungary.

Hajdu, the chief restorer, said higher temperatures have allowed the beetles to undergo several more development cycles annually than they could in cooler weather.

“Higher temperatures are favorable for the life of insects,” she said. “So far we’ve mostly dealt with mold damage in both depositories and in open collections. But now I think more and more insect infestations will appear due to global warming.”

The library’s director said life in a Benedictine abbey is governed by a set of rules in use for nearly 15 centuries, a code that obliges them to do everything possible to save its vast collection.

“It says in the Rule of Saint Benedict that all the property of the monastery should be considered as of the same value as the sacred vessel of the altar,” Ásványi said. “I feel the responsibility of what this preservation and conservation really means.”

East Rutherford, New Jersey
CNN
 — 

Chelsea delivered a shocking 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup final on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

And it was the Blues’ star Cole Palmer who led the way to the second CWC title in the English Premier League side’s storied history, the first since 2021.

Palmer netted an early brace with two almost identical goals just eight minutes apart midway through the first half.

The 23-year-old did his signature “cold” celebration in the New Jersey heat at MetLife Stadium much to the delight of Chelsea fans, who were looking for a way to cool off.

It had felt like European champions PSG had all but dominated the CWC besides the 1-0 loss to Botafogo in the group stage – the club’s only loss of the tournament coming into the final. But Sunday got worse and worse for the French side as the afternoon wore on.

João Pedro, playing in his second match for the Blues after a transfer from Brighton and Hove Albion, tacked on another goal in the 43rd minute, his third tally of the tournament.

Chelsea’s first half trio of surprises for PSG was followed by another unexpected twist during the halftime show when British rock band Coldplay appeared for a cameo performance which also featured J Balvin, Doja Cat, Tems, and Emmanuel Kelly.

While the goal-scoring slowed down in the second half, Chelsea’s intensity did not suffer as they held PSG in check to cruise to the victory.

Les Parisiens finished the match with nine players after midfielder João Neves received a red card after pulling Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella’s hair.

After the referee blew the whistle for full time, Chelsea players were wearing kits with “World Champions” and the number 25 and rushed onto the pitch to celebrate the trophy.

The CWC victory caps off an impressive season for the London-based club, who takes home its second trophy of the season.

The Blues clinched UEFA Champions League berth for next season after finishing fourth in the EPL and a 4-1 win over LaLiga side Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League final in May.

Palmer finishes the season with an impressive 18 goals just two years after joining the club from Manchester City.

The forward called it a “great feeling” to win the tournament, while commending Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca for his leadership.

“The gaffer put a great game plan out,” Palmer told FIFA after the game. “He knew where there would space and tried to free me up as much as possible. I just had to repay him and score some goals. He [Maresca] is building something special. I feel we’re going in the right direction.“

The Italian 45-year-old Maresca, who joined the Blues from Leiceister City this season, gave credit to his players for the win.

“I have no words for the players,” Maresca said. “For me, we won the game in the first ten minutes. We set the tempo, we knew the way we wanted to play. Today we found a position for Cole [Palmer] where there was more space to attack. The effort from all the players has been fantastic.”

Despite its historic UCL win, it was a slightly sour way for the Paris-based club to end a season where they attempted to complete a quadruple after winning Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France as well.

According to the Associated Press, PSG had not lost by three goals since a 4-1 Champions League defeat at Newcastle in October 2023.

Frustrations from the game boiled over after the final whistle with a confrontation between Pedro and PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and manager Luis Enrique.

After the scuffle cooled off, Maresca was seen talking to Donnarumma as he was heading to the locker rooms.

As tensions cooled, US President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino led the trophy celebration on the field, with scattered booing from some fans in the stadium.

Palmer was awarded the Golden Ball Award – given to the best player of the tournament.

Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez took home the Golden Glove award and 20-year-old PSG forward Désiré Doué was named the best young player of the tournament.

With Trump and Infantino in the middle of the stage, the Chelsea squad lifted the trophy to officially celebrate the win.

