NEWS OF THE WORLD

A letter written by Russian Empress Catherine the Great to urge vaccinations for citizens during a smallpox epidemic in the 18th century is set to be auctioned in Moscow.

The April 20, 1787, epistle to a German count is being shown at a Moscow museum until the end of the month before it hits the auction block with a presale estimate of $1.6 million. Catherine was the first in the country to be vaccinated against smallpox.

Ivan Duque, the president of Colombia, issued an apology after a group of police cadets dressed up in Nazi uniforms, complete with swastikas.

After photos from the Simon Bolivar Police School in the city of Tulua were circulated widely on social media, Duque tweeted, “Any excuse for Nazism is unacceptable, and I condemn this event.”

Nearly 60 percent of newlyweds in Japan said they held no wedding ceremony because of the COVID pandemic, according to a survey by insurance company Meiji Yasuda Life.

The online poll, which was conducted last month, also found that nearly 70 percent of couples skipped a honeymoon.

Spain’s dictator from 1939 to 1975, Francisco Franco, was “shy with women,” said British historian Paul Preston.

In an interview with Spanish media to promote a new history of Spain, the renowned authority on the country also noted Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was “an aggressive predator — a rapist even.” He added that Germany’s Adolf Hitler “harbored a range of perversions.”

Environmentalists in Australia are raising the alarm that the country’s sandalwood preserves are becoming extinct.

Used for nearly 200 years by incense and oil-makers, sandalwood is harvested in Western Australia. One ecologist who has spent the past three years studying sandalwood said that it has decreased by nearly 90 percent.

“The bottom line is that no one knows how much is left,” said ecologist Richard McLellan.