Briefly

SAUDI ARABIA

Explosion rocks Greek-run tanker

An explosion hit a Greek-operated oil tanker docked at Saudi Arabia's port of Shuqaiq on Wednesday, Greek officials said, in an attack that a Riyadhled military coalition blamed on Yemeni rebels. The blast on the Maltese-flagged Agrari tanker followed a string of attacks by the Iran-linked rebels on Saudi oil infrastructure, highlighting the growing perils of a five-year military campaign led by the kingdom in Yemen. The tanker was "attacked by an unknown source" while it was preparing to depart from the Red Sea port of Shuqaiq, its Greece-based operator TMS Tankers said, adding no injuries were reported. An investigation was underway.

MADAGASCAR

Dinosaur-era bird flies into the history books

A delicate but exquisitely preserved skull of a crow-sized bird with a scythe-like beak that inhabited Madagascar nearly 68 million years ago is showing scientists that they have a lot to learn about avian diversity during the age of dinosaurs. Scientists on Wednesday said the bird, called Falcatakely forsterae, possessed a face unlike any other known bird from the age of dinosaurs－the Mesozoic Era－not only because of the beak shape but because of its underlying anatomy. Its beak looked superficially like that of a small toucan though the two species are not closely related. Falcatakely's 9-centimeter skull remains partially embedded in rock because the scientists did not want to risk harming it.

AUSTRALIA

Hit miniseries sparks chess frenzy

The popular miniseries The Queen's Gambit has led to a surge of interest in chess, with one popular website registering millions of new players and academies reporting unprecedented demand. Netflix said the show, which follows the turbulent career of a fictional woman chess prodigy in the 1950s and 1960s, has become its most-watched ever and is currently the number-one ranked program in 63 countries. Gaming site Chess.com said the series had prompted a wave of interest－already piqued by the pandemic and top-flight chess players appearing on the Twitch gaming platform－with new daily registrations up 400 percent. Worldwide, Google reported searches for "chess" are at their highest level in 14 years.

Agencies via Xinhua