Chelsea now has less than five weeks until the 2025-2026 EPL season begins while PSG has a quick turnaround and will face Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Super Cup at Stadio Friuli in Udine, Italy, on August 13.

CNN
 — 

Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military general who campaigned on rooting out government corruption, has died at age 82, the presidential press office said in a statement on Sunday.

He died in London at about 4:30 p.m. after a “prolonged illness,” according to the statement.

Nigeria’s current president Bola Ahmed Tinubu offered his condolences to Buhari’s wife and ordered his vice president to travel to the UK to accompany Buhari’s body back to Nigeria.

Tinubu hailed Buhari’s legacy as “a patriot, a soldier, a statesman” with a “deep commitment to the unity and progress” of his country.

“He stood firm through the most turbulent times, leading with quiet strength, profound integrity, and an unshakable belief in Nigeria’s potential. He championed discipline in public service, confronted corruption head-on, and placed the country above personal interest at every turn,” Tinubu said.

Buhari was elected president in 2015 after running unsuccessfully three times. He was re-elected for another four-year term in 2019.

A former general who first came to power in a 1983 military coup only to be overthrown by another military coup two years later, Buhari will be remembered for his strong anti-corruption agenda in a country famously described as “fantastically corrupt” by former British prime minister David Cameron. Others laud his tough stance against the Boko Haram insurgency and security issues that plagued the northeast of the country for years.

A Fulani Muslim, he was born in Daura, Katsina state in Nigeria’s northern province in December 1942 and completed military training in Kaduna state, Great Britain, India and the United States.

He first came into political prominence in 1975 after a military coup that overthrew then-ruler Yakubu Gowon. Buhari was made military governor of Borno state – a state plagued by Boko Haram.

Buhari, who was married twice and has ten children, was part of Nigeria’s ruling establishment both as a military ruler and later a “reformed democrat” as he called himself during the 2015 election campaign, which he won by a landslide.

Nigerians lined the streets celebrating his victory; however, the honeymoon didn’t last long as many believed he squandered his goodwill by being too slow in his presidential actions.

He took six months to appoint ministers to his cabinet and then failed to act quickly to tackle the country’s economic crises, which was in part brought about by a weak currency and falling global oil prices.

For months, Buhari refused to devalue Nigeria’s falling currency, the naira, and weakened investor confidence. This further led to a gulf between the official and black market exchange rate.

According to economic analyst Bismarck Rewane, one of Buhari’s failings was his limited understanding of modern economics and markets policies, which plunged the country into recession. This lack of understanding was rooted in paranoia and suspicion after he was overthrown during his first military rule, according to Rewane.

He said: “In 1983, Buhari felt he was swindled when he was asked by the IMF to devalue the Naira and remove subsidy. Three weeks later there was a coup against him. Since then he has been suspicious of free market policies and he took a long time to do things. When he did do them, the impact was too little too late and not optimal.”

Rewane, who met President Buhari several times on the campaign trail and gave him some policy advice after his victory, says Buhari will be remembered as a “strong and principled leader.”

“He was a very unique governor,” Rewane told CNN. “Some people will say he was rigid, he didn’t shift when he believed in something. But I see that as a good thing. He had a strength of character is very rare in this part of this world. People here are too flexible and corrupted.”

Buhari’s first term was characterized by war on many fronts, including the Boko Haram insurgency, the secessionist pro-Biafra movement in the east of Nigeria and rampaging Fulani herdsmen across Nigeria.

Despite growing concerns around the country’s security situation, Buhari was reelected in 2019. During his second term, furious protests against police brutality erupted across the country, decrying reported incidents of kidnapping, harassment, and extortion by a controversial police unit.

Buhari vowed to do more to fight militant groups and fix the economy as the demonstrations turned deadly and continued to simmer for the remainder of his presidency.

In his final UN speech in 2022, Buhari criticized the “corrosive” effect” of fellow leaders who extend term limits to cling to power. The next year, he praised his successor and fellow party member Tinubu as “the best person for the job.”